| SS. John
& Paul
October 9, 2005 |
A community of believers united and growing in Christ to serve as generous and loving stewards of God's love. | ||
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Pastor’s
Perspective *Parish
Financial Report
The parish’s financial report for fiscal year 2004-2005 is
included as an insert in today’s bulletin.
It gives a snapshot of the income and expenses for the year, along
with account and loan balances. The
Stewardship Commission reviews a much more detailed report monthly.
Please know that we would be happy to answer both general and
specific financial questions. Direct
such questions to the parish business manager, Paula Klozik at
586.781.9010.
The current budget year has a budget very similar to what you see
on the financial report. We
earmarked a little more money for capital improvements so that we can
begin to deal with such issues as the parking lot, 28 Mile Rd. entrance,
preliminary engineering studies on what is possible in terms of land use
and expansion of current church facilities. But in general each area is
very close to what the past fiscal year has been.
The key for sound parish finances is consistent Sunday stewardship
and faithful paying off of C.S.A. pledges throughout the year. You determine what is possible by that stewardship.
We base each year’s budget on what you have said you will try to
provide. For that reason, we
are in good financial shape in terms of our yearly operating budget.
The loan we took out to put up the Activities Center will be paid
off by next year. We are trying to save a little money for future needs as
well, since at the current time the diocese no longer gives parishes a
loan for improvement projects. We
have to have that money 100% in hand.
There is still the long term issue of the 11 acres the diocese
purchased for us immediately adjacent (north) to the current property. That continues to be carried as a no-interest loan.
We cannot do much about it until we work through all the issues of
what the future needs of the parish and archdiocese will be, how much
extra land, if any, would be necessary for parking and buildings, and so
on.
Thank you for your Sunday and C.S.A. stewardship.
It allows us to be a fully viable, growing, full activities parish.
Please keep that up. *“My
Parish”
A classmate of mine found this article and I think it fits right
into our theme of stewardship that we’ve been looking at these past few
weeks. If someone knows the
author, please let me know. I will gladly give credit. This
is my parish. It
is composed of people like me. We make it what it is. It
will be friendly, if I am friendly. Its
pews will be filled, if I help fill them. It
will do great work, if I work. It
will make generous gifts to many causes, if I am a generous giver. It
will bring other people into its worship and fellowship, if I bring them. It
will be a church of love and loyalty, of fearlessness and faith, and a
church with a noble spirit, if I who make it what it is, am also filled
with these. *Protecting
God’s Children Workshops
A workshop designed for parents and volunteers who work in
parishes, helping us be more aware of how child predators think and act
and what signs to look for, will be offered twice at the parish in the
coming weeks. It is a 3 ˝
hour workshop, a light dinner will be included, for Thursday October 13th
or Thursday October 27th, beginning at 6 p.m.
All volunteers in the parish, catechists and youth chaperones
included, who work with youth and children, must be certified as having
attended a seminar. All of
the current parish staff, from the maintenance person to the pastor, have
also attended such workshops and have done follow up education via an
internet education site. The goal is awareness, education, and tools for dealing with questions and/or suspicions of child abuse, whether taking place at home, in the neighborhood, at school or church. I encourage parents to attend, not just those who are volunteers in the parish. I ask all who serve in parish ministry, if they have not yet attended such a session, to think about signing up for one of these two. *End
of Life Issues and Decisions
On two Tuesdays in November, the 15th and 22nd,
from 6:30-8:00 p.m. we will hold a two-part series on “Understanding
and Making Good Decisions about End of Life Issues.”
It will include an overview of Catholic thinking, which I will be
giving, along with insights from nurses and others who work with hospice
or hospitals on such decisions. Topics
include pain management, hospice, health care legal documents,
life-sustaining treatment, withdrawing nutrition and hydration, ordinary
vs. extraordinary means and, of course, your own questions.
