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The
worldwide daily communication newsletter of The Reformed
Catholic Church |
December 2007
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDING
BISHOP
The Most Reverend Phillip
Zimmerman ThD RSJ
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December 25,
2007
May you have a peaceful,
joyful, and memorable Christmas.
May God bless you and keep
you,
May you always remember the
miracle of this season,
The Birth of Christ...
Joy to the World, the Lord
has Come!
Let Earth receive her king!
The Reformed Catholic Church
December 21,
2007
A Candy Cane In The Mud
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do
everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I cannot do
interfere with what I can do." ~ Edward Everett Hale
Earlier this week, I was asked to
join the HOPE Project and The Open Shelter for a day of outreach
to individuals who are "living on the land." That is, those without any
financial resources who have set up makeshift shelters in remote and
oftentimes dangerous areas. The volunteers, including a nurse, brought
food, beverages, and basic first aid supplies for those with whom we
were to visit. With the temperature dropping to 17 degrees Fahrenheit,
coupled with a bitter breeze, the conditions for those who are facing
homelessness are extremely difficult.
Throughout the day,
I encountered many "regulars" with whom I am familiar through our
community's homeless meal program. As always, it is good to keep in
touch with our homeless sisters and brothers, as we can serve as
real-time advocates for health care, provide meals, offer substance
abuse program information, etc. But what really stands out as a single
most important moment of the day was a visit to a remote camp of a
family who had lost their home to foreclosure. In this bitterly cold
season, a family is now living on the land in a makeshift compound in a
wooded area near train tracks. Their only source of heat is an open
campfire.
But that source of heat is
clearly problematic and potentially dangerous. While the family has
ingeniously created a shelter made of tarps and wood, they did not leave
ventilation holes in the tarp. As a result, the smoke in the shelter is
thick and quickly causes the eyes to water. The tarps and the people
living in the shelter are covered in soot. Tina, one of the people
living at the shelter, told to me "crouch down, Father, it's not so bad
when you're sitting down." Sadly, two of the four living in the shelter
have lung disease and need medical attention.
As I stepped outside the main
"room" of the shelter and wiped my eyes, I noticed something that
caught me quite off guard. The family had decorated their home for the
holidays. In the trees, along the length of the muddy walkway and
across the compound walls, there were Christmas decorations shining and
dancing in the wind.
Truly, it was a bittersweet sight
to behold.
As I was walking back to my car
to pick up a few more items for the family, I tripped over a large
decoration that was lying on the ground, broken and covered in mud. It
was a Styrofoam candy cane. I picked it up and heard one of the
volunteers say, "Jeez, these people don't understand the meaning
of Christmas. It's not about Santa Claus, decorations and candy canes;
it's about Jesus." I responded to that comment by saying that certainly
it is true that Jesus is the reason for the season. Then I asked the
person what she does when she is not feeling all that great about
herself. She told me that she puts on her best outfit, gets "gussied
up" and that makes her feel better.
I said that is exactly
what the family was doing. They were "putting on" the best
they had for the season and THAT made them feel better about themselves.
It was a visible sign that they were still part of the community; that
they still mattered; and that they could still celebrate the holiday, in
spite of their present circumstances. The decorations are important to
Tina. For you see, these tattered and muddied decorations are all that
she owns. They are, to her, priceless.
I put the muddy, broken candy
cane back into the ground, so that the little pathway decoration was
once again complete.
Throughout the week, I have been
able to visit the camp several more times, and have brought additional
volunteers to bring supplies and help ventilate the shelter for the
safety of the family. Through the generosity of our local RCC
Community, we have been able to bring wood for the campfire, potable
water, blankets, socks, gloves and food for the family and their two
dogs. More importantly, we have been able to share a sense of dignity
and "belonging" that has been sorely missing from the lives of this
family during the three months that they have been living on the
land. Noticing several religious items shrewn about the campsite,
I gave the family a Crucifix from my Mass Kit. Deeply religious people,
they were overjoyed to receive the crucifix. Tina beamed as she told us
it was the most beautiful thing they owned.
What does the future hold for
this family? It is unclear if the city will allow them to continue to
live on the land, and at this time, the family lacks the resources to
secure their own housing. It will be necessary for professionals and
social justice advocates to work with the family to get them off the
streets and into safe shelter. In the interim, volunteers, from across
denominational and organizational lines, are absolutely essential for
the survival of this family.
