September 2013 Spiritual Newsletter
New Ulm Diocese Council of Catholic Women
CCW Fall Gathering!!
Christ’s Chosen Women!
ALL are welcome and encouraged to attend! Do you sometimes wonder
what role CCW plays in today’s church? How can you actively make a
difference as a woman involved in CCW? Joan McGrath, Past National CCW
President and Msgr. Lozinski, NUDCCW Spiritual Advisor will be our
presenters. Come to enjoy an evening with other Catholic women.
Locations are: Monday, September 9 – St. Edwards, Minneota; Monday,
September 16 – St. Aloysius, Olivia; Thursday, September 19 – St. Mary’s,
New Ulm. Registration is at 5:30, Mass at 6:00, Meal at 7:00 with the
presentation to follow. Cost is $10 per person. Please contact your local
president if you are coming so we can plan accordingly.
Added Bonus: Immaculee Ilibagiza and Province
Conference mail in ticket forms will be available at the
Fall Gatherings! These tickets will sell out! Purchase
yours as soon as you can. The dates are Friday June
21 and Saturday June 22. The cost to attend
Immaculee’s talk Friday night is $30 and the cost to
attend the Province conference is $30, but if you buy
them both at the same time they are only $50! What
a great way to support your CCW and be spiritually inspired at the same
time. You won’t want to miss this event. I’m bringing my whole family,
husband, children and all. Don’t miss this opportunity!
September 8: Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church has celebrated Mary's birth since at
least the sixth century. A September birth was
chosen because the Eastern Church begins its
Church year with September. The September 8
date helped determine the date for the feast of
the Immaculate Conception on December 8
(nine months earlier).
Scripture does not give an account of Mary's
birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium
of James fills in the gap. This work has no
historical value, but it does reflect the
development of Christian piety. According to
this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but
pray for a child. They receive the promise of a
child that will advance God's plan of salvation for the world. Such a story
(like many biblical counterparts) stresses the special presence of God in
Mary's life from the beginning.
St. Augustine (August 28) connects Mary's birth with Jesus' saving work. He
tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. "She is the
flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley.
Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed."
The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary's Son as the dawn of
our salvation and asks for an increase of peace.
Comment:
We can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love
of two human beings has joined with God in his creative work. The loving
parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the
potential to be a channel of God's love and peace to the world.
This is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect
expression of God's love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus
has brought the fullness of salvation, Mary is its dawning.
Birthday celebrations bring happiness to the celebrant as well as to family
and friends. Next to the birth of Jesus, Mary's birth offers the greatest
possible happiness to the world. Each time we celebrate her birth we can
confidently hope for an increase of peace in our hearts and in the world at
large.
Quote: "Today the barren Anna claps her hands for joy, the earth radiates
with light, kings sing their happiness, priests enjoy every blessing, the entire
universe rejoices, for she who is queen and the Father's immaculate bride
buds forth from the stem of Jesse" (adapted from Byzantine Daily Worship).
- From www.americancatholic.org
The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to
whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of
an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His
Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
The Angelus has been traditionally said three times daily, at 6 am, noon and
6 pm; however, you can pray it at anytime!
Daily Prayer: How do we live for God each day of our lives? It is only by
keeping Him close daily. There are many ways to do this, but the important
part is to keep God as the focus daily. I recently had a friend tell me prayer
has been the turning point in her life. She surrounds herself with reminders
and items that will help her pray, such as CD’s in her car, Christian music
and prayer reminders. Daily mass is another excellent way for daily prayer.
What are you doing to pray daily and bring God close to your heart and
include Him in all you do?
What is the Church's stance on capitalism or the free-market
economy?
Any form of capitalism that is not embedded in an established system of law
runs the risk of detaching itself from the common good and becoming a
mere means for individuals to make profits. The Church rejects that
decisively. On the other hand, she supports a free-market system which is at
the service of man, prevents monopolies, and ensures that all are supplied
with employment and vitally necessary goods.
Catholic social teaching evaluates all societal arrangements according to
whether they serve the common good (common good), which means: to the
extent that they enable "men, families, and associations more adequately
and readily [to] attain their own perfection" (Second Vatican Council, GS).
This is also true of commerce, which in the first place should be at the
service of man. (YOUCAT question 442)
Hospitality Meal Ministry: The Hospitality Meal Ministry was introduced at
the June Resource and Guidance Training at St. Catherine’s in Redwood
Falls. If you were unable to attend a brochure explaining the program is
available on the CCW website at www.nudccw.org . The goal of the
Hospitality Meal Ministry is to connect with the people of our parish in times
of joy and times of sorrow to provide support, spiritual encouragement and a
meal. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world we live in and we are
all called to go out into the world and share Jesus with others. Please
contact your local CCW president and ask how you can help with this
ministry. Many hands make light work and if we all do a little we will have a
big impact. Please contact Kris Anderson at (507) 249-2855 or
dandk@mvtvwireless.com for any questions you may have regarding this
ministry. In addition, share with Kris what your parish is doing, so we can
share our ideas with other parishes in the Diocese.
