January 1999
Index
- Taking the Next Step By Fr. Bob Camuso
- SacraMentors Intensive: A Weekend Retreat By Lory Misel
- A Pastor's Experience with SacraMentors By Fr. Jim Dalton
- Website Opens with New Opportunities to Share By Steve Egge
- Can you See Through God's Eyes By Carl D Jones
- Eight More Trainers Answer the Call
- Book Review - The New Man By Thomas Merton - Review by Richard Casmier
- From a Brother in Jail - By Jim Malneritch
Taking the Next Step
by Fr. Bob Camuso
Approximately three years ago the SacraMentors program was created to offer a vehicle for spiritual development in adult men. The program is succeeding beyond our expectations. To date, we've presented the program to over 450 men in 15 parishes. We're currently presenting our second women's SacraMentors program at St. Anne's in Seattle. We're having our first weekend retreat in February 19-21 at Camp McCullough in Kent and we’re getting email requests from our website asking us to offer the program to other dioceses. It's incredible what can happen when you allow the Holy Spirit to play the lead role.
As most of you are aware, Lory Misel and I initially funded the program. A small fee was charged to cover the cost of printing materials for the program. As the program grew we realized we needed administrative and organizational expertise to help us promote the program, organize parishes, develop materials and the many other details required to run a rapidly growing organization. We were fortunate to find Carl Jones, a SacraMentor brother, who has spent almost all his adult life working for non-profit corporations and was willing to volunteer for this daunting task.
Over the past year the activities of the SacraMentors organization have grown dramatically with the addition of many parishes who've held the series, several lay teams who have completed the 5-week training course, audio tapes, our new video that includes the series talks by Lory and me, and our own website, www.sacramentors.org, which is the brainchild of Steve Egge, a SacraMentor brother. These, along with opportunities presented to us beyond our diocese have caused us to take a next step. We have consulted with experts in the field of organizational development and have determined that it's time to form a non-profit organization to handle and control the efforts of the SacraMentors movement. We have applied to our federal and state governments for non-profit status. The application process is expected to take a few months to complete, but we expect to be fully operational in the next few months.
What does this mean to you? On the surface nothing will change, we will continue to operate as we have in the past. What will change is the opportunity to allow people to support our organization financially and receive tax credit for that support. In receiving support from individuals, foundations and corporations we'll be able to expand our efforts more rapidly and respond to requests we've not been able to respond to due to lack of funds. The challenge we face as an organization is to maintain our growth, plan for expansion and do this on a shoestring budget. In this regard, we're looking for an angel who will present us with a financial gift so we may hire a part-time administrator, secretary and provide an office for a period of two years. If you'd like to be that angel, please call me today (206 282-0223)!
While we wait for our non-profit status, and in order to initially fund the expansion, we have established a membership program which will both benefit the SacraMentors program and you. Our hope is that the membership program will bring in needed income and will allow you some rewards as well. The program offers three levels of participation. At the first level (Blessed Friend), for a $25.00 membership you will receive the quarterly newsletter and free admission to any four-week SacraMentors series in the diocese for one year. At the $50.00 level (Spiritual Benefactor) you will receive all of the above plus a 25% reduction in the price of any other SacraMentors program for one year. At the $200 level (Patron Saint) you will receive all of the above plus admission to our annual weekend retreat. We encourage all to join us as a "Blessed Friend" of the SacraMentors organization. For those who can give more, we shall be most grateful. You will not only be supporting a great cause but you will receive rewards for yourself and possibly other family members.
We have included a response card and return envelope in this newsletter for you to use in responding to this request. If you did not get the response card and envelope please call or email Carl Jones at (253) 863-1269 and he will send you one.
It's satisfying for me to see us grow as an organization. But what most satisfies me is to see men, and now women, develop a deeper relationship with Christ, with members of their parish community and with their pastors. As this continues to happen we can trust that what we're doing is God's work, and in this work we are all privileged to play a small part.
