Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Newsletter — August 2022

AUGUST 2022

Our Lady of Lourdes CATHOLIC CHURCH

MEET PARISHIONER

Maria House

Happily Serving and Welcoming All to Our Parish

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Maria House has been a member of Our Lady of Lourdes since the age of 11. Her dream job after retirement was to be a receptionist at our parish.

aria House knew her dream job after retirement was to be a receptionist at Our Lady of Lourdes. She wanted to ensure that people who called our parish weren’t met with an answering machine.

“People call a church sometimes because they are in crisis,” Maria says. “They shouldn’t be met with an answering machine. I want someone warm and welcoming to help them.”

Maria’s retirement dreams came quicker than she expected when she was asked to work as a parish receptionist 14 years ago.

She and her husband, Michael, own Casa Carbone, a local Italian restaurant. This work is part of their ministry, as they feed local priests at no charge. They give other priests and sisters a 50-percent discount.

Besides working in the parish office and the restaurant, Maria also has a weekly hour of adoration and helps with the scheduling.

She also assists the Altar Guild Society by ironing Mass linens.

“I love this parish and my faith,” Maria says. “I am so blessed that continued on back cover

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Eucharist AND Stewardship AS A Way of Life

n 1992, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a groundbreaking pastoral letter titled Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response. This document was designed to be an invitation to follow Christ, Who gave of Himself for us. Each of us is called to serve our neighbors and to be stewards of God’s creation and of all that has been entrusted to us.

However, to truly understand stewardship, we must look to the Holy Eucharist — the total gift of our loving Savior to us. Stewardship is our response to that gift.

Even the word “Eucharist” implies stewardship. The word finds its roots in the Latin word eucharistia, which in turn came from the Greek word eukaristos, which simply meant, “gratitude” or “thanksgiving.”

Since we are called to be a stewardship people, how fitting is it that we celebrate an act of thanksgiving and gratitude at the focal point of every Mass — namely, the reception of Jesus’ gift to us, the Eucharist.

In Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, the bishops tell us “The Eucharist is the great sign and agent of this expansive communion of charity… we enjoy a unique union with Christ and, in Him, with one another.

Here His love — indeed, His very Self — flows into us as disciples and, through us and our practice of stewardship to the entire human race.”

When we receive Christ’s Body in the Holy Eucharist, we hear the minister say, “The Body of 02

Christ.” To this, we respond, “Amen” – which means in Hebrew, “Yes; it is so.” This is the essence of stewardship.

We should enter the church for Mass out of gratitude. We recognize the presence of the Lord in Holy Communion, and then we truly receive the Lord.

What’s left after we receive the Eucharist is going out into the world to fulfill our stewardship mission in love of God and neighbor.

This holistic experience is the essence of stewardship. We are grateful, we recognize the Real Presence of the Lord, we receive the Lord, and then we share what we have received.

Christ’s gift of the Eucharist is an invitation to us. We are called to give beyond what is convenient or comfortable. We are called to forgive even when forgiveness may not be deserved. We are called to love as God loves us.

The Eucharist is stewardship celebrated. The Mass is more than a ritual. It is an actual encounter with God, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What we experience in the Eucharist should, in turn, translate into our daily lives. We are committed to the Church, which is Christ’s body. We show our love for His body through acts of charity and generosity. We spend time in prayer, expressing our gratitude and our love.

God’s greatest gift to us is Christ’s great love for us — this was shown when He was crucified on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us eternal life. God’s love for us is without limit, and He offers Himself to us in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Stewardship is how we respond to that gift.

A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR

Much Will Be Required of the Person Entrusted with Much

Dear Parishioners, o matter your situation in life, chances are there is someone out there who has more than you. Too often we may hesitate to follow stewardship as a way of life because we are waiting for someone more blessed than we are to show us the way.

You may be aware that the Scripture readings we hear at each Mass are part of a three-year cycle. In general, the Gospel passages in Cycle A are from Matthew: Cycle B is principally Mark; and Cycle C, the year we are now in, is primarily from Luke. John is mixed in and especially used during Lent. We are in what might be called a Luke year.

