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S.A.Y.G. Meeting Sunday, April 26
We'll cover the plans
for this summer's NAMY convention in Caldwell, NJ (June 27 to July 1) and the election of officers for the coming
year. We'll also have forms and info available for you to take home that day. New MUSIC page added to our site
Superstition Ain't the Way
Ever heard of Reiki? Its touted
as an alternative healing method and attracts followers who like to think of it as "naturally spiritual"
healing. It has become popular enough to attract the attention of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, who studied
the phenomenon in detail and issued Guidelines for Catholics about Reiki on March 26, 2009. Why? The bishops
recognize that Reiki is really just superstition lacking scientific credibility or a connection to God's divine healing.
What did they say?
"Reiki therapy
finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief. For a Catholic to believe in Reiki therapy
presents insoluble problems. In terms of caring for one's physical health or the physical health of others, to employ
a technique that has no scientific support (or even plausibility) is generally not prudent. In terms of caring for one's
spiritual health, there are important dangers. To use Reiki one would have to accept at least in an implicit way central elements
of the worldview that undergirds Reiki theory, elements that belong neither
to Christian faith nor to natural science. Without justification either from Christian faith or natural science, however,
a Catholic who puts his or her trust in Reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no-man's-land that
is neither faith nor science." "Superstition corrupts one's worship of God by turning one's religious
feeling and practice in a false direction"
"The
fact remains that for Christians the access to divine healing is by prayer to Christ as Lord and Savior, while the essence
of Reiki is not a prayer but a technique..."
You can read the complete Guidelines online.
 See our NAMY Convention page for info and links on this year's convention, June 27 to July 1, in New Jersey!
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| click on image for Steubenville East site |
Get Ready for Steubenville East
2009
July 24-26 or July 31 - August 2
URI campus, Kingston, Rhode Island
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| Thousands rally in Hartford 3/11/09 (Hartford Courant photo) |
Catholics
& Religious Liberty Under Attack in the Constitution State!
Your religious liberty was seriously
threatened and vigorously and successfully defended in March. Had you heard???
On March 5 the co-chairmen
of the Connecticut Assembly's Judiciary Committee scheduled for hearing a bill attacking the Roman Catholic church - and
ONLY the Roman Catholic church - in Connecticut. Raised Bill 1098, if passed, would have stripped Connecticut's Roman Catholic bishops and priests of the authority they now
have over their parishes and vested it instead in a board of laymen. The bill was proposed without notice
to or cooperation with Church officials and blatantly interfered in the exercise of Roman Catholicism by Connecticut's
citizens in violation of the First Amendment.
The scheduled March 11 hearing was called off on March 10 because
State Senator Andrew McDonald and Representative Michael Lawlor, the co-chairmen, were inundated with e-mails and phone calls
as thousands of Roman Catholics and their supporters across the state rose up in opposition. Over five thousand people from
the dioceses of Hartford, Bridgeport and Norwich rallied on the steps of the State Capital. Danbury's own freshman Senator Michael McLachlan, a member of the Judiciary Committee, opposed the bill and provided solid information
and commentary about the bill via e-mails and on his legislative webpage and blog. And Deacon Tom, on behalf of Archbishop Cyril and our Melkite Eparchy of Newton,
testified at the informational hearing that was held after the rally by a bi-partisan group of legislators so that representatives of the Church
and its supporters could register their opposition. To see Deacon Tom's testimony, click here and set the slider to read 2:54:04 on the CT-N webcast viewer (this will get you to his testimony, which is two
hours and fifty four minutes into the videocast).
As Bishop William Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport
speculated - if these two legislators could attack the Roman Catholic church with a bill so blatantly in violation of the
First Amendment, how long would it be before the rights of other Catholics - like Melkites - and other people of faith would
be jeopardized?
We are safe - for now. The co-chairmen announced that they were refering their bill to the
Attorney General to obtain an opinion on its constitutionality, along with the constitutionality of the existing laws
it tried to amend. But experts who testified on behalf of the Church on Wednesday made it clear that the existing laws
were made a long time ago to protect the free exercise of religion, and do not violate the First Amendment.
