Regent’s Message                                    Sandy Baird

                                                                  

Dear Members,

 

I hope you are staying cool in this August heat!  September is only a few weeks away.  I know many of you support our Church by volunteering your time for a variety of activities in addition to our CDA Court projects.  I applaud your generous gift of time and resources to help those in need. 

 

On a personal note, I ask for your assistance and understanding as I temporarily defer my duties to Vice Regent Lisa Rider.  Many of you are aware I have recently been diagnosed as having suffered a stroke.  As I continue to undergo time consuming testing and examinations, Lisa has agreed to take the reigns for awhile.  Please continue to offer her the same support as you have me in this wonderful organization.  I look forward to being with you again soon!  God Bless each of you. 

 

                              In Closing (Lamentations 3: 22-23):

 

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.

 

                                                                                          Peace!

                                                                                          Sandy

Chaplain Message                               

 

 

Chaplain Message                                                                                                      Chris Colville

 

EMPTY NESTERS

            Do we ever truly become empty nesters?  Last week as most of you know Molly, our youngest, went off to college.  She left for a week of band camp the 15^th and on the 22^nd we took her things to her and moved her into her dorm.  This follows the normal course of action, children are supposed to grow up, graduate from high school and go off to college.  Molly is the third and final daughter to graduate from high school and go off to college.  So according to some we are empty nesters which means we don’t have children at home any more, at least for the better part of the year.  What does this mean for us, Terry and me?  What effect will it have on the time we have together and what we do with our time?  Do we stop being parents while she is away at school?  What about when she graduates from college and moves out on her own, is it over for us as parents then?  We all know that we never stop being parents.  Our children will always be our children, even when they are grown, married and have children of their own.  However, can we look at this situation, apply it to our lives as Christians and compare the two?   

           

            All of us who have children will one day have them leave home for school or to move out on their own.  This doesn’t mean that we are through as parents.  We continue to go through different events with our grown children.  We taught them how to live, have given them the means to communicate with us, who hasn’t given a college student a cell phone, and sent them on their way to further their education or to develop their careers.  After having done all of this for them, we hope that they remember all they’ve been taught, make good decisions and continue to develop as adults in a positive way.  We rejoice with them in the good times and console them in the not so good times.  When they make mistakes, we help them through those times and when they suffer setbacks, we may even welcome them back home for a short time. 

 

            In the readings for the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 22 and 23, we heard from St. Paul how the relationship between husband and wife is representative of the relationship between God and the Church.  I think the relationship between parents and their children is representative of the relationship we have with God.  After all, we do call God, father and he has called us his children.  God is like a parent whose child or children have gone away to school or moved out on their own.  God has raised us to be faithful adult Christians, taught us how to live and send us on our way to live in the world.  He has given us a means to communicate with him (prayer).  When we sin, make mistakes, God welcomes us back.  God rejoices with us in the good time and consoles us in our times of sorrow.  

 

            Just like parents who do not give up on their children, God does not give up on us.  God has not only given us everything we need to be faithful Christians, God has provided us opportunities to continue our growth and renew ourselves as faithful Christians.  God also provides the means to grow in our understanding of God’s will for us. 

 

            Therefore, you see God is not that different from us as parents.  Our life as parents is very much like God’s life as our Father.  If we develop our knowledge of God, we can better understand how God is a Father to us.  The more we take advantage of opportunities to improve our knowledge and understanding of God, the better we will be able to emulate God as a parent. 

 

 

 

WELCOME BACK AND OPEN HOUSE DINNER

October Meeting on October 7th

 

Where:   Church of the Redeemer Genesis Hall A

When:    Wednesday, October 7th at 7:00 pm.

Who:      All new and returning members....Please bring a friend

Cost:      FREE

               Menu will be made available soon!  Please mark your calendar now!

