On August 25, 2020, the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Religious Education and the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry hosted Mike Patin for a virtual gathering of parish ministers. Our starting point was highlighting that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) - can be of great support for our ministries. Mike added these additional insights: > Be aware of where your focus is. If we are too focused on just what is in front of us, it can overtake us, and we can lose sight of what else is around us... we need to expand our focus sometimes. (Example was from the movie "Patch Adams" segment where the doctor has Patch put his hand right in front of his face, then pull it back a bit to see what else he can see.) > "Hope is a Muscle" that must be built up. Three ways to build up our hope is: 1. gratitude (for what are you thankful today?) 2. connect - do not isolate - reach out to others 3. remember A few prayers for the day, the Patch Adams clip, handouts and a recording of the sessions with Mike have been posted at: https://youngstownoyyam.weebly.com/day-of-prayer--preparation.html =================== If you were part of the Prayer and Preparation Session, what did you take-away or what insights did you gain?
0 Comments
I was asked shortly before a meeting to offer a prayer for the group that was virtually meeting to discuss addressing racism in youth ministry, and to include a bit about Bishop Murry. What came to mind was offering a Litany that would help introduce a small amount of the good works he did and how much of what he did related to our topic of discussion. So, here is my impromptu litany for your prayer use, if you like. ================================= A Litany of Thanksgiving for Bishop George Vance Murry, S.J. (by Cindee Case, impromptu June 8, 2020) Response: We Thank you, Lord For his service as an Associate Professor at Georgetown University…. For his service as President of John Carroll High School in DC… For his service Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit Mercy… For his service as Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago For his service as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands… For his 13 years in service as Bishop of Youngstown… For being an enthusiast of American History…. For his love of literature and the arts…. For his example of Jesuit spirituality… For him being a champion of Catholic Education… For being a promoter of diversity…. For being a dynamic speaker on social justice… For being a defender for all life For being an advocate for young people For being an enemy of racism… For his radiant smile… For fighting injustice… For being a witness of faith… For loving God and his people… For being a beloved shepherd to his people… For being a good and faithful servant… Lord, we thank you for the life and impact of Bishop Murry and we implore you to accept him lovingly into your embrace and allow him to intercede for us, especially as we seek to address racism and more fully share your Gospel of love. We end this prayer with An Act of Hope O my God, trusting in Your promises and because You are faithful, powerful and merciful, I hope, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of my sins, final perseverance and the blessed glory of heaven. Amen. Consider “Jubilee” as we Venture out after the COVID-19 Quarantine As the world prepared to move from the 1900s to the 2000s two decades ago, there was a good bit of fear due to the “Y2K” which was the very real problem of computer systems programmed with dates only up to December 31, 1999. This meant that all systems run on computers could shut down. Luckily, computer programmers got to work, and the “crash” was avoided. The Catholic Church wanted to focus on more positive and uplifting thoughts. Pope John Paul II designated a process for prayer, learning and service leading up to 2000, with themes for the three years leading up to it: 1997 – Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today 1998 – The Holy Spirit 1999 – God the Father Then the year 2000 was a Great Jubilee year, a Holy Year, which had the theme: OPEN WIDE THE DOOR TO CHRIST: Evangelize, Reconcile, Celebrate! As a young adult at the time, it was typical to move around every couple of years, so preparations for these years was done while I worked in the Diocese of Cleveland Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry/CYO, then was carried out in my work for the Diocese of St. Augustine Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, then I celebrated the Jubilee year in the Archdiocese of Atlanta Office of Young Adult Ministry at a huge Eucharistic Congress which included tracks for children, middle school, high school, young adults, Spanish language, and general sessions, along with a large celebration of the Eucharist in the Georgia World Center (and event that has continued until this year, canceled by COVID-19, by the way.) All of these dioceses (and numerous