It goes without saying that in the last five years since the fortuitous arrival of Jerry Salitros, the Music Ministry of St. Joseph has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis from a dedicated but uninspired and unmotivated group of musicians to a disciplined, cohesive ensemble of talented vocalists and instrumentalists – a group that evokes the respect and pride of the entire parish. Thus it is with the thoughts expressed above by the poet, Wallace Stevens. We hear the music (the …whistling…) during the services and its echoes and reverberations in the hours or even the days later (…just after…). Truly it may be said
that the [harmonious] melodies linger on.

Needless to say when Jerry welcomed back my Barbershopper friends for an encore performance at the upcoming September 18 4:30pm Mass, I was most pleased that he deemed us worthy to perform again at St. Joseph’s. I hope that as many of you parishioners as possible will plan to honor us with your presence at that service. Performances such as these offer us the challenge and opportunity to promote the best in Barbershop style for audiences who too often are unaware of the unique appeal of our genre.

There is still a need for helpers in many of the subcommittees and I am sure you would be welcomed into any one of them with open arms. If you are not sure where you would prefer to help just mark the “Where needed” boxes on those gorgeous goldenrod-yellow sign-up sheets and return them to the parish office.

Although Pat & Denise Hirl and Jay Braasted joined my crew this past week, I am still looking for several more recruits for the Food Tent. I know I can count on more volunteers.

Don’t forget your weather prayers and make sure all of your non-Catholic friends know where they should be on September 19.

God bless!
Hardin Olson

The Dead Sea Scrolls – Words That Changed the World

on September 13th at 7:00pm in the Social Hall.

Remember when you were a child and all the special celebrations – Christmas, your birthday – always seemed to be eons away into the future. But now as you get a little older (in some cases a lot older) time seems to fly away at warp speed and the panic sets in, “I’m late! I’m late! The Festival is almost here and I’m late…late to tender my beautiful goldenrod-yellow Volunteer Sign-up Sheet…late to bring in my offerings for the Silent Auction and the Country Store…late to turn in my raffle ticket stubs…and late to say another prayer for fantabulous Festival weather!”

Well, we do have a little more time but please don’t procrastinate any longer than absolutely necessary. I am sure that we all want to make this year’s celebration one of the best ever.

At last Wednesday’s Festival Committee meeting a discussion arose concerning the potential bee problem with the proposed root beer-float stand. The concern was expressed that we might attract more bees and yellow jackets than customers. Particularly if the weather cooperates I think the floats would be a real winner. Perhaps some of you might have some ideas about how we might circumvent the problem.

On a more personal note as of this writing thus far only Yvonne Rivard and Barden Markham have re-upped to man the Food Tent with me. We can use many more helpers so please return your volunteer sheets or call me at 952/930-9443.

Bottom line: We are relying on you to make our 2010 Fall Festival a smashing success.

And please don’t forget your weather prayers!

God Bless!
Hardin Olson

Keep cool in this hot weather!

God bless,
Chuck Romportl

P.S. Some exciting Bible reading coming up this Sunday:

And Mary said,

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed.

– The Gospel According to St. Luke 1:46-48

P.P.S. Most of you aren’t old enough to remember Jesse Stacken. But when he was in High School, he helped on lots of our QUEST Retreats, and was a Lay Director for some of them. He has since gone on to become a jazz pianist in New York. But he’s back in town for a gig at the Artist’s Quarter in St. Paul tonight. Here’s the info about it: www.jessestacken.com

CONTENTS:

1. Pick-Up Choir is This Sunday

2. St. Joseph‘s Fall Festival is Just Next Month!

3. Davanni’s Fundraiser is Next Tuesday, August 17

4. Messages You Hear in Our Safe Environment Program

5. Frustration and Hope in Haiti

6. Have a Hard Time with Prayer?

7. How to Find Love (A One-Minute Meditation)

8. Another Opera

9. Catholic Relief Services in Afghanistan

10. Whom Do You Idolize?

11. Don’t Skip Meals . . . . Especially Sunday Mass

12. A Really REALLY Bad Catholic Joke

13. The Answer to Last Week’s Picture Puzzle

14 More Pix From Youth Day at Lake Independence

15. I’m Sending a Visitor to See You

1. PICK-UP CHOIR IS THIS SUNDAY

In case you’d like to give singing in the parish choir a try, here’s how to do so:

