the spirit - uknightuknight.org/councils/2019-9 sep.pdf · 2019. 8. 30. · knights of columbus...

Birthday Dinner News 3

News You Can Use 4

Pro-Life Corner 5

Calendar 6

New Meeting Location 10

Inside this issue:

The Spirit

Knights of Columbus

Scott A. MacDonald Council 8512

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 V O L U M E 3 6 I S S U E 9

COUNCIL OFFICERS

Chaplain ...................... Fr. Anh Tran ............ (817) 284-4811

Grand Knight ................ Mike Dellies ............. (817) 656-1492

Deputy Grand Knight.... Dave Tyrone ............ (682) 551-2793

Chancellor ..................... John Giglio ............. (817) 281-4617

Recorder ..................... Robert Sands............ (817) 988-3376

Treasurer ................... Gary Yanowski ........... (817) 656-1142

Financial Secretary ....... Mark Krueger ........... (817) 939-1192

Lecturer ....................... Juan Valdez .............. (817) 66-8925

Advocate .................... Terry Barnhard .......... (817) 707-6135

Warden ..................... Gary Obudzinski ......... (817) 656-3274

Guard .......................... Paul Cuttica ............. (518) 774-4019

Guard ........................ Paul Posluszny ........... (724) 987-3126

Trustee (3-Year) ....... Ken Kenvin, PGK ......... (817) 595-4104

Trustee (2-Year) ........Jerry Dews, PGK ......... (817) 932-0551

Trustee (1-Year) .... Bobby Donahoo, PGK ...... (817) 498-9628

INSURANCE

Field Agent .............. Terry Peffers, PGK ........ (817) 690-7924

FOURTH DEGREE

District 3 Master ..............Bill Elliot

San Juan Diego Assembly 2857

Faithful Navigator ....... SK John Bergs

Comptroller .............. SK Dick Norgaard ........ (817) 656-2529

DIOCESE

Diocesan Rep. ............. Bruce Mallory ........... (817) 807-2982

District Deputy ........... Jerry Hightower .......... (817) 691-0213

15 International Fall Traditions To Consider

As hot summer temperatures give way to cooler air and

falling leaves, people around the world celebrate the

arrival of fall. Thinking about supplementing your apple

picking- and pumpkin carving-routine? Here are 15 inter-

national fall traditions you’ll want to adopt.

1. CELEBRATE YOUR ANCESTORS …

During Chuseok, a harvest festival, Koreans spend three

days reuniting with family, playing games, and eating

songpyeon, rice cakes with a sweet filling. Chuseok gen-

erally falls in either late September or early October,

and Koreans give thanks to their ancestors by visiting

their graves and offering food to their forefathers’ spir-

its. There are plenty of opportunities to let loose, too:

people attend traditional wrestling matches, dances,

and, of course, feasts.

2. … OR PRECIOUS WORKS OF ART

El Senor de los Milagros, or the Lord of Miracles, is an

annual festival in which Peruvians honor a mural, Lord of

Miracles. This mural of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion miracu-

lously survived a 1687 earthquake that destroyed the rest

of Lima, Peru. To this day, a huge crowd gathers to carry

the mural in the streets as a way of honoring the art-

work’s religious and symbolic power over destruction.

Peruvians also wear purple—to honor nuns who wore pur-

ple robes—and feast on skewers of grilled meat, pastries,

and pumpkin fritters.

3. HOST A BONFIRE

In 1605, a group of Catholics conspired to assassinate

England’s Protestant monarch, King James I, and install a

Catholic monarch. Guy Fawkes was a Catholic soldier

participating in this conspiracy (called the Gunpowder

Plot) to blow up British Parliament and kill the king. But

in early November, Fawkes was caught and arrested

while guarding a stockpile of gunpowder, and the plot

was foiled. So every November 5, thousands of British

people celebrate Guy Fawkes Night by lighting bonfires,

burning effigies of Fawkes, and watching fireworks.

(Continued on Page 8)

Grand Knight’s Message

Well, it might not be Fall yet, but for me September signals the end of Summer. Labor Day is the unofficial end of Summer. August is behind us. School is well under way. Football season is upon us (college and soon to be profes-sional games).

Fall is my second favorite season behind Spring. Temperatures fall and the outdoor activities increase (whether youth sports, camping, or yard work in preparation for winter). For me, as a kid, Labor Day was the first of what seemed to be a rapid succession of holidays and the time always seemed to fly by. As a adult, and now living in Tex-as (I grew up in Michigan), I look forward to the cooler temperatures most of all. Summer seems to drag on with day after day of HOT, with typically no rain in sight (this year was different, however).

One of the things I used to think was interesting (and still do) is there is one day in September that has just as many hours of daylight as darkness. This day is known as the Autumnal (or Fall) Equinox. The September equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator (the imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s Equator) from north to south. This happens either on September 22, 23, or 24 every year (the 23rd this year). In a way, the Sun goes south for the winter!

There are two equinoxes each year, one in March and one in September. There are also two solstices, one in June and the other in December, where we have the longest or shortest amount of daylight. I was always fascinated by these days, as I had an interest in astronomy when growing up.

As I grew older, and especially during high school and college, I picked up some knowledge from various sources on the significance of these days. I’ve since learned that Christian church replaced many early Pagan celebrations with Christianized observances to keep the new converts to Christianity in the practice of observances that were seen as good, including Christmas which replaced the ancient Yule festival around the December solstice. The Christian cele-bration closest to the September equinox is Michaelmas, also known as the Feast of Michael and All Angels (September 29), which is now observed in the Catholic church as a minor festival. Centuries ago in England, the time around Michaelmas also had a business side. Servants were paid their wages after the harvest, and workers looked for new jobs at employment fairs which also became a place for celebrations.

Although the English observance of Michaelmas had ties to works and employment, I’ve found no coincidence be-tween the Michaelmas observance and the U.S. Labor Day holiday in terms of why Labor Day is in September. In fact, more than 80 countries celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1 – the ancient European holiday of May Day. Labor Day occurring the first Monday of September appears to be merely a selection owing to optimum weather and the date's place on the calendar, sitting midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving public holidays.

I also found observances in the Catholic church history that centered around the changing of the seasons. These ob-servances were known as Ember Days, and were held the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the 13th of Decem-ber (S. Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Pentacost, and after the 14th of September (Exaltation of the Cross). Their purpose, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.

Although the Catholic Church in the U.S. doesn’t observe Ember Days anymore, the practice of prayer and fasting on the three days in each of these seasonal transitions is admirable, and would probably do us some good if we added them to our religious practices.

