Written in EnglishRead online
|Statement||By Rev. Thomas Brainerd, D. D.|
|Contributions||YA Pamphlet Collection (Library of Congress)|
|LC Classifications||E458.3 .B8|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination||32 p. ;|
|Number of Pages||32|
|LC Control Number||17001106|
Download Patriotism aiding piety.
Patriotism aiding piety Paperback – January 1, by Thomas Brainerd (Author) See all 2 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions.
Price New from Author: Thomas Brainerd. Patriotism Aiding Piety. a Sermon Preac on *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Patriotism Aiding Piety. a Sermon PreacFormat: Paperback. Book/Printed Material Patriotism aiding piety. A sermon, preached in the Third Presbyterian church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of April,the day appointed by the President of the United States for humiliation, fasting and prayer.
Patriotism and Piety represents a much-needed addition to the political and religious history of the period. Comprehensive and authoritative, this book is clearly based on immense archival reading and research and will have a long-lasting influence on our view of an understudied by: 6.
Get this from a library. Patriotism aiding piety. A sermon, preached in the Third Presbyterian church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of April,the day appointed by the President of the United States for humiliation, fasting and prayer.
[Thomas Brainerd; YA Pamphlet Collection (Library of Congress)]. _Patriotism and Piety_ is a must-read for the serious student of early American history.
Den Hartog has found an important niche to fill, building a strong case for the influence of evangelical Christianity in the development of Federalist politics, from the adoption of the Constitution into the Party's dissolution after the War of and beyond/5(1).
Patriotism and Piety. the Speeches of H on *FREE* shipping on qualifying : Paperback. Patriotism and Piety by Jonathan J. Den Hartog,available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide.
Patriotism is an aspect of the grace of piety, which in its turn is an essential part of the matter of charity. Christ gives the grace of piety, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in Patriotism aiding piety. book that we can live the truth of our human nature. Patriotism as such is a precept of the natural law.
Patriotism aiding piety. A sermon, preached in the Third Presbyterian church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of April,the day appointed by the President of the United States for humiliation, fasting and prayer. By Rev. Thomas Brainerd, D.D. Compare book prices from overbooksellers. Find The New Religious Right: Piety, Patriotism, and Poli () by Capps, Walter H.
Get this from a library. Patriotism aiding piety: a sermon, preached in the Third Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of April,the day appointed by the President of the United States for humiliation, fasting and prayer. [Thomas Brainerd; Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)].
Patriotism Aiding Piety. Patriotism aiding piety. book a Sermon, Preached in the Third Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of April,the Day Appointed by the President of the United States for Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer Volume 2 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions Want to Read saving 4/5(1).
In Patriotism and Piety, Jonathan Den Hartog argues that the question of how religion would function in American society was decided in the decades after the Constitution and First Amendment established a legal framework.
Den Hartog shows that among the wide array of politicians and public figures struggling to define religion's place in the new nation, Federalists stood out--evolving. Patriotism, piety, and Anthony Esolen’s Out of the Ashes Simply put, when it comes to the nature of patriotism, Professor Esolen and George W.
Bush cannot both be right. April 2, Jerry. Jonathan J. Den Hartog As I was studying the American Revolution and Early Republic, it struck me that we didn't understand how the Federalist party wanted to relate to more As I was studying the American Revolution and Early Republic, it struck me that we didn't understand how the Federalist party wanted to relate to religion.
I dove into the topic to determine the answer to this question/5(1). Book Review: Patriotism and Piety: Federalist Politics and Religious Struggle in the New American Nation.
By Jonathan J. Den Hartog. Thomas Murphy, SJ. Theological Studies 2, Download Citation. If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply. Patriotism aiding piety.
A sermon, preached in the Third Presbyterian church, Philadelphia, on the 30th of Also available in digital form.
Also available in digital form. Contributor: Brainerd, Thomas - Ya Pamphlet Collection (Library of Congress) Date: How elated the lawyer must have been. The Galilean preacher has fallen into my trap. The lawyer slyly quotes Christ’s own answer (see Mark ), which he may well have heard Jesus say at another time in another place or heard it reported by someone shyster recites the Shema Yisrael (Deuteronomy ), the Commandment to love God totally, adding, as Jesus earlier had, the.
Get this from a library. Patriotism & piety: Federalist politics and religious struggle in the new American nation. [Jonathan J Den Hartog] -- "In Patriotism and Piety, Jonathan Den Hartog argues that the question of how religion would function in American society was decided in the decades after the Constitution and First Amendment.
COVID Resources. Reliable information about the coronavirus (COVID) is available from the World Health Organization (current situation, international travel).Numerous and frequently-updated resource results are available from this ’s WebJunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
"Chapter Eleven. Piety And Industry: Variations On Patriotism In Seventeenth-Century Hungarian Political Thought" published on 01 Jan by Brill.
Brad Miner is senior editor of The Catholic Thing, senior fellow of the Faith & Reason Institute, and Board Secretary of Aid to the Church In Need USA. He is a former Literary Editor of National Review. His most recent book, Sons of St. Patrick, written with George J. Marlin, is now on sale.
"Patriotism" (憂国, Yūkoku) is a short story by Japanese writer Yukio was first published in the January winter issue of Shōsetsu Chūōkōron (小説中央公論), which was published by Chūōkōron-Shinsha in December It was later included alongside "Star" and 百万円煎餅 ("Hyakuman'en senbei") in the short story collection スタア (Sutā), which was.
Patriotism is defined as a devotion to one's country. A patriot further supports and acts in defense of his or country. The term refers generally to a concept of national loyalty. The derivative of the word patriotism is from the Greek word patris, meaning fatherland.
The concept of patriotism is multifaceted and is approached in different ways. But piety also gives worship to God, according to Augustine (De Civ. Dei x). Therefore piety is not distinct from religion. Objection 3. Further, piety, whereby we give our country worship and duty, seems to be the same as legal justice, which looks to the common good.
But legal justice is a general virtue, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. Was the American Revolution biblically supported. This is a very legitimate question, and one that poses special problems for Christians. For one thing there is a strong desire to demonstrate that our country was “founded by Christians, on Christian principles.” If one were to conclude that our nation began by a rebellion against authority that was not biblical, it might show us to have.
Get this from a library. Piety and patriotism: Bicentennial studies of the Reformed Church in America, [James W Van Hoeven;] -- Piety and Patriotism is a collection of eight essays that explores the interaction of the Reformed Church with the American culture, from to The articles are arranged topically to.
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country.
Patriotism: Books. 1 - 20 of 92 results. Grid View Grid. List View List. Add to Wishlist. Read an excerpt of this book. Quickview. Rediscovering Americanism: And by Mark R. Levin. Paperback $ $ Current price is $, Original price is $ See All Formats.
In book: Patriotism in the life of individuals and nations, Chapter: Patriotism: Its scope and meaning, Publisher: Chicago: Nelson Hall., Editors: D. Bar-Tal & E. Staub, pp Cite this. patriotism Howard Stern Tells Trump Voters What The President Really Thinks Of Them The radio host also names the most "patriotic" thing the president could do.
"Patriotism" is a short story about the marriage of two young Japanese people whose passion for each other is matched only by their loyalty to their country and its emperor.
Book X concludes with Aeneas slaying his other great antagonist, Mezentius. This incident is one of the most powerful in the Aeneid and offers an outstanding example of Virgil's ability to introduce, at the very moment of triumph for the victor, a note of pathos that opens us to sympathy for the victim.
Virgil's power to awaken this feeling is. In many ways, Clarke’s childhood was the typical mixture of piety and patriotism of s American Catholicism.
Her parochial school had the motto Pro Deo et Patria over the door. This prayer book is an effort to present the beautiful truths and devotions of our Roman Catholic Faith, in order that those who use these prayers devoutly may obtain greater grace to better serve God. The book draws particularly on that gigantic source of God's goodness and mercy - a source which is virtually untapped.
Furthermore, there are utilized some texts that come from private. 3. Patriotism is not the same as American Exceptionalism. Patriotism derives from the Latin pater meaning father.
Patriotism is a love of the fatherland. It is an affectionate commitment to that which we have inherited. Patriotism is linked closely to the idea of piety, which points us in the direction of fidelity, responsibility, and loving care. Esther appears in the Bible as a woman of deep piety, faith, courage, patriotism, and caution, combined with resolution; a dutiful daughter to her adopted father, docile and obedient to his counsels, and anxious to share the king’s favour with him for the good of the Jewish people.
That she was raised up as an instrument in the hand of God to avert the destruction of the Jewish people, and. Herculano was denounced from the pulpit and the press for his lack of patriotism and piety, and after bearing the attack for some time his pride drove him to reply.
2 He became known as Ram Das, which means God's slave; and on account of his piety and devotion Amar Das gave him his daughter in marriage and made him his successor.


