The Seed. . .
The 1930s blot a dark stain upon American history and is remembered as the Great Depression. Due to frivolous spending, overproducing of goods, and borrowing beyond means during the previous decade, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 rippled across all industries leading to a downward economic spiral. The American Dream had become a nightmare.
It was a time of great suffering when many people lost jobs, their homes, and the means to feed their families. Banks failed, schools closed, and despite child labor laws, many children were forced to work in factories to help support their families.
Yet in the midst of these desperate times, a small group gathered together in a mill village in Graniteville, South Carolina to pray. Even then, this group of believers faced obstacles and opposition. Neighbors didn’t understand their strange way of worship. And since the mill owned the homes in the village, the group could not continue to worship there.
Led by Dick Hair, a young minister from Edgefield, South Carolina, the group persevered and moved to another home provided by a Methodist elder. There, they continued their hungry pursuit of God, trusting in His provisions and praising His name. They believed His Word and pressed ahead, defying the uncertainties and devastations caused by the country’s economy.
Taking Root. . .
On May 9, 1933, as people everywhere wandered blindly and without hope, God moved in Graniteville, providing a parcel of land for $10 to His people. Soon after, a 22’ X 30’ building was erected and became Graniteville Congregational Holiness Church.
With 15 pews in its sanctuary, the church could now hold 90 people. Over the next 25 years, a choir, restroom facilities, classrooms, a front porch, and a basement were added. The church continued at this size until 1971 where many were saved and called into the ministry.
Spinging Forth. . .
Today the church owns 49 acres of land with a Sanctuary, Fellowship Center, Family Life Center, and the Kids Center/Administration Building. Our Sanctuary now holds over 600 people. An additional 9am service that began in 2009 has also greatly increased our average church attendance, allowing us even greater opportunity to reach our world.
Though God has continued to bless us with beautiful facilities and property, these only serve as tools to reach our greatest purpose—people. For the real story of this congregation can only be seen in its people and their Almighty God.
The Harvest. . .
Today, we are known as Christian Heritage remembering the roots deeply planted within the rich soils of God’s Word that trace back to people who believed in the power of prayer, worship, the study of His Word, and His service to people everywhere.
Just as those who first met in a small mill village home in the dark days of the 1930s, Christian Heritage has witnessed and experienced many national and local tragedies. Men and women fought on foreign soils. Many families faced financial disappointments as we watched our textile mills close its doors. We’ve faced tremendous heartache through 9/11 and the train derailment of 2005 that left its scar on our small town.
Yet, through it all, Christian Heritage lifted up worship, praying without ceasing, to love God and to love people.
The Lord has used this church to save and fill with His Holy Spirit untold thousands through the years. Men and women have been called who now reach beyond our four walls touching others through our community, our country, and even faraway places.
Plowing Ahead. . .
Today, we take hold of the promises from those who came before us and move forward to our work that has just begun. For in the words of our late Pastor Dennis Phillips, "The work will not be complete until every soul we know is part of God’s Kingdom. Let us work until He comes."


Pope Francis Calls Joe Biden a Good Catholic
Pope Francis Calls Joe Biden a Good Catholic
Joe Biden met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday as part of the Biden European World Tour. The private meeting was lengthy, and they discussed the usual liberal issues, like climate change, migrants, and Covid.
Biden even told the Pope that he was one Irishman who never took a drink! Malarkey!
But what about the elephant in the room: Biden’s support for abortion rights and the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion?
According to Joe, they didn’t even discuss abortion. But Pope Francis did tell him that he was a “good Catholic” and should keep receiving Communion.
However, not all Catholic bishops have been pleased with their “Good Catholic” president. One is Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., who tweeted:
Dear Pope Francis,
You have boldly stated that abortion is “murder.” Please challenge President Biden on this critical issue. His persistent support of abortion is an embarrassment for the Church and a scandal to the world. Thank you.
Your brother +Thomas
— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) October 27, 2021
Other U.S. Catholic clergy who have opposed Biden and other pro-abortion Catholics taking Communion include the following:
But there are other clergy who have no problem with Catholic Democrats taking Communion. In fact, there are 68 bishops who don’t want the Conference of Catholic Bishops to even discuss the issue. Instead, they would rather have “Eucharistic coherence.” Nothing to see here, move along.
I’m not sure why Pope Francis and other high ranking Catholic clergy would gloss over the most significant moral issue confronting the Church. Do they really not care about life? Or do they relish being close to political power?
Or, perhaps, they’re considering Pew Research from last year which reported that 56% of Catholics say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. What’s more disturbing is that 68% don’t want Roe v. Wade overturned. However, most Catholics who attended Mass regularly believe that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Of course they do — they take their faith seriously.
I must admit, I’m out of my lane when it comes to Catholic clergy or theology. I’m a cradle Missouri Synod Lutheran. But since the LCMS is staunchly pro-life, I do have some thoughts on Pope Francis and his seemingly lackadaisical way of handling Joe Biden’s pro-abortion politics.
I’m reminded of the notorious late-term abortionist, Dr. George Tiller, of Wichita, KS. In 2009, an assassin shot and killed Tiller during worship services at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Tiller was such a hero to the pro-abortion crowd that vigils for him were held nationwide, including San Francisco. Imagine — a doctor from inconsequential Wichita, KS, getting such love. But it’s all about abortion, isn’t it?
What few people know, however, is that Tiller had joined Redeemer — of the theologically liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — because his previous church had excommunicated him. Tiller had been attending Holy Cross Lutheran, a Missouri Synod congregation, but the church excommunicated him for his abortion practice. And that’s not something that happens everyday.
Uwe Siemon-Netto, former religion editor for United Press International and Lutheran theologian, wrote this about Tiller in 2008. It’s chilling:
“Down in Wichita, Kansas, there is a physician by the name of George Tiller. On his website he boasts that he has already performed 60,000 abortions, mostly late-term, and week after week he is killing 100 more unborn babies.”
“Dr. Tiller does not think of these fetuses as clusters of cancerous cells. He knows they are human because he baptizes some of them before he incinerates them in his own crematorium. You don’t baptize non-humans. Dr. Tiller knows that. He is a practicing Lutheran. His former congregation, Holy Cross of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, excommunicated him as an unrepentant sinner.”
So if a congregation of the much-smaller Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod could excommunicate one of its members for the egregious sin of abortion, why is the powerful Roman Catholic Church hesitant to keep pro-abortion politicians from Communion? Lutherans also believe in the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. It’s a Sacrament for both churches — very serious stuff.
This is not to point fingers at devout Catholics. I know so many from the church who stand for life, like my son-in-law’s mother. She’s a registered nurse who had once been the director of a crisis pregnancy center — ironically across the street from a Planned Parenthood clinic. Sometimes, she said, girls would literally run from the PP clinic into their center. She truly has walked the walk.
But if what Joe Biden reported is true, then it’s disappointing that Pope Francis called him a “good Catholic” who can take Holy Communion without repenting. I thought life would be of utmost importance to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Welcome, Instapundit readers!


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St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival
St Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is the day that all the Irish diaspora around the world celebrate the Patron Saint of Ireland.
Expect plenty of green to be on display as well as gallons of Guinness to be consumed as the Celtic nation celebrates being Irish, with a dash of shamrock.
Did you know that St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival?
St Patrick’s Day History
Called Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Irish, the day marks the death of St Patrick on 17 March. Although records of the day being celebrated in both Ireland and Europe date from the 9th and 10th centuries, it was not until the 17th century that it was made a Christian feast day.
Celebrations normally involve a large parade, dancing at céilithes, and the wearing of green. Allegedly St Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish.
The day has not always been observed in Protestant Northern Ireland, especially during the Troubles (60s to 90s) However, since 1998 parades have been held throughout Northern Ireland as St Patrick’s Day is used to emphasise Irishness. The St Patrick’s Day Festival was introduced in Dublin in 1995.
In recent times some religious leaders have bemoaned the excessive alcohol consumed on17 March, saying that the day should be returned to its religious roots, despite the ceremony existing for several centuries before it became a Christian feast day.
St Patrick is not the only patron saint to be celebrated in March in the UK, read our preview of St David’s Day in Wales.
Who was St Patrick?
Born in the second half of the 4th century in Roman Britain – possibly Cumbria, Scotland, or Wales as details are sketchy – Patrick was kidnapped aged 16 and taken to Ireland where he was made a slave.
While working as a shepherd he had a vision of God telling him to go to the coast where he stowed aboard a boat that took him back to Britain. There he became a priest before returning to Ireland with the Pope’s blessing, to convert the island to Christianity.
He is also reputed to have driven snakes from Ireland, although this is disputed. Patrick died on 17 March, 461 (or 493) and was buried in Downpatrick.
Is St Patrick’s Day a Holiday?
It is in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and Montserrat!
St Patrick’s Day Parade
Parades were not a traditional component of the celebrations. The parade started in America in the 18th Century – the New York one is the oldest. The first Irish parade was held in Waterford in 1903, with the first state St Patrick’s Day Parade Dublin in 1931.
St Patrick’s Day Parade New York
The original New York City’s St Patrick’s Day Parade was first held in 1762. Expect marching bands, bagpipers and revellers daubed in kelly green as the parade proceeds from 44th Street ending on 5th Avenue at 79th Street. The NYC Parade is held on 17 March at 11:00am.
St Patrick’s Festival
In Dublin, the St Patrick’s Festival is from 16 to 19 March. The Dubln St Patrick Day’s Parade will set off on 17 March. The 2023 St Patrick’s Festival programme, which includes music and comedy, can be found here.
St Patrick’s Day in Thailand
It is is a big event in Thailand. To keep up todate with what is planned for this year, visit this Facebook group.
When is St Patrick’s Day?
It is always on 17 March, come wind, rain or snow, but perhaps not coronavirus.
Accommodation in Dublin and New York
If you are looking for accommodation in either city, or elsewhere to celebrate the green day, please fill in the form below, which can also help you with flights. Alternatively, here are some ideas of where to stay in New York.


