Gulf Pine Catholic

4 Gulf Pine Catholic • November 12, 2021 Father Tommy Conway to lead 11-day pilgrimage to Germany, Italy Itinerary includes historic Oberammergau Passion Play and Vatican Father Tommy Conway, pastor of St. Fabian Parish in Hattiesburg, will lead a pilgrimage to Germany and Italy September 7-17, 2022. Among the many highlights of this trip is the Oberammergau Passion Play, which only takes place every ten years. The History of the World Famous Oberammergau Passion Play In the 17th century, the black plague ravaged Europe killing one third of its population. The people of Oberammergau prayed to be spared, vowing that every decade they would present a play depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ. Generation after generation of villagers have kept the vow since 1634. The story unravels before your eyes from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to His resurrection. The roles have been passed on from father to son, mother to daughter, strictly adhering to the traditions of the forefathers. This is an event to behold, so do not miss it, and join Father Tommy Conway and The Gulf Pine Catholic on this REGINA TOURS Pilgrimage celebrating its fourth season at Oberammergau. “I have always wanted to see the passion play in person,” said Father Conway. “This really is a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity. I hope you will join me for Fr. Tommy Conway this very special commemoration of the Lord’s suf- fering, death and resurrection.” Tour of Italy After departing Germany, the tour will continue to Italy with stops in Bolzano, Padua, Venice, Florence, Assisi and Rome. The Vatican, and its glorious art treasures, will be a highlight of the stay in Rome. View the vast collec- tion of art and antiquities in the Vatican Museums. Your guide will lead you to the Sistine Chapel through a portion of these treasures such as the Candelabra Gallery where you can admire the Greek- Roman art, the tapestries with the most extraordinary Flemish works and the map gallery with exceptional geographical details. Visit the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s ceiling fresco depicting the history of the creation and the Last Judgement overlooks Italian art masterpieces. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica, surrounding the world’s largest church. While Bernini designed most of works found in the church, Michelangelo’s Pietà is also housed here. These are just some of the highlights of the trip, which is being sponsored by the Gulf Pine Catholic . Cost is $5,498 from New Orleans (based on dou- ble occupancy). There is an “Early Bird Discount” - $100 discount applicable for passengers who make a deposit of $500 per person by Dec. 7. For more information, contact Angelica Villegas -- Regina Tours 1-800-CATHOLIC ext. 250 • avillegas@groupist.com Terrance Dickson - editor, Gulf Pine Catholic Catholic Diocese of Biloxi (228) 702-2126 • tdickson@biloxidiocese.org Christina Bongolan -- Worldwide Discount Travel Club (305) 937-7422 • cbongolan@worldwidediscounttravelclub.com This is the ninth column in a 10-part series provided by the Arkansas Catholic. BY CATHERINE UPCHURCH Special to Arkansas Catholic Good engineers know the value of a counterbalance. Whether for a seesaw, elevator or a forklift, the design has to allow for weights to balance one another. Without that balance, a child will go flying off the seat of the seesaw, an elevator will plummet and a forklift will tip over on itself. We are designed with a need for a counterbalance as well. We cannot simply be busy doing the work of the kingdom without the balancing gift and discipline of stillness. One way to enter into stillness and silence in God’s presence, to calm ourselves so that we are more aware of God, is to use this simple verse from Psalms 46:11: “Be still and know that I am God.” Through the psalmist, God is giving a direction that will slow our pace, take away the “hurry” of our days and maybe even help us let go of some worry as well. Take a deep breath, sit comfortably and say the verse within yourself. Ponder who God is to you. Call to mind the ways that you most often experience God’s presence. After a few moments of quietly focusing on God, strip away the end of that verse and sit in silence with these words: “Be still and know that I am.” God revealed himself to Moses in the Sinai desert as “I AM” (Exodus 3:11-14). God is the cause of all being. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed His divine identity when He said, “I am …” the good shepherd, the gate for the sheep, the light of the world, the way and the truth and the life, the resurrection and the life and the true vine. When you sit in stillness and contemplate God’s power in our world, begin with acknowledging that God is the creative power of all that is and the abiding presence in all that will be. “In stillness, you will grow in love and in trust of the God who fashioned you and abides with you.” And now we focus even more deeply on the gift of stillness by stripping away a bit more of the verse, saying in our hearts and minds, “Be still and know.” We tend to focus on knowing as the act of sorting through information to make sense of reality, and in the spiritual context, that sometimes means gaining knowledge about God. While acquiring knowledge is a significant part of our growth as humans, as disciples, the Bible invites us to think of knowing, especially knowing God, as a kind of intimacy that we share with God. It comes in the form of a loving relationship with God. In stillness, you will grow in love and in trust of the God who fashioned you and abides with you. By now, you know that we will remove a couple more words to be left with “Be still.” Stillness allows us the space we need to hear God’s voice. Mary, mother of Jesus, is said to have reflected or pondered or treasured in her heart the things divinely revealed to her by an angel, by shepherds and through the events of Jesus’young life (Luke 2:15-20, 41-52). Such reflection requires stillness. Quiet yourself, be aware of your breathing which is itself a gift from God. And we are left with “Be.” By now, your breathing is a bit deeper, your body is a bit quieter and you might hear God saying simply, “Let me look on you in love.” God’s love is at the heart of our being and becomes the basis for how we act as disciples. SEE BE-ATTITUDES FOR BELIEVERS, PAGE 13 Be-Attitudes for Believers Upchurch Be Still: Foster a discipline of stillness in God’s presence