August 12, 2001
How Do They Do That?
El
Salvador Trip
If you’d like to see the parish’s missionn trip to
El Salvador online, you can see photos and a travelogue by
clicking here.
O
du lieber Augustine
Our beloved
Father Augustine had originally planned to return to India this September.
However there is cause for rejoicing now: he is extending his stay with
us til at least the end of the year!
Coming & Going
For nearly a quarter of a century Marie Firenze has been the business
manager of St. Brigid’s and helped to manage a financial turn-around
of epic proportions. A few months ago she made it known that she wished
to retire to spend more time with her family. Recently Tony Owens has
joined our parish staff to begin to learn the job from Marie. We’ll
tell you more about him in next week’s bulletin.
Today’s
Bible Quote
“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.”
Luke 12:48
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
Want
to e-mail Father Ralph?
Past Columns:
August 5: Diocesan
Doings
July
29: On A Mission
July 22: Piecing Together
July 15th: Unpacking St Brigids
July 8th: Happy to Be Here
July 1st : First Words
I had a soul-growing experience during the
parish youth group’s trip to El Salvador. At first I noticed merely
the resolve of the Salvadoran people to rebuild their neighborhoods and
lives after two devastating earthquakes. I was impressed by their willingness
to do hard, hot work day after day to earn a meager income to support
their families. I was touched by the love of religious communities which
took in abandoned children and elderly. But it took about two weeks for
the most powerful lesson to really sink in.
Before I tell you of this lesson, I should
explain that there was a 12-year long civil war in El Salvador -- a country
the size of Massachusetts. Over 75,000 people were killed -- mostly women
and children. And while I am generally proud to be a United States citizen,
there were times during our visit that I was ashamed at our government’s
part in the brutal treatment, torture and assassinations of thousands
of people --including, it was revealed at the truth commission after the
war, the murder of Archbishop Romero, four American churchwomen, six Jesuit
priests. Those responsible for these killings were trained in the “School
of the Americas” in the United States. We also spent 6 billion dollars
to send arms to the country -- these were used for the wholesale murder
of many of the civilians of that land.
The people we met told the stories of the war -- how school children would
see how many dead bodies they could count on their way to school each
day...how people would be taken off of public buses and were “disappeared”...how
children were taken from families to be put in the army...how the U.S.
government supported the killings. I kept thinking -- if someone slashed
MY parents to death or stole my nephews, how could I ever forgive them?
And yet it is now nine years after the war
ended and the people of El Salvador greeted us, a group of United States
citizens, with total acceptance and even love. Though they told us the
war stories, there seemed to be no hatred toward U.S. citizens or even
their own countrymen who participated in the brutal murders. How could
that be? We sometimes have a hard time forgiving even the smallest hurts.
The people I met in El Salvador touched right
into my soul with their attitude of forgiveness. May Jesus the Savior
("El Salvador” means “the Savior”) give each of this
same gift of deep forgiveness in our neighborhoods and families.
Come Visit Our Online Tour of our Youth Group's Trip To El Salvador!
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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)