CHRISTMAS PROJECT PROGRESSES, BUT STILL TIME TO HELP OUT

THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SO FAR HELPED THE
R J MISSION PROJECTS
ISLANDS CHRISTMAS PROGRAM



Look at my little friend Daniel's small tongue wagging as he opens his present last year.
His tongue is really going to stick out when he sees what he is getting this year! I got him something very special this year.

Santa (Fergal Redmond) left today for a visit home to Ireland. He will be back around December 1 in plenty of time to hand out our toys.

Since I will assist Santa in handing out the toys, I have invested in an elf hat. Now I just have to not back out wearing it at the last minute. To give me courage, I got a hat for each kid at a bargain price of $0.50
each!



I PACK THEM AS I BUY THEM

HERE ARE FEW OF THE TOYS THAT ARE READY TO GO

Toys for the Island Childrens' Homes

St. Benedict Home for Children

Bread of Life Home for Children
(I'll get to help Santa hand them out when I am down there December 11-19.) 
and a little money for
the Annual Diocesan Childrens' Parties on 
St. Vincent and four of the outer islands. 

I hope to send all the toys down by November 6 so they will be there for sure when I arrive the week of December 11
By then the Prime Minister of that country will have declared his annual import tax amnesty on toys coming into the island.  
No, I am serious. There actually is an annual import tax amnesty on toys at Christmas time!  



Many of the kids at St. Benedict Home for Children are severely handicapped and cannot use their limbs well so soft toys with simple musical push buttons are popular. 

These Disney backpacks, regularly $19.95  cost me $4.95 on the "clearance" rack.
I bought ten - five appropriate for the girls and five appropriate for the boys. A nice woman behind me in line at TARGET handed me a $20.00 bill when I told her where they were going!


 "CLEARANCE" AND "SALE" ARE MY MIDDLE NAMES

I never pay full price. Here are just a few of my other bargains. 

Another bargain! Got three! She even looks like most  of the beautiful wide eyed brown-skinned girls on the islands.




I got a real deal on these so I bought three for the kids to share.



For some of the severely handicapped children,  toys like this are very popular.



What little boy would not like to put this together 25 ways!




This is going to make some little girl very happy!



Something for an older boy to share with a friend at the Bread of Life Home where
many tend to be fully functional.



I got five large $19.95 Teddy Bears for $7.95 each. Many of the "special needs" kids love plush toys.



Sister Nyra Ann suggested some of these because they are educational.




This will be a hit for sure. Everyone in the Caribbean loves soccer!




I got three of these "retro" radios at a real deal: red, black and teal. Add some ear buds, a bunch of extra batteries and an electrical outlet adapter for the islands and you've got great gifts for some of the older kids.  This red one is for a teenage girl who loves music and can play the steel drums and a bit of guitar.

If you are interested in helping me with these Christmas projects, please send your tax-deductible check 

made out to ST. BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH - SVG MISSION FUND to me. 

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, KY 40217 

CHURCH AND STATE

Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar

and to God what belongs to God.

Matthew 22

I have a little history lesson for those of you who know a bit about the history of education in Kentucky. While I was in the fifth grade, around 1955 I believe, our parish school became a public school. The nuns who taught us stayed on as teachers, but since their salary came from the public school system and since we have the separation of church and state in this country, the courts said that we could no longer be a religious school if we wanted to keep getting state tax funds. The court case actually came from a court case involving my parish in central Kentucky where I was the pastor before coming here to be pastor of the Cathedral. . 

We changed our name from Saint Theresa School to Cross Roads School. The nuns had to quit teaching religion, making religious references and remove all religious symbols from the building. They were allowed to keep wearing their religious habits. Even though we officially became “Cross Roads School,” “Saint Theresa School,” chiseled in stone over the doors,” was never removed. It remains today even though the school has long since closed.

We were allowed, for several years after that, to be released one hour a week to go to the church next door for religious instructions. Religious instruction had to be optional and off site.

