Pastoral Planning Update ~ by Phyllis Booth and Mary Ann Allen

The Central Vicariate met last Saturday at St. Michael's Parish Hall. The meeting opened with prayer by Monsignor Barrett. Beth Neu presented a Power Point presentation on the progress made during the last 10 months by parishes in the Central Vicariate which includes Richmond, Petersburg and other towns in Central Virginia.

St. Elizabeth's was well represented among the parishes whose parishioners attended this meeting. Your representatives this day were Ethel Cooley, Rita Hatchett, Phyllis Booth, Barbara Vaughan, Frances Pope, Barbara White and Mary Ann Allen, as well as our priest.

LPA (Local Planning Area) 11, to which our cluster of parishes belongs, has what may become a model for some parishes. This cluster includes St. John in Highland Springs, St. Patrick and Holy Rosary. They are currently sharing a business manager, an MRE and a Secretary. Sacramental Preparation is done at Holy Rosary.

Fr. Wayne Ball explained this canon law process of sharing as a "Juridic Person." The juridical person must develop a relationship or build a relationship. This relationship cannot be forced. It takes time and there needs to be a natural affinity or something in common among the parishes. Occasionally a "marriage" or "merger" occurs; but there must be respect for the individual personality of each parish so that they do not lose their individual identity.

Paulita Matheny, the business manager of this cluster, spoke about the structure and benefits of this relationship among the parishes. A group of parishes working together can more easily attract and share qualified professional persons through their contract negotiations. A group of parishes can also leverage their buying power so they can buy in bulk at a cheaper rate. The challenges in this relationship among parishes include schedule conflicts, competing priorities between parishes and the relationship between larger and smaller parishes.

Bill Murphy, Diocesan Auditor related four stages most parishes go through in working together as a group:

1. Shock or "Why is this happening?"
2. Survival or "Are we going to close?"
3. Sharing or "What are our common interests?"
4. Sustaining or "We can work together."

Ed Hanzlik, former Diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee member said Communication was a vital key. Some pastors meet monthly; staff meet every other month and contact information is sent by email. Agenda items are shared, as well as liturgical information, reconciliation, confirmation events and youth ministry.

Recommendations that came from the small group discussions are as follows:

* Coordinating Committee of the DPPC needs to continue the vision
* Review what is being done; especially regarding sharing of resources
* Encourage quarterly meeting of Councils, Priests, Staff and Laity. Finance councils meet with Diocesan Finance Council.

* Make available consultation services from the Diocese where parishes are not clustering
* Clustering by two priests serving several parishes rather than one
* Need for welcoming activities between clustering parishes
* PARISHES MUST ACCEPT DIVERSITY/HERITAGE OF OTHER CATHOLICS!

Happy Thanksgiving!

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer.

And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.

by Samuel Pugh


~ Jacqueline Hall sent this beautiful reflection by Samuel Pugh ~

His Kingship Shall Not Be Destroyed ~ by Ronnie Archer

Feast of Christ The King - Last Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the Daniel reading of today, we hear "one like a son of man is coming on the clouds of heaven." He received dominion, glory and kingship and "nations and peoples of every language serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion."

Our second reading from Revelation says, "Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth, the Alpha and the Omega." Both readings offer hope that Jesus will come to save us all.

John's gospel, like the first two readings, emphasizes the Kingship of God.

The mission of Jesus Christ is to restore us to the Kingdom. We are not only called to be followers, but by our baptism, we are called to be leaders as well. We are also called to be children of God, salt of the earth, to be priest, prophet and king.

In order to live as Christ desires us to live, to further His kingdom, we need to surrender ourselves to the King. We are called to establish the Kingdom first, in our hearts and to be Christ for this generation. By our living example, we show if we are true followers of Jesus Christ.

The Kingdom of Jesus is so much more than we can imagine; so much more than any "kingdom" of this world. Some early earthly rulers had those killed who imposed any type of threat to their kingdom; but our King Jesus died for us and still suffers by our hands when we "torture" Him by the sins that we commit today.

