Advent 2014

Volume 31 Issue 5

St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church 18211 S Henrici Rd.

Oregon City, OR 97045

BENIZI NOOZ

Our Priests: A Great Gift From God

After 42 years, I went back to Australia to the land of my father's family after my mother died at age 36. I was a broken and unchurched 10 year old, who desired the Catholic sacraments more than life itself. Nourished by a loving and devout extended family, no

expense was spared when it came to providing me with the best that Catholic education had to offer. Our vibrant Irish-Italian parish had three priests and was full every Sunday.

Even through the first few months of the post-Vatican II changes, the faith was strong and supportive. At the request of my father, I returned to America at age 19. What a shock my faith endured as I encountered numerous post-Vatican II excesses here in America. It took

time for me to find a place within American Catholicism where I once again felt spiritually safe and supported. It took time and a lot of effort for our bishops to bring a sensible

balance into our liturgies and worship. I felt spiritually strong when I went back to Australia this summer. I was very excited

to experience even stronger faith-communities. What I found was devastatingly disappointing. Very few people were attending Mass on Sundays; in fact, some of our SPB weekday Masses had more attendees. Stressed out priests who barely knew any of the

parishioners traveled on Saturdays and Sunday to 5 different parishes. Weekday Masses were nonexistent in most locations I visited in three states; Communion Services were not

even offered. The parishes seemed spiritually barren to me. My take away from this experience is an immense sense of gratitude to Archbishop

Samples' predecessors, who had the foresight to plan for the current priest shortage by bringing ordained priests and seminarians from foreign lands to serve the Catholics of

Oregon. While I have been known in the past to complain if I missed a word or two (or even a sentence or two) because of a strong accent, I will never utter another word of complaint because I know from experience what the alternative is.

In Oregon, we have an archdiocese that is filled with many spiritually-vibrant and super-active parishioners, along with a variety of community-supporting ministries. That is

the kind of Catholic Church that nourished me as a young convert almost 50 years ago in Australia. Today, right here in Oregon, God in His Mercy has led me and all of us to a kind

of Promised Land, where we can daily receive all the sacramental grace He has to offer--if we choose to. Please let us all realize the great gift we have in our priests, no matter what their country of origin is, what native language they speak, or how strong their accent is

while they are fine tuning their English (and Spanish).

Lindy (Lynne) McDonald, M.S.

Pastoral Council 2014-2015

President: Lindy McDonald

Vice President: Gail Alexander

Past President: Lydia Roskey

Secretary: Mary Lou Silvander

Communications: Bill Breshears

Evangelization: Ed Schneider

Helping Hands: Bill Breshears

Jeannine Breshears

Liturgy: Deacon Jim Pittman

Parish/Family Life: Tina Twarowski

Youth Minister: Katy Schnoor

Religious Education

Youth: Gail Williams

Religious Education

Adult: Lydia Roskey

Social Justice: Becky Wooten Thuc Alexander

Join us on the 4th Thursday of each month at 7:00pm in the Parish Center.

Special Dates for Advent

November

1 Feast of All Saints -

Holy Day of Obligation 11 Veteran’s Day - Office

will be closed

16 Spirit Mountain - Youth fundraiser

23 Advent Party after the 10:30 Mass in the Parish Center

27 Thanksgiving Day 30 First Day of Advent

December

5 Women’s Christmas Tea 8 Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of Obligation

18/19 Prepare Christmas Baskets in Parish Hall at 6:00pm

19 Penance Service at 7:00pm 24 Christmas Eve Family Mass at 5:00pm

Vigil Mass at 10:00pm 25 Christmas Day Mass

at 9:00am

January

1 Mary Mother of God - Holy Day of Obligation

Parish Staff

Pastor: Father Paschal Ezurike Office Manager: Karen Henry

Music Director: Debbie Schaffer

RE Director: Gail Williams Youth Director: Katy Schnoor

Welcome New Parishioners

Jesse and Karen Markowski

Baptisms

Audrey Scarlett Markowski Makenzie Grace Stanchfield

Births

Oakley Williams Bennett Thiessen

Marriages

Brittany and Grant Lindquist

FOOD ITEMS NEEDED

For Our Helping Hands CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Christmas is a time for giving and this is your opportunity to spread some

Christmas cheer to the less fortunate in our community. The Helping Hands ministry at St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church is asking you, the parishioners, to help supplement our emergency food program by donating food items to our food closet. In case you are unfamiliar with this program, Helping Hands provides an emergency food response to the working poor, unemployed, and underserved in rural Oregon City. Our catchment area includes Redland, Beavercreek, and Oregon City.