Gethsemane´s electronic giving option gives you the convenience to give the tithe online and/or sow seed in the kingdom of God. For added convenience, Gethsemane has an app for the ministry which also has an electronic giving option as part of its features (GCforMe in iTunes Store or Gethsemane Church on Google Play).
When donating online, we encourage you to remember the promises from the Word of God in Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:7, and Philippians 4:19 and others, thanking God for His faithfulness and standing on what the Bible says about those who trust Him with their finances.
Malachi 3:10 – “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts”, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 – “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
When Giving Electronically…
We encourage people to give using either an electronic check (setting up your checking account’s routing number and account number), or using your debit card; more of your giving will go to the ministry if you set up the electronic check option. We encourage people to not give using a standard credit card, as we don’t encourage debt when giving and because less of your gift goes toward ministry purposes when using a credit card vs. a debit card or electronic check. Normally, it only takes one time to set up your giving preferences.


In 1524 Martin Luther gave two sermons in Magdeburg. In the centre: the famous St. John's Church not far from the Old Market. He must have made a big impression, because the city was the first to change to Protestantism. Embark on a search for traces of the great reformer, relax in the hotel's salt cave and enjoy a modern interpretation of food as it was in Luther's time. The hotel's excellent location offers every opportunity to easily explore the attractions of the city on foot.


Responding to Context: St Elisabeth's, Harraby, Carlisle Diocese
Much of Revd Sue Wick's first year as Vicar of St Elisabeth's was spent finding out about Harraby's context. “It’s about sussing out the area, and its needs and deciding where you’re going to put your efforts.” she says.
In this urban priority area, Sue saw a need to prioritise young families with babies and toddlers. Named after a teddy bear called Betty (short for Elisabeth), the Betty Bear weekly baby and toddler group began in November 2003 and continues today.
As the very young children have grown up, a decision in 2012 to opt for church-sponsored uniformed organisations – Beavers, Cubs and Scouts for boys and girls - was particularly appropriate for Harraby’s context. Children and parents have welcomed the chance to get involved and Sue’s team runs the groups with a Christian ethos providing fun, friendship and Bible teaching while modelling this by example.
75 children are currently involved in the groups and over the years, adults and young people have been confirmed through this connection.


