Maria Sharan and the Salesian Sisters

MARIA SHARAN
For years I have been privileged to witness the great work done by the Salesian Sisters at Maria Sharan in India. The Orphanage and Girls' Shelter which I regularly visit has Sisters dedicatedly caring for 50 girls between the ages of 7 and 18. The last time I visited we had a great day of celebration. In India, hospitality is the keyword, and the children and I love to see each other and catch up on how they have been doing in school and in their lives. I had brought sparkling bangles from Ireland, and together with clips and pretty hair accessories, the girls had great fun getting their little gift from the people in Ireland.

There was so much news! Successful school graduations, completion of post-graduation courses; work received in good jobs. Truly a tribute to the care of the Sisters. The children call me 'Didi', which is an affectionate name for 'older sister'. They have somehow adopted me as extended family, as they know how keenly we at Lumiere Charity are interested in their welfare and their prospects for a brighter future.

ETHOS
Lumiere's main ethos is that education is the key for a better future. We have been helping street children, orphans and homeless since 2004 to secure education, and get jobs and places to live. We do this by fundraising for education, clothing, shelter, medical expenses and all that goes into caring for children. The Sisters' care for the children is devoted and motherly, and needless to say the girls thrive. The Sisters ensure full education and care for the children, and also teach them extra-curricular activities including computer classes, art, cross stitching, crafts, painting and colouring. Tallaght Library in Dublin, Ireland, donated English books for the children which they are making great use of.  Lumiere regularly sends boxes of items for the children, and our grateful thanks go to our donors and Tallaght Library for their generous and thoughtful donations.

AGRICULTURAL PROJECT
The Sisters began an agricultural project a few years ago. This project is flourishing with well tended crops. The animals are in good health. One of the cows was delivering her calf while I was there, and the villagers were taking it in turns to sit with her throughout the night.

The covered well gives many litres of clear water a day, which provides fresh water for watering the fields and trees, and clean bathing water is purified for use by all. The many crops nourish the children and are sold by the villagers in the local markets. The villagers love working on the project, and their work and the Sisters' dedication are clear to see in the development of the Project.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?
If you would be interested in donations towards the care and education of the children, and/or towards the growth and sustenance of the vibrant agricultural project, please contact; msharan98 @yahoo.com 

Revival/Retreat in March 2012

Freely following jesus





Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship (UUCF) is holding a Revival/Retreat March 22nd - 25th, 2012;

Welcoming the Feminine in Christianity

Many Voices, Many Verses

 Click on the link for the UUCF website, then click on the Revival Brochure for information and in order to register. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kzvsopdab&et=1109298925366&s=483&e=001Mi96beqX3j0qCnAL79xpz1NH445MpyPNF55iXb_1aGYLgg0IhVdAgHzIdDnE3X6F63mzd6TKcAJWP0yzLHs1i1GJpQX5OViDQNpP5tfRzDjdllhEIyaewccFBBKo6DiJ0iSJgmVK7bcr0DC0XTJm0J-nFg6BKHhrHarPWwFKgFWjmcNY_mxVsXHZRK31g_lG-88VVStQTU98njT-izNBFmDtNIvnj5ADZxcQg8XT4gVqoHhvlhlndFVRLXV_KhSWQfaszYYwDcP8pdnycYqKKRWDL_m-krNi]
Check in at the event page
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kzvsopdab&et=1109298925366&s=483&e=001Mi96beqX3j2e0uiVcCGBitYrJCWTW07YVcUEoFNtA2pB4bI_QCpmj00kGs-3k4LO36Za_c8i4f26win-RUtRbYXX3RMV3bK0LCaslLHOaMUCmBcdxLwEQIvsRPwLJNN_9muA3zDGZBjrO92mhiMI2Q==]
on Facebook for Revival information.
February 20th is the deadline for the Early Discount Rate. March 1st is the deadline for getting in on special discounted low rate at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn. March 9th is the deadline for registering and receiving meals. UUCF offer two lunches and a buffet dinner at the church as part of the Revival experience and fee.


