Mary in the Vietnamese Church

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1 We all are the Priestly People of God. Together, we are leaders in responding to the emotional and spiritual needs of Priests and Brothers. May Vol. 29 No. 5 Mary in the Vietnamese Church I will begin by asking you to reflect for a moment on what part Mary plays in your spiritual life? In terms of externals and we are body and soul do you have some images of the Blessed Mother in your Home? Do your wear a medal? Does your church have an altar or shrine to Our Lady? Is your devotion to her becoming richer or is it static or even less than once-upon-a time? In terms of your inner life, is there a regular Marian aspect to your prayer? Could it be richer? In this Month of May, just after the Paschal cycle of the Liturgy is completed, we might turn to Mary, who sums up our faith and who has an essential role in our Catholic Christian lives. In May of last year, not long before moving from Missouri to Vietnam, I went to Resurrection Church in St. Louis which is now the Vietnamese national parish. The occasion was a Marian procession and annual celebration of Our Lady of LaVang. I was quite enthused by the warmth of the welcome I received and by the simplicity faith and fervor of the people. A common sentiment among the westerners there was I hope the young people don t lose it, and pick up some of the less than helpful features of western society. The Catholic faith is in fact the same everywhere. The Vietnamese Church is part of Catholic Church. At the same time, the Church is inserted into a particular people and country and climate and culture. The faith came here mainly through Portuguese and French missionaries. The people were already molded by their tropical climate and the ancient Vietnamese culture. They had extensive contact with China which was present in various ways for almost 1,000 years. Confucianism was and is in the air, as are various strands of Buddhism. Perhaps the favorite image of the Blessed Mother is Our Lady of La Vang. The story behind this title has its roots at the very end of the seventeenth century. The French had been invited to assist one of the Emperors in a conflict with the North. But his successor s influence by certain strands among the intellectuals issued an anti-catholic edict and persecution ensued. Many people in fear sought refuge in the rainforest of La Vang. One group gathered every night at a tree to pray the rosary. The Source: myspiritualitymyfaith.blogspot.com Blessed Virgin appeared to them wearing Vietnamese traditional dress and with the child Jesus in her arms. She comforted them, and there is a story that many of the people were very sick, and she told them to boil leaves from the trees as a medicine. It is said that the name of the place comes from la(leaf) and vang (herbal seeds). It reminds me of the verse in the book of Ezekiel used by the Church as a foreshadowing of the fruitfulness of the waters of baptism, - they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food and their leaves for medicine. It would be natural for them to have recourse to herbal medicine having been exposed to Chinese medicine. (continued)

2 Actually this apparition has never received official approval from the Church, the documentation having been destroyed in time of war. But La Vang has become a great pilgrimage center, and its significance in the life of the Church recognized by being declared a minor basilica by Blessed Pope John XXIII. What I think is significant here is the desperate suffering of the people. It is what we call a limit situation. They were fearful, despised, and hungry and many were sick. There was absolutely no human remedy for them. They were lost. This is what forced them to their knees, and I think this suffering is part of the experience of Catholics in Vietnam. It has created a particularly strong faith. The next fifty years roughly, the first half of the twentieth century, continued to be a time of persecution, martyrdom and much suffering. Yet, at the beginning of this time 3% of the population was Catholic, and at the end of it 6% were Catholic. The suffering continued in a different way for the Vietnamese people for most of the twentieth century. Qualities of Devotion to Mary. The first thing I tend to think of is the externals. The Vietnamese women in particular, are very attached to the ao dai the traditional very graceful national dress. At the big festivals, groups of women and girls and the local sisters will be wearing the ao dai, often dancing or performing tableaux. Especially in May, these celebrations take place with dancing and processions. It is the month of Flowers, which is presented gracefully to the Mother of God. At the present time I live in a residency beside the Cathedral. If I go out of my front door, and up ten steps I am on the roof. I can see the Cathedral on my left and below me is a statue of Our Lady. On a Saturday night it is surrounded by lights, and small groups keep vigil all night. There is an authentic prayerful strand of devotion to Mary which is very solidly based, and very closely integrated with the Liturgy. Every afternoon at 4 PM people gather in the cathedral and pray the rosary, litany and other prayers and devotions. There is a pause and then at 4:30 they say Evening Prayer together from the Liturgy