"What's a good way to reach a lot of young people all at once?
"Plant yourself at an entrance of a popular music festival with a sign, some free stuff, and a smile.
"That's what Catholic priest Fr. David Jenuwine did last weekend, at BottleRock Napa, a three-day music festival with roughly 30,000 in attendance.
His sign read simply: Catholic priest. Blessings, Prayers, Confessions, Answers."
A recent Catholic News Service article reported on Father Jenuwine's ministry at the festival, including the reaction of many festival attendees.
To access the complete Catholic News Service report, please visit:
Catholic News Service: Priest plants himself at popular music festival, goes viral on Reddit (1 JUN 17)
Background information:
Saint Apollinaris Parish, Napa, California
05 June 2017
Reflection Starter from James Russell Lowell
"Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day, which must be done, whether you like it or not." - James Russell Lowell
04 June 2017
"Come Holy Spirit - Let the Fire Fall "
As our Pentecost celebration continues, I offer this version of "Come Holy Spirit - Let the Fire Fall ":
Pentecost Sunday
Today the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday. The assigned readings are Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; and John 20:19-23. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 104 (Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34).
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: Psalm 104 - Lord, Send Out Your Spirit by Keith Ballentine
The Gospel reading is as follows:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Reflections on these readings:
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflections: Pentecost (June 4, 2017)
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Pentecost (June 4, 2017)
Community in Mission: The Spirit of the Lord Filled the Earth - A Homily for Pentecost (3 JUN 17)
The Sacred Page: Is the Holy Spirit Divine in Scripture? The Mass Readings Explained (An Excerpt) (1 JUN 17)
The Sacred Page: The Feast of Pentecost! (31 MAY 17)
Word on Fire: The Breath of Life (Solemnities * Pentecost)
Catholic World Report: The Dispatch: Three Births and the Third Person of the Trinity (13 MAY 17)
Spirituality of the Readings: The Great Sharing (Pentecost Sunday A)
In Exile: Praying for Pentecost (Pentecost Sunday A)
Let the Scriptures Speak: Runaways - Blessed And Missioned (Pentecost Sunday A)
The Word Embodied: The Church of Many Voices (Pentecost Sunday A)
Historical Cultural Context: Air in Motion (Pentecost Sunday A)
Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Augustine (Pentecost Sunday A)
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: Psalm 104 - Lord, Send Out Your Spirit by Keith Ballentine
The Gospel reading is as follows:
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Reflections on these readings:
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflections: Pentecost (June 4, 2017)
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Pentecost (June 4, 2017)
Community in Mission: The Spirit of the Lord Filled the Earth - A Homily for Pentecost (3 JUN 17)
The Sacred Page: Is the Holy Spirit Divine in Scripture? The Mass Readings Explained (An Excerpt) (1 JUN 17)
The Sacred Page: The Feast of Pentecost! (31 MAY 17)
Word on Fire: The Breath of Life (Solemnities * Pentecost)
Catholic World Report: The Dispatch: Three Births and the Third Person of the Trinity (13 MAY 17)
Spirituality of the Readings: The Great Sharing (Pentecost Sunday A)
In Exile: Praying for Pentecost (Pentecost Sunday A)
Let the Scriptures Speak: Runaways - Blessed And Missioned (Pentecost Sunday A)
The Word Embodied: The Church of Many Voices (Pentecost Sunday A)
Historical Cultural Context: Air in Motion (Pentecost Sunday A)
Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Augustine (Pentecost Sunday A)
Thank You, Lord
Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Your Church and her people.
Msgr. Pope on the Power of Liturgy and Prayer
"There is a text from the Acts of the Apostles (read last week at Mass)
that sets forth quite well some of the qualities of the Sacred Liturgy.
Although the 'liturgy' cited in this passage is not a Mass, the
description should apply to all our liturgies; from the Liturgy of the
Hours to baptism, from a penance service to a full sung Mass. Let's look
at the passage and learn from it the power of liturgy to deliver,
instruct, and transform us and the world."
In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on liturgical prayer and its power to "rock the world" and "delivers the faith."
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Community in Mission: On the Power of Liturgy and Prayer (31 MAY 17)
In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on liturgical prayer and its power to "rock the world" and "delivers the faith."
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Community in Mission: On the Power of Liturgy and Prayer (31 MAY 17)
Reflection Starter from Pope Francis
"Through the darkness of today's conflicts, every one of us can become a
bright candle, a reminder that light will overcome darkness." - Pope Francis
03 June 2017
"Didgeridoo Meets Orchestra"
As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this presentation of William Barton playing a didgeridoo with the Australian Youth Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House:
Chess Meets Hip Hop in Providence, RI
"At first glance, the idea of mixing the slow game of chess with the fast pace of hip hop might not make sense.
"But the crowd that comes to the Hip Hop Chess Club every Monday seems to thrive with combination."
A recent WPRI-TV "Street Stories" segment report on the Hip Hop Chess Club, which meets weekly in Providence, RI.
To access the complete Street Stories report, please visit:
WPRI: The quiet of chess meets the beat of hip hop (1 JUN 17)
Background information:
Facebook: Hip Hop Chess Club
"But the crowd that comes to the Hip Hop Chess Club every Monday seems to thrive with combination."
