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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

A Reflection on Hospitality from Life of Dorothy Day, You are the Face of God

A Reflection on Hospitality from Life of Dorothy Day

"Dorothy recalled that at the end of a particularly bad day, her mother would take a bath, dress in her loveliest clothes, seat her children around the table and entertain- as if she were hosting a special party...
Dorothy Day "shows us the face of Christ in every bag lady, derelict and protestor we attempt to iignore.  She also reminds us that our simple acts of caring and our simplest efforts to foster justice do make a difference."
(Meehan, Praying with Visionary Women, p. 170, 174) 
 
Question for Reflection:
How can we experience healing and love by opening our hearts and sharing friendship in our circles of life with family, community, those who are suffering, alone, homeless, without resources....
 
Meditation:
See yourself as a minister of hospitality sharing food, friendship, love...
Consider what you can do to live compassion, by practicing daily acts of kindness, and serving others especially those who are hurting and in need of support. 
Affirm who you are, the Beloved of God, the face of God, in your family, community and world....
 

Pope Francis Creates Vatican Tribunal to Hold Bishops' Accountable in Sex Abuse Cases/A Positive Step Forward

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11665254/Pope-Francis-creates-Vatican-tribunal-to-hear-priest-sex-abuse-cases.html

"Pope Francis on Wednesday approved an unprecedented Vatican department to judge bishops accused of covering up or not preventing sexual abuse of minors, meeting a key demand by victims' groups.
A statement said the department would come under the auspices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's doctrinal arm, "to judge bishops with regard to crimes of the abuse of office when connected to the abuse of minors".
Victims' groups have for years been urging the Vatican to establish clear procedures to make bishops more accountable for abuse in their dioceses, even if they were not directly responsible for it.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters that the bishops could also be judged if they had failed to take measures to prevent sexual abuse of minors."

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

CIVIL UNREST IN BALTIMORE MD Gloria R. Carpeneto May 2015, Liturgy of the Great Commission for Peacemaking Trinity Sunday Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community


Unlike Lake Wobegon, it hasn’t been a quiet week in Baltimore. Businesses have been looted, buildings set on fire, police and protesters alike hospitalized. Words of accusation have flown back & forth all week. Our Democratic mayor was said to be slow in responding to the crisis. Our Republican governor was accused of wanting only a swift & strong show of force to maintain public safety.  A 10:00 p.m. curfew was supposed to help calm tensions – and looting – in the City. But that same curfew cost shop owners and other businesses thousands of dollars in revenue, and we saw an economic downturn in the City last week. It was excruciating to watch, at the same time that it was impossible to keep our eyes averted from the 24-hour news cycle of Baltimore Crumbling and in Flames.
            And yet concurrent with all of this, plenty of peace was breaking out in Baltimore as well. More than one hundred ministers of City churches walked as one, praying for peace, and marching for justice. Local gangs of Bloods, Crips, and the Black Guerilla Family came together in a united effort to protect police and property. Fathers and mothers brought their children – black, white, and yellow – to learn firsthand the civics lesson of peaceful protest. A very small child was filmed holding a sign that read This is what democracy looks like. Yet another was seen handing out bottles of water to police in riot gear. Very early on Tuesday morning, after a long night of looting and fires and  property destruction, hundreds of ordinary citizens came from all over the City armed with shovels, garbage bags, and brooms to clean up their neighborhoods and try to start over again.
                So no, since the arrest of Freddie Gray on April 12, and his subsequent death on April 19, Baltimore hasn’t been anything like the fictional, placid Lake Wobegon. In reaction to his arrest and death, the violent  response has been palpable and even surreal. Things calmed down a bit on Friday, May 1, when the State’s Attorney officially charged the six officers who arrested and transported Freddie Gray with charges ranging from misconduct in office to homicide. And this Sunday evening, May 3, the curfew will be lifted. But what underlies what happened in Baltimore is still very much just beneath the surface and ready to erupt again if we continue to refuse to address it.. And when you think about what that is, it couldn’t be easier to understand.
            For all that Freddie Gray wanted was to have his voice heard. He was arrested, he was a prisoner in transport (apparently unlawfully), but still he had the right for his voice to be heard. He wanted an inhaler. He wanted a medic. He wanted someone to hear and acknowledge his pain. And what he got instead was to be handcuffed and shackled and thrown into the back of a police van, face-down, unsecured, possibly incurring the severe spinal cord injuries that cost him his life. And no one heard his voice.
            Freddie Gray just wanted to be heard. The population of disenfranchised youth in Baltimore just wants to be heard. People living in poverty, with minimal resources for housing, education and income just want to be heard. Bottom-line that’s what all the violence in Baltimore has been about this past week. For too many years, too many people have not heard the cries of the poor. Oh, we’ve set up food banks and feeding programs, and shelters and clothing drives and Code Blues in the winter when the temperatures drop below 13 degrees and homeless people might literally freeze on our streets. But the prophetic call for a full revamping of our society's sinful structures – including our criminal justice system -- has not been heard. This week has reminded me of many of the prophetic books in the Hebrew scriptures – Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah – but most of all Amos, wherein Yahweh says,
They have sold the upright for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals.
They have crushed the heads of the weak into the dust,
and thrust the rights of the oppressed to one side.
(Amos 2:6-7)
            It’s been scary to be in Baltimore this week. It’s been alternately depressing and uplifting. It’s been shameful, knowing that our institutions, our culture, our very way of being have, indeed, thrust the rights of the oppressed to one side. But it’s also been – and remains – hopeful. People seem more willing to come together. People seem more willing to hear voices other than their own. People seem more willing to consider the common good. People seem to want to work, and pray, and play and live together in peace. People seem saturated with the Holy Spirit. As St. Ignatius might remind us, God’s in the midst of it all, and that is cause for joy.   
All are welcome at this Eucharist
that celebrates Christian discipleship;
 where we gather as a community of equals,

