Announcements: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Our Most Recent Visitor: Below Joel Davidson takes a picture of the Reynolds family. (back from left to right) Mark, Hugh, Joan, Anthony and dog. Walter is in the front row. Both Anthony and Walter are altar servers at Holy Rosary. Joan home schools all three boys.

Our Next Visitor: Father Tom Lilly is expected to arrive in Dillingham Friday, the 10th of December. Father Tom and I went to the seminary in Mount Angel together and he has never been to Bristol Bay. He plans to spend a few days here flying around the Great Alaskan Bush and visiting all of you.

First Communion: I would like to start meeting with those who would like to receive First Communion. Let us plan on next week after Mass for the first meeting. All those interested please mark your calendars. We will plan to actually have those receive First Communion sometime in September.

Gospel: (Please see Homily Below) The first line in the Gospel this coming Sunday is, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” How are you preparing for your retirement? Have you ever thought about investing in the stock market? How about investing in God Stock? God Stock is much more lucrative than the financial markets.

My Evaluation and Vacation: After spending five years in the Alaskan Bush, I have asked the Archdiocese to pay for a thorough evaluation of myself. They accepted and offered to pay. I will be gone three weeks in August. The first week I will spend in DC getting the evaluation. The evaluation consists of a physical examination, clinical interview, psychosocial history interview, spiritual assessment, Psychological evaluation, and Neuropsychological evaluation. It will end with an evaluation feedback session. After, as I do every year, I will spend two weeks at Carolina Beach with Eric and his wife. Eric is the guy who introduced me to the Catholic faith. I will leave August 5th and return to Dillingham August 27. Mass or Communion Service will go on as usual.

Prayers: Please pray for Josh Ingram’s fast recovery. Josh is an altar server at Holy Rosary. He fell off the back of a four-wheeler and cracked his head open. He seems to be stable and doctors think he will recover. He was Medi-vacked out of Dillingham on Saturday to the Alaska Native Hospital in Anchorage.

Have a great week and please also PRAY FOR SOME SUNSHINE! Fr. Scott

HOMILY for the 18th Ord C 114 DLG 2010, Luke 12: 13-21

What I have here is a paper that says I own stock in Global Telecom Inc. It is for my retirement. Ever thought about investing in the stock market?

Stocks in general can be risky. The price of stock depends on the stability of the company, how innovative the manager is, and how good the product is: the better the company, the better the stock. The better the stock, the more valuable it becomes.

As Christians, it is important that we try to make some good investments for our retirement. Having a retirement account helps us to continue God’s work after we stop collecting that monthly paycheck. Stocks are not for everyone. Other great retirement options are mutual funds, real estate, and annuities.

Here are some other pieces of paper: Alter Server, Reader, and Confirmation certificates. Notice I put them in protective covers. I feel these are much more valuable than these stock certificates.

These certificates I received from the Catholic Church show my investment in God. When I invest in the stock market I receive certain benefits. I get dividends. I get more money when the stock increases. I receive some long and short-term capital gains…all help to increase my retirement account. But there is risk.

When I invest in God there are numerous benefits without risk. By investing in God I receive forgiveness of sins, peace, and hope. As for long-term capitol gains…how about eternal life!

Although there is no risk when investing in God, there is a price. The price of God Stock is to love thy neighbor, attend Sunday Mass, forgive others, and obey the 10 commandments.

The price might seem a little high now. But how much do you think God Stock will cost on Judgment day. The more we invest in God, the richer our lives will be, the more peace we will find, and the closer we will be to perfect happiness.

And believe me; our investment in God can increase. It increases when we pray for others, donate our time, talent, and money to a charitable cause, and make good choices based the moral teachings in the bible.

We will always be rich if we trust and invest in what is above. Put another way, if you desire to be truly rich, store up treasure in heaven.

One thing we should all take a good look at is what we have invested in. All of us have invested in possessions. Here is what God is calling us to do with them:

Be good stewards. Use what we have to honor and glorify God. Here are just a few examples: (1) create a relaxing, tasteful home. Use this home to invite others to come over. Show them Christian Love and share the Gospel. (2) Use wealth to buy more time instead of things, in order to serve God and others in some voluntary way. (3) Here is a tough one, go through all of your possessions, thank God for every one of them, and then offer them back to God. This may make us feel we should dispose of something. We may be called to use it in a different way.

