If we listen closely to the readings throughout the month of. The Love for God and One Another

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1 IN THIS ISSUE 3 Thank You, Sr. Nancy! 5 A Brotherhood of Service Knights of Columbus at Queen of Peace 6 8 Seasons of Marriage Married and Engaged Couples Ministry Upcoming Events MAY 2015 A Letter From Our Pastor The Love for God and One Another Dear Parishioners, If we listen closely to the readings throughout the month of May, we will recognize a common theme Love. Of course, every month and every day and every minute, for that matter is a time to show our love for one another. St. John begins many of the passages of his letters with the word Beloved. We will hear in one of the readings, Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God. If we simply follow that one commandment to Love one another, we will carry out the stewardship of all of our gifts. Living as a steward is indeed living a life of love for God, for the Church, for everyone in need, for our families, and for everyone with whom we come in contact. Our Holy Father Pope Francis has spoken about this often during his papacy. At his very first Mass as pope, he said in his homily, Everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God s gifts. There are two important parts to this statement: first, we need to recognize that all is a gift from God, everything we have and everything we are; second, we have a responsibility to use those gifts wisely in service to others. Pope Francis has also emphasized stewardship of service throughout his papacy. He said, Let us protect with love, all that God has given us. Not only does he point out how continued on page 2

2 QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY The Love for God and One Another continued from front cover we are gifted, but he recognizes that our motivation for using and sharing those gifts should be love. Recently, he was even more specific: Have you thought of how you can put your talents at the service of others? he asked. Do not bury your talents! Set your stakes on great ideals, the ideals that enlarge the heart, the ideals of service that make your talents fruitful. We all have been called to love called by our Lord and Savior, by our saints, by our Pope, and by our spiritual leaders. Nevertheless, we also understand that loving in this way and being good stewards is never easy. Let us vow to work together to love and to carry out our lives in ways so many have challenged us to do. Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Jeff McGowan, Pastor Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven. Pope Francis 2

3 Come Follow me Thank You, Sr. Nancy! Please join us in celebration of our principal and friend with a special evening Farewell Celebration from 5-7 p.m. in the Academy Courtyard. Light Hors d oeuvres will be served. (Children can enjoy fun, food and their friends in the gym) Our Queen of Peace Community extends our gratitude for your 16 years as Principal & Leader of the Academy! 3

4 QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY A Brotherhood of Service Knights of Columbus at Queen of Peace The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). These words have a special application at Queen of Peace, home to Council of the Knights of Columbus, a charitable fraternal organization founded in 1882 in New Haven, Conn. Close to 20,000 councils have now formed throughout the world. Grand Knight Kevin Shortelle has a connection to that storied history. His father s council was one of the first in the nation. When a new council forms, it s assigned a number in progression, he says. My father s council was just north of New Haven. His council was #5. The rich tradition of faith and service has inspired many men to join the fraternity. Kevin Marshall is a Fourth Degree Knight and former Grand Knight. For him, the decision to become involved in the Knights was easy. I d been offered jobs elsewhere, but decided to stay in this community, Kevin Marshall says. I noticed that the Knights were very involved and I was ready to get involved myself. It s enhanced my spiritual life because we re involved with so many of the ceremonies in the Church. It s been a very enriching experience. The Knights are familiar faces during important days on the Church calendar. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, they put together food baskets for needy families in the parish through the Food for Families program. They also serve our community during Lent with the Friday Fish Fries in Walsh Hall. As spring unfolds and summer approaches, so, too, do two of the Knights biggest events of the year the Mother s Day and Father s Day Breakfasts. The Knights set up the tables, cook the food, and do all the clean-up. The complementary breakfast takes place after the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses. We serve over 400 at each, Kevin Marshall says. It s a great way to kick off Mother s Day and Father s Day by having breakfast together. 4 Knights of Columbus serving Habitat for Humanity s Faith Future Build The Knights are no strangers to manual labor! We re the labor force, Kevin Marshall says. That s how a lot of things happen, Kevin Shortelle says. The Church wants to make something happen and they say, Hey, let s get in contact with the Knights. If they need manual labor, we re the go-to guys. The staff and community know that if we decide to get involved, they ve got nothing to worry about. Whether it s decorating the church for Christmas, readying the sanctuary for full-immersion baptisms at the Easter Vigil, bartending special events, or

