St. Teresa of Ávila Catholic Community
All Are Welcome!
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Join us at our Saturday mass, at 4:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. The passcode to enter is: liturgy. Please mute yourselves upon entering. This week’s worship aid is found here.
At our debriefing of the atrocities going on against the people of the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, Fr. Teri Harroun, pastor of Light of Christ in Longmont, CO read a poem she wrote last Sunday, the day after Alexi Pretti, VA ICU nurse was murdered by federal agents. Fr. Teri is a tremendous poet, and I asked her if I could reprint it in our newsletter.
“darkness”
the people in darkness
make room for light
the people in darkness
kneel in the streets
the people in darkness
witness and record
the people in darkness
show up, singing
the people in darkness
increase in numbers
the people in darkness
are saying Alex Pretti’s name today
the people in darkness
are checking on others to see if they are ok
the people in darkness
cry out to the ancestors
the people in darkness
know how to deal with winter
the people in darkness
are filled with grit and grace
the people in darkness
know the poets are the prophets, not the politicians
the people in darkness
love our neighbors
the people in darkness
vote and hold elected officials accountable
the people in darkness
are the resistance, not insurrectionists
the people in darkness
see what we see and cannot be gaslit
the people in darkness
read books and write postcards
the people in darkness
embody hope, and our heartbeats unite
the people in darkness
will not look away
the people in darkness
will err on the side of grace
the people in darkness
will not be numbed to sleep
the people in darkness
lean on each other
the people in darkness
are praying with the Breath within our breath
the people in darkness
know the importance of the cracks
the people in darkness
believe we are one human family, and the flourishing of all is possible
the people in darkness
demand we all do better
the people in darkness
put candles in the windows last night
the people in darkness
are making room for the Light
©️ Teri Harroun
once again, someone dies
for Alex Pretti, and his family and Minnesota and more
The Ecumenical Catholic Communion embraces a network of local churches and sacramental communities across North
America. As authentic Catholics we celebrate our continuity with the undivided Church of the first millennium and believe
that salvation is offered to all. Our unity is built on the teachings and example of Jesus Christ as we seek compassion, justice and peace in the world. We seek to live our faith through liturgy, prayer, community building and collaboration, study and service. Eucharist is a visible sign of that unity.
Ours is a synodal form of governance, with the diverse voices and charisms of laity, clergy and bishops. “The Ecumenical Catholic Communion is the most parish-oriented of any group within the independent Catholic movement in America.” Julie Byrne, Author of the Other Catholics, Columbia University Press, 2016.