In this issue: whole family catechesis, "Coffee Talks" for parents by Dr. Wisely, new Sunday faith study, new school Mass time, All Souls/Saints Masses, new Text-to-Give, new Mass song, school fall festival; Knight news and more.
|
|
October is the month of the Rosary
Mass and Rosary offered every Monday at 6:30pm in the day chapel
|
|
We Stewards are a Testimony to Hope
|
|
This is a heart-wrenching time for our Church. We are numbed by the recent reports of past sexual abuses and the failure of some Church leaders to protect the most vulnerable among us. These reports reveal a crisis in our midst and the anger and dismay are natural.
But how do we, as Christian stewards, respond?
How do we participate in the healing and guiding work of the Holy Spirit? How do we stewards become a testimony to hope?
First
, we can re-think how we work within the Church to protect the most vulnerable among us. How might we become better stewards of those entrusted to us? At Prince of Peace, we require all volunteers in ministries with children or vulnerable adults to complete the
Birmingham Diocese's "youth protection" training program
and follow the guidelines and best practices taught in that program. Every three years, volunteers retake the class to refresh and relearn any new best practices. Volunteer records are maintained by our religious education department.
Second
, let’s make an honest assessment of our own life in Christ, beginning with the stewardship of our prayer lives. We pray for the victims and their families; for the innocents who continue to suffer; for a new resolve to reform the structures that have abetted wrongdoing; and even for those who have sinned. But let’s be honest about our conversations with God and the way we reveal our own weakness and frailty. It is here that we come to know the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
Third
, let us embrace a new awareness of our stewardship of the Church. Our Church is found in our parish at the Eucharistic celebration, at faith formation gatherings, at our dinner table, in giving of our time at the Lunch for the Homeless ministry, as Eucharistic ministers to the sick, assembling "weekend backpacks" for hungry children, or teaching Sunday school to our young people. It is found in the many ways we give witness to the loving presence of Christ in a suffering world and offer hope. Let’s ask ourselves: “How am I stewarding Prince of Peace?"
|
|
|
|
Perhaps you or someone you know would like to learn more about their Catholic faith or was once a practicing Catholic but has lost touch with the Church. Bring them to Alpha at POP. The program started this month, but you can jump in at any time, Wednesday evenings beginning at 5:30pm with dinner.
Read more here
.
|
|
New-Whole Family Catechesis
|
|
As parents, we are called to be the first and primary teachers of the Catholic faith to our children. However, often we don't know where to begin or can't seem to find time in the day to talk about our faith to our children. As a result, weeks - even months - pass without any discussion. So, how do we teach our children how to foster a personal relationship with God? How do we help them to understand about God's unconditional love for them?
Whole Family Catechesis
is a good place to start (and/or continue) your family's faith journey. We are holding five sessions this school year. All sessions will offer a presentation by Dr. Dale Wisely, POP's director of family life; an activity for parents and children to do together; and catechesis for children.
Click here for more info, dates, and registration.
|
|
Effective October 17, the Wednesday school Mass time will change to 8am. There will no longer be a 2:10pm school Mass or an 8:30am Mass. If you were attending Wednesday morning Mass at 8:30am since school started, please plan to arrive at 8 am instead and celebrate with our school children and families.
|
|
|
|
All Saints' Day Masses
Wednesday, Oct. 31 - 5pm Vigil Mass
Thursday, Nov. 1 - 8am, noon, 5pm, Spanish at 7pm
All Souls' Day Mass
Friday, Nov. 2 - noon at the columbarium, lunch follows in Deasy Hall
|
|
New - Dr. Wisely Programs and Podcasts
|
|
Dr. Dale Wisely, Prince of Peace's director of family life will offer a series of three Friday morning educational sessions for school and parish parents and guardians. These 50-minute "Coffee Talks" will begin at 8:15am in the school's youth room, located in the middle school building.
October 26: Social Media, the Digital World, and Your Child
November 9: Discipline That Works
December 7: Raising Our Children to be Safe as Teenagers
|
|
|
|
We are very excited to share Dr. Dale Wisely's first video podcast, "Ten things to say to our Children," on the Prince of Peace YouTube channel! Dr. Wisely is the director of family life at Prince of Peace.
In addition to offering podcasts, Dale blogs on the parish website. Follow him
here
.
|
|
New - Sunday Adult Faith Study
|
|
|
|
Starting Sunday, October 28 in St. Monica Room at 9:45 a.m. -
"Fulfilled: Uncovering the Biblical Foundations of Catholicism, Part I."
It will be led by
Mike Brown
, POP's director of adult education.
