Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
OUR VISION
To be a vibrant Catholic Community
unified in its commitment
to growing disciples for Christ
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
PLENARY COUNCIL PRAYER
Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon,
concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Weekday Masses 14th - 17th August
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin ... St Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe ... The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
12noon Devonport
7:00pm Ulverstone
Thursday: 10:30am Karingal ... St Stephen
Friday: 11:00am Mt St Vincent
Weekend Masses 18th - 19th August, 2018
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Readings this week –Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
Readings next week –Twentieth Sunday
in Ordinary Time (Year B)
Ministry Rosters 18th & 19th August,
2018
Devonport:
Readers Vigil: V Riley, A Stegmann, B Suckling 10:30am: E Petts, K Douglas, K Pearce
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil:
T Muir, M Davies, D Peters, J
Heatley
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: J & S Willoughby
Ministers of Communion: M Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R Locket
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
Your prayers
are asked for the sick:
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 8th – 14th August
Dorothy Smith, Kevin Breen, Kenneth Bowles, Stephen French, Mark Gatt, Reginald Poole, Athol Wright, Gertrude Koerner, Kenneth Rowe, David Covington, Patrick Tunchun, Anthony Hyde and Evelyn Rosendorf. Also Maria Annabelle & Ismael Minoza Snr.
May they Rest in Peace
Weekly
Ramblings
Recently there was an issue at Devonport that has caused
some concern to a number of parishioners and had the effect, for a time, to
effect the health of our Parish. The incident involved two men who have given a
great deal to the Parish over many years – Tony Muir and John Lee-Archer. Tony
and John have asked that I say something about the steps they, and others, have
taken to effect a reconciliation and to assure everyone that the issue has been
resolved. They, and the Parish Leadership Team, have spent time in discussion
and prayer in coming to this point and following our meeting this week have
asked that I announce that Tony will be returning to his Role as Acolyte at Our
Lady of Lourdes from next weekend.
As mentioned in last weekend’s Ramblings we will celebrate
the Sacrament of Confirmation next weekend at the Vigil Mass at OLOL and on
Sunday morning at Sacred Heart. Please keep these young people in your prayers
as they enter this final week of preparation for this great Sacrament.
Also, please add to your calendar the gathering to be held
at Marist College, Burnie, on Saturday 1st September (10am - 12noon)
when we will have the opportunity to hear a presentation by a member of the
National Working Party on preparations for the Plenary Council 2020. Our Parish
Pastoral Team are in the process of preparing steps to assist us as a Parish
Community to make our Parish and individual contribution to the process – more
details as soon as they become available.
Please
take care on the roads and I look forward to seeing you next weekend.
CARE
& CONCERN:
SEMINARIANS
SUPPORT DINNER 2018:
The 2018 Archdiocese/Parishes Seminarian Support Dinner is
being coordinated by the Knights of the Southern Cross together with the valued
support of Guilford Young College. The dinner represents a wonderful
opportunity to gather as a single community of faith to enjoy each other’s
company while also allowing us as a Catholic community to contribute much
needed funds to support our Seminarians. Your attendance in support to the 2018
Archdiocese/Parishes Seminarian Support Dinner would be most welcomed. The
event is being held on Thursday 16th August 2018 commencing 6.30pm, Guilford
Young College – Hobart Campus. The cost for the dinner is $60.00 per person and
will include a complimentary drink upon arrival followed by canapés and a
four-course meal. To secure your ticket, please speak to Fr Mike or Fr Paschal.
If you have any queries please contact the Dinner Co-ordinator Mr Les Gardner
6229:0103
MT
ST VINCENT AUXILIARY:
A cake and craft stall will be held on Wednesday 29th
August with a 9am start at Mt St Vincent Home. Bring a friend or two and your
spare change and buy some goodies to help support this great fundraiser!
