Summer 2013 - Archdiocese of Kingston

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Page 10 Journey Summer 2013“Help us to live our faith withjoy, conviction and love”Sister Lucy Kearney, SPOffice of Family MinistryAs I begin writing this article, realizing summermonths are approaching, I find myself reverting tothe mode of my teaching years. During the monthspreceding summer vacation, much time was spentevaluating the past year’s progress for students; relationshipsbetween students and staff; the bonds thathad developed among the students; the many connectionsthat had taken place with parish, parentsand community. The setting today is not a school butthat of the Archdiocesan Centre. Reviewing the effectivenessof family-related programs, consideringthe many opportunities of outreach to parishes, communities,and educational system, and collaboratingwith organizations are invaluable in preparing forfuture endeavours“O God, as you sent your Holy Spirit upon the earlyChurch...we ask you to send that same Spirit uponus that we may go forth to proclaim the Gospel ofChrist to every creature.” (Prayer for Year of Faith)Since September, the focus for family ministry hasbeen through the lens of the Year of Faith, with emphasison New Evangelization in relationship to lifeand family. Every effort was made to include familiesin the Opening Liturgy of the Year of Faith. Parisheshad an opportunity to have members presentfor the Liturgical Conference in November. With itstheme The Day of the Lord, we were encouraged tokeep Sunday a day of rest, a family day, a day as freeas possible from work, no easy task in our culture!“Help us to live our faith with joy, conviction andlove that others will be drawn to the sacred mysteryof your Church and the powerful grace of the sacraments.”(Excerpt from Prayer for the Year of Faith)Prayers of intercession, blessings and prayers forfamilies were among the many resources sent to parishesto recognize marriage and family during WorldMarriage Sunday in February and the National Weekof Family, May 12–19. How encouraging it is tohear of the various family events that are and will betaking place in parishes – recognition of significantmarriage anniversaries, family suppers, youth eventsand visits to shut-ins. Add to these the collaborationof school, family and parish as they prepare and celebratethe Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Eucharist,Reconciliation and Confirmation: these are opportunitiesto live our faith with joy.Throughout the year, many of you have been engagedin faith sharing, catechesis and study groupsessions. Many of these have been and/or will berecognized in other articles in Journey. Two verypowerful experiences for me were: a) a group studyseries of the “The Faith We Believe: Unpacking theCreed”; and b) a presentation at the ArchdiocesanCatholic Women’s League Convention by Dr. JosephineLombardi, “Rediscovering the Lord’s Prayerin This Year of Faith”. After attending this presentation,it is no longer possible to routinely rhyme offthe words of these two prayers: Rather, one reflectson the truths and develops a relationship with Godand neighbour. Neighbour begins with family.During May and June, we celebrate Mother’s Dayand Father’s Day. Through prayer and support, theChurch acknowledges the awesome responsibility ofparents. This responsibility requires gifts of respect,trust, honesty, unconditional love, understanding,and, above all, the ability to instil belief in God. Childrenlearn respect of others by observing the respectparents have for each other and by sensing the understandingand love given to them and their siblings.Summer is a time of relaxation, refreshment andrenewal! Regardless of our circumstances, we canset aside short periods of time to become refreshedspiritually, emotionally and physically. The extendeddaylight hours, the warm summer breezes and thebeauty of flowers are but a few reminders of God’slove for us and all creation. Whether at home or travelling,may love of family and friends and welcomingChurch communities add to your renewal andrelaxation!Sharing LifeBy Mark Bergin“Transplants are a great step forward in science’sservice of man, and not a few people today owetheir lives to an organ transplant. Increasingly,the technique of transplants has proven to be avalid means of attaining the primary goal of allmedicine – the service of human life…There is aneed to instill in people’s hearts, especially in thehearts of the young, a genuine and deep appreciationof the need for brotherly love, a love that canfind expression in the decision to become an organdonor.”– Pope John Paul II to attendees at the InternationalCongress on Transplants in Rome, August2000Margaret McDonald is alive and well. Minus onekidney. Her nephew, Peter Murphy, is alive and functioningnicely. Plus one kidney.Shillane Labbett was hours from death in 2005.She’s still plugging along nicely. Plus two lungs.McDonald and Labett are members of the localTransplant Awareness group that meets regularly atHeathfield in Kingston.Labbett has cystic fibrosis.