2014 Lwanga Fall Newsletter

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
2
CONTINUED
ST. LOUIS ECONOMIC
2
DEVELOPMENT
YOUNG ADULT RETREAT
FAREWELL MESSAGE
3
4-5
CORLISS COX
TESTIMONIAL DINNER
6
THE ST. CHARLES LWANGA SPIRIT
4746 CARTER AVENUE, SUITE 100, ST. LOUIS, MO 63115
PHONE: 314.367.7929 FAX: 314.367.4134
KEEPING THE SPIRIT AND COURAGE OF THE MARTYRS ALIVE IN OUR DAILY LIVES
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Our M ission S tatement
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The St. Charles Lwanga Center’s Mission is to promote Christian spiritual formation and leadership
development within the African American Catholic Community and for all who collaborate with them in
accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in the tradition of the Catholic Church.
MLK WEEKEND
8
Message from the Executive Director
HOT SPRINGS WEEKEND
9
SAVE THE DATE
DINNER & AUCTION
INFORMATION
CONTRIBUTORS
10
MESSAGE
ANNUAL APPEAL LETTER 11
ONGOING & UPCOMING
12
EVENTS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Cunningham
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church
Mary Elizabeth Grimes
Cathedral Basilica
Leslie Doyle
Fontbonne University
Mary A. Fitch
Our Lady of the Holy Cross Church
Sharon Cooney Smith
St. Alphonsus Liguori “Rock” Church
Eva Moore
Most Holy Trinity Church
Lynn Squires, Board President
St. Augustine Church
Barbara Hancock
St. Elizabeth,
Mother of John the Baptist Church
Lillian Blackshear Summers
St. Matthew the Apostle Church
Helen Gill
St. Nicholas Church
Augustus Lewis
Sts. Teresa and Bridget Church
Ophelia Wilson, Board Secretary
Visitation/St. Ann’s Shrine Church
AT L A R G E M E M B E R S
Tom Cummins
Thad Hollie
Ingrid Clark-Jackson, Board Vice President
Very Rev. Richard Potts, C.Ss.R., Dean
Rev. Arthur J. Cavitt, Executive Director
G
r eet ings
to you.
There is a familiar adage
from Yiddish wit, “Man
plans. God laughs”.
When we published the
previous edition of our
newsletter earlier this
year, there were several
things that were not on
my planning graph.
Among them is that by
the time you read this, I
will have moved from
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Ferguson
and assumed the appointment of pastor at St.
Nicholas in downtown
St. Louis. Both are
sponsoring parishes of
the St. Charles Lwanga
Center. During my
years at Blessed Teresa,
God displayed a myriad
of blessings. I am grateful to Him and to the
people of the parish for
those experiences at a
particular period of
longing in my life.
The vocational
calling for my presence
at St. Nicholas became
amplified when I came
to know that the parish
has been serving the
archdiocese since the
1860s. Instituted in the
predominant neighborhood of German
Americans, the parish
was transferred to the
care of the African
American apostolate in
the 1920s. The present
contemporary church
complex dates to 1960.
St. Nicholas is a locus
for Roman Catholic
spirituality, primed
with potential for a
downtown renaissance.
I invite you to come
and worship. Be a participant in our potentiality. Monday through
Friday we celebrate the
Eucharist at 12:15 p.m.
Masses on Sunday
mornings are 8:15 and
10:30.
Make no mistake
about
it .
Archbishop Robert J.
Carlson has affirmed
that I remain the Executive Director of the
St. Charles Lwanga
Center. Much continues
to happen with us as
you will see in this issue, including the letter
on page 11. Our staff
member Mrs. Corliss
Cox will be retiring in
December. Yet, we intend to maintain our
vibrant and necessary
youth ministry. Before
I moved to Ferguson
we were blessed to
have Blessed Teresa of
Calcutta join us as a
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Executive Director’s Message....continued from page 1
“...we
proclaim,
what God
ordains,
God
maintains!
That is our
holy
refrain.”
sponsoring parish. We are
now welcoming Fontbonne
University as a sponsoring
organization. Also signaling
a new era for the St. Charles
Lwanga Center is the request
by the Archbishop for us to
commence a study on solutions to violence in the home
and in the community. Preparatory work has already
begun.
We are planning the
th
39 Annual Archdiocesan
Celebration for the Dr. Mar-
tin Luther King, Jr. National
Holiday Weekend in January.