Mark your calendars and plan on joining us for some stimulating
adult formation. *Respecting
Life: A Catholic Understanding and its Complexity In the class I teach in Saginaw on “Special Moral Issues” a column from their diocesan newspaper became a hot topic for discussion. It was written by the archbishop of Denver and zeroed in on a Catholic understanding of pro-life. |
The
core of the article was excellent. It
focused the reader on the two key principles of Catholic social ethics
that guide all of our discussions in making moral decisions that impact on
the social arena: the principle of the inviolable dignity of each and
every human person (sometimes called the “Personalist Principle) and
the principle of the common good.
This second principle is harder to define exactly, because of the
very diverse views on what makes for the common good, but we often know
when something violates or takes away from the common good.
Along with a subset of other principles which help us to better
understand what is involved in the common good (the social dimension to
all property, the preferential option for the poor, the principle of
subsidiarity and its correlate of active participation in decisions by
those affected by its outcome, and the principle of solidarity to overcome
class and other conflicts), the two key principles frame Catholic ethical
conversation on any human issue.
In laying out the Catholic approach to life issues the archbishop
pointed out that not all issues are of equal weight (which is a given, but
one has to be careful thereby not to suggest that one can ignore some
issues as long as one is paying attention to the weightier ones).
The right to life and the protection of life, especially of the
unborn and vulnerable, is the weightiest issue.
Moreover, he said, the taking of such life is intrinsically evil
and so has an absolute application, regardless of circumstances.
In contrast, he said, the church’s opposition to capital
punishment is not based on any notion of intrinsic evil and, in fact, the
support of capital punishment in some instances and of just war in some
instances is part of the intrinsic identity of the Church.
Whoa! One can agree
with his reasoning that capital punishment and opposition to war are not
based on “intrinsic evil” arguments.
But to suggest that some openness to capital punishment and war is
part of the core (intrinsic) identity of the church is mistaken, even if
an archbishop says it. It
ignores the earliest church of the first few centuries which adamantly
opposed all war and all killing. It
ignores the clear opposition of Pope John Paul II to every capital
punishment case that was publicized during the years of his pontificate.
It ignores the very heart of the gospel, which is not that the
community of disciples of Jesus will support war but will be the example
of what it means to love one’s enemy.
The archbishop of Denver makes two quite common theological
mistakes. The first is to
think that an argument based on a designation of intrinsic evil means that
the issue is more important than other issues. No, it is simply an
analysis of why we think something is reasonably considered wrong.
To the extent that the intrinsic evil is obvious to human reason it
is a persuasive argument. Protecting
the unborn is indeed one of the most important moral stances we take in
our Catholic approach to life. But
it is core no matter how we argue the moral evil involved, not because of
its intrinsic evil. We also
use such intrinsic evil arguments for why masturbation is wrong, why
sterilization is wrong, and so on. I
do not think we want to say that those two issues are as weighty as the
issue of protecting unborn life.
The second mistake is to think that if something can’t be named
an intrinsically evil action and the Church has not always opposed it, it
means that the Church cannot exclude it from its core identity.
But that reasoning means that we would have to say that human
slavery is in some sense part of the Church’s core identity, because we
allowed it for some centuries and do not use intrinsic evil argumentation
to oppose it now. Being
against freedom of religious expression would have to be intrinsic to the
Church’s identity by the same line of reasoning.
And the list could be expanded.
Clearly this type of thinking leads to an impoverished and even
tragic understanding of Catholic identity.
More next week.
The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of life. May we respect the
inviolable dignity of every life and view all that we do in light of the
common good.
Fr. Buersmeyer October Taize Wednesday, October 12 6:30 p.m. Anointing of the Sick
We will celebrate the 5:00 p.m. Mass on October 22 with the
sacrament of the anointing of the sick. We encourage families with
relatives who are homebound to make an effort to join us. Who is to be
anointed?
Please call the parish office (586) 781-9010 if you or a friend or
relative are interested in attending. Mission Sunday
Next Sunday, World Mission Sunday, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict
XVI, calls every Catholic to celebrate at the Eucharist our vocation to be
missionary and to help the Missions.