FROM THE PARISH PASTORAL TEAM:
Prayer is a vital and initial part of each of our Parish
Pastoral Team (PPT) meetings. PPT have been using a prayer style, similar to
that used in the Prayers of Intercession, where we read a phrase or sentence,
and then consider it and pray in silence. At our last meeting, we used the
Plenary Council Prayer, which is published in our weekly newsletter: “Give us
ears to listen humbly to each other and a discerning heart to hear what you are
saying.” Please continue to tell your PPT of your concerns about, but also your
agreement with, the direction of our Parish. These help to inform our
discussions and direction.
LUNCH: THIS Sunday 12th August at Gloria’s Cafe,
Ulverstone 12noon -12:20pm. All welcome.
FOOTY
TICKETS:
Round 20 (Friday 3rd August) Richmond by 3 points.
Congratulations to the following winners;
BINGO - Thursday Nights - OLOL
Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
THE JOURNEY
CATHOLIC RADIO PROGRAM – AIRS 12 August
This week on The Journey, we have invited the
Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to share with us their reflection from the Gospel
of John. Trish McCarthy joins us in her Milk & Honey segment and
reminds us that Life is Fragile, and Bruce Downes, The Catholic Guy talks to us
about Trusting is a Better Life. Christian Music is an integral part of our
show and together with our God Spots, this is the Journey Catholic Radio, where
faith, hope, love and life come together. Go to WWW.jcr.org.au or www.itunes.jcr.org.au where you can listen anytime and subscribe to weekly
shows by email.
The Church
at Karoola is celebrating 120 years of support to our Catholic community Sunday 2nd September, with Mass at 11am followed by a light luncheon in the
Karoola hall. We invite all with present or past connections to our parish
to join us. Contact for catering purposes; Billee Parry 6395:4173 or Dallas
Mahnken 6395:4274.
Who Am I?
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come
alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come
alive. —Dr. Howard Thurman (1899-1981), theologian and civil rights leader [1]
As conscious human beings, our life purpose is to be a
visible expression of both the image and the likeness of God. Each of us
reveals a unique facet of the divine, what Franciscan John Duns Scotus called
haecceity or thisness. [2] Parker Palmer says it well in his book Let Your Life
Speak:
The deepest vocational question is not “What ought I to do
with my life?” It is the more elemental and demanding “Who am I? What is my
nature?” . . . [I believe we’ve got to get our own who right before we can
begin to address the question of what am I to do.]
Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic
selfhood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we
do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks—we will also
find our path of authentic service in the world. True vocation joins self and
service, as Frederick Buechner asserts when he defines vocation as “the place
where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” [3] . . .
Contrary to the conventions of our thinly moralistic
culture, this emphasis on gladness and selfhood is not selfish. The Quaker
teacher Douglas Steere was fond of saying that the ancient human question “Who
am I?” leads inevitably to the equally important question “Whose am I”—for
there is no selfhood outside of relationship. . . .
As I learn more about the seed of true self that was planted
when I was born, I also learn more about the ecosystem in which I was
planted—the network of communal relations in which I am called to live
responsively, accountably, and joyfully with beings of every sort. Only when I
know both seed and system, self and community, can I embody the great
commandment to love both my neighbor and myself. . . .
The world still waits for the truth that will set us free—my
truth, your truth, our truth—the truth that was seeded in the earth when each
of us arrived here formed in the image of God. Cultivating that truth, I
believe, is the authentic vocation of every human being. [4]
[1] Howard Thurman, occasion unidentified. This often-used
quotation is attributed to Reverend Thurman on the history page of the Howard
Thurman Center for Common Ground at Boston University,
https://www.bu.edu/thurman/about/history/.
[4] Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the
Voice of Vocation (Jossey-Bass: 2000), 11, 15,16-17, 36.
WHY I BELIEVE IN GOD
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article here
Some of my favorite authors are agnostics, men and women who face life honestly and courageously without faith in a personal God. They’re stoics mostly, persons who have made peace with the fact that God may not exist and that perhaps death ends everything for us. I see this, for example, in the late James Hillman, a man whom I greatly admire and who has much to teach believers about what it means to listen to and honor the human soul.
But here’s something I don’t admire in these agnostic stoics: While they face with courage what it should mean for us if God doesn’t exist and death ends our personal existence, they don’t, with the same courage ask the question of what it should mean for us if God does exist and death does not end our personal existence. What if God does exist and what if the tenets of our faith are true? They need too to face that question.
