Summer 2014 Partners Newsletter

Partners Report

SUMMER 2014

Sharing the Gospel: Changing Lives $250,000

Double Your Impact!

Donate to the Matching Grant

by September 30, 2014, and DOUBLE YOUR DONATION! Every gift of $100 or more will be MATCHED by a group of anonymous donors.

Donate today at waupartners.org

W

ho led you to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ? Was it a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a priest, a nun, a friend? Where would any of us be without that person? These brothers and sisters allowed God to use them to lead us to Christ. What an immense blessing! Without that particular someone, we would not fully know the joy of being sons and daughters of God or the wonderful hope of eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

You are that “someone” now for those who receive The Word Among Us through Partners.

Through your prayers and financial giving, you impact the lives of brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world whom you will never meet. But because of your gift of The Word Among Us magazine, they are drawing closer to Jesus each day.

Just like St. Andrew, St. Monica, St. Ambrose, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Thérèse, you are lifting them up in prayer and bringing Christ to them in the pages of The Word Among Us. We at The Word Among Us give thanks for you, our Partners, and pray for you and your loved ones every Tuesday morning. Enjoy reading about all the good that YOU are doing in our summer newsletter. God bless you!

—The Partners Team Brendan, Angela, Bryan, Maurice, and Sue

Freedom Behind Bars Through The Word Among Us, prisoners are encountering Christ and being transformed. As a result, they are sharing the gospel with other brothers and sisters in Christ “on the inside.”

Read more on page 2

Young Catholics Thriving Here On campus and in the military, young Catholics are learning to pray and growing stronger in their Catholic faith.

You are helping them!

Read more on page 3

Freedom Behind Bars

W

e want to share with you a little of the history of Partners’ ministry to prisoners. Some of you who are reading this were with us at the very beginning of this ministry.

For 28 years, Partners has been sending free copies of The Word Among Us to prisoners throughout North America. How did it all begin? Soon after the magazine started publication in December 1981, we began to receive requests for the magazine from prisoners who had been sent a copy by a family member or friend.

In 1986, the readers of the magazine were invited to donate to the prison min-

istry. By 1989, 826 prisoners were receiving the magazine. Now in 2014, 61,000 of our incarcerated brothers and sisters join us in reading The Word Among Us every day! For any of you mathematicians, that is a growth rate of 7,285 percent. Frequently, we receive letters from prisoners like Lisa, Larry, Thinh, and Mike, who share with us how the magazine has touched their lives.

Breaking the Chains of Bitterness

rison chaplains and volunteers often asked, “Do you have any other resources for prisoners?” Several mentioned a need for something on forgiveness, so in 2003 Partners published the pamphlet God Forgives: Can I? Since that time, 150,000 copies have been distributed in English and Spanish. And because of YOUR generous donations, we have just reprinted a further 20,000 in English and 12,000 in Spanish!

The response to this pamphlet has been overwhelming.

“The Word Among Us has guided me, given me hope, and has been a tremendous inspiration.”

—Lisa, Texas

P

“‘God, Jesus, everybody: I’m sorry, please forgive me,’ one inmate wrote to me this week after reading the booklet God Forgives: Can I? After that, he went to Confession. I was most impressed. I want to let you know just how powerful that pamphlet is.”

—Priest and Prison Chaplain, Florida

PAGE 2 • PARTNERS

”I pass my copy of The Word Among Us around every day. About four or five other people enjoy it also. When I get back into the world, I will try my best to get back to the Catholic Church.”

—Larry, Arkansas “I’m reading and praying using The Word Among Us every morning when I first wake up. It gives me peace of mind and brings me closer to God. I need to get closer to God and to apply his teachings in my life. Then when I’m released, I can stay out of prison.”

—Thinh, California “I look forward to the magazine. I keep it in my cell because it makes me feel less afraid when I know God is with me.”

—Mike, Alberta, Canada Together, let us give thanks to the Lord for allowing Partners to be his hands, feet, and voice to so many of his sons and daughters in prison!

“Muchas gracias for the gift of Dios Perdona booklets. At least 98 percent of the Hispanic inmates who receive it come back to Catholic services saying that they have been touched in a special way by its message. Most of the inmates are in here for drug charges, domestic violence, theft, and alcohol abuse. They need to learn to forgive themselves as well as others. One inmate had a very rough time forgiving someone who was partially responsible for putting him in jail.

After reading the pamphlet and praying, this inmate called his father and asked him to call and apologize to a third party on his behalf because he better understood forgiveness.”

—Chaplain, Florida

SUMMER 2014

Serving Those Who Serve

t Facts Partners Fas

E

96,500

ach year, 17,000 eager but anxious recruits arrive at Parris Island, SC to begin basic training, hoping for an opportunity to serve in the US Marine Corps. They undergo rigorous training in physical fitness and combat effectiveness. They face the fear of the unknown, physical hardship, and isolation from loved ones.

