SOLT Communio Summer 2009

8/7/2019 SOLT Communio Summer 2009

1/8

CommunioDear SOLT Ecclesial Family,

I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES

these are the encouraging words of Jesus that we

heard from the Gospel Reading for the 5th Week of

Easter. For us, Easter is a historical fact; it happened

on a precise date of a precise year. It is the epicenter,

so to speak, of human history. But the season of

Easter challenges us to ask: WHERE IS THIS

JESUS, RISEN AND GLORIFIED? Has he become

just an event celebrated and forgotten or has hebecome really present in every mans heart and life?

At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke these consoling

words to his disciples: I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU

ORPHANS. And on the day of his Ascension, he

further reiterated: I WILL BE WITH YOU TILL THE

END OF TIME.

But again we ask: WHERE IS THIS JESUS?

Sometimes people throughout the world seem to

feel that God has abandoned them and even

Christians can feel abandoned by Jesus. But is this

really the truth?

I AM THE VINE AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES!

When we feel abandoned by Jesus, it is not that he

has abandoned us but it is because WE ARE THE

ONES WHO ABANDONED HIM. We have chosen a

different path, a different route, a different journey. If

we are the vines, we should remain attached to him,

24/7: every day, every minute.

As missionaries of Our Ladys Family, this afrmationof the Lord is like our blood that makes us live, our air

that makes us breathe, our light that makes us walk.

Apart from HIM, we fail, we fall, we DIE!

In the history of the Church, there never was a

moment that the world has not seen BRANCHES

ALIVE AND SHINING. St. Peter, no matter how weak

he was, remained a branch fully attached to the

VINE. St. Paul, a sinner, convert and apostle was a

branch fully attached to the VINE. Padre Pio, Don

Luigi Orione, Madre Teresa, and many others who

have remained faithful to their

calling have been branches fully

attached to the VINE.

YOU AND ME, are we branches

fully grafted to the VINE?

Today, as all of us are faced

with the day to day vicissitudes

of our own journeys, we are

called to become WITNESSES

OF THE VINE. In a world that

seems to be hopeless and in despair, we are called

to be heralds of the TRUE HOPE, TROUBADOURS

OF GODS UNENDING SONG OF LOVE FOR

HUMANITY. In a world that seems to be divided and

broken, we are called to become bridges of unity and

wholeness.

As we continue to journey as a community - as a

family - the more we are called to become faithful to

our charism and life, so as to become BRANCHESFULLY ALIVE. After 50 years of existence in the

Church and in the world, our community is further

challenged to become more faithful to the very spirit

that moved our Founder, Fr. Jim Flanagan, to give

and offer this community to the Church. As we

move forward, let us not forget to always become

the SONG OF GOD, HIS HANDS, HIS FEET, HIS

HEART, and HIS BREATH.

May Our Lady, the ever - faithful branch, always

be our model and our guide. Like Her and with

Her, let us continue, no matter what, to SING our

own Magnicat, our own song of gladness, of

thanksgiving, of joy, of hope, of praise, because

despite of and in spite of everything, we were never

abandoned by the VINE..who is NOW RISEN!

In Communion +,

Fr. Rogel B. Rosalinas, SOLT

General Priest Servant

Volume 2 Issue 2 Summer 2009


2/8

Last issue we identied one

grace received from God

during this Jubilee Year as

the development of a newLay Formation program. Fr.

Zachary of the Mother of God

is working to organize this

effort. Lay Formation will be

the work of complete ecclesial

teams, and will be offered to

all Catholic laity; from them

will come those called to join

SOLT.

The Lay Formation is basedon the manner that Our Lady

was formed by the Most Holy

Trinity, and occurs in a three-

year cycle. Each year focuses

on one Person of the Trinity,

and Our Ladys relationship to

that person.

Formation takes place for 1-1 hours per week,

at the same location and time each week. Thewitness of ecclesial team is an indirect aim of

formation, as the participants see the team share

responsibilities for all aspects of formation.

Here is a description of the suggested monthly

formation model (the model can vary as needed).

The rst week, the priest on the formation team

gives a teaching lecture-style. The second week,

a SOLT sister is the main leader of the session,

which is done more in dialogue format reinforcing

the teaching from the previous week. The thirdweek, a layperson is the main leader of the

session, done dialogue format as the week before

and including a Tabernacle question to be used in

week four, which is a Holy Hour.

