March for Life

A few weeks ago I was blessed to be able to attend the March for Life in DC with a group from the diocese. There were about forty of us total, with two seminarians, one brother, and one priest. It was cool to see the monuments, the capitol, the white house and all but the most amazing parts were the Masses, rallies, and of course, the march itself. Between catching the metro, trying to make it on time places, and eating, we still found a great amount of time to pray. Knowing we were not tourists but pilgrims there to fight for something we care deeply about really made us joyful though it was cold and rainy. The National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was such a great experience. First off, though we got there three hours early, we didn’t get pews but rather sat on the floor in front of the front pews (so we still had an amazing view!). Sitting squished on a hard floor for three hours plus the three hour Mass may not sound like fun, but it was so worth it. We prayed, sang, and met all the great people around us while we waited. Once Mass started, the procession of the about 600 seminarians, 200 deacons, 300 priests, 50 bishops and archbishops, and 5 cardinals took more than thirty minutes. Just seeing them really showed me our faith is not dead, but still going strong after 2000 years. The Basilica was filled over capacity with more than 10,000 people. Mass was beautiful, being with that many people and being able to say that we are Catholic, we are pro-life, and we are here to glorify God. It was indescribable. The next day was a similarly beautiful Mass, but for different reasons. Instead of a beautiful Basilica, it was a Verizon Arena filled with about 20,000 youths. It was such a powerful thing, being with all those people my own age and celebrating the most beautiful thing on Earth, the Holy Eucharist. It was apparent that everyone there WANTED to be there for our love of all people no matter how tiny. Mass really pumped us up for the march a few hours later. The march started to our dismay in the rain. That did nothing to dampen the spirits of the 400,000 there though! We marched through the mud, wetness, and sometimes snow, but everyone was still in high spirits for the cause. People from every state were there, as well as some from Australia and Spain who recognize that abortion is killing and needs to be stopped even if it’s not in their own country. Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Byzantine Catholics, and people of the Jewish Faith were all in attendance as well as many other denominations. It was breathtaking to see all the different denominations, though they had problems in the past, to come together and fight for something we all are passionately fighting for: life. Our march ended at the Supreme Court Building were women would speak about how abortion is killing and how it has affected them. It was so powerful to stand at that building and imagine a day when we won’t have to do this because life is respected and cherished again. In addition to these events, we prayed outside of a Planned Parenthood the next day. The trip was truly amazing for me to go on, and I feel proud that I was able to be a part of it.   Erin C. - Sophomore

My Journey to the Church

I am very fortunate and thankful to have finally realized my full faith in Christ, which has inevitably and steadily lead me to the Catholic faith and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. 

From a very young age I have been determined to walk my own path in my personal, professional, and spiritual life.  I didn’t choose my interests, education, professions, or religious beliefs because of being born into them or due to family or social pressures, expectations or traditions and that hasn’t changed.  I have always chosen my path in life.  But something always seemed to be missing.

Finally, in July 2010, while sharing the faith of someone I love like a son while on vacation in Italy, I began to recognize that my walk with God was clouded over by my own sense of self-sufficiency, arrogance, and independence.  Shortly thereafter I discovered that there was a path to investigate the Catholic Faith much more fully.  That path is the Right of Christian Initiation for Adults or RCIA. After becoming fully engaged in the RCIA program I was able to choose to enter into full communion with the Church as a new Catholic.  The RCIA process helped guide me on my journey and expose me to more information about the Catholic faith than I ever imagined existed.  I am an endless “why” person and I asked a lot of questions of the outstanding RCIA team, Father Richard, my Catholic friends, and I did a lot of reading in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other books on Catholicism.  I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that all my questions had good solid Christian answers that made perfect sense to me and were all founded in the earliest Church traditions from pre-Biblical times or in the Bible itself.  The more I grew to understand the Mass, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the global practice of our faith, it was very clear that, through His immense grace and mercy, God has drawn my heart back to Him and his Church once I was open to his love.  In His patience, He simply waited for me to recall the grace He had granted me and it is where I was meant to be as a true Christian.

