Fr. Joseph Jenkins
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Here I am (Associate MD State Chaplain) at the Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus Council Filipino Food Fest with Romeo Paternoster (District Deputy #32) and Tony Salvemini (MD State Secretary). It was a lot of fun! It was a fund raiser for Sacred Heart Ladies Auxiliary.
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B24 crew of Sgt. Robertson. Standing Bob Fromkin, Don Ostrand, Evert Kron and Tony DeRose. Kneeling: John Kushner, Joe Kling, George Lawson, Charles Gill, Joe Kruger, and Bobbie Robertson. All survived the war but Bobbie.
John Kushner was a dear friend and a parishioner of mine at Holy Spirit Church in Forestville, MD. He was a daily communicant. Crippled, partially blind, he still loved to ride motorcycles. He was also an American hero. He was called to report back for active service when he was sick and in his 80’s. It took some arguing that the powers-that-be had made a mistake. No one had the qualifications he had, but they had neglected to look at his date of birth. Had they allowed him, he would have reported to serve. Whenever Andrews AFB had an air show they would call him because no one else knew how to repair the old planes. John was a Flight Engineer and had served 33 years in both fronts of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He tells the story of coming back from a mission over Germany and the plane is shot full of holes. He held his best friend in his arms as he bled to death. In Vietnam they tied him to a boom and he would grab the wounded while a helicopter made quick passes through the sharp grass. It cut him like razer blades. He had about every medal you could think of. When I knew him, he was an old man who missed his wife Mary and regularly fed the deer outside the church doors. When consulted about lasers on the new planes he insisted that it was a mistake to place them in the nose. No one listened to him. He was an old man. What did he know? A few weeks later the technicians came back to him and asked, “Okay John, where would you put the lasers?” John shook his head, knowing that the poor pilots would be blinded by the light. He said, “There is only one place you can put the laser, in the belly of the plane!” Guess what, that is where they are… now. John is circled in the picture here with his gang from a B24. Miss you John. Rest in peace.
Birth: Dec. 24, 1922 / Death: Sep. 29, 2011 / Forestville, MD
M.Sgt., U.S. Air Force – John J. Kushner passed away on September 29, 2011. He is survived by his daughter, Teresa Kushner.
Spouse: Mary Sue Kushner (1934 – 2000)
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WHOA! This School Allows School Prayer, But Only For…
People are upset that Muslims are given facilities to pray in schools. I am more upset that we as Christians have so easily surrendered this liberty and have allowed the component of religion to be stripped from our lived culture and from the teaching of social studies. Freedom “of” religion does not mean freedom “from” religion. Such a mentality impoverishes us all and represents a sanitized or censored diversity. Removing the factor of religion falsifies history, as with Columbus, leaving us with charges of genocide, forced slavery, and greed but saying next to nothing positive about his faith and missionary mandate to bring the saving faith of Christ to the New World.
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The weather is certainly surprising this year!
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Mother Teresa’s nuns have a charism to tend the needs of the poorest of the poor. Friday, March 4, 2016, Muslim terrorists executed them.
Four nuns and ten civilians were killed. Msgr. Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar to Southern Arabia, spoke to AsiaNews about this morning’s “religiously-motivated” attack against the convent of the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, in southern Yemen. At 8:30 AM, the prelate said, “People in uniform stormed the compound where the Missionaries of Charity live. After they killed the security guard and all the employees that stood in their way, they came for the nuns and opened fire, killing four [sisters]. One (the superior) managed to hide and survive. Now she is in a safe place.” The victims are Sister Anselm from India, Sister Marguerite from Rwanda, Sister Judit from Kenya and Sister Reginette also from Rwanda.
The attackers seized Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian priest who lived at the facility. At the time of the attack, he was in the chapel praying. Overall, 16 people lost their life: four religious and ten lay people, employees of the community that also housed senior citizens and disabled people. Msgr. Hinder said: “We knew that the situation was difficult and that the sisters were running a certain risk. They decided to stay no matter what because this was part of their spirituality.” Groups linked to al Qaeda and jihadist militias linked to the Islamic State group are active in the country, which adds to the spiral of violence and terror.
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Cardinal Wuerl attended a meeting of all the priests in the PG County Deaneries. He took this photo with me. Father LaHood was our gracious host at St. Mary of the Assumption.
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Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)
Offered at the 9:30 AM Mass at Holy Family 1-3-16
Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
The command to take up our cross and follow Christ.
The invitation to discipleship offered to the rich young man.
The water and the wine applied by the Good Samaritan.
The words traced in dirt at the absolution of the adulteress.
The unique, longed-for voice of the Good Shepherd.
The hunger of the starving prodigal son.
The running of the father to reunite with his lost son.
The robe and ring of the forgiving father.
The certainty impelling the tax collector to pray in the Temple.
The guest who makes himself at home in Zacchaeus’ house.
The summons raising Lazarus from his four-day-old tomb.
The beauty awakening the five wise virgins.
The largesse prompting the poor widow in the Temple.
The gaze of love cast on Peter at the point of his denial.
The gleam of Christ-washed feet.
The friendship bestowed by the Son of God.
The dwelling place prepared for us in the Father’s house.
The Presence alive in the Last Supper Bread and Wine.
The offer to Simon the Cyrenian to help carry Christ’s cross.
The forgiveness to those holding hammers on Calvary.
The assurance of paradise to every begging Good Thief.
The priceless gift given to us in the Motherhood of Mary.