I believe that God exists, not because I have never had doubts, or because I was raised in the faith by persons whose lives gave deep witness to its truth, or because perennially the vast majority of people on this planet believe in God. I believe that a personal God exists for more reasons than I can name: the goodness of saints; the hook in my own heart that has never let me go; the interface of faith with my own experience, the courage of religious martyrs throughout history; the stunning depth of Jesus’ teachings; the deep insights contained in other religions, the mystical experience of countless people; our sense of connection inside the communion of saints with loved ones who have died; the convergence of the anecdotal testimony of hundreds of individuals who have been clinically dead and resuscitated back to life; the things we sometimes intuitively know beyond all logical reason; the constant recurrence of resurrection in our lives; the essential triumph of truth and goodness throughout history; the fact that hope never dies, the unyielding imperative we feel inside of ourselves to be reconciled with others before we die; the infinite depth of the human heart; and, yes, even the very ability of atheists and agnostics to intuit that somehow it still all makes sense, points to the existence of a living, personal God.
I believe that God exists because faith works; at least to the extent we work it. The existence of God proves itself true to the extent that we take it seriously and live our lives in face of it. Simply put, we’re happy and at peace to the exact extent that we risk, explicitly or implicitly, living lives of faith. The happiest people I know are also the most generous, selfless, gracious, and reverent persons I know. That’s no accident.
Leon Bloy once asserted that there’s only one true sadness in life, that of not being a saint. We see that in the story of the rich young man in Gospels who turns down Jesus’ invitation to live his faith more deeply. He goes away sad. Of course, being a saint and being sad are never all or nothing, both have degrees. But there’s a constant: We’re happy or sad in direct proportion to our fidelity or infidelity to what’s one, true, good, and beautiful. I know that existentially: I’m happy and at peace to the exact extent that I take my faith seriously and live it out in fidelity; the more faithful I am, the more at peace I am, and vice versa.
Inherent in all of this too is a certain “law of karma”, namely, the universe gives back to us morally exactly what we give to it. As Jesus worded it, the measure you measure out is the measure that will be measured back to you. What we breathe out is what we’re going to inhale. If I breathe out selfishness, selfishness is what I will inhale; if I breathe out bitterness, that’s what I’ll meet at every turn; conversely, if I breathe out love, gracious, and forgiveness, these will be given back to me in the exact measure that I give them out. Our lives and our universe have a deep, innate, non-negotiable structure of love and justice written into them, one that can only be underwritten by a living, personal, divine mind and heart of love.
None of this, of course, proves God’s existence with the kind of proof we find in science or mathematics; but God isn’t found at the end of an empirical test, a mathematical equation, or a philosophical syllogism. God is found, explicitly or implicitly, in living a good, honest, gracious, selfless, moral life, and this can happen inside of religion or outside of it.
The Belgium Benedictine, Benoit Standaert, submits that wisdom is three things, and a fourth. Wisdom is a respect for knowledge; wisdom is a respect for honesty and aesthetics; and wisdom is a respect for mystery. But there’s a fourth – wisdom is a respect for Someone.
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session organised with a Priest.
Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.
Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program
Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests
Reconciliation: Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am), Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon,
concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration Devonport:
First Friday each month.
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart of
Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 7pm
Community Room Ulverstone
Weekday Masses 14th - 17th August
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin ... St Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe ... The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
12noon Devonport
7:00pm Ulverstone
Thursday: 10:30am Karingal ... St Stephen
Friday: 11:00am Mt St Vincent
Weekend Masses 18th - 19th August, 2018
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin ... St Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe ... The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
12noon Devonport
7:00pm Ulverstone
Thursday: 10:30am Karingal ... St Stephen
Friday: 11:00am Mt St Vincent
Weekend Masses 18th - 19th August, 2018
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Readings this week –Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
Second Reading: Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
Gospel: John 6:41-52
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
Conscious of the Lord’s loving presence with me, I take
time to come to some inner stillness, perhaps focusing on my breathing for a
while.