of the Hours. Mass follows at 5 PM. So you see a beautiful balance and harmony between devotion to Our Lady, leading into the supreme worship of the Church. Father Benedict Livingstone sp lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam along with members of the Servants of the Paraclete community. The ministry in Vietnam is in its infancy and much work needs to be accomplished for the Servants of the Paraclete to carry out their ministry to priests in the country. Our Lady of LaVang is loved by the Vietnamese faithful, pilgrims come to entrust to her their joys and sorrows, their hopes and sufferings. In this way, they call on God and become intercessors for their families and nation, asking the Lord to infuse in the heart of all people feelings of peace, fraternity and solidarity, so that all the Vietnamese will be more united every day in the construction of a world based on essential spiritual and moral values, where each one will be recognized because of his dignity as a son of God, and be able go in freedom and as a son toward the Father of Heaven, rich in mercy. The devotion to Our Lady of Fatima is alive and well in Vietnam. There are shrines dedicated to her. The Virgin predicted the end of Communism in her apparitions to the young shepherds in Portugal in In Vietnam there is a Fatima Centre in Binh Trieu, 30 km from Saigon. The Catholic Church and Vietnamese Catholics have become very devoted to Our Lady of Fatima for two reasons: the similarity of the message of Our Lady of Fatima to that given by the Virgin in LaVang, in the late 18th century during the anti- Christian persecutions of King Canh Minh. Both announced consolation in the middle of persecutions through prayers, especially the Rosary.

3 Closing remarks made by Brother Matthew on the occasion of his first profession of vows as a Servant of the Paraclete April 10, 2013 Mount Carmel House of Formation, Philippines. Vote of Thanks from the Newly Professed Brothers Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give thanks and praise to God. Luke 17: I stand here on behalf of the newly professed brothers to thank first and foremost the nucleus of our being, the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit, for all the graces we received throughout our postulancy and novitiate formation. We thank in a special way the Paraclete, from which our congregation takes its name. We thank God for the gift of our founder Very Rev. Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, sp for allowing the Spirit to direct him towards founding this unique congregation whose apostolate is to take care of priests and brothers especially those who are in difficulties. We were seven young men when we started this journey on 7th October, 2011 and on 9th April, 2012, postulancy and novitiate respectively and only five made it to the first vows. We are grateful to God for his mercies to us. Despite our brokenness, He still considers us. We are grateful to Him! We cannot forget our colleagues who departed during the course of this journey. Br. Samuel Vincent Honrada Madronero, your gentle smile will always remain fresh in our minds. Bro. Celestine Maduabuchi Ilechukwu your jokes and your motivation for soccer will ever be fresh in our minds. We thank God we met you people in life. We pray that God s presence will continue to be with you in whatever you do. There are two things that will take you to the heights you hope for - they are: The people you meet and the books you read. Based on this, we want to thank all those whom we have met in the course of our postulancy and novitiate formation. We want to thank our Servant General, Very Rev. Fr. David Thomas Fitzgerald, sp who prayerfully and carefully chose high quality formators to guide us throughout the formation period. We thank you for your fatherly understanding and support. You have been a source of inspiration to us. During the month you stayed with us, your sense of humor was felt in the community. You made our day yesterday by taking all the brothers to Enchanted Kingdom - the memory will always remain fresh in our minds. We cannot forget your wonderful class with us, where we mentioned things we learned from other people s culture. For without your endorsement, none of us, the newly professed, would have been accepted to first profession today. Fr. General, we are grateful! Salamat po! We want to thank our Novice Director, Rev. Fr. Raymond Gunzel, sp - we have searched for words to describe why we love him, and we came to realize that words cannot express why we love him. It is like a question posed to a man as to why he loves his wife; although there are several wonderful things about her that he can say, there is bound to be an inexpressible element that can Celebrating liturgy and first profession vow ceremony be explained only by his saying, I just do. And so, we will try to just say a few things about him. You are a very well organized person. You understand us the way we are and treat us as mature men. You are the reason for this event. If not for your recommendation, this first profession of vows wouldn t have been possible. You made us realize that our weaknesses and strengths are parts of our spiritual autobiography and that sin does not define who we are but what we are not. You have always taught us to care for nature. You taught us what it means