Announcing:
Saint Mary's Press winner for the week of May 9, 2011!

Congratulations to Keith Adams!

Keith will receive a copy of The Catholic Youth Bible®, a $26.95 value.

The Catholic Youth Bible®
General Editor: Virginia Halbur, MA

The Catholic Youth Bible® will be a true companion, helping you find the answers you seek and helping you make connections to Catholic beliefs and traditions.

Over 700 lively articles help you….

Read it LOUD

What children’s books most influenced you when you were a child? What books do your children, nieces, or nephews want you to read over and over again? My three-and-a-half-year-old daughter has books that I have read so many times, I can recite them without looking at the pages (I know by heart what brown bear sees, how to say goodnight to the moon, and what happens to the poky little puppy), and I know my one-year-old daughter will soon have her favorites. It never ceases to amaze me how much my daughters enjoy having books read to them.

With this in mind, I was excited to hear at the National Catholic Educational Association Conference two weeks ago in New Orleans NCEA’s announcement of their participation in the "Read it LOUD" program. Read it LOUD was founded by Wally and Christine Amos. Wally Amos is the "Amos" of Famous Amos cookies. The goal of Read it LOUD is to encourage parents to spend at least 10 minutes a day reading aloud to their children. Read it LOUD has a national goal of having five million families join, and NCEA has set a goal of having one million families from Catholic parishes and schools sign up for the program.

I encourage you to help NCEA meet its ambitious goal. You can personally sign up and commit to reading to your children. Additionally, you can share information about this program with your community and invite families in your parish or school to sign up. Another way you can support this program is to help the young people with whom you are in ministry organize a drive to collect children’s books to donate to a local homeless shelter, a charity, a library, or your parish to establish a parish library of children’s books. At a minimum, I hope you will simply take time to pause and read a book to a child the next time you have the opportunity.

One final note about the NCEA conference: I would like to say thank you to everyone who stopped by the Saint Mary’s Press booth. It was great to see readers of The Servant Leader stop by with a printed copy of the newsletter. I know the Kindles we gave to the first readers who stopped by will go to great use. In case you didn’t know, you can download children’s books onto a Kindle (in fact, my Kindle is where the poky little puppy resides).

As always, I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry.

Peace,
Steven McGlaun

Click Here for More Information

Overview
May is a month traditionally set aside to honor Mary the mother of Jesus. In this activity the young people hear about Mary and the church’s devotion to her, make simple rosaries, and learn about the tradition of votive candles.

Suggested Time
35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the group

Group Size
This strategy works with any size group. However, if your group is larger than ten people, you may want to recruit other adults to help.

Materials Needed
- a pillar candle and matches
- a statue of Mary
- a Bible
- a table
- a variety of common household, outdoor, and office objects (such as a
paper clip, safety pin, photograph, rock, bottle cap, battery, spoon, eraser,
audiotape, piece of clay, small flower, button, cellophane tape, and rubber
band), at least one for each person
- a rosary
- string or elastic, enough for each person to make a bracelet from it
- colored beads that can be strung on the string or elastic, twenty of one
color and one of a second color for each person
- newsprint and markers
- masking tape
- votive candles or tea lights, one for each person
- a tape or CD player, and a recording of reflective music or a song honoring
Mary (optional)

Preparation
Set up a prayer space with a pillar candle, a statue of Mary, a Bible, and votive candles or tea lights. On a table near the prayer space, display a collection of common household, outdoor, and office objects.

Print the words to the Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer on newsprint. Post both prayers in a place where everyone can see them.

1. Gather the young people in the prayer space and light a pillar candle.
Prayerfully raise up a statue of Mary and say, "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us." Read Luke 1:46–49. Then present the following information in your own words:

The name the church has given to this passage is the Magnificat, from a
Latin word that means "to magnify." The first line of the passage in some translations of the Bible is "My soul magnifies the Lord."

The Catholic church honors Mary in a special way because she said yes to God and because her body housed Jesus, the Son of God, from conception to birth. She tenderly mothered Jesus from infancy to adulthood, and continued to serve God by being with her Son until his death, and even beyond. Mary was one of Jesus’ first disciples. She helped spread the word about his mission and message.

Note the difference between worshiping God and honoring Mary. We worship God and Jesus because they are divine. Mary was simply human, just like us. We honor her but do not worship her. This is a teaching that is sometimes misunderstood by Christians who are not Catholic.

