Author: Daniel

Mission to Georgia

Daniel

Readers of 52 Masses may remember my visit to St. John Paul II Mission Church in Rutledge, Tennessee, where the St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic made a stop. SJP II is a mission church of the Glenmary Home Missioners, a wonderful group that brings the faith to areas of the U.S. where it hasn’t been before.

When Kem and I relocated to the Cincinnati area, we happened to become near-neighbors with the Glenmarians, which I’ve taken full advantage of. I’ve been there numerous times for Mass over the past year. I really admire their mission.

During the course of getting to know some of the staff, I was asked if I would be interested in writing for the Glenmary Challenge magazine. I happened to be traveling to Atlanta for work, so I did a one-day detour to Blakely, Georgia, to write about Franciscan Sisters Imelda Ngwitu and Ancilla Abonyo, who have come from their native Kenya to assist the Glenmarians in their mission in Georgia.

If you would like to read about the sisters and their work, you can follow find it on the Glenmary site at this address:

MISSION TO GEORGIA

Restavek Freedom

Daniel

Last night, the Justice and Peace Commission of St. John the Evangelist welcomed parishioner Rebecca Byrne to speak about her work with Restavek Freedom. The organization is working to end the abhorrent practice of child slavery in Haiti.

As a result of the abject poverty many rural Haitians endure, mothers often will turn over their children to families in Port-au-Prince and other cities, where they end up as indentured servants. Many are abused, both physically and sexually.

Restavek (the name for the practice) Freedom works to buy the children out of slavery, allowing them to attend school. It’s also built learning centers throughout the country, which continues to be beset by chaos in the capital city.

It was a sobering, but important talk, and I salute Rebecca and the rest of the Restavek employees, both Americans and Haitians, as they work to rid the country of this scourge. Their goal, she said, was for the group to become obsolete.

For more information on the organization, visit https://restavekfreedom.org/about/.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Daniel

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, quite naturally, brought a larger number than usual to Mass this afternoon at St. John the Evangelist, my home parish. No photos from there, but it gives me a chance to use another photo from my summer trip to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in nearby Perryville, Mo. The shrine features a ring of statues of Mary from all around the world.

This is Our Lady of Fatima.

Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us.