As Catholics around the world—here at home and in the
Missions—gather at the Eucharist around the table of the Lord, let us pray
for the Church’s worldwide missionary work and offer
financial help through
the Propagation of the Faith for more than 1,150 dioceses in Asia, Africa,
Latin America and the Pacific Islands. Please use the envelope you receive this week when making your donation next weekend. Thank you. | ||
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Baptism Preparation
Our next baptism
preparation session will be on Wednesday, November 2, at 7:00 p.m.
Prior to attending the preparation class, you must call for an
appointment to come into the office to register your child. Women’s Retreat Jesus’ Mission — Our Mission
October 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Capuchin Retreat
House. Suggested donation is $25. For information or to register, call
Carol Benn at (586) 752-2134. |
From
the Music Desk… Why a Junior High Bellchoir?
This week, I briefly visited all of the classrooms of the 7th
and 8th grades in our catechetical program.
My purpose was to invite the students to join a new Junior High
handbell choir.
As I gradually become
involved in the overall music program here at SS. John and Paul, I
recognize the absence (with a few exceptions) of teenagers in our overall
program. This new
handbell choir is an attempt to remedy that situation, creating greater
continuity as the students progress through the various stages of their
involvement here. Our Junior
Handbell Choir covers grades 2 through 6, and rehearsals for that group
interlock with the Tuesday Catechism programs.
I believe that it is important not to extend the age group of such
a choir too broadly, as third and eighth graders learn and interact at
very different levels. Particularly
in a bell choir, a team-like cohesion is extremely important, and
targeting specific age groups helps to facilitate this.
I have already received positive responses from a few students, and
hope to have the new choir up and running by the end of this month.
We will collectively decide the day and time of weekly rehearsals
in light of the busy schedules of the ringers, and I would expect that we
will start off ringing for one Mass each month.
This will be an important support for any of the students’
school-based choral or instrumental programs.
I have asked anyone who is interested to call me at the church.
Over time, I hope to develop a wider variety of programs for our
young people to exercise their music ministry within the context of our
liturgies. These are people of
great talents and gifts, and we will all benefit from their direct
involvement. Darryl and Wrapping Sandwiches
Yes, it’s an odd title to an article but it makes sense to me.
Those of you who have been members of our parish for some time may be
aware of the fact that I, John Wright, am in formation with the goal of
being ordained a permanent deacon for the Church in October of 2007. I am
currently beginning my third year of formation. Since my last update
I’ve completed studies that included the Lectionary and St. Paul,
Pastoral Catechetics and an entire course devoted to the Right of
Christian Initiation for Adults ( RCIA). There was also a class, which
highlighted the Liturgical prayer of the Church with an emphasis on
presiding for services which can sometimes be the role of a deacon.
Finally in the spring I took one of the more challenging courses entitled
“Trinity and Christology” Whew!!
As I’ve shared with many of you, going back to school was not
something I looked forward to even though I have great respect for those
in the world of academics (like Fr. Dave). There must be a calling to the
deaconate because this education part would not be my choice.
Education, however, is only one third of what is to happen during
this time. Spiritual growth and learning the role of the servant are just
as important. This part of formation is how Darryl came into my life.
While working on the Salvation Army Bed and Bread truck this summer I was
wrapping and handing out sandwiches to the homeless and most vulnerable of
our society. That is an important aspect of the deacon’s role.
One day we had just run out of food and a man came to the truck
asking for something to eat. We had nothing to give. The tears came to his
eyes and said that’s ok just pray for him because his wife left him,
took his children, and she won’t let him see his kids. He showed me a
picture of his beautiful family. I presume there are reasons for what
happened and some of them are probably his fault but he was looking for
God’s help. I asked his name and through the tears streaming down his
face he told me his name was Darryl. Annette and I pray for Darryl and all
those who are homeless every morning. We ask that you do the same. Pray
for those like Darryl and those who minister and bring Jesus to them. I
hope that some day I will be of some assistance to those who struggle in
life. This is the value the deacon can bring.