Concurrently, we’ve resumed
our meetings for the 32nd Annual Testimonial Dinner and
Auction to be held in April.
We hope you are able to be
present at these festivities as
we thank you for your support of the St. Charles
Lwanga Center.
It is clear that the
Center is in a mode of adaptation given the appointments, anticipated personnel
changes and project assignments that have been entrusted to us. We greatly
appreciate your belief in us.
Let us all continue to pray
for keen insight and right
judgment in alignment with
God’s will. As we continue
this vital mission we proclaim, what God ordains,
God maintains! That is our
holy refrain.
Fr. Art Delivers Keynote for SLEDP
“...Fr.Cavitt
‘brought an
impromptu
church to
the event’.”
O
n September
4, 2014, our
Executive Director, Fr.
Art Cavitt delivered
the keynote address at
the St. Louis Economic Development
Partnership Annual
Meeting and Luncheon. Held at the Chase
Park Plaza Hotel, the event
was emceed by Mr. Art
Holliday of KSDK-TV. In
attendance were Mayor
Francis Slay and outgoing
St. Louis County Executive,
Charlie Dooley. The Partnership’s mission is the de-
velopment of diversified business and employment opportunities to enhance the quality of
life for the St. Louis region.
Mr. Denny Coleman, Chief
Executive Officer of the group
expressed appreciation of Fr.
Art’s participation,
noting “As a parish
priest based in Ferguson, his words
were rousing and
meaningful.” HECTV (St. Louis
Home of Education
and Culture) filmed
the event commenting, that Fr. Cavitt
“brought an impromptu church
to the event.” The speech was
posted on You Tube, and for a
limited time, it can be viewed
on the Lwanga Center’s web
page at
http://www.archstl.org/
lwangacenter.
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A Creation of the Young Adult Component
he St. Charles Lwanga
Center has a history of
serving the youth of the St. Louis
metropolitan area for the past seventeen years. Youth targeted have
been primarily junior and senior
high ages with the exception of a
few recent high school graduates. In
addition, there seems to have been
those faithful few who remained
connected to the Center even beyond their college years. It has been
our practice to embrace those young
adults and encourage them to serve
as mentors on whatever programs
we were offering at the present
time. The thought of offering a
separate ministry solely for recent
high school graduates to continue
their growth had often come to
mind but because of timing, funding or staffing it was not given the
serious consideration it deserved
until June of 2013.
that familiar conversation once
again arose. It was that concern
for a special something targeted
especially for our young adults.
Many had proven to be faithful
to the Lwanga Center’s mission
and were deserving of this consideration. At that time knowing
we could no longer shun the
issue, the decision was made to
extend our support and remain
present in the lives of our young
adults as they maneuver through
these crucial years. Immediately
a series of conversations took
place with our youth minister
core team within the North City
Deanery. Unanimously the team
concurred and committed to the
need and the enactment of the
young adult component especially since during these years
churches are experiencing a
high absentee rate of young
adult participation.
While sitting with Fr. Art during
my annual performance evaluation
The Young Adult Component
was launched in January 2014
with a Day of Reflection. Since
young adults are in such varied
phases of their lives, it was determined a Day of Reflection
would be held in January and an
overnight retreat in July/August
of each year. Most importantly
we want to serve all whether in
school, working, parenting or
MIA (those just trying to figure
it out) to assure them that God
is there every step of the way.
The freedom many yearned for
came with major responsibilities
and was more complex than anticipated. Below is a photo
taken during our 1st Annual
Young Adult Retreat on the
weekend of August 1-2, 2014.
Participants were ages 19 – 24
years old. We encourage all to
submit the name(s) of any
young adult in your home or
parish to join us in future young
adult activities. If we don’t recruit them…something else
will.
“...The freedom
many yearned for
came with major
responsibilities
and was more
complex than
anticipated”
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A FAREWELL MESSAGE from Corliss Cox, CSJA
nyone who has journeyed with the St. Charles Lwanga Center over the years is aware of our commitment
to the youth of the metropolitan area. Evidence of that has been displayed in numerous articles written in our
newsletters. This commitment has not been taken lackadaisically nor has been accomplished without the collaboration and support of many who share our same passion for our youth.
