Set your DVR!

Check out the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist tomorrow on Oprah!
“We will be appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, February 9, which also happens to be the 13th anniversary of the founding of our Community. Oprah was interested in doing a show on religious life as a hidden way of life which many people never experience, and so her producers asked us if we would be willing to welcome them. We accepted this invitation as an opportunity to share our life, and by extension, the Gospel, with an audience that we might not ever reach otherwise.

A camera crew came to the Motherhouse in Ann Arbor at the beginning of this week [pictures here], and then on Thursday, Sr. Mary Samuel, Sr. John Dominic, Sr. Mary Judith, and Sr. Francis Mary were flown to Chicago for the taping. Some of our Novices and Postulants also participated in the taping from the Motherhouse via “Skype.”
via the "Mary's Aggies" blog, and the DSOM,MOTE website!
-MM

Lent 2010 - FOOD FAST

When is the FOOD FAST? We will begin the fast on Good Friday, April 2nd at 11:00 AM in the Lower Church.

Who can participate? Everyone! Middle school students will fast for 12 hours and High School students will fast for 24 hours, both beginning at 11:00 AM on April 2nd. All others can join us (see more below).

How do I register? Bring to the Youth Ministry Center: Parental Permission Form along with $20 Registration Fee

What is fasting? Fasting is the act of abstaining from food. There are various types of ways to fast, but the most popular and the one that is part of the FOOD FAST is a juice fast.

Why is fasting part of the FOOD FAST? It's an opportunity for participants to focus their thoughts, prayers and efforts on things most important to God. It's a way to draw near to God. It also allows participants to feel what real hunger feels like -- a hunger that is felt by many of the boys, girls, men and women who are being helped by the funds raised during the FOOD FAST.

What are some alternatives to fasting? If you cannot participate in the FOOD FAST, you can be in solidarity with us... try fasting from these:

- skipping a meal (or two)

- abstaining from something (i.e. chocolate, soda, etc.) for a period of time

- fasting from talking for a period time

- fasting from media (no internet, TV, movies, videos, radio, music, etc.) for a period of time.

Who does my donation help? All your donations are given to Catholic Relief Services. Learn about them here.

Called and Gifted part 3

You can't see our faces, but believe me we are having a great time! Sherry Weddell and Fr. Mike Fones, O.P. are leading us through a very inspiring, enlightening, and fun process! We're learning about the Holy Spirit, about our specific callings and our specific charisms! I watched last night as people all around the room nodded in agreement or pointed at each other as Sherry and Fr. Mike described people with particular charisms. It was so exciting to hear them described and to know that we all are gifted differently- what a beautiful body of Christ we make up!

We finish our three night process this evening, and the Catherine of Siena Institute heads up to Westford to present the workshop at St. Catherine parish there. We hope they'll be back in the Boston area again soon, and for our part, we'll start digging into the small group discernment process here at IC as soon as possible!
-MM

Called and Gifted

Called and Gifted is off to a great start! Thanks to our wonderful participants and the lovely presenters from the Catherine of Siena Institute, we are looking forward to tonight's and tomorrow's presentations. Here's a peek at our group, hard at work!

Thank you to all who brought delicious snacks and generous donations offered by our participants this week, too!

Who are these people?

The presenters of our Called and Gifted Workshop coming up at IC in February come clear across the country to us, from their organization, the Catherine of Siena Institute. The Institute is "dedicated to equipping parishes for the evangelization and formation of lay Catholics for the sake of their mission in the world." And after years of working with thousands and thousands of Catholics in parishes and dioceses, people are raving about the experience.
What will you experience at Called and Gifted? Here is a sample of one person's reaction, posted on the Siena blog, "Intentional Disciples"
There's still time to register, and space for you! Email Margo to register today!
-MM

March For Life

Please pray in support of our parishioners and community members who are heading to Washington, DC for this year's March for Life. Each year a number of IC parishioners travel down to our nation's capital to demonstrate in support the abolition of abortion, on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade. This year's march is this Friday, January 22. We pray for safe travels for those who are DC-bound, and for a fruitful march!

Have you heard of IMEC?

IMEC is a charity group in North Andover that collects medical supplies to ship to countries who need them the most. Friends of mine who have volunteered with IMEC report boxing up items as small as bandages and as large as ultrasound equipment. I thought of this wonderful organization in light of the news of this past week, and sure enough they are busy preparing shipments to Haiti. You can help by donating your time, talent and/or treasure to them- volunteers complete 90% of the work this organization does. Check here for more information: www.imecamerica.org
-MM