Dedication - A Garden of Remembrance Honoring Sister Ann Roddy, SSND

Dedication

A Garden of Remembrance

Honoring Sr. Ann Roddy, SSND

St. Clare Monastery, New Orleans, LA

27 April 2014 - 12:00 noon

Leader:  Jesus our Savior, after your crucifixion your body was laid in a tomb in a garden, and there you first revealed yourself to your friends after you rose from the dead.  When we felt crucified by Katrina, Ann helped lead us through the destruction to a new vision of life and faith.

All:  Be present with all who come to this place when it seems that all is lost, and awaken them to new life by your resurrection power.

Leader:  Holy Spirit of Truth and Power, our Advocate and Friend,

All:  Be present with all who come to this place seeking direction and strength, fill their hearts with the love of God, and send them out in witness to Jesus.

Leader:  We now dedicate this Memorial Garden to the Glory of God,

to the memory of Sr. Ann Roddy, and of all named here.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

  

Opening Prayers

Genesis 2

Reflection

 

Leader:  Community of God, I ask you to affirm your belief and awareness that you are Beloved Children of God and are made from the “sacred stuffs” of this planet.

 

All: We confess that we belong to God, we live in God’s world, and that we are wonderfully made from God’s hands from the “red clay” of the earth.

 

Leader: I ask you to reaffirm your desire to set aside a portion of the space that is trusted to your care as the Tau Memorial Garden.

 

All: We acknowledge that what we have is held in trust from God. We are responsible to be good stewards and to live in covenant with each other and with this garden. We reaffirm our desire to combine the Tau Memorial Garden with the space that honors St. Roch, he who lived with and healed the poor, the sick and the powerless.

 

 Leader: And how shall you use it?

 

All: It shall be a garden where we can find a quiet center in the many seasons of our lives. It will hold our prayers, questions, and meditations.  It will be a place to remember those named on the red clay we have carried here:  the flesh and bones gathered in this chapel and those who succumbed to the plague of AIDS.

 

Leader:  And in whose memory shall this place be named?

 

All:  This garden shall bear witness to the special gifts of Sr. Ann Roddy.  She ministered among us and with us for many years.  Ann saw the beautiful in us.  She named us “good”.  She took the “sacred stuff” of this earth and anointed us with her strength, tenderness and creative spirit.

 

Leader:  I have born witness to your confession of faith, I have heard your intentions, and I affirm your engagement in the pilgrimage of seasons and life.  As such, do you promise to care for and maintain this Memorial Garden for as long as this community of faith desires it to be such?

 

All:  We do so promise.

 

Leader:  I hear and affirm your desires and promises.  I invite you to join your hearts in prayer as we proceed to and dedicate the Tau Memorial Garden.

 

 Procession to garden

 
Let us pray.

 

Leader:  God our Father, at the dawn of creation you placed your children in a garden and walked with them in the cool of the day.  Ann found great inspiration in the Tau House Garden.

 

All:  Be present with us as we walk in this garden, and open our eyes to the beauty of your creation.

 

Leader:  Jesus, our good Companion, on many occasions you withdrew with your friends to a garden for quiet and refreshment; The Tau community spent many hours of prayer on these red bricks:

 

All:  Be present with all who come to meet you in this place, and teach them your ways.

Leader:  Jesus our Redeemer, you suffered anguish and betrayal in a garden, and there you submitted to your Father’s will.  Ann gave us an example of acceptance and love as we sat with the dying at Project Lazarus.

All:  Be present with all who come in sorrow and pain to this place, and give them the grace of your redeeming love.

 

ST MARY OF THE ANGELS WELLINGTON, NZ: THE FIRST 170 YEARS

ST MARY OF THE ANGELS WELLINGTON, NZ: THE FIRST 170 YEARS

A FRANCISCAN FRIAR & THE FIRST CHURCH

 

 

There has been a Church on this site since 1843 when Fr. Jeremiah O’Reily OFM became the first resident priest in Wellington.  In 1850 Bishop Viard and five Marist Fathers arrived in Wellington.  Fr O’Reily continued his work.

The first Church on the site was called ‘The Chapel of the Nativity’.  It was expanded several times.

