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Twenty-Eighth Sunday of the Year
10 October 2010
Dear Friends in Christ,
1. A new book by George Weigel has just been published, and it is called “The End and the Beginning.” This new work concludes the project Weigel began in 1999 with his masterful biography of Pope John Paul II called “Witness to Hope,” and the subtitle of this second volume discloses its scope: “John Paul II: The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy.” I recommend both of these texts with highest praise, and anyone who wants to understand the present shape of Catholic Christianity can find no better place to start than by reading George Weigel’s new book. And for those of you who are already casting about for Christmas gifts, “The End and the Beginning” would be perfect for someone interested in understanding the conflicts of the 20th century and the place of Catholicism in the world today.
2. As you know, in mid-September Pope Benedict XVI spent four days in Great Britain, and the culmination of his visit was the beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman. But throughout the fours days, the pope gave numerous addresses of various sorts, and each one of these talks is a little masterpiece of Christian thought. All of these talks have been collected on a single website, along with photos and videos of nearly every event during the four day visit, and I encourage you to visit this site and read deeply the words of one of the great Christian minds of our time, who happens also to be the Successor of St. Peter: www.thepapalvisit.org.uk.
3. Birthright International was founded in Toronto in 1968 (coincidentally the year in which Pope Paul VI promulgated his encyclical letter on human life, Humanae Vitae), and today there are over 400 Birthright Pregnancy Centers around the world. Birthright is not involved in any way in the political, legal and cultural battles over abortion; rather, it exists simply to serve pregnant woman in the most direct and concrete ways possible. Here in the Upstate we are blessed to have Birthright of Greenville, and to assist our local Birthright center in providing direct care to young mothers in crisis, we ask you to bring back the baby bottles we are distributing today filled with donations, all of which will be used locally for this single purpose. For the next two weekends, collection baskets for the return of these baby bottles will be provided in each vestibule of the church. Thank you for your help in making possible the simple and loving service of Birthright.
4. Finally, please join us each Wednesday afternoon from 5 to 6 pm for an hour of prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration. For thirty minutes we keep silent vigil, and at 5.30 pm all join in praying the Holy Rosary. Then at 6 pm the blessing, or benediction, of the Lord Jesus is given in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Confessions are also heard from 4.30 to 6 pm each Wednesday.
Father Newman