When I am ready, I turn slowly and prayerfully to the text.
I may like
to imagine myself in the scene, hearing Jesus speak these words to me.
How do I
feel …?
Joyful and consoled by the promise of eternal life …? or perhaps
sceptical and complaining, like the Judeans?
Whatever comes to mind, I take
care not to judge myself, but share it with the Lord, as I would with a
beloved, trusted friend.
Jesus speaks of himself as the Living Bread.
What is
it like to desire this bread?
When and where do I find myself most longing to
taste it?
I speak to Christ, the Bread of Life, about my own hopes and dreams.
I ask for help to trust in him more deeply as I continue my journey, and for a
greater awareness that the Lord always travels alongside me.
Without haste, I
end my prayer with thanksgiving.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive
us our trespasses…..
Readings next week –Twentieth Sunday
in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel: John
6:51-58Ministry Rosters 18th & 19th August, 2018
Devonport:
Readers Vigil: V Riley, A Stegmann, B Suckling 10:30am: E Petts, K Douglas, K Pearce
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil:
T Muir, M Davies, D Peters, J
Heatley
10:30am: B & N Mulcahy, K Hull
Cleaners: 17th
Aug: K.S.C. 24th Aug: P & T Douglas
Piety Shop: 18th
Aug: R Baker 19th Aug: D French
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: J & S Willoughby
Ministers of Communion: M Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R Locket
Cleaners: M Mott Flowers: M Swain Hospitality: M McLaren
Penguin:
Greeters: Fifita Family Commentator: J Barker
Readers: M & D Hiscutt
Ministers of
Communion: S Ewing,
P Lade Liturgy: Pine Road Setting Up: A Landers
Care of Church: J & T Kiely
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Minister of Communion: B Ritchie Procession of Gifts: J Hyde
Port Sorell:
Readers: M Badcock, T Jeffries Minister of Communion: L Post
Cleaners:
V Youd
Your prayers
are asked for the sick:
Deborah Leary, Edgar Nool, Mary Webb, Kasia Hoffler,
Rosalinda Grimes, & ….
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
John Brown, Trevor Stone, John Maher, Alan O’Rourke, June Bourke, Heather Margetts, Joseph Thi, John Brown, Sr Eily Sheehy, Sr Cecily Kirkham PBVM
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 8th – 14th August
Dorothy Smith, Kevin Breen, Kenneth Bowles, Stephen French, Mark Gatt, Reginald Poole, Athol Wright, Gertrude Koerner, Kenneth Rowe, David Covington, Patrick Tunchun, Anthony Hyde and Evelyn Rosendorf. Also Maria Annabelle & Ismael Minoza Snr.Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 8th – 14th August
May they Rest in Peace
Weekly
Ramblings
This week in my Ramblings I would like to start with
something different but important. Those who have heard me preach over these
past two weeks would have heard me say that our Parish Vision has been built on
three planks – Surrendering to God in Prayer,
Belonging to a Healthy Parish and Growing in a Faith.
Recently there was an issue at Devonport that has caused
some concern to a number of parishioners and had the effect, for a time, to
effect the health of our Parish. The incident involved two men who have given a
great deal to the Parish over many years – Tony Muir and John Lee-Archer. Tony
and John have asked that I say something about the steps they, and others, have
taken to effect a reconciliation and to assure everyone that the issue has been
resolved. They, and the Parish Leadership Team, have spent time in discussion
and prayer in coming to this point and following our meeting this week have
asked that I announce that Tony will be returning to his Role as Acolyte at Our
Lady of Lourdes from next weekend.
As mentioned in last weekend’s Ramblings we will celebrate
the Sacrament of Confirmation next weekend at the Vigil Mass at OLOL and on
Sunday morning at Sacred Heart. Please keep these young people in your prayers
as they enter this final week of preparation for this great Sacrament.
Also, please add to your calendar the gathering to be held
at Marist College, Burnie, on Saturday 1st September (10am - 12noon)
when we will have the opportunity to hear a presentation by a member of the
National Working Party on preparations for the Plenary Council 2020. Our Parish
Pastoral Team are in the process of preparing steps to assist us as a Parish
Community to make our Parish and individual contribution to the process – more
details as soon as they become available.