Kibeho Dormitory Project: Immaculee Ilibagiza will be speaking the night
before our Province Conference at St. Mary’s Church in New Ulm on Friday,
June 20, 2014. Immaculee is from Rwanda. She survived the Rwandan
genocide in 1994. They have built a school in Kibeho, Rwanda for the 700
children in their community. Now they are working on a dormitory which
will consists of 10 simple rooms, (one bed with one desk and a common
bathroom) where the teachers will live. The diocesan board has decided to
make this our pet service project. We are asking each parish council to
participate in this fundraising effort.
The cost of this project for the dormitory is estimated to be about $30,000 –
$40,000. There are 76 parishes in our New Ulm Diocese. We should be able
to donate at least $30,000!!! The following are some suggested fundraising
ideas: bake sales; brunch/lunch/supper with a suggested cost or free will
offering; coffee and rolls/donuts after Mass with free will offering. Please
contact Barb Mathiowetz at (320) 523-5011.
Pope Francis Prayer Intentions for September
2013
Value of Silence. That people today, often
overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value
of silence and listen to the voice of God and their
brothers and sisters.
Persecuted Christians. That Christians suffering
persecution in many parts of the world may by
their witness be prophets of Christ's love.
Peace is a good which overcomes every barrier,
because it belongs to all of humanity#prayforpeace
Tweet by Pope Francis on September 6, 2013
There is no such thing as low-cost Christianity.
Following Jesus means swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and
selfishness. Tweet by Pope Francis on September 5, 2013
Editor Ramblings: This last month I had the opportunity to spend 3 days
in New York City as a tourist. New York City is on Manhattan island which is
25 miles long by 3 ½ miles wide. For me it was like downtown Minneapolis
only it went on for 25 miles. While I was there I toured the site of the Twin
Towers and the new Freedom Tower. I purchased a tour of the Memorial
site given by the Tribute Center and led by people who were there when the
Twin Towers were hit. My tour guide was on the 82nd floor when the first
plane hit the 93rd floor. He was in the subway area between the two towers
when the first tower fell and survived. It was an amazing story.
The Memorial site for me was a very visual symbol of what hatred can do
and how desperately the world needs Jesus. We may think we do not have
a large impact on our world, but that is simply not true. We each send out a
ripple into the world by the daily choices we make. Do we make a daily
choice to love the people around us? That means making choices for their
best interest, not ours. Can someone looking at us tell we are Christians, or
do we look like everyone else? Choose to make your life a statement of
what you believe. Be bold!
Coming Events:
Mon, Sept 9: Fall Gathering – St. Edward’s Minneota
Mon, Sept 16: Fall Gathering – St. Aloysius, Olivia
Thurs, Sept 19: Fall Gathering – St. Mary’s, New Ulm
Sun, Oct 6: Respect Live Sunday
Sun, Oct 13: CCW Recognition Sunday
Thurs, Mar 6, 2014: Region 3 Spring Gathering, St. Michaels, Milroy
Sat, Mar 8, 2014: Region 6 Spring Gathering, St. Anastasia, Hutchinson
Thurs, Mar 13, 2014: Region 2 Spring Gathering, Our Lady of Victory, Lucan
Tues, Mar 18, 2014: Region 5 Spring Gathering, Holy Redeemer, Renville
Thurs, Mar 20, 2014: Region 1 Spring Gathering, St. Gregory, Lafayette
Thurs, Apr 3, 2014: Region 4 Spring Gathering, St. Michaels, Madison
Sat, April 26, 2014: NUDCCW Annual Convention, Cathedral, New Ulm
Fri, Jun 20, 2014: Immaculee Ilibagiza, St. Mary’s, New Ulm
Sat, Jun 21, 2014: Province Conference of St. Paul/Mpls, St. Mary’s, New Ulm
Holy Days of Obligation:
All Saints Day
November 1, 2013
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception December 9, 2013
Christmas
December 25, 2013
Solemnity of Mary
January 1, 2014
Ascension of our Lord
June 1, 2014
Assumption of Mary
August 15, 2014
New Ulm Diocese CCW – Check out our website at www.nudccw.org. Under
newsletters you will find copies of past newsletters for your review.
Shepherd of the field information is also on the website and much more.
Check it out!
From the editor: Women of the Diocese of New Ulm, what are your
spiritual needs? What questions do you want answered? Do you have any
spiritual ideas that will be an encouragement to other women of the
diocese? Would you like to help in putting this together? Please email Kris
Anderson at dandk@mvtvwireless.com or call at (507) 249-2855. Go with
God and Shine for Jesus!