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Monday, September 25, 2023

Global Ministries University Calendar for October

 

Global Responsibility

President Grudzen will give a presentation on "Religion and Science" at the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) conference in Costa Rica in November 2023.

GMU's Master's Degree Program in Religion and Science has led to international interfaith dialogue and collaboration among its students with the freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging and voice-over-IP service, WhatsApp. GMU is building bridges of understanding and cooperation through education!

Peace Studies

Last Chance to Register for "Mahatma Gandhi and Building a Just Peace"

“Blessed Are the Peacemakers, for They Will Be Called Children of God” (Matt 5:9)


When you read headlines about war and conflicts, have you ever thought, "What can I do?"


Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, Professor Emeritus of Social Work Education & Peace Studies at CSU Fresno, CA, will conduct a 4-week series on "Mahatma Gandhi and Building a Just Peace" on Zoom beginning Monday, October 2, 2023, to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday and the International Day of Non-ViolenceThe suggested tuition for the entire series is $100 plus a $25 application fee. You can also join individual Zoom sessions for $25 each. However, because this is such an important topic to address the violence in today's world, GMU will accept whatever tuition you can pay plus the $25 application feeLearn more.

"Life is not a contest or a conquest. It is a struggle and a quest to find the best in each and every one of us."

~ Sudarshan Kapoor

Apply now.

Librarian's Corner

Why Write a Research Paper?


This question is asked, at least inwardly, by every high school, college or university student who’s required to write one. The task of compiling an academic research paper may seem meaningless, daunting, tedious, like “busy work,” something there will likely never be a need to do again, once that diploma is firmly in hand. So why do those teachers and professors assign it?


Here are a few reasons:


• Developing one’s writing skills is a vital part of our education. The ability to communicate our thoughts clearly in writing is essential in nearly every occupation as well as in daily living. As we write, we organize our thinking, making ourselves understandable to our readers.


• Improving our ability to read and comprehend complicated texts enables us to understand more sophisticated ways of thinking and self-expression. 


• Finding deep enjoyment and satisfaction in the very act of learning as we discover more and more about the topic we’ve chosen, or that was assigned, brings a sense of deep fulfillment.


• Learning to do serious, scholarly research creates the ability to enhance critical thinking skills. Knowing how to find and evaluate sources of information, to discern the difference between verifiable, well-documented studies and random rumors and speculative reflections, helps us to detect fraud, bias, and falsehoods. 


• Figuring out how and when to cite our sources teaches us the importance of attribution. When we quote or cite other writers, we’re giving them the credit due for their scholarly work.


• Exploring and synthesizing ideas from multiple sources, then coming up with a unique interpretation of the results, allows us to offer, from our own perspective, our contribution to the world’s knowledge. 


Keep these points in mind when you’re next asked to write a paper, and it will emerge not as a dull task, but as an adventure in creativity.


Questions? Comments? Reflections? I’m here…just click on the link!


~Judy Clarence, M.L.I.S., GMU Librarian

Under a canopy of towering redwoods in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz (California) mountains, GMU Librarian Judy Clarence’s son Colin Mosher and Cristiane Magalhaes were married Saturday, September 16th. Adhering to the spirit of GMU, the couple were united in a ceremony performed by GMU President Gerry Grudzen and Marita Grudzen, celebrants. The event brought together two continents. Colin is California-born; Cris comes from Brazil. In attendance were friends and family members from as far away as Sao Paolo, New Orleans, and Utah. Both Colin and Cris are architects and make their home in San Francisco. 

Chaplaincy Consultant

Marita Grudzen is returning to Stanford as a consultant for their chaplaincy program.

Promoting Equality at the Synod

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, Dean of GMU's D.Min/M.Div. Programs, will travel to Rome Oct. 5-15 to promote women priests in a renewed model of priestly ministry in a community of equals. She will speak at the Spirit Unbounded international program on Friday, Oct.13, before keynote speakers: Joan Chittister and Mary MacAleese.

New GMU Courses and Programs

Dr. Nazar Sloboda will give a seminar on religion and politics within Orthodox Christianity in January 2024. Dr. Sloboda recieved a Doctorate in Sacred Theology Ecumenism and Dialogue from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum), Rome, Italy. He will direct GMU graduate studies programs in Orthodox theology and history. 


Community Chaplaincy


Negotiations are underway for collaboration with All Faiths Seminary on a Community Chaplaincy Program. (Stay Tuned for updates.) 

Learn more about GMU's Chaplaincy Programs.

GMU Partners

The Center for Celebrant Training shows you how to conduct religious/nonreligious wedding ceremonies and funeral services completely online and at a very low cost.


It's possible to complete the program in ten weeks but you have the freedom to work at your own pace. 

The CCT awards you a Certificate of Celebrancy from Global Ministries University upon completion of the program!

Visit the Center for Celebrant Training.

People's Catholic Seminary...a Journey to Spiritual Transformation, Empowerment & Equality


The Mission of People’s Catholic Seminary is to provide educational programs that foster an expanded worldview of our liberating God of compassion present in all and working for justice for all through systemic change. As co-creators and companions on a journey, we share the wisdom of God in our sacred texts, theologies, sacred practices, sacramental celebrations, and lived experiences.

Visit the PCS Website.

Accreditation Update


Self-evaluation is currently being undertaken as the first step in pursuing accreditation. We will keep you updated on GMU's progress.

Calling All Alumnae/Alumni

Please take a moment to answer the questions in our survey. It will only take a minute or two and will help GMU respond to your needs and the needs of future students. Thank you so much for your help!