Helping Hands maintains a small food closet in our Parish Hall. We are able to quickly respond to individual needs of food to those identified or referred individuals and families. These people are presented to us by such community agencies as St. Vincent DePaul, Clackamas County Mental Health, and Oregon City school counselors. We also respond to individual requests. We will serve the hungry

regardless of documentation and standard eligibility requirements.

Last Christmas season, our program provided food baskets to 35 families. We will be looking to assist the same number of families again this year. As you know people are hungry year round, so our program also provides emergency food baskets throughout the year. We are determined to maintain our pantry’s emergency food supply to continue to meet the growing needs of our community while providing the

healthiest foods we can for our fellow brothers and sisters. We do not want to turn anyone away!

Helping Hands relies on material and monetary donations to keep a sufficient food supply in our pantry and help maintain operational funds. Our program is currently funded by donations from our parish members. Needs not

covered by donations are funded through the church’s Helping Hands ministry commission budget. We are very appreciative of all donations which have been given to this ministry. Thank you in advance for your donation! We are truly grateful for any donation you can provide as it will assist us in meeting the growing needs of our

community. Please refer to the flyer on page 4.

HELPING HANDS

Christmas Basket Program

FOOD ITEMS NEEDED for our CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Peanut butter, jelly, juice, soup, chili, pancake syrup, pancake mix, 5# flour, 5# sugar, cooking oil,

spaghetti sauce, pasta, rice, dry beans, stuffing mix, oatmeal, cereal, canned fruit, canned vegetables, tuna,

canned meats, pie filling, 2# cheese, butter or margarine, eggs, potatoes, laundry detergent,

toothpaste, soap and toilet paper.

Remember to use store coupons and “buy one, get one FREE” items for donations.

PAPER BAGS are by the doors of the Church for items needed. Please return to baskets in Church.

Perishable items, please bring to the Parish Office. DEADLINE DATE:

December 14th

Thank you!

Helping Hands Christmas Giving Tree

Gift Purchase Pointers

“The greatest joy is in giving; after all, God gave Christ for us.” ― Ashley Ormon Many of our community families are blessed through the generosity of our parishioners who participate in the annual Giving Tree. The gifts we give may be the only presents these kids receive at Christmas. It is in the joy of our giving to those in need where we receive our blessings. But there have been concerns expressed the past few years. The kids fill out their wish list, and we have seen more expensive gifts listed, such as high-tech items (iPods, iPads, gaming consoles, and video games). Parishioners are getting discouraged and not participating in the Giving Tree since they don’t feel they can afford to purchase these expensive gift items. Equality is another area of sensitivity. Some parishioners are able to spend more and buy everything listed on the gift tags, and others may feel their budget can only allow them to purchase one item off the list. Helping Hands reviews all the gifts purchased and supplements the gift purchases when possible to make sure each family member receives equal value in gifts (so one kid doesn’t get noticeably way more than other family members). This has put a strain on the Helping Hands budget. We want to make sure this community service continues, so here are some recommendations for gift giving in order to make this program more successful and rewarding: School counselors will be advised to work with the families to list gift items that are more reasonably

priced. High-tech and high priced gift items will not be listed on the giving tags. The gift items are just a “wish list” and parishioners should not feel as if they need to purchase everything on the list. Helping Hands works to create equity in the gifts provided to each family member, so $50-60 value for each family member is a standard we try to achieve. If parishioners feel they can contribute more, rather than going overboard for one kid, take multiple

tags and provide equally for each of them. Parishioners who want to give more, consider hosting all the kids in one family to make sure the gift

giving is distributed equally. The Giving Tree tags will be available in the Parish Center starting November 22nd. We appreciate your annual generosity and look forward to the continuation of the Helping Hands program through our annual Christmas Giving Tree. God bless you for your service!

