Memos from Father Francis
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TO: Persons who expressed interest in collaborating on spiritual life programs at STM FROM: Fr. Francis Tiso, Parochial Vicar and Campus Minister Last night at Mercy High School I started the first of a series of 6 lectures on “Prayer and Spirituality” the School of Pastoral Leadership. I made the observation that the spiritual life is something like digestion: The raw facts of our daily lives are the “food” ---- the digestive enzymes are like the Church’s teachings on morality, the sacraments, the virtues, the liturgy, and other aspects of the spiritual path ---- and the assimilation of the nutrients released by “digestion” is holiness. The whole process is called “the spiritual life” of a Catholic Christian. Since you all expressed interest in spiritual life issues, I would like to invite you all to a meeting at the Rectory on the evening of October 2, 2002 at 7:30 PM to compare notes on the various interests, gifts, and ministries that you would like to undertake or are already undertaking in the STM community. You can also bring an interested friend! Some other events of interest: Courses on Spirituality and Prayer (six weeks from Sept. 19 to Oct. 24 at Mercy High School); the same course will be repeated at Serra High School in San Matteo from Tues. Oct. 29 to Dec. 10. Foundations of Catholicism will be offered from Sept. 17 to Oct. 22 at Serra High School and will be repeated at Mercy High School from Oct. 31 to Dec. 12. These two courses are fundamental to an understanding of the Catholic Christian spiritual path; they are based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. On Sept. 21, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM, there will be a training program for Readers, Eucharistic Ministers, and Altar Servers in the church. On Sept. 26, at the regular 5:30 PM Mass, I will discuss spiritual healing and bless oils that you may bring to the Mass on the Feast of Ss. Cosmas and Damian, patrons of the healing professions. On Sept. 28, there will be a Newman Club organizational meeting at the Rectory from 11:30 to 1:30. On Oct. 19 in Santa Rosa there will be a Marian-Eucharistic Conference at the Flamingo Resort Hotel. I will be presenting a conference on the Catholicity of the Apostolic Church (that is, the historical facts that demonstrate that the institution known as the Catholic Church really possesses, in faith, in sacraments, in structure, in practices, in teachings, an uninterrupted continuity with the church founded by Jesus and the Apostles. This is something that some people find … shocking, so it should be fun. Fr. Francis |
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