A variety of formats and subjects are available

for the Lay Formation team a kind of tool kit

to allow the team a comfort level in the role of

facilitating the weekly meetings. A variety of

resources are used: e.g. Scripture, The Catechism

of the Catholic Church, various encyclicals and

writings of the Saints. The team needs to discernwhat within the tool box is most applicable to

the group in front of them, pray on it, and use

only what is needed. Lay adults are formed in

one room, and the children of these lay people

are formed in another room, simultaneously and

centered on the same topic.

The goal is to have Lay Formation Teams in place

wherever SOLT Lay Formation is being offered.

However, the program is designed to be exibledepending on the needs of the community; if a

SOLT Team is not yet present, formation can

begin through prayer groups and families, etc.

To be continued ...

To learn more or to join in the work of the Lay

Formation Ecclesial teams contact Fr. Zachary at

[email protected]. You may also visit

the website at ourladylovesyou.com.

based on conversation with Fr. Zachary 2/09

SOLT Lay Formation -Part Two

Fr. Zachary of the Mother of God during one of his presentations.


3/8

Leocadia Mom Serban, 88,

was taken by angels into

Gods loving arms after a long

illness.

Leocadia was called Mom by

most who knew her. A woman

of deep faith, she lived it

daily in her care, concern and

constant prayers for others.

Her faith and courage were an

inspiration to all.

For more than 20 years as

a member of the Society ofOur lady of The Most Holy

Trinity, Leocadia worked as

a missionary among the poor

of this country, primarily in rural New Mexico and

urban Kansas City, Missouri. She also worked

in Robstown, Texas assisting in catechesis.

She served helping the poor in social service

programs. For the past 16 years, Leocadia

assisted her son Fr. Ron Serban with his ministry,

providing a mothers love and support as heserved as chaplain in the army.

Her death was noble and dignied - at home in

her favorite chair, with the glorious sun shining

through the windows, the birds singing in trees,

surrounded by people who loved her and just

having received the nal Catholic Sacraments

from her beloved son.

Leocadia was known for her beautiful and uplifting

smile, which remained undiminished by her pain,even until the very end, and also for her way of

making others feel both important and comfortable

at the same time.

Strangers to her were just friends she hadnt met

yet. Everyone who knew her loved her. Although

she will greatly be missed, great comfort can be

found that she is always with us in Spirit. She is

now where we hope all one day to be, with God

and our loved ones who have

gone before.

Born to Mary and ZenonDawidowicz she found herself

raising her 12 siblings after her

fathers early death during the

Great Depression. Her mother

worked fulltime, running a

butcher shop and neighborhood

market.

For all her life, Leocadia had

a special love for children, for

their spirit and open, trustingaffection. She enjoyed reading

with them and teaching them the

common courtesies of please

and thank you. One of the last things she asked

was, Are all the little children okay? She was

assured they were and that she had taken very

good care of everyone.

Mother of Fr. Ron Serban, pastor of Queen of

Peace Parish in Clearlake, California, Leocadiais also survived by her daughter, Dorothy Nassar

and her husband Dr. Paul Nassar and their three

sons, Josh, Jordan and Paul of New York City;

her son William and his two sons, Matthew and

Jacob, and their mother Pamela, and two step

grandchildren, Jody and Patrick, all of Colorado

Springs, Colorado.

Visitation was on Friday, April 3rd, from 4:00 p.m.

to 7:00 p.m. at Queen of Peace Catholic Church

in Clearlake, followed by a vigil and rosary. Herbody then lay in repose for an all-night vigil. On

Saturday, April 4th, at 11 a.m. the Mass of the

Resurrection was ofciated by Fr. Ron and Fr.

Gerry Sheehan, SOLT, followed by a reception in

the Queen of Peace Community Center.

Leocadia was buried April 23, in Kansas City,

Missouri at Mt. Olivet cemetery with the SOLT

community. She was truly home.

