October 7, 2012

Announcements

TAIZÉ PRAYER All are welcome to our monthly Taizé Prayer this Friday at 7:30pm in the Chapel. An hour of meditative singing, silence, and prayer.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm Joseph Komonchak, formerly Professor of theology at Catholic University of America, will speak at Newman on "Interpreting Vatican II.” Thanks to the Jesuit and Dominican Schools at the GTU for making Joe's appearance possible.

CELEBRATING MYSTERY Parishioner Dan Cawthon, professor emeritus at Saint Mary's College, will lead a morning of reflection for Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Musicians, and all Liturgical Ministers, on Saturday morning, October 13, 9:30 to 11:45 in the Hecker Room. The theme of his reflections will be "Celebrating Mystery--in the Liturgy and in our Lives." All parishioners are welcome to attend.

ATTENTION KNITTERS AND NON–KNITTERS Do you like to knit? Crouchet? Want to learn to knit and help the homeless or less fortunate? We are starting a group here at Newman, in conjunction with His Hand and Feet Ministries, to knit scarves hats and much more for our friends in need in the community. We would like to gauge interest with a meeting here at Newman Sunday, Nov. 4th after the 9:30 a.m. mass. If you would like to be a part of this project, even simply by donating yarn or other materials, please contact Linda at (510) 967-3676 or linda.castronovo@yahoo.com for more information.

INTERESTED IN DEEPENING YOUR PRAYER LIFE? Have you ever wanted to make the 30-day Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius but simply could not get away for that long? The 19th Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises is another way to experience this gift of St. Ignatius. This is mainly a journey, through prayer, in which a deeper, more intimate relationship with God is experienced. Please contact Antoinette (Toni) Betschart at 510 502-1256 if you wish to learn more about the 19th Annotation or have questions.

LGBT CATHOLICS "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me..." (Luke 4:18). Please join the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Catholics as we share of favorite passages from Luke's Gospel on the Feast of Saint Luke. We meet Thursday, October 16 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the lounge upstairs. For more information on the group or to get on our email list, contact Antonio Salas at (510) 663-6302 or LGBT_Newman@yahoo.com. All are welcome!

LIFE SUPPORT NEEDED Birthright of San Lorenzo needs funds to help them continue serving women in a crisis pregnancy by offering an alternative to abortion. Birthright has served women in crisis since 1996. Hundreds of mothers and babies have been helped. We need volunteers and funds to keep our doors open to coninute to guide young women in finding workable solutions, so that they can give birth to their babies and face the future with dignity and hope. For more information contact Rosanne Maki, Executive Director at (510) 487-9677.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS Oct. 22nd will see the Diocese of Oakland’s first-ever Wedding Anniversary Mass, to coincide with the Diocese’s own 50th Anniversary. Fr George Mockel will celebrate mass at 4:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in downtown Oakland, including a renewal of wedding vows, for couples celebrating 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 (or more) years of marriage. Reception to follow in the conference center. For more information or registration, go to www.anniversarymass.info

EXTENDING YOUR COMPASSION A workshop for women and men interested in serving pregnant teens and adults who are without resources will be held at the Cathedral of Christ the Light on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 8:30-2:00 p.m. We will learn about the pressures unsupported pregnant women face, and gain skills in inviting them into a helping relationship characterized by acceptance and compassion. The workshop is sponsored by The Gabriel Project of our diocese. Attendance is free. Call Roberta Gannon at 510-601-6805 for more info.

GETTING MARRIED? The Church requires couples to go through a Marriage Preparation program, and Newman's is coming up. Two Saturdays: Oct 13th and 27th, from 9 a.m.—3 p.m. It's led by a few parish couples, and it's a great opportunity for engaged couples to discuss how their married life can grow. More info: Fr. Bernie or Howard/Katherine, 510-525-5231.

NONVIOLENT PEACEMAKING GROUP The Nonviolent Peacemaking Group invites you to join us for a viewing of a new film “Franz Jägerstätter" on Monday, Oct. 22nd at 7:00 p.m. Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer, devoted husband and father, and devout Catholic, was executed in 1943 for refusing to serve in the Nazi army. Beatified in 2007, this saint of our time is an inspiring example to all who struggle to follow the nonviolent Jesus.

SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR 2013 CORAZON Corazon is a non-profit organization that helps build community in impoverished areas of Northern Mexico, with the building of homes, education, and training. The 2012 Corazon mission trip was a resounding success with the high school, college, and adult parishioners from Newman Holy Spirit and St. Augustine’s. We are seeking volunteers early for the 2013 Corazon mission set for April 26-28th. Hopefully this will allow more time to set the date in your calendar, complete the paperwork, and fundraise for this rewarding event. There are already 30 volunteers from St. Augustine parish committed for Corazon 2013! Please contact Robert Englund at 510- 910-1620 or Robskyi@aol.com if you have questions. I hope you will consider this transformative work.

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Some years ago the distinguished New Testament scholar, Pheme Perkins who had majored as an undergraduate in physics, took her sabbatical at Cornell University. One evening she attended a lecture by Cornell's most famous professor, the physicist Carl Sagan. Professor Sagan, in addition to his scientific work and his extraordinary gifts at popularizing science, had also been an ardent, rigorous critic of all religion. Sagan was losing his battle with cancer but was now deeply committed to saving the planet from humans' nuclear proclivities. In fact he enlisted the "Great Religious Traditions" in his efforts for a non-nuclear world. At the end of his lecture that evening Pheme engaged him, not on his networking efforts, but on a more basic question. "Doctor Sagan, given your fundamental stance as an avowed atheist that the world and all her participants–animal, vegetable and mineral–are mere accidents of no significance or enduring meaning, why do you care about a nuclear free world?"

In this season of political debates one could readily recognize Perkins' question as a "gotcha" question. Yet I would think that Perkins and all thoughtful believers and especially Catholics would avoid all lingering in smug superiority. The point is that Sagan was trying to evoke a better world and distinctly not for himself, he knew that the cancer that he had fought mightily for years had won. That effort should give us pause, yes prayerful pause of thanksgiving and praise for a gracious God who gives us the ground and energy (often in the face of considerable obstacles) for hope.

Just this week a dear friend, whom I have known since she was in high school and whom I married to her remarkable husband 27 years ago, sent me a flyer for her new play, LUZ, being produced at the LAMAMA theater in New York. The flyer describes the play, "From a garbage dump in Guatemala City, to the tent cities of Haiti, to the toxic ponds where birds expire, Luz, Helene and Zia-survivors of targeted violence–with the help of a human rights lawyer, Alexandra, search for hope in the unlikeliest, in between places." I can just picture a New Yorker cartoon with a character pondering this off-Broadway offering and saying to their spouse, "I don't think this is a musical, dear."

No, perhaps not a "mega-hit" with Tony awards, Oscars or Emmys abounding, but Catherine and countless other gifted people in our midst (ourselves included!) keep honing their moral vision through the discipline of their lives and professions. This is enough for us to be reminded of that continuing effort in our all too frequently numbed age. To be reminded into thanksgiving and praise to a God who thinks us (!!) worthy of all love and delight.

Bernard J. Campbell, CSP