We seem only to observe fasting during Lent. As a kid, fasting seemed like torture, or at least a punishment for the sins I was reflecting on during Lent. I remember the comedy bit of the comedian Gallagher, who asked the question, “Why do they call it fasting when it goes so slow?”

Fasting aside, we should all say prayers this Labor Day weekend for the American worker, and especially for those who are looking but cannot find a job. We should also pray for those that may be stuck in low-paying or minimum wage jobs and are trying to make ends meet. We can sometimes forget how good we have it. Personally, having grown up in Michigan, I’ve always appreciated the jobs I held, no matter how low paying they were, because I knew there were others out there that did not have a job, and no job was guaranteed.

I’ve also made it my personal goal to do the best job I could do at whatever I was hired to do. I often went over and above what was required and helped others with their jobs. As I saw it, the whole company did better when every-one succeeded, regardless of who actually did the work. This is a concept that sometimes gets lost in today’s work-place. So many times we hear or see people doing the bare minimum to get by. That’s not how this country was founded. I pray that these individuals will recognize the opportunity to help others and go the extra mile.

This Labor Day, I pray that each of you will enjoy another successful year in your current jobs, or possibly find one that allows you to better support your family, as well as the church family. If you are retired, thank you for serving

the rest of us for all those years — you deserve a break, so enjoy retirement.

I also pray that you will find that being active in the Knights of Columbus as a “labor of love”. I cannot think of a better way to use one’s talents than to serve his brother.

May God Bless.

Vivat Jesus!

SK Mike Dellies, Grand Knight

P A G E 3 T H E S P I R I T

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

1 David Miller 16 Roy Shannon

2 David Dean 18 Joseph Hnizdo, Jr.

3 John Carroll 18 Steve McCleary

3 Hector Garza 18 Sam Moon

6 Justin Bartos, III 18 Michael Mueller

7 Peter Coriddi 19 Todd Thomas

9 Cliff Simon 21 Paul Pieroni

12 Pat Asher 24 James Herman, Jr.

12 Paul Schaefer 26 Sam Boney

12 Timothy Swihart 27 Michael Formoso

14 Robert Lodes 28 Thomas Carroll

15 Scott Martin 28 Jaime Vazquez

Council 8512 proudly supports the following seminarian:

Joseph Hoffschwelle

Michael Marincel

Please keep them in your prayers.

PRAYER LIST

Pope Francis I

Pope Benedict XVI

Bishop Michael Olsen

Fr. Jack McKone

Fr. Ahn Tran

Seminarians

Unborn Children

Middle Eastern Christians

Victim of Domestic Violence

Active Military / Veterans

First Responders

BIRTHDAY DINNER

Come celebrate this month’s birthdays at our monthly dinner on Tuesday, May 14th, at Saviano’s Italian Kitchen, 300 N Main St, Euless, TX 76039 . Dinner will begin at 6:30pm. Contact Paul Posluszny at (724) 987-3126 to RSVP.

LAST MONTH...

The group enjoyed a variety of tasty eats at Raven’s Grill (Texas Star Golf Course Clubhouse . If you didn’t come, you missed some good eatin’!

Labor Day From A Catholic Perspective

Sep 01, 2012 By Nick Rabiipour

It’s Labor Day! Why am I excited for Labor Day? The same reason I am every year, and

I’m sure many are excited for the same reason, FOOTBALL! That’s right! Labor Day typi-

cally kicks off the college football season, closely followed by the NFL football season. I

am a huge NFL fan and I enjoy watching college football as well.

But is this what I should be thinking about on Labor Day? Football?

Not at all. Labor day was not intended to signify the end of summer, or the beginning of school, or football, or

the end of wearing white (Do people still stop wearing white after Labor Day?). Regardless, Labor Day is a na-

tional holiday in which we are to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers.

Labor Day was more than likely founded by Peter J. McGuire who is famous for stating that Labor Day is meant

to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” But is that the lim-

it of Labor Day? Especially for Catholics?

I think that Labor Day reminds us (A) of the importance of labor and (B) of Ora et Labora.



Exorcists to Jesuit head: Satan is real

Vatican City, Aug 23, 2019 / 11:49 am (CNA).- An international or-

ganization of Catholic exorcists said Thursday that the existence of

Satan as a real and personal being is a truth of Christin doctrine.

“The real existence of the devil, as a personal subject who thinks

and acts and has made the choice of rebellion against God, is a

truth of faith that has always been part of Christian doctrine,” the

International Association of Exorcists said in an Aug. 22 press re-

lease.

The organization’s release came in response to recent remarks on the devil

from Jesuit superior general Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, which the organization called

“grave and confusing.”

The exorcists said they released their statement to provide “doctrinal clarifi-

cation.”

Sosa made headlines earlier this weekwhen he told Italian maga-

zine Tempi that “the devil exists as a symbolic reality, not as a personal reali-

ty.”

The devil “exists as the personification of evil in different structures, but not in persons, because is not a per-

son, is a way of acting evil. He is not a person like a human person. It is a way of evil to be present in human

life,” Sosa said.

Citing a long history of Church teaching on the nature of Satan, including several citations from Pope Francis

and his recent predecessors, the exorcists’ organization said that Catholics are bound to believe that Satan is a

real and personal being, a fallen angel.

“The Church, founded on Sacred Scripture and on Apostolic Tradition officially teaches that the devil is a crea-

ture and a personal being, and she cautions those who, like Father Sosa, consider him only a symbol.”

Sosa’s remarks are “outside the ordinary and extraordinary-solemn magisterium” of the Church, the exorcists

said.

The International Association of Exorcists is an “association of the faithful” formally approved by the Vatican’s

Congregation for Clergy in 2014. Among its founders was well known exorcist Fr. Gabrele Amorth, who died in

2016.

Sosa, 70, was elected the Society of Jesus’ superior general in 2016. A Venezuelan, he has a pontifical licentiate

in philosophy and a doctorate in political science. He served as a Jesuit provincial superior in Venezuela from

1996 to 2004, and in 2014 began an administrative role at the general curia of the Jesuits in Rome.

Sosa has offered controversial comments about Satan in the past. In 2017, he told El Mundo that “we have

formed symbolic figures such as the Devil to express evil.”

After his 2017 remark generated controversy, a spokesman for Sosa told the Catholic Herald that “like all Cath-

olics, Father Sosa professes and teaches what the Church professes and teaches. He does not hold a set of be-

liefs separate from what is contained in the doctrine of the Catholic Church."

Pope Francis: Mary helps Christians enter heaven through the 'narrow gate'

Vatican City, Aug 25, 2019 / 06:10 am (CNA).- The way to heaven is difficult and the gate to enter small, but

Jesus’ mother, Mary, who herself entered through the narrow gate, will help those who ask, Pope Francis said

Sunday.

