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Phone:724-775-6363 Fax: 724-775-3848 Website: www.sfcabrini.us Email: [email protected]

The Transfiguration of the Lord August 6, 2017

The Transfiguration of Christ, Gerard , 1520 On Mission for the Church Alive! www.OnMissionChurch Alive.org The Transfiguration In the mystery of the Transfiguration Jesus reveals to his disciples that he is the Son of God and that he will come again in glory at the end of the age. Yet, this magnificent sight occurs only after Jesus tells his followers that they must take up their crosses in order to follow him. Jesus wants us to share in his glory, while at the same time encourages us to be prepared for the challenges that arise along the way. Join Bishop David Zubik in prayer and worship at one of the On Mission for The Church Alive! Summer Sessions and continue to prepare your heart for the big changes that will soon take place in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The changes may challenge us, but we trust in the work of the Holy Spirit to provide the gifts and resources for the Church to grow and thrive. The Summer Sessions will be held from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. on the following days: Thursday, August 24 at Mary of the Assumption, Glenshaw; Monday, Au- gust 28 at Saint , Bethel Park; Tuesday, August 29 at Saint Margaret Mary, Moon Township; Wednesday, August 30 at Saint Kilian, /Cranberry Townships. Visit onmissionchurchalive.org to learn more about it and to stay informed.

Care and Concern: Neighbor Helping Neighbor Do you know anyone homebound or in a nursing home who would like a visit? If so, please email Lynn: [email protected]

presented by seminarian, Jeff Craig If you have a need to be addressed in this way, email Lynn: [email protected]. Wednesdays 6:30 p.m. in the Church With Pivotal Players, Bishop Robert Barron gives a por- trait of six people who dared to walk the walk and in their own way set the world on fire.

August 16 G.K. Chesterton The Evangelist

August 23 Michelangelo The Artist SFC Parish Picnic While you complain about your light bill, there's someone with no home. Saturday, September 2, 2017 While you complain about your , after 4 p.m. Mass there's someone praying for a dollar. While you complain that gas is too high, there's someone who’s only option is to walk. Financial Stewardship While you complain about our president and politicians, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:21 there’s someone not allowed to express their opinions. Report for July 30, 2017 While you complain about your significant other, 517 donors; 1,403 envelopes mailed (36%) there’s someone dreaming of having somebody. Weekly Offertory ·········································· $ 7,917 While you complain about the food in your pantry, Weekly Off. Online (130 donors) ·················· $ 1,638 there’s someone praying for crumbs. Food Bank ····················································· $ 347 While you complain about problems in your life, Parish Share 2017 ········································ $ 480 there’s someone actually fighting for theirs. Total Collection ············································ $ 10,382

While you complain about the world we live in, Over/(Under) Weekly Off. Budget………….. $ (3,445) Over/(Under) Annual Off. Budget to Date ···· $ (5,037) there’s someone who didn’t wake up today to see it. Your complaints are . . . Last Sunday of July 2016 ······························ $ 11,024 simply blessings to others! Parish Share 2017 Year-to-date ··················· $ 137,271 Parish Share Challenge Grant-to-date ········· $ 55 Religious Education short series (3 - 5) of emails weekly. Each email contains Contact: Deanna Stacho 724-774-4888, [email protected] a short video clip from the CATHOLICISM series, a short description, and 1-2 reflection questions. The les- Attention All Families Registration for the 2017-2018 sons are short, simple, but powerful. The lessons don't re- catechetical year is available outside the office door or on quire any logins, passwords, accounts, or downloads. the parish website. Sunday Kindergarten and Grade 6 Just open the email, click the link, and start watching. are closed. Grades 4 and 5 seating is limited. Simply go to https:app.flocknote.com/StFrancesCabrini3,

All St. Frances Cabrini Parishioners We are still in need provide your name and email address (no need to provide of volunteers to share their faith for Sunday classes, ½ of your cell phone number as we will not be using the text Grade 1 and Grade 5. Call the office for further details. option, only email). Click on "Sign me up," then click on Bishop Barron Mini-course. After signing up, you will Calling All 6th, 7th and 8th Graders Special CSI invita- receive an email to verify your email address. Once the tion coming to your home email soon! verification process is completed, you are all set! The Office Hours Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. course has already begun, so sign up before Wednesday, August 9, to make up what you’ve missed.

