Serving the Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal WINTER/CHRISTMAS 2011

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1 Serving the Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal THECHARISMATIC NEWS WINTER/CHRISTMAS 2011 We pray that through wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of His will. (As a person who likes to shake things up a bit occasionally rather than just sticking to our standard practice of excerpting articles from other publications, on this, the season in which we celebrate our Savior s birth, I thought I would do something different and provide some of my personal input/thoughts. Hank Marchese, Editor) Read the Bible, Spend Time In Prayer, Come to Know God to Know Him is to Love Him. Lk 1: 26-38, Mt 1: 18-25, Lk 2: 1-20 We are all aware of the Gospel readings listed above. How in Lk 1, the angel Gabriel made his announcement to Mary, and her response of May it be done to me according to your word. ; in Mt 1, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and quoted the prophet Isaiah, and Joseph took Mary into his home; in Lk 2, Joseph and Mary to comply with the census travel to Bethlehem, Jesus is born in a stable, a multitude (hundreds? Thousands? MILLIONS?) of angels announce the birth of our Lord to the Virgin Mary. And of course, we know that Mary was born sinless. But what else do we think about or acknowledge in all of this? One of my favorite songs, and unfortunately it only gets played on the radio during the Christmas season, is a song titled Mary Did You Know? Many of you are familiar with the song but for those of you who may not have heard the song the singer is pondering what Mary might have known about the child to which she gave birth. The singer asks if she knew that her child would someday walk on water, or if she knew that her baby boy would save our sons and daughters. But the part of the song that touches my heart the most is when she is asked Mary did you know, that your baby boy had walked where angels trod? And when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God? How incredibly awesome is that? This young girl was so blessed that she was given the privilege of kissing the face of God. Of being able to hold God in her arms and kiss, nurse and nurture Him in his human incarnation. Could you imagine providing physical warmth, the warmth of a parent's love of being so blessed as to be able to cradle God in your arms. For Joseph to be so blessed to be able to hold the hand of God and be trusted to lead Him into manhood. Mary and Joseph held in their arms and cradled and kissed the tiny face of the One through whom all things were created.

2 How is that possible for two human beings to have been chosen for that blessing? Yes, Mary was born sinless but do we spend any time thinking about or acknowledging that fact that she remained sinless throughout her life in this corruptible world? She was faithful to God throughout her life and remained sinless. She was totally obedient when Gabriel told her of God s plan for her. Joseph was completely faithful and obedient when he was told by the angel of the Lord how he should act/react. We talk about the importance of faith and obedience and they ARE important. But only important because of what they imply and indicate. Yes, Mary had faith and she was totally obedient. Joseph had faith and was obedient. But it isn t just the faith and obedience that made them the right choice for the wonderful blessing that they were given. It s what is deep down that manifested itself as faith and obedience that s what is important. Our God is NOT a God of only rules and regulations. That s how the Jews saw the God of Abraham, the God of Moses. They saw the only way to God was through the Law. Jesus came and taught us the real desires of God. Our God is a God of relationships. He wants a relationship with each one of us! And that s what Mary and Joseph both had. They had a deep relationship with God that allowed them to love and trust Him, and it manifested itself as faith and unhesitating obedience to God s will. They obeyed not because they HAD to obey but because they had an overwhelming DESIRE to obey. It s like going to church. God doesn t want us to go to church because it s the law and we can get our ticket punched for attendance. God wants us to want to go to church to come and be in His presence so we can share in the relationship of love that He makes available to us. Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths. God wants us to obey what he has given to us in the Bible because He knows that we can only prosper through what is written. But He wants us to desire to follow. To follow because we 2 know He loves us and we trust and love Him. To follow because we have a love relationship with Him. If we love the Lord, then we will trust Him and foster a relationship that leads to faith and obedience. It was Mary s love for ABBA.. our, and her, daddy that gave her the privilege and blessing and made her the perfect home for Jesus to be formed into the child who would change the world. =================== The multitude of angels filled the sky and a baby was born... to pay a debt he didn t owe because we owed a debt we couldn t pay. Why did this happen? John 3:16 - For God so loved the world Shouldn t we love Him back? Read the Bible, Spend Time In Prayer, Come to Know God to Know Him is to Love Him. =================== On behalf of the Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Commission and all its members, and on behalf of the newsletter staff.. I pray that you have been having a Joyful Christmas Season and that you have a Blessed New Year. Hank Marchese, Editor