Read more here
about this faith study.
|
|
New 'All are Welcome' Song for Mass
|
|
You will soon be hearing a new "All are Welcome - All Belong" song at our weekend Masses! We thought you might enjoy reading the lyrics below or
listening to it here
on YouTube. You can also find the YouTube link on our website under "media" - pull it up on your phone, (make sure to mute your phone!) and sing along at Mass - the video includes the lyrics.
All are welcome in this place. Behold love's amazing grace. All are welcome! All are welcome! Bring your hopes, bring your dreams, mercy flows and love redeems! All are welcome! All belong!
Welcome, all the broken hearted, all who sorrow and despair.
Welcome, all who suffer violence, all who long for safety and for peace.
Welcome, all who are forgotten, excluded and dignity denied.
Welcome, all who work for justice, bringing hope, charity and peace!
You are not alone, for your are God's own! Together, we sing and we proclaim!
c2016 Jessie Maibusan and Jennah Manibusan, published by Spirit & Song, a division of OCP. All rights reserved. Printed with lic
ense number A702195
|
|
|
|
Now you can securely make a gift to Prince of Peace via text! Text 205-881-5515 and you will receive a reply text. Click on the text link and you will be asked by FaithDirect to complete a short, one-time registration page with your billing and contact information. After this quick registration, you can give any time by texting a dollar amount to 205-881-5515 and selecting the fund to which you want to donate. Text-to-give options are: offertory catch-up, one-time gift (goes to the building fund) or the
weekend backpack program
.
|
|
Throughout its 2,000 year history, the Catholic Church has gained a reputation for the many incredible structures it has built—cathedrals, universities, and hospitals, to name a few. But there’s one thing everyday Catholics often struggle to build: a strong community within their own parishes. Especially in large churches like Prince of Peace, it’s all too easy to view our participation as a “Mass and done” affair. But innumerable blessings can come from establishing meaningful (as well as casual) relationships with others at our parish. Here's a few ideas:
Attend the same Mass weekly
-The beauty of the Mass is, of course, the fact that you can attend anywhere and hear the same Scripture readings and experience the same liturgy. Mass is Mass … right? To a point, yes. But bouncing around from church to church or Mass time to Mass time won’t help you build community. Stick with a regular Sunday service and you’ll begin to see familiar faces and mingle with the same crowd.
Sit in the same section weekly
- Just like Mass-hopping doesn’t lead to relationship-building at church, neither will playing Mass musical chairs. The simple act of sitting in the same general section every time you attend Mass means you’ll likely see many of the same people from week to week. Introduce yourself to those around you before Mass or during the Sign of Peace. Every friendship begins somewhere—perhaps one is waiting in the pew next to you.
Don’t leave Mass right away
- The race to the parking lot
after Mass
can be a juggernaut of Olympic proportions. Many of us start leaving with the first chords of the closing song. But lingering to chat after church can be a vital opportunity to socialize with like-minded believers in the gathering space or Deasy Hall.
Start a ministry
- Maybe you’d like to join a group that Prince of Peace doesn't offer? What if you could make it happen yourself? You don’t have to undertake a major commitment to increase your sense of belonging in your community.
Get your kids involved
- There’s a social phenomenon most parents have experienced at least once: Your children actually make friends for you. Signing your kids up for
catechesis
or the
Glorybound youth choir
will not only enrich their spiritual lives but provide you with plenty of opportunities to meet other parents.
|
|
|
|
Eucharistic Ministers to the Sick
|
There are many ways to serve: some more visible, some less, some right here at POP, some at parishioners’ homes.
Do you have a couple of free hours once a month on Sunday around 2pm?
We need Eucharistic ministers to bring communion to Catholics at The Oaks on Parkwood and to lead a communion service at The Lodge building. Both of these opportunities are short, simple and training is provided. All they take is a commitment to SERVE. Contact
Bette Graffeo
for more information.
|
|
|
|
Help Us Feed the Homeless - openings 10/14, 11/11, 12/9
(seeking ministry leader, too)
|
Every second Sunday of the month our Lunch for the Homeless ministry brings and serves the midday meal at
Church of the Reconciler
in downtown Birmingham. You can help by selecting an item to donate, transporting food or serving food by going to the the ministry's
SignUp Genius website
.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate in this ministry to feed our hungry brothers and sisters.
If you're interested in leading this established ministry, please contact
Bette Graffeo
.
|
|
|
|
Help Us Welcome All to Mass
|
It only takes a friendly smile and brief greeting to welcome parishioners and visitors to the weekend Masses. Please consider volunteering for the greeter ministry and help us extend our famous "all are welcome" hospitality. You can pick the dates and Masses that you (and maybe your family, too!) would like to serve by going to our greeter ministry's
SignUp Genius page right here
. Serve as often or as little as your schedule permits. For more information, contact ministry leader
Mark Koch
.
|
|
Fall Festival and Fun Run-Oct. 27
|
|
Our school will hold its annual fall festival on Saturday, Ocober 27 in the school parking lot. The day begins with registration for the 5K Fun Run at 7am, race starts at 7:30am. Adult registration fee is $30, child’s registration fee is $15.
