John Stack Ministries Announcements & Reminders – Page 110 – Stay connected with our Catholic community through weekly Mass announcements and recaps, fostering faith and fellowship in every gathering.

Announcements

Announcements
ByRosemary May 28, 2017
Rosemary's Blessing of The Week:

Gracious God,

help us to work with You

to make the world

Alive with Your Spirit,

and to build on earth

a city of Justice, Love, and Peace.

Author Unknown

Hi, Denni, Yes, it is time for you and Acts. Thanks.

Special Thanks to these special people:
- For the Readings: Denni & Tom
- For The Team: John Cade & Jackie
- For the Communion Bread: Alison
- For the Special Communion Cups: Cindy & Ken
- For the Pictures: Rick & Beth & John
- For the coffee and extras: John & Jackie
- For the altar & sound: Jackie & Hue
- For the Music: David and Shonda and Bethany
- For all who helped with Communion
Tom reading 1 Peter.

Birthdays: Judy Thompson (Wednesday), Shonda (Saturday)

Rosemary reading her Blessing of The Week.

Please Remember these special people:

For Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge, who just moved on last week; For Jackie Urbanzyk; For Connie Bresson's mom; For Carol's recuperation; For Tom Good; For Dee and her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued recuperation; For Nadia's recuperation; For a young man who is suffering from depression; For Claire's mom; For Grace's mom and brother in Alberta ; For Cliff & Jean; For Laura's sister Claudia; For Dawn; John Simari’s friend, Ron; For Anthony & Sabrina; For John & Jean's son John Louis; For our good friend Kay in Ontario; For Jackie Urbanzyk's continued recovery

Bethany, you have been part of the heart of our community and I, we will really miss you the Sundays you are not here. I pray you, your husband, and the kids will have a successful, happy, and peaceful time in Houston.

For Rosemary's sister, Patty and her husband, Lou; For Cathy's uncle, Jim Wright at 92; For Connie's nephew, Fred; For Mary Jane Stevenson's son Philip, 34, sick & don't know why; The Quinn’s granddaughter, Mikayla;   For Maureen’s daughter, Kathleen, with cancer; For Jackie's friend, Barbara, plus Angela & her mom; For Sr. Patricia Otillio, a nun I worked with for years in Grand Coteau; John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli; for Franks brother with advanced Parkinsons; For Steve Barrett, Rose, & Katie;

Thanks, Leo, for being our Candle Lighter of The Week, and Happy Birthday Shonda. A special momma & son team.

Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill, and Judy's aging parents & daughter of her best friend, Mekala plus her baby, and Stephanie, and Barbara; Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip and Ethan Michel, & their friend Chris, plus Barb's dad & niece & Annie & Kyler & Kaitlen;

Can we trust this guy? Judy, this is to prove that you received a birthday cupcake today. Thanks, Dick, for being a delivery boy and, especially, for sharing about the life of your fellow Viet Nam pilot who just died, a friend who spent 7 years as a POW. Meanwhile, you were flying over 600 missions, shot up but not shot down, thank God.

Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer; Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; for Mary Ellen; For a number of David McKeon's family who are having a rough time with health issues; for our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Ryan McClurg and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President.

Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe is open, Folks.

Your Finances, May 28, 2017

Expenses: $695.00

Outreach: $635.00

Thanks for your Generosity, Everybody.

1/2 inch of rain in Preston Hollow this morning, probably more in Plano.

Have a Great Week, J.S

(214-783-0443)

Guess what somebody found in Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

      Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.

      Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.

Says Olivia, "See you next week, Everybody."
Read More Announcements
Reminders

Reminder for Sunday, May 28, 2017, 7th Easter
ByRosemary May 24, 2017
Welcome Home, Sabrina, and congratulations on your graduation with the double Magna cum Laude.

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made.

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075

The Candle Lighting Team at work.

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  1, 12-14, All devoted themselves to prayer.

Psalm 27,   I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

1 Peter 4, 13-16, Rejoice.

John 17, 1-11,   I pray for them.

I've called you all here for a summit meeting.

Community Activities:

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 26, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00. Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), For June,   Hi Everybody

Please Save the Date: Thursday Evening June 8th

Marcus Cafe, 2701 Custer Rd. Richardson

6:00 P.M.