Well, there is the yearly update. Our parish has agreed to host a
formation day on Saturday October 8th for about 70 of the men
currently in the program. I appreciate that along with all the nice comments
and offers to pray for me. Please pray for all of us in formation including
our wives. They are indeed a very important part of the package.
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CHRISTIAN FAITH FORMATION |
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2005-2006 Religious Formation Program Early Childhood (ages
3-4-5 years) Sunday:
9:30-10:30 a.m. Sessions:
Oct. 9, 16, 23 No
Session: October 30 Grades 1-6 Monday:
4:45-6:00 p.m. Tuesday:
4:45-6:00 p.m. &
6:30-7:45 p.m. Sessions:
Oct. 10/11, 17/18, 24/25 No
Session: Oct. 31/Nov. 1 Grades 7-8 Sunday:
6:30-8:30 p.m. Sessions:
Oct. 9, 16, 23 No
Session: Oct. 30 Preparation for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation Parent / Child Session #1 Wed.,
Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. Sun.,
Oct. 23 at 10:45 p.m. For
families of 4th, 5th and 6th graders who have not received the Sacrament
of First Reconciliation. These
families will receive a letter in the next week with more information. This opportunity is also offered to families of 2nd and 3rd graders who show
a desire and readiness for
this sacrament. If you believe
your 2nd or 3rd grade child is ready, please call Linda Bauer 586-781-9488
for more information. PROTECTING GOD’S CHILDREN WORKSHOP Thurs. Oct. 13 & 27 6:00-9:30 p.m. (Choose one
evening.) For all parents, catechists and
anyone who works with children.
Learn the signs of child abuse and how to prevent this abuse. For more information about
registering for this program call Linda Bauer 586-781-9488. |
The Invitation
A royal wedding feast is a wonderful
event and to be invited would be a great privilege.
Why would anyone refuse such an invitation?
Tom was working in his shop when the
king’s messenger appeared unexpectedly announcing that he was invited to
the royal banquet. On hearing
this Tom began to glow with excitement.
His humdrum life was transformed!
The messenger said the banquet was that very night and he would be
back in an hour for a clear answer of yes or no.
And then he left.
Tonight!
This changed things for Tom. He
looked at the work he had done. It
was going well. And then he
looked at what had to be done yet. If
he worked hard he could finish it today.
It would be a relief to have it done.
Then he looked at his new employee.
He was still breaking him in. To
rush through the job would not be good.
At that moment he looked up and saw the
messenger going to his neighbor’s house.
So he was being invited too! Suppose
they would be seated next to each other at the table.
Not a pleasant thought! All
of a sudden the banquet began
to lose some of its appeal.
Then there was the tedious chore of
getting ready. What would he
wear? Even his best suit
wasn’t good enough for a royal banquet and he didn’t want to look
shabby.
And so, one by one the clouds of doubt
appeared. Tom began having
second and third thoughts. If
only the banquet was tomorrow night and he had his work done he wouldn’t
think twice about accepting the invitation.
By the time the messenger came back Tom
had his mind made up. He would
not be going and began his litany of reasons why not, but the messenger
was gone in a flash.
As in Jesus’ story it wasn’t bad
things that kept the people away, but perfectly good, reasonable things.
It isn’t when our path is strewn with difficulties that we may
fail to reach our goal, but when it is easy and full of attractions.
We are easily sidetracked and may forget our goal.
It seems that often when we are well fed
and materially secure we forget about God and spiritual things.
It is the poor who have nothing who are likely to be rich in faith.
Everything comes as a blessing to them.
A sense of something missing can be a blessing.
A spiritual hunger and thirst are God’s ways of inviting us to
his banquet.
The banquet stands for the fullness of
life to which God is calling us. It
is a call to intimacy with God, and to a deeper authentic personal life.
It is a call to community with others.
The invitation challenges us to abandon our isolationism, our
exclusiveness, our self-sufficiency, and to be willing to share with
others, to associate with others, and to collaborate with others.