Whatever happens, you will be richer in spirit as a result (539 Words).

Luke 12: 13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

Ecclesiastes 1: 2; 2: 21-23
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! For here is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and to another, who has not labored over it, he must leave his property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.

Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and un-circumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Announcements: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few annoncements:

Gospel: Below is a copy of the homily for this coming Sunday. The Gospel is about a very short speech that changed the world. The length of the speech is 38 words. Long is not always good. It takes more time and thought to write a short, focused speech with a clear and memorable message that people remember. It is not that difficult to ramble on for fifteen or twenty minutes about everything and anything. By the way, the Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was only 250 words and it changed the history of the United States.

Visitor: The editor of the Catholic Anchor, Joel Davidson, will be at Mass this Sunday. We have a few trips planned, i.e. Ugashik, Koliganek, Clarks Point, Ekuk, and King Salmon. Depending on the weather, we hope to get to at least a couple of these villages.

Potluck: This Sunday is Potluck Sunday. Please bring your favorite dish and visit with the Editor of the Catholic Anchor, Joel Davidson.

AMEN: Amen means, “It is True.” When we go up for communion and say Amen, we are acknowledging that the bread has actually changed to the Body of Christ. Let us start saying Amen with meaning, after all, “IT IS TRUE!”

Have a fantastic week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott

17th Ord C DLG 2010, Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13

Homily: Short Speeches

One of the family heirlooms that has been past down from generation to generation to me is an old Rocking Chair. As the story goes my great great-great-great grandpa Shirtcliff was good friends with Abraham Lincoln. That’s right, THE Abe Lincoln. Occasionally Lincoln would visit Great Grandpa Shirtcliff. And guess where his favorite seat was? It was in my old rocking chair.

Lincoln was known for his short, 250 word Gettysburg address. The man before Lincoln spoke over an hour. Today, no one remembers that hour long speech. By contrast, Lincolns two and one half minute speech changed the history of the United States and the mentality of the Western world.

As far as preaching goes, I believe that no matter how good a speaker you are a homily during mass should not be over about seven or eight minutes. I shoot for about 550 words or five minutes.

There is another speech that was only 38 words. I suspect that the impact it had on the world will never be matched, ever. That speech is called the Our Father, or Lord’s Prayer. Jesus spoke it to his disciples to teach them how to pray.

Those 38 words give us a road map to live by. They unite us as one body of Christ. Luke’s Gospel, written fifty years after the death of Jesus, contains six major themes. Most of those themes are contained in the Lord’s Prayer. They are prayer, hospitality, compassion, forgiveness, the common life, and care for the outsider.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer it is like logging on to the internet. It hotwires us directly to God. The Lord’s Prayer connects us to God. Through this connection we develop our relationship with God and learn to communicate with Him. Do you know what it means to “live as a person of faith?” It means to be connected to Jesus, communicate, and develop a relationship with God. We do that, and we live as people of faith.

The greatest thing about the Lord’s Prayer is that it is the only time Jesus actually taught us how to pray. It came directly from him.

One effective way to combat sin and temptation in our lives is to recite the Our Father. Try making that first thought into your mind in the morning…and the last thought at night…the Our Father. When bad thoughts enter your mind…try interrupting it with that beautiful prayer that Jesus Gave us…It works.

The Our Father is the one prayer that our Lord Jesus gave us and instructed us to pray. Reciting it on a regular bases, really listening to it, and trying to abide by it in our daily lives, makes us a holier people (452 Words).

Readings for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Genesis 18:20-32
Then the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham. Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "if I find forty-five there." But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty." Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there." Still he went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "for the sake of the twenty." But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?" "For the sake of those ten," he replied, "I will not destroy it."

Colossians 2:12-14
You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead (in) transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross;

Luke 11:1-13
He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask hi

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth (250 Words)

Announcements: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are a few announcements:

Kiera Katarena Tretikoff gets Confirmed: Kiera was Confirmed into the Catholic Church on Sunday, July 11, 2010. Her Uncle Carl (Bill) flew in from Anchorage. He was her sponsor. Carl is recovering from an airplane accident he had last year. Kiera is ten years old and donated her time to the school district to help younger children learn how to swim.

Kiera, Fr. Scott, and Uncle Bill.





Moose Finally Spotted: I have seen moose tracks all over Holy Rosary but was never able to spot the moose. Finally I saw it July 12, 2010.


