We live in a time where it is easy to lose hope in the economy, in the political process, and even in the institution of the Church. It is a time that probably makes us especially yearn for the Kingdom of Heaven to come once and for all. It is helpful to remember that Christians of every age, especially that first generation of believers, also traveled self-doubt, social unrest, and political and ecclesial insecurity. They too experienced the deepest dramas of human life: birth, growing up, falling in love, daring to give oneself to others, searching for meaning, coping with suffering and failure, and eventually death. What kept our Christian ancestors “at the table,” I think, is the same recipe of hope that is ours to believe. It is a recipe that reads “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Foretold by the prophets, quickened by the ministry of John the Baptist, and ushered in by Jesus the Messiah, this promise of the Kingdom’s presence in our midst is truly good and hopeful news.
As we close our 2011-2012 fiscal year, it is a beautiful opportunity to remember and celebrate all the ways the Kingdom of Heaven is being made manifest through you and the Kingdom-work of this parish. Examples abound:
- Our Seniors Club gathers for their monthly pot-luck…
- Young adults assemble for their weekly gathering to pray and read Scriptures…
- A family welcomes its first child and desires her to be a part of this Christian community through baptism…
- A parishioner visits another parishioner who is sick and homebound and losing hope…
- A parishioner hosts a Ukrainian orphan for three weeks this summer…
- A group of parishioners act as a care team to a family experiencing financial difficulties…
- Parishioners advocate for just immigration reform at the NC Legislature…
- Parishioners make and share meals with those hungry in Raleigh and Durham…
All of these things (and more!) suggest just how much Kingdom-work is happening at St. Francis of Assisi. Indeed, we can never wallow too long in darkness by being a part of this community who believes that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. As the prophet Isaiah says, no matter how bad it gets, the Lord formed us and calls us to be “a light to the nations.”
We want to take this opportunity as we close the fiscal year to say “thank you.” We have gratitude because you are choosing to do this Kingdom-work when you could be giving your time and resources to all kinds of other places. But just as importantly, we have gratitude because it’s your response and witness to God’s call to do this Kingdom-work that gives us hope, inspiration, and an excitement to keep faith in troubling times. By your actions, we all live in the hope that never fails, believing God’s kingdom that is truly “at hand.”
With regular updates from ministry volunteers and staff, this entire site is devoted to being the hub of the most exciting news and reflections coming from our parish ministry life. Check it out regularly and even consider contributing some pictures and written words to it. It’s hard not to read through the site and not feel that God’s kingdom work is being done at St. Francis of Assisi.
Family Life:
- Prepared ninety-two couples for marriage, and married fifty-two of these couples at St. Francis of Assisi;
- Incorporating a new Pre-Marital Inventory called “Fully Engaged” as our tool for couple mentorship;
- Baptized 219 children (126 at Communal Baptisms and 93 during weekend Masses);
- Offered socially and prayerfully engaging ministries and events for men, women, seniors, gay and lesbian parishioners, young adults, and parishioners with African ancestry, including annual spiritual retreats for each ministry;
- Started up the New Parent Care Ministry that provides support for families in the “4th Trimester” when their lives transition to meet the needs of the new life that they, with God’s help, have brought into the world;
- Coordinated gatherings of seniors for game days, potlucks, trips, Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras, and Reconciliation services and luncheons
- Offered weekly, lectionary-based Bible Study for Young Adults held every Wednesday evening;
- Coordinated two excellent AAMEN presentations, one for Black History month and another after the Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia;
- Saw continued success of the Always Our Children ministry, reaching out to GLBT people, friends, and family by providing a safe space for conversation and support in our faith community;
- Hosted the “Night of Wine Tasting and Games” to help raise over $5000 for the Diocese of Raleigh Young Adults Mission Trip to Honduras;
- Led a beautiful gathering of couples at Valentine’s Day led by Joe and Rosemary Czejkowski who helped couples in an exploration of the “5 Love Languages” by Dr. Gary Chapman;
- Supported the Special Needs Ministry that met monthly during its first full year and offered parents of children with special needs opportunities to find support;
- Led popular enrichment opportunities for couples and parents in Great Date Nights, Active Parenting, and Third Option;
Care and Wellness
- Visited hundreds and hundreds of sick, homebound, hospitalized, and elderly parishioners, offering compassionate presence, the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick;
- Added Rex Rehab to the Wednesday Eucharist schedule and a new monthly Mass at Magnolia Glen;
- Continued to offer warm and welcoming funeral receptions for parishioners and their families;
- Made and distributed a total of 768 handmade hats, scarves, sweaters, shawls and lap robes through our Prayer Shawl Ministry
- Offered three new workshops helping parishioners plan for end of life for themselves and their loved ones: Living Wills and Power of Attorney, Preparing for Institutional Care and Estate Planning;
- Surveyed parishioners about their needs around health and wellness;
- Oriented and trained nine new parishioners as Caregivers;
- Offered a new grief workshop called Living with Loss for 14 parishioners who recently lost loved ones;
- Prayed for about 1500 parishioners in some formal way through a variety of prayer ministries, like our Prayer Line ministry and Rosary ministry.
