Feeding the Multitudes through our Abundance

by Trevor Thompson

Director of Pastoral Ministries

Through this incredibly generous sharing of bread we hear about in today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us that in the Kingdom of God there is always abundance.  In other words, with Jesus, breaking bread always means twice as much, not half as much.  It’s so difficult, however, to live this truth.  We are so prone to scarcity-thinking, seeing life as a zero-sum game where we need to out compete, win over, accumulate, and then horde.  When we live out of this place, we are reluctant to share anything, whether it’s sharing recognition for a job well done, or sharing “my” monthly earnings or tax dollars, or sharing any of the basic necessities of life that we so enjoy.  At its worst, my neighbor in need even becomes my enemy.  But today we hear of different approach to life.  We hear a God who gives richly without counting the costs and his Son who calls his disciples to believe in this abundant living.  Truly, in Christ, the more food is shared, the more food there is.  Can we join Jesus in this generous sharing of our abundant gifts?

Through the financial generosity of our parish and the many parishioners who volunteer their time and talent, our parish is sharing in this feeding ministry of Jesus.  Adding up all our efforts, this past year we prepared and served around 15,000 warm meals, donated nearly 10,000 pounds of non-perishable foods, and through our volunteer hours, saved places like Interfaith Food Shuttle and Catholic Parish Outreach nearly $200,000 in staffing costs. 

Consider joining one of these feeding ministries in our “Food and Hunger Cluster.”  For more information about any of them, call Kathleen Owen in our office of Peace and Justice ministries, 847-8205×225

• Brown Bag Ministry – prepares and distributes brown bag lunches on a bi-weekly basis to an identified community area in Durham, NC
• Catholic Parish Outreach – is the largest food pantry in the Triangle area.  Volunteer opportunities range from working in the warehouse, food sorting and packing “orders,” clothing sorting and distribution, and greeting/interviewing clients.
• Interfaith Food Shuttle – develops systems to recover, prepare and distribute wholesome, perishable food for those in our area who are poor, hungry, undernourished and homeless.  Volunteer opportunities range from picking up food to delivery of food to packing and sorting foods. 
• St Francis Feeds – is a feed ministry where volunteers prepare meals each month and serve them to the neighborhood near the Safety Club on Branch St. in Raleigh.
• St Francis Inn, Philadelphia – is a ministry that offers delegations from St Francis of Assisi to Philadelphia several times each year to participate in this Franciscan community that feeds over 300 meals a day to some of the most hungry in our country.
• Franciscan Community Garden – is a garden on the parish campus that donates all of its harvest to the needy in our community.

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The Alloy of Flesh and Word

By Jason Lillis, Family Life Coordinator

The 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Metallurgy is not a topic I have firsthand experience with, but my father-in-law works in the field. During part of his career, he helped engineer an alloy to be used in creating hip replacement joints. The creation process he described to me includes specific conditions that are necessary for combining different metallic elements into a uniform composition, forming that amalgam into the replacement joint, and determining how much wear the completed product can withstand. To me, the most interesting part is how the replacement joint is “installed”. The surface where apparatus meets bone is made rough and porous, so that the regenerating bone can grow into and meld with the new joint.

I hear in today’s readings a similar process, the alloy created by the combination of human flesh and divine wisdom. The blending of two like-yet-unlike things, of physical life joined to spiritual life, creating out of their union a stronger, more enduring creation that cries out like the psalmist, “Wonderful are your decrees; therefore I observe them. The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.” How do we bring about this blending of muscle and understanding, our lives and God’s Wisdom? Each of us is called by Christ to seek out the treasure of Wisdom, the great pearl of understanding. To have knowledge of God “written on the bones”, to use a Tibetan phrase, seems to be more than memorization of the Catechism, more than the computer-like ability to regurgitate prayers. Instead, it requires a heart that desires to follow God, a heart that is open and ready to say “yes” to living this Wisdom in the world.

Being in a community that carries God’s story and being surrounded by other people who hunger to live according to God’s Wisdom are vital ingredients to our own human-divine amalgamation. I’d like to highlight two ways we naturally enter this process. One, as families, we create and sustain family rituals that grow space for the story of God’s love to be told anew. And secondly, in our ministries and as a community of faith, we bind ourselves to each other through worship, community, and service with the Law of Love. Like with metallurgy, we are made stronger, wiser, and holier through these processes. Let us continue to seek out this treasured Wisdom, that she might no longer hide in a field, but be drawn forth and melded to our lives.

