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 | |  | | | | Outreach Ministries
| Phone: (513) 347-2218 |
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Fax: (513) 347-2225
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Social Action Ministries - As members of his “universal” Church, Jesus calls us to be concerned for all of humanity. This group sponsors parish programs that attempt to broaden awareness of social justice issues, especially in regard to the Church’s teachings. It also reaches to those outside our parish boundaries in works of charity, such as the St. Joseph Christmas Giving Tree, the St. Leo Toy Drive, the Christmas Wreath Sale, Project 5000 Food Drive and Habitat for Humanity. In addition, there is an Outreach Ministries collection once every 3 months to benefit an organization recommended by the Social Action Commitee. All are welcome to the meetings on the fourth Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Hall, or for more information, call Lynn Hensler, 941-1881.
Network of Care - Many and varied are the works in this ministry, which attempts to connect those in need with those willing to provide for that need. The group includes: • Transportation
• Special Services: Legal & Financial Referrals
• Occasional Meal Preparation
(if you can help or need help), call Beth Merkle, 574-5992
• Nursing Service Referrals
• Friends of the grieving If you wish to serve on one of the above or if you have need of their services, please call Ken Meymann, 347-2219.
Parish Health & Wellness Ministry - This service is the practice of noninvasive, holistic health care within a faith community. The key element that distinguishes it from other types of health care is a fundamental belief in the relationship between spirituality and health. Volunteers and professionals work together to integrate faith and health, treating body, mind and spirit. For more information, contact Ken Meymann, 347-2219. A service of Parish Wellness is the Elizabeth Ministry. Through personal visits, this special group of nurses and others responds to the needs of women at critical times during their childbearing years.
Contact Linda Mayhaus, 941-8130, or Carolyn Menner, 574-3109 for more information.
Prison Ministry - Our Lady of the Visitation Prison Ministry is a branch of a city wide ecumenical organization, The Council of Christian Communions. Those involved in this ministry visit inmates at the Justice Center on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. They visit the prison in teams and pray, sing and talk with the inmates for one hour.
Contact Marian Ellerhorst, 941-6680; Don Griffin, 574-1235; or Bert Tepe, 574-1278.
 St. Vincent de Paul Society - Its purpose is to fulfill the two great commandments - Love of God and Love of Neighbor. Members seek to assist those in need, both materially and spiritually. Outside the group itself, no one knows which families are being aided. On months that have a 5th Sunday, there is a separate envelope for contributions to the St. Vincent de Paul account. Our Thanksgiving Day collection also goes to this account. If interested in becoming a member, call Diane Williams, 941-4656.
In addition to helping individual families, the parish participates in St. Vincent de Paul's Bundle Sunday collection twice a year.
Twinning Education Program - Marc Alexander, parishioner and Permanent Deacon formation candidate, has been publishing articles in The Voice of Visitation. Following are those articles.
What is twinning?
A twinning relationship (or sister parish) is a relationship between two Catholic Parishes in which time, talent, and treasures are mutually shared, thus fulfilling the desire to be connected to each other and with God. The key to twinning is relationship: this is analogous to a marriage between man and wife, the relationship occurring on multiple levels. In marriage there is a contract; it is a spiritual relationship (the sacrament of marriage) and it is based on mutual trust, love, commitment and need. Just as there is a marriage contract, twinning partners will also have a contract as well. Spiritually, there should be mutual activities involving prayer, liturgy, and intercessions at Mass. The relationship will involve brothers and sisters of a different culture, offering the parish to expand its horizons in exposure to a different culture, which also can benefit the school as well. The relationship is based on mutual respect, not charity. Twinning is more than just charitable giving, although that can be part of the relationship. Both partners honor the dignity of each other in the eyes of God, and mutual dialogue emphasizing mutual listening is critical to the success of any twinning relationship! There is mutual caring based on love through the action of the Holy Spirit. I attended a workshop sponsored by the Archdiocese on twinning and witnessed the interaction between a local parish and a parish from Ghana. The mutual love was overwhelming! Mutual resources will be shared in the form of time, talent, and treasure. In our fast paced lives, one of our most precious resources is time, something that will need to be shared in this endeavor. All of us have different talents that we bring to the table: some are organizers, others mechanically inclined, but all have something to offer this relationship. Our treasures will be our most important resource to give: the treasure of giving of ourselves as one unique creature of God to another. In summary, the key to a successful twinning relationship with another Catholic parish is developing a relationship of mutual caring and respect. The article in the next Voice will try to answer, “Why should our parish enter into a twinning relationship with another Catholic parish?” Prayerfully submitted, Marc Alexander
Why should our parish become involved in a twinning relationship with another Catholic Parish?