2. Call the group’s attention to the table of common objects you have arranged. Ask the participants to consider which object they would choose as an icon of Mary. You may need to define the word icon as "an object that in some way reminds us of God or a holy person." For example, a rock could be an icon of Mary because it reminds us that Mary’s faith was as strong as a rock.

Direct the young people to choose their icon and return to their place. When everyone has made their selection, ask each person to explain how their icon reminds them of Mary.

3. Show the young people a rosary and explain that many people pray the rosary as a special devotion to Mary. Explain that the rosary is simply a collection of beads that are used to count prayers while meditating on events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Give each person a piece of string or elastic, long enough to tie around their wrist loosely. Also give each person twenty beads of one color and one bead of a second color. Tell the participants that they are each going to make a simplified rosary. Direct them to put ten beads of one color on their string or elastic, then the one bead of a different color, then the remaining ten beads of the first color. Have them tie their finished bracelets on one another’s wrists, leaving enough room to slip the bracelets off easily.

4. Compare the full rosary with the ones the young people have made, and explain that the participants’ bracelets are simplified rosaries. That is, they include just two decades, whereas the traditional rosary has five plus an opening sequence.

5. Display the prayers that you posted on newsprint. The young people are likely to know the Lord’s Prayer, but many may not know the Hail Mary. If that is the case, explain that the Hail Mary begins with the words spoken by the angel
Gabriel when he announced that Mary would bear God’s Son (Luke 1:26–35).
It also includes Elizabeth’s words when Mary went to visit her (Luke 1:41–42).
Using the beads on the bracelets as counters, together pray the Hail Mary ten times, the Lord’s Prayer once, and then the Hail Mary ten more times.

6. Explain that often in Catholic churches, votive candles are placed around a statue or painting of Mary. People light votive candles and pray for special needs. The tradition is that Mary hears those prayers and intercedes, or asks God to pay special attention to the needs of the people praying. Invite the participants to go to the prayer space and each light a votive candle or tea light for a special need for themselves or for the world.

7. Close the session by asking the young people to sit quietly for a minute or two, reflecting on the votive candles. You may want to play reflective music or a song honoring Mary during this time. Invite the young people to pray their rosary silently if they wish. Tell the participants to take their rosary home and use it as a private devotion anytime during the day or night.
Alternate Approaches
- If you have extra time, begin the session by asking the young people what they know about Mary and the church’s devotion to her. Let them tell the group what they already know. Fill in as many of the missing pieces as time allows.

- Though it will take a little more time, consider asking the young people to make an entire rosary. Several organizations provide inexpensive supplies for rosary making. They offer a kit that includes beads, wire, a small cross, and a medal. They also supply an instruction booklet for the mysteries of the rosary. One such group is Our Lady’s Rosary Makers, P.O. Box 37080, Louisville, Kentucky 40233; phone 502-968-1434.

- Ask the young people to borrow a variety of Mary statues or portraits from relatives or elders in the parish. You might also put an ad in the parish bulletin, asking people to lend your group such items. Display these statues or portraits for the participants to examine, and perhaps invite the young people to compare and contrast the different representations.

- If people in your parish gather to pray the rosary before liturgy, suggest that the young people participate in the prayer.

- Invite a parish elder to tell the group about the tradition of May crownings.

Scriptural Connections
- Luke 1:26–28 (The Annunciation occurs.)
- Luke 1:39–40 (Elizabeth honors Mary.)
- John 2:1–12 (Jesus and Mary attend the wedding at Cana.)
- Acts 1:14 (Mary prays with the disciples.)

Notes
Use the space below to jot notes and reminders for the next time you use this strategy.

Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 15, 2011
John 10:1-10

Opening Prayer
Jesus, as the good shepherd you continue to guide us to restful waters and to feed us through the Eucharist. May we take your example of caring for others deeply and integrate it into our way of living. May we follow your example of being servants for others. Amen.

Context Connection
The most forceful line of this Sunday's Gospel is "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (10:10). The access to this abundant life is through Jesus, "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (10:9). The metaphor John uses is that of a shepherd, an image well known in the Old Testament. God was often spoken of as the shepherd of the Jewish people. Leaders and especially kings were also seen as shepherds for the kingdom of Israel and after its division for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. During the exile in Babylon, the Jewish prophets spoke of God as the future shepherd of the people. They also hoped for a future Davidic leader who would shepherd the people of Israel. See Jeremiah 3:15, Micah 5:4 (NRSV), Micah 5:3 (NAB), or Zechariah. In Ezekiel we hear an insight to the future shepherd in chapter 34, verses 11-16. This new leader would be a good shepherd caring for his flock.

