A Letter from Fr. Paul - November 20, 2016

As I promised, over the course of 10 months I will present the ten “IB Profile Words.” The second is COMMUNICATOR, the word for November at our school, Wauwatosa Catholic. IB Learners understand and express ideas and information confidently, creatively, and in more than one language. They share their ideas in more than one way. They collaborate effectively and listen carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups. "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives." We could certainly use good COMMUNICATORS in the political arena!!

If you have not yet submitted your pledge for this coming year, please do so. I thank you in advance for being as generous as possible.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This feast marks the end of the Church year which began last November 29 with the first Sunday of Advent. During this Church year we prepared for and celebrated the birth of a Baby whom three “foreign” or “pagan” kings adored and whom the Jewish king tried to kill. We followed His life through His active ministry, His death, His Resurrection and Ascension, and His sending of His Spirit to accompany us. And now we end by celebrating that Baby as Christ King!!

How did this happen? He had no army, He had no weapons, He had no power. Through the 34 weeks of “ordinary” time, St. Luke shared with us how Jesus accomplished this, the actions and words of Jesus the King, words that teach us how to live: humble, merciful, forgiving, generous, reflective, etc., etc.

As we begin a new Church year by preparing to celebrate once again the birth of that special Baby, I invite us to reflect on how we have grown in the past Church year and to plan how we can grow in the year that is beginning. One help to do this is to attend an Advent reflection morning on November 26 from 9 am to 11 am. Br. Silas Henderson, SDS, has given this reflection in 6 different parts of the country and it has been well received. Details are in the bulletin.

We wish our cluster parish Christ King the best as they celebrate their patronal feast, accompanying them in prayer.

-- Paul James Portland, SDS