Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ANOTHER FURRY GUEST: FLUFFY

GUEST COLUMNISTS

Baxter’s friends won’t allow him to enjoy his vacation in peace.  They are hounding or making other sounds and gestures toward him to give them a chance.  Since he is on an hiatus from his literary production, they want to fill the gap.  Baxter, being the affable and easy-going fellow he is, has agreed.  So for the next few weeks, while Baxter basks in the sun and lays about the pool, some of his friends will put their “two cents worth” of wisdom to the pennies worth of Baxter’s thought.  Hopefully, our thoughts about God, ourselves as God’s people, and the practicality of the parish will grow.  Enjoy these other voices from the pew. We need to listen to each other as we try to find our way to God in this crazy world.


ANOTHER FURRY GUEST:  Fluffy

The latest furry friend who wants his chance to share some wisdom is Fluffy, our rabbit.  Fluffy’s relationship to our family is unique.  He is definitely part of the family.  We feed him and care for him and spend time with him.  However, unlike our house cats, he has a life separate from ours.  He has his own house in the back yard.  Most of the time we have no idea what he is up to, and he doesn’t have the faintest idea what goes on in the house.  Often, he will jump to the front of his “front yard” to greet us; other times, he stays in his house.

Recently, we have been in closer contact than usual with Fluffy.  We built him a bigger house.  He has gone from apartment living to a nice straw-filled condo.  He loves his new home, but during construction he was very annoyed.  We upset his routine and got way too far into his personal space.  That same week we found out that Fluffy had a cut on his face, and he needed salve applied once a day.  When it comes to physical contact, a little rub behind the ears is one thing.  However, being lifted up, held tightly, washed off, and having stuff rubbed on your face, are quite another thing.  He communicated this clearly by the scratches I have on my arm and an unfortunate incident that befell my wife’s shoes.  (You really don’t want to know.)

Fluffy reminds me of a lot of people in our lives.  They may not be in our immediate family, but they are connected to us in real and strong ways.  Maybe they are relatives, neighbors, co-workers or fellow parishioners.  We are called as Christians to keep those connections strong, to be there and help when we can. Sometimes our loving kindness in welcomed, often it surprises people.  And sometimes we will even be pushed away, because we are getting too close.  It seems to me we must always respond when these opportunities arise.  Fluffy knows that we are nearby when he needs us.  Hopefully, our two legged neighbors feel the same way.

Scott Martin
Director of Faith Formation

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Chats with Charlie

GUEST COLUMNISTS

Baxter’s friends won’t allow him to enjoy his vacation in peace.  They are hounding or making other sounds and gestures toward him to give them a chance.  Since he is on an hiatus from his literary production, they want to fill the gap.  Baxter, being the affable and easy-going fellow he is, has agreed.  So for the next few weeks, while Baxter basks in the sun and lays about the pool, some of his friends will put their “two cents worth” of wisdom to the pennies worth of Baxter’s thought.  Hopefully, our thoughts about God, ourselves as God’s people, and the practicality of the parish will grow.  Enjoy these other voices from the pew. We need to listen to each other as we try to find our way to God in this crazy world.

Since the cat is away, perhaps it’s time to let the dogs play!  So, please let me introduce Charlie.  He is a two-year-old, only dog, adopted from the Humane Society of Westmoreland County just 15 months ago.   He looks to be a golden retriever and cocker spaniel mix, but since he was picked up without any kind of identification as a stray in Greensburg, we may never know.  What we do know, is that he is a sweet, friendly, silky soft companion and a great addition to our family.

When we adopted Charlie, one of the first things we had to do was give him a name.  This was not a difficult task for us, because we had been considering adding a dog to our family for some time.  “Charlie” had been the unanimous decision of the family, no matter if the dog were a puppy from a breeder, or a rescue animal.  What was interesting was that this dog, who was estimated to be two years old, took immediately to his new name.  There was no resistance, no hesitation.  He immediately perked up his ears with wagging tail when called “Charlie.”

As humans, we have given names and nick names, titles, and many other forms of address.  No matter the many different names we have, one will always be with us.  “Son.”  “Daughter.”  Our heavenly Father calls each of us His children.  Some of us have heard this name from infancy, some have just realized that this is a name they have a share in.  No matter your place on the journey, being called a child of God is the marker of a relationship.  In the relationship, you are called by name to join the family of God.  Is this call clear?  Is it one that you recognize?  And, what are you called to do?