It is a call to eternal life in the hereafter.
Just as parents want the best for their
children, so God wants the best for us who are his children.
And only God knows what is truly best for us. R.C.I.A Sunday, October 16
10:30 a.m. 7th
& 8th Grade WIND
Conference Forms due back by October 16th |
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ThanBaby Shower
In honor of Respect Life month, SS. John & Paul will sponsor a
“Baby Shower” during the month of October.
Donations we receive will go to Project Hope, a local crisis
pregnancy center sponsored by Catholic Services of Macomb.
Project Hope provides a variety of free services including prenatal
care, counseling, parenting classes, job search assistance, adoption
services as well as basic supplies.
Suggested items for donation are diapers,
baby clothes (onesies, sleepers, socks), formula, baby wipes and
bibs. We will have receptacles for donated baby items at each of
the church doors. Please join
us during the month of October as we pay tribute to those who have chosen
life. Spiritual Direction
Opportunities Dear
Community Members of SS. John & Paul,
My name is Sr. Kathleen Ottrock, OSF, a
member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, OH. You have seen me a
few times as music minister at your parish, subbing for your own music
minister. You may have seen me from time to time in your assembly
worshipping with you.
I am in the second year of a two year
training internship in Ignatian Spirituality at Manresa, a Jesuit
sponsored program. One of the requirements to complete the program is to
fulfill ninety hours of practicum. In other words, I am asking you to
consider meeting with me to explore spiritual direction.
My background includes ministering as
teacher, music minister and liturgist. Presently I am on the Spirituality
Committee in my own community. Professionally, I have earned an MA from
Notre Dame University, concentrating in theology and liturgy.
Brochures which include more information
regarding Spiritual Direction can be found in the literature racks. Soup Kitchen News
Thanks to everyone who participated and
donated food for August. Our next meal served will be October 18. We will
serve a spaghetti lunch with salad and fresh fruit. We are looking for
more people to donate food items for the Soup Kitchen. If interested,
please call Pat Sagert (586) 781-7035 or Barbara Jarzembski (586)
336-1450. Donated items should be delivered to the parish kitchen before
October 18 in a bag clearly marked SOUP KITCHEN. The group meets the day of the luncheon at SS. John & Paul at 8:30 a.m. and car pools at 8:45 for the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Mt. Clemens. God bless you for being so generous and helping those less fortunate. “Many are invited, but few are chosen”
What a story! Today’s
gospel certainly does not depict your typical wedding.
The first people invited decline the invitation to join the feast.
These people can say no to the party, just as we can say no when
God invites us to do good things and to be the best person we can be.
Remember, we always
have a choice.
Then, imagine the surprise of those along the road who are asked to
come into the banquet feast! They
don’t expect
to be invited but are delighted when they are and they accept
wholeheartedly. Likewise, we
don’t deserve the invitation to be present at God’s banquet, but what
a wonderful surprise that we are included.
When one individual says yes to the invitation but comes not
properly dressed, it is like a person who accepts God’s invitation to
the kingdom, but for some reason makes life choices that show that they
have not really said yes to a lifestyle
that reflects doing what would please God. Which
person best reflects who
you are today? What
things have you done that would
please God? How
and when do you thank God for
his invitation to be part of
his kingdom? Highlights of Worship
Commission Meeting on September 14, 2005 ¨ Feedback
on SS. John & Paul picnic and Fr. Dave’s Anniversary Mass ¨ Communion
Minister training scheduled for October 3 ¨ Lector
training will be held on October 17 ¨ Art
& Environment planning decorations for harvest, All Souls, Christ the
King, Thanksgiving and Advent ¨ New
director of liturgical music, Al Eppens, has begun practice with adult
choir. Practice for Contemporary and children’s choir will begin in
October ¨ Forms
were sent out for Commitment Sunday asking for a commitment and/or
recommitment. Forms will be brought forward at the mass on Sept. 25 ¨ Short
term and long term goal setting items that were received from Parish
Council were discussed in detail “TRUNK AND TREAT” Saturday — October 29, 2005
This new event is very exciting and is actually the first event
sponsored by our new Family Committee.
