Director's Report
As you read these few words, I will be coming to the end of my three month sabbatical
experience in the Holy Land. What a blessing this time has been for me to delve
more deeply into God’s Word in the Scriptures, to become better acquainted
with the situation in the Holy Land and to have time for personal reading, study
and prayer! I am most grateful that I have had this break in the normal course
of events to become refreshed in mind, body and spirit. I return to the U.S.A.
and Houston on December 8th.
I am at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute which is just on the outskirts of the
city of Jerusalem, on a hill overlooking the cities of Bethlehem, Bet Jala and
Bet Sahour. Tantur is literally on the border between Israel and Palestine.
The checkpoint for passing from one reality to the other is adjacent to the
Tantur property. The two worlds are so vastly different. The peoples are varied,
each with their own painful history. The incidents of violence that continue
to mar the fragile political situation point to a difficulty that has been long
standing and will not be easily or quickly resolved.
As the celebration of Christmas nears, my thoughts turn to the birth of our
Lord and Saviour more than 2000 years ago. Bethlehem is a different place today.
It’s not just a quiet little hill town surrounded by sheep and shepherds.
It was under seige for several weeks and its people have been scarred as a result.
Let us join with all of the Christians of the Holy Land and pray that the Prince
of Peace might bring that gift of peace to this region. Let us pray that the
differences that exist might be a source of richness and not a wall that divides.
May you be blessed with peace and joy this Christmas and throughout the New
Year.
In this issue of HI LITE, we share with you some of the reactions to the International
LITE Congress which was held in Madrid, Spain this summer, as well as the report
that I made to our Provincial Chapter in June. I am heartened by the enthusiasm
for this ministry of Eucharistic Evangelizing among so many lay people, and
also among so many religious of the Blessed Sacrament. Together may we continue
this work that I am sure is so dear to the heart of our saintly Founder, St.
Peter Julian Eymard.
In the Lord’s Peace,
Fr. Thomas A. Wiese, sss
Director
Houston, Texas
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL LITE CONGRESS - JUNE 28-30,
2002
by Louise Borgione and Dorothea Wedelich
Fr. Juan Jose Uranga, SSS Provincial Superior of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation
in Spain played host to over 100 participants at the 4th International Life
in the Eucharist Congress held in Madrid, Spain. Fr. Periko Nuñez, SSS
assisted by skillfully directing prayer services and the three liturgies. The
lay team of Beatriz Sa_chez, Carmen Basterra, and Luis Javier Hernandez Ledesma
are to be commended for their enormous efforts in making this a rewarding and
memorable experience. The theme of the congress,“Pan Partido, Vino Compartido”
(Bread Broken, Wine Shared), had impressively symbolic opening prayer ceremonies.
Most notably was the enactment of the story, “Forgiveness Around the Table”
where God is seen crying because of what has happened in His world. The audience
was cleverly brought into the story as they participated with props like flowers
and rainbows after God has reconciled man and the world.
Following each major presentation, small groups gathered to share discussion
and insights. Many interesting comments and new perspectives were exchanged
in these settings, and afterwards, a synthesis of the various groups was reported
to the participants.
The celebrations of the Eucharist were held at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament
Church, truly a magnificent facility. At the Friday night liturgy, Fr. Robert
Rousseau presented a moving homily about sharing his food with a poor street
urchin in Brazil. Fr. Juan Jose Uranga, presided at the Saturday liturgy. A
highlight was Bishop Eduardo Kisonga, SSS, auxiliary bishop of Kinshasa, Congo,
presiding at the concluding liturgy on Sunday. His genuine joy and love was
clearly evident in the enthusiastic way he celebrated at the Lord’s table.
On Friday evening, during an informal social gathering on a patio on the parish
grounds, participants were entertained with good food, wine, music and flamenco
dancers. Following Saturday’s liturgy, there was a formal dinner during
which many participated in singing and dancing in the customs of their countries.
At the end of the congress, there was an open discussion about future International
LITE congresses. The difficulties and expense involved in organizing and presenting
a large international meeting are becoming prohibitive. One of the big challenges
for this congress was having three or more languages translated so everyone
present could understand the presentations. While all understand the reasoning
and practicality of this, it will be a shame to miss the chance to know LITE
team members from around the world. It really gives the true feeling of being
one people in God’s family!