 

On our Agenda for Business Meeting on September 4th:

*  Soldier's Angels Collection

*  Christmas Outreach Project

*  CAT Theater Dates

*  Children's Sabbath

 

 

Basilica Visit                                                                           Dolores Dufour

 

The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary fell on a Saturday this year which was the perfect opportunity for several members from Catholic Daughters Court of Redeemer Angels to take a day trip to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Our driver, JoAnn Bonelli, was accompanied by Chris Lippman, JoAnn Draper, Eileen Dumansky and Dolores Dufour on the ride to Washington DC.  The Basilica, a cross shaped building, makes a magnificent first impression with beautiful landscaping surrounding the pale stone building capped with a massive colorful dome.   The breath taking interior, with its sacred art and many mosaics form the Vatican, is a fitting shrine to our Blessed Mother.

 

We attended the noon Mass concelebrated by His Eminence John Cardinal Foley and His Eminence William Cardinal Baum.  The altar was adorned with glorious arrangements of all white flowers.  The resident professional choir, dressed in royal blue robes, sang praise to the Virgin Mary. Cardinal Foley traveled from Italy to be the principal celebrant and gave a wonderful homily explaining the significance of this feast day.  The entire Mass was a very moving experience and those who devoutly participated surely felt blessed during the celebration.   After a quick lunch in the cafeteria, we met with two ladies from Court Queen of Peace located in Arlington and fifteen ladies from Court St. Francis located in Staunton to take part in a tour of the chapels throughout the Shrine. Each of the twenty chapels is distinctly different because they represent various nations around the world.  It was very interesting to see Our Blessed Mother depicted in the likeness of the people of each country. More time could easily have been spent in these solemn spaces but it was time for us to move on to join a pilgrimage.

 

 

Many of us thought meeting Father Vito Buonanno from New York was a highlight of the day.  He is newly appointed as Chaplain of the Pilgrimages at the Basilica and with his enthusiasm and dedication it is easy to see why he was chosen.  Even though we were his first group, Father Vito performed his mission with knowledge and humbleness.  He lead us throughout the Basilica singing Salve Regina while stopping at three locations to explain the history and religious meaning of Our Lady of Altotting, Our Lady of Camarin and two of  the Vatican Mosaics.   Our final stop was in The Blessed Sacrament Chapel where the Eucharist is perpetually on display for adoration.  Father Vito prayed and spoke to us about the meaning behind many of our Catholic traditions.  His talk was remarkable and we came away feeling blessed for having met this kind priest.

 

We finished our visit to the Basilica with a leisurely walk through the gift shop admiring the many statues and holy medals that were for sale.  Not wanting to end the enjoyment of day, our group decided to have a delicious dinner at The Dubliner Pub in Washington.  All in all, the day was well spent with prayer, time for quiet reflection, good conversation and friendship.

 

On to Buffalo….  The CDA National Convention 2010

 

By Eileen Dumansky

 

            The 53^rd Biennial National Convention of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will be held in the Diocese of Buffalo from July 14-18, 2010.  The Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo will host approximately 1,300 women from the Americas.  Plans are being made for pre-convention tours in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls area.

 

            The CDA New York state convention took place in Suffern, New York and Helen Shephard, Past State Regent and present National Director, was introduced as the National Convention Chairman.  Four of the Courts in the Diocese of Buffalo sent delegates to the state convention, together with Father Joseph Vatter, New York State Chaplain and pastor of All Saints Parish in Lockport, NY.  (Lockport is near Buffalo and Niagara Falls and gets it name from the locks on the Erie Canal.) 

 

            The four Courts in the Diocese of Buffalo are:  Court St. Joseph #953 in Albion; Court San Sebastian #1012 in Attica; Court Msgr. Baker #1043 in Lackawanna, and Court Our Mother of Good Counsel #1311 in Blasdell.  You can visit the website for Court Msgr. Baker at www.cda-msgrbaker-ny-org .   There is a link to the Our Lady of Victory Basilica which is located in Lackawanna.  You can tour this beautiful Basilica from their site or go to the Basilica’s website www.ourladyofvictory.org.

 

            Mark your calendars for our Caravan to Buffalo!