*****
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com
Dear Colleagues:
Please let me know how I'm doing.
If you have friends who would like to
receive Colleagues List notices, just send
me their email addresses.
Your recommendation is all I would need
to include them.
--
My Special Item this week is a personal
reflection after attending the ordination
of a Catholic womanpriest at St. David's
United Church, Calgary, last week.
Six colleagues offer contributions, and I
share ten net notes of special discoveries
from the world wide web that may interest you.
share ten net notes of special discoveries
from the world wide web that may interest you.
Ten selections of spiritual wisdom for
the week are offered, and five key events
in history, reported by the New York Times.
For those interested, I offer our developing
Adult Spiritual Development Ministry program
at St. David's, Calgary.
We return to weekly Colleagues List mailings
after our summer and hope you will like
this issue.
this issue.
Enjoy!
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
A PERSONAL REFLECTION
ON ATTENDING THE ORDINATION
OF A CATHOLIC WOMAN PRIEST
The following article is being published
with the approval of the woman ordained
who prefers her name not appear here as
she needs to adjust to a new role in her
Calgary community.
The ordination ceremony was conducted
at St. David's United Church, Calgary on
Friday, August 26th, using leadership
endorsed by the renewal movement -
Roman Catholic Womenpriests:
Roman Catholic Womanpriests Website:
http://romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
The Western Canada region of Womanpriests
is headed by a woman bishop, Marie Evans
Bouclin, who performed the rite of ordination
in apostolic succession according to a churchly
liturgy.
Her associate, friend, and my colleague
- womanpriest Monica Kilburn-Smith -
participated as the community shared
in the new priest's first celebration of
the sacrament of the eucharist, to which
all gathered were invited (including me,
a Protestant).
Womanpriests Canada West - Calgary
http://tinyurl.com/hyn4thg
This link offers a Calgary Herald article on
Calgary womanpriest Monica Kilburn-Smith.
This story appeared in a magazine of the
newspaper several years ago.
If you have any questions about this article,
contact Monica at: gemstones@shaw.ca
---
I have been a friend and supporter of the
womanpriest movement for many years and
view it as an authentic attempt to anticipate
the day when women are fully recognized as
priests in the Roman Catholic Church.
I am also proud that St. David's United, Calgary
could provide Christian sanctuary for this event,
in the classic practice of the catholic tradition.
***
My Thoughts:
Three impressions
A strong sense of an authentic call to the
priesthood on the part of the ordinand -
I had never met the candidate before this
mass but my first impression, which I
always trust, was that of a humble and
deeply committed individual.
Making the decision to become a Catholic
womanpriest was not easy - and will continue
to be challenging - but I sensed she had been
able to work through many things in her
spiritual formation and has a strong sense
of who she is and what will sustain her.
I came to this decision, not just by listening
to her words and observing her deeds during
and after the mass, but - most importantly -
in the way she presented herself. She is a person
of integrity, whose words, deeds and appearance
are integrated. This was quite evident.
I honour her for this. I celebrate her, and
the people who have helped her come to this
point in life and spiritual formation.
--
Evidence of priestly integrity leads to affirmation
of the ordinand by the gathered faith community -
I have worshipped with this Calgary community
in the past but not for a time. I was very
impressed by what I experienced during and
after the mass.
I could see that much preparation had gone into
building the Christian family that birthed and
welcomed this new priestly member on her
special day.
That spirit and quality was also evident in the
episcopal officiant who ordained her and the
collegiality of other clergy who accompanied
her into this new calling.
I come from a church tradition that follows
the reformers who advocated for the priesthood
of the baptized. In this understanding, we are
all ministers to each other (lay and clergy) and
to the world.
That said, God frequently seems to call some of
us to undertake special service. A dual vocation
of leadership and mutual ministry in community
was very apparent here.
I saw no evidence of clericalism (that great
danger to the church where some are considered
institutional Christians of higher status than
others and honoured/protected as such).
Participating in this liturgy offered me the gift
of ecumenism in a most rewarding way. At no
point did I feel excluded.
--
A witness to gracious support of the ordinand
by persons who love and are closest to her -
Ordination rites can be heady experiences!
But the proverbial "morning after" usually
brings us back to reality.
That's when our true friends can appear.
I sensed that the new priest has strong support
from her husband and immediate family with
whom she can always be most intimate and
honest. This is a valuable teaching from the
Protestant tradition that many Catholic
religious today can never fully experience.
May this not be the case for much longer!
