A report
on Bethany
Association
.
.
Mags
with young women from Christ the
Redeemer Community
Helping Women Discerning
the Call to Live Single for the Lord
Mags, a covenant member of Charis Community in
Belfast, Northern Ireland and a member of Bethany
Association - an international, ecumenical
association of women living single for the Lord,
was delighted to be asked by the North American
Region of the Sword of the Spirit to spend some of
her time and energies helping young community
women discern the call to live single for the
Lord. So far she has visited communities in New
Jersey, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Detroit,
and Minnesota.
At these events, Mags told her own story of God’s
call and shared about signs of the action of God
across the Sword of the Spirit network of
communities. She also launched the latest
Discernment Guide for Pastoral Leaders. The
booklet is designed for use by a pastoral leader
over a 6 or 12 month period of discernment and
includes reflection and discussion questions,
Bible meditations for the time of discernment and
a reading list of helpful books and articles for
reflection.
See related articles by
Mags:
• I
Say, "Lord, Send Me" ...but Am I Available
to be Sent?
• A
Response to God’s Call: Report on
women living single for the Lord in covenant
communities
A
report on the
Brotherhood of Hope
.
Knowing
Christ Our Joy
by Brother Sam Gunn
With a warm smile, a gifted intellect and a
very promising future, Brother Parker Jordan had
it made in life. Instead, on July 5th, he made a
gift of his life to Jesus Christ by professing the
evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and
obedience in life-long private vows in the Brotherhood
of Hope, a religious brotherhood of Catholic
lay brothers founded by Fr. Philip Merdinger. In a
packed Sacred Heart church in New Brunswick, New
Jersey surrounded by brothers, family and friends
he said his threefold 'yes' in vows of chastity,
poverty and obedience. Brother Parker could have
pursued the American dream of self-sufficiency.
Instead he is pursuing Jesus, his All-Sufficiency.
There was a word that came up again and again - at
a pre-vows encouragement party attended by some of
the college students Br. Parker serves at Rutgers
University, at a private family reception the
night before, or in conversations with the many
guests. The word was "joy." Brother Parker is a
man of radiant joy. Without hesitation or doubt he
offered his life and the joy of his offering was
felt by all who witnessed this stirring event.
"Joy," Fr. Philip Merdinger preached at the vows,
"is something the Lord himself does in us from
within." Urging the congregation to allow the Holy
Spirit to work this joy in their own hearts, we
offer you the same invitation: Say 'yes' to the
joy of the Lord. It is a joy so powerful it leads
a man who could have it all to give it all to
Christ without fear. God First, God Alone!
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