Thanks be to God, many of you did respond to the campaign appeal, even though it was a very difficult time to launch it. We had pledges of nearly $900,000 – less than our goal of 1.3 million but more than we had dared to hope for at a time of almost unprecedented economic recession. What is more, you have honored your pledges so that your gifts are a sign of faith as well as love. Gradually the payments on the pledges have been coming in, and earlier this year the Diocesan authorities began to distribute the money: 35% to the Diocesan projects which Bishop Wenski outlined and 65% to our own parish projects. The latest statement from the parish’s Alive in Christ account showed that we now have $119,000 and I feel it is time to begin meeting some of the needs of parish and school that we identified at the beginning of the campaign.

My first step will be to form a small committee to decide on priorities, to invite bids and to see the work to completion. The campaign concentrated on three major areas: school facility improvements, updating of Bishop Grady Hall and an educational endowment fund. We want to make sure that each of those concerns is honored so the committee members will be drawn from both parish and school communities, although at Saint Charles there is a great deal of overlap. Fortunately we have many people with expertise in the different aspects of construction projects so the committee will be able to get their advice and we will also be able to consult with the diocesan building department. Building costs have fallen in the last two years so we will be looking to get real value for our money. This is an exciting moment for the parish. Many thanks to all of you who have made it possible, and as things develop I will keep you informed.

Fr. Augustine

In the ancient, Greek-speaking Church this day was called the koimesis or “falling asleep” of Mary. Translated into Latin it was called the dormitio (again with the idea of sleeping, in order to emphasize that the passing of Mary through death was like a brief nap before she entered into heaven). It has been celebrated in both East and West from the 5th century onwards, perhaps even earlier, and although a tomb of Mary is venerated in Jerusalem it is, like that of Jesus, an empty tomb, and no city has claimed to have the relics of Mary. The meaning of the Assumption is that she was taken up to heaven at the end of her life, just as Jesus rose after his death and then ascended into heaven.

In spite of the long history of devotion it was only in 1950 that the Pope declared the Assumption to be a Catholic dogma – that is, something to be believed by all Catholics for all time as an article of faith. First, in 1946 Pope Pius XII sent an encyclical letter to all the Bishops of the world asking whether they felt the time had come to define the dogma of the Assumption. Almost unanimously they gave their support, so in1950, which was a Holy Year in Rome, on the Feast of All Saints the Holy Father promulgated the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (Latin for “The most bountiful God”) which included these infallible words of solemn teaching:

By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

Unlike me, some of you will remember that pronouncement, which was warmly welcomed by Catholics all over the world (your Pastor, of course, is too young…unfortunately only just!). However I do remember a homily which Pope John Paul II gave at Lourdes on this day in 2004, just two weeks before I came to settle in America. He quoted John 14:3 as one of the scriptural bases for understanding the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.” The Assumption is the fulfillment of Christ’s promise in his Blessed Mother; and she has become a sign for us, a loving Mother who encourages us to press on so that Christ’s promise can be fulfilled in our lives as well.

Fr. Augustine

Registration forms were mailed out on August 7, 2010. If you have not received a Family Faith Formation Registration Form in the mail and plan on having your child/ren enrolled, please contact Sr. Marie as soon as possible so that we can order adequate supplies and materials.

Please click here to download the registration form.

Tuition: For enrolling one child in the program, the cost is $60. For 2 or more children, the cost of enrollment is $80. This tuition may be paid in installments.

If you have not received a registration form, please contact Sr. Marie.

Opening Session: The opening session for parents and children will be Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the Church. This will include the celebration of the Eucharist. Sharing group sessions for children in public school (grades K-12) take place on most Wednesdays through May 11, 2011.

The day will feature 26 for all those who minister. All those interested in attending, please contact Sr. Marie in the parish office.

For more information, please download the DFFD’s brochure and registration form.

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us the form and substance of prayer. Prayer is a dialogue that deepens our personal and intimate relationship with God. Prayer and reflection are the foundation of a well formed faith life and help us in the discernment of gifts and from whom all gifts come.

“Formation”

Recognition of the need for life long faith formation is an important component for effective ministry in the parish community. By sharing unique charisms of ministry and gifts of individuals a new collaborative model is possible. Several diocesan ministries will discuss formation and discipleship within a panel forum.

“Our Catholic Faith: Mission, Formation and Ministry” is scheduled for August 27/28 at Holy Family Catholic Church (5125 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd. Orlando, FL 32819). It costs only $25 per person (spouse an additional $10). This conference will be presented in English and in Spanish and will offer a deeper invitation to fully engage our call to discipleship.

For more information contact: eclayton@orlandodiocese.org or see: www.orlandodiocese.org/collaborative_ministry/index.php, where registration information is available.

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

The song was largely unknown outside of Shaker communities until it was used by Aaron Copland in his score for Martha Graham’s ballet “Appalachian Spring” in 1944. Then Copland used “Simple Gifts” a second time in 1950 in his first set of Old American Songs for voice and piano, which was later orchestrated. Since then “Simple Gifts” has been adapted many times, perhaps most famously by the English songwriter Sydney Carter, who made an arrangement of the Shaker tune for “Lord of the Dance” in 1963.

