First Sunday of Advent
Friends,
A delightful bit of news, tonight: the guys at Iglesia de San Romero
don’t have to work on Thanksgiving, after all, so we will have Mass at
their house at 2 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day. You are welcome
to join us! – leaving the parking lot at St Joe’s at 1:15 pm.
Another good bit of news, and such a relief, is that those who have left
the area for the winter have arrived at their destination safely. We’ve
had some joyful phone conversations, with me occasionally saying “Lo
siento! Entiendo solo un poco!” (I’m sorry! I’m only understanding a
little!) and them talking away, anyway, and somehow the messages get
conveyed, with a lot of laughter. The messages being, we’re here safe,
I’m glad you’re safe, God is good, we’re working already, give everybody
hugs from me. And a whole lot more that I hope some day to be able to
understand!
We still don’t know what’s happening this winter, besides the bi-weekly
drives to Buffalo. This Sunday, though, we will try a bi-lingual Sunday
Mass. If you have been thinking about coming some Sunday, or come now
and then – oh, please do join us this week. I would love to have a warm
community to welcome them to St Romero’s.
This past week when we drove to Buffalo there was a lot of cloud cover
and my gps wouldn’t work, and we got lost. Driving around and around and
finally asking for directions, I told them how it’s a joke in my family
that I always get lost. “Soy la reina de perdida,” I told them. “I’m
the queen of lost.”
I think it’s good to be able to admit when you’re lost. How are you
going to find your way without admitting that you’re lost, and asking
for help? So right now, I feel like the queen of lost here at St
Romero’s. The way forward is not clear. We’re in a muddle. I’m telling
you this to ask for your prayers, that we will find a way that is
life-giving and manageable. It was pretty simple in the summer, when we
could celebrate Mass in the driveway if there wasn’t room in the house.
But in the midst of the muddle, there is joy, and hope, and community. Pretty lovely, really!
Two things to tell you. If you’d like to do something for St Romero’s
this Christmas season, we have a wish list on Amazon.com under St
Romero’s Church. Mostly it’s materials for teaching English as a Second
Language. There are other needs that are less wrap-able. How about
having the guys over for supper and a bit of community time, giving them
a chance to work on their English – or making a supper to share at my
house or somewhere else. Or driving – or teaching – or making cookies.
Those are all things going on into the winter, once we get the logistics
figured out (once we get out of our muddle!)
And finally, I had a call this week from someone from WXXI am1370 who
wanted to interview me about all that’s happened at Iglesia de San
Romero this fall. It will be part of the local news on Morning Edition
this coming Monday, November 28, airing every half-hour from 5 am to
9:30 am.
Blessed Thanksgiving! I am grateful for you! Thanks for reading this and
for caring, thanks for your prayers and your words of support.
And thanks be to God for this lovely little flower, blooming in the desert.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.”
- Minnie Haskins
_____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Bulletin for Sunday, November 20, 2011
Feast of Christ the King
Friends,
Last month when I was at the National Catholic Worker Gathering in Las Vegas, a man said to me, "women priests, gay marriage – these things are just distractions. Discipleship is what we are really about." It wasn’t until the next day that it occurred to me that the person saying that was both male and straight! It can be pretty hard to hear the cries for justice of the people right around us, especially when we can’t see our own position of privilege.
This week holds three anniversaries. I’m writing this on November 16, the 22nd anniversary of the martyrdom of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America in San Salvador, because they were speaking for the rights and dignity of the poor. Tomorrow, November 17, is the tenth anniversary of Mary Ramerman’s ordination at Spiritus Christi. Denise Donato, Patti La Rosa, Rachel McGuire and I will all concelebrate with Mary at Thursday Night Mass that evening at Spiritus. And finally, November 19 was the day we began celebrating a regular, once-a-week Sunday Mass at St Romero’s last year.
Clueless though he may have been, that man in Las Vegas had a point. Our strides for justice must not be for ourselves alone. This week of anniversaries might be a good moment to be aware of the movement that is happening around the world, this almost invisible movement of little churches, of women priests, of communities coming into being, springing up like the bits of green that sprout in early spring, almost imperceptibly, but bringing promise of the summer to come. What shall we be? Shall we be connected with each other, holding hands as we go forth into the world? Our joining the Federation of Christian Ministries was a step in that direction. How else can we be connected? Can we build strong bridges between the Roman Catholic Womenpriests, and the ECC, that Mary and Denise were ordained in? Can we love and support each other without recreating hierarchy? And then, what? My dream is that we will be a church – a larger, connected, interconnected church – that is aware of the great disparity between those like ourselves who have what we need for life, and those who struggle in extreme poverty and oppression --- that even as we free ourselves from our own chains of sexism and clericalism that we turn and extend our hands to those still oppressed by poverty and the inequities of a system that has so consistently put people of color last.
