QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 1

A Marianist Community July 2020

New Beginnings ~ by Terri Blanken

I’d like to thank everyone for their very kind cards, calls and comments as I step into the Community Coordinator’s position. As I listen to those in our community, I realize that there’s a blending of spiritual perspectives. There are those who lean toward the more conservative religious practices and those who feel that their spiritual journeys have taken a different path. What I do know is this: We do come together to be the holy people that God calls us to be. I truly believe that each of us is resolute in this prayer, regardless of our personal journeys towards that end. If I understand Pope Francis’ message, we must respect each other’s

journey. Jesus asks us simply to love and to accept one another, even in our differences.

Though we’ve had some minor glitches, our resumption of Mass during this pandemic has gone well. As we continue to face the challenge of an uncertain future as a community, the Community Continuity Committee, led by Kevin and Linda Murnane, will provide a final report with recommendations to the community in August. I promise to listen to your suggestions and concerns and I will devote all of my efforts to sharing these with the Leadership Team. I am so blessed to have each of you in my life. I pray that we grow in the knowledge that where there is love, God exists. I see God in each of you. May God in His divine mercy keep us safe from illness and worry and keep us together as a community.

Sunday Liturgy Reminder…

As we return to church each Sunday, please remember the importance of following the guidelines provided by the Archdiocese and our Leadership Team. They are: 1) All church attendees are asked to wear a mask. Obviously, if there is a medical reason to prevent you from wearing a mask please do not. Additionally, children under the age of about 5 will not be expected to follow this guidance. However, if you can safely wear a mask

to help us protect the health of those around you, we hope you will. Extra masks will be available at the Chapel in case you forget yours. 2) Pay attention to the arrows that have been placed on the floor, as these indicate the direction of foot traffic in order to facilitate social distancing. 3) Inside the chapel, you’ll notice that pews have been designated for use. In keeping with social distancing, we are only using every 3rd pew for seating, and have markers about every 6 feet in the pew. If you are attending as a family, please feel free to sit as close as you are comfortable with your immediate family. 4) During the Kiss of Peace, we ask you to stay in place, turning to acknowledge those around you, wishing a virtual peace to all in order to maintain social distancing. 5) For the same reason, we will not be reaching out to others during the Our Father. 6) During the Eucharistic prayer, all will remain standing. Eucharistic Ministers will walk around to everyone offering Communion. Once you receive, please sit down, as this will help the Ministers know who still needs to receive. 7) At the end of Liturgy, please follow the arrows as you make your way to the doors.

We thank you for keeping yourself and others safe!

Queen of Apostles Community 4435 E Patterson Road

Dayton, OH 45430-1033 Phone: (937) 429-0510

www.qac-ohio.org

Inside This Issue

New Beginnings ................................................. 1 Social Justice ................................................... 2-3 In Person Gatherings ....................................... 3 QAC Stewardship - A Way of Life ............... 4 The Reflection Pond ........................................ 5 New Altar Cloth ................................................. 5 Birthdays .............................................................. 6 Seniors’ Corner .............................................. 6-7 Sunrise—Assateague Island ........................ 7 QAC Live Streaming ......................................... 7 QAC Spotlight .................................................. 8-9 Kid’s Corner ...................................................... 10 QAC Calendar ................................................... 11

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 2

SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY

From 1988 to 1991 we had the opportunity to live near Tokyo, Japan. When we arrived, we lived in a Japanese community. All of the street signs and mailboxes had the names of our neighbors written in one of the three traditional Japanese languages: katakana, hiragana or kanji. There were no “romanji” signs, that is, there were no signs or directions that we knew how to read.

There was no English television station, and one radio station operated by the U.S. Armed Forces that broadcast in English.

All of our neighbors belonged in the country. We were the strangers. Our skin color and ethnicity were foreign to them. And they could not have been kinder to us. They made us feel welcome. We were college educated functional illiterates, unable to read even the instructions on how to operate the gas meter on the house.

This three-year immersion in Japan taught us some lessons about “white privilege”, mostly because we were suddenly in a place and circumstances where we did not have that cloak of privilege surrounding us.

After three years in Japan, we moved to Germany. While sitting in a German Catholic church the first Sunday in the country, I recall looking around and thinking, “All of these people look just like me, but they all speak German.” When one of the members of the congregation spoke to me in German, I responded . . . in Japanese!

How could that be, I thought. Japanese was not my mother tongue. It wasn’t my second or even my third language at that time. But faced with cultural data that was new and unfamiliar, that’s how I responded.

Stripped of my white privilege for three years, returning to an environment where most of the people around me looked like me but didn’t speak the same language, I felt powerless to communicate. It was frightening, and unsettling, and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, I didn’t have an encounter with either the Japanese or the German police during those six years. I can’t imagine how I might have reacted had I been stopped and interrogated or detained while I was in those countries.