O
ver seventeen years ago I joined the staff of the Lwanga Center. Prior to that time the youth ministry component was nonexistent. Mrs. Gloria Green, Executive Director at that time, stepping out on faith and no dollars
to accompany it asked me to consider assisting them in creation of a youth component for the Center. With no
initial plan of action parishes were polled and visited to identify the needs and desires for their youth. Aside
from a minimal amount of youth related activities in a few North City Deanery parishes there was a void in
spiritual opportunities for African American Catholic teens. While this was not always the case in other deaneries, Mrs. Green sought a change for the youth of the North City Deanery.
O
ur youth ministry has primarily targeted middle and senior high youth. We all knew that youth are usually
social which is great but that is only one of the seven components of youth ministry. Oftentimes this can and
has been the stifling or downfall of a group. It was imperative in the stabilizing of the Lwanga’s youth component that there was a balance. In order to achieve this balance there have been sponsored picnics, skating, hayrides and game nights. In addition we have also sponsored retreats, service projects, leadership and evangelization conferences, sacramental training, cultural, academic and spiritual development events as well. Throughout
the years lifetime relationships have been formed beyond the boundaries of the North City Deaneries. It may
have occurred during the mission trip to Camden, MS., at the Romans 8 Diversity Retreat in New Haven, MO,
on one of two intergenerational Freedom Excursions to the National Underground Freedom Museum in Cincinnati, OH, throughout the KUJENGA Youth Leadership Conferences, or while preparing for the Sacrament of
Confirmation. These and countless other youth related activities have been instrumental in relationships that
have been sustained between youth, young adults and adults. Had not Mrs. Green’s vision become a reality so
many of our mustard seeds might not have had the opportunity to reach their full potential for a lack of being
planted on a solid foundation of mentoring, nurturing and an extra dose of tough love.
A
s we maintain those ongoing bonds and relationships that continue with folks who are now well beyond
high school we have recognized a void in the serving of our young adult population. Our immediate target is the
19 – 25 year olds. As with the natural progression of life we have addressed that void with the creation of a
young adult component. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel we utilized the method that worked over seventeen
years ago. We brainstormed our source, the core of young adults connected to the Center to identify their needs,
desires and everyday struggles in living as Christians in today’s society. How can they be acknowledged and
accepted as viable members and voices within the Church. By the grace of God, and the Tabitha Grant sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, our Young Adult Component has become a reality. In January
2014 a core group of seven young adults attended a Day of Reflection and our 1 st Annual Young Adult Retreat
was held in August 2014 in which 16 young adults and four adults attended.
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A Farewell Message from Corliss Cox, CSJA...cont..
I
have laughed, cried, scolded, ranted, rolled my eyes a few times, praised and prayed more times than there
are stars in the sky while serving as the St. Charles Lwanga Center’s Youth Ministry/Special Coordinator. During my tenure I have been encouraged and supported by three executive directors. Countless parents/guardians
and parishes have entrusted me with their youth. The North City Deanery has formulated a core group of youth
ministers that orchestrates as a unified unit. Collectively we share our time, talents and treasures for one common goal…OUR YOUTH. Together we celebrate our accomplishments and jointly we stand in our failures. To
say that these are my brothers and sisters would be an understatement. Each relationship has been unique and
each has accepted me in spite of my faults and shortcomings. In November 1985 I was clueless as to God’s plan
for me thinking the Ujima Youth Program would be a three month gig for me until my son started daycare.
Here I sit almost 30 years later sharing of an endeavor in which I will be eternally grateful and announcing my
RETIREMENT as of December 31, 2014 for those of you who may have missed the memo.
M
y heartfelt appreciation goes to all I have encountered throughout my journey. Every turn, roadblock,
yield, merger and most importantly STOP has provided me the direction needed to fulfill God’s plan for me at
the St. Charles Lwanga Center. I depart fully aware from WHOM my blessings (each of you) came. So, don’t
think of me as riding off into the sunset, but instead, just getting off of the horse. THANK YOU ALL!
2014
KUJENGA XIII
YOUTH
LEADERSHIP
CONFERENCE
GROUP PHOTO
CORLISS COX WITH THE
2014
LWANGA LEGEND HONOREES
JARYN BRYANT &
BRENT ANDERSON
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Te s t i m o n i a l D i n n e r & A u c t i o n
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AD & TICKET INFORMATION
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TICKET DEADLINE – APRIL 10, 2015
DINNER TICKETS @ $60.00 each
FULL TABLES (SEATS 10) @ $600.00
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CASH DONATION (in lieu of tickets or ad)
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ST. CHARLES LWANGA CENTER 4746 CARTER AVENUE, Ste. 100, ST.LOUIS, MO 63115-2238
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Archdiocesan Celebration During MLK Weekend
We
value
your
presence
and
support!
