FLOWERS FOR MARY

May traditionally is Mary‘s month and is also the month to begin planting our gardens. Last Monday members of the Sara Guild (and one husband!) worked industriously to put in the flowers at the upper church entrance flower boxes and around the Mary Outdoor Shrine. This adds so much to our grounds.
Thank you Sara Guild.

CLOTHED IN CHRIST

Former parishioner, Maxine Leaman passed away on April 22nd. Maxine had moved to Richfield two years ago and her funeral was at St. Peter‘s Church. While at St. Ed’s and continuing up to her death, she made 280 Baptismal bibs that we use for our infant baptisms. What a wonderful gift of her time and talents to our parish and especially to our newest members. In the funeral liturgy reference is made to the baptismal garment when the white funeral pall is placed over the casket. The words said are, "As at baptism the white robe signified being clothed in Christ, may you now be clothed in glory."

Fr Mike

We welcome to the eucharistic table our young people who are making their first communion this weekend. Congratulations to them and their families.

NEW PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS

New adult and youth Parish Pastoral Council members were selected last weekend and I am grateful for their willingness to serve our community. The new youth members are Brian Buell and Pat Kent (who is serving a second term) and the adult members are Kathleen Kranz, Susan Bongaarts and Ed Burg. Congratulations to them and thanks to all the candidates who were willing to be considered.

I also want to thank those going off the Council, youth rep Kara Berzelius and Kate Pettit and Marge Clare.

ISSUES OF DIVERSITY IN CHURCH

Back in 1959, many members of the Vatican itself were against Pope John XXIII when he called for having a general council of the church to hear the hopes and concerns of people today. Change and new perspectives are always difficult. Pope John in his opening message at the Second Vatican Council addressed these fears, "In the daily exercise of our pastoral office, we sometimes have to listen, much to our regret, to voices of persons who, though burning with zeal, are not endowed with too much sense of discretion or measure. In these modern times they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin...We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom, who are always forecasting disaster...."

Issues of diversity and sexuality continue to challenge all the religious denominations. People of good will are divided. The recent rainbow sash controversy is a good illustration of some of this painful reality in our own Roman Catholic community. I am very impressed that the ELCA branch of the Lutheran Church is undergoing a multi year study and discussion based in all their parishes on these issues of sexuality including homosexuality, same-gender unions and the ordination of persons in committed gay or lesbian relationships. In August this summer they will have their national assembly to reflect on what has been learned. You have to have faith to do this. Hopefully all Christians can learn from what they discover. We are in a big church.

Fr Mike

Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early church on the first Pentecost Sunday. This weekend is also a time of blessing for our parish.

CONFIRMATION
At the 11:00am Mass we welcome our young adults who are being confirmed on Monday at the Basilica. Congratulations to them and their families.

NEW PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS
We also are selecting new adult and youth Parish Council members and are grateful for their willingness to serve our community.

MARIE BOUQUET
Words cannot say enough about the contributions to our parish over the last 31 years by Marie. She has been extremely generous with her many talents and wonderful spirit. I personally am very indebted to her for all her support and helpfulness. Although she is stepping down from her staff position she and her husband Jack will continue on as parishioners for which I am grateful. This weekend please join me in saying, "Thank you, Marie!"

SOLAR OVEN UPDATE
Sue Kellett from our sister parish committee received the following email from Maureen, a Peace Corps worker in Jinotega, Nicaragua. For all those who donated the ovens it seems they are very much appreciated.

I wanted to send you a quick note to fill you in on what is happening in Sabana Grande. On Monday of this week, we distributed more than 60 ovens to community members of Sabana Grande, and two other neighboring communities. Everyone left happy and proud to have received such a special gift. The following day, we awoke to a gran solazo, and all this week it has been sunny. The people received the ovens just in time to take advantage of the last hot days of summer. I´ve been enjoying the successes too, having tasted tortas from more than one oven. I´ve heard stories of cooked rice (and not so cooked arroz con leche), beans, baked chicken, chicken soups, vegetable stews with milk, etc. The people are realizing the benefits of the ovens, and the power of the sun. Óne of my favorite results is that the people are already innovating on recipes. They are cooking things that I would have never thought possible. For example, my neighbor cooked mangos verdes to later put in a fresco. The mangos cook better in the solar oven than over a fire. The cascara is softer and it holds in more of the flavor. I´m getting ready to call up Gourmet Magazine, and get them to do an article on these solar ovens!

This weekend we celebrate Mother‘s Day and express our appreciation to our moms and grandmothers and to all those who have been like mothers to us. I was recently reminded in a powerful way of the influence of our mothers. As I mentioned in a homily, I was called to anoint a 93 year old lady who was close to death at a nursing home in East Bloomington. Her daughter was present and although her mother was not responsive we prayed with her. After the anointing, the lady roused somewhat and was saying something. We both listened carefully and were able to hear her speak, "mother." These could have been her last words. "Mama" or “mommy" (and dada) are often the first words spoken and I have often witnessed hearing "mother" as the last words of a dying person. I will never forget my 90 year old great uncle crying out "mother" as he was dying. It seemed to give him comfort. Our moms so often do that. Thanks, mom.


