The Occasional Newsletter

 

Winter 2010                           www.ministriesoutreach.org                                       No.18

 

PARTNERS I   by Kate Melton

       I heard the invitation from the pulpit at St. Paul the Apostle, and then again from Larry Peplinski.  I was not much of a joiner due to previous disappointments, but my curiosity kept asking, “What is this Partner’s in Ministry?”  I finally signed up for the year long, once a month commitment because something ( the Holy Spirit?), kept gently pushing me to do so.

      Sisters Kay & Pat engaged me from the start. I learned a lot about church history and the sacraments. I began to realize that to make a difference in the world you must get involved.  I have always felt unworthy to be a leader or caregiver in the church but somehow people are drawn to my love and compassion. So, I took some baby steps and felt so rewarded.  Isn’t that what ministry is all about?

               We had a wonderful retreat in Glen Rose and I got to know people better. Though I can tell you it’s not hard to know people in PIM. We often rotated tables for small group discussions. I even stood up in front of everyone and talked a few times. Nothing was embarrassing because everyone respected the other’s experience in God’s Universe.

               In December, I found a lump in my breast and it turned out to be cancer. I turned to my new found friends, Sisters Kay and Pat, PIM, St Paul’s, other denominational churches in Ft. Worth and around the world for loving support and prayers for healing or for whatever God’s will was for me.  So far I have had good news - no meds and no lymph node involvement. Thank you, God. I lift that up in witness to the power of prayer and belief that through Him all things are possible. The next step is chemo. Thanks, in advance for your prayers.

 

                   

 

PARTNERS I  Closing Ceremony,  with Bishop Vann at St. Paul the Apostle, were:

Denise Coriddi,  Hester Bender,  Madonna Willikie,  Maria Franz,  Manuel Linan,

      Cathy Wallace, Bishop Vann, Ruth Martin, Larry Peplinski, Wilma Perry, Pauline King.

In far rear is Deacon Don Wamer, a graduate of PIM in 1980.  Other participants not

      pictured: Pete Coriddi,  Leta & Wes Walker.                                                                                                        


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FROM: Barbara McAninch,

THE MINSTRIES OUTREACH ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR

Dear Partners,

 

Thanks so much for your participation and support.  Without our wonderful group of Partners, the ministry of Sisters Pat and Kay could not be sustained. 

 

In our Partners II sessions this year, we have been enjoying lively discussions about Vatican II and its changes and impact on our church.  Maureen Sullivan, author of 10 Questions & Answers on Vatican II wrote:  Some commentators have said, “it [the Second Vatican Council] was the most significant event in the history of the church since Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit sent tongues of fire down upon the apostles and prompted them to carry the good news to every land on earth.”  Others have said, “the Council attempted to reverse a thousand years of history, to reform and renew a Catholicism that had become almost as outmoded as the oxcart.”  We are among the informed laity who are determined not to lose the Spirit and to keep the focus of the Council alive in the church today.  Our last session is Saturday, March 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Lewisville, 1897 W. Main Street, Lewisville, Texas. We hope that you can join us.

 

We also look forward to seeing all of you at Glen Rose for our annual spiritual retreat on April 16 and 17.  We are delighted to have Dr. Toni Craven, the I. Wylie and Elizabeth M. Briscoe Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University to lead us in a discussion of Memory and the Psalms.   Father Charlie Calabrese, the TCU Catholic Chaplain, will join Dr. Craven on Saturday afternoon for a discussion of what they mean when they say, “I am Catholic.”  Father Calabrese will preside for our closing liturgy.

 

The Ministries Outreach Advisory Board works with Sisters Pat and Kay to develop ideas for programs.  We are in the planning stages and hope you will share your thoughts and ideas with us about programs and offerings for the 2010-2011 Partners Programs.  I can be reached at mc237@verizon.net.Again, thanks for all that you Partners do.  You are a very special group.

 

Barbara McAninch

 

What does it mean?  By Larry Peplinski       

 All of us who are baptized are called into the position of prophet. What does that mean?  Surely not speaking as God but rather speaking of God’s truth.

 

 To me, that means being willing to defend the teachings of an inclusive, non-violent and loving Jesus, by speaking out or showing kindness to others, and including others, even those we dislike.  However, often we proclaim our own agendas and forget what the great prophet Paul said that we must have love for each other or we are nothing. 

            Being a true prophet of the Lord may entail going against the prevailing current of thought and actions but without an impatient, pompous, or rude attitude.  If we are quick tempered and brood over injury and wrongdoings, we must recognize that we have failed  to be a true prophet of the Lord and strive to improve,  knowing that God is all love, all forgiving and always with us.

                                                                                                   

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The Importance of Dignity  by Ruth Martin

 

   There are seven themes in Catholic Social Teaching and the core of all of them is the dignity of the human person. In fact, that is the title of the first teaching. One of the best things the church does is support the justice that scripture speaks of as shown in the life of Christ.  Jesus’ words were….I came to bring life…in abundance…..to all people.  He included ALL people in that statement. 

 Americans are a very generous people. When we know of a particular need, such as in Haiti we respond. Yes, we are pretty dern good at the big stuff. We “do something” but then move on.  However, what I want to write about is what social justice means in our ordinary day.

            Most of us are overworked and over committed. We don’t have time. We get our children up to go to school, hurrying them and rushing to make sure they have all their things. Could there be an extra minute to put arms around them and bless them, acknowledging them as human beings, who are worthy of God’s love! 

            Could we find time to be kind at work by looking people in the eye, smiling and offering a greeting? When someone talks, do we really listen?  We have a responsibility in justice to our employer, so I am not suggesting that we should let others misuse our time.  Listening is one of the most precious gifts we can give each other.  Listening recognizes others as valuable human beings and changes people and relationships.