WE LOOK FOR WA R D TO O UR TI M E TOG ETH ER DUR I NG TH IS FAI TH FI LLED CELEB R A TI ON OF PEA CE A ND J USTI CE I N OUR LOCA L CH UR CH .
WELCOME FONTBONNE UNIVERSITY!
The St. Charles Lwanga Center welcomes
Fontbonne University
our most recent sponsoring organization
Dr. J. Michael Pressimone
University President
Ms. Leslie Doyle
Director of Service, Diversity and Social Justice
University Representative on the
Lwanga Center Board of Directors
We look forward to years of collaboration!
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HOT SPRINGS SPA & RETREAT
PACKAGE COST
WITH BATH &
MASSAGE
Relax Your Body and Calm Your Mind & Spirit With A
Faith-Filled Therapeutic Experience
at the
ARLINGTON RESORT HOTEL & SPA
Hot Springs, Arkansas
$365
(DBL Occupancy)
May 29 – May 31, 2015
$480.00
(Single Occupancy)
A SPIRITUAL RETREAT FOR THOSE NEEDING A TIME FOR
—————————-
REFLECTION AND FELLOWSHIP WHILE PARTAKING OF
WITHOUT BATH &
MASSAGE
THE MINERAL WATER WHIRLPOOL AND MASSAGE
$300.00
PACKAGE INCLUDES
MOTO R C OAC H T RA N S P O RTAT IO N
2 nights at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa
Baggage handling, taxes
2 continental breakfasts
Whirlpool Bath & Massage
(DBL Occupancy)
$415.00
(Single Occupancy)
MONTHLY
PAYMENT
PLANS
AVAILABLE!
Contact the office
for more details
T HE
ST.
CHA RLES
Reservations are on a first come first served basis.
A Non-Refundable deposit of $125 per person due on or before February 6, 2015.
Final Payment of $125 (DBL) or $180 (SNGL) due on or before
March 6th or April 6th, 2015.
NO CANCELLATIONS OR REFUND OF PAYMENTS AFTER APRIL 16, 2015
Contact Corliss Cox or Gladys Mansfield for additional information at 314-367-7929
Mail Payments to 4746 Carter Ave, Suite 100 — St. Louis, MO 63115-2238
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O N T R I B U T O R S
he St. Charles Lwanga Center extends a heart-felt “THANK YOU” to all of our
contributing individuals, parishes, organizations and schools. Your gifts continue to
make the activities of the Lwanga Center possible. We value your presence and support of the
events sponsored by the Center throughout the year. You are all a part of the larger mission to keep
building the Body of Christ. Your time, talent and treasures are truly appreciated! Indeed, may
the peace of Christ be continually with you!
I
N
M
E M O R Y
O U R D E P A R T E D C O N T R I B U T O R S
APRIL 2014
(through the publication of this issue)
O F
M
r. Ivan James Jr. joined St. Elizabeth, MOJTB Catholic Church after the
merger of Most Blessed Sacrament
Catholic Church. Mr. James passed on
October 11, 2014.
M
rs. Beatrice Blackshear was a
member of St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church. Mrs. Blackshear passed on
October 3, 2014.
M
rs. Marceline James joined St.
Elizabeth, MOJTB Catholic Church after
the merger of Most Blessed Sacrament
Catholic Church. Mrs. James passed on
September 11, 2014.
M
r. Samuel Miller joined St. Elizabeth, MOJTB Catholic Church after the
T HE
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merger of Most Blessed Sacrament
Catholic Church. Mr. Miller passed on
August 10, 2014.
M
rs. Marie Stanton Bingham was a
member of St. Elizabeth, MOJTB Catholic
Church. Mrs. Bingham passed on
June 13, 2014.
M
s. Johnnie Bea Lyons was a
member of Our Lady of the Holy Cross
Catholic Church. Ms. Lyons passed on
April 18, 2014.
M
r. & Mrs. Jerome & Ruth Allen
were members of St. Elizabeth, MOJTB
Catholic Church. She passed in July 2013
and he on May 8, 2014. They were jointly
funeralized on August 9, 2014.
