A Walk on the
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And Now for Something Completely Different:
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In this sectionThe Devotion to The Divine Mercy in Sauk Centre: In a community dedicated to the Mercy of God, a carving of the Merciful Jesus as shown to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. You'll also find the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy and the Novena to The Divine Mercy, both from St. Faustina's diary, a homily on The Divine Mercy, and a growing collection of reflections on The Divine Mercy. St. Faustina Adoration Chapel in Sauk Centre: Spending time with Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament, is a traditional Catholic devotion called Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Catholic Christians have been sitting up with Jesus here since Divine Mercy Sunday of 2002. The article on the St. Faustina Adoration Chapel includes Why Eucharistic Adoration? - why spending time in the Saint Faustina Adoration Chapel is a good idea. Catholic Events in Sauk Centre, Minnesota: Catholics draw on two millennia of traditions and a global selection of cultures. Sometimes this heritage gets expressed in a special event. |
On this pageMass Schedules for parishes in the Sauk Centre, Minnesota, area: Day-to-day worship. A few words about bathtub Madonnas," a budget-friendly expression of faith. The Evil Cling-Ons: A homily delivered on Ash Wednesday. Experiences in Homa Bay, Kenya: The Our Lady of the Angels parish in Sauk Centre and the Migori parish in the Homa Bay diocese have started a special relationship within the St. Cloud / Homa Bay partnership. A young member of the Our Lady of the Angels parish shares her experiences in Kenya. Knights of Columbus in Sauk CentreThe local Knights of Columbus council launched their website April 4, 2004. |
St. Paul's Church |
Our Lady of The Angels Church |
St. Alexius Church |
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Marian statues aren't at all uncommon around here. This is a nicely-done Marian display in a south-side Sauk Centre yard. You can see that the traditional setting for the statue is shaped quite a bit like an old-fashioned bathtub. Not everyone can afford good brickwork and plastering, though.
Folks will often use an out-of-service bathtub, set it in the ground, paint the inside blue, and use the result as a setting for a statue. Quite a few years ago, someone started calling budget-friendly displays of that sort "bathtub Madonnas."
Our Lady of the Angels church in Sauk Centre started Lent with this homily, delivered Ash Wednesday, February 09, 2005.
"Let us lay aside every encumbrance on sin which clings to us." (Heb. 12:1)
Many people spend much time and money trying to shed the extra pounds that cling to them. They go on weight loss programs where they will stop eating fatty foods, give up snacks, get up early and work out, or jog several miles at a time. They'll do whatever it takes, even to the point of undergoing surgery, because they understand that without the extra weight they will prolong their life and feel free, vitally strong and healthy again.
It is far more critical to lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to you. (Heb. 12:1; Bar. 1:20) If you are spiritually obese, the Church offers these proven sin-loss programs:
(I'm not sure what Deacon Kaas's source for this homily was. Brian H. Gill, webmaster.)
presented by Rachel Lauer on the 78th World Mission Sunday, October 24, 2004
I would like to start with the prayer that Jesus gave us:
Baba Yetu uliye mbinguni,
Jina lako litukuzwe,
Ufalme wako ufike,
Utakalo lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni
Utupe leo mkate wetu wa kila siku,
Utusamehe makosa yetu,
Kama tunavyowasamehe na sisi waliotukosea.
Usitutie katika kishawishi,
Lakini utuopoe maovuni.
Amina.
Just in case you haven't figured it out, that was the "Our Father" in Kiswahili.
Today is World Mission Sunday and I am thankful for the opportunity to share with you some of my experiences in Kenya. I would like to especially focus on St. Joseph's Catholic Parish in Migori, with whom our two parishes have started a special relationship within the St. Cloud / Homa Bay partnership. I was in Kenya for two weeks and spent five days with the people of Migori.
I found all the people in Migori very welcoming. As I would arrive, the women would surround me and dance and sing and clap. It is impossible for all the parishioners to travel into St. Joseph's parish, so they have something called out-stations. This is a smaller community that worships in a church together but does not have a priest on a regular basis. I was able to travel to many of them and was always honored as a special guest. At one out-station, they taught me how to make bricks for a new church they were building. At another, I experienced how they plowed their fields using oxen. Yet another group showed me how to weave baskets, prepare food, and make clay cooking pots.
Having experienced their daily life, one major difference was how they dealt with time. Where we are constantly rushing from place to place and keeping a tight schedule, they gather for an event and it starts when everyone gets there and ends when it's all over. Time has a different meaning. They live at a slower pace and spend a lot of time visiting. While this was quite frustrating to some members of the delegation, we soon learned to use it to our own advantage: mainly to catch up on sleep!
Another experience that really stands out in my mind happened at one of the out-stations. During my visit in general, many young people did poetry and songs about the AIDS problem But it really came alive for me when I was taking photos of the children at the out-station. The first group consisted of about 80 children. Then they put together another group of about 60 children. Later they told me that the second group was all the AIDS orphans from that out-station. This really drove home how serious the AIDS problem is.
The most powerful impression of the people in Kenya was their incredibly deep faith. Here in the United States, we have so much stuff that we can fool ourselves into thinking that we can get along without God, but they need God to survive day to day and it is so apparent in the way they live and worship. When I see their faith, I do not see poor people, but people who live life richly with God.
These few glimpses of experiences and impressions that I have shared are only a small part of all that I encountered in Africa. I plan to do another presentation with pictures, videos, and hands on items from my trip at a later date. I want to thank all of you for allowing me to represent you in Migori and for all your prayers and financial support. As they would say in Kenya, Erokamano.
Thank you.
Rachel Lauer
A Walk on the Catholic SideDevotion to The Divine Mercy | St. Faustina Adoration Chapel | Catholic Events |
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Read about "The Da Vinci Code:" History as it Never Was. ("imaginative" is the kindest way to describe the story)
Brian H. Gill is the webmaster for Brendan's Island and this page.
You can send a message on the contact page.
This page last updated: April 01, 2012