We would like to change to Thursday Evening in June so all the working gals can be included. We will be eating on their lovely patio. The food is very good and we can enjoy some great music while we sip and dine. More information to follow.

Marilyn

The Sacrament of healing & life for Bernadette.

What is going on in Our Catholic World
1. Parish closings, National Catholic Reporter, May 10, 2017, 260 words,
Healing and Life for Sabrina.

True?

Today’s Special: Buy one fish & chips for the price of two and receive a second fish & chips ABSOLUTELY FREE.

Our Father.

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

"Out of the way, Bubba, you've been talking long enough." (It's a take over)

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for and challenges spiritual and total growth.

Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged and make the world we live in a better place to live.

Peace, Everybody.
Read More Reminder for Sunday, May 28, 2017, 7th Easter
Uncategorized

Sunday Homily, May 21, 2017, 6th Easter
ByRosemary May 21, 2017

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  8, 5-8, 14-17, There was gret joy in that city.

Psalm 66, Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Peter 3, 15-18, It is better to suffer for doing good, thank doing evil.

John 14, 15-21,  If you love me you will keep my commandments..

Good Morning, Harper, and thanks for welcoming us all back.

Unconditional Love ? Certainly !

Did you catch that Psalm 66 ? Can you believe?!

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy!

Shout joyfully to God…, sing praise to the glory of his name,… proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!

I dream of Matterhorn Canyon, Yosemite, whenever I read or hear that last line.

She's back, Everybody, Sabrina, one of our most special people since she was a little girl. Congratulations on graduation and double congratulations on the double magna cum laude. Congratulations, also, to you two, John and Alison.

And while we are congratulating graduates, congratulations to Karen Anderlick on her graduation and especially with the summa cum laude.

This is a counter weight to the first line of John’s reading, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

I want to talk about how I went from being a fear based Catholic, Christian, human being, to living without fear.

It all started in my first two years as a Jesuit novice in Grand Coteau, 1958-1960, 60 years ago next year. It is the novice master’s fault.

Congratulations to you, too, Shonda, on the Air Force uniform. All these years we have known each other and this is the first time I see your uniform. You look Quite Striking!

Tony Mangiaracina was the novice master, about 5’1”, ramrod straight, did not walk, but marched in his cassock. He could look very rigid and uninviting. But underneath the rigid exterior, which was mostly what we saw for months, was a softy, all heart. How many times we saw him in tears at special events. Christmas carols always got him.

In those days we, too, lived a really Spartan life, silence except for three nights a week when we could talk at dinner, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. These three days were also recreation days, like for touch football or handball games. Other days we worked inside the building or on the farm, we studied, and we had periods of prayer. A very monastic life.

The Best Music, Shonda, Bethany, and David.

My awakening took place one afternoon when I went to get permission from the master to drink water. Yes, we had to get permission to drink water at the beginning of each month.   We were told this was to teach us obedience even in the smallest things.

Now it so happened that around this time an edict came out from Jesuit headquarters in Rome that smoking was prohibited for all Jesuits. This was no burden for us 50 or so novices because we could not smoke anyway.

But, guess who did smoke. Yes, Tony Mangiaracina.

The Best Teammates, Georgie and Buddy.

On this particular day I went in to Tony’s office, I must have gotten my permission to drink and then chatted a few extra moments. He had two large windows behind his desk, which faced me and the door I entered. Suddenly I see against the light and even smell, guess what, smoke coming out of his right hand desk drawer.

I never said a thing, but I was amused and touched. Tony had put his cigarette into the drawer when I knocked to come in.

At that moment I began to let loose of the fear that I was a sure bet for hell.   Like, here was my saintly novice master breaking a commandment that came all the way from Jesuit headquarters in Rome.

Buddies, Cody & Ben, Paul & Carrie.

15 or so years later when I returned to Grand Coteau to establish a spiritual center, Tony was one of my team members. And guess what. He still smoked. The ban had been lifted a year or so after Vat. II.

I am grateful today to Tony and his human nature. I figured bit by bit that if Tony was still going to heaven after being disobedient, I had a chance, too. I began to see that God’s love was not conditional, but unconditional.

