Josephine Bakhita
Slave to Saint
Bakhita (which means fortunate) was born in South Sudan. At seven she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. After being resold several times she eventually landed in Italy. Exposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church she requested baptism and took the name Josephine. Since in Italy slavery was illegal, she was finally freed from her master in 1890. “She who worked under many masters was finally happy to address God as master and carry out everything that she believed to be God’s will for her.” She was canonized in 2000. Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint for all those caught up in human trafficking.
Quote from Living as Missionary Disciples
The Eucharist is the most intimate way in which Jesus Christ is present to us because he himself is the sacrament. He is fully present in the Eucharist. By participating in the Mass, each one of us has the opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ in the most profound way possible. (pg. 10)
When They Come, What Makes them Stay?
Our Churches are full on Ash Wednesday but will they be full the following Sunday? What are you doing now to make Ash Wednesday a real encounter with Christ for those who enter your doors. Here are three valuable Lenten resources:
- When they come, what makes them stay?
- Are You Looking for a Spiritual Home? (Document automatically downloads to your computer. Check your Download Folder.)
- Turn to Me: A Process to Evangelize all of Greater Buffalo (Document automatically downloads to your computer. Check your Download Folder.)
Life in the Eucharist
Life in the Eucharist (LITE) is a 5 session retreat experience to empower Catholics to deepen their personal and communal relationship with Jesus Christ. It has 5 specific themes that explores the Eucharistic mystery. The 5 themes are: Nourishment, Reconciliation, Transformation, Abiding Presence and Mission. Through the Eucharist, Jesus invites us to a deep experience of all of these aspects. Life in the Eucharist is an excellent way to unite your Family of Parishes (FoP) in a deeply spiritual and communal experience. Therefore, every FoP is expected to offer a Life in the Eucharist retreat.
To learn more about LITE attend the workshop click here.
Scheduled Life in the Eucharist Retreats
- Family #14 (Silver Springs, East Bethany, Perry, Pavilion, Warsaw). Saturdays (Feb. 25, Mar. 4, 11, 18, and 25). 10:00 – 11:30 AM. They will be rotating the location within the FoP. See flyer for details.
- Family #31 (South Buffalo) will be offering LITE on the Wednesdays of Lent (1, 8, 15, 22, 29) at 6:30 PM. They will be rotating the location within the FoP. See flyer for details.
ALPHA | Invitation to Launch in your parish the week of September 17
We hope that every Family of Parishes will consider doing Alpha in the Fall of 2023. Attached is a flyer that explains Alpha more fully. In the upcoming newsletter you will be hearing about the many ways to learn more about Alpha. As a remote preparation, we (the Alpha national staff and anyone from our diocese) have a zoom prayer gathering for 30 minutes where we pray for all of the FoP in the Diocese of Buffalo. This takes place the third Wednesday of every month. The next one will be Wed. Feb. 15 from 1-1:30 PM. I invite you to come join us in prayer, click here for the link.
Begin the Year with a New Dose of Hope
Physicians tell us that the human body can survive four to six weeks without food, up to three days without water and for about 10 minutes without oxygen. How long can a human being survive without hope? Our own experience suggests that without hope the human spirit begins to die almost immediately. Even our bodies show signs of sagging when our horizons show no future or purpose. Read more.
Prayer against Human Trafficking
Loving Father,
We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved.
For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom.
We beseech you to release them from their chains.
Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment.
Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning.
Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes.
Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking.
Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation. For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.