2 0 1 4 A N N UA L C H R I S T M A S A P P E A L
ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. LOUIS
St. Charles Lwanga Center
4746 Carter Avenue, Ste. 100
St. Louis, Missouri 63115
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314.367.7929
f) 314.367.4134
info@lwangacenter.org
November 6, 2014
Dear Friend of the St. Charles Lwanga Center:
In another banner year, we remain appreciative of your on-going support. Your belief in the Center and financial assistance are essential in helping to support our mission. The Annual Catholic Appeal has provided generous support. Yet, it is necessary to generate additional funds to cover our annual operational budget.
Once again the Center continues an extremely active year. Here are some of the highlights to share with you:
Coordinated the 38th Annual Archdiocesan Dr. Martin Luther King National Holiday Weekend Celebration
Honored a record-breaking 33 high school students with the 2014 Model of Justice Award
Presented 7 Habits for Effective Pre-Teens at the Gift of Mary Center, operated by the Missionaries of Charity
Celebrated 36 years of service by the St. Charles Lwanga Center
Saluted community honorees at the 31st Annual Testimonial Dinner
Sponsored the KUJENGA XIII Youth Leadership Conference at Fontbonne University
Sponsored our first Young Adult “Day of Reflection” in January
Hosted the 1st annual Young Adult Retreat at St. Louis University with 20 participants
21 teens received the Sacrament of Confirmation on May 12, 2014
Continued our weekly Bible Study with Leviticus, and as of this writing, Deuteronomy
Continued our weekend marriage preparation workshops. We now present four weekends
Provided continuous pastoral care on site, in homes and healthcare facilities, along with ministry of consolation
Continued our liturgical evangelization with Mass at St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist Church
Extended our evangelization efforts in the fulfillment of liturgical engagements by presiding at schools throughout St. Louis Metropolitan area
Presented our annual in-house Crossroads Retreat and a tailored retreat day and day of reflection for Visitation
Academy and the Ladies of Faith of St. Augustine Parish, respectively
Requested by Archbishop Carlson to begin a study on solutions to violence in the home and wider community in
an inspired response to the events this summer in Ferguson, Missouri
Welcomed Fontbonne University as a sponsoring organization along with a new board member
We ask for your continual generosity to help the mission of building up the Body of Christ in our environs and beyond. Please visit our website at www.archstl.org/lwangacenter to make an on-line tax-deductible gift or contact
the office and we will send you a donation envelope. We thank you for your contribution. We welcome your calls,
letters, and visits.
May the peace of Christ be with you,
Reverend Arthur Cavitt
T HE
ST.
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NON-PROFIT
ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
ST. LOUIS, MO
PERMIT NO. 2369
Archdiocese of St. Louis
4746 Carter Avenue, Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63115
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L W A N G A O N G O I NG & U P C O MI NG E VE N T S
NEWSLETTER
If you would like to receive your
newsletter by email, please contact
Margaret Washington —
mwashington@lwangacenter.org
MONTHLY MASS
First Wednesday of the month at
St. Elizabeth, MOJB Church
8:15 a.m.
Fr. Art Cavitt, Celebrant
All are welcome.
MARRIAGE PREP WEEKEND
February 27-28, 2015
$150 per couple
BLACK CATHOLIC HISTORY
MONTH CELEBRATION
Sunday, November 16, 2014
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
BIBLE STUDY
Thursdays at 1:00 p.m.
through December 4, 2014
Fr. Art Cavitt facilitates
“The Book of Deuteronomy”.
KUJENGA XIV
African American Catholic Youth
Leadership Conference
July 2015 at Fontbonne University
CROSSROADS RETREAT
Saturday, December 6, 2014
at the St. Charles Lwanaga Center
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
MINISTRY OF CONSOLATION
One-day retreat for busy people
November 14, 2014
$25.00 per person
Jan 9, March 13, May 8, July 10, 2015
Includes materials and meals
All meetings held on
Please call the Center to let us know
Fridays at 5:00 p.m.
you will attend.
ST A F F
Spirit of the Martyrs
Reverend Arthur J. Cavitt
Executive Director
Mrs. Tracey Dickerson
Business Manager
Mrs. Corliss J. Cox, CSJA
Senior Youth Ministry
Special Events Coordinator
Mrs. Margaret Washington
Administrative Assistant
Ministry of Consolation Coordinator
314.367.7929
Email: info@lwangacenter.org
www.archstl.org / lwangacenter