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Join the effort to support recovery in Puerto Rico

11/12/2017

 
​In times of crisis, it can be difficult to know how best to help or where to give. It’s often the organizations and people embedded in the community that know where relief is needed most, and how best to deliver it. That’s why the Cleveland Foundation is launching an online giving platform – www.clevelandfoundation.org/puertorico – that will help Greater Clevelanders give to the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico), an organization founded in 1985 to support the well-being of residents on the island.

Our community has strong ties to Puerto Rico. Of the Hispanic population in the Cleveland Metropolitan area, which the U.S. Census estimates at nearly 107,000, more than half trace their roots to Puerto Rico. In solidarity with our local Hispanic community, we encourage Greater Clevelanders to show their support for Puerto Rico by giving in this time of great need.

Between now and Nov. 30, Greater Clevelanders can visit www.clevelandfoundation.org/puertorico to give online. All donations will be transferred directly to the Puerto Rico Community Foundation and specifically designated for use on the ground for hurricane relief efforts in the hardest hit areas throughout Puerto Rico.

If you prefer to send a check by mail, mark on the memo line “Puerto Rico Relief” and mail to Cleveland Foundation, 1422 Euclid Avenue, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH 44115.

More women at the service of God's people!

10/12/2017

 
On Sunday, October 1, our own Mary Eileen Collingwood was one of the ordaining bishops consecrating two new women bishops in California. Following the tradition of the early church, Jane Via and Suzanne Thiel were chosen by the people they will serve in the western region of the United States.

​This coming Saturday, October 14, Claudia Adamson will be ordained a priest in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We rejoice with these good women and the people of God they will serve! 

Same-Sex Couples Wed in Germany

10/2/2017

 
From the New York Times: Same-Sex Couples Wed in Germany as Marriage Law Takes Effect
by Melissa Eddy
BERLIN — Cheers rang out in the City Hall of Berlin’s Schöneberg district on Sunday as two men, who met 38 years ago, when the German capital was a divided city, became the country’s first same-sex couple to legally marry.

The couple, Bodo Mende, 60, and Karl Kreile, 59, were wed in a civil ceremony, surrounded by a crush of photographers and television cameras eager to capture the historic moment.

Not even the crying of a child among the relatives and friends who attended the event interrupted their joy as the couple exchanged a long kiss after they were pronounced husband and husband.  continue reading

Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Two Bishops

10/1/2017

 
(RCWP) For Immediate Release
Roman Catholic Womenpriests Ordain Two Bishops in Local Synagogue

On Sunday October 1, 2017 at 10:30am, two women priests, Jane Via and Suzanne Thiel, will be ordained Bishops of the Western Region of Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP).  The ordination will take place in the sanctuary of Temple Beth El, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos, CA.    Rabbi Paula Marcus will participate in the ceremony.  Other representatives of other faiths will also be present.  continue reading

Christians come to the support of LGBT community

9/8/2017

 
From Huffington Post:
Hundreds Of Christian Leaders Denounce Anti-LGBTQ ‘Nashville Statement’
By Antonia Blumberg
A day after evangelical leaders released a manifesto railing against same-sex marriage and the LGBTQ community, hundreds of Christian leaders and thousands of other concerned citizens have come forward with strong messages of inclusion.  continue reading
​Also, here is the text of the full statement issued by Christians United. It’s well worth the read.

Help the people of Houston...

9/7/2017

 
Want to help Texans suffering from hurricane Harvey, but not sure what to do? Here is one suggestion: the Houston Food Bank.  Whether or not you are able to send money, let's remember them and the victims of Irma in our prayers. These are interesting--and terribly challenging--times. 

(This is merely one suggestion. We have worked with the Cleveland Food Bank for our community meal in Lakewood and know that food banks are effective and efficient. If you would like another suggestion for victims of Harvey and Irma, please consider checking out Charity Navigator. They do a wonderful job of evaluating charities for efficiency and efficacy.) 

Muslims Opening Their Doors To Flood Victims

8/30/2017

 
From Huffington Post: 
Muslims Opening Their Doors To Flood Victims: ‘We Feel And Suffer The Same’
“Moments like this is what I consider true inner-faith work.”
By Sebastian Murdock ,  Melissa Jeltsen
Shazia Ashraf watched from a boat as her mattress floated in six feet of water in her Houston home. Underneath the murky depths she could see her washer and dryer. Her fridge had somehow migrated to the living room.

