Catholic Women's Network 877 Spinosa Drive Non-Profit Org. Sunnyvale CA 94087 U.S. Postage (408) 245-8663 PAID Permit No. 553 FAX 408/738-2767 Sunnyvale C A Catholic Women's NETWORK Issue No. 46 A non-profit educational publication since 1988 May/June 1996 See nages IS and 16 for Registration Form Women Connecting: Mind/Bodv/Spirit Fourth annual day of spirituality & personal growth ** Sat June 22,1996 in San Jose $35 by May 24 • $45 after May 24 Art by Jeri Becker Ritual, 24 workshops, concerts healing arts coming on June 22 an£t Come, join in the gathering proces­ dance and voice events. Learn seated sion. Wave your personalized scarf, massage or energy alignment. Experi­ keep time with your inner heartbeat and ence reiki or reflexology. Haveadream move in rhythm to your own percussion analyzed or surf on the Net. piece as you move chanting into the At the end of the day, bring a sacred space ofthe opening ritual - a newfound energy to the closing ritual. place where women who do not wish to With music and chant, you can take part process have gathered. in the great weaving where many hun­ Celebrate and connect mind, body dreds of scarves will form one whole. rfl and spirit. Thread your story into a Receive your keepsake gift and memory woven fabric with other women. Name of women connecting-mind, body and your origins, invoke God as Wisdom, spirit, remembering the past, dwelling in and share your story as you prepare for the present and moving into the future. a day of spirituality and growth. A registration form can be found on You can chose two of 24 workshops pages 15 and 16. A four page form with Fear to attend on topics which help you con­ photos and more details is available by not! nect with Catholic devotions or creed or sending a self-addressed stamped enve­ your own family roots, healing arts or lope to CWN at 877 Spinosa Dr., Sunny­ spiritual writing, drum massage or states vale CA 94087. of mind, anger or loneliness. Reduced rates available for low in­ Take part in noontime participatory come. O >:.^. ;vr,V:,:^'.--:^,^^-^^^^ V S^^^^MM : ^t^^^^^^^I^R^i}-•• i.• ^SMm^^^M^Mi k>: :x%? • Outside Network $£ ^M ' AuTemllof nilractes . 11 ssjwWiBife^' • %#; . K:o^^^^i^ylsM^:^ If :': 40^^0m talks on Right Wing ^ Everyday miracles '%&% ./;:[•• r.Mary0S Wmm^p^^0iS^' ;: "Fear not!" When angels appeared to persons in scripture, : : #2SJr *fo*& wito&".-' : ^-'*-*•.?•'•' |f^|P^ile^>l^^i-: es^li^i^rig^:.'-.- ::=:;;: :V:;"^'..*•• := • Am advance preview >*£'> they often greeted their surprised receivers with this phrase. ^Jtatt^^ •} '•:•:, ^'^?^^^^3^^g'^i%:::> % Perhaps, today we might translate that as "don't be sur­ ,:,:'A _a|r^^^|#^Se$i$(^Ki.. 'f"< $b W^'i^t^^^x^^ ;^ **i •:w-\ prised." Which, of course, is what anyone who is visited by an |!v'^^Mi^:i^^to#;.i^P lty8u&8errom , angel is. Surprised! Perhaps amazed, awed, and even breathless. Hihliiiliii. MM$^$^ ** : • Miracles for ordinary folk 'M^*\§*< •• Mifls follows up Beijing Angels, verified as authentic messengers from God by the : Ur \ : ;;f^^^^|^«fc- (*W£.. .*•.-. • Womensprutgcleau spirituality Catholic church back in the fourth century, numbered legions- : : n thousands and perhaps millions of mystical creatures, and they ^^|$^i9P^i^:iiM^ ' - ricf. •^^^Imkm 14 ^•^l^^:^g^^^i|tw^:r ||!* ; July 1MI retreat stand ready to usher humans over the rocky hurdles in life if only ~". .A«||fei-dt>|i^M-b||gyer;; it WomanPrayer we invite their help. The air around us is a virtual network of Angela a mysterious network it June.& Women Connecting IS»M winged beings eager to meddle in human lives. ; • Miracles: From our Readers li Regtsti^m Form & info Miracles are another matter. Rather than belief, they breed skepticism in all levels of church membership. Of all the thousands M3 **m ********* wor&to#i» and more fi^mi our auvettlsers. of claimed miracles at the Shrine of Lourdes, fewer than 100 have been authenticated or accepted as miraculous healings. £/ Jesus is claimed to have performed miracles but when we Join a pre-gathering! look closer at the words in scripture, we find that Jesus performed A special practice in May or June in San Jose will be held to help implement signs and wonders. There is no word for miracle in Hebrew. the opening and closing rituals at the When humans appeared to have the stigmata of Jesus or June 22 Women Connecting gathering. bilocated or levitated, they are viewed with suspicion and skepti­ If you would like to take part in the cism. practice of movement and song before Angels and miracles fit comfortably into the category of the gathering , please call and leave your spiritual surprizes in life. In this issue, we explore some of the name and number at the CWN office. puzzles ofthe supernatural world. We will notify you when the date and site have been arranged. 