Angels Among Us

This story was written by a friend of mine, Wendy Grady. It so beautifully points out how God is so present in every detail of our lives.

Five days a week between the hours of 11:30 and 12:30 I walk through a nearby park that winds through majestically tall fir trees and along the clear blue green waters of the Bow River in our lovely city, Calgary, the city I grew up in. I cherish this time alone where I can pray openly or silently pray to myself. Sometimes having wonderful conversations with the Lord, other times just reciting the “Jesus Prayer.” After three years of walking the same paths a strange thing happened. I suddenly noticed a squirrel run across in front of me with a peanut, a peanut? Where on earth did he get a peanut?? I looked all around me but saw no one in sight and obviously we don’t have peanut groves here in Canada. As I continued my walk I kept wondering where on earth did that squirrel find a peanut?

The very next day instead of my usual quick pace, I chose to walk lazily following my normal route, absorbing the bright sunlight and really trying to notice all of God’s wondrous work. I was acutely aware of the dry brown leaves blowing off the trees and rolling along deep in song. Walking along the river I noticed the suns rays sparkling off the crystal clear waters and the geese splashing wildly during their morning bath. Then I saw him, an old man who looked of Jewish descent, short in stature wearing a black hat and long dark overcoat with big pockets. From a distance I could see at least eight to ten squirrels of various grey and black coloring standing up at his feet chattering to him. I came up in total wonderment and asked him if he was feeding them peanuts. Yes he said, I do it every day.

In total surprise I said, “Are you serious? I walk this every day and have never seen you before, how can that be?” The man replied, “Sometimes I come a little later.” The squirrels knew this man most assuredly as they sat up with their tiny paws outstretched. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Then he quietly said something about the chickadees being thin this time of year and needing help. As he was speaking I followed his gaze to a branch of a tree less than a foot from my face and there they were! Tiny little chickadees, chattering away hoping the old man would feed them. Suddenly one of them flew in front of me landing on my left shoulder for just a moment. I gently put my right hand out and low and behold one of them landed right in the palm of my hand. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with joy that seemed to bubble up inside of me bursting out like I was a child with a new toy at Christmas. I also noticed the sun somehow seemed brighter. I just kept repeating to the gentlemen, “I can’t believe this; I can’t believe this! I have had chickadees nesting in my yard for years and never once did this happen.”

As I walked away I was in tears from the reality of knowing what I had been missing. Joy!!! At that moment I became fully aware that “joy” had been lacking in my life. It was a real awakening for me. Then I remembered last year while on a Mission in the West Indies a priest had prayed over me asking the Lord to “Bring this woman joy Lord, she needs joy in her life.” At the time I was confused, not fully understanding why he had chosen that word “joy” but now I do.

I truly felt the Lord’s presence; even the sunlight seemed brighter than usual. As I started to leave, squirrels were all around us sitting up begging for peanuts. The old man gently spoke to the squirrels and the tiny chickadees, and I honestly believe they recognized him. As his pockets were now empty, he said he was going home to get more seeds for the birds.

Wow! Lord I don’t know what to say except Thank You! You nourished my soul and brought light to my heart. It reminded me of St Francis, how perfect. Your wonder has never ceased to amaze me Lord. I took it all in like a starving child. The sunlight skipping across the river, the geese bathing and the sheer sheet of ice beginning to form at the water’s edge. This is God’s house. How blessed am I to know you so intimately? Your love for me is astounding. As I finished my walk I couldn’t stop the tears of joy running down my face. How blessed am I this day. Thank you Jesus as you continue to remind me that you are there in the simplest things.
Since that day I have continued to walk the same paths never seeing that gentleman again. I truly believe you sent an Angel to meet me that day.

"How Advent Saved My Christmas"

Recently, a member of the Commission for Women (Susan Bailey) made a presentation at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northborough, MA on how focusing on Advent themes and following in the footsteps of Mary restored peace and harmony to her Christmas.

You can listen to the talk (with music from her Advent/Christmas album, Wait with Me) here - just click on the title "How Advent Saved My Christmas":


You can watch video highlights too:




Susan wishes to thank Pearl Martino, another member of the Commission, for extending the invitation. It was a wonderful evening!

Listen to a beautiful song about Advent

I have a musician friend, Nancy Krebs, who has written such a beautiful and telling song geared for the Advent season. It's called "Waiting for the Christ Child." You can listen to it here on the player - just place your cursor over the song title of "Waiting for the Christ Child" and click to listen. I've included lyrics too. You can visit Nancy's site for more information at www.nancykrebs.com. Enjoy!

Lyrics
WAITING FOR THE CHRIST CHILD
© Nancy Krebs 1996

In the hustle and the bustle at this time of the rolling year.
In the merry songs and carols, only shrill demands I hear.
Grad the presents, make the cookies, trim the tree, and spread the cheer.
Forgetting constantly, the reason for this special time of year.

All the nervous apprehension, stealing joy in one more way.
Commerce beckons, frantic shopping, knowing there is one less day.
All this wild anticipation, we’ll be happy so we’re told.
But will the baby born in Bethlehem be left out in the cold.

Like John the Baptist, we need a desert
a place of refuge, a place of prayer.
And in that wilderness, in one small corner of our hearts;
we can wait for the Christ Child there.

In the hustle, and the bustle at the time of Our Lord,
John was sent into the desert, wearing skins tied with a cord.
As he fasted and he waited for the moment of his call;
both his heart and mind were centered on the Savior of us all.

Like John the Baptist we need a desert,
a place of quiet where we prepare.
And in that wilderness, in one small corner of our hearts
we can wait for the Christ child there.

Like John the Baptist we need a desert,
a place of refuge, a place of prayer.
And in that wilderness, in one small corner of our hearts;
we can wait for the Christ Child there.
We will wait..we will seek...
we will welcome the Christ Child there.

Advent season reflection

Advent season
by Brunhilde Luken from her book, My Walk with Christ

Advent, a time to wait
Decorations and lights are everywhere.
The smell of Christmas cookies
Christmas bazaars
Everybody is so excited
Happy faces, Children’s eyes sparkling with excitement

What are we waiting for?
Will this be a new awakening

Yes we all wait for the birth of Christ
What does this mean for us?

We are running from store to store buying gifts for one another
Yes we give love with a little gift, a thank you
Love that God gave to us with his Son
That love that came to awaken our hearts to one another
We forget so often.
But Christmas, yes on Christmas
Now we allow ourselves to give a gift of love
And to receive that gift

For now we are waiting with excitement
For the celebration
The birth of Christ in each one of us
To receive the gift that God gave to us


Matthew 1:21
“She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus,
For He will save His people from their sins.”

Advent meditation from the Ministry of Arts

This ministry provided the beautiful prayer cards for the Gather Us in Conference. Here is a devotion I received from them for Advent.

The mention of Advent always stirs thoughts of waiting. . .

waiting for Christmas.