As she pulled away from her flooded home, grateful that she had managed to save her kittens, her immediate thoughts turned to helping others. It was instinct. In the days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, displacing tens of thousands of people, hundreds of Muslims like Ashraf put aside their own suffering to come to the aid of those in need.

For Ashraf, who is the chairwoman of a committee for the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, that involved helping turn at least five area mosques into shelters. As the storm hit and the flooding ensued, the mosques have been providing cots and food to displaced people who may have otherwise never stepped foot inside.  continue reading
This is the true face of Islam in the United States.  Thank you to our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Catholic Sisters speak out against Republican "healthcare" plan.

7/24/2017

 
Network, a social justice organization representing Catholic Nuns in the United States issues open letter to the US Senate opposed to currently proposed heath-care legislation:
​Dear Senator:

We, Catholic Sisters in the United States, write to urge you to cast a life-affirming “no” vote against the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). We have many concerns with this bill, but we are most troubled by the cuts it would make to Medicaid by ending the Medicaid expansion and instituting a per capita cap. Our faith urges us to care for all people and all of creation, especially the most vulnerable. The BCRA would be the most harmful legislation for American families in our lifetimes, and it goes against our Catholic faith teaching.

As Pope Francis teaches, “health is not a consumer good, but a universal right, so access to health services cannot be a privilege.” Responding to this integral part of our faith, many of our religious congregations founded hospitals and hospital systems in the United States. Other congregations sponsor clinics and various services for people on the economic margins. The passage of this bill would cause far more suffering than we could possibly attend to through charity. For this reason we are speaking out.

As Catholic women religious, we have witnessed firsthand the moral crisis of lack of quality, affordable healthcare in this country. We have seen early and avoidable deaths because of lack of insurance, prohibitive costs, and lack of access to quality care. We fought for the expansion of coverage in the Affordable Care Act because we saw the life-giving value of crucial healthcare programs such as Medicaid. This program covers over 70 million Americans, including children, pregnant women (and nearly half of all births in this country), people with disabilities, people struggling to get by, and senior citizens. Further, some of our fellow women religious rely on Medicaid in nursing homes when we can no longer care for our sisters at home.

The BCRA would end the Medicaid program as we know it by taking lifesaving healthcare away from millions. The BCRA takes hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid and gives it to the very wealthiest individuals and corporations in the form of tax breaks. This is simply immoral and contrary to the teachings of our Catholic faith. Jesus teaches that “whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.” Our response should not be to take healthcare away from the most vulnerable by cutting and capping Medicaid.

To cut Medicaid and take healthcare from millions of people is not a pro-life stance. We urge you to be mindful of the needs of all of our people and the call to the common good. Vote no on the BCRA.

Good news from Germany today.  Marriage equality approved.

6/30/2017

 
From Huffington Post: German Lawmakers Vote To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
LGBTQ rights get a big win in Europe’s most populous country.
By Nick Robins-Early

From the New York Times: Parliament in Germany Approves Same-Sex Marriage
By ALISON SMALE and DAVID SHIMER

40 Strangers, 50 questions

6/29/2017

 
view on Facebook

Danube Seven--15th anniversary

6/29/2017

 
On June 29, 2002, seven women offered themselves for ordination as Roman Catholic priests. One of those was an American, Dagmar Celeste, a member of the Community of St. Bridget. These courageous women are the mothers of a growing movement in the Church that celebrates all of God's creation by acknowledging that women and men are equally beloved by God. We offer our gratitude to the Danube Seven and are honored to take on their mission for a renewed ministry in a renewed Catholic Church!

June 26, 2015. America at its greatest

6/26/2017

 
Picture
Crowds gather outside the White House, which was lit in rainbow colors
to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage,
on June 26, 2015. (Jonathan Capehart/The Washington Post)

June 26, 2015. America at its greatest By Jonathan Capehart

Lindy Sanford to be Ordained in Albany

6/23/2017

 
Picture

​The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
joyfully invites you to the
Priestly Ordination of
Lindy Sanford
And the 
Diaconate Ordination of:
Lynn Kinlan
Margaret Alderman
Anne Keller

 
Ordaining Bishop: Bridget Mary Meehan
July 8, 2017 2:00 PM
First Unitarian Universalist Church
405 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12206

Make friends with people of other faiths.