It will begin with the 5:00 p.m. mass … and yes, the children are
allowed to come to mass in costume. Towards
the end of mass, Fr. Dave will call all the children forward for a special
blessing and then they will process out with him and go into the parish
center. One parent of each
family will then go to the center to assist Fr. Dave and one parent will
go outside to get the car parked in the right position for the trunk to
open where the children will be passing.
The cars may be decorated as elaborately or simple as you wish.
There can be music, tables or chairs, or just candy.
While the cars are getting ready, the children will be seeing a
movie and then will hear from Sergeant Mason about Halloween safety tips
for the children. This should
take about 30 minutes.
When this is finished, the children (carrying their treat bag from
home) will be led out in two groups to parade in front of the trunks to
receive their treat—so bring your favorite candy to pass out.
When they are finished, they will go back into the parish center
for cider and donuts, giving parents time to gather things back into their
trunks and then to join the children.
The children in grades 1-6 are asked to help decorate the room in
the parish center. They will be given Halloween cut-outs and asked to
bring them back the week before the event.
We hope you join us and encourage parents to be creative in their
preparation. If you have no
children of school age, but would like to bring your grandchildren or just
yourself to take part in the fun...come on along.
All are Welcome! |
Flu
SFlu Shots
The Parish Nurse Ministry and Health Team of SS. John & Paul
will sponsor a flu shot clinic on Sunday, October 16th from
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM. Flu
shots are free of charge if you have Medicaid Part B or Care Choices.
You must bring your card as proof of insurance.
The cost for those not covered by these insurances is $25.00 for
the flu vaccine and $35.00 for the pneumonia vaccine, payable by check or
cash. If you will be paying
by cash, please try to bring exact change.
Please keep in mind that this clinic is being provided for the
convenience of the parishioners of SS. John & Paul.
If there is a flu vaccine shortage, clinics may be
restricted to High Priority only, meaning those over 65 years of
age or those with a chronic medical condition.
There is, at this time, no anticipated vaccine shortage.
"File of Life” Card Distribution
Our Health Ministry Team, along with the Washington Fire
Department, will be distributing “File of Life” cards at all the
masses the weekend of October 15-16.
“File of Life” cards are kept in a red plastic pocket labeled
FILE OF LIFE and list the patient name, emergency medical contact,
insurance policy, social security number, health problems, medications,
dosages, allergies, recent surgery, religion, and a health care proxy. The
entire packet is held with a magnet to the outside of the refrigerator. More than 90% of medical emergency calls are treated without knowledge of the patient’s medical history. The “File of Life” card enables Fire/Police/EMS personnel to obtain a quick and accurate medical history when a patient is unable to offer one. Washington, Ray and Bruce fire departments participate in this program. "Cry Out for Peace”
Once again, a nightly series will be offered at the Conner Capuchin
Soup Kitchen on Tuesdays, October 25 to November 15 from 7:00 PM – 9:00
PM. This is primarily a
discussion group that will be talking about issues around peace.
In a year that has known violence and war all too well, a theme has
been chosen: “Cry Out for
Peace”.
Speakers will include Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Jesse Cox and others
who will help those present to explore the Gospel imperatives for peace as
well as the global and local issues that block peace in our world.
Each night will consist of input from speakers, time for discussion
and communal prayer.
Come and be energized in your commitment to peace in our world, in
our city and in our hearts. The
sessions will be held at the Conner Soup Kitchen at 4390 Conner (on Conner
between Mack and Warren). Parking
is available in a fenced lot. Although
there is no fee for the series, we ask that you register by October 18th with Sr. Nancyann at 313.822.8606 x21 or Brother Ray at 313.822.8606 x15. TEEN NEWS ¨ Next youth group meeting for 9-12 grades will be October 9 from
6:30-8:30 p.m. Rainbow information will be given out at this meeting.