3 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Merry Christmas! I pray that during this joyful season you and your family be blessed as we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus. As we move toward the upcoming new year, we continue to plan and prepare several charismatic gatherings and programs as well as next year s conference to be held September 28, 29 & 30. We ask that you kindly consider making a donation to the CCRC, as your continued support is necessary to the success of our mission as we continue to do the Lord s work. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to serving you again during the year Sincerely, Your Brother in Christ, Vincent Maldonado Vincent Maldonado Operations Administrator and Conference Coordinator Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal Commission DON T MISS The 11th Annual Day of Healing and Reflection January 21, 2012 This activity will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church at 5125 S. Apopka Vineland Rd. in Orlando, FL The theme is" God is in Control", Psalm 97:1-2. Keynote speakers include Deacon Harold Burke Sivers of Portland, Oregon and Father Graham Keep of Ontario, Canada. We will provide a continental breakfast beginning at 9 AM and begin the conference at 9:30. The day of reflection will end with a healing service and a vigil mass which will satisfy your Sunday mass requirement. Please bring your lunch, refreshments will be provided. The service will take place at the daily chapel. See the flyer on the next page. For further information contact Vince Maldonado or at OrlandoCCRC@aol.com. 3

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5 Praise Jesus, What an awesome conference. The 2011 theme," I know the plans I have for you", Jeremiah 29:11 was an amazing success. There were a little over 1000 people registered and our new facilities at the Hilton at Bonnet Creek were amazing. Our thanks to Mr.Takis Chondrogiannis, Ms. Maran Gartland, and Mrs. Tracy Walker, for the wonderful job they did in making our first conference at the hotel a success. Our prayers and thanks go to each of our speakers. Who can forget the amazing healing service with Father Bill Halbing, on Saturday night where we prayed for people all over the world for healing using our cell phones. That was a first. Of course, just Sister Marilyn Minter's high octane energy and maternal love were very well received. Father Celusus, always kept us on our toes with his "hello" and insightful talks. Mrs. Valli Leone kept us on schedule and serenaded us with her lovely voice. Brother Romy Enage, the head music minister managed the music ministry so well. Great job. Our special thanks to John Beaulieu of the University of Steubenville for heading up our young adult conference. We'll see you next year. Next year's conference, on September 28-30, 2012 is going to be great. The theme will be "If you return, I will restore you and you shall stand before me", Jeremiah 15:19. The speakers will include Jim Murphy, Father Trevor Nathasingh, Dr. Ralph Martin, Mrs. Maria Vadia and John Beaulieu. Check our website beginning in January for advanced registration for the conference and the hotel. Continue to pray for the renewal and the Diocese of Orlando Your brother in Christ, Vincent Maldonado Vince Maldonado Operations Administrator Spotlight On Around 1975, a small group of women gathered to discuss and apply principles found in Evelyn Christensen s book What Happens When Women Pray. That group, then, gathered with another small group of women who were meeting regularly for prayer and worship. Little did this small gathering of prayerful people know what the Lord had in store for them. These were the seeds of what grew into the thriving and blessed charismatic prayer group now known as King of Kings. King of Kings now meets weekly, every Thursday, at 7:30 PM at the Sts Peter and Paul Chapel for a Spirit filled gathering with regular attendance between 30 and 45 prayerful individuals and has been blessed with new attendees on a frequent basis. The King of Kings music ministry has grown from one or two guitar players to a team of seven guitars, a gut-bucket Bass, Conga drum and an occasional keyboard. The generosity of the attendees has enabled the prayer group to support several programs including Greg Trainor s Holy Spirit Missionary Assoc., Sr. Linda Koontz s Spirit of the Lord International Mission, Tom Edwards Evangelistic Assoc., Inc., Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center, National Service Committee Chariscenter USA, JMJ Life Center, and Focus on the Family. Note: Core Team members if you would like your prayer group mentioned in Spotlight On please submit a brief write-up via the OCnewsletter or at the next commission meeting. 5