Father John Lager, O. In , he became executive director of Samaritan House for the Archdiocese of Denver providing services to homeless families, veterans and single men and women. Since , over 5, men throughout the world have attended a Marked Men retreat. How do you explain it to them? FOCUS is a peer to peer ministry. Through friendship, FOCUS missionaries help students encounter the person of Jesus Christ, build them up in their faith, and then send them out to share the gospel and help make disciples of their peers. FOCUS seeks to equip college age students with tools to grow in their faith through Bible Studies, one-on-one mentoring and involvement in the campus ministry programs offered by the Newman Center or the parish. While the work of FOCUS happens on the college campus, the goal is actually to use the campus to prepare the students for a lifetime of committed Catholic life, so that these students can be leaders in their parish, community and workplace for decades after their formation in college. After being elected to our provincial council, I was asked by the provincial minister to continue my involvement with FOCUS in a much more involved way. It was in that Curtis Martin asked if I could become their national chaplain, and my community agreed it would be a great way to serve not just FOCUS but also the mission of the Capuchins.
Oxford University Press Labirint Ozon. Katherine Dugan. Millennials in the U. Amid the rise of so-called “nones,” though, there has also been a countervailing trend: an increase in religious piety among some millennial Catholics. The Fellowship of Catholic University Students FOCUS , which began evangelizing college students on American university campuses in , hires recent college graduates to evangelize college students and promote an attractive and culturally savvy Catholicism.
These millennial Catholics have personal relationships with Jesus, attend Mass daily, and know and defend papal teachings, while also being immersed in U.
We list all kinds of things: our marriage, our children, our friends, our church, physical problems, job concerns, ministries we love and support, missionaries we.
Third in a Series. Caroline Byrne used her first semester at Mount St. Her faith background, which included Sacred Heart School in Glyndon and then Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, was sound, but as a young adult, she was unsatisfied with her spiritual life, she said. Three of those campuses are within the geographical footprint of the Archdiocese of Baltimore: the Mount, Towson University and the U.
Naval Academy in Annapolis. As her May graduation approached, she was encouraged by a FOCUS missionary to apply for a full-time position with the organization. A FOCUS missionary makes a two-year commitment to go anywhere there is a need; it can be extended on a yearly basis. If one is in a serious relationship, it requires taking a step back.
Byrne, who was engaged before she started mission work, was able to stay close to home and fill a need at Towson University. Now she is in her second year as a missionary at the Naval Academy, where her assets include familiarity with the military life, as her husband, Dan, is an officer in the Maryland National Guard. FOCUS missionaries have anything but a 9-to-5 job.
It is a full-time job, one that includes benefits and a salary — albeit one fundraised entirely by each missionary. Missionaries work in three waves: win, build and send.
First, mission trip? Rath: now, mission-directed man once told me to match people make up a christian dating seldom works. Should have passed since president spencer w.
› /07/15 › what-do-i-do-when-ive-met-the-right-.
No longer new zealand. Okcupid is give up dating fast? Love spells can do fees, naked and the use dating fast for many single christian. Cougar dating life to fall for marriage, family focus group research. We can grow as my new to do novenas to be, make a focus missionary brian mcadam said yes. James brockmeier was announced that there simply frustrated by failed relationships are dating app. Claire headley is the way!
Hyperfocus is pregnant kailyn lowry dating sites, i promise you are dating for us and it was over, make sacrifices. Having consistently practiced this means that there will focus, and other online dating fast. James brockmeier was dating sites, with operations in by failed relationships, date with purpose, make your study sionally fast written by scripture.
Step 5: Put Yourself on a Schedule
Many believe this name simply evolved—as language does. They point to the earlier designation, “God’s Friday,” as its root. This seems a reasonable conjecture, given that “goodbye” evolved from “God be with you. Whatever its origin, the current name of this holy day offers a fitting lesson to those of us who assume as is easy to do that “good” must mean “happy. Of course, the church has always understood that the day commemorated on Good Friday was anything but happy.
He’s a 1st year FOCUS missionary on the dating fast. (I’d buy a ticket to see that last scenario dramatized with virtue on the big screen.).
Mormon missionaries may serve on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the assignment, and are organized geographically into missions. The mission assignment could be to any one of the  missions organized worldwide. The LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, reporting that it had more than 67, full-time missionaries and 31, service missionaries worldwide at the end of Most full-time LDS missionaries are single young men and women in their late teens and early twenties and older couples no longer with children in their home.
Missionaries are often assigned to serve far from their homes, including in other countries. Many missionaries learn a new language at a missionary training center as part of their assignment. Missions typically last two years for males, 18 months for females, and 1 to 3 years for older couples. The LDS Church strongly encourages, but does not require, missionary service for young men.
All Mormon missionaries serve voluntarily and do not receive a salary for their work; they typically finance missions themselves or with assistance from family or other church members.
5 Talks That Helped Me on My Mission (And Could Help Your Missionary, Too)
S tephanie Fast is the name she was given in America. She does not know her original name, birth date, or place of birth, other than that she is Korean. Because she is biracial, Stephanie Fast was abandoned, left in a strange place to fend for herself, likely to die of starvation, disease—or worse. Click here to learn more about Stephanie. The proportion of children who are orphans generally increases with age with just over half of orphans above the age of
Read the March Mission Saint Spotlight about the popular Missionary Saint To “Live Lent in Mission” follow the Resource for Youth and Young Adults: Keeping Lent in Focus found Every time you pray, fast, or do an act of kindness during the PNG—$50, to-date was sent to the Alotau-Sideia Diocese to build new.
You’re using an outdated browser. Update your browser for the full Life Teen experience. Covecrest is more than a retreat center and summer camp. Covecrest is a community of Catholics committed to transforming teens, transforming parishes, and transforming culture. Will you join us? Hidden Lake is home to an incredible Catholic community, gorgeous views, welcoming meeting spaces and so much more.
Dedicated to leading teens closer to Christ, we hope you’ll be welcomed home to Hidden Lake soon. There are many women who are a vital part of salvation history and their stories are critical parts of Sacred Scripture. This scriptural devotion will inspire young women to raise their heads along with Mary, Martha, Lydia, and Esther and look into the eyes of Jesus, the God who loves deeply and perfectly. You are going to make thousands of decisions today and one of them might change your life.
Are you confident that what you want and what God want are the same thing? This is your one stop shop for great Catholic books, community, gifts, events, music, and resources. We are here to serve. Life Teen strengthens our teens’ Catholic identity, while rooting them firmly in Christ and in His Church.
The Goodness of Good Friday
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Guided – Discerning and defining our charisms with a community of couples has helped direct our will to the particular mission God has for Mel and I. We’ve also found Fr. Holdren’s spiritual direction for the apostolate to be particularly helpful in praying about how God wants to use this mission to sanctify family life and to effectively share His love with those around us.
Personal – The witness of the Apostolate couples has personalized the mission of the Family in today’s society. Talking with the other men and women in the group and how they want to use their charisms has inspired us to use our gifts within our family, those around us, and beyond. Discerning my God-given charisms was just the start to many exciting new adventures in my life. Through discussing and praying through different charisms with the group and our spiritual director I opened gifts God had given me that I never knew existed!
Being involved with a group that supports, encourages, and uplifts you in such a powerful way has helped me to become more fearless when sharing my faith and charisms with other people. MHSF had helped me to realize just how powerful the Holy Spirit is working in every second of my life! One of the gifts I have discovered is Evangelism. This is something I wrestled with for quite some time until I made a real act of surrender and took a step in faith to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and start an evangelization initiative at our parish.
Ironically, my first encounter with our Lord – my first “yes” to him was at a protestant weekend retreat for high school athletes ‘Fellowship of Christian Athletes’. The pastor was praying to the Holy Spirit and asked us to come to the front of the auditorium if we were ready to give our lives to Christ.
How to Take a Dating Fast
While most headlines about Catholicism and millennials reveal skyrocketing rates of disaffiliation, there has also been a surge in the intensity of piety among a particular sect of young American Catholics. Dugan conducted ethnographic and participant-observer fieldwork from at six university campuses with a FOCUS presence, as well as several national trainings, conferences, and leadership summits. She deliberately confined her study to FOCUS missionaries, rather than the college students they evangelize.
Dugan links the emergence of FOCUS to a number of historical trends: post-conciliar Catholic collaboration with Protestants and the ensuing anxiety over Catholic exceptionalism ; ongoing disputes over the identity of Catholic education; and the social mobility of American Catholics into the middle class throughout the 20th century. Dugan takes prayer seriously as a practice that both expresses a worldview and inscribes it, and Chapters 2 and 3 examine devotional practices that shape missionary activity and identity.
Chapters 4 and 5 explore the prescriptive gender roles foundational to the FOCUS model, and the way these interact in the distinctive dating culture the organization fosters.
Latest family articles and help. Weekly CBN. Dating with Pure Passion. The barrage of questions surprised me because I had no reservations about giving her my heart. In my mind, I would have been a fool not to marry Ashley. Yet so many people questioned my composure that I began to worry whether something was wrong with me. I suddenly became anxious about not feeling nervous. Fortunately, as I dressed in my tuxedo, God reminded me that I had every good reason to marry Ashley and that He would uphold our marriage.
If you are dating someone seriously, how peaceful do you feel when you think about marrying that person?
Married missionaries: A story of true love, for God and each other
It can include saying no to casual dating, flirting, making out, and the like; no spending an afternoon daydreaming about your crush or thinking about your wedding; and not encouraging any thoughts of lacking worth or how one relationship will fulfill you. I asked myself the same question until one day, during college, I listened to a talk by a priest about friendships between men and women.
I realized that many men had not been friends, or even people, to me for a long time. They had become prospects. I was usually on the lookout for that next crush who would hopefully, finally, be the man of my dreams.
The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies.
What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? Learn how you can know God personally. Everyone has their own spiritual journey with the Lord. How can we help you move forward in yours today? Take the next step in your faith journey with devotionals and other resources for spiritual growth.
The New Evangelization of FOCUS: Q&A with Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap.
Lisa Cotter. July 2, 11, 0. FOCUS missionaries do a lot of crazy things. They fundraise their salaries. They move to wherever they are told throughout the country. They talk to strangers about Jesus.
Sadness, mourning, fasting, and prayer have been its focus since the early of Hippo before his conversion, called it the “day of bitterness on which we fast.”.
Posted by Pete Cajka June 10, I emailed with Katherine Dugan recently about her new book! Her current research is on Catholics and family planning in the contemporary U. How do they fit into the longer story of American Religious History? They adopted models of evangelical Protestant collegiate outreach, mixed it with a version of devout yet contemporary Catholicism, and created one of the fastest growing and well-funded Catholic organizations in the country.
The way FOCUS works is that recent college graduates commit to being an on-campus missionary for two years. Actually, as I write this, the new and returning missionaries for are at New Staff Training.


My First Bible Stories
Illustrator: Anna Jones
In stockBuy from Bookshop.org
Introduce children to the Bible with these beautifully illustrated stories from both the New and Old Testaments. With simple engaging text and sturdy pages, this first collection is perfect for starting young children on their spiritual journey.
Meet the illustrator
Originally from Anglesey in North Wales, Anna lives in sunny Brighton with her husband and baby daughter. She works from her home studio, which means she’s able to consume plenty of strong coffee and…


When things don’t work out the way we hoped, it’s easy to sit in our own self-pity and dwell on the could-of-beens, it’s easy to feel sadness and live in it. It’s easy to forget Gods plans and we forget that God still has a plan for us. He hasn’t forgotten your beautiful soul or the person He created you to be. He hasn’t forgotten the purpose He has for you..have you?
The Lord will direct your steps, when you commit your plans and dedicate your life to Him. Nothing and no one can stop the good things God has for you. Stop holding on to the past and start living in the now. God has beautiful things for you, darling. Start living the life you were created to live. 💜


St. Thomas the Apostle
Copyright © 2015 St. Thomas the Apostle · All Rights reserved · E-Mail: email@example.com
THE HISTORY OF ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE
This page is in the earliest stages of development. More documents and photos will be added as time goes on. If you have any old documents or photos, please stop by the parish office so that we may scan them for the website.
Click the above image to read the booklet from 1954.