Please
take care on the roads and I look forward to seeing you next weekend.
CARE
& CONCERN:
The next gathering of the social group for afternoon tea
will be held Tuesday 14th August 2.00 pm at MacKillop Hill, Forth. We would be very pleased to welcome
parishioners who do not have the opportunity for social activity, including
those whose spouses/partners are now in residential care etc. Transport can be provided. If you would like to find out more, please
contact Mary Davies 6424:1183 / 0447 241 182, Margaret McKenzie 6425:1414 /
0419 392 937 or Toni Muir 6424:5296 / 0438 245 296. For catering purposes we would appreciate
your advising of your attendance to any of the above numbers.
SEMINARIANS
SUPPORT DINNER 2018:
The 2018 Archdiocese/Parishes Seminarian Support Dinner is
being coordinated by the Knights of the Southern Cross together with the valued
support of Guilford Young College. The dinner represents a wonderful
opportunity to gather as a single community of faith to enjoy each other’s
company while also allowing us as a Catholic community to contribute much
needed funds to support our Seminarians. Your attendance in support to the 2018
Archdiocese/Parishes Seminarian Support Dinner would be most welcomed. The
event is being held on Thursday 16th August 2018 commencing 6.30pm, Guilford
Young College – Hobart Campus. The cost for the dinner is $60.00 per person and
will include a complimentary drink upon arrival followed by canapés and a
four-course meal. To secure your ticket, please speak to Fr Mike or Fr Paschal.
If you have any queries please contact the Dinner Co-ordinator Mr Les Gardner
6229:0103
MT
ST VINCENT AUXILIARY:
A cake and craft stall will be held on Wednesday 29th
August with a 9am start at Mt St Vincent Home. Bring a friend or two and your
spare change and buy some goodies to help support this great fundraiser!
Prayer is a vital and initial part of each of our Parish
Pastoral Team (PPT) meetings. PPT have been using a prayer style, similar to
that used in the Prayers of Intercession, where we read a phrase or sentence,
and then consider it and pray in silence. At our last meeting, we used the
Plenary Council Prayer, which is published in our weekly newsletter: “Give us
ears to listen humbly to each other and a discerning heart to hear what you are
saying.” Please continue to tell your PPT of your concerns about, but also your
agreement with, the direction of our Parish. These help to inform our
discussions and direction.
LUNCH: THIS Sunday 12th August at Gloria’s Cafe,
Ulverstone 12noon -12:20pm. All welcome.
FOOTY TICKETS:
Round 20 (Friday 3rd August) Richmond by 3 points.
Congratulations to the following winners;
June Pisarskis, Dalton-Smith Family,
For some fun why not help support our Parish fundraiser and
buy a footy ticket (or two) $2.00. There are three prizes of $100.00 each week.
You’ve got to be in it to win it!!
BINGO - Thursday Nights - OLOL
Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 16th
August – Rod Clark & Graeme Rigney.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
This week on The Journey, we have invited the
Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle to share with us their reflection from the Gospel
of John. Trish McCarthy joins us in her Milk & Honey segment and
reminds us that Life is Fragile, and Bruce Downes, The Catholic Guy talks to us
about Trusting is a Better Life. Christian Music is an integral part of our
show and together with our God Spots, this is the Journey Catholic Radio, where
faith, hope, love and life come together. Go to WWW.jcr.org.au or www.itunes.jcr.org.au where you can listen anytime and subscribe to weekly
shows by email.
KAROOLA
CHURCH:
The Church at Karoola is celebrating 120 years of support to our Catholic community Sunday 2nd September, with Mass at 11am followed by a light luncheon in the Karoola hall. We invite all with present or past connections to our parish to join us. Contact for catering purposes; Billee Parry 6395:4173 or Dallas Mahnken 6395:4274.
