St. John Neumann
Catholic Church

I returned from Haiti late Wednesday night last week (the 21st) and jumped back in the SJN saddle on the 22nd. That Thursday evening, a group of us gathered in the beautiful lower level of the new church building, to begin our conversation regarding The Introduction to the Devout Life, by St. Francis de Sales (+1622). One of things that I pointed out to the book club participants is how significantly Bishop Francis de Sales' thought was influenced by The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola (+1556). The newly formed Jesuits were a powerhouse in the universities of Europe, and Francis de Sales learned much from the heart of Ignatius. The feast day of the founder of the Society of Jesus is this Saturday (the 31st of July). Let us thank God for the blessings that his saints offer the Church of Christ, as they teach us about true discipleship. The Msgr. David's Book Club crowd will take on another wise saint this fall, the great St. Teresa of Avila (+1582). I hope many of you will join me in learning from the saints, how we might become what we are called to be... carriers of God's love, reflections of God's light... flesh and blood saints... for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor.

***

While in Haiti, I read an incredible book by a member of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. In his Mother Teresa's Secret Fire, Father Joseph Langford M.C. teaches the reader about the secret fire that was at the heart of Mother Teresa's extraordinary life, and the fire that burns in the world-wide movement that she initiated. I urge each of you to either purchase the book or seek to borrow it from the county library... and read it. In this 2008 book, Fr. Joseph discusses the grace-filled inspiration of Mother Teresa (given to her in 1946, when she was a young sister of Loreto). After she was visited by the Lord in September of 1946, she came back home and began taking the steps required for her to leave her vowed Loreto community and begin living on the streets of Calcutta, among the poorest of the poor.  The key to this charism is hinted at in every chapel of the Missionaries of Charity: the I Thirst seen on the wall, next to the Crucifix... the thirsting of Jesus. I hope that you will take up the book and read how this thirst affects our discipleship.

***

Though I'm still amazed with this, our schools begin in just a few days! August just feels like summer and "school" is supposed to be the fall! Anyway... please make sure that once your children or grandchildren are settled in with their schools, you contact our Religious Education Office and find out about our catechetical programs for our children, our middle-schoolers and our teens. Along with the offerings for our children and teens, we will have adult ongoing formation classes in the fall. Come and see how the Lord is calling you to his new way of life!

AMDG

Msgr. David Talley