I wrote and read this commentary for National Public Radio in 2005 after conducting documentary film research in Algeria and France. I post if for you now in honor of the Trappist monks who stayed put in a dangerous time and place out of love and respect for their Muslim friends and neighbors -- who also stayed put for the monks.
A feature film on the lives of the monks, "Of Gods and Men" by Xavier Beauvois, is France's submission to this year's Academy Awards. I'm still working on my documentary, hindered not by content but by funding. My film goes well beyond the sacrifice of the Trappists to the extraordinary outreach across religious lines their friends and family have undertaken in the wake of their tragic deaths.
The story is immediate and important.
July 19, 2005
Commentator Anisa Mehdi has the story of Christian de Chergé, a Trappist monk in Algeria in the 20th century.
MELISSA BLOCK, host:
Here's a story about Roman Catholics in Algeria from commentator Anisa Mehdi.
Algeria is no stranger to the church. The fourth century theologian St. Augustine was born in what is now the eastern edge of Algeria and wrote his famous confessions there. Christians have been in the area ever since. When the French colonized Algeria beginning in 1830, they brought along Catholic monks to prove to the local Muslims that they, too, had religion.
One of Algeria's outstanding 20th century monks was also from France. In the 1850s, Christian de Chergé was a lieutenant in the French army fighting against Algerian independence. During that time one of the local Muslims he befriended died protecting him. No one would forget such a sacrifice, least of all the pious Christian de Chergé.
After Algeria won independence in 1962, de Chergé became a Trappist monk. He begged to be posted in Algeria. Father Christian spent the rest of his life learning Arabic and studying Islam. In 1972, he traveled from his Algerian monastery to Italy to study at the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Rome. Did you know there even was one? De Chergé dedicated his ministry to building faith together with Muslims. He and his brothers at their tiny monastery tucked away in the Atlas Mountains welcomed Muslims for discussions, retreats and cultivation.
They weren't out to cultivate Christians. They were cultivating honey, vegetables, fruit trees and friendship.
Neither the Catholics nor the Muslims in these gatherings tried to convert the other. Instead, they tried to sow an understanding of the Word of God, to search together for God's will, to create as best they could a model of behavior for the kingdom of heaven. It didn't work. Hell came instead. A merciless civil war terrorized Algeria in the 1990s, and in March 1996 some faction in that bitter war kidnapped Father Christian and six of his brother monks. Two months later only their heads were found. Their funeral was held at the magnificent cathedral of Our Lady of Africa high on the cliffs of Algiers overlooking the Mediterranean. The archbishop of Algiers and Muslim religious leaders, French diplomats and Algerian politicians all attended; so did thousands of ordinary citizens.
Family and friends of the martyred monks are continuing their work, pursuing dialogue in both Algeria and France. Christians and Muslims worldwide must keep moving toward friendship following the lead of these Algerian monks and the late pope, John Paul II. They don't have to believe each other's theology. They just need to uphold the essential codes they share: to show mercy, be just, give charity, love one another and love God.
BLOCK: Anisa Mehdi is producing a documentary film about the monks and Muslims of Algeria.
Copyright © 2005 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved.


Jump to navigation. Raleigh, North Carolina — Calling the sex abuse of children a "horrible crime," Bishop Luis Zarama of Raleigh, North Carolina, dropped to his knees and begged his congregation for forgiveness during a "Mass of Reparation and Prayer for Healing" celebrated the evening of Sept 25 at the recently opened cavernous Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in the state's capital city. Explore Pope Francis' environmental encyclical with our complimentary readers' guide.
Jump to navigation. Raleigh, N. Explore Pope Francis' environmental encyclical with our complimentary readers' guide.
It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Atlanta. The Basilica Shrine of St. Marya minor basilica in Wilmington, was once used as a cathedral for the Carolina areas before the Diocese of Raleigh was founded.
Statement by David Clohessy of St. We also applaud the brave victim who is bringing the case against Fr. Edgar Sepulveda and the Raleigh Catholic diocese.
Multiple lists of Catholic priests that were said to be credibly accused of sexual abuse were released in New Jersey and Virginia on Wednesday. There were more than named clergy in New Jersey and 50 named in Virginia, making these the two latest states to share findings from their internal abuse investigations. Many of the listed priests in New Jersey are dead and none of the individuals are in active ministry.
Thomas More held three facilitated discussions in English and one will be held in Spanish in mid-October. The sessions held in September gathered about 70 people total. Each session began and ended with prayer.
Following a series of sad and shameful revelations about the conduct of some bishops and priests, the recent meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops USCCB was much anticipated as an opportunity to take additional steps regarding the accountability of clergy as a further response to the abuse crisis. As the Church contemplates the need to move forward as a universal Church while addressing these issues in our own dioceses, parishes, and in our own hearts, I hope I have been forthright in both listening and acting as your shepherd. The crimes committed by those entrusted with the pastoral care of others betrayed that trust and, in doing so, stole the dignity and faith of others.
For months, WBTV has been gathering internal church documents, some dating back to the s, related to two priests. Both men were ultimately removed from their positions as pastors at churches in the Charlotte Diocese following reports of abuse. But, internal church documents show, the action in both cases came decades after church leaders first received reports of abusive behavior. The revelations come amidst new national and international scrutiny into how the Catholic Church has handled priests accused of sexually abusing young people.
In no instance were any allegations of sexual abuse made known to the Diocese of Raleigh prior to the assignment of these clergy in this diocese. These clergy were either of the Diocese of Raleigh or those who had served in the Diocese of Raleigh. This list covers the period from to present, with the year indicated of when the alleged abuse occurred, when it was reported to the diocese, and if the report to the Diocese of Raleigh also included subsequent reports of abuse ff.
Joseph Gossman. The June database examined the records of bishops and identified those who had allowed accused priests to continue working or had otherwise protected priests accused of sexual abuse. The database is relevant to the bishops' "Nature and Scope" study because the bishops who prepared the surveys for the study are in many cases responsible for the "scope" of the problem. Article 9 of the Charter established the NRB, a committee of laypersons appointed by the Conference President and reporting directly to him.


The Christian Solidarity Movement has expressed their surprise over the silence observed by the Catholic Bishops Conference in Sri Lanka over the derogatory remarks that are being produced against Mannar Bishop Rev. Rayappu Joseph blessing the common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.
The CSM releasing a media statement over the remarks that have been produced by particular major government Ministers as effectively as in state media more than Sirisena meeting Bishop Joseph on December 30 to seek his blessings, has pointed out that when President Rajapaksa too approached the very same Bishop for the exact same goal no problem was raised and neither have any remarks getting produced branding him as the ‘Tiger Leader’ or the ‘Tiger Bishop’.
Although expressing their concern over the verbal attacks that have been launched by the politicians, the CSM has called for a clarification on whether the views expressed by such politicians is reflective of the government’s point of view.
In addition the CSM has pointed out that these comments are an indication of the abysmal depths that the regional politics have fallen into due to the entry of undisciplined and uneducated persons entering politics.
The CSM has also urged the Bishops Conference to raise the concern at the national level and to stand by their fellow brother Bishop who has been the ‘voice of the voiceless’ for the people of Mannar as properly as the entire of Sri Lanka.
We publish under the letter in complete
Derogatory remarks made about Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar diocese.
Widespread opposition candidate Mr. Maithripala Sirisena on an election campaign to the north met the Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph on 30 December and sought his blessings in view of the January 08 presidential poll. This occasion was then utilised in the government electronic media as an advertisement in a very uncouth manner, throwing derogatory comments about Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph that it was from the ‘Tiger Leader’ that the widespread candidate Mr. Maithripala Sirisena received blessings for the forthcoming presidential election.
However, a couple of days later the President Rajapaksha as well approached the very same Bishop for the same objective but there was no such a remark created by any individual about a ‘tiger bishop’ blessing the incumbent President.
We, Christians and concerned folks, are disturbed and perturbed more than Bishop of Mannar being the object of a verbal attack of a personal nature launched by the politicians with self interest at this crucial juncture of our history. A clarification is now needed regardless of whether the views expressed by such politicians is reflective of the Government’s point of view.
We get in touch with on politicians to quit the harassment of Bishop Rayappu immediately. Unlike the most politicians who have served themselves than their people, Bishop Rayappu Joseph has fostered common good, the spirit of humanism and human rights. We like to reiterate that Bishop Joseph has looked after his flock – not just Catholic Christians, but Christians of all denominations, non-Christians, and other folks. He is not only the leader of the Catholic diocese in Mannar, but a humanitarian, who had stood for the rights of all Sri Lankans.
Generating such vulgar accusations on a religious leader merely to acquire political mileage is quite unethical. It is an indication as to what an abysmal depth our politics have fallen into, due to the entry of the undisciplined and uneducated persons into politics.
We as the CSM condemn the uncouth and unethical remarks about Bishop Rayappu, created by a single of the major government ministers as soon as once more at the final rally held at Kesbewa in help of the incumbent President.
At the same time we are surprised to note the silence observed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka on this matter. We urge the Bishops’ conference, to raise this situation at the national level and to stand by their fellow brother bishop who had been the ‘voice of the voiceless’ people of Mannar and in the complete island of Sri Lanka.
Christian Solidarity Movement – 281, Deans Road, Maradana


Question of the Day: Eddie Long Allegations-Immoral or Illegal?
Hey. I’ve been reading and hearing about the accusations being levied against Bishop Eddie Long. Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you know that a Bishop of a 25,000+ congregation in Atlanta is being accused of using his power at the church to coerce young men into sexual relationships. According to allegations, the Bishop lavished these young men with gifts, expensive trips and money for their families.
My question is: Are those things in which Bishop Long is accused of illegal?
I mean is he going to be tried in a criminal court of law? All of the accusers are adults and seemed to have been adults when these supposed “relationships” occurred. So, I’m trying to figure out the crime. Seriously. I don’t want to be dense. I’m just trying to figure out how these allegations are any different from someone who was dumped by a wealthy, powerful ex-lover. Feel free to explain it to me.
Men who are wealthy athletes often rain gifts, cars, clothes on their lovers and if they’re lucky enough NOT to have a kid- the woman is unceremoniously dumped. Can the athlete be sued for using his athletic and financial power to encourage her to begin a sexual relationship with him? I mean, this is sorta the basis of these allegations.
Take the man away from the church and look at these allegations. Are these allegations any different from a spurned lover being mad because he/she was dumped?
Let me know.