Mary can be invoked under the title “Gate of Heaven,” he explained in his Angelus address August 25.


Photo credit: Todd Page via flickr


Abortion groups in South Africa can't find doctors willing to perform abortions

Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug 24, 2019 / 03:38 pm (CNA).- Despite efforts by abortion advo-

cates to expand the number of abortion clinics in South Africa, doctors in the country are largely

unwilling to perform the procedure.

Under the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996, abortions are legal in South Africa up to 12 weeks

of pregnancy. In cases of rape, incest, and financial hardship, abortions are legal up to 20 weeks.

Kgaladi Mphahlele, manager of Doctors Without Borders’ Choice of Termination of Pregnancy in Rustenburg,

said it is hard to find clinics willing to perform abortions or doctors willing to give referrals.

Mphahlele said access to abortion clinics is necessary to prevent women from

seeking unsafe abortion methods, according to Health-E News.

Guttmacher-Lancet Commission in Johannesburg issued a report last year find-

ing that out of the 8000 medical clinics in South Africa, about 7% performed

abortions, Health-E News reported.

Judiac Ranape, a nurse who trains doctors on abortions, argued that conscien-

tious objection is a problem.

“You’ll find an operations manager who says, ‘We won’t perform it [an abor-

tion] because it’s against my religious beliefs’,” Ranape said, calling for re-

strictions on conscientious objection.

However, surveys show that the general population in the country is strongly opposed to abortion.

The South African Social Attitudes Survey, conducted 2003-2006, found that 9 of out 10 adults in South Africa

believed abortion to be wrong in times of financial dilemma, and three-quarters said abortion was still immoral

if the child was to be born with a disability.

Church leaders have called for efforts to provide women facing difficult pregnancies with alternatives to abor-

tion. Catholic Mater Homes, a pro-life group in the Archdiocese of Cape Town, is one such organization. It works

to provide shelter for women during a crisis pregnancy.

“The establishment of Mater Domini was was born out of the need that existed within Archdiocese of Cape

Town to create an alternative to abortion for women who might have felt forced into making such a decision

out of desperation,” the organization's Facebook page reads.

“When we talk about the nameless, faceless and voiceless victims of abortion, we have to include the mothers,

who so often find themselves in helpless circumstances, with little other alternative but to make the difficult

choice to end the life of their unborn child.”

Taylor Swift: “Obviously” I Support Abor-tion. “Can’t Believe” People Want to Pro-tect Unborn Children

STEVEN ERTELT AUG 23, 2019 | 3:55PM WASHINGTON, DC

It’s official. Pop sensation Taylor Swift supports abortion.

It’s no surprise that a member of Hollywood’s elitist of the elite would put her stamp of approval on snuffing out the lives of

unborn babies.

But in a new interview with the Guardian published today, on the same day her new album was released, Taylor Swift en-dorsed abortion and trashed President Trump.


Credit: GagliardiImages/Shutterstock.

Calendar of Events

September 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

PNS SANDWICHES

3 4 5

BUSINESS MTG.

6 7

1st. SAT. MASS

8

TEAM DESKEERE

BREAKFAST

9 10

BIRTHDAY DINNER

11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19

OFFICER MTG.

20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

PNS SANDWICHES

1 2 3 4 5

2nd Sandwich Making

2nd Labor Day

5th Business Meeting

7th 1st Saturday Mass

8th Team Green Brkfst

10th Birthday Dinner

19th Officers’ Meeting

25th Chapter Meeting

30th Sandwich Making

OCTOBER 2019

3rd Business Meeting

4/5 Fall Fest

5th 1st Saturday Mass


17th Officers’ Meeting


[No Breakfast This Month]

NOVEMBER 2019

2nd 1st Saturday Mass

4th Sandwich Making

7th Business Meeting

11th Memorial Mass


21st Officers’ Meeting


UPCOMING EVENTS


THIS MONTH’S EVENTS


• A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don’t need it.

• Doing nothing is hard, you never know when you're done.

• My wallet is like an onion. When I open it, it makes me cry…

• Doesn’t expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?

• I'm jealous of my parents, I'll never have a kid as cool as them.

• Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

• If you do a job too well, you’ll get stuck with it.

• When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

• Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.

• Children in the back seat cause accidents, accidents in the back seat cause children!

• You never truly understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother.

• Alcohol! Because no great story started with someone eating a salad.

Scott A. MacDonald

KofC Council 8512

http://uknight.org/

CouncilSite/?CNO=8512

Texas Knight The Journal of the Knights of Columbus in Texas

S I N C E 1 9 0 2

www.texasknight-news.net

WE NEED YOUR INPUT

In an effort to keep the monthly newsletter pertinent and fresh, we are

looking for news, articles, upcoming events, and other items of interest

to our membership. If you have something you would like to see in the

newsletter, pass that information along to the Spirit editor. Pictures of

brother Knights in action will be greatly appreciated, so please send them

in. Also, every article submitted will be evaluated for possible submission

to the Texas Knight to be included in the next edition. Remember, the

monthly newsletter can be an effective recruiting tool, so we need to

make sure it has up-to-date and useful information.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION:

September 22nd

VOLUNTEER HOURS

Please be sure to "Post Your Volunteer Hours and Visits" on the UKnight website, or "Record Volunteer Hours" on

your smartphone at www.kofcmobile.org, as soon as you complete them so that UKnight can accumulate your

volunteer hours for you throughout the year. The more we are able to show the impact Knights have on their

communities by accurately tracking and reporting our hours, the more powerful our example will be.

To log your volunteer hours, visit the Council website and navigate to the ‘Members Only’ section.


BREAKFAST SCHEDULE

As of September 1, 2018, we cut back the number of Sundays we serve breakfast after the morning masses

to once a month. Since then, we are only serving breakfast on the second Sunday of each month. The

breakfast crews will be working once every three months:

Also, we will have a “Donations” jar at the breakfasts to help offset the costs of the food.

Mar. 2019 — Deskeere Apr. 2019 — Dellies May. 2019 — None Jun. 2019 — Green Jul. 2019 — Deskeere

Aug. 2019 — Dellies Sept. 2019 — Green Oct. 2019 — None Nov. 2019 — Deskeere Dec. 2019 — Dellies

(“Annual Events” from Page 1)

4. SNACK ON MOONCAKES

For thousands of years, Chinese people have celebrated the full moon during

the Mid-Autumn Festival. On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month—usually

sometime in September or October—people all over China light incense sticks,

spend time with family, and give each other mooncakes (sweet round pastries

filled with red bean or lotus seed paste). If you’re not in China but want to

celebrate, look for mooncakes at your local Asian bakery.