Gleanings from the 4th International LITE Congress
Madrid, Spain — June 2002
Over 100 LITE enthusiasts from around the world gathered in Madrid, Spain at
the end of June for the 4th international Life in the Eucharist Congress. There
were four major presentations given, and Congress participants received translated
texts of three of the presentations, one is still yet to come. So, we thought
that we would include excerpts of these three presentations and also Fr. Bob
Rousseau’s homily, to share with you. Anyone interested in the total text
can drop us a note at the C.E.E. and we’d be happy to send it to you.
Excerpts from the presentation of Professor Luis Maldonado, Pontifical University
of Salamanca titled Eucharist as Nourishment (translated by Fr. Robert Rousseau,
sss)
This way of understanding any act of eating and drinking as a religious act
takes root in the conviction that Yahweh acts not only as the God of history
but at the same time as the true proprietor of the earth and the country. He
is the giver of all fertility. The immediate point of connection with the praxis
of prayer deducible from the rabbinic writings is in the insertions that we
find in Deuteronomy 8:10: “But when you have eaten your fill, you must
bless the Lord, your God, for the good country that he has given you.”
Yahweh is considered as the God of fecundity and giver of the fruits of the
earth. For this reason He is revered as the host at every Jewish meal. For the
same reason all food and drink has a religious connotation that manifests itself
in the blessing prayers at table.
From the information that we have offered about the Jewish meal at the time
of Jesus we can deduce then a condemnation of a shared or common table between
Jews and pagans. The reason was clear: all food and drink supposed an intimate
community among the participants that benefitted from the fact of being the
chosen people.... the meal practice of Jesus completely turns upside down this
ambient framework that surrounds the meal practice of the Jews. By his way of
acting, he breaks away from this surrounding scene. Jesus practices what the
diverse scripture scholars and theologians call “open table fellowship.”
Jesus’ practice of eating and drinking does not exclusively limit itself
to the narrow circle of his disciples but rather is open, both religiously and
socially, to those who have no status. He even lets himself invite them (e.g.
tax collectors) to communal parties.
This behavior of Jesus, not only shocking, but scandalous and provocative, was
a special kind of symbolic act, a sign with maximum, public character, since
whomever could experiment like Jesus associated themselves in meals with all
types of persons so that, for their part, they were willing to do it. Throughout
their contact with Jesus, these people appear as invited by God, blessed by
his soteriological gift of overturning all barriers and ignoring the obligatory
custom or tradition concerning the safeguarding of ritual purity.
Evidently, this “manner of eating” has nothing to do with dietary
concern but with the revolutionary, social implications of his religious-messianic
practice. There were his “among the poor” ways of acting, but what
precisely cracked open history so that each day unjust structures of individuals
and social sin are quietly taken apart and subverted. These are the paradoxical
ways in which God acts.
Excerpts from the presentation of Dolores Alexandre, professor of Scripture
at the Pontifical University of Comillas (Madrid) entitled The Eucharistic Project
of Jesus (translated by Fr. Robert Rousseau, sss)
When participating in the eucharistic celebration, we hear the following prayer
at the Offertory: “Blessed are You, God of the universe, for this bread,
fruit of the earth and the work of human hands...”. But perhaps what we
do not know is that these words pertain to a longer prayer, the "Sermone
'esre" that the Jews recite thrice daily and in which 28 blessings are
pronounced all of them beginning with “Blessed are you Lord, God of the
universe because...”
Jesus learned to recite this prayer along with the “Shema Israel”
(Hear, 0 Israel) and knew about addressing God in this way (according to Matthew
and Luke). This becomes apparent when his disciples returned, full of joy, from
the good things that he had shown them on their first apostolic experience.
And himself full of joy said: "I bless you Father, Lord of the universe,
because you have hidden from the learned and the clever what you have revealed
to the little ones (humble)..." (Lk 10,21).
For Jesus there was no need to have “the book” in front of him,
his heart was already habituated to a relationship of love, praise, and thanksgiving
with his Father that flowered in any given circumstance.
We find preserved in a first century prayer text, four blessings, among others,
that can help us to understand better what life was like in the time of Jesus.
What the essence of the good news that he came to bring was, not only for the
concrete circumstances of his own time, but for our world today.
These are the four blessings:
“Blessed be the Lord, God of the universe because you have made me a Jew
and not a Gentile.”
