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Thursday, August 21, 2014

Mary's Meals and Child 31

Child 31 is a powerful documentary film which tells the story of Mary's Meals, a charity which provides a life-changing meal to hungry children every school day.

The inspiring film follows Mary's Meals founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow to Malawi, India, and Kenya and gives the viewer a glimpse of his simple, yet ground-breaking approach that aims to lift the developing world out of poverty.

When Child 31 was released in 2012, the charity was providing 700,031 children with a daily meal in their place of education. It is now reaching over 822,000 children across the world as part of its mission to draw children into the classroom and help them realise their dreams.

Donate to Mary's Meals: http://www.marysmeals.org
Hear the voices of Child 31: http://www.child31film.com

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Momnipotent: A Study to help you find peace, balance, and joy

Is being a mother what you thought it would be? The exhaustion, monotony, mounting unfinished projects, loss of a sense of self…Too many moms feel disillusioned and overwhelmed. Many moms quietly resign themselves to the idea that peace, happiness, and joy are things they will need to find in spite of motherhood, not because of it.

Journey with a diverse group of women as they discuss real issues that moms face every day…

Momnipotent validates the dignity and importance of motherhood and will help you recognize your uniquely feminine strengths and see how you can use those strengths to find peace, balance, and joy in being the woman God created and called you to be.

Learn more about Momnipotent.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Father Bernard Youth Center, Mount Angel, Oregon


Our Mission
The mission of the Fr. Bernard Youth Center is "to provide a special place for prayer and personal growth, focused on assisting youth and their mentors in their spiritual development."

The Center
To fulfill this mission FBYC maintains a 15,000 sq. ft. facility suitable for a variety of functions ranging from youth retreats and camps to business meetings and special events such as annual meetings, auctions, fundraising dinners and family celebrations.

FBYC provides an opportunity to step away from the daily distractions of life into a beautiful, serene and extremely well appointed space to focus on what is truly important for that time. Businesses, families, administrators, teachers, students and youth and young-adult groups will benefit by taking advantage of this truly unique opportunity.

FBYC was dedicated January 17, 2006 by Archbishop Vlazny from the Portland Archdiocese and has become a focal point for religious educators unlike any other in the Northwest.

Fr. Bernard Sander
Fr. Bernard was a Benedictine Monk for over 60 years and known for his involvement engaging religious and non-religious alike to do works beneficial to society. His leadership lead to many varied ministries and forms of outreach and countless individuals credit him for their successes on a particular path in life.

Facility
FBYC is conveniently and centrally located along the southern edge of the Benedictine Queen of Angels Monastery. With nearly 15,000 square feet of working space, our building is an ideal setting for a youth retreat center.

FBYC houses a remarkably beautiful Chapel featuring six- 4 x 7 foot icon-etched glass panels that create a breath-taking backdrop for the bronze tabernacle which houses the wounded heart monstrance, St. Christi. The blessed Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle and the Youth Center, unique from all other retreat centers.

The Chapel can seat 80 people with each chair supporting a kneeler. Available extra seating expands the capacity to 120 or more. The Adoration area, within the Chapel, can comfortably accommodate up to 24 people. There are three Reconciliation Chapels adjacent to the Chapel as well as four additional meeting rooms ideal for small group discussions.

Our Fireside Room was designed to be a theatre-like space with plush seating for 65 attendees. It is equipped with a computer, DVD/CD player, and an amplifier system for presentations, movie watching and heart-to-heart discussions. FBYC features a full-service commercial kitchen for meal preparation or catering with an adjoining Great Room that serves as a dining room and activity area. The Great Room is ideal for dances, projection movies, shuffleboard and table-tennis. The room's capacity is 200 people with round table seating for 120.

Overnight lodging for retreatants and mentors is provided in Marmion Hall, located directly across the street. The well-appointed rooms are furnished with bunk beds; and most with dressers and desks that include two drawers and a closet.

A sports field, a fire pit by a covered eating area as well as a fire pit and a "Bobcat trail" by the lower "amphitheater" make the outdoor experience more fun. A natural living water feature is in the works.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Evangelism at 30,000 Feet

By Todd Aglialoro
Catholic Answers

I have a plane trip coming up, and with it, my standard pre-flight anxiety.

It’s not fear of flying (I don’t love hurtling through low orbit, separated from death by a few inches of aluminum and plexiglass, but I tolerate it)—it’s fear that God may put someone in the next seat for me to evangelize.

Some people—extroverts, probably—relish the opportunity to witness, but not me. I’m just no good at it. Give me a theological point to argue, an enemy of the Faith to fight, and I’m your man. But I can’t seem to work up the gumption to lean over to a stranger and say, “Hello there. Can I tell you about Jesus?”

Nor am I particularly good at explaining the very basics of what I believe and why. I remember once in high school getting into a lunchroom argument with the school atheist. He wore Slayer t-shirts and mosh-pit bruises, and would later be elected senior class president—an embarrassment that the student council soon rectified by impeaching him on technical grounds. (They couldn’t do anything, though, when the same voting bloc picked Wish You Were Here as our prom song.)

“How do you know God exists?” he asked with an edge to his voice.

From my mouth squeaked out the feeblest of replies: “Because he does.” Honestly, that was the best I could do.

I won’t be too hard on my ignorant teenage self, though. Fact is, many of us are more effective apologists and evangelists when we have something to work with. Cold-calling souls or giving a basic witness can be a much harder task than, say, responding to a direct attack on the Eucharist. As Chesterton put it, “There is about all complete conviction a kind of huge hopelessness. The belief is so big that it takes a long time to get it into action.”

So I’ve been thinking about what I’d say if, while several miles above the earth, someone were to see me crossing myself before eating a bag of peanuts and ask, in all sincerity, Why do you believe it? Ground-up, blank-slate answer: Go.

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Bunch O Balloons



Fill and tie hundreds of water balloons in minutes with our attachment that comes ready-to-go, no preparation necessary!

Find out more about Bunch O Balloons at Kickstarter.com.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Give Us This Day

Launched in August 2011, Give Us This Day is published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN. Liturgical Press began publishing for the Church in 1926. Since then, our dedicated staff continues to sustain our original mission of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. We are truly committed to providing religious and spiritual resources of the highest relevance and quality to the Christian community. As we strive to carry on the great tradition of Liturgical Press under the guidance of our Lord and St. John’s Abbey, we thank you for your faithful support and look forward to serving you in the many years to come.

A new, personal prayer periodical from Liturgical Press-a trusted publisher of liturgy, Scripture, and spirituality founded by the Benedictines of Saint John's Abbey in 1926.

Deeply rooted in the Catholic tradition, Give Us This Day is about prayer-praying daily, praying well, praying with confidence.

Give Us This Day supports your desire to establish prayer as a part of your life, enhancing your existing practices and deepening your encounter with God by providing:

  • A practical approach to daily prayer
  • Prayers and readings for daily Mass
  • Daily prayer, Morning and Evening
  • A reflection on the Scriptures for each day