So, where are you going, Heaven?

More Buddies, Zoe & Harper

Read More Sunday Homily, May 21, 2017, 6th Easter
Announcements

Announcements
ByRosemary May 21, 2017
Rosemary's Blessing of The Week:

Life is short …

Break the rules,

Forgive quickly,

Kiss slowly,

Love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably,

And never regret anything that made you smile.

Author Unknown

Mary reading from Acts.

Special Thanks to these special people:
- For the Readings: Mary and Bernadette
- For The Team: Buddy & Georgie
- For the Communion Bread: Alison
- For the Special Communion Cups: Cindy & Ken
- For the Pictures: Mike & Rick & Beth
- For the coffee and extras: John & Jackie
- For the altar & sound: Jackie & Hue
- For the Music: David and Shonda and Bethany
- For all who helped with Communion
Bernadette reading from 1 Peter.

Birthdays: Ray (77, Wednesday), Zaile ( Thursday)

Anniversaries:

Michael & Candy Kern (24^th, Monday)

Rosemary reading her Blessing of The Week. (Me thinks she is taking over)

Please Remember these special people:

For Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge, who just moved on ; For Sir Charlie in Allen Presby; For Jackie Urbanzyk; For Connie Bresson's mom & friend struggling with cancer; For Carol's recuperation; For Tom Good; For Dee and her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued recuperation; For Nadia's recuperation; For a young man who is suffering from depression; For Claire's mom; For Grace's mom and brother in Alberta ; For Cliff & Jean; For Laura's sister Claudia; For Dawn; John Simari’s friend, Ron; For Anthony; For John & Jean's son John Louis; For our good friend Kay in Ontario; For Jackie Urbanzyk's continued recovery

Happy special birthday, Ray.

For Rosemary's sister, Patty and her husband, Lou; For Cathy's uncle, Jim Wright at 92; For Connie's nephew, Fred; For Mary Jane Stevenson's son Philip, 34, sick & don't know why; The Quinn’s granddaughter, Mikayla;   For Maureen’s daughter, Kathleen, with cancer; For Jackie's friend, Barbara, plus Angela & her mom; For Sr. Patricia Otillio, a nun I worked with for years in Grand Coteau; John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli; for Franks brother with advanced Parkinsons; Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge; For Steve Barrett, Rose, & Katie;

Okay, Bill, that cupcake is for Zaile, on her birthday. I promised her. Don't you snarf it down and tell her I forgot.

Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill, and Judy's aging parents & daughter of her best friend, Mekala plus her baby, and Stephanie, and Barbara; Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip and Ethan Michel, & their friend Chris, plus Barb's dad & niece & Annie & Kyler & Kaitlen;

Thanks, Buddy, for being such a neat kid and great Candle Lighter of the Week.

Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer; Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; for Mary Ellen & her Margaret, Jim, & Christopher; For a number of David McKeon's family who are having a rough time with health issues; for our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Ryan McClurg and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President.

Want one of these cupcakes? When is you birthday or anniversary?

Your Finances, May 21, 2017

Expenses: $1675.00

Outreach: $ 810.00

Q1 Financial Report:    Download Financials Q1

Thanks for your Generosity, Everybody.

Grace, a great helper to our community as head of our board, presents the financial report.

Have a Great Week, J.S

(214-783-0443)

One more Sunday, the 7th, in the Easter cycle. Then Pentecost.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

      Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.

      Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.

Bye, Everybody, see you next week.
Read More Announcements
Reminders

Reminder for Sunday, May 21, 2017, 6th Easter
ByRosemary May 17, 2017
Bethany & David, you are having too much fun.

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made.

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075

What a team!

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  8, 5-8, 14-17, There was great joy in that city.

Psalm 66, Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Peter 3, 15-18, It is better to suffer for doing good, thank doing evil.

John 14, 15-21,  If you love me you will keep my commandments..

Happy Mother's Day.

Community Activities:

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 19, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00. Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), For June,TBA

Communion Helpers.

