Author: julie

WORDS OF HOPE
Volume 19 Number 1
April 2015

Advancing Dawn

Easter 2015
By Fr. Dennis Wait
Dear Friend of Sanctuary of Hope,
Welcome to the Easter Season of 50 days, Alleluia and Praise the Lord! My cousin, Nancy Goodack, died on March 9 of this year. I can still see the golden sunset that ended this day. I went outside on my porch and just watched the sun set. It was a golden orange color, as it slowly went down in the sky. It looked so round, like the Eucharist, and I told Jesus hello and Nancy in Heaven and many of our family. The whole sky lit up with this orange gold color and then softly turned to red and pink colors. The sun went down, a cool breeze began to blow, and I could see the lights of the cars on I-70 coming at me, like they were all holding candles in a procession. I felt such peace for my cousin, Nancy and our family. Just like Jesus said: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in me, even if they die, will live.” (John 11:25) Nancy was always there for us kids, and as we grew into adults, and especially for her husband, children and grandchildren, and so many she “fed” over her 90 years of life on this earth!
I have been waiting to introduce to you some new staff members and another who has been with us since Easter of 2003. In some ways their positions here parallel one another in that they can all give spiritual guidance to those who come here for retreat. I am proud to announce we have a new Associate Spiritual Director and her name is Rev Mindy Fugarino. Mindy takes the position that Stephen Sullivan had, on this second anniversary of his death, March 8, 2015. Mindy is married to Pastor Robert Fugarino of Park Hill Christian Church of Parkville, Mo, and they have a daughter named, Karyssa, who is 8 years old. Bernadine Asher and I have known Robert and Mindy since our beginning years at SOH. We both sensed they appreciated the value of retreat work. Since then they have traveled and have co-pastored a Church in Kingwood, TX. Mindy has a background in spiritual formation, interim ministry training and field work, led marriage enrichment retreats and groups, worked with people in countries of the developing world, and counseling, to mention some of her areas. Recently she organized a restoration day for pastors in the KCK area. Do come and meet her, as she is excited to meet all of you.
Sharri Orndorff is our new Marketing and Public Relations Chairperson, and Coordinator of our SOH Associates. She will be coordinating our SOH newsletter, website and our SOH Facebook. She was the office manager for Access Sales and will be joining the Catholic Church at Holy Angels Parish in Basehor, KS, at the Vigil of Easter this year. Sharri is a mother and grandmother. She has two daughters, Christi (husband Sean Orem) and one grandson, Trystan; Beth (husband Clint Oelschlaeger); and her dog Sadie Bri. She

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WORDS OF HOPE
Volume 19 Number 1
April 2015

has a wonderful knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, and has come to love Mary, our Mother.
Sharri really enjoys being here and is also able to help others, especially those who are hurting. She enjoys praying with others, and do keep her in your prayers as well.
I want to thank Diane Reinhart for being the Coordinator of our Associates these last couple of years. What a blessing she and her son, Benjamin, have been to all of us and many others in our area! Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to serve the Lord and reach out to those who have so very little, and welcome them with open hearts!
Sister Antonella Bayer, CSJ, from Wichita, KS, has been with us since 2003. Sister is the Coordinator of the SOH Chapel, guides our Tuesday Prayer Group gatherings, and is very qualified in giving Spiritual Direction. Sister Antonella has been leading the Hospitality Committee of our Hope Benefit for years now. She does many tasks here! She will be celebrating 60 years of religious life this year, Praise God! Sister is also a great cook, and we all enjoy her dishes at the pot luck meals. I thank God for her being here with us, and ask you to keep her and all our religious in your prayers, especially during this year of Consecrated Life that we are celebrating throughout the universal Church. Sister’s playing several instruments and leading the singing at many of our gatherings, has been a blessing to us all, even keeping me on pitch! In a letter to me, after Sister Antonella left her teaching profession at St. Pius X High School, KC, MO, and her colleagues, she said: “I look forward to being a part of the retreat and prayer ministry at Sanctuary of Hope.”
I would conclude with this Scripture from the Easter Vigil this year: “(The angel) said to them, ‘Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here…He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.’” (Mark 16: 6-7)
Love, prayers and gratitude, Holy, Healthy and Happy Easter Season of 2015!
Fr. Dennis Wait, your brother always, and our Sanctuary of Hope Family

3M Concert an Enjoyable Afternoon
February 8th, what a gorgeous, glorious, bright sunshiny day! The 18th Annual Music, Movement &
Meditation concert got underway with Saxophonia leading us down memory lane with their sentimental suite
of Old Negro Spirituals in honor of Black History Month. The somewhat melancholy melodies and
haunting lyrics of Swing Low, Deep River and Old Man River caused us to reminisce about the
forgiveness of our past, the faith of the present, and the fortitude our future.
Director, Dr. David Rasmussen and the Marvelous Motet Singers captivated us with Komm, Jesu (Come Jesus) and Salvation is Created. The entire repertoire sung in a cappella completely enraptured us with a feeling of serenity and celestial bliss.
Sensational Saxophonia and The Magnificent Motet Singers were a mesmerizing segway to usher in the Lenten Season.
Sue Ryan and crew treated guests to a cordial array of refreshments.

