Container or Content?

By Trevor Thompson, Director of Pastoral Ministries
31st Sunday of Ordinary Time

In today’s lectionary readings, we hear both the prophet Malachi and Jesus quarreling with errant clerics who seem preoccupied with the trappings of proper clothing, titles, and perks, and, through their leadership, loading unnecessary burdens and bringing divisiveness among the people.  Jesus warns the people not to follow their example because they do not practice what they preach.  He then gives actual content to the container of what leadership should be about: “the greatest among you must be your servant,” and, “you have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.”  In his affectionate letter to the people of Thessaloniki, Paul also gives voice to the content of servant leadership as being more focused on God’s grace working among his people than establishing his own reputation.  I love his use of the maternal image of a nursing mother here.      

Talking the talk and walking the walk is not easy.  The challenge is to be a person of integrity and a person who, like Jesus, serves with humility.  In the coming months, there are many opportunities for us to reach out and serve those who might be struggling for basic necessities.  As David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, often says, we cannot “food-bank our way out of hunger;” yet we must nevertheless remain focused on the real needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ who ask us to not just to talk the talk but walk the walk. 

Our Lady of the Rosary Food Drive—November 5th and 6th

OLR is the host site for two ministries – A food pantry for the people of Louisburg as well as a Migrant Ministry (during the summer months). Many folks struggling in this economy depend on the Food Pantry and your generosity to put food on the table. A list of requested food items will be in the Stewardship Center on Oct 29^th and 30^th and food collection will be on November 5^th and 6^th.

St. Francis Feeds Coat Drive – November 5^th and 6^th

Our ministry at St Francis Feeds is a great ministry for the whole family. On the 3^rd Sunday of each month, we provide a spaghetti dinner for the community. With the cold weather moving in, we’d also like to be able to share new or gently used coats with the community. So bring your coats to the Stewardship Center and let’s see how warm we can make our neighbors!

Advent Giving Tree – November 18^th to December 11^th

Santa needs help! Please come visit our Advent Giving Trees and Wreath. They will be covered with items from the wish lists of those our ministries serve. Shop the tree for the ornament that catches your eye. Then return the ornament with the unwrapped gift attached. This year, we will have a tree in the Community Center, too. December 11 is the last day to return gifts to the Stewardship Center (Gift Cards go to the Staff Mail Slot in the Welcome Center).

 

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The Cup of Life – 2011 GLBT Ministry Retreat

 

Over a dozen St. Francis Parishioners, family, and friends gathered at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center on October 14-16 for the 2011 GLBT Ministry Retreat. “The Cup of Life” was the theme for the weekend, which also included large and small group discussions, time for individual and communal prayer, and free time to enjoy the beautiful wooded grounds of St. Francis Springs.

The retreatants gathered by sharing a “cup story” – sharing a cup, mug, glass, etc. that has some special meaning – and these cups became our centerpiece for the weekend.

A following session on “Earthen Vessels” session was a discussion of how we are imperfect “cups”, but that it’s what fills the cup that counts.

The “Quest for the Cup of Life” session used a clip from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” to discuss how we pursue various “Grails” (the cup used at the Last Supper that brings everlasting life to all who drink from it) – goals, pursuits, life quests – and what obstacles and challenges we face along the way.

“How Can I Make a Return to the Lord” was a session about thinking of “all the good that God has done for me,” and how we can make a return to the Lord by “paying it forward,” by responding with thanksgiving and by sharing our gifts with others.

On Sunday morning, the retreatants gathered for Mass, and each participant offered at Eucharist a commitment to do something specific in the coming weeks to “make a return to the Lord.”

It was a great weekend for all involved, and the  GLBT Ministry is looking forward to its next reatreat on September 21-23, 2012 at the Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC.

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Catholic Shopping?

“Catholic Shopping?”
Trevor Thompson, Director of Pastoral Ministries
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

With the emergence of the Tea Party over the past several years, and more recently with Occupy Wall Street, grassroots movements are emerging that are addressing concerns about economic disparity, American democracy, and the role of government.  There is no denying that many are frustrated, and despite their varied means of protest and divergent set of demands, what they share in common is a dream of a fairer and more just society.  Through the Catholic Church’s rich reflection on scripture and history and her long-standing involvement in areas like ethics, economics, politics, and law, we have a social teaching that helps shape our understanding, participation, and commitment to how this fairer and more just society might emerge.  The application of the distilled wisdom of the Church (often referred to as the principles of Catholic Social Teaching) in complicated economic and political situations is a very delicate matter.  Although no principle can be applied in a “one-size-fits-all” fashion, it is important nonetheless that we consider how we live lives consistent with our deepest Christian convictions.

