April 1, 2019

Issue No. 40, April 2019

A Monthly Newsletter for Paulist Associates

The Associates World is the newsletter of the Paulist Associates. You can download a copy of this newsletter in PDF format (excellent for printing), or scroll down to read it in your Web browser.

---

• The Transfiguration as a Call to Each of Us
• The 2019 Paulist Associates National Retreat
• Upcoming Paulist Pilgrimages
• Proposed Program for This Month
• Consider submitting an article for inclusion in an upcoming issue of The Associates World
• Prayer for the Intercession of Father Isaac T. Hecker
• Contacts
• Promise

---

 By Fr. Tom Gbbons

 … Perhaps it [how the Apostles experienced the Transfiguration] has something to do with the fact that we are not—as Teilhard de Chardin says—human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience. Yes, Jesus wanted to share with Peter, James and John who he was, in His full glory. But I can’t help but wonder if Jesus also wanted to show Peter, James, and John who THEY were. I wonder if he wanted to show them that, at the end of the day, their full beings operate on a level that goes far beyond the immediate—and yet skimpy—information our eyes, ears, and nose provide to us. I wonder if Jesus, in showing Peter, James, and John, that they were much more than they believed, that He is also showing that truth to the rest of us as well. …

Lord knows that we need the Transfiguration’s reminder that we are more than what we believe in this fearful time. While we as a nation are still living in the ugly reality of mass shootings becoming more and more common. The vicious attack on two New Zealand mosques was especially horrific because the people were targeting for who they were. The event brought back for many ugly memories of the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. And for many others, particularly in our Transfiguration [parish] community, the event also brought back memories of the Charleston, South Carolina shooting in 2015 where nine people were killed at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church solely because of the color of their skin. …

… We especially need this reminder of the Transfiguration, this reminder that we are all more than who we think we are, that we are all more than the ugliness we see around us. We need this reminder of the Transfiguration when we take time to give each other the sign of peace, to look people in the eye and have them touch us and have us touch them so that we remind each other that we are more than what we believe. We need the Transfiguration when we come before this altar and receive the body and blood of Christ where we get to physically touch God and have God physically touch us so we can be reminded that, as Paul tells us today that “our citizenship is in heaven.”

But… as nice as the Transfiguration is… it does not stop there. When Peter, James, and John experienced the Transfiguration, it was so wonderful that they wanted to build tents. They wanted to stay there and keep this precious gift for themselves… and at that moment, the Transfiguration ended. They could not stay. It was not their time. Peter, James, and John had to go back down the mountain because there was more work to be done. And so it is for us.

We need to go down off of the mountain so that we can remind people, through our words and actions, that we are all more than what we seem. We need to go down off of the mountain to dispel the ugliness that too many people are starting to assume is the mainstream. We need to go down the mountain and spread the Good News of the Transfiguration so that everyone can appreciate that—no matter where we come from on this earth, no matter what our skin color is, no matter what our gender is, no matter what our orientation is—our real citizenship is in heaven.

And that we do not need to be afraid.

Because, the Good News of the Transfiguration is that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a human experience.

---

By Fr. Mike Kallock, CSP

  

Registration Information for the Retreat for Paulist Associates in 2019

Registration $450.

Space is limited to 30 people, which includes all Associates and guests. Thus, we are limiting the registration to current Associates (those who have taken their first promise or renewed their promise within the last 12 months) and an Associate’s spouse and/or health aide. Each guest is required to submit a registration form as well.

This registration fee includes room and meals, beginning in the afternoon on Monday, July 22 through lunch on Friday, July 26. Linens and towels are provided.

A $200 deposit is due at time of registration; full payment is due by June 15, 2019. Full refunds are available until June 15, 2019. (Another option is to pay the entire fee when you register.) A $200 deposit for a guest is also required at the time of registration.

Guests (spouses and/or health aides) are welcome to participate in the social activities, meals, and liturgies. We are reserving the sessions for Associates only.

Morning prayer and sessions are held after breakfast. Liturgy follows the sessions and then lunch. Afternoons are free time. There are optional evening events following dinner.

The property includes lakefront where individuals can swim. The dock is a great place for seeing fireworks. There are walking paths, outdoor seating, and a screened porch. The grounds do have a few hills, including a steep incline towards the chapel and dining hall. Also note that the main building (the Students House) is two floors, and there is no elevator.

• DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM HERE.
• Please be sure to read the information below.

