Town Hall Listening Sessions

Thanks to Nativity Parishioners who attended one of the two Town Hall Listening Sessions this past weekend…and thanks to those who will attend listening sessions over the next weeks.  The sessions are designed to:
1. review the reasons for Beacons of Light (BoL) and the great progress that we have already made with BoL.
               2. answer some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) past, present and future.
               3. foster discussion among groups of parishioners to listen to each other. 
Those groups will then report back on prominent discussion topics:  thoughts, observations, questions, concerns, hopes, dreams and vision for the future.  Parish leaders including pastoral councils, finance committees, the PLT (Parish Leadership Team) and staff can then take the feedback given by the small groups into account as we spend this second year of Beacons of Light creating a vision for our parish family!
 
XJA groundbreaking
On September 13, on a muggy morning of memory, the Xavier Jesuit Academy (XJA) held a groundbreaking ceremony.  The event marked the official beginning of renovation efforts in the old St. Agnes school. Many city dignitaries, members of the Society of Jesus and XJA board, Triversity Construction employees and subcontractors, Crescent Parishioners and community members were present for the wonderful event. 
The Church of the Resurrection rectory/office has been razed to provide better ingress. Renovation is moving at a good pace as the interior of the school is experiencing rejuvenation and new life.  Please pray for XJA and its mission as they make preparations to minister to grade school-age boys in the neighborhood and their families.  Please pray for Crescent Parishes in this wonderful and unique partnership that we are entering into through the initiative of parishioners at the Church of the Resurrection. 
 
Begging at Nativity
Those who attend Nativity Church may have run into a couple of people from the community who beg for food or money.  Many of us experience this as something out of the ordinary and therefore it feels awkward.
               Actually, begging is common all over the world for the history of the world!  Perhaps that is why it is mentioned frequently in the Gospels.  In fact, Jesus and the apostles relied on the generosity of others for their daily bread, especially on the generosity of the women who accompanied them.  The Franciscan and Dominican religious orders of the thirteenth century are called “Mendicants” because they begged for their sustenance. How many wonderful non-profits and charities beg from us in one form or another? 
However, what should we do when a beggar approaches us close to home?
               1. The first good thing we can do is to relax and see the experience as something normal as we have said. 
               2. The next thing we can do is to ask the name of the person and ask them to tell us about themselves.  We could ask questions, finding out who they are, as we should do with any visitor.  This helps lift up their human dignity.
               3. Finally we can ask how we can help, knowing that money is likely a response and that it is OK to say “no” to giving money.  Saying “no” to any request they make is also an OK response. At the same time, we could say yes and buy them some “to go” food at a local restaurant, asking them where they want to go and being OK with limiting their request to what seems reasonable. This approach doesn’t take that much time.  Offer a prayer together with them and then leave them to wait on food as we go about our business, having taken only ten or fifteen minutes of our time.
Just so Nativity parishioners know, St. Vincent de Paul cares for both of the two people that we are likely to encounter.  St. Vincent de Paul has even asked each of them not to beg before or after Masses.  Thankfully, the Lord hears the cry of the poor through St. Vincent de Paul and perhaps us directly on occasion.
 
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Speaking of the poor and longing to help them, just before Thanksgiving the U.S. Bishops will begin their annual effort to diminish poverty through the Catholic Campaign For Human Development (CCHD.)  This second collection in all parishes in the U.S. allows Catholics to offer some of their stewardship of treasure to help people get themselves and their families out of poverty by making grants.  Look for an article next week that tells more about CCHD.
 
Matching Gifts at General Electric
Just a quick note to those who work at G.E.  Due to a restructuring at G.E., employees who wish to take advantage of their corporate matching program, where a donation to our churches would be matched by G.E., must do so soon.  If you are interested in being a double blessing to our churches, please look into their gift-matching program at work and connect with us if we are the beneficiary.  Thanks to those who do!
 
Sincerely and with Love in Christ,
Fr. Pat