As we remember the great joy of November 17, 2001, let’s harness that energy and use it for good. Use it to transform the world. It is never, ever, a Christian attitude to say, "we got ours." Celebrating what we have and how far we have come, lets keep looking around and see who is being left out, and bring them on in to the party… the party of justice and freedom and life for all.
As we move into the beginning of our second year of weekly Masses, I am moved to remember all that has happened, and how many people have helped along the way. Eli Woodbeck was my "right-hand man" in his months at St Joe’s. and now Rachael Morlock is my "right-hand woman." Each of them has been such a blessing. I am so grateful to Librada Paz, without whose help Iglesia de San Romero could not have been. I am grateful to Joe and Caroline, whose early support of the Migrant Mass was like training wheels in our tottering early days, and to Peter Veitch whose later support has made it possible for us to offer Religious Ed to our one young church member. I am grateful to Michael for showing up no matter what, and to Leo whose leadership in the migrant community provided the welcome we needed to keep the Migrant Mass going. I am grateful to Jim Callan for all his encouragement and wisdom. And finally, I am grateful to those whose financial support has helped with gas, various necessary items and a land-line telephone for our guys in the Alternatives to Detention program. And, of course, to all the community of St Joseph’s House of Hospitality, who let us use the dining room for Mass each Sunday. We are so wonderfully, incredibly blessed. Thank you all!
And now we will start something new. On Sunday, November 27, we will welcome those from Iglesia de San Romero who are staying here for the winter, and celebrate our first bilingual Mass in the dining room at St Joe’s at 11 am. I hope you will consider coming that day, and possibly more, so that we can offer a loving, welcoming community on Sunday mornings this winter.
I do not know where we are going, but I know that God has done wonders already. A branch shall grow from the stump, a flower shall bloom in the desert, a light will shine in the darkness, living water will flow.
Come help pour it!
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Bread for All, the job training program at St Joe’s, is offering Thanksgiving pies for $10. Call 775-9135 by this Sunday, November 20, if you’d like to order one.
_______________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
A Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Friends,
Last month when I was at the National Catholic Worker Gathering in Las Vegas, a man said to me, "women priests, gay marriage – these things are just distractions. Discipleship is what we are really about." It wasn’t until the next day that it occurred to me that the person saying that was both male and straight! It can be pretty hard to hear the cries for justice of the people right around us, especially when we can’t see our own position of privilege.
This week holds three anniversaries. I’m writing this on November 16, the 22nd anniversary of the martyrdom of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America in San Salvador, because they were speaking for the rights and dignity of the poor. Tomorrow, November 17, is the tenth anniversary of Mary Ramerman’s ordination at Spiritus Christi. Denise Donato, Patti La Rosa, Rachel McGuire and I will all concelebrate with Mary at Thursday Night Mass that evening at Spiritus. And finally, November 19 was the day we began celebrating a regular, once-a-week Sunday Mass at St Romero’s last year.
Clueless though he may have been, that man in Las Vegas had a point. Our strides for justice must not be for ourselves alone. This week of anniversaries might be a good moment to be aware of the movement that is happening around the world, this almost invisible movement of little churches, of women priests, of communities coming into being, springing up like the bits of green that sprout in early spring, almost imperceptibly, but bringing promise of the summer to come. What shall we be? Shall we be connected with each other, holding hands as we go forth into the world? Our joining the Federation of Christian Ministries was a step in that direction. How else can we be connected? Can we build strong bridges between the Roman Catholic Womenpriests, and the ECC, that Mary and Denise were ordained in? Can we love and support each other without recreating hierarchy? And then, what? My dream is that we will be a church – a larger, connected, interconnected church – that is aware of the great disparity between those like ourselves who have what we need for life, and those who struggle in extreme poverty and oppression --- that even as we free ourselves from our own chains of sexism and clericalism that we turn and extend our hands to those still oppressed by poverty and the inequities of a system that has so consistently put people of color last.