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Fr. Mike at [email protected]

Space is limited to 30 people, which includes all Associates and guests. Thus, we are limiting the registration to current Associates (those who have taken their first promise or renewed their promise within the last 12 months) and an Associate’s spouse and/or health aide. Each guest is required to submit a registration form as well.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JUNE 15, 2019

Cost for the retreat is $450.00.

Deposit of $200.00 is due at time of registration (may pay full fee at this time).

Balance is due by June 15, 2019.

Full refund is available for cancellations prior to June 15, 2019.

 

---

A seven-day pilgrimage into the heart of Ignatius Loyola under the spiritual leadership of Frs. Thomas A. Kane, CSP and Julio Giulietti, SJ.  Rome is a deeply prayerful place – the Churches and chapels are inescapable – found around every corner, bookending every piazza, speckled along the skyline, welcoming us into prayer. For Catholics in particular, Rome is the foundational point for the Church. Over the course of this pilgrimage, we will visit sites, precious to the Jesuits and their history and journey into the very heart of Ignatius Loyola.  We will not only turn ourselves over to prayer, but be engaged by the various works and voices in the Jesuit world around art and culture, education, the refugee crisis, and so much more. This Pilgrimage is designed for a small group (a maximum of 12) and will focus on Ignatian sites, including a private tour of the Vatican Museum, a journey to La Storta, and a conversation with the staff at the Jesuit Curia. Book now, we expect to sell out quickly because of the limited number. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming to you to Rome as we welcome your prayers for us along our way. Sincerely, Thomas A. Kane, CSP Paulist Pilgrimages Julio Giulietti, SJ Spiritual Director

A ten-day Retreat Pilgrimage into the Heart of Ignatius Loyola with Frs. Thomas A. Kane, CSP and Geoff Wheaton, SJ. Our life is a pilgrimage, a journey of faith to deeper communion with God and with one another.  In many traditions, the faithful travel as pilgrims along the paths of the saints. Join us on this retreat-pilgrimage to Spain as we pray together, enjoy new sites, experience community, and deepen our awareness of God’s grace. As we trace the life and spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, we also celebrate the common life we share with fine wines and regional foods.

We begin in Bilbao with a visit to the Guggenheim Museum and continue to the town of Azpeitia for a three-day retreat at the Casa Arrupe near the Sanctuary of Loyola. We have retreat talks on the life of Ignatius of Loyola and special prayer opportunities at various pilgrimage sites nearby.  We journey next to Pamplona, where Ignatius was wounded, then on to Javier, the birthplace of St. Francis Xavier.  As we make our way south, we visit the ancient monastery of Leyre.

As we ascend Montserrat, we view the breathtaking vistas of Catalán and enjoy the beauty of this lofty Benedictine monastery.  As we ride along the Cordoner River, we remember The Pilgrim at the cave of Manresa where Ignatius wrote the Spiritual Exercises. We conclude our pilgrimage in Barcelona with a festive Eucharist at Sagrada Familia, a special sightseeing program around the city and a farewell lunch.

Come join us in discovering the richness of our vast spiritual tradition as we journey through these historic lands.  This pilgrimage promises to broaden your faith and be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.

 

An 11-day pilgrimage with Paulist Father Thomas A. Kane on an unforgettable pilgrimage to Eastern Europe. See the once-a-decade performance of the world-famous Oberammergau passion play and explore the breathtaking cities of Budapest, Prague, and Vienna. Register online at: https://paulist.org/pilgrimages/eastern-europe/

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I invite you to join us on our Splendors of Eastern Europe and Oberammergau pilgrimage with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the world famous Passion Play in 2020. The villagers of Oberammergau first performed the play in 1634 in fulfillment of their promise to God for sparing them from the Black Plague, and it has been presented there every ten years since then.

Our journey will take us to some of Europe’s most interesting countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Germany. The scenery is absolutely spectacular as we travel through the plains and valleys of the magnificent Eastern European countryside. The points of interest are very diverse, spotlighting historical places and natural wonders. We will also celebrate the liturgy in some wonderful churches along the way.

In addition to our time in Oberammergau, we will have the opportunity to enjoy visits to Prague, the beautiful 1,000-year-old capital of the Czech Republic; Budapest, Hungary’s enchanting capital on the Danube River; Vienna, Austria’s elegant city with an old world ambience and a rich musical heritage; and Munich, the capital of Bavaria.

The price of our tour includes roundtrip airfare, first class/select hotels and guesthouses in Oberammergau, most meals, first class admission tickets for the Passion Play, the services of a professional tour director and sightseeing in a deluxe motorcoach.