 

A BIGGER SECOND CHURCH

The Catholic population of wellington continued to grow.

In 1874 a larger wooden Church replaced the original chapel.  This Church was named ‘St Mary of the Angels’ after the mother Church of the Franciscans at Assisi (Santa Maria degli Angeli). 

The following year St Mary of the Angelswas entrusted to the care of the Society of Mary and Fr O’Reily retired.  Fr P. Kerrigan became the first Marist Parish Priest. 

In December 1883 Bishop Redwood SM granted the parish of St Mary of the Angels in perpetuity to the Marists – a decision ratified by decree from Rome in January 1885.

 

A FIRE & A THIRD CHURCH

On the 28th May 1918 the second church was destroyed by a fire. 

The third church was designed by architect Frederick de Jersey Clere and opened in 1922. 

The Church is of particular interest architecturally.  It was the first church where ferro-concrete was used for a Gothic church. It is built of reinforced concrete with a brick veneer and a timber roof supported by concrete portals with steel tie rods.  This technique permitted particularly beautiful slender internal framing.

The Church is a prominent landmark in Wellington situated as it is near the intersection of major city streets.

When Fr. O’Reily built his first chapel, he didn’t know that he was building on an earthquake fault line.

In future posts we will see how the 21^st century St Mary of the Angels has been facing the challenge of possible earthquakes, and how a team of Marists lives and works in Wellington 170 years after their Irish Franciscan predecessor laid his first foundations.

 

Barry Scanell, sm

Sister Ann Roddy, SSND, garden

Dear Tau Community and Friends,

As many of you know, the memorial bricks from the courtyard at Tau House on Gov. Nicholls Street were transferred to the Poor Clare Monastery at 720 Henry Clay Street in New Orleans. We are going to rededicate the garden at the monastery in memory of Sr. Ann Roddy SSND on April 27th, 2014.  That's the first Sunday after Easter.

We'll start with a prayer service at 12:00 noon in the monastery's chapel.  We'll follow with a picnic lunch in the garden where the bricks are. I've confirmed all this with Sr. Charlene, Abbess at the monastery.  The sisters will join us for both the prayer and the picnic.  Please feel free to invite others who may have known of Tau House or Sr. Ann.  A plaque is being prepared that has Ann's picture on it and states the Tau Community's mission statement. In the middle of the garden, under a huge oak tree, there is a statue of St. Roch and his dog, The plaque will be placed on the pedestal below.  We know Ann was more of a cat person but this is the best we can do!

The picnic is potluck.  We need to provide extra food for the 8 Poor Clare sisters who will join us.  If you invite others either ask them to bring something or prepare extra yourself.  The convent will provide tables and chairs for us.  If you bring a crock pot we can keep it plugged in while we're at prayer but in the garden we may not be able to do that.  They have an ice chest for cold drinks.  It would be best if you let me know what you'd like to bring and I can coordinate it all.  

So that we have adequate chairs and tables, RSVP to me at edwardswm2@aol.com by the Wednesday before, April 23rd if you will be attending.  We will provide the paper plates et al.  You should bring a serving spoon if your potluck item needs such. 

Bro. Ed Arambasich OFM will be with us to lead us in prayer, in remembering Annie, and in general merriment. 