You can register and pay for the race online
. If you register two adults and two children, you can use the promo code FAMILY for a $15 discount
plus
you will get two free unlimited activities arm bands for the afternoon festival.
The festival activities will be held from 1pm until 4:30pm in the school parking lot. Unlimited activities arm bands for the children cost $20. No cost for adults. There will be a “trunk or treat” in the parking lot, food trucks, pony rides, popcorn and drinks, hay ride, pumpkin patch, corn maze, haunted house, mash tent, cake walk, and jumpy houses. Hope to see you there!
|
|
School Golf Tournament Now Oct. 29
|
|
T
his year's tournament will be held at the Riverchase Country Club on
Monday, October 29
with a noon shotgun start. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place teams. All are welcome to participate in this annual event that raises money for our school. For more information, to register for the tournament, or to become a sponsor of the tournament,
click here
.
|
|
Effective October 17, the Wednesday school Mass time will change to 8am. There will no longer be a 2pm school Mass. If you were attending Wednesday morning Mass at 8:30am since school started, please plan to arrive at 8 am instead and celebrate with our school students and families.
|
|
|
|
Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities
T
he POP Knights will be accepting donations for their annual fundraiser for people with intellectual disabilities after all weekend Masses October 20-21 in the gathering space. It's often called "Tootsie Roll Weekend" and it's one of the many ways the POP Knights serve the community. Interested in learning more about the
Knights
? Contact Grand Knight
Jeff Allen
.
|
|
Fall Smoked Boston Butt Sale
The Knights are
taking orders online
for their delicious smoked Boston Butt roasts through Oct. 15. They are $35 apiece and will be available for pickup at POP on Fri., Oct 19 (after noon) and Sat. Oct 20 until noon. If you don't want to order and pay online, the Knights will be present in the gathering space after the weekend Masses starting Sept. 23 to take your order and payment. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Knight's many charitable outreaches.
|
|
Baptisms, Marriages, New Parishioners
(September)
|
|
Baptisms
Jacob Alexander Fitzmorris
Samwise Fox Kopec-Soderlund
Hector Livan Tovar
Omar Tovar
Naomi Jocelyn Vazquez
Kaelin Maria Campbell Ferreira
Joseph Gael Almazan
Autumn Pelelope Fitzgerald
Eleanor Christine Malachowski
Victor Enrique Jimenez Castaneda
Jovanni Aquirre Villalvazo
Gabriella Gallegos Flores
America Arias Campa
Yassiel Luna Rios
Luis David Santoyo Rosas
Daniela Colin Hernandez
Aldo Colin Hernandez
Daniel Gonzalez Ramirez
Kevin Alexis Rodriguez Mendoza
Adrian Chanchavac Hermondez
Lyla Donnelly
Landen Spidle
Florencia Moreno Castro
Sofia Navarrette Lopez
Marriages
Gerardo Navanete Limon and Leticia Olivares Victoriano
Ricardo E. Garcia Jimenez and Evelyn Ruby Gomez
|
|
New Parishioners
Robin Anderson
Marco Antonio Arceo and Mrs. Liliana Alvarez Barragan
Nancy Carr
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L Crawford
Janet Leigh Douglas
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Fandel
Mr. and Mrs. Josh Fulgham
Mr. and Mrs. Amilcar Gonzalez
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gray
Mr. and Mrs. Deibys Jimenez Guerrero
Mr. and Mrs. Keith Horn
Mr. and Mrs. G. Scott Juday
Mr. and Mrs. Cole Kinchler
Mr. Aaron J. Kirby and Mrs. Brittney Kilpatrick
Mr. and Mrs. Quincy Lam
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Lynch
Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso Moreno
Mr. and Mrs. Lee W Russell
Mr. Juan G. Sepulveda and Mrs. Bobbie Diaz
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Clayton Thomas
Maria Williams
|
|
October Stewardship Prayer
|
|
Come, Holy Spirit! Come down upon us. Watch over us. Guide us. Make us good stewards of your wisdom.
You are the promised one of Jesus, the ultimate protector of the church and its most vulnerable. You are the Lord, the giver of life who brings us peace in the midst of storms and comfort in our pain and discouragement. You are the one who transforms weak and timid disciples into bold proclaimers of the Good News.
Breathe your life into us. Unleash your power upon us. Set us on fire! So that our stewardship of the Gospel may bring hope to others and give glory to you, Father and Son, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
