Lent/Easter, 2001
Lent/Easter,
2001
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Guide to this issue:
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The New Spirit of the Cenacle, the official newsletter of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate, is published three times during the year in conjunction with the liturgical seasons of Advent, Lent/Easter, and Ordinary Time. The deadline for the next issue is July 15, 2001. Please submit materials for the newsletter to Smittie Bolner, 460 Bancroft Way, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808-4805, USA; e-mail: sbolner@home.com; fax: (225.766.5987). |
Dear Associates and Candidates,
MAY THE GRACE AND PEACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH US FOREVER!
It has been more than a year since I became your General Custodian. Initially, I did not believe that I had all the skills and gifts needed to become a General Custodian, but with the call to become General Custodian I received more gifts than any one person can ever have—they are the gifts of the entire Missionary Cenacle Family who provide me with love, support and counsel when I need it. Prior to my election as General Custodian, I was very aware of the growth potential of our organization. I truly loved the MCA from the start and believed that what Fr. Judge left us is a significant gift to the church and to the world. I believe now, as I believed as an MCA associate, that I have a tremendous responsibility to share this gift.
To foster such growth, certain elemental things needed to be in place. Our progress in this area has been reported to you consistently in the newsletter.
One of the changes that has taken place recently is in the central office in Philadelphia. Mrs. Claribel Santana who had been hired to manage the central office is no longer with us. After much discernment it was decided that the purpose for which the office was originally established was not being fulfilled, and we could no longer afford the expense of a paid employee. We are grateful for the years of service provided by Claribel.
Another point that I want to emphasize at this time is the fact that, except for Costa Rica, all the Regions are having elections for Regional Custodian and Assistant Regional Custodian. I am very grateful to those persons who have generously responded to the call when nominated. In order to develop leadership in their Region, some of the current Regional Custodians have opted not to run, but have agreed to assist and mentor those elected. I am truly grateful for their wisdom and generosity. It is important that the MCA members realize that the Regional Custodian is the MCA authority in their Region. You are heard and represented by the person you elect. It is important that we have strong growth and leadership. Those who serve do so, not for their own glory, but for the glory of God.Pray with me for good, generous, and dedicated leadership for the MCA.
With love and in the Most Holy Trinity,
Josie Morales, Custodian General
About the General Custodian: Josie Morales
Josie Morales, MCAJosie Morales was installed as General Custodian at Pentecost, 1999. She followed Marvine Waite, who had served eight years in this position. Her nomination to be General Custodian took place at the MCA Leadership Assembly, held at Holy Trinity, Alabama, in April of 1999. At this landmark meeting, her leadership qualities emerged and were recognized by the assembled voting MCA members. Following her nomination, Josie said that she felt unworthy and incapable of following in the footsteps of Dr. Healy and all those who have served since. But the call of the Holy Spirit outweighed those fears. Even now, she says, she often reminds herself not to let her fears stand in the way of the intent of the Holy Spirit.
Born in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, Josie is an only child . Her father died when she was 5 years old, and she and her mother moved to the U.S. when she was 10. She attended Catholic grammar school and an all girls' Catholic High School. She also has some college studies. Now widowed, she has 7 children (5 girls and 2 boys) ranging in ages 21 to 41. Her pride and joy are her 12 grandchildren. Her 90-year old mother, daughter, and grandchild are part of her household.
Josie began working during her high school years, and presently works full-time at Westside Regional Center. The Center admits children under three who need services because they have a developmental disability or are considered to be at high risk for developmental disabilities.
Josie believes that her credentials to become a leader in the MCA stem from lived experiences–of a Catholic upbringing and from always being involved in church ministries, social justice causes, and ultimately the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate. The MCA has been a part of her life since 1982, with the founding of the Spanish-speaking Cenacles in California (Los Angeles County).