John interjects something new. With his image of the good shepherd from Ezekiel, "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (10:11), he presents a key insight that says Jesus is the Davidic good shepherd, the hope of the Jews since the Babylonian captivity. Jesus is the good shepherd because of his freely chosen sacrifice on the cross. It is Jesus's act of self-giving that brings about the salvation of all. Therefore Jesus is the gate that gives access to good pasture, and he is the protector of the sheepfold. Those who enter are saved. Those who go out find good pasture and abundant life among the community of believers. It is through Jesus that others are given life in abundance.

Psalm 23 is the responsorial psalm for this Sunday. It is familiar to us. After the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, Christians read into this psalm the importance of being nurtured through the Eucharist as sheep in the pasture. To find pasture is to find life. Those who seek pasture through Jesus find life in abundance. As the good shepherd, Jesus leads us to green pastures and refreshing water, an abundance of life. It is here that Jesus restores our souls, our broken spirits, and gives us direction toward righteousness in our lives. Even in times that challenge us, we believe that Jesus is there to guide us and comfort us. Through the sacraments Jesus continues to strengthen us for the journey of life. Our heads are anointed with oil to show how precious we are in the eyes of God. The Eucharistic banquet is prepared to nurture us. Our God is a generous God, and thus our cup overflows. God gives us life in abundance. Because Jesus came to give us life, and to have it in abundance, we are called to share it with others, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6).

Tradition Connection
The image of the good shepherd in the Old Testament depicts the qualities of both a good king and of God. That image is carried on into the Christian community and serves as an example for leaders at all levels in the Catholic Church. On Holy Thursday, the start of the Triduum, the ritual that the Church uses is the washing of the feet to remember Jesus's example and words to his disciples. After washing his disciples' feet, Jesus said, "So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:14-15). Washing the feet of guests was relegated to the slave. But what Jesus did for his disciples was to give them an example of leadership for the new community he had formed, to be the servant to the servants.

This concept of caring deeply for the members of the Christian community continues to the present day. We give the title of pastor to those priests who lead parishes. The origin of the word pastor in Latin is "shepherd." A pastor is the ordained servant-leader of a parish. The concept of servant-leader is even reflected in one of the titles for the pope: Servant of the Servants of God (Servus servorum Dei).

John emphasizes the quality of this kind of pastoral leadership through the phrase "good shepherd" in contrast to bad shepherds. A good shepherd wants what will be good for his flock. The good shepherd gives guidance and care to those for whom he is responsible. He provides not only for their physical needs but also for their spiritual needs. The love of the shepherd for his flock is complete and enduring to the extent that he would lay down his life for the sheep. "Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 876). Just as Jesus came to give us life and to have it abundantly, those who follow Jesus as leaders in the Church are asked by Jesus to make sacrifices so that those they serve will have life and have it abundantly.

Wisdom Connection
John sets forth in his Gospel the image of the good shepherd to serve the Christian community as a way to assess their present leadership. The example for leadership given to us by Jesus is one of servant-leadership, placing the good of another before our own personal gain. A servant-leader washes the feet of all members of the community. A servant-leader provides pastoral care for each member of the Christian community, even if it means seeking out the lost and restoring them to the community. The model of leadership that John presents in the image of the good shepherd and in the washing of the feet in chapter 13 clearly shows that leadership in the Christian community should be based on service to others and not on power over others.

Acknowledgments
The scriptural quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition. Copyright © 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The quotations labeled Catechism are from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America. Copyright © 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc.--Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

The Lord's Prayer is taken from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers. Copyright © 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Saint Damien de Veuster

May 10 is the memorial for Saint Damien de Veuster, better known as Damien of Molokai, the "apostle to the lepers."

Born in 1840 in Belgium, Damien became a missionary priest who ministered in the Hawaiian Islands. He later volunteered to minister to the leper colony on the island of Molokai, an assignment no one wanted for fear of contracting the disease. After twelve years on the island, Damien was diagnosed with leprosy. Damien died in 1889 and was canonized in October of 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

For more information on Saint Damien de Veuster, go to http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-joseph-de-veuster/.