The first article in the last Voice discussed what twinning is. To answer the question WHY?, let’s look at the parish mission statement: We are a Roman Catholic parish served by pastoral leadership and guided by the Holy Spirit. We are call to live our faith and reach out to others by being a praying, teaching, serving, caring and welcoming sign of God’s presence and love. Through our gifts of time, talent and treasure, we strive to involve every member of the community to participate in the work of the parish. A twinning relationship with another parish fits well with the mission statement of our parish. The two basic tenets of Christianity are love your God with all your heart and all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. In twinning, we can show our love for our God by love of neighbor. However, in this case our neighbor is not just the guy next door, but all our brothers in Christ, wherever they may live, or what race our culture they might be from. Catholic social teaching guides us in this endeavor. It is based on human dignity, as we are all unique creatures of God. It respects all human life, from womb to tomb. It is based on association with others, fostering growth and promoting the common good. Catholic social teaching calls us to participation (we are called to evangelize). It is based on the preferential protection for the poor, as Jesus did. We are called to solidarity, one-ship with our global neighbors. We are called to be stewards of this earth and of our talents and treasures and to use them wisely. The principle of subsidiarity calls us to fight social injustice. Human equality means that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. We are also called to promote the common good, to look out for the social concerns of the poor and their human dignity. By participating in a twinning relationship, we witness the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We will see the life of Christ and the Holy Spirit in action, thus living the parish mission statement, and not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. The next article will try to answer the question “Who should be considered as a twinning partner and where should this relationship take place?” Yours in prayer, Marc Alexander Who should be considered as a Twinning partner and where should this relationship take place? The second article in the last Voice of Visitation discussed reasons why our parish should become involved in a twinning relationship with another parish. Now we consider who should be considered as a twinning partner? For the most part, this relationship is between two Catholic parishes, although it is supposed that it could work with a parish of another Christian faith. Several options exist in terms of where one would twin: these being local, regional, national, and international. Remember, twinning is a relationship between two catholic parishes in which time, talent and treasures are mutually shared. Local options would be a parish in the same community, or city. For example, St. Michael’s parish downtown, a predominantly African-American parish, or St. Julie Billiart, a Hispanic parish would be possibilities. (Generally, the relationship is with parishes of a diverse culture). Regional options could include parishes in Appalachia, where Sr. Gertrude and her congregation have contacts. National partners might be a parish such as St Anne’s on the Navajo Indian reservation. International sites perhaps could include parishes in the Caribbean, South America, or even Africa, as St. Aloysius Gonzaga have partnered with. I think it is important to keep in mind that one of the most crucial aspects of any twinning relationship is the ability to communicate freely, whether by e-mail, snail mail, by phone, or in person. It is critical to have a contact person on both sides to initiate and continue dialogue between parishes. Without this, success could be compromised. Advantages and disadvantages exist in all of these twinning options. Local “twinners” have the advantage of close proximity, so travel costs are minimized. The same can be true for regional twinning sites as well. When one goes national or international, travel costs and logistics can limit face to face interaction, requiring more financial commitment, thus impacting the success of the program. Also, some parishes have more than one relationship, such as a local and international twin. As you can see, multiple options exist in choosing partners, including where they are and what background they originate from, making the choice of a partner a significant part of the decision making process as one moves forward in setting up a twinning relationship. Next time we will ask the question, How do I see myself involved in a twinning relationship? Yours in Prayer, Marc Alexander How do you see yourself involved in a parish Twinning relationship? So far we have posed the questions, What is a Twinning relationship, Why should we embark on a Twinning relationship, and Where and with Whom should this take place. Now we ask, How do you see yourself involved in this program? If we are part of the Catholic Church, (which means universal), we are called to reach out to others, to be less parochial, or limited in our scope of service. We are challenged to move our of our “comfort zone” and embark on “boundary crossing”. What does this mean? In lay pastoral ministry training, one has to perform one hundred hours of field education. My choice was to do emergency home visits in Over the Rhine. I was apprehensive at first, but once I realized the true need of the people residing in this area, I left my prejudices behind, and focused on the true problems at hand. As others that do service will tell you, it is a very moving experience, and often a life changing experience, as it was for me. The Twinning program will require the time talent and treasure of the whole parish, not just a select few. Often, these programs are entered into with the attitude that the parish on the giving end “knows what they need: and “can fix the problem”. This is an example of the Heroic model. The relationship that should be strived for is that of solidarity and mutuality (Humble model), to be one as partners, listening rather than fixing. What levels of participation will there be in a twinning relationship? The key to any successful relationship will be communication. Because of the nature of the project, Social Action Ministries will be a key to