Communio . . .
|
January 27, 2008
|
To strengthen our shared life in Christ
through mutual participation and the free exchange of ideas.
|
|
Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380. www.stmalachi.org
|
|
|
Communio Archive
|
|
A Ministry That Never Ends
(Thanks to Kim Langley for sending this in.)
by HenriNouwen.org
Reconciliation is much more than a one-time event by which a conflict is
resolved and peace established. A ministry of reconciliation goes far beyond
problem solving, mediation, and peace agreements.
|
|
|
|
There is not a moment in our
lives without the need for reconciliation. When we dare to look at the myriad
hostile feelings and thoughts in our hearts and minds, we
will immediately recognize the many little and big wars in
which we take part. Our enemy can be a parent, a child, a
“friendly” neighbor, people with different lifestyles,
people who do not think as we think, speak as we speak, or
act as we act. They all can become “them.” Right there
is where reconciliation is needed.
Reconciliation touches the most hidden parts of our souls.
God gave reconciliation to us as a ministry that never
ends.
* * * * * * |
Christmas Cards
by Janelle Schubmehl
|
Top of Page
|
|
(Janelle is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
|
|
Hi! I’m that lady that makes new Christmas cards out of old Christmas cards
for the Community Special Needs Fund. It’s good for the ozone and good for the
fund. (Did you know that Father Tony administers this fund helping people in
need?)
I learned something about marketing this year. In the past I’d set up at a
table at coffee hour and waited for interested members to come to the table. And
several people did come, but it was rather slow going. 2007 was different! I
moved about the room asking for donations for the Special Needs Fund. I
explained that if one donated $10.00 right now, here, today, that 100% of that
money would go directly into the fund plus they would receive, absolutely free,
this pack of ten Christmas cards. People really responded. I ran out of cards.
Not everyone wanted cards but they all wanted to donate.
Thanks to all who donated. Fr. Tony makes sure the money goes to those who
have need. And don’t forget. It’s tax deductable.
P.S. Save me the religious Christmas cards you received in 2007 and I will
make new cards for 2008. It’s a win, win, win. Don’t you think?
* * * * * * |
Change is Bad?!?!?!
by Pam Pulizzi
|
Top of Page
|
|
(Pam is a member of the Community of St. Malachi and co-chair of the CSM
Communications Committee.)
|
|
I don’t particularly like change. Now things like getting married and
having kids, those were great changes. They were planned changes and I had some
control in them. But there are other changes, like standing after receiving the
Eucharist. That was one change I didn’t like. It took something from me that I
preferred. Has it really altered my life? Probably not. But was it a change from
my years of ritual at Mass? Yes. Other changes, like all the electronic gadgets
out there today, and how it is hard in this day and age to remove yourself from
being so easily contacted. I think is sort of bad too. I can’t tell you the
last time I went to Mass and didn’t hear a cell phone go off.
On a good note though, some of these electronics and Internet changes has
been good too. For example, finding information is easier than ever with the
development of the web. I mean anything from phone numbers to event information
to research to jobs. It is all there. In order to adjust to this change I have
had to accept the fact that my kids need to know this stuff in order to even
survive as they grow older.
This change to the Internet age is one that I am trying hard, and succeeding
mildly, at keeping up with. My mom lives out of state so it is nice to be able
to send her notes and pictures instantaneously. As a stay-at-home mom, I can do
a lot of volunteer work sitting at my kitchen counter on my laptop. Accepting
this change is tough. Do I let my kids send thank you notes via email, or do I
force them to write them in print as my mom did to me? Do I let them have their
own login on the Lego site, or do I keep it in my name? Trivial to some maybe,
but all part of change.
So then I did something drastic. I have been doing the Eucharistic Ministers’
schedule for a couple years now and all but 2 current Eucharistic Ministers have
email. It is great to be able to save a few trees and not have to print and mail
copies to 70 or 80 people. Good for the economy (except paper companies), good
for the environment. But then the drastic thing. I put the schedule on
MyChurch.org, the new website that is fantastic for communicating with other
members of the Community. I only made the schedule available on MyChurch,
forcing the wonderful liturgical ministers to sign up on the site to obtain the
schedule.
At the time, I thought it was a great idea. Now, hindsight is always 20/20. I
realize that not everyone is ready for the change that has to come with the
Internet. Many people aren’t comfortable putting in their information on the
site, or taking the time to go through and see what it can offer. While at first
I didn’t think of this, now I have to respect it.
While the next schedule, which comes out in February, will be done the old
way (email), I will still load it onto MyChurch and hope that a few more people
try it out. I have to share that those who took the plunge and tried the change
have found it GREAT for things like finding a sub or asking a question. It is
fast and easy. I have to admit that it makes my job a lot easier…but change
must come slowly, and unfortunately it is not always about me!!! I promise each
of you that when you are ready you might find that this change is good too.
Below are the directions again for joining MyChurch. It is free and secure. Some
of you have joined with no difficulty. Others have been so patient and committed
and now you are there! Some too have joined MyChurch, but need the extra step
below to actually join the Community of St. Malachi’s page on the MyChurch
site.
Thanks to all of you, for all you do and for the changes you make to make the
Community so great. Peace!
* * * * * * |
1. Go to www.mychurch.org
2. Click on the orange button that says “Join now”
3. Fill in the requested information and click the button that says Join
MyChurch
4. The next page asks if you want to upload your picture. Feel free to do
this if you have one, if not then click upload later near the bottom. You will
see (as you get into the site) that some members have their picture and some
have other cleaver ideas.