Register [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kzvsopdab&et=1109298925366&s=483&e=001Mi96beqX3j1VXZD4eZcI5WBD5lox6bP6ncSI8SpGBqyXmHnJyOA5z1dGiktexljurvpQf0LP7KE-6XT87_ojzlxWWBffSYrEFeK9G7yoagGxihAjc2nlV1a67l0T0uNFnUMX9BEzygNL6ne6P9idVDPfx98t4Px6MW9240e1ZmnM5Lq24UfyEalj_ti1aB6poO6XBborOGeRVWGw85KDgFxD8LpjTXeUreaZdRMmMWpiM3O0KZvonymT1_axLAZczdd7rFS8LUwjqPaxEO4Lawd5RZhu8xeXyBudrsQWQyjpb2TriV56VPKYOY7cOY5O9AhHHz7siiCA3Tj7Wzz0T5AJZ0-7HjFHlzUql7WNaf2w0qp38BAbiFzOwmX7u668]
for Revival for full time, single day, or single event.
* Scholarship help is available thanks to generous donors. Please contact Rev. Ron Robinson [mailto:executivedirector@uuchristian.org?subject=Revival%20Scholarship]
(executivedirector@uuchristian.org). Please consider adding a donation [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=kzvsopdab&et=1109298925366&s=483&e=001Mi96beqX3j39tZDvlir-nqHR1H_m19iavx_eAAd65Gs42ohQnWiq4VbIwJLIivPtmWUOHfkzwED61g_iBFsczrX5p0uybV0JXV-SNYt6n_tffunMT3-apU4douIHY-jLhcDaAVtD2OCbv--Ub34XXGS4nvNZYMQ9gIYhrAh8GQcSFRX03AH3KljaS7Ellfc9-zCDmo39NZNcerPZ4cHTDCVn9h3qAmTEKifxbbfgi6WUmLaiRhwvmXzttRqEeUlICflyJ6p1nf9kCrCl-K8-yFyq4eFf1atW2yrOD-P0HlMO3wVvpw0LRA==]
for scholarships which go especially to seminarians, young
adults, and those on fixed incomes.

The art of spreading smiles

Catherine Nicolette;
It was in Port Elizabeth, and Mom had come to visit me. It was not often we could get together, as the demands of my spiritual ministry were all encompassing and as a result, I often spent little time with my beloved family. However, today was a free day, we were both together, and had decided we would go down to the wonderful Port Elizabeth beaches to enjoy the scenery and seascape there. On the way, we both discovered we were hungry, as neither of us had yet had breakfast. A beach restaurant was just opening its doors, and we were the first customers. Mom was going  to treat me, no surprise as I was constantly broke. We were just about to sit down at the outside wooden tables and chairs, when Mom said, 'Wait!' and shot off down the stairs like a twenty year old. Startled, I looked where she was going. In the distance Mom had spotted a little lad who had ragged clothing. She chatted to him for a while in her inimitable Dutch way, and then escorted him back up the stairs with her. 'He's  honouring our family get together with his presence today,' Mom announced joyously. The lad sat at the table, and Mom ordered a full South African breakfast for three. When we left, the young lad was still tucking in to a second round of food Mom had ordered and paid for.

As we left, the young lad looked up at us and gave me the widest and happiest smile I have ever seen. He was thrilled, and enjoying a brilliant meal. Mom chuckled and told him, 'Enjoy your day.' She left beaming; he stayed beaming; and I have never seen him since. I was very thoughtful.

As we were walking up and down the serene beaches, our sandals leaving prints on the pearl grey sand, I asked Mom; 'Why did you do that?' Startled, she asked, 'Do what?' 'Pay for that lad's breakfast?' I asked. 'Oh,' Mom answered, 'I always do that. If I see someone that's hungry, I get them a meal. I also give them a smile, and chat with them. I lived through the war as a small child, and was always hungry. I realised after those days, that if someone is hungry, they can't enjoy their day. So it is my privilege to spread a little of the blessings God has sent my way with somebody else. At the end of the war, some of the GI's gave us food and chocolate; I've never forgotten how good it was to get those gifts from someone else's generosity and goodness. And now I try to spread that goodness to others.'