--- April 27, 2014 ---12:00 noon
---RSVP to Billy by April 23

---Let Billy know what you're bringing

Peace and All Good,

Billy Edwards
edwardswm2@aol.com
504.352.1802 

Prayers for Holy Week

Intercessions

For the Church: that we may strive to have the same mind as Christ and rely upon God’s love to guide us in doing God’s will For courage: that we may embrace God’s will and trust God’s providence even when we experience suffering and rejection For all Christians: that as we recall Christ’s dying and rising, we may empty ourselves so that God can fill us and raise us up For the Elect and the Candidates for Full Communion: that they may enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s unconditional love through the celebrations of Holy Week For the grace of conversion: that we may allow God to lead us away from selfish pursuits and guide us toward new opportunities to serve others in love. For all who must bear the cross each day, particularly, parents of sick children, the homebound and the terminally ill: that God’s presence and strength will sustain them through the challenge of each day. For all who care for the dying and the grieving: that they may be signs of God’s love and presence for all who are facing death. For all who have been condemned to death: that the Spirit of God will lead them to conversion and new life. . For all who are held unjustly:  that God will give them strength and lead them to freedom. For all who have experienced abandonment, for those who have been deserted by family or friends, for those who have been accused unjustly: that God’s Spirit will comfort them and help them to hold fast to the truth. For leaders of government and business: that in Jesus, they may recognize how to be servant leaders and give priority to the needs of the most vulnerable. For immigration reform: that we may respond to the needs of divided families and those treated unjustly with new structures for those seeking a new life. For all who work in the legal system, for judges, attorneys, and juries: that they may always respect the dignity of both the injured and accused parties and work diligently to find the truth. For all who are working to assist those recovering from natural disasters: that God will inspire their words, make fruitful their work, and help them to bring consolation and hope to all who are suffering. For a greater respect for human life: that every heart may honor the mystery of human life at all stages along life’s journey. For peace in the world and an end to violence, particularly in the Holy Land and throughout the Mid-East: that the death of Christ may turn all hearts from violence and give them courage to seek new ways to resolve conflicts.

Palm Sunday 2014

Today's Grace

I pray for the grace to feel sorrow and compassion, so that I may be united with the Lord Jesus in his Passion.

Scripture/Reading

Reading via the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website:

 

Phil 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

 

Mt 26:14-27:66
The Passion of Our Lord according to Matthew: www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041314.cfm  

Reflection Questions

1. Be present at the Passion of Jesus and notice the events and actors. Who do you identify with? The vengeful leaders, the jeering crowds, the cunning Pilate? The fearful disciples, the denying Peter, the hopeless Judas? The privileged Simon of Cyrene, the faithful women who accompanied Jesus to the foot of the cross, the crucified criminals? What particular point or event resonates with you - stay there and contemplate the mystery of Christ's Passion that culminates in the cross.  
2. The reading from Philippians, often called the "Christological Hymn," is profoundly poignant with the self-emptying "kenosis" of Christ on the cross - "he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." How am I moved and humbled at the sight of the Lord on the cross, emptying himself out of love for me?  

Reflection

The Cross Opens the Way to Life from "Journeying with the Lord: Reflections for Everyday" by Cardinal Carlos Maria Martini, SJ:

 

The cross is ever before us. It wants to speak to us, if only we contemplate it with love, drawn by the power of the Spirit who is the gift of Christ crucified. If we look upon it with awe and affection, the cross becomes an enticing, warm and all-consuming fire: it gives us a challenge.

 

It asks us many things. The cross asks us, our communities, our societies and our cultures to confirm that there do exist paths from the cross to resolve human problems.

 

Our experience reveals that pain, suffering and death fill our history.

 

Jesus did not invent the cross. He, like every man, found it on his journey. The newness of his message was to plant a seed of love into our bearing of the cross. The element of love turned the Way of the Cross into a way that leads to life. The cross itself became a message of love; a means of our transformation. Our cross is also the cross of Jesus!

 

This cross first embraces each of us, and entrusts us with a duty in our personal life, in our families, among our friends and acquaintances - in sum, with whoever else's cross we encounter. I think of the many broken families, the many illnesses which have not been accepted, of hardened hearts which have become embittered, resentful and brooding. How many crosses have been borne up and down in the elevators of our buildings. How many cross-bearers walk up and down our streets, populate our cities!

 

From his cross, Jesus invites each of us today to put all these crosses, and not just our own, into relationship with our own. Jesus invites us to do as he did - plant the seed of love and hope in the soil of each of the crosses we encounter.

Sister Ann Roddy, SSND

Dear Tau Community and Friends,

As many of you know, the memorial bricks from the courtyard at Tau House on Gov. Nicholls Street were transferred to the Poor Clare Monastery at 720 Henry Clay Street in New Orleans. We are going to rededicate the garden at the monastery in memory of Sr. Ann Roddy SSND on April 27th, 2014.  That's the first Sunday after Easter.