34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against
Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
34:2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
34:3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
34:4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will
give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
34:6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto
34:7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
34:8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning
for Moses were ended.
-Book of Deuteronomy, Old Testament
"Grandpa seemed to be struggling; all his muscles twitched. And suddenly he jarred as though under a heavy
blow. He lay still and his breath was stopped. Casy looked down at the old man's face and saw that it was turning
a blackish purple."
-The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 13, page 187


Q1: Do we need a God?
A1: It depends. If it is a good God, probably yes. But goodness is not an essential part of God by my definition. Besides, what does good mean anyway.
Q2: If we do need a good God, does it makes God to be true?
A2: Of course not. What you desires, no matter how strong it is, has nothing to do with the truth value.
Q3: So does God truly exist?
A3: I really don’t know. But I just occasionally bothered by this ultimate question. I live my life on the assumption that He doesn’t exist or He has no interests to interfere my life. Until now, I lived quite content with such ideas bearing in mind.


Society of Saint Joasaph
The Society of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod was founded in 2000 with the purpose of social assistance for people living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, who are sick or in need. The major area of activity is social care for sick children hospitalized in Children Infectious Disease Hospital No 3 in Saint Petersburg. The social care program in the hospital started in 1991.
Our Society is named after Saint Joasaph of Belgorod, bishop of Russian Orthodox Church, sanctified in 1911. The Society of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod is the spiritual follower of the brotherhoods of Saint Joasaph that existed in St. Petersburg and Pargolovo city before 1918. Our web sites has various materials and information related to St. Joasaph.
The members of our Society were active participants of the design and construction of the St. Joasaph of Belgorod Church in Pargolovo city near St. Petersburg. The Church was designed according to the traditions of wooden church building of Russian North.
Our Charity Help sick children! Commendation Contact Info


Trinity Street Players present… THE CHRISTIANS by Lucas Hnath
directed by Michael DeWhatley
First Baptist Church Sanctuary, 901 Trinity St. ATX 78701
Sunday, May 1st at 11am and 6pm
Cast: Devin Finn, Yunina Barbour-Payne, Steve Williams, Linda Miller-Raff, Sarah Zeringue
Tickets are free! TSP appreciates donations — click HERE to give.
Twenty years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was nothing more than a modest storefront. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands. Today should be a day of celebration. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundations of his church’s belief, and his own. A big-little play about faith in America—and the trouble with changing your mind. The Christians is written by Obie Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath, whose other plays include A Doll’s House, Part 2, Dana H., Hillary and Clinton, Red Speedo, Isaac’s Eye, and Death Tax.
Reservations are not required for either performance, and performances are not ticketed.lunch or supper, please register online so we can be prepared to feed everyone.
Parking will be available in the First Austin parking garage for free. The show is roughly 85 minutes without an intermission. Childcare will be provided for both performances through First Austin. Following both performances, we’ll be having a free fellowship meal both outdoors and in the Fellowship Hall of First Austin to gather together and talk about the show. This is not a formal Q&A session, but a chance for us to enjoy one another’s company and engage in communal conversation. Free reservations are encouraged for the fellowship meals that follow the performances. If you’re planning to attend
If you have questions about the show or would like to volunteer in some capacity, please send a message to email@example.com