Leocadia Maria Serban - February 13, 1921 March 30, 2009 written by Fr. Ron Serban, with some additions by Nikki Sullivan


4/8

Through Gods Providence and Our Ladys help,

SOLT began a Mission in Wales on January 24,

2005. A SOLT Ecclesial Team with members

Fr. Morty OShea, Sr. Mary of the ImmaculatePantong and Sr. Mary of the Trinity Vaughan were

assigned to three rural parishes.

The abundant beauty of Wales attracts many

artists, poets, musicians and writers. Welsh

people love to sing and are famous for their many

all-male choirs and song festivals. A wonderful

Welsh tradition is the Eisteddfod or Cultural

Festival that takes place throughout the year,

celebrating the gifts and talents of the population.

Each Festival lasts several days and can occur at

the local, national and international levels.

Sad to say these beautiful and inspiring natural

gifts of the Welsh people no longer lead them

to the Source and End of all, God the Creator.

Wales, to all intents and purposes, is fast

becoming a spiritual desert.

Once a very religious country, the SOLT Ecclesial

Team discovered very quickly that Wales nowtreads the same path as the rest of the UK and

Europe in abandoning the faith of their fathers.

The Reformation of the 16th century almost

entirely expunged the Catholic faith from Wales.

However, the Welsh Chapel Movement in the late

19th century strengthened Christianity in Wales

and increased its presence in the country. The

SOLT Ecclesial team arrived in Wales in 2005 to

nd Christianity in a real crisis. Many of the large

chapels were closing or had much diminished

congregations.

Mid-Wales, where the Team rst served, is one of

the most sparsely populated areas of the UK, with

more sheep than people!

The Team began by serving three Parishes,

about one hundred parishioners in all. Many were

retirees from England, who came to seek peaceand quiet and beauty. Young families and young

people tend to move away to cities in search of

work as this agricultural area has little opportunity

for wage earners. Therefore, congregations tend

to be small and elderly.

The Team focused on door to door evangelization,

catechesis (combining with other parishes in

the area to form small classes for Sacramental

Preparation etc.) and taught English to a group of

Polish immigrants.

The parish in Presteinge was once a Carmelite

Convent; inspired by them the team began to

offer opportunities to nurture contemplative life.

They ran retreats for various groups from other

parishes and had young people coming to stay for

quiet prayer time. At that time they were joined in

the mission by two of Our Ladys Novices during

their apostolic year, the now Sisters Victoria

and Mediatrix. Their help was invaluable andwe had the great joy of hosting Sr. Mediatrixs

HISTORY OF SOLT MISSION IN WALES

L-R - Now, Sr. Mary Linda Crooks, Sr. Maria Victoria Tate,

Fr. Morty OShea, Sr. Mary Immaculate Pantong, Sr. Mary

the Trinity Vaughan, Sr. Mary Mediatrix of All Grace Patte

picture taken in 2006.

from the presentation at the 50th Anniversary celebration

AnswerstoKommunioKidsKorner:

Motto#1:Imitate,Jesus,Live,God.

Motto#2:honor,glory,greatness,The,Majesty.


5/8

St. Marys, Carmarthen

Our Lady of the Taper,

Welsh National Shrine

First Profession of Vows,

celebrated by Fr. Flanagan!

It was the rst such occasion

in our area and a source of

great joy and inspiration to

all.

After staying there for two

years Bishop Mark Jabale

asked the Team to take on

a larger parish, St Marys

of Carmarthen in South

Wales, beginning January

3, 2007. Fr. Mark Byrne,

SOLT was assigned to take

over the Presteigne group of

parishes. Sr. Maria Victoria

Tate joined the Team in

Carmarthen.

St. Marys, Carmarthen is the oldest Catholic

Church in the Diocese, built in the year 1852. It

was built shortly after the Catholic Church was

allowed to have parishes and build churches as it

had before the Reformation.

St. Marys has about 650 parishioners on the

books (for Wales this is large), although only

about 235 attend mass regularly. There is a small

primary school also called St. Marys. It has about90 students and a wonderful atmosphere, very

familial and happy. The students are noted for

their gentleness, humility, enthusiasm, and

hard work. There is a good bond between

the school and the parish.

Various cultures are represented in the

parish: Filipino, Polish, Indian, African,

Italian, Spanish, Irish, English and of course

Welsh.