I still have a great deal to learn and I continue to seek a deeper understanding of our faith through prayer, attending weekly Mass, attending Father Richard’s Saturday lunch programs, participating in the new Catholicism Project, reading, engaging in theological discussions and, maybe most importantly, spending personal time almost every Saturday with Christ during Adoration.

The journey has literally made me a better person and the calling that brought me to the sacrament of initiation has meant an indescribable spiritual rebirth for me and with the continued love, guidance, support, and forgiveness of my family, friends and the Catholic community I will spend the rest of my life trying to build a closer relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.  -David

Women's Group Fundraiser for the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur

Four years ago I became acutely aware that the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur were in dire straights financially.  These ladies were the ones that educated me, and as I have come to realize, gave me most of the values that I have tried to live with in my life.  I also began to see in our parish that many were educated by "the nuns" in other parts of our country, and although grateful, had lost touch with "their nuns".  Why not "adopt" the Sisters of St. Mary?

Good Shepherd Women's Group helped with some of their challenges by doing an Angel Tree during the Christmas season...providing cleaning products, sheets, towels, lotions, tissue, paper towels, and toilet paper...things we take for granted but things needed and somewhat expensive.  Generous gift cards were also provided...so the nuns could "shop" at Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes and Noble etc.

The Festival of Tables on February 2  also provide much needed help for the sisters...with a donation covering everything but our expenses.  At our January meeting some sisters came to be with us, and give us an overview of their history and educational opportunities that they have provided in our area.  Sister St. John kept us laughing with her witty remarks in telling of their journey from Belgium to Texas.  During that evening, I was struck again by the joy they find in everything they see and do.  I also saw that the Sisters of St. Mary have become "our nuns" and, I think, we are so proud of our "adoptees".  - Cathy (Women's Group Member)

Alice In Wonderland 1st Place Winner at the Festival of Tables

This was my first year doing Festival of Tables, as it was to several other ladies at our table.  We threw this together last minute and only had a few weeks to plan. Barbara Maxwell and I came up with Alice in Wonderland l, because of the fun and whimsical things you can do with that!  We then invited Jacque O, Katie J, Channan S, Crystal F, Kathy H and Amy R. Many of the ladies did not know each other, so new friendships were made!  The many evenings putting together our "dress rehearsal" table at Barbara's house created a fun.. fast bond!  The amount of sharing and laughter I will cherish!  What an amazing group of talented ladies!

Giving the $100 gift card to the sisters was worth all the time and effort we put into the table.

We have all decided to go on a celebratory dinner... To plot our next years awesome table theme!
-Katie (Women's Group Member)

Check out all of the pictures from the Festival of Tables!

CRHP movement growing within our Parish -Reflection by Kathy H.

Sunday afternoon marked the end of the Women's CRHP 5 Retreat at Good Shepherd, but it is just the beginning for this new group of retreatants. When I made the CRHP 4 retreat in August I did so for two reasons: 1) to meet more women in the parish and 2) to continue my faith journey. My first goal was met immediately by the end of our retreat weekend. But I had no idea how enriched my life would be by this faith journey.

After completing CRHP 5 as part of the team I can honestly say this truly is a journey that has enriched my faith life beyond measure. The fellowship that we share as CRHP sisters is only the beginning. It is the sharing of scripture, prayers and worship, and personal testimonies of how Christ has worked and continues to work in our lives that truly bind us together as one Church. I have learned so much from my sisters. They have helped me see Christ in others in a way I've never experienced. And isn't that what our faith is all about? By seeing Christ in others we learn how to become better Catholics by their example. When we receive the Eucharist at Mass we truly are God's temple to carry Him out into the world. Hopefully others will recognize Christ within us.

It is so exciting to see the CRHP movement growing within our parish. I hope our sisters that just finished the retreat will feel blessed by the experience. I pray others will consider making an upcoming retreat, if you have not had the opportunity to do so.