Youth Ministry St. Frances Cabrini Christian Mothers Merchandise Contact: Cory Bates, 724-987-0201, [email protected] Bingo Monday, August 21, at 7 p.m. in O’Connell Hall. Youth Group Meeting Sunday, August 6, right after the For more information, call Lil at 724-378-1870 or Toot- 11:30 a.m. Mass in the Parish House Meeting Room. sie at 724-775-6944. (Enter through the garage.) Rose Mary Fix 724-494-7743. St. Frances Cabrini 50 Plus Group Annual Indoor Picnic Thursday, August 24. A catered picnic lunch will be- Parish News served at 1 p.m. Reservations are necessary! Please call Contact: Parish Office 724-775-6363, [email protected] Carolyn at 724-378-3198 or Martha at 724-375-7216. Second Collection next Weekend The Diocesan Mission Cooperation Appeal in our parish this year will be made Prayer requests can now be made by sending an email to on August 12/13. We’ll have Fr. Peter Mawanda making [email protected]. When such requests are received, a the appeal for the Diocese of Masaka, Uganda. Please new email is composed and sent to approximately 75 pa- use the green, undated envelope included in your August rishioners who have agreed to be "prayers warriors" for envelope packet that was mailed to you last month. those requesting intercessory prayer on their behalf.

College Students Keep Golden Wedding Celebration Again, our Diocese is your faith while at- planning its annual Golden Wedding Anniversary Cele- tending college. We’d bration for couples celebrating their 50th wedding anni- like to ensure that our versary. The celebration will take place on Sunday, Octo- parishioners are not ber 22, with Bishop Zubik celebrating Mass at 2:30 p.m. part of that 80%! at St. Paul Cathedral. A light reception will follow in the Email us your name, hall on the lower level. Any couple who has celebrated or the college or univer- will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in sity you will be attend- 2017 is asked to submit their name, address and phone ing and your student email address. We'll email you a number to the Parish Office by Friday, August 25. Call copy of a short article entitled Tips for Keeping your 724-775-6363 or email [email protected]. We look for- Faith Alive in College and make a connection for you ward to honoring the many couples who are so dedicated (name and email address only) with your school's Catho- to the ministry of marriage and to each other. lic Campus Ministry. Send to [email protected]. New Parishioners Welcome! We are excited to have you join our parish family! Bishop Barron Mini-Courses are still available via email. Six people We Warmly Welcome Our Newest have signed up so far, so we can still Parishioners Edward & Christina (Kitts) accommodate 34 more participants. Lepczyk and their daughter, Lillian Topics include: Who is God and Grace. When you get the opportunity to how do we know?; Who is Jesus and meet them, please extend a hearty, why is He different?; What did Jesus personal greeting of welcome. St. Frances really teach?; Why the Church mat- Cabrini now includes 1,862 families and ters; and How to pray and why it matters. You receive a 4,743 “souls” in our faith community. Regional Mass Schedule Ss. Peter & Paul, Beaver: Solemnity of Assumption 4 p.m. on Monday Pray for our infirmed Tuesday, August 15, 2017 7:30 a.m., 12 n. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday and homebound

Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell: 6 p.m. on Monday; 9 a.m. on Tuesday Josephine Ayoob Chuck Bedekovich , Rochester: 7 p.m. on Monday Filomena DeChellis 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday Erma DiNardo St. Frances Cabrini, Center Twp: Norma Hornick 6:30 p.m. on Monday Saint Felix, Freedom: 9 a.m. & 7 p.m. on Tuesday Eddie Jozsa 7 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday , Aliquippa: Roberta Jozsa St. , Monaca: 4 p.m. on Monday Fr. Kleppner 4 p.m. on Monday; 7 p.m. on Tuesday 7 a.m., Noon & 7 p.m. on Tuesday Ida Mano William MacFarlane St. Frances Cabrini Vivian McGinnis Second Annual Jeldo Montini Golf Outing Bob Napoli Peter Paul Sunday, August 20, at Shadow Lakes Country Helen Schreiber Club. The outing includes refreshments, team Marjorie Sewasky prizes, individual prizes, and a BBQ dinner. For Sue Sokol more information, contact: Geraldine Taylor Nick Colafella - 724-775-3168 Bill Vickodil, Jr. Vince Biancucci - 724-770-2277