As we hear the Gospels from Luke, we need to be acutely aware of the stewardship messages found there. In one recent Gospel passage from Luke, Jesus uses a parable to remind us of an important stewardship lesson. He precedes the parable by reminding us all, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15). You and I both know that God does not judge us based upon what we may have accumulated during our lifetimes, but based upon how we lived those lives, and especially how we used those gifts — those possessions.

The parable focuses on a “rich man” who builds larger grain bins to store his abundant harvests. God calls the man a fool and reminds him that growing rich for himself is not as important as growing rich in the sight of God. The very next week (the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time), Luke again tells us how Jesus warns and cautions His Disciples — “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Luke 12:34).

The Lord warns them that they do not know what day or what hour He will return and summarizes it all with another important insight into what is expected of us — “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Luke 12:48).

You see, we are not “off the hook” if someone else has more gifts but fails to use them well. Stewardship demands that each of us use our gifts, and each of us is gifted whether we want to admit it or not, to

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serve God and others. Luke’s implied stewardship messages come full circle in the Gospel reading on Aug. 21 — “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (Luke 13:30).

That admonition from the Lord has always seemed a bit confusing. It more or less says that to be first we need to be last and if we are first, we may be last.

I think perhaps all of these messages, including the first and last one, are cautions to us that we cannot be complacent and we cannot take salvation and holiness for granted. We need to work on them. We are not measured by our possessions; God indeed does expect a lot of us, no matter how small or extensive our gifts may be; and regardless of how holy we may strive to be, it is God who will judge; it is by His grace that we will be saved.

Amid all these magnificent stewardship messages, we celebrate the Assumption of our Blessed Mother on Aug. 15 — “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant” (Luke 1:4648). God bless you all!

In Christ,

Fr. Patrick Keane Pastor

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The Hispani

Celebrating the Bea A

t Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, we are truly blessed to have a richly diverse parish family, one that reminds us just how beautiful, colorful, and creative Our Lord is. Appreciating this gift is a wonderful way to be faithful stewards of our Catholic faith.

“We have a large Hispanic population at our parish,” says Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry Ricardo Veloz. “It is made up of 80 percent Guatemalans, and the rest are from countries such as Mexico and Venezuela. It is very important to create a welcoming environment for them and make them feel at home at our parish.”

With the gracious help of the Hispanic Ministry, this goal of hospitality can come to life, day in and day out. This ministry hopes to serve all those whose first language is Spanish. Its primary focus includes helping with Spanish liturgical celebrations, sacramental preparation, and evangelization; as well as responding to different social needs of the Hispanic community.

The Hispanic Ministry also collaborates with all the organizations, groups, or individuals of the parish that wish to offer assistance to Hispanic families in need.

“Many of our Hispanics are first-generation immigrants who do not speak English well, so we work with them in their own language, while also encouraging them to learn English,” Ricardo says.

“We also help them bring their various needs to our parish ministries and point them towards local service groups and other resources. I work closely with Catholic Charities, such as to help them obtain food or financial help if needed. I like to serve as a sort of bridge for them.”

The Hispanic Ministry helps coordinate parish Masses in Spanish, which take place on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions, as well as on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. The ministry also offers Pre-Baptismal Preparation and Pre-Marriage Formation classes in Spanish. They also help to organize: the Hispanic Prayer Group every Sunday after Mass in the Fallon Center; the Hispanic Prayer Group for Young Adults (ages 18-35) on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Fallon Center; the Hispanic Youth Group of 04

ic Ministry:

auty of God’s Family Adolescents (ages 13-17) on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. in the School Cafeteria; and the Hispanic Women’s Group on Fridays at 6 p.m. in the Fallon Center.

Furthermore, the ministry coordinates Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults classes in Spanish (RICA in Spanish).

“I enjoy working with those going through RICA,” Ricardo says. “I love seeing them rediscover their faith and get engaged in the life of the Church. They are very excited to be part of the parish.”