Since her installation as General Custodian, Josie has visited Cenacles in Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the Northeastern United States. She works closely with the General Spiritual Guide, Father Domingo Rodriguez, ST, and the General Custodians of the other three branches of the Missionary Cenacle Family. Together with the MCA General Council and Pat Regan, she has restructured the financial base for the organization—moving from a dues based model to one of Stewardship. Her ability to speak both Spanish and English fluently are among the extraordinary gifts she brings to the MCA. Josie is energetic and enthusiastic. Like those who preceded her, Josie is committed to furthering the mission of MCA of preservation of the faith and serving the poor and spiritually abandoned.
| The
following letter arrived too late to be included in the English edition
of the Advent issue of the Newsletter.
November 1, 2000 Dear Cenacle Members: May the
grace and peace of the
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Father John Seymour has come full circle: from being a member of the Missionary
Cenacle Apostolate as a young college student, he is now, after years of
parish work as a Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity, working fulltime
as spiritual guide for the MCA.
[The article above on Fr.
John Seymour is reprinted with permission from Tri-Com, December, 2000,
p. 7. The addendum below was contributed by Luz de la Torre and Josie
Morales.]
As the Regional Spiritual Guide of the Holy Spirit Region, Father John
personally knows each of the cenacles in the Region; from Washington to
California and all the way to the Mexican Border (Tijuana and Ensenada)
where the MCA carry out apostolic ministries—working hand-in-hand with
the Regional Custodian and MCA leadership providing spiritual guidance.
He is well known in other regions where he has given talks, retreats, and
guidance.
A native of Malone, New York (that’s way up north, about ten miles from
Canada’s Province of Quebec border), John attended Manhattan College,
in New York City. It was there, because of a Christian Brother who
knew our Sisters, the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity,
that John first came in contact with the Missionary Cenacle Family.
Working closely with the MSBTs of East 80th Street and the MCA, and getting
to know Father Andrew Lawrence and Sister June Pemberton, he became a full-fledged
member of the MCA in the spring of 1962. The family spirit he saw
among the STs, MSBTs and MCA associates, especially attracted him.
After a year in Monroe, Virginia, to catch up on Latin, John entered the
ST novitiate in September 1964, a member of the last class of Fr. Damian
Breen. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 1970, John was assigned briefly to
St. Joseph Shrine, Stirling, NJ, and then, for four years, to Holy Trinity,
AL.
In 1974 he was sent to Ascension Parish, Los Angeles, and has remained
in Southern California ever since, alternating between Ascension and Our
Lady of Victory, in Compton, until moving to Santa Ana Missionary Cenacle,
Santa Ana, CA, in January 1997.
It was in 1985, when he was pastor of Ascension Parish, that John began
to get deeply involved in social justice issues, something that had been
dear to his heart since his youth. Two years later he participated
in a successful campaign to raise the California minimum wage by ninety
cents, to $4.25 an hour. (Not too long after that, the California
minimum was adopted as the national standard.) Still later, he joined
in an effort to help the restaurant workers in Pasadena, a group heavily
exploited and considered unorganizable. That campaign was not very
successful but John learned a lot in the process. His interest in
these issues endures.
In
January 1997, John was appointed fulltime to MCA work as the Western Regional
Spiritual Guide. In that capacity, he works closely with Luz De La
Torre, the Regional Custodian, covering the Cenacles from Seattle to the
Mexican border. There are twenty-one established Cenacles in the
region, with a total of 250 members, and there are two Cenacles in formation.
He works, too, with the Custodian General of the MCA, Josie Morales, who
is a member of the Southern California Region. Father John Seymour
has come full circle: from being a member of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate
as a young college student, he is now, after years of parish work as a
Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity, working fulltime as spiritual
guide for the MCA.
Fr. John's dedication and love for his work as S.T. and MCA Spiritual Guide
is an inspiration to all of us. Father Judge, Mother Boniface, and Dr.
Healy come alive when Fr. John talks about them. He has taught us
to love them and to love one another as members of the Missionary Cenacle
Family.
