DECORATE ALTAR WITH EASTER FLOWERS ON EASTER SUNDAY

WE ARE INVITING EVERYONE TO BRING AN EASTER FLOWER TO DECORATE THE ALTAR  ON EASTER SUNDAY

DUE TO OUR CURRENT SITUATION WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU TAKE THEM WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE.

 

 

Taken from Richard Rohr’s Weekly Newsletter from the Center for Action and Contemplation

Author Tiffany Shlain offers a practice she calls a “Technology Sabbath” as a way of reducing our addiction to technology and our personal devices. She writes:  

How often have you looked up from your screen, eyes dazed, and realized you’ve just wasted thirty minutes or an hour or more? You look around and see everyone else with their heads down staring at their screens, too. You worry about how this is affecting you as an individual and society at large. You think you should do something about it, then your phone buzzes, you respond to the text, and you’re pulled back to the screen again. We’ve become ostriches, burying our heads in silicon sand                                                                                                                                     

Researchers have compared the sense of technological dependency—the feeling that we must be accessible and responsive at any time—to that of drugs and alcohol. It’s all because of the hormone dopamine, which is related to mood, attention, and desire. When you find something that feels good, dopamine makes you want more of it.                                      

What brings you joy ?  Think about all the (screen free) activities you enjoy doing that you just don't do enough       

Consider your own tradition or history.  What foods, practices from your childhood,  family , faith or culture would make the day more meaningful for you ?   

Consider your intentions  What qualities do you want to develop ?  What habits do you want to break ?  How do you want to feel when the day is over ? 

How to prepare for 24/6     A little think ahead will help you get more our of the day.

Plan your first Tech Shabbat Look at your calendar and plan what weekend day or (weekday)  you are going to start. Mark down several weeks in a row.  The power and beauty of this practice comes with it's regularity. In time you will look forward to it each week, Look at the list of things you want to do more of. Plan to fill your screen free day with activities from that list.  You can even print the list, post it on your fridge, and reference it throughout the day.  Or fill the day with doing nothing, if that's what you need and want. Invite anyone you want to join you for a meal, an activity, or the whole day. Tell people in your life you are planning to do this.  Don't come from a place of apology, but a place of strength and excitement.  If they express concern or curiosity, invite them to a Tech Sabbath dinner so they can experience it with you.

                                                                                    

KIVA LOANS MADE IN OCTOBER / FOUR INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

 

Rami's story is 43 and lives with his family in Bethlehem, West

Bank in Palestine. He Rami, is a hardworking refugee who tries his utmost to help his family live a decent life. He works in the construction field, which is hard work and requires a lot of effort. He turned to Palestine for Credit and Development FATEN to request a loan to buy construction equipment. This equipment will improve his work and enhance his income. He hopes you will help by funding his loan.

María Magdalena's story .Maria and her family live in the Bajos de Montecristi in Ecaudor A  place that stands out for their crafts made of toquilla straw, wicker, piquigua, and wood, fine toquilla straw hats, recognized around the world as “Panama Hats”, well known throughout the country and abroad.  At home, Maria Magdalena has a small pig farm where she works every day, feeding them and keeping them healthy. When they are grown and have a good weight, she sells them alive to merchants who come to buy them. Her children also have a wooden shop at home.  This loan is to buy small pigs, food, medicines, wood, sandpaper, paint, pay electricity bills, etc.

Sawiyah's story. She is pictured here with her son.   Sawiyah is 41 years old and married with one son and one daughter. She and her husband run a business of handcrafts in Indonesia.  One of her children is still in school. As a mother, Sawiyah is very concerned about the education of her children. She is asking Kiva for support because she wants to pay the school fees which are in arrears, because she thinks that education is the key to a brighter and better future.  So, she has applied for a loan of 1,800,000 Indonesian rupiahs (IDR) from KBMI at Curug Branch to pay for her child's school fees in arrears. Her income is not enough to directly pay these costs, but she will be able to repay the loan received in installments using the profits generated from her business.  Sawiyah is a hardworking mother who always strives for the best for her children to improve their living conditions and provide a bright future for them to pursue their dreams. She is very grateful for the opportunity and wants to thank all the lenders.

Elbia's story  This is Elbia, a micro-businesswoman who is happy to be able to be her own boss. She is also a pillar in her own family. Today, Elbia is the owner of an office supplies shop. Elbia knows about the work these two groups do because in the past they provided her with financial support which helped her fortify herself.  At this time, she is asking for a new Kiva loan through MiCrédito to buy 2 computers and 10 reams of paper. With this valuable investment, she will be able to provide her service to more customers and her profits increased. In addition, in the next few years, she is planning to open another office supplies store.

FROM GLOBAL SISTERS REPORT

 

In the footsteps of the Ukrainian people's Way of the Cross

Link to article below.  Thanks to Jeff Konyar for forwarding this 

https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry/column/footsteps-ukrainian-peoples-way-cross?utm_source=PANTHEON_STRIPPED&utm_campaign=PANTHEON_STRIPPED&utm_medium=PANTHEON_STRIPPED&utm_term=PANTHEON_STRIPPED

EXAMPLES OF BREATH PRAYERS

 

Minister Adele Ahlberg Calhoun suggests a form of breath prayer that allows us to bring our heart’s deepest longing into our intimate relationship with God:   Breath prayer reminds us that just as we can’t live on one breath of air, we can’t live on one breath of God. God is the oxygen of our soul, and we need to breathe [God] in all day long. After all, it is in [God] that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Breath prayer reminds us that each breath we are given is God’s gift and that God’s Spirit is nearer to us that our own breath. . . . To practice breath prayer, ponder the nearness of God. Settle deeply into the truth that Christ is in you. Deeply breathe in, repeating any name of God that is dear to you. . . . As you exhale, voice a deep desire of your heart. When you exhale, offer up the desire of your heart. The brevity of the prayer allows it to be repeated over and over throughout the day. Examples of breath prayers are ·         breathe in “Abba,” breathe out “I belong to you.” ·         breathe in “Healer,” breathe out “speak the word and I shall be healed.” ·         breathe in “Shepherd,” breathe out “bring home my lost [ones].” ·         breathe in “Holy One,” breathe out “keep me true.” ·         breathe in “Lord,” breathe out “here I am.” ·         breathe in “Jesus,” breathe out “have mercy on me.”

