As I began to think about my Resurrection story, I went back and read some of the resurrection stories from earlier this year and previous years.  My first feeling was one of total inadequacy—what did I have to say that compared to these stories—followed by the knowledge that you would all appreciate a SHORT true story that happened right here at St. Clare.  So here it is—

I am dating myself here, but i am a cradle Catholic, and attended Catholic schools for 12 years.  I am of the age when we went to Mass every morning with our class, clutching our St. Joseph Daily Missal with the English translations of the Latin Mass, and ate breakfast at our school desks afterward. All our friends were Catholic, and our parents all belonged to the Mothers and Fathers Clubs,Ushers and Altar Society.  Those were the days!

My family and I have been members of St. Clare parish for about 25 years, and both my children went through St. Clare School.  Today, they are young adults and we are very proud of both of them.  During that time, my husband Michael and I were volunteers in the school.  Mike has also served on parish commissions and has been an usher at the 9 am Mass for a very long time.

I attended Mass almost every Sunday for virtually my entire life, out of habit, not spiritual necessity.  I think I really believed that by being in a church for an hour, even if I spent the time mentally planning my upcoming week, plotting revenge, or balancing my checkbook I was doing what was expected of me. 

When we were out and about, people often said hello to Mike, and I would ask who they were.  “You know them.  They go to St. Clare”  he would reply.  Sadly, I didn’t know them and I realized that while I was at Mass, I was not a part of the true celebration of the Mass.

About 3 years ago, I retired from Henry Ford Community College, where I was on the faculty for 30 years.  At the same time, my husband had a broken knee, and followed that up with a  knee replacement so we were staying close to home.

St. Clare introduced a program called Alpha, and Mike and I decided to attend, since it was a chance to get out of the house.  Art Post brought Alpha to St. Clare, and Rosemarie De Rosa was our discussion group leader.  I remember going into it with a fair amount of skepticism, but Art and Rosemarie were so warm and welcoming that we kept coming back.  After a few weeks, I found myself thinking more and more about what was said in Alpha, both in the video and the follow up discussion. And I hated to see the program end.

All of a sudden, when I went to Mass I found myself thinking about the words that were being said, and what they meant.  I know that was because of Alpha.  The Eucharist and the Holy Spirit were no longer topics about which I memorized catechism answers many years ago, but real and present spiritual gifts for which I have become very grateful. 

I have taken advantage of other Faith Formation activities offered here at St. Clare, and have learned a lot about myself and deepened my faith.  In fact, after going through the Called and Gifted program last fall, I discerned charisms that had been with me throughout my career. 

While working at the college, I planned some conferences, and navigated some intricate academic policies through the College Senate and the Board of Trustees.  When people would say how well something ran, or how smoothly a change was implemented, I graciously took the credit.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered years later that I was acting within charisms that were unique gifts of the Holy Spirit—to me.  All along, in good times and in bad, God has been with me.  For someone who was a master of compartmentalization—with work and faith in different quadrants on the Steven Covey chart, that is a truly humbling realization. 

In many Resurrection Stories, an underlying theme is that spiritual rebirth happened simultaneously with the rebirth of St. Clare parish.  That is true for me, as well.  Fr. Andrew and Fr. Tom bring a joy that permeates the worship celebrations and other events at St. Clare.   We are a family.  The change in the atmosphere after Sunday Mass is something to behold.  People don’t want to leave.  I now feel a deep, spiritual joy each time I walk into St. Clare and am greeted at the door, vestibule and entrance to the church.

And I now know lots of people from St. Clare, and never have to ask, “Who is that?”  I know who they are and that together we are all part of something very special.

So that’s it—my story.  I’m not sure it qualifies as a resurrection, but maybe it’s a resurrection in progress.  Thank you all for listening.