Sadly, this is not a unique
phenomenon. Horrifically, this scenario is repeated multiple times in
Columbus, and in each city, town and hamlet of our country and in
countries throughout the world. Many people are just one paycheck away
from living on the streets. The question that begs to be answered is
this: If that happens, who will be there for them?
I pray that it will be you!
The image of the candy cane in
the mud will stay with me for a long time. So will the smile of Tina,
who, after I shared a prayer with the family, said to me, "It ain't
much, Father, but it's what I got to give." What she gave me was a
hug. One of the best Christmas presents that I have ever received.
Please remember this family
during the Christmas Holiday and keep our homeless sisters and brothers
in your prayers. Keep those who volunteer their time working with the
homeless in prayer, they need your support and strength. They need
you! If you are able to financially contribute to ministries or
organizations that provide food and services to the homeless, I
encourage you to do so.
I end this letter with Sacred
Scripture that I keep in my wallet and in my heart:
Lord, when did we see you
hungry, and feed you? When did we see you thirsty and give you drink?
When were you a stranger and we welcomed you, or naked and gave you
clothing? When were you in prison or sick and we visited you? And the
King will answer them: Truly I tell you this, what you have done to the
least of my brethren, you have done unto me. -- Gospel of St.
Matthew 25: 37-40
Let us each have the courage,
vision and desire to do something! One person can make a difference...
YOU can make a difference!
Remember: 2000 years ago, a
young family in crisis could not find a place to lay down their heads
and finally, were able to take shelter in a stable ... The mother, The
Blessed Virgin Mary, gave birth to a child, Jesus the Christ, who
changed the world forever!
May God bless and keep you all,
Merry Christmas and every wish
for a prosperous, happy and healthy New Year.
The Reformed Catholic Church
December 2,
2007
Greetings my
family in Christ!
Come, O
Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel!
Most of us, if
not all of us, are familiar with the words of this hymn. They are words of
waiting, anticipation, expectation! How appropriate that many of us begin
our Advent Liturgy or Lighting of the Advent Wreath with this beautiful
hymn.
We have entered
into the Advent Season. It is a time of reflection, waiting, anticipation,
and expectation. We have to ask ourselves: Upon what -- or whom
-- are we reflecting? Upon what -- or whom -- are we waiting?
Upon what -- or whom -- are we anticipating? Upon what-- or
whom -- are we expecting?
It is true that
this is one of the most busy "commercial" times of the year, with endless
shopping sprees, parties, potlucks and travels, but it is equally true
that it is a special time of quiet, prayerful reflection and renewal of
our faith. While we enjoy the social aspects of this season, it is my
hope that we remember the true reason for the season: the birth of God
Made Man in the being of Jesus of Nazareth... A birth that was life
changing, then and now; world changing, then and now.
An event that has forever changed the course of human history!
As we decorated
the Church yesterday, many wonderful memories of Advent and Christmas past
came to my mind. One of my favorite memories has to do with my
grandmother. I remember her words, shared with me as we
walked home after Christmas Midnight Mass in 1976: "Remember, always
keep a few minutes of your day just to talk to God. He always wants to
hear from his children." Those words have stayed with me and
reminded me, when I was in a dark and lonely time, that I was not really
alone... God was there, just waiting on me to say, here I am, Lord.
I hope that we
each take a break from our busy routines to quietly sit and speak with
God, though our prayers, writing, conversations. As we are in a time of
waiting, so too is God... Our Creator is waiting for us to open our
hearts, our minds, our souls to the many graces and blessings from above.
Our Creator is waiting for us to, once again, have a childlike faith and
know He is truly and always with us! Our Creator is
waiting for us to reconcile with those whom we have harmed; to visit those
who are imprisoned, sick or alone; Our Lord is waiting for us to be His
hands and feet in this world!
The world
certainly needs it!
May this Advent
Season be a time of great reflection, prayer, renewal and love. May you
and your family, friends and community be blessed abundantly by our Lord.
Come, O
Come, Emmanuel... and Ransom Captive Israel!