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Farming with Mercy

By Jason Lillis, Family Life Coordinator
For the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Though my gardening and farming experiences are now over a decade removed, I recall very well two different approaches to weeding fields. The later memory is as an employee of the local seed corn company, where sheer volume and acreage called for the application of herbicides to deal with invasive plants. The second is an earlier memory, of helping to clear weeds by hand from the family garden. Those who first listened to Jesus’ parable from today’s Gospel were likely more familiar with my family garden method: the slow, deliberate, hand-numbing task of carefully attending to undesired plants so that those desired would produce a better yield.

I see this parable from today’s Gospel reading as a reflection of the way that relationships are formed, grow, and come to fruition, as though each is a field of its own. Like fields or gardens, most relationships start well, whether through good planning or good energy. Then comes the point when the weeds are discovered. We might find ourselves asking, “Where the heck did that come from?” I often see myself responding like the servants in the parable who offered their hasty assistance: that shouldn’t be there, and I’d better get rid of it! It would be easy to take the large farm approach, and simply douse the relationship with quick-fixes to eliminate any sign of problem.

Yet the call of Christ is to patience, leniency, and forgiveness, not a rush to judgment, rejection, and uprooting. The author of Wisdom knows this: “But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency.” As a field produces food, no matter how thick the weeds, there is still life-bearing going on in relationships – whether married couples bringing a child into the world, a group of friends/neighbors gathering to cultivate a community garden, one friend renewing another with encouraging words, or a volunteer sharing time and sweat to bring care and comfort to the homebound. Even in the midst of weeds, we know that something beautiful is coming because God is at work in us and through us; indeed we are being refined by the crucible of life in this loving community of the church.

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Birthing and Labor Companions

by Trevor Thompson
Director of Pastoral Ministries

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

With our due date of July 10th, my wife and I are expecting our third child any day.  As we anticipate this birth, I’m particularly struck by the image of “birthing” from the Second Reading—Paul to the Romans.  Here, Paul uses the imagery of birthing to describe the way that we (and all of creation) are in the process of being made whole in Christ.  Paul seems especially attracted to this image because he understands the seemingly futile “sufferings of this present time” are like the “labor pains” of a birthing woman, something to patiently endure but nothing compared to glorious experience of new birth.  We all know that life’s labor pains are real, and I imagine we can all talk about our respective “birth stories,” how we have endured childbirth, sickness, loss of a loved one, a marital affair, the loss of a job, another day balancing work and parenting, and on and on.  For many of us, like Paul, our birthing includes much groaning, especially as our spirits have been pressed to the brink through fear, doubt, and exhaustion.  And then, somehow, just when we are ready to give up, through the grace of God, we pass through these pains and are made whole in God’s love.  Nowadays we have all kinds of therapeutic and pharmaceutical means to quicken and decrease labor pains.  Paul’s approach to birthing, however, seems rooted in a different kind of prescription.  Paul seems to see himself as a kind of labor companion, someone like a doula, who, through frequent visits and letters, provides encouragement to the early Christians.  Drawing on his own knowledge and experience of how difficult life’s labor pains can be, he reassures the one giving birth that indeed there is glory coming no matter how intense the pain clouds the vision. 

In thinking about this metaphor of birthing, I’m particularly struck by how important supportive labor companions are.  Curiously, statistics show that having a labor doula results in less need for major labor intervention.  Even in hospital births, there are fewer invasive deliveries, fewer cesareans, and fewer requests for pain medication when a doula is present.  In other words, there’s something about the presence of a supportive, comforting, and empathizing person that allows for a smoother journey through the pains of labor.  I’m sure we can all share anecdotal stories that corroborate this scientific research.  No matter how much medical or pharmaceutical intervention we might need, it seems clear to me that we need these supportive and empathizing labor companions to traverse life’s struggles.  

Whether reaching out to others in one of our Family Life ministries, like Men’s Ministry or the Senior Club, or making an appointment to talk with a Stephen Minister, or getting involved in one of our service ministries, our church and its ministries are prime places where we might find these “labor companions.” as we are all being born anew and made whole in Christ.

