Footnotes. Beautiful Blessings In Our Parish. St.Lawrence Catholic Parish. April 2015

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1 Footnotes St.Lawrence Catholic Parish Beautiful Blessings In Our Parish April 2015

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3 Is the Holy Spirit Reaching Out To You? With great appreciation to the Holy Spirit, we are starting another RCIA process immediately. Beginning April 13th, we will welcome all inquirers of the Catholic faith. We normally wouldn t begin another class until the Fall, but thanks to all of YOU, we have a dozen or so people banging on our door. Please encourage anyone you know who like to join us for this next process to contact Barry Little at , ext. 128 or rcia@stlawrencefairhope.com Wednesday Night Dinners As Wednesday Night Dinners draw to a close, we would like to thank all of the groups that have helped this year. Thank you for helping other parishioners feel welcome and happy to come back for the delicious meals served. The purpose of our Wednesday Night Dinners is to have the opportunity to get to to know one another and form new friendships. Thanks be to God for the blessings received during these events. April 15th will be our last Wednesday Night Dinner until the Fall. April 1st: No Wednesday Night Dinner-Holy Week April 8th: Parish Council serving Red Beans & Rice April 15th: Young Adults serving Jambalaya There is one opportunity left to support the seminarians from our parish by attending the Pancake Breakfast on April 19th after the 8:30 am Mass. This breakfast is donations only, so please be generous. 3

4 Parish Mission We were blessed with a great turnout to witness Deacon Harold s bold call to holiness! The impact of our three-day Lenten Mission, led by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, is still rippling through our parish. His insight to the scriptures were illuminating as he led us through them by his own life. You can connect with Dc. Harold at Dcn. George, Fr. Andrew, Fr. Steve, and Dcn. Harold prepare for the Mass of Reconciliation on the third night of our Mission. 4

5 Stephanie Morris explains the sacred reflection and prayer that can come from the beauty of art and creation. Ash Wednesday Lenten Retreat On Ash Wednesday, Stephanie Morris spoke from her heart as a Catholic artist. Her meditations through different genres of classic art were not only inspiring but helped us journey from head to heart. The Lenten disposition of our parish was greatly enhanced, especially through her painting of our Blessed Mother. Taking a Closer Look, with Dr. Chris Welch Dear Chris, Here s a question I have. Psalm 138 (139), verse 8 states, If I go up to the Heavens, You are there. If I sink to the nether world, (sheol) you are present there. I m puzzled. How can this be? Janet, St. Lawrence Library Dear Janet, This has puzzled many readers of the Psalms. However, it is really not a conundrum. True, Hell is a place where there is a total absence of love. Since the very Essence of God is love, He would not be found there. However, the author makes the claim in verse 7: Where can I go from your spirit, from your presence, where can I flee? This does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the spirit of God. John, in chapter 4, verse 24 of his Gospel, states that God is spirit. On a more practical level, if someone says, My husband is deceased, but his spirit is here, she is echoing both the psalmist and Saint John. Biblical authors used a literary technique of hyperbole exaggerated speech. It is not akin to deceit or lying, but rather heightened speech to make a point. Jesus himself used hyperbole in his preaching. The entire message of psalm 138 is to emphasize two of the great attributes of God, omniscience and omnipotence. We cannot escape the presence of God, either his perceptible presence in our lives or even his Spirit throughout the world. Shall a man be hid in secret places, and I not see him? says the Lord. (Jer: 223:24) Hoping this is of help for you, Chris Welch Patriotic Rosary Please join us in praying the Patriotic Rosary on Saturday, April 11th in St. Lawrence Church after the 8:30 am Mass. On the first Saturday of each month (except this April, because of Easter) we pray the Patriotic Rosary for our country, our people and the leaders. We hope that you will join us in praying for our country as we remember all the blessings we have received and pray for all of our needs. We look forward to having you with us. Constitution Study Group 5

6 Sr. Delia Grace meets with the Life Teen group to talk about her vocation and to encourage discernment in our young people Parish Conference We had a wonderful Family of Faith Conference! It was a grace-filled day for all! Sr. Marie Genevieve and Sr. Delia Grace prepared the students for a special worship song. 6 Our Parish Family showed up in great numbers for a faith-filled day.

7 Brian Butler meets with a few of the Edge students to talk about What is love? and what it means for middle school teens. Brian Butler leads the Conference opening, along with music from Greg & Lizzy. Sr. Delia Grace leads an activity with the our youngest parishioners comparing their heroes to God, the ultimate hero! Fr. Steve leads us in prayer. The adults listen to a compelling session with Jason Angelette about Who we are. 7

8 Young Adult Small Groups Kicks Off The Young Adult Small Groups had a wonderful start at their semester kick-off! There are six groups for men and women, single or married now in session for the spring semester! Small groups provide the opportunity for young adults to come together for prayer, fellowship, nourishment and encouragement. Please pray for all the members and the facilitators as they come together to grow in faith. If you missed the spring sign-ups, be sure to register in August for the fall semester! For more information visit 8

9 edge by Molly Nix It is hard to believe that we are almost to the end of another religious education year. Classes for the 6th graders will end on May 6th; we have had a wonderful year! The 6th graders were enthusiastic about learning how God can work in their every day life. Thank you to all of the parents that make sure that this was one of my best attended 6th grade classes ever. Special thanks to my son Stephen Nix that helped me teach the 6th graders this year. The 7th and 8th graders classes will end May 3rd. This year we traveled through the gospels of Mark and Luke and learned about the first followers of Christ the apostles. We also experienced many prayerful moments taking part in adoration. Thank you Bill and Kathy Maurer and Jamie and Jack McAleer. The youth look forward to the nights that you joined us for class. All of our wonderful summer activities are being booked at this time and you should receive information in the mail about our summer program. Remember sign up early - the programs fill up fast. Card Party May 21st at 11:00 am by Wanda Griffis, Chairman This year's Card Party is May 21st from 11:00 am -3:00 pm. We will have lunch, beverages and desserts as well as a Silent Auction and Jewelry Sale. Tickets for the event are $14 and they are available in the church office and vestibule. This year we are asking for donations of items for the silent auction, desserts, and items to make the salads. There will be a sign up sheet at the next Treasures meeting on April 6th. Hope to see you there! 9

10 Many thanks to Jerry & Nancy Schwartzenburg and Wanda Griffis who helped prepare the delicious food. The Treasures March Luncheon was a fantastic time, as usual. The menu included fried fish, cheese grits, and gumbo. It was delicious! Make sure you stop in with us every first Monday of the month for our luncheons. As always, there will be good friends, good food, and a great time! Our cooks and Treasure members work hard but have fun preparing the meals. Fr. Steve has a bowl of delicious gumbo! 10

11 Fr. Steve quickly goes over upcoming events and a special guest hands out goody bags from USA Women s & Children s Hospital. The lines are long and the food was good at the March Luncheon. 11

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14 First Communion Retreat First Communicants and their parents enjoyed a faith filled retreat as a way to prepare to receive First Holy Communion. This opportunity provided each child with a unique learning experience lead by the parent. Each child and parent team created a crucifix craft. The students, lead by Paul and Carol Bell, presented a scriptural Hail Mary. Then each parent led their child through a lesson about what happens at Mass. A check list was provided for each child (and parent!) to locate various objects in the church. We were blessed to have 2 sisters from the Nashville Dominicans helping with the retreat as well. Each child followed the order of mass in their Magnifikid as we celebrated Mass together. A family pizza party concluded the event. 14

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16 St. Lawrence Catholic Church Footnotes 370 S. Section Street Fairhope, AL ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 126 MOBILE, AL Early registration ends soon!