“Blessed be the Lord, God of the universe because you have made me pure
of body.”
“Blessed be the Lord, God of the universe because you have made me to
know and obey the law.”
“Blessed be the Lord, God of the universe because you have made me a man
and not a woman.”
This means that you considered yourself to be “a good person”, “a
good Jew”, because you were racially pure, in good health, an adult male
and a knowledgeable and faithful observer of the Law of Moses. Therefore, excluded
from this select world were, all the gentiles (Romans, Canaanites, Samaritans,
Greeks); all the sick (the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, the possessed, the
deaf and dumb, and lepers); all the uneducated, those who exercised certain
professions that relegated them to an impure environment (e.g. tanners because
they touched animal cadavers; shepherds and pastors because they could not observe
the Sabbath) fishermen and tax collectors; women and children, and especially
prostitutes.
This description helps us to see that if anything characterized the society
in which Jesus lived it was exclusion. And in the face of this, the evangelists
make us take a look at what was Jesus’ message, his way of responding
to all this, his project. A project of inclusion that we are going to call the
reconciling or Eucharistic project and that Jesus retrieves from the prophetic
tradition.
I want to present four personages from the Gospel of Mark. In their encounter
with Jesus,, they had the experience of leaving the environment of exclusion
and marginalization in which they were imprisoned and to whom he looked upon,
called, and freed in order to have them become his dinner companions and his
friends:
• Levi, a tax collector and collaborator of the imperial oppressors, seen
as a symbol of all the “riffraff”, of all of the “bad- living”
people and who were despised by everyone because of their sinful condition.
Nobody wants to have “meal companionship” with them.
• the Canaanite woman and her daughter from whom Jesus cast out an unclean
spirit. Accumulated in her are the worse stigmas of first century Palestine:
she is a pagan, a woman, and unclean because of her contact with a demoniac.
The “bread of the children” is meant neither for her nor for her
own.
• the woman with a hemorrhage: this infirmity was considered the result
of personal or hereditary sin. To have a flow of blood places a woman in a state
of impurity, outside of the cannons of honor proper to the culture of the time.
• the woman who anointed Jesus on the eve of his passion. Her condition
of being a woman excluded her from the privileged circle of those invited by
right to the banquet offered by Simon the leper. The place of the woman was
solely to provide for the necessities of the meal and to do so in silent service,
After reading the story of the encounter of each of the above with Jesus, we
will use their own words or the words of another person close to them. They
will speak to us in their own voices about how they obtained reconciliation
with Jesus, communion with him, as their experiences were written in order to
illuminate our own.
Excerpts from the presentation of Rev. Anthony McSweeney, sss,
Director of Center Eucharistia (Rome, Italy) entitled
Eucharist as Abiding Presence Eucharistic Contemplation
The Israelites in their wilderness wanderings came across a strange edible substance
secreted from plants, which they experienced as a lifesaver. What is it? they
asked one another - Man-hu? Their question became a name; man-hu? became manna,
"What-is-it-food". Its nourishing properties led them to call it "bread",
though it hardly looked like bread, and before long the manna had become a symbol
of God's most precious nourishing gifts, his Word, the holy Law, Torah, and
the divine Wisdom.
The ultimate Manna
Jesus draws on this tradition in the sixth chapter of the Fourth Gospel to explain
how he himself is this wonderful bread that God was now providing for a humanity
hungry for life, and guidance, and wisdom. He did not just talk about it, though;
he performed a striking sign to embody his claim, providing food for a large
number of people out of their own meager resources of five loaves and a couple
of fish. Just as God's eternal Word had become enfleshed in him and was being
translated daily into human words and deeds, so now the same Word was becoming
visible and palpable bread for a people astray in the wilderness of life. In
a world of signs, even this bread was not the final gift, however. It provided
instead the sign-vehicle of an ultimate gift, the gift of his very life, moved
by a love that would go to the very end (cf. Jn 13, 1). And this too would come
to us in the form of bread - of bread that was his very being, his flesh as
true food, but also of wine, the bearer of his life-blood as true drink.
How, though, does this eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood bring about
change in us? Here we are clearly in the zone of a very great mystery, but the
Lord himself has given us some pointers.
