NEAFC 70th Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

forever.
PEOPLE: Happy are they who observe what is right.
Who do always what is just.
REVEREND CHALK: Remember us, O Lord in time ofneed.
PEOPLE: Visit us with your saving help.
REVEREND CHALK: I call on Reverend Steve Foley to the
pulpit to read the scripture reading for this evening.
REVEREND STEPHEN C. FOLEY: [West Hartford, CT]
Our scripture selection is taken from the Book of Revelation.
And John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no
more.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down
from heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband.
And then I heard a great voice from the throne say, "Blessed
are they who die in the Lord for they shall take their good works
with them."
Thus ends the scripture reading.
REVEREND CHALK: Join me again ifyou will in hymn 548,
America the Beautiful, NO. 548. We will sing all four verses and
let’s stand as we sing all four verses. It seems to give it something
special. .
[America the Beautiful was sung.]
REVEREND CHALK: You may be seated.
REVEREND FOLEY: And ge~i comfortable. I plan to speak
for about 45 minutes.
[Laughter]
REVEREND FOLEY: After all, we are in a Protestant
church and it is not often that a Catholic gets to preach that
long.
[Laughter]
REVERAND FOLEY: Perhaps some of you will recall that at
this very convention some 20 years ago, we were very, very
saddened at the outset to learn of a tragic fire at Commonwealth
and Dartmouth in Boston. The Vendome Hotel collapsed,
taking with it nine valiant souls and injuring some 25 or
30 others, many of them permanently for life.
But how many of you realize the struggle that has gone on in
these past 20 years to have a memorial placed on that spot in
their memory? And I had quite forgotten about that myself
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