success of this type of program. A “Twinning Coordinator”, or point person, will be necessary to insure timely communication between parishes. But for this program to succeed, others parishioners will need to be involved. As was stated in previous articles, this is, in reality, the Holy Spirit working in our midst and through the members and participants of the parish. Prayer will be a key to the success of these programs. This prayer can be private, in which all members of the parish can participate, or public in intercessions at Mass, through social justice liturgies, and educational programs regarding twinning relationships. Participation will also involve the time of those involved in site visits to and from each parish. Initially, these will be introductory and fact finding, but ultimately will require organizational skills, artistic talents or mechanical skills. Yours in Prayer, Marc Alexander When should our parish embark on a Twinning relationship with another Catholic parish? We finish this educational program regarding twinning relationships after asking ‘What it is?, Why should we do it?, Where or Whom should we partner with?, and How can parishioners become involved in such a program?’ Now we ask: When should our parish embark on a program to twin with another Catholic parish? A project of this scope will need broad based parish support. Hopefully, through the efforts of this educational program, parishioners have a better idea of what it is, why it should take place, where it could take place and the levels of participation that will be available for those interested. The support of the organizational and decision-making bodies of the parish will be critical to getting this program started. Once a decision is made to proceed forward, the site to twin with will need to be selected. A point person from each parish will need to be determined to insure smooth flow of communication. Social Action Ministry will take the lead in organizing the program. But the real key will be the willing participation of the parish. In these difficult economic times, one might argue that this is not the right time. I would return the question by asking, ‘Is not this the time when our less fortunate friends need us the most?’ There will be many different ways parishioners can become involved in such a project. Realizing that our more mature members may not be able to help physically, their support in prayer will be vital. Our youth can help by participating in the more physical aspects of the program. Those in between can help in others ways. If you support, or would like to be involved in this type of program, or would like to offer your opinion on a site to twin with, I ask that you contact the Parish Office by phone or e-mail, or my e-mail at malexander@cinci.rr.com. I thank you for your interest and support. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I start diaconate training this fall. I certainly promise to do the same for you as well! Yours in prayer, Marc Alexander Update on Twinning, December 2011 I am pleased to announce that Our Lady of the Visitation and Saint Leo the Great parish in Fairmount are now twinning partners! For those who are not familiar with the term “twinning”, it is a relationship between two Catholic parishes in which time, talent, and treasure are mutually shared, a relationship of mutual caring and respect. It is a way to evangelize to each other, stepping out of our comfort zone in experiencing our similarities as all members of God’s people, as well as our differences as unique creatures of God. Saint Leo the Great parish is only a few miles away, but has a diverse congregation that includes German Catholics, Guatemalans from Central America and Burundians from Africa. Their pastor is Father Jim Schutte, who is a great friend of our Father Mark. We support Saint Leo’s with their toy drive already, and have had a benefit concert on September 25th, where our own Bill Tonnis, Brenda Folz, and the Burundian choir and Guatemalan band also performed. The 125th anniversary mass was held on November 6th, with our own Deacon, Mike Erb participating in the liturgy of the mass. This relationship is a true relationship, sort of like a marriage, where there is mutual respect, and mutual goals, guided by the Holy Spirit. I would like to emphasize that it is not just charitable giving, but a true relationship where there is mutual dialogue and mutual listening. As we heard a few weeks ago, we are called by the greatest commandment to “love our neighbor as ourselves”. This is a way to do it, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Catholic social teaching in achieving solidarity, participation, honoring human dignity, being good stewards of our time, talent and treasure in the service of another. In doing so we promote the common good. Alright, the theology lesson is now over! Are you asking, what does this have to do with Me? This relationship will take on many forms as it evolves. At the present time, help is needed in their food pantry during the week. In the summer, they have an urban farm and sell their goods at Finley market. We will be sharing liturgy, and anticipate Father Jim presiding at Mass here on a regular basis. Your participation can be as much or as little as you choose. For our more “mature” Parishioners, it may just involve praying for the program as we roll out petitions at each Mass. It could involve tutoring the adults or young people of Saint Leo’s, or helping with physical labor in the many projects that are to come about. I would welcome all parishioners to become involved: the more the merrier and the better success we will have. You will often hear stories of personal satisfaction in doing volunteer work, that it makes you feel good. I think it is God telling you that you are in the right place! We feel this is the right place for our parish and invite your participation! Early in January, on the feast of the Epiphany, Saint Leo’s have a prayer service (liturgy of the hours) at 4 pm followed by an international pot luck dinner. I will preside at the liturgy of the hours, and following our relationship will officially kick off with Father Jim and Father Mark signing the twinning contract between the two parishes. Please give prayerful consideration to joining us as we embark on this exciting new relationship. God bless you in this holiday season, Marc Alexander , Candidate for the Diaconate
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