July 29, 2001
On A Mission
Technology
Ministry
If you’d like togive your time and expertise at helping our parish
connect its telephone systems or develop its computer networking or
work on its website, you can let us know by filling in our
online
form
Mission
Support
Thank you to all who supported the appeal for our Diocesan Mission Parish
last weekend. We collected over $5,100
Quote
of the Week
“Sometimes silence is your friend.”
Today’s
Bible Quote
“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and
it shall be opened to you.”
Luke 11
Missing
in Action
Father Ralph:
“When I got back from El Salvador I found that this coming week
there are so many priests staying in our rectory that they need my room.
So I’ll take a week’s vacation. I’ll be back next weekend."
El
Salvador
We returned from the Mission Trip to El Salvador. See
the trip online
Want
to e-mail Father Ralph?
Past Columns:
July 22: Piecing Together
July 15th: Unpacking St Brigids
July 8th: Happy to Be Here
July 1st : First Words
St. Brigid’s is involved
in mission work these summer weeks. Last Sunday we heard talks about the
Diocesan Mission parish in the Dominican Republic and parishioners generously
responded to the call to reach out to our brothers in sisters in the parish
in El Cercado.
Next weekend our Diocese will be involved
in The American Missions Appeal -- this collection goes far to support
missions throughout the Americas -- Appalachia, El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as well as African
American and Native American communities throughout the United States.
A group of 23 parishioners just finished
a Mission Awareness Retreat in El Salvador and I was privileged to be
part of this group of travelers for a most remarkable journey.
The people of El Salvador have suffered unimaginable horrors for the past
decade -- a brutal civil war, one of the most severe hurricanes in recent
memory, and two earthquakes earlier this year. The average Salvadoran
has been affected by these events but the ones most affected are children
and the elderly. Children were left without family when their parents
were killed in the war or in the natural disasters. Some children were
abandoned by their parents because they could not afford to raise them.
Many elderly were also abandoned in the streets.
A number of agencies were established to
reach out in love and mercy to those who were abandoned. We spent the
week with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) who took
us to children’s homes and a home for the elderly. We were able to
see first hand the poverty and injustice that people struggle with and
we marveled at the great love that we experienced in the homes we visited.
I was very moved by the great love that the
young people from our parish showed throughout our journey. There were
many generous moments -- including a spontaneous decision to purchase
and install new basketball backboards and rims at a home for children
whose backboards had rusted away.
One lesson we learned was to appreciate the opportunities for mission
here at home and to appreciate all we have. We are truly blessed with
many riches -- especially the love in our families and in our parish community.
For the Record..
See Father's Ralph's first spoken greeting to the community at St. Brigid..
Italian Mass
(translation provided)
(translation provided)
Haitian Mass
(translation provided)