Offerings

5/10/2008
FROM BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Bishop Leonard Blair of the Toledo Catholic Diocese will celebrate a Pentecost Mass at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Blvd.

The Ministry to Catholic Charismatic Renewal will hold a Mother's Day reception following the Mass.

Pentecost is observed on the 50th day after Jesus' resurrection, and commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in the Book of Acts.

A resolution citing the importance of Pentecost 2008 was signed by eight leaders of the World Council of Churches, which includes a prayer that says in part, "May we this Pentecost, following the example of the first disciples, wait together, open to receive anew the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit that God always desires to give to us."

Bruce Edwards, an expert on C.S. Lewis and a professor at Bowling Green State University, will give a free talk entitled "Prince Caspian: Returning to Narnia Not a Moment Too Soon," at 7 p.m. May 20 at Calvary Assembly of God, 5025 Glendale Ave.

Mr. Edwards earned a doctorate degree in literature and rhetoric from the University of Texas and wrote his dissertation on the literary criticism of Lewis. He is the author of The Chronicles of Narnia: Not a Tame Lion, and Further Up and Further In: Understanding C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

Mr. Edwards will give his Toledo talk four days after the opening of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the second Hollywood movie in a series following the 2005 blockbuster, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which earned $740 million worldwide.

Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will preach at the 8:30, 9:45, and 11 a.m. services tomorrow at Epworth United Methodist Church.

Bishop Ntambo, episcopal leader of the North Katanga Conference of the United Methodist Church, will bring a delegation of 10 pastors and spouses from the Congo. The African group recently participated in the denomination's General Conference in Fort Worth.

Epworth has had a long partnership with the the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and hosted Bishop Ntambo's son, Gaston, while he studied at Davis College and trained as a pilot.

Epworth is at 3077 Valleyview Drive at Central Avenue near Wildwood Preserve Metropark. Information: 419-531-4236.

An icon representing St. Francis of Assisi's meeting with Sultan Malek al-Kamil in 1219, seeking to end the war between Christians and Muslims, will be blessed this afternoon by Sisters of St. Francis and Imam Farooq Abo-Elzahab and other representatives of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo.

The icon is a triptych by Franciscan Friar Robert Lentz depicting a visit by St. Francis, the patron saint of the Sylvanian Franciscan sisters, to Egypt during the Fifth Crusades to meet with Sultan al-Kamil. The icon features the two men approaching each other as equals, according to Brother Lentz.

"In the midst of war and conflict, these two men were able to dialogue peacefully, brother to brother," said Sister Barbara Vano, director of campus ministry at Lourdes College. "They came away from the encounter not only sharing their beliefs but also learning from one another."

The blessing will be at 1 p.m. at the Queen of Peace Chapel on the grounds of the Sisters of St. Francis campus, 6832 Convent Blvd., and is free and open to the public. Information: 419-824-3623.

Tammy Trent, an award-winning Christian recording artist, speaker, and author, will be in concert at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 204 Main St., Genoa, at noon May 18.

Ms. Trent sings about hope and grace after the tragic loss of her husband in a diving accident in Jamaica on Sept. 11, 2001. She withdrew from the music business for a year after the accident before returning to the stage as a speaker at a Women of Faith conference in Columbus.

She wrote two books about her ordeal, Learning to Breathe Again and Beyond the Sorrow, and is set to release a new music CD, "Stronger," on July 1.

Tickets for the Genoa concert are $20, available from the parish office, 1-419-855-8501. More information on Trent is available online at www.tammytrent.com.

Bishop Leonard Blair of the Toledo Catholic Diocese has announced two personnel appointments that are effective immediately:

•The Rev. Jacob Gordon, associate pastor of St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Parish, Toledo, has been granted a temporary health leave.

•Deacon John Algee is appointed permanent deacon at the Historic Church of St. Patrick, Toledo.

Bishop Blair also announced three apointments effective July 1:

•The Rev. Christopher Vasko, judicial vicar of the diocese, will also serve as presbyteral moderator and parish chaplain at St. Martin de Porres Parish, Toledo.

•Sister Virginia Welsh, of the Sisters of St. Francis, will be pastoral leader of St. Martin de Porres Parish. Sister Virginia serves as director of the Padua Center, which was transferred with its ministry to St. Martin de Porres Parish.