5. SNAG A PRETZEL (OR SOME ‘WURST)

Oktoberfest is about more than drinking beer. Started in 1810 as a royal wedding celebration for a Bavarian

prince and his princess, Oktoberfest has grown into an international fall festival, with events taking place every

September to October in cities around the world. In Munich, Germany, Oktoberfest partiers hop between beer

tents, watch parades, listen to music, play games, and munch on pretzels and authentic German sausages. No

need to book a trip to Germany to get in on the action: you can probably find a smaller event in a city near you.

Even vegans in Southern California can join in the revelry at a vegan Oktoberfest in Los Angeles, proving that no

matter where you live (or what you eat), there’s an Oktoberfest celebration for you.

6. ATTEND A REGATTA

Every fall, Cambodians spend three days celebrating the seasonal movement of the Tonle Sap River in Phnom

Penh. After heavy rains back up the river, winds cause the flow of the river to reverse, making the river flood

with fish and sediment. The holiday, which usually occurs in early November, brings hundreds of thousands of

people together to watch traditional boat races, dance, and set off fireworks.

7. LOAD UP ON GARLIC

On November 30,Scots pay homage to Saint Andrew, the Catholic patron saint of Scotland by eating, drinking,

watching live music and dance shows, marching in parades, and attending special events at museums and parks.

Because Saint Andrew is also the patron saint of other countries, such as Barbados and a handful of Eastern Eu-

ropean nations, St. Andrew’s Day celebrations aren’t limited to the land of haggis and bagpipes. According to

Romanian tradition, the night before St. Andrew’s Day should be spent downing a garlic-heavy feast; the sea-

soning was said to protect the eater from evil spirits.

8. GROW A MUSTACHE

In 2003, two friends in Melbourne, Australia, came up with the idea for Movember over beers. They convinced

30 friends to grow their moustaches out for the month of November to raise money for charity. The next year,

almost 500 Australians participated, raising around AU$54,000 for an Aussie prostate cancer organization.

Movember then spread to other countries including New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S.; to date, millions of

people around the world have participated. Today, the resulting foundation raises money for men’s health is-

sues, focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health initiatives.



(“Annual Events” from Page 8)

9. ROAST CHESTNUTS

Don’t wait ‘til December 24 to break out the chestnuts. In Provence’s town of Collobrières, the so-called Chest-

nut Capital of the World, locals and visitors alike celebrate the annual chestnut harvest every October with a

festival devoted to all things chestnut (think: pies, preserves, and marron glacés, or candied chestnuts). What

to pair with all those nuts? A glass of the year’s newly-produced wine, of course.

10. HOLD A PROCESSION

Every November 11, Germans celebrateSt. Martin’s Day, named after St. Martin of Tours, a bishop and Catholic

saint who lived in the 300s CE. On this holiday, which honors St. Martin’s work with the poor, children hold

handmade paper lanterns and walk down the street singing songs about the saint. After the lantern procession,

both children and adults eat Weckmänner, a German pastry shaped like a gingerbread man.

11. BREAK OUT THE SKULLS

In Mexico (as well as parts of Central and South America), people honor their dead friends and relatives on the

first two days of November. Although at first glance, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) may seem macabre,

the festival is actually a fun (and colorful) celebration of life. Mexicans wear bright costumes, dance in parades,

and decorate their homes with painted skull figurines. People also pay visits to the graves of long-gone family

members, setting up altars and leaving flowers, plates of food, and trinkets as a tribute.

12. BOB FOR APPLES

Every November 1, the Welsh marked Calan Gaeaf, traditionally considered the first day of winter. The night

before, however, was devoted to celebrating Nos Calan Gaeaf, or Winter’s Eve. According to legend, this was a

night for the restless spirit of a tailless black sow to roam the countryside, seeking out stragglers who had yet to

make it home. Before everyone tucked in for the night, however, revelers gathered around bonfires, feasted,

and bobbed for apples. Unmarried women would divvy up a porridge made from nine ingredients, with a wed-

ding ring hidden in the pot. Whoever found the ring in her bowl was said to be the next to marry.

13. RELEASE A LANTERN

Each November, Thai people celebrate Loi Krathong, a festival of light in

which people release candles on small floating vessels (called krathongs) onto

the water. To honor the goddess of water, Thai people offer the krathongs to

rivers, lakes, ponds, and even swimming pools, in celebration of hope and

light. In Bangkok, you can buy krathongs made of banana leaves, flowers, co-

conuts, or styrofoam, and fireworks, music, and dance performances give the

annual event a festive feeling. People in northern Thailand celebrate Yi Peng,

a similar event in which they release floating lanterns into the sky instead of

onto the water.

14. SEEK OUT A MIRACLE

In mid-October, millions of Brazilians gather at Belém to honor a statue of Our Lady of Nazareth. The statue,

which allegedly performed miracles in medieval Europe, is the center of attention at the festival, and huge

crowds try to get as close as possible to it. Hoping to be blessed by the statue’s religious power, Brazilians even

try to touch the rope around the statue. They ride in floats to parade the statue between cities and over a riv-

er, finally bringing Our Lady of Nazareth to a cathedral. Brazilians also celebrate with fireworks, music, and

dancing.

15. LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

As India’s festival of lights, Diwali is a celebration of abundance and light over darkness. For five days in Octo-

ber or November, Hindu Indians (as well as Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists) light oil lamps and candles around their

houses, set off colorful fireworks, design vibrant patterns of sand, and shop for gifts. They also pray to Lakshmi,

the goddess of wealth, hoping for good luck and abundance in the year ahead.

P A G E 1 0 T H E S P I R I T

REMINDER: NEW BUSINESS MEETING LOCATION With the closing of the Formation Center, our monthly business meetings will now be held in the Resource Room

in the Church Administration Building, located directly across (west) the church parking lot. The Resource Room

is in the south end of the building, as you first enter the double glass doors.

The monthly officers meetings will still be held in the Council office at 4101 Frawley (south end of Outreach

Building).

(“News” from Page 4)

“She welcomed [Jesus] with all her heart and followed him every day of her life, even when she did not under-

stand, even when a sword pierced her soul.”

The Blessed Virgin Mary is “a gate that exactly follows the form of Jesus: the gate of the heart of Jesus, demand-

ing, but open to all,” he said. “May the Virgin Mary help us in this.”

Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel passage from Luke, when someone asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few

people be saved?”

This was a highly debated issue at the time, Francis said, and with his answer, Jesus turns the question “upside

down.” Instead of focusing on the number of people who get to heaven, he speaks of the path to heaven, and how

many will choose to follow it.

