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January 11, 2019On January 2 nd, I met with the St. Michael’s Outreach Board. It was initially formed to distribute funds to help folks on the island recover from Hurricane Irma. Members present were Cathy Anderson, Walker Beeson, and Carolyn Jurick. Johnny Hosti was absent. A good deal of the funding for distributions made by the Board comes from the Thrift Shop, which is always in need of volunteers.
As you can see from the Thank You letter below we recently sent $2131. to the Retirement Home of the Missionary Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception. This was the Religious Community of Women who staffed our parish school for many years. Other recent distributions include $500 to Corpus Christi Catholic Church, which is the new parish in Pooler. We gave $300 to Rising Tyde Community Food Pantry here on Tybee and $100 to America’s 2 nd Harvest which is the Food Bank for our area. We also contributed $300 to this weekend’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Program.
I am so very grateful for all who contribute to this good charitable work, especially the Women of the Thrift Shop.This weekend the Christmas season draws to a close. In thanking a parishioner for a Christmas gift, she told me that I didn’t need to write her a Thank You note. But what would my Mother say? I did write a few thank yous, but truth is with a cold and preparing for my trip to the Philippines, I didn’t get to all of them. My dear Mother is rolling over in her grave. Throughout the next few months, I promise to offer my daily Holy Hour and send little notes to folks who have been so kind to me at Christmas. And as I head off to Cebu, I leave you with the best Christmas gift that I could offer: Fr. David Arnoldt. He is the best of friends and almost likes being a parish priest for y’all as much as I do. Almost being the operative word.
Jesus Caritas Priests' Fraternity is a loosely connected worldwide fraternity of priests who are inspired by the charism of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who went into the Sahara over 100 years ago to find Christ among the poorest of the poor; some of his writings inspired parts of Vatican II. There are approximately 200 fraternities in the United States. The Fraternity is a brotherhood formed by five to seven priests who meet once every month for Scripture sharing, contemplative prayer before the Eucharist, and a shared review of life (What is my experience of God?) with ample time for some friendly conversation and fellowship, usually over a meal.
Every six years the Fraternity gathers for a World Assembly. As the Leader or “Responsible” for Jesus Caritas USA, I will be traveling with 3 other priests from the US to Cebu in the Philippines for the Assembly which will be held from January 15 th through January 30 th. We will be meeting with 60 priests from 24 Countries. Take good care of Fr. Dave while I’m gone. I will be back on February 1 st, hopefully in time to see the miracle of an Eagles repeat.
This is the text of our ad in this weekend’s MLK Program:
St. Michael Faith Community is happy to join in Tybee Island’s Celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
St. Michael Church, Founded July 5, 1891 -- A Diverse Community of Believers in the Catholic Tradition with a Tybee Vibe. All are Welcome!
"But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and it corrupts the souls of those who harbor racist or prejudicial thoughts. The persistence of the evil of racism is why we are writing this letter now." - Open Wide our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love
A pastoral letter against racism issued by the Catholic Bishops of the United States
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/racism/upload/open-wide-our-hearts.pdf
Fr. Jerry Ragan
