July 13, 2008

Dear friends in life and in ministry . . .

I'm sending this email on Saturday night before heading for bed. Its been a very full day which included a Funeral Mass, a 25th wedding anniversary renewal of vows and a brief stop at the I-86 Rest Stop near Campbell, NY where my Rotary Club and the local Quota Club were handing out free coffee to travelers.

Reality Check . . .
The wedding renewal was a trip back in time. Suzanne Carnegie was a member of Celebrate Life, a church based music group that I directed from 1968 through 1984. At the time,(mid 70's) she was a teen - likely 16 or 17 years of age. After college and traveling with Up with People, Sue met Bob Buelow and 25 years ago married. Although I'm now 64, (didn't the Beatles sing a song about that age), it still blows my mind that "kids" who were part of Celebrate Life are old enough to be married a quarter century. Get the room in the nursing home ready. Time flies when you having fun and growing old.

I am really enjoying spending time with our new sacramental minister Fr. Jim Jaeger and his 14 year old boxer Grace Anne. I'm also eating very well as Fr. Jim loves to grill and both Grace Anne and I share in this blessing.

Have a great week. Stay cool!

July 13, 2008 - Faith, Politics and the Presidency

Since it is an election year, and a presidential election year at that, we are once inundated with statements from both the John McCain and Barach Obama camps on a vast number of issues. One of the issues that has risen to the forefront is the religious faith and values of the candidates.

The “values” issues that so impassioned the “religious right” in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, seem to have taken a back seat to soaring gas prices, a tanking economy and of course, the Iraq war.

We are a nation of deep religious faith and most of us would like our political leaders to be people of religious faith - even if they do not share all of the doctrinal beliefs that direct our personal spirituality.

At the same time, we can see what happens in countries such as Iran where religious fundamentalism controls a political system. That’s why I get squeamish when some religious leaders speak of this being a “Christian” county when in fact we are a multicultural country which respects religious diversity and keeps a strong and intentional separation of Church and State.

I am not alone in fearing those who would make the United States a “Christian” nation at the expense of our Jewish, Muslim and frankly agnostic brothers and sisters.

Diana Butler Bass is author of Christianity for the Rest of Us (Harper One, 2006) and regularly contributes to the Sojourners Magazine. Here is how she addresses this issue:

“Americans need to understand that the relationship between religion and politics is a malleable one - there are few clear-cut rules regarding their interplay. The U.S. is neither a "Christian Nation" in the way it is popularly interpreted, nor is it ruled by a rigid separation of church and state. Neither cultural war stereotype is entirely true or entirely false. Rather, when it comes to religion and politics, we live in a perpetual state of creative tension. Throughout our history, faith and politics have created an often nuanced interplay of fine and sometimes conflicting lines—an interplay that requires discernment on the part of politicians, courts, and voters.

As a serious Christian, it matters to me that the president of the U.S. is a moral person with a mature conscience, and that he or she brings broadly shared ethical insights (along with other insights) to political issues. It does not, however, matter by what tradition that moral conscience has been formed as long as the office holder supports the Constitution. In the U.S., broadly shared political ethics generally include such things as respect for all human persons, a commitment to national and global justice, and developing national capacities of happiness, freedom, and liberty for all citizens. This is not a religious creed or a Bible verse. These are commonly held values that we have struggled for throughout our history. In our context, these values arose originally from diverse Christian traditions, but today numerous American faith traditions can assent to them. Although the founders never imagined the variety of religions in the contemporary U.S., they nevertheless opened the door for a creative political pluralism in the 21st century. We should not be electing a theologian-in-chief. We need to elect a good president.

Of course, voters have the right to ask about candidates' religious views, and politicians have the right to talk about those views. But when such rights verge on becoming a faith test, then we begin to sacrifice the wisdom of our political system in favor of a testimony that more rightly belongs in church. And a big part of that wisdom is that our president does not make theological affirmations that exclude millions of Americans on Inauguration Day. “

Vacation Bible School

This is a Vacation Bible School week at St. Mary’s. Monday through Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. the Holy Sprit will be in the spotlight as preschoolers - adults. Mary Carol Wall and her VBS team of Paula Gardner, Mary McConnell, Tess McKinley, Birgitt Wolf-King and others will sing, play, create and act out scripture based on other diocesan theme: “Spirit Alive! The week will conclude at Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. Mass when the kids will assist me in proclaiming three parables that make up the Gospel: the Parable of the Good Seed, the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast added to flour. Our music for the week will include songs from Godspell, some of my very favorite music.

Saturday, July 19 - 5 PM - Pavilion

I hope that you will join us for this special Mass and then head for the Pavilion and our Parish Picnic. Remember, if you are able to do so, please bring a dish to share. We’ll supply hamburgers, hot dogs and cold drinks.

UNFAIR Weekend . . . At Last!

Today following our 9:30 a.m. Mass, all those who helped make our St. Mary’s UNFAIR a success are invited to O’Malley Hall for a special treat. Especially invited are our Co-Chairs, Assistant Chairs, Captains, Volunteers and everyone else whose donation of $25 or more entitles them to a chance at our Grand Prizes of $1000, $500 and $250 in Gas or Groceries.

We will also draw for our new Bonus Prize - Chef Extraordinaire Rev. James P. Jaeger will prepare a Dinner for Four at the Rectory for one lucky entry. If by chance you have not yet entered the UNFAIR Raffle, you may do so immediately after Mass on Saturday or Sunday by making a gift of at least $25.

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to Steve and Jennifer (Rial) Orcutt who were married in our church on Saturday, July 5th. Steve is a life long member of our parish who serves on our Building and Grounds Committee and is active in the Knights of Columbus.

Have a restful mid-summer week. Serve each other well!

Deacon Ray

UPDATE:

On Monday,July 14, Fr. Richard Shatzel was released from Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse where he underwent surgery for treatment of Pulmonary Embolisms in his lungs. Surgeons performed cardiac bypass and removed a kidney from which the blood clots had apparently originated. He is now recovering at his rectory home in Aurora.

Send cards to:

Fr. Richard Shatzel
Good Shepherd Catholic Community PO Box 296, Main Street
Aurora, NY 13026.

Click image for printable document... (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed)   (Click Here For Sent To Serve Archives)

Bulletin: July 13th, 2008