MINI NOTES PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING OF MAY 2, 2000
Attending: Father Chris Hoffmann, Peggy Blickenstaff, Marcie Duval,
Anne Florence, Lenny LaPointe, Tony Soldano,
Jose Vazquez, and MaryAnn Woodward. Absent: Sandy Cahoon, Patti
DeLaCruz and Frank Cartagena. Excused:
Deacon Joe Robert.
Parish Activities Survey: Tallies from the surveys returned from the
bulletin and parent session of F.R.E.E. were
reviewed by Council. In summary -- a lot of interest expressed
by parishioners is in areas we already are providing. In
general, planning of parish activities will try not to exclude any
particular grouping of persons.
The Over 50’s Club is looking for new ways to get its members involved in the life of the parish.
Parish Pilgrimages It is hoped someone will come forward to do the planning
so that the parish can collectively visit
the churches (pilgrimage sites) that were designated by the Diocese
for the Jubilee Year.
Youth Ministry: Denise Scofield will step down as the facilitator. Three
couples have consented to work with the youth
and the Council will meet with them in August or September. Attempts
will be made to draw more of the Spanish youth
into the parish youth group.
Parking Lot Paving Estimates: Possible coordinators of this project
were suggested. Use of left-over concrete in the
areas although seeming attractive, would take a lot of coordination
and availability of man-power; more than we have.
Parish Festival: No information has been received regarding the planning for this October 19-21 festival.
Parish Rectory: Completion is expected within the next 2 weeks. Sod
will be laid May 6. Assistance from parishioners
will be needed in the moving process. The house the parish has
been renting has been sold.
Pastoral Council representatives: Two seats will open up at the beginning
of the fiscal year. One parishioner has
indicated interest but the other seat is unfilled at this time.
Pastoral Ministry commissioning: Ramon Nevarez will be commissioned by Bishop Dorsey on May 20.
Patronal Feast: Bishop Dorsey’s office has not responded to the invitation
to bless the new rectory and celebrate
Liturgy on August 11. The Liturgy will be bi-lingual. A dessert reception
will follow. Joe Hand will be contacted again to
see if the dating fit his itinerary. A plenary indulgence can be gained
by prayerfully spending the parish’s feast day. The
conditions for this will be reviewed.
Family Banners: Families are invited to submit a square for the tapestry.
Ways of preserving the present banners
were discussed.
Waxing of Assembly floors: Due to the expense of having an agency do
the floors, the congregation will be asked to
help out. Dates for this project have not been decided.
A Hispanic Committee dance was held at Our Lady of the Lakes Hall on
Saturday, April 29. After expenses for hall
rental, D.J. & food, the committee netted $908.33; of which $400
was donated to the parish and the balance will be
used for Hispanic Committee activities.
The Coronation of Mary will take place at the 12 o’clock Mass May 7.Plans are being considered for a parish Father’s Day picnic. To cover the expense of this activity, hot dogs would be sold for 3 weeks beginning May 21 (12 o’clock only); and May 28 & June 4 after the 10 and 12 o’clock Masses.
Parish Council Meeting: The June meeting will be held on June 6; it
will focus on the Parish Festival; Sandy Cahoon
will be prayer leader. Terms of office will end at this meeting
for Sandy Cahoon and Marcie Duval. Discussion of Youth
Ministry will be reserved until August or September.
THE FATHER'S BOWL
by John Shea
A young girl grew up in a very loving family in a small village. When
she woke up in the morning, there were her brothers and sisters, her mother
and father. When she worked in the fields during the day, she worked not
only with them but with her aunts and uncles and cousins. The entire village
was related in one way or another. At night, when they came together, they
all ate in one large hall from common bowls that they passed around to
one another. They talked bout the history of their people and the relationships
that should be and would be among them.
The girl grew up and, in the way of things, she married a man from
another village and went to his house to live. The first night she was
there, she and her husband sat down around a small table and ate rice from
a porcelain bowl. The man's father sat in a corner and ate rice from a
wooden bowl. "My husband," the woman asked, "why do you shame your father?
He sits in
the corner, eating rice from a wooden bowl." The husband said to her,
"When I was young, he wronged me. He is only
receiving what he deserves." The woman knew, as was the custom of those
long-ago days and that far-away place, that she could not ask a second
time the reason for any action of her husband.
But the next night, she went to her husband's father as he lay in the
comer on his mat, and said, "Tomorrow, break the bowl."
Her father-in-law said, "Woman, if I break the bowl, my son will make
me eat rice out of my hands."
She said, "Trust me. Break the bowl." The next day, after she ladled rice from the pot into the porcelain bowl that she and her husband ate from, she went to the comer to put rice into the wooden bowl of her husband's father, but the bowl was broken.
She turned and said, "My husband, your father has broken the wooden bowl he eats from."
The husband spun around and shouted, "You shouldn't have done that, old man."
The wife said, "You are right, my husband, he should not have broken the bowl. For I was saving that bowl for you, when you grow old and your sons make you eat rice out of it."
~In This story has a thousand variations and is found in almost every culture. Some renditions do not focus on a past hurt between father and son, but on the simple fact that the father is old and not productive. The son says, "You only take up room and eat."
What kind of message are our Fathers getting?