Intertec discussed with the client the image they would like to embody with the logo. A tree symbol was chosen as it represents growth, community, and spirituality along with the church itself having a very large ghost gum tree at the front of the church.
The site was built using WordPress enabling the client to manage their own website as well as utilise some church specific plugins. One such plugin was the Sermon Browser plugin which allowed them to simply upload sermons to their website, where they can be searched, listened to, and downloaded.
Bentley Baptist Church now have a website which is appealing, controllable and allows them to easily notify their visitors of happenings and events at the church.
Visit the website: www.bentleybaptist.org


Farm Harvest Update
The 2023 growing season is almost over. Close to 1,400 pounds of produce have been harvested from our garden this summer. Feel free to come and harvest what is left in the church garden this week.
Enjoy the 2022 highlights video at: https://youtu.be/g5q77TkhcuI
See you all next spring!
Being the Church: Beyond the Building (Video Series)
In March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hit home.
Our spiritual home at 1000 Cranbrook Road closed it’s doors.
But the church has gone on. Adapting. Finding new flexibility. We adopted new technologies. We found new ways to be the church without our building.
In a series of short videos we document some of the ways we have remained a Christian community making change in the world.
Tutoring in Pontiac
COVID-19 Emergency Food Deliveries
Anti-Racism in Action


- This event has passed.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 24, 2019 @ 4:00 pm - December 26, 2019 @ 5:00 pm MST
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every day that begins at 6:00 pm, repeating indefinitely
Christmas Eve Candlelight services at 4:00 and 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve at Trinity Church in the Pines. All are welcome!


|...The Hermitage, New Bight, Cat Island...|
Father Jerome was an Englishman who first trained as an architect and a sculptor. In 1903, he became an Anglican priest who built churches in England before coming to the Bahamas for a brief time. After moving to the U. S., he converted to Catholicism and worked as a wagon train driver and a railway laborer. Then he went to Rome and became a Catholic priest in 1915. Next, he designed and built many large churches in Western Australia. Nearly 20 years later, he returned to the Bahamas, to New Bight on Cat Island. In 1939, Father Jerome began building The Hermitage, his residence with a private chapel and bell tower on Mount Alvernia, 206 feet above sea level. He died in 1956 at the age of 79 and is buried on the property. He built a total of 7 churches and one monastery in the Bahamas.
We are fortunate to have already seen two beautifull churches designed and built by Father Jerome in Clarence Town, Long Island, Bahamas. St. Paul's is Anglican (1910) and St. Peter's is Catholic (1947). We plan to go to Long Island again, on our way southward out of the Bahamas.
|Archway to Mount Alvernia.|
|Reliefs depicting the Stations of the Cross are along a very steep path to the top.|
|From left to right, the residence, the chapel and the bell tower|
|Looking west to the waters of Cat Island Bight.|
Jerome's tiny bedroom is on the extreme right.
|The roofs look recently whitewashed|
|There is debate whether or not this is Father Jerome's final resting place.|
|The chimney on the right is for the kitchen.|
|The entrance to the chapel through a narrow door. Notice the thick, sloped walls.|
|The spartan bedroom|
|Arches were used often throughout the buildings.|
|The inscription over the chapel door means "Shrine of the Holy Spirit"|
|The altar with a glass window to the east, over looking the Atlantic|
|A carved Celtic cross|
|Steep paths in all directions lead from the top of this hill.|
|Island Spirit viewed through the arch beside the bell tower.|
|There is a surprising amount of large vegetation on Cat Island, unlike other Bahamian Islands.|
|Resting in the shade on the beach after our hike|
|Walking with an umbrella to see Father Jerome's church|
|The Catholic Church of New Bight Cat Island built by Father Jerome|
|Stone benches on the beach across King's Highway from the Government Building.|
Island Spirit on the horizon.
|A squall on the horizon that fortunately did not reach us.|
Today was one of the highlights of our cruising season! We wish we had more time to enjoy the colorful fish shacks along the beach here at New Bight and the rake and scrape music from the Sailing Center that welcomed us on Saturday evening. The town encourages boaters to visit and has built an amazing bath house with 3 stalls and one shower for men and for women. It is spacious with tile walls and countertops, well ventilated and spotlessly clean. There are no facilities like this anywhere else in the Bahamas. We are grateful to our friends Jim and Bentley of s/v Salty Paws for their excellent recommendations about Cat Island!
Remember, we are running a live tracking map recording our travels here, it shows out latest point:


Cinq postes de chercheur à Louvain (KU Leuven) sur la transmission et la traduction de I Cor. avant l’an mil
KU Leuven, Belgium, offers 2 full-time post-doctoral (2 years) and 3 PhD positions (4 years) for suitably qualified candidates to form part of the research team of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) funded Odysseus project “1Cor – Text, Transmission and Translation of 1 Corinthians in the First Millennium”. The project’s main goal is to produce full scholarly editions and textual analyses of 1 Corinthians with a multilingual perspective.
The successful post-doctoral candidates will work on the Greek and Coptic transmission of the text respectively. The doctoral studies will focus on citations of 1 Corinthians in Early Christian writers, the text in liturgical manuscripts, the textual developments in the Latin tradition or other versional evidence.
Further information about each position and application details can be obtained through the following links. The deadline for applications is 25th November 2021, the project will start on 1st March 2022.
Postdoctoral Position (Coptic): https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60067697
Postdoctoral Position (Greek): https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60067751
3 PhD Positions: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60067690


Splendor Floral Note Cards
Bright and modern florals are paired with encouraging and popular scripture verses. These inspirational notecards are printed from my original watercolor paintings and feature scriptures from Psalms, Proverbs, and Philippians.
Each set of 8 blank note cards feature two each of four different designs (see additional photos).
Note cards are 4 1/4 x 5 1/2”, printed on 110# white card stock.
Includes 8 white envelopes.
Write your own message on the blank interior, and use for thank you notes, birthday or get well cards, or “Just Because” notes.
Consider buying a package for yourself and a package to give as a gift-- Stationary is the perfect gift for teachers, secret sisters, babysitters, co-workers, etc.
Cards are fastened with a wrapper which doubles as a gift tag.
Includes the following scriptures:
The Lord has done great things for us. Psalm 126:3
A friend loves at all times... Proverbs 17:17
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118: 24
***A note about shipping charges- The shopping cart sometimes has difficulty estimating shipping when there are multiple items in the cart. If you order several items and are overcharged for shipping, you will be refunded the difference. Thank you.
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It is with a heavy heart that I must make this saddening announcement on such a happy day. For I feel I must step down from Reborn, due to a personal tragedy. Not forever, but just temporarily.
This week has been a dark one for me. A friend – a best friend – has passed away. He seemed at the pinnacle of health, ready for all life had to throw at him. He seemed full of life, ready for whatever would happen next. His future was bright and hopeful. But then one night, things took a turn for the worst. By Friday evening, he had left this world. He was no more. If only I had done something. I could have stopped it. If only I had been there for him, as he always was for me. But that night, I was not. That night, no one was there. And so he left us. His funeral was a sober event, a very public one.
But that is not the end for me.
While my friend was once dead, He is now alive! Jesus has conquered the grave. On this day, we celebrate Easter. On this day, we are made free. On Friday, He died for us. A holy God cannot be among unholy people. And He knew that we could never make ourselves holy by our own efforts. Do your good acts outweigh your bad ones? Do two wrongs make a right? Can we become perfect, just by trying? If we could, would we even be here anymore? But He did what we could not. He came down to Earth and lived a perfect life. One we could not even hope to live. One we could never measure up to, much less imagine. He took our place. Rather than us having to live up to a holy standard, He did it for us. He lived the life we could not. And then he took all our sin upon himself. All our wrongs, the ones we can never hope to erase. Imagine the true depths of your heart. Would it be white and pure as snow? Or would it black with wrongs, with sin? Now imagine that blackness, being upon every one of us. Impossible to erase, much less contain. It would envelop the whole world, encompass us entirely. Now imagine, all that is wiped away. Jesus did that. With all our manpower, with all our tech, with all our strengths, – we could not accomplish what He did for us that day. On Good Friday, two thousand years ago, He not only lived the life we could not, He took on our wrongs, our sins, as well. Though He had never sinned, He became sin for us. He washed away our blackness, and poured it over Himself. He gave up His rightful life for us – so that we could live. He took our punishment, our fate, upon Himself. He died a horrible death, the one we should have had. The one we deserve.
But that is not the end! On this day, three days from His sacrifice, He is back. He conquered death. He conquered sin. He rose from the grave. Though his death was mourned, and his killers laughed, He has now vanquished them all. Although we killed Him, He overcame. He took all that blackness, the sin that we could never hope to wash away, and threw it all into the fire. He set us free, taking our rightful place. And now our hearts are truly clean. The blackness, the darkness, the decay – is no more. Instead, Jesus said, “You are mine”. He claimed us, and washed us pure as snow. Our hearts are now pure, are now white, are now holy. He has bridged the gap between an unholy people and a holy God. He is our Intercessor. He is our Savior.
Will you give your life to Him? Will you live for Him? I urge you, turn this day to Jesus, and He will set you free as well. All you have to do is accept Him. Acknowledge that He is the Savior and Lord. Allow Him to enter into your life, and it will be forever changed.
-Keegan and Palanthis: along with countless others through the ages.


Thank you for joining our Team!
I want to start by thanking those that have joined our support team in the last two weeks! I am praising the Lord that you are helping us get to, and stay in Tororo, Uganda. We needed $1400 monthly support and now we are down to needing just $1200 monthly. Thank you!
I want to take the next few weeks to give you more information about what we are doing. This week we will focus on the ministry that we are going to be working with, Smile Africa.
Ruth Kahawa, Uganda national, started Smile Africa to help met the needs that she saw as she worked with those with HIV/AIDs. In 1996, she started a family compassion, to help widows, orphans and street children begin to learn trades that were income generating so they can begin to meet some of their needs.
In 2007, she started a rehabilitation program to provide food, education, medication and basic necessities to the street children. After witnessing a street child named Maria, die after eating poisoned meat pulled from the mouth of a rat. Maria found the meat with a dead rat attached to it still, others saw her find and started chasing her to get the meat. So she ate it whole, she died within hours.
Today this program is feeding about 400 children two meals a day. There is a clinic, clothing and baths are available and the children are being taught reading and math. These children leave the compound daily to go back to the streets to sleep where they can. Many live in mud huts with a grass roof, no larger than a small tool shed. These mud buildings collapse when the rains come and often children are hurt. They are praying for classrooms and dorms, to be able to care for the children better.
AIM’s work with SMILE
AIM has been sending short term volunteers there for a number of years. We have a good work relationship with Ruth Kahawa, the founder. She has asked AIM for a number of years to send full time workers there. She would like for us to see to the spiritual development of the children and families. To build long term relationship with the people, to mentor these children. To help the widows to be more self-sufficient.
I will tell you more about how we are hoping to do that soon…..
Please Pray with Us:
– As I speak in a church on Sunday, April 7th, and then leave for training that afternoon, 7th-12th.
– For Aline’s acceptance to RVA, still no word yet, keep praying!
– For the $1,200 needed per month in support. Praise the Lord for those that have joined us!
– For the $ 20,000 outgoing/relocation needed.
– For me to be able to rent our house and sell our van in a timely manner.
I want to thank each of you that stands with us in support and prayers, I am grateful for each of you. I know it is through you that we are able to serve.