“In October 2004, I went downhill fast,” she said.By February 2005, she was in such poor conditionthat she was admitted to St. Michael’s Hospital inToronto. Her situation was acute and she was put onthe waiting list for a lung transplant.I asked how much time she thought she would havehad left without the transplant.“None,” she said. “I had no time left. I needed ityesterday.”Her lungs would hemorrhage and she’d lose abouttwo litres of blood. The average human only has betweenfour and five litres of blood.“I was only on the transplant list for 20 days,” shesaid.After receiving the double-lung transplant, she recoveredquickly. Within two days, she was walkingagain. After 11 days, she was home.From being in the hospital intensive care unitand not even being able to walk or get out ofbed to being up and walking after two days wasmiraculous.Shillane Labbett has a new life. It’s not perfect.Cystic fibrosis affects more than one organ.But her lungs were cured.“Even just changing the lungs, changes thewhole body,” she said.She still needs to take digestive enzymes. Hercystic fibrosis-related diabetes has improved.Have you saved a life lately? Would you careto be someone’s hero?You can make a simple commitment to do soby signing up now to donate your organs afteryour death. Or, you may be a person who donatessome part while you’re still alive.Labbett was pretty frank about why peopleshould sign up to become a donor.“You don’t need your organs when you’re dead,”she said. “Most faiths believe in organ donation becauseyou’re helping another person. For families, ithelps give closure. It helps them turn something horribleinto something good.”In Ontario, recipients aren’t informed who the donorwas. The Trillium Gift of Life Network knowswho the donors and recipients are.“I write a letter every year around the anniversaryof the transplant,” said Labbett. “I thank the donor’sfamily and tell them I’m thinking of their loved one.Trillium passes it on to the donor family.”Labbett said that donor awareness is quite high inthe 16 to 40-year-old age range.“Baby boomers are lagging,” she said. “So thosemost likely to need an organ donation are the leastlikely to have signed up to donate.”She explained that some people think they are tooold or they have too many medical issues.“But you should leave that for doctors to decide,”she said. “The oldest organ donor is in their 90s andPhoto by Mark BerginShillane Labbett, left, and Margaret McDonald are members ofthe Transplant Awareness Group.the oldest tissue donor was over 100.”For Margaret McDonald, there was no choiceabout donating a kidney.“People would ask what made me do it,” she said.“We’re just a really close family. My mother taughtme to share. We were five girls and we always lookedafter each other’s children. It was a no-brainer whenPeter needed a kidney.”She said the main thing she wants to get across interms of organ donation is that people who signedtheir donor cards years ago may not be registered.Not all the data got transferred to the new data base.Go online to www.beadonor.ca. With your health insurancenumber, you can see if you are registered.“In Ontario only 22% of eligible residents haveregistered,” she said. “Modern medicine can helppeople stay alive a whole lot longer.”Living donations are another area of need.According to the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the˃˃ See Transplants page 11
“All the earth proclaim the Lord, singhim your songs of rejoicing”Psalm 100Margie Ann McKinnonThe 100 kilometre drive from Smiths Falls towork in Kingston has given me opportunities tosee new life springing forth each day. It is a reminderto praise the Lord for his creation.It is hard to believe that I have been working atthe diocesan level for twenty years. I worked as coordinatorof elementary religious education from1974-1977. Then I was asked to fulfill other ministriesand returned to the Diocesan Centre in 1988.As Religious Education Co-ordinator, it has been anenriching time because I work with people across theArchdiocese who share their gifts generously. In myrole, I bring groups together twice a year to meet withArchbishop Brendan O’Brien. Group members sharetheir successes and their challenges.Plans are well underway for the 4thAnnual Women’s Fall Retreat. Overthe years we have had wonderfulspeakers, including Anne Walsh, DoloresHall and Laura O’Reilly.This year, our speaker is Judy Savoyfrom Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her keynotetheme will be My Peace I GiveYou (John 14:26).This retreat promises to be an inspiringand fulfilling event for womenof all ages, wherever you are on yourspiritual journey.Judy Savoy is a multi-talented womanwhose gifts include comedy, acting,singing, writing and leading retreats.She uses her gifts to bring glory to Godand encouragement to women at speakingengagements throughout Canada.Not only will she be our speaker, she’llTransplantsPastoral careIn the Archdiocese of Kingston, there are ten highschools, and each one has a pastoral care coordinatorand a priest chaplain. These faith leaders offersupport to students and staff. They also plan schoolMasses, reconciliation services and retreats. Theyorganize awareness trips to developing nations, suchas the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Jamaica.Some students are so inspired by these awarenesstrips that they go on to