He encouraged the formation of a committee to communicate information such
as illnesses and/or deaths of cenacle members in the region. MCA
members in this region, overall, do not have computers or use e-mail.
The committee has been operating successfully for over a year.
On a monthly basis, Fr. John meets with the local spiritual guides to provide
formation and counsel. These spiritual guides are MCA members who
were previously local custodians and/or assistant custodians.
"The
Spiritual Guide observes the moving of the Holy Spirit in the Cenacle"
he explains to the Area Board in one of their monthly meetings.
Fr. John served as Acting MCA General Spiritual Guide from July 1999 through
August 2000. The General Custodian, and the MCA in general are extremely
grateful for his service; constantly going the extra mile, providing quality
service, advice, and support.
Dear Cenacle Family:
Try, try, and try again is what our Dear Lord is saying to me. His prompting
and my deeply rooted devotion to the Holy Spirit is the reason for this
letter.
At the beginning of 2000, the Jubilee year, I wrote to a good number of
MCA cenacles urging them to join the MSBTs in praying the Holy Spirit Novena
(page 155-164 in your Apostolic Life Book). The response was not encouraging.
Again, I appeal to the cenacles not already participating in this powerful
prayer. I have the privilege of assigning dates covering the entire year
and sending reminders to each cenacle. Presently, I believe there
are 99 Cenacles and nearly 900 members—a tremendous growth in recent years.
What a power for good! The very thought is overwhelming.
Father Judge, our saintly founder, wrote many years ago and his words are
still relevant today: "there is no school, no class, so powerful to work
for one's neighbor as in the general body of the faithful - the laity."
Surely a missionary spirit is evident in the MCA. Empowered by the Holy
Spirit, let us enter in the third millennium
meeting the challenge of today's world.
United in the Trinity,
Sr. Jean
Anthony, MSBT
Holy Spirit
Novena
3501 Solly
Ave.
Philadelphia,
PA 19136
Located in a beautiful park-like setting in Stirling, New Jersey, are a trio of establishments dedicated to carrying out the Apostolic mission of the Missionary Cenacle Family.
Trinity Mission Center
The Trinity Mission Center is a program of the Missionary Cenacle Family, which has been sending persons on mission since 1916 to serve the poor of the Americas. The TMC is an international network of lay men and women, religious ,and priests of various nationalities collaborating as equals in the Missionary Cenacle Family mission to "help Catholics become apostles." The TMC is rooted in the belief that every Catholic, by the grace of baptism, is called to develop the heart of an apostle and the mind of a missionary. It has provided Volunteer opportunities for over 300 young adult Catholics in the U.S.A., Mexico, and Costa Rica. These volunteer service opportunities may last one week, one month, or one year or longer. During Fall and Spring break the TMC offers programs for college students.
Source: http://mcenacle.org/mcf3eng.htm/
The Shrine of Saint Joseph
Father Peter
Krebs describes the Shrine of Saint Joseph as “a collaborative ministry
of religious and lay people expressing the living traditions of faith in
ways that stir the hearts of contemporary women and men."
In
this ministry the Shrine invites all to celebrate the joy and nearness
of God at this sacred place. The Shrine thus becomes a path many have chosen
to personally explore with God what is expected of them in their daily
lives. The Shrine of St. Joseph, building on its rich heritage and
stated mission, is making collaborative efforts to express living traditions
of faith in a world searching for rootedness. Spirited by the religious
community, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, and lay people
from all walks of life and varying age groups, economic backgrounds and
even with divergent approaches to their spirituality, the Shrine Community
spreads God's word and love. It offers to each the opportunity to carry
on God's work in his/her own unique way and to deepen personal relationship
with God. As a faith community we are bound to God through the
people with whom we share our daily work and family life, and as our founder,
Fr. Thomas Judge, reminded us, to those who are imprisoned by illness,
poverty or personal despair. The Shrine Community responds
with an energetic outpouring of love, care and concern.