Ampleforth Abbey Beer
Driven from England at the time of the Reformation, a community of Benedictine monks found their way to France. There, they were given a derelict cloister at De Dieulouard by the Duke of Lorraine. Determined to survive, they needed income, and that income came from brewing beer.
This was not just any beer, but the first of its kind – biere anglaise – to be brewed in France. Made with hops and barley, then ‘double-fermented’, it was strong and ‘sparkled like champagne’. Such was its appeal that, contrary to the law of the times, the Benedictine monks received permission to sell their beer to the Court of Lorraine. The Duke even gave them money and materials to channel a spring right to the brewery (brasserie) in the monastery and to create the first ever water reservoir in France.
Their brew became famous far and wide, being enjoyed by the seigneurs of the realm. It received patronage from Louis XIV, the Sun King and his successor Louis XV.
That is, until the Revolution of 1789 when, like the French King himself, the beer lost its head. The monks managed to escape back to England, and what is more they took with them the recipe for the beer, the secret of which had never been revealed. Once back in England they founded, in 1802, Ampleforth Abbey in the magnificent Yorkshire valley where it stands today.
Much has happened in the intervening two centuries and the order of Benedictine monks continues to thrive. And the monks have a great sense of history, which is lucky for all of us, because the secret recipe of Dieulouard has not been lost.
Working closely with Wim van der Spek, head brewer at Little Valley Brewery in Hebden bridge, the monks of Ampleforth have once again begun to sell ‘La Biere Anglaise’. Following extensive research, Wim has paired modern brewing techniques with the fragments of information available to produce Ampleforth Abbey Dubbel – a beer as rich in history as it is in flavour.
Want to learn more about Ampleforth Abbey Cider?


We are a group of ordinary people living in and around Sandy Lane, Allerton and Wilsden who believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
We have discovered that the Bible message of good news, about Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, is relevant today. It is a message of forgiveness and cleansing through Christ's death and resurrection.
We have discovered Jesus Christ to be an ever present friend, who brings peace, joy, strength and encouragement to our daily lives.
We would like to share what we have discovered with you, and invite you to come along to one of our services.
Please feel free to just come along or get in touch via firstname.lastname@example.org
"And the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full'"


Assisi, in the heart of Umbria, half-way up mount Subasio at about 425 m. on sea-level, is an artistic spot of extraordinary interest. Visitors are arriving all the year long from all over the world, they are attracted by
art treasures and by the remembrances of S. Francesco that this town is jealously prerserving.
The town is placed on the hill side looking south. The enchanting valley, the mild hills, the climate and the air make of Assisi an ideal spot for long sojourns.
Due to his position in the region and to a modern communication system Assisi is a perfect starting station to organise excursions to the many interesting and artistic centres of Umbria.
THE STORY - In the time of the Umbri, Assis would certainly have come into the sphere of influence of itsrich and powerful Etruscan neighbour, Perugia. From being an ally of Rome, the town became a Roman "Municipium" under the name of Assisium and enjoyed considerable prosperity, as the remnants of its former splendour clearly testify. Christianity was brought here in the III century A.D. by the bishop-martyr, Rufino.
The barbarian invasions and the Fall of the Roman Empire set the seal on a period of decline, made worse by the devastation caused by the prolonged Graeco-Gothic conflict. Little is known about life in assisi after the Lomabrd conquist when it became part of the Duchy of Spoleto.
The town's revival dates from the XI century when new religious foundations and new construction work are documented.
Frederick Barbarossa placed Assisi under direct imperial jurisdiction but the Emperor's viceroys were put to flight in a popular uprising which heralded in a period of communal rule during which feuding between the nobility and the populace and battles against Perugia and the feudal overlords were all too commons. It was this period that saw the birth of St.Francis and the Growth of the Franciscan movement, with Assisi reaching the apex of its glory in the XIII century. Another period of decline began in the late XIV century when the town was torn apart by internal struggles, had to submit, in turn, to the Viscontis, Braccio da Montone and the Sforzas, and was sacked many times, most ruinously by Piccinino and Valentino. From the XVI century until 1860 Assisi was part of the Papal States.
After the discoveries of the bodies of St. Francis (1818) and St. Clare (1850) and also thanks to renewed interest in the Middle Ages during the Romantic period, Assisi once more became a destination for pilgrims and intellectuals and, since the end of the XIX century, this new thrust of tourism has brought about the rebirth of the economy and the revitalization of the town itself.
ITINERARY IN TOWN - Begins from the grand Basilica of St. Francis, consists of two superimposed churches, the Lower Church built between 1122-1824. The square leading up to the Lower Church is framed by colonnades erected in 1474. The beautiful twin Gothic portal, surmounted by three rose windows dates from the second half of the XIII century. The interior, in the shape of a'tau'cross, originally had only a single aisle, the side chapels being an addition from the end of the XIII century. Worthy of note are the stained glass windows reputedly the work of Giovanni di Bonino and his craftsmen.
The Upper Church has a plain cuspicated facade emebllished with a twin portal in Gothic style, and a magnificent rose window.
The single-asiled Gothic interior receives light through the large stained glass window held to be work of German and French master craftsmen, and the artist known only as the Maestro di San Francesco. The Upper Church is the model for all Franciscan churches.
The basilica complex also comprises a Romanesque bell-tower and the Sacro Convento Monastery towering majestically over the valley below. The Monastery also houses a theological college, a library with a vast collection of codices and incunables from the XVI century and earlier, a collection of precious objects on view in the Gothic Hall and the Perkins Collection consisting of works by Italian artists mainly from the Florentine and Sienese schools.
Worthy of note are the frescoes: the Lower Church is the cradle of great Italian painting.. In the nave there are frescoes from the middle of the XIII century by the Maestro di San Francesco. The side chapel dedicated to St. Martin contains the complete cycle of stories of the life of St. Martin (1312 - 1315) painted by Simone Martini while the Magdalen chapel was frescoed by Giotto some time after 1305. In the right transept, there is a fresco by Cimabue (1280) together with eight Stories of the Infant Jesus painted by Giotto and his assistants, while in the left transept are the works of Pietro Lorenzetti dating from the first two decades of the XIV century depicting Christ's passion, and the famous "Sunset Madonna". On the cross-vaults are the four frescoes by the Maestro delle Vele Showing the Apotheosis of St Francis and the Allegories of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.
Even more renowned is the decoration of the Upper Church. The presbytery was painted by Cimabue, the transalpine Maestro Oltremontano and Jacopo Torriti. The upper sections of the nabe are adorned with Stories from the Old and New Testaments, the work of Roman and local artists among whom Jacopo Torriti, the Maestro di Isacco, the Maestro della Pentecoste and the Maestro della Cattura.
The lower sections are entirely devoted to the famous cycle of frescoes by Giotto depicting in a sequence of 28 frames the significant moments of the life of St. Francis.
From the Basilica has begun the Loggia dei Maestri Comacini of the XIII century then in the course of the XV century was enlarged, and served as a habitation for the Lombard artists during their sojourn in Assisi. Also worthy of note are the narrow street of Sant'Andrea leading up to the district known as San Giacomo, the Pilgrim's Oratory containing Xv century frescoes by matteo da Gualdo and Mezzatris and the Municipal Picture-gallery with seat in the Vallemani Palace. Exceeded the Cine-theatre Metastasio rises the Museum and Roman Forum, in Portica road, with exhibits of the Umbro-Roman times and the forum underlying the Piazza del Comune; in surface Piazza del Comune is characterized from the Roman Temple called Minerva (I century A.D.)at the which side rises the Torre del Popolo (XIII century). Opposite rises the Municipal Building, the oldest part of which, the Palazzo Priori, dates from the XIV century to which other buildings were later added.
On the right was built in 1615 on the remains of a building believed to be the house of St. Francis' Family. St. Francis was supposedly born in the nearby Oratorio di San Francesco Piccolino. Long corso Mazzini and Santa Chiara road opposite the Basilica of the Saint of Assisi: erected between 1257 and 1265, according the Franciscan model with a cuspidate facade and a single nave, it incosporates the Chapel of San Giorgio where there are some interesting XIV century frescoes and the original crucifix which spoke to St. Francis. The body of St. Claire is preserved in the crypt.
The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore was the cathedral church until the XI century. The cuspidate facade is XII century while the apse is from the XIII century.
Decentralize as regard to this intinerary there are the cathedral of San Rufino with the impressive Romanesque facade dating from 1140 is adorned with three rose-windows and symbolic sculptures. The interiors was altered in the XVI century, but there is still the baptismal font where St. Francis and St. Claire were baptized. The Cappella del Sacramento, the wooden choir, the Roman cistern, the crypt and the museum are points of interest. Attached at the Cathedral there is the Cathedral Museum with important collections of Puccio Capanna and Niccolò Alunno
At the outside from the ancient walls, at 4 kilometres from the centre, rises, grand and beautiful the Santa Maria degli Angeli: built between 1565 and 1685 on project of Galeazzo Alessi, preserves in its inside the little Portiuncola Chapel (the small piece of ground where rises the small church was made available for the use of St. Francis and his first companions by the Benedictine monks). Not far from the Portiuncola chapel lies the Cappella del Transito built on the spot where St. Francis died on 3rd October 1226 and containing a polychrome terracotta by Andrea della Robbia and a fresco dating from 1514 by the Lo Spagna portraying the First Brothers. The side chapels of the Basilica are decorated with frescoes by local artists dating from the XV - XVIII centuries. From the Basilica there is a passageway leading to the celebrated Thornless Rosegarden and the Chapel of the Roses frescoed by Tiberio d'Assisi in 1516 with legends connected to the Indulgence. The 12th century Friary houses a museum containing various sacred works of art, archaeological finds, ethnic exhibits and paintings, the most noteworty of which are a fresco by Mezzatris, a Crucifix by Giunta Pisano and a wood-painting of St. Francis by the Maestro San Francesco.
Between the places called Franciscan remember also the Hermitage, outside Assisi, on the Monte Subasio, where the Saint praied and where subsequently was built a convent, the Sanctuary of Rivotorto that preserves in its inside the "tugurio" where St. Francis established the his first community of "somma umiliate" in 1208 and the Convent of Saint Damiano where Francis was converted in 1205; after 1212 it was used by St. Claire and her followers.
THE TRADITIONS - During the first few days of May, the town enthusiastically celebrates "Calendimaggio" in which the young people, in particular, re-enact scenes of Medieval life. For three days the town is divided into two opposing factions, the Lower Side and the Upper Side, recalling the bloody feuds that raged in the town in the XIV and XV centuries. Nowadays, the contest is "peaceful" with two sides showing theis skills in choral singing, costumed parades, traditional games and perfomances of short plays about life in former times in the more picturesque Medieval streets; the awarding of the prize banner (Palio) is the task of an external panel of judges who assign points for each compatition.
Some of the most deeply-rooted traditions are the religious ones and, in particular, those taking place in the week preceding Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday a statue of the dead Christ is removed from a XVI century crucifix and carried on a bier, on Good Friday morning, in procession from the Cathedral to the Basilica os St. Francis and back again in the evening. The evening torchlight procession is particurlay moving ("Processione del Cristo Morto"). Another very special event in the religious calendar is the "Pulci Procession" on the first Sunday after the Feast of Corpus Christi. It takes place in the narrow streets of the upper part of the town which are decorated for the occasion, by the inhabitants, with magnificent pictorial carpets of flowers.
On the 22nd June the Municipal Authorities make a formal offering of votive candles in thanksgiving for St. Clare's having courageously repelled a Saracen attack on the town.
Between the 31st July abd the 2nd August a multitude of pilgrims arrives in Santa Maria degli Angeli in order to obtain the Indulgence (Perdono) granted at the behest of St. Francis by Pope Honorius III. However, the feast which is celebreted with the greatest solemnity is that of St. Francis on 3rd-4th Ocotber.