Next weekend, we offer our 3^rd annual gift market – Gift It Up!  With nearly ten vendors selling thousands of “Fair Trade” products, this is a beautiful opportunity to use our purchasing power in a way that supports our Catholic values.  At its heart, by building respectful, enduring relationships between consumers and laborers, Fair Trade is a grassroots movement to create a fairer and more just society.  Paul writes to Thessalonica today, “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.”  I still hold doubts about the words and convictions of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements, but the following set of convictions that express the commitments at the heart of Fair Trade is something for which we all can give thanks to God. I hope to see a lot of Catholic shoppers, including you, at Gift It Up!

• Paying a fair wage in the local context;

• Offering employees opportunities for advancement;

• Providing equal employment opportunities for all people, particularly the most disadvantaged;

• Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices;

• Being open to public accountability;

• Building long-term trade relationships;

• Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context;

• Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible.

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Men’s Ministry Retreat

The 2011 Men’s Ministry Retreat was a great chance for members of our ministry to get away from Raleigh and go deeper in our relationship with Christ and grow in fellowship with one another. We headed up to St Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, NC, on October 7-9, and have come back encouraged and energized to worship and live out our life of faith.  We’re looking forward to the next Men’s Retreat on the weekend of October 20-21, 2012. If you are interested in planning or participating in the 2012 retreat, contact Jason Lillis at 847-8205 x244.

Our facilitator for the weekend was Fr. Emmet Murphy, OFM, leading us in reflection on the theme, “Go, Therefore, And Invite to the Feast Whomever you Find,” drawn from the Gospel reading for the 28th Sunday in ordinary time. Fr. Emmet chose 4 topics for us to guide our reflections:

1) Christ Sets the Banquet For Us - Fr Emmet kicked off our retreat by reselling for us the amazing love of God and how Christ invites each of us to always draw closer in our relationship with him and our faith community. We broke into our first small group discussion of the weekend, and I was very blessed throughout our retreat to share in the experience and wisdom of the fellow men in my group.

2) Allowing Ourselves to be fed by Christ – Christ does set the banquet for us, though sometimes we let our actions, our thoughts, or our habits get in the way of receiving fully. We have a hard time receiving blessings when we feel unworthy to do so! Fr. Emmet encouraged us to consider how we might get past those things which keep us from a deeper relationship with Christ. After our next meal, three of our members shared of their experiences of being in far flung places, and finding ways to celebrate feasts even in strange lands.

3) Celebrating the Wedding Feast – Once we get past that which keeps us from Christ, how can we participate in the feast? Fr. Emmet reminded us of the importance of celebrating the Eucharist, and joining in community and fellowship with one another after returning home. Steve Levesque, one of the Men’s Ministry’s foundling members, shared a witness to the love and grace of God in his life, blessing him and bringing him into times of feast, and helping him through times of fast, in his life of faith.

4) Feeding the Body of Christ – So fed and nourished, how can we take what we have received and go out to share with others in our community? We have many opportunities and ministries through which we can serve St Francis and those who are here. Fr. Emmet shared of his experiences at St Francis Inn in Philadelphia, and Tom Byrnes shared a witness on how husbands might use the stories and lessons from Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages” to better love our spouses.

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Wedding Anniversaries: What’s the Big Deal?

By Jason Lillis, Family Life Coordinator
For the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When I read today’s lessons, the many weddings celebrated here at St Francis every year spring to mind. I am particularly partial to the poetry from the prophet Isaiah in light of these memories, and struck by the language of veils being lifted, of freedom from old bindings, and in this feast of love provided “for all peoples,” the promise of new life. It is beautiful to think of the weddings we celebrate as the fulfillment of the hoped-for promise, seeing in them the way God reveals God’s self to each of us, and to us as Church.

Paul, in the thanks he sends to his friends and fellow disciples in Phillipi, echoes another truth of marriage: that there will be times of abundance, and there will be times of need. And following this he speaks to a much deeper, more fundamental truth applying to the lives of each of us: that in all times – those of abundance and those of need – it is our God who provides the rich banquet that nourishes and strengthens us to share the love of Christ with all around us.

Our marriages show the special way that we can bless each other, and are a beautiful way to see the reign of God breaking into our world. On October 22nd, we invite all married couples to join in celebrating their wedding anniversaries at a special mass at 11:00 AM in the St Mary of the Angels Chapel. Whether you are celebrating 1 year, 7 years, 33 years, or 60 years, all anniversaries are welcome to be celebrated! A brief reception will follow in the Padua Room of the community center. You can RSVP your attendance by visiting bit.ly/SFAAnniversaryMass and filling out the online form provided there, or by contacting me (847-8205 x244, or jason.lillis@stfrancisraleigh.org).