I have never forgotten that smile that beamed across that young lad's face. In that moment he was not disadvantaged, dressed in ragged clothes, or battling against the challenges that life had brought him. In that moment, through my Mom's sharing of what she had and her smile and maternal cheerfulness, he was A King. A king enjoying a wonderful meal, and basking in the smile of a motherly lady who really cared. And really, it was a beautiful picture. I realised that what I had always taken for granted, a mother's love and caring, had been a great gift to a young, lonely and disadvantaged lad. And I resolved to do the same.

Many is the meal I have given, the smile I have shared, and the kind word I have tried to give after learning from my mother's example. In the spirit of Lumiere, please consider giving a meal to someone you notice who is struggling in your area; share a smile and a kind word with them. Who knows what emotional healing a small act of kindness can given. In other words, reader, let us all enjoy practising ... the art of spreading smiles.

Enjoy your day!

Photograph was taken by Rev. Catherine in Maharashtra, India. The nature there is exquisite ... please feel free to use the picture copyright free for any educational or spiritual purpose.

Lumiere Charity remembers Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro

Dear Readers,

Lumiere Charity remembers those who have died in freezing temperatures, including many homeless. Our thoughts and prayers are with all in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro at this time. A lit candle has been burning as remembrance for all who have died, or who are suffering from the extreme weather conditions. In the spirit of Lumiere, if there is any way in which you can help, please extend a helping hand.

Module 8 - Celebration of Marriage Service

Good Shepherd Church Seminary

Module 8

The Sacred Rites
Celebration of Marriage Service

Objectives; by the end of this Module you should;

1. Have an understanding of the spirituality of the Marriage Service, and 
    the sacred nature of the rite
2. Be able to conduct a marriage service
3. Know where to find resources as priest for the celebration of the
    Marriage Service

CONTENTS;
1.  The Sacred Rite of Marriage
2.  A Natural Institution
3.  Who does the Marrying?
4.  The importance of Marriage
5.  The importance of Monogamy
6.  The venue for the Sacred Rite
7.  The engagement
8.  The ceremony of Marriage
9.  Marriage is a Sacred Rite
10. Differences in Temperament
11. How to conduct a Wedding Ceremony as Priest

1. THE SACRED RITE OF MARRIAGE;
As priests, we are called on to solemnise the journey together of two people in a lifelong commitment to love, support and cherish each other. Children born from the marriage will be brought up in stability to learn lessons of love and family caring from their parents and each other. The third partner in each marriage is God the Creator, who blesses the love and union of the two partners. The partners will bring their children up to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and to learn the lessons of the Gospels from their personal examples, teaching and guidance. These are the lessons of love and caring; love and worship of God; respect for life and property of themselves and others;  truthfulness; respect for the bonds of marriage.

2. A NATURAL INSTITUTION
Marriage is a practice common to all cultures in all ages. It is thus a natural institution, a practice common to all humanity. In its most ideal form, marriage is meant to be a lifelong union of love, mutual sharing and trust; a relationship of safety and loving acceptance, which proves a rock to each partner in each of the little storms that mark life on earth.

Marriage by its nature is an exclusive contract made in public as a sign of commitment by both partners. Jesus attended weddings and enjoyed the festivities as He witnessed the public commitment of two people to one another. He blessed the married couple at Cana with His first public miracle at the encouragement of His mother Mary (John 2;11). Jesus also affirmed that a marriage bond is a sacred bond which should be respected by all, affirming that God Himself blesses the union of two people who declare their intent to show love and respect for each other in union;  Jesus said, 'Have you not read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female, and that he said; This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh? They are no longer two, therefore, but one flesh. So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide.' (Matthew 19;4 - 6).

3. WHO DOES THE MARRYING?
The two partners perform the marriage rite because their pledge for a lifelong committed relationship forms the marriage contract itself. The priest or person performing the rite is the witness to this marriage contract. The priest is the representative of the blessing of God's grace on the union. So therefore matrimony is a holy rite, officiated in Christian churches by a priest, of uniting two partners. There is a legal aspect to the public marriage rite. Find out what the rulings for an officiant or celebrant of a wedding is in your area, and follow the same. You may need to undergo training as a marriage registrar which would give you the legal right to officiate at weddings in your area.