When I was growing up and was going to go hang out with friends somewhere, my parents might say to me, "Don't talk to strangers." Even today, when I'm traveling, they say it as a joke - and it's extra funny because, as a priest, I always end up talking to people I don't know.
But I think that idea is pretty common: stay away from strangers. The people we don't know - the people who don't belong to "us" - are somehow dangerous. Now, for my parents to tell me that as a kid is pretty good advice - it keeps a child safe; but it's not the mind of God when it comes to His people.
Our readings today are all about "foreigners" - those outside of God's chosen people of Israel. Isaiah the prophet tells us that one day, not only will these outsiders know God, but they will minister to Him and offer sacrifice in the Temple.
This is a pretty outrageous prophecy. If you look at much of the Old Testament, there is a clear distinction between Israel and the Gentiles. They are often enemies - but God doesn't want things to stay this way. He intends for His people to be a light to all the nations, a beacon that draws in these strangers to a relationship with the true God. As St. Paul says in the second reading from Romans, God wants to have mercy on all people.
We see the echoes of this tension in our Gospel reading from St. Matthew. In it, we find Jesus in the region of Tyre and Sidon - Gentile territory. So it should be no surprise when this Canaanite woman approaches Him. She is clearly an outsider - so, when she asks Jesus for help He doesn't immediately answer her and then when He does, He explains that His first mission is to the children of Israel.
All of this, and their next exchange, seems to be Jesus testing her faith. He is drawing out the belief and trust she has already shown in Him. That is the best way to understand the Lord comparing her and her people to the dogs who eat the children's scraps. She is outside of the community of Israel. She had no claim to the covenant that God has made with His people; but her response shows the trust she has in Jesus: "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters."
She is throwing herself on His mercy. Even thought she is outside of the chosen people of Israel, she is simply trusting that God will work through this man out of loving kindness. Jesus sees her great faith, and grants what she asks.
What are we to make of all of this?
First, there are no strangers to the love of God.
It's very easy for the Church to become inwardly focused - only worrying about maintaining the buildings and programs we have, and taking care of those of us who are already here. However, God's love is always seeking out more. We should never forget that our Church, from its founding and at its heart, is a missionary one. Our faith is one to be shared and the vast majority of that sharing happens not through the priests, but through you, the faithful people. By being open about your faith and striving to live that faith to its fullest, you welcome more people to the family of the Church.
Second, we should always remember that we are all strangers.
Even if we have been Catholic from the earliest days of our lives, everything we have as members of God's Church is a gift. There's nothing we did or nothing we can do to earn the grace of God. Each one of us is an adopted son or daughter - someone who God chose out of love.
Let's not ever start to think that somehow we deserve this. Everything is a gift - a gift we should constantly be thankful for and one that we should be excited and driven to share.


Sail On! Sail On!
The original "Santa Claus" was Bishop St. Nicholas (d.352AD) of Turkey who was very wealthy and had a reputation for helping those in need with secret gifts. There are many lovely stories of his kindness and generosity. In the 16th century, after the reformation, St Nicholas became unpopular. Other figures were established to continue the customs of Christmas. In England, he became "Father Christmas" and in France he was know as "Pere Noel". Austria and Germany called the season "Christkund" which symbolizes the baby Jesus. Early in the US, his name was "Kris Kringle" from "Christkund". The Dutch settlers in the USA brought the stories of St. Nicholas with them and called him "Sintrerklaas". This name developed into the "Santa Claus" of today. St Nicholas Day is December 6th and children in Europe leave clogs filled with presents, hay and carrots for St.Nicholas and his horse.
Offering a "Sail On! Sail On!" Santa with his ship. This figure is all hand wrought from the figure to clothes and accessories using vintage materials. Face and hands are hand molded and painted. His hair is New Zealand Wool. All are designed by Carol Wright, a Pennsylvania artist, who has been producing these figures for years. Each is unique and no two the same.


We will spend 12 weeks covering the Apostle Paul's letter to a first century church that had all the problems of the modern church today. Sexual sin, law suits among believers, societal immorality, marriage, divorce, what to eat, what not to eat, how to dress, how to worship, spiritual gifts and ultimately what we believe about the resurrection of the dead. It's all in a letter to the Church at Corinth that we call First Corinthians and we're going to read it, study it and attempt to apply it to our lives today. It's quite a journey through the Truth of God's Word and I invite you to join us for the adventure.
Below is the current week's video. Click resources to download notes.
Past weeks videos can be found here,