Source:
http://www.stshrine.org/ShrineMinistry.htm
Father Judge Apostolic Center
The mission
of the Father Judge Apostolic Center is to commission young adult
Catholics as missionaries for Christ in their everyday lives. In
an effort to respond to the needs of the Catholic young adult community,
the Father Judge Apostolic Center provides:
Source:
http://www.fjac.org/about.htm
weekly, monthly, and special programs to help young adults grow in a knowledge
and love of Jesus and His mission;
resources
to help parish teams initiate and sustain small faith-based communities
of young adults in their parishes (FJAC will also be available as a host
site for programs and retreats for local young adult groups);
mission
opportunities for young adults seeking to experience faith through the
work of their hands. Through the “Mission-in-Action" program, individual
young adults as well as entire young adult communities can find assistance
in local and foreign volunteer opportunities.
All Associates of the MCA are urged to use the Ordo in connection with their daily prayer. The Ordo, which features the Scripture readings for the day, prayers of petition, and a spiritual reading (usually from the writings of Father Judge), is an effective way for the entire Missionary Cenacle Family to pray together. The Ordo is now published in a new loose-leaf format. Copies may be ordered from the Missionary Cenacle Press, 3501 Solly Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136.
San Juan Bautista Region—Puerto Rico
On March 3, 2001, we will celebrate a regional meeting—one of four such
meetings held annually. At this meeting, we will continue our
response to the counsel that came out of the meetings for evaluating our
region.
At the last meeting, two of our associates developed workshops to help
us identify ways to attract new people to our way of life. In this meeting,
we finalized the prayer ministry to bring about constant prayer for our
local and international needs. Those members who are unable to leave
their homes because of poor health or advanced age to participate actively
in mission work can get together in prayer. They can also develop a communication
ministry using the telephone. Another possible alternative is to invite
those members who use electronic mail to join them in developing a communication
network. It is important that we look for quicker and more effective alternatives
for our mission in action—of reaching those people who have no knowledge
of our charisma.
In
this meeting, we will have the opportunity to unite the three branches
of the Missionary Cenacle Family in Puerto Rico. In this, we are
responding to the call of the MCF Council to promote Family unity.
We
are still in contact with the adult apostolic group in Caleta Valiente,
Santo Domingo. Our charisma is being presented in simple forms to the people
of Santo Domingo. During the Christmas season one of our associates,
who is from Santo Domingo but presently living in Puerto Rico, visited
and shared with the people the Cenacle spirit.
He took with him a donation collected by our members to purchase gifts for
the forty children who attended the mission. The children and some adults
are preparing themselves for their First Holy Communion.
After
sharing our charisma, he said that the spirit of the Missionary Cenacle
Family is alive and well there. This is a place with many poor and abandoned
people—a place where the people, despite their misery and lack of everyday
needs, still cling to the human quality of hope. They have a strong
desire for a better way of life and a way to justice, peace, and love.
Through the daily and constant teaching of our charisma, people are now
practicing their faith more than ever. This is living proof that
the Spirit lives among the people. It is the continuation of our journey.
Nilda Reyes, who has taken the mission into her hands, continues to be
the leader. Nilda is a professional teacher. During her youth, she
saw a need to help the poor and abandoned. When she learned
of our Charisma, she was profoundly touched by the Holy Spirit and our
missionary way of life. Accompanied by some of her family members,
she is the key person in developing this group and doing missionary
work among the poor and abandoned.
The Missionary Cenacle Apostolate is committed to developing our first
cenacle in Santo Domingo. Soon, I will visit Santo Domingo with a
group of MCA members and Brother Gerardo Ramirez for the sole purpose of
helping them in formation and in every other way possible.
In relation to the above, we in Puerto Rico are very optimistic and believe
that more cenacles will develop. This month we will be sharing the Cenacle
Spirit with a group of people from Loiza who wish to start a Cenacle in
their community. Loiza is a strong community where the STs have
worked for over 30 years. Please pray for us in this endeavor.