to be a servant. You wonderfully took care of our spiritual and material needs. You are father qua tale. If we go on to enumerate what you taught us, we don t think we will leave here. We are promising you with the help of the Paraclete that we will always do our best to respond to all you taught us. We are grateful Fr. Salamat po! We also want to thank our Vicar General and superior of the house, Rev. Fr. Philip Taylor, sp, a diplomat. You have been a father to us. You know how to present issues concerning us or the congregation without hurting our feelings. You are an excellent person who knows how to handle each and every one of us. This is a really divine gift. Your classes on human formation will ever be fresh in our minds. We are grateful Fr. Salamat po! We also want to thank one of the pillars of this formation house, Rev. Fr. Peter Lechner, sp. You are a genius. Your humility humbles us. Your versatility in all fields of knowledge triggers us to read and make ourselves improve. Our classes with you motivated us to study hard. Your classes on Canon Law and our Constitutions almost made some of us Canon lawyers. Your love for football encourages some of us who like it to continue. You are really a father. We are grateful Fr. Salamat po! We also want to thank Rev Fr. Liam Hoare, sp for his love and support. His sense of humor cannot disappear from our minds. His classes with us on the Life of our founder - Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald awakened our hunger to serve and see Christ in his priests and brothers especially those in difficulties. We are grateful Fr. Salamat po! We also want to extend our appreciation to Rev. Fr. Benedict (continued)

4 Professing first vows with Father David Fitzgerald, Servant General Livingstone, sp for his prayers throughout our postulancy and novitiate formation. His ministry in Vietnam did not give him time to come and stay with us or teach us in any special classes. We do know he has us in mind and prays for us. We are grateful Fr. Cám ơn! We want to thank Bro. Bernard Scollon, sp for his love and support to us. We cannot forget his sense of humor. Our classes with him on journaling are something worth remembering. We are grateful Br. Salamat po! We also want to extend our appreciation to Kuya Arnel, our chief driver, Kuya Obed, Kuya Roland, our security guards and Kuya Capacia, our Latin teacher for the support and sacrifices they made to see that things move the way they should. Formation will not be complete if Father David accepting vows there is no one to play the role of a from Brother Joseph mother. In our case, we are lucky and blessed to have met these women in the course of our postulancy and novitiate formation. We thank Rev. Sr. Gertrude Borja, OSS, for her motherly care and understanding. She never comes to class without some gifts for us. We will continue to appreciate the T- shirts you gave us as Christmas gifts. You taught us ordinary things in an extraordinary way. You are St. Theresa of the Child Jesus of our time. You added wonderful color to our formation. We are grateful Sr. Salamat po! We also want to extend our gratitude to Ate Bong, Ate Josephine, our English teachers and Ate Arlene, our accountant, for their care and support. Lastly, among the women that touched our lives, we thank Ate Perla, our wonderful cook. We were once told that our founder said that after the chapel the other most important place is the kitchen. Your masarap foods always made our day mabuti. We are grateful to all of you. Salamat po! We thank you brothers for your availability in table tennis, walks, soccer, cooking and other things we cannot remember now. We thank our families, relatives and friends for their prayers, support, and for gracing this event. They are our backbones. We pray that God will continue to guide and protect each of Father David accepting vows from Brother Michael you as you go back to your respective homes. We are grateful to you all. Albert Pine once said, What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. The Servants of the Paraclete witnessing first vows for the Congregation To be accepted to First Profession is not a right but an unmerited favor. We are grateful to God for this unmerited favor. First Profession is just the tip of the iceberg. We look to God for help and to you brothers for your support. Proverbs 27:17 summarizes it all by saying, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. We pray that God who began this good work in us will bring it to completion. Finally, through the grace of God and by the virtue of our First Profession this evening, we echo the Prophet Samuel as we paraphrase 1st Samuel 10:6 that the vows have made us changed men. Holy Spirit, Paraclete, our advocate, help us to be faithful to our vows. Our Blessed Mother, intercede for us. Thank you and God bless you all. Bro. Matthew sp On behalf of the newly professed brothers: Emmanuel sp, Jacob sp, Joseph sp, Matthew sp and Michael sp First Profession Class 2013 with Father Ray, Father Philip, Father David and Father Peter Young brothers celebrating after their first vow ceremony along with their community members at a local amusement park in Manila, Philippines. Balancing prayer, work, study and enjoyment is encouraged in formation. Healthy lifestyles are promoted in their vocation journey to priesthood.