Allowing married women and married men
into the diaconate, as Pope Francis seems
to want, is a step in the right direction.
If she is to survive the inevitable turmoil that
confronts those in ministry - and some of that
is created by people you might least expect
to cause difficulty - the ordinand will need
substantive support from those nearest and
dearest.
Ordinations can sometimes be misleading.
They can convey that following the will of
God in our calling will always lead to
happiness and a sense of fulfilment.
Unfortunately, that is not necessarily true.
But I sensed at this unique gathering that
a strong spiritual and practical support-
system is already in place.
Those of us who have experienced some
terror in ministry can only hope and pray
God's great mercy and lovingkindness
upon this new member of the priestly
family.
--
Here is the written greeting I extended to
the ordinand in the church lobby guestbook:
"This is a foretaste of the feast to come."
Amen. May it be so in many ways.
***
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Mark Noll,
Notre Dame Emeritus,
South Bend, IN
Books and Culture,
August, 2016
Mark Noll Interviewed by
Books and Culture,
August, 2016
"The Dean of Christian Scholars"
http://tinyurl.com/zcmo6n2
-
Richard Rohr,
Albuquerque, NM
Via Sojourners Online,
August 25th, 2016
"How God as Trinity Dissolves Racism"
http://tinyurl.com/jfy5mxd
-
Martin Marty,
Chicago, Il.
Sightings,
August 29th, 2016
"Moral Injury"
http://tinyurl.com/hboml2a
-
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Website
August 21st, 2016
"Utopia With Limits"
http://tinyurl.com/z2ogqyk
-
Michael Higgins,
Fairview, CT.
Globe and Mail
September 3rd, 2016
"Mother Teresa, a Simple but
Controversial Religiosity"
http://tinyurl.com/h233sz4
-
Marjorie Gibson,
Vancouver, BC
Marjorie Remembers Blog
August 17th/September 1st, 2016
"Open My Eyes That I May See"
http://tinyurl.com/h5cjjdm
"Roses"
http://tinyurl.com/jrggawj
-
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Weblog
Jim's website is down.
We'll bring him back ASAP.
***
NET NOTES
RELIGION PUBLISHERS
SALUTE HENRI NOUWEN
New Editions to Appear
Publishers Weekly
August 25th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/h3n3lnh
--
INDIAN GOVERNMENT
HEADS DELEGATION
To Roman Canonization
of Teresa of Calcutta
This Weekend
UCA News
August 29th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/zq6vox2
"Mother Teresa, Canonized,
Lives on in the Streets"
New York Times
September 1st, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/zxyhmgy
--
SOBEYS BOYCOTT URGED
BY NS BAPTIST GROUP
Food Chain Hit for Racial Profiling
CBC.ca
August 23rd, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/jhmmtff
--
THE CHRISTIAN INTELLECTUAL
TRADITION IS ALIVE
Are We Aware of It?
Harper's Magazine
September 1st, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/zk8p8j9
--
CANADIAN EVANGELICALS
DIFFER FROM AMERICANS
Similarities and Diffefrences Noted
Bob Todd, Vancouver Sun
October 30th, 2011
Republished in the US by
Religion News Service
August 26th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/zm8p58l
--
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
HAS GONE TOO FAR
A Canadian Perspective
Angus Reid Website
August 29th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/jqvpary
--
FOR CATHOLICS AND LUTHERANS
Martin Marty Writes on Historic Vote
Religion News Service
August 25th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/japyraf
--
HASIDIC SECT BANNS WOMEN
FROM ATTENDING UNIVERSTY
Afraid of Secular Knowledge
The Independent, UK
August 22nd, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/z5ax9yw
--
CANADIAN PASTOR SENTENCED
TO LIFE IN NORTH KOREA
Harsher Penalty than Expected
CBC.ca
August 26th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/jmfmtze
--
FIVE THINGS I WISH ATHEISTS
UNDERSTOOD ABOUT CHRISTIANS
Extending the Dialogue
Christian Week Online
August 29th, 2016
http://tinyurl.com/zpda7zg
***
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
From Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:
The ecosystems, the ecosphere, those are
good gifts. We have to regard them as gifts
because we couldn't make them. We have
to regard them as good gifts because we
couldn't live without them.
- Wendell Berry
--
I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody.
I simply want to be the builder of a great
affirmation: the affirmation of God, who
loves us and who wants to save us.
- Oscar Romero
--
It is really so simple! The main thing
is to love your neighbor as yourself.