Our Annual Giving Tree will be up in the

Parish Center beginning November 22nd. Please

select a Gift Tag, sign it out, and return your gift

to the Parish Center by DECEMBER 14th! Children

in need are from our local community.

Adult Education

Dearest Members of God's Family at SPB: Our world is gearing up for the Holy-days. We have

entered into Harvest time. Our gardens are full of what the Lord multiplies. Our hearts are full of Thanksgiving for what He has done for us and through us. We are thankful for friends and family. Soon we will rejoice in the birth of our Savior. He has done great and mighty things. All glory and honor to Him. We must give back to God what He has, out of His generosity, given to us. "For God so LOVED the WORLD that HE GAVE, (freely) HIS only SON that WHOSOEVER, (ALL PEOPLES) believes in HIM shall not perish, (and be away from HIM forever), but WILL have ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIM." John 3:16

The Adult Bible study group is into The Book of the Revelation from Jesus Christ to the Apostle John. John was banished to the island of Patmos because of his faith in our Lord. The Romans considered him dangerous and a threat to Rome, (how much of a danger can a 95 year old man be?) They would soon find out!! He sent letters to his churches in Turkey to uplift his people in the midst of terrible persecution--to tell them NO matter what was happening around them, Jesus was with them and promised that the Glory that would be theirs later was worth everything. We need to hang on to this in the midst of our trials.

I love you all dear members of Christ's mystical Body. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Lydia

PARTY

Sunday, November 23rd

after the 10:30am Mass

in the parish center

Make an Advent Wreath, an Advent Calendar,

decorate Christmas Cookies.

Put together an Advent chain with activities

to do each day as you count down to Christmas.

Make Christmas cards for your family.

And much more!

Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas

Every year it seems retailers have their Christmas decorations ready for consumers to

purchase earlier than the previous year. When I was young, we didn’t even start thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. About a week before Christmas, we would put up our tree, pull the decorations down from the attic, and make our list out for Santa.

Christmas Eve we would all go to evening Mass and when we returned, Santa would have put presents under our tree! Christmas Day would be spent visiting relatives (and then

Christmas was over). In the church calendar, however, Christmas does not end on Christmas Day. It is only

the beginning. In an earlier time, Christmas lasted for 12 days – a tradition from which we get the famous Christmas song. The following are a few suggestions that we can try to extend our Christmas season and deepen our Catholic identity.

1. Wait for it.

In our grandparents' day the Christmas tree wasn't decorated until Christmas Eve. For

most of us, it might not be practical to wait until then, no matter what our grandparents might have done. Still there are some things we can do to keep the traditional Christmas cycle.

Go ahead and put up the tree whenever you like, but save placing the star on top until

the night of December 24th. Plan to leave the tree up until the Christmas season ends on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, usually the second Sunday in January.

Also consider waiting until December 24th to complete the crèche. Leave the manger empty until Christmas Eve. Whenever you put the crèche out, place the Magi statues a good distance from the manger. Each day of Christmas, until Epiphany, move the Wise

Men a little closer to the crèche. 2. Pay it forward.

December 26th is the feast of St. Stephen, the church's first martyr. He was also one of the first deacons, whose job it was to care for the poor. A good way to celebrate St. Stephen's Day is to follow his example. Make a commitment to volunteer or donate

more during the coming year to serve the poor as Stephen did. Perhaps spend an hour on this day going through your closets and drawers to find clothing you seldom wear,

and donate it to a shelter. 3. Pick a card.

Another great way to keep the Christmas season alive is to gather up all the Christmas

cards you've received and choose one at random each evening to read at dinnertime. Share some memories about the person who sent you the card.

4. Make time for family.

The Sunday after Christmas-this year, December 27th-is the feast of the Holy Family. Plan to spend the entire day with family-including extended family if possible. If you like to

cook, plan for a festive brunch after Mass, or make reservations and let your favorite restaurant do all the work. During the meal, share stories of your favorite times together.