5 Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos C.Ss.R. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was born on Jan 11th 1819, in Fussen, Bavaria, Germany. This is a picturesque town in the foothills of the Alps. He was the sixth of Mang & Frances Seelos nine children. Soon after Francis birth, his father Mang s cloth weaving business began to falter. God s providence came to the rescue because Mang found a new position as church sacristan and they all moved into a spacious house with a lovely garden beside the church. The young boy Francis was moved by emotion when he heard of the holiness and missionary activities of his famous Patron St. Francis Xavier. St. Francis Xavier SJ ministered in Japan and India and, was about to go to China when he died on an island near the mainland of China. The parish priest at the church where Francis Seelos father was sacristan took an interest in this young intelligent altar server and encouraged him in his education. He made arrangements for Francis to continue his studies at a high school in Augsburg and then at the University of Munich, Germany. Francis was hoping to join the Jesuit Order but in 1842 he had a change of heart after he heard an appeal to join the Redemptorists by one of their priests. This appeal was for young men to become missionaries and at this time he had a vivid dream in which he saw himself as a priest in America. He applied to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, was accepted and in 1843 he was on his way to New York with his three Redemptorist companions. They landed in New York on April 20, 1843 where the Redemptorists had been for 10 years. He studied for the priesthood in Germany and then asked to be admitted to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). He had a wish to go to the United States of America and obviously he obtained his wish because he was ordained a priest in Baltimore with the Redemptorists on Dec 22, Faithful to the lifestyle of the Redemptorists he grew in holiness and his ministry became very successful. The faithful always know their priests and they know when he is close to God or not. There is no fooling the faithful of God s flock! After ordination he was assigned to St. Philomena s parish in Baltimore. This was a very poor parish but he was with a pastor who became a Saint St. John Neumann - he thrived under his care. Because of his innate kindness and giftedness in responding to the needs of the faithful, he soon became well known in his ministries. Many people began to seek him for confession because of his deep holiness and compassion. He became known also as an excellent Spiritual Director. So soon after his Ordination, Fr. Seelos began to make a name for himself as a Gift from the Lord. Between 1847 and 1867, Fr. Seelos was a very busy priest. He moved from one community to another, serving as pastor, professor, master of novices, student director, mission preacher, and parish priest. He wrote home to his sister, I cannot Source: reflectbay.blogspot.com thank God enough for my vocation, although from morning till night I am overwhelmed with cares and worries. Nevertheless he made time for the poor and the sick. With all of this work it was also a time of hostility for Catholics in America. Fr. Seelos final assignments included three years as a mission team preacher and one year as a parish priest at St. Mary s Church in New Orleans. By this time he was widely regarded as a holy man and miracles were attributed to him while he was still alive. Everyone who came in contact with him felt joy and holiness in his presence. His last act was to visit a man dying of the yellow fever. Even though he was feeling exhausted himself, he stayed with this man until he died. Fr. Seelos walked home to the Community House and collapsed onto his bed. His confreres thought he had a mild case of fever but then one of his lungs collapsed. When he became delirious they knew that he was near death himself. He died on Oct 4th 1867 the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He was only 48 years old. The Church recognized his exceptional holiness and he was beatified by our Pope John Paul II in St. Peter s Square on April 9th Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos is a wonderful source of grace and healing for all of us in this valley of tears. He is an intercessor in heaven for all who suffer and for healing for our sick brothers and sisters here on earth. Let us ask him to intercede for us! Divine Physician, you infused Father Seelos with the Gift of your Healing, by the help of his prayers, sustain in me the grace to know your will and the strength to overcome my afflictions. Amen Br. Bernard Scollin sp