This Sunday, August 15 (Feast of the Assumption of the BVM)

9:30 – Gather in the Social for Refreshments (coffee, juice, pastries) & Rehearsal

10:30 – Sing for liturgy

Dear parishioners,

This year we will be preparing music for a very special celebration – Feast of the Assumption of the BVM. It’s very rare that this feast falls on a Sunday! The Pick-Up Choir will be preparing a choral antiphon (one that that I’ve arranged for cantor, keyboard, choir and flute) and we’ll be singing a beautiful setting of the “Magnificat” by James Chepponis. Karen Love will also playing flute on several pieces, including a beautiful improvisation (that I arranged for organ & flute) on “Salve Regina.” Plus, Mary Falk will be singing the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria” after communion at all our liturgies.

This will be our 5^th summer for the Pick-Up Choir. In past years we’ve had quite a diverse group of parishioners and friends participating who represent all ages. So, bring your enthusiasm, your talents (no matter how big or small), and your friends and let’s “make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”

No need to pre-register . . . . just come and sing!!

Jerry Salitros | Director of Worship and Music

2. ST. JOSEPH’S FALL FESTIVAL IS JUST NEXT MONTH!

A note from our Fall Festival Chairperson:

Our Fall Festival is on September 18-19 (Saturday evening and all day Sunday. Remember, only you and your friends and neighbors can make this event the success we all are working and praying for. We absolutely cannot do it without you. So check and recheck your calendars. Make sure you have no insoluble conflicts. Come for the fabulous chicken dinner; listen to the Classic Big Band and the Nostalgics Vocal Quartet; play a little Bingo; check out the Silent Auction and the Country Store; take in the Viking game and have a cool one at the Beer Tent; and top the day off with a burger or brat and a root-beer float from the Food Tent.

I expect all of you there and I will be taking attendance. And of equal importance, keep those prayers for ideal weather coming.

God Bless!
Hardin Olson

P.S. Attached is a flyer for this year’s Fall Festival – colorfully designed by Brother Luke. Print off some copies and use them to invite your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

P.P.S. We would definitely appreciate any of you who can volunteer. Please see the volunteer sign-up sheets in Church at the ends of the pews. We could especially use the help of our Youth in the CHILDREN’S GAMES (or else at BINGO, CONCESSIONS, CAKE WALK , the DINNER, or CLEAN UP)!

3. DAVANNI’S FUNDRAISER

Just a reminder that, our final DAVANNI’S fundraiser is next Tuesday, August 17 (between 4 & 8pm. See the attachment for your ticket.

4. THE MESSAGES YOU HEAR IN OUR SAFE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM

In Catholic schools and parishes nationwide, safe environment training gives young people the skills necessary to protect themselves from would be-offenders. Mary Jane Doerr, associate director of the Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has listed here some of the messages children hear in safe environment programs.

1. Abuse is never a child’s fault. The blame always belongs to the adult who is taking advantage of a child’s trust and vulnerabilities.
2. God loves children forever and wants them to live holy and happy lives. The shame of child sexual abuse needs to be put where it belongs: on the abuser.
3. Abuse that has happened should be reported. One study shows that children tell of their abuse an average of nine times before someone believes them.
4. You can recognize abuse when it happens. Children learn to trust that feeling that says something isn’t right and to tell a parent or other trusted adult when something happens that makes them feel uneasy.
5. There are ways to spot a grooming process. Children learn that anyone who lets children break rules, gives them alcohol or shows them pornography needs to be reported to parents and other trusted adults.
6. Parents or other trusted adults will talk about this subject. Children often try to protect their parents from bad news, so they need to learn they can tell their parents anything.
7. Boundaries exist. Children who listen to the voice that says, “This doesn’t feel right,” can protect themselves.
8. Children can stand up for themselves. Children learn when it is appropriate for them to say, “No, stop doing that.”
9. There are ways to explain inappropriate behavior. The ability to articulate what has happened to a child enables a child to more easily confide in a parent or other trusted adult. This is ultimately the goal of safe environment education.

5. FRUSTRATION (& HOPE) IN HAITI

Bishops’ Delegation Finds Mission to Haiti both Disturbing and Hopeful

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sponsored a delegation July 26-August 2 to Haiti and the Caribbean region to examine the plight of Haitians impacted by the January 12 earthquake. The mission focused upon the situation of vulnerable populations, particularly children, as well as reconstruction and economic development efforts. They also traveled to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic to assess the problems facing Haitians in those countries.