Eating his flesh and drinking his blood
Eating his flesh relates us surely to all that he was in the flesh, all that
he lived; his whole existence is meant to nourish us, just as he would say that
his own food was doing the will of the Father. Similarly, his blood relates
us in a special way to his passion as saving sacrifice. To drink his blood,
then, would be to draw life from his life that gave itself for us to the very
end in total and all-embracing surrender. It would mean learning the lesson
that life increases in us to the extent that it is given for others, a truth
that defies much of our common wisdom. The more life is given away in love,
the more it abounds in us. How much eating and drinking must go on before this
truth has become truly a part of, a living shaping influence upon our own minds
and hearts!
The eucharistic bread and cup are given again and again because all real growth
is slow and progressive. It takes time. We need to return again and again to
this table until our fear of loss gives way to the joy and freedom of generous
giving. The inner deepening, the personal assimilation can be greatly assisted
by a habit of praying regularly in the presence of the sacrament, provided of
course that we are willing to learn what it has to tell us and not impose on
it our own needs and preferences.
We who eat his flesh and drink his blood abide in him and he in us
Jesus also tells us, in this same chapter of the Fourth Gospel, that, "the
one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live in me, and I in him (= that
person)" (Jn 6,56). This metaphor of mutual abiding, of in-dwelling packs
two distinct images into one; so let us unpack it and reflect in turn on each
of them.
First, Jesus speaks of the one who nourishes herself or himself on him as abiding,
living in him. He seems to be picturing himself as a kind of environment, a
house. He invites me as his guest to enter his world, his home, the place where
he lives. He invites me
to enter into intimacy with him, to share his conversation, to listen to his
confidences, to hear his story. He wants me to become his familiar, enter into
his way of understanding and relating to the world, even to share his own knowledge
of and relationship with the Father - in a word, to become completely one with
him. Surely too I shall seek, as I always do with someone I love, to sense the
mystery in him, to resonate with the deeper pulse of his life. To respond to
the invitation clearly calls for an attitude of openness on my part, a docility
and a willingness to allow him to teach me and to re-shape my thoughts and attitudes
according to what I see in him. We will return to this in a moment, but let
us first see the other side of the image.
Jesus also says that he will live in us. This time it is I who am the host and
he is the guest I am to invite into my own space of intimacy, the house where
I live, the house that I am. What kind of welcome shall I extend to him? Perhaps
I feel a little hesitant, shy, and maybe even fearful for him to be so close.
He will wish to share my thoughts, wanting me to tell him my story and how I
have experienced so many things. Maybe too I shall not feel comfortable for
him to know the whole of my house. Surely some rooms are too untidy to show
him; others maybe contain some of my darkest secrets, things I have never told
anyone, and I would be shamed and humiliated for him to see what is there. Those
rooms I might want to keep carefully closed under lock and key.
Excerpts from the homily of Fr. Robert Rousseau, sss, originator of the Life
in the Eucharist Movement
(Editor’s note: Fr. Bob related his experience of encountering a young,
street boy on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, and inviting him to share a simple
meal. Rather than eat all of the food of their meal, Robson asked to pack it
up and bring it to the other street children, since it was his night to provide
a meal, and not to eat one. Fr. Bob relates how he found Christ in an abandoned
street child of Rio.)
It has been a little over a year since I had my Emmaus experience. I never thought
that Christ would reveal himself to me in an abandoned street child from Rio.
But, I can assure you, that Robson was like Christ for me, for he taught me
the meaning of hope. In the time we were together, he never once complained
about his situation in life. He neither grumbled nor cursed. Instead, he sacrificed
his own need to eat in order to bring food to his companions. Over and above
this, he gifted me with his drawings. Though destitute, Robson was far richer
than me. Not only had he embodied the deeper values of the Kingdom, but he has
arrived at a profound spiritual maturity far beyond his 16 years. Robson was
not yearning for, nor despairing over, what he did not have, but was rejoicing
in what he could still give. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the Kingdom
of God is theirs.” Robson enabled me to have an experience of dining in
the Kingdom of God. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Here I am, a so-called
expert on the Eucharist, and this uneducated street child taught me what it
means “to be your bread now, be your wine now.” Jesus prayed: “Father,
what you have hidden from the learned and the clever, you have revealed to the
merest children.