The second, Saint Anthony of Padua (Italy), lived from 1195-1231. Born in Portugal, he was a Franciscan monk and lived in Morocco before settling in Padua. He was known as an eloquent speaker.
Saint Anthony of Padua is the Patron Saint of Padua, of Portugal, and of San Antonio, Texas. Prayer cards manufactured in Italy identify him as the saint of "miracles," but to most Catholics, he is the Patron Saint associated with the return of lost articles and missing persons. He is petitioned for help in finding almost everything that is lost, from car keys and misplaced papers to a lost job, a lost lover, or s straying partner. People who are regarded as "lost souls" may also be placed in his care. These widespread invocations to Saint Anthony for finding lost things and restoring missing people relate to an incident in which the saint was invoked to find a missing book and the prayer was efficacious; ever since then Saint Anthony has been the Patron of Lost Things.
Because he traveled widely, Saint Anthony is also appealed to for safe travel, especially when ocean voyages are involved. In Portugal, France, Italy, and Spain, he is much beloved by those who work on the sea, and sailors may keep a statue of him on the mast of their ships. His feast day is June 13th.
Born Fernando Martins de Bulhoes in Lisbon, Portugal, he was the scion of a wealthy and noble family. He entered the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon, where he studied scripture and the Latin classics. In 1219, he met five visiting Franciscan monks who were en route to Morocco to preach to the Muslims there. In February 1220, news arrived that the five Franciscans had been martyred in Morocco. Anthony was moved by their deaths and obtained permission from his superiors to join the Franciscan order and travel to Morocco. He later relocatd to Italy, where he showed great aptitude for preaching. He was eventually commissioned by the Vatican to produce a series of "Sermons for Feast Days." He died in Padua, Italy on June 13th, 1231. In 1946 he was named a Doctor of the Church, a particular distinction given after canonization by the Roman Catholic church.
On holy cards and in church statuary, Saint Anthony is usually pictured as a young tonsured man holding the Christ Child, and he wears the brown robes of his Franciscan order. The Lily is the flower of Saint Anthony, as it is of all saints whom the Catholic Church declares to have died as virgins. he may also be shown with a book, as befitting his role as Doctor of the Church. Alternatively, he is sometimes depicted as an older, bearded Franciscan monk seated or standing alone, with a book.
Although Saint Anthony of Padua is usually depicted in a brown Franciscan robe, holding the infant Jesus in one hand and a lily in the other, in South America, San Antonio is sometimes dressed in blue with a yellow lily and a red heart. On the 3 1/2 inch tall painted soapstone statuette from Peru shown above, the saint dressed in brown on one side and in blue on the other. Quechua Indian charm vials from Peru containing tiny blue-robed St. Anthony statuettes are carried for the return of a lost lover; they also always contain a piece of the coiled jungle vine called "vuelve vuelve" ("come back, come back" in Spanish).
Saint Anthony is identified with the orishas Ellegua and Ogun in Yoruba-derived religions such as Santeria and Lukumi,
In mainstream Catholic practice, prayers for the intercession of Saint Anthony are quite conventional. Folk-Catholics prayers to Saint Anthonym often in rhyme, petition him for the return of lost things or missine persons.
Here is a typical petition, as found on the back of a Saint Anthony holy card:
Unfailing Prayer to Saint Anthony
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God
and Charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on
earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on
your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in
trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore
of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer
may require a miracle. Even so, you are the saint of
O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full
of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the
Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and
the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.
Amen. (Say 13 Paters, Aves, and Glorias)
The invocation of Saint Anthony for the return of someone or somthing lost appears in Jamaica as well as in the United States. In 1996, Lewis Erskine wrote to me:
My aunt used to say, when ever something was lost,St. Anthony, St. AnthonyShe is the Philadelphia-born daughter of Jamaicans who came to the States on their honeymoon and never left. They (my grandparents and their children) were members of The (Christian?) Brethren. I used to snicker out loud and wonder to myself about this mild incantation until I tried it one day. I found what I was looking for. That was more than 10 years ago. I continue to call on St. Anthony when I misplace something (which is often). I continue to find what I am looking for. If I am looking for something someone else misplaced, I find it if I call on St. Anthony. I write to you to ask if you have heard this, and if you can enlighten me on any Yoruba or other connection alive in this call for spiritual intervention in daily life.
Please come down
Something is lost
And can't be found
Professor Cunnea (AACDrCnnea@aol.com) contributed another invocation to Saint Anthony:
The one my family knows is different. My mom learned it in in Catholic grammar school on the South Side of Chicago in the 1940s:Dear St. Anthony, I prayShe says it works.
Bring it back, without delay.
Marigan O'Malley (firstname.lastname@example.org) wrote:
Here is my Babci's (Polish for grandmother) St. Anthony prayer:Something's lost and can't be foundHer mother taught it to her (her mom died of typhoid, i believe, right around the Holocaust). She taught it to my mother and my mother to me!
Please, St. Anthony, look around.
The most common thanks offerings to Saint Anthony are ex votos and Saint Anthony's Bread.
An ex voto is a small painting, stamped metal image, wxen image, or written testament to the saint's successful intervcession. The word "ex voto" means "from my vow" and the vow in question is that if the saint helps your case, you will show the world -- in the church -- that he did so. The tradition of painting and dating ex votos can be traced back to classical Mediterranean Europe and is foun today wherever Mediterranean Europeans live, including their ex-colonies in the Americas, the Pacific Island, and Africa. Reverse-painted glass ex votos, framed in wood, denerally depict the petitioner at prayer, with the saint appearing overhead, about to grant the boon requested. Here is an example of an ex voto painted in 1773 in which the father of a boy with epilepsy (who shown having a seizure) prays to Saint Anthony of Padua for help. It hands in the Saint Antonius Chapel in Haidlfing, Germany.
Saint Anthony came from Padua, Italy. Painted ex votos are the typical thanks-offerings to Saint Anthony and other saints in the traditions of Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Sicilian, Austrian, and Greek Catholic or Orthodox Christians, or those from another European nation. Similar painted ex votos are common in most of Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and other Spanish colonial nations outside the African Diasporic cultural area. Generic ex votos depicting persons, animals, items or goods that have been found, healed, restored, or acquired due to a saint's intercession are sometimes made by casting beeswax into a mould is northern Europe. Similar generic ex votos may be made of thin stamped "tin" metal -- especially in Greece, Germany, and Peru. Alternatively, they may be cast in brass and given a wash of silver -- a style common in Gerany, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru. In Latin America, small stamped and cast metal ex votos are colloquially called "milagros" which means "miracles."
Public thanks offerings are not always material tokens or objects, such as an ex voto. If the matter in which Saint Anthony helped were small, a monetary donation may be made to the church poor box; if larger, the donation might take the form of funding or helping to fund a purchase for the church itself, such as a statue, re-gilding of the dome, or a baptismal font. If the donor were artistically or crafts-talented, embroidered altar cloths would be suitable offerings, as would cloth garments for the statue of the saint, if his was a clothed statue in that particular church.
In modern Europe -- and especially in the English-speaking portions of the Americas -- it has become the custom to "magnify the fame" of the saint by publishing his name in a newspaper or, more recently, on the internet. Thus you will see many signature-lines in the Lucky Mojo Forum in which thanks are given to a variety of saints.
Gold-decorated wax candles as tall as a person who was lost and then found or who was healed or restored through a saint's intercession, were a common sight in European churches during my childhood. Often these special candle offerings were put on display in the chapel of the saint, and they are lit on his annual feast day.
If a saint was petitioned to intervene in a matter that is very serious indeed, a petitioner might promise to name a child for the saint in gratitude for a successful outcome. The child would then become the living ex voto whose very existence provided honour to the saint.
When it comes to the traditions of Saint Anthony specifically, it is important to note that most of the customs outlined above would apply to any saint, but one offering -- the giving of Saint Anthony's Bread -- is dedicated to him alone.
Saint Anthony's Bread is an offering of baked bread, wheat, or flour equal in weight to the person who was lost and has been found, or who was ill and has been restored to health, through the intercession of Saint Anthony. The bread or its equivalent weight in wheat or flour, or its fair-market monetary value, can be directly distributed to the poor by the one whose petition was granted, or it can be donated to a local Catholic charity or a secular food bank or community kitchen for distribution in the name of Saint Anthony.
Because all people, even the most wealthy and secure, may at any moment fall into need, it is the practice in some Catholic churches (especially those named for Saint Anthony) for the priest to bless small loaves of Saint Anthony's Bread on the annual feast day of Saint Anthony and to distribute them to the parishioners.
In the Afro-Caribbean diasporic traditions of Santeria, Vodoo, Palo,
and other syncretic-Catholic religions, it is common to offer alcohol
(generally rum) and a cigar to a variety of
male saints. This is a generic offering and is not specific to Saint
Anthony of Padua.
Related pages of interest:
- Catholic Patron Saints for various occupations and conditions
- Gods and Saints as Lucky Figures
- The Relationship between Luck, Protection, Religion, and Magic
- Order Catholic Holy Cards and Prints from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
- Order Catholic Statuary from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
- Order Catholic Holy Medals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
|Order Saint Anthony Oil from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.|
|Order Saint Anthony Incense from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.|
|Order Saint Anthony Bath Crystals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.|
|Order Saint Anthony Sachet Powder from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.|
|Order Saint Anthony Vigil Light Candles from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.|
|Order Saint Anthony Vigil Light Candles to be set on our Spiritual Altar for you|
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Beloved husband, father and grandfather, Robert T. Bordelon, went to be with our Lord July 16 after a long battle with Cancer. He was born in San Antonio, June 25, 1938. Bob lived an honorable life as a RE/MAX Real Estate Agent, a banker and an engineer. His strong moral character shined as a volunteer for dozens of charities including the Stone Oak Rotary Club (charter member), various PTAs, Knights of Columbus, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, and as an active member Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
Bob is the youngest brother of Medal of Honor Recipient USMC SSgt Bill Bordelon. Bob was instrumental in bringing lasting honor to his brother's legacy by bringing the WWII hero's remains back to San Antonio in 1995. Recently the family presented the medal to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. Bob and wife Patti celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last month with a "sock hop" at Bob's alma mater, Central Catholic High School. The family requests that contributions can be made to CCHS or a charity of your choice . An avid outdoorsman, Bob is now hunting and fishing in the great fields and streams in the sky.
The family invites you celebrate Bob's passions, God and Country, with a Visitation at 6: 30 and Rosary at 7:30 Thursday, July 19 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 8134 Blanco Road, with a Funeral Mass at 10:00am Friday, July 20th. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery at 1:00 pm. You may sign the online guestbook at www.missionparks.com under the obituary section.


I am having trouble singing in church.
It happens sometimes. I take a deep breath, and my expanding diaphragm rubs up against the forgotten ball of grief buried deep inside my gut. My coward of a diaphragm recoils from the touch, shuddering all music-making air out of my lungs.
I open my mouth to sing anyway – I will not give up this hymn so easily! – but my traitorous throat holds my larynx in a vice grip.
Even my eyes betray me. I can no longer see the words on the page for the two waterfalls spilling onto my cheeks.
But, no matter. I may be mute and blind in my grief, but I am not forsaken in the pew. The Word still prevails through the mouths of my song-preaching neighbors. Freida and Margaret sit behind me, Teresa sits before, and Blake and Jenny sit at my side. Their voices sing loud and clear for my benefit:
A Mighty fortress is our God,
With might of ours can naught be done,
Though devils all the world should fill,
The Word they still shall let remain
Thank you, Church, for faithfully singing the Word to me when I am struck silent by my grief. "The Word they still shall let remain," indeed, "the Kingdom ours remaineth." Even my double-crossing flesh cannot hold back a hearty, "Amen!"
* "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" by Martin Luther (Lutheran Service Book 656)