6/19/2017

 
Picture


​From Huffington Post
World’s Top Religious Leaders Issue Rare Joint Appeal
“Our advice is to make friends to followers of all religions.”
By Carol Kuruvilla
​Religion is often viewed as a force that sows divisions between people. But the world’s most prominent religious leaders have come together to present a different vision of how faith can work in the world. 

In a rare move, major religious leaders ― from Pope Francis to the Dalai Lama ― issued a joint appeal Wednesday asking people to follow a simple bit of advice: Make friends with people of other faiths.  continue reading

Catholics Should Accept and Love All LGBTQ People

6/15/2017

 
From Time Magazine
Catholics Should Accept and Love All LGBTQ People
James Martin SJ
Jun 14, 2017

James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America and author of the new book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity
Last year, a gunman stormed into the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, a place frequented by many in the gay community, and killed 49 people. It was the largest mass murder in US history. In response, many religious leaders expressed sympathy for the people of Orlando, as well as for the LGBTQ community.

Many Catholic leaders did the same. But of the over 250 Catholic bishops in this country, only a handful mentioned the words gay or LGBTQ. It was as if speaking those words would signal a tacit approval of a group that the Catholic Church has long held at arm’s length.

To me, it was a confirmation of what many Catholics already knew: There is no group more marginalized in the church today than the LGBTQ community. Even in death they remained invisible.  Continue reading.

Toledo Woman to be Ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest

6/6/2017

 
On Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 1 p.m., the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) will ordain Sydney Joan Condray a priest and Karen Kerrigan a deacon. Michele Birch-Conery of Windsor, Canada will be the presiding bishop. The ceremony will take place at Sylvania United Church of Christ, 7240 Erie Street, Sylvania, Ohio 43560. All are welcome.
 
Sydney, 78, the mother of three, worked for many years in Toledo as a therapist to developmentally disabled children and adults. She said her journey to priesthood included growing up as a child without religious affiliation, but as a young adult she went to church and “found there was something there, a Mystery. It’s been a lifelong journey to discover who this gracious mystery was and what God wanted of me.” For many years when the parish priest was not available for weekday Mass, she and six other people would fill in. She started writing prayers to use during this worship service that were well received.  A mystical experience convinced her that priesthood was what God wanted of her.
 
Karen Kerrigan from Westland, Michigan who will be ordained a deacon is a retired special education teacher and an activist with particular concerns for water, environmental and gender justice.
 
The Catholic Church teaches that individuals must always follow their consciences and “an unjust law cannot be obeyed.” In prophetic obedience women priests are breaking Canon law forbidding ordination to bring equality to the church, so too, we call on our bishops to embrace sanctuary in order to propel immigration reform and legal status.

How much of Church Doctrine do we really believe?

6/6/2017

 
How much of Church Doctrine do we really believe? by Tony Flannery, C.SS.R.
Picture
It is stating the obvious to say that the Catholic Church has lost a great deal of its credibility, particularly here in this country. There are some very obvious reasons for that, the clerical sex abuse revelations, clerical control and the side-lining of women in decision making and ministry, various teachings on sexuality and relationships, a serious failure of leadership, and many others.  continue reading

Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute.

4/20/2017

 
From the Washington Post: On Easter, Mary Magdalene will be maligned as a prostitute. Except she wasn’t by Petula Dvorak

This can not be repeated often enough:
Here’s who Mary Magdalene was: one of Jesus Christ’s original followers, the last to stay with him while he was nailed to the cross and, Christians believe, the first to see his empty tomb and his resurrection.

Here’s who she wasn’t: a reformed or forgiven prostitute.

Yet on Easter Sunday, Christianity’s holiest day, that’s exactly how she will be described in some sermons and how she continues to be portrayed in much of popular culture.  continue reading

Holy Week at CSB, April 8-16

4/16/2017

 
Holy Week at CSB, April 8-16

​Palm Sunday (Saturday, April 8), 5:00 pm

Holy Thursday (April 13),
    5:00 pm mass & foot washing
    6:30 pm BUCC soup supper and Tenebrae

Good Friday (April 14), 7 pm

The Great Vigil (April 15), 8:30 pm

​BUCC service Easter morning, 10 am

Holy Week at HSCC, April 8-16

4/15/2017

 
Holy Spirit Catholic Community
Saturdays at 4:30 p.m./Sundays at 5:30 p.m.
Holy Thursday, April 13, 5:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord's Supper
Easter Mass of the Resurrection, Saturday, April 15, 5:30 p.m.
at 3925 West Central Avenue Toledo, OH 43606
(Map and address)
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