We Theologians always speak of reflecting on the three ways of Christ's coming:

in history in Bethlehem,

in the daily events of our lives, and the second coming in the future.

I've been thinking that we've got it all wrong.

We need not wait for God. God is always present, always with us. That's what the name Emmanuel means: God-with-us.

And, that's the primary truth we hear in the Scriptures.

God created us, and calls us into relationship.

God is indeed present with us, and especially in the person of Jesus the Christ.

No, this Advent, I've come to see that it's GOD who waits for US. . .

. . .waits for us to notice that we are indeed created by God.

We are born with unique gifts and qualities

as well as deficiencies and lack of qualities.

God only sees our goodness, and waits for us to notice too.

. . .waits for us to notice the myriad ways

in which God is with us, always.

We know the Creator in the beauty and amazing capacities of creation, both earth and human.

We know the Creator when we experience love.

We know the Creator when we can not explain or understand mystery.

. . .waits for us to notice when we observe people acting in the image of God:

in covenant with one another, both those known and unknown,

both those alike and those very different.

. . .waits for us to notice the emptiness in our hearts

that can only be filled by God's own Self.

. . .in the season of Advent, as Christmas approaches,

God waits for us to notice the wonder and innocence of little children

How God must long for us grownups to be more like them, without guile.

It is true that in Advent we wait; but really, it is God who waits for us.

May we savor and revel in that reality.

Sallie Latkovich, CSJ

The above reflection by Sallie Latkovich is the opening to "Winter's Wisdom," our annual Advent booklet featuring Scripture readings and reflections for each day of the season.

Click here to for more information:

Winter's Wisdom 2009

Art: "Visitation" by Mary Southard, CSJ

The artist's reflection on the image:

"When we engage with one another, the Spirit is ignited and we are enlivened. The figures surrounding "Mary and Elizabeth" represent people from many cultures with whom we are always in relationship, in communion. Notice that a "chalice" has been created where the central figures are joined. . ."

Ministry of the Arts is a non-profit ministry sponsored by the Congregation of St. Joseph. Your purchases also help to support our missions and ministries. Thank you!

Catholic Free Press covers the Gather Us In 2009 conference

Lessons from great women

By Tanya Connor

WORCESTER – The room darkened.

A film showed a man telling how a woman asked him to photograph her with another man.

Who was that other man?

“His brother killed my brother,” the woman said. “It’s OK.”

“I just about lost it,” recalled the photographer, “because it’s not OK.” read the rest of the story here . . .

See pictures from the conference here

See pictures from our recent Gather Us In 2009 Conference

Just a short note to say that pictures from the Gather Us In 2009 conference are on the Commission for Women website. There are 3 pages of pictures. Video is coming soon from Worcester Cable TV.

Here are some comments from participants:

I just wanted to thank you, I went to the Woman’s Conference on Saturday this was my first time but it will not be the last time. I was very moved by the keynote speakers and left there exhausted but encouraged. These women had lots of courage, in the face of adversary it made me realize with the help of God we can all survive what we endure in our lives. God bless you and those involved. See you in 2 yrs.
Geri, East Brookfield, MA

Thank you for your hard work planning and carrying out this conference... Paula and Immaculee were incredible witnesses... I attended a retreat directed by Paula and was quite familiar with her story, but each time I hear it, or read it, I come away with something new... I had read Immaculee's story, but seeing her in person was such an inspiration and a privilege...
Lin, Cranston, RI

I'm in a woman's book group----met last evening----(11 of us ) and talk about our experiences at the Gather Us In day.
The most heartwarming emotional feelings for all of us was the spirit energy of being amongst over 800 women all in one room-----and the deep soul message of two beautiful
spirited women on there inner journey to wholeness.

Blessed are you
woman of wisdom
enfolding,--unfolding
mystery and myth
revealing truth and light
for all who yearn
to call themselves free.

Rachel, Holden, MA

A lovely reflection for Thanksgiving

Gratitude . . . the sweetest of all the practices . . .
mindfulness of gratitude leads to a direct experience of being connected to life . . .
to the realization that there is a larger context in which your personal story is unfolding.

Cultivating thankfulness for being part of life
blossoms into a feeling of being blessed . . .
an appreciation for the interdependent nature of life . . .
being consciously grateful to family, friends, teachers, benefactors and to all
who have come before you who have made it possible for your existence
to be comfortable, informed, and empowered.

Gratitude elicits feelings of generosity . . . creating further joy . . .
softening a heart . . . building the capacity for forgiveness . . .
meeting life with an open heart . . . in each moment as it arises.


Wishing you a Happy Thanks-Giving . . .

___________________________________________________

Art: "Autumn Colors" by Pat Willems, CSJ
Reflection excerpt: "Selfless Gratitude" by Phillip Moffitt

Ministry of the Arts is a non-profit ministry sponsored by the Congregation of St. Joseph.
This ministry provided the beautiful prayer cards for the Gather Us In 2009 conference.

Rwandan genocide survivor to speak at conference

By Mary Donovan

Immaculee Ilibagiza has an astonishing story to tell. In 1994, she and seven other women hid in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days while the Rwandan genocide raged outside. Even more astonishing than how she survived is the story of faith and forgiveness that is a major part of her experience.

Immaculee entered the bathroom a vibrant, 115-pound university student with a loving family – she emerged weighing just 65 pounds to find her entire family had been brutally murdered. The only other family survivor was a brother who was studying in another country. She began to pray the rosary as a way of drowning out the negativity that was building up inside her. She found solace and peace in the prayer and began to pray from the time she opened her eyes in the morning to the time she closed her eyes at night. Through prayer, she eventually found it possible, and in fact imperative, to forgive her tormentors and her family’s murderers.

Ms. Ilibagiza is one of the keynote speakers at Gather Us In, 2009, the fifth biennial women’s conference of the Diocese of Worcester. She is a celebrated speaker having addressed audiences in the United States and other parts of the world. She is an author with best-selling books to her credit. Her first book, Left to Tell: Finding God in the Rwanda Holocaust was on the New York Times best seller list.

She is also a woman who realizes that, as horrifying as her ordeal was, she is not the only person who has lived through painful circumstances. Her fame is as a survivor, but she doesn’t want to be the star survivor, she said. She wants to be just one of many people who suffered and struggled and found a way.

“When I speak in Rwanda about being in the bathroom so long, I know there are women who were raped over and over again and contracted AIDS,’’ she said. “I want to be just a survivor, not highlighted.’’

But she is a star. Ms. Ilibagiza has taken her experience and the transforming effect it had on her life and has articulated in books and words her extraordinary response. She has brought encouragement and hope to people who were mired in seemingly insurmountable problems. She has found a way to make something good come out of pain.

People thank her for helping them become better people, she said. They are consoled to know their pain is not worthless. The people who hear her bring solace to her, as well.