Around the Diocese and beyond

Thanks from the Beaver County St. Vincent DePaul Society to all the golf- ers, sponsors and donors who helped make this years Golf Outing at Fox Run a huge success. We raised close to $17,000 this year which brings our total for 19 years to over $210,000. Some of this money will be sent to the Maison Fortune Orphanage in Hinche, Haiti which we help sponsor. The rest will be used to help us with our work with those in need here in Beaver County. Have FAITH. God is always with Webcasts and virtual seminars: you, though it may not seem so. Have HOPE. God’s love surrounds Every Day with Mary on August 9: 2-2:30 p.m. by Dr. Mary Amore you much more than you know. Growing closer to the Blessed Mary can have a profound impact on Have JOY. God will always help to your spiritual life. Your deeper and more personal relationship with the see you through. Blessed Mother can start with a few short minutes each day. Visit http:// Have PEACE. God has a plan just for you. bit.do/every-day-with-mary YESTERDAY remains as long as we Marian Apparitions on August 13: 7-7:30 p.m. by Heinlein have memories. This webcast will introduce listeners to the main themes of Fatima and some of the other major Marian apparitions. Visit http://bit.do/marian-apparitions TOMORROW awaits as long as we have hope.

The Miracle and the Message on August 17: 10-11 a.m. by John C. Preiss EVERY DAY is beautiful as long as 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to God guides our life! three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal. This webcast describes in detail the Blessed Mother's appearances to the three children. (Now the Church's Please Note: To be added to this list, a youngest canonized .) Visit http://bit.do/the-miracle-and-the-message family member is asked to please contact the Parish Office at 724-775-6363 or email The Unity Christ Willed: An Introduction to Ecumenism on August 19: 10:30- [email protected]. First Friday Commu- 11 a.m. Presented by Michael Heinlein. What do Catholics share in common nicants will remain on the list indefinitely; all others will remain for one month unless with Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, and others? How are they renewed by a family member. all unique? Visit http://bit.do/the-unity-christ-willed Readings for the Week Mass Intentions August 6, 2017 Contact: Parish Office 724-775-6363, [email protected]

Monday: Nm 11:4b-15; Ps 81:12-17; Mt 14:13-21 Sunday August 6 - Transfiguration of the Lord Tuesday: Nm 12:1-13; Ps 51:3-7, 12-13; MB 9 a.m. †Kay Saunders (Family) Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2, 10-14 Wednesday: Nm 13:1-2, 25 -- 14:1, 26-29a, 34- MB 11:30 a.m. †Ron N. Bendekovic (Candee Stefanik) 35; MB 6 p.m. Pro populo (for parishioners) Ps 106:6-7ab, 13-14, 21-23; Mt 15:21-28 Thursday: 2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 112:1-2, 5-9; Jn 12:24 Monday August 7 - Saint Sixtus II / Saint Cajetan -26 RA 8:30 a.m. †Mr. & †Mrs. Joseph Sokolowski (Mr. & Mrs. Friday: Dt 4:32-40; Ps 77:12-16, 21; Mt 16:24-28 Pete Barron) Saturday: Dt 6:4-13; Ps 18:2-4, 47, 51; Mt 17:14- 20 Tuesday August 8 - Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a; Ps 85:9-14; Rom 9:1-5; Mt 14:22-33 MB 8:30 a.m. †Serafina & †Francesco Zuccaro (Mr. & Mrs. Vince Bonanni) Today’s Readings RA 6:30 p.m. †Beulah Hallisey (Karen Petruny)

First Reading -- I saw one like a Son of man com- Wednesday August 9 - Weekday/Saint Teresa Benedicta ing on the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:9-10, 13- MB 8:30 a.m. †Phillip Ross (Mary Kay & Rich Ross ) 14). Psalm -- The Lord is king, the most high over all Thursday August 10 - Saint Lawrence the earth (Psalm 97). MB 8:30 a.m. †Joseph Vaughn (Margaret Olshanski) Second Reading -- Be attentive to the prophetic message, as to a lamp shining in a dark place RA 6:30 p.m. †Jim McAllister (Family) (2 Peter 1:16-19). Friday August 11 - Saint Clare Gospel -- Jesus was transfigured, and his clothes MB 8:30 a.m. †Sam Piccirilli (Brother, Robert) became white as light (Matthew 17:1-9).

Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights Saturday August 12 - Vigil: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time reserved. MB 4 p.m. †Harry Murphy Family (Joe Murphy Family) Sunday August 13 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MB 9 a.m. †Mario Gentile (Family) MB 11:30 a.m. †Amy Fisher (Family) RA 6 p.m. Pro populo (for parishioners)

Let’s spell St. Frances Cabrini correctly:

FrancEs is a “hEr.”

FrancIs is a “hIm.”

Find us online at www.sfcabrini.us

Saints & Special Observances Sanctuary Candle Transfiguration of the Lord Contact: Parish Office 724-775-6363, [email protected]

Monday: Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time; The Sanctuary Candle acknowledging the Real St. Sixtus II and Companions; St. Cajetan Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday: St. Dominic resident in the tabernacle is burning this week Wednesday: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in loving memory of †Carol Ann Rabovsky () (Chapes) from Theresa & Michael Chapes. Thursday: St. Lawrence May the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar Friday: St. Clare be praised, adored and loved in all the taber- Saturday: St. Jane Frances de Chantal; nacles of the world even until the end of time. Blessed Virgin Mary Amen!

Lord’s Laughter (continued) A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Prov. 17:22

A man opens an outdoor stall to sell bagels and puts up a Sign at a local hardware store: sign, "50 cents each." A jogger runs past and puts 50 cents into the bucket but doesn't take a bagel. The next day, he does the same thing. For weeks and months, this goes on.

One day, as he's jogging past, the owner joins step with him. The jogger laughs and says, "I know why you're here. You want to know why I always put money in the bucket and never take a bagel." "No," says the owner, "not that. I just want to tell you that the bagels have gone up to 60 cents." ======They say that inside each heavy person is a thin person struggling to get out. I've discovered that mine can be se- dated with a piece of chocolate cake. ======A frugal man, planning a trip to the Holy Land, was aghast when he found it would cost one hundred dollars an hour to rent a boat on the Sea of Galilee. "Holy mackerel," he said, "where I’m from it would be no more than $20."