Loyola Institute of Ministry Extention (LIMEX) a program
of Loyola University, New Orleans. If you are interested in a masters degree
in Pastoral Studies or Religious Education - groups will be forming in
the Orlando and Brevard areas with
scheduled classes to begin around January 2001. For further information
about this program or the
upcoming classes, contact Jeanne Tauscher, (407) 628-2329
Mark
by Paul Turner
Mark is the Gospel featured at Mass in Year B of the thrce-year cycle of Sunday readings. Notable exceptions occur during Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and across five weeks in summer, when we hear the Bread of Life discourse from John. Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels.
Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Parts of it appear in both Matthew and Luke, who also used other materials that do not appear in Mark. Because Mark included Jesus' saying about the destruction of the Temple, a prediction fulfilled in the year 70, the date of composition is thought to be around then.
This Gospel never identifies its own author. An early tradition gave him the name Mark, a companion of Peter in Rome. Although the work may have been written in Rome by someone who heard the stories of Jesus (already being circulated), the name of its author is uncertain. The Gospel author writes with a sense of urgency. The audience who first received the book was probably a community of gentile Christians, which would account for the author's frequent explanation of Jewish customs and Aramaic words.
Mark's main point is to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God. We hear the proclamation in the opening verse and again near the end, from the centurion at the cross. In the middle of the Gospel stands Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Messiah.
In the second half of the Gospel, Jesus predicts his passion, death, and resurrection three times. The earliest version of Mark ended with the news of the resurrection but without stories of Jesus' appearances. Accounts of those events were later appended to Mark's conclusion. Mark does not relate the story of Jesus' birth. Mark is frequently symbolized as a lion, calling to mind the desert scene which opens his story.
Ellis bulletin insert originally appeared in MINISTRY & LITURGY, a pastoral planning resource used by the worship leaders in your parish as an aid for better liturgy. Copyright C) 2000 Resource Publications, Inc., /60 E Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505. Paul Turner, pastor of St. John Regis Parish in Kansas City, Mo., holds a doctorate in sacramental theology from Sant ' Anselmo University in Rome. Comment on line at www.rpinet.com/wwwboard/forum8/.
Active Parenting Today/ Active Parenting Teen: Combination Leader's
training
workshop for facilitating Active Parenting Today and Active Parenting
Teens programs will,be held on Saturday June 17, at St. Margaret Mary Parish,
Winter Park, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. For information/registration contact
Jeanne Tauscher at
(407)628-2329
ENVIRONMENTAL TIPS
According to the EPA, lighting accounts for 20-25% of the electricity we use in this country. "Greenhouse gases" are created by the generation of this electricity, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as acid rain and even radioactive waste in some areas.
What can we do to lower our electric bills and to prevent pollution at the same time?
1.Install energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. They
last 10 times more than the regular incandescent bulbs and will save you
money; however they won't fit all fixtures and are not recommended for
dimmer switches.
2.Dust off bulbs once in awhile. Dust will reduce light intensity
by up to 10%.
3.Use only as much wattage as you need.
4.Wash clothes with cold water and use biodegradable detergents.
5.Wash full loads and set the water level to suit the size of your
load of clothes.
6.Use a clothes line.
7.Dry heavy and light fabrics separately.
8.Gas dryers are generally more efficient than electric ones.
9.Set your air conditioning at a moderate cooling temperature (78 degrees
F.).
10.Try using fans.
11.Change your air filter monthly.
12.Make sure all doors and windows are closed when your air conditioning
is on.
13.Weather-strip and caulk doors and windows.
14.Shade your air conditioning unit. With new construction, place
the unit on the north side of the house.
15.Insulate around your hot water heater and set it at a moderately
hot temperature for more efficiency (120 degrees F.).
16.Install a low-flow shower head. A normal shower head uses
5-7 gallons of water per minute. A low-flow head uses 3
gallons per minute. Do the same for
your sinks.
17.Check for any leaks. One way to do this is to turn off all
appliances and check the outside meter. Wait for half an hour
and recheck your meter.
If you get different readings, it is likely that you have a leak.
18.Adjust the fill shut-off on your toilet tanks.
19.Check the inside temperature of the refrigerator and freezer regularly
(38-42 degrees F. and 0-5 degrees F., respectively).
20.Clean refrigerator coils at least once a year (wipe, vacuum or brush).
21.Make sure refrigerator and freezer door gaskets are clean and tight.
Check by inserting a piece of paper between the door
and the cabinet. It should take some
effort to pull the paper out.
22.Plan ahead when you want to defrost. Allow food to defrost
slowly in the refrigerator. This thawing will help keep the
refrigerator cool and give the motor a rest.
23.Use pressure cookers more often.
24.Microwave ovens are much more efficient when it comes to small,
fast jobs. Reheat in these rather than in conventional
ovens.
25.Try not to preheat more than necessary. Ten minutes should
be sufficient for baking. Use a timer so you don't forget.
26.Install a low-flow faucet aerator in the sink.
27.Use the dishwasher only when it is full.
Remember, we are major contributors to our environmental problems as well as is industry. Avoid pollution wherever you can by making an effort to reduce waste through pollution prevention. Review the above tips and where necessary, make corrections if possible.
*Excerpts from Metro-Dade County Dept. of Environmental Resources Mgmt., Miami, FL. 33130-1540