As you can see from the bulletin flier, we have received close to $1,000,000 in pledges! We are two-thirds of the way to our goal, and I am quite happy with the responses to date. I know that a number of people from both outside and inside our parish have assured me they are supporting the campaign but are waiting for income tax returns or other considerations. The list of donors includes apostolic groups, such as the West Seattle Filipino Block Rosary gave a one-time gift of $700. Last week we had a meeting with our Spanish language groups, and they made the following pledges:
Social Events Group - $40,000 Prayer Group - $25,000 Spanish Legion of Mary - $15,000 Lectors - $15,000 Christian Family Movement - $10,000 Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers - $6,000 Spanish Children's Choir - $6,000In recent years these groups have done fund-raising (food sales, dances, car washes, raffles, etc.) to support their own activities and the overall parish. I deeply appreciate that during the next three years, they will focus on the fund raising necessary to achieve the repairs and renovation of our parish facilities.
Young people and adults often have questions regarding the teachings of Christ that the Catholic Church presents. I have obtained a series of tracts that will help to answer those questions. Here are the first five, with a brief quote indicating the contents:
Adam, Eve and Evolution: The controversy surrounding evolution touches on our most central beliefs about ourselves and the world. Evolutionary theories have been used to answer questions about the origins of the universe, life, and man. These may be referred to as cosmological evolution, biological evolution, and human evolution. What is the Catholic position concerning belief or unbelief in evolution? The question may never be finally settled, but there are definite parameters to what is acceptable Catholic belief.
Reincarnation: Members of what is commonly called the "New Age" movement often claim that early Christians believed in reincarnation. Shirley MacLaine, an avid New Age disciple, recalls being taught: "The theory of reincarnation is recorded in the Bible. But the proper interpretations were struck from it during an ecumenical council meeting of the Catholic Church in Constantinople sometime around A.D. 553, called the Council of Nicaea [sic]" (Out on a Limb, 234–35).
Do Catholics Worship Statues? People still make this ridiculous claim. People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them…" (Ex. 25:18–20).
Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog, "Church of Christ") claims to be the true Church established by Christ. Felix Manalo, its founder, proclaimed himself God’s prophet. Many tiny sects today claim to be the true Church, and many individuals claim to be God’s prophet. What makes Iglesia ni Cristo different is that it is not as tiny as others.
Who Can Receive Communion? The Church sets out specific guidelines regarding how we should prepare ourselves to receive the Lord’s body and blood in Communion…Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Communion.
You may pick up one or more of these tracts from the pamphlet rack in our church vestibule. They cost $0.25 each. Please place your payment in the Sunday collection. Also, I have made available an excellent booklet titled Pure Love by Jason Evert. Jason presents a beautiful vision of Jesus’ teaching regarding sexuality. He begins: “If genuine love has escaped you thus far, if regrets and confusion have made you wonder if the love you dreamed of really exists, if you think you’ve already found that perfect someone, or if you don’t even know where to begin when it comes to dating, the following pages have been written for you.” For a $1.75 donation you can pick up a copy of this fine booklet.
I invite you to join me (and Samwise) next Saturday for a Walk to the Cathedral. I am asking adults to donate $10 (which will be divided between the Campaign and World Youth Day). Youth and children may participate for free, although they must be accompanied by a parent or a responsible adult. We will gather in front of the Roxbury entrance on Saturday, March 12, at 7am. Those participating may receive a Plenary Indulgence for themselves or for a deceased love one. You are invited to sponsor me or any of the walkers by using the envelopes available at church entrances. A big thank you to those who placed contributions in last Sunday’s collection.
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Como se puede ver en el volante, hemos recibido casi un millón de dólares en promesas de tres años. A pesar de todavía estar un poco lejos de la meta original, estoy contento con las respuestas hasta la fecha. También estoy consciente que algunas personas nos van a apoyar pero que están esperando sus impuestos u otras consideraciones. La lista de donadores incluye unos grupos apostólicos, como los Filipinos con devocion a la Virgen Maria, que han hecho contribuciones. La semana pasada uno grupos apostólicos de la comunidad hispana han hecho los siguientes compromisos:
Grupo de Eventos Sociales......................................$40,000 Grupo de Oración ……………………………. …$25,000 Legión de Maria ………………………………….$15,000 Grupo de Lectores ………………………………..$15,000 Movimiento Familiar Cristiano..............................$10,000 Coro de Niños........................... ................................$6,000 Ministros Eucaristía Extraordinario...........................$6,000Durante los últimos años estos grupos han tenido actividades para recaudar fondos (kermises, bailes, rifas, lavado de carros, etc.) para apoyar su propia misión y ayudar la parroquia entera. Estoy agradecido que durante los últimos tres años, ellos enfocarán en recaudar fondos para las reparaciones y renovaciones necesarias de nuestros edificios.
En la entrada del templo hay varios folletos que pueden ayudar en defender la fe, sobre temas como evolución, re-reencarnación, estatuas, etc. También un librito excelente, Puro Amor por Jason Evert. Es una linda presentación de las enseñanzas de Jesús sobre la sexualidad. Dice en la introducción: “Si un amor genuino lo ha eludido hasta ahora, si las penas y la confusión lo han hecho preguntarse, si el amor que ha sonado verdaderamente existe, si usted cree que ya encontró a ese alguien perfecto, o si bien ni siquiera sabe por donde empezar para iniciar un noviazgo, entonces las paginas siguientes han sido escritas para usted.” Para una donación de $1.75 puedes tener este librito.
Te invito acompañarme el próximo sábado para la Caminata a la Catedral. Estoy pidiendo una donación de $10 de adultos que se divide entre la Campana y el Día Mundial de Jóvenes. Jóvenes y niños puede participar gratis, pero los menores de 18 años tiene que ser acompañados de un adulto responsable. Saldremos de la Entrada Roxbury el 12 de marzo a las 7 a.m. Los que participaran pueden recibir una Indulgencia Plenaria para un ser querido. Se puede patrocinar uno de los caminantes usando los sobres a la entrada. Un agradecimiento a los que han puesto contribuciones en la colecta del domingo pasado.