Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Newsletter — May 2023

Our Lady of Lourdes CATHOLIC CHURCH

Hospital Ministry

Shares God’s Love and Mercy in Midst of Challenging Circumstances

For 30 years, Eileen Macko has been ministering to patients in local hospitals.

“I’ve had a lot of experiences with people who have fallen through the cracks,” Eileen says. “You are able to bring them back through spiritual materials.”

While attending her former parish, Eileen was approached and asked to consider serving the local hospitals.

“I was very nervous,” she says. “When you go in, you knock at the door, say who you are, and talk to the patient. But it becomes second nature. This has been something that I really enjoyed doing over the years.”

A prominent encounter in her mind was one with a woman suffering from cancer. A mother to two children, she had fallen away from her Catholic faith. When Eileen visited with her and brought spiritual materials to her, it brought her back to the faith.

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Mothers AND STEWARDSHIP

Wecelebrate the month of Mary during May, and during this month, we also celebrate Mother’s Day. It seems fitting that we honor our mothers during May, since Mary is given to us by God as the example of true Christian motherhood.

Those who are called to be mothers have been blessed by God and called to fulfill a very important responsibility. Mothers are the vehicle through which God brings new life into this world. When we talk about Christian stewardship, we talk about sacrificially returning to God what we have been given. What can more clearly be a demonstration of complete sacrifice than the relationship between mother and child during the nine months of growth in the womb? During these nine months, the child’s life depends on the actions of the mother as her energy and nourishment goes directly to the growing baby.

Although this relationship may change to some extent after the child is born, a mother’s sacrifice for her child is far from over after the birth. The role of the mother is critical in the child’s development — both spiritually and physically — throughout life. Mothers provide the comfort, nurture and support necessary for their children to become productive citizens and responsible Christians.

The job of a mother is not an easy one. This is a fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew very well. She worried when her young Son appeared to be lost, only to find Him later in His Father’s house. She was probably concerned as Jesus began His public ministry — not knowing what difficulties and rejections He would encounter along the way. And, Mary must have experienced great anguish as she watched her Son’s body being crucified to a cross.

May all mothers look to Mary as their model for motherhood and ask her intercession as they strive to fulfill their God-given role in their children’s lives. During the month of May, let us all take some time to express our appreciation to our mothers for allowing us to come into this world, for loving us, and for serving as an example of what it means to be a steward for life.

A LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR

Honoring Our Lady in May

Dear Parishioners,

May is Mary’s month. For centuries, Catholics throughout the world have included special devotions to the Blessed Mother in their activities during May. Best known, I’m sure, is the widespread and ever-popular practice of crowning an image of Our Lady with flowers during the month.

May is a beautiful month, full of renewal and hope. The March winds and the April showers have done their work, and the spring flowers are in bloom. Even though the earliest signs of Spring have passed, May doesn’t quite have the look or feel of Summer. It is Spring at its finest! And it’s not only the flowers or trees that show new life in May. For many students, May is the month to prepare for graduations, and these students will soon move on to new phases in their lives.

And of course, May is a month of joy for all of us who claim the Church as our spiritual home. We spend the whole month this year in the Easter season, which closes with Pentecost on May 28. The joy of the Resurrection, the glory of the Ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit are the themes that fill our Christian calendar.

But as we rejoice with Mary at her Son’s triumph over sin, Satan, and death, we remember her faithfulness to God’s will throughout her life. Indeed, she can be viewed as the model Christian steward. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops pointed to her in its pastoral letter on stewardship: “After Jesus, it is the Blessed Virgin Mary who by her example most perfectly teaches the meaning of discipleship and stewardship in their fullest sense” ( Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, 41).

I invite you to join us each Saturday morning at 9 a.m. during the month of May for our Marian Votive Mass in honor of Our Lady. Let us follow her example of total dedication to God as we rejoice in the blessings He gives us this month!

In Christ, Fr. Patrick Keane Pastor

“After Jesus, it is the Blessed Virgin Mary who by her example most perfectly teaches the meaning of discipleship and stewardship in their fullest sense”

(Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, 41).