Mindy’s Minute
As we move through Lent, I hope to not only know more about Jesus, but to get to know Him better.
I’ve been thinking about the different layers of belief. When someone “believes in me,” I’m encouraged, and I know that is a statement about who I am and not a statement that I simply exist or that they trust I’ve actually done what is listed on my resume.
I hope Jesus will know that my belief in Him goes beyond what I think happened in history, and even beyond what He promises for the future. I pray that my “belief in” will be my full investment in who He is and in what it means to simply be hearing and responding to Him. Here are my thoughts as I’ve been considering how who He is shapes who I am.
What to believe
Sometimes, I wish I could believe
those prosperity gospel “truths.”
Then, I’d have control…

what I do would tell God
what I’m owed.
But I can’t believe…not that.
Dipping my toes into His imprints means
Sometimes walking on water,
Playing in the dirt, and even
Dragging a cross.
What I was taught to believe
Was that my choices have power
That can bless or burn, but
That Jesus would take the
Arson’s sentence.
Even more, I want to believe
That what I choose or don’t,
When I lose, break, or suffocate,
He paved the way so the wounded can
Trust Breath restored.
I believe in a savior who
Didn’t want to walk to a cross but
Who heard God ask him to receive

A scapegoat’s sentence knowing
God holds the keys.
We have a God who believes
In us when we see only a ghost of a self,
Who takes care to look beneath sin’s scab
Balming the festering that sought to
Mask true goodness.
And so we can believe with
More than our heads, but also with
Stitched, re-set, coagulating souls now
Expanding into their original design, in
Embodied Love.
Believing together with you,
Mindy

SAVE THE DATE!
SOH PRESENTS:
HOPE fest
SATURDAY, June 20, 2015
10 am—2 pm
More details to come

ANNOUNCING THE ANNUAL
HOPE BENEFIT
New Date: October 10, 2015
5:30—11:00 pm
New Location:
Abdallah Shrine Temple
5300 Metcalf
Shawnee Mission, KS
New Lower Price: $50.00

GROUNDSKEEPER’S
CORNER…

Jeff Stock is our groundskeeper, with a background in landscaping. He does a fabulous job, but there’s always more to be done than he can do. It also takes materials to keep everything looking this good. We always have a wish list of materials or services we can use. If you can help, or know someone who can, please give us a call at 913-321-4673.

Wish List!
Railroad Ties
Bulk—
Plants—Flowers, shrubs, trees
Topsoil—Bulk
Tractor service -
oil changes, etc.
Tree Trimmer

Healthy Eating Session Continues
On February 28, fourteen people attended the Healthy Eating Workshop led by Lou & Mary Finocchario. Everyone enjoyed the nutritious plant based meal and were very receptive to the nutritional information shared. A follow up session will be held on Saturday, March 28.

Lenten Retreat by Fr. Dennis
Well over 60 people attended the Lenten Retreat with reflections by Fr. Dennis. The Holy Spirit was very present and many hearts were touched.

HOPEfest Planning Underway!
The HOPE fest will replace our prior years’
“Run the Good Race” event
The Committees are hard at work to make
the HOPEfest a success. Plans are
underway for food, music and tours of
the grounds, activities for the kids and a
great day for all. Be sure to mark your
calendar for June 20 and come on out for HOPEfest!

Calling all Volunteers!
Do you have an activity that you enjoy? Maybe you love to cook, decorate, or garden? Do you love books? Do you have a talent to repair things? Do you like to do plumbing or carpentry? Or are you a prayer warrior? There is a place for you here at Sanctuary of Hope if you want to come! You can volunteer for an hour or a day per week or month, however you wish. If you want to know more about where you could benefit SOH, give Colleen Cook a call at 321-4673 and let her know. Colleen is our Volunteer Coordinator, and she can help you get involved at whatever level you are comfortable. We look forward to having you come!

HOPE BENEFIT IS NEW FOR 2015!

