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Faith and Arts Journal Fall 2012 Tony Melendez Messenger of Hope Tony Melendez in concert: Friday, Oct. 12. at 7 p.m. Centre Street Church Linking Arms, Linking Hearts Conference Tickets: www.cschurch.ca/lalh Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. St. Thomas More Church Sunday, Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. St. Mary's Cathedral Tickets: www.franciscanandfriends.ca Tickets at the door, or online at www.franciscanandfriends.ca Phone: 403-243-1049 “Lift up your left hand, lift up your right hand, now you tell me where the miracles are - you are the miracle!” tonymelendez.com Tony Melendez: Messenger of Hope What’s inside By Amanda Achtman St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “The world 2 will never starve for want of wonders, Tony Melendez will perform at Denis Grady on but for want of wonder." Soon Calgary St. Mary's Cathedral on Oct. 14 a gathering of men 2 will welcome a man who affirms this Photo by Rev. Mariusz Sztuk, SDS aphorism. That man is Tony Melendez, a Bishop Henry on beauty and hope guitarist born without arms who, while When people ask Melendez about the In this cynical age, Melendez asks us to 3 learning his instrument, also learned to challenges of living life with no arms, he open our eyes and see the miracles Morag Northey on be God's instrument. replies, "I have these [feet] which do around us. “Lift up your left hand, lift up transformation, the artist’s way 3 everything for me, I have my family…my your right hand, now you tell me where Wonder and awe are gifts, and when we heart wants to dance, wants to sing, and the miracles are - you are the miracle!” Carmel Gatt on building spirit forget to wonder at wondrous things, wants to live life, because in God’s eyes, I says Melendez. 4 art can point us to beauty, and beauty am whole." This sense of wholeness Fr. John Gallagher on to truth. Melendez’s art consists in comes from Melendez’s wonder at the After Melendez performed the song face time with Mary 5 "toe-jamming", singing, and gift of life. Never Be the Same for Blessed John Paul songwriting. His art points to the beauty II in Los Angeles in 1987, the Pope gave Dr. David Bershad on ruminating on Rubens of music and to God's generosity of "Tony is touching lives around the world him this heartfelt message of appreciation: 6 unique talents. It also points to a still without arms,” says Dallas Frank, lead “My wish to you is to continue giving this Deacon Kenneth Noster on deeper truth: we have a responsibility to pastor and coordinator of the Special hope to all the people." Living Water College of the Arts 7 develop a culture of life and a civilization Needs Ministry at Calgary’s Centre Street of love where not utility, but intrinsic Church. “He embodies hope for others in Melendez, an award-winning musician Laura Locke on God in the kitchen dignity is the measure of human worth. their seasons of loss, and promotes and composer, has been doing just that 8 Melendez shows us that the capacity for inclusion as he breaks down social ever since, travelling the world and Tracy Tomiak on creativity is one of the important ways in barriers and changes perceptions. We sharing his music, his faith and his story the art of relationship 9 which we are made in God's image. don't look at Tony through the lens of of perseverance and hope. Come and Melendez was born in Nicaragua, after tragedy or condescending pity as he celebrate with Tony Melendez. Dr. Gerry Turcotte on a work for eternity his mother was prescribed the drug shares his inspiring life with us. He helps 9 Thalidomide during pregnancy. As a us to see others through God's eyes and Amanda Achtman is a political science Ron Semenoff on youngster he became proficient in using with an eternal perspective." student at the University of Calgary. the talent to give 10 his feet, and began to play guitar and harmonica in high school. David Parker on guitars for Guatemala 11 kolbetimes 2 St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe Young Kolbe entered a Franciscan released. In 1941, he was arrested again. not a sudden, last-minute act of heroism seminary near his birthplace, and at age The Nazi strategy was to liquidate select – his whole life had been a preparation. 