Thanx Aileen: After Kiera’s confirmation I had to wait for the 400-500 foot ceiling to raise before I could take off from King Salmon. It did not raise in time so once again Aileen Walsh was called from the bench to celebrate a communion service. Thank you very much Aileen!

Gospel: Benedictine Monks are known for their hospitality. The readings today ask us to be hospitable to others. It is a way to love our neighbor. How have you been hospitable to others this past week? How can you be more hospitable in the weeks to come?

Editor to Arrive late: Editor of the Catholic Anchor postponed his trip to Holy Rosary Mission until Friday, July 23rd. He will be here for Sunday Mass that weekend, weather permitting. Also, that is a potluck Sunday.

Potluck: Our next potluck will be Sunday, July25, 2010. Please bring your favorite dish and welcome the Editor of the Catholic Anchor, Joel Davidson.

Youth Group form Anchorage: Thank you to all who helped the youth feel at home here in Dillingham this last week. I am in the process of making a Blog that I should have posted in the next couple of days. When you drive by the Library, please pray for Grass!

Thank you: Thank you to Seminarian Arthur Roraff for helping me with the youth group. He was a tremendous help to me and made my job much easier. He did a great job connecting with the youth!

Have a wonderful week and see you Sunday…Fr. Scott

Announcements: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Holy Rosary Mission Parishioners, here are few announcements:

Youth Visit: The following is an updated schedule for the youth retreat. All are welcome to join us for any and all events. If you cannot make the potluck please bring a dish on Thursday and leave it on the table in the basement of the church. The church will be open.

Holy Rosary Youth Schedule of Events, July 2010
UPDATED July 5, 2010

Monday, July 5th
1. Youth arrive 9:45 and 1:00 on Penair flight, load gear in truck, walk to Holy Rosary
2. Two Vans from Beaver Bed and Breakfast, Susan, 842-7335
3. Fr. Scott Briefing I, Bush Living
4. Set up basement of church and basement of rectory
5. Dillingham tour
6. Dinner, Holy Rosary
7. Pick up Rota tillers: Vic Belleque and Ron Bowers: (907) 528-3711

Tuesday, July 6th
1. Breakfast
2. Adoration: 8:30
3. 9:00 AM Morning Mass at Holy Rosary
4. Community Service: Rota till front of Dillingham Library, fertilize, plant grass, Janice
5. Call Hank for cones: 843-1336
6. 5:00, Dinner, Holy Rosary

Wednesday, July 7th
1. Breakfast
2. 8:30, Adoration before Travel
3. Fr. Scott Briefing II – Flying with VanAir
4. 9:30 AM Visit to Clarks Point and Ekuk (Kara Ingram)
5. 11:30 AM Mass at Saint Peter Fisherman
6. Lunch at Clarks Point
7. Call and confirm Gramma’s (842-4600), Sr. Center (842-1231)
8. 5:00, Dinner, Holy Rosary
9. Dance Lessons: 6 PM to 8 PM, SAFE

Thursday, July 8th
1. 8:30 AM Adoration
2. 10:00 AM Sr. Center, Mass 11:00 AM , Lunch at noon ($4.50 per person)
3. 2:00 to 3:00, Grammas’ House visit, skit, singing, music.
4. 3:30 to 5:30, Peter Pan tour (Sherry, 842-5415)
5. 6:00 PM Pot Luck by Holy Rosary parishioners at basement of Holy Rosary
6. Bon Fire at Harbor following potluck

Friday, July 9th
1. Breakfast
2. 8:00 AM: Confessions at Holy Rosary
3. 9:00 AM Drive out to Lake, 21 Miles, Mountain climb, Fish.
4. 10:00 AM Outdoor Mass at the Lake
5. Check in at Airport, Youth depart at 1:30 and 5:30 PM flights

Arriving: July 5, 2010, 9:45 and 1PM
Departing: July 9, 2010, 1:30 and 5:35 (only 2 on the later flight)

Gospel: The story of the Good Samaritan is a story that touches us all. We have all been faced with the choice to help another or not. Do we give money to a person who has been drinking? Do we pick up a hitchhiker? Do we give a people money when they ask for it? These are questions that I have struggled with all of my life. The Gospel helps to tell us what to do. Stay tuned this Sunday!

Have a wonderful day and hope to see you all this week during the youth retreat…Fr. Scott