Well, I’m back but I want to turn to Bert Ghezzi one last time.  The following is from his blog and was posted last September:
 
“Catholics in our parishes are raging with anger over priests’ sexual abuse of minors, seminarians, and others. And over bishops covering it up. Our anger over this horrific evil is completely justified. Many would like to do something about it but are not sure what they can do beyond raging. I suggest we can act by channeling our anger into determination to pray and work for change and reform.
 
So let’s channel our anger to:
•Determine to stay faithful to our calling as Catholics. Resist the temptation to leave the church. In this worst of crises in the US church, the Lord needs us to work with him to resolve it.
•Determine to pray daily for the healing and recovery of victims who have been sexually abused. And for the repentance, discipline and reform of their abusers and those who covered up the abuse.
•Determine to do penance for the repair of the damage the scandal has done to the Body of Christ. Choose, for example, a form of fasting that works well for you: each week fast a day or two from food, the Internet, mobile phone, video games, or TV.
•Determine to do spiritual warfare to stop the abuse and bring the church out of the crisis. The extent of the abuse and corruption is so vast that it must be the manifestation of a diabolical plot. We must use our authority as sons and daughters of God to resist the devil and command him to cease and desist. The prayer to St. Michael the Archangel is one good way to fight.
•Determine to support our good priests who live daily in the dark shadow of the scandal. Volunteer for service that they will experience as helpful. Look for ways to encourage your local priests. Invite them to join you for coffee or meals. And pray for them by name every day.
•Determine to ask the Lord to arrange for professional lay people to conduct a full-scale forensic investigation of the abuse, cover-ups and corruption. Pray for the truth to emerge and heal the church’s wounds.
•Determine to ask the Lord to show you what else you might do to contribute to the cure of the crisis.”
 
I hope to share with you my experience of the Jesus Caritas World Assembly in Cebu in a future bulletin but as I come back from a few weeks away, I want to focus on some of the exciting things that are on our Faith Community’s Calendar.  For me, Church has always been about what is happening in the parish.  I hope at the end of the month the meeting at the Vatican will move us towards much needed reforms in the way our Bishops lead us, but whether or not anything good comes of that meeting, I am excited about how our parish is moving forward in faith.
 

• I am excited that Mike Beytagh has resurrected the Oyster Roast this weekend.  I am grateful to all who are pitching in to make it a successful event.  In bringing back the Oyster Roast will are also trying to bring back the Men’s Group.  On January 3^rd, the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, I installed Mike as the President of the St. Michael Holy Name Society.  Our next step will be to schedule a Communion Breakfast for the men of the parish.  But for now enjoy the oysters on this Super Bowl Sunday.
• I am excited to get back to our Sunday School for Disciples, next Sunday at 10am.  We will be watching the first part of the documentary “Convinced”.   It answers the question of why atheists, evangelicals, and lapsed Catholics are drawn to the Church.  I am thrilled that we will be showing this powerful documentary to the public on March 10^th at the Tybee Post.  Mark your calendar and bring a friend.
• I am excited that on February 11^th, the day that St. John Paul II designated as World Day of the Sick, we will have a Communion Breakfast (at Sunrise after the 8am Mass) for all our Visitation Ministers.
• I am excited that on March 31^st we will combine our 3 weekend Masses in to one 10am Mass at Tybee Pier followed by a picnic.  St. Michael Catholic Church is really three worshipping communities.  The parish leadership thought it would be a good idea to worship together every once in a great while.  It will strengthen our bonds and hopefully give a great witness to the wider community.
• I am excited to be back and grateful to Fr. Dave for taking good care of you while I was gone.

Fr. Jerry Ragan