For many, the call is not clear.  In this busy world, it can even be difficult to hear God’s voice.  But, if we can quiet the noise, and quiet ourselves, we can begin to hear the call.  It takes practice, but soon you are able to recognize the voice, moving you to what is good and loving.  And, what is that voice calling you to do?  Well, for each of us it is different, but as children of God, there is one call we share in common.  The call to discipleship.  We are issued this call not just as students, but as children of the teacher.  That is a very special place in this classroom of life!

So, as you enter into the summer months with their play, relaxation, and vacations, try to take a few moments to quiet it all and listen for the call.  And, when you hear it, come with ears perked and tail wagging!

Christy Cabaniss
Parish Minister

Thursday, June 13, 2013

SURPRISE VISITS HELP US GROW

GUEST COLUMNISTS

Baxter’s friends won’t allow him to enjoy his vacation in peace.  They are hounding or making other sounds and gestures toward him to give them a chance.  Since he is on an hiatus from his literary production, they want to fill the gap.  Baxter, being the affable and easy-going fellow he is, has agreed.  So for the next few weeks, while Baxter basks in the sun and lays about the pool, some of his friends will put their “two cents worth” of wisdom to the pennies worth of Baxter’s thought.  Hopefully, our thoughts about God, ourselves as God’s people, and the practicality of the parish will grow.  Enjoy these other voices from the pew. We need to listen to each other as we try to find our way to God in this crazy world.

SURPRISE VISITS HELP US GROW

It was May of 2007.  My daughter was out on the front lawn when all of a sudden, a small, orange kitten popped out from behind a bush and mewed, “Hello”.  The little cat looked emaciated.  You could count every rib and see every bone up her spine.

“Can we keep it?” my daughter asked.  “We have two cats,” I responded.  “I’m not interested in having a third.”  Over the next few weeks, the orange tabby would visit us several times a day.  She would climb up on my wife’s lap and position herself so that each paw would wrap around my wife’s neck, and she would sleep there for what seemed to be hours.

A few weeks passed, and we were getting ready to leave for vacation.  My children asked the obvious question.  “What are we going to do about Pumpkin?”  Even though she still lived under a nearby garage, she now had a name and was putting on weight because of the dish of food and water that was left for her daily.  “If she is around when we get home, we’ll take her to the vet to be spayed, get all of her needed shots, and get her filthy ears cleaned,” I bargained.  We went on vacation, not knowing if the future would include Pumpkin, but worrying about her from afar.

I tell you the story about Pumpkin because it reminds me of the role of Pastoral Council in our parish.  As Pastoral Council members, we don’t know what the future holds for our parish. Nevertheless, our role is to come together and help Monsignor Statnick strategically plan, using the seven essential elements of parish life as a guide.  Those elements are: Evangelization, Worship, Word, Community, Service, Stewardship, and Leadership.  All of these elements work together in parish life, each nurturing and supporting the other.  As with any strategic plan, an idea or objective is brought to the council.  The council then prays about the idea.  We begin a discussion and discernment process and eventually come to a consensus.  We are not a governing body, so no votes are taken on any issue.

To give you an example, last fall, we asked parishioners to complete a survey.  That survey had a number of questions related to the seven essential elements.  Based on the results of that survey, we determined that the parish needs a committee of people who are interested in helping to facilitate programs and activities that not only bring our parishioners together, but connects us in service to our entire community.  Our goal is to provide service and activities to reach those who do not attend Mass or those who are looking for a place to worship.  It’s just one part of what we do, but an important part of helping to insure the future and sustainability of our parish.  However, we always look for our best ideas, support, and involvement to come from you.  Feel free to offer them to any member of our Pastoral Council listed in the bulletin.

Pumpkin’s future is secure.  As I write this, she is sprawled out in front of an air conditioning vent allowing the cool breeze to blow on her belly.  At her veterinarian checkup last month, we learned that Pumpkin is a pound overweight.  We switched her to ‘weight control’ cat food.  She and her feline sister, Pauper, have outsmarted us. They each eat twice as much food.
       
Cliff Gorski       
Pastoral Council