Using the present tense, Jesus invites people to take personal responsibility, saying, “Strive to enter through the

narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

“With these words, Jesus makes it clear that it is not a question of numbers, there is no ‘closed number’ in Para-

dise! But it is a question of going through the right passage, which is there, for everyone, but it is narrow,” Francis

said.

He explained that Jesus does not deceive people, he does not say that the way to heaven is a big, beautiful high-

way with a large door at the end, to not worry.

“No, Jesus tells us things as they are: the passage is narrow,” he said.

“In what sense? In the sense that to be saved one must love God and one’s neighbor, and this is not comfortable! It

is a ‘narrow door’ because it is demanding, it requires commitment, indeed, ‘effort,’ that is a determined and

persevering will to live according to the Gospel.

“For us Christians, this means that we are called to establish a true communion with Jesus, praying, going to

church, approaching the Sacraments and nourishing ourselves with his Word,” he explained.

“This keeps us in faith, nourishes our hope, revives charity,” he continued. “And so, with the grace of God, we can

and must spend our lives for the good of our brothers, fight against every form of evil and injustice.”

After the Angelus, Pope Francis spoke about the ongoing fires in the Amazon, saying “that forest lung is vital to

our planet.”

“We pray that, with everyone’s commitment, they may be tamed as soon as possible,” he said.

Francis also greeted the community of the Pontifical North American College (NAC), the American seminary in

Rome, especially, he said, the new group of seminarians who arrived this month to begin their studies. U.S. semi-

narians studying at the NAC usually stay four to five years.

Catholic leaders voice concern over Amazon fires

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Aug 23, 2019 / 04:23 pm (CNA).- Catholics groups in the Amazon have expressed concern over

the wave of forest fires that have been ravaging the region.




The NGO Manos Unidas decried the “risks and assaults the Amazon is suffering,

which bring with them an accelerated deforestation, toward the increasingly

closer point of ‘no return,’ at which time the disappearance of this ‘green

lung’ of humanity will already be irreversible.”

In a statement posted on their webpage, the group reported that the situation

is especially serious in Brazil, where in 2019 alone the number of wildfires has

increased 82% for a total of 71,497 fires, 54% of which are in the Amazon re-

gion.

The NGO considers this especially serious within the context of climate

change since “the variations in the rainfall cycles and temperatures are al-

ready seriously altering the ecosystems.”

The fires that have occurred in recent weeks add to other “threats to the Amazon” and that have a special im-

pact “in the most deforested areas, where economic interests meet the most weakened natural environments,”

they said.

Manos Unidas warned that the area is also threatened by “the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources to

obtain minerals or fuels and the extension of the agricultural frontier for single crop farming or extensive live-

stock production.”

The Secretary General of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Alonso Miranda, expressed the Church’s con-

cern and called for support with prayers and material aid.

On Twitter, Bishop Miranda said that the forest fires “are not just a regional emergency, it’s a catastrophe that

urgently requires international aid.”

“Please, let us lend our support with prayer, national and international material and technological aid,” he

said.

In addition to natural causes, many of the blazes begin when farmers start fires to clear or maintain farmland

and pastures.

On the afternoon of August 21, black clouds produced by multiple fires reached Sao Paulo, the largest city in

Brazil, darkening the sky around 2:00 p.m. local time.

Fires have also been recorded in the forested areas of Bolivia and Paraguay, and it is feared they may occur in

Peru.

According to NASA, “it is not unusual to see fires in Brazil at this time of year due to high temperatures and low

humidity. Time will tell if this year is a record breaking or just within normal limits.”

“In the Amazon region, fires are rare for much of the year because wet weather prevents them from starting

and spreading. However, in July and August, activity typically increases due to the arrival of the dry season.”

The Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, Sergio Gualberti Calandrina, called on the parishes in the

archdiocese of hold a day of prayer Sunday, August 25, for the victims of the Amazon fires, asking God for rain

and to “raise awareness for the care of our Common Home, everyone’s task.”

Archbishop Gualberti said that “as Christians we cannot remain indifferent,” especially given the Synod on the

Amazon called by Pope Francis, which will be held at the Vatican in October.

The Archbishop of Santa Cruz asked that the ecological disaster “awaken a greater awareness that the destiny

of present and future generations is closely linked to the destiny of nature, a creation of God and that we deci-

sively assume the care of creation.”

So far in Brazil, the fire has devastated more than 1.2 million acres of forests, crops and grasslands, generating

carbon monoxide contamination in nearby areas. The states of Acre and Amazonas have been declared to be in

an environmental emergency.

In Bolivia, Vice President Álvaro García Linera said the fires have affected some 1.48 million acres in Chiqui-

tanía, in the Santa Cruz administrative district.

(More on Page 17)

A fire in the Amazon rainforest in

Brazil Aug. 23, 2019. Credit: Carl de

Souza / AFP / Getty Images .


(“Pro-Life” from Page 5)

When it comes to abortion, Swift said, “Obviously I’m pro-choice.”

And when it comes to pro-life legislation in states across the country that would ban abortions and protect un-

born children she said “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

She pledged to “do everything I can for 2020″ to defeat President Trump, who has governed pro-life.

Taylor Swift doesn’t seem any different from any other Hollywood abortion supporter. Her support for abortion

is wrapped and cloaked in sloganeering and there appears to be very little thought behind it.

“Obviously.” No explanation, no in-depth discussion of why destroying the lives of unborn babies is intellectual-

ly the right thing to do. Just “obviously.”

Supporting abortion in the highest end of liberal circles is the expected thing to do. Because if you don’t sup-

port abortion in today’s self-based, me-focused society you are wrongly viewed as anti-woman. And that cer-

tainly will never do when you’re trying to sell pop music.

Coming out as pro-life would end her career. Understanding that abortion takes a life of unique human being is

a rational thought that Swift can’t afford to make and appease the music industry at the same time.

Never mind that she is supporting the destruction of potential fans. 61 million people can’t purchase her music

because their lives were ended in an abortion.

But that “obviously” doesn’t make sense.

Texas musicians gave up celebrity status to defend the preborn

BY TEXAS RIGHT TO LIFE ON JULY 30, 2019

Texas-born musicians Jim Seals and Dash Crofts of the popular group Seals and

Crofts were at the height of popularity in the early 1970s. With such now icon-

ic hits as “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl,” the duo seemed to be gear-

ing up for many more years of success.

All that changed in 1974 with the release of their album “Unborn Child.” The title track is a haunting song for a

preborn baby whose mother is considering abortion. The song was developed from a poem written by Lana Day

Bogan, the wife of one of the recording engineers for Seals and Crofts. Bogan wrote the poem after watching a

documentary on abortion and asked Seals to write a song for the poem.