“The audience - just listening – it’s such a healing,’’ she said. “I spoke to 50,000 people in the Rose Bowl. It was not just me; it was everybody that went through something very hard.’’

She sees people cry in her audiences, she said, and it reaffirms the fact that we are all human beings,

“We all love one another. Love exists,’’ she said.’’

Ms. Ilibagiza’s surviving brother lives in Rwanda. He has not been able to achieve the level of forgiveness she has, his sister said. According to her, part of the reason may be that he feels guilty he was spared; another part is because he is not convinced forgiveness makes sense. He is healing slowly, she said, but he still says to her – I don’t see how you do it.

She and her brother are rebuilding their family home in the village where they lived. They want to make it a museum, she said. They want to tell others of the values of the people who lived there before the genocide,

She loves to go home, she said, but she can’t sleep when she is there. She fears she reminds people of the terrible things that happened and is a symbol of their guilt. So she is very cautious. When she is in the city or the provinces conditions are different, she said.

The government of Rwanda has put a reconciliation policy in place. An abstract from a column, Reporter at Large, by Philip Gourevitch in the May 4 issue of The New Yorker explains the concept. The article is titled, “Paul Kagame and the Rwandan Genocide.’’ It is about Rwandan president Paul Kagame’s efforts to rebuild Rwanda after the genocidal violence 15 years ago.

“In the course of a hundred days beginning on April 6, 1994, nearly a million people from the Tutsi minority were massacred in the name of an ideology known as Hutu Power. On the fifteenth anniversary of the genocide, Rwanda is one of the safest and most orderly countries in Africa. The great majority of prisoners accused or convicted of genocide have been released. And Rwanda is the only nation where hundreds of thousands of people who took part in mass murder live intermingled at every level of society with the families of their victims.’’

Is the reconciliation plan working? It is working, Ms. Ilibagiza said. It is not easy to have war criminals out of prison and living in the neighborhoods. It is not 100 percent. However, she said, the effort at reconciliation in Rwanda is a concept that is applicable to other troubled parts of the world.

“Much of it can be applied,’’ she said. “We need to give a chance to somebody to ask for forgiveness.’’

Immaculee Ilibagiza said her faith remains as strong as it was when she was hiding in that bathroom. She is unable these days to spend all day praying, though she would like to, she said,

“I want to make sure before I wake up I pray and before I go to bed. I would like to spend the day praying but the things of life get in the way,’’ she said.

Among the things of life, she said, are family, work, writing books and telling her story.

Immaculee Ilibagiza is one of two keynote speakers at “Gather Us In, 2009,’’ Nov. 7 at the DCU Center. The theme of the conference is “The Triumph of Forgiveness, Sharing Stories of Compassion.’’

Keynote speakers are Ms. Ilibagiza and Paula D’Arcy, workshops will be presented by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Linda Gray Kelley, Sister Ellen Dabrieo and Virginia Blass The conference is a day-long event, beginning at 9:15 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. followed by Mass.

Women’s Conference Workshops Present Something for Everyone

By Mary Donovan

One will tell about resistance and murder, the other will lead the way to peace of soul. Yet these two workshop presenters at the diocesan woman’s conference on November 7 are essentially telling the same story - caring for God’s creation.

Sr. Ellen Dabrieo is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and Virgina Blass is a Doctor of Ministry. They are two of four workshop presenters at Gather Us In 2009, the diocesan women’s conference on November 7 at the DCU Center. Their life experiences are very differe

nt, yet each will inspire her audience with important and relevant insights.

Sr. Dabrieo will tell the story of another sister of the same order, a worker for the poor, a rainforest activist and a martyr. Her presentation will be about Sr. Dorothy Stang. Sister Dorothy or Dot as she was known was from Dayton, Ohio. She was a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and a rain forest activist in Brazil. She was murdered

in 2005 at the age of 73.

The precipitating issue was a fight she was waging to preserve a piece of jungle that ranchers wanted to clear for logging and cattle ranching. Sister Dot had spent about two decades fighting destruction of the Amazon, and was viewed as a leader in the movement for sustainable development there. Sr. Dabrieo’s topic will be the story of Sr. Stang and the interconnection between the poor people of the Amazon, the rain forest and the powerful forces of the ranching and logging operations.

Sr. Dabrieo spent 12 years working as a missionary in Brazil. Since returning to the states in 1980 she has worked throughout the Archdiocese of Boston with Portuguese speaking people. She has been a

n Adult Faith Educator, especially facilitating Bible courses in several Brazilian and Portuguese faith communities. She has facilitated days of reflection for various women’s groups.

Sr. Dabrieo has also worked on panels in addressing issues that arise working in bi-lingual and bi-cultural parishes, Catholic Social Teaching, and immigration. Presently She works as a pastoral care minister at the North Shore Medical Center

Virginia Blass has 30 years experience in retreat ministry and teaching special needs students. Her inter

est is in a variety of ministries, spiritual direction, preached and guided retreats, parish missions

and lay development in spiritual ministries. A major interest for Ms. Blass is to develop programs

for the spiritual development of laity.

She is an author. Her latest book is ``Becoming Like the Beloved.’’ She is also the author

of ``Loaves and Fishes: From Faith Experience to Empowered Community.’’ This book addresses social outreach and discernment issues related to rural parish life. She recently completed her Doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual

Direction. Her major focus was the development of spiritual programs in parishes and eco-theology with the writings of Thomas Berry, CP

Ms. Blass will be familiar to many in this area. She has worked at the Passionist Monastery in Shrewsbury, with the Jesuit Communities at Campion Center in Weston and at Eastern Point Retreat Center in Gloucester.

According to Ms. Blass, during her workshop, she and her audience will explore some practical and essential ways of praying to increase our awareness of God’s presence and His compassion for us. In addition, she will help her audience increase their contemplative stance in the midst of busy life styles.

Sister Ellen Dabrieo and Virginia Blass DMin., are two of four workshop presenters at ``Gather Us In, 2009,’’ November 7 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The theme of the conference is ``The Triumph of Forgiveness, Sharing Stories of Compassion.’’ Keynote speakers are Paula. D’Arcy and Immaculee Ilibagiza, workshops will be presented by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Linda Gray Kelley, Sister Dabrieo and Ms Blass. The conference is a day-long event, beginning at 9:15 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. followed by Mass.

Information regarding Gather Us In 2009 is available at every parish in the diocese. In addition, registration forms may be obtained on the diocesan website, www.worcesterdiocese.org using the link to the Commission for Women and on the Commission website, www.worcestercommissionforwomen.org.

Virginia Blass, D.Min., comes to Campion Renewal Center with over twenty-five years of experience in retreat ministry and teaching special needs students. Her interest is in a variety of ministries: spiritual direction, preached and guided retreats, parish missions, and lay development in spiritual companioning ministries. She continues her ministry of spiritual direction in her rural New Hampshire parish, Our Lady of Fatima. She has established a non-profit charitable organization (Concordia: Spirituality, Discernment, and Education, Inc.; www.concordia-sde.net) for the purpose of making spiritual direction and retreats more available for rural parishes. A major interest is to develop programs for the spiritual development of laity.