PROJECT

Providing Essential Care and Support

The Catholic Church is pro-life. In turn, there are many ministries across the United States to promote the pro-life message. And many dioceses across the United States, including the Diocese of Raleigh, have a ministry to support those who have experienced or been impacted by abortion. Project Rachel Central and Eastern North Carolina has served those suffering from the abortion experience for more than 25 years. Even though the Catholic Church is pro-life, we still must serve those who are grieving an abortion. Project Rachel includes regular support groups and a retreat twice per year.

Jackie Bonk has been a director for this diocesan ministry for many years.

“Abortion is unnatural — it’s a trauma,” she says. “Women who experience this are traumatized, and they don’t know it. It’s a lot of pain and suffering.”

Jackie calls Project Rachel a “ministry of accompaniment.” Many of the volunteer companions have been through an abortion. One main component of this ministry is that it is absolutely confidential. Many of the details of the retreats are held in confidence to protect those who attend.

“There is so much grief and shame,” Jackie says. “We want those who attend to walk away free from that.”

The retreats always have at least one priest to assist. A team of volunteers takes care of the rest. The goal is to let attendees mourn the loss of their child or children. Participants can hopefully leave free and forgiven. Men who have been affected by abortion and healthcare workers are welcome to participate in Project Rachel.

“It is hard for those who have experienced abortion to move on,” Jackie says. “Society tells them it’s no big deal, so they may wonder why they are grieving.”

Jackie originally became involved in Project Rachel after a meeting at Our Lady of Lourdes. This work really touched her heart, so she stepped forward to help. All these years later, she’s still involved. She recognizes this is more of an invisible apostolate. We often don’t think of the people who have had an abortion and how it still impacts them.

“Being part of Project Rachel has been a great gift to me,” she says. “It’s been amazing to witness the mercy and love of God. Many of these women and men say this is the worst thing they have ever done and something they could never forgive themselves for. When they leave, they are transformed and changed.”

About one in four women experience abortion. That number is probably higher than most of us realize. So, there are many

The Project Rachel teams decorates for the bi-annual retreats.

RACHEL: Support for those Impacted by Abortion

Catholics, even in our parish, who are suffering. That’s why Project Rachel is such a gift.

“This gives the baby dignity and a chance for the parent or parents to grieve for them,” Jackie says. “They name the child and make them real.”

Project Rachel keeps a book of all the children memorialized in their time running the program, and it’s at about 700 names. The group usually holds retreats in January and June. Although this isn’t a ministry of our parish, there are several parish members who serve as companions.

When Jackie thinks back to her years with Project Rachel, one word comes to mind — miracles. She says

being involved in this ministry has been one of the most profound parts of her life beyond her family.

“I get to witness God’s loving mercy, over and over,” Jackie says. “There is so much beauty in the healing and spiritual renewal. Participants recognize that their child is with Christ and accept His gift of forgiveness. They are reborn.”

In this month of Mary, Jackie also wants to recognize our mother’s role in this ministry. She always wants to draw us to Jesus.

“Mary is our spiritual mother,” she says. “She is always desiring our healing so we can experience the love of Jesus.”

Learn more and contact Project Rachel at rachelnc.org. Support groups are held all year, and another retreat will be held in June.

Hospital Ministry continued from front cover

“Just her knowing I cared about her and by giving her spiritual materials to look at, she came back to her faith,” Eileen says.

Now, Eileen leads the Hospital Ministry here at Our Lady of Lourdes. The ministry has around seven committed members who take turns serving on Sundays, bringing the Eucharist and other Catholic resources to patients.

The ministry members commit to whichever Sunday suits their schedule, and Eileen fills in the gaps if need be. The commitment is for an hour or two each time. The Hospital Ministry is something that affects not only the patients but also the members themselves.

“I have received so much more than I have given, through those patients that are so grateful you

came to them,” Eileen says.

Visiting the sick is one of the seven corporal works of mercy. Through this ministry, parishioners of our community are helping those who are in need of experiencing God’s love and mercy in challenging circumstances.

“By divine providence, you can bring people back to their faith,” Eileen says. “People don’t think about their soul until they’re in the hospital, then they start thinking.”

