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Please forward
submissions to In the Vineyard to leaderpub@votf.org.
"It is
in the Spirit that we eagerly await the justification we hope
for, and only Faith can yield it." Gal. 5:5
It is hard to
believe that a year ago, we embraced this season without a VOTF!
Today we not only embrace the organization and its continuing ability
to maintain new and vibrant dialogue, but we embrace many new friends
in far-flung places. Hundreds of you have written over the past
month of your unwavering interest in and support for In the Vineyard
and the endless work of VOTF. It means more than you can know. Your
words and voices make a unique carol and we thank you for that sweet
sound!
In the 1940s,
E. B. White wrote a reflection about the Christmas season, "The
Distant Music of the Hounds." In it, he decried the preoccupation
with noise and bustle that seemed to be the lot of mankind in those
raw post-war years. He had come across one of those little trumpets
that hunters used to hear "the distant music of the hounds." He
said, "The miracle of Christmas is that, like the distant music
of the hounds, it penetrates finally and becomes heard in the heart
- over so many years, through so many cheap curtain-raisers." It
resonates, doesn't it, at this time in our Church's history? Difficult
as these days and months have been, we are still called to listen
and to hear and we have the great, good fortune to be doing so as
the People of God.
JoAnne Nowak
from our Andover, MA VOTF "heard" something recently in some Advent
material distributed at her parish, St. Robert Bellarmine. She wrote,
"We read that Advent isn't rooted in nostalgic remembrance of the
birth of a baby nor in the longing for the second coming but in
the coming of Christ into our daily lives. 'When we take the tradition
and enter it fully, we become Advent, the people in and through
whom Christ comes.'"
Wishing
you peace in this season of welcome,
Peggie L. Thorp
Editor
Some days
before our VOTF team met with Cardinal Law (see the press
release) the Prayerful Voice group was asked by our president
Jim Post to write a special prayer for the success of the meeting.
We distributed the prayer to area parishes, many of whom found a
place for it in their liturgies. We thought it would serve all of
you well from time to time so we share it.
Generous
God,
We are united in our desire to be faithful to you.
As we move toward greater dialogue within the Church, we open
our hearts to
each other and to the transforming power of your grace.
Grant us,
Gentle God, wisdom, courage and guidance, as we seek mutual
understanding and respect in this new moment. Amen.
Notes
- A Few Contributors
to In the Vineyard might enjoy this link identified by our Webmaster,
Eileen Hespeler. It covers the topic of writing online: http://www.clickz.com/design/write_onl/
- Many of
our members have written of their great appreciation for the homilies
by Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton of Michigan. The website address
for The Peace Pulpit, homilies by Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton,
is http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/peace/
- Be sure
to click onto the Boston
College website for information and re-caps on the education
initiative "The Church in the 21st Century - From Crisis to Renewal"
- There is
now a printer friendly version of "In
the Vineyard"
- Terry McKiernan
of Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton, tells us that Ben's Bakery
in Providence, RI is donating 10% of their holiday-season sales
to Survivors Appeal. This is a single-donation collection fund,
which will distribute money to all the survivor groups as well
as individual survivors. Ben's sells fudge, candies, nuts and
other gift items. Italian cookies are a specialty as are custom
baskets. Purchases can be made online at http://www.bensbakeryandcafe.com.
- A Place at
the Table Survivors and supporters have put together a simple
cookbook for the holidays and throughout the year, dedicated to
the memory of Laura Gallagher -- amazing mom and friend, and wife
of Joe Gallagher, who has been a solid supporter of survivors
from the beginning of this crisis. A Place at the Table: Cuisine
with Compassion is available for $15.00, with the proceeds going
to survivor organizations in the Boston area. If you are interested
in buying a copy, please contact Steve Lewis at afreeknight@attbi.com
- Slowly we
have assembled a group of volunteers to make up an Editorial Advisory
Board who will help gather material for, edit and distribute In
the Vineyard as well as the quarterly publication. Members are
Cathy Fallon, Eileen Hespeler, Amy Kotsopoulos, Anne Murphy, Jane
McDaid, Donna Salacuse, Midge Seibert, Steve Sheehan, Tom Smith
and Peggie Thorp. We expect to have our first group meeting in
January.
In the Vineyard
Table of Contents
Page One
Jim Post's Speech
From the Desk of the Executive
Director
Working Groups
Voices, Voices Everywhere!
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