others, including the Diocese of Youngstown) added sessions during the preparation years and Jubilee year – more formation programs, more events, more parish missions, more special Masses, more prayer experiences, and more and more… Ironically, for a Jubilee year, based on the celebrations of our Jewish ancestors, was to take a time-out – they said for the land to lie fallow… Take time to break from busyness, SLOW DOWN, spend time in silence… take time to reflect… take time for prayer…. take time with the Scriptures, "In order to prepare ourselves for the jubilee and to open the door to the new millennium, all of us need to take a break from the “busyness” of contemporary life. Our home, work, and church lives are incredibly busy – typically marked by endless activities that provide little time for personal reflection or spiritual growth. Use the Jubilee as an opportunity to slow down…" (“A Parish Guide to the Jubilee Year: Open Wide the Doors to Christ – Evangelize, Reconcile, Celebrate!” © 1999, Unites States Catholic Conference, Inc., page 35.) Part of me would like to apologize for all the extra plans that I was part of planning 20 years ago that made Church busier and placed more expectations on the faithful to do more and more…. I was naïve and caught up in the excitement. There were many amazing programs and experiences, but it really did ramp up Church activities that never really slowed down. I am grateful that during this horrible pandemic, I have finally taken to heart some of the words I heard during the preparations for the Great Jubilee 2000… and maybe I can help integrate them into 2020 vision (pun intended). As the Jubilee focused on the transition from the 2nd to the 3rd Millennium…. We can now take time to transition from the hectic nature of pre-COVID-19 lifestyles to choosing to slow down a little post-pandemic…. Psalm 37 verse 7 tells us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11, verse 28: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. And as Jesus spent time with Martha and Mary, in Luke, chapter 10: As they continued their journey, he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” I can easily find myself acting like Martha – focused on tasks that I perceive need to be done, but Jesus reminds us that spending time with him is the better part…. Tasks are important yet growing in faith is more so! Tara Brach, a psychologist in New Jersey said: “Stepping out of the busyness, stopping our endless pursuit of getting somewhere else, is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit.” So, how might we utilize some of the tools from the Holy Year of decades ago now? The parish Guide for the Jubilee Year 2000 from which I quoted above, lists 9 Ways to Live Jubilee: 1. Pray daily – personal, Scripture, meditation, spiritual reading, and so on. 2. Practice forgiveness - examine your conscience and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we are permitted again… also consider the people with whom you may need to reconcile relationship. 3. Celebrate the Eucharist – once the Churches open again, go when you can, but pray Spiritual Communion and really be attentive during Virtual Mass…. Actively participate! 4. Live a just life – are you familiar with our Catholic Social Teachings? If not, learn more about how we are called to live our faith in the world by how we treat other people, civic life, and the environment. 5. Help the poor – practice charitable acts as possible and work for community-based solutions for the causes of poverty and injustice. 6. Be a Domestic Church – we have had weeks now to work on Being Church at home… do not lose the good things that have come of that! Keep working on your family prayer and kindness towards each other! 7. Share faith – yes, we are called to Evangelize… The Psalmist proclaims (39:7), “My hope is in you (Lord),” and then we read in the book of Peter (3:15), “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” So, how has God been a source of hope for you? What is an important image of God for you and why? How have we seen God at work in our own lives? Share these insights with others, and you are evangelizing! 8. Join a small Christian community – this is perfect virtually and as we move into our limits of groups of 10, or even when we move to 20 or 50, that we can meet in small groups for faith sharing, Bible studies, discussion groups. 