It seems that every time I have been alone this week, which hasn’t been often, I have had a lyric fest in my head…lyrics about the cross…I find myself singing in my imagination like Karen Harding, or Karen Peck….or some Karen that sings like Celine….the luring melody of the songs of the church.
“Then a stone moves, the Earth shakes….birds start singing,
the sun shines, the Earth warms…new life it’s bringing; a little boy stops crying, a mother is smiling, for death could not hold their King” rolling over and over in my busy brain.
“There was a cross made for the Son of God at Calvary.
Two pieces of rough timber on a hill.
Through His hands and through His feet,
He took the nails for you and me.
Angels watched as He died for the lost.
Though He could have walked away He chose the cross.”
I can hear the kids singing this in my head…without headphones, or a CD….just simply the recall of the memory, the staggering truth that is depicted here. For everything I claim to be, hope to be, every fiber of this ___ lbs. and 5 feet 2 inches is instantly “alive” when I hear these songs. Tears are automatic. It is honestly borderline embarrassing. Am I the only one? When the reality of my mortality is recognized I cry like a baby. It happens a lot….in restaurants, and the server always thinks that Steve and I are having a fight.
There is much that I could have discourse about that would address the atheistic movement in this country, the lack of attack that atheists have on Muslims, (they don’t want to be blown up and know that Christians will turn the other cheek)……the secularists movement…I could write all night and NOT begin to cover the major points of a bias against us, the Christian…the Christ follower, the believer, and ultimately they battle the cross, always our symbol, always their battle. For this is the week that we are mocked, told that our intelligence is low or we couldn’t believe this fiction, we are scoffed as hillbillies and a low class demographic. That’s okay. Let them say whatever they want to say. I know how this story ends, and I know that the end is near. 200 million people are suffering some sort of persecution world wide for their Christian stand as I write this. 200 million now….in 2014. I am not persecuted…not much anyway. Like most of you, my philosophy is entrenched in the DNA of my blood. I expect the return of Jesus. That is non-negotiable in my belief story line. He is coming, for us….the bride, the righteous. But let’s get back to Thursday, and Friday. I am operating under the assumption that we all know that this may or may not be the exact week of the crucifixion. However, I am operating under the assumption that this isn’t an argument.
This is the week that we are choosing to celebrate our Lord. The man that went to pray….as His sweat became as blood. He knew. He knew you, He knew me….He knew how rotten we are…He knew that we would be selfish, mean, spiteful, materialistic….He knew we would abandon our children, cheat on our wives/husbands, fall to perversion…He knew we would steal and murder…sometimes just for fun. He knew. He knew that we would beat our children, rape them, judge our neighbors, and yes….struggle with boundaries, judgement, and yes even food…and drink…and shopping…and JEALOUSY…and gossip and worshiping many things besides Him. He knew us intimately…..more intimately than our spouse knows us.
“He knew me…yet HE loved me….He whose glory makes the heaven shine…so unworthy…of such mercy….when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”
He could have left the garden and snuck off to the country side…or the sea…He could have walked away. He could have refused to surrender those hands, the same hands that had created the heavens and earth…remember He told us that He could have called twelve legions of angels. He was not a hostage…he was willing. He could have left us empty and thirsty. He could have walked away….but, He didn’t. He provided us with the plan to live in His fullness, and die in His presence.
Truly, this is more than I can fathom, and I don’t claim to be a scholar. Actually, I make no claims to anything…except the “I know that I know” obvious. I am not positive what God will say to many of the difficult questions: Why do we have horrific heartbreak, why do babies die, why are good people sick and mean people well, why are the wicked prosperous and sometimes good people starve. Why, why, why?? Well I could handily quote a few scriptures right here….about how it “rains on the just and the unjust” and “it’s appointed to man once to die”….and on and on. But that is the small stuff. This trip to the cross is the big thing. That bloody body hanging on that cross provided the answers for our lives here, and there. Period. Done. He is the answer. Sick? Well? Rich? Poor? Eternity doesn’t give “get out of jail free” passes. Eternity knows no color, age, gender, income tax brackets, intelligence level….when the last breath is appointed, you’re finished. You will face the “forever” of your choices. Is he a Savior of all? You bet He is. Does He love all…you can bank on it. If you know Him, you are different…in a “hopeful” kind of way. If you don’t know Him, you’re eternally lost. That’s what the Bible says.
To quote my daughter Kelly, “When I was lying on a stretcher on I-85 and my middle child is being air lifted with massive blood loss, and a blood pressure of 60 over 30, and my husband who has a serious brain bleed and injury, is unrecognizable…and to the human eye, in that moment of carnage the odds look bad for his survival…when I was lying on my back, looking up into that North Carolina sky at two life flight helicopters with my baby and and the love of my life each in those helicopters, I know that something is SO wrong with my back, I don’t realize yet the severity of the break, but I am painfully aware that I can’t walk….the bus is destroyed, the sirens, ambulances and helicopters are deafening….to the ear….that Holy Ghost that has been my song for 20 years, that message of faith that we have spent countless hours talking about..suddenly became the comforter that assured me that “He” had this. If I never saw them living and breathing again….if this day changed my life forever, I would lean on the redemption of the cross….because that is our hope, our only hope.”
While the world is looking for answers, we know the road that leads to eternal life, while the world tells us we are insignificant, we know that we are royalty, while the weakest of us are sustained, the thirstiest are quenched, the wounded are healed, and the dirty are cleaned…..that Friday…that Friday when the earth shook, the darkness hovered….I am sure the hearts of those that loved Him wondered….would light ever return, would the world forever be black? But it wasn’t to be…the darkness turned to light, and then that curtain in the temple…torn, from top to bottom…forever to remind us that ALL of us are candidates, all of us.
When you truly comprehend the change “this” particular Friday brought to humanity, you may cry in a restaurant, or you may cry when you walk in the nursing home and hear that 89 year old, trembling…pushing out a whisper, that used to be a good low baritone, “On a hill, far away….stood an old rugged cross”……you may get those Holy Ghost bumps when you lower that friend into the ground after that long battle with lung cancer…….for the foundation of the Christian faith, this 2,000 year old story that can’t be muted or disputed, became our heritage, our DNA was birthed on that bloody cross, for there my soul found liberty. It was there that ALL hope was born. The cross is the birth place of hope. That dying man is actually just starting his life…when Jesus died, he paved the road for us…the road from here to there….from pain, disease, trauma, burns, abuse, cancer….that final road, that ALL of must walk, he paved it and made it easy….that Friday gave us eternity. Easy, simple, available, eternity. There are no pre-requisites. You don’t have to be “born” into it, or study for it. That Friday cemented John 11:26 “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Yes, he made this my heritage, and my future. He made it the hope of generations that have been, and generations to come. For in fact on that Friday, Jesus changed the world forever. The enemies of the gospel have tried to get rid of the church for 2,000 years, and currently the enemy is raging…..but after that Friday, when the perfect lamb hang between heaven and earth, and was the sinless sacrifice for me, and you, we are here to stay. We will work until HE comes. We won’t die. We will believe, and go to church, and sing our songs, and worship HIM who loved us…we will read, study, and shape our lives for this gospel. We will let it breathe life into our hopeless mornings, speak encouragement to our sick bodies, reprove us when needed, and always guide us through a weary land that becomes less comfortable with “us” every day. We the radically saved, the “laying on of hands” crowd……the “pray for the lost in Wal-Mart” crowd….yea, we do that….but this “church” that tarries for now, will work until HE comes. We will work smarter, harder, and know that eternity is at stake for ALL that miss this message. Yes, that’s what we believe.
So as we celebrate Good Friday, let’s remember that our freedom is based on this day. It is like our spiritual 4th of July. Without Friday, there is no Sunday. So don’t despair, don’t despise the blood…don’t deny the truth of the work that was finished….and you non-believers, remember if you’re wrong and I am right…..if there is nothing to this cross story…..if we just die and that’s it. The end. I lose nothing. I lived a good moral life based on the principles of the Bible. However, if you are wrong…..if this story of a man that let them beat him to death, put spikes in him, spear his side…all the while with the ability to stop them…if this story that the atheists call “fairy tale” material is true….if you MUST believe to have eternal life and avoid a hell of torment, if this is true….this gospel that we STAND on and believe with every molecule in us……is true, you my friend….you will be sentenced to a devil’s torment in hell, forever if you reject Jesus. Time is short. He gave His life, no one took it, He redeemed us. WE are free!!! That hole in your soul can only be filled by Him. Let Him love you like only HE can. Let the cross be your new story, and your new glory!!!
Fridays are game changers, truly!!!!! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!


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WELCOME TO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF GENEVA
We’re glad you found us, and we look forward to meeting you in person. At the United Methodist Church of Geneva, we open our hearts, minds and doors to all. Check out the About Us page for more info.
Tuesday, June 23 through Sunday, June 28Come and feast at our food booth located at Fourth & James Streets, right next to the carnival. Get your friends together to work a shift at UMCG's Food Booth. Sign-up to work a shift.


June 9, 2018
Ordination Service of Elders and Deacons
Pastor Jose Galvez, Stayton Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor, invited Dustin Gordon, Dan Ward, Dan Elliot, Jeremiah Marx to come forward as candidates to serve as Elders and Deacons. With much appreciation, the church family welcomed these candidates with a wave of motions to accept, a second motion followed and the church family accepted with a hearty 'Amen'. These brethrens have displayed dedication and have declared their service for our Lord, Jesus Christ.
As a part of ordaining these brethrens into their roles, Pastor Jose invited all current and past Elders and Deacons to come forward and place their hands on these brethrens as he prayed.
“May God continue to bless each of you, as you continue to serve Him.”
Please continue to pray for our brethrens, our Pastor and our church family as a whole, as we continue to grow in His service.


News: Pope says condoms OK for women too
When the Pope said that wearing condoms "can be a first step in the direction of a moralization" for in
When the Pope said that wearing condoms "can be a first step in the direction of a moralization" for in some circumstances, such as male prostitutes, many saw it as a long-overdue first step in the Catholic church’s acceptance of safe-sex practices. But something (or someone, rather) was missing from the statement: Women. Many thought the Pope’s comment implied that it’s acceptable to use condoms for disease prevention as long as a pregnancy isn’t being prevented. What about the 15.7 million women who are living with HIV around the world?
Well, now the Vatican says it’s a-OK for women to be protected by condoms, too. In an attempt to clarify the Pope’s comments on condom use, which appear in his new book entitled, Light of the World, a Vatican spokesperson told the press Tuesday that the Pope says this comment applies to women as well as men, and that it’s acceptable for condoms to be worn during heterosexual intercourse as well. Here’s Vatican spokesperson Rev. Frederico Lombardi’s quote as it appears in the Associated Press:
This is if you’re a man, a woman, or a transsexual. We’re at the same point. The point is it’s a first step of taking responsibility, of avoiding passing a grave risk onto another,” Lombardi said.
This is being interpreted as the Catholic church saying that the contraception that occurs from wearing a condom for heterosexual sex is a lesser evil than spreading disease if a condom is not worn. Now this is a huge step forward for the Vatican church and for the safety of millions of men and women across the world. Writes the Associated Press:
In Sierra Leone, the director of the National AIDS Secretariat predicted condom use would now increase, lowering the number of new infections.
The Catholic church is still opposed to contraception, though. One step at a time, I suppose.
‘ 11 things every Canadian should know about HIV/AIDS
‘ Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)