SacraMentors Intensive: A Weekend Retreat
by Lory Misel
Fr. Bob Camuso and I will be retreat masters for SacraMentors' first Intensive, a weekend retreat for men who have completed the 4-part SacraMentors series. The Intensive will be held at Camp McCullough, located at Pipe Lake, which is eight miles east of Kent. The retreat starts on February 19 at 1:00 PM and ends on Sunday the 21st at noon.
This Intensive will offer you ideas, processes and techniques to help deepen your relationship with Jesus and with others. Personal processes will be introduced to permit you to confront ego defenses that keep you from joining with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to discover the child of God that you are within.
In addition, techniques for Christian listening will be presented. These techniques are designed to help men to "father with their ears." You will be taught techniques to listen to your wife, children and others as Christ listens to you.
Finally, Sacred Meditations and prayers will be central to the weekend. These sacred meditations and prayers will assist you to join with Christ and others. They will help you to open yourself to who you are, find your spiritual calling and your true life work.
We strongly recommend that you come with your weekly Apostles group members. Attending this as a group will deepen and strengthen your weekly group.
The fee for the SacraMentors Intensive is $150, which includes meals and lodging. Register now to insure a spot for you. Don't miss this first and important SacraMentors retreat.
If you have already registered for the retreat there is no need to re-register. If you haven’t registered, we do have some spots available so if your interested use any of the four ways listed below to register;
register online: www.sacramentors.org (retreat page)
call Carl: (253) 863-1269,
email: carljones@sacramentors.org
Write a note to: Carl Jones, 816 Sumner Avenue, Sumner, WA 98390-1433.
A Pastor's Experience with SacraMentors
By Fr. Jim Dalton
When I heard about "Men of the Upper Room," as SacraMentors was initially called, I discussed the possibility of having a series for men at St. Thomas More parish. Carl Jones came to talk with us about the program and there was great enthusiasm. My hope was that this men's spirituality program would add a further depth to a pre-existing men's spirituality group at STM and encourage other men to join as well.
Our SacraMentors series was held in March 1998. Forty men participated! I attended all the sessions and was very impressed with the presenters, the topics discussed and the commitment of the men to the process. As the new pastor I didn't know a lot of men in the parish yet so this gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet some great people. I noticed that a number of the men were not particularly involved in other aspects of parish life, as far as I knew. I had hoped that the SacraMentors program would appeal to other men and not just to those who were already active in many programs.
We now have three groups meeting and some of our men have become team members for other series. We will have our second series beginning January 17, 1999.
From a personal point of view I have been greatly blest by the SacraMentors program. Realizing how much my ego drives my life was eye-opening and the desire to be a blessing to others has enriched my life. My daily reflections have also been deepened.
When a group of SacraMentors asked to meet with me to discuss how they could be of help to our community I was greatly encouraged. This program is not just a three-week event but it continues to bear fruit. The men had met prior to our meeting to "plan their strategy." I also had prepared a wish list. I was amazed at how similar our lists were! Now I can count on our SacraMentors to help in many different ways. Not only are they helping with manual labor projects, but also they're bringing elderly people to church.
I'm not able to participate as fully as I'd like in the follow-up weekly meetings but I am convinced that this program will richly bless our community as more and more men, and now women, become involved.
Website Opens with New Opportunities to Share
By Steve Egge
We have recently moved our website which can now be found at the convenient name of www.sacramentors.org. The Mission statement of the new website is "To promote SacraMentors to the community at large, provide information to men about the SacraMentors organization, provide men looking for spiritual material with some resources, and facilitate communication within the SacraMentors organization". We are in the process of expanding the website to fulfill this mission. Presently you can sign up for the Retreat or SacraMentors Series on line. Also each parish community now has their own subpage with map which can be modified (just tell us what you would like changed or added). We are evaluating opening up a discussion board for all visitors, including more spiritual material, feedback and request for information forms, prayer request forms, and a frequently asked questions page.
By relocating the website we have gained the ability to do many more exciting things with the website including establishing multiple list servers and e-mail addresses. A list serve is simply a relay of mail to all those have subscribed to the service. About 25% of the men in the program have an e-mail address (that we are aware of). Hopefully we can use this technology to positive advantage by keeping you all informed of the latest information in a more expeditious fashion.