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE
God Himself in the early witness of the Bible affirmed in inspired teaching that 'It is not good that man should be alone.' (Genesis 2;18). Woman was thereafter created as companion. Thus  men and women had loving companions to help them through the natural stresses and strains of daily life, and lifelong friends in marriage. The union of marriage was also blessed by the c0-creation of children to form families, a bedrock of stability in an ever changing world. In the ideal state, families form loving relationships of stability and strength, supporting each other in difficult circumstances at all times.

5. THE IMPORTANCE OF MONOGAMY
Christianity affirms that monogamy is important. In practical terms, the anguish in emotional terms caused to one partner when another partner is not monogamous, together with the possibility of health risk is strong argument for this basic understanding. The understanding refers back to the ten basic rules for ideal human behaviour as given by God the Creator to Moses the great Prophet;
'You shall not commit adultery.' (Exodus 20; 14).

6. THE VENUE FOR THE SACRED RITE
The sacred rite of marriage is popularly celebrated in a church or chapel. The church/chapel is a house of God, and symbolises the invitation of the couple to God to bless their union in a special way. God is thus honoured in their eyes through their commitment to each other.

7. THE ENGAGEMENT
It is a sensible practice for the two partners to have a time of getting to know each other before undertaking the step of marriage. This time is called engagement; formerly this time could also be called the betrothal. This is a good time to explore the other's thoughts, core values and ideas about marriage.

8. THE CEREMONY OF MARRIAGE
As a priest, you will have the honour of celebrating the ceremony where the two partners declare their intention to form a lifelong union in marriage. Appropriate dress for the wedding ceremony as priest is worn, such as a minister's robe, and a wedding stole. Different stoles may be suitable; one often chosen is a white stole with gold embroidery.

The church or place of marriage will be clean and prepared for the wedding and wedding guests. Flowers may have been placed there beforehand as a symbol of the celebratory aspect of the rite. The partners will have organised wedding rings which will form a part of the rite, when they put a ring on each other's hand as a symbol of their contract newly made. Music, songs and hymns can form part of the wedding ceremony.

A reading from the Gospels is a fitting way to remind the two partners of the sacred nature of the contract they are undertaking, such as the reading from St. Matthew (19; 1 - 6). The Bible is usually in a place of honour at a Christian marriage rite.

A lovely symbol at a wedding is to have a large white candle (popularly known as the Easter candle) symbolising Jesus Christ on the altar in the church. The two partners can light the candle from two tapers which they hold. This symbolises that their individual lives have both lit and merged in commitment of union with each other in Jesus Christ. This action is also a reminder to the couple that a loving couple should glorify Jesus Christ in all they do, manifesting His greatness to others. The Lord's Prayer is always prayed at a Christian wedding rite.

9. MARRIAGE IS A SACRED RITE
A sacred rite is a visible sign of an invisible reality. Matrimony is a sacred rite, and as such it is a sign to all of the invisible God living in our midst - the living God Who bears fruit in the lives of two people. A loving couple is a continual sign of His Power in our communities. There is special grace and power within every couple God has joined together. Everything they do individually or together, is living out the sacred nature of their marriage. The normal actions of marriage - such as cleaning the house, going to work, planning the budget together to run their household or assist each other and children- have power hidden within them to make them holy. Married life is the ground of becoming whole, of learning holiness - being whole in God. Love is the seed planted by God in the ground of the marriage. Life together with all its ups and downs for the married couple act as growth for the young marriage which has been blessed by God.

10. DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERAMENT
Differences in temperament are often a factor in a marriage. Temperaments can cause clashes within a marriage; yet it is these very differences and learning how to deal with them that cause growth in maturity and mutual harmony in each partner. God blesses the partners who reach out to Him in prayer in dealing with each new challenge a marriage can bring.  In the life of every married couples, there should be a continual building of the sacred rite. Since a sacred rite brings God's Presence to us in a special way, God's Presence in their sacred rite of marriage should be an ongoing living experience. The couple should ideally place themselves before God in a daily encounter of love and need. Praying together as a couple at least once or twice a day before God is a great support in a marriage.