A recent WPRI-TV "Street Stories" segment report on the Hip Hop Chess Club, which meets weekly in Providence, RI.
To access the complete Street Stories report, please visit:
WPRI: The quiet of chess meets the beat of hip hop (1 JUN 17)
Background information:
Facebook: Hip Hop Chess Club
A Mother Sustained by Her Family’s Love
"You may get me to the altar, but you can't force me to say, 'I do.'" That's what Anna told her parents when they were pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing. This was Yugoslavia in the 1930s, and it was well before society accepted women standing up for themselves. But there was Anna, speaking her mind.
Because her parents were store owners and considered part of the upper class in their town of Futok, they wanted her to marry someone from an equal class. Instead, the devoutly Catholic Anna liked Paul, a carpenter who was very involved with their local church. Anna got her parents to back down. She dated Paul, and the two soon married in a ceremony literally attended by the whole town because that's how weddings were celebrated in that place and time.
Anna and Paul led a quiet and humble life centered around work, church, and family, especially their two children, Rudy and Cecilia. But as World War II became a reality, peace and stability became a thing of the past.
The town of Futok had been settled by German pioneers known as Danube Swabians during the 17th and 18th centuries. That connection, along with the country's complex political situation, resulted in Russian forces sweeping through the area and sending citizens with any kind of German background to slave labor camps as World War II drew to a close. Paul believed his family would be safe because his last name was Yugoslavian, while Anna’s maiden name was French-Hungarian. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
While he was away, Anna and the children, ages four and eight, were put into a camp. Thankfully, when the communists were gathering children to deport them to Russia, a woman wearing a long skirt hid Rudy and Cecilia under it until the danger had passed. For two years, Anna endured a hellish existence that involved hard work during the day, and being awake much of the night to keep the rats away from her kids. She also witnessed acts of brutality that, even years later, she couldn't bring herself to talk about. The only blessing was that she and the kids did survive, and were reunited with Paul, with whom they had to escape the country as refugees.
They found a home among relatives in Germany for five years before immigrating to the United States in 1952 and settling in Queens, New York. They worked hard to build a better life, but occasionally faced strains of anti-German sentiment despite their hatred of Hitler and the Nazis.
Anna took comfort in caring for her family and being a homemaker extraordinaire, who would bake pastries, paint walls, cement the porch, and more. When a grandson came along years later, Cecilia said she'd never seen her mother or father happier. They were moments of happiness that Anna needed to survive when Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. For many years, she was his primary caretaker, though the strong bonds that she had helped forge in the family resulted in everyone pitching in to do their part.
After Paul passed away, Anna's strength and faith allowed her to survive as a widow for more than a decade. But her family was always close by, a fact that had been her light during life's darkest moments.
Anna passed away in 2004. She was my grandmother, my "Oma," as I called her. And I remember[ed] her with love this Mother's Day.
This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column, written by Tony Rossi, of The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)
Background information:
The Christophers
Because her parents were store owners and considered part of the upper class in their town of Futok, they wanted her to marry someone from an equal class. Instead, the devoutly Catholic Anna liked Paul, a carpenter who was very involved with their local church. Anna got her parents to back down. She dated Paul, and the two soon married in a ceremony literally attended by the whole town because that's how weddings were celebrated in that place and time.
Anna and Paul led a quiet and humble life centered around work, church, and family, especially their two children, Rudy and Cecilia. But as World War II became a reality, peace and stability became a thing of the past.
The town of Futok had been settled by German pioneers known as Danube Swabians during the 17th and 18th centuries. That connection, along with the country's complex political situation, resulted in Russian forces sweeping through the area and sending citizens with any kind of German background to slave labor camps as World War II drew to a close. Paul believed his family would be safe because his last name was Yugoslavian, while Anna’s maiden name was French-Hungarian. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
While he was away, Anna and the children, ages four and eight, were put into a camp. Thankfully, when the communists were gathering children to deport them to Russia, a woman wearing a long skirt hid Rudy and Cecilia under it until the danger had passed. For two years, Anna endured a hellish existence that involved hard work during the day, and being awake much of the night to keep the rats away from her kids. She also witnessed acts of brutality that, even years later, she couldn't bring herself to talk about. The only blessing was that she and the kids did survive, and were reunited with Paul, with whom they had to escape the country as refugees.
They found a home among relatives in Germany for five years before immigrating to the United States in 1952 and settling in Queens, New York. They worked hard to build a better life, but occasionally faced strains of anti-German sentiment despite their hatred of Hitler and the Nazis.
Anna took comfort in caring for her family and being a homemaker extraordinaire, who would bake pastries, paint walls, cement the porch, and more. When a grandson came along years later, Cecilia said she'd never seen her mother or father happier. They were moments of happiness that Anna needed to survive when Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. For many years, she was his primary caretaker, though the strong bonds that she had helped forge in the family resulted in everyone pitching in to do their part.
After Paul passed away, Anna's strength and faith allowed her to survive as a widow for more than a decade. But her family was always close by, a fact that had been her light during life's darkest moments.
Anna passed away in 2004. She was my grandmother, my "Oma," as I called her. And I remember[ed] her with love this Mother's Day.
This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column, written by Tony Rossi, of The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)
Background information:
The Christophers
Reflection Starter from Satchel Paige
"You win a few, you lose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them." - Satchel Paige
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
