Day 686: Monday January 31, 2022

Emmaus Liturgy Presider Schedule for 2022

Dear Sisters and Brothers of Emmaus: Victoria led an excellent meeting of the Liturgy Committee and several other members of the Emmaus Community. It was a rollicking good time and no one was injured. Please see Victoria's notes on the meeting below:

Here are the dates and celebrants for each of our liturgies during the year. Sandy McKeith has indicated she won't be able to concelebrate on 3/27. Any volunteers?

Present: Emmaus Faith Community Liturgy Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, January 25, 2022 (Via Zoom) David Carlson, Steve Lyman, Patti England, Jacqueline Hayes, Alice Waco, Mary FitzGerald, Ed FitzGerald, Peter Schneider, Cathy Schneider, Nancy McFarland, Pat O’Connor, Dan Vrooman, Vicki Rivera-Goin, Linda Wildman, Victoria MacDonald (current chair)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 93 (from A Book of Psalms by Stephen Mitchell) God acts within every moment and creates the world with each breath. God speaks from the center of the universe, in the silence beyond all thought. Mightier than the crash of a thunderstorm, mightier than the roar of the sea, is God’s voice silently speaking in the depths of the listening heart.

Theme for our 2022 year ahead: Our liturgy meeting opened with Victoria offering welcome and an expression of gratitude for everyone present for our Zoom meeting today.

The first topic of discussion was inviting people to offer possible theme ideas for our year ahead. Ed mentioned the phrase “Hope of Deliverance,” and Jacqueline offered thoughts on how Emmaus might work with the current Catholic Church process of Synod. This brought up a memory which Victoria shared about the Pope’s visit to Monterey County many years ago, of protesters using signs that said: “Listen to Your People.” David shared that “Listen!” might be a short but urging theme. Then a flurry of (I apologize for not remembering exactly who was offering what) possible “qualifiers” to the word “Listen” came forward as our theme:

• A Listening Heart (like in the last words of the opening prayer psalm)

• Cultivating a Listening Heart • Developing “ • Contemplating “ • Reaching Out With “

• Journeying With “

So, because our time was limited, a quick review of those who were in favor of “Listen” was found to be almost unanimous; and that committee members would consider all the “qualifiers” they might want to add to “listen” and would let Victoria know.

Some members needed to leave by 4pm, so the meeting quickly turned to completing our Emmaus Presider Schedule for the 2022 year. (Please see this Presider Schedule on a separate document, not attached to these notes).

Possible Retreat: Alice brought up the possibility of meeting and discussing the concept of “listening” even if it had to be a half-day, 3 to 4 hour mini-retreat over Zoom in order to have the Emmaus Community understand the concepts and theme that the liturgy committee hopes to be interwoven into each of the years liturgies. And that the possible Mini-Retreat should happen sooner than later into the year. A short discussion followed, and Victoria will bring this to the attention of the Emmaus Board for their consideration.

Liturgy Committee Chair Position: Steve Lyman asked about how long Victoria will remain in the chair position of the Liturgy Committee. Victoria said that she has held this position for the last few years, and will hand the baton to whomever would like to take this chair position as of January 2023. No one volunteered during this time, so Victoria encouraged everyone to think about taking on this role, or asking other Emmaus members to see if they feel called to this position and let Victoria know. Victoria also stated that she will be happy to work with that person throughout this year so that they feel ready and able to take the chairmanship position in January 2023.

Primarily, the Liturgy Committee chair position duties are: calling two meetings per year: one in fall and one in the spring to make sure that the Presider Schedule has been completed, and then sending minutes and the Presider Schedule out to the committee; to coordinate alternate presiders should rescheduling needs occur, and to take questions or suggestions from the committee to the Emmaus Board.

Federation of Christian Ministries Announcement: Victoria encouraged as many people as possible to participate in the FCM / Faith Communities Series which will occur starting Tuesday February 1, 2022 at 5pm (PST / 8pm EST) and for the following first Tuesdays of each month at (the same 5 pm time) until June.

It’s an opportunity for all of us in our Emmaus Community to listen to and also to share about the origins, blessings and hopes of our Emmaus Community ... and to see what a great small faith community model Emmaus might be for those hungering for a place to nurture and strengthen their faith and to create a deep sense of what a beloved community can be. Respectfully submitted, Victoria MacDonald

Zoom: All sessions will be on Zoom.

If you have not been on Zoom and you need assistance, please email Ginny Cusack at Cusack.g@gmail.com before January 30 so she can walk you through the simple process of accessing the zoom meeting. She will be unable to help you the night of the sessions.

Here is the zoom link that will be used for all five sessions.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81814669170

Meeting ID: 818 1466 9170


For Phones: Dial by your location

+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)


Meeting ID: 818 1466 9170


Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdfekYVJ0I