and 
we share the dream of a world  
where all our brothers and sisters live in peace.


Liturgy of the Great Commission for Peacemaking
Trinity Sunday
Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community


THE ORDER OF MASS FOR TRINITY SUNDAY
(parts excerpted and edited from Liturgies for Peace, PCUSA;
All Desires Known, Janet Morley;
Prayer in America, American PBS)

Brief Announcements

Procession & Opening Song

Introductory Rites
Presider:  Let us begin in the name of the God who has created us, who loves and empowers us, and who sends us forth each day to bring Divine Love into our world.

All:  Amen.

Presider:  May our God be with you.

All:  And also with you.

Presider:  As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of Christ’s love, let us acknowledge that there are times when we fall short, and ask our God for pardon and peace.

Deacon or Presider:  God of our journeys, you beckon us to follow, but sometimes we turn away in fear. God, have mercy.

All:  God, have mercy.

Deacon or Presider:  God dwelling among us, you tell us that we are to see your face in every sister or brother we meet, but sometimes we refuse to look. Christ, have mercy.

All:  Christ, have mercy.

Deacon or Presider: God of infinite patience, again and again you show us that you walk our road with us; yet we fail to trust in your abiding presence. God have mercy. 

All:  God, have mercy.
  
Presider:  Good and gracious God, we long to be a people who walk in your ways. Inspire us with a faith that does not count the cost.  Forgive us our weakness and our fears, and give us the courage to be peacemakers.

All:  Amen.

Glory to God
Presider:  Let us offer words of love and praise to our God.

All:  Glory be to God who is all in all,
and on earth peace, peace among those of good will.

We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
holy God, tender God, God our beloved creator.

Christ our desire, fullest embodiment of God,
bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh,
foolishness of God, still greater than human wisdom;
poverty of God, still stronger than human pride;
emptiness of God, still full of our redemption;
you take away the brokenness of the world, have mercy on us.

Beloved One, You are seated at the right hand of God, receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are our desire.
You alone, O Christ,
filled with the Holy Comforter of fire
are radiant with the grace and glory of our Mother-Father God.
Amen.

Opening Prayer
Presider:  Eternal God, Consuming Fire, who every day gives us the gift of your Holy Spirit, fill us with longing to speak your  word to a broken and wounded world, that we may lead others to the warmth of your light. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Anointed One.

All:  Amen.


First Reading  (Read from the Lectionary, and conclude as follows.)
Lector:  The Word of God
All: Thanks be to God. 


Psalm
All:  Sing or recite Responsorial Verse with Lector.


Second Reading  (Read from the Lectionary, and conclude as follows.)
Lector:  The Word of God
All:  Thanks be to God.