The power of table sharing, the great eucharistic sign of the Kingdom, is our
most powerful weapon in defeating prejudice, discrimination and injustice. And
so, this evening, in this beautiful church, in this beautiful city of Madrid,
I ask you to take Robson home with you and give him a place at your table. Join
me by choosing one day a week when you will not eat. In doing so, we unite ourselves
to all the Robsons of this world. And please consider going a step further.
Put aside the money that you save from not eating and at the end of six months
invite a poor immigrant family to have dinner with you. Let the memory of Robson
penetrate your heart and dissolve the barriers that keep you isolated from the
poor, marginated and abandoned.
What follows is an excerpt from the report that Fr. Thomas Wiese, sss –
Director of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing gave at the 21st Provincial
Chapter of the Congregation of St. Ann held in Esopus, NY June 19-28, 2002.
The Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
Houston, Texas
History — Mission — Programs
A Report for Provincial Chapter XXI — June 2002
History of the C.E.E.
After having offered the Life in the Eucharist Programs and having done training
of lay people to be part of Life in the Eucharist teams, the need arose to develop
a central office that could coordinate the newly-developed ministry of eucharistic
evangelization in the Province of St. Ann. With approval from the provincial
superior and his council, Fr. Bob Rousseau, the originator of the Life in the
Eucharist programs, initiated the first Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
at the provincialate in Highland Heights, OH. The ministry continued to grow
through the efforts of Fr. Bob and the early lay pioneers of eucharistic evangelizing
and it eventually became evident that Fr. Bob was not able to continue to direct
this work on his own. While at the provincialate, office space was given and
for the most part Fr. Bob was a one man office. In 1995, LITES had gone beyond
the borders of the USA and it became necessary for Fr. Rousseau to seek assistance
with the direction of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing (C.E.E.). At this
time, Nancy MacRoberts, a LITE team member of Corpus Christi Parish in Houston,
TX offered to volunteer her time on a full time basis to assist Fr. Bob in the
organization of the C.E.E. but this necessitated a move from Highland Heights
to Houston, TX. Thus, the offices of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
were moved to Corpus Christi Parish in Houston and space was offered in the
Eymard Center (parish office center) for the C.E.E. by the pastor, Fr. Roger
Prefontaine. After 1995, Nancy coordinated the office while Fr. Bob continued
giving the programs as well as training lay teams throughout the country. In
addition, Fr. Bob was beginning to initiate the Life in the Eucharist programs
in other parts of the Congregation around the world. This necessitated his frequent
absence from the C.E.E. In 1997, Patty Pizzitola was hired with a salary to
work in the area of communications and act as a development director. Due to
the financial constraints of the C.E.E. which received a subsidy from the province
as well as limited funds generated through its programs, the position lasted
only one year. However, during that time Patty and Nancy set up the functioning
of the office in excellent shape.
In its early years, the C.E.E. was guided by a Board of Advisors which met yearly
to guide the movement’s development. In addition to the three C.E.E. staff
members, various members of the SSS Congregation from various provinces served
on this board at the request of Fr. Bob Rousseau.
In 1999 it became evident to Fr. Rousseau that the continued growth of the ministry
of Eucharistic Evangelizing around the world would occupy more and more of his
time and effort, thus he approached the provincial superior of the Province
of St. Ann asking that perhaps another SSS be considered to direct the efforts
of the C.E.E. in the United States. After my term on the General Council of
the Congregation in Rome, I expressed an interest in working with the ministry
of the C.E.E. and LITE in the United States. In October 1999, I was appointed
as the C.E.E.’s new and second director by Fr. Anthony Schueller, provincial.
With its offices still at Corpus Christi Parish in Houston, I began work with
Nancy MacRoberts. Nancy was appointed as the administrator of the office. Since
the Board of Advisors that Fr. Bob had set up were really in view of the international
character of the ministry that he was doing, I redefined the idea of a Board
and decided that the new Board would consist of the lay Life in the Eucharist
administrators from the LITE teams throughout the country. This group is convened
once a year for the purpose of assessing the direction of the C.E.E. and the
Life in the Eucharist programs in the U.S.A.
Throughout the Congregation other Centers for Eucharistic Evangelizing were
set up and directors named by various provinces. In June 2001, Fr. Bob Rousseau
organized a meeting of all of those SSS directors involved with the LITE movement
as well as a lay representative from each province. This meeting was held under
the aegis of the General Council of the Congregation in Dublin, Ireland with
Fr. Hans van Schijndel, vicar general of the Congregation, as the convener.