Please join us as we begin to make plans for this exciting conference. ¨ Ghostbuster permission slips due by Oct. 16. Sorry, no late
permission slips will be accepted. Friends are welcome. ¨ Thank
you! We would like to thank all those who supported the teens with the pumpkin
sales this past week-end. All
our profits will help support the retreats, Rainbow, world youth day
week-end, and other valuable conferences in which our teens attend.
Your support is truly a blessing! I would also like to thank the
parents & teens that were able to come and help with the cleaning
and/or selling of the pumpkins. Everyone
pitched in when we needed them and I really appreciate it. ¨ Teen
Retreat. Our teens
were joined by a group of teens from St. Joseph in Lake Orion on our 10-12
grade retreat on Sept. 23-25th, at the Subiaco Retreat House.
We enjoyed the beauty of the land, the relaxing atmosphere, and the
spiritual growth that we gained from this wonderful experience. Thank you
to all the teens who made this such an enjoyable experience.
The teens from our parish who participated were:
Abby Franks, Audrey Becker, Sarah Malzahn, Dayna Peters, Danielle
Peters, Jordyn McIntyre, Mike Macha, Jon Kretchman, and Jeff Pyke.
You guys are simply awesome! Thanks also to Mr. Stanley Tan and Ms.
Nicole Peters, who gave up their time to chaperone our teens on this
week-end away. Without the
support from these adults, week-ends like this would just not be possible.
Mrs. Peters Little Rock Scripture
Notes
The first five sessions of the ten week
scripture series, “The Acts of the Apostles” began last week (October
4) but you can still join us. The sessions are on Tuesdays. We have both a
morning and evening session of the same lesson each week. The morning
session is at 9:30 a.m., evening session at 6:30 p.m. Therefore, if you
want, you can choose to come to either session without calling ahead. Busy
schedules often catch us off guard, so this may make it easier for you to
take part in this scripture experience.
Also, if this is your first week in
attending, you may pick up your material in the parish office after any of
the weekend masses. The first week (October 4) was an introduction, so if
you are joining us for the first time on October 11, make sure you read
pages 5-26 and focus on questions 5, 17, & 18. FIRST
5 SESSIONS OF THE SERIES … OCTOBER 4 – 11 – 18- 25, NOVEMBER 1,
Tuesday
mornings at 9:30 a.m.
or Tuesday evenings
at 6:30
p.m.
...AND
LAST 5 SESSIONS CONTINUE ON
JANUARY
17 – 24 - 31, MARCH 7 - 14, Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m.
OR Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. |
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Together In
Ministry Parish Stewardship Continuing
our focus on what it takes to be good stewards, we offer these thoughts!
Remember...stewardship is about gratefully accepting God’s gifts and
using them in justice and love with others.
When we use our time, talents and treasures lovingly, we feel in
balance, in tune with God. Secrets of being Successful
Stewards 1. “Give
until it feels good”. Think
about how good you feel when you
are generous, when you are doing
something that makes a difference in someone’s life. There is something
good that surfaces within us that is triggered when we see a need. It is
that good feeling that wells up within us
when another’s needs and our shared gifts intersect.
“It is better to give than to receive”might seem like overused,
meaningless words, but if you think about the times you have extended
yourself (even if a bit begrudgingly), we can find ourselves feeling
great...not depleted...in fact...feeling enriched. 2. “See
not obligation, but opportunity”.
Love—or good
stewardship—can’t be demanded
from a person as an obligation. There is no life or vitality when actions
are only a response to duty. The
good steward is a conscious
steward, not a guilty
steward. Nothing is
more destructive to a good, healthy spirit of stewardship than to be
constantly asking: Am I doing
enough? Am I as generous as I
should be? Did I use my
talents to the fullest? God is
not a grouch who is never
satisfied with what we do. No,
God only asks us to reflect his generous nature by addressing the needs of
the moment. Next week: 2 more secrets! |
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