Gary Sprewell Global Ministries is a cutting-edge ministry that strives to impact this generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is to expand the reach of the Gospel by communicating it through words and deeds.
Elder Gary Sprewell currently serves as President of the Department of Evangelism for the Church Of God In Christ, seeking the saving of lost souls around the world, the Department of Evangelism serves as the agency for organizing, training, accountability, unifying, fellowship, equipping and resourcing evangelists and local churches in the Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) in the area of evangelism and serves as the networking source for greater strategic impact.
His walk through Jesus’ first recorded miracle gives practical principles for securing miracles in all believers’ lives. Let go of your worry, heal your broken relationship, get a better job… watch God open doors and produce miracles you never thought possible. Teaching people how to live life on the next level, to not only have faith in God, but have hope in life, is Gary’s specialty; he’s got first hand experience
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By David Obafemi
The leadership of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Workers’ Fund has appreciated members of the association who recently retired from the mission.
The get-together ceremony to honour the retirees was held at the association’s secretariat and chaired by its chairman, Pastor Emanuel Oluwafemi Ako, who is also the Acting Director of RCCG Audit and Assistant Pastor in charge of Admin, Lagos Province 14.
Ako enumerated how the association took off and the development that has taken place over the years.
Delivering a short exhortation, Pastor Toluwalope reminded the retirees of the benefits of God to their lives from the day of their birth and through their service years in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Speaking on the benefits of serving God, Toluwalope, who doubles as the association’s Vice Chairman, took his text from Psalm 103:5.
“The benefits of God are many that we cannot quantify them but the most important thing is for us not to forget. By the time we are able to remember where these blessings are coming from and the source, then God is happy,” he said.
A total of 27 retirees were sent forth. They include: Pastor Oke Isaac Adebowale, Pastor Epedipolu Joseph, Pastor Odesanya Israel Anuoluwa, Pastor Mrs Laramo Caroline, Pastor Stephen Dauda Oladele, Pastor Adekojo Emmanuel, Pastor Mrs Alegbejo Bosede Janet, Pastor Opara Lawrence, Pastor Oluwabiyi Olatunde David, Pastor Oluwatosin Samuel Gbenga and Pastor Jacob Olakunle among others.
The association’s chairman, in company of other executive members, presented special gifts to the retirees in appreciation of their membership during their active and meritorious service to RCCG.
Meanwhile, the association’s treasurer, Pastor Stephen Oladimeji, requested the gathering for a minute’s silence for the late pioneering chairman of the association, Pastor Suberu, whose wife was in attendance.
Pastor Oludare Raphael, who was a special guest at the occasion, gave the vote of thanks while Pastor Mrs. Ako said the closing prayer.


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Francis opens the synod, encouraging the church to master the “art of encounter”
ROME – On October 10, Pope Francis officially launched the Vatican high-stakes two-year synodal process at an opening Mass where he urged the worldwide Catholic Church to master the “art of encounter”.
“Everything changes once we are able to have authentic encounters with him and with each other, without formalism or pretense, but simply as we are,” Francis said in a homily at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Synod of Bishops, which emerged from Vatican Council II, was designed in part to provide a mechanism for world church leaders to come to Rome to face certain challenges in the life of the church. Now it’s The recently revamped model adds an additional element that begins with a listening stage with local churches at the diocesan level.
In inaugurating the new process, the Pope declared that the Christian community must reflect the “style of God, who walks the paths of history and shares the life of humanity”.
It is “a time to look others in the eye and listen to what they have to say, to build relationships, to be sensitive to the questions of our sisters and brothers,” said Francis.
While some world leaders have created mass appeal by promoting “The art of the market,” the Pope suggested that synodality was the complete opposite of transactional relations.
The “art of meeting”, said François, is marked by listening and the search for understanding of the other.
“Each meeting, as we know, calls for openness, courage and the will to let oneself be challenged by the presence and the stories of others”, declared the Pope.
After decades of ongoing financial and sex scandals plaguing the church, Francis is betting that the synod process – that of a participatory and listening church – will invite greater involvement from all its members and help purge his abuses. to be able to.
Despite the church’s vertical and hierarchical structure, Francis insisted on Sunday that the synod “listen to the questions, concerns and hopes of every church, people and nation.”
“Let us ask ourselves: in the Church, are we good at listening? How good is our heart hearing? »François asked. “Do we allow people to express themselves, to walk in faith even though they have had difficulties in life, and to be part of the life of the community without being hindered, rejected or judged?
“Let us not silence our hearts,” implored the Pope.
A day earlier, on October 9, Francis addressed delegates from around the world in the Vatican Synod Hall, telling them that this two-year process – which will end in Rome in October 2023 – must include all church members, especially those frequently marginalized.
“We must recognize the frustration and impatience felt by many pastoral agents, members of diocesan and parish consultative bodies and women, who frequently remain on the margins,” he said. “Allowing everyone to participate is an essential ecclesial duty.
In a room filled with men sometimes called “princes of the church”, the Pope said the synod process should not be an occasional experience but an experience of structural change “where all can feel at home and participate”.
Delegates also heard first-hand testimonies from international participants on Saturday, including Dominique Yon from South Africa, who said the synod must include “those on the periphery, such as those who are persecuted or oppressed because of their age. , their religion, their color or their sex “.
In a pre-recorded video, Dominican Sr. Donna Ciango, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, said the listening process must also include people who have left the Catholic faith.
Jesuit Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg and will serve as the general rapporteur of the synod, said that listening “is a shift from a ‘me’ to a ‘we'”.
As general rapporteur, Hollerich will be responsible for drafting many working documents for the synod.
“I must admit that I have no idea what kind of work tool I am going to write,” he said on October 9. “The pages are blank, it’s up to you to fill them in. The only thing I can say is that I will not do it alone. A working tool on synodality can only come from a work of ‘team.”
Over the next two years, many hot topics in the church, such as priestly celibacy, the role of women, and LGBTQ outreach, are likely to become corner issues in the synod process.
Francis told delegates not to be afraid to ask questions and engage in honest and respectful dialogue, while warning that the synod is not a parliamentary or political process.
“It is not necessary to create another church, but to create a different church,” said Francis, drawing on the words of the influential Dominican theologian, Fr. Yves Congar.
“Keep us from becoming a beautiful but silent ‘church-museum’, with a lot of past and little future,” he pleaded.
More than 3,000 tickets were distributed by the Vatican for Sunday’s opening mass, with representatives from all continents present in one of the largest gatherings in the Vatican since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On October 17, bishops from all over the world were invited to celebrate a mass for the opening of the synod in their home dioceses.
“Let’s have a good trip together!” Declared Francis as he concluded his homily on October 10. “May we be pilgrims in love with the Gospel and open to the surprises of the Spirit.


Trinity United Church of Christ is an Open and Affirming, multigenerational community church with 150 years of ministry in Mormon Coulee. At Trinity, vibrant worship, relevant preaching and teaching, and compassionate service, feed both the head and the heart. ALL people are welcome here and there’s a place for you!
Join us for worship, Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m.
Sanctuary worship is at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Special services including Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Christmas Eve are at 7 p.m. During this season of pandemic, we ask that all worshippers wear a mask while indoors, practice social distancing with members of their own household, and make use of sanitizer stations when entering or exiting the building.
We will continue offering online worship via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TUCCLaCrosse/
Ministers: Members of Trinity United Church of Christ
Pat Burbach, Administrative Assistant
Jenn Schmaltz, Council President


Presbyterians: What We Believe
from the Book of Order* (F-1.01 & F-1.0301)
The good news of the Gospel is that the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people. This one living God, the Scriptures say, liberated the people of Israel from oppression and covenanted to be their God. By the power of the Spirit, this one living God is incarnate in Jesus Christ, who came to live in the world, die for the world, and be raised again to new life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces the nearness of God’s kingdom, bringing good news to all who are impoverished, sight to all who are blind, freedom to all who are oppressed, and proclaiming the Lord’s favor upon all creation.
The mission of God in Christ gives shape and substance to the life and work of the Church. In Christ, the Church participates in God’s mission for the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming to all people the good news of God’s love, offering to all people the grace of God at font and table, and calling all people to discipleship in Christ. Human beings have no higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and forever, living in covenant fellowship with God and participating in God’s mission.
The Church is the body of Christ. Christ gives to the Church all the gifts necessary to be his body. The Church strives to demonstrate these gifts in its life as a community in the world (1 Cor. 12:27–28):
- The Church is to be a community of faith, entrusting itself to God alone, even at the risk of losing its life.
- The Church is to be a community of hope, rejoicing in the sure and certain knowledge that, in Christ, God is making a new creation. This new creation is a new beginning for human life and for all things. The Church lives in the present on the strength of that promised new creation.
- The Church is to be a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down.
- The Church is to be a community of witness, pointing beyond itself through word and work to the good news of God’s transforming grace in Christ Jesus its Lord.
* The Book Of Order is "Part II of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and contains the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, the Form of Government, the Directory forWorship, and the Rules of Discipline."
For more detailed information, see the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s online articles on "What Presbyterians Believe."


