Back from the Peripheries

Back From the Peripheries

Before I begin my main topic, a few months ago, I was doing some spiritual reading, and the author encouraged her audience to look for a moment of wonder and joy each day. Last Sunday after the 10 a.m. Mass, I had such an experience. A man approached me after Mass and said, “Father, my family and I vacation in Chatham every year at this time. Coming to Mass here at Holy Redeemer is the high point of our stay.” That comment put some wind in my sails for the rest of the day! We can all be proud of making Holy Redeemer such a welcoming, Christ-filled community. Everyone deserves to take a bow.

There was a day when the pope was referred to as the prisoner of the Vatican. Beginning in the late Nineteenth Century, after the fall of the Papal States, popes didn’t leave the small enclave of Vatican City. Pope Paul VI was the first modern pope to travel. Pope John Paul II was a globe trotter during his long pontificate. Pope Benedict did his share of travel, and despite being the longest-living pope at 87 and often wheelchair-bound, Pope Francis is raking up the miles.

Pope Francis is notable for some of the places he travels to. Rather than visiting countries with large Catholic populations or even his homeland of Argentina, Francis travels to countries considered unlikely spots for his visits, places that are isolated or with only small Catholic or Christian minorities. Last year, he traveled to Mongolia, a country situated on the steppe between China and Siberia with only a minuscule Catholic population. Francis has reached out to the fringes, or peripheries, as the pope calls them, and made them the focus of his travels. He has also appointed Cardinals from places not usually represented in the College of Cardinals.

This week, Francis returned from an extended visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. 87% of the population practices Sunni Islam. Only a little more than 10% of the population is Christian; of that, only 40% or 8 million are Catholic. Papua New Guinea is one of the most primitive countries in the world, where headhunters and cannibalism were known up to only recently.

Indonesia has tried to be a tolerant country despite its Muslim background. When independence was declared after World War II, it strove to be neither a secular nor theocratic state. It tried to develop a philosophy called Pancasila, which followed five principles: belief in one God, promoting a just and civilized humanity, unity, representative democracy, and social justice for all. The country hasn’t been able to follow these ideals strictly. For thirty years, it suffered a dictatorship. There has been some Muslim fundamentalist violence against the government and minority religions, but it seems to be controlled, making Indonesia one of the most tolerant Muslim countries.

In Indonesia, mainstream Islamist leaders promote harmony with other religions. During his visit, Pope Francis met with the grand iman, Nasaruddin Umar, of the Istiqial Mosque. This mosque is the largest in Southeast Asia and has a capacity for 120,000 worshippers. There, they penned their signatures to a document signifying their agreement on “humanitarian, tolerance, and environmental issues.”

Strangely, the Istiqial Mosque and the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption are across the street from each other, and a tunnel has been constructed between the two to help encourage communication.

Catholicism is growing faster in the countries often considered on the peripheries and sidelines of our world. Work and pray for our Catholic faith to grow in these parts of the world, where it is a small minority, facing significant challenges, and also here in our country and the “Old World”.  

Annual Collection Goes On

The 2024 Holy Redeemer Annual Collection is making progress. The parish annually conducts the Annual Collection as our most important fundraiser, each August and September. We ask full-time and seasonal parishioners to make a one-time generous gift to support the parish through the leaner winter months. This year, we have budgeted a goal of $85,000 to be raised by the collection. We are more than halfway there. This week, parishioners who have not contributed to the Annual Collection should have received a follow-up letter. Please send in your donation promptly.

We will use donations above the $85,000 goal to renovate our parking lot. We also must replace the doors to Our Lady of Grace Chapel and completely replace the siding on Holy Redeemer Church. Even if you have contributed to the Annual Collection, maybe you would like to contribute to meet this exciting challenge.

Reaction to our recent church renovations has been overwhelmingly positive. They are beneficial to all. A capital campaign conducted last year funded part of the renovation costs. Just over 200 of our 600 parish households contributed to that effort; if you didn’t respond to the campaign, hopefully, after seeing the renovation results, you want to now.

Can you increase your weekly budget contribution if you can’t donate to the Annual Collection? When was the last time you reflected on the gift you give to God and the work of the church? The parish experiences inflation and increased costs like everyone else. Prayerfully consider your support of our parish and be as generous as possible.  

Parish Library Reopened

The books and shelves have been dusted, and everything is ready to reopen in our parish library. It has a wealth of good reading to offer. There are books by such spiritual giants as Thomas Merton, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Augustine. Modern writers such as Matthew Kelly and Bishop Bob Barrone are also represented. It is a nice place to escape and recharge yourself if needed. The Library is located at the foot of the stairs at the back of the church and is open whenever the church is open, from about 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cheryl Duerr Resignation

Our Music Director, Cheryl Duerr, will leave that position effective November 3. Cheryl came to Holy Redeemer a little over three years ago and has positively influenced our music program. She had built up our choir and helped the development of our cantors. We are very appreciative of her work and will miss her. We pray for her success in future endeavors.

We have begun a search for a new Music Director. Please pray to St. Cecelia, patroness of church musicians, for a successful search process.