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On March 19 and 20, we held our Days of Recollection in English and Spanish. On March 19, Fr. Arturo Felix presented on St. Joseph as our model of the sacramental life. On March 20, Fr. Romert Morales spoke on living the mercy of the Gospel each day. Thank you, Fr. Arturo and Fr. Romert, and thank you to all who volunteered to make these days possible! Los días 19 y 20 de marzo celebramos nuestros Retiros Cuaresmales en inglés y español. El 19 de marzo, el P. Arturo presentó a San José como nuestro modelo de vida sacramental. El 20 de marzo, el P. Romert Morales habló sobre cómo vivir la misericordia del Evangelio cada día. Gracias, P. Arturo y P. Romert, y gracias a todos los que se ofrecieron para hacer posible estos días.  Every Tuesday and Friday at St. Thomas of Canterbury, the Soup Kitchen provides a hot meal to those in need. During Lent, we are resuming all-day Eucharistic adoration every Tuesday at St. Thomas of Canterbury, to pray for the work of the soup kitchen and the parish. This prayer takes place while soup kitchen volunteers are making preparations, and while those in need are being served. As Catholics, we cannot separate service to the poor or the corporal works of mercy from the Eucharist. The Second Vatican Council says clearly: “The other sacraments, as well as with every ministry of the Church and every work of the apostolate, are tied together with the Eucharist and are directed toward it.” In the Eucharist, Jesus is fully present, body and blood, soul and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine. The Eucharist makes present again Jesus’s sacrificial death and resurrection for us, and this gift of God himself transforms us and every aspect of our lives. That includes our relations with each other – our relations with our neighbors. Eucharistic adoration during the soup kitchen has been a part of St. Thomas for decades. It began with prayers for volunteers, who were serving at a time when crime and violence in the neighborhood were high. Adoration continues to this day, because prayer is essential for serving Christ in the poor. In words attributed to St. Teresa of Calcutta, “Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor.” Every Lent, we are called to pray, fast and give alms, with the goal of drawing ever closer to God. This Lent, we hope you will join us before Jesus in the Eucharist, fully God and fully man, present in the Sacrament – to pray for those serving Him present in the poor and suffering. To commit to an hour of adoration contact Maggie Flynn at the parish office via email or phone (773-561-5343) Todos los martes y viernes en Santo Tomás de Canterbury, La Cocina de Sopa, ofrece una comida caliente a los necesitados.
Durante la Cuaresma, estamos reanudando la Adoración Eucarística durante todo el día, todos los martes en Santo Tomás de Canterbury, para rezar por el trabajo de La Cocina de Sopa y la Parroquia. Esta oración tiene lugar mientras los voluntarios del comedor social hacen los preparativos y mientras se sirve a los necesitados. Como Católicos, no podemos separar el servicio a los pobres o las Obras de Misericordia Corporales de la Eucaristía. El Concilio Vaticano II dice claramente: "Los demás sacramentos, así como todo ministerio de la Iglesia y toda obra de apostolado, están unidos a la Eucaristía y se dirigen a ella". En la Eucaristía, Jesús está plenamente presente, cuerpo y sangre, alma y divinidad, bajo las apariencias del pan y del vino. La Eucaristía hace presente de nuevo la muerte sacrificial y la resurrección de Jesús por nosotros, y este don de Dios mismo nos transforma a nosotros y a todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. Eso incluye nuestras relaciones con los demás - nuestras relaciones con el prójimo. La Adoración Eucarística durante La Cocina de Sopa forma parte de Santo Tomás desde hace décadas. Comenzó con oraciones para los voluntarios, que servían en un momento en que la delincuencia y la violencia en la comunidad eran elevadas. La adoración continúa hasta hoy, porque la oración es esencial para servir a Cristo en los pobres. En palabras atribuidas a Santa Teresa de Calcuta, "Si no creemos y vemos a Jesús en la apariencia del pan en el altar, no podremos verlo en el angustioso disfraz de los pobres". Cada Cuaresma, estamos llamados a rezar, ayunar y dar limosna, con el objetivo de acercarnos cada vez más a Dios. Esta Cuaresma, esperamos que te unas a nosotros ante Jesús en la Eucaristía, plenamente Dios y plenamente hombre, presente en el Sacramento, para rezar por los que le sirven presentes en los pobres y en los que sufren.  'God is telling me we should start a soup kitchen'
The origins of the Soup Kitchen at St. Thomas of Canterbury are murky enough that a flier for the 10th anniversary featured “To Tell the Truth: Who Started the Soup Kitchen?” as part of its entertainment. But whatever the specifics, most agree that Terry Gates, who lived at the St. Francis Catholic Worker House in Uptown in 1978, was the one who first had the idea. The Catholic Worker Movement was founded by Servant of God Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, designed to facilitate direct practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy by sharing the lives of the poor, most notably in houses of hospitality that provided shelter for those in need. Terry had originally come to the house in Uptown as a guest after a car accident and family estrangement, and in the words of Jim Eder, who was also living at the Catholic Worker house at the time, “she became our poster girl, as she healed physically, spiritually, mentally.” She approached Jim with the idea for the soup kitchen first, arguing that it was in the tradition of soup lines begun by Catholic Workers during the Great Depression. He pointed out that the house already had about 20 guests to its five members, who could “barely keep [the house] open.” “She said, ‘No, Jim, you don't understand, God is telling me we should start a soup kitchen,’” Jim recounted. “So in my great love for the poor and my kindly spirit and my wonderful nature and my generous spirit, I said, ‘Well, you and God are going to have to do it, because it's a dumb idea, and it'll never work. And you can't do it.’ And then she said, ‘Well, I'm going to go down and ask Fr. Rochford if we can use the [St. Thomas of Canterbury] church basement.’ And I said, ‘Good!’ because I figured: Oh, the priest'll kill this.” Fr. Rochford, who was pastor at St. Thomas of Canterbury a couple blocks north of the Catholic Worker House, did the opposite; he opened the basement for operations. |