At this meeting the history, successes, and direction of the movement in the
future were discussed.
Mission of the C.E.E.
From the very beginning, the C.E.E.’s goals were shaped by the Congregation’s
mission project as that project was promulgated by the General Chapter of 1987
and further refined in the provincial chapter of 1990. Put simply, the C.E.E.
promotes adult religiouseducation programs on the Eucharist that seek to concretize
and make real the stated mission goals of the Congregation, namely, (1) collaboration
with the laity in extending our mission into the life of the Church, and (2)
the formation of small faith communities that place the Eucharist at the center
of their life and ministry.
The C.E.E.’s vision is inspired by St. Peter Julian Eymard from its origin
to its end. Through its programs of adult religious education on the Eucharist
the C.E.E. wants to assist laity, religious and priests in deepening their understanding
of, dedication to, and appreciation for the Eucharistic Mystery as the source
and summit of the life of the church and as a vehicle for the renewal of Church
and society.
In short, the mission of the C.E.E. is to help our own religious, as well as
laity who choose to associate themselves with us, to be set on fire with enthusiasm
for the Eucharist and be moved to proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s
Presence among us in the Eucharist through its various programs. There is a
three-pronged emphasis in all of the ministry that the C.E.E. promotes. The
C.E.E. presents the Eucharist as CELEBRATION (the Mass), as CONTEMPLATION (prayer
in the presence of the Eucharist) and as COMMUNION (works of justice reaching
out to others). This is done especially through the Life in the Eucharist Programs
which are typically offered to parish communities.
The Life in the Eucharist programs are typically given by a team of well-trained
laity and SSS religious. Through our working together and praying together,
we want to collaborate in making the Eucharist better known, loved and adored.
The charism and spirit of St. Peter Julian Eymard are our inspiration and guide.
We are most grateful to God for the gifts and talents of our own SSS religious
which have been shared with the laity through participation in some capacity
in the LITE programs. We believe that what motivates us as SSS religious to
be supporters of the LITE movement is the conviction that LITE is an authentic
expression of our eucharistic charism for today.
The experience of the last two and a half years have been nothing short of exhilarating.
Never did I believe that such enthusiasm and dedication was possible among laity
for the Eucharist. I have been edified by the time and talent of so many who
have given themselves wholeheartedly to the ministry of eucharistic evangelizing
both in our own SSS parishes and in diocesan parishes where teams have been
formed. Thanks to the insight and tireless work of Fr. Bob Rousseau, we have
a group of laity who are very clearly interested in our mission and charism.
Even after more than ten years that enthusiasm and dedication is still very
fresh and alive. The following chart sums up the situation at the present time
with the LITE teams. In addition to those who serve on LITE teams, there are
the numerous people whose lives we have touched through our programs and the
impressive witness of the sharing that our lay team members do about the power
of the Eucharist in their own lives. Although we have no accurate record of
these numbers I would hazard to say that we are talking about thousands of people.
A seminar can have anywhere from 15 attendees to a total of more than one hundred.
An average seminar is given to about 35-40 people.
I feel that the general health of the Life in the Eucharist movement is very
good, there are challenges that need to be met. It is only through the annual
financial subsidy of the Province of St. Ann that we could continue to carry
on this ministry. Although our programs do generate some funds, our larger efforts
are only possible because of the support that we receive through the Province.
I believe the ministry of evangelization is not one of those capable of ever
being self-supporting. What we are doing through the C.E.E. and LITE is very
close to the center of who we are as religious of the Blessed Sacrament. We
are trying to showcase our charism and propose it to the Church especially for
laity. This doesn’t always create an income. Although we do have an annual
appeal to those who have been touched by the C.E.E. and its ministries, it realizes
a rather modest sum. I am sure that in the future we can continue to work harder
at generating funds, but feel that we will in some way always be dependent upon
the financial resources of the province to continue the work that we are doing.
Much of my efforts as director of the C.E.E. is to maintain contact with existing
LITE teams and to support them. This means frequent visits for animation and
education. On a national level, we are making some small steps at advertizing
so that our programs and our message may touch more of the American church.
