Calling all parishioners: due to extreme limitations on our ability to offer indoor Sunday fellowship as the weather turns cold, the Parish Life Ministry Team is introducing a fun alternative way of being together. Beginning, Friday, October 30th, every two weeks you will be invited to tune in to a themed Zoom event from 7-8 pm where you can safely and conveniently visit with your fellow parishioners from the comfort of your home! Stay tuned for details of our first gathering in the news wire! And best of all, if you have ideas you'd like to share with us and/or would like an opportunity to host one of our gatherings, speak up; we'd love to hear from you.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Sunday Live Stream for October 18th, 2020
In the modern, rather individualistic world in which we live, [even during global pandemic], there is a temptation to believe that what we have, we have earned. My possessions are mine, a result of my own hard work or that of others, such as family. But today’s gospel is a good reminder that all we have is from God. As such, we should not and cannot be hoarders of God’s good gifts. Even money itself should not be thought of as ours.
Jesus calls us to an entirely new way of thinking [as COVID-19 has called us to new ways of being community]. We return to be fed at the table of his word and at the table of his Eucharist so often in part because we need to be reminded of this way of thinking when we are so immersed in the world with its ways.
Any resources we have are truly not our own. Even what we acquired through our own labor and efforts cannot be taken with us when we pass on from this life. Let us die to the notion of possessions – what is mine versus yours – and let us instead engage in a lifestyle of discipleship, which shares what we have with the least among us. In that way we will be living the paschal mystery. – Living Liturgy
Please see below for all of the necessary information.
You can also join the Zoom Meeting by entering the URL below into you browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87946627908
Meeting ID: 879 4662 7908
Monday, October 12, 2020
Expressions of Gratitude - Presented by Faith Communities of Baltimore With Pride
You are invited to participate in an interfaith event celebrating the gift of gratitude during this time of crisis. It is sponsored by the Faith Communities of Baltimore With Pride, of which your congregation is a part.
As a special exercise within this program, there will be a meditation slide show showcasing artwork that symbolizes or gives witness to the experience of gratitude.
Anyone who would like to submit something newly or previously created for this part of the program, an image of the piece should be submitted by October 23rd.
For questions and artwork submissions, please email thefcbwp@gmail.com.
Hope you can join in gratitude on Thursday, October 29th!
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Charitable Donations made by St. Charles Of Brazil in 2020
We want to thank the team of people who worked so creatively to identify three organizations to receive a cash donation from our Parish Community. Beyond identifying these three organizations, the team developed a criteria that will be used for future donations.
The three groups and a brief description of their mission are listed below:
MERA KITCHEN COLLECTIVE: A Baltimore-based collective of chefs from around the world, sharing our cuisine through catering, pop-ups and community events, to foster empowerment and celebrate culture. We believe that promoting equitable access to opportunities, building community, and providing living wages are the keys to long-term self-determination, independence, and happiness.
To learn more go to: https://www.mera.kitchen/. They received $750.00
DRINK AT THE WELL: Offers community, opportunity, and encourages responsibility. Our flagship program is COR Life Mentorship through which The Well provides a committed mentor and resources for women interested in making intentional efforts to make life’s challenges into possibilities for her future. In addition, we provide clothing and educational workshops for the community and offer a women’s Life Group, known as The Women of Hope, which meets regularly at The Well.
To learn more go to: https://www.drinkatthewell.org/what-we-do/. They received $750.00
DRU MONDAWMIN: We believe every family has the potential to thrive, no matter their resources. Our holistic program is designed to improve birth outcomes, promote self-sufficiency, and empower caregivers with young children to foster optimal childhood development. DRUM targets families in neighborhoods with a high risk of poor birth outcomes and school readiness. These include families with pregnant women or children under age 5. Families are accepted into the program after a systematic review process that analyzes environmental factors and health situations.
To learn more go to: http://www.drumhealthyfamilies.com/aboutus.html. They received $500.00
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Sunday Livestream for October 11th, 2020
In a story filled with such violence as we have today, it might be easy to forget we are dealing with a merciful God! God calls a people to himself and desires that they come to him. The destruction of the city of Jerusalem with its temple was interpreted at the time by Christians as God’s judgment on Judah. A violent world saw stories of violence. Though we may wish to minimize the violence, unfortunately it has been part of human history from the beginning and continues to this day.