This arrangement had its benefits: the parish did not have to come up with the money to pay teachers, we still got religious instruction and the county paid the Sisters of Charity rent on the school building since they owned it. Even though this change had its benefits, it was painful. I can still remember the day that I saw one of the nuns standing by the water fountain as the janitor took the big crucifix down and handed it to her to be taken away. That day, at the age of ten, I learned my first life lesson on the advantages and disadvantages of the separation of church and state. 

Today’s Scripture passage shows us the relationship between faith life and civil life. Jesus and his followers were Jews living in a country occupied by the Roman Empire. Their religion was tolerated by the Roman government, but they were obliged to pay taxes to the Emperor. The Jewish people resented paying civil taxes because they wanted to be a Jewish state with God as their king. Taxes and control were sore spots for the government, as well as the Jewish people. This delicate balance was always in danger of boiling over into conflict, just as it is today. There are always “church and state issues” before the Supreme Court: prayer in public schools, religious symbols on state and federal property and host of other situations.

It was in this volatile environment that Jesus was confronted with a loaded question. The question sounds harmless on the surface, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?,” but it was a cleverly framed question to embarrass Jesus in front of his fans, a trick question to trap Jesus in his speech. It was get-even time for his critics, or at least they thought. If he said it was OK to pay taxes to Rome, those who wanted a Jewish state would turn against Jesus. If he said it was not OK to pay taxes to Rome, the Roman government would arrest him and take him to jail. Jesus out-witted them with his wise and insightful answer, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” The first Letter of Peter puts it this way, “Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

This advice is as good today as it was then. Every Christian has dual citizenship. He is a citizen of the country in which he lives and he is also a citizen of heaven. There are times when the state ought to stay out of church matters and there are times when the church ought to stay out of state matters.

It was a tricky balance then. It is a tricky balance now. History teaches us that we have run off both sides of the road. There are disaster stories where governments have made religion illegal and just as many, if not more disaster stories of religions taking over government. Even in a country like ours, we have those who think the government is infringing on rights of religion and we have those who think that religion is getting too involved in government.

History, I believe, has taught us the wisdom of the separation of church and state. As fragile as it is, it is the only way religious freedom can be insured for the masses who hold a variety of religious beliefs. Our own constitutional principle of the separation of church and state guarantees freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion. Believers are free to practice their religion and non-believers are free not to practice any religion if they choose. It is a good arrangement, an arrangement that seems to work in today’s multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religion world, something I hope both secular humanists and the Christian right remembers in their power struggle. As Catholics, we need to be reminded from time to time that we have been both victims, as well as perpetrators, when it comes to religious freedom. As Catholics, we need to remember as well that our faith has been strongest when we have been under persecution and weakest when we have been in the privileged position.

I WAS HONORED TODAY

THE LOUISVILLE DEFENDER
NEWSPAPER

"LIFETIME COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT AWARD" 

One of the surprising things mentioned were my "BLUE CHRISTMAS MASSES" at Bellarmine University and the service they offered grieving families during the Christmas holidays.

The other Lifetime Community and Spiritual Enrichment Award Winner - Rev Kirk Bush
Harrods Creek Baptist Church



Our Table - #4



A shot of the other end of the room.




Fr. Tom Clark and Phyllis Drury went with me to support me. 

"SUPPLIES OVER SEAS" BREAKFAST

THIS MORNING







Myself and Paul Bluel who worked together on the last container.



Left side of the room


Right side of the room



Executive Govenor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, Nigeria
spoke of the need  of medical supplies in the norther part of his country. 

COMING SOON

CONTAINER NUMBER TWO




The S.O.S. team packed our first container of valuable surplus medical supplies for its trip down  to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.



Loaded and ready to roll!



I was happy to actually be in St. Vincent when the container arrived.  Here I am with the Minister of Health on my left, Msgr. Mike Stewart in light blue shirt and several people from government offices.

R J MISSION PROJECTS and CATHOLIC SECOND WIND GUILD has since sent three laptop computers so that three of the major clinics can be connected. 