Stang Since returning to the states in 1980 she has worked throughout the Archdiocese of Boston with Portugese speaking people. Sister Ellen has been an Adult Faith Educator, especially facilitating Bible courses in several Brazilian and Portugese faith communities. She has facilitated days of reflection for various women’s groups.Sr. Ellen has also worked on panels in addressing issues that arise working in bi-lingual and bi-cultural parishes, Catholic Social Teaching, and immigration. Presently Sister Ellen works as a pastoral care minister at the North Shore Medical Center.

Workshop Presenters Put Talents to Work for God

By Mary Donovan

Two women with three names each will be joining the array of presenters at Gather Us In 2009. Jaymie Stuart Wolfe and Linda Gray Kelley will demonstrate the unique talents they have put in the service of building up the Kingdom of God.

Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is an author, columnist, musician, and speaker. Her presentation is titled, ``Fan the Flame, Living a Life Fueled by the Spirit.’’ There are fires in our lives that need to be put out, she said, and fires that need to be kindled. In her session she will help her listeners identify the fires in t

heir own lives. In her easy-to-listen-to-style, she will incorporate music and humor as she talks about finding the fire that leads to seeking and responding to the Living Spirit of God.

Ms. Stuart Wolfe and her husband have eight children and four grandchildren. They live in Wakefield. She is a working mother; in addition to writing and performing music, writing columns and books and meeting speaking engagements, she is Music Minister and Faith Formation Coordinator at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Lynnfield. She is a 1983 RCIA convert to the Catholic faith. She is a graduate of Harvard University, class of ’83 with a 2008 Master of Arts in Ministry degree from St. John’s Seminary in Boston.

Her bi-weekly column ``Under My Roof’’ has appeared in Boston’s Archdiocesan newspaper The Pilot for 13 years. As an author, she has three books to her credit. As a musician she perf

orms inspirational concerts of music and reflection through the Loaves and Fishes Ministry. In addition, she has produced eight recordings of original music.

Linda Gray Kelley is an actress and writer. Her workshop is a one-woman performance called, ``Good Girls and Bad Girls! (Old Testament Part II, Delilah – Esther).’’ It is a contemporary interpretation of legendary characters of the Bible. Thanks to Ms. Kelley’s skill, Delilah, Naomi and Ruth, the Witch of Endor, Hannah, Bathsheba and Esther will convincingly inhabit our present-day world.

Although these characters will be in costumes appropriate to the times in which they lived, their speech will be today’s language. These women out of Bible history become as recognizable as the neighbor next door. Their problems, experiences, emotions and, yes, foibles resonate with relevancy. The play is serious, silly, spiritual, realistic, fun and entertainment. Ms. Kelley cautions her audiences to remember, though her pieces are carefully researched, they are not Bible study.

Linda Gray Kelley has been performing in professional theatre for over 30 years. She is an award-winning former member of Actors Equity. Ms. Kelley heads up her own production company, Theater Rising Unlimited, as well as touring with her one-woman shows. She has a collection of six plays portraying women of the Gospel and women of the Bible, as well as Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor and Spoon River with its 30 characters. She produces, writes, directs and costumes her own productions.

Ms. Kelley and Ms. Stuart Wolfe are two of four workshop presenters at ``Gather Us In, 2009,’’ November 7 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The theme of the conference is ``The Triumph of Forgiveness, Sharing Stories of Compassion.’’ Keynote speakers are Paula. D’Arcy and Immaculee Ilibagiza, workshops will be presented by Ms. Stuart Wolfe, Ms. Kelley, Sister Ellen Dabrieo and Virginia Blass. The conference is a day-long event, beginning at 9:15 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. followed by Mass.

Information regarding Gather Us In 2009 is available at every parish in the diocese. In addition, registration forms may be obtained on the diocesan website, www.worcesterdiocese.org using the link to the Commission for Women and on the Commission website, www.worcestercommissionforwomen.org.

Can't wait to hear Immaculee speak? You can hear her now

Close friend Lisa Hendey of Catholicmom.com and the Catholic Moments Podcast featured on the Starquest Production Network (SQPN.com) has produced a podcast featuring one of the keynote speakers of our Gather Us In Conference, Immaculee Ilibagiza. Click here to get to the podcast, then just click on the small gray player, on the arrow, to listen.

Be sure and register now for the conference - the deadline of October 27th is approaching fast and you don't want to be left out. Click on the Gather Us In link on this website to register.

Women to explore how forgiveness transforms lives

By Mary Donovan from the Catholic Free Press, Friday, September 25

Life could have vanquished Paula D’Arcy. Life could have sentenced her to dreary years of regret and resentment. Instead, Ms. D’Arcy used personal tragedy to fashion a ministry of help.

Paula D’Arcy is one of the keynote speakers at the Nov. 7 women’s conference, “Gather Us In, 2009.’’ Her story is how faith and forgiveness transformed a cruel event into a catalyst for a productive and fulfilling life. The title of her talk is, “Great Lessons from the Journey.’’

In 1975, Ms. D’Arcy was a young mother, building a family with her husband. They had a 21-month-old daughter, Sarah, and they were expecting another child. Their world was a warm bubble of happiness until one terrible day. A driver, impaired by drinking, crashed into their car killing the young husband and daughter. The mother was left, bereft and alone save for the unborn baby.

Today Paula D’Arcy is an internationally known speaker and writer traveling to many parts of the world to bring her counsel to people in need. She travels widely in the United States, Canada and abroad. A former psychotherapist who ministered to those facing issues of grief and loss, Ms. D’Arcy worked with the Peale Foundation, founded by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale from 1980 until his death in 1993. Her work now includes leading workshops and retreats related to spirituality, aspiring writers and women’s gatherings.

She is founder and president of The Red Bird Foundation which supports the growth and spiritual development of those in need and furthers a ministry both to those in prison and those living in third world or disadvantaged cultures.

She describes the beginnings of The Redbird Foundation on the Web site, www.redbirdfoundation.com: “In 1998, after nearly 20 years of leading retreats and seminars, I had a vision of all that is possible in terms of reaching a wider audience, including the many who presently live in great need. I saw the impact of pain that has never been transformed, as well as the impact of unresolved grief.’’

She is the author of many books among which are Song for Sarah, When People Grieve, Gift of the Red Bird, Red Fire, A New Set of Eyes, Seeking with All My Heart and Sacred Threshold. Song for Sarah has been translated into eight foreign languages and has been in print for 27 years. Gift of the Red Bird, 1996, was a Spiritual Book Associates selection, and Red Fire (2001) was named Best Spiritual Book by Spirituality and Health Awards.