Once you do that, you will discover at
once how everything shall fall into place.
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
--
Friendship is the most underrated relationship in our
lives…It remains the one relation not bound by law,
blood, or money—but an unspoken agreement of love.
- Hanya Yanagihara
--
Do not want things to turn out as they seem best
to you but as God pleases. Then you will be free
of confusion and thankful in your prayer.
- Abba Nilus
--
I have discovered that many of the things
I thought were priceless are as cheap as
costume jewelry, and much of what I labeled
worthless was, all the time, filled with the kind
of beauty that directly nourishes my soul.…
Now I think that the vast majority of us “normal”
people spend our lives trashing our treasures
and treasuring our trash. We bustle around
trying to create the impression that we are hip,
imperturbable, omniscient, in perfect control,
when in fact we are awkward and scared and
bewildered.
- Martha Beck
--
Obedience through fear is reluctant and
resentful. Obedience through gratitude is
joyful, instant, and spontaneous.
Gratitude is like an overflowing stream,
positive, outgoing. It is a powerful antiseptic,
that kills the germs of bitterness. Gratitude
is the glue that binds and unites you to your
neighbor. It is the salt that flavors all inspired
relationships.
- Daw Nyein Tha
--
It’s funny: I always imagined when I was a kid
that adults had some kind of inner toolbox, full
of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the
hammerof wisdom, the sandpaper of patience.
But then when I grew up I found that life handed
you these rusty, bent old tools – friendships,
prayer, conscience, honesty – and said, Do the
best you can with these, they will have to do.
And mostly, against all odds they’re enough.
- Anne Lamott
--
It is when things go wrong, when the good things
do not happen, when our prayers seem to have
been lost, that God is most present. We do not
need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly.
We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling
along blindly. There is no such thing as belief
without doubt or struggle.
- Madeleine L’Engle
--
ON THIS DAY
From the archives of the New York Times:
"Germany Invades Poland: WWII Begins"
http://tinyurl.com/6hbn23
"Russian Communist Party Abolished"
http://tinyurl.com/o77sjun
"MLK Gives 'I Have a Dream' Speech"
http://tinyurl.com/lnac6d3
"Paris Liberated After Four Years of Nazis"
http://tinyurl.com/kqnkjv
"Princess Diana Dies in Paris Car Crash"
http://tinyurl.com/l37kpue
"Carry out a random act of kindness,
with no expectation of reward, safe
in the knowledge that one day someone
might do the same for you. "
- Diana, Princess of Wales
***
CLOSING THOUGHT - Malcolm X
Children teach us a lesson adults should learn:
to not be ashamed of failing, but to get up and
try again. Most of us adults are so afraid, so
cautious, so “safe” and therefore so shrinking
and rigid; that is why so many humans fail.
Most middle-aged adults have resigned
themselves to failure.
(end)
*****
For Those Interested
Beginning Our Program Planning Season -
Autumn 2016 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry at St. David's United Church,
Calgary
FALL 2016 MONDAY NIGHT STUDY
This series begins in September
Theme: "Rediscovering the Bible for Today"
Book: "Reclaiming the Bible
for a Non-Religious World"
by Bishop John Spong
http://tinyurl.com/jfanqdp
A ten-week introduction to the entire Bible
with help to engage it meaningfully, today.Ten Monday evenings, 7-9PM
In the St. David's TM Room
September 19th - November 28th, 2016
Excluding Monday of Thanksgiving Weekend
Books and Registration/Hospitality - $60.00
Books only - $20.00
Total book sets made available for sale: 35.
Book sale now underway.
Now beginning eighteen years
of Monday Night Studies
Our thirty-fifth series of
(usually) ten week sessions!
Course design: TBA in September
Check our complete archives
for all 48 book studies since 2000:
http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
***
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
Theme: TBA in September, 2016
Group Decides Theme at First Meeting
Ten sessions 10-11 AM
Gathering at 9:30 AM
In the St. David's TM Room
September 15th - November 24th.
No charge.
Study resource -
The DK Complete Bible Handbook
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
(copy available in our church library)
***
NEW SEASON,
NEW ST.DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVEL PROJECT
The Planning Cycle for a 2017 Tour Continues.
The Travel Destination has been researched with
Rostad Tours of Calgary.
We have selected South Africa as our location!
We plan a seventeen-day trip that combines a
focus on faith, culture, and nature, and it will
take place in October of next year.
Follow these notices for weekly updates.
*****
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