---

 (It is strongly suggested during the Bicentennial Year of Hecker’s Birth that all groups follow the basic theme for the designated month.)

Submitted by the Associates at St. Thomas Moore Newman Center in Columbus, Ohio

Theme: The Church and the World.

Opening Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.  And you shall renew the face of the earth.  O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Spirit we may know what is right and always rejoice in his consolation, through Christ our Lord.

Almighty and eternal God, may your grace enkindle in all of us a love for the many unfortunate people whom poverty and misery reduce to a condition of life unworthy of human beings.  Arouse in the hearts of those who call you Father a hunger and thirst for justice and peace, and for charity in deeds and in truth.  Grant, O lord, peace in our days, peace to souls, peace to families, peace to our country, and peace among nations.  Amen

Reading (in advance of the meeting):

1. Scriptures : Scripture tells us over and over how we should treat one another in our own families, in our neighborhoods, in our cities and around the world, and how we should be good stewards of the earth.

Ex 22:20-24 You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.  You shall not wrong any widow or orphan . . . If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him.

Is 10:1,2 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees, depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people’s poor of their rights, making widows their plunder, and orphans their prey!

1 Pt 4:10  As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

1. Quotes from Isaac Hecker for Every Day, edited by Ronald A. Franco, CSP 

April 3: We protest, therefore, against the idea of giving the earth over to wretchedness and the world to sin; rather would we indulge the hope of establishing God’s kingdom here, and labor earnestly for it. (Sermons 60-61)

April 4: There is little or no hope at all of our entering into the kingdom of heaven hereafter, if we are not citizens of it here. (Sermons 61)

April 18: It is when both church and state are the expressions of the religious faith and political convictions of the entire community, and each acts in its own sphere concordantly with the other in aiding man to attain his divinely appointed destiny, that the kingdom of God upon earth approaches its nearest fulfillment. (Catholic World 296, December 1881)

DISCUSSION TOPIC: The Church and the World
In our nation today, indeed across the world, the Church is still struggling to survive.  Much of this struggle, unhappily, is as much due to modern secularism as to inner scandal (which has damaged society as a whole and deeply damaged all the wonderful clergy that have been true to their vows and responsibilities), dwindling numbers of priests and religious, failure to keep abreast of truth (inclusion of women, acceptance of the LGBTQ community, pro-life issues), and continuing and escalating division between members of the Catholic Church and between Christian traditions.  With special attention to pro-life, it seems many Christians have in a large number joined in on the assault to human dignity, focusing only on abortion but neglecting the Gospel of Christ and His Sermon on the Mount.

The Catholic Church in the United States during Fr. Hecker’s time faced extreme prejudice and the horror of civil war.  Today, she faces national emergencies particularly affecting human rights, including rampant gun violence, wholesale discrimination, border conflict and violence (especially separating children from their families), homelessness (many veterans), crumbling infrastructure, and cuts to education, healthcare and retirement funds, to name but a few.  Globally, she is experiencing the ramifications of climate change, destruction of natural resources, poverty, famine, oppression, ineffective education, and the rise of populism/nationalism and hate crimes stemming from prejudice and fear of “the other.”

Clearly, the points of Catholic Social Teaching compel the Church and her members to work for the common good of all human kind and of our planet: 

• life and dignity of the human person – All people are a reflection of the image of God, and thus all human life, at all stages from conception through death, is sacred.  The basic dignity that each person possesses comes from God; therefore all discrimination is wrong.  People take precedence over things and structures.  Systems are meant to serve people, not vice versa.
• call to family, community and  participation – The mystery of the Trinity involves the relationship of complete love among the three divine persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in one God.  As persons made in God’s image, we must model God’s self-giving love.  Hence the human person is both sacred and fundamentally social.  In community we realize the fulfillment of our dignity and rights in relationship with and to others.
• rights and responsibilities – People have basic rights and responsibilities because of their human dignity that reflects the fact that they have been created in God’s image.  Catholic teaching emphasizes that people have a right to life and to the basic necessities that provide quality to life: food, shelter, health care, education, and employment.  We are called to respect the rights of others and to seek the common good.
• option for the poor – The Gospel calls Christians to put the needs of the poor first.  A common moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable people.  Wherever there is structural injustice, Christians are called to oppose it.  Those with the greatest need require the greatest response.
• dignity of work and the rights of workers – Work is an expression of our dignity and of our involvement in God’s creation.  People have a right to decent work, fair wages, and private property.  The economy exists to serve people, not vice versa.
• solidarity – We are all one human family in the world.  Because we realize our dignity, rights, and responsibilities in relationship with others, we need to continue to build a community that empowers people to attain their full human potential.  By working for justice, we fulfill our mandate to build the body of Christ.
•  care for God’s creation – the ultimate and all-inclusive pro-life issue around the world.