Her efforts are far-reaching. Beginning in 1999, Ms. D’Arcy has worked with women teachers in Lithuania to help foster growth and learning for children in that country. In addition, she travels frequently to Innsbruck, Austria where she has led retreats and forums. Her work in prisons helps inmates cope with issues of grief and pain.

In 2007, Ms. D’Arcy through her foundation, sponsored an international conference called, WomanSpeak, 2007. In 2010, she will sponsor WomanSpeak 2010. The goal of the conference according to the Web site is to “touch the hearts of women and inspire them to become voices for peace and change in this world.’’

Paula D’Arcy will touch the hearts of women of the Worcester Diocese at “Gather Us In, 2009,’’ Nov. 7 at the DCU Center in Worcester. The theme of the conference is “The Triumph of Forgiveness, Sharing Stories of Compassion.’’ Keynote speakers are Ms. D’Arcy and Immaculee Ilibagiza, workshops will be presented by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Linda Gray Kelley, Sister Ellen Dabrieo and Virginia Blass. The conference is a daylong event, beginning at 9:15 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. followed by Mass.

Information regarding Gather Us In, 2009 is available at every parish in the diocese. In addition, registration forms may be obtained on the diocesan Web site, www.worcesterdiocese.org using the link to the Commission for Women and on the Commission Web site, www.worcestercommissionforwomen.org.

Commission Members appear again on CatholicTV

Commission Members Carolyn Black and Marie Fusaro Davis appeared on Friday, September 11 on CatholicTV's "This is the Day" program hosted by Jay McFadden and Fr. Reed. Carolyn and Marie talked about the Gather Us In Conference. You can watch the program in its entirety here. The interview starts about halfway through the 30 minute program - if you place your mouse over the video, you will see the control panel and can fast forward to the interview.



Go to the Gather Us In page if you want to register for the conference. Tickets are $45 per person; a special discount rate of $20 applies to students.

Keep an eye out on CatholicTV for the special promo that Carolyn and Marie prepared which will air on the station up until the conference.

Book on Rwandan Marian apparitions released on anniversary

Immaculee Ilibagiza will be appearing at the Gather Us In 2009 Conference at the DCU Center on November 9 along with Paula D'Arcy. Visit the Gather Us In page for more information and to register for the conference.

By Regina Linskey
Catholic News Service (used by permission)

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Like many stories from Africa, the story of Mary appearing to three young girls in Rwanda "wasn't told" beyond the continent, said best-selling author Immaculee Ilibagiza.

So Ilibagiza wrote the first English-language book about Mary's apparitions in the 1980s at an all-girls Catholic high school in the remote Rwandan village of Kibeho, the only Vatican-recognized Marian apparitions in Africa.

"Our Lady of Kibeho" was released Nov. 28, the anniversary of the first apparition in 1981.

Calling "Our Lady of Kibeho" "the most important book I will write," Ilibagiza told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview Nov. 20 that she can remember hearing about the apparitions from her father at the dinner table, a place where her close family gathered nightly to share the stories of the day and talk about religion.

"My dad said, 'You won't believe what happened; the Virgin Mary appeared to a girl in Kibeho,'" Ilibagiza recalled.

She said she learned the details of the Marian apparitions from family talk, village chatter and the tape recordings of the visionaries and Kibeho onlookers that the local priest recorded and played to his parish.

But Ilibagiza said she wasn't exactly thrilled at the time that another girl saw Mary before she did. That year, Ilibagiza's fourth-grade teacher had told her class the story of Our Lady of Fatima, and the young Ilibagiza made it her mission to become a visionary. Ilibagiza, her best friend and her best friend's little brother pretended to be shepherds, just like the Fatima visionaries, and prayed that Mary would appear to them.

Initially, the local Kibeho priest, villagers and even some members of the Ilibagiza family thought the first visionary, Alphonsine Mumureke, was a liar.

"In my heart as a child, I believed it 100 percent," said Ilibagiza.

Then Mary appeared at the school to Anathalie Mukamazimpaka and another young girl known only as Marie-Clare, who had tormented Alphonsine after the first apparitions. The three visionaries were rigorously tested by medical and church officials. In 2001, the Vatican recognized the apparitions to the three girls.

Crowds gathered to witness the mysterious rains that would fall unpredictably from clear skies and to hear Mary's messages to the visionaries from 1981 to 1989.

The visionaries said Mary asked Rwandans to pray, fill their hearts with love, and reject sin and evil deeds. The visions were joyful until one day in 1984 when all the visionaries reported seeing violence, dismembered corpses and destruction, the book says. Mary warned that if Rwandans did not renew their hearts and dispel evil, there would be genocide, it says.

Mary also requested that a church and a basilica, which Mary named in the visions as "Seven Sorrows Church" and "Reunion of the Dispersed Basilica," be built at Kibeho, Ilibagiza told CNS.

During 100 days in 1994-1995, Rwandans from the majority Hutu tribe hacked to death nearly 1 million minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Corpses clogged the roadways and littered the countryside. More than 5,000 refugees were shot by soldiers in Kibeho's church in 1995.

Most of Ilibagiza's family, including her brothers, mother and father, were murdered during the war. For 91 days, Ilibagiza hid with six other women in a 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom at a neighbor's house. Ilibagiza's best-selling book, "Left to Tell," was about how she got through those horrific days with prayer.

"Nothing can ever be difficult to endure if you know Our Lady loves you," she told CNS.

In the months that followed the Rwandan holocaust, the Marian visions were forgotten, the book says. But as time went on, pilgrims gradually returned.

Ilibagiza told CNS she expects 50,000 people to visit Kibeho for the anniversary this year.


When asked if Ilibagiza knew as a young girl that she would become an author, she said such an idea was "a far-away dream."

"People in my country didn't write things down"; they told stories, she said. "Our Lady of Kibeho" is told as a Rwandan would share a story. It's about her personal memories and an account of the effect the apparitions had on her and her country.

Reflections on Obedience

How do we obey God? I’ve never been a fan of that word, obey or obedience. I like to envision myself as somewhat of a rebel. I am the fourth of seven children, the first girl. As a teenager I did not like the fact that there were different rules for me and my older brothers. But I suspect that obeying God has little to do with rules. I have been tempted to equate obedience with duty and then I read something written by Liberation theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, for a Spirituality class that caused me to rethink that idea. Gutierrez said that duty has a ceiling. Once the obligation is satisfied, the duty ends. I think obeying God is limitless, it has no end. For me, obeying God is more about doing God’s will, listening for God’s call and overcoming fear, to follow where the Holy Spirit is leading me.

My participation in an immersion trip to Jamaica is just one example of that.