++Phillip
Zimmerman, RSJ
WORLD AIDS DAY -
COLUMBUS, OHIO
Columbus, Ohio
Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman, Mother Susan Orlos and Brother Stepehn
Wilson represented The Reformed Catholic Church at the
Inter-Denominational World AIDS Day Service held at Topiary Park and
Broad Street United Methodist Church on Saturday December 1, 2007.
Mother Orlos, Brother Wilson and
Archbishop Zimmerman joined more than 60 volunteers in braving the
frigid night air and rain to read names of those who have passed away
from AIDS Related illness at the candelight vigil.
At the Inter-Denominational
Service, Archbishop Zimmerman spoke about the devastating effect of
HIV/AIDS on the lives of those infected and affected by the Disease, and
offered a combination of humor, scriptural readings and poetic
passages to begin healing and meditation upon which the community could
drawn spiritual and emotional strength. In an effort to be inter-faith
inclusive, Archbishop Zimmerman offered a Prayer of Healing in the
Arabic language for those of the Islamic Faith. At the end of the
emotionally powerful service, Archbishop Zimmerman was asked to bless
and annoint people with holy oil. More than 18 people came forward to
be annointed, 7 of which were Muslim.
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
The Diocese of St. Patrick warmly welcomes Deacon Scott Johns, of Holy
Redeemer Reformed Catholic Church, Ft. Wayne, Indiana and his partner,
Rusty, into the growing RCC Family! Every blessing to Deacon Johns as he
helps Fr. Michel Holland to build up the parish of Holy Redeemer RCC!
Jacksonville, Florida
The Diocese of St. Michael
warmly welcomes Deacon Timothy Shawn Yost, of Jacksonville, FL, into
the growing RCC Family!
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NEWS
FROM THE DIOCESE OF THE DIVINE MERCY
From the Office
of the Chancellor Monsignor Michael Baremore RCF |
Christmas: Random Act of
Kindness - Divine Mercy
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
Ya'll made this Christmas special
for so many people. With all of ya'll generosity and kindness we were
able to feed over 110 people who are elderly/disabled/homebound. If this
wasn't enough we were able to provide 43 of these people who do not have
family with Christmas presents. The cost was minimal ($1,200) to make it
happen. The week before Christmas we were $600 short of our goal and I
thought I was going to have to scale down the project. But with one
announcement, again your generosity was overwhelming. We had the
additional money before the end of the day.
To see the joy on peoples faces when
they realized others care about them and they are really not forgotten.
Again, this would not have happened
without your support and encouragement.
Next year, I plan to is to start
getting ready for the holidays early, in hopes of being able to serve more
people in need.
I will need help to make this happen
next year. So look for emails in the near future and be thinking if your
up for the challenge.
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St. Benedict's Chapel
- Lubbock, Texas
Downtown mission serves 300 welcome meals
each week
Fall schedule
Sun:
8:30 a.m., Holy Communion followed by
a parish breakfast.
Tues:
5 p.m., meal.
Wed:
5 p.m., meal.
Thurs:
10 a.m., private
confessions.
Fri:
Noon, Holy Communion;
2 p.m., Al-Anon; 5 p.m., meal.
Sat:
5 p.m., meal.
• Sandwiches are available from
10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Article by: BETH PRATT
A-J RELIGION EDITOR -
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
A
former soldier, retired golf pro and pastor recently opened a downtown
mission in Lubbock that is Catholic but not Roman Catholic.
Since St. Benedict's Chapel opened at 1109-B
Main St. on May 27, Bishop Barry A. Ferguson and his wife, Anne, have served
7,000 meals.
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Photo by: Jodi Miller /
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Staff
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Rev. Barry
A. Ferguson, OSB takes care of donations and feeding people in need
at Saint Benedict's Chapel on Main St. |
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"We feed an
average of more than 300 meals a week," Ferguson said. Before coming to
Lubbock in the spring to start the mission, he had done similar mission work
in San Antonio with the Good Shepherd Parish.
Ferguson is an auxiliary bishop in the
Diocese of Divine Mercy, Reformed Catholic Church.
He answers to Archbishop Philip Zimmerman in
Columbus, Ohio. Texas churches are in San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas.
"We love the pope, but we're not Roman
Catholic," Ferguson said. "There are 200-plus Catholic churches not Roman."
He retired as a golf pro in 2000, and in
2004 he took vows with the Benedictines.