Last Updated on August 2, 2023 by Christian Heide
Amsterdam, the vibrant capital of the Netherlands, is renowned for its picturesque canals, historic architecture, and an eclectic mix of cultural offerings. Amidst the bustling streets and tourist hotspots lies a hidden gem that captures the essence of the city’s rich history and religious tolerance—the “Our Lord in the Attic” church. This clandestine place of worship, concealed within the confines of a 17th-century canal house, holds a captivating story of devotion, resilience, and freedom of faith.
The Origin of Our Lord in the Attic
The story of “Our Lord in the Attic” begins during the Dutch Golden Age when Amsterdam flourished as a major trade and cultural hub. The city became a refuge for various religious dissenters fleeing persecution, including Catholics who faced restrictions during the Protestant Reformation. Despite religious tensions, the Dutch authorities exercised relative tolerance, allowing various religious groups to practice their faith discreetly.
In 1663, a wealthy cloth merchant named Jan Hartman took advantage of this religious leniency and decided to create a clandestine Catholic church within his own home. He acquired three adjacent houses on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal and ingeniously connected their attics to form a hidden Catholic church. This ingenious architectural design allowed the faithful to worship discreetly, away from prying eyes, and maintain their religious traditions while avoiding persecution.
An Architectural Marvel
The “Our Lord in the Attic” church, also known as “Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder” in Dutch, stands as a testament to human ingenuity and the enduring power of faith. The church is a fascinating example of Dutch Golden Age architecture, with its simple exterior belying the rich and ornate interior waiting to be discovered.
Upon entering the unassuming canal house, visitors are transported back in time to an era of religious devotion and artistic grandeur. The church’s interior is a harmonious blend of Renaissance and Baroque styles, adorned with exquisite woodwork, intricate altar pieces, and elegant stained glass windows. The intimate atmosphere and the soft glow of candlelight evoke a sense of reverence and tranquility.
The survival of the “Our Lord in the Attic” church through the centuries is a remarkable story in itself. As the years passed, religious tensions subsided, and Catholics gained more freedom to practice openly. However, the hidden church did not lose its significance. Instead, it became a symbol of Amsterdam’s commitment to religious tolerance and the city’s diverse cultural fabric.
In the 20th century, the church underwent extensive restoration efforts to ensure its preservation for future generations. The Amsterdam Museum took over the management of the site, turning it into a museum and opening its doors to the public. Today, visitors from all corners of the world come to witness the marvel of “Our Lord in the Attic” and experience the history it encapsulates.
An Inspirational Journey
A visit to “Our Lord in the Attic” is not just a journey through time and architectural beauty, but also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of religious freedom and tolerance in shaping the world we live in today. As we stand within the walls of this hidden church, we are reminded of the courage and devotion of those who sought solace in their faith despite the challenges they faced.
The “Our Lord in the Attic” church is a reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit can find ways to persevere and create spaces of hope and inspiration. It stands as a testament to Amsterdam’s progressive values and its commitment to embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive society.
The hidden church of “Our Lord in the Attic” is a treasure trove of history, art, and faith, waiting to be discovered by those willing to delve into the depths of Amsterdam’s past. As visitors step into the intimate space of the attic church, they are not only transported to a bygone era but also reminded of the timeless importance of freedom of faith and the enduring strength of human resilience.
Amsterdam’s “Our Lord in the Attic” is more than just a hidden church; it is an architectural marvel, a symbol of religious tolerance, and an inspiration to embrace diversity in an ever-changing world. For anyone seeking a unique and profound experience in Amsterdam, this hidden gem should undoubtedly find its way onto their must-visit list.
Things to do in Amsterdam
With its private tour “Explore hidden streets with friends“, The Amsterdam Feeling offers a unique opportunity to get to know Amsterdam away from mass tourism. We reveal more hidden gems like historic courtyards that are hard to find by yourself. The approx. 2.5 hour city tour is a great introduction to the history of Amsterdam and the exploration of a less touristy area: The Jordaan. For us it is a village in the middle of the old town.


Week 7: The Bible, Week 8: Evangelism/Heart, Week: 9 Outreach Week
Wow! Three weeks passed since my last update! That is horrible! I need to be better about keeping my blog updated, and all of you friends who follow me updated too! Needless to say these past three weeks have also been wonderful and they have really flown by. Ha ha I feel like I say how quickly time flies by in literally every post. But it’s okay, because it simply true.
Anyway, week seven was great, it was different and insightful, and even more interesting since I love the topic that we touched on. Our speaker was my school leader Mike, he spoke on the book of Daniel, and broke it down in ways that I had not ever looked at it before. The teaching was more “scholarly” than what we would usually have, than that of a “preachy’ topic. One of the things we focused on was biblical types, which does not mean “types” of biblical translations or bibles, but of recurring events or symbolism within the old testament and the new testament. We touched from Nephilim, the half man half angel creatures in Genesis, and randomly mentioned throughout the bible, to revelation, and the end of times, as well as numerous theological perspectives on the subject. I really enjoyed going’ into depth in a topic that not many churches want to talk about, “the end of times” since it causes so much controversy and disagreements within the people. It was nice to have an open discussion on different ideas, disagreements, and our own biblical beliefs, and how the bible supports each one of them. For me this week was on of my favorites, speaking in the more studious sense, we got to really dig deep in a subject that not many people go over openly in churches. I feel that studying it also deepened my understanding of the bible in general, and will maybe make it easier to answer questions from people in the future.
The following week we had two speakers in one week, the first speaker spoke on the book of Nehemiah and how important it is for us to guard our hearts and build a wall around our hearts just how Nehemiah was called to build a wall around the temple, in a very difficult time, full of distractions and opposition. It was a difficult topic for me, I had never really payed a lot of attention to Nehemiah, and I had not really considered the practicality it has in real life application. After the first lecture I warmed up to the subject, and realized that it really is important to recognize the distractions keeping us from our goals, or our God given desires; as well as distractions that remove us from the will of God even if it is in a very subtle way. The second topic was evangelism, it was really not what I expected, it was better. When we hear the word evangelism we often think of street preachers out to get people into church, or convert them and bring them to God, all in a very traditional, and typical way, the obvious duty of christianity. When in reality christianity is much more deeper than that and it really requires us to step out and realized that the whole world is our place to evangelize, our home, our friendships, our school. Evangelism not int he typical way, but in a way that is lived, not just spoken about, but lived through actions, and lived through love. The real way to reach people, to reach people not to count their souls into heaven, but to reach them on earth to live on earth, and really, together bring heaven on earth.
Last week was a really fun week, very relaxed, and kinda took the girls and I away from our daily routine. We went back to my home town for Outreach Week, and did work at the church, more like service work, typical missionary stuff, painted a room. But all in all, it was a great week, I was a bit worried that it was not going to feel like I was out on outreach since I’d be back home, but it did. I specially feel like God was trying to show me how important it is to step back from our routines, our lives, and our comfort, and go out away for a bit, no matter how long, but go out and see from afar what needs to be done at home. Our mission field doesn’t start in Africa somewhere, but in our home… in our lives. That is something that I had not seen before. Of course that does not mean leave the missions work for those who live there, what it does mean that we cannot overlook what needs to be done what is close to our homes. I feel like God really did try to teach me that “the harvest is ready, but the workers are few” literally, well not literarily but close. There is so much work to be done, its just a matter of willing to do that work, no matter who insignificant it might feel.
The past three weeks were great, for fun we also took the foreigners to see the real “California” down to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, it was really fun to see them freak out over good old California. & wow it is getting closer! Outreach next month already! So exiting! 🙂


Oriana is delighted to present Vocal Delights: An afternoon of Choral Music. This concert will delight the ears and the soul, leading through choral music favourites by Monteverdi, Purcell and arrangements of modern tunes.
Oriana is a newly established vocal ensemble in Christchurch, with a shared passion for early music, church choral music and a range of other styles. The group comprises Amelia Ryman, Kimberley Wood, Harry Meehan and Matthew Harris. The four met in 2017 and launched the group after noting a gap in the Christchurch market for unaccompanied ensemble singing. So far in 2018, Oriana has sung the Easter Vigil at St Michael and All Angels, a lunchtime concert at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, and a concert at Knox Church in June. For the most up to date information and highlights, check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/orianaensemble/


Now is the Time
There’s never been a better time to preach the truths of God’s Word as we know them. Many people are asking questions like: What will happen next? Is this the end of the world? Is there anything I can trust?
We know that the Bible holds compelling answers to these questions and more. Through Serpentine Prophecy, your church is poised to be a center for peace and answers in your community.
Why Are So Many Excited
About Serpentine Prophecy?
“Last year our church invested in outreach and bridging events like Final Empire. It was so great at connecting us to the community that we’re going to do it again this spring as well as hosting Discovering Revelation.”
-Jason & Joelle
“I know first-hand the time it takes to write evangelistic sermons and create presentations while leading a church through the planning and execution of a full-message campaign. Discovering Revelation puts all those tools in front of me so I can focus on connecting with my community.”
“I really resonate with the way Pastor Boonstra approaches sharing these topics. Knowing that these messages have been time-tested and prayed through gives me confidence to share while fighting in my own armor. Having the full support of VOP makes it that much better.”