Formal dancing was part of Shaker worship, which is why there is reference to bowing, bending and turning in the song. The turning is also an expression of our need for conversion, turning back to God. The words speak of simplicity, freedom and coming down “where we ought to be” – presumably that means seeing ourselves in the light of God, recognizing our smallness and placing our trust in Him rather than in ourselves. Then, “when we find ourselves in the place just right” – in God’s hands – we discover that we are in a good place – “the valley of love and delight”. This week’s Gospel, too, encourages us not to be downhearted when we become aware of our weaknesses and limitations. Jesus says “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock” and he tells us to live with expectation of the Lords’ coming. That’s not just about being prepared for the final judgment; it’s about expecting the surprising intervention of God’s grace and blessing every day.

Fr. Augustine

For more information please download the following:

• English flyer
• Spanish flyer

Each convert to the Catholic faith has their own story. Sometimes they are married to a Catholic and have been attending Catholic Masses for several years; perhaps they’ve delayed taking the final step because of fears of hurting Protestant family members but the time comes – for example, when a parent dies – when they know that God is calling them into full communion. Other people may have had no kind of religious upbringing and are not even baptized; they have simply felt the need for God in their lives and the Catholic Church seems the obvious place to encounter God’s love and mercy. Others may have felt dissatisfaction with their own churches and been attracted to the unchanging faith of Catholicism. For others the desire to convert may follow some personal crisis because they have found a welcome in the Catholic community with its emphasis on forgiveness and hope.

In recent years the Catholic Church has reintroduced the process called The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Its purpose is to prepare candidates for adult baptism, confirmation and first communion and also those who were baptized in other churches but now want to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church (a valid Christian baptism is never repeated). At Saint Charles we will begin the process in September and continue until Easter 2011. We will aim to give a complete explanation of the Catholic faith through weekly classes and discussion sessions (taking breaks for holidays). We also provide classes for children of seven and upwards who missed out on baptism as infants.

If you are reading this and are not a Catholic, could this be the moment to consider entry into the great family of the Catholic Church? If you are one of our regular congregation, ask yourself if there are people you know that you could invite to become a Catholic. There will be a meeting for all enquirers to learn more about the process on Thursday August 26th at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room. It’s an opportunity for us to learn a little about your story and for you to ask any questions about the RCIA process. Come with a friend or family member if you like. I’m giving people a month’s notice so that they have time to think about taking this first step. Saint Charles has been blessed with many wonderful people who have come into the parish as converts in the past. Pray that God will bless us with more people who will find both a safe haven and a fulfilling life in the Catholic Church.

Fr. Augustine

“BEFORE all things the Teacher of peace and Master of unity is unwilling for prayer to be made singly and individually, teaching that he who prays is not to pray for himself alone. For we do not say, My Father who art in heaven, nor Give us this day my daily bread, nor does each one ask that his own debt only be remitted, nor does he request for himself alone that he may not be led into temptation and may be delivered from the evil one. Prayer with us is public and common; and when we pray we do not pray for one but for the whole people, because we the whole people are one.

The God of peace and Master of concord who taught unity thus wished one to pray for all, as He Himself bore all in One. This rule of prayer the Three Children observed when shut up in the furnace of fire, for they were in unison in prayer and concordant in unanimity of spirit. Which fact the truth of the sacred Scriptures declares; and when it teaches how such persons prayed, it gives us an example which we ought to imitate in our prayers, that we may be like them. Then those three, it says, as if from one mouth sang a hymn and blessed the Lord (see Daniel 3: 51). They spoke as if from one mouth, although Christ had not yet taught them to pray. And therefore, as they prayed, their words were availing and efficacious, because a quiet, simple, and spiritual prayer pleased the Lord.

Thus too we find that the Apostles and disciples prayed after the Lord’s Ascension: They all continued with one accord in prayer, with the women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren (see Acts 1:14). They continued with one accord in prayer, clearly showing at once by the constancy of their prayer and by its unanimity that God, Who makes men to be of one mind in a house only admits into the divine and eternal house those among whom prayer is unanimous”.

When you need to pray for something important, invite others to pray with you. When we pray with one heart and one mind, as the one People of God, our prayers will be heard.

As I write this, in mid-June and while I am still at Saint Charles, I’ve been putting together some plans for a mini-pilgrimage from July 13 through 17. One of the features of life in Europe in recent years has been the number of small airlines providing cheap flights around the continent (something like JetBlue and Spirit here). My plan is to fly from Bristol to Limoges, in the middle of France (return fare less than $100), accompanied by one of the Downside monks who is an old friend and speaks better French than I do. We will spend the first night at Paray le Monial. It was here, in the Convent of the Visitation Sisters, that Saint Margaret Mary received several revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on 27 December 1673, and the final one 18 months later. The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, adoration of the Host during a Holy Hour, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. I’ve never been there before, but then we will go on for two days at a pilgrimage place which I visited about forty years ago: Ars-sur-Formans, the little village where Saint John Vianney was parish priest for over forty years until his death in 1859. There is a special residence there where priests can stay. The last day will be spent driving back to Limoges (itself a beautiful town with some fine churches) in time to catch a morning flight on Saturday.

My desire to visit these places was awakened by the Year for Priests which has just been concluded. You will remember that Pope Benedict declared that the Year would run from the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 2009 until the same Feast this year; at the same time he named Saint John Vianney as the patron of the Year, which was the 150th anniversary of his death. You could say I am just too late – the Year is over. However, I feel sure that both Paray le Monial and Ars have been places of intense prayer in this last year and perhaps some of that holiness will rub off on me. They remain great places of pilgrimage for all time and I feel privileged to be making this visit to pray for my parish – and, in charity, I should pray too for our neighboring parishes in Winter Park and on OBT which bear the names of Saint Margaret Mary and Saint John Vianney.

Fr. Augustine