             To change our reactions to someone who is unkind or rude or when there is a disagreement is something that is often difficult to do.  Do we respond angrily without listening to what was said? Do we continue to think about how you can put others in their place, “fix them”?  How long does it eat at us?  I know how hard the struggle is especially with those close to us.  However, if we respect the other person and their dignity, we also respect our own.  When wronged we can choose how we respond.  Kindness is offering dignity and that response changes the atmosphere and the outcome of a difficult situation. Find opportunities to be kind. It will change your world and the world around you.

 

Letting Go of Control    by Maria Frantz

            When reading Prophetic Imagination by Brueggmann, I was struck by the idea of a free God.  What would my life be like if I could allow God to be free – what would the world be like if people could allow God to be free?”  Since reading Brueggmann, I have struggled with the concept of a “free God”.  What does this truly mean?  What does it mean in my life?  What must I change in order to live so that I allow God to be free in all areas of my life?

            To date, the area of my life most affected by this struggle is my prayer life.  I attempt to make my prayers into conversations with God; not an easy thing, since God does not respond in a manner normal to us humans.  Instead of prayers of petition, I attempt to simply state my concerns and leave the response to God’s judgment.  It’s much more difficult to allow God Her freedom than I would have thought.  It means giving up control.  It means letting go in the most complete sense. Neither of which are natural to me.

 

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            Our 50th Anniversary of Vatican II,  continued…….

      by Ray Szempruch

 

Today, January 28, is the 50th anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys, although their original name was The Dallas Rangers – not to be confused with the Dallas Texans who became the Kansas City Chiefs the same year. Not that it matters.

 

This last week in January is also the 50th anniversary of John XXIII’s Roman Synod.

Why should that matter? Observers, outsiders, labeled it John’s rehearsal for the Ecumenical Council. After a glance at the bloated document regulating the minutia of the local Church, they declared it a failure.

 

 But what was Rome like in 1960? Recovering still from WWII and the quadrupling of its population, poor, anti-clerical, plastered with “Vote the Italian Communist Party” posters. Rome was also the glitzy, cosmopolitan La Dolce Vita. Rome was the home of the Vatican, hundreds of religious houses, seminaries, universities and monuments.

 

Their ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Synod was a gathering of Rome’s 1200 parish priests and their bishop striving for a “touch of holiness” for their people in this insanity.

 

Church canon lawyers were considerably disturbed by the Synod’s principles: “That’s not law.” To which John responded, “It’s not intended as a strictly legal document.”  The jurists feared a precedent had been set that could lead to a new concept of law in the Church.

 

The insiders saw that John’s style was different. How so? A positive spirit permeated the synod structure and verbiage “whereby priest, seminarian, nun and layman, putting their shoulders to the wheel of life, could achieve decency, stability, security and a touch of holiness no matter what the physical and social conditions in which they found themselves.”

 

The Synod and its exhausting preparations did matter: John saw what was possible. John understood what needed to be done to assure that this positive, pastoral spirit would permeate his Council.

 

      Heard at the Tuesday Morning ‘popcorn bowl’:   

v     Remember that bumper sticker – Jesus is coming. Look busy!

 

v     I felt in great need of a pilgrimage and so I sat for three days and God came.

 

v     Piglet said, “Pooh how do you write those songs?”  Pooh said, “I go where the songs can find me.”

 

v     I looked for myself...  But myself I could not see.

      I searched for God...  But God eluded me.

      I looked for my sister/brother...  In whom I found all three. 

                                

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                      FROM KAY AND PAT:

“Our” brother Harry is now in Grand Coteau, at a small parish and is struggling to find ways to fit into current USA reality.  He was asked to “hear the confessions” of first communicants and of course, all the ritual he knows is in Tamil and Latin…interesting dilemma (after dilemma!!!).  Pray for him, please…

 

 

Updates:

v    PARTNERS TWO had a rousing gathering on January 23 at St. Philip’s in             Lewisville as we continued the study of Pope John XXIII, historical events and       interactions of participants at Vatican II.  The last meeting for this session is Saturday March 6, 9-2 p.m.  All are welcome.

 

v    THE TUESDAY MORNING SEMINAR is “rocking along” with its usual interplay of spiritual and intellectual insights. Currently we are reading Arise, My Love (Mysticism for a New Era) by William Johnston. Please join us whenever you can.

 

We surely hope to see you at one (at least!) of the following exciting events:

 

v    February 27, FATHER ROY BOURGEOIS,  from the School of the Americas’ protest group, and supporter of women’s roles and gifts in society and the church will be a presenter at the Methodist Church in Dallas.  Please call Lisa Coleman at 972-564-3132 for more information.

 

v    March 8, St. Philip in Lewisville is hosting as guest speaker, Sister Helen PreJean,

      author of  Dead Man Walking, in  the  worship  center  at 7:00 p.m.    Call  Susan           Sandles at 972-219-5838 for more details. 

 

v    April 16, 17 ANNUAL RETREAT at Glen Rose.   This year’s presenters will be Dr. Toni Craven, I. Wylie & Elizabeth Briscoe Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School (TCU).  She will lead us in a discussion of Memory and the Psalms.  Father Charlie Calabrese, TCU  Catholic Chaplain, will join Dr. Craven on Saturday afternoon for a discussion of what they mean when they say, “I am Catholic.”   Father Calabrese will preside for our closing liturgy.

 

Thank you again, for your love, support, and for continuing the building of community among us, as we work together to be the people of God. (Lumen Gentium)  

CHECK US OUT!

You can read The Occasional Newsletter at  www.ministriesoutreach.org.

KAY & PAT