A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...

Sunday, Father Andrezj told us about the Holy Trinity Icon during his homily.  The Holy Trinity Icon depicts the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God invites us to sit at the table with him.  The message: there is always a place at the table for us, always...

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Blessed Trinity, the Feast of God, of the center of our faith: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When one thinks of the Trinity, one usually thinks of the aspect of the mystery: they are Three and they are One, one God in three Persons. Actually God in his greatness cannot be anything but a mystery for us, yet he revealed himself. We can know him in his Son and thus also know the Father and the Holy Spirit. Instead today’s Liturgy draws our attention not so much to this mystery as to the reality of love that is contained in this first and supreme mystery of our faith. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one because God is love and love is an absolute life-giving force; the unity created by love is a unity greater than a purely physical unity.  read more...

St. Ambrose Parish Picnic: Slideshow

More from the picnic...

One hundred and twenty-six photos for your viewing pleasure!

Yes, there's more...

STEWARDSHIP — What does it mean to YOU?

STEWARDSHIP. What does it mean to YOU? What does it mean to the person next to you? Chances are there are many descriptions of the good work associated with this concept. It is all encompassing. But almost all responses will have the common factor of being a disciple of Christ! That’s it! In being a disciple of Christ it means that we live our promise of Baptism and Confirmation, that we carry our faith into our every action! Jesus is with us, guides us in our actions if we only ask Him for His help through prayer. He shows us the way through the gospel so we know how to act. 

Bishop John Wester invites every parish to establish a Stewardship Council to focus on Stewardship within our parish. With Bishop Wester’s guidance, this group of 20 devoted parishioners from St. Ambrose Parish, we begin the study of what we do well, what we need to improve, and how we will make the needed changes in keeping participation in our parish meaningful to all parishioners. Our Stewardship Council looks forward to talking with you, parishioners, to incorporate your ideas in the parish plan.

As we begin this journey, we experience a conversion of heart that comes through the Holy Spirit working within us. The US Council of Catholic Bishop’s stewardship pastoral letter tells us:

            Beginning in conversion, change of mind and heart,

            the commitment is expressed not in a single action,

            nor even in a number of actions over a period of time,

            but in an entire way of life.

We look forward to our work with you, fellow parishioners.

Rosemary Baron, Stewardship Council Chair

St. Ambrose Parish Picnic

I love parish picnics. They are a time of great fun, fellowship and enjoyment. They also remind me about the original version of the parish picnic—the generosity of God shown in the feeding of the five thousand on five loaves of bread and two fish. We’re reminded that the Eucharist itself is a meal in which we are fed and nourished in our souls for meeting the joys and challenges of life.

We’re also reminded how abundant our lives really are.

Click to enlarge photos

Click to enlarge photos

 

Click to enlarge photos

Ten Easy Ways to be a Good Steward

1.     Watch TV

Whether it’s American Idol or CSI, we all have our favorite television programs. Turn TV watching into a stewardship activity by recording your favorite show, then fast forwarding through the commercials when you play it back.  You can watch a 60 minute show in 42 minutes.  Then use those 18 windfall minutes to pray.  That’s stewardship of time.

2.     Treat yourself to gourmet coffee

Do you make a Starbucks run every morning?  OK, nobody’s going to make you feel guilty for your little indulgence.  All we ask is that once a week you make your coffee at home, (yes, you can use Starbucks beans).  Then drop the money you didn’t spend into the collection box for the poor located in the back of the church.  God loves a cheerful giver!

3.     Keep your car looking good

How often do you take your car to the carwash?  Once a week, twice a month?  Maintaining your property is part of good stewardship.  But what if you made a commitment to wash your car by hand once a month?  You’ll get a little exercise, plus you can drop the money you would have spent into the poor box in the gathering space.

4.     Go to garage sales

If you are a garage sale junkie, nothing gets your heart racing like a good yard sale.  So, enjoy your Saturday morning treasure hunts.  Just make a commitment to drive past five sales a month.  That's about one a week.  Then enrich the Poor Box at the back of the church with $20 you didn’t spend on things that are, let’s face it, pretty much unnecessary. 