The Church at Karoola is celebrating 120 years of support to our Catholic community Sunday 2nd September, with Mass at 11am followed by a light luncheon in the Karoola hall. We invite all with present or past connections to our parish to join us. Contact for catering purposes; Billee Parry 6395:4173 or Dallas Mahnken 6395:4274.
Who Am I?
This article is taken from the Daily Email from the Center for Action and Contemplation via Fr Richard Rohr OFM. If you would like to receive these daily emails please click here.
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come
alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come
alive. —Dr. Howard Thurman (1899-1981), theologian and civil rights leader [1]
As conscious human beings, our life purpose is to be a
visible expression of both the image and the likeness of God. Each of us
reveals a unique facet of the divine, what Franciscan John Duns Scotus called
haecceity or thisness. [2] Parker Palmer says it well in his book Let Your Life
Speak:
[My newborn granddaughter] did not show up as raw material
to be shaped into whatever image the world might want her to take. She arrived
with her own gifted form, with the shape of her own sacred soul. . . . Thomas
Merton calls it true self. Quakers call it the inner light, or “that of God” in
every person. The humanist tradition calls it identity and integrity. No matter
what you call it, it is a pearl of great price. . . .
The deepest vocational question is not “What ought I to do
with my life?” It is the more elemental and demanding “Who am I? What is my
nature?” . . . [I believe we’ve got to get our own who right before we can
begin to address the question of what am I to do.]
Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic
selfhood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we
do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks—we will also
find our path of authentic service in the world. True vocation joins self and
service, as Frederick Buechner asserts when he defines vocation as “the place
where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” [3] . . .
Contrary to the conventions of our thinly moralistic
culture, this emphasis on gladness and selfhood is not selfish. The Quaker
teacher Douglas Steere was fond of saying that the ancient human question “Who
am I?” leads inevitably to the equally important question “Whose am I”—for
there is no selfhood outside of relationship. . . .
As I learn more about the seed of true self that was planted
when I was born, I also learn more about the ecosystem in which I was
planted—the network of communal relations in which I am called to live
responsively, accountably, and joyfully with beings of every sort. Only when I
know both seed and system, self and community, can I embody the great
commandment to love both my neighbor and myself. . . .
The world still waits for the truth that will set us free—my
truth, your truth, our truth—the truth that was seeded in the earth when each
of us arrived here formed in the image of God. Cultivating that truth, I
believe, is the authentic vocation of every human being. [4]
[1] Howard Thurman, occasion unidentified. This often-used
quotation is attributed to Reverend Thurman on the history page of the Howard
Thurman Center for Common Ground at Boston University,
https://www.bu.edu/thurman/about/history/.
[2] See Richard Rohr’s previous meditations on “Thisness,”
https://cac.org/thisness-weekly-summary-2018-03-24/.
[3] Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC
(HarperSanFrancisco: 1993), 119.
[4] Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the
Voice of Vocation (Jossey-Bass: 2000), 11, 15,16-17, 36.
WHY I BELIEVE IN GOD
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article here
Some of my favorite authors are agnostics, men and women who face life honestly and courageously without faith in a personal God. They’re stoics mostly, persons who have made peace with the fact that God may not exist and that perhaps death ends everything for us. I see this, for example, in the late James Hillman, a man whom I greatly admire and who has much to teach believers about what it means to listen to and honor the human soul.
But here’s something I don’t admire in these agnostic stoics: While they face with courage what it should mean for us if God doesn’t exist and death ends our personal existence, they don’t, with the same courage ask the question of what it should mean for us if God does exist and death does not end our personal existence. What if God does exist and what if the tenets of our faith are true? They need too to face that question.
I believe that God exists, not because I have never had doubts, or because I was raised in the faith by persons whose lives gave deep witness to its truth, or because perennially the vast majority of people on this planet believe in God. I believe that a personal God exists for more reasons than I can name: the goodness of saints; the hook in my own heart that has never let me go; the interface of faith with my own experience, the courage of religious martyrs throughout history; the stunning depth of Jesus’ teachings; the deep insights contained in other religions, the mystical experience of countless people; our sense of connection inside the communion of saints with loved ones who have died; the convergence of the anecdotal testimony of hundreds of individuals who have been clinically dead and resuscitated back to life; the things we sometimes intuitively know beyond all logical reason; the constant recurrence of resurrection in our lives; the essential triumph of truth and goodness throughout history; the fact that hope never dies, the unyielding imperative we feel inside of ourselves to be reconciled with others before we die; the infinite depth of the human heart; and, yes, even the very ability of atheists and agnostics to intuit that somehow it still all makes sense, points to the existence of a living, personal God.