Since its release in 2010 over 3,200 pastors from a number of different denominations used the course, including many members of the Central Texas, East Ohio, North Carolina and Southwest Texas conferences of the United Methodist church. READ MORE »
I found this course to be a most effective learning experience. With some 25 years in college teaching and administration, plus an additional ten years in UMC pastoral ministry, I can appreciate an effective course design READ MORE »
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FATHER MATTHIAS WERNERUS The Dickeyville Grotto (1925-1930) // Stone, mortar, and bright color eked objects collected from all over the world: including but not limited to colored glass, gems, antique heirlooms of pottery or porcelain, stalagmites and stalactites, sea shells of all kinds, starfish, petrified sea urchins and fossils, a variety of corals plus amber glass, agate, quartz, ores such as iron, copper, lead, fools gold, rock crystals, onyx, amethyst and coal as well as petrified wood and moss.
I’ve seen my fair share of Midwestern religious grottoes. I started in West Bend, Iowa to see the Grotto of Redemption. I traveled to Cedar Rapids and West Burlington to see Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto and Our Lady of Grace respectively. All gorgeous, all hard to fathom, and wonderful in their own right. With every photo, every video, every person kept saying one thing, “you have to go to Dickeyville.”
The drive was not an easy one, but if planned just right, it was doable. It wasn’t on the top of my to-do list, but it should now be on the top of yours. Everyone was right, the Dickeyville Grotto in Dickeyville Wisconsin is well worth the time to travel to the town of 1,000 just a few hours from Madison or Milwaukee.
Not only did Father Matthias Wernerus, a Catholic Priest, Pastor of the Holy Ghost Parish in Dickeyville Wisconsin construct the main grotto from 1925-1930, the entire grounds including a cemetery is home to numerous shrines with more and more stone, gems, antiques, petrified wood and more.
The Main Grotto was last shrine completed by Father Wernerus and contains within it the shrine of the Blessed Virgin. On either side of the main grotto is a pillar fashioned of Rose Quartz from South Dakota, one crowned with an American Flag and the other with the Papal Flag; Patriotism and Religion. On the face of the arch of the Grotto, inlaid in stone, are the fifteen decades of the Rosary, the official prayer of the Mother of God. The statue is made of Italian White Carrara Marble and was sculptured in Europe. On the face of this little altar there is inlaid a very small cross with was made by the first Indian Convert Father Marquette, the missionary priest who discovered the Mississippi River. The walls of the interior are inlaid with precious stones from all over the world, along with beautiful shells and rare corals.Per DickeyvilleGrotto.com
There are several shrines in the Grotto garden. Besides the main shrine (which houses the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin), there is a patriotic shrine, the sacramental shrine of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart shrine, Christ the King shrine, Fatima shrine, and the Stations of the Cross. These shrines are located in a beautiful floral garden area surrounding the Holy Ghost Church.Per DickeyvilleGrotto.com
If you get a chance, whatever your religious beliefs or spirituality, the Dickeyville Grotto and many more grottoes across the Midwest are well worth your time. The ingenuity, the commitment, and beauty are inspirational and will leave you wanting to know more, do more, and see more.


Wishing You All A Very Merry Chistmas!
Christmas came early to our house this year. How fun it was to have the daughters, son-in-laws, and grandchildren for the day. The only one missing was the number one son, but he was totally in our hearts. The hubby and I are looking forward to visiting him sometime in the next couple of months. So now, with Christmas Eve upon us, we are wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas. May your hearts be filled with love and joy, may all those you hold dear be safe, and may the new year be replete with hopes and dreams fulfilled.
Until Next Year,


Carrie Elizabeth Ward Holston
Mrs. Carrie Elizabeth Ward Holston was born February 8, 1957, in Birmingham, Alabama, the fourth child of Cleveland and Eula Ward. She accepted Christ at an early age and united with Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Ensley.
Carrie attended Birmingham Public Schools and graduated from Wenonah High School in 1975. With her desire to be of service to others, she continued her education at Lawson State Community College and Bessemer State Technical College, earning the Licensed Practical Nurse certification. This career choice gave her the opportunity to work in several hospitals and private practices in the Birmingham area.
After relocating to Georgia, she united with New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Powder Springs. There she served as not only a faithful member, but also served several years as Church Secretary. She was full of personality and leadership qualities. She was never content to be just a member and served a term as Worthy Matron of Villa Rica Eastern Star Chapter No. 138. She also served a term as President of the Silhouettes of the Carrolton-Douglasville Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Although nursing was her vocation and service was her calling, sewing was her passion. She often said “If I can see it, I can go home and make it.” Carrie did everything from alterations for family and friends to quilts and rugs. During her final months, she convinced the hospital staff to allow her to have her sewing machine brought to the hospital. During that time she made multiple quilts. When the pandemic struck, she shifted her focus and made dozens of masks for family and hospital staff.


A SMALL GROUP STUDY TO HELP YOU EMPOWER PARENTS TO SUPPORT THEIR TEENAGERS
Equip Parents to Disciple Their Teenagers | Support More Families in Less Time | Gain Clarity with a Plan to Engage Parents
Do you want the teenagers in your church
to have a healthy family life?
- You’re frustrated watching disconnected or drifting relationships between parents and teenagers.
- You watch fearful parents guess and do their best with mixed results.
- You need a plan to equip parents to stay connected with their maturing child.
- You don’t have the time to counsel every family.
- You want parents to fight for relationships with their teenagers.
- You’re worried your students will graduate without a strong support system.
THEN THIS SMALL GROUP STUDY IS FOR YOU!
Your Plan to Build Stronger Families
4 effective faith-building strategies in youth ministry
Want the Teenagers in Your Church to Have Thriving Faith?
We’ve identified four strategies that have proven to be successful in nurturing the faith of young people so their faith thrives when they become adults. These strategies will help you:
- Focus your efforts on what makes a difference
- Maximize your influence
- Position you as an ally to teenagers and their parents
- Effectively support the faith of young people during a critical time in their lives
Meet Your Guide
As parents and youth workers, we understand and know how you feel. We’ve been there. We are there. Every day.
Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) is an innovative branch of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. With a team of researchers, ministry leaders, and parents, FYI has studied teenagers and the development of their faith for over 15 years. Their resources have helped more than 250,000 youth leaders and parents support the teenagers in their lives.
What’s included in the bundle?
- A hardcover copy of Growing With: Every Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Thrive in their Faith, Family, and Future
- A paperback copy of the Growing With Small Group Discussion Guide
How can you help parents connect with their changing teenagers and young adults?
Nearly half of graduating high school seniors go on to struggle with their faith in college.
All those summer projects, winter retreats, and weekly youth groups you and your church lovingly planned pale in comparison to the challenges they face in major life transitions.
What helps students develop lasting faith that carries them through the challenges of adulthood? Which faith experiences help them commit to following Jesus beyond their youth ministry and family contexts?
Teenage faith drift doesn’t have to happen.
Years ago, our research revealed that parents are the #1 influencers when it comes to spirituality in young people—yes, even teenagers. Also, young people need a safe place for doubt in order to process questions and have discussions that deepen their faith.
As a leader, one of the best things you can do to ensure young people are ready for what’s ahead is to invest in their parents so they have a strong support system.
The Growing With Small Group Bundle includes all the tools you need to form a Growing With discussion group for parents, equipping them to take the next step on a journey of intentional growth, and remind them to trust God to transform their family.
Parents of teenagers are dealing with the reality that what they used to do to connect and communicate with their kids doesn’t work anymore. They have to keep changing and shifting to who their kids have become. Parents want to know that even as they may grow apart from their kids physically as they enter adulthood, they can grow with their child relationally.
Filled with brand new research and real life stories from remarkable families, this bundle:
- Shows parents how to close the relational gap with their teenagers.
- Provides parents with strategies to help them invite doubt, rather than avoid it.
- Gives parents the courage to take the next step on a journey of intentional growth.
- Shows parents how to help their kids keep the roots, even as they grow.
In addition to a copy of the book, Growing With, parents will receive our Growing With Small Group Discussion Guide. It’s a 100-page guide that will take your parents on an eight-week journey in a small group as they read Growing With together. Parents will find questions to spark meaningful discussion with other parents, practical ideas to widen their parenting support network, and even journaling space for personal prayer and reflection.
As a leader, your willingness and ability to partner with parents is the leading indicator of the long-term success of your investment in the young people in your church. Let teenagers and their parents know that growing up doesn’t have to mean growing apart. Use this bundle to support more families in less time and strengthen the support systems of your teenagers so you can experience peace of mind as they graduate.
Get the Growing With Small Group Bundle
Growing With Small Group Bundle
- Growing With book
- Growing With Small Group Discussion Guide


Full Gospel Holy Temple Nash Women Invite You to “SOAR!”
Full Gospel Holy Temple Nash Women's Revival, "SOAR 2018" is set for September 19-22.
Wednesday (September 19), Thursday (September 20) and Friday September 21), come out at 7:30 pm and be blessed as nightly guest speakers teach you how to soar like an eagle. Guest speakers are as follows:
Wed.- Pastor Jacquelyn Cannon, hostess of Nash Full Gospel Holy Temple.
Thurs. - Evangelist Jennifer Cannon, Nash Full Gospel Holy Temple.
Fri - Lady Daniele Murray, First Lady of the Full Gospel Holy Temple Churches, INC. Dallas, TX.
I asked spokesperson and minister, Jermiah Cannon why they chose to call the women's revival SOAR. She shared the following:
My mother began a teaching about eagles and it was so powerful. She elegantly brought out very how the eagle flies ABOVE the storm among many other characteristics of the eagle the we must emmulate . It seemed only right to call the revival, SOAR.
To wrap up the SOAR revival right, women who have preregistered will enjoy a day of workshops and a luncheon on Saturday, Saturday 22. It will take place at the Texarkana Convention Center located at 2910 S. Cowhorn Creek Loop.
For more information, call Full Gospel Holy Temple Church at 903-838-4469