"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

Give your life to Jesus, your King and Lord. One Bread, One Body - Presentation Ministries

Concert at Belmead on the James

Concert at Belmead on the James
A benefit for St. Francis/St. Emma

December 5, 2009
1:30 p.m.

* Original Composition for the Piano
Salvatore Lupica

* Holiday Music
The Brass Ensemble
Gospel Choir

* Inspired Poetry Readings
Sr. Angela Lydon
Patsy Bickerstaff

* Light Refreshments


$25 suggested donation at the door
Checks payable to "FrancisEmma, Inc."

For reserved seating, email, call or mail by Dec. 3rd:

maureentc@aol.com
804 598-9316
5004 Carterville Rd.
Powhatan, VA 23139

You Are My Inheritance, O Lord!

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time




In these last few Sundays of the Church Year, the readings have been describing the end of time. The prophet Daniel speaks of a time of unsurpassing distress; while Mark's Gospel has Jesus reminding us of Isaiah's prophecy of the tribulation when:

"the stars will be falling down from the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken." Jesus then tells the disciples that "they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory... to gather the elect..."

Despite the frightening scenes these visions and prophecies bring to our minds, we almost miss a major point of these readings: the message of Hope which the call to life eternal is.

Jesus tells us in Mark's Gospel, that no one knows the day or the hour when the end will come. Only God the Father knows. Jesus is referring, not only to the end of time; but also to our own deaths; for to inherit eternal life, we must first die.

As we live our lives with the knowledge that someday we must give an accounting to God, we strive to be happy here on this earth. Though we often find a glimmer of happiness by acquiring material possessions, we recognize that the more we think only of ourselves, the more sin grows in our lives.

Instead of simply concentrating on the acquisition of material possessions, we must give our lives for the sake of others. We also must bear witness to God by our peace, our joy and our acceptance of all we receive from Him in this life. We must try to put away our fears and have the courage to face life with boldness.

As the Psalmist tells us today:

"Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
You will show me the path to life..." Ps 16

Trusting in God - We Can't Beat God's Giving!" ~ by Ronnie Archer

Today's readings emphasize trust and faith in God for our needs. When Elijah, the prophet, entered the city of Zarephath, he encountered a widow gathering sticks. He called to her, asking for water and then for a bit of bread. The widow told him that she only had enough for herself and her son to eat; and after eating, they would die. Elijah told her not to be afraid and he instructed her to prepare something for him first, then for herself and her son. He prophesied that God would "not allow her jar of flour to go empty, nor her jug of oil to run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth."

The Hebrews reading tells us that Jesus Christ did not come just to take away our sins, but also to bring us salvation. Jesus was totally committed to taking away the sins of many, by the single sacrificing; not by another's, but by HIS OWN precious blood.

In the Gospel of Mark, we hear the story of the second widow. After Jesus finished teaching, He sat down and observed how the crowd contributed towards the treasury. Many rich people put in large amounts. A poor widow came along and put in two small coins, which was her entire livelihood. Jesus told His disciples how the crowd had contributed from their excess. BUT that the widow had "put in more than all of them, because they contributed from their wealth, but she gave all that she had."

The first widow was given a promise, but she also showed faith and trust by following Elijah's instructions. Her kindness resulted in God providing bountifully for her and her son. They were able to eat for a year, and her jug did not run dry, nor did her flour jar go empty.

There was no promise made to the second widow, but she showed total commitment and trust in God that He would provide for her.

We should follow the example of both of the widows. We need to be detached from material possessions and totally trust in God... being generous... generous in sharing the love that God has for us... generous with forgiveness, generous with compassion and generous proclaiming the Gospel to others.

"When Christ comes the second time, He will bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him." (Heb 9:28)

Our hearts belong to God. Give back to Him and serve God with all your heart!

November Birthdays at St. E's ~ Ethel Cooley

Happy Birthday, Everybody!






