Friends,
There are several lovely things to share with you this week.
First – you probably already know this – Bishop Clark turned 75 this week. I want to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am that he has been our bishop for the past several decades. He has taken courageous stands on issues that have touched all our lives. He has helped to make the world a better place. May God bless him with all good things.
This past weekend was the Pride Parade. Spiritus Christi, Immanuel Baptist, Mary Magdalene and St Romero’s walked together: four woman-led churches! There were other churches in the parade, as well. It is important that we be a presence there, because there is a lot of hating in the name of God going on, especially on Goodman St. I actually heard someone preaching, “Hate is in the Bible!” So it’s important that we bring God’s love and acceptance, God’s delight in all persons, to the Pride Parade each year.
More good news: this past Sunday at St Romero’s we had four new people. As usual, at about five minutes to eleven I was wondering if this was going to be the week nobody showed up, and then, tada! in came several people, including four newcomers. A woman came over from Southview Towers, a young man found us on the internet, and two more women heard of us at St Joe’s. Hooray!
All is well at Iglesia de San Romero, as well. This week it was raining as we began the Mass, so we moved it to the bodega, aka the barn, which worked really well. We’ve had some new folks there, too. I’m happy to tell you that on the day it was so terribly hot this week, at least one crew was told it was too hot to work and to take the day off. Please pray for everybody working in the fields this time of year. Imagine planting cabbage or picking cucumbers for 12 or 14 hours a day in this weather. It boggles the mind, and yet is the reality of our friends.
And finally, a check came in the mail this week: a tithing check from Spiritus Christi. Thank you, Spiritus, for remembering us, your little sister church! The moral support means at least as much as the money.
Here is a story in closing. One of “my” floors at the nursing home had its summer picnic this week. It was lovely to spend time relaxing with the elders. There was one woman I didn’t recognize. I went over to introduce myself. She told me, apologetically, that she wasn’t from that floor! And said, in a conspiratorial whisper, “I’m crashing the party!”
May each of us have the spunk to crash a party when we’re pushing 90.
Stay cool. I will share with you our family motto: Ice cream is always a good idea.
Love and light to all
Chava
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620