As I watched Prophet TB Joshua perform miracles in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, my heart went out to all those who have fallen away from God, those who just outright reject Him, those who dwindle in their faith in Him, and those who go through the motions of being a Christian but do not live righteously. I began to feel very sad for these people.
I read comments beneath the videos calling God names and criticizing, my brothers and sisters retaliating, and all for what? To prove God sits on His throne either as all-good or as immoral? To prove God is beyond logical thinking or that He is merely a product of our imagination?
I have taken it upon myself to look into the arguments of why God does not exist and why the God of the Christian faith is called “immoral,” “genocidal,” a “terrorist” and such other descriptions people use to formulate their case against God. I cannot be angry at people who say these things, for we all have our reasons why we believe what we do. Thus my studies have become more broad, but with this, my faith in God has also been strengthened, not deterred.
When I first began studying, I wondered, “Could there possibly be an argument strong enough to cause my faith to be swayed?” My motive to study was not on the basis to prove God exists, but to understand why others say He does not, and so I welcomed the challenge. What I have read and heard of the arguments against the existence God, at best, still do not disprove Him and fail to convince that the God of the Christian faith is indeed immoral. But I am not here to challenge anyone’s beliefs. I just like to challenge my own and write down my rationalizations. It is up to my readers what they do with it.
But oh, the great cases that are built against God and for God! How we weave ourselves into a tangled web of restless searching. Yet today, I will say this, even as I’m sure it has been said many times in much more poignancy and elegance. If there is no God, no Satan, no heaven, no hell, no resurrection, then, as the Apostle Paul puts it,” If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'”
Are our debates and debacles merely for entertainment, having no purpose but to win someone to our side of the argument? Do we fight so hard for what we believe in simply to come to terms with the fact that what we fight for will eventually come to nothing? Do we live, breathe, enjoy others (or not), and struggle, simply just….to die? Is it enough to live a life only with a meaning we ourselves have prescribed knowing that deep down the few who ever cared for us and the few lives we ever touched will eventually come to the same meaningless death and that you will eventually be completely forgotten? And does it sit well to believe that a person who has committed heinous crimes without remorse will die the same death as the sweetest, most kind and caring person you know and neither will ever face a greater judgment than that which man has given? Since the Christian and the atheist alike know the end of our world will come (as this is stated as a simple, scientific truth), our legacies, our history, and all we have come to value will pass with the world, and ultimately our lives are rendered insignificant. If all we have ever studied was to point out to us that we live once and die once and have no soul, why do we feel sad for those who have committed suicide? For they simply just escaped the struggles of this life faster than the rest of us. If life has meaning and value because we say it has meaning and value, then by whose standards do we criticize the one who says it doesn’t? Our own? After burial, the person who valued life is no greater than the one who did not value life, for both came to the same ending.
If all of this is what life really boils down to, then what a very sad agnostic and/or atheist I would be….


Cantiones Sacrae is a vocal ensemble that specialises in polyphonic choral music of the Renaissance period although the group also sings music composed in later centuries and compositions by contemporary composers.
The group sings all its music unaccompanied with one voice per part, the purity of the voices giving Cantiones Sacrae its distinctive sound.
The members of Cantiones Sacrae have adopted St Salvador's Church in Dundee as their "home" using the church as their main venue for concert performances.
Linda Dallas (soprano) was one of the founder members of Cantiones Sacrae back in 1998 and lives in Brechin with husband, Graham and daughter, Heather. She took a break from singing with the group due to various other commitments and rejoined the group in 2007 with renewed energy. Linda was educated at Morgan Academy in Dundee and was involved in many school ensembles playing the bassoon and other woodwind instruments. She was also a member of St Mary Magdalene’s Church Choir and Downfield Musical Society before leaving Dundee in 1990 to study to become a music teacher at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Linda currently teaches music at Carnoustie High School and is an elder with Brechin Cathedral, being the Education and Mission Team Convenor. Linda’s other main hobby is archery and she is an avid member of Links Archers based in Montrose.
Lisa Rose (alto) is now in her 18th year with Cantiones Sacrae. Where has all of the time gone! She has been involved in singing and music all of her life with various choirs and in musical groups but thinks that singing with Graeme, Jonathan and Linda is definitely the most fun, even if sometimes it does mean freezing in the church for two hours on a cold Monday night. Lisa works as the legal services manager at Angus Council and believes that singing is the best way to forget the stresses and strains of the office. Lisa lives in Brechin with her son, Patrick.
Jonathan Matheson-Dear (tenor) was educated at Dundee High School and at Harris Academy, where he took the lead role in their 1981 musical production of “Oliver!” and was Leng Gold medalist; his early musical training was as Head Chorister of St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Dundee. Jonathan then completed an honours degree in law at Dundee University where he was president of the operatic society, before moving to Fife where he continued to participate in many musical productions both with Kirkcaldy Operatic Society and Dunfermline Choral Union. Jonathan is an associate solicitor with the firm of Ross & Connel in Dunfermline specialising in family law, criminal law and general litigation. He is in addition an active and prominent member of the local faculty of solicitors’ Deans Council. In his limited spare time, Jonathan enjoys football, cinema and theatre. Jonathan was also privileged as a guest member of the Faculty of Advocates’ choir to participate in a concert celebrating five centuries of sacred music at Notre Dame in Paris under the auspices of the Franco-British Lawyers’ Association. He has also performed in a number of special services in the past year at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, including their recent Remembrance Day event.
Graeme Adamson (bass) is a doctor who works with the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service in Dundee. He has been Cantor at St Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church for over twenty years which is the connection that led to him being invited to join Cantiones Sacrae. In recent years, Graeme has sung in a number of English abbeys and cathedrals including Buckfast, Chichester, Douai, Exeter, St Albans, Westminster, Wells, Winchester, Worcester, and York. He has also sung in the Netherlands, France, London and Oxford with the Bartholomew Consort, and in Devon and Somerset with the Blackdowns Early Music Projects. He is particularly delighted to be a member of the Schola Cantorum at the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy in Wiltshire which each year includes a live radio broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3. Vocal music of the Renaissance period is Graeme's absolute favourite and he finds it intensely satisfying to perform. In his spare time he enjoys listening to music, musical theatre, playing with all things technological, ice skating, eating good food and drinking red wine which, he maintains, is good for the voice!


My life was changed when Robert Zevin suggested that I read the book The Gift by Lewis Hyde which helped me understand the difference between the economy of trade and the economy of gift. I was talking about this to Pastor Keith Anderson and about how the book had helped shape my work for the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. Pastor Keith has just given a sermon on the gift economy quoting me. Listen to his sermon here
September 10th – 12th, 2017 Christ Church, Oxford
Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church College, Oxford writes, “It is good to be able to welcome and introduce the poetry of Jamie Coats in this anthology. Jamie is a layperson working for the Society of St John the Evangelist (SSJE) in the United States − an Anglican religious order of brothers. Jamie writes on contemporary monastic wisdom, and his work draws on Buddhist, Hindu and Christian traditions of meditation and silence. We reproduce his ‘Candle Trilogy’ towards the close of this volume.” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07549SB1V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503692318&sr=8-1&keywords=untamed+gospel YOU CAN READ THE POEMS ON MY POETRY BLOG: The Candle Trilogy: Unlit Betrayal | Lit Faithfulness | Faithful Betrayal – Holy Fire
Ancient practices meet new technology when Episcopal monks share wisdom online The Society of St. John the Evangelist monks — who don’t use social media themselves — have developed a worldwide following by offering spiritual guidance on the Internet. Duke University’s Faith and Leadership blog: https://www.faithandleadership.com/ancient-practices-meet-new-technology-when-episcopal-monks-share-wisdom-online
Coats stories on Coats.com An Indian tale A commitment that can be traced back centuries… Our world class facility in Ambas, Southern India This Coats story comes from Jamie Coats, the great, great, great, grandson of Peter Coats who founded J & P Coats (the forerunner to Coats) with his brother, James Coats. When Jamie recently visited two of our plants in Southern India, he found a commitment to health and safety that can be traced back to his forebears. http://www.coats.com/index.asp?pageid=15&blogid=38
Speech given at Houston’s Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday 29th January 2015 at the FORMA Conference To read the transcript click here.


“And his disciples asked him, saying, what might this parable be? And he said, unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand.” Luke 8:9-10
The keys of the kingdom are given to us the children of the kingdom to know and to make known to the world the mysteries of the kingdom of God. As children we have access to the secret chambers of our Father God to see and to declare to the world His eternal plan.
‘Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.’ Amos 3:7
The secret of God is with His prophets. And by the grace of God, I am one of those prophets: As a New Creation in Christ, I have the prophetic anointing upon my life to speak what God has already spoken. My duty is to make known to the Church, and also to the world the hidden wisdom of God which He ordained before the world unto our glory.
‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.’ 1Corinthians 2:9-12
There are many things that God has in store for us that we do not know. The Bible called them, ‘The deep things of God.’
One of the reasons why the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) is given to the believers is for them to know the mind of God, and to declare that mind to the people of this world.


10th Circuit Court of Appeals
We recently had the chance to connect with one of our more recent Harvey Fellows, Ben Gibson:
Remind us what year you received the Harvey Fellowship and what program you were undertaking.
I received a Harvey Fellowship in 2018 to pursue a JD at Stanford’s Law School. I am a generalist at heart, so I studied everything from taxation to natural resource law. But I also dedicated a significant amount of my coursework specifically to Federal Indian Law, an area of law focused on the relationship between the federal government, states, and tribes.
What have you been doing since then?
I graduated from Stanford last spring and my wife, son, and I have since moved to Denver. I started a clerkship with the Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in August. As a clerk, I prepare the judge to hear all manner of federal cases, ranging from criminal appeals, to immigration decisions, to Constitutional violations. I have felt so fortunate to start my legal career learning under a thoughtful judge while addressing pressing legal issues that affect the entire Mountain West.
Tell us briefly about your faith and family.
My parents and church taught me that Jesus is my only hope of salvation and He will redeem all things. This faith continues to form my vision of vocation: I want to be a co-participant in Christ’s redeeming work in my local community and the broader world. I am fortunate to share in this work with my wife, Norma, and my one-year-old son, Daniel. Norma works for a company called Landed, which helps teachers and healthcare professionals buy homes. Daniel is learning not to cry whenever we do family prayer.
You recently donated to support the future of the Harvey Fellows program. What motivated you to contribute?
For many right now, life is defined by political turmoil and social upheaval. We need faithful Christians, serving as scholars and practitioners, who will bring God’s wisdom to bear on society’s most pressing issues. Having just graduated, I am well aware that the Christian leaders of tomorrow are not immune to economic uncertainty and social fragmentation. Financially and spiritually, the Fellowship was a gift to me during my studies and by now contributing back to the Fellowship, I hope to support the equipping of young Christians for years to come.
How can we be praying for you and your family?
Moving to a new place in the midst of the pandemic has made it difficult to find and participate in Christian community. We would love prayers that God would be preparing a church home for us and opportunities to serve the city of Denver. Also, we would take prayers for the patience and wisdom to raise our son during this season!