"That might be true," said the travel agent, "but you have to take into account that the Sea of Galilee is water on which our Lord Himself walked." "Well, at $100 an hour for a boat," said the man, "it's no wonder He walked." Sunday, Aug 06, 2017 tried to protect her, she was arrested because of her Jewish FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD heritage. She was sent to Auschwitz, where she was gassed. In The power of love contemplating the possibility she would be “driven out into the On this day in 1945, humans unleashed a power so deadly that street,” she wrote, “Certainly we ought to pray that we shall be we’ve spent decades trying to prevent its use in warfare again. spared the experience, but only with the deeply sincere addition, Here’s how President Harry S. Truman described the bomb ‘Not mine, but thy will be done.’ ” dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in a press release sent out 16 hours TODAY'S READINGS: Numbers 13:1-2, 25—14:1, 26-29a, 34-35; after the attack: “It is an atomic bomb. It is a harnessing of the Matthew 15:21-28 (409) “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be basic power of the universe. The force from which the sun draws done for you as you wish." its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Thursday, Aug 10, 2017 Far East.” Jesus, too, harnessed the power of the universe, but his FEAST OF LAWRENCE, DEACON, MARTYR energy was used to bring light and life. Pray for your enemies The true wealth of the church today, and call on God’s power to help us transfigure hatred into Saint Lawrence was a deacon known as the keeper of the love. church’s treasures. That means he disbursed donated alms to the TODAY'S READINGS: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew needy. In August of 258 A.D., Emperor Valerian outlawed 17:1-9 (614) “Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun.” Christianity, and Roman authorities demanded that Lawrence turn over the wealth of the church. Lawrence appeared before the Monday, Aug 07, 2017 authorities followed by a multitude of ’s crippled, blind, OF SIXTUS II, , MARTYR sick, and needy. He had given away everything the church Power of the people possessed to these people and told his persecutors, “Here are the When the Roman Empire hit hard times, Emperor Valerius true treasures of the church.” Though Lawrence was executed, ordered the execution of Christian leaders. The church, still this story is a reminder of the true treasures our church holds—all young and wrangling over rules, was already agitated as of us who need its tender care. persecution came. Enter Sixtus II, the pope trying to hold TODAY'S READINGS: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; John 12:24-26 (618) everything together, “a good and peace-loving priest,” says one “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains biographer. But enter, too, those who follow leaders—the mob, just a single grain.” wielding a power all its own. Because Sixtus wanted to protect Friday, Aug 11, 2017 his assembled flock, he didn’t flee the soldiers who stormed a MEMORIAL OF CLARE, VIRGIN worship service to behead him and his deacons. Crowds also Are you imagining things? Good! moved Jesus to multiply loaves and fishes. If we must follow Before Saint Clare’s birth, one biographer wrote, it was revealed crowds, let’s make them good ones. to her mother that the child “would be a brilliant light in the TODAY'S READINGS: Numbers 11:4b-15; Matthew 14:13-21 (407) “ world.” As abbess of the first convent of Franciscan sisters, Clare 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ ” rose from her sickbed to pray for the protection of her sisters Tuesday, Aug 08, 2017 from marauders and heard a voice say, “I shall always watch over MEMORIAL OF DOMINIC, PRIEST you.” At her death in 1253 she saw the Virgin Mary coming to Mary and Martha shake hands meet her. Were these things only products of the imagination? The contest between action and contemplation in the spiritual life Even if they were, imagination is necessary to making something is an old one. Just think “Martha and Mary” and you get the real. With faith, that imagination might soar all the way to heaven. picture. Saint Dominic (1170-1221) had the advantage of an early TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Matthew 16:24-28 (411) experience with contemplative life to shape his sense that the two “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his impulses should be combined. When he founded his Order of cross, and follow me.” Preachers, the idea was to fuel the ministry of itinerant preaching Saturday, Aug 12, 2017 with a strong dedication to prayer and study. Dominicans today MEMORIAL OF JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, RELIGIOUS continue to model this unity of purpose. How do you balance the All God wants is our heart “ins-and-outs” of faith: praying and doing? Widowed young and suddenly, Jane Frances de Chantal (1572- TODAY'S READINGS: Numbers 12:1-13; Matthew 14:22-36 or Matthew 1641) faced a difficult life raising her six children alone. Then she 15:1-2, 10-14 (408) “Heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to chanced to hear preach and became his lifelong the Lord your God, the earth with all that is in it.” friend. She was taken by the notion that “all God wants is our Wednesday, Aug 09, 2017 heart,” and her writings are centered on the two facets of love: MEMORIAL OF TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS, VIRGIN, MARTYR devotion to God and neighbor. She was convinced a life of simple A martyr of two faiths contemplation would provide the grace necessary to serve others. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein, 1891-1942) was a She urged the victory over self-absorption with “great brilliant woman who earned a Ph.D. in philosophy. She was gentleness,” never wanting to force or oblige. Pray for the gentle brought up Jewish, but during her student years she read Saint victory over the self today. Teresa of Ávila’s autobiography, and as a result she not only TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 6:4-13; Matthew 17:14-20 (412) decided to become a Catholic but also joined the Carmelite order. “Nothing will be impossible for you.” After the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, though the Carmelites

Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow—a day at a time ©2017 TrueQuest Communications. TakeFiveForFaith.com; [email protected]. All rights reserved. Noncommercial reprints permitted with the following credit: Reprinted with permission from TakeFiveForFaith.com. Scripture citations from the New American Bible Revised Edition. For more information about TAKE FIVE and our regular contributors, go to PrepareTheWord.com. Free daily email and app available online at TakeFiveForFaith.com/subscribe. For Sunday, August 06, 2017

A Hope that Gives Life The Transfiguration of the Lord http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080617.cfm

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 2 Peter 1:16-19 Matthew 17:1-9

The death of Chester Bennington, lead singer for the popular group, Linkin Park, has stunned the music world. His alarming death by suicide follows that of another popular singer of his generation, Chris Cornell, who fronted the seminal grunge rock groups Soundgarden and Audioslave. While such deaths have not been uncommon in the world of music, the suicides of the rich and famous shock us because we think they “have it all.” In fact, they only prove that success, money, fame, and power do not ultimately fulfill us and cannot shield us from life’s difficulties. Sadly, these tragic deaths are not limited to the music and entertainment industry, but mirror an overall trend in society. People are taking their own lives at an alarming rate, contributing to the first overall decrease in life expectancy in the United States since 1993. While the causes of this phenomenon are complex, one contributing factor is increased loneliness. With family units breaking down and spreading out over greater distances, people find themselves more isolated than ever. The lack of support makes it that much harder to deal with the challenges of daily life.

