August 2020 THE SPIRIT AND BRIDE MISSION: The Mission of the Catholic Renewal Center is to stir into flame the grace of Pentecost within and beyond the Church, calling forward the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit used to build up the Kingdom. This mission seeks to broaden and deepen the understanding that baptism in The Holy Spirit is the Christian inheritance of all.“
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say “Come”. Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water. Revelation 22:17
TIME TO BE ON OUR KNEES: The Gift of Intercessory Prayer
The Lord gives amazing and sometimes communities. Unbelievable as these times have curious gifts to us. Sometimes He gives been, I feel in my heart that the Lord has used new life in the form of children and this situation which could be considered “an hour grandchildren (did I mention that I will of darkness” for us to proclaim a “most beautiful be a 1st time Grandma in August?!). creed.” What does that creed sound like? How Sometimes when we humbly ask the about, we choose not to focus on what we fear Lord in faith, He will even alleviate and what we cannot go out and do? Instead we physical pain and illness. But sometimes, use the grace of this unique time to listen, love, in His wisdom, our Lord gives the “gifts” and pray. More time of quiet is always a that we can only look back on later to blessing. We can be more attentive to the Lord see their real value, a value more in the depth of and the ways in which He sings to us in the our hearts and the strength of our faith. beauty of nature. We can take the time to really engage in the simple conversations with This spring of 2020 will go down in all of our neighbors who we have never spoken to before, personal and collective history as a time of and we can take more time in quiet intentional suffering, sacrifice, and if we are honest, some prayer. These quiet times of prayer with the Lord amount of fear of an uncertain future. But I believe are particularly precious. He uses these times to that this unprecedented time of global disease has transform our hearts. For myself, it was been and will be as we look back on it, a time of heartbreaking to accept in late March that I great spiritual and personal growth. Times of would really not be able to be in the presence of challenge dig faith deeply within us, as we learn to those that are seeking the Lord’s peace in healing trust that the Lord is moving and working in the prayer ministry. I, along with many prayer world even when we are tempted to feel that He is ministers and intercessors, offered those people distant. Let’s look to the wisdom of Padre Pio: “The to the Lord, directly, intentionally, and in great most beautiful creed is the one we pronounce in love with the gift of prayer of intercession. The our hour of darkness.” Ash Wednesday of 2020, longer that I have been in prayer ministry, the you could never have convinced me that by Easter more I have come to appreciate the power of Sunday and beyond, because of intensive social intercessory prayer. For I have heard it said, and distancing orders, the doors of the Catholic I have come to believe, that “intercessory prayer Renewal Center would be closed to those who is love on its knees”. In His great plan for us, the come in for prayer, that we all would be longing for Lord chooses to pull us into His very own heart of the Lord in the Eucharist, and that we wouldn’t be compassion for others. This is what intercessory able to gather in any way even in our faith prayer is all about. (cont’d on p. 2) Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal
CATHOLIC RENEWAL CENTER cont’d from p.1 LEADERSHIP: TIME TO BE ON OUR KNEES
Archdiocese of St. Louis We can unite with the Lord deeply, even by offering simple Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus sacrifices along with our prayers for our loved ones and for people Robert J. Hermann, Liaison that we do not even know. This is so powerful. The Lord shares Msgr. Ed Griesedieck, Chaplain with us His ministry of healing love for others when we pray Jane Guenther, M.Div., Director directly, in-person with people. We know this because we can see MINISTRIES: the results on people’s faces, the tears in their eyes, and the great
Healing and Deliverance, Anne Hruz joy that comes over them as we have helped them to hear the 314-731-6100, [email protected] Lord’s truth for them. It is a great joy to minister directly with a person; it is a privilege to see the Lord’s transforming grace in Jonah Prayer Ministry, Tina Ferder another person’s life. But the time of social distancing has had a 314-731-6100, lesson for us as well. We are called to trust that the grace-filled [email protected] ministry of intercessory prayer for others is also what the Lord calls Life in the Spirit Seminars, us to do. We may not see results directly, but this is the virtue of Gary Whitlock faith to which we are called. We know that the Lord always 636-296-2903, [email protected] provides for His people and that He still chooses to involve us in
Hispanic Core Coordinators: that ministry even when we do not see the results immediately. So Maria Knapp, 314-496-1494; please keep the faith even as the world and local situations around [email protected]; Modesta Perales us continue to change. Thank the Lord for the ways He has grown [email protected]; you recently and “grab the grace” of this extraordinary time. Rosario Cosgaya Listen to the Lord everywhere…like in the very lonely neighbor who [email protected] just wants someone to talk to. Love with the Lord’s own love which is always and everywhere filled Christ Alive Women’s Ministry with hope. Cheryl Nelson, (English), 314-731-6100 Pray like never before, allowing the Lord to grow your heart with hopeful intercession and carry that gift of prayer back into the world…because it [email protected] is His world and we are His…come what may. Cholita Aguayo (Spanish) [email protected]
Zechariah Prayer Breakfast for Men, The twilight radiance of the Black Eyed Susans illumines the dusk. Gary Whitlock 636-296-2903, They sway in the breeze; their hay scent is strong. [email protected] They reach high with their featherlike leaflets fluttering about.
