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Father Barry's June 2010 Pastor Pages
Stained Glass Window Repair/Restoration: The stained glass windows on the south side of the Church, including the large rose window will be
repaired, trim replaced and painted, resealed, and a new protective glass placed over them. After receiving three bids, David Sprague was awarded
the contract for this project. He will be erecting scaffolding across the front of the church to do the work which means the front doors of the
church will be temporarily closed. This work will begin in July. Thanks to the generous donations of parishioners we have raised the necessary funds
to begin this project. The cost for the project is $21,308.
New Church Organ: After a year of doing research on various organs and pianos, and exploring all the various options, a consensus has been
reached to acquire a new electronic piano/organ. This unit is capable of producing both sounds although it has the appearance of a baby grand piano.
This one unit will replace our existing organ and electric piano. Our present organ is too old for further repairs and is on its last leg, so to
speak. A majority of the money for this new organ/piano was donated by they children of Marie Dorman, who donated it in her memory because of her love
for music. Marie was a long-time parishioner who died in December 2008. Appreciation also goes to many other parishioners who contributed to this
project over the past months. Thanks to your donations we were able to improve the appearance of the choir area as well. New chairs which match our
existing sanctuary chairs are also being purchased for the choir area.
Dome of Sanctuary: On various occasions parishioners have inquired into adding some additional color and artwork to the sanctuary dome in the
church. This is the area above and around the large crucifix. The parish Finance Council has contacted a local firm in the diocese that specializes
in church art, design, and painting to see what some possible options might be and the cost. Once we get some drawings, we will make them available
for you to view. Please let your parish representatives know if there is interest in this possible project.
Every year our Bishop allows various missionaries to make an appeal in the parishes across the Diocese of Salina. The formal name of this is the
"Annual Mission Cooperative Appeal". This annual appeal is made on behalf of a Catholic religious congregation/religious order or some Catholic
diocese devoted to assisting the poorest of the world and promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission appeal serves as a two-fold reminder.
First, the Mission appeal reminds us of our responsibility to assist our brothers and sisters in the world who are suffering from oppressive poverty.
The Church exists to serve Christ by serving others, particularly the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Second, this appeal reminds us of how we are a
"catholic" church. The English word "catholic" comes from the Greek word katholikos which means "universal." We are a universal, world-wide church
that trascends national, racial and ethnic boundaries. By having a missionary speak in the parish it helps remind us of how we are members in the one Body
of Christ despite the diversity of our language, race, nationality, age, gender, and culture.
Next Sunday at all the Masses Fr. Thomas Chandy, a Carmelite missionary representing the mission diocese of Jagdalpur, India will speak at all
Masses on June 26-27. The collection from the mission appeal is to help educate and take care of the mentally and physically challenged poor, tribal
children of the interior villages of the diocese of Jagdalpur, India. The Diocese of Jagdalpur was established in 1972 to spread the Good News of Jesus
among the tribal people of Bastar district. It is a very backward area with a great deal of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, and malnutrition. Our
missionaries are engaged in direct evangelization and many socio-economic development programs. Percentage of tribal literacy in 1972 was 16%. Now, through
the efforts of the Church it has grown to 45% literacy. Your generous contribution will be used to educate and to take care of the mentally and physically
challenged children.
Special envelopes will be available in the pew at the Masses next Sunday for the purpose of supporting this annual appeal. These envelopes may also be
taken home and returned via the collection basket over the next few weeks. Our parish has always been very generous in supporting whatever missionary
has come to visit. I thank you in advance for your support of the missionary efforts of the Church.
Jesus didn't lack for critics who tried to discredit him. The Catholic Church likewise has not lacked for critics. In the first half of the last
century, anti-Catholic propaganda in our country spread the lie that the Church in America was waiting for a Catholic to be elected president
in order to rise up and hand the government over to the pope. Then, in 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic President. No Catholic
militias were formed, no secret underground arsenals were opened, and no military or political orders came from the Pope. The accusations
proved to be a lie.
Today anti-Catholic rhetoric has changed. Allegations today are more likely to say that we Catholics are seriously wrong rather than politically
dangerous. Critics of the Church include a broad range of people - from people who have actual contempt for us to people who are sincerely
concerned about our eternal salvation because we're 'not a Bible Church,' or 'haven't accepted Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior' in the
exact manner they have.
When our Catholic faith is questioned or challenged, we need to have a grasp of something called Catholic apologetics. The word has nothing
to do with apologizing for a mistake. It comes from a Greek verb meaning "to speak in defense." Apologetics fell out of favor in the 1970's when the
Church tried to emphasize what we have in common with other Christian faiths. We shed our attitude of triumphalism. We recognize the truth resides in
varying degrees in other denominations or faith traditions. Unfortunately, in discarding apologetics we tended to discard any defense of the Catholic
faith. The purpose of apologetics is not to defeat another's faith in order to defend our own. (Someone who feels conquered is unlikely to join the
conquerors!) In the new Catholic apologetics, we can respect other faiths while defending and explaining our own.
Everyone has heard that the national divorce rate in the U.S. is close to 50 percent of all marriages. Although this is true, for many people
the actual chances of divorce are far below 50%. The background of those entering into marriage have major implications for their risk of
divorce. Below are some percentage point decreases in the risk of divorce or separation during the first 10 years of marriage, according to various
personal and social factors:
Factors Decrease in Risk of Divorce
Annual income over $50,000 -30%
(vs. under $25,000)
Having a baby after marriage -24%
(vs. before marriage)
Marrying over 25 years of age -24%
(vs. under 18)
Own family of origin intact -14%
(vs. divorced parents)
Sharing the same religion or faith -14%
(vs. no religious faith)
Some college (vs. h.s. dropout) -13%
In brief, if a person has some education beyond high school, a decent income, have non-divorced parents, are religious, marry after the age of 25, and
do not have children before marriage, the chances of divorce are very low. (Source: The State of Our Unions 2007: The Social Health of Marriage in
America)
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Pastor Pages Archives
Chances of Divorce Lower Than You Think 6/6/10
Catholic Apologetics 6/13/10
Missionary Priest to Visit 6/20/10
Update on Parish Projects 6/27/10
January 2010 Pastor Pages
February 2010 Pastor Pages
March 2010 Pastor Pages
April 2010 Pastor Pages
May 2010 Pastor Pages
July 2010 Pastor Pages
August 2010 Pastor Pages
September 2010 Pastor Pages
October 2010 Pastor Pages
Current Pastor Pages
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