Ferguson received a medical discharge from
the army in 1971. He was ordained a minister in 1978 at a Disciples of
Christ church in West Virginia. He grew up Catholic. They also lived 15
years in Germany.
The first five months here, his wife cooked
everything, but the last two months they have had help from the community,
including St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Ferguson also cooks everything but the eggs for the neighborhood breakfast
that St. Paul's offers.
"Without St. Paul's, I wouldn't be here," he
said.
Tom Walker of NTS, walks by on his way to
get a breakfast burrito. He was curious when in June or July he saw the
cross and sign in the window and stopped to find out what was going on.
Now, "we probably see him every day," Walker
said.
"I told him we don't know how to help these
homeless people, and you have provided us a way. I think that's true with a
lot of people."
Community members, including several others
who work in the downtown NTS building have volunteered to help, he said,
emphasizing that it is not a company project but individuals who volunteer
in various ways.
"I thought (the mission) was kind of a noble
thing to do," Walker said. "We felt like it was something we could help him
with because it is so conveniently located. I've met some of the people, and
they seem so grateful to have a place to go and get a meal."
It is easy to for people with a mainstream
job, three hot meals a day, a car, a house and a family to take so much for
granted, Walker noted.
"We sometimes think we struggle, but the
poor literally struggle from one day to the next."
Elaine Florez is among those NTS employees
who have adopted the mission. The employees have always had a project to
help by providing baskets of items for families of employees who are going
through a difficult time. But they are excited about going outside to do
something for those who live on the streets.
"We provided a dinner, fleece blankets and
sleeping bags, things like that," she said. "The more we started to talk
about it, we found there were no plans for Thanksgiving."
From their own pockets, NTS employees
provided food.
"We had a tremendous outpouring of
employees," she said, "so much that they ate Friday and Saturday (after
Thanksgiving) as well."
Ferguson said the need in Lubbock is greater
than the city leaders want to admit.
"Probably 15 percent of the population of
Lubbock is two paychecks away from being homeless," he said. "The average
pay in this city is less than $500 per week.
Add up the cost of rent, a car, two children
and food, and that combination is going to put you on the street, he said.
"I've got at least four people who eat here
every meal and live in a car."
When faced with such reality in a global
economy, he said, the response in this culture is to ask whose fault is it.
"In the Japanese culture, the response is
how can we fix it," he said.
"I've been doing this 30 years. Maybe 10
percent play the system, but the vast majority don't want to be there (in
poverty), and they can't get out."
Some issues the poor deal with are systemic,
such as not having an address when they apply for a job or need to access
services. One of the first things he did when he arrived was go to the post
office to find out if he could legally allow people to receive mail at the
mission. That is allowed, he said, so it is a service he can provide.
Courtesy of The Lubbock
Avalanche-Journal -
LubbockOnline.com
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OFFICE OF THE BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF ST.
PATRICK
The Most Reverend
William
Quinlan, DD RCF |
Greetings to all my brothers and
sisters at this Holy time of the year.
This Advent season, when we await
the birth of our Lord, has been busy for all of us, celebrating the
Liturgy, keeping up with our pastoral duties, visitations to the sick in
nursing homes and hospital. It is a season that always seems to bring out
the best in human nature. People are more open to the pain and suffering
of others. Many churches, social agencies, fire and police departments,
do much good work for the poor, the homeless, and elderly folks by
delivering food baskets, blankets, clothing etc. There is a definite need
for this type of caring and giving, not just during this last month of the
year, but also, through out the entire year.
I am blessed to be able to work
with Bishop David Frazee's Project Mary's Open Arms here in my diocese.
Each Sunday morning clergy arrive
to make sandwiches, bread and pastries. bottled water, soup, etc which is
taken to the homeless shelters in the Columbus area. This is a ministry
that is ongoing on a weekly basis, all year long. We load all the
foodstuffs into our cars, and vans, and go out to the shelters, and camps
where homeless folks are. They are so grateful for the nourishment of
their bodies, and many also
come to receive the Lord in Holy
Communion, and ask us for prayers.
It is a humbling experience to be
able to be a part of this much needed ministry. We of the RCC are blessed
to be able to provide this to Gods
poor.
Bishop David is to be congratulated
for beginning this program, and his ongoing work and care for Gods less
fortunate people.
