Coats and Turkeys Given Away

St. Francis has been busy collecting items for those in need in our wider community.  Through the ministry of St. Francis Feeds, we collected over two hundred winter coats in the month of November and distributed them in southeast Raleigh at the Safety Club.  Thank you to all who donated your used men’s, women’s and children’s coats.  We also recently conducted a small-scale turkey drive to meet the requests of a few ministries.  We collected 42 turkeys and $240.  We served a generous portion to Passage Home, an organization which guides people out of homelessness.  We also helped a family from our pre-school.  Finally, the food pantry of Our Lady of the Rosary, a local parish, parish received a generous helping, as well.  There were lots of happy folks gobbling up some turkey this holiday season.  For future growth, we are looking to find a corporate sponsor to partner a turkey collection with another ministry, such as a Fall season blood drive.  The possibility for a cornucopia of collaboration is rich here.

 

Read Full Post »

Observing the Season of Advent

By Jason Lillis, Family Life Coordinator
For the 1st Sunday in Advent

Advent is a time of year I have often taken for granted. It is a time of preparation, traditionally a time of self-purification and anticipation of the coming of Christ. For if Jesus came to us first at this point in the year, why not anticipate a return at the same time?  Yet even aided by lectionary readings that urge us to be spiritually watchful and alert, when I was growing up on the farm my siblings and I often had to tend to very practical tasks: helping keep our woodpile stacked and ready for the furnace, or making sure that the cows in the barn were fed every evening

As I look back to those Advents, there was something about each day’s toil that speaks to the ultimate reality of the Advent season: in the midst of months that are dark and cold, there are disciplines we need to develop to endure the winter chill, and steps to trod to keep a light ready against the long dark nights.

How can we within our families, our domestic churches, make ready this advent season to prepare for the return of Christ? To recapture that sense the early church had toward this holiday? For if Jesus once came to earth, the same Christ will do so again, and likely to do so – again – in a manner we could not possibly expect.

I invite you to keep watch with our community this Advent here at St. Francis of Assisi and online. Through the Family Life Twitter account, the St. Francis of Assisi Facebook page, or the St. Francis social media site, you can find daily activities, scripture passages, and prayers that you and your family can use as a virtual Advent Calendar to observe the season:

Family Life on Twitter:
http://bit.ly/SFAFLTw

St. Francis of Assisi on Facebook:
http://on.fb.me/FrancisAssisi

St. Francis of Assisi Social Media:
http://stfrancisofassisi.ning.com/

Read Full Post »

Christ the King, of the Breadlines

Christ of the Breadlines, by Fritzen Eichenberg

The liturgical year culminates in the great Feast of Christ the King, which Pope Pius XI instituted in 1925.  After the turmoil of World War I, along with the rise of atheism in communist countries, he wanted to  remind us of the final victory and unity under Christ, the one, true King.  No matter how bleak life can be, it is Christ who will have the last word to say in a world gone astray.   This is good news.

It is easy to overlook this feast as we look ahead toward Christmas.  Indeed, preparations are already well underway at this parish for Advent.  Yet, there is a relationship.  Like a spiral, the ending of one year feeds into the start of the new. 

Our readings this weekend remind us that we cannot separate the King from the Kingdom.  Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.  We celebrate Christ as our King by loving our neighbors.  We will honor the King when we help bring about the Kingdom. 

Christmas is a time for giving.  As we share gifts this holiday season with our friends, family and with those in need, we are foreshadowing the full realization of that Kingdom.  After a long and hopeful wait for our King, it is natural to want to shower him with gifts when he arrives.  Jesus tells us that the best way to do that is to shower the hungry, homeless and the stranger with gifts.  By bringing gifts to needy people, we will in essence be like the Magi who brought gifts to the infant Jesus.  

This parish has a proud tradition of doing just that through the Advent Giving Trees.  There are trees in the Stewardship Center, a wreath in Clare Hall and for the first time this year we will also have a tree in the Community Center.  Please pick up one or two ornaments specifying a gift of time, talent or treasure for someone in need.  Many of our outreach ministries are asking for specific prayers or items to make a difference in the lives of someone who is struggling.

After all, it is Christ who is the person in need.  Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and many other prophets for peace have urged us always to see Christ as the one standing in the breadline or as the stranger asking for shelter.

