News from Incarnation Ministry
Fr. Stephen Bartlett-Re
Greetings from Incarnation Mission at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco!
Lent started, as always, with the imposition of ashes on many patients across the entire hospital, especially amongst those who are bedridden and so could not attend the various services available in our common chapel/Community Center. The reception of ashes is still very popular as a conscious beginning of Lent and our devotions during this season.
Our monthly Mass is attended by 20 persons, including several new patients who came in to watch and then stayed to receive communion. Our group of volunteers gets many patients who cannot walk or wheel their wheelchairs themselves to Mass. However, we are still in need of a few more volunteers to provide escort service to some patients who may not leave their units without a full-time escort because of disorientation. These patients once had paid staff minders, but have lost this service due to the financial cuts. We try to cover the ground with the people we have, but it is difficult.
Please keep us in your prayers as we keep you. May this season of Lent bring peaceful strength to our hearts so that we can continue to work for God's peace in our troubled world.
During the months of January, February and March, we lost several of our dearest members, Bob V. our treasurer, Rene, Shelley and Sandy, all of them long time members. We are all saddened by these losses and ask all to remember them in prayer. This makes seven active members lost during the past 12 months, the Community is very saddened. We also have 2 members in jail, but look forward to their joyful return to us.
We also coordinated the Winter Overflow Homeless Shelter Project, or Nights of Hospitality as it was called. We’ve provided safe, warm housing for people every night since January 2nd. The program rotated sites from the First Baptist Church, to the Unitarian Church, to the Union Methodist Church, to the YMCA and Holy Spirit Episcopal Church. We averaged about 12 guests per night. At one point, the demand was so great, we were operating two shelters per night for about 24 guests. Now that Spring is upon us, we are closing it down till next year. We also operated a morning drop-in center at the Baptist Church with coffee and snacks for the homeless to have a warm place to gather. A volunteer appreciation night is being held on March 28th to thank all who helped out so generously with their time, effort, money, etc.
Starting on March 29th, we will be coordinating a community service program for people who need to perform this as part of their probation. The crew will do projects at the several downtown churches (painting, yard work, cleaning, etc.), and the YMCA, Library, as well as street sweeping, etc.
We are looking forward to Easter and the Baptism and Confirmation of Roger P. who has been preparing through weekly classes since last November
What’s been going on in the South?
Ash Wednesday
Respectfully submitted my Mary Seitz for Christ Sophia Faith Community, San Antonio TX
This year Ash Wednesday snuck up on us all. Before we knew it “it” was here and our Deacon was out of town. Some might have thought that we would not have services but for our small and creative community the task was simple. We would Skype with the Deacon for our service. That would have worked well however the Deacon did not have the capabilities on her work laptop so the laity and Deacon went back to the drawing board. Within an hour the community decided to have service by “phone”.
On Ash Wednesday at 6 PM a call came from Deacon Diane. The laity had the altar set with ashes the Deacon had blessed along with the prayer service the Deacon sent the day before. Mary hooked up her cell phone to an “i-home” so that all could hear the Deacon and the Deacon could hear all of us. Present at our end were Daniel, his mother Kathy, Barbara and myself. When it came time for the distribution of ashes, our teenager gave every one ashes and then his mother gave him his. We sat in quiet reflection afterwards. At the end of service, Daniel commented that this service was very meaningful for him and he truly felt the presence of God.
After we hung up with the Deacon, Daniel asked us all to share what we were going to do for our Lenten sacrifice. We discussed that some of us were taking up things to do rather than giving the same thing up like soda, chocolate, sweets, breads. We had a great discussion about what the ashes symbolized and what it meant to go through these 40 days of preparation for Jesus’ salvation.
We are so very blessed by our Deacon and her ever-giving of self to ensure her laity are taken care of spiritually even in her physical absence.
We are excited about the journey of Our Lady of Guadalupe and having our turn to host it for our community to share with others.
2011 National Assembly
Dunrovin Retreat Center
St Croix, Minnesota.
The Assembly begins on Thursday evening, September 22 and ends at noon on Sunday, September 25.
Dr Gunter Esser, the Director of Old Catholic Studies at the University of Bonn Germany, will be our Key Note Speaker!
Father Aidan is suffering from pancreatitis and acute renal failure. This is in addition to prostate cancer and a previous bout with thyroid cancer. He currently is in the Hospital in Hershey PA.
Nancy Stevens a member of All Souls Faith Community. Her mother passed away this month! Please pray for Nancy, Rev. Maureen and their family.
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