What is going on in Our Catholic World
1. Parish closings, National Catholic Reporter, May 10, 2017, 260 words, Download PARISH CLOSINGS 5-18-17
2. Knights' finances & influence, National Catholic Reporter, May 15, 2017, 5000 words, Download KNIGHTS 5-18-17
Healing for Cindy.

True?

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Viktor Frankl

The Sacrament of Life for Zoe.

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

Peace, Mommy.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for and challenges spiritual and total growth.

Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged and make the world we live in a better place to live.

Peace, Everybody.
Read More Reminder for Sunday, May 21, 2017, 6th Easter
Homilies

Sunday Homily, May 14, 2017, 5th Easter
ByRosemary May 14, 2017

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles 6, 1-7, Select from among you 7 reputable men.

Psalm 33, Lord, Let your mercy be upon us as we place our trust in you.

1 Peter 2, 4-9, You are a chosen race.

John 14, 15-21, If you love me you will keep my commandments.

"Hi, Everybody," says Zoe, "And Happy Mother's Day."

Mother's Day History:

1905-08: Anna Jarvis of West Virginia began this celebration for her mother, Ann, who cared for wounded Civil War soldiers of both sides. She campaigned to make it a national day and in

1914: Woodrow Wilson made it national.

The spelling: always singular, according to Anna.

Hallmark Cards: Anna hated them because she felt you know what.

"From me, too," says Tori, "Happy Mother's Day."

It’s Mother’s Day !

In honor of it being Mother’s Day I want to tell two stories about my mom. One story is about a compliment she gave me and the second is about a trip we made together.

The first story took place around ’89 or ’90. I had already returned from East Africa and had already put in a year in a Hispanic church the Jesuits ran in downtown Houston. I was now living at the high school community.

Welcome home, Dawson, from first year at Ole Miss.

It was early afternoon. We were on westbound LBJ heading toward what used to be called the Deadman Hospital at Webb Chapel. The name has been changed. Mom was going to the hospital to have some minor surgery, and would stay overnight.

As we drove along she reached out her left hand, patted me on the leg, and said, “I’m proud of you.”

The bells are ringing, time to start.

I may be wrong, but I don’t remember my mom ever doing that before. You got to remember that she had always been bummed about me joining the Jesuits and she had never spoken to a Jesuit for about 7 years after I had gone to East Africa.

She thought I had been sent despite my insistence that I had simply accepted an invitation.

Our Candle Lighter of The Week, Leo.

Offertory time with Warren, Barb, and Bill.

I was already probably 50 years old at the time mom complimented me. I had been around a bit. That compliment really touched me.

The second story took place on one of my home visits from East Africa. Mom got her two sisters to join her and invited me to drive them around Ireland one Fall on my return to East Africa.

Communion helpers, Mike, Geri, Claire, Beth, and Rob.

We met in London, which is a story for another homily. We went to Dublin and leased a little red, two door car. We drove counter clockwise through County Cavin, where they looked in graveyards for our ancestors, through Northern Ireland, and through the northwest until we arrived at Shannon Airport.

They were like three teen aged girls, laughing, and telling stories about their early day. Thanks to the smallness of Ireland, we were able to make good progress even though we would usually not be ready to depart in the morning until 10:00 or 10:30. By 11:30 they wanted to stop for tea.

Buddies, Zoe & Harper.

12:30 or 1:00 lunch. 3:30 for tea and pastries. Finally, by 5:30 I had to start looking for a place to stay & eat. And this was a process. I had to check it out. Then my mom checked it. If she gave the okay, in everyone went to eat dinner and laugh themselves silly until 11:00 or 12:00 midnight.

It was one of the fun trips of my life and I was most touched that mom had invited me to be their driver.

Buddies, Mike & Rosemary.

The power of a mother to give life through a simple compliment.

How has your mother given you life?

Read More Sunday Homily, May 14, 2017, 5th Easter
Announcements

Announcements
ByRosemary May 14, 2017
Rosemary's Blessing of The Week: Mothers' Day

Cheryl reading from Acts.

Special Thanks to these special people:
- For the Readings: Cheryl & Patricia
- For The Team: Buddy & Georgie & Kevin
- For the Communion Bread: Alison
- For the Special Communion Cups: Cindy & Ken
- For the Pictures: Mike & Connie, Rick & Beth
- For the coffee and extras: John & Jackie
- For the altar & sound: Jackie & Hue
- For the Music: David and Shonda and Bethany
- For all who helped with Communion
Patricia reading from 1 Peter.