Some years later, I had the opportunity to work in Rwanda, arriving there not long after genocide had torn the country apart. Once again, I was one of very few persons whose skin color was different. I did not speak the native language – but the Rwandans, whether Tutsi or Hutu, all spoke English, even though it was not their native tongue. I attended Catholic Mass in Rwanda, and I visited Catholic church sites where hundreds had been murdered when they sought “sanctuary” inside the perceived safety of the Catholic church in their neighborhood.

I saw the work that was being done in Rwanda to heal the pain of the genocide, even as the dead were still being buried. The focus of the reconciliation process was to learn forgiveness. To do that, one had to acknowledge that there had been hurt and pain and unspeakable acts of hatred. As one person put it, the pathway to reconciliation was to “forgive like a Rwandan.”

During the QAC Social Justice Ministry’s Advent gathering, Kelly Bohrer and Bill Meers spoke with us about “white privilege”. Several points from that community gathering haunt me today as I witness both the disparate impact of the pandemic on minorities as well as when I see the videos of individuals who have died during confrontations with the police.

During my time as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, I worked with a team of judges, prosecutors and public defenders to analyze why Latino/Hispanic and African-American persons were more often held in pre-trial detention longer than Caucasians for the same types of criminal conduct. At the Advent gathering, we discussed the statistical data that supports the conclusion that in the Dayton, Ohio area, access to health care and mortality rates are dramatically influenced by the zip code in which you reside.

The USCCB considers “Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father.” (Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979).

Kevin and Linda Murnane

Continued on page 3

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 3

Social Justice - continued from previous page…

I think back on how I felt when I was deprived of my “white privilege” while living in Japan, and about the kindness of the people who were my neighbors. I think about my experience in Rwanda and the process of reconciliation following the genocide between the Hutu and Tutsi people.

At the Advent gathering, Kelly Bohrer and Bill Meers offered some practical advice about where and how to start that reconciliation process. They urged us to have a conversation with someone you consider to be “different” than you. Following the extra-judicial killing of George Floyd, I remembered that advice, and my experiences in Japan, Germany and Rwanda when I had an appointment at the Dayton VA. A young African American was working in the valet parking booth that day. Initially I was just going to give him my keys and head in the door. But I stopped that day, and I said, “May I please tell you how sorry I am that George Floyd was killed in the way that he was, and ask you to forgive us?” He responded with kindness, and told me he appreciated me for having said that. As I entered the VA, there were two African Americans, outfitted in protective gear, taking temperatures – placing themselves on the front line of medical risk to allow me to enter safely to get treatment. I stopped and thanked them both for being there, and told them I was sorry for what had happened to George Floyd. Each of them thanked me for taking the time to say that.

I didn’t know any of these men personally – but asking for forgiveness has to start somewhere. I chose to start that day with those three men. Three men providing service to a person who enjoyed “white privilege”, and whose risk of dying from COVID-19 is statistically much higher than mine.

We might consider whether this is a moment in which we can truly live the QAC vision, to combat the sin of racism, to be kind, to listen and to try to understand the pain and the rage of our sisters and our brothers. It is a moment in which we are perhaps truly called “to build a community of love, and to be the holy people God calls us to be.”

In Person Gatherings

We on the QAC Leadership Team wanted to let the Community know that in keeping with the Archdiocesan guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be having any in-person gatherings other than liturgy or any in-person group meetings (like meetings of the Social Justice Committee or other QAC groups) until further notice.

The one exception is that the substance abuse support group will begin meeting again due to the essential need these folks have for ongoing in-person support, and given that there are only 4-5 people meeting, they can easily practice social distancing.

Please contact any member of the Leadership Team if you have any questions or concerns about this or any of our COVID-19 procedures.

QAC LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS: Terri Blanken - terriblanken723@gmail.com Tyler Campbell - campbell.jtyler@gmail.com

Deacon Gregory Cecere - qacohio@sbcglobal.net Barry Chmiel - BChmiel@aol.com

Joan Ivory - ivory_joan@yahoo.com Tom McCrate - thomas.mccrate@gmail.com

Kenneth Moran - kmoranaf@gmail.com Kevin Murnane - kmurnane98@hotmail.com Marilyn Nagle - marilynjnagle@yahoo.com Erica Rudemiller - lerudemiller@gmail.com Fr. Tom Schroer - tschroer1@udayton.edu

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 4

Stewardship –Happy New Year. That’s right, QAC started its new fiscal year on July 1st. Hopefully you all had a chance to review the budget

presented to the Leadership Team for the July 2020-June 2021 fiscal year. The budget of $227,587 is $17,550 less than last year. As always, 10% of all regular contributions are designated for Social Justice issues. Approximately one third of the budget will pay employee expenses, another third will pay for building expenses, another 10% will go to the Diocese and the remaining 14% is divided between office expense, liturgy expense, parish activities, ministries, and renovations. Normally during the course of the year, we hold many fundraisers and special collections (Malawi Picnic, Retired Religious, etc.) Every penny from these events directly goes to the designated cause and is not used for general expense. This year may be a little different as we adjust to the new normal.