For
media coverage of these events of importance to all Catholics - in fact, to all people of faith in Connecticut - try
these links:
* Glen Beck Show, Fox News (video)
* Today Show, NBC (video)
* National Catholioc Register
* Catholic News Agency
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| Archbishop Henry Mansell, Diocese of Hartford, on 3/11/09 at Rally |
Mekite Convention 2009 Info Now Available!
The NAMY Convention will be held in West Patterson,
NJ just before the National Melkite Convention begins in July. Click here to view the Patterson parish website, which contains info about the National Melkite Convention, and keep checking the NAMY webpage for details about our own NAMY convention. Birthright thanks S.A.Y.G.
We received a great note from Birthright of Greater
Danbury thanking us for our efforts on their behalf. Good job everyone!
Colleges as cultural battlegrounds
Pro-life
students at Canada's University of Calgary recently had their official club status revoked by their student union
in a flack over their pro-life display, and the University itself is pursuing legal action against the students
who helped exhibit a display from the international Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), threatening the students with suspension
or expulsion for “non-academic misconduct.”
The
university’s charges against the students stem from Nov. 26 - 27, 2008, when the Campus Pro-Life Club (CPL) set up a
GAP display which included large color photographs of abortion, and compared abortion to other atrocities such as the
Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. According
to the CPL, the GAP display had been set up on campus six times since 2006 without incident.
If this happened
on a US campus, would you support the rights of these students to free speech? Or do you think a college should be able to
shut down the voices of pro-life students? Read more here and see the news item below for more on college controversies in the news. "Boston College Attracts Praise, Hostility
for Placing Crucifixes in Classrooms" (2/13/09)
What's
all the fuss about - its a "Catholic" college, isn't it? There's much more to this story, and
if you're Catholic, you really need to understand the cultural issues.
According to the Boston Globe
newspaper, crucifixes were recently placed above the doorways off all 151 Boston College classrooms. Sacred art
reportedly has had a scattered presence at this Jesuit school since the 1970s, but two years ago it erected a new statue of
the Society of Jesus’ founder, St. Ignatius Loyola. The Globe says student reaction has been generally supportive,
but faculty are divided. For example, chemistry professor Amir H. Hoveyda attacked the decision, saying: “such
surface displays… belittle the significance of any symbol that pertains to any form of spirituality” and claimed
that the display of the crucifixes “represents a bias towards one way of thinking.” Calling the administration’s
action “irresponsible and anti-intellectual,” he says he strongly believed in the principles of “freedom
and tolerance and democracy” in his native Iran, where he was imprisoned and “badly tortured” for those
beliefs.
Executive editor Donato Infante of the college newspaper "The Observer" has asked
critical professors to understand “what these symbols mean to us.”
“The hanging of the sacred
art had nothing to do with asserting power, " he said. "It had everything to do with honoring our God and being
constantly reminded of His love.”
What do you think? For more info, read the full Catholic News Agency article. 
Thanks for this year's Birthright
collection
This year's collection of items for Birthright of Greater Danbury
is over - thanks to all from SAYG and St. Ann parish who contributed the layette clothing and other much needed items.
Australian Cardinal: Youth Day Brought Conversions, Vocations
SYDNEY,
Australia, JAN. 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Sydney, the host city for July's World
Youth Day, says the event brought conversions and vocations to the priesthood. Cardinal George Pell affirmed this to
the Italian bishops' SIR news agency, saying that "we are registering an increase in conversions [to Catholicism.]"
"A few days ago,"
he explained, "one parish priest called me to tell me that 25 people, youth and adults, had decided to become Catholic."
The number of seminarians is also going
up, the cardinal added, explaining that in February, seven youth will enter the seminary of Sydney and eight in Melbourne.
He also noted an increase in retreats and religious events.
One of the World Youth Day activities that continues to be in-demand is catechesis, Cardinal Pell said.
"Many continue to ask for it and in numerous parishes,
it has become a regular event," he said. "Youth don't want to be told just what is good and what is bad, but
rather they want to understand the doctrine of the Church regarding current topics."