Young Adult Ministry Abundant petals, rough to the touch, yet appearing like soft fingers. They welcome the finches, allowing a feast to take place. Laura Downing, Liz Vogel, and Amos Long - [email protected] The warm wind gently joins them all, blooms and birds dance gracefully The beautiful eyes glance at each other, darting from one to the other 2Alike: A Ministry for Multiples They caress each other for an instant then turn their faces to their maker Jewel Jacobs, 636-537-0546 A perfect cooperation with God is completed once again. -Rita Baughman, [email protected]
Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us CRC SERVICE TEAM: Cholita Aguayo, Jeff Barczewski, Mary Jo Barczewski, Rita Baughman, Kim Becvar, Lizett Mata De Crooks, Msgr. Ed Griesedieck, Paula Klump, Maria Knapp, Cheryl Nelson, Carol Nowak, Modesta Perales, Lynn Verbrugge, Gary Whitlock
“If we really love we will imitate. In fact, we couldn’t give in exchange a more exquisite fruit of our love than imitation” - St. Augustine
Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 2
P E N T E C O S T N O V E N A 2 0 2 0
SAINTS IN TIME OF NEED, STILL ACTIVE FOR INTERCESSION We appreciate everyone who joined our first ever Pentecost Novena online. In addition to all of the inspiring speakers, our director, Jane Guenther, chose and described a saint who served during times of plagues or illness. For those who were unable to attend, here is a list of some of the saints should you request their intercession now or in the future. Watch the Novena online at: https://www.archstl.org/pentecost-novena
St. Godeberta of Noyon (c. 700) cared for the sick in a less direct way than many others. An abbess with great influence over the people who lived near her abbey, Godeberta encouraged them to pray for the end of a plague. After they spent three days fasting in sackcloth and ashes, the plague ended quite suddenly.
St. Roch (1295-1327) embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome when he was 20, begging all the way. When he arrived in Italy, he discovered a country ravaged by the plague. Roch set about caring for the sick strangers he came upon (often curing them miraculously) until he himself contracted the disease. Knowing nobody, Roch dragged himself to the forest to die, but a local dog brought him food and licked his wounds until Roch recovered.
St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) was a Cardinal when famine and plague struck Milan. Though most nobles fled the city, Cardinal Borromeo organized the religious who remained to feed and care for the hungry and sick. They fed over 60,000 people a day, the bill largely footed by the Cardinal, who went into personal debt to feed the hungry. He also personally visited those suffering from plague and bathed their sores, having first written his will and prepared himself for death. But the good Cardinal was spared, living another six years after what would eventually be called “the Plague of St. Charles.”
St. Jose Brochero (1840-1914) was an Argentinean priest. Immediately after his ordination, Fr. Jose nursed the sick through a cholera epidemic and emerged unscathed. Then, to serve his parishioners, he built 125 miles of roads and connected his parish with mail and telegraph services and a railway line. Eventually, he contracted leprosy and began to go blind, after which he retired both from active ministry and from single- handedly building the infrastructure of the region. He had spent over 40 years serving as priest, nurse, lobbyist, carpenter, and construction worker.