RETHINKING CHRISTMAS

OFFERING AN ALTERNATIVE 
TO 
WASTEFUL CHRISTMAS SPENDING


Some of the Many Beautiful Kids of St. Vincent

Unless you become like little children, you
shall not enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus

I will be making my eighth mission trip down to St. Vincent and the Grenadines December 11-19. I was supposed to go down in September, but my trip had to be cancelled because of the several hurricanes that came through the Caribbean. 

There are several things I want to accomplish on this trip.

1. Attend the dedication of our recently finished ST. JAMES CHAPEL in the Kingstown Diocesan Pastoral Centre which was rescheduled because of the hurricanes, as well as check on the several other area renovations in the Centre.  

2. Visit Father Rex Ramos on Union Island - one of the places where we hope to finally offer our "computer camp for kids" that had to be rescheduled because the shipping container with our donated computers did not arrive in time last June.  

3. Deliver some funds to buy Christmas gifts for some very deserving children, especially the abandoned and neglected children of St. Benedict Children's Home and the children of Bread of Life Home for children with HIV/AIDS.  
This year I would like to offer some help to the kids on the outer islands as well. 

4. Give a small personal Christmas stipend to the eight nuns working on the island running the orphanages and schools. They sacrifice much personally to carry out their ministries. They certainly deserve a little "mad money" for their own personal needs at Christmas time.

 

Sister Nyra Ann and some of her St. Benedict Home charges with Father Tom Clark and myself in the background.

Sister Zita with some of her charges at the Bread of Life Home. That's me in the background. 

That's little Daniel in the dark gray shirt. He really won my heart when he hugged my leg most of the time I was with him. I can't wait to see how much he has grown in the last year. 

Santa (Fergal Redmond, a fellow volunteer from Ireland) talking to a one of the kids at St. Benedict Home after she received her doll. I am going to try to make sure the kids get some dark-skinned dolls this year. Last year we just had to make-do with what we could get. 

The "meticulously-groomed-for-the-Christmas-party" kids are truly thankful for all the help that comes their way. Last year, they said a prayer together before opening their presents. Sadly, you probably would not see that in the US.





We want to make sure Santa remembers the heroic Sisters working down there as well.
(Sister looks very happy. I don't know if Santa is tickling her or she is just happy to get the check!)

If you are interested in helping me with these Christmas projects, please send your tax-deductible check 

made out to ST. BARTHOLOMEW CHURCH - SVG MISSION FUND to me and I will make sure it is deposited in their account in Florida and alert them that they can begin drawing it out and shopping for the kids even before I get there on December 11. 

Since I know this situation and many of its people quite well, you can rest assured that your donations will be used properly. 

I pay my own way down and back and cover all of my own personal expenses. 




When I met this young man  at St. Benedict Home for Children for the first time, he was asleep in his playpen. I am holding him after I woke him up from his nap talking to loudly to Sister Nyra Ann.

Here he is a little older in his SUPERMAN shirt.
I can't wait to see how much he has grown in the last year.

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, KY 40217 

LEFT OUT AND WELCOMED IN

                                                     

HEY GUYS, WHAT ABOUT ME? 
                                  

SATURDAY NIGHT

St. Frances of Rome

The servants  went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, good and

bad alike, and the  hall was filled with

guests.                               Matthew 22

I’m sick to death with hearing about “shortages” in the Catholic Church! As far as I am concerned, the biggest shortage in the Catholic Church may be imagination!  Why else do most dioceses have detailed plans on how to close parishes and almost none on how to keep them open before it’s too late?  This thinking has bothered me for a long time! A few years after I was ordained, I needed a program that would teach me about “parish revitalization.” Not finding one in the Catholic Church, I looked outside the box: I turned to the Protestants! I was not only accepted into the doctoral program on “parish revitalization” by McCormick (Presbyterian) Seminary in Chicago, I was given a full scholarship on two grounds: minority religion and poverty income! At the time, I was serving two tiny mission parishes in the “home mission” area of our diocese. Using what I learned from the Presbyterians, I have focused on growing the numbers and deepening the faith in those two mission churches, in an historic rural parish in the center of the state and here in our cathedral parish 1983-1997. In all three cases, I was told by my predecessors, in various ways, that “nothing could be done.”  In all three cases, we proved them wrong, especially here in our cathedral where we grew from 100 elderly members to over 2,000 members, in less than 14 years!