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Youth Delegation Returns from St. Francis Inn

A delegation of 8 teens and 2 adults from St. Francis traveled to Philadelphia to minister with the poor and homeless at St. Francis Inn on June 27 to July 1, 2011.    The last youth delegation to visit the Inn was in 2006.   The group of 10 who made the visit this year returned filled with stories and inspiration from the people we met and ministered with.   Overall, the comments from the youth who participated were very positive and they supported recommending the trip to their peers.    

The delegation and staff at the Inn works to meet the immediate daily needs of the people they serve with food, clothing and hospitality.   On the four days of the trip, we prepared and served over 350 evening meals and over 150 morning meals each day to the guests.   A typical day started with breakfast at the house we stayed at next to the Inn, followed by morning Mass offered by one of the resident friars and then on to food pickups, breakfast service and evening meal preparation.    After a light lunch break we would return to the Inn for completing the evening meal preparation, take an afternoon break and then serve the meal from 4:30pm to 6:00pm.   While the days were long, the teens always seemed to have enough energy to enjoy evening trips to Dave & Buster’s, Italian Ice, and the too good to pass up visit for a Philly Cheese Steak.

By interacting with the guests at the Inn and getting to know their personal stories we started to understand them better and the light of Christ emerged.   It enhanced our knowledge that many folks right here in this nation go hungry and are homeless.   It also showed us that by trusting in God and His providence and serving as instruments of His mercy and peace we can address this situation and actually have an impact on people who are in this situation.   One of the youth commented that he was left with a sense of respect for the courage and perseverance for the people who were attending the nearby substance abuse meetings and had been able to quit using drugs and abusing alcohol.     Another youth was given a journal that one of the guests had written about his life and the people he interacted with at the Inn.   We all left with a feeling that we received as much as we gave by ministering with and getting to know the guests at the Inn.

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In God We Trust

By Trevor Thompson
Director of Pastoral Ministries

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

We live in a country of contradictions.  America says all “men” are created free and equal, but that dictum was penned by a slave holder.  America is a republic founded on capitalism but strives to be a democracy, governed “by the people,” and not a plutocracy, ruled by the wealthy.  America is at once churchgoing and also a secular nation with an affinity for materialism.  America likes to imagine itself exceptionally innocent yet assumes the guilty role in so many moments in the empire’s short history.  America likes to imagine it broke away from the prejudices and violence of the Old World; yet it holds fast to the myth of the effectiveness of violence and revenge.  We lift up the rugged individualist yet cherish community; we long for a sense of tradition and conservation yet espouse progress with little concern for implications to the soil, air, and water.  Yes, the American experiment is full of contradictions.  This is what makes our country fascinating, inspiring, and frustrating. 

As we celebrate our country’s founding, we would do well to sit with these contradictions in light of our faith.  If we take seriously our baptisms and the Christian tradition, we are not first and foremost Americans, but Christians.  Through baptism, we are citizens of the body of Christ, new creations, dying to the old self and its identity and rising to a new self and identity in Christ.  Not that we can’t or shouldn’t be American citizens in good standing but our primary trust, allegiance even, should be in God’s love, following in the footsteps of Jesus.  The phrase is apt, “In God we trust.”

We hear this message of total trust in God’s love in today’s lectionary readings:  the meek king with trust in Yahweh’s care riding into the royal city proclaiming peace to the ends of the earth, a total challenge to the city’s trust in their military power of chariot, horse, and bow; Paul calling the Christians in Rome to trust their calling as Christian brothers and sisters to live a life according to the spirit instead of trusting in the flesh; and Jesus encouraging the “little ones” to trust enough to bring their burdens and labors to him, rather than their own self-sufficiency, wisdom, and wealth.

Trusting in God is no easy task.  Frankly, it’s easier to put our trust in other less salutary things.  But this is why we come so frequently to this community of faith and get involved in ministry—because we believe that in the midst of the burdens, labors, and contradictions of living in America, it is easier (and more fun) to trust in God in community than to try to do it alone.