16 became a novice. Though he later leaders in the country. He was taken to He was beatified in 1971, and canonized achieved doctorates in philosophy and Auschwitz Concentration Camp. by Pope John Paul II in 1982. theology, he was always deeply interested in science, even drawing One day, three months later, a prisoner Adapted from Saint of the Day on plans for rocket ships. Ordained at 24, he escaped. The commandant of the camp www.AmericanCatholic.org and used adopted the name Maximilian Mary. He announced that ten men would die in with permission. saw that religious indifference was the his place. He relished walking along the All rights reserved. deadliest poison of the day, and his ranks, pointing and shouting, “This one. Copyright St. Anthony Messenger Press, mission was to combat it. That one.” One of the ten men, 28 W Liberty St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, Fr. Kolbe founded the Militia of the “My wife! My children!” Fr. Kolbe Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil stepped forward and volunteered to with the witness of the good life, prayer, take his place. work and suffering. He dreamed of and then founded Knights of the The commandant was dumbfounded, Immaculata, a religious magazine, to but nevertheless kicked Gajowniczek preach the Good News. He also out of the line and ordered Fr. Kolbe to St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe established a City of the Immaculata – join the nine others as they walked to Niepokalanow – that housed 700 of his the “block of death”. Once there, they Raymund Kolbe was born into a devout Franciscan brothers, and later founded were ordered to strip naked, and the Catholic family in Poland in 1894. His life one in Nagasaki, Japan as well. Both the slow starvation began in darkness. But was profoundly shaped by a childhood Militia and the magazine ultimately there was no screaming, as Fr. Kolbe led vision of the Blessed Mother holding out reached the one million mark in the men in prayers and song. As the to him two crowns, one white and the members and subscribers. Fr. Kolbe’s days went on, the men died one by one other red. “She asked me if I was willing love of God was daily filtered through until finally only Fr. Kolbe was left alive. to accept either of these crowns,” he devotion to Mary. The jailer came to finish him off as he sat later explained. The white crown in a corner praying. He was injected with symbolized purity, the other martyrdom. In 1939 the Nazis overran Poland with a hypodermic needle filled with carbolic He told her that he would accept them deadly speed. Niepokalanow was acid, and then they burned his body both, and after this event, his life was bombed and severely damaged. Kolbe with all the others. Fr. Kolbe’s death was never the same. and his friars were arrested and then A Gathering of Men Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre EVENTS IN PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS ADVENT RETREAT November 23-25, 2012 To register contact Linda and Russ Nicole 403-932-1804 or [email protected] A Gathering of Men priesthood by entering seminary, only to GRECCIO CHRISTMAS PAGEANT By Denis Grady again be disappointed by experiencing an absence of love in a place he’d hoped to December 11, 2012 In Joe Queenan’s bittersweet memoir find it. All of this lead to a quest for a 4:00-6:00pm - Sleigh rides Closing Time, a familiar theme on broken spiritual civilization. Somehow he 7:00pm - Pageant relationships between fathers and sons is manoeuvred through the emotionally poignantly expressed. Queenan’s father scarred landscape of insanity to a brilliant Live animals, sleigh rides, bonre, music, hot chocolate, was a hopeless, angry, often violent man career as a journalist, while also becoming with that spooky character shift of Jekyll & a decent father and husband. His own chili and hotdogs available for a free-will oering Hyde. You never knew which man was father continued to drink, eventually to going to appear. The fact that he was Irish death. In the last years of his father’s life, Donations of non-perishable food / money in aid of Catholic added to the elixir of the label. Queenan lovingly took care of the dying Cochrane Food Bank are accepted Queenan is a brilliant writer with a license man, not as a father figure but as a severely to dispense riveting humour on the wounded human being. Everyone Welcome – No registration necessary battlefield; the kind of guy you want to share a bunk with at scout camp. The brilliant Franciscan thinker/writer In a generous way he tells the truth about Richard Rohr has passionately committed Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre his early childhood in the projects of to the healing of men who have suffered 41160 Retreat Road Cochrane, Alberta South Philadelphia. deeply as the result of a father wound. He once shared an experience of speaking in 403-932-2012 After a childhood of alcoholic chaos, Germany to a church full of men who had www.mountstfrancis.ca Queenan pursued his curiosity of the grown up fatherless because of the war.