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5. Bridge the gap.

December 27th is the feast of St. John the Evangelist, though he often gets forgotten because of the feast of the Holy Family. It is a day of reconciliation in Eastern European churches. In 1983 it was the day Pope John Paul II reconciled with the man who tried to

assassinate him. Take the opportunity during these Christmas days to reach out to an estranged friend

or family member. If it is too big a step to call or send an e-mail right now, at least take a moment to ask St. John to pray for your reconciliation.

6. Examine your conscience.

On December 29th we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas Becket. After Thomas became the archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, he had to struggle with spiritual and political

decisions that affected the role of the church in England. He did not always make the right decision, sometimes giving in to the powerful influence of King Henry II. But in the

end he picked the right path, taking a stand for justice, and it cost him his life. Today is a good day to examine our own lives and resolve to do more to overcome injustice

in the world. We can begin with ourselves. Where have we been unjust? When have we used our influence or authority only for our benefit? 7. Count your blessings.

December 31st is the feast of St. Sylvester I, who, along with Pope John Paul II, is one of the 10 longest-reigning popes (January 31, 314 to December 31, 335). Not much is

known about St. Sylvester, but there are stories about him giving hospitality to Christians who would travel through Rome. Like Jesus, he would wash their feet and serve them at the dinner table.

One way to mark the end of the year is to have a dinner party or at least a special family

dinner. Ask everyone around the table to share a blessing received from God in the last year. 8. Ring in the New Year.

Besides being New Year's Day, January 1st is also the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Years ago many Catholic households, especially German Catholics, used to pray the

rosary as a family after dinner. That custom has mostly faded, but the feast of the Mother of God is a good opportunity to pray the rosary on our Lady’s feast day. 9. Say, "I love you."

On January 2nd, we celebrate the feast of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. These are two great fourth-century Eastern saints who did a lot of serious thinking and

teaching about the Trinity. As young men they studied together in Athens where their friendship grew into a lifelong brotherly love. Spend some time this day with your closest friends, and be sure to let them know how much they mean to you.

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10. Claim your name.

In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul says that God bestowed on Jesus "the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven

and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:10).

January 3rd is the day we take that message to heart: the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. Names have great power, and Orthodox Jews are forbidden to even say God's name. When St. Paul says Jesus' name is above every other, he is saying Jesus' name and God's name

are equal. Just as Jesus' name is holy, so is ours. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says,

"Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it." Find out from your parents (if you can) why

they chose your name and what it means. 11. Clean house.

In the United States, Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2nd and 8th.

In 2015 Epiphany falls on January 4th.

The arrival of the Magi to honor Jesus is not the only tradition associated with this day. Another ancient Epiphany practice is to bless our homes by marking the entrance to the house with chalk. To bless your home, grab a piece of chalk, gather everyone outside the

front door, and offer this prayer: Leader: "Let us bless our home and pray that all will be welcome here. Let this door be an

entry for the blessings of God. Let this door be a gateway of God's blessings to the world." Members of the household take turns inscribing "20 + C + M + B 10" over the top of the

door. C, M, and B are the initials of the traditional names for the Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

Leader: "Christ taught us to call upon the Father, and so we pray: Our Father . . ." 12. Remember your "birthday."

Before the Second Vatican Council, the Baptism of Jesus was celebrated on Epiphany. The church leaders who revised the liturgical calendar after the council decided to create a separate feast day focused solely on Christ's Baptism. In doing so, they wanted to

emphasize three truths of faith:

1. At the moment of His Baptism, we come to know Jesus is the Son of God. 2. We also come to know Him as the Messiah at His Baptism, which is symbolized in the

gospels by the descent of the dove-an anointing in the Holy Spirit. 3. Through His Baptism, which was not required of Jesus, Jesus affirms his complete

solidarity with all of us fallible human beings who do require the saving waters of grace. Plan to spend some time today telling stories about family Baptisms.