Interested in getting more involved in the parish, call me at 847-8205×270

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Parishioners Participate in Diocesan AAMEN Annual Retreat

Eric Wilson and Teresa Mugeni, Melanie Martin, and Leon Cooke participated in the 17th annual diocesan African Ancestry Ministry & Evangelization (AAMEN) retreat June 17—19 at the Avila Retreat Center in Durham. The purpose of the annual retreat is to keep parish leaders of African descent informed about relevant events occurring in the Diocese and in the local parishes and for the leaders to discuss the needs of those to whom they minister.  The retreat consisted of several talks by retreat master Fr. Marcos Leon-Angulo, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Whiteville and Dean of the Cape Fear Deanery.  Retreatants heard several presentations on subjects like African American Spirituality, the Person of Jesus and The Challenge of Evangelization.  With the talks, the retreatrants also had had social time, meditation, and mass.  The theme of the retreat was “Honoring the Past by Building for the Future.” 

For Ms. Wilena McPhatter, one of the organizers of the retreat, the high point of the weekend was Father Marcos’ presentation of the ministry’s new Pastoral Plan. “The Plan will enable those who don’t know what AAMEN is all about to understand why it exists and why we need AAMEN chapters in all our individual Parishes,” Ms. McPhatter said. “We had quite a few people who had never been to one of our retreats, and they came away very enlightened. All in all, I think the weekend was a great success and will be a great boost to our Ministry.”

St. Francis parishioner and local AAMEN chaper leader Leon Cooke felt the retreat “was a wonderful way for us as African/African Americans to delve into our spirituality and how it enchances our living out our Catholic faith.”  Teresa Mugeni felt inspired to action through this retreat, saying “It’s not about the umbrella AAMEN that we fall under but as an individual what can I do to be there and spread the word through my actions…drawing more people towards Christ.”  Her husband Eric Wilson also particiapted in the retreat.  Parishioners alike named how peaceful the setting and gracious the hospitality of Avila Retreat Center as well.

The Diocesan chapter of AAMEN was established by the Diocese of Raleigh to foster the mission of the Roman Catholic Church, spread the Gospel, celebrate the Sacraments, and form a faith community. The ministry seeks to create an atmosphere in which individuals of African descent can maintain their identity, heighten their visibility, and enhance their lives as Catholics. It is concerned with nurturing those in the faith, reconciling those fallen away from the faith, and offering a church home to the unchurched through conversion to the Catholic faith.

Members of St. Francis of Assisi AAMEN chapter

Our St. Francis of Assisi AAMEN ministry arose from our parish’s diversity initiative to be more welcoming and engaging to all parishioners, no matter what the differences.  While this ministry is mainly for parishioners of African descent, it is open to all who wish to learn more about church life and spirituality from an African ancestry perspective. If interested in learning more or joining this ministry, contact Leon Cooke at 740-7515 or email at cooleon@aol.com

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Homeless Family moves into Adopted Apartment

 

Before WIHN

 

After WIHN

 Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:25-30

These words from the Gospel of Matthew are being lived out as the burden of homelessness was lifted from the shoulders of a family who moved into the St Francis of Assisi ‘adopted’ apartment in the transitional housing program of Wake InterFaith Hospitality Network (WIHN). On Friday, June 24, Tonya and her five children found a warm and welcoming home that was the result of many in our community who gave selflessly of their time, talent, and treasure so that others might find comfort and stability in their lives.

What was once a dark and dismal apartment is now a bright and welcoming environment and will provide the opportunity for a family to thrive. Thanks to the generous support and participation of many, the SFA-WIHN apartment is filled with basic furnishings and, more importantly, with hope.

To name only a few of those who have helped along the way:

  

Claire Moss and Laurie Potts – coordinated furnishing of
the apartment; collaborated with WIHN organization and SFA-WIHN

SFA Parishioners- generously gave Advent Giving Tree gifts of kitchenware, furniture, home accessories, and
gift cards

Stacy Kababik – linked the TFS 3rd grade classes with this
WIHN initiative

Marcy Henehan – coordinated 3rd grade students, parents,
and teachers to collect needed items and ‘stock the pantry’

SFA Prayer Shawl Ministry – created a blanket and hat
as a welcoming gift for the baby

Samantha Austin and Mercy Camp kids – unloaded and
delivered furnishings to the apartment

Many community organizations – contributed linens,
furniture, services

Thank you to all who worked to make this opportunity for a family to thrive, a reality.

If interested in volunteering with this beautiful ministry with St. Francis of Assisi, contact Sherry Oliver at sherry4wihn@hotmail.com

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