JINOTEGA MOMS

Last month a group from St. Ed’s went down to our sister parish community in Jinotega, Nicaragua. Their special task was to do some training for people to use the 300 plus solar ovens that parishioners so generously donated (well over $20,000 in cost). We plan to have the group give a special presentation on the trip in June or July for a Summer Sunday weekend. For now I just want to share from an email Sue Kellett sent from the project.

I last wrote on Wednesday.

That day I trained 5 people in oven assembly and we assembled 50 oven units not including reflectors. The men caught on very quickly and Fatima and I worked on laminating the lids. By the end of the day we felt like we had a good start and that we knew where we were going. We also learned that 300 assembled ovens are going to take up a lot of space! Andrew from the Solar Oven Society will be arriving in Jinotega on Monday to continue the assembly. His expertise will be good to have since I don‘t have as much training and experience.

We have hired 10 workers from Jinotega who are really grateful for the opportunity to earn $6 per day and $1.50 for lunch. Some are in house construction and others in other lines of work; there isn‘t work for them now. They are intelligent and hard workers. We are lucky to have them.

On Thursday I went to the communities of Jocomico, Sabana Grande and Sarahuasca to deliver ovens to the ladies we trained. They have been busy gathering women in their communities for training to receive ovens. Jocomico is a difficult place to get to, an hour over dusty, hilly and extremely rough terrain. The lady doing the training there said the people in her class never thought the ovens would work but after the first batch of food was served they were amazed. There are 18 interested in that community.

Sarahuasca is also a challenge to get to but once there the people were very receptive. When one of the ladies was walking home with her oven a group stopped her in the road and wanted her to tell about it. You could tell she was proud to be able to explain the concept and educate them. We have about 20 there also at the training.

Sabana Grande is where Maureen from the Peace Corps lives. This is my biggest hope for determining whether or not this is a good project for the Jinotega area. There are 50 people there who want ovens. And I think this will increase when the people get them and begin using them. Maureen will be there for another year and a half and she will be able to monitor the project and do follow up. They are going to have a dinner when the classes are finished and a ceremony to give out the ovens. These people have good community dynamics, work well together and are interested in bettering their lives. I am very encouraged by their attitude.

The solar ovens will be an alternative to the women (moms and grandmothers) who usually cook over smoky, wood fires in the unvented corners of their little one room homes. Many suffer from serious lung conditions because of the smoke. Hopefully, your generous gifts will make every day a little better for these moms.

Fr Mike 

ANOTHER POPE

As it happened, I was with my dentist last Tuesday as the announcement of the new pope was made. Disappointed, his immediate response was, "The world will go on and the church will go on too." I too was disappointed, it could have been much better.

This papacy is going to have a different tone, more severe and restrictive. John Paul II invited Bob Dylan to sing at the Vatican and tapped his foot with Dylan‘s music which he obviously enjoyed. Bono from the rock group U2 was often in public with John Paul II. In great contrast, Benedict described rock music as a "vehicle of anti-religion."

His own view of the church and world has been increasingly apocalyptic. On this past Good Friday he talked about the church as a sinking ship. Giving the sermon at the mass before the start of the papal conclave he attacked what he called the "dictatorship of relativism." Blessed Pope John XXIII told us to read the signs of the times. Actual dictatorships of absolutism were the scourge of the 20th century including the horrors of the nazis and soviets. And the terrorists with their deadly certainties have gotten the 21st century off to a start on 9/11.

The same day Benedict was selected, we had our All Parish leadership meeting and our different ministries reported their efforts and challenges. We estimate over 65,000 hours of ministry is given by parishioners in the course of the year. Not exactly a sinking ship. Beyond fears and warnings, we need to focus on the Good News of the gospel and empower Catholics as disciples.

For those who may feel that the Holy Spirit somehow let us down in the conclave perhaps the words of the former Cardinal Ratzinger may lend perspective, "It is wrong to say that the Holy Spirit elects the pope because there have been popes the Holy Spirit would never elect." Source? Joseph Ratzinger.

The actual definition of the pope‘s title of "pontiff" is to be a bridge builder. Up to now Cardinal Ratzinger headed what used to be the Office of the Inquisition. There he saw his role as being a guardian of boundaries and a builder of walls "to protect the deposit of faith." I hope that I am wrong and that Benedict will open out and build some bridges for a more collegial and decentralized church.

Today, I can only pray that for Pope Benedict XVI as he takes on this extraordinary burden of spiritual, moral and political leadership.

Fr Mike