One list known as the sacramentorslist was set up to allow ease of communication: 1) for requests for prayers and special intentions, 2) to share spiritual material, 3) to notify each other of events, and 4) to discuss how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are working in our lives, 5) just to connect with your brothers. Think of it as a large group "Study" session of the Apostle's Process that is ongoing. Once you've signed up and want to contribute to the discussion just send an e-mail to sacramentorslist@sacramentors.org and it be distributed to all those on the list.
Using the list, as opposed to broadcasting a message to everyone by sending a message to multiple addresses makes it easy to reach your brothers with a single address, and you will not intrude on any brother that would rather not receive mailings. Because the list is ONLY for those who have completed the SacraMentors Series, subscription to the list will be handled by the list maintainers.
To get on the list, send an e-mail to list@sacramentors.org with your name and when and where you attended the program. You will get an automated response about being added to the list. Then the list maintainers will check your name against our database and subscribe you to the list and you will receive a confirmation message which will include information on how to use the list as well as how to remove yourself from the list. After that you can start transmitting e-mails to your brothers who are already on the list. Alternatively, sign up for the list online on the Community page of the website.
We have also set up a second e-mail list with all known SacraMentors e-mail addresses included. This is for use by Carl Jones so h e can contact everyone with an electronic bulletin periodically about upcoming events and messages of any urgency or importance pertinent to all SacraMentors. If your e-mail address has changed or you have one and didn't receive Carl's recent e-mail about the Women's SacraMentors series, please send your correct, new or updated e-mail address to Carl so you can keep up with important events. Carl's e-mail address is: carljones@sacramentors.org.
Please tell your friends about the SacraMentors website and ask them to check us out. We hope this site will provide enough information to help them in their decision to attend a SacraMentors series.
If you have expertise in Web development, Java programming, or Graphic art and would like to contribute your talents to the website, please contact us at webhelp@sacramentors.org.
If as the site develops you think of something that we should include, change, or expand to better fulfill the mission statement, please send us an e-mail with your thoughts and ideas at webmaster@sacramentors.org.
Can you See Through God's Eyes
By Carl D Jones
Have you ever looked at the good things you do? You know, the little things you do each day without even thinking that they are good deeds. Well I did one the other day and got the opportunity to see it through God’s eyes.
Before I tell you the good deed let me set the stage and tell you how I came to look at this seemingly trivial act through God’s eyes.
On Monday, January 19th my wife, my 21 year old daughter and I went to see a matinee . It was the animated movie I’m sure you’ve all heard about called The Prince of Egypt. It was about Moses and God’s call for Moses to lead His people out of bondage and to the Promised Land. While there was some editorialization, it was a wonderful film.
One song in the film made the entire film worthwhile for me. I have paraphrased it in the title of this column, it was called Through Heaven’s Eyes. Let me sing some of the song for you and I think you’ll understand why I was impacted by it so greatly:
A single thread in a tapestry
Though its color brightly shine
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design
And the stone that sits on the very top
Of the mountain’s mighty face
Does it think it’s more important
Than the stones that form the base?
So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life
Look at your life through heaven’s eyes.
As I sat in the theatre, I thanked God for that song and the impact it had on me. The very next day God allowed me to see through His eyes.
I was in a grocery store getting some cookies for the SacraMentors training session. I got into a line that was short but slow. When the clerk finished with the person in front of me I zipped through because I only had three boxes of cookies. I reached for the cash the clerk had for me and then reached for the change in the change return machine. There was over a dollar in change, mine was supposed to be $.13. I looked at the person who was preparing to leave and asked her if she had change coming, she said she didn’t know. I asked the clerk and he said yes so I gave the change, except for my $.13, to her.
At that moment I started walking away and overheard the clerk say "that was a great thing for him to do". I heard him say this to the other people, including the woman whose money it was, but I did not turn around as God had allowed me to look at the situation with His eyes.
I did not need acknowledgement for doing the right thing, but God in His generosity offered me the opportunity to see this situation as He sees it. To show me how a small act of"normal" honesty can begin to ripple out to others and change their reactions to others because of this one simple act.