We also live in a culture that highly values success and pleasure. Those who sense that they are no longer contributing to society because of unemployment or sickness can begin to question their worth. This helps explain the appeal of physician assisted suicide and the fact that it is often chosen not because the patient is experiencing uncontrollable pain but because they fear the loss of autonomy. These realities stem from and contribute to a general lack of hope. We can endure just about anything when we see a purpose to it. If we are convinced that our circumstances will improve, we can overcome just about any obstacle that stands in our way. However, when we do not see a point to our suffering, it is easy to fall into despair. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a mountain where he is transfigured before them, revealing to them his glory as the eternal Son of God. This follows his prophecy that he would suffer and die. By revealing his glory to them, he is preparing them to face the horror of his imminent crucifixion. He wants to give them hope that there is more going on than they can see. Though his death will be a crushing blow to them, he wants to burn into their minds his other prediction—that he will rise from the dead.

www.4LPi.com 1 As believers, we have been given the mission of spreading hope to others. To those who are lonely, we offer friendship and community. To the sick, we often compassion and the promise that uniting their suffering to that of Jesus contributes to the salvation of the world. To those who have sinned, we offer reconciliation. To the young, we proclaim that life has purpose when it is spent in service to others. Religious practice contributes greatly to a person’s overall sense of fulfillment and meaning. And so, when we propose Jesus Christ as the world’s hope, we are doing more than offering a slate of doctrines to profess or a schedule of rituals to attend. Rather, we are providing hope and meaning to a world that is becoming increasingly fractured and disintegrated. We hold out the truth of the Resurrection, especially when the cross seems heaviest. (Many of the details of this article were suggested by Aaron Kheriaty’s article “Dying of Despair,” which appeared in First Things magazine.)

Doug Sousa, STL

PRAYER

Dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our world seeks meaning and purpose in production and pleasure. Suffering and pain threaten not only our plans but our very identity. When life seems bleak be our light. When we see no purpose keep us focused on you. When we meet those who despair give us words of hope. May we persevere with courage up to the day when we will see you face to face. Amen.

To learn more about LPi’s services and publications designed to help you build a vibrant parish please visit our website: www.4LPi.com

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www.4LPi.com 2 SAINT OF THE WEEK newspaper and gave it a new name, “American Catholic Tribune,” the only Catholic journal owned and published by 1193–1253 African-Americans. Feast Day—August 11 Today, the National Black Catholic Congress works to serve African-American Catholics and to advance the mis- Ten years younger than sion of the whole Church. As their mission statement puts it: her townsman, Francis “We commit ourselves to establishing an agenda for the evan- of Assisi, Clare was gelization of African Americans; and to improve the spiri- drawn to Francis’s rad- tual, mental, and physical conditions of African Americans, ical message of serving thereby committing ourselves to the freedom and growth of God in abject poverty. African Americans as full participants in church and society.” Despite objections from Their board of trustees today includes three African- her aristocratic fam- American bishops, the national organizations for black ily, who wanted her to Catholic clergy, black Catholic sisters, seminarians, and marry, she gave up the administrators, as well as the Knights of . As an world with Francis’s help organization, they demonstrate the important contributions and founded the Second made to the Church by our African-American brothers and sisters for more than 115 years. Order of St. Francis, National Black Catholic Congress XII was convened known worldwide as the Poor Clares. For forty years, she last month in Orlando, Florida. To learn about the work of guided the San Damiano community, whose included the organization, visit their website: http://nbccongress.org. her sister and widowed mother. She served the other nuns who went out to beg, was often sick because of their hard life, and was proclaimed a saint just two years after she died. GRAPHIC SOLIDARITY FUND FOR AFRICA FACT OF FAITH NATIONAL BLACK CATHOLIC CONGRESS by Larry Rice

The first national meeting—or congress—of Catholic lay people in the United States was held in the year 1889, at St. Augustine , in Washington, DC. That meet- ing was the founding event of the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC), which today is the largest umbrella orga- nization for African-American Catholics. The organization was founded by Daniel Rudd, the son of Catholic slaves in Bardstown, Kentucky. After the Civil War, Rudd moved to Springfield, Ohio, in order to get a secondary-school education. There, in 1886, he began a black newspaper called the “Ohio Tribune.” That same year, Rudd changed the focus of this weekly