EYES AND EARS; SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS

                                                    

HELLO,

I think we have a good and valuable Parish Community. We do so many things and we do them well. Some examples; Liturgy,  Music Ministry, Lay Lead Liturgy Team, A Lay Lead Leadership Team, An  Adult Spirituality Team, Hospitality, Social Justice.   We have activities  that impact in so many different areas. 

I have been told by other people within CACINA that we offer the most complete and best example of what a CACINA parish should  be.

We have a lot to offer and the Communications team is asking for your assistance to get the word out .

 Not asking you to join a Ministry Team or an AD HOC Committee.  Asking  to keep your eyes and ears open.   WHY ??

Is there a Festival  in your neighborhood ?  A Community Yard Sale ?  Maybe a Sports Tournament ? Or some type of community event that will be attracting groups of people, a gathering of people in one place at one time or maybe over a period of days.

What I am asking is for you to notify me of these events.  Gather some information and see if this would be appropriate for us to be present..

If you are willing to be a part of our “EYES AND EARS” Group please let me know

 

THANKS

CHARLIE ERNST

 

 

AUGUST TITHING RECIPIENT ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN

 

ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN

Mission Statement

In loving response to Christ, the Servant, the Orphan Grain Train movement encourages and enables God's people to share personal and material resources in bringing Christ's name and character to needy people both far and near. Sometimes that character expresses itself as a word well spoken, sometimes as a bandage well applied, and sometimes as a child well fed.

                                                                   What is Orphan Grain Train?         

Orphan Grain Train is a 501c3 Nonprofit Christian volunteer network that shares personal and material resources with needy people in America and around the world. Grain Train volunteers gather donations of clothing, medical supplies, food, Christian literature, and other aid to meet real needs. The Orphan Grain Train movement is a loving response to Jesus Christ’s example as a servant and His love for us.                                                                                             98.2 % of all donations go toward Orphan Grain Train mission projects. Only 1.8% of donations go toward administrative and fundraising expenses!

                                                  Summary of work done by Orphan Grain Train                                                      Orphan Grain Train’s 27 regional locations have delivered more than 50.3 million fortified-rice meals and 4,504 shipments of humanitarian aid to needy people in several states and 71 countries on 5 continents. OGT has delivered more than 16 containers of aid and food into Ukraine since the start of the invasion in 2022.  We have also delivered 20+ containers of aid & food to recipients in surrounding countries which serve their people in need, Ukrainian refugees and take supplies into Ukraine. 

                                                                                                    

CHAT AND CHEW SEPTEMBER 3RD

 

                                                   PARISH LIFE TEAM IS SPONSORING A

CHAT AND CHEW

THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE

 LOTS OF FOLKS HAVE THESE

THIS IS OUR FIRST

   JOIN US AFTER MASS ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2023

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR OWN BAG LUNCH

 

 

KIVA LOANS FOR JULY 2023

 

LOANS THAT CHANGE LIVES

 

       KIVA LOANS MADE IN JULY 2023

 

In July we loaned a total of $ 350.00 to eight different people in seven different countries.  We had five loans @ $ 25.00 each. Two loans @ $ 50.00 each and One loan for $ 125.00.00 . Six of the loans totaling $ 175.00 are now totally funded. In the KIVA world, having a loan fully funded is a big deal !!  We had a total of  $ 384.06 in the KIVA account available to loan. The guidelines we established allows us to contribute $ 3.75 to KIVA each quarter when we make the loans.  We have a balance of $ 38.71 on hand in our account after these loans were made 

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS TITHING RECIPIENT FOR JUNE 2023

 

Doctors Without Borders decided to commit to providing help to those who need it, regardless of possible political complications. This led to several situations where the organization was banned from the country or the area, or sometimes even trapped in the conflict itself, as in case of the Rwandan genocide. Given that, Doctors Without Borders received the Peace Nobel Prize in 1999 for their uncompromising humanitarian efforts (via Britannica), but also their role in peacekeeping operations. Their work across 70 countries has been crucial for survival of many displaced, war-stricken, and impoverished communities.

Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971, in the aftermath of the Biafran famine of the Nigerian Civil War, by a small group of French doctors and journalists who sought to expand accessibility to medical care across national boundaries and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.^[3]    

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers medical humanitarian assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. Our teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other frontline workers are often among the first on the scene when peoples’ lives are upended by conflict, disease outbreaks, or natural or human-made disasters.  The decision to respond is based solely on our independent assessment of medical needs. We work to ensure that our teams can reach people in need without restriction and provide aid directly.

We believe that the principles of impartiality and neutrality are not synonymous with silence. When the world turns its back on crises, we are duty-bound to raise our voices and speak out on behalf of our patients. With over 45,000 staff members of 169 nationalities working in more than 70 countries around the world, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are inextricably linked to the success of our medical humanitarian mission.

We strive to be as open and transparent as possible when it comes to the work we do and the money we spend.. Our financial independence ensures that the aid we provide is not used to further any government’s political or military goals. Most of our funding comes from small donations.  97.2 percent of the money we raised globally in 2020 came from individual donors and private institutions.