Homily by Tish Rawles, ARCWP at First Public Mass in Assisted Living Facility in Cincinnati on Nov. 13, 2015

Tish Rawles ARCWP presides at first public liturgy at Assisted Living Facility

Sister Tish was dismissed from the Precious Blood Sisters because she was excommunicated when she was ordained a priest.
Sister Tish serves elders in an Assisted Living Facility
 Homily :
The first reading today from Genesis 1: 1-27 eloquently depicts the beauty and wonder of Thanksgiving, which we will be celebrating shortly. In this reading God brings into being all of Creation. After creating light, darkness, the stars, the planets including Earth, the animals, the seas, the creatures in the seas, the vegetation and finally humans, what does God say? “It is Good!”

from left to right: Michele Birch Conery, ARCWP, Tish Rawles, ARCWP, Janice Sevre Duszynska, ARCWP

Even when things appear to be evil or bad, there’s always a blessing in them. For example, in my own situation of coming out as a Catacomb priest, there have been many blessings. Among the blessings are the support and solidarity of our women priest communities, ARCWP and RCWP as well as the support of residents here at Atria.

Behind the storms of life there are the rainbows. In my life I have come into the freedom of where I can now be public in my ministry as a priest.

As we approach the celebration of Thanksgiving, many authors have written about the subject. In AA, for example, they say it’s important to have an attitude of gratitude. Meister Eckhart states, “If the only prayer you ever say in your life is “Thank you,” it will be enough. E.E. Cummings wrote, “I thank you God for most this amazing day! For the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky, for every thing that is natural, which is infinite, which is “Yes!” John Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”

Now I’d like us to take a moment and think about something we’re grateful for and share it with one other person.

Michele said the man next to her said: “I’m grateful for Sandy, our activity coordinator.  At 9 a.m. everyday, I’m there for the physical exercise and it brings me great joy and happiness that I’m awake and I have a start for my day. “ I have terrible insomnia, I can’t sleep. But I go at 9 o’clock and I’m alive for another day.”

Sr. Tish ended with, “Let us carry these thanksgivings and blessing into our Prayers of the Faithful.”

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