Saint of the Week copyright © 2017, Catholic News Service–United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Image: Saint Clare of Assisi, unknown artist, National Gallery of Art. | Fact of Faith article copyright © 2017, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington DC. All rights reserved. God Weeps by Susan Stevenot Sullivan Last night I dreamed of rows of machetes emerg- our fears, our hatreds, our ignorance, our insecurities. ing from a farmer’s field, point first, like the tips of Once dehumanized and separated from “us,” the “final corn stalks. I saw many machetes during my trip to solution” can seem logical, necessary, patriotic. Rwanda—sharpened steel used to trim back vegetation At one parish genocide site, the Eucharist in the and cut paths through the thick foliage of “the land of tabernacle was destroyed by gunfire, before the terri- a thousand hills.” fied members of the Body of Christ, crowded into the Rwanda is also the land of a thousand views—the liturgical space, were murdered. The heroes of geno- hills and mountains of the lush terrain provide end- cide in Rwanda are those who hid their neighbors, less scenic vistas of neatly-maintained crops. Rwanda’s sometimes at the cost of their own lives; those, like equatorial location means that seasons are defined by Sister Felicitas Niyitegeka, who chose to die with the rainfall. The rainy season is about to peak, and with targeted rather than be separated from their brothers it the annual April period of national mourning—the and sisters in Christ and live. Accompaniment and 22nd anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. God solidarity were expressed in the laying down of lives. weeps from the skies. Healing and restoration linger on the horizon Rwanda’s complex history—prerecorded, colo- in Rwanda. Many of those who survived, scarred nial, political, and institutional—setting the stage and traumatized, have not been able to speak their for tragedy, may be another window on the land of stories—it can be dangerous to do so. Counseling a thousand views, or perhaps, viewpoints. To visit resources are inadequate. The broken Church is some of the genocide memorial sites, many of them trying to be a vehicle for healing and wholeness. Catholic churches where men, women, and children Many significant tensions are unresolved, as seen seeking sanctuary were shot and hacked to death by in the most recent refugee situation involving the thousands, is to encounter, in the mounds of faded, neighboring Burundi. bloodstained clothing and stacks of skulls and bones, a How do we move forward with justice, mercy, and lesson we have not yet grasped. The murder of up to a love, learning enough about ourselves as human beings million people over several months by their neighbors, to ensure that such crimes never happen again—any- fellow parishioners, family members, and leaders, cries where? Such a perspective includes hard work, and out to heaven—and to us, wherever we live. open hearts, minds, and ears; solidarity in action. The How could they do this? How could we do way forward is to experience and to share God’s love— this, within the last century or so—to indigenous the love, as the Easter Vigil testifies each spring, that Americans, Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Bosnians, never dies. Love that sees each life as precious. Love and so many others? that finds new, respectful relationships, not weap- How can we do this? By using real or contrived ons, emerging from ground soaked with the blood of differences of race, socio-economic class, religion, life- our scapegoats. style, language, or ethnicity to create communities of Susan Stevenot Sullivan is director of education & outreach at scapegoats, onto whom we pour the verbal venom of the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace & Human Development.

This article was originally published on To Go Forth, a blog from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace & Human Development. Copyright © 2016, Catholic News Service–United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington DC. All rights reserved. Suffering in South Sudan