Marriage is a living sacred rite, and should be looked upon by each partner with a sense of devotion for each other and the sacred rite. The priest is there to counsel and assist when a partner or the partners run into a difficulty in their marriage. Therefore training and a qualification in pastoral counselling is important for a good priest to have.

11. HOW TO CONDUCT A WEDDING CEREMONY AS PRIEST
BOOKS BY REV. AMY E. LONG
Different books which can be easily purchased from reputable Church bookstores give good Wedding Ceremonies which the priest can use to conduct the ceremony. A marvellous book to help the planning of a wedding ceremony is 'The Ultimate Wedding & Ceremony Workbook For the Planning-Impaired' by Rev. Amy E. Long. This book contains a step by step plan for weddings and ceremonies for the priest and can be ordered - along with ministerial needs such as stoles, from www.ulcseminary.org
Rev. Amy's book 'Weddings, Funerals and Rites of Passage - Sample Ceremonies for Celebrants, Officiants and Ministers' provide training on weddings. This book can also be ordered from www.ulcseminary.org
There are also courses for the priest in the seminary in which you can enrol if wished. Reverend Amy Long has a video on Youtube for Ministerial wedding training, under the title;
ULC Minister Wedding Training - United Life Church
This offers guidance for the priest in how to conduct a wedding, and is especially helpful for your first wedding ceremony as officiant.

Photograph was taken by Rev. Catherine. Please feel free to use copyright free for any Christian, educational or spiritual purpose.

The fax and Seventeen cents

I was newly arrived in the country and stood in a queue at the Internet cafe. In front of me a woman with two children and a baby on her shoulder, all impeccably clean and dressed but looking hungry, were standing. When they got to the top of the queue, the woman placed a fax on the counter for an African country. She gave what were obviously her last few cents to the young clerk behind the counter. He counted the cents patiently, and then told her she was short. The woman explained to him quietly that there had been a tragedy in the family, and the breadwinner had passed away. She was contacting her family in Africa to ask them to send some funds on to her, so they could survive until she managed to get a job. The clerk told her that the money for the fax was short seventeen cents, so he could not send the fax. People shifted uncomfortably in the shop as the woman refused to give up her place in the queue, pleading with the clerk to send the fax. She promised to bring back the shortfall once funds came. The clerk told her, 'I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't send the fax. You are short of funds.' The woman began to cry, tears of despair streaming down her face. 'But if you don't, what is to become of me and my children? How will they eat?'

The young lad was at a loss, and said to her,'But how can I do this for you? If I sent a fax for everyone who was not able to pay, the shop would eventually have to close.' The woman was near breaking point at this time, and the young clerk as well. I stepped forward and offered to send the fax myself on the lady's behalf. She just looked at me, unable to speak. The childrens' huge eyes looked up at me, where they were sheltering behind her skirt. I sent off the fax, and met the lady outside and gave her sufficient funds to tide her over until the money came. She asked me for my address so that she could repay me. I told her not to worry. What she could do instead would be to go ahead and get work. Once she was employed and had money over she could then help someone else in financial need. The payment she could ask from them would be to do the same when their time of financial difficulty was over. The woman nodded slowly, closed the work roughened palm of her hand over mine, and just held my hand for a long time looking deep into my eyes. 'My children will eat today because of you,' she said. And then she went off. I have never seen her again.

Providence surely meant for us to meet that day. I had recently been in deep financial straits myself, being in a new country with all the financial drain on resources that entails. I had been financially assisted by my uncle and aunt, and by a friend from Africa when I was really struggling. And now I was passing on the candle. My dad taught me to do this when I was a child. His idea was that each person is a candle, lit from the great candle of God. Sometimes our light goes out, and we are trembling and vulnerable in a dark corner, needing help to be relit. It is up to another of us to pass on the light from our own little candle which the great God has lit from the Easter candle. And so it goes on.  A rainbow of blessings will light up the world as we pass on the goodness we have received from God to each other. And who knows where it will end...