The Word Among Us provides these young men and women with a spiritual anchor and connection with Christ and the Church. Thanks to you, our Partners donors, we are able to send 500 copies of The Word Among Us to Parris Island every month. You extend to these young men and women the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ in the midst of an incredibly challenging chapter in their lives. And you send The Word Among Us every month to 24,000 other service men and women as well.

This spring, we were able to provide copies of The Compact Catholic Prayer Book, a pocketsized collection of prayers compiled for the men

and women in military service who receive The Word Among Us through Partners. They responded with heartfelt gratitude.

“The recruits love the prayer books. They were truly touched to know how much you care about them, pray for them, and are thinking of them. Some say they now understand why going to church is important—because they have a ‘real parish family.’ So because of your gracious generosity, these young men and women have a Catholic family that extends beyond Parris Island.” —Parris Island “We stress with the men and women how important it is to pray at all times, especially when days are tough. Those who do pray report that when they felt they just couldn’t go on, after praying they had more energy and could move forward again with spiritual strength and resolve

“Dear young friends, learn to pray every day.

This is the way to know Jesus and invite him into your lives.”

—Pope Francis, World Youth Day, July 27, 2013

Thriving, Not Just Surviving

PAGE 3 • PARTNERS

Y

oung men and women on college campuses may not encounter the hardship of military training, but they too experience the need for spiritual support. You have told us that many of your children and grandchildren struggle to practice the Catholic faith in a college environment that often actively undermines their beliefs and values. They face moral temptation and spiritual doubt and can easily turn away from God. But because of you, 5,000 college students will receive The Word Among Us this fall, which can actually help them grow in their relationship with Christ. In response to donor requests, The Word Among Us Partners sent copies of The Word Among Us to 10 college campuses during Advent and Lent this past year, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

Men and women in difficult circumstances who receive The Word Among Us through your donations— 61,000 Prisoners 24,000 Service men and women 6,500 Women and men in crisis pregnancies and postabortion ministries 5,000 Catholic college students

infused into their very being by Christ Jesus. Hopefully, they have learned how critical and powerful prayer is in their lives and that God will provide spiritual support during their toughest days. Our heartfelt thanks to The Word Among Us Partners. These great young people are the future of our country and our Church.”

—Parris Island “I’ve always had trouble reading Scripture.

I felt like I didn’t get anything out of it.

But it was different this time. Using the reflections in The Word Among Us gave me a new tool in my prayer life. I still have room to grow in my reading of Scripture, but I feel like I grew a lot using this.”

—Student, Texas A&M “The students loved having The Word Among Us. All of the copies were gone on the very first Sunday. I am incredibly grateful to your donors. Please share with them how blessed we were to give these to our students.”

—Chaplain, University of Mary,

South Dakota This September, college students on 25 campuses will be reading The Word Among Us. We hope to reach 10,000 students by January 2015. Thank you for bringing the gospel to the next generation of Catholics.

SUMMER 2014

Speaking Words of Life

G

od is working powerfully through the Partners Women’s Ministry, touching the lives of women and men through The Word Among Us. This spring, Angela attended a conference for those working in pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies. Many of the conference participants already receive The Word Among Us magazine, but those whose centers were not receiving a subscription to The Word Among Us immediately requested one.

We love to hear back from those receiving the magazines for their centers. Mecki from California recently shared this with us: “The Word Among Us is eagerly welcomed every month at the La Habra Life Center. This magazine is often the only outreach focused on the spiritual needs of our clients. One mother, a past client here, I now see regularly at Mass.

We volunteer counselors are inspired as well. The articles and meditations help us to soften our hearts toward other hurting women.”

—Mecki, California.

PAGE 4 • PARTNERS

Here at Partners, we frequently receive requests for English and Spanish copies of the booklet After Abortion: God Offers Forgiveness, Healing, and Hope.

“Last year, I attended a Rachel’s Vineyard training, and we received a copy of the Después del Aborto booklet. I read the booklet, and it really touched my heart. What a great blessing for the women! I requested 100 more copies

of the booklet in Spanish.”

—Karla, Michigan If you want copies of After Abortion for ministries within your parish, contact Angela at the number below. Also, if you know of a pregnancy center or maternity home in your area that would welcome receiving free copies of The Word Among Us, please ask their staff to contact Angela at 1-800-775-9673, ext. 2100.

Time is running out!

Don’t miss your chance to double your impact.

Donate BEFORE September 30 to the Matching Grant!

Every gift of $100 or more will be MATCHED if received by September 30, 2014.

Donate online or call today! waupartners.org or 1-800-775-9673, x2190 SUMMER 2014