As we remember the great joy of November 17, 2001, let’s harness that energy and use it for good. Use it to transform the world. It is never, ever, a Christian attitude to say, "we got ours." Celebrating what we have and how far we have come, lets keep looking around and see who is being left out, and bring them on in to the party… the party of justice and freedom and life for all.
As we move into the beginning of our second year of weekly Masses, I am moved to remember all that has happened, and how many people have helped along the way. Eli Woodbeck was my "right-hand man" in his months at St Joe’s. and now Rachael Morlock is my "right-hand woman." Each of them has been such a blessing. I am so grateful to Librada Paz, without whose help Iglesia de San Romero could not have been. I am grateful to Joe and Caroline, whose early support of the Migrant Mass was like training wheels in our tottering early days, and to Peter Veitch whose later support has made it possible for us to offer Religious Ed to our one young church member. I am grateful to Michael for showing up no matter what, and to Leo whose leadership in the migrant community provided the welcome we needed to keep the Migrant Mass going. I am grateful to Jim Callan for all his encouragement and wisdom. And finally, I am grateful to those whose financial support has helped with gas, various necessary items and a land-line telephone for our guys in the Alternatives to Detention program. And, of course, to all the community of St Joseph’s House of Hospitality, who let us use the dining room for Mass each Sunday. We are so wonderfully, incredibly blessed. Thank you all!
And now we will start something new. On Sunday, November 27, we will welcome those from Iglesia de San Romero who are staying here for the winter, and celebrate our first bilingual Mass in the dining room at St Joe’s at 11 am. I hope you will consider coming that day, and possibly more, so that we can offer a loving, welcoming community on Sunday mornings this winter.
I do not know where we are going, but I know that God has done wonders already. A branch shall grow from the stump, a flower shall bloom in the desert, a light will shine in the darkness, living water will flow.
Come help pour it!
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Bread for All, the job training program at St Joe’s, is offering Thanksgiving pies for $10. Call 775-9135 by this Sunday, November 20, if you’d like to order one.
_______________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
A Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Bulletin for Sunday, November 13, 2011
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Friends,
The times, they are a changing…
This weekend some of the guys from our little community will be heading south for the winter. On Thursday night we’ll have a special supper and give them a blessing. This is a moment of change, not only for them personally, but for the community, as those who stay behind will be moving to a new house, and we don’t yet know if there will be space there to celebrate Mass together. So please pray, as we enter this time of not knowing what comes next.
Oscar Romero said that it is the work of the church to stand with the poor, in order to denounce from the place of the poor the injustice that’s committed against them. He also said that when you do that, you will experience what they experience. And so it is with us. As they move, so shall we, and we’ll take what we get and make the best of it, and find a way to survive. We also share in the worry, watching people we care about make the precarious journey south, praying for them all the way.
Not that it’s not precarious, here. Our friends remind me of those birds that make their nests on cliffs, open to the elements, unprotected. Any wind can knock their whole house apart. You might have seen on the news that a woman was killed in Albion a week or two ago, and her assailant was a man here without documents. Ami Kadar is a migrant advocate who works out of Albion, and is herself an immigrant. Here is what she had to say about the effects of that event on the migrant community:
“… things have been crazy here in Albion. You may have heard: a Honduran immigrant stabbed and killed a woman in the parking lot of Walmart last week, and since then things have been frightening here. The rumours …are that they are going to "clean out" all the immigrants in the area. And they did a good job last week! Another rumour was that ICE was going to have undercover agents at Walmart over the weekend. All this despite the fact that they got the criminal the same day it happened, and he is now in jail!! It's like Mississippi in the 50's!
Can you imagine if a Swede came into Albion and killed someone, do you think they'd come after ME? Or, perhaps by association, my Finnish friend here in town who owns the coffeshop? We all know, of course, they wouldn't! It's infuriating! … there wasn't a Hispanic in sight in Albion, much less Walmart. The Mexican stores were dead.”
In the midst of this atmosphere of fear, we will have a celebration Thursday night. We will say “Adios por ahora” (Goodbye for now) and give our friends a blessing. And we will know that they, and those who stay behind, and all of us, are right where we need to be: in the hands of God.
Please let me know if you are planning to join us on Thursday, as we will be leaving early. Please keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers. May we together step into the light and together transform this crazy world and this filthy, rotten system.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Looking ahead to Advent: Lots of churches have a giving tree in the weeks before Christmas. That’s not practical for us, so instead we have a “St Romero’s Church” wish list on Amazon.com. Most of the items on it so far are tools for teaching English as a Second Language, and literacy, as we hope to offer those this winter. One thing that can’t go on the Amazon wish list, but that we will need, is people with some teaching skills who are willing to volunteer an afternoon a week during the winter. Might that be you?