6 Fr. Joseph McNamara, sp Joseph McNamara was born in Manchester, New Hampshire on July 8th 1925 to Elizabeth and George McNamara. His parents were Irish/American. His father was in the Spanish- American war. Joseph was the youngest of 8 children. His mother s father Patrick O Toole came from Ireland but Joseph s father s relatives go back a little further. His father was a good and moral man; his mother was a very gentle and caring and loving person who loved her children deeply. Bess was also a very creative woman and she helped the family to create the first tire store in New Hampshire. Fr. Joe s father was a foreman at a local mill until he left the mill to work in the tire store. They lost the tire store during the 1929 depression. During this time his mother turned her family home (not the home that the children lived in) into a rooming or lodging house to help the family. The children were called into helping the family during this time. Father Joe developed a very deep regard for his mother. Fr. Joe said that during his early years he was a shy child because when he was 4 or 5 years old his mother became ill with severe arthritis and his father was occupied with his own work. As the youngest child in the family, Joe suffered from a sense of isolation which made him sensitive and shy. But he had two older brothers whom he admired very much and they became role models for him. His two elder brothers were always there for him they never let him down. Joseph went through Catholic Grade Schools to High School and spent three years in the Navy during World War II. After coming out of the Navy he entered St. Anselm s Benedictine College in Manchester, New Hampshire. It was during his college years that his father died in He graduated from St. Anselm s in A providential thing happened to Joe, he met Fr. Donat Martel who became Joe s Spiritual Director. This priest had been in a French Community called Fraternitate Sacerdotal. This group had the distinction of helping priests who were experiencing crisis in their lives. It was through Fr. Martel that Joe found out about Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald and the Servants of the Paraclete. It was at this time, too, that Joe was thinking of becoming a priest and he made a retreat with the Carthusians in Vermont. It was in Joseph McNamara s last year at St. Anselm s College that he had a strong idea of joining the Servants of the Paraclete, so he wrote to Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald who was at Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Fr. Gerald replied to Joe s letter and asked him to come for a visit to Jemez Springs in June Joe drove across the country to Dallas where one of his sisters lived. He left the car with her and took the bus to Albuquerque and onto Jemez Springs. He arrived in Jemez Springs at 5 o clock that evening and knocked at the front door of Via Coeli. An elderly priest opened the door. Joe described him as follows: He had white hair and a kind of softness in his face and demeanor. He was wearing a grey habit with a black leather belt. He greeted me very serenely and I think that s when I had the first impression of the softness and depth of his eyes. The black circles around his eyes had both an impression of softness and gentleness but also another impression of depth and of intensity of what appeared to be almost a translucent quality in his skin of his face. He greeted me and invited me in and he was very gracious to me. He asked someone else to show me to my room where I was going to stay and I remained there for the summer of At the end of the summer of 1951, Fr. Gerald accepted Joseph McNamara who went to St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colorado. Joe was really a pioneer because the Servants of the Paraclete were only a pious association under the Archbishop of Santa Fe. We received diocesan recognition on June 1st 1956 and on January 17th 1971 we were recognized by the Holy See as a Congregation of Pontifical Rite. So Fr. Joseph McNamara was truly a pioneer. Fr. Gerald was very influential in helping priests in crisis. He worked with Pope Pius XII and with Archbishop Byrne of Santa Fe whom he called our Co-Founder, and with other Bishops of the Church at that time.

7 Fr. Joe told me in an Interview that I had with him in April 2000 that he was very happy in those early years. He said that he was busy because of his studies for the priesthood and when on vacation from seminary studies would work at Via Coeli, cooking and cleaning along with learning the Paraclete spiritual exercises, prayers and holy hours. Joe made his Novitiate at Via Coeli. He made First Vows on May 21st He had to have made his Final Vows to be ordained so he made his Final Vows into the hands of the Rector of the Seminary, Fr. Kenneally. This was all arranged by Fr. Gerald. After the liturgy where Fr. Joe s Final Vows were made, he then waited on tables in the dining room to demonstrate that he wanted to be of service to others. Joseph finished his studies for priesthood and was ordained on May 19th 1956 at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe. He said My main desire for Priesthood was that I could offer Mass. He offered his first Mass in the Cathedral of his home town, Manchester, NH, with his mother and family present. This must have been a wonderful experience for Fr. Joe s mother whom he loved very much. Remember his father died when he was in College in 1947 and his mother died 12 years after his Ordination. His mother s passing was a great loss to him and to his brothers and sisters. Fr. Joseph did parish work in Minnesota and in 1957 he went to one of our houses, Our Lady of the Snows in Nevis, Vermont to work with Fr. Urban Gerhardt