Here in Newark, Ohio at St. Francis
of Assisi parish, we will celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent with our Mass
at 9:30 AM. On Christmas eve morning we will hold the Vigil of Christmas
Mass for the residents at the nursing home. We have used the Advent
season as a teaching tool. Many of our Mass attendees are not Catholic,
so we have held talks prior to the Mass explaining our Catholic
traditions, such as the meaning of the Advent season, being a period of
expectation and waiting for the birth of the Savior. We explained the use
of the Advent wreath, the meaning of purple vestments, etc. Many of the
folks would come up after Mass and say how much they appreciated the
explanations, and reasons for what we do as Catholics.
I will be traveling to St Sebastian
Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio to celebrate the Midnight Mass, which is a
joyous and moving experience for me. Before the Mass we will listen to a
concert of carols which will be provided by the children's choir of St.
Luke's Mission Parish. Mothers Susan and Molly have been busy working
with the children, and report that they are very excited about their part
in the Mass. They will also sing a special song during the Offertory of
the Mass. Bishop Phillip provided red cassocks for the children to wear,
and
folks at St. Lukes have been busy
altering them to fit the children.
On Christmas day Bishop Frazee will
celebrate the Christmas Day Mass at noon at St. Sebastian Cathedral in
Columbus, Ohio.
We have experienced tremendous
growth to our church lately, not just here in our country, but in
foreign countries also. Our church is now beginning to actively seek to
recruit Spanish speaking clergy.
Please keep this intention in your
prayers, as it will open doors for future growth of our church.
May the peace, joy, and love of the
Christ child be with you all and fill you with renewed strength and
courage to move forward in your various ministries.
With my prayers, best wishes and
blessing
Bishop of St. Patrick Diocese
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NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF ST. PATRICK
From the
Office of the Chancellor Monsignor Marcis Heckman RSJ |
December 20, 2007
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Good
Samarian Parish in Detroit, Michigan
will join with
Holy Cross Reformed Catholic
Church in Toledo, Ohio
for
Christmas Midnight Mass
at Holy Cross Parish 3613 Monroe St.
Toledo, Ohio
For more information and directions call
Good Samaritan Parish Detroit: 248-237-4250
Holy Cross Reformed Catholic Church - Toledo, Ohio: 419-517-6762 |
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December 8. 2007
Diocesan Meeting held in Columbus, Ohio
The Diocese of St. Patrick held a gathering in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday
December 8, 2007. Sharing in the mass of Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin Mary. The Diocesan Meeting was a power session, filled with a
packed agenda.
The clergy of the
Diocese set forth goals and administration policies. Putting together a
action plan for 2008.
The Diocese of St. Patrick welcomes Deacon Scott Matthew Johns
On Sunday December 2, 2007 Reverend
Deacon Scott Matthew Johns
of Holy Redeemer Reformed Catholic Church, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
was Ordained to the Diaconate.
Congratulations to Deacon
Scott Johns
on his Ordination and to the Pastor of
Holy Redeemer RCC,
Fr. Michel Holland, for the work that is being done there
to build up the parish.
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OFFICE OF THE BISHOP OF THE
DIOCESE OF ST. MICHAEL
The Most
Reverend Patrick Batuyong, DD |
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NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF ST. MICHAEL
On behalf of The
Cathedral Of St. Michael The Defender Reformed Catholic Church, and The Most
Reverend Patrick Batuyong; |
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December 30,
2007
St. Stephen the
Martyr Oratory to Celebrate First Mass
St. Stephen the Martyr Oratory is a designated mission parish of the
Reformed Catholic Church. The Oratory opened in August, 2007 when Reverend
Brother Steven Michael Sandaluk, RJE was installed as Sub-Deacon and Curate
of the Oratory. Brother Daniel Michael Eldridge, RJE professed his first
vows as a Religious Brother of the Reformed Society of Jesus-Ecumenical
Order.
The Oratory began its outreach effort with a small group meeting weekly for
Bible Study, Prayer and Communion. As word spread about the Oratory,
more people joined in the weekly Bible study and more than 20 people began
to meet in the living room of a private residence.
As
time passed, it was apparent that the Oratory needed a larger
space to accommodate growth. While waiting on proposals to other churches in
the area, a building became available for the Oratory's use at 550 North
Church Street.