It is our dream to continue to establish LITE teams around the country, but
most especially in our own SSS parishes. There is a particular challenge in
establishing teams in diocesan parishes since there is not the same level of
support for the LITE ministry offered by a diocesan pastor. We have found that
we have the most success when one of our own SSS religious is willing to associate
himself with the LITE team. This SSS presence gives a certain strength to the
team and communicates enthusiasm and life to the laity who want to work with
us. However, I must say that I have seen much life in other teams also. I have
tried to maintain open communication and personal presence to the teams in diocesan
parishes so that the work of eucharistic evangelization may continue.
A real blessing that we have received at the C.E.E. and the reason why we are
able to do so much with so little is the generosity of Nancy MacRoberts who
volunteers full time in the position of administrator of the C.E.E. She assures
a permanent presence in the office even when I am on the road visiting teams
or involved in programs. In addition, it was through her generosity and organizational
skills that the registrations for the Workshop on Prayer Before the Eucharist
in September 2001 were taken and well coordinated. She will also be functioning
in the same capacity for the repeat of this Workshop which will take place in
May 2003 in Cleveland, OH. If we did not have this gift of Nancy’s time
and talent, the expenses to run the office could be significantly higher, and
the work that is able to be accomplished significantly reduced.
Each year I have made a full report, both financial and of our activities and
directions to the Provincial and his Council. I feel strongly that if I am involved
in a ministry that is a province ministry that I must be accountable on all
levels. I have welcomed the insights and suggestions of the provincial and his
Council as well as those of my fellow religious. Your concern and interest in
this important work of eucharistic evangelizing demonstrates to me your own
enthusiasm for the vocation that is ours. Each month a detailed financial report
is submitted to the provincial treasurer and the provincial council of the province
to keep them informed about the operation and financial responsibility of the
C.E.E.
Three times a year we publish HI LITE which has as its purpose continued communication
and dialogue with those who have already experienced one of our programs and
who are now involved with us in the work of eucharistic evangelization. A more
modest publication, Bread Broken and Shared, is published about six times a
year and directed toward the work of the administrator of LITE teams. Since
the advisory board of the C.E.E. which is made up of all administrators meets
only once a year, we felt the need to maintain an ongoing contact and dialogue
with them. In addition to these two published communications, we do maintain
contact with our constituencies through the telephone. We both call and encourage
team members, administrators and others to call us to discuss the challenges
and difficulties. Both of these publications are shared with our SSS religious
and laity throughout the world who are involved in LITE.
We realize that since the beginning of the movement many years ago, the C.E.E.
in the U.S.A. has played an important role in the development of the ministry
throughout the world. We are most grateful to Fr. Bob for the trust and confidence
that he continues to place in the C.E.E. and its efforts while he works for
the further establishment of the LITE ministry around the Congregation and the
world. The C.E.E. in the U.S.A. is more than willing to be of assistance to
other provinces in setting up their own C.E.E. to continue the ministry of eucharistic
evangelizing in their own country. Nancy MacRoberts has been a valuable resource
in providing for the needs of LITE people throughout the world. We feel that
it is a privilege to be able to share what we have learned and the resources
that we have with others involved in the same ministry. We are grateful for
the trust placed in us by those in other countries and provinces and regions.
A dream of mine is that there would be other SSS in the province who would be
willing to take on the work of LITE in a more formal manner. What I mean is
this, that they would make themselves available to work with teams on a continual
or occasional basis. That they would be willing to offer spiritual and moral
support as a team continues to grow in the ministry. I can personally testify
that the work with the Life in the Eucharist programs and with the C.E.E. has
been very fulfilling and continues to provide me with spiritual energy to evangelize
through the Eucharist. I feel that our eucharistic charism is much needed in
the Church and that people are hungry to know more about the Eucharist and how
it can play a more dynamic part in their lives.
Through the grace of God and the dedication of many generous women and men who
have dedicated themselves to the ministry of eucharistic evangelizing, much
has been accomplished in the short history of the C.E.E. and the LITE movement
in the U.S.A. We want to continue to move forward and improve what we offer.
May God bless all those who have heard the call of the Lord through the inspiration
of St. Peter Julian Eymard to let their lives be set on fire by the love of
God in the Eucharist. May Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament be for us a
model of fidelity and response to God’s love!
AN INSPIRING WITNESS
(Editor’s note: Recently Father Bob Rousseau, sss received the following
letter from a seminar graduate and thought it was a beautiful witnessing to
the transforming power of the LITE Seminar. As we know so well, we can never
predict how God is going to touch people’s lives through the ministry
that we are engaged in.)