9. Know your faith – respond to the call to continue learning about our Triune God, our Church, our sacred Scripture, our Tradition, our Rituals, etc. Read, participate in webinars, take classes, and so on. And I will add a 10th Way to live Jubilee now…. The 4 Major Basilicas around Rome - St. John Lateran, St. Peter's Basilica, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore each have a ‘Holy Door” that is locked most of the time, but opened for special occasions like the Jubilee year… There are special prayer services for when the Holy Door is opened and then when it is locked again… while it is open, faithful make pilgrimages to walk through while praying. During the year 2000, every diocesan Cathedral and other designated Churches dedicated special doors for local pilgrimage. While for different reasons, all our Churches had their doors locked for the safety of the community during the pandemic, but soon they will re-open… and I’d invite you to treat the door you enter as a Holy Door… go slowly and prayerfully, thanking God for his presence outside and inside the Church building, outside and inside our hearts… make being back in a Church for Mass or Reconciliation or prayer time a special moment of Jubilee! So, as many people keep saying they are eager to get back to normal, I want to encourage you to avoid the pre-pandemic normal… do not allow your calendar to become packed full again…. Parents, this is a chance to reconsider running your kids in a million directions for sports, dance, martial arts, etc. or even just over-scheduling yourself. Ease back into life, reflect on what is most important to you and take the keys from the 2000 Great Jubilee to make a spiritual pilgrimage to a time of slowing down, focusing on Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father as to Open Wide the Doors of our faith… And may the fruits of the Spirit become abundant in our lives as a result: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control …” (Galatians 5:22). I read the following joke recently:
"One Sunday a minister preached about shepherds. He explained that sheep need lots of guidance, and that a shepherd's job is to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals, and keep them from wandering off. He said that the people of the church were God's sheep. Then he asked, "If you are the sheep, who is the shepherd?" (He was pretty obviously indicating himself.) After a few seconds, a young boy piped up: "Jesus! Jesus is the shepherd." The minister, caught by surprise, asked, "Well, then, who am I?" The boy frowned thoughtfully. "I guess you must be a sheep dog." " Cute story, right? But it was also a strong reminder to me to remember that I am NOT "the" shepherd.... I am a sheep dog... and when I start to think that I am the leader, the protector, the teacher, the care-taker, The Shepherd, then trouble follows.... Sure, I need to put in the effort and might be called to help with any of those roles but my ego cannot take the lead. I cannot think that I do these things for my own glory (accolades, awards, titles, etc.) But it must be my willingness to show Christ to others, the share Church with others, to be one-with-Christ as I serve others. As the Gospel of John reports that John the Baptist said: He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30) In Galatians, chapter 2 verse 20, we read: "I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me." Dear Lord, please help me lessen my own ego, to allow more and more room for your love to fill my heart so that it spills out to all those around me... and I can help others see the love you have for them as well. Help me to help you "round up your sheep" and keep them safe in your loving protection and guidance. Help me to be one of you sheepdogs! A joke goes:
The minister's little six-year-old girl had been so naughty during the week that her mother decided to give her the worst kind of punishment. She told her she couldn't go to the Sunday School Picnic on Saturday. When the day came, her mother felt she had been too harsh and changed her mind. When she told the little girl she could go to the picnic, the child's reaction was one of gloom and unhappiness. "What's the matter? I thought you'd be glad to go to the picnic," her mother said. "It's too late! the little girl said. "I've already prayed for rain." This jokes carries a few lessons it seems, #1 - Patience... In Youth Ministry circles, it is often taught that God responds for our prayers FOR things with 3 results: 1. No... that request is not good for you in my plan, so I will not give that to you/allow it/etc. God may have something MUCH better planned for you! 2. Yes... that is a worthy request and I will honor it. 3. Yes, but not yet... either you or others involved are not yet ready, or it is not the appointed time, so please be patient. We are told that "patience is a virtue" and that it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. In the case of this joke, the girl was not patient, and may have had a negative impact on her day. So, what a good reminder to stay patient! #2 -- be careful what you pray for... Have you ever wanted others to suffer if they caused you to suffer? Of course, it is a basic human reaction. However, Making requests out of hurt, anger, retaliation, revenge, or anything other than love will not be the way to imitate Christ. God wants good things for each and every one of us. So, enjoy the laugh, but also work on patience and wishing loving things for others as well as yourself! Have a blessed day! How Christian do you think your town/city/community is? Many news stories in the past several years have addressed the "Rise of the Nones" as they say, that is the growing number of people that indicate in surveys or interviews that their religious affiliation is NONE (as opposed to Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, etc.) For decades, there have been concerns about atheists and agnostics. How many times have you seen such articles or new stories? And, when you have seen those articles, how many times have you thought, "Oh, that is too bad, but I am glad that isn't around here?" Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but yesterday (June 5th) Barna Research shared information entitled: The Most Post-Christian Cities in America: 2019 The good news: Communities in the Diocese of Youngstown did were NOT listed in the Top Ten. The bad news: Youngstown-Warren came in at #63, and Cleveland-Akron-Canton came in at #67. As for other cities around us in the Top One Hundred List, we have: 28. Detroit, MI 35. Toledo, OH 36. Pittsburgh, PA 59. Columbus, OH 70. Dayton, OH 71. Cincinnati, OH Keep in mind that this is surveying all people, of all backgrounds, not Roman Catholic specifically, but this is the like the air we breathe, it is all around us, and does include Catholics. The factors considered were:
To qualify as “post-Christian,” individuals had to meet nine or more of the following factors. Highly post-Christian” individuals meet 13 or more of the factors (out of these 16 criteria). How would you rate using this list? Parents, how might you address some of these with your family? I see great possibilities in: reading the Bible together, volunteering, praying, sharing stories of the importance of your faith/God/prayer/Church participation, and how Jesus is part of your daily life! College students and young adults with roommates, many of the suggestions for parents above can easily be done with your dorm-mates or roommates and groups of friends. Side note: in the Catholic tradition, we don't usually say we are "Born Again," however, we were at our Baptism... we continue to each time we say Amen and receive Communion, and we do every morning that we dedicate our day to God. "Sunday school" and "Small groups" may not be terms you are used to either. But are you involved with continuing education sessions, participate in your parish mission, go to speaker sessions, take Catechist Certification courses (including the Youth Ministry Online Trainings), go to Bible studies, take part in Ladies Guild, Knights of Columbus, Women's Group, Men's Fellowship, or participate in Faith Formation programs? Then, there you go! Do not let this study get your depressed, instead, use it as an incentive to find ways to more obviously live your faith. Remember that old song, "They will know we are Christians by our love"? Share God's love by doing acts of love every day. Then, next time Barna does this research, maybe Youngstown, Warren, Canton and the rest of the diocese will be lower on the list as we promote Christian living in our schools, places or work, areas of service, and everywhere we go! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To read the Barna article references, please visit: www.barna.com/research/post-christian-cities-2019/?fbclid=IwAR3zTfrp-ellKQ0hFBg7nar38qWH1C7YU0GccmSxuPUeNo7zNtz90Jm1wqM#.XPlmy2qsqw0.facebook To read more about the "nones" from Pew Research, visit: www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/08/why-americas-nones-dont-identify-with-a-religion/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recall the words of St. Teresa of Avila: Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. Ahhhh, as Memorial Day weekend nears, I can hear the sighs of relief from many parish ministers, teachers, and families as another school year concludes. Another sprint through the winter and spring are almost complete, and we are celebrating: longer and warmer days.... graduations from everything from pre-schools through advanced college degrees... awards ceremonies... Sacramental Celebrations, especially Confirmations and First Holy Communions... perhaps Weddings and vacations as well.... "end of the year" retreats, parties and field trips... the closing of the 75th Anniversary of the Diocese... In any event, there seems no lack of JOY at this time of the year! WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY? Really, take a moment to reflect on the question.... sure, jot down the first things that come to your mind, but then consider if they bring laughter, satisfaction, warm-fuzzies, or true joy? Dig deeper.... what truly fills your heart with joy? Beginning this Friday and running throughout the summer, the OY&YAM Facebook page/Twitter feed will have posts from the 2019 Eagle of the Cross Recipients on what brings them joy. Perhaps, as no surprise, the most repeated answer involved family and friends. However, service and helping others ran a close second! Thank you, Coordinators for Youth Ministries for making opportunities for service