Our First Mass in the City of Livingston is to be held at 2 PM. Sunday,
January 6, 2008- The Feast of the Epiphany, when Archbishop ++Phillip
Zimmerman, the Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Catholic Church will
celebrate the Dedication/Consecration of St. Stephen the Martyr Oratory.
December 4, 2007
St. Stephen the Martyr Oratory -
Livingston TN
We
are truly blessed that the county provides for us a place free of charge and
pays for the lights and water. This simple gathering place has become a home
for us to minister the love of Christ in a special way with those sisters
and brothers in our faith community less fortunate than ourselves. The
generosity of the county supports the work of God in the very special
charism of our ministry; by their fruits you shall know them, it is said.
This past September we served over 455 individuals and handed out over 195
food baskets, In October we served over 631 individuals and 257 food
baskets.
Saint Stephen the Martyr is
honored to be a part of this dynamic ministry has become a powerful symbol
of a charity, fundamentally rooted in action. In our own small way, we are
in solidarity with this particular great work of Saint Sebastian's
Cathedral, whose ministry of feeding the homeless has reached an all time
awe-some high! We look with eyes fixed and hearts open to the limitless
horizon of ways in which this community may continue to be the Presence of
Christ for the other locally and in the broader Church.
At the end of
October Charles and Ottie retired from Good Samaritan after a faithful
service of over 19 years. On Tuesday, October 9, 2007 The Ministerial
Association - of which St. Stephen's is proudly a member - met and partook
in the vote to have Pastors Richard and Sylvia Gerhart of Livingston New
Hope Wesleyan Church to oversee operations at the center .While working with
them, We began to share with them the fruit of our mutual discernment: our
vision is for the city and the role of the center in that vision. Pastor
Richard started speaking his own sense of vision and I was quite moved by
the clear connection Richard and I had, along with others , that seemed to
run in parallel lines, as we continue to journey together as the sisters and
brothers of Jesus Christ.
During the process of waiting for a
church to open up to use for our Bible Study (which numbers up to 15 - 20)
and use of the Sanctuary for Prayer and Communion. God in his Awesome ways
opened up a building for us to use. As of this writing, We are awaiting a
public meeting with the Board of Zoning and Appeals on Monday Dec. 10 for
the final vote. We are very hopeful that this door will be open for us to
grow more. and await the visit of the Presiding Archbishop ++Phillip
Zimmerman on Sunday, January 6,2008-The Feast of the Epiphany to
the Dedication/ Consecration Mass of St. Stephen the Martyr Oratory and to
celebrate Baptisms and Confirmations .
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE VICAR OF
COMMUNICATIONS
The
Very Reverend Marcis Heckman RSJ |
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December 4, 2007
The following is an update of recent
innovations within the Vicariate:
The Web Site,
the “mother” of our communication strategies and development moves
diligently forward with continued expansion of online resources. Continual
updates, work in the process of refining the website for smooth and
effective navigation and content organization.
On this note, the Vicariate of Communications
is continuing to update parish and clergy information and to develop a
cross-reference directory of the RCC. We have integrated the Global
Directory in the RCC E-mail Server. When entering the RCC E-mail Server, be
sure to update your profile with your current information as this will be
automatically update the RCC Global Directory. This will assure that the
Global Directory is up-to-date, and all RCC members will have your current
information. Furthermore, this will allow the RCC E-mail Users to view the
RCC Global Address List, displaying all email addresses and users at the
domain-level. This adds increased functionality to the auto-complete
features, speed communication and reduces the number of misdirected emails
due to mis-addressed emails.
Email is an absolutely crucial communicatory
tool for the whole of the Church.
It is supposed to take communication, organization and resource-sharing to a
higher level. The New – full featured - RCC E-mail System is designed
to help achieve that. It comes with advanced features such as account
statistics, content filtering, variable inboxes, calendar, RSS feeds and
much more. The system affords us a trouble-free sharing of contacts,
calendar events, tasks and notes as a resource for communication and
collaboration, allowing the RCC members to view and share email folders. You
can set “Read and Write” or “Read Only” permissions for these folders. The
password that was assigned will be used to gain assess to the secure parts
of the web site, and share files.
We hope you are finding these upgrades
helpful and welcome your input as to your experience working with the New
System.