11/01/09 ~ Howard Braxton & Courtney Jones

11/02/09 ~ Althea Williams

11/03/09 ~ Mary Tucker

11/04/09 ~ Karen Carter

11/08/09 ~ Thomas Williams

11/11/09 ~ Keeya Majors & Kaestner McDonnough

11/21/09 ~ Ronald Timmons, jr & Stacy Wright

11/22/09 ~ Phillip Alexis

11/25/09 ~ Christina Davis


~ The really happy man is one who can enjoy the scenery of a detour ~
Anonymous

The Souls of the Just...

"The souls of the just are in the hand of God; and no torment shall touch them."
Wisdom 3:1

Yesterday was All Souls' Day. Frances Pope and I decided to go on a little pilgrimage down to The Church of the Visitation in Middlesex County to visit the grave of our friend, Fr. John Boddie who died in May of this year. Neither one of us had been able to attend his funeral so we had not been able to properly mourn for him.

Several months ago, at a Diocesan Haiti meeting, I met a woman who attends John's church and was one of his closest friends, Eileen O'Brien. She and I spoke a long time about John, about his life, death and funeral. I discovered how much his parishioners loved him and how much he loved them in return.

Eileen emailed me about the cemetery Mass that Fr. John celebrated every year on All Souls' Day; and said that the new pastor, Fr. Robert, would continue the tradition. I was invited to attend.

Frances and I arrived in enough time to look around the church and meet some other parishioners before driving down the little road leading to the cemetery. The Mass is celebrated in the Visitation parish cemetery at the base of a large cross. After the Mass, Fr. Robert walked around to all the graves and blessed them. When we returned to the church, all enjoyed a lunch of soup and sandwiches.

Fr. John's grave is located in a special section called The Garden of Peace. He is the only one buried there. At the present time, his grave is marked only with a temporary marker. When his gravestone is ready, it will be a large black granite stone with his photograph and dates on it. Eileen show us a picture of the gravestone and it will be beautiful.

Eileen took good care of us while we were there. She gave us a tour of the church and showed us the quilt you see below, as well as a book that was published containing parishioners' favorite memories of Fr. John's ministry with them.

Fr. John was famous for wearing all sorts of t-shirts with Christian and other inscriptions on them. After his death, the women of the parish took those t-shirts and made a wonderful quilt out of them. The quilt hangs in one of the parish offices.

I am very glad Frances and I decided to attend this special Mass. It was heartwarming to see how much his parishioners loved Fr. John and how they are keeping his memory alive. They are fortunate to have received a sympathetic priest, Fr. Robert, as their new pastor. He and the rest of the parishioners we met were delighted that we had taken the time to attend their Mass; and we were grateful to them for the hospitality they showed us.



The Garden of Peace. John is buried there to the right in the photo below. You can see his temporary marker. The granite Garden of Peace Marker is at the bottom entrance of the grave site. There are granite benches in the garden for people to sit and meditate.

THE GARDEN OF PEACE

Called to Stand Firm ~ by Betty Alexis

Feast of All Saints

We are offered hope in the first reading of Revelations today. This hope is based on the faith we have in the Lord Jesus. We are reminded also that we can all share the Glory of God, as we are all called to be saints. The true meaning of "saint" was learned, i.e. a saint is anyone who endures to the end. The lesson of the first reading was rather powerful even to us today. We were clearly reminded that even when we are persecuted and suffer, we are the ones who will be called saints, if we endure and stand firm in the Lord.

In the second reading we are encouraged to keep our hope alive in God. We are given the assurance that we are God's children now. We know who we are right now. Even though we may not know what tomorrow has for us, we are assured that when God's plan for us is revealed it will be grand. Our job right now is to live according to the plan God has set out for us. The gospel reading gives us much hope and reassures us that glory comes from suffering. Unfortunately, most times when we are in trouble and are suffering, we fail to see the goodness of God. But today's readings and the gospel comes as a testament to us - if we stand firm (even in our suffering) we will see the goodness of God.

As a people, we need to look forward to our heavenly home with God. We must strive to become God's saints through our suffering here on earth. We must endure our daily hardships so that we would one day stand firm with God and proudly shout that we are washed in the Blood of the Lamb. The gospel reading promises a great reward in heaven for those of us who stand firm in God.

My fellow Christians, let us set our minds on God with the knowledge that we are all God's children, even to the very end!