Because ministry members bring Holy Communion to the patients, all committed volunteers must be trained as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Those involved must also go through a training process, led by Deacon Byron. Then, Eileen takes care of scheduling and arranging the visits.

For more information about this ministry, or to get involved, contact Deacon Byron at 919-861-4600 or bchampagne@ourladyoflourdescc.org

The May Crowning

F or many Catholics, May Crownings of statues or icons of the Blessed Mother have become rites of spring. Like flowers blooming or Mother’s Day, this annual Marian devotion reminds us that the cold of winter is behind us, and it ushers in a month during which the Catholic Church pays special homage to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God.

Generally taking place during the first weekend of the month, May Crownings bring children — often, recent First Communicants — out in their Sunday best to participate in processions and adorn statues of the Blessed Mother with crowns of flowers or actual gold crowns. Additionally, the children often place roses at her feet, and Catholics carry out similar practices in their homes by placing roses around statues of the Blessed Virgin, or even adding ornamentation to images of Mary. But where did this practice come from, and how did it develop into the tradition that we currently know and love?

The Coronation of Mary had been a popular subject in European art and literature for centuries, but the tradition of the May Crowning can be most accurately traced back to the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the practice of adding ornamentation to Marian icons that had been carried out by some Eastern churches, Pope Clement VIII added two crowns to the icon of Mary with the Infant Jesus in the St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. The crowns were eventually lost, but were replaced by Gregory XVI in 1837 in a rite that was to become the standard practice for crowning.

While the May Crowning is not an official liturgical celebration on the Church calendar, it is an important practice in honoring Mary as the Queen of the Universe, and its imagery is especially influential in the faith formation of children. As Liz Kelly writes in May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic, “One of the defining aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary. I favor no Marian celebration more highly than May Crowning, the feast that recognizes Mary as queen of heaven and earth. To a person of any age, this is a mighty big title, but to a child of five or six or seven, it expands to enchanting, magical proportions. How many queens does one get a chance to meet in a lifetime, much less crown?”

This year, make a special effort to honor the coronation of Mary through participation in a personal or public May Crowning devotion.

THE SUPPORT CIRCLE

Making a Difference for Families in Need Throughout Our Community

Homelessness is an issue around our country and impacts people right here in our own local community. The Support Circle Ministry, part of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, works to support and provide compassion to those dealing with homelessness. Doug Crouch has been a member of the group for six years and has been leading it for the last four years.

“The Support Circle is like adopting a family for a year,” Doug says. “The program works to empower families and individuals experiencing homelessness to secure and maintain permanent housing. We support one family for a 12-month period.”

Families are paired with adults who help provide moral and practical support to the families. The adults strive to provide support that builds upon the strengths that the families and individuals already possess.

Anyone can be involved in the Support Circle — however, volunteer opportunities are generally geared toward adults. Doug says that while most of the opportunities are for adults, his kids have sometimes helped out by babysitting during monthly meetings with the family.

“We typically have four to eight people in the Support Circle group, but for the monthly check-ins, we limit to two people because it can get personal,” Doug says.

Homelessness causes chaos and insecurity

for the families who are affected by it. According to Doug, there are around 4,700 students in Wake County schools who are deemed homeless. The effects of this on children are serious and even lead to a higher risk that they will suffer from chronic illnesses.

“We can see the impact we have on a family’s life,” Doug says. “You can see firsthand the effect of giving back, not just financially with the church’s money, but also how your time can change a family’s life. When you help a family out of homelessness you can see how it transforms

The Support Circle

their life. They go from the chaos and insecurity of homelessness to a place they can call home and form a life.”

Doug believes that we are all called to be stewards of our communities. We are all called to find the problems in our community that we have the ability to change, and then try to fix them.

“For a while, I was stuck trying to find the perfect way to give back, but this helped me realize that it doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to get out

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there and try to make a difference, small or large,” Doug says.

Being part of the Support Circle offers the volunteers an opportunity to give their time to other members of the community who are struggling, and to help make a difference. It is a wonderful opportunity to work one-on-one with families and individuals. It encourages members to see the good in people, especially those who might come from different backgrounds or situations.

If you have questions about the Support Circle Ministry, or to get involved, contact Doug Crouch at dgcrouch@gmail.com.