In all three cases, I saw these parishes as “spiritual banquet halls” waiting to be filled with invited guests, as today’s parable of the Wedding Feast puts it! In fact, this parable has guided my ministry for many years. Moreover, I have come to believe that any dying parish could come to life by modeling itself after this parable.

I noticed several things about this parable. (1) The first thing I noticed was that something very special was going on: it was the wedding of the king’s son! The first step in filling an empty church is to convince parishioners that what they have to offer is a “pearl of great price,” something rare, good and beautiful, something people would be honored to share in! That’s why preaching is the “vital” in revitalization.  Any preaching worth its salt is “good news” about God’s unconditional love for all of us. Its purpose is to inspire an enthusiastic response in people’s hearts.

 (2) The second thing I noticed about this parable is that the host not only has something wonderful to serve, he is prepared to serve it.  A crucial step in filling an empty church is to make sure that what you have to serve is ready to be served! An inviting church must also be a receiving church. We must be careful not to be accused of false advertising, as many half-baked revitalization efforts often are, or your next invitation will be shunned for sure. That’s why I don’t believe in those big parish advertising campaigns that usually end up being grandiose claims about a reality that does not exist. Most Catholics are already starving for spiritual food. If you really have it to offer, they will find you! Parish boundaries and diocesan lines mean nothing to them when the news gets out about a place that really nourishes the soul.

(3) The third thing I noticed about this parable is that those who were always invited to such affairs, refused to come. So that the banquet did not go to waste, the servants went out into the highways and byways, issuing invitations to anyone they came upon. The only way struggling parishes have a chance in hell of surviving beyond a hand to mouth existence and flourishing into the future, is to fill their half-empty “spiritual banquet halls” with hungry guests. Where do they come from? (a) There are over 14,000,000 non-practicing Catholics in the United States, an average of 600 per parish. Most parishes, already overwhelmed, are not paying much attention to them. I believe that many of our dying parishes could be revitalized by turning them into the “spiritual acute centers” of the diocese.

(b) The Roman Catholic Church has been bold in doing a lion’s share of work with the material needs of the poor, but it seems that it has become increasingly timid when it comes to sharing our faith with them in a direct way.  Could it be that we believe that our church, unlike a store-front “holiness church,” is too complicated for the poor and that they could not possibly find us attractive beyond our social service ministry? 

(c) What’s wrong with asking other parishes to loan struggling parishes a few parishioners for a couple of years? I had the idea years ago that, rather than close struggling parishes, we set up a “diocesan missionary program,” whereby up and coming parishes could share a few of their talented parishioners with struggling parishes until they get back on their feet. These “missionaries” would bring needed talent and resources to places that need to revitalize their missions: teachers, evangelists, musicians, whatever is needed. One of the basic things about Catholics is that they are supposed to be “inter-dependent.” What better way to challenge the parochialism that inflicts many of our parishes today?  

(d) So that nothing of the banquet went to waste, the servants invited the “good and bad alike.”  I have learned from my many years of experience that great numbers of marginal, disaffected and rejected Catholics respond enthusiastically to a serious invitation to come home, no matter how much or how often they have been hurt, if they are simply invited to sit at the table without condemnation. They don’t even expect the high ideals of the church to be changed. All they want is a safe place to bask in God’s unconditional love and a chance to turn their lives around without judgment. “The healthy do not need the doctor, sick people do!”  If the church is truly “catholic,” “universal and inclusive,” our “mother and teacher,” we can always come home to “mother,” can’t we? Prodigal children still want to come home! Let’s leave the porch and go out to invite them.