I believe that God exists because faith works; at least to the extent we work it. The existence of God proves itself true to the extent that we take it seriously and live our lives in face of it. Simply put, we’re happy and at peace to the exact extent that we risk, explicitly or implicitly, living lives of faith. The happiest people I know are also the most generous, selfless, gracious, and reverent persons I know. That’s no accident.
Leon Bloy once asserted that there’s only one true sadness in life, that of not being a saint. We see that in the story of the rich young man in Gospels who turns down Jesus’ invitation to live his faith more deeply. He goes away sad. Of course, being a saint and being sad are never all or nothing, both have degrees. But there’s a constant: We’re happy or sad in direct proportion to our fidelity or infidelity to what’s one, true, good, and beautiful. I know that existentially: I’m happy and at peace to the exact extent that I take my faith seriously and live it out in fidelity; the more faithful I am, the more at peace I am, and vice versa.
Inherent in all of this too is a certain “law of karma”, namely, the universe gives back to us morally exactly what we give to it. As Jesus worded it, the measure you measure out is the measure that will be measured back to you. What we breathe out is what we’re going to inhale. If I breathe out selfishness, selfishness is what I will inhale; if I breathe out bitterness, that’s what I’ll meet at every turn; conversely, if I breathe out love, gracious, and forgiveness, these will be given back to me in the exact measure that I give them out. Our lives and our universe have a deep, innate, non-negotiable structure of love and justice written into them, one that can only be underwritten by a living, personal, divine mind and heart of love.
None of this, of course, proves God’s existence with the kind of proof we find in science or mathematics; but God isn’t found at the end of an empirical test, a mathematical equation, or a philosophical syllogism. God is found, explicitly or implicitly, in living a good, honest, gracious, selfless, moral life, and this can happen inside of religion or outside of it.
The Belgium Benedictine, Benoit Standaert, submits that wisdom is three things, and a fourth. Wisdom is a respect for knowledge; wisdom is a respect for honesty and aesthetics; and wisdom is a respect for mystery. But there’s a fourth – wisdom is a respect for Someone.
3 STEPS TO A HEALTHY CHURCH CULTURE
This article is taken from the blog by Fr Michael white, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Baltimore. You can find the original here
Culture is the blend of beliefs, customs, values, and vision as demonstrated in behavior and direction. Culture is, quite literally, who your church is.
Most every church leader I know wants to shape a compelling culture that is, among other things, welcoming, accessible, attractive, inviting, engaging. At least, that’s what they say. But, it isn’t easy…if it were easy every church would have an awesome culture…and they don’t.
In churchworld, the first impressions, the first moments really, are particularly crucial and decisive. Before first-comers have even heard the homily or the music they have already experienced the culture, and, they’ve experienced to an extent that you as an insider don’t. If you want a deliberate culture you have to start with your staff (paid and volunteers) and together you have to commit to 3 steps.
Step #1: Be intentional about your culture.
What type of culture do you want and where are you right now? Be honest and define your current reality. What do you value? How do you act? What is the existing culture, good or bad, and what is the aspirational culture you want to create? What is your current way of thinking, how do you behave, how do you work? What has to change? What do you want your volunteers to replicate?
Step #2: Model culture.
If we as leaders do not own the culture we want, nobody will follow us. It has to start with the leaders. Be intentional about living the culture you want. Are you as the leader modelling the way you want your team to behave? Be vulnerable, open and honest. Apologize if you make a mistake. Encourage, equip, inspire. Be the change you want to effect.
Step #3: Devote time, energy and resources to culture.