“It is clear that efforts to clean up and recover from the earthquake are progressing slowly,” said Archbishop Wenski. “However, the international community must remain steadfast in working with the Haitian government to reconstruct the country and strengthen its institutions. The survival and long-term future of the Haitian people are at stake.”

In a collection taken up after the earthquake, Catholics in the United States contributed $80 million to recovery efforts in Haiti, which is being used to provide human needs assistance and to help restore Haiti’s infrastructure, including churches, schools, and clinics.

“It will take time to make Haiti whole again, but it is important that the Haitian people and the children of Haiti—its future leaders—do not lose hope,” concluded Archbishop Wenski.

6. HAVE A HARD TIME WITH PRAYER?

This Reflection on Prayer was written by a Young Adult. His insight can help us all.

“I don’t know how to pray.” “I don’t pray enough.” “I’m not good at prayer.” Many young adults today struggle with confidence in living a prayerful life.

But can you blame them? Overall, young adulthood demands an incredible priority on the individual. For me, this has been a time of significant personal, spiritual, and professional growth. I am beginning my career, setting roots in a new city, preparing for marriage, worrying about finances, all while pretending to have a social life. I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about me. As such, it’s almost understandable that a young adult might lose focus on God and other.

I recently picked-up Henri Nouwen’s book With Open Hands, where Nouwen uses an image of clenched fists to talk about prayer. He explains that we come to prayer with an innate, inward inclination to hold onto what is “ours.” We clench what is familiar, or comfortable – money, power, people, prestige, image, job, etc. Prayer, then, is the gradual releasing of these fists before God. Simply by opening our hands, we prepare our hearts and minds to receive the grace of God. We let go and merely rest in God, and not in self.

Young adults can benefit from Nouwen’s advice. Prayer is not so much about exact procedure or formality, nor about frequency or vigor, but prayer starts with an awareness of those things which keep us from God and neighbor. While young adulthood is about the career, the decisions, and the social scene, it’s also not about the career, the decisions, or the social scene. Prayer is an attempt to loosen the grip of our own desires and preoccupations and place ourselves in a position to receive and be open to God. Prayer, at its most intimate level, is participating in God’s being by resting in God, and not in oneself. If we can help young adults name what’s within their fists, gently begin to open them, and assist them in recognizing God’s presence already in their lives, then hopefully we can begin to help them live a more prayerful life.

As Nouwen describes, “Prayer is a way of life which allows you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your hands to God’s promises and find hope for yourself, your neighbor, and your world (121).”

John Paul Lichon is a Campus Minister and Acting Director of Catholic Campus Ministry at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 and received his Masters in Theology in 2009 from Notre Dame as well. While studying for his Masters, he worked at Nativity Catholic Church in Indianapolis, IN as an Apprentice Catechetical Leader in the Echo Faith Formation Leadership Program. John Paul can be reached at jlichon@smu.edu. Henri Nouwen’s book With Open Hands is available Here.

7. HOW TO FIND LOVE (A One-Minute Meditation)

Unless our desire for human compassion is stronger than our desire to be right, to be secure or to belong, love will elude us.

–Marsha Sineta

Knowing that we are loved is what most of us crave. For brief moments we feel it; then it eludes us once again. Why does it slip through our fingers so quickly? One way of attracting the love we desire is to be willing to love others. What we give to others comes back to us. Unfortunately, all too often we give judgment, impatience, or anger far more than we give love.

We can learn to give compassion. First we need to make the decision to be compassionate. Then we need to act as if we’re comfortable doing this. When we have practiced it a while, we’ll discover that giving love and receiving the love we crave is within our grasp.

I will feel loved when I give love away. I don’t need to be right today. I need to be loved.

You are reading an adaptation from the book:

A Woman’s Spirit

by Karen Casey

8. ANOTHER OPERA

Believe it or not! It happened last Friday. Some 30 singers from the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, mingling with the crowd in the Friday morning Food Market at Dizengoff Centre, all at once started singing a much-loved chorus piece from Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Watch the clip and see for yourself. There is some great photography to accentuate the music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNqosHRbWog&feature=email

Perhaps there is a lesson here. Who would have ever thought one could hear live opera at the heart of Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Centre?

It makes one wonder where we might offer catechesis? A spellbinding story from the Bible told in a public arena? A Eucharistic procession through the streets? Think creatively. After all it appears that if people don’t come to you, it might be wise to go to them.

9. CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES IN AFGHANISTAN

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES (CRS) works throughout the world as the official overseas charity of the US Catholic Church. They have increased their presence in Afghanistan and have been working there with partners to rebuild homes and farms. Read about their work at: http://crs.org/afghanistan/

10. WHOM DO WE IDOLIZE?

Don’t let today’s media set your standards for greatness!

For example, Lindsay Lohan 24, gets her name and face all over the news because she went to jail.

On the other hand,

Justin Allen 23,

Brett Linley 29,

Matthew Weikert 29,

Justus Bartett 27,

Dave Santos 21,

Chase Stanley 21,

Jesse Reed 26,

Matthew Johnson 21,

Zachary Fisher 24,

Brandon King 23,

Christopher Goeke 23,

and Sheldon Tate 27,

all in our Armed Forces gave their lives for you this week.

Please … Remember, Honor and pray for THEM!

11. DON’‘T SKIP MEALS . . . . ESPECIALLY SUNDAY MASS

An article to think and talk about:

Most nights, our family of six eats dinner together. It’s rarely a Norman Rockwell scene. Jamie, 6, sometimes chews with her mouth open just to get a rise out of her sister Teenasia, 7. Fourteen-year-old Jacob too often acts as the fact-checker for 11-year-old Liam’s stories.

Almost once a week we run out of salad dressing, and lately I’ve been forgetting to set the timer for the dinner rolls, and we’ve had to cut off the blackened, Frisbee-like bottoms.

Despite our nonperfect dinners, we come together each night anyway. While I may routinely ruin dinner rolls, I’m pretty good at spinach fettuccini. And when Jacob can hold back from correcting Liam, he finds his brother tells an entertaining tale. Bill and I recognize that a meal doesn’t need to be perfect to be nourishing.

So it is with Sunday Mass. The Eucharist is a family meal. And even when the Mass isn’t perfect, it still nourishes us. Like the family meals around our own kitchen table, we go to church because we know it’s good for us – we come because it will fill us and keep us spiritually healthy.

Take a look at the common excuses we may find not to attend Sunday Mass regularly, and watch what happens when we apply them to family dinners.

I can pray anywhere. Yes, you can. And you should. We can eat anywhere too. But gulping a burger on the way to a soccer game feels very different from sitting down with the family for an organized meal.

A bowl of popcorn on the couch, a popsicle on a porch swing, a crisp apple while walking in the woods – all these are wonderful experiences of food, but we would never mistake a snack for a meal. In the same way, praying on our own, no matter how meaningful, is not a substitute for coming together for Mass.

No one notices if I’m not there. You’d be surprised. Twice in my 14-year history as a parent one of my children behaved so terribly that I sent them to eat dinner in their bedroom rather than at the kitchen table. As the rest of us ate, I was amazed at how empty the table felt without that one child.

Each family’s attendance at a Mass means something to others who are there. Whether it’s a child in another family who likes to say peace to your son, or an elderly woman who looks forward to your baby’s smile, we notice each other’s presence – and feel the absence as well.

We don’t get anything out of it. Before you claim this excuse, check if it’s really true. Even the worst family meal is rarely all bad. On the same night that Teenasia makes a face at the broccoli, Liam has seconds on the mashed potatoes.

So, yes, maybe the homily did lack focus, but the Communion song was beautiful. Maybe you didn’t really understand the first reading, but your daughter recognized the second one from something she learned in religious ed. While spectacular Masses exist (four-star dinner at a fine restaurant), most Masses are more like a normal family dinner – not everyone likes everything, and that’s OK.

I should go because I want to – not because I’m obligated.

True enough. Jacob loves tomatoes and eats them because he wants to. Five years ago, though, when Jacob was 9, he ate the tomatoes in his salad only because he was “obligated” to before he could have dessert.

Eating tomatoes regularly – even though he didn’t always want to – helped him to acquire a taste for them. The church’s obligatory Sunday Mass can work similarly. At times in our lives, we go simply out of obligation. From our obligation, God graces us with a true desire to attend.

by Annemarie Scobey, from the pages of At Home with Our Faith, Claretian Publications’ print newsletter for parents on nurturing spirituality in the home. Winner of the General Excellence award from the Catholic Press Association.

12.A Really REALLY Bad Catholic Joke

Groaner with a capital G!

