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Sunday, 26 August 2007 |
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide Christian community, founded in Paris in 1833 by a group of lay Catholics. The Holy Spirit of God inspired a group of men and women to seek out Christ, living within the broken hearts of the poorest of the poor. According to their own literature, the lay members of this society (lay Vincentians), are called to follow Christ through service to those in need and so to bear witness to his compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person-to-person contact. Like Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and the Jamaica-based Missionaries of the Poor, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul serves as an instrument of the Lord’s love, and all are blessed in and through this ministry.
We have an active Vincentian ministry in our parish. Kathy Laskodi and Roberto & Blanca Del Valle are leaders among the members of our St. Vincent de Paul council. You might contact them if the Lord places in your heart a desire to serve his poor. In addition, Nancy Kenny runs Second Time Around, a Vincentian thrift store in the heart of Lilburn, on Lawrenceville Highway. Stop by the store and see how you might assist them in this work of love. The ministry of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is supported by your generous offerings, and over the years, our parish has been very generous. I hope and pray that we will continue to give a portion of our treasure to those least ones of the Lord.
There is another spiritual movement in our parish that serves in something of a similar ministry. Our Financial Peace University offers advice and counsel about the growing problem of our consumerist culture…the staggering debt so many of us are incurring. We are spending ourselves into poverty, though we live in the wealthiest country the world has ever known. This “university” offers advice and counsel, at once professional and spiritual, about the nature of credit and the danger of uncontrolled debt. I have seen the hardships of this, when compulsive shopping and spending creates extraordinary stress for the family. If you have an interest in learning more about this Financial Peace University, please call Rick Clayton at 678.908.6823.
This week’s liturgies (6:30 and 9:15 AM) will see back to back to back obligatory memorials. On Monday, we will remember St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. Like our mothers, Monica worried about her boy (St. Augustine) and kept him in prayer. On Tuesday, we celebrate the feast day of the great African Bishop, St. Augustine of Hippo (d. 430). Augustine led a robustly pagan life during his youthful adult years; but after hearing a homily by the Bishop of Milan (St. Ambrose), he accepted the offer of Baptism (in 386) and became one of the Church’s great saints. Then, after the mother and her son are remembered, we celebrate the martyrdom of John the Baptist on Wednesday. When our relatives and friends remember us, what kind of saints will we have become in their eyes? God invites each and every one of us to this… His sanctity, as pure gift. This is the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth.
Some important news: Please know that I will speak at most of our Masses on the weekend of 15-16 September, about the results of the recent parish survey. And on that weekend, I will offer you my understanding of what this great parish is called to undertake, together.
Msgr. David
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