Can you see? Can you look at your life through God’s eyes? He wants you to. He wants you to know that He sees all your acts and loves you for your goodness.
Eight More Trainers Answer the Call
We are excited to announce the completion of our third Train the Trainers course. The group of men who completed this course represent the most northern as well as the most southern parishes and three parishes in between that we have conducted the SacraMentors series in.
This group also represents the deep commitment to the SacraMentors program displayed by their other trainer brothers as they came together during one of the busiest time of the year. The Train the Trainers course began in December and wasn’t completed until January so it impacted their normal holiday activities. For this dedication the SacraMentors program will be eternally grateful.
Eight men completed the training and will join the 16 existing trainers in extending our reach to many other parishes within the diocese. The men who completed the training course are:
Sacred Heart, Enumclaw
Jay Blakley
St. Andrew, Sumner
Casimer Harzewski
St. Michael, Olympia
Bruno Ienni
Dan Martinez
Dean Morgan
St. Thomas More, Lynnwood
Bob Guichard
Mike Murphy
St. Vincent de Paul, Federal Way
Bruce Stopper
Do you have a friend in a neighboring parish or in a parish in another city we have not held a series in? If so, and he has interest in seeing the program come to his parish, have him call Carl Jones at (253) 863-1269 to request that we talk to the pastor of his parish about conducting the series at their parish.
Now, with 24 trainers you would think that we have enough men to cover the entire diocese right? Wrong! What we need are strategically located teams. It would be unfair to ask a team from Lynnwood who might be available to go to Vancouver each weekend for four weeks to conduct a series. Just as it would be unfair to ask a team who had just completed a series in a town near their home to do another series 10 miles on the other side of their home the next week.
What we really need are more men who are willing to step outside of their comfort zones and join with their brothers as trainers. Each time I have written this message to ask men to join us as trainers I have felt the are one or two of you who want to train, but have been holding back. As I write this I am praying that God will boot you out of your chair and give you the strength to say "yes, this time I will do it"!
We do not have exact dates for another Train the Trainers course scheduled yet, but we will be conducting one in late spring or summer to prepare for the start of our fall schedule. We have several parishes looking at the fall time frame to schedule the SacraMentors series. Come join the wonder of helping men deepen their spirituality.
Book Review - The New Man By Thomas Merton
Review by Richard Casmier
The New Man by Thomas Merton, Noon Day Press, New York.
The theme of this book by Thomas Merton is the question of spiritual identity. As SacraMentors we've discussed how we must discover our true selves. Thomas Merton shows how we have become strangers to ourselves by our dependence on outward identity and success. ( Remember "Who Am I"?) He shows our real need is for a concern with the image of God within ourselves.
SacraMentors will sense a familiarity with the words as they progress through the book. Once you've read this book you will want to share it with others.
I've dog-eared my book on almost every page, especially in the chapter entitled "Spirit in Bondage". This book belongs in the libraries of every SacraMentors brother.
Richard Casmier is a SacraMentor brother for St. Andrew Parish, Sumner
From a Brother in Jail
By Jim Malneritch
During the holiday season those of you with email addresses were asked to pray for and send notes and cards to a friend of mine in jail. He responded with a letter meant for all the SacraMentors who wrote to him and I am passing it on to you here. I have included Eric’s address in case you would like to drop him another note or if those of you who haven’t written Eric would like to I sure he would appreciate it.
Dear SacraMentors:
Thank you for the Christmas cards and also for your prayers and thoughts. I know that no matter how I sometimes feel being in this situation, because of each of you I am never alone. I can’t help but look to God, even though sometimes it’s just to ask why. Why am I in this situation and in this institution? It gets difficult to maintain hope in these surroundings. It is a much different life with its own set of rules. But because of family and friends such as each of you, I can’t let go of hope and faith. Each of you has touched me in ways that allows me hope and have self-respect. I am blessed in so many ways. I thank God for all of them, and each of you. Thank you all for supporting me and the prayers.
May God Bless each of you.
Eric Westman
782266 AG01
Clallam Bay Correction Center
1830 Eaglecrest Way
Clallam Bay, WA 98326
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