Come join us, any Sunday you like!
_______________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Friends,
The times, they are a changing…
This weekend some of the guys from our little community will be heading south for the winter. On Thursday night we’ll have a special supper and give them a blessing. This is a moment of change, not only for them personally, but for the community, as those who stay behind will be moving to a new house, and we don’t yet know if there will be space there to celebrate Mass together. So please pray, as we enter this time of not knowing what comes next.
Oscar Romero said that it is the work of the church to stand with the poor, in order to denounce from the place of the poor the injustice that’s committed against them. He also said that when you do that, you will experience what they experience. And so it is with us. As they move, so shall we, and we’ll take what we get and make the best of it, and find a way to survive. We also share in the worry, watching people we care about make the precarious journey south, praying for them all the way.
Not that it’s not precarious, here. Our friends remind me of those birds that make their nests on cliffs, open to the elements, unprotected. Any wind can knock their whole house apart. You might have seen on the news that a woman was killed in Albion a week or two ago, and her assailant was a man here without documents. Ami Kadar is a migrant advocate who works out of Albion, and is herself an immigrant. Here is what she had to say about the effects of that event on the migrant community:
“… things have been crazy here in Albion. You may have heard: a Honduran immigrant stabbed and killed a woman in the parking lot of Walmart last week, and since then things have been frightening here. The rumours …are that they are going to "clean out" all the immigrants in the area. And they did a good job last week! Another rumour was that ICE was going to have undercover agents at Walmart over the weekend. All this despite the fact that they got the criminal the same day it happened, and he is now in jail!! It's like Mississippi in the 50's!
Can you imagine if a Swede came into Albion and killed someone, do you think they'd come after ME? Or, perhaps by association, my Finnish friend here in town who owns the coffeshop? We all know, of course, they wouldn't! It's infuriating! … there wasn't a Hispanic in sight in Albion, much less Walmart. The Mexican stores were dead.”
In the midst of this atmosphere of fear, we will have a celebration Thursday night. We will say “Adios por ahora” (Goodbye for now) and give our friends a blessing. And we will know that they, and those who stay behind, and all of us, are right where we need to be: in the hands of God.
Please let me know if you are planning to join us on Thursday, as we will be leaving early. Please keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers. May we together step into the light and together transform this crazy world and this filthy, rotten system.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Looking ahead to Advent: Lots of churches have a giving tree in the weeks before Christmas. That’s not practical for us, so instead we have a “St Romero’s Church” wish list on Amazon.com. Most of the items on it so far are tools for teaching English as a Second Language, and literacy, as we hope to offer those this winter. One thing that can’t go on the Amazon wish list, but that we will need, is people with some teaching skills who are willing to volunteer an afternoon a week during the winter. Might that be you?
Come join us, any Sunday you like!
_______________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Bulletin for Sunday, November 6, 2011
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Friends,
As we were making our way out to the car after Mass this past Thursday night at the Spanish-speaking iteration of our church, everyone joining us with flashlights and gifts of acorn squash and a huge cabbage, the little boy in our community said, "I wish it could be every Monday and every Thursday." "What?" I asked. "This," he said. This moment, this time of community. It was probably the best compliment our little church ever received.
Of course, I suppose anyone might feel that way if Peter Veitch was their religious ed teacher! Peter, who is an art teacher in the city schools, has agreed to take on the responsibility of religious instruction. The two of them had just spent a happy hour talking about St Francis and the Lord’s Prayer. Sure feels like church, now that we’ve got religious ed!
What else might we do, in time, I wonder? How about help with literacy, or English? This past weekend I visited the Rural and Migrant Ministries house called "Liturgia" in Lyons with a group of Presbyterians. It’s a place for learning and advocacy, as well as a base for RMM folks. I wonder if we could do something like that, west of the city. Maybe a church! – but I suspect Masses will continue to need to be held in people’s homes. Maybe in partnership with RMM... maybe a storefront, or a house. How can we bring abundant life, hope, vision, joy where there is hiding and fear and long hard hours of work? Chris Phillips called what we’re doing "bringing friendship in a friendless world." How can we do that, more?