St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli (1587-1651) was a wealthy widow when a plague broke out in Genoa. She housed many of the sick in her home. Running out of space, she rented a vacant convent, then built more housing. Though the plague ended, Virginia’s hospital continued serving hundreds of sick people, and the religious order Virginia founded in the midst of all this continues to this day, Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Cavalry
St. Marianne Cope (1838-1918) answered the call of the king of Hawaii to bring her Sisters to Hawaii and serve the lepers alongside St. Damien of Molokai. Though many feared the disease then thought to be extremely contagious, Marianne assured her Sisters that not one of them would contract it. Through strict hygiene practices and a good amount of grace, the Sisters worked with the lepers of Molokai for nearly a century without one of them contracting the terrible disease. A L L H O L Y S A I N T S, P L E A S E P R A Y F O R U S Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 3
CORONAVIRUS
CONSOLATIONS The Holy Spirit comes in gentle ways...astounding ways ….. loving ways ….. in whatever ways are needed at the time We are aware of the Holy Spirit's presence within us at all times, therefore every day we reflect on and appreciate our intimate relationship with God, even when there are threats of illness or even demise. During this pandemic, there may be a compulsion to think the worst, resulting in fear and discouragement. Yet, as we all know, there have been real signs of Our Lord's presence during this time of isolation and change. Let us all continue to grow in The Lord, either in what we are doing at the moment, or in new gifts being given to us in this time of change. Here are a few testimonies prompted by the following question that will hopefully encourage and bring trust and hope to you during this time. Question: I felt the Holy Spirit's presence during my isolation when . . . . I’ve felt the Holy Spirit's presence when I've come together to pray with others virtually -- whether through Mass, prayer meetings, small groups, and conferences. The body of Christ can truly come together through the Holy Spirit, even if we are not physically in each other's midst. - Kim Becvar The Holy Spirit called me to help a friend. I was in my yard and saw my friend sitting in her driveway and I went to say hello. She was having anxiety from all of the inactivity. She asked for a devotional, so I gave her “Jesus Calling” and she is now reading it daily. Jesus is alive in her and her family, she has found peace. - Nancy Ast I got to be at the bedside of a Jonah member who was at home dying during the first week of the pandemic, as well as thru prayer and praising the Lord. - Debbie Gillespie Praise to the Holy Spirit for directing and ordering my day as I had more time and concentration for morning prayer!- Cathy Whitlock I felt the Holy Spirit’s presence while taking a walk. Along the way I greeted an older man and from him I received a beautiful smile and great courage. Thank you, Holy Spirit. - Margaret Picou I felt the Spirit’s presence when I took the time to peek into my heart during these days of social isolation and reflect on what really matters in my life now that I am in my waning years. - Ralph Moritz As I sat watching the take out scenes for the Unplanned movie, when it got to the place where the Director / Producer is talking about the actress that played Abby Johnson, he says she was created outside of space and time, by God, to live at this time for this purpose and as I hear this I become aware of the Holy Spirit telling me that this is the same for me, and confirming that where I think I am being led is true. - Alice Rodriquez When the Pope had the UBO service, I watched it live at midnight, and saw the Vatican Square from his vantage point. I knelt in front of the TV and felt like I was right there, being blessed. Another time when things were hard, a co-intercessor, sent out a scripture that I hold onto. James 1-vs 2-8. "count it all joy and stay steadfast." Going to adoration and benediction at my church, available three times a week. - Marty Scrima I felt the Holy Spirit while at the park the other day just staring at the beauty and wonder of the created sky! - Becky Lograsso Some of the