Ultimately, the Hispanic Ministry provides a wonderful way for our parish to live out the stewardship call to hospitality, and savor the many “colors” of Catholicism in all of their splendor.

“Many of our Hispanic parishioners are looking for a community and a family, so they don’t feel alone in this new country,” Ricardo says. “They are seeking a place to pray, live out their faith and be social together.

Many of them live alone but when they join a Hispanic Ministry group, they find a family and they are very committed to it. Our goal is to help them keep their Catholic faith and Catholic Hispanic traditions. We want to motivate them to be more active as disciples of Jesus and implement the stewardship of time, talent and treasure into their lives.”

If you would like more information about the Hispanic Ministry, please contact the parish office at 919-861-4600.

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A Significant Moment in Our Prayer

The Presentation of the Gifts

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ccasionally, you might hear someone jokingly refer to “halftime” during Mass — the interval following the Prayers of the Faithful, as the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. It can be easy, even tempting, to zone out as you sit, waiting for the collection basket to make its way to your pew.

But if you pay attention, you’ll have the opportunity to enter into something deeper — a significant moment in our prayer.

It’s mentioned by St. Justin Martyr, one of the earliest Christian writers, when describing the Mass in the second century, “Bread is brought up and wine and water…”

This practice, of people bringing up the gifts, has been part of our Catholic tradition from the very beginning. Although we might think of this action as being merely practical, in reality, it serves a much deeper spiritual purpose.

Each Sunday Mass, someone is chosen, whether an usher, or another member of the parish, to bring forward “the gifts” — bread, wine, and, in many cases, the collection of money that has been gathered moments before, from the generosity of the congregation. These gifts not only symbolize but also, in reality, are the work of human hands. The bread and wine are fruit of God’s creation, which, through the effort of human hands, are made into the gifts that we present to the Lord.

Certainly, the collection that is presented to the priest also serves to represent the work and sacrifices of the previous week. Sharing our monetary “treasures” is one of the ways that we embrace stewardship. It’s an opportunity to generously give

back to the Lord, from the fruit of our work.

In his book What Happens At Mass, Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB explains, “We should not think of the collection of money at this point as some sort of banal, dirty but necessary affair. Money is our work. Money is hours of our lives. And now we give it away, we sacrifice it, for the work of the Church.”

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul instructs Christians to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

The physical act of carrying the gifts forward to the priest is meant to serve as a tangible reminder of the fact that we are all called to stewardship. We are all called to present to God our lives — our work, our talents, the struggles and victories of the past week — as an offering and gift to God. Those who bring forward the gifts each week have the privilege and responsibility of remembering what their action represents — that we are called to give generously of our time, talent and treasure to God, who gives us His very self, at Mass. And for those sitting in the pews, tempted to “check out” for a few minutes, seeing the gifts being brought forward should serve as a powerful reminder to offer our lives back to God, through serving and honoring Him. So next week, don’t just sit back and wait for “halftime.” Come to Mass a few minutes early and approach an usher to ask if you and/or your family may bring up the gifts that week. Don’t be surprised if you start to notice a change in your heart and a desire to be even more generous with God in the coming week!

The physical act of carrying the gifts forward to the priest is meant to serve as a tangible reminder of the fact that we are all called to stewardship.

We are all called to present to God our lives — our work, our talents, the struggles and victories of the past week — as an offering and gift to God.

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AN INSIDE LOOK AT

Our Parish Library

Offering Faith-Based, Spirit-Filling Materials for All

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arishioner Debbie Locke has seen the spiritual fruit that comes from studying the Catholic faith diligently through reading books that explain Church teaching and describe the lives of the saints. This is why she is now the ministry leader for the Parish Library. She believes that educating ourselves in what we believe strengthens our resolve to live out the faith and share it with others.

“The purpose of having a parish library is to offer spiritual reading to help people grow in their faith,” Debbie says. “I think all parishioners should delve deeper into an understanding of the faith through reading and studying to know the ‘why’ behind the doctrines of the faith.”