It might be difficult [and uncomforting] to strip away the violent imagery and focus instead on the kernel underneath it all. Matthew’s church has the wisdom and experience of decades since the death and resurrection of Jesus. It has learned that there are some in the church who do not belong, as indicated in several parables. Sadly, our modern experience reflects this too. Simply being in the church does not make one holy, God’s chosen, or a paragon of virtue. There are weeds within the wheat. The sobering reminder that “many are invited but few are chosen” should cause us to pause, reflect, and reexamine our lives. [And take action to change.] - Living Liturgy
Please see below for all of the necessary information.
You can also join the Zoom Meeting by entering the URL below into you browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87946627908
Meeting ID: 879 4662 7908
Thursday, October 1, 2020
October Birthdays
Happy BIrthdays!
10/1 Jane Papenberg
10/8 Lauren Bouchet
10/10 Bailey Mitchell
10/12 Christopher Bouchat
10/16 Ruth Ann Wickless
Pet Blessing This Sunday
We are invited by the Rev Scott Maxwell to participate in a pet blessing this Sunday, the feast of St Francis, at 2 pm at St Christopher's.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Sunday Livestream to October 4th 2020
Though the gospel was written two thousand years ago, it unfortunately has been misused throughout history as justification for Christians to persecute Jews. The church tells us that the words here echo words of the prophets and their critiques of the people of God. But when Christians definitively separated from Jews, the words were understood differently, not as an internal critique between members of a family but as a forceful condemnation of the “other.”
But it must be admitted that many of these passages are capable of providing a pretext for anti-Jewish [anti-“other”] sentiment and have in fact been used in this way. To avoid mistakes of this kind, it must be kept in mind that the New Testament polemical texts, even those expressed in general terms, have to do with concrete historical contexts and are never meant to be applied to Jews [“other”] of all times and places merely because they are Jews [“other”]. (Pontifical Biblical Commission, Jewish People 87)
Now in the modern world, especially in light of the Holocaust, we must do all we can to put away any anti-Jewish [anti-other] reading of the text. In so doing, we will walk in the newness of life. – Living Liturgy
But it must be admitted that many of these passages are capable of providing a pretext for anti-Jewish [anti-“other”] sentiment and have in fact been used in this way. To avoid mistakes of this kind, it must be kept in mind that the New Testament polemical texts, even those expressed in general terms, have to do with concrete historical contexts and are never meant to be applied to Jews [“other”] of all times and places merely because they are Jews [“other”]. (Pontifical Biblical Commission, Jewish People 87)
Now in the modern world, especially in light of the Holocaust, we must do all we can to put away any anti-Jewish [anti-other] reading of the text. In so doing, we will walk in the newness of life. – Living Liturgy
Please see below for all of the necessary information.
You can also join the Zoom Meeting by entering the URL below into you browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87946627908
Meeting ID: 879 4662 7908
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Sunday Livestream Information: September 20th, 2020
Have you ever met a flatterer, or people-pleaser? Those who say what you want to hear but have no intention of following through? Or those who over- promise and under-deliver? It can be challenging to hear the words of Jesus in the parable today about such behaviors. Despite our best intentions, it is our actions that truly mean more than our words. Without actions, our words are a “clanging gong” to use a term from St. Paul. There are many reasons why we might over-promise, but we are reminded of another saying in the gospels: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (Matt 5:37)/ At some level, this is simply good advice from Jesus the teacher.
As we go about our lives, let us make an extra effort to think carefully before we commit ourselves or say we will do something. Simply modifying a commitment with the words “I intend to...” or “I’ll make my best effort to...” may be all we need to temper expectations. By avoiding the trap of being a people-pleaser, flatterer, or one who over-promises, and instead being a person of action and doing on behalf of others, we will be living the gospel message. – Living Liturgy
Please see below for all of the necessary information.
You can also join the Zoom Meeting by entering the URL below into you browser.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87946627908
Meeting ID: 879 4662 7908
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Hope For All AuctionComing Soon: October 1-3 - Preview Starting Sept 27th
Hope for All will have more than 90 items up for auction with a variety of starting bids.
This will be a fun event to look at and participate in. Your support in sharing the information for this event has been invaluable. Thank you for helping us in our efforts to raise funds for our programs.
Click on the link below for a preview starting Sept 27th
Robin Smith
Communications Director
HOPE For All
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