We'll start with a prayer service at 12:00 noon in the monastery's chapel.  We'll follow with a picnic lunch in the garden where the bricks are. I've confirmed all this with Sr. Charlene, Abbess at the monastery.  The sisters will join us for both the prayer and the picnic.  Please feel free to invite others who may have known of Tau House or Sr. Ann.  A plaque is being prepared that has Ann's picture on it and states the Tau Community's mission statement. In the middle of the garden, under a huge oak tree, there is a statue of St. Roch and his dog, The plaque will be placed on the pedestal below.  We know Ann was more of a cat person but this is the best we can do!

 

 

 

 

The picnic is potluck.  We need to provide extra food for the 8 Poor Clare sisters who will join us.  If you invite others either ask them to bring something or prepare extra yourself.  The convent will provide tables and chairs for us.  If you bring a crock pot we can keep it plugged in while we're at prayer but in the garden we may not be able to do that.  They have an ice chest for cold drinks.  It would be best if you let me know what you'd like to bring and I can coordinate it all.  

So that we have adequate chairs and tables, RSVP to me at edwardswm2@aol.com by the Wednesday before, April 23rd if you will be attending.  We will provide the paper plates et al.  You should bring a serving spoon if your potluck item needs such. 

Bro. Ed Arambasich OFM will be with us to lead us in prayer, in remembering Annie, and in general merriment. 

--- April 27, 2014 ---12:00 noon
---RSVP to Billy by April 23

---Let Billy know what you're bringing

Peace and All Good,

Billy Edwards
edwardswm2@aol.com
504.352.1802 

PS  Please let me know if I've forgotten anyone who should get this note.

 

"Go, and do not sin again"

"Go, and do not sin again"

Gospel Reading: John 8:1-11: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came

again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again."

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 13:1-6,15-23,28,35,44-49,63  (Deutero-canonical text): [For longer version see Daniel 13:1-64] There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honored of them all. In that year two elders from the people were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: "Iniquity came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people." These men were frequently at Jo'akim's house, and all who had suits at law came to them.

Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was very hot. And no one was there except the two elders, who had hid themselves and were watching her... When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said: "Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you; so give your consent, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away." Susanna sighed deeply, and said, "I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord." Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her...

The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Jo'akim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death... And she, weeping, looked up toward heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord... The Lord heard her cry. And as she was being led away to be put to death, God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel; and he cried with a loud voice, "I am innocent of the blood of this woman." All the people turned to him, and said, "What is this that you have said?" Taking his stand in the midst of them, he said, "Are you such fools, you sons of Israel? Have you condemned a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? Return to the place of judgment. For these men have borne false witness against her"... And Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, and so did Jo'akim her husband and all her kindred, because nothing shameful was found in her.
  

Meditation: When accusations are brought against you, how do you respond and where do you turn for help? The Book of Daniel tells the story of Susanna, a godly woman who loved God and his word. She was unjustly accused of adultery by two elder judges who had tried to seduce her. Since adultery was a serious offense punishable by stoning to death, the law of Moses required at least two witnesses, rather than one, to convict a person. Susanna knew she had no hope of clearing her good reputation and escaping death apart from God's merciful intervention. Daniel tells us that she looked up to heaven and cried out to the Lord for his help (Daniel 13:35). The two elders who wanted to sin with her had done just the opposite - they hid themselves from God's sight and they kept their secret sin hidden from the people as well. They brought false charges against her in revenge for her refusal to sin with them. God in his mercy heard the plea of Susanna and he punished the two elders for giving false witness.

Unjust accusations against Jesus
The Gospel accounts frequently describe how Jesus had to face unjust accusations made by the Pharisees, the ruling elders of Israel. They were upset with Jesus' teaching and they wanted to discredit him in any way they could. They wanted to not only silence him, but to get rid of him because of his claim to speak with God's authority. When a moral dilemma or difficult legal question arose, it was typical for the Jews to take the matter to a rabbi for a decision. The scribes and the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. John writes that they wanted to "test" Jesus on the issue of retribution so " they might have some charge to bring against him" (John 8:6).

Jewish law treated adultery as a serious crime since it violated God's ordinance and wreaked havoc on the stability of marriage and family life. It was one of the three gravest sins punishable by death. If Jesus said the woman must be pardoned, he would be accused of breaking the law of Moses. If  he said the woman must be stoned, he would lose his reputation for being the merciful friend of sinners.