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Spirit of Assisi at St. Francis – Hightlights

Twenty five years ago, Pope John Paul II invited leaders of the world’s major religions to join him in Assisi so that a single song of peace might be offered  up to God. Seventy of those leaders accepted his invitation. They provided witness that the desire for peace is shared by all people of good will. On October 4, 2011 we renewed that prayer for peace with a special prayer service bringing together many  local religious leaders from a variety of faiths.

 

The message of peace is needed as much today as it was twenty five years ago.  In the spirit of St Francis, let us see all people as brothers and sisters, and commit ourselves to concrete actions that will allow us to work together to confront threats to peace in our world.

This event was organized by Fr. David McBriar. Religious leaders in attendance included:

 Fr Mark Reamer, O.F.M., Pastor St. Francis of Assisi Church 

Theresa Rosenberg,  Temple Beth Or

Jack Thatcher, Baha’I Unity Center

Rev. Farrunnissa Rosa, Spiritual Director of Rose Heart Sufi Community, Durham NC 

Rev WonGong So, Head Priest at the Won-Buddhism Temple

Abdullah Antepli, Campus Minister to The Muslim Community, Duke University

The Commitments to Peace where read by:

1. Rev. Nancy Petty,Pastor, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church

2. Jihad Shawwa, Triangle Interfaith Alliance            

3. Most Reverend  Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh

4. Most Reverend Alfred Gwinn, Jr, Bishop of the North Carolina Council of the United Methodist Church 

5. Br. Fiaz Fareed, Chairman of the Islamic Association of Raleigh 

6. Kate Shiring, Parishioner, St. Francis of Assisi Church 

7. Rev. WonGong So, Head Priest, Won Buddhism Temple, Chapel Hill, NC 

8. Duane Beck, Pastor, Raleigh Mennonite Church

9. Rev.  David Guthrie, President, Southern Province Provincial Elders’ Conference,

Moravian Church of North America 

10. Theresa Rosenberg, Temple Beth Or

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“Am I Franciscan?”
Trevor Thompson, Director of Pastoral Ministries
Feast of Francis
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This week we celebrate the feast day of our patron St. Francis of Assisi, certainly one of the most popular, compelling, and enigmatic saints of Christian history.  I frequently hear members of our parish say that they are here at this particular church because “it is Franciscan.”  But what does it really mean to be a Franciscan faith community?  What does a Catholic school inspired by Francis of Assisi really look like?  How could our ministries be more aligned with the spirit and form of Francis of Assisi?  How should being part of this Franciscan parish shape my daily life?  Am I Franciscan? 

Top Ten thoughts not found in Wikipedia about our patron – St. Francis of Assisi:

1. Francis did not intend to found a religious order; rather he wanted to be faithful to the Gospel in his time and place.
2. Francis names his encounter with lepers as the key turning point in his life.  This was not a single event in his life though.  He and his brothers bandaged their wounds, begged for their food, and lived with them.
3. Francis did not become a hermit, priest, or a monk, the obvious choices of religious life at his time; rather, Francis was part of a popular lay spiritual renewal going on across Italy and France.    
4. Francis sought to “rebuild the church” through his way of life with the marginalized and fraternal living with his brothers, not through condemnations, confrontation, or apologetics.
5. Francis referred to himself and his brothers as “friar minor,” which translates “lesser brother;” they sought to deemphasize and set limits to power, privilege, and prestige in the community.
6. Francis spent half of his year in prayer and solitude in hermitages, usually a hut or cave in the woods or up in the mountains around Assisi.
7. Francis and his brothers preached “peace,” especially through reconciliation of warring parties.
8. Francis and his brothers were rooted in a “poverty,” or a gift-spirituality, namely that all good gifts come liberally from God and thus to be used and shared not possessed and horded.   
9. Within just a few years of Francis’ conversation, his way of life attracted thousands of diverse followers all across Europe; every new community lived Francis’ way of life differently.
10. Francis loved to sing; in his last days, while sick and blind, he composed the final verses to his most famous song Canticle of Creatures and had his brothers gather around him and sing it.

 For a recommended list of books and other resources about Franciscan life and spirituality, contact Trevor Thompson at 919-847-8205×270 or trevor.thompson@stfrancisraleigh.org or see the parish library in Room 403 of Anthony Hall.

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