The song begins,

Oh little baby, you’ll never cry, nor will you hear a sweet lullabye.

Oh unborn child, if you only knew just what your momma was plannin’ to do.

You’re still a-clingin’ to the tree of life, but soon you’ll be cut off before you get ripe.

Oh unborn child, beginning to grow inside your momma, but you’ll never know.

Oh tiny bud, that grows in the womb, only to be crushed before you can bloom.

Mama stop! Turn around, go back, think it over.

Now stop, turn around, go back, think it over.

Stop, turn around, go back think it over.

The simple and evocative message of the song is that the preborn baby is fully human and deserving of

Life. This message was controversial and polarizing as just one year previous, in 1973, the Supreme Court legal-

ized abortion in all 50 states in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.


A fire in the Amazon rainforest in

Brazil Aug. 23, 2019. Credit: Carl de

Souza / AFP / Getty Images .



In this political environment, an overtly Pro-Life song was seen as career-damaging. Writing for CNS News, John

Stonestreet explains:

To put it mildly, this is not what their label, Warner Records, had in mind. After all, this was less

than a year since Roe had been handed down, and abortion was, if nothing else, controversial. Add in

the duo’s unapologetic and urgent plea for women contemplating abortion to “stop, think it over …”

and it’s no surprise their record label had some concerns.

In response to this warning, Seals and Crofts stood their ground. In a 1993 interview, Crofts explains that Warn-

er Brothers wanted them not to release the album: “They said, ‘This is a highly controversial subject, we advise

that you don’t do this.’ And we said, ‘But you’re in the business to make money; we’re doing it to save lives.

We don’t care about the money.’”

The record label’s warning proved warranted. After the release of the album, radio stations boycotted the title

track and abortion activists protested Seals and Crofts concerts. The duo went on to release other albums and

other popular songs, but their celebrity was never again what they had enjoyed previously.

The experience of Seals and Crofts shows the extreme bias in favor of abortion in the music and entertainment

industry that was only just taking root in the years immediately following the legalization of abortion. Now the

entertainment industry’s ties to the powerful abortion lobby are even stronger. Additionally, not only are celeb-

rities discouraged from promoting a Pro-Life message, but pregnant mothers in the entertainment industry are

often pressured to abort their babies to advance their careers. Some courageous people within the industry

are speaking out about this abortion bias, but the infiltration of abortion lobby groups like Planned Parenthood

into media giants is far-reaching.

As for Seals and Crofts, they had no regrets about their decision to put celebrity on the line to be a voice for

the most vulnerable. Crofts said, “I think we got more good results out of it than bad because a lot of people

called us and said, ‘We’re naming our children after you, because you helped us decide to save their lives with

that song.’ That was very fulfilling to us.”

As our nation marks the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we mourn more than 60 million preborn babies killed

by the violence of legal, elective abortion. We are also marking the 45th anniversary of a courageous moment in

pop music history when two Texas singers used their spotlight to stand in defense of innocent human Life. De-

spite the ongoing tragedy of abortion, we have reason to hope that one day all human beings will have the Right

to Life in our nation.

Chinese Man Awakens From 5-Year-Long Coma After His Wife Cared for Him Day and Night

ALEX SCHADENBERG AUG 23, 2019 | 2:13PM BEIJING, CHINA

Tracy You reported on August 22 for the Mailonline:

According to reports, Mr Li was knocked down by a motorbike in August,

2013, while riding a scooter to work.

Describing his condition, Dr Wan Qing’an told reporters: ‘When he was taken to the hospital, he was in

a vegetative state. He could not respond to anything.’

His wife, 57-year-old Zhang Guihuan, recalled: ‘The doctor told me it was possible that he would be in

a persistent vegetative state.’


A Chinese man, Li Zhihua from Xiang-

yang in Hubei Province, woke up

from a 5 year Coma thanks to his wife

literally caring for him night and day.



She said she was not willing to accept the diagnosis and wanted to prove the doctors wrong.

According to the article, his loving wife was persistent.

Day in day out, the determined spouse stayed next to Mr Li’s bed to chat with him and play his favorite

songs, hoping his condition would improve.

‘These things were very helpful to stimulate his nervous system,’ Dr Wan said.

The strong-willed woman slept only two to three hours a day and looked after Mr Li in every aspect

possible. As a result, she lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) during the course.

Ms Zhang said in order to feed her husband, she had to carefully put food into his month and then gen-

tly pressed his tongue to let him know that he could eat.

Mr Li miraculously regained his conscious last year.

This story shows how love can lead someone to provide care. In this case, her

care enabled her husband to recover.

This case also shows how providing stimulation and care may lead to someone

recovering from a head injury.

In 2004 I attended a conference on Persistent Vegetative State whereby a doctor who ran an “awakening cen-

ter” spoke about what they did to have such a high success rate in awakening patients in coma.

LifeNews.com Note: Alex Schadenberg is the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and you can read

his blog athttps://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/.

Pastor Asks People to Celebrate Their Children After Alyssa Milano Says Aborting Hers Gave Her “Joy”

MICAIAH BILGER AUG 22, 2019 | 11:56AM WASHINGTON, DC

The pro-life movement is a movement of joy.

And Pastor Jarrid Wilson of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California decided

to share that joy more publicly after reading about actress Alyssa Milano’s two

abortions, FaithWire reports.

Milano, an abortion activist, recently claimed that her life “would be completely lacking all its great joys” if

she had not aborted two of her unborn babies.

On Wednesday, Wilson did not respond with condemnation or outrage to Milano’s comments. Instead, he urged

people to respond by showing her the true joy that comes from choosing life for an unborn child. He shared a

photo of his wife and children on Twitter and urged others to do the same using the hashtag #greatjoys.

“I don’t know @Alyssa_Milano personally, but I’m praying she really thinks about the totality of what she’s say-

ing on public platforms, especially in regards to situations that encompass the reality of life and death,” he

wrote.

Wilson said modern society needs to stop treating children as if they are a burden.

“Children are our future, and a blessing from God, not a burden that so many people — specifically people who

are only focused on their own achievement and goals — make them out to be,” he told Faithwire.

The pastor also said post-abortive women like Milano can find forgiveness in Christ.

“I don’t hate Alyssa,” he said. “I want nothing but the best for her, her family, and her career. But I

would encourage her, in love, to really re-think the impact her words may have on other people.”




Since beginning the project Wednesday, Wilson’s #greatjoys hashtag has received dozens of responses, including

from adoptive parents and those who almost considered abortion.