Then you need to check your email. You should have one from MyChurch. Click
on the link in your email…you are almost done.
5. This next page has several choices. You can see this page when you
first join but if you don’t verify through your email you won’t be able
to do this part. You want number 4 to join a church. For me when I clicked
on this the Community came up as one of the first choices. If it doesn’t
for you, the best thing to do is enter the zip code 44113 for the Community
and it will then come up on the screen.
6. Click on the Community of St. Malachi picture and the next screen will
have a button to join this network. Click that button.
7. This page is to agree to the terms and conditions and click on add.
YEAH! You did it!
* * * * * * |
Snow
by Anne Sexton
|
Top of Page
|
|
(Thanks to Kim Langley for sending this in. From The
Awful Rowing Toward God.)
|
Snow,
blessed snow,
comes out of the sky
like bleached flies.
The ground is no longer naked.
The ground has on its clothes.
The trees poke out of sheets
and each branch wears the sock of God.
There is hope.
There is hope everywhere.
I bite it.
Someone once said:
Don’t bite till you know
if it’s bread or stone.
What I bite is all bread,
rising, yeasty as a cloud.
There is hope.
There is hope everywhere.
Today God gives milk
and I have the pail.
* * * * * *
|
We Are a People of Hope
by Cindy DiNardo
|
Top of Page
|
|
(Cindy is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
|
|
On Christmas Day, Father Tony talked about seeing signs of the Gospel in our
world today. While I, like so many of us, find the contemporary social scene
distressing and even frightening, I realize that we must look for and celebrate
the instances of love and hope that we find around us. Here are a few signs that
Father Tony’s talk helped me to recognize:
· The writers of Communio,
Helen Brinich, Rick Crow and others who provide thoughtful and prayerful
material from their everyday experience and mission.
· The young people of St. Malachi
Community who journeyed to the National Catholic Youth Conference and brought
back the enthusiasm and spirit they found among their peers.
· On Christmas Day, before the homily
even began, Bob Simoneau was a sign of commitment when he rose to the occasion
and became the sole server on the altar – urged on by the great group of
middle school kids who had showed up to play the bells, even though they had
been up so late the night before to play at the Christmas Eve service.
· Word from my son Chris, in Santa
Rosa, CA, that he and his daughter Zoe (age 6) were part of the Christmas
choir at St. Eugene Cathedral and really enjoyed that experience. And news
from son Jim, in Reading MA, that he and his family were part of their St.
Agnes parish project called “A Night in Bethlehem” which enacted the
nativity as a community experience.
· Conversation with family and friends
in which someone mentioned a friend who is active in the “New Church” –
which turned out to be FutureChurch –and their openness to the issues for
which FutureChurch stands.
· A news item from Morgantown, WV
about an anonymous donor, who, every year since 1978, has put a $1000 bill in
a Salvation Army Kettle during the Christmas campaign.
· On Sunday, December 30, a stranger
in the pew behind me whom I greeted before Mass said, “I come here for the
singing – it’s so uplifting!”
Through these experiences and many others, I find reason for hope – and I
look forward to the season of Lent as a time to look inward with hope of renewal
and conversion.
* * * * * *
|
|
Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380
216-781-3110 www.stmalachi.org
Sunday Community Mass 11 a.m. Parish Masses Sat. 4:30 p.m., Sun. 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Holy day: Vigil 5:30 p.m., 7 a.m., noon. Weekday: 7 a.m., noon. Legal Holiday: 9 a.m.
We celebrate Children’s Liturgy of The Word every other Sunday, please see the Calendar.
For information on the Sacraments, please call the Community Office.
THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MALACHI is a lay-directed, non-territorial personal
parish of the Diocese of Cleveland. Although separate from the Parish of St.
Malachi, we join together for many worthwhile activities. All are welcome to
worship at the 11 a.m. Community liturgy on Sunday. Community members are
expected to actively contribute of their time, talent and treasure.
Communio is a monthly publication of the Communications Committee of the
Community of St. Malachi. Deadline is the second Sunday before publication. You
ease our task by submitting materials by E-Mail or on disk. All viewpoints of
interest to our Community in the context of our journey of faith are welcome
here. Viewpoints are those of the writers and not necessarily the teachings of
the Roman Catholic Church.
For e-mail delivery of Communio or Newsletter through CSM’s E-Subscription
service
complete the Newsletter/Communio Add/Removal Request Form
© 2007 Community of St. Malachi. Reprinting of articles originating in Communio
is encouraged – please contact the Editors for permission. |
Newsletter and Attachments: Nadge Herceg
440-930-2781
E-mail nadgeh@eriecoast.com
Communio
Chief Editor: Joe Pulizzi
216-941-5054
E-mail joe_pulizzi@yahoo.com
Volunteers to collate and staple:
Nadge Herceg 440-930-2781
|
Volunteers to hand out after Mass:
Kevin Garven
Copying and attachments: Kimberly Tatro
216–781–3110
St. Malachi Web Site: Mike May
E–mail stmalachiweb@catholic.org
Prayer Request: If you have a
prayer request, please contact the rectory 216–781–3110
To receive Malachi e–mail prayer alerts, go to www.stmalachi.org/prayers.asp.
|
|