Birthdays: Steven Kern (20, Tuesday)

Anniversaries:

Scott & Lily (25^th, Tuesday)

First you put your left foot in and shake it all around. Then you put your right foot in… Dance lessons for Mike from Rosemary.

Please Remember these special people:

For Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge, who is just about ready to move on; For Jackie Urbanzyk; For Connie Bresson's mom & friend struggling with cancer; For Carol's recuperation; For Tom Good; For Dee and her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued recuperation; For Nadia's recuperation; For a young man who is suffering from depression; For Claire's mom; For Grace's mom and brother in Alberta ; For Cliff & Jean; For Laura's sister Claudia; For Dawn; John Simari’s friend, Ron; For Anthony; For John & Jean's son John Louis; For our good friend Kay in Ontario; For Jackie Urbanzyk's continued recovery

Welcome back, Kevin. Happy to see you are okay.

For Rosemary's sister, Patty and her husband, Lou; For Cathy's uncle, Jim Wright at 92; For Connie's nephew, Fred; For Mary Jane Stevenson's son Philip, 34, sick & don't know why; The Quinn’s granddaughter, Mikayla;   For Maureen’s daughter, Kathleen, with cancer; For Jackie's friend, Barbara, plus Angela & her mom; For Sr. Patricia Otillio, a nun I worked with for years in Grand Coteau; John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli; for Franks brother with advanced Parkinsons; Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge; For Steve Barrett, Rose, & Katie;

Buddies, Codi & Ben.

Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill, and Judy's aging parents & daughter of her best friend, Mekala plus her baby, and Stephanie, and Barbara; Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip and Ethan Michel, & their friend Chris, plus Barb's dad & niece & Annie & Kyler & Kaitlen;

The Best, Shonda, Bethany, & David.

Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer; Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; for Mary Ellen & her Margaret, Jim, & Christopher; For a number of David McKeon's family who are having a rough time with health issues; for our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Ryan McClurg and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President.

The Blessing for all Mothers, actual and virtual.

Your Finances, May 14, 2017

Expenses: $1280.00

Outreach: $ 260.00

Thanks for your Generosity, Everybody.

The Blessing from all of us guys to all of you women & girls.

Have a Great Week, J.S

(214-783-0443)

Thanks.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

      Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.

      Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.
Read More Announcements
Reminders

Reminder for Sunday, May 14, 2017, 5th Easter
ByRosemary May 10, 2017
Suit up time, Buddy.

Welcome: Catholic Mass with coffee & juice, and pastries, some bought, some home-made.

Time: 9:30; Celebrate with the Community & Stack

Place: Sigler Elementary, 1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075

Welcome to the Bressons, Jessica (from Boston), Renee, Connie, & John. One brat missing, Kevin

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  6, 1-7, Select from among you 7 reputable men.

Psalm 33, Lord, Let your mercy be upon us as we place our trust in you.

1 Peter 2, 4-9, You are a chosen race.

John 14, 15-21,  If you love me you will keep my commandments..

Zoe, our Candle Lighter of The Week.

Community Activities:

ROMEO MEET: Friday, May 12, Jason's Deli, Collin Creek Mall, west side of Central, 1:00. Welcome all wakos, you will fit right in.

JULIET LUNCHEON, (aka.,just us ladies into eating together), For June,TBA

Thanks, Brent, for letting us be a help with Souls Harbor. $2000 donation for April. Sure you would not prefer a cupcake?

What is going on in Our Catholic World
1. Biking priests. And why was I not invited? National Catholic Reporter, May 5, 2017, 850 words, Download PEDALING PRIESTS 5-11-17
It is Ron & Barbara Senters' birthdays this week. They are at the lake house, but I have their cupcake. Suddenly this woman, so called Lynda, presents a text message on her iPhone to the effect that she should be given the Senters' cupcake. Would you believe that??

True?

No senior citizen Discounts. You have had twice as long to get the money!

Be honest now. How many of you thought Rosemary would last 12 whole years??

