Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to pass on some sad news, early this morning , long time parishioner and friend of St. John's St. Ann's, Pat Doherty died. She had surgery to reverse a colostomy and initially they thought she came through well. A few days later a complication appeared and she went into cardiac arrest. Anyone who knew Pat knows what a joy she was to be around. She always had a smile and a contagious laugh. Each time I visited her I always left feeling great. She made me happy! She was always helping other people and was an invaluable helper of St. John's St. Ann's Center. SHE WILL BE MISSED. I don't have any details about services for Pat but wanted to pass the news on in case some of you don't read the obits. If you talk to anyone from St. John's St. Ann's, please pass on the news.
Thank you,
Ann Marie
The Catholic Worker
The October-November issue of the The Catholic Worker is available in the church foyer. It gives a good overall view of this movement founded by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day during the Great Depression. Dorothy Day has recently been declared "Servant of God," the first step in the process of canonization in the Catholic Church, something she might have rued in her lifetime. November 29 is the 25th anniversary of her entrance into the fulness of life.
Miscellany from the Parish Priest: Week of Four Saints
This week the Church celebrates the feasts of four male giants in the Church: Ignatius of Antioch, 1st century bishop and martyr; Luke, the physician turned evangelist, patron of doctors and artists; John de Brebeuf, a Jesuit priest, martyred near Albany in the 17th century; and Paul of the Cross, an 18th century preacher and founder of the Passionists. Pray this week for bishops, martyrs, Jesuits and preachers of our times.
'Generations of Faith' Begins
'Generations of Faith', St. John's-St. Ann's new inter-generational religious education effort, got off to a great start on Sunday after the 10 o'clock mass. Some of the participants shared the details of their of their struggles and successes in growing in their Christian faith; others of a younger persuasion began their exploration of baptism by viewing a scene from 'The Lion King'. Those attending learned about the symbols used in Baptism and how many of them are universal symbols that connect us to people of many faiths. Discussion revealed the meaning of many names and the stories behind them. All remembered together the power of light and love in the world and enjoyed a sumptious brunch. If you were there, and have something more you'd like to share with all, you can post it as a comment here. We'd also like to get feedback about how you think things went and how our next 'Generations of Faith' session might be improved. If you want your feedback to be able to be viewed by all, click on the "Comments" link below, otherwise you can contact us privately by sending along an e-mail to education@stjohnsstanns.org. Thanks! (This entry prepared on the basis of the gracious reporting of Chris Lapinski)
Should Baptism Be Delayed?
In his homily on Sunday, our parish priest, John Kirwin, suggested that St. John's-St. Ann's might want to think about delaying baptism. That we could initiate infacts and young people, and make our commitment to helping them experience and grow into what it means to be a discipleship. Then, when they are ready and can fully understand the meaning of the event, candidates could baptised and fully welcomed into the community much later on. Is infant baptism a practice and tradition that we should be thinkg about changing? If you'd like to submit a comment, click on "Comments" below.
Book Discussion: Tomorrow's Catholic
A number of parishioners will be gathering in the parish house for four Sunday evenings at 6:00 pm, beginning on October 30, to discuss Tomorrow's Catholic: Understanding God and Jesus in a New Millenium. Tomorrow's Catholic was written by Michael Morwood, MSC. He has an M.A. in pastoral ministry from Boston College and for the past 15 years has been involved with spirituality and adult faith development programs in Victoria, Australia. These are certain to prove to be lively gatherings, as Morwood's book is thought-provoking to say the least. He describes the book as having five main goals: (1) to help catholics and other Christians develop a sense of awesome wonder about the God in whom they believe; (2) to help them better appreciate the place of Jesus in human affairs; (3) to help them realize that the same spirit of God that moved Jesus moves in all of us; (4) to take that last statement really seriously, and to consider how it challenges us to be the presence of God in the world today; and (5) to explore the type of church leadership and authority we look for in a new millenium. Copies of the book may still be available for purchase in the church foyer, otherwise check out the "Books of Note" link at the right (Amazon.com has it for $10.36, plus shipping) and plan to wade in on the evening of the 30th.
The Right PEW: Prayer, Education, and Worship Committee Report
Amy Salamone, chair of the Prayer, Education, and Worship (PEW) Committee reports on the committee's October 4 meeting. Their group discussed St. John-St. Ann's response to the needs of the South End community, giving extended consideration to the question: How are we actively fighting poverty in our own community? As a part of that discussion the committee identified the Job Corps and other grass projects as possible resources to pursue and deputed Steve Downs and Gus Ladieux to investigate those avenues and report back next month.
On the education side, 43 students have signed up for religious instruction and 59 folks have signed up to participate in Generations of Faith.
Tracy Killar of New Day Art is organizing a community day for October 30 and is looking for volunteers to help. Ann Marie Carswell is looking for more opportunities for kids to be involved in community service, so kids from the parish will be helping out at community day on the 30th. In addition, plans are in the works for children from Albany's Unitarian church community to spend some time with children from our parish to talk abut their faith and share stories and experiences.
Finally, in regard to our adult education and worship ministries, there will be training sessions for new and current lectors before mass at 9:00 am on November 13. Also, the book Tomorrw's Catholic will be offered to all parishioner's for discussion. See the related post.
If you have ideas or resources related to any of these topics, you can share them by clicking on "Comments" below.
ChoirCast
The St. John's-St. Ann's Choir is always looking for new members, as long as you can carry a tune. Our next rehearsal is next Sunday, October 16, at 9:15 am in the church. And now you can listen to the Choir online, under the direction of Jennifer Hayman, as an MP3 download or right click on the link and save the file to listen to it on your iPod or MP3 player. Here's Sunday's recording of "Deep River," a traditional African-American Spritual, with a solo by Jennifer.
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