Dear Father Bob,
The Lord give you peace! You came to my parish, Ascension Parish in San Diego,
California, back in the summer of 1995 to give a Life in the Eucharist mission.
It was both beautiful and disturbing: beautiful in that I deepened my devotion
to Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, disturbing in that I could no longer prostrate
myself before Him in eucharistic adoration while passing Him up in the poor
brother or sister. I gained the crucial understanding that by adoring Jesus
truly present — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist —
Jesus prepares me, and indeed impels me, to be His Body, to touch those most
in need.
I look back and realize that you helped me to make some pretty radical gospel
decisions in my life. First and foremost to become a Little Brother of Saint
Francis. I will make my final vows on May 31, 2003. Praise God and thank you.
I thank God for the gift of your priesthood.
In Christ,
Br. Didacus-Maria Etrata, L.B.S.F.
ONE TRAVELER REMEMBERS. . .
by Louise Borgione
On Monday following the International LITE Congress in Spain, several people
went on excursions to Avila and Segovia. On Tuesday, a group of 16 left for
a tour of northern Spain to visit many of the beautiful cities, artistic churches,
museums, and to enjoy the exceptional scenery of the mountains. The cities included
were Santiago de Compostela, Astorga, Leon, Burgos, Bilbao, Loyola, San Sebastian,
Lourdes, France, Montserrat, Andorra, and Barcelona. In Santiago de Compostela,
the city where St. James, the apostle migrated after Jesus died, pilgrims continue
to walk great distances to visit this very reverent place.
Other highlights included a visit to Bilbao, where the travelers were warmly
received by the SSS religious who entertained them with delicious hors d’oeuvres,
beverages and good conversation. The next day, Fr. Periko Nuñez presided
at an inspiring celebration of Eucharist at the Cathedral of Ignatius Loyola.
Thousands took part in an evening Candlelight procession where they recited
the rosary and sang as they walked along. Montserrat and Andorra are breathtakingly
beautifully mountainous areas that made the trip very worthwhile.
The tour ended in the bustling city of Barcelona with acres of shopping and
modern artistic buildings and ornate cathedrals. After spending fourteen days
together, the group reluctantly said fond farewells, knowing that the happy
times shared and the joys of this trip will linger forever in their memories.
THE LITE EXPERIENCE IN CLEVELAND, OHIO . . .
LITE continues to flourish at St. Paschal Baylon Parish in Cleveland, Ohio with
a seminar presented on November 6, 8, & 10. This
schedule was tried as an attempt to accommodate people who work on Saturdays
and are reluctant to give up a whole weekend. This is experimental and the team
will be examining the results of this new scheduling idea. Deacon Joe Bourgeois,
SSS for the first time assisted the team with the closing Benediction and prayers.
Fr. Norman Pelletier, SSS presided at the closing liturgy on Sunday afternoon.
His role as actor came into play during a skit performed during the Abiding
Presence session. (Do we have an Oscar award waiting for our Provincial?) Two
new members, Patty Hrusch and Rosie Bills, were welcomed to the team. Last summer,
the St. Paschal’s group underwent renewed team training and as a result,
made several changes in their mini-teams. What a great experience to stretch
and try something new!
ADD ANOTHER SITE IN TEXAS . . .
LITE Team I at Corpus Christi Parish traveled south to Brownsville, Texas the
weekend of November 1-3 where a bilingual seminar was given to 37 enthusiastic
participants. The team was overwhelmed by the response of those attending especially
when they begged to assemble the puzzle and complete the banner themselves!
Ten of these wonderful people have expressed a desire to form a new LITE team.
Please keep these energetic and enthusiastic people in your prayers.
HI LITE
A newsletter of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing for
members of LITE teams and other interested adults.
Editor.....................................................Fr. Thomas A. Wiese,
sss
Coordinator......................................................Nancy MacRoberts
SSS International | Eucharistic Theology | SSS USA | Saint Peter Julian Eymard
©
Copyright 2002
Rev. Thomas A. Wiese, SSS, Director
Mrs. Nancy MacRoberts, Administrator
Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
9900 Stella Link Road
Houston, TX 77025
Telephone: (713) 661-3958 + Fax: (713) 662-2014