Without doubt, the Church still faces dire crises and challenges.   “The Church makes a moral judgment about economic and social matters, ‘when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls require it.’  In the moral order she bears a mission distinct from that of political authorities:  the Church is concerned with the temporal aspects of the common good because they are ordered by the sovereign God, our ultimate end.  She strives to inspire right attitudes with respect to earthly goods and in socio-economic relationships” (from Being Neighbor, published by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops).

Therefore, let the Church – the institution, the leaders and clergy, and the entire body of Christ – and all who call upon the name of God turn and follow the teachings of Christ to the fullest.

Discussion Questions:  

1. After reading Hecker ‘s 3 quotes, is he too idealistic either for his time and for ours? What phrases inspire you and which do you question if any?
2. We are all inherited children of the Kingdom, however we live in a dual world of state (political) and church (faith) within our communities.   What God given talents have you recognized in yourself to be a good citizen of God’s Kingdom on earth, while still being of service and a good citizen of the state?
3. As a Paulist Associate, what do you believe you can do, (are doing) to support both State and Church to work in concordance with each other “aiding man to attain his appointed destiny?”
4. When we go about our daily routines within the communities we live in, do we see others whom we don’t know as members of God’s Kingdom or as a secular citizens?  How might either perception of them change our interactions with them?
5. What comes easiest for you to do and what is most difficult to do in response to these readings in today’s world?

News/Announcements:

Closing Prayer:
Embracing Father, you grace each of us with equal measure in your love.  Let us learn to love our neighbors more deeply, so that we can create peaceful and just communities.  Inspire us to use our creative energies to build the structures we need to overcome the obstacles of intolerance and indifference.  May Jesus provide us the example needed and send the Spirit to warm our hearts for the journey.  Amen.

Disciples’ Prayer – O Holy Spirit of God, take me as your disciple . . . (Page 396, The Paulist Prayer Book)

Lord’s Prayer – Our Father who art in Heaven . . .  Close with a sign of peace to each member.

 

---

The Associates World welcomes submissions of articles or information about upcoming events. These should be sent as Microsoft Word documents and attached to an email to [email protected].  Except for reporting on late-month events, we would appreciate receiving submissions by the 20th of the month before the publication date. Please contact editors Kathleen Lossau ([email protected]) or Denis Hurley ([email protected]) with questions or article proposals.

---

Heavenly Father, you called your servant Isaac Thomas Hecker to preach the Gospel to the people of North America and through his teaching, to know the peace and the power of your indwelling Spirit. He walked in the footsteps of Saint Paul the Apostle, and like Paul spoke your Word with a zeal for souls and a burning love for all who came to him in need.

Look upon us this day, with compassion and hope. Hear our prayer. We ask that through the intercession of Father Hecker your servant, you might grant us (state the request).

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God, forever and ever. Amen.

When you pray this prayer, and if you believe that you have received any favors through Hecker’s intercession, please contact the Office of the Cause for Canonization of Servant of God, Isaac Hecker at [email protected]. Visit the web site: isaachecker.org to learn more about his life and the cause for his canonization.

---

Paulist Associates Web Site

Find us on Facebook

Paulist Associates National Director

Mike Kallock, CSP
Paulist General Office
New York, NY 10023

Board Members

Carol Wagner Williams
Tuscon, AZ

Frank Desiderio, C.S.P.

Katherine Murphy Mertzlufft
Columbus, OH

Joe Scott, CSP

David Rooney
Chicago, IL

Mary Sullivan
Boston, MA

---

I believe that I am drawn by the Holy Spirit to the spirituality and qualities of the Paulist Community. I have discerned both by prayer and study that God calls me to become associated with the Paulists. I promise that I will pray for the works of the Paulist Society, meet with others, who are also members of the Paulist Associates, for spiritual sharing and formation; and I seek to embody the apostolic qualities of the Paulists in my daily life.

Attentive to the Holy Spirit and faithful to the example of St. Paul and the charism of Father Isaac Hecker, I commit myself for one year of membership in the Paulist Associates.