study international developmentat university.Prison chaplaincyRecently, the prison chaplains met with ArchbishopO’Brien and discussed changes taking place in theinstitutions. I call Kingston the prison capital of Canadabecause wehave seven federalinstitutionswith 4200 inmates.New unitsare being built.About 1,000more inmateswill be coming toour area.Kingston Penitentiarywill beclosing in the fall.Many of thosePhoto by Mark Bergin inmates will bemoving to Mill-Spring 2013 Journey Page 11Office of Religious Educationhaven.We have many volunteers who work with the chaplainsin prisons. The next course to prepare volunteersfor prison ministry will be held on Wednesdayevenings from October 16 to November 27 from 7 to9 p.m. at the Diocesan Centre in Kingston.Religious educationThe religious education consultants from theschool boards meet with the Archbishop twice a year.The consultants oversee the religion programs in theschools and provide resources and retreats. They ledconfirmation workshops in each deanery and theyare coordinating two religion courses at the Queen’sUniversity Faculty of Education.Diploma in MinistryDiploma in Ministry is a print-based distance educationprogram offered through St. Francis XavierUniversity. It consists of five courses that are takenover three years. The courses that will be offered inthe fall term are: Ministry in the Christian Communityand Biblical Foundations. These courses helpparticipants learn about their faith and prepare peopleto be involved in ministries. There are 40 peoplein our Archdiocese who have taken the Diploma inMinistry.For information on the Prison Ministry VolunteerCourse or the Diploma in Ministry, call Margie Annat 613-548-4461 or email her at mam@romancatholic.kingston.on.caMay summer vacation bring you relaxation and renewal.Women’s Fall Retreat 2013provide our entertainment on Saturday will be available and Mass will beevening with her one-woman show celebrated. Silvana Rossi-Loughheedcalled Get me back to the garden, I’m from Belleville will lead worship musicchokin’ on the weeds.throughout the weekend.Glen House Resort near Gananoque, We invite you to join us for a weekendthe retreat site, offers beautiful surroundings,of nourishment and healing forwonderful food, spa treatmentsyour soul, fun for your spirit and someand a relaxing atmosphere. rest and relaxation with old and newWe will have one breakout session friends. Leave yourabout gettting to know the Bible. The cares behind for asession will be hosted by Bev Illauq. few days and allowYou can bring your own Bible if you’d the Lord to refreshlike. Bibles, including the New Catholicyou. This year’sFamily Bible, will be available for theme, My Peace Ipurchase at the event from Elise FrancisGive You, remindsand her store www.underhisgrace. us of God’s prom-ca. Other Christian products from the ise. How well HeAnglican Bookstore in Kingston will knows our need foralso be available.peace.The Sacrament of Reconciliation We encouragefrom page 10 ˂˂first successful living donor transplant was akidney transplant performed in Boston in 1954 between23-year-old identical twins.The most common living donation is kidney.Long-term transplant survival rates are higher thanfor recipients who receive an organ from a deceaseddonor. New techniques and advances in transplantmedicine have made it possible to transplant a partof the liver, lung, small bowel and pancreas in aliving donation.Typically, the organ donated by a living donor ishealthier at the time of the operation, leading to abetter-functioning organ after transplantation, andlonger graft survival.To register as an organ and tissue donor, youneed to be at least 16 years old, be able to provideproof of date of birth, and provide your healthcard number.Margaret McDonald explained that young peoplehave a couple of simple opportunities to signup to become a donor.“They have two opportunities,” she said. “Whenthey’re getting new OHIP cards when they turn 16and again when they get their driver’s license.She recently took her message on the road andopened the doors of awareness for students. Shespoke to students at Regiopolis-Notre Dame CatholicHigh School on May 15. An awareness tablewas set up in the student commons at lunch hourtwo days later.For more information: www.giftoflife.on.ca;www.transplantadvocateassociation.ca.you to mark September 20 to 22 inyour calendars and plan on joining usfor the weekend. For more information,visit: www.womensfallretreat.com or contact Annette Larmour atinfo@womensfallretreat.om 613 258Women’s Fall RetreatTheme - “My Peace I Give You”John 14:26Friday, September 20th at 7:45pm toSunday, September 22nd, 2013 at1:30pmLocation: Glen House Resort Gananoque OnSPEAKERJudy Savoy, HalifaxJudy’s message is one offaith, hope, love andforgivenessRELAX & REFLECTMUSICSilvana Rossi Lougheed& Ruth Terry, Belleville***Judy Savoy evening show Numerous recreational facilities Spa services available 5 delicious mealsFor Further InformationVisit : www.womensfallretreat.comPhone: Annette Larmour 1-613-258-7885E-mail: info@womensfallretreat.com
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Summer 2013 - Archdiocese of Kingston

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