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ePISTLE

A Weekly e-Newsletter for the WTU Community

April 25, 2010

Reflections on our Daily Readings
This week we continue our series of reflections on our daily readings from the School Sisters of Notre Dame website.

Sunday, April 25, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 13: 14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelation 7: 9, 14-17; John 10: 27-30

When, how do you experience union with God, with Christ, the Spirit, the community? How will you respond to those memories? What has opened you over the years to “all of you,” “all are one in Christ”? Where do you still need and/or want a deeper union? Talk to the Shepherd about your desire, and his: that all may be one. please Click here

Homily Helper
Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 2nd
John 13:31-33a, 34-35

The word "glory" appears about 375 times in the Old Testament and about 175 times in the New. The key to grasping its elusive meaning is to understand that, like a sacramental sign, its purpose is to create or to deepen personal relationship. "The heavens declare the glory of God...the whole earth is full of his glory" (Ps 19:2 and Is 6:3). It is possible, however, for an individual to express deep awe in the presence of the beauty of the heavens and the earth, yet not recognize the beauty as a gift of God's glory. For its inter-personal meaning to be realized, glory (like a sacrament) must at the same time be objectively given and subjectively received. To recognize the glory of divine presence in gratitude -- now doubling the meaning of the term -- is to give glory to God. To read the rest of Demetrius Dumm O.S.B.'s reflection on this reading, please, click here

In this Issue...

• Alyce Korba's Retirement Party
• WTU Graduation
• Meet the Board of Trustees
• Please Pray For...
• Peter Henriot, SJ Discusses Africa at WTU
• WTU In The News
• WTU Student News
• This Week at WTU
• Reminders from the Academic Calendar
• An Important Announcement from the Academic Dean
• Notes from the Registrar
• Feeding the Flames of Ministry
• Job Opportunities
• Renew and Refresh Your Spirit with the Paulists
• Alumni Class Notes
• Archdiocese of Washington Young Adult Ministry
• Be Published!

Alyce Korba's Retirement Party May 4th

Our colleague and one of WTU’s long-time employees, Alyce Korba will be retiring in May. Almost 19 years have passed since Alyce began working here as a part-time secretary to the Directors of Spirituality and Word and Worship Programs. Throughout these many years, Alyce has taken on many different roles and jobs - among them, Director of Student Services, Director of Liturgy and for the last several years Assistant to the zPresident and Academic Dean and Human Resources Officer.

The Union will be hosting a reception in Alyce’s honor on May 4th at 3:00 PM in the CE Room. We hope that you will join us as we celebrate and thank Alyce for her years of service to the Union, its faculty, students and staff.  

WTU Graduation May 7th

Graduation is the highlight of the academic year and a time where the WTU community shines. Graduation Festivities begin with 11am Mass at WTU. The 2:30pm Graduation Ceremony is at Trinity Washington University's Chapel. This year Rev. James Coriden, JCD, JD is giving the graduation address. WTU will also honor Rev. John J. Burkhard, OFM Conv as a Professor Emeritus!

Graduates: You should have received a packet of invitations in the mail. Please return your RSVP's for lunch asap. You can find more information about graduation by clicking here.

Make a Joyful Noise! Please consider singing in the choir! We're looking for FORTY singers to balance with a brass quintet. Rehearsal CDs will be available, and the rehearsal schedule is remarkably flexible. Please click here to answer your most frequently asked questions and for a rehearsal schedule. You can also e-mail Rich Andre at music@wtu.edu.
This service is a traditional one given every year. Guests homilists are invited to give these reflections and have included many nationally and locallyprominent priests. All are invited to attend!

Meet the Board of Trustees: Kathleen Curtin

Kathleen Curtin is a familiar face at Washington Theological Union, both as an event attendee and through her six year tenure on the WTU Board of Trustees. A graduate of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, Kathleen discovered Washington Theological Union after participating in the EPS program at Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University). After studying Theology at the Union for four years, Kathleen became the Director of Religious Education at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington DC. A well respected spiritual director, Kathleen has a local and national reputation as a vibrant retreat leader. Together with her husband of 47 years, Michael Sr., and her eldest son Michael, Jr., Kathleen will be recognized this Sunday by the Ignatian Volunteer Corps with the Della Strada Award. This award honors “lives that reflect the Ignatian values of direct service to the poor and/or working and educating for a more just society”. The Ignatian Volunteer Corps is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that provides men and women aged 50 and over with opportunities to serve the needs of the materially poor and marginalized, to work for a more just society, and to grow deeper in the Christian faith by reflecting and praying in the Ignatian tradition. Kathleen has been involved with IVC since 2000 as a Spiritual reflector, retreat leader and member of the National Spiritual Formation committee.

Please pray for...

Genevieve Campion, John Altmiller's mother-in-law, who died Thursday evening at the age of 101.

Center of Concern brings Peter Henriot, SJ to Washington Theological Union!

On Monday, April 19th, the Director of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection in Lusaka, Zambia, Peter Henriot gave a presentation on our responsibilites to the African continent. Fr. Henriot called on the industrialized nations to consider "no growth" strategies to counter global climate changes. He also advocated small family farming as a more sustainable solution to Africa's hunger issues. Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Henriot called Africa "the spiritual 'lung' for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope. Recalling the Zambian sacred sense of Ubuntu, Fr. Henriot read an African proverb "I am because we are. We are because I am". For more information about the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection, please click here. To get involved locally, click here for the Center of Concern website.

WTU in the News! 

Patricia Parachini, SNJM, D.Min will be the final speaker for the 2009-2010 Lecture Series, "Following Jesus" at St. John the Baptist Catholic Community in Silver Spring, MD. On April 25th, as a culmination of this lecture series, Sister Pat will speak about the call of all the baptized to follow Jesus in his mission to proclaim the 'good news'. Following the talk, Pat will facilitate a process to assist those present in developing a personal plan for following Jesus .

WTU Student News!

WTU student Frederick Pratt '10, a theology teacher at Merion Mercy Academy in Pennsylvania, has been selected as a finalist for the 2010 Voices of Inspiration Award for Teaching Excellence. He will be honored for "going above and beyond the call of duty as an educator" at an awards ceremony in May.

Links

This Week at WTU

Up Coming Events:
Please click on Lecture for more details

Wednesday, May 4th, 3pm, CE Room: Goodbye Party for Alyce Korba, All are invited.

Friday, May 7th: WTU's Forty-first Graduation Mass in the Chapel at 11am, Graduation ceremony at Trinity Washington University Chapel, 2:30pm

Friday - Sunday, May 28-30: Franciscan Symposium at WTU: "Greed, Lust, and Power: Franciscan Strategies for building a More Just World."

July 12-16th: 2010 Spirituality & Health Care Summer Institute at George Washington Hospital

July 16-18: Creation as the Body of God, Albuquerque, NM. Featuring Sr. Ilia Delio and Richard Rohr.

ePISTLE is published weekly.

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