This week Wednesday, we will be meeting in the Connect room in the basement of Holy Spirit at 7:30pm to watch Episode 7 of the Catholicism Series by Fr. Robert Barron that we started at the beginning of the year.  It’s titled “WORD MADE FLESH, TRUE BREAD OF HEAVEN: THE MYSTERY OF THE LITURGY AND THE EUCHARIST” followed by a brief discussion.  A short description is below. 
 
Father Barron explores the ancient practices of the Church’s worship that endure to this very day, and the notion that “all value is summed up in the liturgy, the supreme act by which we commune with God.  Considered by the Catholic Faith to be “the source and summit” of its identity and mission, the Eucharist is the central practice of the Church’s culture. Father Barron describes all the parts of the Mass, and shows how the Sacred Liturgy embodies the whole of the Faith in diverse places as Jerusalem, Rome, Chicago, Orvieto, Mexico City.
 

And coming up this Sunday, come beat the heat and join us for a pool party at Emily Raap’s house (see facebook event for address)!  The party will start at 1pm. There will obviously be swimming, so bring a swimsuit and towel. There will also be volleyball and ladder ball. Feel free to bring a football or frisbee or any other lawn game. We will grill for supper around 5ish. Meat will be provided. Please bring your own drinks and a dish to pass. It will definitely be a good time and a great way to cool down.  

This week, we are back on schedule and will be doing our monthly service project this Wednesday, cleaning at the Pregnancy Resource Center downtown (415 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids) from 6:30 to 8 pm as we always do the third Wednesday of the month.

We also have another event coming up this weekend!  Saturday June 30th from 3-8pm, our very own Connect member, Matt Vanderwerff, has invited any who would like to come, to his family farm in Lowell (see Facebook event for address) to partake in their 175 years of Family Farming Celebration!  Dinner will be served at 5pm with hayrides before and after dinner.  Please RSVP as soon as possible. 

This week Wednesday, we will be watching and having a short discussion on Episode 6 of the Catholicism Series by Fr. Robert Barron that we started back in January.  It is titled “A BODY BOTH SUFFERING AND GLORIOUS: THE MYSTICAL UNION OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH” and a short description is below.  Please meet in the Connect room in the basement of Holy Spirit at 7:30, our usual time.  And of course, we’ll head over to Applebees for a bite to eat once we’re done.

Clearly answering the question, “What is the Church?” Father Barron presents the reality of the Church as “one, holy, catholic and apostolic.” The Body of Christ can be seen on earth from the Church’s center in Rome to the cities of New York, Sao Paolo, Manila, Namugongo and Uganda, while still escaping total understanding as the mystical union between Christ and his Church. Father Barron also explores the Catholic conviction that the life and presence of Christ continues to embrace humanity in all its joys and sorrows through the presence of the Church.