On Saturday we also went to visit a group of H-2A workers in Sodus. H-2A means the workers are here legally, on a work visa, and they get to go home for the winter (this Friday!). No worries about la migra, no years of separation from their families. I wish that was possible for everyone. Best moment of the day: one of the men from Presbytery, a minister who has a 9 year old and a 6 year old himself, asked, "Who’s looking forward to seeing their kids?" and every man there raised his hand.
Oh, life, liberty, home, family, work, education for all... all creation is groaning with it. May it be so, oh, may it be so.
One more happy story. The two men we liberated from detention share a house with a man who is already in the system, and has been wearing the gps ankle bracelet for some time. St. Romero’s is paying for a phone line in the house so the other men can use the phone reporting system, and today, hurray! the third man got his ankle bracelet taken off! One more captive with a bit more freedom. Thanks to those whose generosity makes this possible!
Please join us on Thursday at 4 pm to hear Gustavo Monzone talk about his Catholic Worker house in Mexico, in the dining room at St Joe’s. Also this week: panel on immigration at ROCLA, 7 pm Wednesday at Downtown United Presbyterian on Fitzhugh St, and another such on Friday at 6 at Friends Meetinghouse on Scio Street. Also the documentary, "After I Pick the Fruit" at St John Fisher, 6 pm Thursday. Wow, what a week!
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
"There are no borders on capital as it swirls around the world but people are branded "illegal" fleeing the destruction it wreaks."
- Catholic Worker Ciaorn O'Reilly, speaking on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral at Occupy London
Come join us, any Sunday you like!
____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
A Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Friends,
As we were making our way out to the car after Mass this past Thursday night at the Spanish-speaking iteration of our church, everyone joining us with flashlights and gifts of acorn squash and a huge cabbage, the little boy in our community said, "I wish it could be every Monday and every Thursday." "What?" I asked. "This," he said. This moment, this time of community. It was probably the best compliment our little church ever received.
Of course, I suppose anyone might feel that way if Peter Veitch was their religious ed teacher! Peter, who is an art teacher in the city schools, has agreed to take on the responsibility of religious instruction. The two of them had just spent a happy hour talking about St Francis and the Lord’s Prayer. Sure feels like church, now that we’ve got religious ed!
What else might we do, in time, I wonder? How about help with literacy, or English? This past weekend I visited the Rural and Migrant Ministries house called "Liturgia" in Lyons with a group of Presbyterians. It’s a place for learning and advocacy, as well as a base for RMM folks. I wonder if we could do something like that, west of the city. Maybe a church! – but I suspect Masses will continue to need to be held in people’s homes. Maybe in partnership with RMM... maybe a storefront, or a house. How can we bring abundant life, hope, vision, joy where there is hiding and fear and long hard hours of work? Chris Phillips called what we’re doing "bringing friendship in a friendless world." How can we do that, more?
On Saturday we also went to visit a group of H-2A workers in Sodus. H-2A means the workers are here legally, on a work visa, and they get to go home for the winter (this Friday!). No worries about la migra, no years of separation from their families. I wish that was possible for everyone. Best moment of the day: one of the men from Presbytery, a minister who has a 9 year old and a 6 year old himself, asked, "Who’s looking forward to seeing their kids?" and every man there raised his hand.
Oh, life, liberty, home, family, work, education for all... all creation is groaning with it. May it be so, oh, may it be so.
One more happy story. The two men we liberated from detention share a house with a man who is already in the system, and has been wearing the gps ankle bracelet for some time. St. Romero’s is paying for a phone line in the house so the other men can use the phone reporting system, and today, hurray! the third man got his ankle bracelet taken off! One more captive with a bit more freedom. Thanks to those whose generosity makes this possible!
Please join us on Thursday at 4 pm to hear Gustavo Monzone talk about his Catholic Worker house in Mexico, in the dining room at St Joe’s. Also this week: panel on immigration at ROCLA, 7 pm Wednesday at Downtown United Presbyterian on Fitzhugh St, and another such on Friday at 6 at Friends Meetinghouse on Scio Street. Also the documentary, "After I Pick the Fruit" at St John Fisher, 6 pm Thursday. Wow, what a week!
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
"There are no borders on capital as it swirls around the world but people are branded "illegal" fleeing the destruction it wreaks."
- Catholic Worker Ciaorn O'Reilly, speaking on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral at Occupy London
Come join us, any Sunday you like!
____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
A Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
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