Jesus then does something quite unexpected - he begins to write in the sand. The word for "writing" which is used here in the Gospel text has a literal meaning "to write down a record against someone" (for another example see Job 13:26). Perhaps Jesus was writing down a list of the sins of the accusers standing before him. Jesus now turns the challenge towards his accusers. In effect he says: Go ahead and stone her! But let the man who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. The Lord leaves the matter to their own consciences.

Pardon, restoration, and new life.  When the adulterous woman is left alone with Jesus, he both expresses mercy and he strongly exhorts her to not sin again. The scribes wished to condemn, Jesus wished to forgive and to restore the sinner to health. His challenge involved a choice - either to go back to her former way of sin and death or to reach out to God's offer of forgiveness, restoration, and new life in his kingdom of peace and righteousness. Jesus gave her pardon and a new start on life. God's grace enables us to confront our sin for what it is - unfaithfulness to God, and to turn back to God with a repentant heart and a thankful spirit for God's mercy and forgiveness.

 

Refection question: Do you know the joy of repentance and a clean conscience?

Prayer: "God our Father, we find it difficult to come to you, because our knowledge of you is imperfect. In our ignorance we have imagined you to be our enemy; we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing our sins; and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life. But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving, that you are on our side against all that stunts life, and that our resentment against you was groundless. So we come to you, asking you to forgive our past ignorance, and wanting to know more and more of you and your forgiving love, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of St. Augustine) Amen.
 

"Walk and sin no more"

 

Gospel Reading: John 5:1-16: After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down  before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet." But he answered them, "The man who healed me said to me, `Take up your pallet, and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, `Take up your pallet, and walk'?" Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you." The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the Sabbath.

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9,12: Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar... "And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."
  

Meditation: Is there anything holding you back from the Lord's healing power and transforming grace that can set you free to live in wholeness, joy, and peace with God? God put into the heart of the prophet Ezekiel a vision of the rivers of living water flowing from God's heavenly throne to bring healing and restoration to his people. We begin to see the fulfillment of this restoration taking place when the Lord Jesus announces the coming of God's kingdom and performs signs and miracles in demonstration of the power of that kingdom.

One of the key signs which John points out in his Gospel account takes place in Jerusalem when Jesus went up to the temple during one of the great Jewish feasts (John 5:1-9). As Jesus approached the temple area he stopped at the pool of Bethzatha which was close by. Many Jews brought their sick relatives and friends to this pool. John tells us that a "multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed" were laid there on the pavement surrounding the pool (John 5:3). This pool was likely one of the ritual baths used for purification for people before they went into the temple to offer prayers and sacrifice. On certain occasions, especially when the waters were stirred, the lame and others with diseases were dipped in the pool in the hope that they might be cured of their ailments.

The lame man that Jesus stopped to speak with had been paralyzed for more than 38 years. He felt helpless because he had no friends to help him bathe in the purifying waters of the pool

. Despite his many years of unanswered prayer, he still waited by the pool in the hope that help might come his way. Jesus offered this incurable man not only the prospect of help but total healing as well. Jesus first awakened faith in the paralyzed man when he put a probing question to him, "Do you really want to be healed?" This question awakened a new spark of faith in him. Jesus then ordered him to "get up and walk!" Now the lame man had to put his new found faith into action. He decided to take the Lord Jesus at his word and immediately stood up and began to walk freely.

The Lord Jesus approaches each one of us with the same probing question, and that is.... 

 

Refection question: "Do you really want to be healed - to be forgiven, set free from guilt and sin, from uncontrollable anger and other disordered passions, and from hurtful desires and addictions. The first essential step towards freedom and healing is the desire for change. If we are content to stay as we are, then no amount of coaxing will change us. The Lord will not refuse anyone who sincerely asks for his pardon, mercy, and healing.

Prayer: "Lord Jesus, put within my heart a burning desire to be changed and transformed in your way of holiness. Let your Holy Spirit purify my heart and renew in me a fervent love and desire to do whatever is pleasing to you and to refuse whatever is contrary to your will." Amen.