I had a class from 7-9 PM on Weds. night in the fall semester. One night around mid semester, someone handed out flyers which said that there were still spaces available for a semester break, immersion trip to Jamaica. I stuck it in my back pack. The next week one of my classmates said she had called to get information and she was interested in going but worried about the fundraising. The professor heard us talking and said, “I think you should both go on the trip.” A million thoughts started swirling around in my head. Me? Fifty something, wife of 26 years, mother of two college age daughters, I should leave my family for a week and go to Jamaica? The next day I called the number on the flyer. I got all the details of when the meetings and fundraisers were. I started talking to my family. “I’m thinking about going to Jamaica for a week for school.” My daughters thought it was a great idea. My husband was somewhat non-committal at first but after I made the decision to go, he was very supportive.

In addition, I belong to a very vibrant parish community that supported me both financially and spiritually, before the trip and afterward. Would it have been easier to ignore the gentle prompting of the Spirit? Yes. Have I ignored other promptings? Yes, usually out of fear. I have discovered though, that being part of a loving and supportive community makes it much easier to move beyond the fear. My week in Jamaica was filled with the Holy Spirit. The experience was, for me, a gift that keeps on giving as its meaning in my life continues to deepen and grow, even now, two years later.

Christine Gagne, Commission Member
Currently employed by The Sisters of Notre Dame as a Community Coordinator in their assisted living facility, Notre Dame du Lac in Worcester, MA

Immaculee Prompts Many Discoveries

By Mary Donovan

My mind is aswirl with thoughts about Africa. In anticipation of hearing Immaculee Ilibagiza at November’s conference, I’ve been reading everything I can about Rwanda – and finding out a few surprising things. Mostly I learned how easy life is for me and how hard it is for women in areas affected by war.

I also found out how difficult it is to picture life without the fundamental basics we consider a necessary platform for survival. I’m talking about healthcare (bad as it reputedly is, it’s not that bad). I’m talking about the car, the computer, the tiled bathroom, the lovely lawn, the discretionary income.

I found out that my sister sponsors a woman in the Congo through an organization called ``Women for Women, International.’’ I read the material. It told of one woman who was able with the help from her sponsor to give up prostitution and support herself and her child selling charcoal. Of all the part time jobs I could scrape out of my brain, selling charcoal wasn’t one of them.

I read about Rwandan orphans, some of them children of rape, some of them children of murdered parents. Imaculee Ilibageza has a foundation to help educate these children.

There are other problems and other areas, but I’m still focused on Africa. I read a column recently in The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristoff and I found out that I am a woman of privilege. I must be, I’ve had seven kids and I’m not dead If I lived in West Africa, I very likely might be. According to Kristoff, in that part of the world motherhood is one of the grimmest risks to human life.

Of course this is true in other parts of the world as well. Poverty, lack of education and inadequate resources are factors. Women die from complications of pregnancy and birth that could often be prevented by simple procedures. A very large factor, evidentally, is the cultural estimation of poor women as expendable human beings.

Kristoff listed organizations which are working to alleviate just these problems: White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. CARE, and Averting Maternal Death and Disability.

I found, not surprisingly, that there’s no kicking back and coasting in to the finish. There’s too much to be done.

Commission Members appear on CatholicTV

Commission members Marie Fusaro Davis and Susan Bailey appeared live on CatholicTV's twice weekly talk show, "This Is the Day," hosted by Jay McFadden, general manager of CatholicTV, and Fr. Robert Reed, director. CatholicTV is a ministry of the Archdiocese of Boston and has an increasing far reach. It can be accessed on via Cable TV such as Verizon (channel 296), Comcast and Sky Channel (depends on which town you live in). Although a Boston-based TV station, CatholicTV is accessible throughout the country through cable and also on their excellent website, www.catholictv.org, where you can watch all the programs live, or from their archives.

Marie and Susan appeared on "This Is the Day" to talk about the upcoming Gather Us In conference in November. Before making their appearance, they were taken on a tour of the station and we'd like to share some of that with you.

This is the foyer of the CatholicTV building on Chestnut Street in Watertown. The building formally was used as a convent for the Dominican Sisters and has a real chapel which is used for the Daily Mass broadcast live on CatholicTV.





The first thing you see when you come into the building is this beautiful tribute to St. Therese of Lisiuex, the patronness of Catholic TV. The tribute includes a first-class relic of the saint.






Here is a picture of the chapel where daily mass takes place. The Dominican Sisters worshipped here daily when the building housed their convent.





This is the main control room for the station.
All the programming you see on your TV originates from this area.










This is the control room for "This Is the Day."









Hosts Jay McFadden (left) and Fr. Robert Reed begin the show.






There were 2 interview segments during the program; Marie and Susan appeared in the second segment. In between the segments, Kevin Nelson, news anchor for CatholicTV, delivers the Catholic Newsbreak.







Jay and Fr. Reed conduct the interview with Marie (far left) and Susan, talking about the Gather Us In conference and the Commission for Women.

Marie and Susan will be appearing again on September 12 to talk more about the conference.

Want to see the interview? Click on the Gather Us In link on the website to see the interview.

Reflecting on the month of April

by Ann O'Connor, Commission member

How challenged we are to believe, to hope in what lies ahead in the month of April!

April, the month of transition:

• gray-brown earth, gray skies sending out rainy messages
• roadways trimmed in quite deep sand
• auto hubcaps marking an obstacle course
• and litter that if finally more visible with the melting of snowbanks

We are called to renew:

• faith that the street sweepers will sweep
• the litter bugs will work in reverse motion
• the Morris Dancers with song and dance will awaken the seeds and prompt the ground to release them
• flowering snow drops will appear in the woods
• lily-of-the-valley is unlikely
• the Creator's call and tender care will rouse in us renewed reason to love again.

Gather Us In Workshop Spotlight: Linda Gray Kelley

Actress Linda Gray Kelley will be returning to the Gather Us In Conference this year to present a portion of her award-winning play, "Women of the Bible: The Good Girls and the Bad Girls." Old Testament characters such as Delilah, Naomi and Ruth, Bathsheba and Esther will be presented

Ms. Kelley not only performs "Women of the Bible" but she wrote it as well. She fashioned the play as a the contemporary piece with the goal of reaching her audience with the stories of how these Bible women lived their lives. “Even the good girls were flawed, she says, "which means there is hope for us all!”

Her theatre audiences are primarily adults who enjoy the edgy though accurate biblical re-enactments. The series has been praised by bishops, nuns, rabbis, ministers, and religious conferences nationwide. Ms. Kelley’s greatest joy is performing for women in prison, her special ministry.

Featured on her website, www.theatrerising.com, are videos of some of the characters, performed live. There is also a brand new podcast by the same name featured on the website - click on the Audio tab to access the easy-to-use player.

Ms. Kelley will perform the play twice at the Gather Us In conference, during the workshop segments.

Watch Immaculee Ilibagiza interviewed on CatholicTV

Immaculee Ilibagiza was interviewed via telephone on January 2nd on CatholicTV's "This Is the Day" program. Here is the show in its entirety - she appears about 7 minutes in. She talks about her latest book, Our Lady of Kibeho. To get to the controls of the video (play, pause, fast forward, etc.), simply place the cursor anywhere on the video and you will see the controls.