by Carol Glatz

Pope Francis is first of all a shepherd who makes Despite the immensity of the tragedy, “it’s really seeking out the lost and forgotten his top priority. But off the radar in terms of the world caring,” he said, he also knows that wherever he goes, the cameras and which is why “the pope raising awareness is absolutely news coverage will follow. crucial.” Everybody’s efforts to get the word out is still He leveraged his pull on the media spotlight early key, and Nicholson and his Caritas colleagues created in his papacy when he went to Lampedusa for his very southsudan.caritas.org after a recent visit to South first trip as pope, tossing a funeral wreath onto the Sudan to better show the human stories and lives vast, unmarked cemetery known as the Mediterranean at stake. Sea—where thousands of migrants die each year Sister Yudith Pereira-Rico, escaping from economic distress, political crises, associate executive director of or persecution. Solidarity with South Sudan, His visits to the Central African Republic, refugee told CNS in Rome that her centers, prisons, homes for the elderly and ill have organization is promoting the all been key stops in his mission to reach out to the hashtag #SouthSudanWeCare on neglected peripheries, encourage those who are suffer- social media to show the South ing and the hidden heroes helping them, and wake up Sudanese people that they will not the world to their presence and plight. be overlooked. Sister Yudith Pereira-Rico South Sudan was meant to be next on that list, to “The people there feel they are forgotten. There red-flag the disastrous effects of civil war—millions of is no media attention and they always tell us, ‘Please, people facing violence, displacement, chronic hunger, don’t forget to speak about us.’” and mass starvation—and to nudge conflicting parties A member of the Congregation of the Religious of toward peace. Jesus and Mary, Sister Pereira-Rico said she has spent However, mounting doubts over security and how the past two decades working in the poorest parts of ready those parties may be for negotiation have put West Africa “and yet I’ve never see the poverty like a boots-on-the-ground papal visit on hold. And now there is in South Sudan.” some Catholic aid and development agencies are won- “My first time in South Sudan, in Malakal, I wasn’t dering, with no pope, how does this tragedy get on the able to sing ‘Hallelujah’ in church,” having seen the world radar now? situation of the people. “Now, more and more, I can see “With Donald Trump, Brexit, and terrorist attacks that God is here.” happening in the news,” outlets that are usually very Sometimes she and her colleagues can feel so pow- receptive to covering humanitarian crises and efforts erless when faced with so many people in need, “but “don’t have the space to cover them,” Patrick Nicholson, just being there” can offer comfort, she said. “A chal- director of communications at Caritas Internationalis, lenge we have as Christians is believing in the resurrec- told Catholic News Service. tion in these situations, knowing that there is a good end for human history.” Solidarity with South Sudan is an international down, it always sticks by its people, which is partly why network of religious congregations that was formed it’s so respected, he told CNS by Skype from Juba. to train primary school teachers, health care workers, By working directly with parishes and religious pastoral agents, and sustainable farmers from all ethnic orders, like the Comboni sisters, CRS can get food to groups, learning tolerance and reconciliation along 5,000 to 6,000 families in places where no one else has the way. access, he said. No matter how bad things get, the Catholic Church still is operating its schools, hospitals, clinics, and pro- grams all over South Sudan; the facilities may not look as nice as those in the West, “but they work.” “Peacebuilding is quiet, but relentless,” he said, and it often does not make for an exciting or visual story. Media often like to cover things such as the highly complex emergency airdrops to those who are stranded, but Farrell said reporters should be looking at the Catholic schools, like the ones run by the Sisters of the . “It’s not visually catchy, but that’s the real story. That’s where the future of South Sudan lies,” as these Sister Barbara Paleczny, a School Sister of Notre Dame from Waterloo, Ontario, walks with displaced children inside a UN base in Malakal, schools provide basic care, nutrition, and even vegeta- South Sudan. Sister Paleczny is a member of Solidarity with South ble gardens for the mothers to grow healthy food. Sudan, which brings religious from other countries to train people in South Sudan. The other real story that should get coverage, he said, are the survivors. “The people here are incredibly The NGOs do the emergency relief, “and we do resilient, and one of the main reasons for that is they development, teach values,” Sister Pereira-Rico said. go to church” and are deeply spiritual people. The 28 nuns, priests, and brothers from 20 differ- With aid from partner agencies, the Church ent congregations and 20 nations living and working becomes a place people go to find basic supplies, safety, together in four different communities across South sanctuary, and “spiritual nourishment because without Sudan are a living witness of what harmony in diversity that, aid is just a pat on the back,” Farrell said. and collaboration look like, she said. “Things will be better. It will just take time because “We’re like the United Nations,” she smiled, and peacebuilding is meant to help South Sudan heal itself,” “we show people a new model of living.” he said. The local Church also provides the credibility, As the Catholic, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian networks, and infrastructure that relief agencies churches work for peace from the bottom up, and the need to reach the most vulnerable, said Jerry Farrell, role of political leaders is to help from the top down, country representative in South Sudan for Catholic he added, someday they will all meet in the middle. Relief Services. Follow Glatz on Twitter: @CarolGlatz. “The Church has an incredible reputation. It is battered and weary,” like its people, but it never shuts

This article was originally published on Catholic News Service’s Faith Alive! Copyright © 2017, Catholic News Service–United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington DC. All rights reserved. Photos: CNS/Carol Glatz, CNS/Paul Jeffrey. 2