Exorcists to Jesuit Superior General: Devil Is Real

By: Martina Moyski | ChurchMilitant.com | August 26, 2019

Caution those who believe he is 'only a symbol'

ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) - The International Association of Cath-

olic Exorcists (IEA) affirmed on Thursday that the existence of Satan

as "a real and personal being is a truth of Christian doctrine."

The IEA's affirmation came just days after remarks by Superior Gen-

eral of the Society of Jesus Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal who declared the "devil exists only as symbolic reality."

"We have formed symbolic figures such as the devil to express evil," said Sosa. "Social conditioning can also rep-

resent this figure, since there are people who act [in an evil way] because they are in an environment where it

is difficult to act to the contrary."

The Jesuit superior also declared:

It exists as the evil personified in different structures but not in people, because it is not a person, it is

a way of implementing evil. He is not a person like a human person. It is a way of evil to be present in

human life.

Good and evil are in a permanent struggle in human consciousness, and we have ways to indicate

them. We recognize God as good, entirely good. Symbols are part of reality, and the devil exists as a

symbolic reality, not as a personal reality.

Sosa made the remarks during an interview published in the online magazine Tempi published on Aug. 21.

The IEA called Sosa's remarks "grave and confusing" in a press release issued on Aug. 22, saying, "Some doctrinal

clarifications are necessary."

The position of Sosa falls outside the ordinary and solemn magisterium, according to the association, who point

to the "solemn magisterium expressed in the IV Lateran Council on angels and demons."

The Lateran Council of 1215 declared, "The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scrip-

ture usually calls 'angels' is a truth of faith."

Further, the council said, "The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition."

Moreover, the association said the truth of the Fourth Lateran Council "is confirmed by a document of the Con-

gregation of the Faith, published by L'Osservatore Romano on June 26, 1975" and corresponds to "the whole tra-

dition of the Fathers of the Church and of the Popes."

Referring to the teaching of Pope Paul VI, who in 1975 explained evil in the world as "the occasion and effect of

an intervention in us and in our world of an obscure and enemy agent, the devil. Evil is no longer just a defi-

ciency, but a living, spiritual, perverted and perverted being," they likewise refuted Sosa's remarks.

Paul VI added that the devil "is the number one enemy, he is the tempter par excellence. We know that this

dark and disturbing being really exists."




The exorcists also rebutted Sosa's remarks by pointing to Pope Francis' insistence on, and affirmation of, the

reality of the devil throughout his papacy.

They refer to particularly to chapter five of the apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, where Pope Francis

wrote, "Nor can this battle be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses and proclivities (be they

laziness, lust, envy, jealousy or any others). It is also a constant struggle against the devil, the prince of evil."

The Pope added, "Jesus himself celebrates our victories. He rejoiced when his disciples made progress in

preaching the Gospel and overcoming the opposition of the evil one: 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from

heaven' (Lk 10:18).

Directly refuting Sosa, Francis cautions about the dangers of looking at the devil as a symbol:

We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea.

This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable. The

devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice.

When we let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our com-

munities. "Like a roaring lion, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

Francis also referred to the last request of the Lord's Prayer, i.e., "to be freed from evil": "The expression that

is used there does not refer to evil in the abstract, but properly and concretely indicates the Evil One, which is

a personal being," said the exorcists.

Francis' references to the Gospel of Mark which describe "the work of Jesus as a struggle against Satan (cf. Mk 1,

23–28; 32–34; 39; 3, 22–30 and passim)" speak to the existence of the evil one.

The life of His disciples, too, involve a battle that "is not against creatures made of flesh and blood, but against

the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of evil (Eph 6:12)."

Father Sante Babolin, known as the "exorcist of Padua," underscored what the association of exorcists stated in

their press release, stating, "It was standard Church teaching that Satan was a fallen angel."

"God created everything — including those spirits that became evil," also referring to the Magisterium

of the Fourth Lateran Council.

"The devil and other demons were created by God good in nature, but they themselves through them-

selves have become wicked," Babolin quotes the council.

Dr. Edward Peters, a canon lawyer who serves as referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, corroborates the

IAE position, writing, "The existence of the devil as a personal reality, and not merely as a symbol of evil, is an

article of faith."

Peter adds, "Denial of an article of faith is an element of the canonical crime of heresy ... an act punishable by

measures up to and including excommunication, dismissal from the clerical state, and/or loss of ecclesiastical

office."

The canon lawyer acknowledges that "few in ecclesiastical leadership (including most orthodox members there-

of!) wish to 'pull the trigger' in such cases and, as a result, utterances such as Sosa's provoke little, usually no,

response from Church leaders with inevitable harm to the faithful."

The IEA recommends that Catholics educate themselves about the Church's teaching on angels and demons. Its

members recommend the Catechism of the Catholic Church, biographies of the saints, such as St. Martin of

Tours, an exorcist, and "The Differential Diagnosis between Psychopathological Disorders and the Extraordinary

Action of the Devil," published on the IAE website.




Exorcists recommend specific prayers "to combat any form of evil that may be oppressing an individual."

One prayer is the Anima Christi:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from the

side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; within Thy

wounds, hide me; let me never be separated from Thee; from the evil one, deliver me; at the hour

of my death, call me and bid me come to Thee, that with Thy saints, I may praise Thee forever and

ever. Amen.

Father Gabriele Amorth, former chief exorcist of Rome, recommends that prayers be joined with the sacrament

of confession and the frequent reception of Holy Communion.

In addition, prayers should be said "with humility, recognizing the fact that God is the one who expels evil from

our midst. We do not have any power over Satan; only the Lord of Heaven and Earth possesses such authority."


Agreement reached on permanent Holy See representative to Vietnam

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican City, Aug 23, 2019 / 10:08 am (CNA).- A Holy See-Vietnam diplomacy

working group, which met inside the Vatican this week, reached an agreement

on establishing a permanent resident papal representative to the southeast

Asian country.

A resident papal representative is considered an intermediary step in diplo-

matic relations, below an apostolic nuncio.

The Holy See and Vietnam have never had full diplomatic relations, but have

been engaged in formal bilateral discussions since 2009. The Aug. 21-22 sum-

mit was the eighth meeting of the working group, which had previously met in

Hanoi in December 2018.

Since 2011, the Holy See has had a non-resident pontifical representative to Vietnam. At the 2018 meeting in

Hanoi, the delegations had agreed to upgrade this representative from a non-permanent, non-resident to a per-

manent, resident status.

According to a joint statement Aug. 23, the Holy See-Vietnam working group discussed the regulations to under-

ly such an agreement “in view of the setting up of the Office at the earliest possible date.”

