Afterthoughts
In this busy season efficiency dominates. How much I am behind...stress! Anxious to get decorations mounted, cards in the mail, gifts purchased and wrapped. Efficiency and productivity is the standard by which our culture judges. We measure ourselves more often not by beginnings - but by ends, not what is in the heart but by what is accomplished. Expectations dictate. Mostly my expectations of myself.

Yet deep within, the great hunger is for love. It takes time. Busy days do not afford much time. We get tired achieving - "I do not have time to talk right now, could we discuss this later?" If we have a dysfunction, a division, a separation, misunderstanding, or some unhealed wound it becomes more obvious now. The saintly Jesuit Pedro Arrupe once told the story of visiting an orphanage in El Salvador on Christmas Eve. As he was leaving he heard footsteps behind him and turning around he saw a little boy, who said in a quiet voice "Would you tell someone I'm here."

The coming of Jesus ushers in a day when love trumps efficiency.

Monsignor Connolly

Renew your Faith at RE Congress
For so many years, my Holy Family friends had urged me, and I had always intended, to attend the Los Angeles Archdiocese's Religious Education Congress, but something always seemed to intervene. Finally, in February 2008, I did it, and my life will never be the same! I am absolutely hooked!

The RE Congress is an amazing four-day experience (Thursday through Sunday afternoon) of catechist training, spiritual awakening and faith enrichment, worship, music and Christian fellowship that takes place annually in late February at the Anaheim Convention Center. It is the largest gathering of its kind anywhere, and thousands of people journey from all over the world to share over 280 sessions on every aspect of Christian life and teaching as well as multiple liturgies and music concerts appealing to every worship style and culture. The first day is "Youth Day," devoted solely to programs, activities and liturgies for teens and young adults. From Friday through Sunday last year, I couldn't do enough or absorb enough, and I returned to "real life" totally energized, renewed in my faith and hungry for more. Words cannot really express the thrill of being able to hear firsthand and talk personally with so many of the current giants of our Catholic faith, those authors and theologians whose books we buy at the Holy Family Bookstore or those composers and liturgists whose songs we sing at our parish Masses and worship celebrations.

Needless to say, I will be back in Anaheim February 27 through March 1, 2009 (February 26 for the young people), and I invite you to join me for an experience that will "hook" you as well. There is always a large and joyful group from Holy Family that attends, and the parish hosts a hospitality suite at the Hilton, so we will always have a place to land and find a familiar face among the multitudes. The registration fee until January 5 is only $60; after that date it increases to $75 (a bargain for what you receive in return). For more information and registration packets, contact Shirley in the Religious Education office, (626) 403-6118 or shirley@holyfamily.org. See you at Congress!

 

Make a New Year's Resolution to ReMember
Our parish community is not whole - it is incomplete. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are not celebrating Eucharist as a part of our community. Some are not participating in Church or sacramental life at all. We have a process to help mend the brokenness. ReMembering Church is a reconciling ministry offering a safe, trusting environment for Catholics seeking a pathway back to active participation in the life of the Church or desiring greater understanding of the faith through prayer, reflection and discussion. Notice, we deliberately write ReMembering as a play on words. People who join in the process are being re-membered to the church again, and at the same time they are remembering the original promises of their baptism.

There are many factors which may cause alienation from the community: Some have been hurt by the clergy, or by the community itself. Others have been hurt by their families or by choices made at an earlier stage in their life. Occasionally, a divorced person, feeling a sense of failure, thinks he/she is no longer welcome at church or is unable to receive communion. Often a person may get hurt at other things the church or a "churchperson" has done. Sometimes people leave the Church in order to give themselves some space to sort out life issues and questions. Regardless of the reason, we would like to offer a safe place to come back to be reconciled with God and God's Church.

For most returnees, it would not be enough to simply resume going to Mass. The ReMembering Church sessions provide a safe environment to pray about, reflect on, and discuss your feelings. For about ten weeks, we offer a continuous group experience in a comfortable atmosphere. Trust gradually builds up. People may share a great deal about their hurt, their questions, and their own personal stories. All this takes more than can be offered at our time of worship.

Many of our parishioners probably know of one or more Catholics in the area who are inactive or alienated from the Church. Your help is needed to begin the healing process. Simply let any member of our parish staff know of anyone who may be hurting or searching for a way to be reunited with our Church once again. You can call Dawn at 626-403-6128 or email her at dponnet@holyfamily.org and she will call your potential ReMemberer. You can be assured that all information will be treated confidentially. In addition, please pray for those members of our community who are temporarily separated from us. Of course, if you would like to accompany a ReMemberer, you would be more than welcome to come. In fact, we strongly recommend that you accompany them for at least the first few weeks.

Our next series for ReMembering Church begins on Thursday, January 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Galilee Room (lowest level of the Pastoral Center).

Make a New Year's resolution to invite someone to ReMembering Church; or keep a prayer for those who are going through the process this winter.