Gospel Acclamation
Gospeler:  Alleluia (sung) or Alleluia!

Gospel Reading
Gospeler:  Our God be with you.
All:  And also with you.
Gospeler:  A reading from the holy gospel of …
All:  Glory to you, O God.

(Conclude Gospel reading as follows.)
Gospeler:  The holy gospel of Jesus, the Anointed One
All:  Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Homily

Profession of Faith 
Presider:  Let us join together in our profession of faith, hope, and love.

All:  O God, the source of our being and the goal of all our longing,
we believe and trust in you.
The whole earth is alive with your glory,
and all that has life is sustained by you.
We commit ourselves to cherish your world and to seek your face.

O God, embodied in the human life of Jesus,
we believe and trust in you.
Jesus our brother, born of the woman Mary ,
you confronted the proud and the powerful,
and you welcomed as your friends those of no account.
Holy One of God, you emptied yourself of power
and became foolishness for our sake.
You labor with us on our crosses,
and you bring to us the hope of resurrection
from all that threatens to tear our world apart.
We commit ourselves to struggle against evil and to choose life.

O God, life-giving Spirit,
Spirit of healing and comfort, of integrity and truth,
we believe and trust in you.
Warm wing-ed Spirit, brooding over all creation,
rushing wind and Pentecostal fire,
we commit ourselves to work with you to renew our world as an abode of peace for all.
Amen.

Prayer of the People
Reader

Presider (conclusion of the prayer):  Loving God, we offer you the prayers we have spoken aloud, and those that remain deep in our hearts, and ask them in the name of Jesus, our brother and your Anointed One.

All:  Amen.

Song for the Preparation of the Gifts
(If a collection is being taken, baskets will be passed at this time.)

Preparation of the Altar

Offertory Procession
(Those who bring up the bread and wine offer them to the Presider & Deacon. Then all walk around to stand behind the altar. The Presider prays the first prayer, commingling wine and water, then offers the bread & wine to ministers to her/his left and right, who pray over the gifts.) 

Offertory Prayers
Presider: (pouring water into the cup):  By the mingling of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, as Christ has come to share in our humanity.

Presider or Bread Minister:  Blessed are you, God of all creation, through your goodness we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have made.  It will become for us the bread of life.

All:  Blessed be God forever.

Presider or Wine Minister:  Blessed are you, God of all creation.  Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands.  It will become our spiritual drink.

All:  Blessed be God forever.
Presider:  Sisters and brothers, let us pray together that these our gifts may be acceptable to God our Creator.

All:  May God accept these gifts from our hands, for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all the church.

Presider:  (Prayer inspired by St. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th century) Everlasting God, you sent to us your Holy Spirit, root of all being, absolver of all faults, balm of all wounds. Infuse our hearts with your unquenchable fire, that we may be filled with passion for your gospel. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Christ.

All:  Amen.
(Bread and Wine Ministers remain at the altar.)

Eucharistic Prayer  (Please stand for the Eucharistic Prayer, and remain standing until after Communion has been received.)

Presider:  May our God be with you.

All:  And also with you.

Presider:  Lift up your hearts.

All:  We lift them up to our God. 

Presider:  Let us give thanks to our loving God.

All:  It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Presider: We gather today with grateful hearts to remember the abundance you promise us, O God, and we thank you for the feast of  bread and wine that is before us. We remember too that each of us, like the many grains of buckwheat in this bread, once scattered in the field, have been brought together around this table by our common passion for peace. Like this bread, the God of Life has kneaded us with loving hands, making us strong in our desire for justice.

Bread Minister: God breaks open and creates a space for peace whenever we speak truth to power.

Wine Minister: God breaks apart and makes room for new growth when we witness against oppression and suffering.

Bread Minister: God breaks through and wraps us in loving arms when we remember we are God’s Beloved.

Wine Minister: God breaks in, through walls of hatred, fear and despair, when we proclaim the vision for which Jesus gave his life.  

Presider:  As we prepare to break this bread, we remember the body of Jesus, broken for a vision that he would not betray. 

As we prepare to share this cup, we remember the blood of Jesus, poured out upon the seeds of nonviolence which he sowed with courage,  tenderness and  eternal love.

As we prepare to eat this bread and drink this cup, we remember the brokenness of our world, our nation, our city; we pray that as peacemakers we might be agents of healing ; and we join in an unending hymn to the praise of your love, your compassion, your wisdom and your mercy.

