On Tuesday morning, my mom, Agnes Defendorf was admitted to Highland Hospital in Rochester with pneumonia. She was being treated with antibiotics, morphine and oxygen. After two days of little progress in fighting the pneumonia, Mom was placed on "comfort care" and now hospice care at Highland. She mostly sleeps now but is faintly responsive to us.
I suspect that today or tomorrow, she will pass to GOD'S LOVING EMBRACE.

Our family thanks you for your prayers.

Also parishioner and friends Jo Warren and Bonnie Hogan passed this week.
If I am able, I will preach at Jo's funeral on Monday and Bonnie's on Tuesday. I've told Mom that while we'd like a month's notice, this week she'll have to take a number.

God is so good to give me these opportunities to celebrate the promises of faith with confidence and love.

Blessings to all . . .

My Sent to Serve column this week can be accessed by clicking the image to the right. . Click the image to the right for our printable column (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed)

August 14, 2005

Once upon a time, there was a famine in the land. People hoarded their food and hid it from neighbors and friends. One day, a stranger arrived in the village, all hungry and disheveled. He went from door to door looking for someone to take him in and give him something to eat. One after the other, the villagers told him they too were starving and so could not help him.

It was not until he reached the last house in the village that the poor woman who lived there told him that all she had left was water but he was welcome to share the water. He said that was more than enough. Then he told her that he had a magic stone with which he could make enough soup to feed the whole village. The starving old woman was excited and went to alert her neighbors. The stranger filled a large pot with the water and threw a round shiny stone into it. Villagers supplied the firewood and surrounded the large cooking pot to see the miracle of the Stone Soup.

The Stone Soup cooked and the hungry villages waited. Then the stranger tasted the cooking soup and said loudly, “Ahhh!, I love this Stone Soup. Of course, Stone Soup with a little cabbage is hard to beat.” Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he had retrieved from its hiding place. He gave it to the stranger to add to the pot. “Wonderful!” cried the stranger, “I once had some Stone Soup with cabbage which had some onions in it that made it fit for a king!” Soon a second villager appeared with some onions and garlic for the soup. On and on he went, through “If only we had a few potatoes...How wonderful it might be with a couple of carrots” and so on. At last, there was a delicious meal for all.

The villagers offered the stranger a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell it and traveled on the next day. He probably made Stone Soup at the next village, too. Soon the famine ended but the people of the village never forgot about the finest soup they ever had.
When each of us contribute a little, we can feed the whole world village.

The stone soup is now cooking. A big thank you to all of you who have contributed a cabbage here, an onion there, and even a pork-chop - or who have returned their Sacrificial Giving Estimate for the 2005—2006 fiscal year. So far about 50 parishioners have let us know what they plan to give each week beginning September 1. These estimates will allow our finance committee and me to see what we will have to do next to assure a balanced (deficit free) budget.

The miracle of the stone soup is brewing. If you are standing by and watching to see whether the soup is real, I have news for you. This is the week to add your potato or garlic and make our soup heavenly, fit for the children of God. Please drop you sacrificial giving estimate form in the collection basket this week or mail or drop it off at the office.

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SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY

I’ll be continuing my Summertime disappearing act over the next few weeks as I spend weekends and a few other days each week at the Catholic House at The Chautauqua Institution. I’ve described Chautauqua as “Disneyland” for people interested in Religion, Politics, Music and the Arts. A few week’s
back we attended an opera “The Crucible” and Arlo Guthrie’s 40th
Anniversary “Alice’s Restaurant” Reunion Concert on the same evening.
Friday night’s entertainment was Christian singer Michael W. Smith and on our last weekend here comedian Bob Newhart and Pat and Debby Boone. Each day also includes daily Mass, an ecumenical worship service attended by about 1000 people, lectures by world class thinkers and theologians, and concerts by Chautauqua’s own Symphony, Chorus, and Ballet.

Each week, Catholic House provides lodging for two priest chaplains and as many as twelve guests. Pat and I (whenever I “disappear”) serve as house-managers and sacristans at two daily Masses. This has been a truly great opportunity for Pat whose many tasks include tending the Catholic House Garden which was voted the most beautiful in all of Chautauqua.

Last week’s chaplains were Fr. Tim Keating, who many may recall from his years at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua and Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries, O.S.B. of Cleveland. On Thursday and Friday afternoon, one of our chaplains gives a lecture to the Catholic Community in the chapel of the nearby (and much larger United Methodist House. Our guests come from throughout the United States. Thanks to my wonderful staff and of course Fr. Erb whose presence has made this experience possible.

Hope your Summer is going well. Have a good week. Serve one another well.

I pray that you will enjoy this visit, and if you like,
                                          E-Mail me with your comments

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