HAPPENINGS

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HOLY TRINITY PARISH MISSION  STATEMENT

· Being educated and formed by the Word of God and our Catholic Traditions

· To worship and pray together as one Parish community

· To use the gifts God has given us by the grace of our Baptism to be a visible presence of Christ in the world.

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Wisdom.  Through wisdom, the wonders of nature, every event in history, and the all the ups and downs of our life take on deeper meaning and purpose. The wise person sees where the Spirit of God is at work and is able to share that insight with others.  Wisdom is the fullest expression of the gifts of knowledge and understanding.

Understanding.  The gift of understanding is the ability to comprehend how a person must live her or his life as a follower of Jesus. Through the gift of understanding, Christians realize that the Gospel tells them not just who Jesus is; it also tells them who we are. The gift of understanding is closely related to the gifts of knowledge and wisdom.

Right Judgment.  The gift of right judgment is the ability to know the difference between right and wrong and then to choose what is good. It helps us to act on and live out what Jesus has taught. In the exercise of right judgment, many of the other gifts—especially understanding, wisdom, and often courage—come into play in the Christian’s daily life.

Knowledge.  The gift of knowledge is the ability to comprehend the basic meaning and message of Jesus. Jesus revealed the will of God, his Father, and taught people what they need to know to achieve fullness of life and, ultimately, salvation.  The gift of knowledge is closely related to the gift of understanding and wisdom.

Courage.  The gift of courage enables us to take risks and to overcome fear as we try to live out the Gospel of Jesus. Followers of Jesus confront many challenges and even danger—the risk of being laughed at, the fear of rejection, and for some believers, the fear of physical harm and even death. The Spirit gives Christians the strength to comfort and ultimately overcome such challenges.

Reverence.  Sometimes called piety, the gift of reverence gives the Christian a deep sense of respect for God.  Jesus spoke of his Father, God, as “Abba,” a very intimate name similar to “daddy” or “papa.” Through the gift of reverence, we can come before God with the openness and trust of small children, totally dependent on the One who created us.

Awe and Wonder.  The gift of awe and wonder in the presence of God is sometimes translated as “the fear of the Lord.” Though we can approach God with the trust of little children, we are also often aware of God’s total majesty, unlimited power, and desire for justice. A child may want to sit on the lap of his loving father, but sometimes the believer will fall on her knees in the presence of the Creator of the universe.

         Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Long Suffering, Humility, Faithfulness, Modesty, Continence, Chastity

Pentecost

        The teenage daughter yells at her dad, exclaiming how he just doesn't understand her. She storms off to her room, slams the door and locks it behind her. He tries several approaches, but nothing works. Finally, exhausted, he says, "No, honey, I really don't understand you. But I do know one thing-I love you very much." For a moment, there is silence. Then, he hears the door unlock.
        A locked door. Behind it, sadness, anger, and fear. On this Pentecost Sunday, John's brief but powerful narration tells of Jesus appearing to his disciples in that locked room. He calms their fears, softens their anger, and relieves their sadness with joy. He has brought with him the gift he had promised-the gift of the Holy Spirit. "He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"
In a certain way, Pentecost can be referred to as the birth of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that after the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, the Church was "openly displayed" and the preaching of the Gospels to all of the nations begun.  We, too, are part of this missionary Church, blessed with the Holy Spirit and charged with carrying the word just as Jesus charged his disciples that beautiful first day.

Holy Trinity  Blood Drive, May 14, 2008 AT Keota Parish Center, 2:30—7:30 PM,  Contact  Connie to schedule an appointment

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS  NEWS

Tuesday, May 13, 2008  Meeting, 7:30 PM, KC Hall, Harper

Sad But True, the Person Behind Mother’s Day

At her mother’s funeral in 1905, Anna Jarvis, a 43 year-old insurance clerk, vowed to bring to fulfillment her mother’s dream of a national day to honor mothers.  With the support of department store tycoon and philanthropist John Wanamaker, she began a seven-year campaign to establish Mother’s Day, which became a holiday in 1914.  But with in 10 years Jarvis had declared war in the commercialization of the holiday.  She told a convention of the Associated Retailer confectioners they had “gouged the public” and said, “Mother’s Day was not intended to be s source of commercial profit.”  Calling the profiteers “charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers, and other termites,” she sued the government bodies over Mother’s Day celebrations, criticized florists and greeting card makers and attacked both he war mothers and Eleanor Roosevelt for what she saw as their exploitation of the holiday. 

Toward the end of her life, broke and confined to a sanitarium, she told a reporter she regretted ever having thought of the holiday, even though she continued to receive thousands of Mother’s Day cards until her death in 1948.  Unknown to her, some of her bills had been paid by the Florist’s Exchange

Hope and Healing Ministries (HHM), A Ministry of the Diocese of Davenport is sponsoring a Committed to Freedom weekend retreat for spiritual and emotional healing from sexual abuse for survivors and family.  The retreat will be held in Cedar Falls the weekend of June 27-29, 2008. The retreat does not focus on the abuse experience, but on spiritual tools and strategic living to move beyond the abuse.  For more information, to donate, or volunteer please call 563-322-1645, or email hopeandhealing@davenportdiocese.org.  Scholarships are available. You can also visit www.committedtofreedom.org, www.davenportdiocese.org/hopeandhealing, or call a toll-free hotline at 1-877-896-HOPE.

 Benefit for Baby Cody Garrett

A benefit dinner and auction is planned for Sat. May 31, 2008, to help the family pay medical bills for Cody who has contracted Tuberous Sclerous complex is a genetic disorder. Please bring auction items, place them in back of the church by May 25. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Bishop Martin Amos, our Diocesan Pastor and Shepherd, along with the other Roman Catholic Bishops of the State of Iowa, encourage you to sign up for the Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC) Newsletter.  The ICC is the official public policy voice of the Roman Catholic Church Community in Iowa.  The ICC has two immediate purposes for those of us in the pew and for our daily life:  it provided ways to participate in the political process, and it is an advocate at the Iowa State Legislature for policies that serve the common good.  Go to www.iowacatholicconference.org and click on Join the Network to receive a newsletter and action alert.