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Why I Am Catholic |
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A Weekly Series by Rev. Joseph J. Shaute |
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Subject Index |
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| Explanations & Miscellaneous Thoughts | |
| This Series of Why I Am Catholic |
This month marks the two year anniversary of this section of our Bulletin Notes. Each week reflection is given and information provided about an important aspect of the faith. Of what it means to be Catholic. This column seeks to present the rich heritage of our faith while also asking that we never take it for granted. |
| An annulment, or “a Declaration of Invalidity” is not a “Catholic Divorce.” “The Church does not have the power to divorce any persons who have been united by God. A Declaration of Invalidity states that the sacramental bond of marriage was never present from the very beginning of the marriage. | |
| Leap Year | Yes. The Church is actually responsible for Leap Year. In the year 1582, Pope Gregory VIII reformed the calendar in use since the time of Julius Caesar (Julian calendar, 45 B.C.). |
| Missionary Activity | St. Francis reminds us: “Preach the gospel, use words when necessary.” Beginning with Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), the church has increasingly focused on the social gospel—“When I was hungry, you gave me to eat”—and the corporal works of mercy. |
| New Catholics | Every year I am inspired and renewed by the men and women who go through our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and decided at Easter to become Catholic. |
| Passing On The Faith | May we never take our faith for granted. It has been preserved and spread through the blood of martyrs, through the evangelization of brave missionaries, and through ordinary people who have passed on the faith to their children and grandchildren. |
| Second Chances |
...we are a church of reconciliation and reconnecting. We are a church of forgiveness and second chances . . . and hundredth chances. As long as I am breathing, I still have a chance to get closer to Jesus and to become more involved in the His church. |
| God as Father | Our belief in God as our Father and the call of all men who are fathers to imitate God’s fatherly love, care, and protection. |
| Our Parish Family | Over this last year I have seen this parish family time and time again as a community of prayer. |
| Commitment to the Worker | On this Labor Day weekend, we take time for reflection about the Catholic Church’s dedication to issues that affect workers and the workplace. |
| St Clement's Church |
We relax in this place that helps us experience the intimate nearness of Christ. His Spirit enlivens us and invites us to come and stay and be restored. We settle in and the pews become like the family room sofa. We encounter heaven in a way that causes the world outside these walls to become insignificant. In very few places have I felt this close to God every time I come. |