Visit www.catholictv.org to see all their great programs. Commission members Marie Fusaro Davis and Susan Bailey will be appearing on "This Is The Day" in May to promote the conference, and we'll have it for you on this blog.

Here is Immaculee's interview:

A review of Immaculee Ilibagiza's latest book

Courtesy of Today's Catholic Woman found at the Catholic Exchange website. This review was written by Leticia Velasquez, a wife and homeschooling mother of three daughters. She is a free lance writer whose articles have appeared in Faith and Family and Celebrate Life magazines. A film critic for Mercatornet, Leticia has recently helped create a new blog called Catholic Media Review.

Immaculee Ilibagiza will be one of two keynote speakers at the Gather Us In 2009 conference sponsored by the Commission for Women of the Diocese of Worcester. For more information, visit the Gather Us In 2009 page on our website.


Review of Immaculee Ilibagiza’s Our Lady of Kibeho

Anyone of the millions of readers of Immaculee Ilibagiza’s New York Times bestselling book, Left to Tell in which she relates the terrifying ordeal she endured, hiding in a tiny bathroom with 7 women, while the Rwandan genocide raged outside, is left with a burning question; where did she find the strength to endure those 90 days of torment? Her latest book, Our Lady of Kibeho is Immaculee’s answer to that question, as well as a personal account of the only Church-approved Marian apparition in Africa.

No one who knew Immaculee as little girl would have predicted her role in the genocide and its aftermath: Immaculee had an idyllic Catholic childhood. Raised in a picturesque village in the mountains of Rwanda, her devout parents, Rose and Leonard were teachers, and were widely respected. Immaculee’s earliest memory is of being rocked in her mother’s arms as she prayed the rosary. The young Immaculee lived a holy life of prayer, study and innocent play until at age 11, when she was confronted by a crisis of faith. Not wanting to burden her loving family with her questions, Immaculee suffered silently until the day her doubts were put to rest forever, when her teacher told her the story of Our Lady of Fatima.

The story of three shepherd children from Portugal visited by the Queen of Heaven captivated Immaculee’s imagination, and she convinced her friend Jeanette and her brother Fabrice to climb a local hilltop each day to tend their goats, where they prayed fervently for Our Lady to appear to them. Eventually the children grew discouraged and gave up their efforts, and were thrilled to hear, not a week later that Our Lady did appear to a young woman in Rwanda, in a convent school in a remote town named Kibeho.

The story of the apparitions of Our Lady at Kibeho has familiar elements to Catholics familiar with the stories of Lourdes and Fatima; simple children who receive the message, and are mocked at first by skeptical friends and authorities. Our Lady asks for increased prayer, conversion of hearts, and for a chapel to be built. But no other apparition gives such vivid detail of future tragedies to occur if the people do not repent. The prayerfully singing, rapturous crowd was abruptly silenced as the visionaries shrieked in horror at the visions of thousands of bodies hacked to death and rivers flowing with human blood revealed to them by a tearful Mother. All this is powerfully related to Immaculee by the tape recorder of her pastor, Fr. Rwagema.

The lives of Rwandans were deeply affected by the apparitions, with thousands of pilgrims, including Immaculee’s father Leonard, traveling for weeks on foot, sleeping outdoors with little food or water in order to pray, sing and learn from Alphonsine, Anathalie, Marie-Clare, and the other visionaries. A chapel of Our Lady was built and thousands learned to pray a special rosary commemorating the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Immaculee describes how, although she was not able to travel to Kibeho until after the genocide, the visit of Our Lady steeled her for what lay ahead,“Mary knew who her son was, and from his earliest days was aware of the pain that awaited him(and her). Yet through all those years, she supported him with the love of a mother, standing by him while he was whipped, beaten and crucified And she was there for him when he drew his last breath. I realized that Our Lady, whose soft and gentle voice enthralled the visionaries, has rock-solid strength. It was the rock upon which I would build my faith in God, the strength that would sustain me through whatever sorrows life held in store for me.” P 97

Immaculee didn’t realize until days before the genocide destroyed her village and wiped out most of her family that she and her people were being prepared for unimaginable suffering. In this she joins the exalted company of the saints, who though close friends of Our Lord, suffered the darkness of man’s inhumanity to man and entered into the Passion of Christ.

Our Lady of Kihebo can be found on Amazon.com and at Barnes and Noble.

Eating right, living well and loving God

In the fall as the days grow short, nights long and the holidays come, folks tend to eat more, entertain more, spend more and stress out more. It’s no wonder Jesus came in this darkest time of the year. God knew we needed light in our personal and corporate darkness then and now 2000 years later. Maybe that is why we start New Year resolutions, with or without God. We as people know we need to always begin again.

We decided at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in West Boylston to start a program called 3-D, a plan for eating right, living well and loving God. This is a twelve week program based on a book by Carol Showalter with Maggie Davis MS, RD, LDN, FADA, CDE titled Your Whole Life. Our program started shortly after the New Year, with two groups of ten women each. We are a little more than half way done and I would like to share some of the things we’ve learned.

As our pastor wrote in the church bulletin, “The Christian approach to weight loss does not jibe with our culture’s obsession with youth, beauty, perfection and thinness.” He goes on to say “ we are all beautiful in God’s eyes and should be in each other’s.” Even those of us who know we are created by a God whose works are wonderful have a hard time praising Him for ourselves or others, as the psalmist does in Psalm 139:14 “I praise You Lord because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

We picked this time of the year to start our program not only because it came after the holidays but also it runs during Lent and finishes just before Holy Week. Lent is a time we are more focused on God’s grace, care and mercy. We are learning that self-denial doesn’t have to be a time of painful, morbid giving up, which produces bad dispositions, but a time of freedom and the abundant life God has promised us. We are trying to be open, teachable and vulnerable to one another.

We laugh and have fun walking our mile with Leslie Sansone’s DVD that one of our members picked up at Walmart. There is still a lot of drama in our weight room. It’s a great room when we are loosing otherwise it is not. But we are learning little bit by little bit to eat healthier, changing habits, caring for others and ourselves. We are encouraging, challenging, inspiring and educating ourselves. We are working at becoming the best God wants us to be.

We are daily loving God, leaning on Him who knows each of us so intimately. We are reading scripture and daily meditations from Your Whole Life to consider and reflect on. We also have a commitment to memories a weekly Bible verse and pray for one another. We are building good habits that are teaching us to focus and submit to God.

Maggie’s system of gradual behavior changes has given us hope for long term change in our eating habits. We do have good weeks and then weeks that set us back. We are learning Satan really wants us to fail, not be healthy, not be whole, but ineffective. But we are learning God is always greater. We are learning we have the power to resist the devil. We are learning to deny our own unsanctified desires. We are learning to submit to God, to change and be well.
It is so nice to go to different Masses and to see someone from our group, someone I know is praying for me, someone closer and more familiar than folks you see just to say hi before Mass, shake hands at the peace, and bye when we leave. Attending our weekly group makes me think how good our God is. He uses our imperfections, our needs, to bless us. And now I can look in the mirror and begin to say Yes Lord – I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

May God Bless you all,

Shirley Pukaite
Shirley is one of our newest members of the Commission and we heartily welcome her! Ed.