We also ask for your prayers for one of our associates who left for Costa
Rica. Sarai Meléndez accepted a position at one of the ST missions in Costa
Rica. She will be working with the young seminarians. Our prayers
and love are with her and with Costa Rica.
—Virgenmina
Lugo, Regional Custodian.
Trinity
Region
Resurrection
Cenacle,
Dothan, AL
All of our associates and candidate attended the Pentecost Retreat at Holy
Trinity last June to welcome our newest associate, Alma Colvin, who chose
to celebrate her birthday with us. Alma has been a wonderful spiritual
asset to our Cenacle; we are delighted that the Lord sent her to us. (We
think that Sister Lucy Smoker had a wonderful talk with Jesus about Alma.)
Helen Medlock is our newest candidate and will become an Associate at this
year's Pentecost Retreat at Holy Trinity. We are blessed to have both Alma
and Helen, but are losing one of our Associates, Pat Sears, who is moving
back to Myrtle Beach, SC. Pat has already made contact with the Cenacle
members there and will be joining them some time after the Pentecost Retreat.
We are also happy to announce that Dianne Rasponi, after much prayer and
discernment, has agreed to be Resurrection Cenacle's Spiritual Guide. We
are truly blessed! We are also blessed to have Father Walter O'Donnell,
ST, and Father Luke Mikschal, ST, celebrate Mass for our Cenacle every
three months. Father Walter is the pastor of Holy Family Church in Blakely,
GA.
Father Luke has been
serving the Hispanic Community in this part of Georgia and has recently
returned to Blakely after hip surgery and recuperation in Stirling, NJ.
Our meetings usually begin with prayer ( a spiritual banquet) followed
by dinner and our prayer meeting. In November, Father Walter brought 3
inquirers (Anne, Josephine and Mary) to our Cenacle meeting In February,
one inquirer (Peter) from Enterprise joined us for our monthly Cenacle
meeting. Anne, Josephine and Mary, who live in Blakely, GA, are discerning
and praying with Fathers Walter and Luke the possibility of the creation
of a new Cenacle in Blakely. We will be assisting this endeavor with many
prayers and formation assistance, as needed. This year, Resurrection
Cenacle has been studying the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It has been an
educational, rewarding and deeply spiritual experience for all of us. It
has been an inspiration to us all in all our ministries in our 5 parishes.
We are looking forward to our Pentecost Retreat and to welcoming our newest
Associate, Helen Medlock. May the Holy Spirit continue to bless our Cenacle,
as we continue to grow in love and knowledge of the Lord.
—Betty Wittekind
Sister Marie Josepha MCA,
Fuquay Varina, NC
In
late 1998 when Deacon Dick Lacina and his wife Virginia moved to
North Carolina, they wondered if they would be called to start a new Cenacle.
For many years they had been active in the Cenacle at Ocala, Florida.
They met for six months with Jackie Wright, a friend and a MCA Associate
with whom they had worked one summer at Trinita, for prayer and discernment.
At the end of the six months period, they agreed to give it a try.
Since then, three candidates have joined them for formation. They
meet once a month on the 4th Sunday and usually break bread together at
a local restaurant before the meeting. Dick continues to function as a
Spiritual Guide as he did in Ocala. Virginia is serving as Custodian,
assisted by Jackie Wright. The meetings begin with a spiritual reflection led by Dick. The latter part of the meeting is a time for sharing the
"Ministry of the Chance Encounter," reviewing occasions when the Holy Spirit
has given them opportunities to be apostles. Several smaller groups meet
between meetings to study Fr. Dennis' video tape and printed literature
on formation. Some of the ministries they serve in are RCIA and a literacy
program to tutor poor readers. Please pray for the success of the Cenacle.
Your
prayers are also requested for Dick Lacina who will have bilateral knee
replacements on March 5th.