All:  Holy, holy, holy God, Spirit of Love and Peace.  Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God.  Hosanna in the highest.


Presider:  How wonderful the work of your hands, O God! All creation rightly gives you praise. All life, all holiness, all blessing and encouragement come from you, through Jesus, your Anointed One, and the working of the Holy Spirit. From age to age, you gather a people to yourself so that, from east to west, from north to south, from all races, all genders, and all walks of life, a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.

Epiclesis
Presider:  And so, Abba, we bring you these gifts. Loving God, let your Holy Spirit move in power over us and over our earthly gifts of bread and wine, that they may become for us, and we, for all the world, + the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Words of Institution
All:  On the night before he met with death, Jesus came to table with the women and men he loved.  He took bread and praised you, God of all creation.  He blessed and broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples saying:  Take this, all of you, and eat it:  This is my body which will be given up for you.

All:  When supper was ended, he poured a final cup of wine, and blessed you, God of all creation. He passed the cup among his disciples and said:  Take this, all of you, and drink from it.  This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.  It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.  Do this in memory of me.

Deacon or Presider:  Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.

All:  Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

Presider:  (adapted from the St. Hilda Community) Come now, Spirit of integrity, of tenderness and judgment: touch our speechlessness, kindle our longing, reach into our silence, and fire our words with your truth; that each may hear proclaimed in his or her own language the mighty works of God.



Let your Spirit also come upon our leaders, both religious and political, so that they might act without fear. Move our minds and our hearts also, that we too might act without fear. May we, together with our leaders, become peacemakers – to transform your church and to protect your world.

Strengthen and console all who are suffering in any way. Bless all those who have gone before us in faith, and bring them into the everlasting joy and peace of your presence.

We ask that you gather together women, men and children of every race, language, religion and way of life to share in your one, eternal banquet. Then, in your presence, we shall give you glory, with all creation and with Jesus, through whom your goodness flows.

(Bread and Wine Ministers elevate the bread and wine.)
Doxology
All:  For it is through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, that all glory and honor are yours, All-Loving God, forever and ever.
AMEN!

Prayer of Jesus
Presider:  Let us pray together to our Loving God as Jesus taught us:

All:    Our father/mother in heaven
          Hallowed be your name
          Your kin-dom come
          Your will be done
          On earth as it is in heaven.
          Give us this day our daily bread
          And forgive us our trespasses
          As we forgive those who trespass against us
          And lead us not into temptation
          But deliver us from all evil.
          For yours is the kin-dom, and the power and the glory
          Forever and ever. Amen.

Deacon or Presider:  The peace of God be with you all.

All:  And also with you.

Deacon or Presider:  As we share our joy, let us take one another’s hands and remind our neighbors that today we are commissioned to live as peacemakers.

(Bread and Wine Ministers share the Sign of Peace, then be seated.)

Presider:  This is the Lamb of God, who promises that swords will be beaten into plowshares, and spears molded into pruning  hooks. Jesus is the peacemaker who takes away the brokenness of our world.  How blessed are we who are called to this table.

All:  Jesus, you make me worthy to receive you. By your word, I am healed.

Presider:  This is the welcoming table of Jesus Christ. All are invited and welcome to participate in this meal.

Sharing of Communion & Communion Song

Post-Communion Meditation Song (optional)

Closing Prayer
Presider: O God, we believe that peacemaking means planting seeds, though we may never see the flowers or taste the fruit.  May we work unceasingly toward that world you have promised us, where kindness and faithfulness shall be one, and where justice and peace may kiss. We ask this in the holy name of Jesus, your anointed one and our brother.

Announcements

Final Blessing
Presider:  Our God be with you.
All:  And also with you.
Deacon or Presider:  Let us raise our heads and pray that God’s blessing be with us.

Presider:  With God’s grace, may we become at all times, now and forever,
a protector for those without protection

All:  Amen.


Presider:  a guide for those who have lost their way

All:  Amen.

Presider:  a ship for those with oceans to cross

All:  Amen.

Presider: a bridge for those with rivers to cross

All: Amen.

Presider: a safe haven for those in danger

All: Amen

Presider: a lamp for those without light

All: Amen

Presider: a sanctuary of peace for those in the midst of violence

All: Amen

Presider: and a fearless servant to all in need.