5 Come Follow me spending an entire day completely refurbishing the Queen of Peace Academy playground, the Knights are dedicated to serving the parish s needs. The Knights dedication to service takes them beyond parish borders. Kevin Marshall, on the board with Catholic Charities, enlisted his brother Knights to run parking detail for the Spirit of Giving Gala. The Knights annual Tootsie Roll Drive raises funds for the local Tacachale Center. This spring, Council participated in Habitat for Humanity s Faith Future Build. The Knights worked on the same house five times, seeing it progress from beginning to end. We do a lot of services both for the church and for the community, Kevin Shortelle says. I feel the responsibility to make sure there are opportunities for fulfillment. When their head hits the pillow at night, I want them to say, Wow, I did something good today. Currently, 140 men are involved in the Knights of Columbus members span all age groups, and the group welcomes new members. Those interested in joining the ranks are encouraged to speak with any Knight at the upcoming breakfasts or them at kofc@qopparish.org. Knights of Columbus at the Academy Playground Renovation Knights of Columbus helping prepare the church for Christmas I noticed that the Knights were very involved and I was ready get involved myself. It s enhanced my spiritual life because we re involved with so many of the ceremonies in the Church. It s been a very enriching experience. Kevin Marshall, Fourth Degree Knight and former Grand Knight 5

6 QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 6 Seasons of Marriage Married and Engaged Couples Ministry All relationships go through seasons, whether we are relating to God, a friend or your spouse. The Married and Engaged Couples Ministry evolved to fill a need in the parish for a ministry specifically to bring couples together to enhance their relationship, and to put GOD at the center of their union We know by statistics that marriages are being attacked all over the world, says Terry Chan-A-Shing. A group of couples in our community saw the need and launched a date night for couples. The only requirement was to show up with your spouse but with the purpose of strengthening marriages while having fun! Great relationships are going to come out of this ministry! says Kelly Herring. We know several couples in the group and are looking forward to getting to know more. We can all relate to the different seasons of marriage that you go through together. The ministry usually meets every other month on the second Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. The gatherings include a brief potluck and social followed by a presentation either by video or in person. Then the couples break into small groups to discuss before reconnecting as a large group. Terry and Herbert recently gave a presentation on marriage as a covenant. Part of their presentation challenged couples to think about setting aside 10 minutes of alone time as a couple even once a week. We talked about marriage as a sacrament, which is a covenant with God. Thinking about it like that changes the effort we put into it, Terry says. We take stock of our finances and our homes. We fix everything, but a lot of times we don t fix our marriages. From engaged couples to couples married 50+ years, all ages have something different to bring to the table for conversation. It s nice to have couples of a similar age, but it is refreshing to hear the perspectives of the young couples, too, says Matt Herring. There are people who have Kelly and Matt Herring Gaye and Jerry Kirkpatrick belonged to the parish for years and many who are new. We are a very diverse group. Homework is an integral part of the ministry! One presentation covered hitting the reset button and being allowed to start over. The couples went home with heart shaped reset button magnets for their refrigerators. They always go home with something either for the car ride home or once they arrive home, Herbert says.

7 Come Follow me Joyce and Andy Mike Terry and Herbert Chan-A-Shing Sometimes we give questions to discuss for instance How do you feel about praying with your spouse? or When you got married, you had an idea about what you wanted your marriage to be. Are you happy with how it is now? This is a great ministry, says Kelly. We suggest that couples try the group more than once because the dynamics change, the topic changes and each meeting is different! The response to the ministry has been overwhelmingly positive. And for Terry and Herbert, working in this ministry together has strengthened their relationship, even after 40 years of marriage. They ve enjoyed gathering together with other couples investing in their relationships through the many seasons of marriage. It s a relaxed group so just come you don t have to share if you don t want to, Terry says. It is wonderful to be in love, but love is a daily decision that you work on! For more information about the Married and Engaged Couples Ministry, please contact Terry and Herbert Chan-A-Shing at marriedandengaged@qopparish.org or Jen Tener at Mary and Mike Berkowitz Tessa and Kerry Colston Join us for our next event on Wednesday, May 13 from 6-8 p.m. at the Academy itech Center Childcare available with RSVP marriedandengaged@qopparish.org 7

8 10900 SW 24th Avenue :: Gainesville, FL :: NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID GAINESVILLE, FL PERMIT NO. 606 MASS SCHEDULE Saturday :: 6 p.m. Sunday :: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. Spanish, 5:30 p.m. QOP Facebook qopparish.org Upcoming Events at Queen of Peace Sunday, May 10 K of C Mother s Day Breakfast after 8 and 10 a.m. Masses Sunday, May a.m. Mass celebrating First Communicants Thursday, May p.m. Sr. Nancy s Farewell Celebration Light Hors d oeuvres at the Academy Courtyard (children can enjoy fun, food and their friends in the gym) Sunday, May 24 5:30 p.m. Mass for Confirmation Saturday, May 30 6 p.m. Mass Dedicated to Celebrate Fr. Kaz Silver Jubilee Reception immediately following in the Hospitality Area