The Community’s contributions this past year is not projected to meet the budget plan/pledges that we set in 2019, which could be due to the current situation since we weren’t attending Mass weekly. As we begin this new fiscal year, we offer the following Stewardship Prayer.

Almighty and ever-faithful Lord, gratefully acknowledging Your mercy and humbly admitting our need, we pledge our trust in You and each other.

Filled with desire, we respond to Your call for discipleship by shaping our lives in imitation of Christ. We profess that the call requires us to be stewards of Your gifts. As stewards, we receive Your gifts gratefully, cherish and tend them in a responsible manner, share them in practice and love with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.

We pledge to our ongoing formation as stewards and our responsibility to call others to that same endeavor. Almighty and ever-faithful God, it is our fervent hope and prayer that You who have begun this good work in us will bring it to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Follow and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Queen-of-Apostles-Community-117192511632358/

For those unable to attend Sunday Liturgy, please don’t forget that we still need your financial support. Please mail in your weekly donations (address on front cover) or better yet,

set up Online giving.

View the instructions to setting up online giving at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRMfgKncvhM&feature=youtu.be

Kevin Skinner

This scale shows our weekly offering (Sunday collections) against the commitment (pledges) we made when we approved our Budget in June 2019 (target). You can see we are behind on the offerings that we pledged. Please remember that it is through this budget that we are making a stewardship pledge, and that includes our Social Justice Ministry. Thank you for your support!

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 5

The birth of a nation With the ideal of freedom for all Is it the paper they signed Or the dream they dreamed Is it the red, white, and blue Or the blood they spilt Is their dream, your dream Is their ideal, your ideal Is their “freedom”, your “freedom” Let us take time this holiday To realize that freedom is More than signatures on a piece of paper More than an ideal More than a dream They told us to “love it or leave it” But we knew “love” was simply not enough Freedom requires work and dedication By each of us . . . calling ourselves American

Celebrating Freedom by Steve Guilfoos

The New Altar Cloth…

...was made blue in honor of our Blessed Mother. It was donated on Father's Day in memory of the Father of the person who made it with much love and devotion, and for all Fathers.

Beautiful!

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 6

Ju

ly B

irth

days

Seniors’ Corner - Chuck Bauer

The months are rolling by and we are still "Partying In Place". Again, the majority of this article is going to be a discussion of what I did this last month, though I have thrown in some

information that’s up and coming in the week’s ahead.

The City of Beavercreek WILL have their Fourth of July fireworks on the 4th, but it has been moved to The Mall at Fairfield Commons at 10:00 PM - Drive In Style! Patrons will be asked to stay in their car or near their car to allow for social distancing. Parking will be behind Dicks Sporting Goods and Macy’s. A map detailing where to park is available at: https://mallatfairfieldcommons.com/events-news/event/city-of-beavercreek's-4th-of-july-fireworks. All other activities are canceled, but I will check with the Parks Department to make sure. To get a complete list of July 4th activities Bing/Google “July 4th in Dayton". Last year, Ruby and I went to the Fairfield Mall fireworks. We parked off Commons Blvd behind Oak Creek OB/GYN and had a short walk with our lawn chairs to the Regal Theater parking lot. The fireworks were right above Dicks Sporting goods.

Like I said last month, Ruby gets cabin fever each week. We generally take a drive to one of the parks or ride just around. Three weeks ago, we went to Hills and Dale Park and Oakwood above the park. We have never been to this area — very interesting! Of course, they now have ice cream at the Drive-Thru. Who can resist this little extra treat.

I have taken up smoking. Well, I always did a little, but this last month I really got into it. It all started three weeks ago when Kroger had a whole Beef Brisket (14 pounds of it) on sale for $2.99 a pound. I never did a whole brisket, but I figured “lets try.” Like I said before I always did a little smoking — mostly fish/salmon. Ruby says that when I watch over it properly, my smoked salmon is always great, but we’re talking only 4 to-at-most 5 pounds at a time. A whole brisket is another story. The website said to do it low and slow at 250°F.

(https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cook-brisket-gas-grill.)