5.    Work out less.

Do you go to the gym every day?  Three times a week?  What if once a month you gave up just one trip to the gym, and instead parked your car and walked to an errand or to work, or just walked with family members or friends.  You’d be helping the environment, building relationships, and exercising the body God has entrusted to you.  When you are in good shape, it’s easier to respond to whatever purpose God calls you.

6.    Buy some new clothes.

Then donate your old clothes to the poor.  Feeling a little radical?  Choose one new thing to keep, and donate the rest to the poor.  You can drop them off in the pantry at the back of church. 

7.     Go out to dinner.

But this time, split an entrée with someone.  Believe it or not, you won’t go home hungry.  But this exercise in self control will allow you to donate the amount you would have spent on the second entrée to support people who regularly do go to bed hungry.  You’ll be answerilng God’s call to feed the poor, and you might even lose a pound or two.

8.     Do something fun.

God has given each of us different talents.  Usually, if something comes easily to us or we enjoy doing it, that is an indication we are using one of God’s gifts.  So, think about something you enjoy doing.  Do you like to paint, do crafts, teach others?  Are you a great baker, decorator, motivator, or organizer?  Now think of how you might donate some time doing what you love to do.  There are plenty of volunteer opportunities within the church that would allow you to do what you enjoy.  Call the Vaughan Center or the Church office to get hooked up, and make a return on God’s investment in you.

9.     Make new friends.

There’s a whole wide world out there just chock full of people.  Would you like to meet a few?  Consider volunteering!  Quilters Without Borders is a nondenominational group that meets every other month at a different church to make quilts that are donated to worthy organizations.  They will joyfully teach you what to do, and you’ll have fun interacting with women of varied backgrounds.  Or how about working at St. Vincent DePaul’s Soup Kitchen once a month?  Or making lunches at the Good Samaritan Program once a week? If you are handy, maybe Habitat for Humanity would be fun for you.  Think of something you enjoy doing, then think about where you can put your talents to work.  You’ll meet some amazing individuals, and help others at the same time.  That’s stewardship in action.

10. Talk on the phone

Do you love to visit on the phone?  Do your neighbors and friends think your cell phone has been surgically attached to your head?  Your cheerful voice could make someone else’s day a lot brighter.  There are plenty of homebound individuals who would love to receive a phone call from someone other than a telemarketer.  Taking just a few minutes to check on them would be a huge gift, and answers God’s call to help those who are less fortunate.

A Meeting with the Pontiff

This morning, Matt Lauer, co-anchor of the Today show, had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.  Lucky guy, meeting and talking with a Pope is a rare event.

Matt, along and Al Roker, were in St. Peter’s Square this morning, and afterward shared a private moment with the Pontiff and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.  Today, the Archbishop will give Matt and Al a private tour through the Basilica, including a look at Pope John Paul II’s newly installed tomb—the first look for an American broadcast.  NBC’s Anne Thompson will also fill us in on how the Church has embraced social media.  Those stories air tomorrow on Today.

Broadcast this morning on the Today Show:

What was the gift Matt Lauer gave the Pontiff.  It was purrrrfect ... any guesses?

The Power of Prayer

It has been said, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."

I think a lot of people would agree with that sentiment. But did you know that, as parishioners of St. Ambrose, we are being prayed for on a regular basis?

Thanks to our St. Ambrose prayer warriors, prayers are offered weekly for our parishioners as a whole, for the needs of the parish, for the Church worldwide, and for our Country and elected officials.

Also, you can join us in our online prayer room, to request prayers or to choose someone to keep in your own prayers.  The prayer requests are handed directly to the Wednesday morning prayer group.

We’ll be posting more about prayers and praying, but in the meantime, here’s a brief explanation of our two main prayer groups. Both groups are open to everyone, and welcome anyone wishing to experience the power of praying in a group setting.

Eucharistic Adoration

This group meets from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm on Tuesdays in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, for Eucharist Adoration and to pray the rosary. This group is ongoing, so please feel free to join them whenever your schedule allows.

Weekly Prayer Group

This group meets in the Vaughan Center on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am. They are usually finished by 10:30. They pray specifically for the needs of the Parish, and for any special prayer requests they receive. This group is ongoing, so please feel free to join them in prayer whenever your schedule allows.