30 or 40 women are desired. Page 2 Catholic Women's NETWORK, May/June 1996 Jn^ide NETWORK 0utside NETWORK Snow was falling swiftly on die small Bishop excommunicates committee March 12 that proposals to cut farm where my retired father was living in If you live in Lincoln, Nebraska and are welfare benefits for unwed mothers are January 1979. On or about the feast of a member of Call to Action, Catholics for a "draconian" and would lead to more "frus­ Epiphany, my dad found some reason to Free Choice, Planned Parenthood, Rain- tration and despair and broken lives." leave die farmhouse where he lived alone Txiw Girls, or the Hemlock Society, you Covenant House is a shelter for runaway and go out in the worst Oregon snowstorm ments of my life —the photos of our seven face excommunication. There are 12 such and homeless young people, both in New ofthe decade. A few days later a neighbor children on one wall in my home office and groups, but the first three listed above are York and Los Angeles. She said the cuts found my dad's body lying frozen in the photos, symbols, andmemorabilia of Catho­ the main ones believed to be the major would impoverish mothers already in pov­ snow, a few feet from his house, with his lic Women's Network on the other. I type targets of Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz.The erty and increase the number resorting to hand reaching for bis nitroglycerin pills in probably 90 words a minute on my key­ bishop issued a March 19 warning of ex­ abortion. She said it would systematically his pocket board, shooting letters and words onto my communication to Catholic members of 12 cut the elements that make her programs About that same time, thousands of miles dark blue screen, paying no mind to spell­ organizations to "make clear the church's for unwed mothers successful such as job away in southeast Asia, my husband had an ing or punctuation. stance . and the relationship of the training, job Creation, daycare, and long term commitment. She said any cut that unusual experience. He heard my father I push and click my mouse, rearranging church" to groups the bishop deemed "per­ would encourage pregnant women to seek calling his name, "Earl, Earl, help me. and correcting, drawing graphics and box­ ilous to the Catholic faith." abortion is morally unacceptable. Help me." ing photos. A few minutes later I can print Call to Action, one targeted group has It took a week for the Red Cross to notify out complete pages of the next issue of three bishops as members and/or speakers my husband, on duty in Thailand during Network, No fuss, no dirty lead type, and at its annual meetings. Also listed were Sweatshop goods the Vietnam War, that my father had died. only one person is needed for pasteup, five affiliate groups ofthe Masons, a soci­ Seven major American department store It's one of those things we cant explain. layout and proofing. ety once banned by Rome, and two groups chains are being targeted for consumer- I'm not very perceptive or psychic and I My mystification continues when I start linked to the movement of the late Arch­ awareness campaigns bySweatshop Watch, can't recall having any unexplained expe­ to write my column with only the vaguest bishop Marcel Lefebvre (which observe a coalition of labor and immigrant rights riences of this type myself. idea in mind After 600 words, my com­ only the Latin rite). groups in California. The one thing that does mystify me is puter, stuffed with motherboards and Persons who have not dropped their Named are Sears, Nordstrom, Neiman- how I started this publication. Although I graphic boards and memory chips that my membership in these groups by May 15 Marcus, Target, Montgomery Wards, studied journalism in college and have husband sees fit to stuff inside, silently should consider themselves excommuni­ Macy/Bullock, and Robinson/May. All done free lance writing and public rela­ pushes out some fairly decent comments. cated, according to the diocesan paper. protested allegations that they indirectly tions, it never occurred to me to start a Rarely does any article take more than an Catholic scholars say Bishop Bruskewitz buy and sell garments like those found in a publication of my own to edit. I look back hour to compose. is the only bishop in modern times to federal raid last August in Los Angeles and know I initiated it, but it was not the 1 think there must be an angel inside, threaten such blanket excommunication. where 72 illegal Thai immigrants had been result of something I planned in advance.