See you Sunday.

J.S., 214-783-0443

Our Father.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for and challenges spiritual and total growth.

Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged and make the world we live in a better place to live.

Peace, Everybody, so long as you can get under the hat brim.
Read More Reminder for Sunday, May 14, 2017, 5th Easter
Homilies

Sunday Homily, May 7, 2017, 4th Easter
ByRosemary May 7, 2017

Say Rosemary & Cathy, "Happy Kentucky Derby Weekend and welcome in."

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles  2, 14, 36-41 Let the whole house of Israel know.

Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd. (Beautiful, consoling)

1 Peter 2, 20-25, By his wounds have you been healed.

John 10, 1-10, Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd.

Welcome back to Dallas, Ann, and to our community. You are one of our best all time friends.

The Three Best

Whenever I go on a trip like the one Rosemary & I just did with Viking on the Elbe River in Eastern Germany, I get questions. Like, ‘What was the best thing?’ I would like to talk briefly about 3 best things that struck me, a Berlin chapel, a church door, and a concentration camp.

This bell tower is all that is left of the old gothic Kaiser Wilhelm church in central Berlin. It is preserved as a remembrance.

In the heart of Berlin there used to be a large gothic church called Kaiser Wilhelm Church. It was bombed badly in the war and all that is left is a large, beat up bell tower. Bullet wounds and bomb damage from bottom to what is left of the top. The bell tower has been preserved as is to remind.

Interior of the Kaiser Wilhelm chapel .   The blue ambiance comes from bricks with glass circles tinted blue, very moving.

Next to the tower a chapel has been built, very plain, a grey box on the outside. After looking at prewar pictures of the old church, just for the heck of it, I decide to go inside the rather plain chapel. I am stunned by the simple beauty. The curved front wall is made of cement blocks with round blue bottle like glass.   A gold, ascending, larger than life-sized Christ hangs right in the middle.   Simple wooden pews. The blue and gold ambience was stunning.

The half destroyed bell tower and the stunningly moving chapel symbolize for me the story of Berlin.

View of interior from right aisle. The bell tower in union with this simple chapel symbolize the old and the new Berlin.

Second best experience. Wittenberg and the church where Martin Luther posted 95 theses, exactly 5 centuries ago on October 31.

All my training about this event gave me a misconception. Namely, that Luther was out to start a church revolution. Nope.

Wittenburg, Church door where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses 500 year ago this year. It was a university bulletin board.

The story goes like this. Luther was a professor at the Wittenberg University. The church door was a bulletin board. Professors would post theses which the students were expected to debate the pros and cons of.   Everything was hand written in Latin. Luther even titled his material as Disputation on the Power & Efficiency of Indulgences. Disputation is the key word and implied debate of the pros and cons. It was only later that year or the next that Rome got wind of them and a year later excommunicated Luther and the ideas went viral.

Wittenburg town center.

3 samples of theses:

#21. Those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.

27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.

32. Those who believe they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.

St. Mary's Church, Wittenberg. This is not the Luther church which was more of a college chapel.

I spent three years, ’62-’65, studying philosophy at Spring Hill College in Mobile. There were a hundred plus Jesuits engaged in this process. We debated theses and we debated in Latin. I took all my philosophy exams in Latin, written and mostly oral. We had the church position and we had the adversaries. We were expected to be able to verbally ace those adversaries. Luther was probably one of our adversaries.

A small number of the survivors of Ravensbruck.

This was so déjà vu for me. I could feel exactly what was going on, no revolt, just debate. Somebody copied those theses, got them to Rome, and some priest, bishop, or pope over reacted, excommunicated Luther, and a revolt took place among the people. Could this be taking place today?

Revensbruck compound & barracks. 100,000 plus women were concentrated here.

Thirdly, Ravensbruck concentration camp for women. For years I have read about the camps, in particular Ravensbruck. This camp was set up for women and it was this camp where medical experiments were performed on the women.

Ravensbrook compound. The camp is 60 miles north of Berlin.

We drove straight north out of Berlin about two hours on a beautiful day. When I walked onto the compound I felt I was walking on hallowed, sacred ground. The barracks have all been removed, but the official buildings are still there, the infirmary, the clothes sewing hall, and the men & women officers’ houses. I stood on the morning assembly ground and could see it all.