More spiritual exercises for Lent

From the Faith and Family website, here are several suggestions for Lent: (http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/)

There Was Fasting In Paradise
Benedict XVI's message for Lent
http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/there_was_fasting_in_paradise/

Take An Online Lenten Retreat
A few resources to help you focus on your prayer life during Lent
http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/take_an_online_lenten_retreat/

Lenten Bread
A recipe for Ash Wednesday
http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/lenten_bread

Lent Day 1
ideas for your day
http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/lent_day_1

40 Day Devotional for Lent geared for busy people

We wanted to share with you a 40 day Lenten devotional that one of our members developed. You can find it at www.prayerchapel.info and it's called Lenten Devotions for Busy People. It contains a daily 5 minute podcast that you can listen to on a player right on the blog. It will also contain occasional music and extra reflections, plus a 5 minute video to be posted every Friday for Stations of the Cross.

We hope you enjoy this series.

Obama’s Message is a Challenge

By Mary Donovan

In everybody’s life there’s stuff you want to do, stuff you ought to do, stuff you think you ought to do and stuff you have to do. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize the stuff you have to do because a whole lot of pressures give one or another of the other options gratuitous importance.

I thought of this shortly after the inauguration when I read a column by New York Times writer, Judith Warner . It was called, ``Stopping to Answer Obama’s Call.’’ The call she answered was in a statement by the new president in his inauguration speech.

He said, ``It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.’’

These words had flung themselves at me through the TV screen and over the roars of the multitudes. They stuck in my mind as being enormously important. I had heard no comments about them from the talking heads or read of them from the columnists – until Ms. Warner.

She described her hopes for Inauguration Day. It was to be a day crammed with the stuff of memory books – the mother would share history with her two young daughters; the writer would observe, take notes, and send her concise, insightful reflections to her paper in the afternoon so the celebratory and carefree Democrat could attend a ball in the evening.

But things didn’t happen that way. Oh, she and her daughters went to the big event. They stood in the Washington Mall with hundreds of others watching the distant events on a huge screen. They waved flags and cheered. But the girls bickered, the cold discouraged them. As they left the Mall they were stuck in a tunnel between two chain link fences with thousands of other people for almost an hour. The younger daughter became hysterical and could only be comforted clutched in her mother’s arms.

Ms. Warner said she abandoned all thoughts of writing, let alone reflecting. As she put it, she surrendered to Emilie. She focused on getting away from the crowds and the action to some quiet place to get something to eat. The older daughter had gone off with friends, so it was mother and little girl, ``just the two of us.’’ Ms. Warner said she took comfort in Obama’s words as she left the show and the excitement to comfort her daughter.

They had a lovely lunch in one of those restaurants where there are photographs of dignitaries along the walls. Many of these were of presidential couples, some of other prominent people. All of them were white. And there she found the synthesis of this particular inauguration.

``Why are there no black faces?’’ said the little girl.

Ms. Warner said she explained about the distribution of power in America and how up to now that power was held by white people. But that was changing, she said. She explained that soon there would be a photograph of a black president and first lady on the wall.

The little girl thought that was good and the mother agreed.

So, I don’t know where that gets us, beyond the fact that Obama was certainly not talking only about firemen or parents. He was talking about everybody, because everybody has something important to do. If we can find out what that is and do it, the doing will indeed decide our fate.
The little girl thought that was good and the mother agreed.

So, I don’t know where that gets us, beyond the fact that Obama was certainly not talking only about firemen or parents. He was talking about everybody, because everybody has something important to do. If we can find out what that is and do it, the doing will indeed decide our fate.

Mary Donovan is a freelance writer for The Catholic Free Press.

Happy New Year!

I do believe I have violated my first New Years Resolution, to be timely in what I do. And I promised Susan I'd do a reflection/blog for January. I guess I didn't promise it on the first of January, so maybe I'm alright. I DID finish the agenda for the January CFW (Commission for Women) meeting, which is next Tuesday the 20th. Gather Us In 2009 is only 11 months away, goodness! We need to be organized and fast! Some big things are done, key note speakers and break out speakers, but so many little things to do. Actually another big thing on the agenda is to get the committee together for program booklet, which includes sponsors. Then there are the publicity flyers and registration forms. In the past we haven't been sure how many women were coming, this time I feel we will sell out. So when you see registration is open, get it in fast!

My thank you notes aren't out yet, but the tree is still up, so I don't feel so bad. I like to have them done before the tree is down. Well this year the tree didn't get decorated until Christmas Eve. My husband, Jim was out in the tree farm across the street, dragging an ice ladden tree up on the porch the weekend before Christmas ahead of the next storm. The ice hadn't melted, what to do? Inventive as I am, we wrapped it in a blanket and carried it into the downstairs handicapped accessible shower, where it sat for a few days. We would hear the ice melting and falling off it that afternoon. So, the tree thawed and the shower got cleaned, not a bad deal. Our son arrived home from Chicago on the 23rd, we told him we saved the tree decorating for him, I don't think he believed us. He was a good sport and decorated it, while I wrapped gifts on a card table in the living room Christmas Eve.

The ice storm was one reason we were so far behind. We lost power for a week. The good news was that our neighbor had power, so we were able to run an extention and keep the freezer/refrigerator running. We ran one light a night, had a minimal source of heat (propane 'woodstove' in living room), running water and four burners to heat water and some cooking. It did get old pretty quickly though. My friend Mae talked to me in the midst of no power. She said I wasn't praying for the right things. She said “ask for heat”, I replied, “I have some heat”. “Well, ask for more, then!” “Ask for light”, I replied, “I have some light”... “ask for more!” I knew we were better off than many people, so hated to ask for more. I think Mae was really specific and asked for electricity to be hooked to the Ancona's house, we got it the next day. Thank you God, and Mae. I also had a very hard work week. I am a hospice RN and I had four very ill patients that week, some of whom also needed to move to a warm place.
But Christmas came anyways.

So in the midst of bad things, there are always things to be thankful for: Here is my abbreviated list:
Heat (a little bit in December, a lot now).
A long enough extention cord and kindly neighbors to keep the pipes from freezing.
Work, that I can do what I can to help people and families when they are in crisis and that they let me into their lives at such hard times.
Children and family, to decorate the tree or let us take a shower, when we had no hot water.
Mae, to pray for the right things
God to answer those prayers.
My Commission for Women friends, for shouldering this conference and keeping me on track.
And you, for your continued support of what we do. (if you can be of help, don't hesitate to email or call!)

Blessings in the New Year. See you in November!

Anne Ancona, Chairperson CFW