Submitted by Gail Williams

Abby Williams

Steubenville NW 2014

This past year, I was able to go to Steubenville NW one last time before departing for the place where these fantastic conferences originated from: Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with the youth group,

bonding and having fun with everyone before leaving for the next chapter of my life. As I look back on my life and the last three conferences I have attended, I realize how

much I have changed and how much my faith has shaped my present life. Because of this youth group and these awesome conferences, I have grown so much closer to God my

Savior and I just strive to live every day for Him. This conference really challenged my faith and the future hardships to come.

During the Friday night Adoration, I experienced spiritual darkness for the first time. I felt empty, alone, and blocked from Jesus. My trust in God was tested that night, because

even though I felt completely alone, the next night the Holy Spirit consumed me and emptied my body of all pain and sadness. At the time of the conference in July, there was only about a month until I would leave for college and my anxiety was creeping up on me,

but on Saturday night Jesus spoke the most simple words, “You are beautiful and I have great things for you.”

Now, here at Franciscan has been the greatest month of my life. This place is Catholic Wonderland! It has been hard being so far from home, leaving the church, the youth group,

my home, my cats, my family, and especially my mom, but God has placed me here for a reason. He has a purpose and whenever I feel lost or worthless, I remember His kind words that night, “You are beautiful and I have great things for you,” and somehow the Holy Spirit

calms my anxiety and I push on. I continue on and let Jesus guide me on His path for me. I thank every one of you for your generous love and support for all of us. God does

indescribable things to each person who attends these conferences and it is only made possible by your help. It warms my heart to see these young men and women so eager to

go to this conference every year and grow in their faith. We are all so blessed to have this opportunity to encounter Jesus in the most powerful ways. So, thank you Katy, Tia, John, Nancy and all the parents who allowed their kids to go, and I thank all those who gave

time and donations to our youth group. I also thank you all for keeping me in your prayers and updated on the happenings of the church. And I thank my mom for letting me fly all

the way to Ohio to this wonderful place to further my education and grow even closer to God.

Curious about the Catholic Faith? Are you a

Confirmed Catholic who’s ready to explore your faith anew?

RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation

Tuesdays @7 PM

Classes are held in the Parish Center.

Call Ed Schneider, RICA Coordinator at 503-631-3942 or Fr. Paschal at 503-631-2882

“Celebrate the Season”

with

A Women’s Christmas Tea

December 5, 2014 at 6:30pm

Enjoy delicious sandwiches, decadent desserts, gourmet coffee and tea, jubilant song, inspiring decorations and friendly conversation

Seasonal and Inspirational Music

Plan to join us for a delightful evening

Tickets on sale for $10.00 each or host a table and your ticket is free!

For ticket information contact:

Elaine Keavney 503-631-2285

Prayer

Ask any family, their lives are busy, mostly by the choices we make. But when you think

about it, is there time for God in your day? How important is prayer in your life? Do you involve God in the big decisions? Do you only pray when tragedy strikes? Do you pray

daily? Do you ever just talk with God? God desires nothing but good things for us. God wants to transform you and the way you

live your life. God wants a relationship with you because He loves you. God granted you and your family many blessings, thank Him by starting your day in prayer.

There are many different forms of prayer, but I recently came across a simple routine from a book I read by Matthew Kelly and it is called the Prayer Process.

Matthew Kelly suggests that by making a commitment to spend at least 10 minutes each day with God for 30 days, you will dramatically see a change in your life. The 7 step

process is simple:

The Prayer Process

1. Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.

2. Awareness: Revisit the times in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you

learned from them. 3. Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what

God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person).

4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or Him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.

5. Freedom: Speak with God about how He is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself.

6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.

7. Finish by praying the Our Father.

Prayer is one of the important things we can do for ourselves. Prayer helps us to identify what matters most and strengthens our hearts and minds to give priority to those things

in our daily lives. If you already have a deep, personal relationship with God, great! But if you don’t, try

this for 30 days, it will lead you deep into a lifelong friendship with God. And isn’t that what we as Catholics all want?

Submitted by Gail Williams

Adoration

How does Adoration relate to my life?