consolation I received is remembering our Cast Your Lent Retreat with Fr. Mark Ivany on March 14. One of the prophetic words was, “you will have immunity.” It has come to my mind over and over again. Mary Weir Here are a few promptings from the Holy Spirit: When I felt the need to reach out and help a friend complete some government forms. Being drawn to a desire to pray, in particular the rosary and Divine Mercy. Can’t be in quarantine with my wife without prayer!!! (In a good way). Realizing how much I truly love the Renewal community and how great an impact it has been on my life. Taking a deep inventory of the many blessings in my life - past, present and future. Actively keeping in contact with individuals I know are in need and struggling. - John Marke I feel the Holy Spirit’s presence when our prayer group prays together on our Zoom mtgs. The fact that we are not physically with each other edifies even more our unity in prayer. - Cathy Wombacher Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 4
MARCH 2020 LENTEN RETREAT C A S T Y O U R N E T S
As Fr. Mark Ivany led our retreat this Spring, little did we know that this would be the last time we would gather for quite a while. We talked about the fresh sprouting of the virus (retreat was just before the lockdown), and ended with mighty prayer for protection, peace, and comfort during whatever was ahead of us in this time of change. Fr. Ivany pointed out his retreat theme of “OUR JOURNEY FOR LENT” by sharing Scripture stories on how Moses and others dealt with their own challenges and journeys. Within this theme, his main points of connection were: TRINITY; which of the three persons is active within the moment VIRTUE; (having a firm and habitual disposition to do good CCC:1803) which is being displayed and utilized in the moment GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT; which is being used to affect the moment SACRAMENT; in every situation, there is a connection with a sacrament, which is being applied uniquely to the moment PRACTICE; active participation, sacrificing and directly giving of yourself in the moment THROW BACK THAT GRENADE THE DEVIL THROWS AT YOU - DESTROY THE DARKNESS TRAIN YOUR MIND TO STAY FOCUSED ON GOD IN THE CURRENT MOMENT, IN TIMES OF DESOLATION-REMEMBER, IT’S TEMPORARY AND REMEMBER THE GOOD THINGS GOD HAS PROVIDED
WE ARE NOT THE VICTIMS OF THE DEVIL’S THOUGHTS JACQUES PHILIPPE; OUR INTERIOR REACTIONS CANNOT DO US HARM-DON’T GIVE FREE REIGN BUT REPLACE THEM WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS, WE NEED FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE
FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: THERE IS NO PLACE FOR SIN IN HEAVEN- AND THAT IS OUR HOME, AMEN!!
2020 Charismatic Retreat with Jim Beckman King’s House Retreat and Renewal Ctr, Belleville, IL Aug. 28 @ 6:00 pm - Aug. 30 @ 4:00 pm Jim Beckman serves as the Executive Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Jim has served in various roles of leadership for national, regional and local ministry. Jim also is the Executive Director of Impact Center, a non-profit dedicated to leadership development in the Catholic Church and serves as an adjunct professor for the Augustine Institute, teaching on topics of leadership, evangelization, and discipleship. RETREAT IS AT ALREADY AT FULL OCCUPANCY DUE TO COVID, BUT $100 ZOOM REGISTRATION IS OPEN ON THE WEBSITE OR BY PHONE 800-779-7909. GO TO http://www.kingsretreatcenter.org/events/
Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 5
CHRIST Alive! through Mary Women’s Witness Ministry Women’s witness prayer breakfast
Join Christ Alive through Mary, Women’s Witness Ministry in the Joy of Unity at our breakfast on September 19 at the Cardinal Rigali Center. We pray to the Holy Spirit to fill us with his presence at thismulti -cultural breakfast pointing us to hope, witnessing to hope and filling us with the joy of hope. Registration begins at 8:30am, and the breakfast begins at 9am. Join faith filled women of our community for a morning of praise and worship, prayer, and witness. Register by Sept 15: online @archstl.org/renewal or call the Catholic Renewal Center at 314-731-6100, or email [email protected] Price is $20. Please check for current Archdiocesan guidelines regarding social distancing on whether this will be a live event or online.