The saving blood and water pouring from the Crucified’s side.
What is greater than darkness, sending the women to the tomb.
Feast of the Epiphany
January 2 & 3, 2016
Celebrant: The Wisemen seek the child-king born in a Bethlehem stable. Their gifts signify a grasp of his identity and mission: Gold to express his royal dignity; Frankincense to express the offering he would make; & Myrrh to express his burial. The Magi receive in return an extraordinary gift: seeing the child whose love would one day be proclaimed everywhere. They see the Word made flesh and it alters their lives forever. Let me offer you 3 points for reflection: (1) Make the journey to Christ. It is a daily conversion of our mind and heart from sin to God’s goodness. (2) Offer Christ the gift he wants, our love. (3) Note how the Wisemen take another route to avoid Herod. Our life too has to change direction! We must move away from what destroys the reign of Christ in our hearts and move toward our true home, which is heaven. We have to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may walk in the ways of the Lord!
Adapted from Archbishop Lori
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Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)
Offered at the 5:30 PM Mass at Holy Family 12-26-15
Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
The angel’s announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Fiat of the holy Mother of God.
The courage convicting Saint Joseph in his sleep.
The tidings of Good News to the shepherds in the fields.
The star guiding the Magi to the Bethlehem manger.
The tender will awaited by the long-suffering leper.
The healing of all those afflicted and sick.
The silencer of the storms at sea.
The expeller of demons.
The paralytic’s ability to walk.
The sight given to the blind.
The hearing given to the deaf.
The hundredfold sprouting from the well-sown seed.
The deliciousness of Cana’s wondrous wine.
The new beginning in Christ’s call, “Follow me.”
The multiplied loaves for famished multitudes.
The desire that moves us to change and become like children.
The thirst of the Samaritan woman at the well.
The garment’s hem within reach of the hemorrhaging woman.
The urgency dispatching the shepherd in search of lost sheep.
The buoyancy by which Peter walks on the water.
The life restored to the widow of Nain’s dead son.
The welcome given the sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet.
The miraculous change promised us all in the Transfiguration.
Feast of the Holy Family
December 26 & 27, 2015
Celebrant: Our guide in prayer and the ways of mercy are outlined in Scripture. We read: “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
(Luke 6:36-38)
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Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)
Offered at the 9:30 AM Mass at Holy Family 12-20-15
Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
Elijah’s unlimited jar of flour feeding the widow.
Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal.
The tiny whispering sound Elijah heard on the mountain.
The cure of Naaman the leper.
The new eyesight given to Tobit.
The conquering might of Judith.
The intervention of Esther that saved her people from destruction.
The valor of the mother with her seven martyred sons.
The compassion shown to Job.
The shepherd sung of by the Psalmist.
The lover sought in the Song of Songs.
Divine Wisdom, overlooking sins so that people may repent.
The comfort proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah.
The expiation of guilt proclaimed by the Prophet Isaiah.
The wolf and the lamb grazing together.
The voice that formed us in our mother’s womb.
The new law within us, written on our heart.
The new heart and new spirit replacing our stony heart.
The spirit and flesh put on once-dry bones.
The rescue of the young men from the fiery furnace.
The espousal of the Lord of the unfaithful wife.
The fish that swallowed Jonah, saving him from drowning.
The preaching of Jonah, converting the great city of Nineveh.
The Day of the Lord foretold by the prophets.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 19 & 20, 2015
Celebrant: Almighty God and Father, You have created all things and know the desire of every heart. In this Year of Mercy, we reflect on your great love for us, and acknowledge our sinfulness and need for your healing mercy. Trusting that you never tire of forgiving us, we open our hearts to receive your forgiveness and love. Having encountered you, Mercy itself, and guided by the Holy Spirit, may we witness to the love we have received by sharing it with those most in need: the hungry, the homeless, the afflicted, and the oppressed. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Archdiocesan Prayer for Mercy)
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Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)
Offered at the 12 Noon Mass at Holy Family 12-13-15
Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
Beauteous Creation brought forth from the abyss of nothingness.
The breath that turned muddy clay into a living human being.
The leather garments that clothed sinful man and woman.
The ark that saved Noah from the cataclysm of the flood.
The rainbow—sign of your covenant with the earth.
The halt put to building the haughty Tower of Babel.
The everlasting covenant made with Abraham.
The angel who stayed Abraham’s knife above his son Isaac.
The stairway shown to Jacob in a dream.
The forgiveness Joseph offered to his treacherous brothers.
The hope of liberation promised in the burning bush.
The miraculous passageway through the parted Red Sea.
The authority of Moses and the attained Promised Land.
The manna in the wilderness for those facing famine.
Flowing water to drink from a rock in the desert.
The gift of the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
The Ark of the Covenant.
The certainty that filled Joshua to serve God alone.
The strength of Samson.
The tenderness that moved Ruth to stay with Naomi.
The voice that beckoned Samuel in the nighttime.
The kingly anointing of Saul.
David’s defeat of the Philistine Goliath.
The Temple built by Solomon.
Third Sunday of Advent
December 12 & 13, 2015
Celebrant: What is mercy? Mercy is the experience of God’s love that forgives faults, heals hurts, and connects us more deeply to God and each other. Pope Francis describes mercy as “the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness” (MV, 2). This Advent as we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus and to share His love, reflect on how you can open your heart to God’s mercy and share that mercy with friends, family, and those most in need.
(Archdiocesan Resource Prayer)
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