We are very pleased to announce the two most
recent services which have been added, as well as the two projects we look
to next. The new IM Chat service and Inter- Office Memo has
been installed to the RCC Website. These services can be found under the
Clergy Resources area. The New Library Service will be added soon.
This will allow RCC members to check out books from the lending Library.
And, lastly, soon to be open is the RCC Internet Store. Msgr. Michael
Baremore has taken on this wonderful project.
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FROM THE VICARIATE OF
COMMUNICATIONS |
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From the Desk of Father Abair, Pax-Press Newspaper Editor
December 3, 2007
Dear Friends in Christ,
Amen! The “Fall” Edition of the Pax-Press Newspaper has come to its
completion and we are still, just barely, in the Fall Season. Needless to
say, my first run as Editor has been a tremendously humbling experience!!!
Among the most important of the lessons learned throughout the entirety of
this process is that there is no such thing as “near perfect.” Furthermore,
were there such a thing as “near perfect,” the last place to aim for it is
in the work of compiling and communicating news. Were it not for some gentle
prodding along the way, my own stubbornness would probably have produced a
Fall 2007 Edition to my liking in the Fall of 2008!!!
On this note, there are some essential, heart felt, “thanks” which must be
noted. First, I wish to thank the author of each submission to the
Newspaper. Some of you may recall my “strategy” of leaving voicemails on
your answering machines encouraging submissions. For those who were able to
respond – even in light of an “innovative phone-stalking” approach – I thank
you for adding to the substance of what I hope you will find to be a
wonderful collection of pieces from throughout the RCC. I wish to personally
thank Father Warren Taylor, RSJ, along with the entire Vicariate of
Communications, for thoughtful encouragement and suggestions as to my
methods of generating more material for the paper. Finally, I would be
altogether remiss not to thank Monsignor Marcis Heckman, RSJ, Vicar of
Communications, for working with me in pulling all of the material for the
Edition together and creating an excellent new format for the Paper that
will enable future Editions to be completed more systematically under
general headings. The work of our Vicar is tireless and – if the
developments noted in the Paper under the Communications heading were not
enough – we have now, in addition, a technologically revamped and user
friendly Pax-Press Newspaper format. Thank you, Monsignor!
While I regret that we are quite a ways into the Fall now as the current
Edition is released, I am also thrilled with where we are at with the new
format, clearly laying out sections in which submissions are sought. And
submissions continue to be sought. As we move nearer to the Winter Season,
believe it or not, we have completed one project just in time for the next.
On this note, we are currently accepting submissions for the Winter Edition
of the Pax-Press Newspaper; to be made public in the New Year. The Holiday
Season bears with it a great deal of busyness for us all and so what I am
asking for at this time are items relevant to parish development, visions
for 2008 and general updates as to the “goings-on” since the items laid out
in the Fall Edition. Articles, poetry, artwork or any other items you may
wish to submit are always welcome, of course, I simply wish to underscore
that I do recognize time constraints and I do not wish to place undue
pressure on anyone during this time. A number of Articles and Interviews
are already set in motion for the next Edition and with a number of
additional contributions, what would be wonderful to see is a greater number
of “up-date, cutting-edge news” relating to what is happening in your
parish. Specific suggestions will be shortly forthcoming which may be of
help in simplifying a submission.
I would ask that
those wishing to submit material to the Newspaper do so prior to
December 20th
so that we can work with the new format in keeping news current.
On a final note, where this Edition “shines,” I thank you. As to its
“growing edges,” I thank you also for your collegial warmth and
understanding as I continue to work to fit into the shoes of Editor. The
door to communication with myself or any member of the Vicariate with regard
to the Newspaper or any other matter is open to all at any time to answer
questions, offer suggestions and address concerns. The more regularly we are
able to be in communication with one another [and please be sure to see the
Communications section of the Newspaper indicating additional communicatory
tools available to us] eliminates confusion and division and strengthens the
whole Church. Let us pray that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we
remain graciously present to the grace of strength we have been gifted with.
Faithfully yours in the Word made Flesh,
Father Michael Abair
Pax-Press Newspaper, Editor
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Confidentiality
Memorandum The information contained in each issue of the Pax Press
Express is private and confidential to RCC members, and associates only.
Should anyone wish to re-print anything submitted, contact the Vicariate
of Communications at 419-517-6762, or E-mail
Communications@reformedcatholicchurch.org
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