As human beings we are capable of such horror and such beauty.

Ravensbruck today. The barracks have been removed, but the outlines are still present. On the left are the work building and the infamous infirmary. The picture is taken from the assembly area.

Read More Sunday Homily, May 7, 2017, 4th Easter
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ByRosemary May 7, 2017
Rosemary's Blessing of The Week:

May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being.

Apache Blessing

Mike reading from Acts.

Special Thanks to these special people:
- For the Readings: Mike & Geri
- For The Team: Buddy & Georgie
- For the Communion Bread: Alison
- For the Special Communion Cups: Jan
- For the Pictures: Mike & Rosemary
- For the coffee and extras: Mike & Jackie & Marsha
- For the altar & sound: Jackie & Hue
- For the Music: David and Shonda and Bethany
- For all who helped with Communion
Geri reading from 1 Peter.

Birthdays: Patricia (Monday); Ron & Barb Senter (Tuesday & Saturday),

Anniversaries:

Dick & Judy Thompson (14th, Saturday)

Hi Joe, Brent, and Cheryl. Good to see you back, Joe.

Please Remember these special people:

For Connie Bresson's mom; For Rose Banzhaf who broke some bones in a skiing accident; For Ron Ackerman with cellulitis; For Carol's recuperation; For Tom Good; For Dee and her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued recuperation; For Nadia's recuperation; For a young man who is suffering from depression; For Claire's mom; For Grace's mom and brother in Alberta ; For Cliff & Jean; For Laura's sister Claudia; For Dawn; John Simari’s friend, Ron; For Anthony; For John & Jean's son John Louis; For our good friend Kay in Ontario; For Jackie Urbanzyk's continued recovery; Connie Bresson's mom & friend struggling with cancer;

Happy Birthday, Patricia.

For Rosemary's sister, Patty and her husband, Lou; For Cathy's uncle, Jim Wright at 92; For Connie's nephew, Fred; For Mary Jane Stevenson's son Philip, 34, sick & don't know why; The Quinn’s granddaughter, Mikayla;   For Maureen’s daughter, Kathleen, with cancer; For Jackie's friend, Barbara, plus Angela & her mom; For Sr. Patricia Otillio, a nun I worked with for years in Grand Coteau; John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli; for Franks brother with advanced Parkinsons; Diane McClurg's mom in Fort Dodge; For Steve Barrett, Rose, & Katie;

Would you trust Lynda with the Senters' cupcake?

Dick Thompson's daughter, Teri Jill, and Judy's aging parents & daughter of her best friend, Mekala plus her baby, and Stephanie, and Barbara; Barb & Warren's grandbabies, Leighton Elizabeth and Warren Phillip and Ethan Michel, & their friend Chris, plus Barb's dad & niece & Annie & Kyler & Kaitlen;

Happy 20th Anniversary, Sydney and Hugh.

Tom and Teresa Quinn's niece, Chawna, with cancer, plus Neva Flynn, Angel, and Diane Kreeitzer; Connie Doherty's mom and her sister, plus Kevin's cousin, Peter; for Mary Ellen & her Margaret, Jim, & Christopher; For a number of David McKeon's family who are having a rough time with health issues; for our friends, sons, and daughters in the military, including Ryan McClurg and Chebino; cure for autism from Laura Chollick; for our President.

And Happy Birthday to you, Denni.

Your Finances, May 7, 2017

Expenses: $865.00

Outreach: $330.00

                                  April 23, 2017

Expenses: $815.00

Outreach: $325.00

                                  April 30, 2017

Expenses: $1780.00

Outreach: $630.00

Thanks for lighting the candles, Zoe.

Thanks for your Generosity, Everybody.

Happy Birthday to you, John.

Have a Great Week, J.S

(214-783-0443)

A Viking river boat.

JSM Mission-Faith Statement

      Help create a Catholic Community that welcomes all God’s People, provides for & challenges spiritual & total growth.

      Reaches out to help people who are disadvantaged & make the world we live in a better place to live.

A Viking boat seen from the top deck of another Viking.
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