We have revamped the HOPE BENEFIT for 2015. After careful
consideration, we have changed the celebration to make it better for all
of our patrons.
New date! October 10, 2015 5:30—11:00 pm
New reduced price! $50.00 per person
New food! We will have a buffet dinner
New location! We have moved the event to the
Abdallah Shrine Temple
5300 Metcalf
Shawnee Mission, KS
Stay tuned for more information!
Tickets will be on sale soon!
If you’d like to advertise or be included in the program, please give Julie a call at 913-321-HOPE (4673)

ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES,
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
With spring’s arrival, there’s lots to do here at SOH. You all know we have lots of grounds, plantings, statuary and a host of trails and seating areas, along with the fish pond. There’s a story about an old man who had beautiful grounds and flowers. His place was known far and wide for it’s beauty. One visitor came and admired his place, and remarked at what a beautiful job God had done with all the colors and plantings, making everything so beautiful. The landowner gave him a look of reproof, and said, “You should have seen it when God had it all by Himself!”
It takes lots of time and hard work to keep SOH looking this beautiful, but working together makes it fun. Come on out for our Workday every second Saturday from 8am till noon. We’ll even feed you lunch!

Sharing with Sharri

Greetings!
Fr. Dennis did a pretty good job of introducing me. I’m so excited to be here!
At my first Associates’ meeting, I asked the folks what was their favorite thing about SOH, and without hesitation, they all said “The People”. With that recommendation, I’m going to start right off the bat asking for your help!
They have put me in charge of a few things. One of them is our Facebook page. Now, I realize that not everyone has Facebook. But so many these days do have it, and we need to get the word out! This is a great way to ‘stay in the loop’ for what’s going on here at SOH. I try to post at least a few times a week to let everyone know what programs are upcoming, etc.
I will also try to put a current schedule of events on the back page of this newsletter so all y’all have a good idea of what’s going on.
The next thing I’d like to do is get as many people as possible to receive this newsletter in an electronic format, via e-mail. Most folks do have e-mail these days. Not everyone, and we are not going to discontinue this newsletter in print, I promise. But it would save us a lot of time and money if as many people as possible would sign up to get the newsletter electronically. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can call the office at 913-321-4673 and tell us that you’d like to change from the print version to the e-mail version. Or, you can go to the website at www.sanctuaryofhope.org. On the home page, at the bottom right corner, is a place to sign up for the electronic version of the newsletter. Please do that, and get your friends and family to sign up, as well. As I said, it would be a great help to us here if as many folks as possible would get the newsletter this way.
Come on by SOH anytime, I’d love to meet you! I’m usually here between 10-4, Tues –Friday.
Hugs & prayers for all y’all!
Sharri

At Sanctuary of Hope
Discover that life’s not a race—it’s a journey;
A journey of HOPE!
Join us on Saturday, June 20th from 10 am to 2pm
for
Come experience your neighborhood prayer center:
o Enjoy live music, balloons and games o Taste a variety of food—free kids meal for children 12 and under
o Tour our gardens, nature trails, shrines and retreat facilities o Meet our staff, associates and volunteers

I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord;
they are plans for peace, not disaster,
to give you a future filled with hope.
—Jeremiah 29:11 (Common English Bible)

HOPEfest!

The LABYRINTH is coming!
Have you ever wanted a place to walk and just think?
Have you ever needed a place to meander and pray?
Have you ever wanted to place to ‘sort out’ your life?
The LABYRINTH is coming!

If you’d like to help build it, give us a call! 913-321-4673.
Or, you can e-mail Julie— Julie@sanctuaryofhope.org

Sanctuary of Hope

2601 Ridge Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102

NON PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 598
KANSAS CITY, MO

Sanctuary of Hope is an contemplative, ecumenical community committed to knowing, loving and serving God and each other and those in need.

WHAT’S GOING ON AT SOH? Glad you asked!

Special Events:
Peace Walk
Sunday, April 26, 2015 1-3pm
HOPEfest
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10-2pm

Regular Events:
Prayer Group
Tuesday Mornings
10am till noon
Lunch provided afterward
Call to verify 913-321-4673
Eucharist
Mass on Tues and Thurs
7:30 a.m.
Work Day
Second Saturday
8a-Noon
April 11, May 9, June 13

Future Events:
HOPE Benefit
Saturday, October 10th
5:30—11:00 PM
Praying with Beads Workshop-Not Just for Catholics!
Saturday, November 7
9:00—Noon
Paths to Peace
Saturday, November 21
8:30am—1:00
3M Concert
Sunday 2-14
2:00—4:00 pm