Changing culture means we’re changing behaviors, and changing human behavior is slow and challenging work. You need to make your team feel confident that they are part of something bigger than themselves and potentially significant in the lives of others. Keep the maintenance of your culture as a staff priority, budget for it, pour your resources into it, staff it.
If your culture is strong, engaging, inspiring, staff members and volunteers will be glad to dedicate themselves to it and invest themselves in it. If not, they will become disillusioned and eventually disengaged.
Pastor Erwin McManus calls himself a “cultural architect.” One of the most important jobs you have as a church leader is shaping the culture.
This article is taken from the blog by Fr Michael white, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Baltimore. You can find the original here
Culture is the blend of beliefs, customs, values, and vision as demonstrated in behavior and direction. Culture is, quite literally, who your church is.
Most every church leader I know wants to shape a compelling culture that is, among other things, welcoming, accessible, attractive, inviting, engaging. At least, that’s what they say. But, it isn’t easy…if it were easy every church would have an awesome culture…and they don’t.
In churchworld, the first impressions, the first moments really, are particularly crucial and decisive. Before first-comers have even heard the homily or the music they have already experienced the culture, and, they’ve experienced to an extent that you as an insider don’t. If you want a deliberate culture you have to start with your staff (paid and volunteers) and together you have to commit to 3 steps.
Step #1: Be intentional about your culture.
What type of culture do you want and where are you right now? Be honest and define your current reality. What do you value? How do you act? What is the existing culture, good or bad, and what is the aspirational culture you want to create? What is your current way of thinking, how do you behave, how do you work? What has to change? What do you want your volunteers to replicate?
Step #2: Model culture.
If we as leaders do not own the culture we want, nobody will follow us. It has to start with the leaders. Be intentional about living the culture you want. Are you as the leader modelling the way you want your team to behave? Be vulnerable, open and honest. Apologize if you make a mistake. Encourage, equip, inspire. Be the change you want to effect.
Step #3: Devote time, energy and resources to culture.
Changing culture means we’re changing behaviors, and changing human behavior is slow and challenging work. You need to make your team feel confident that they are part of something bigger than themselves and potentially significant in the lives of others. Keep the maintenance of your culture as a staff priority, budget for it, pour your resources into it, staff it.
If your culture is strong, engaging, inspiring, staff members and volunteers will be glad to dedicate themselves to it and invest themselves in it. If not, they will become disillusioned and eventually disengaged.
Pastor Erwin McManus calls himself a “cultural architect.” One of the most important jobs you have as a church leader is shaping the culture.
Spiritual and Religious: The Benefits of Being Both
Many people today define themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’, but is it really that easy, or healthy, to separate spirituality and religion from one another? James Martin SJ thinks not, and in an extract from his popular book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, he explains why religion should not be dismissed so readily.
Everybody seems to be spiritual these days – from your college roommate, to the person in the office cubicle next to yours, to the subject of every other celebrity interview. But if ‘spiritual’ is fashionable, ‘religious’ is as unfashionable. This is usually expressed as follows: ‘I’m spiritual but just not religious.’ It’s even referred to by the acronym SBNR.
There are so many people who describe themselves as SBNR that sometimes I wonder if the Jesuits might attract more people if they gave the Spiritual But Not Religious Exercises.
This is an extract from The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin SJ (HarperOne, 2010) - you can read the complete extract by clicking here
Many people today define themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious’, but is it really that easy, or healthy, to separate spirituality and religion from one another? James Martin SJ thinks not, and in an extract from his popular book, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, he explains why religion should not be dismissed so readily.
Everybody seems to be spiritual these days – from your college roommate, to the person in the office cubicle next to yours, to the subject of every other celebrity interview. But if ‘spiritual’ is fashionable, ‘religious’ is as unfashionable. This is usually expressed as follows: ‘I’m spiritual but just not religious.’ It’s even referred to by the acronym SBNR.
There are so many people who describe themselves as SBNR that sometimes I wonder if the Jesuits might attract more people if they gave the Spiritual But Not Religious Exercises.
This is an extract from The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin SJ (HarperOne, 2010) - you can read the complete extract by clicking here
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