In the meeting, the Holy See also expressed appreciation for the State’s assistance to the Catholic community in

Vietnam. The State gave its assurance of its continued commitment to improve consistent policy for respect of

freedom of belief and religion.

“The two sides also expressed their commitment to continuing dialogue based on trust and respect for the mu-

tually agreed principles governing the bilateral relations. They underscored the importance of further promot-

ing contacts, including at high levels, between the two sides,” according to the statement.

The Vietnamese delegation also met with Pope Francis, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Secretary

for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

The delegations are headed by Mons. Antoine Camilleri, Vatican under-secretary for relations with states, and

To anh Dung, Vietnam's deputy minister of foreign affairs.

The position of non-resident papal representative to Vietnam is held by the nuncio to Singapore, who is current-

ly Archbishop Marek Zalewski.

Catholics are estimated to make up about 7% of Vietnam’s population of 97 million. Predominant religious prac-

tice is of folk religions, followed by Buddhism.


The flag of Vietnam. Credit: little_ram

via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).



Vietnam’s religious freedom law has been under discussion since 2013, when the Vietnamese constitution was

revised. The law guaranteed freedom of belief to people, and formally guarantees religious freedom.

However, Catholic communities have experienced several limitations under the communist regime that took

power in 1976.

According to the 2019 annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, reli-

gious freedom conditions in the country regressed from 2018 to 2019, and despite small improvements, the gov-

ernment of Vietnam continues to persecute religious individuals and organizations.

(“Labor Day” from Page 3)

(A) The Importance of Labor

Pope Benedict XVI reminded us around Labor Day of last year that Jesus himself was a laborer. Jesus taught

parables about laborers, many of his disciples were laborers, etc. Labor is clearly important to the human ex-

perience and condition in a post-Fall world (labor is usually understood as a consequence of the Fall). Pope

Benedict XVI urged us then and will continue to urge us now to respect the importance of labor and the dignity

of the human worker. Labor is a means to enhance the dignity of the person, in the words of Pope Benedict

XVI: (check out this awesome YouTube Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xngvrfhzVOw&feature=player_embedded#!

(B) Ora et Labora

Prayer and Labor. The two ought to be intimately related in our lives as prayer can be thought of as a labor,

and labor done rightly ought to be a prayer. Archbishop Gomez states this best:

“Both (prayer and work) are intimately related, to the point that prayer is a kind of “work” - in the sense that

it is an activity in itself - and that work must become a prayer, if lifted and offered up to God.”

The USCCB also has some great statements given on Labor Day about Labor, the dignity of the human worker,

the necessity of labor, etc.

What do you do to celebrate Labor Day? Do you practice Ora et Labora in your life? What does Labor Day mean

to you?

St. Michael the Archangel Saint Michael the Archangel isn't a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army

of God. This is what the title "Archangel" means, that he is above all the others in rank.

St. Michael has four main responsibilities or offices, as we know from scripture and

Christian tradition.

The first is to combat Satan.

The second is to escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death.

The third is to be a champion of all Christians, and the Church itself.

And the fourth is to call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgment.

Very little is known about St. Michael other than what we know from scriptures, which

themselves are sparse.

In Daniel, St. Michael is mentioned twice. The first time as one who helped Daniel, and the second time he is

mentioned with regard to the end times of the world when he will stand for the "children of thy people."

His next mention comes in the Epistle of St. Jude, where St. Michael is said to guard the tombs of Moses and Eve

and has contended with Satan over the body of Moses.

The final mention is in Revelation, where St. Michael and his angels, do battle with the dragon.

Feast Day: September 29th

This day is referred to as "Michaelmas" in many countries and is also one of the harvest feast days. In England

this is one of the "quarter days", which was marked by hiring servants, electing magistrates, and beginning of

legal and university terms.


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

There are many ways to become active in your Council. Contact one of the committee chairs below to get started. They would love to have you aboard.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

15K/5K Run ................... Chuck Seefeldt ............... (817) 422-4949

Birthday Dinner ............. Paul Posluszny ............. (724) 987-3126

Ceremonial ..................... Rick Martinez .............. (817) 545-9194

Church ....................... Terry Peffers, PGK ........... (817) 690-7924

Community ..................... Paul Franko ............... (817) 721-3947

Fall Fest ........................ Chuck Seefeldt ............... (817) 422-4949

Family .................................. open ...........................................

Night Shelter .................... John Mokry ................ (817) 897-3342

Public Relations ............. Terry Barnhard ............. (817) 707-6135

Recruitment ..................... Chris Stark ................ (979) 218-3664

Retention ............................. open ...........................................

Right to Life ................... Rick Martinez .............. (817) 545-9194

Spirit Editor ..................... Mike Dellies ............... (817) 656-1492

Sunshine Lady .............. Jackie Posluszny ............ (724) 987-2761

Webmaster ...................... John Giglio ................ (817) 281-4617

BREAKFAST CREWS

DAVE DESKEERE .......... (817) 284-3288

Terry Peffers ...................... (817) 690-7924

Bill Stolowski ...................... (817) 281-9325

John Mokry ........................ (817) 284-4537

Rick Cardona ...................... (682) 999-9195

Dan Weed .......................... (817) 808-1080

Ed McGinley ....................... (817) 319-8921

Edward Hernandez ............. (817) 614-8728

MIKE DELLIES ............. (817) 656-1492

Emmanuel Egenti ............... (817) 428-1249

Steve Hoyer ....................... (817) 428-6446

Mark Krueger ..................... (817) 939-1192

Richard Rodriguez .............. (214) 532-4845

Gus Robicheaux .................. (817) 281-5752

Mike Pollack ....................... (817) 282-5621

Juan Ramos ....................... (817) 715-0526

CHRIS GREEN .............. (214) 282-7143

Bill Fettig ............................ (817) 793-4368

Jay Rogers ......................... (682) 221-9157

Mike Walsh......................... (469) 212-6406

Mike Pollack ....................... (817) 282-5621

Council Office is located at:

4101 Frawley Dr., North Richland Hills, TX 76180

Diocese: Fort Worth Caucus: 8 District: 21

BUSINESS MEETINGS ARE THE 1ST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH

Meetings begin at 7:00pm in the Resource Room of the St. John the Apostle Church Administration Office

“ E v e r y t h i n g h a p p e n s f o r a r e a s o n . B u t s o m e t i m e s t h e r e a s o n i s t h a t y o u ’ r e s t u p i d a n d y o u m a k e b a d d e c i s i o n s . ”

~ U n k n o w n

the spirit - uknightuknight.org/councils/2019-9 sep.pdf · 2019. 8. 30. · knights of columbus...

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