The Team is involved in many aspects of

pastoral service: catechesis, visits to the

sick, Holy Communion calls, home visitation,

helping in the school, hospital chaplaincy,

sacristan duties, choir duties, gardening etc.

In 2008 we had the joy of the beginnings of

our rst lay vocations: Corinne Armistead as

committed Lay Woman (for one year until

she can undergo some formation) and Simone

Lia as an Associate Lay Woman. Others are

discerning if they too are called to SOLT (lay and

religious vocations).

The deepest need in this Parish is evangelization.

While the current work of the Team is evangelical

in nature, there is a need for evangelization

directed toward lapsed Catholics and un-churched

people living in the area. The Team works with

the Cytun Movement (Welsh for Churches

Together), joining other denominations for certain

celebrations whenever possible.

Since its arrival in Wales the SOLT team has been

involved in Youth 2000. This wonderful movement

is growing and October 2007 the Team hosted the

rst Prayer Festival in Wales at St Marys. About

115 young people attended and it was a veryinspiring and grace-lled time for all. This will now

be an annual event at the parish and the Bishop is

delighted about it. When possible, the Team goes

to the other Prayer Festivals in England and helps

out as needed. Some young people from Y2000

come and stay with the Team to seek prayer

and spiritual direction. This is part of the work

of evangelization in the UK Catholic Church as

increasing numbers of young people nd Christ.

In fact Sr. Mary Linda Crooks, our English novice

who will soon be professed, is a fruit of the Youth2000 movement.


6/8

We are in the Jubilee year of Our Ladys Family,

and over the last 50 years the vocation of

Brotherhood in SOLT has been mostly ascribed

to those who were in formation for priesthood,and rarely to Permanent (consecrated) Brothers

who lived as part of the SOLT Family. However,

the Holy Spirit seems to be moving us toward

a greater appreciation and for openness to the

vocation of the Permanent Brotherhood within

SOLT at this time.

In the early days of the Church, Permanent

Brothers were known as lay brothers because of

what they did. Look at those saints who were lay

brothers and the work that they did: St. Martin

de Porres, St. Gerard Majella, Bl.

Andre Bessette to name a few.

But as times have changed the

vocation and work of Permanent

Brothers has expanded as has the

transformation of culture.

What is a Religious Brother? A

Religious Brother is an effective

instrument for the people of God;he reminds people of Christ the

Eternal Brother, present in their

lives through the power of prayer. He reminds the

baptized of the fundamental tenets of the Gospel

and encourages them to be united with God our

Abba, our Father. He helps people live fully and

completely their union with the mystery of Christ

in the various dimensions of the Church. He is a

visible sign to people to keep their eyes xed on

what is yet to come.

The vocation of the Permanent Brother is slowly

re-gaining its former respected state (i.e., during

earlier periods in Church history) in the life of the

Church throughout the world. Presently in the

American Region of SOLT we have six men who

are serving as Permanent Brothers. Even though

we are all brothers and sisters in the one family of

our Father, through our baptism, the Permanent

Brothers have a special consecration, through the

profession of evangelical promises of obedience,

poverty, and chastity which is a source of great

blessing to the People of God.

What can a Permanent Brother do in the missions

after his formation? A brother is someone who

walks along side of you, helps you carry your

burden, and is a great source of consolation and

strength. A brother is a reminder particularly to

the priests that they are brothers too, helping

them unite themselves in priestly service with

all mankind. In the vision of the Ecclesial Family

Teams, we see the different vocations working

together and complementing each other: priests,

by acting in persona Christi, the sisters as

spouses of Christ, the Brothers as

Brothers to all, Consecrated Widows

living a life of prayer and service, and

the laity as workers in the vineyard

of Christ seeking to sanctify the

temporal order.

What can a Permanent Brother do

in the missions after his formation?