and mission work possible as to help bring joy to those serving as well as those being served. My point of posting these insights is to help prompt thoughts of joy in all who will read them... and hope the readers will then share joy to those around them. Here is the full list, in no particular order (just as I typed them flipping through the Eagle of the Cross response forms). Possibly, the list will bring you some joy, and help you tap into the deep joy in your heart, so that we can continue to be "an Easter people" claiming "Alleluia is our song" as St. John Paul II said, long after this Easter season has ended. And as Pope Francis reminds us, "If we live the faith in our daily life, then our work too becomes a chance to spread the joy of being a Christian." Please, keep spreading joy in your daily life of faith! 2019 Eagle of the Cross Recipients Joys:
#DOYjoy #DOYteens Last week, I had the honor or representing our diocese at the Annual Membership Meeting of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. This is nothing new as I have done so since I became the Director of the OY&YAM, as did the previous directors. What was new and exciting this year though was having Archbishop Christophe Pierre, who serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (i.e. like the Vatican Ambassador.)
He kindly took time to thank all of us that work with young people in America. He shared the excitement he had during the October Synod of Bishops on the theme of "Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment" as well as the recent World Youth Day events in Panama. He encouraged us all to reflect on the well known Emmaus story, focusing on "recognizing, interpreting and choosing" especially as we journey with young people discerning God's call for their lives. We must continue to bear witness to the Good News. We must take time to listen to and really hear young people. And to help them hear the voice of God. And to encourage the young people to choose to engage in a personal relationship with God, while walking with our faith community. Archbishop Pierre promised to communicate our best wishes as youth workers on the USA back to Pope Francis, along with our prayers. May the Holy Spirit continue to bless us all as the follow up work of the Synod continues through our relationships, witness, listening and accompanying of the young people! A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - elling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then began eyeing each other's cups. "Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us." God brews the coffee, not the cups . . . enjoy your coffee. (Author unknown) I attended Catholic school from mid-first grade through my freshmen year of high school (St. Joseph in Cuyahoga Falls and St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron). I cannot recall in which year we had to memorize the Memorare, but I know that it was in grade school and to this day, when someone begins the prayer, my mind automatically continues on as the words are etched in my mind (perhaps even my heart, as that makes for a better prayer.) While memorization is difficult for many (at least for me), I do have to admit that it is nice to have some things ready to recite at a moments notice! I have been able to pray the Memorare (and MANY other prayers) in times of stress, anxiety, uncertainty and even boredom. Of course, as with many things in life, I will admit that I did not understand the prayer when I memorized it. Besides not knowing what implored or incarnate meant, as a child, I was fortunate to now have much need to "Fly" to her. However, as I lived a few more years, I experienced more need for a feeling of protection, and forgiveness, and help. I now wish that I'd had an opportunity to re-learn the prayer as a teen, with focus on a deeper understanding of what we were praying., Of remembering the need for God in my life, and the gift of having Mary to pray with and for me to her Son. Truly understanding that she will not give up on her children, and will help us really can boost our "confidence" of faith! With October being a month dedicated to Mary, what is YOUR favorite Marian prayer? (You can list it in the Comments section below.) Seek ways to break this prayer open with the teens and/or young adults with whom you serve. Dig for that deeper understanding of memorized prayers (and maybe even learn a new one!) While you consider this, why not pray the Memorare with me? Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, and sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother, to you I come, before you I stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! Despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen. |
Details
*** Note: The Office Blog is now inactive, but posted for continued reference as needed (6/30/21) ***Cindee Case, MPSFormer Director of the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (2/2002 - 6/2021) Archives
July 2021
Categories
All
|