Each summer the people of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church invite their friends and neighbors in the Manchester, Michigan area to a gathering to explain and clarify what the Catholic Church is and what it is not. Deacon Dennis Walters of St. Mary’s, who will lead the sessions, asks inquirers to consider a quote by Bishop Fulton Sheen, the famous television priest from the 1950s. “There are not 100 people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are many who hate what they wrongly think the Catholic Church to be,” he once said. Walters says the sessions will address common misconceptions such as thinking that Catholics don’t have to read the Bible, don’t accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, practice human traditions rather than God-ordained worship, worship Mary, or follow a religion of rules and regulations rather than faith in Christ. Walters states these notions are “all wrong” and that even Catholics would reject a church that taught them. I think this is a terrific idea especially in light of the Church's current situation on the world stage. It extends the call by Jesus to go out and spread the word as individuals. Many of us do not feel equipped or prepared to carry out our discipleship duties. This method provides a nice starting point that leans heavily on the leadership. I am praying that the folks in Manchester become so empowered by the sessions that each of them takes their show on the road. In addition, I am praying that this effort be duplicated the world over. We can do this, we just need to take the first step.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...
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