Thank you so much for your reply to me. Of course I did not find anything in your article to offend me. On the contrary I felt better after reading it. It gave me encouragement and enthusiasm.

Warren,

as usual you get to the heart of things with insight and clarity. The fault with our Community is that we are too comfortable with each other. We have been meeting for about twenty years and we are at ease together. At times rather than having a meeting with Mass, sharings and hymns we got out for a drink or have a party. Every birthday is celebrated.

When we started off the idea was we would invite new members, then as numbers grew we would split into two groups and hence evangelize. That never happened.

I note in your post “now that I am too crippled to get to Mass”. I am very sorry to hear this. I had not realized you were so incapacitated.

Would you ever consider contributing to “Faith and Life” more frequently?

I’m so happy you liked my article. I, too, get wearisome from the constant barrage of bad news.

My apologies if my use of the word bijeebers offended you – or anyone else. It’s a made-up term I’ve heard (and used) since my childhood without ever having linked it to anything blasphemous or inappropriate. I meant no insult.

Thanks for tuning in to Catholic Exchange!
Many blessings,
Marge

The author has her husband as direct reminder of the spiritual refreshment of their long learning weekend. Noelfitz and his wife are recognized among their small ‘Community’ as part of their unity of unities.

In my years after Sharon died, I myself had to be VERY busy being father, worker, housekeeper, cook, worrier over sitters for my daughter after school, etc. Social life, of faith or just human society, was off-schedule. Some Sundays I just could not get up energy to get ready and go to Mass. Others simply dropping off a casserole would have been a blessing too gratifying to be expressed without gratified tears. Yet – no one – widowhood is verily the ‘non-vocation’.

I complained before I was ever widowed that the Church in its complacent parishes had little room for even childless couples. The bulk of activities, etc., were based on family, such as school activites. Singles of every type – unmarried, confirmed bachelors, widowed – have no effective ‘time and space’ of ministry worth memntioning – at least, not in the very Catholic Chicago Archdiocese. Oh, now that I am too crippled to get to Mass, a minister delivers Sunday Communion. But, do you think my pastor has his secretary call the homebound about scheduling agreeable and cheering at-home visits, with Confessions and Communion?

And, having gone to parish functions before, I am amazed how other lone Catholic adults seem to prefer to be left alone – as if another ‘single’ is some kind of veiled threat. The various ‘clubs’ seem to be little more than gossip reviews and next-casino-trip preparations, with no apparent ministerial goals or functions. Bible study was but a chat-fest. Once, I even found myself being subtly chastised for mentioning Catholic Exchange and EWTN online! Now, what would THAT be about?

In part, it is not having my wife find the very few with whom we could find common ground. Such as if to punctuate how ‘un-fitting’ the widowed are – except with God.

There is enough bad news, so I do not really need to be reminded of my failings and those of others.

I am also in a little group we call “the Community”. It is essentially a friendship and support group of nine people, four couples and a priest. We have Mass in our homes regularly. We feel blessed.

I do not know the word “bijeebers”. Is it a sanitized version of bejaysus (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bejaysus), which in common parlance is not blasphemous, but not appropriate for polite company?