Ministry in the Time of COVID-19 While news reports of a new virus named Covid-19 was affecting China as early as November 2019, it really did not impact the St. Louis area until late March 2020. The beginning of 2020 found the Catholic Renewal Center’s retreat organizers busy planning for their Annual Spring Retreat “Cast You Net” with guest speaker, Fr. Mark Ivany, Director of Priest Vocations in Washington, DC. This retreat went on as planned with chairs spread out 6 feet apart to give everyone more social distancing. Everyone really enjoyed the retreat. However, attendance was significantly reduced. In 2019, total attendance was 130 people. In 2020, total attendance was 68. This also greatly reduced our retreat revenue by over half. The Catholic Renewal Center closed beginning Monday, March 16. This affected many of our ministries. The Healing and Deliverance ministry ceased immediately. The Jonah Prayer Ministries at parishes ended when churches stopped offering mass. The young adult meetings were canceled. The Rigali Center was closed to visitors and meetings as well. The Area-wide prayer meetings were cancelled for March and April. The generational healing prayer service scheduled for June was cancelled. The May Hispanic Christ Alive Women’s Prayer Breakfast was cancelled as well as the Christ Alive Prayer Breakfast that was supposed to be held March 28th in the city for the first time at Cardinal Ritter Prep High School. With no end in sight to the virus, it was time to rethink how to do our ministries. Jane Guenther and other teachers continued the classes for the new Certificate in Spiritual Direction that began in January. However, the weekly classes were moved from the Cardinal Rigali Center to online by Zoom, an online platform that allows people to connect to a meeting or event with a computer or phone. The Pentecost Novena, nine days of prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, for the first time was pre-recorded and released each day as a video on the Archdiocesan website. Jane Guenther rewrote this year’s novena to include a saint who served during the time of a plague. The Pentecost Vigil Mass was streamed live on the Archdiocesan website. These videos were viewed by far more people than had ever attended in person. Praise God!! We then started up some ministries by holding them by Zoom and/or by Facebook Live. On Saturday May 16th, the Christ Alive Women’s Prayer Breakfast was held at the Catholic Renewal Center with the help of just a few people being socially distant of course. It was viewed on Zoom and Facebook, and it reached far more people than the amount that usually attends in person. A total of 435 people (and counting) viewed this prayer breakfast. The Hispanic Christ Alive Women’s Prayer Breakfast was held online July 11th and over 4,400 have viewed the breakfast. The Zechariah Men’s Breakfast was held by Zoom on June 27th. The men actually were able to break out into individual groups online after the speaker’s talk. The Area-wide Prayer meetings were held online in May and June, again reaching more people. All these events were free of charge, therefore reducing the revenue that we usually collect. Obviously, COVID has caused some unknown impact on our future direction and how we do our ministries. We pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide us to reach the people we need to during these difficult times. Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 6
All events are subject to change or cancellation Find all the updated information at archstl.org/renewal Charismatic/Healing Masses - Healing Mass at St. Alban Roe at 7:00 p.m. on the first Monday of each month. Healing teams are available. Shepherd's Table Charismatic Mass-Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth of Hungary. ALL POSTPONED until further notice.
Healing and Deliverance Ministry - Catholic Renewal Center – by appointment by calling Anne Hruz @ 314-731-6100 or email her at [email protected].
Area-wide Prayer Meeting – 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Location to be determined. Aug 27, Sept 24, Oct 22
“Awaken” – Young Adult Ministry Prayer meeting - first Tuesday every month, 7:00pm, at the Catholic Renewal Center. If you have questions, please contact Laura Downing, [email protected]
Catholic Renewal Center Fundraiser “Boogie in the Jungle”- August 22, 7pm-10pm. Online or in person at the Cardinal Rigali Center. See the two pages on the insert for all the details.
Speaker Workshop - Sept 8th, 7-9pm BY ZOOM For those teaching or speaking on behalf of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Contact Gary Whitlock, [email protected] or 636.296.2903.
Christ Alive through Mary, Women’s Witness Prayer Breakfast - Joy of Unity - Sept 19, 9am, at the Cardinal Rigali Center. See page 6 for more information.
“Set Us Ablaze” Fall Conference - Oct 9 &10 at the Cardinal Rigali Center with Tori Harris.
Zechariah Men’s Prayer Breakfast - Oct 24, 9am. Our speaker is Dr. Paul Hruz.
Jonah Prayer Ministry Training - One Day Training - Nov 14 from 9am to 4pm at the Catholic Renewal Center. Applicants will need the signature of their pastor on the application form. Please bring your lunch. Contact Tina Ferder @ 314-731-6100.
Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 7
NONPROFIT ORG. CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL U.S. POSTAGE CATHOLIC RENEWAL CENTER PAID 1406 S. SAPPINGTON RD. ST. LOUIS, MO CRESTWOOD, MO 63126-1622 PERMIT NO. 2052
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EVENTS LIVE STEAMED THRU FACEBOOK. SEE THE VIDEOS AT facebook.com/stlrenewal
Pentecost Vigil Mass
Area-wide Prayer Group
Christ Alive through Mary
Sirach 39:33 All the works of the Lord are good, and he will supply every need in its time.
Catholic Renewal Center 1406 S. Sappington Rd. St. Louis, MO 63126 314.731.6100 archstl.org/renewal 8