I’ve got all these things that I say about letting God out of the box we’ve got him in, but DANG do I have Jesus pre-packaged in my head. I would just LOVE to not know what to think of Him or expect from Him… but my mind often (OFTEN!) thinks that He will or won’t do that, or does or doesn’t work that way (because of the way I’ve behaved in the past or present or because I think I know Him well).
Last night when Patrik and the baby were sleeping, I couldn’t sleep. I sat up in the dark and everything was really still. I just sat there and felt how tied up I am inside. And in the really dark stillness, for a split second, I felt God near, and I told Him that I just don’t know anything, and said, “please just help me”. It didn’t even feel like a prayer, really, but a moment and an encounter and then everything felt normal again.


I am focusing on anxiety during for this week’s affirmation. I haven’t posted a prayer for a while, so, I thought my weekly article would be a great time to post a prayer for anxiety, to assist in calming our troubled hearts.
This prayer is from The Graceful Chapter. Here’s a bit about them:
As a life with God is a life full of grace, The Graceful Chapter is a Christian blog dedicated to helping you build and strengthen your relationship with God. Here you will find resources and devotionals to draw you closer to God and help you build a stronger relationship with Him.The Graceful Chapter
This prayer comes from their article: 16 Prayers for Anxiety to Calm your soul. It’s a wonderful article with prayers to assist with anxiety for marriage, travel, finances, business, and more.
I come before you today with a heavy heart.
I’m crushed by my own fears and worries.
Please grant me serenity and calm my troubled heart.
Fill me with your hope and help me to understand that
everything is going according to your plan.
Show me the right path, so I may follow you in faith.
Thank you for being a source of peace in my life through troubling times.
In Jesus’ name, I pray,
For more prayers to “Calm a your soul” Follow the link below
One response to “Prayer for anxiety…Calm my troubled heart”


Archbishop Tobin Named Indy's Irish Citizen of the Year & St. Pat's Day Parade Grand Mar
The Most Reverend Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Indianapolis, was elected as Indy’s 2016 Irish Citizen of the Year and Grand Marshal for the Indy Sports Foundation’s 36th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Presented by the Hoosier Lottery taking place in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday, March 17th at 11:30am.
Archbiship Tobin was appointed the Archbishop of Indianapolis by Pope Benedict XVI on October 18, 2012. A Detroit native, Archbishop Tobin was born May 3, 1952 and is the oldest of 13 children. He was ordained an archbishop on October 9, 2010 in St. Peter’s Basilica of Rome.
As part the Irish Citzen of the Year tradition, Archbiship Tobin will green the Canal on Wednesday, March 16th at 5:00pm to kick-off St. Patrick’s Day in Indy, participate as the Grand Marshal at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Thursday, March 17th and start the 25th Anniversary of the Shamrock Run & Walk on Saturday, March 19th.


We Believe In Memphis is a new television show recorded on the Christ United Methodist Church campus and hosted by Shane Stanford and Maxie Dunnam. It has grown out of Dr. Maxie Dunnam’s previous TV and radio spot ministry, I Believe in Memphis. The program features Maxie and Christ Methodist Senior Minister Shane Stanford.
We Believe in Memphis takes an honest look at the troubles of our city, but celebrates the profound goodness found here as well.
Through interviews with community leaders and discussions about local issues, Shane and Maxie show us every week not only why Memphis is a great place to live but an even greater place to be salt and light in the name of Jesus.
You can also catch watch We Believe in Memphis on WTVW (Uverse 23, Comcast 14) several times throughout the week.
Sundays @ 11:30 a.m.
Mondays @ 4:30 p.m.
Wednesdays @ 6:30 p.m.
Saturdays @ 5:30 a.m.


Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get people to come out at night, especially in the middle of winter? Is it safe at night?
The experience of numerous PEA chapels around the world is that many people love night adoration. The Holy Spirit moves them to choose the night hours. Having the chapel open 24/7 allows everyone to participate because everyone can find at least one hour a week to spend with Jesus. The chapel has a landline with emergency numbers posted next to it. There is adequate lighting around the car parks and pathway to the chapel. The door to the chapel can be locked at night. This enables any adorer to lock themselves in and check to see who the next adorer is before letting them in. Evidence from overseas chapels show virtually no safety concerns at all. In the seven months since the chapel at St Gregory’s has been operating there have been no issues at all.
What happens if there is a big snowfall or another earthquake?
Procedures are in place to deal with big snowfall, e.g., a team to shovel snow, or if conditions are too bad, then the chapel will close. Procedures are also in place to deal with earthquakes, fires and other emergencies.
What happens if someone does not turn up for their hour?
What happens at Christmas and New Year when people go away? What do I do if I can’t do my hour?
If an adorer does not turn up and you are left alone, you have two options. The adorer can either remain until another person turns up or they can repose the Blessed Sacrament and secure the tabernacle and chapel. Many adoration chapels around the world continue on public holidays such as Christmas and New Year (such as the chapel at St Gregorys did). If you cannot do your hour the first step is to contact a substitute and ask them to fill in. If you cannot find a substitute you then call your day leader who will help you find someone. All the procedures are listed on this page.
How will you ensure that the Blessed Sacrament is secure at all times?
The Blessed Sacrament can never be left along under any circumstances. This has been emphasised to all adorers over and over again. If someone does not turn up and you have to leave, procedures are in place for you to repose the Blessed Sacrament and lock the chapel (see above).
What is the point of Exposition anyway? Can’t we just pray in front of the tabernacle?
Although it is not essential for exposition to take place to have Eucharistic adoration, adorers report experiencing a greater sense of intimacy with Jesus, and attentiveness of mind and heart to prayer when they are able to actually “see” our Eucharistic Lord. Some people describe the difference between spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed and spending time with Him in the tabernacle to be like the difference between conversing with a friend face-to-face and conversing with him through a closed door. Moreover, it motivates adorers to be faithful to their hours for which they are scheduled because they know that Jesus must not be left alone in the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance, whereas He can be left alone in the tabernacle. With exposition, the scheduled adorers are guardians of the Blessed Sacrament as well as adorers, so their presence is necessary.
Who pays for PEA?
As this is a diocesan apostolate, the Diocese will pay all the costs of running this Perpetual Adoration Chapel with a contribution from the parish.
We don’t have the Catholic population to support this.
Yes we do, as seven months of continuous Perpetual Adoration proves. There are 168 hours a week, so only 168 adorers are required to keep perpetual adoration going. Parishes overseas have been able to maintain perpetual adoration with relatively small congregations for many years.
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is not possible because exposition must be discontinued during the Easter Triduum, and also each time Mass is said in the chapel.
“Perpetual adoration” is a popular term to describe the almost continuous exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and such temporary discontinuation of Eucharistic Adoration is not generally regarded as interrupting the perpetuity of adoration. The documents of the Church insist that Adoration must cease during the Easter Triduum. This already happens at chapels around the world.
What about Sunday Mass in the Church? Isn’t it forbidden to have exposition concurrent with Mass?
Canon 941-2 simply states: “Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament may not take place while Mass is being celebrated in the same area of the Church of oratory.” The chapel at St Gregory’s is separated from the church by a wall and door and therefore complies with Canon 941-2. The only times that it is necessary that the Blessed Sacrament be reposed during Mass is when Mass is celebrated in the chapel itself. This happens nearly every day in the chapel.
The Lord's presence among us is not limited to His presence in the Eucharist. He is with us in other ways as well. To mention a few: He is with us when we gather together for prayer, celebrate the sacraments, and read Sacred Scripture. Clearly, the Eucharist is the most celebrated presence of those presences of Christ.
But, nonetheless, it needs to be kept in proper context.
In the ways mentioned, Jesus is present in His power, in His authority, in His Spirit. But in the Eucharist, Jesus is present in His Person — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. The Eucharist is the literal fulfilment of His words: Behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world. Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is a bit of heaven on earth because in perpetual adoration Jesus is continuously adored by the faithful here on earth, just as He is continuously adored by the angels and saints in heaven.
What are the fruits of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament?
Testimonies from all around the world testify to the many graces, blessings and miracles that come from perpetual adoration. Perpetual Adoration helps people grow in their relationship with God. Check out the Testimonies page for for comments from people in Christchurch about how Adoration has impacted their life.


An exclusive LIVE Webinar
Operating In the Open Door Mantle
You can still register and watch the replay!
About the host:
Jamie Rohrbaugh is an author, speaker, and Jesus-seeker whose heart is for the local church. Called to intercession and prophetic ministry, her passion is to see sons and daughters transformed by the love of Abba Father. Jamie blogs for a global readership at FromHisPresence.com, where she writes about prayer, inner healing, personal revival, and the supernatural lifestyle. She is a frequent contributor to The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, iBelieve.com, and has also also written for Charisma Magazine, Crosswalk, 365Prophetic, and various other ministry outlets. She holds a Master's in Biblical Studies from Berea Seminary and is a grateful member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Jamie serves as a domestic missionary in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, son, and many admired but unused cookbooks.


According to reports, Lwanga was founded dead in his bed on Saturday morning.
A statement released by the Archdiocese of Kampala confirmed the death that happened on Saturday morning.
“With deep sorrow, I hereby inform you that our beloved Shepherd, the Archbishop of Kampala Diocese, His Grace Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has been called to the house of the Lord. The Archbishop was found dead in his room this morning. We pray that the Almighty and merciful God may grant him eternal rest,” the statement read in part.