The Parish Library can be found on the upper level of the Church near the reconciliation rooms and is open whenever the Church is open. The library is stocked with over 500 books.

All are welcome to visit Our Lady of Lourdes’ Parish Library and take a book or two to read. The experience is easy and fun. All the books have been donated and can be “checked out” on an honor system, which means that you don’t have to worry about signing the books out or taking a while to read them.

Navigating the library is simple and is very reminiscent of looking for treasure in a beautiful sea. The books are categorized by topic, which will help you to narrow down your search, but finding a specific book may be more of a challenge as it may already be checked out.

“Our library is full of spiritual books,” Debbie says.

“They are loosely divided into sections starting with Bibles and Catechisms and ending with books based on death and dying, with everything in between. There are books on Catholic traditions, the sacraments, how to pray, and spirituality. There are books about the lives of the saints and books written by saints!”

There is certainly something for everyone. Many books can assist people during times of hardship, others

The Parish Library can be found on the upper level of the Church near the reconciliation rooms and is open whenever the Church is open. The library is stocked with over 500 books.

will inspire you to discipleship, and still, others will explain some of the deepest mysteries of the faith in a way that will enliven your relationship with Christ.

“In my experience, when I hear someone who is Catholic say they don’t agree with the church’s teaching on a particular topic, most of the time they are basing their assessment on what they ‘think’ the Church teaches rather than what it actually professes,” Debbie says. “This can lead to confusion.”

The Parish Library offers a solution to one’s questions about the faith or curiosities about how to pray or live a life of holiness.

The library is always open to receiving book donations — this is the primary means by which the library grows. Monetary donations are also accepted, which will be used to buy additional books.

Growing in the faith is a lifelong endeavor, and the parish library is a great resource to pursue this noble task. Go visit and get reading!

The library is strictly staffed by volunteers. Once a year, the volunteers do a deep clean of the bookshelves and reorganize the books, which typically takes them a full day’s work. By volunteering on this day of the year, you can be a great help to the staff’s efforts. If you are interested in donating books or volunteering, please reach out to Debbie Locke by emailing her at debbie7yankees7@gmail.com.

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2718 Overbrook Drive | Raleigh, North Carolina 27608 919-861-4600 | ourladyoflourdescc.org

Parishioner Maria House

continued from front cover

my parents gave me the Catholic faith.”

Maria and Michael raised three children, all of whom attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.

Maria volunteered in the school office for about 14 years and helped at the school however she could.

The parish office is a busy place, and Maria loves it.

On Wednesdays, Melody Gerald works in the office in place of Maria.

“The staff is a family,” Maria says. “We would do anything for each other. We are truly blessed with a great staff.”

Melody and Maria are the first faces people see when they walk into the office. They are there to assist Fr. Pat and connect visitors with whatever or whomever they need.

Maria has been a member of Our Lady of Lourdes since the age of 11.

“I love the smaller church and the community here

— it’s a family,” she says. “Fr. Pat is amazing. He is a truly holy man.”

Maria would encourage others to consider ways they may give of their time, talent and treasure. It’s such a blessing to be involved.

“Most of our parish ministries could use some help here or there,” she says. “You can just start small. It’s amazing how getting involved will change you.”

She also wants people to know the power of Eucharistic Adoration — people can stop in at any time, even for a quick moment.

“I love our Adoration Chapel,” she says. “Adoration is the greatest gift we’ve been given here. I’ve had miracles in that chapel. Anyone can walk in and experience God’s grace.”

In her free time, Maria loves to spend time with her grandkids who live out of state, and she also enjoys reading.

Mass Times

SATURDAY VIGIL, 5:00 PM | SUNDAY, 9:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM Spanish, 5:00 PM MONDAY, 8:00 AM | TUE — FRI, 8:30 AM Confession Times: WEDNESDAY, 12:00 PM | SATURDAY, 3:00 PM