6 CALENDAR Holy Family Prayer Group of St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church Retreat with Fr. Walter Dorsey When: January 13th to 15th, 2012 Where: Life Enrichment Center, 4991 Picciola Rd, Fruitland Park, FL Isleen Hall Holy Spirit Prayer Group of Holy Family Catholic Church 11th Annual Day of Healing and Reflection When: January 21, 2012 Where: Holy Family Catholic Church, 5125 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando, FL Vince Maldonado The Garden of Blessings Prayer Group Day of Reflection - Supernatural Joy: A New Heart and Song; Valli Leone, Speaker When: Saturday, February 4, 2012; 9:00A - 3:00P Where: John Bosco Hall, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, th Street, Clermont, FL Anita Greco or Joice Moore King of Kings Charismatic Prayer Group ALL ARE WELCOME When: Meets every 7:30PM - 9:00PM Where: Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 5300 Old Howell Branch Road, Winter Park, FL Claude Cassagnol kingofkings@yahoo.com An Evening of Healing Prayer When: The first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Where: St. Bernadette Hall at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Daytona Beach. All ministers in healing have been trained in the MacNutt s Christian Healing Ministry School of Healing Prayer. Gary Bowden: Orlando Magnificat Chapter Information When: Every Monday 10:30 to 11:30 AM Where: Queen of Peace Adoration Chapel We come together to pray for our Magnificat chapter. After our prayer time we come together to share and to get to know each other. Most importantly, we discern what the Holy Spirit s plans are for the Orlando Magnificat. Nothing happens without prayer. Please come and help us pray for the ministry of the Magnificat. For more info or to RSVP contact: June Council AND OF COURSE don t forget about the 2012 Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Conference!!! When: September 28th, 29th & 30th 2012 Where: Hilton at Bonnet Creek, Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando, FL Details on the conference will be included in the next newsletter, and will soon to be published on the DOCCR WEBSITE: 6

7 UPDATE We STILL Need Your Assistance As we ve mentioned previously, we spend over $3, printing and sending out 2,300 quarterly Newsletters via the US Postal Service. As a result of our previous appeal, 240 of you have been gracious enough to provide us with your addresses. This has resulted in a notable savings and we greatly thank you for your help. For those of you who may have addresses but have yet to submit them, would you please reconsider and assist us in being good stewards of our limited resources? If you would provide to us an address, you would join the others who have already assisted us in decreasing our costs. This would enable us in making our conferences and supporting events even more enjoyable than they already are. If you would like to assist us please your home address (so we can check it off of our mailing list) to the following: ocnewsletter@earthlink.net 7

8 DIOCESE OF ORLANDO CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL CENTER P.O. BOX 1800 ORLANDO, FL Return Service Requested Non Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Orlando, Florida Permit No. 235 TO CONTACT US ADMINISTRATOR OF OPERATIONS Vince Maldonado Phone ADMINISTRATOR OF NEWSLETTER AND DATABASE Hank Marchese ADMINISTRATOR FOR PRAYER GROUP DEVELOPMENT Al Hartley Phone COMMISSION CHAIR Terri DeMarco SECRETARY: Gina Taylor Address Catholic Charismatic Renewal Diocese of Orlando P.O. Box 215 Windermere, FL WEBSITE 8