Hans Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague and, as a young man, aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the Army during WWII and spent two years co-piloting B17s until his aircraft was shot down in 1943 and he lost his left arm.

Captain Grapje spent the rest of the war as a chaplain, giving spiritual aid to soldiers, both allied and enemy. After the war he became a priest and eventually an Archbishop, serving as a missionary in Africa, piloting his own plane (in spite of his handicap) to villages across the continent.

In 1997, Father Grapje was serving in Zimbabwe when an explosion in a silver mine caused a cave-in. Archbishop Grapje went down into the mine to administer last rights to those too severely injured to move. Another shaft collapsed and he was buried for three days, suffering multiple injuries, including the loss of his right eye.

The high silver content in the mine’s air gave him purpura, a lifelong condition characterized by purplish skin blotches. Although Cardinal Grapje devoted his life to the service of God as a scholar, mentor, and holy man, church leaders agree: he will never ascend to the Papacy. Seems that no one wants a one-eyed, one-armed, flying purple Papal leader.

13. THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S PICTURE PUZZLE

Here’s the picture I tried to see if you could figure out last week.

The hint I gave is: the picture was taken in 1956…

It’s a hard disk drive back in 1956… with 5 MB of storage.

In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first ‘SUPER’ computer with a hard disk drive (HDD).

The HDD weighed over a ton and stored a ‘whopping’ 5 MB of data.
Do you appreciate your 16 GB memory stick a little more now?

14. A Few More Pix From YOUTH DAY AT LAKE INDEPENDENCE

Here are a few pix from YOUTH DAY AT LAKE INDEPENDENCE on Sunday, August 1. MANY THANKS to the folks who planned this event, especially those who brought their boats – Bob & Colleen Porter, Chuck & Marlene Smith, and John Kielb. Thanks also to Julie Maher for helping get everything set up, and Linda Kelly for getting the Pop. Everyone had a GREAT time!

Tony didn’t have to worry about me showing him up on the wakeboard!

Who’s that in the background who can’t get up on those water skis?

This is NOT me on Water skis!

The lake felt good on a hot day.

15. I’M SENDING A VISITOR TO SEE YOU

Live honestly, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly & Leave the rest to God

I HAD AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR THIS MORNING. HE ARRIVED EARLY, SAT DOWN WITH ME AND CHATTED FOR A WHILE ABOUT HOW THINGS WERE CURRENTLY GOING FOR ME IN MY LIFE.

AFTER VERY CAREFULLY AND COMPASSIONATELY LISTENING TO ALL THAT I HAD TO SAY, HE SAW THE STRESS ON MY FACE AND THE TEARS IN MY EYES.

HE STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO ME, LEANED OVER AND GENTLY HELD ME FOR AWHILE BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A REALLY BAD MORNING. THEN, AFTER REASSURING ME NOT TO WORRY, THAT EVERYTHING WOULD WORK OUT FOR ME AND BE JUST FINE, HE ASKED ME IF I KNEW OF ANYONE ELSE THAT COULD USE A VISIT FROM HIM.

I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF YOU. I GAVE HIM YOUR NAME AND TOLD HIM WHERE YOU LIVED. HE GAVE ME ANOTHER REASSURING HUG, THANKED ME AND I WALKED WITH HIM TO MY FRONT DOOR. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO YOUR PLACE.

It was November 1944 and relentless, flooding rains had slowed Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army dash across France to a veritable crawl. His frustration boiling over, Patton called Chaplain O’Neill, “This is General Patton. Do you have a good prayer for weather?” Somewhat taken aback, but never really surprised by anything this general might put forth, the Monsignor, with nothing apropos in his prayer book, proceeded to compose the prayer excerpted above. Needless to say the foul weather abated and the race to the Rhine River and final victory in Europe resumed. [Note: This incident did not occur during the Battle of the Bulge as portrayed in the 1970 20th Century Fox movie, Patton.]

Now, I don’t have a prayer for good Fall Festival weather either so I am charging you, at least individually, to come up with your own weather prayers so we, too, can advance to a smashing Fall Festival victory.

In the meantime keep filling out those beauteous, goldenrod-yellow Volunteer Sign-up Sheets and returning them to the parish office. Your help is critical for the success of our celebration.

The Festival Committee will meet this next Wednesday, August 18 in the social hall at 7:00pm.

May the Lord be with us.
Hardin Olson