A Brother most likely will be ableto do practically anything and

everything according to his gifts

and training as needed in the missions where

he serves. Currently, Brothers are involved

with administration, pastoral ministry, vocations

work, hospitality, prison ministry, counseling

and hospice work for AIDS patients. In the past,

some Brothers have been involved with the

promotion of the Divine Mercy apostolate and with

administrative work in the chancery ofces of a

diocese. Brothers can also be teachers, nurses,

principals, mechanics, carpenters, doctors, lay

spiritual guides and coordinators of religious

education or youth ministry the possibilities

are endless. In many religious communities, it is

not unusual to nd Brothers who are given very

weighty and difcult tasks that require a high level

of intelligence, skill and charisma.

by Brother Martin McGough - Pioneer, Post-Novitiate Formation Program for the Permanent Brotherhood

Permanent Brothers in SOLT

A Brother most likely

will be able to do

practically anything

and everything

according to his gifts

and training as needed

in the missions where

he serves.

Continued on the next page


7/8

Kommunio Kids Korner(for kids ages 4-144)

SOLT has two mottos. They are printed below, but some of the words are missing! Can

you ll in the blanks correctly?

SOLT MOTTO #1

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mary,

Become like _ _ _ _ _,

_ _ _ _ for the Triune _ _ _.

SOLT MOTTO #2

Live for the _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ of God.

The manifestation of His _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ exultation of His _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Look for the answers on page 4 of this issue.

Brothers - continued

Let us thank the Lord for the gift of the vocations

of the Permanent Brothers within Our Ladys

Society and with fervent prayer and hard work,

may this vocation continue to grow. St. Joseph

Pray for Us

God Bless you

Since the writing of this article one of our

Permanent Brothers (Brother Wayne Williams)

passed away. Please keep the repose of the

soul of Brother Wayne in your prayers and for

an increase to vocations for the Permanent

Brotherhood. There are now fve Permanent

Brothers in SOLT.

The General Ofce of the Laity

has moved to Corpus Christi.

The new contact information is:

General Ofce of the Laity

PO Box 224

Robstown, TX 778380

Phone: 361.387.8090

Fax: 361.387.3818


8/8

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity

PO Box 152

Robstown, TX 78380

Please pray for the health of:

Fr. Jim Flanagan

Fr. Neal Stull

Fr. Tito AyoBr. Philip Howard

Br. Michael Brady

Sr. Trinity Vaughn

Sr. Eileen Dougherty

Richard Anderson

George Estes

Kevin and Monica Younger and baby

Carillo family

Dan Minjares

Fr. Shaji F. Varghese

Please pray for the repose of the souls of:

Leocadia Serban, SOLT

Br. Wayne Williams, SOLT

George Sparke

Fr. Isidore Sitnyein

Dear Reader,

The peace of Christ be with you! We would like to

invite you to join us in praying the Prayer for the Fiftieth

Anniversary as we prepare for the Assembly.

In Christ,

Bernadette and Diane

Prayer for the Fiftieth Anniversary

Holy Spirit,

All Our Ladys Society is truly grateful for all your Gifts,

Graces and Blessings during these past 50 years.

We ask forgiveness for any ways we have been unfaithful

and have not brought forth the fullness of the Divine plan

of the Father for Our Ladys Society in His love.

May you be the inspiration to indicate the path we shouldtake to fulll Gods plan and show what we must do with

your help.

May all the apostolic works of Our Lady and all her

members, be pleasing to you. May you be the inspiration

of all our serving, as Jesus served. May you be our

inspiration, for you alone can bring us with the Father and

the Son to the Divine destiny. May you never leave us or

allow us to displease our Father. Unite our hearts with the

hearts of Jesus and Mary and the great heart of our Father

so that the gifts of your grace, may bring us to become one

in the communion of the Most Holy Trinity.

May we be united in loving one another and live in

the innite, mercy of our Father, united to Jesus in the

Eucharist, and come to the fulllment of grace.

In eternity, let us become sons and daughters of the Fathe

in His Family in the eternal life and happiness He hasprepared for us all.

May we imitate Mary, become like Jesus, and live for the

Triune God.

P.S. We are eager to hear from you! Please send any

news, articles, prayers, etc. to the Communio email

address: [email protected].

Join us in closing our Jubilee

year at the Assembly- Sunday, July 12 - Saturday, July 18 at OLCC

Sunday - Registration

Monday - First profession of sisters

Tuesday - Ordinations

Wednesday - Solemn entrance of sisters into the

novitiate

Thursday - Talent Show

Beginning Wednesday we will have Masses of

Thanksgiving for the new priests.

Registration packets will be in the mail soon.

Documents

SOLT Communio Summer 2009