Eucharistic Adoration inspires us, feeds us, and give us the grace to make Christ

relevant in our relationships, activities, leisure, work, and in our service to those who are in need. By spending time with Jesus in Adoration, we are made more mindful of Him and His presence with us always. Our church is open every

Thursday from 9:00am to 10:00pm. Take an hour or more or less to visit Christ—He is patiently waiting for all of us.

Submitted By:

Mary Lou Denman - 2010

Advent Schedule

Penance Service:

Dec. 6th: St John the Baptist at 10am Dec. 10th: St John the Apostle at 7pm Dec. 13th: Christ The King at 10am

Dec. 19th: St Philip Benizi at 7pm

Christmas Mass:

24th: Family Mass at 5pm 24th: Vigil Mass at 10pm

25th: Christmas Day at 9am

Jan. 1st: Mary Mother of God - Holy Day of Obligation - 9am Mass

Parish Happenings

Youth Sponsored Mass

Fourth Sunday of each month at

10:30am mass

Adoration

Thursdays from 9:00am-10pm

Divine Mercy Chaplet 3pm

Scriptural Rosary 8pm

RCIA

In the Parish Center on Tuesdays at 7pm

Social Justice Commission News Greetings from the Social Justice Commission: Thank you for filling out our survey. The

top 3 topics you selected were--Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Option For The Poor and Vulnerable, and the Call to Family, Community, and Participation.

Father Chun will talk about the importance of family, community and involvement addressing the topic Call to Family, Community, and Participation you selected from our

survey. He will be speaking on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 7:00-8:30pm in the parish hall. Coffee and cookies will be served. A donation at the door will be appreciated to defray the cost of the speaker.

Future topics will be discussed if we get a productive response on Nov. 5th-so please attend.

Love in Christ, Becky Wooten and Tuc Alexander

Spirit Mountain Casino

Sunday, November 16th

Bus leaves St. Philip Benizi at 12:30pm

Bus returns around 9:00pm

SPB parishioners, family and friends -

join the group and enjoy a day/evening of fun!

The $20.00 per person fee goes to the SPB Youth Group.

Sign up sheets are in the Church and Parish Center.

BeNiZi NooZ is published by St. Philip Benizi Parish Communications Commission. Comments and suggestions may be sent to the parish office.

St. Philip Benizi—Redland 18211 S. Henrici Rd. Oregon City OR 97045

Office Hours: 8am - 3:30 Monday,

8am - 5:30pm Tues.-Thursday, 8:00 am - Noon Friday

Phone: 503-631-2882

Fax: 503-631-7443

stphilipbenizi_redland@archdpdx.org

www.philipbenizi.org

Mass Schedule Mon., Wed.- Fri. 8:00am

Tuesday 6:30pm

Saturday 5:30 Vigil

Sunday 8:00 & 10:30am

First Saturday of every month

Anointing of the Sick - 8:00am Mass

Mass times anywhere: 800-627-7846

www.masstimes.org

Reconciliation Saturday 4:30 - 5:00pm

Eucharistic Adoration Thursday 9:00am to 10:00pm

Merry Christmas!

From the staff of St. Philip Benizi

St Philip Benizi Mission Statement

The Primary and only purpose of the Church is that of Jesus Christ

who came into the world to fulfill the will of His Father. Thereby

this becomes the mission of St. Philip Benizi parish, to proclaim the

kingdom of God, to build up the parish community as a witness of

God’s love and care for the world, to be the invitation to become

what God has called us to be.

This mission is best accomplished through individuals working with

others who accept the same purpose. This forms a parish

community and the work achieved with the guidance of the Spirit is

called ministry. In this way we are directed to work toward God’s

purpose of “wanting all men to be saved and come to the knowledge

of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)

Since the inception of St Philip Benizi, volunteers have been a

mainstay of the smooth functioning of the parish as we strive to

fulfill the St Philip Benizi Mission Statement.

You are the hands that bring the body of Christ to those who

hunger for the Bread of Life. You are the catechists who I

introduce the great truths of our faith to our youth and others.

You are the voices that proclaim God’s Word.