All: Amen

Presider:  And may our loving and compassionate God bless us all, the God Who made us for love, Who saved us by love, and Who loves us still.

All:  Amen.

Deacon or Presider:  This Mass is ended. Go in the peace of Christ to carry out his commission  to preach the Gospel of peace to all the world.

All:  Thanks be to God.

Closing Song & Procession



Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests to Ordain New Hampshire Woman as Priest


Release Date: June 9, 2015

From: The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests www.arcwp.org
Contact: Janice Sevre-Duszynska, D.Min. (media) 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com
Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, 703-505-0004, sofiabmm@aol.com
On Saturday June 20, 2015 at 1 p.m., the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will ordain Mary Catherine White a priest. The presiding bishop will be Bridget Mary Meehan of Sarasota. The ceremony will take place at The Shelburne Union Church, Village Road, Shelburne, NH 03581. All are welcome.

The woman priest movement in the Roman Catholic Church is a bridge between the top-down Church as it has evolved today and the discipleship of equals community of faith model in the early church. We are making a way by ordaining women as an issue of justice and then offering a renewed model, similar to the early house church model!

Because our movement is flourishing, we plan to ordain women bishops in Philadelphia on September 24th. Pope Francis will be there that weekend.

Mary Catherine White NHRomanCatholicWomanPriest@gmail.com 603.616.9729 lives in the beautiful White Mountains in Gorham, New Hampshire. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and is completing her Master of Theology Degree though Global Ministries University. Mary formerly served in the Roman Catholic Church in many capacities, including as a Director of Religious Education, RCIA coordinator, religious educator, spiritual director, and Parish Outreach Coordinator for New Hampshire Catholic Charities. She is a Certified Family Mediator and Guardian ad Litem and works in family courts. With a background in substance abuse treatment, she ministers to those struggling with addictions. Mary is part of an inclusive faith community that celebrates Eucharist in a house church. At the age of twelve she remembers being called to priesthood.

“As a former Director of Religious Education, I love ministering to the young people. They are the future of our church.” She and her husband Adam are avid motorcyclists and have two daughters and a six-year-old grandson.

Monday, June 8, 2015

“A House Divided” Mark 3:20-35 June 7, 2015 Annie Watson, ARCWP, Bloomington Inclusive Mass

Annie Watson 
Daniel Kostakis is on the left of Annie Watson, Ryan Cox is on the right.

Last weekend Jimmy and I were in Springfield, Illinois for a wedding, the old stomping grounds for Abraham Lincoln. After reading the Gospel text for today I was reminded, of course, of Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech, a speech he gave upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination as their United States senator.
The “House Divided” speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate seat held by Stephen Douglas. This campaign climaxed with the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, which later became the philosophy he would follow as President of the United States.
Specifically, the debates were about the dangers of slavery. Lincoln argued that slavery was producing a disunited country. In his famous “House Divided” speech, he said:
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.”
Lincoln preferred that slavery be eliminated, and yet his main argument was that the country as a whole needed to make up its mind: either eradicate slavery altogether, or practice it nationwide, because “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Obviously, Lincoln is quoting Jesus from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
The truly interesting thing about that quote, and the fact that Lincoln applies it to our house, the United States of America, is that Jesus is talking about Satan’s house or kingdom. People were accusing Jesus of being in league with “Beelzebul,” which means “Lord of the Flies,” and is just another name for the devil.
Some of the religious leaders suggested Jesus was using the power of the devil to cast out demons. In response to that, Jesus wisely said, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”
The principle is true, and yet we should keep in mind that Jesus was applying this principle to Satan. I wonder if Abraham Lincoln knew that . . .
Regardless, Lincoln certainly understood his role as a president, which was to get everyone on the same page. He fought a war in order to get us all on the same page (although I would argue that many people, particularly in the South, are still not on the same page!).
Divisiveness is a fact of life. It is all around us. War is the ultimate expression or outcome of human divisiveness. At any given moment there are numerous wars occurring all over this planet. You would think that humanity has fought so many wars that we could just declare a winner and be done with it, sort of like a Monopoly winner who wins everything.
The truth is, in the long run, there are no winners in war, only losers. Jeannette Rankin, the first American woman elected to congress in 1916 and again in 1940, said, “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.” Whether that’s true or not, war is too often a consequence of human division.
As Lincoln discovered, we don’t have to go outside of our borders to find division. We call ourselves the “United” States of America, and yet I wonder if we should change our name to the “Disunited” States of America.
Has there ever been as much polarization in this country as there is now, particularly in the political realm? Is there really that much difference between us? Is the worldview of the two major political parties in America as far apart as our politicians seem to argue? If so, Lincoln’s words should concern us greatly.
We are first hand witnesses of divisiveness in the Catholic Church, are we not? The Church is divided between those who favor inclusion and equality, and those who favor exclusion and inequality. The Church is divided between those who favor a male-only celibate clergy and those who favor holy orders for all who receive God’s call, no matter one’s gender, sexual orientation, or marital status.
The Church is also divided between those who practice a closed table and those who practice an open table. This just scratches the surface of a divided Church. As we continue to debate and argue about these things, Lincoln’s words should concern us greatly.
Divisiveness is a fact of life. According to our Gospel reading, Jesus’ family were trying to restrain him because they thought he had lost his mind. In almost every family I have ever known, I have seen dysfunction, which is a word that implies family division.
There is also division within ourselves, as noted by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16. He writes, “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” It’s almost like we, as individuals, are heading in two different directions.
Our outer nature, our minds and bodies, are aging, which is a nice way of saying they are diminishing or dying every day. Our inner nature, our spiritual essence, on the other hand, should be improving as we get older.