- Offered a successful annual Centering Prayer retreat celebrating 21st year of Centering Prayer in Triangle area;
- Initiated a new ministry supporting those experiencing and caring for those with Alzheimer’s and Dementia by offering workshops “Caring for Someone with Alzheimer’s” and “A Conversation with Dr. Burke on Alzheimer’s”
- Supported, mentored, empowered, and networked to employment hundreds of unemployed parishioners through the ministry called Job Connections
- Offered weekly workshops for over forty parishioners experiencing divorce through DivorceCare ministry;
Justice and Peace
- Hosted Dr. Abdelfattah Abusrour who spoke to a group of 54 about the use of the fine arts in promoting healing and justice in Palestine; he also gave a more detailed presentation to actors and board members of the Justice Theater Project as they look for ways to collaborate in their similar missions;
- Organized a two-day visit by Russ Testa, the Holy Name Province animator of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), with staff and advocacy groups to energize, advise and help focus our efforts around Immigration Justice, Care of Creation, Fair Trade Gift It Up! Ministry, and Palestinian Concerns. As a response to this gathering, an ongoing Palestinian Concerns groups has formed;
- Partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in an first annual interfaith effort called Abraham Build to build a home in Raleigh;
- Sent four parishioner delegates to our Sister Parish Las Margaritas II in Guatemala, helping them install a computer lab with internet and skype capabilities;
- Reformed a committee for Immigration Justice to address education and advocacy on behalf of immigrants;
- Released $15,000 to the Children of Chernobyl Ministry for scholarships and medical concerns for children from Belarus that parishioners have hosted in previous summers;
- Contributed through the Disaster Recovery ministry to the rebuilding efforts in the Catskills mountains of New York in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene;
- Started a new Gabriel Project ministry to provide support and services to women in crisis pregnancies;
- Formed a Dignity of Life group to shape dialogue at the parish around issues of human dignity, with special attention to the consistent ethic of life;
- Facilitated a clothing drive to benefit migrant workers, who arrive each summer to work in the fields near Louisburg, NC;
- Organized an electronics recycling event that raised over 6 tons of material to be safely reused and recycled;
- Prepared lunches for an elderly HUD residential community in Durham through the new Brown Bag Ministry; ministry expanding from two to four weeks each month.
- Graduated twelve parishioners from the 30-week JustFaith program;
- Offered eight-week study circles on Climate Change and Immigration for groups of about a dozen parishioners;
- Organized the highly successful Advent Giving Tree raising over $16,000 in gift cards and at least an equivalent amount of gifts to partner outreach organizations;
- Organized the annual Turkey Drive giving 42 turkeys and $240 in cash donations to those in need around Thanksgiving;
- Organized a Holiday Gift program for 56 prisoners, most of whom are in North Caroliina Death Row;
- Assisted with a toiletries drive and block party for Passage Home;
- Collected nearly 150 productive units of blood in the fall and spring Blood Drives; .
- Organized the parish-wide highly successful Gift It Up! Fair Trade Market that brings attention to economic justice and Fair Trade principles; local vendors sold products and gave presentations on the dignity of work and St. Francis proceeds were donated to Catholic Relief Service and Interfaith Food Shuttle.