Take the survey.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

We Celebrated this Liturgy on Sun Deck as we sailed away from Monte Carlo - Presider- Denise Hackert-Stoner

 Adapted by Denise Hackert- Stoner

 from Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgy 

Fourth Sunday in the Season of Creation

September 24, 2023

 

 



 

Welcome:  As we sit here in the light of the setting sun let’s embrace one another in prayer.  Let’s extend that prayerful embrace to all our fellow travelers on this ship; to the staff and crew who keep us safe, fed, and cared for; for our families, friends and communities at home; for the communities and individuals living in the cities we have visited; to the sea and all the living creatures living in it; to the earth and all its creatures; to the great, expanding universe which is home to all.  May we be blessed.  Amen.

We celebrate our Season of Creation as we sing this song with one voice.

 

Opening Song: God of Abundance by Kit Mills video by MT Streck

https://youtu.be/SAqqVXxvuGI

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading: 

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all, in your own home. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor . . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

These are the inspired words of the Mother Theresa. We affirm these words by saying AMEN!

 

Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU

 

Gospel: A Reading from the gospel of Matthew (MT 20:1-16)

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

These are the words of an author known as Matthew.  The community affirms them saying: AMEN.

Shared Homily:

I offer one thought as to the meaning behind this familiar parable.  For me, everything Jesus teaches about goes back to the commandment to love God and love neighbor.  So, to him, our work, the reason for our lives, our mission, is to build the Kin-dom by sowing and nurturing love; by living a life motivated by love.  The workers portrayed in the parable of the vineyard come to accept this mission at various times in their lives; some very early, some later on.  But it’s not important when we begin this work of sowing love; our lives will help grow the Kin-dom on earth whenever and wherever we choose to love.  And the reward?  Rather than seeing the reward in this parable as personal “pay” or some kind of eternal reward for living a good life, I suggest that the outcome of love is more love.  The reward for giving love, for living a life based on love,is that all people, all creatures, will be living in a world of love.  A world of compassion.  A world of justice.  That is the Kin-dom of God.  It’s so simple, and yet so not-easy.  The birth of the Kin-dom is ongoing.  It is taking one person at a time making the decision to work in the vineyard, sowing love with their lives.  It is happening in every generation.  It is a slow process.  And the earth and all of its creatures wait.  

 

Statement of Faith

All: We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.

We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.

We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.

We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.

We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.

 

Prayers of the Community

 

As we prepare for the sacred meal we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.  Please feel free to voice your prayers beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”

 

We pray for these and all unspoken intentions and blessings. Amen.

 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

 

We are a priestly people. We are anointed. With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:

All:  Holy One, we yearn to be close to you and to live in the embrace of your gentle wisdom. Your divine grace leads us away from our anxieties, fears, and distractions and toward all that is blessed and joyous so that we might live in the Spirit and serve the cause of love.

Each of us is divinely created in Your image. We are precious to you and to each other because of who we are. We are beloved and blessed in your unconditional love, quite apart from how we act or fail to act. We resolve to look upon all our sisters and brothers as precious and deserving so that we serve to spread the gospel of love and peace.

Thankful for Jesus, who treated all of Creation with respect and abundant love, we seek to follow his example to be a light in the darkness. We recognize Your loving Presence here with us today and always, and we sing:

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy

https:/ youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

 All: Dearest Holy One, may we live in Your love. May wesee you reflected in every person we meet.  May we see you in the rocky hills, the deep womb of the sea, the sun that rises so faithfully each morning.  

We thank you for Jesus, because he showed us with his life how to grow your Kin-dom. May your indwelling presence prompt us to bring gospel kindness and understanding to all.  May we serve each other and all of creation as we walk in your love.

Please extend your hands in blessing.

All: We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us that we are called to renew and to be renewed with the love of the Spirit of God who is in everything, everyone and everywhere.  We thank you for Jesus, beacon of love and wisdom, offering us a perspective of openness and service to others. We are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of the call to spread the good news of love in our world.  

On the night before he faced betrayal and death, Jesus shared supper with his friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet. 

When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread, and offered it to them saying: 

Take and eat, this is my very self.

Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying: Take and drink of the covenant made new again through my life in you. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.

Bread and wine, blessed by you at their creation as wheat and grape, blessed again by the laborers who formed them, are blessed once more today by your Spirit.  Like them, we open ourselves to that same Spirit, to be blessed and transformed by your Love. 

What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge. 

Through Jesus we have learned how to live. Through Jesus, we have learned how to love. Through Jesus we have learned how to serve. AMEN

Please receive the bread and wine with the words, The Kin-dom is Love.

Communion Song: I Am the One – Janis Ian, video by Denise Hackert-Stoner

https://youtu.be/83CKYR9uyFI

Communion prayer:

Loving Source of our being, you call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We live justly, we love tenderly, we walk with integrity in Your Presence Amen.

 

Jesus Prayer for the Season of Creation

 

All: Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, our souls and our hearts. 

 

We yearn for the wholeness of being in harmony with Your will and with all living things. Each day we draw on your creative, life-giving energy with awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest. 

 

We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our feelings of being powerless in the face of climate change and injustice. We seek to be reconciled with those we have hurt and we resolve to do better.  

With your unfailing wisdom and the wind of Your Spirit, inspire us that we may reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home. Strengthen us to work for local and global justice. May we one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. Amen.     (Created by Lynn Kinlan)

 

 

BLESSING

 

Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together

May we celebrate all of creation with fearless love. May we offer each other this love and know there is enough lovefor all. We are filled with God’s abundance. Let us bring joy and blessing into the world. Amen.

Closing Song

Dance Then Wherever You May Be, Lyrics by John Ogrodowczyk

Video by MT Streck

https://youtu.be/L6R6_Qz6_dU?si=CQIDNGCQYDZ_JHuy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community                                                    upperroomicc@gmail.com

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