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November MHT Newsletter 2010

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CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY Inside this Issue Volume I, Issue XI November 2010 A Note from Our 1 Pastor A Note from Our Pastor Bicentennial Event 2 The Commemoration of All Saints Passing for White: One of the earliest “Catholic” memories I have is of the presence Race, Religion, and in my bedroom of a statue of St. Michael. I still have this simple the Healy Family- plaster statue which depicts the archangel in a green tunic, lance Dr. James O’Toole in hand, vanquishing a dragon-like Satan beneath his feet. For as long as I can remember, this icon of the Archangel reminded me November is Black 3 Catholic History of my patron saint, an intercessor for me before God’s throne. Month-Sr. Mary The Feast of All Saints is a celebration of virtue as it has been Monica, FHM lived out in the lives of people stretching from Stephen, the First Martyr, to Australian Mother Mary MacKillop, foundress of the Catholics Come 4 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, who was canonized Home just a few weeks ago. Even the Archangels who obeyed God’s commands are included Wednesday Night among the “saints” whose lives we hope to emulate. 4 Program By the late 300’s the Church in Antioch had established a commemoration of “All School News 5 Saints” as a way of honoring the memory of the hundreds (thousands?) of Christians who died as martyrs under the pogrom of Roman emperor Diocletian. Concerned that Youth Fundraiser 6 those deserving such commemoration might be overlooked, the Church in various places observed a day to honor all those whose heroic virtue or whose martyrdom Welcome to the 6 gave evidence of the divine grace that had strengthened and protected them on earth. Parish By the time of Pope Gregory IV (827-844) the feast was extended to the entire Church. November 2010 7 Events Many of us pray regularly to the perennial favorites: St. Anthony who finds lost articles, St. Jude who helps in “impossible” causes, and St. Anne who has been known to inter- cede on behalf of those looking for a husband. In the last two decades I have read quite a bit about the martyr St. Thomas More, once Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII, who would not bow to Henry’s command regarding the indissolubility of marriage. A Christian humanist, St. Thomas was a man of exceptional learning and power, but he remained uncorrupted, refusing to deny his faith in order to maintain his position. Celebrating the memory of All Saints helps us to remember the potential each of us has to live a saintly life – to be generous, chaste, forgiving, merciful, and humble. Celebrat- ing the memory of All Saints helps us to remember the plan that God has for each one of us. 720 Telfair Street PO Box 2446 Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh, Pastor Augusta, Georgia 30903 Page 2 Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity Bicentennial Event Passing for White: Race, Religion, and the Healy Family In Celebration of Our Parish Bicentennial, the African-American Ministry Presents a Lecture By Dr. James O’Toole of Boston College Author of Passing for White: Race, Religion, and the Healy Family 1820-1920 Saturday, 13 November, 11:00 a.m. in Saint Patrick Hall Michael Healy, a white man from Ireland, lived with his African-American wife, Eliza, in Macon, Georgia, and were the parents of several children. Sent north for education, one son, James, became the Catholic Bishop of Portland, Maine, another, Patrick, the President of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Daughters Josephine and Eliza became religious after being educated in Montreal with Eliza becoming Mother Superior of the Congregation of Notre Dame and founder of Notre Dame College on Staten Island. The Lecture is Free and Open to the Public Donations to Defray the Costs of the Lecture will be Accepted Volume I, Issue XI Page 3 Maura Jabaley, Parish Council President November is Black Catholic History Month By Josephine Grier In celebrating 200 years of Catholic presence in Georgia, we remember Sr. Mary Monica, FHM. Sister Mary Monica, FHM, was born Mary Louise Wright to Orietta and Friend Wright on June 15, 1930 in Augusta, Georgia. She grew up on Hopkins Street and attended Immaculate Concep- tion School located in the Laney Walker Community of Augusta, GA. After graduation from Immaculate Conception High School, she joined the religious congregation of the Fran- ciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary in Har- lem, New York on November 1, 1948. She received her habit on May 7, 1949 and made her final vows on April 12, 1956. Sr. Mary Monica, FHM 1930-1997 Sr. Monica studied at Manhattan College and Fordham University. She taught at St. Benedict Day Nursery and St. Aloysius School in New York; St. Thomas School in Wilmington, NC; Christ the King School in High Point, NC. She also taught arts and crafts at Camp St. Edward on Staten Island for many summers. Sr. Monica served as Superior of St. Benedict Convent, Directress of the Hospitality House, and Vicar General of the Congregation and Superior of the Motherhouse. Sr. Monica died on May 20, 1997, after a long illness. She is buried in the Resurrection Cemetery, Pinlelawn, Long Island, NY. The Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary was founded in 1916 in Savannah, Georgia, by Fr. Ignatius Lissner, SMA and Mother Mary Theodore, FHM. The Congregation moved to Harlem in the 1920s. It was founded as a Black Congregation but today it is multicul- tural and welcomes women from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary 15 West 124th Street New York, New York 10027 franciscanhandmaidsofmary.org Page 4 Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity Catholics Come Home A Catholics Come Home Minister’s Reflection As I approach the coffee shop, I am always a little nervous. The person I’m meeting is thinking about returning to the Catholic Church. Some have been away a few years; for some, it’s been half a lifetime. Some come after much thought and with trepidation; others decide to contact me on a whim. Either way, I may be the first “Church” folk the person has spoken to in years. In concept, this meeting is supposed to provide information on our program to see if it’s a good fit. But the most important purpose is for the person to see that I am not a grumpy Church Lady, ready to drag her to the confession box. My job is to warmly welcome these folks back and listen to their stories of how God has brought them here. This is an important moment for this Catholic, a sacred moment, and I listen reverently, Catholics don’t eas- ily talk about their personal faith; we are private people and don’t have the language the evangelicals do. Nevertheless, it is surprising to me how we are ready to open up when invited. Most returnees, once they realize that I am not there to condemn them, openly talk about their lives and answer spiritual questions. The Lord has knocked on their hearts, and their contact with me is their initial “Yes.” As I approach the door, I say a quick prayer that I, as a Catholics Come Home Minister, will learn to get out of the way of what He wants to do in this person’s life. And so, I enter the coffee shop. A Returning Catholic’s Reflection It was a God thing that I ended up in a Catholic Church in August 2005, and it was even more of a God thing that the bulletin had a little blurb about a returning Catholics program. I had to see the item three more times before I mustered up the courage to send an email to Anna. She called me within a couple of hours, and we agreed to meet at a coffee- house a few days later. I knew who she was the minute she walked in as I could feel her warmth, her peace, her seren- ity. I wanted that. And I knew she could help me get it. Anna didn’t bat an eye when I told her it had been nearly thirty- five years since I had received the Eucharist and that, really, I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt a part of the Church growing up, even though something was surely tugging me back now. “Well, let I tell you a little about our program” she said, “It’s a safe place to ask questions about the Church today to figure out if it fits you. There’s no pressure. We hope the an- swers help you find a place in the community, but that’s your decision. “ Excerpts from, When They Come Home, written by Melanie Rigney and Anna M. Lanave The “Catholic Come Home” project is in its final planning stages and it is now time to create a Parish Team of individuals to carry out this evangelical mission. Catholics are not used to being “evangelical” except for using their faith in action. St. Francis of Assisi once said we are called to preach always and sometime use words. However, now is the time to occasionally step out of our Catholic comfort zone and reach out with various resources our parish will provide for you. “Feed my lambs…tend my sheep…feed my sheep,” Jesus told us. “Amen, amen I say to you, when you were younger you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” John 21:15-18.
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