Bob Jensen

Our Disabled Brothers and Sisters – We Welcome You

I am not a morning person. It takes me a few cups of coffee to get going in the morning. That is nothing compared to the efforts of many of our brothers and sisters living with disabilities or mobility issues and in need of walkers, canes, or wheel chairs. I am deeply impressed by the efforts they make to be able to celebrate Mass with the community. Their determination shows a deep love and devotion for the Eucharist.

We have now designated five (5) special seating areas for those with walkers or wheel chairs, marked by a decal on the floor. This gives greater visibility to these special areas. Those with walkers or wheelchairs can sit anywhere in the assembly they wish. We simply ask folks not to block aisles or impede the communion procession. The decals mark areas where chairs have been removed to give greater room. They also serve as a reminder not to put chairs in those spaces after rearranging chairs for different events.

The chair next to the decal should also be reserved for those who accompany the one with the walker or wheelchair. One reserved spot has access to a power outlet in order to allow for a respirator connection. If you need Communion brought to you, please ask the greeters and they will attach a yellow cover to the back of your chair to help the Eucharistic minister find you. To those living with disabilities, thank you for the witness you give and for your love and devotion to the Eucharist you express. If your disability is keeping you from church, please call the parish office and we will try to arrange a Eucharistic Minister to bring you Communion during the week. Also, call the office if you would like to volunteer for this ministry.

Ponder this: Spirituality

Some of you all know that I am taking a few graduate courses in theology. Last weekend, I met my online cohort in      person at Gonzaga and spent a wonderful time in conversation and movie-watching, among other more academic pursuits.

The last reading assignment was Dr. Leonard Doohan’s book, Spiritual Leadership. His premise is that leadership in general needs a conversion, a change from a focus on technique and behavioral “rules” to a more transformational style that can only exist in a leader with deeply held values and mature spirituality.

Go ahead, try this: define spirituality.

One cool distinction I learned is the difference between spirituality and religion: spirituality concerns itself about the big questions while religion offers up the big answers.

Doohan offers a lot of definitions of spirituality that I will leave with you to ponder. Do so, as we consider joining another faith community that may express its spirituality very differently than we do. Spirituality is:

• a transitory manifestation of perennial values
• faith birthed in the ever-changing circumstances of modern life
• rooted in a faith experience and a deep resting place for the heart
• taking a positive approach to creation (an embodied faith)
• developed in the presence of others

Kathy Wickward
(for vacationing Father Bill)

 

A Christian Mission In Guatemala

We were a weary but thankful group of missionaries that stepped off the plane last week after 11 days in Guatemala. Without telling the full story of our trip, I can say that the beauty of the country and the resilience of its people impressed me. We stayed first in Antigua, a town that has kept its Spanish colonial character, then at the home of Rudy Angel and Mayra Merida in San Sebastian, and finally at Lake Atitlan near Agua Escondida, hosted by Dr. Will and Diane Boegel (formerly St. Jude’s parishioners).

While staying at Rudy and Mayra’s, we spent time meeting with the full parish council of the Union de las Aldeas Corpus Christi, then with some of the individual church communities – Serchil, Canoe de las Piedras, Canaque, Barancas, and Ixcamal. This year we were blessed to take part in a field day designed for the children who receive therapy through A Mi Rey, a new foundation that Rudy and Mayra established to help families with children who have disabilities receive therapy closer to home. We met with Seres, a youth empowerment organization, at Ulew, their demonstration farm near the volcano Fuego. We also learned about Dr. Will’s many ministries through Opal House.

Mission work outside of the United States is a great perspective-builder. We sometimes forget how easy it is to accomplish our goals here. We sometimes forget what deep poverty looks like. St. John the Baptist’s projects continue to make a difference in the lives of the people we visited – clean water, secure homes, stoves that vent outside of homes. I felt blessed to be able to meet with our brothers and sisters at our sister parish and appreciate the opportunity you have afforded me to do so.

Kathy Wickward for Fr. Bill