While we anticipate the birth of Jesus, let us keep the Kingdom in mind.  It is the mission of our Church; it is our ultimate goal.  When we live out the Church’s social teaching, when we love the least in the land, we help bring about—through God’s grace—the Kingdom here and now.

Read Full Post »

Announcing new Coordinator of Justice and Peace – Frank Lesko

It is my pleasure to announce that Frank Lesko is our new Coordinator of Justice and Peace.  Many thanks to those who served on this search committee:  Cheryl Stevens, Pat McIlmoyle, Pat Kowite, Glenn Kort, Richard Derrenbacher, and Jackie Bonk.  As part of the Pastoral Ministries team, Frank will oversee and coordinate the many parish ministries of outreach, advocacy, and education in the area of social ministry, justice, peace, and care of creation.

Frank is a graduate of Hiram College and Ohio Dominican University and holds a Masters degree in Catholic Theology.  Frank comes to us with many years as a community organizer, lay minister, and leader within the Catholic Worker movement.   Most recently, Frank was a founding member and Director of the Columbus Catholic Worker house in Columbus, Ohio where he developed and oversaw numerous ministries that included a community garden, a free clothing store, an ESL program, and Fair Trade coffee distribution program.  Frank comes to us with a background in educational programming around Catholic Social Teaching and a history of building collaborative partnerships and community participation to meet the needs of those hungering for human dignity.  Through his work as Music Director at Sts. Augustine & Gabriel Church in Columbus, Ohio and his study and travels in Spain and Honduras, Frank also comes to us with gifts in music and Spanish. 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an important pastoral document called Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish, wrote, “The pursuit of justice and peace is an essential part of what makes a parish Catholic.”  The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi, through the leadership of the Franciscan friars and the many volunteers and parish staff, has a rich legacy of reaching out to those who hunger and thirst for human dignity.  With Frank’s leadership, we look forward to our continued efforts in promoting and living justice and peace and the integrity of creation as a “community of salt and light.”

 

Read Full Post »

The Weight of Talents

By Jason Lillis, Family Life Coordinator

For the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

What does it mean to have talents? Something many of us have heard from our youngest days: Use your talents, and you’ll go far! The parable we hear in today’s gospel reinforces that old adage, and monetizes it for us. In Jesus’ Palestine, a talent was a weight or measure of coinage, varying in value depending on its metal and its place of origin. What happens when we apply this definition of a talent – a physical thing – to our more recent usage of the term – our special abilities and aptitudes? If the Master is our God and we are the Servants, we can see our talents are the truly valuable commodities entrusted to us by our God.

But what happens when we don’t get to use those treasures?  They can weigh us down under a burden of unused opportunities, and in addition we are more and more often seeing the stifling of talent due to an economy that continues to be in turmoil.  The people most often affected are our young adults – fresh out of school, full of hope and promise, and trying hard to find avenues of employment and creative use of their skills. Here at St. Francis of Assisi, it is our hope that we can challenge and encourage our Young Adult Community; to find ways for each young adult to establish themselves as co-creators with God, filled with imagination and in awe of creation.

Are you a Young Adult looking for ways to share your gifts and abilities in the St. Francis of Assisi Community? Contact Jason Lillis (jason.lillis@stfrancisraleigh.org; 847-8205 x244) to explore our community offerings.

Are you looking for a smaller community within St. Francis? The Young Adults Community gathers regularly for Bible Study, learning from our Friars, and gathering for social events. To learn more, visit
http://bit.ly/SFAYoungAdults
. Join us in giving thanks to God for the gifts that we receive at our Thanksgiving Potluck on November 19, 2012

Read Full Post »

Holiday Gifts to Death Row

This past fall, St. Francis of Assisi assumed the role of facilitating a holiday gift project for men and women on death row in North Carolina.  People on North Carolina’s death row are not allowed to receive homemade goodies that many of us enjoy at the holidays.  Instead, they may receive prepackaged food items through the NC Department of Corrections’ approved holiday program – if they have someone to purchase the gifts for them.  Most people on death row lack funds to purchase these packages, and many do not have family members or friends providing these gifts.  United Church of Chapel Hill began this holiday gift project years ago, and the Raleigh Catholic Worker House called the Nazareth House continued until this past year.  Our parish took this over this year, and through donations by various community benefactors and a contribution from the parish tithe to peace and justice, we were able to fund over 80 requests of prisoners.  We will continue to look for ways to grow our prison outreach ministry in the coming year.  If you are interested in reaching out to prisoners, men and women on death row, and/or victims of violent crime, please contact Frank Lesko in the Office of Justice and Peace, frank.lesko@stfrancisraleigh.org or ext 267.