Pope
Benedict XVI Selects Themes for World Youth Day
VATICAN CITY, 16
DEC 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father has chosen the themes for the next three World Youth Days so as to help build a spiritual
itinerary that will culminate in the World Youth Day celebrations scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain from 16 to 21 August,
2011.
- 24th World Youth Day (2009): "We Have Set Our Hope on the Living God" (1 Tim 4:10)
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25th World Youth Day (2010): "Good Teacher, What Must I do to Inherit Eternal Life?" (Mk 10:17)
- 26th
World Youth Day (2011): "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith" (cf Col 2:7).
WYD09 and WYD10 are expected to be held in Rome.
S.A.Y.G.'s
Collection for Birthright of Greater Danbury begins December 9
Our
collection of baby items for Birthright of Greater Danbuy begins on December 9, the Feast of the Maternity of St. Ann, and
runs throught the Feast of Theophany on January 6. Birthright needs new or gently used infant layette and baby clothes and
other baby items, such as diapers, bibs, etc. (but can't take large items like cribs or car seats). Bring the
items you have collected to the Parish Hall display (our mini Christmas tree) any time from December 9 until Jan. 6.
Let Joanne Davis know if you'd like to help deliver the items to Birthright
Danbury in January.
Help Needed for the St. Ann Friends & Family Weekend
Deacon Tom needs
some help getting a mailing out ASAP about the festivities for Friends & Family Weekend, which will be Thanksgiving
weekend. And the Parish will need some help from us at the Wine & Cheese party on Saturday evening of that weekend.
Please call or e-mail Deacon Tom if you can help.
New!
Sign our Guestbook...
Click on the button on the navigation bar, or click here to leave a comment or see who's been in touch with us.
NEW DATE!
SAYG Meeting Sunday, September 14
after Liturgy
We will be covering plans for the upcoming year - including a fundraising dinner and the upcoming
NAMY convention in New Jersey in July '09. Check our Calendar page for other upcoming events.
SAYG Members, Parents - E-mail
updates needed
We are updating our e-mail list for the new e-mail
capacity available to SAYG through this website. All members and parents, please e-mail the webmaster, or fill in the form on our Contacts page, so that your current e-mail address can be entered into our new system.
Pope Benedict XVI Leads World Youth Day 2008, Sydney, Australia
"When God is eclipsed, even the maternal
womb becomes a place of unutterable violence." This is just one of the bold, powerful thoughts Pope Benedict XVI put before us
during this year's World Youth Day. He has so much to say to young people about our world. Read more
at www.chiesa.com or on the WYD website or on the Vatican's website (where you can try lots of other languages, if you're tired of English!)
2009
NAMY Convention: West Patterson, New Jersey
St. Ann in West Patterson will host the
NAMY convention and the national Eparchy convention to follow. We'll begin making plans at our next few meetings
for SAYG members who want to attend.
Congratulations to our Science Fair Winner!
Check out the the bulletin board
in the Parish Hall for a photo of a SAYG member who's a big winner of quite a few prestigious science awards.
Way to Go! For more info, see our Members Page. Upon
this Rock?
We've talked in the past about going to a rock climbing gym as a group. There are a
few in the area that look good -- travel times vary. Check out these sites and let us know at webmaster@mystann.org which looks best. Photos below are from the PrimeClimb site...wow! We're going to need parents to drive
and/or chaperone for this trip. And everyone who goes will need to turn in a signed permission form.
- Easton Community Center, Easton
- Stone Age Rock Gym, Manchester
- Connecticut Rock, New Haven
- PrimeClimb, Wallingford
2008 National N.A.M.Y. Convention
The N.A.M.Y. Convention is being held in San Diego this year, from June 29 to July
3. Check out the photos on the websites for host parish St. Jacob Melkite Mission and for the site of the conference, San Diego University - it looks like it will be spectacular! S.A.Y.G. members who want to
attend should see Deacon Tom as soon as possible; the registration deadline is in early June. You must be at least 13
years old to attend.
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