In the spirit of Lumiere, please keep an eye out for someone who may be in need of our help today in some small or large way. I cannot count the times someone has gone out of their way to help me, such as fixing my car for free in freezing snow; paying for my food when I ran out of change at a supermarket; paying for my meal when I had been eating out locally and arrived at the paypoint to find someone had quietly offered to pay my meal as well as theirs before departing. Our local garage has a small bowl at each cashpoint where customers and staff sometimes donate some money. This is used by customers when they are near the end of the month and short of cash. On three occasions that little bowl really saved me, helping to pay for my petrol and keep mobile in order to enable me to get to work until my salary came in. It is a great joy to me now to pop in some cash every now and then, knowing the thrill it gave me the first time the staff behind the desk paid for my petrol.

And the payment? Just pass it on when you can...

Photograph taken by Rev. Catherine in Ireland. Please feel free to use copyright free for any Christian, educational or spiritual purpose.

English and the Tea Man

The young man walked through the train carriages with a large urn of tea, calling out his wares, stopping to fill cups and take in the few cents he made from his employment. My friend who was with me nudged my arm and said, 'Do you see that man? Well, only yesterday a group of the tea men came to see me, and to ask for help with education. And do you know what they also said?' 'No, I answered, as the dusty bowl areas of the outlying villages flashed past the train windows. 'Well,' said my friend, settling more comfortably in the seat, 'They said they felt the greatest lack they had was that they cannot speak English. The reason being, that in large cities almost every person can speak English; however, those who only speak village dialects are often difficult to understand in larger cities with greater employment opportunities. They feel that those who speak English often have more opportunity to apply for a better paid employment. Also, those with knowledge only of village dialect do not consider they have the opportunity to travel or to apply for a visa, because how would they be understood in another area? However, English speakers often find employment in another area.'

I was fascinated to hear this. My friend finished with,'The men said to me, we were born tea men; we live as tea men, and we will die as tea men. As did our fathers before us. But what if we want something more? Are we not men, and as such allowed to plan for a life that is better for ourselves, and that we will not condemn our children to the same? Can you not ask someone to help us with English? We do not have the money to pay for lessons, but what are we to do?  ' And my friend opened up the newspaper with the final words, 'Is there anything you can do?' And Lumiere Academy of English was born.

Since that time  Lumiere English Academy has offered a free educational service in order to provide assistance in learning English, and thus to increase work opportunity. Our Academy offers services in the following fields;
- Sponsorship of free education in English for children and disadvantaged
- Establishing and ongoing support of village libraries, also in shanty towns, squatter camps and slum areas
- English Educational Empowerment Projects
- Provision of donations of English books, globes, stationery, paper, school books, educational DVD's to children and
  disadvantaged in shanty towns, squatter camps, outlying villages, poor and disadvantaged areas
- Assistance in resources and ongoing education of English teachers for disadvantaged areas
- Online computer classes to disadvantaged areas
- DVD's of English songs and classes sent to disadvantaged areas
- Liaison with English teachers, principals and social workers

However, our efforts are only a drop in the huge ocean of need. So many people are hampered by illiteracy, and lack of good English skills. I have travelled in many countries, and realise that English is not the only language in need. Excellent German language skills, the Dutch language, French and Russian, Afrikaans and Sotho, Xhosa, Zulu, Italian, Hindi and Mahrahti are some of the languages spoken today in our global village among many others. Perhaps Providence is guiding you to read these words; in the spirit of Lumiere, would you consider sponsoring someone in your area in either language or literacy lessons, especially someone who is in need? And once that person has been assisted by your generosity to better work opportunity which will enrich both his/her lives and those of their families, surely society as a whole will be uplifted because each person who is able to receive educational opportunity will be able to fulfil their greatest potential in society. This will lead to greater personal upliftement, and thus  in time, upliftment of society by individual and family excellence. And what greater word will we be able to hear than that same word which time immemorial has greeted the gift of needed education; Thank you (English), Dankie (Afrikaans), Dank u (Dutch), Obrigado (Portuguese), Merci (French), Danke (German), Gracias (Spanish), Grazie (Italian) - and the same greeting in all the other lovely languages of this wonderful world of ours.