where ten guests priests were living. When Fr. Urban Gerhard became Novice Master in 1958 he asked for Fr. Joe as his assistant in the Novitiate at Randolph, Vermont. He helped out in the Novitiate for a year. In 1959, a Group of Dominican Tertiary s who helped Sisters & Priests in Cotswold Hills, Gloucestershire in the west of England, wrote to Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald offering him a house with some land to start his work in England. Fr. Gerald and Fr. Bill Tobin went to meet Mother Margaret and Mother Catherine, the sisters in charge of this group. They were very impressed and decided to take the property and start the work for priests with the permission of the Bishop of Clifton. Fr. Bill Tobin and Fr. Joe Englert were the first two priests to work at the house in England, which was named Our Lady of Victory. Fr. Bill Tobin was given an inheritance by his father and with this money he helped Our Lady of Victory and bought a house and some land in Scotland, which became Queen of Peace a beautiful house near the Scottish English border. Fr. Joe McNamara went over to England in This became a very important house because vocations from Ireland, England and Scotland came to us from its influence. This was the house where Fr. Liam Hoare sp and Br. Bernard Scollon sp and Fr. Philip Taylor sp became interested in the Servants of the Paraclete. Later a house was bought in Scotland and it was from here that Fr. Benedict Livingstone sp and Br. Kenneth Kennedy sp joined the Servants of the Paraclete Congregation. Fr. Joe became the Father Servant at Our Lady of Victory in England but was asked by Fr. Gerald to come back to America in Fr. Joe was appointed superior at the house in Santa Fe in He was then appointed to our house in Canton, Ohio in 1967 and he was here until Fr. Gerald s death on June 28th Naturally after the death of our Founder we had a Chapter of Elections and to Fr. Joe McNamara s amazement he was appointed Servant General of the Servants of the Paraclete. Fr. Joe never had it easy but he had great determination. His 12 years as Servant General were difficult but fruitful. We were in that time of transition after Vatican II and there had been quite a few changes in the Church. But the Servants of the Paraclete were gifted in having someone in Fr. McNamara. During his tenure in office he encouraged each member of the Congregation to do some training. At that time Clinical Pastoral Education was much in vogue. Fr. Joe also heard of the alcohol counseling training programs at Hazelden, Minnesota where some of our members trained to be alcohol counselors. He encouraged others to study the Progoff Intensive Journal and he allowed some of our priests to study Psychology even through to PhD. Many therapy and treatment programs for our Guest priests were started and provided during Fr. Joe s tenure as Servant General. Fr. Joe McNamara sp was elected for a second term (another 6 years) in 1975 and this gave him a sense of affirmation that he was doing the right sort of things for the Congregation. In 1981 Fr. Joe was able to have a sabbatical because new leadership had been elected. He went to Berkley, California to The School of Applied Theology and did a course. He then went on to the Menninger Foundation in the School of Religion and Psychiatry for a year. After this Fr. Joe came back to Jemez Springs and worked in our Program there as Spiritual Director. In 1984 he went to our house in Cherry Valley, California. In 1987 Fr. Liam Hoare sp was elected Servant General of the Congregation and Fr. Liam asked Fr. Joe to be Fr. Servant at our house in Albuquerque and then to St. Louis in In 1999, Father Joe retired to Manchester, New Hampshire to live with his brother. Declining health continued and eventually he lived with his nephew and wife before coming to live with the Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Louis in Father Joseph McNamara died on April 16, Masses were celebrated at the Little Sisters of the Poor, Vianney Renewal Center Chapel and Jemez Springs, New Mexico and in his hometown of Manchester, NH. Father Joe is buried in Jemez Springs. May he rest in peace.

8 Servants of the Paraclete PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED May Newsletter NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PRESORT MAIL, INC. Mass Stipends We appreciate the many mass stipends that we receive. We thank you for supporting that part of our ministry. The Servants of the Paraclete receive mass stipends from our donors and they look forward to celebrating liturgy with those who offer masses for loved ones, friends and family members. Name of the person to be remembered in a mass celebrated by a Servant of the Paraclete q living q deceased Please send an acknowledgement card regarding the mass stipend to the following: Name: Address: City, State, Zip: If you are requesting a specific date, please allow us enough time to send the stipends to our priests. Thank you Return to: Servants of the Paraclete PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO # DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Marian Wolaver x303 mwolaver@theservants.org PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO 63016