1 DENNIS FOLMAR 3 JOHN HOSFORD

3 MARGO METZMAIER

9 KENDRA MORAN

11 KEN LUPP

11 CLAIRE HOLCOMB

12 RITA FLOHRE

13 ANDREA EVESLAGE

14 TANYA GROFF

14 LEE HILTY

14 MARY ALIG HOUSTON

16 MARILYN NAGLE

16 PAT REICHARD

16 MERCEDES WARREN

18 GARY CASHERO

18 WILLIAM PERRY

19 CHARLETTE BUESCHER

19 RYAN REPASY

20 LOIS BIGLER

20 ELIZABETH SORENSEN

21 KATHERINE COOPER

21 MARIAN GALE

22 SAVANNAH GROFF

22 MEGAN MOORE

22 BETHANY ULRING

23 ROBERT BOCHENEK

23 PAT HUSER

23 RUTHANN KAIN

24 MARY GANGER

24 CHRISTINE SITKO

26 IMELDA DONNELLY

27 JOSETTE NANDA

27 TOM PAPP

28 DICK DiLORENZO

28 JANET MERRELLI 28 JACK SIMPSON

30 LINDA SKINNER

Blessings to all those celebrating a Birthday this month!

As you grow older, may your heart grow fonder of our Lord, who is ever

present in your life!

As you grow older, may you strengthen the belief that He will

always be with you, no matter what. Continued on Page 5

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 7

So I followed the directions on the web page: trim of excess fat (~2 pounds), trim skin tendons, no brining, simple seasoning/rub (I used Morton seasoned salt only), and I cut it in half across the grain. I placed the two halves on a rack above my smoking wood chips only using the center burner (on low) of my 3 burner front to rear gas grill. I smoked it for almost 2 hours. I took it off to tightly wrap it in aluminum foil. My gas grill adapter smoker wood structure was in bad shape. I decided to complete the cooking to 200°F in the oven at 250°F with meat thermometers, piercing the top of the aluminum bags and placed it on 3/4 inch edged sheet pans. I was lucky I placed everything on the edged pans for when each half of the brisket was cooked I got 2 quarts of the best dipping broth in the world. Kroger had their beef brisket again on sale this week and of course I got another one. Great eats for Father’s Day.

And...my never ending saga with my lawn tractor. This month I had to get two new front tires, so I checked prices on the internet. Home Depot had them at the same price as Amazon and other e-sites. The great advantage of Home Depot is that you can order them either directly online or at the store. You can then have the items delivered FREE to the store for pick up and save shipping costs. They were delivered to the store within two days.

Sunrise—Assateague Island ~ Chris Bohmer-Stewart

Assateague Island is a barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia that has gifted me with magical, meditative imagery for over half my life. My first spring morning at Assateague National Seashore, over forty years ago, was cold and gray and drizzling. The other six people at the beach appeared to be in couples and I felt alone, as though the dawn itself had been cancelled. This was not at all what I had been expecting. Then somehow I began reflecting on how some of the most moving photographs I had ever seen were somber and misty. I started praying, asking God to help me recognize the beauty in everything, not just what suits my expectations. As my mood shifted towards a sense of acceptance and appreciation and peace, the sun broke through the clouds, and the wild ponies wandered down to the shore.

The memory of that damp and misty morning and the realization imbedded in it has become a touchstone in my life, a transformation lesson I have had to return to again and again. As a feeling of “fog” envelopes so much of our lives in these tumultuous times, I wanted to share the feeling of that beautiful moment of grace from many years ago.

Remember...we are live streaming our Sunday Liturgy!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_hMmzzKfAjoXMFlcZsCAvw/videos?view=2&flow=grid

Senior’s Corner - continued from previous page

You can also use the URL below or open your browser to YouTube and search Queen of Apostles Community Dayton Live Streaming.

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 8

QAC goes Virtual

W.O.W. (Women of Wisdom) ...Faith Sharing Group The Bohrer Family

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 9

Pictures submitted by Members of our Community

Dan Nagle captured Pope Francis as he invokes an extraordinary blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) in the wake of the pandemic. This moving prayer can be found at https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/03/27/full-text-pope-francis-urbi-et-orbi-meditation/.

Michelle and Toby Petrie captured pictures of this Cardinal in their yard. The lower right shows the Cardinal enjoying a meal. By the way, this is the same bird feeder that they shared with us in last month’s Spirit.

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 10

Jesus is always with us, and He knows when we are tired and worn out. The Kids’ Bulletin for July 5th tells us that Jesus wants us to come to Him when we need to rest. Read more and work on some of the puzzles found in this bulletin. From your computer, go to https://thekidsbulletin.com and you can download the bulletin that includes puzzles and stories for you. You can also click on the box to the right and it will take you right to that website!

Happy Birthday America!! The Fourth of July is a special day in America, one that celebrates our independence and freedom as a country. We humbly thank God for protecting us and thank God for all that our freedom gives us. This blessing is a gift from God.

Color and cut out the picture below and hang it in a special place in your home.

Obtained from https://coloring-pages.info/fourth-july-america-printable-coloring-pages-book-20354.

QAC Spirit is online at: https://qac-ohio.org/?page_id=124 QAC Spirit—Page 11

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