Read Full Post »

Awake at Night?

By Trevor Thompson, Director of Pastoral Ministries
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The lectionary readings this week focus on themes of waiting, darkness, and preparation.  These themes are fitting as we close the liturgical year, see the seasons change, and prepare for another Advent and holiday season.  It is a perfect time to reflect on our own level of waiting and watching.  Are we awake or asleep?  Are we living in darkness or anticipating the dawn?  Do we yearn for Wisdom and thirst for living water or we already satisfied with our self-sufficiency and knowledge?  The ten virgins serve as a “wake up” for us this week.

Often, life’s difficulties leave us in a place of darkness.  Whether due to an illness, loss of a job or a loved one, or experience of transition in life, we all know how it feels to be alone in the dark watches of night, tossing and turning with our fear, pain, doubt, and confusion.  So often, we lie awake on our “night watch” and wait and wait, yearning for a plan or some knowledge or a consoling word or presence that will make it all okay again.  Other times, we fall asleep, full of doubt and despair.  No matter what, it is promised in Christ that God is with us.  God waits for us and desires deeply that we turn to Him, stay awake with Him, and yearn for Him.  It is fitting that we consider the ways that we might do a better job at preparing our “night watch.”  God longs for us to ready, found with eyes and ears and heart open to His presence and calling, and He recognizes that we need a community of faith, hope, and love to help us stay awake. 

We have this kind of community at St. Francis of Assisi.  Many of our ministries can help us keep watch, especially in difficult times.  Maybe you looking for a support group, or prayer companions, a retreat, social interaction, or simply a way to feel you are making a positive impact in your community.  We are confident that no matter how dark the night is for you, the door of God’s presence is always open.  However we can be of help, please contact us in Pastoral Ministries.

Read Full Post »

Prayer Shawl Knits Community and Blessings for Others

Some of you may have heard about our Prayer Shawl ministry, or you may have admired some of the beautiful pieces on display at our ministry fairs.  But do you know what a prayer shawl is? It’s usually knitted or crocheted, it’s big enough to wrap around your shoulders or cuddle a sick child, and it’s meant to help create a safe space for someone who’s struggling with an illness or heartache. Each shawl is begun with a prayer, blessed when it’s finished, and wrapped with a prayer from the Prayer Shawl Ministry. 

But that’s not all that happens in the Prayer Shawl Ministry. It’s only the beginning!

When parishioner John Budway started going to St Francis Inn, he took up bags of hand-crafted hats and scarves to the guests, bringing comfort & care to those battling homelessness and hunger on the streets of Philadelphia.

Our hats and scarves have also been taken to Duke Children’s Hospital, Moore Square, Ronald McDonald House, and The Healing Place. Blankets and gloves have been provided to Catholic Parish Outreach, Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Durham. In all, 309 pieces were distributed from the Prayer Shawl Ministry last year.  That’s a lot of yarn!

So who does all this crafting?

Generally, there are 24 women who gather every few weeks to swap patterns, learn new stitches, and share time together.  We knit/crochet because we enjoy it, because we have a calling to provide care and comfort to others, and because our ability to form loops and knots around a needle can help someone in need.  And we also get beautiful blankets, hats and sweaters donated anonymously.

When parishioner and now staff member Kathleen Owen  joined this ministry, it was for two reasons.  When her mom was sick, she received a beautiful shawl from the ministry.  Her mom would wear it as she took her out to the fish pool at Rex. After she passed away, Kathleen wanted to be able to provide a visible sign of caring to someone else in need; someone she didn’t know, but who needed to know that others cared about their struggle. So Kathleen took her little garter stitch to a Prayer Shawl meeting and soon began learning new stitches and making shawls, hats, and even afghans!

So if you’d like to learn to knit or crochet, or if you’d like to be able to help comfort those in need, please join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month, at 12:30 in Room 202. And if you know of someone who needs a shawl, please contact Cindy Cardello at 919-846-8825.

Read Full Post »