November
9 , 2008 • Feast of the Dedication of The Lateran Basilica
Food
and Blood
My
mother's health
Thank you for all your prayers and concern for my mother who suffered
a heart attack three weeks ago. She came home last Monday where she
is slowly recuperating.
St
John Who?
This Sunday the church celebrates the Feast of St. John Lateran. Don’t
feel bad if you never heard of this saint because there is no saint
by this name.
During my recent retreat to Italy, I visited the Basilica of Saint John
Lateran and put together a little web page explaining how this church
got its name.
Just click
here
and enjoy -- it’s fun for the whole family.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past
Columns:
November 2: Did you Know?
October 26: Visiting the
Pope
October 19: Rome-ing Around
October: 12: Lost in Translation
October 5: Violence and Life
Sept 28: Flip Flopping
Sept 21: Congratulations
Socorro!
Sept 14: Lift High the Cross
Sept 7: Happy 90th Birthday
August 31: From "saint"
to "Satan"
August 24: So you're not
the Pope
August 17: When God says
"no"
August 10: The Tiny Whispering
Sound
August 3: A Proud and Tender
Moment
July 27: What
would you ask for?
July 20: Waiting
for the Wheat
July
13: What we Wear
uly
6: We Welcome Westbrook
June
29: Sommer in the Summer
June 22: Welcome
Father Jaime
June 15: Father
Gonzalo Lopez
June 8: What happened
on Sunday
June 1: Where
do you belong?
May
25: We are the Body of Christ
May 18: Trinity,
It's About Unity
May 11: We are
One in the Spirit
May 4: Who's in
Your Top Twelve?
April 27: Now
that he's gone...
April 20: Yay
Deacons!
April 13: Here
comes the Pope
April 6: Fresh Oil
March 30: What are you doing
for Easter?
March 23: Can Easter come
too early?
March 16: Which crowd is
yours?
March 9: We believe, yet...
March 2: Oil or Mud
February
24: What are you thirsting for?
February 17: Who are You
Wearing?
February 10: Just Say No
February
3: The January
20: Being Safer
January 13: Conversations
in 2008
January 6: Matthew's Magi
December 30:
What's Next?
Columns from
2007
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns
from 2003
Columns from 2002
Last weekend
it was a thrill to stand at the church to see car after car roll up as
bags of food were delivered for our Thanksgiving drive. The weather was
warm and bright. People of all generations came out to help sort the food.
I want to thank Dan Fisher and his group of dedicated volunteers who drove
through the neighborhoods -- first distributing the food bags, and then
coming back days later to collect them. Over 6,000 bags were distributed.
But after it was all over, we noticed something
different about this year’s food drive as compared with the drives
of past years. There was much less food collected.
We didn’t go out and do a
survey as to why donations had changed, but the prevailing theory is that
because of the the downturn in the economy, people are having a harder
time paying their own bills and they are cutting back their spending --
and their giving -- until times get better again for them.
We are indeed seeing an upturn
in the number of families that are coming to Parish Outreach for assistance.
I’m certainly getting many prayer requests from people who have
lost their jobs and who are looking for work.
We continue to pray and work hard
to provide assistance where we can. And if you’re able to help out
with a food donation in the weeks or months ahead, please bring your donation
to the church. (We have food collection baskets at the doors of the church
and school.) When you bring your children to the family mass (10am Sundays),
bring some food to donate and they can bring it forth at the offertory
of the mass.
Whether or not one can afford to
give food, there is one thing most people can give -- and that is a pint
of blood. My mother received blood during her recent hospital stay and
I was grateful that it was available. Our blood drive is this Monday from
4-9pm in Code Auditorium in the school. Even if you didn’t sign
up, please stop by. In total it will take about an hour of your time and
you will save lives. It’s safe, painless, and a great way to share
what God has blessed us with.