—Dick and Virginia Lacina
Christ the King Cenacle
Ocala, FL
During
Advent 2000, Christ the King Cenacle pursued in depth the Mystery of the
Incarnation. We reflected on the concept of Jesus that Father Judge consistently
presented to the Cenacle, “ the Naked and Desolate Christ of Gethsimani
and Calvary.” According to Father Judge, “The essence of the
Cenacle vocation is....a personal presence of faith, love, adoration and
thanksgiving to those Mysteries that the Missionary call originates.”
We focused on this as a way to instruct and direct our prayers and concerns
so that we might go forth with the Spirit to perform Apostolic works worthy
of the Lord’s Scripture teachings.
We
reviewed the concept of tithing and stewardship. The stewardship
of time, talent and treasure has very spiritual roots. The repetition
and meditation of its spirituality cannot be repeated too often: We are
gifted! Hence, we share our gifts.
Shawn
Witmer, Director of the Missionary Cenacle Volunteers, and his Associate,
Mary McNamara, headed a team which presented the Seminar “Find Your Mission”
at the Catholic Student Center in Gainesville, FL, the weekend of November
4, 2000. The presentation was made to a University of Florida youth
group who were impressive as they prayed to discern their calling
to do God’s work in Volunteer Mission Services. Sister Barbara McIntyre,
MSBT, Sister Margaret Harig, SND, and our Spiritual Director, Charles Becker,
MCA, participated.
In
January we had a soul-searching discussion on the passage: “The Eucharist
is the Sun of our Lives” from Article 15 of the Rule of Life and
Constitution. Associates expressed feelings of gratitude in their
apostolic works, noting that their feelings of love are greatly enhanced
by participating at daily Mass, frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament,
and visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We evaluated our apostolic
works, aware of Jesus’ love, mercy and generosity to us.
We ask your remembrance in prayer for Millie Leroux, MCA, who underwent
back neurosurgery in February and Carmen Astrom, MCA, who is recovering
from a fall that fractured her shoulder.
During this Lenten season we pray that Christ’s sufferings will fill us
with courage, strength, and love and that the Holy Spirit will guide us
in our apostolic works.
—Marcia M. Barnes, MCA
| TRINITY
REGION
RETREAT SCHEDULE Note: Registration began
February 1st
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Living Waters Cenacle,
Pensacola, FL
On February 17, Living Waters Cenacle along with other Cenacles from the
area sponsored a day of recollection entitled “Faith Sharing through Scriptures”
presented by Marchita Mauck, MCA. Marchita is Associate Dean of the
College of Design and Professor of Art History at Louisiana State University.
She is a member of Christ the Servant Cenacle in Baton Rouge, LA. The key
idea of her presentation was that "by faith
we understand that the world was created by God as word."
Marchita invited participants to look at our tradition/story with new eyes–to
stand outside and look anew at what we see. Using slides showing
the earth taken from a satellite, she pointed out that ours is the first
generation able to see the earth from afar. She showed pictures from
the Human Genome Mapping Project, which forces us to view ourselves in
a new way. We are comprised of 30,000 genes which is little more
than those in a fruit fly! The extraordinary color and beauty of the genes
when magnified thousands of times allow us to see that we share the beauty
of, for example, a butterfly. A slide of an EKG with its bright wavy
lines reminds us that “each thread of our substance flutters in technicolor.”
In the same way, we are challenged to look anew at the readings for this
lent–to use new tools and to look at the scriptures in a fresh way.
Tools for
looking at the scriptures:
—Joanne Jones, Regional Custodian
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As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards
of God’s varied gifts.
Pat Regan,
MCA
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Please send comments to James Bolner, Sr., MCA,
at poboln@lsu.edu. We’re on
the Web! Visit the Missionary Cenacle Family Website at:
New Spirit of the Cenacle archives are at:
http://mcenacle.org/.
http://mcenacle.org/mca/newspirit.htm.