Although the Apostle Paul doesn’t spell this out, I believe this simple notion of a daily renewed inner nature is the key to overcoming human division. When I see divisiveness on any level, I suggest that the underlying problem is spiritual

Opus Dei: The Vatican-Pentagon Connection

 http://churchandstate.org.uk/2015/05/opus-dei-the-vatican-pentagon-connection/

..."The organization’s membership includes elite elements who wield influence at the highest levels of government, the Vatican, and the Vatican Bank. The individuals that Opus Dei chooses to recruit for membership are the cream of American, European and Latin American society. They include owners of big multinational companies, the press and finance institutions, as well as figures at the highest levels of the world’s most powerful governments. US Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Scalia have rumored links to Opus Dei, as do Sen. Sam Brownback and former Rep. Rick Santorum."

"Celebrating Our Body of Christ Especially our Graduates at the Good Shepherd Inclusive Catholic Community" by Judy Lee, RCWP and Judy Beaumont, RCWP

At the end of our celebration on this feast day of the Body of Christ we celebrated some of our own members achievements.

Most notably our Efe E. Jane  Cudjoe was graduated from Brown University with Honors. She is pursuing a Research Fellowship and will then go on to Medical School. Rather than focus on herself today she jumped right in and taught our Junior and Middle School class and chaperoned three of our children as well.  She is a light set upon a hill and her light shines on all of our young people saying “Keep going-come on up here”.
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BLESSINGS and CONGRATULATIONS, DEAR EFE!
And, our Natasha Terrell completed her Freshman year at FGCU and is now a sophomore. She continues to be our Lector and also to help with the little children. She has a part time job. She is deciding on a Major and thinks she wants to be a social worker!!! Way to GO, Natasha!
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Keeron Jones is now a High School Senior. Today he said that he was thankful for his gifts of intellect and athletic abilities and prayed to use his gifts well. He would like to teach sports to younger children. We are proud of him. There are so many negative roads to take but his feet are planted on the narrow road.
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Keeondra Terrell was graduated from the eighth grade and plans to attend Dunbar or Lehigh High School. Her spirit is one of love and kindness and she works hard on all she does. When I ask for a volunteer she is always there. Way to Go Keeondra!
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All of our Middle Schoolers were promoted. Now Jakeriya and Jakein Maybin are entering the 7th Grade and Marcella Randazzo and Aleigha Longstreth are entering the Eighth Grade.
IMG_0017IMG_0048100_3957WAY to GO!
Our Little ones were promoted to the First Grade> IMG_0115
And all of our Grade Schoolers were promoted! IMG_0261IMG_0061ANDIMG_0054,
Jon’Est Smith had his sixth Birthday!
BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS, dear Jon”Est!
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Love and blessings, Pastor Judy Lee and Pastor Judy Beaumont and All of the Good shepherd Family on this wonderful and holy Feast of the Body of Christ