'Dear Friends' October 2007

Monday, October 1, 2007    Witnesses, by Night and Day Dear Friends,    We want to begin Respect Life Month by thanking all of you who are family caregivers. Day after day, and night after night, you prove that caregiving is pro-life. In a recent letter, Cardinal Justin Rigali (Archbishop of Philadelphia and Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities) wrote: "On this Respect Life Sunday [Oct. 7], we ask Catholics and all people of good will to witness to the truth about the incomparable dignity and right to life of every human being." Family caregivers always have been, and remain, witnesses to that truth. May God richly bless both you and your loved one. - - -     New material for October has been posted at CatholicCaregivers.com. The topic for this month's flier is "Keeping Secrets, Telling Lies." - - -    Monica will be attending the national conference of the Catholic Medical Association in Atlanta this week, from Thursday through Saturday. The Friends of St. John the Caregiver will be hosting a display table to provide information for family caregivers and those who assist them. - - -     This week we welcome Jacqueline K. of Hazlet, N.J., to the Friends of St. John Caregiver. She has asked all of us to keep Lillian in our prayers.     You can find out more about becoming a member here. (No meetings, no dues!)    God bless you!                                                          Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation Past "Dear Friends" notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 8, 2007    Spirituality and Peaches Dear Friends,    We're so pleased that each month we have an increasing number of visitors to this site and to its two sisters sites: Friends of St. John the Caregiver and CatholicCaregivers.com. There's software to tell us which pages are most frequently viewed and, time and again, people are looking at Spirituality Topics. We know -- and you know -- there are other fine sites with general information for family caregivers but caregiving has both (for want of a better word) a practical side and a spiritual side. Yes, there are concerns about doctor appointments and wheelchairs and all the rest, but there's also love, God, grief and grace. We'll say it once again: If you're a family caregiver, please know that you and your loved one are being prayed for by members of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver. - - -     Monica has returned after five days in Atlanta (bringing home peach jam from the capital of "The Peach State") and the national conference of the Catholic Medical Association. She was delighted to visit with two FSJC members, Jane and Rosemary, who were attending. The hospitality shown to her by the CMA staff and its members was outstanding. Thanks, too, for the very positive -- and public -- "plug" for FSJC by speaker Dr. Joanne Angelo, and the encouraging words from Helen Alvare of The Catholic University of America and Bishop Robert Vasa of Bend, Ore.  - - -     New members: This week we welcome Bill S. from Ohio, Father O'T. from Australia, B.B. from Kentucky, Floyd C. from Tennessee and Pat C. from Georgia. Thank all five of you so very, very much for keeping caregivers and care-receivers in your prayers.    God bless you!                                                          Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation Past "Dear Friends" notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 15, 2007    Hello, Scotland Dear Friends,     Neither of us were champions in geography class back in our grade-school days. Now, most often, when a new member joins the Friends of St. John the Caregiver we have to do a quick Internet search to find out just where his or her city or town is located. This week we welcome Bernadette M. of Dumbarton, Scotland. (Which is outside Glasgow.) Please keep her and her mother, Nellie, in your prayers.     Sometimes new members will tell us how they happened to find FSJC.org or CatholicCaregivers.com or this site. Bernadette mentioned it was her sister who recommended these resources. (A sister who is a sister-- that is, a nun -- in Birmingham. No, not Alabama. England.)      Bernadette also let us know she had spoken to her pastor, Father Gerard Conroy of St. Patrick's, and asked him to include a link to here from the parish Web site. He agreed. Thank you, Father and Bernadette.         And we must add that, when we saw some on-line photos of St. Patrick's Church in Dumbarton, we knew we would be welcomed there. Hanging above the altar is a crucifix with a large statue of Mary on one side and the Beloved Disciple on the other: Our Lady in Need and St. John the Caregiver. - - -     Needless to say, we would love it if you would ask your parish to include a link to our sites. It's an easy and free way to help the caregivers in your faith community. And we invite you to become an FSJC member! Maybe you've been putting it off. What better time than Respect Life Month? It takes only a moment or two and costs nothing. Not now, not ever. - - -     We've mentioned, more than a few times, how pleased we are the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops included family caregiver information in its 2007-2008 Respect Life Program. Among the many other fine articles are two we want to highlight this week: one that focuses on "The Person with Mental Illness: Bearing God's Image" and another that offers information on Prenatal Partners for Life.    God bless you!                                                          Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Past "Dear Friends" notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 22, 2007    Spreading the Word Dear Friends,     Thank you so much to Joseph Pronechen at the National Catholic Register for the great article in the Oct. 14-20 issue. It featured information on YourAgingParent.com, the Friends of St. John the Caregiver and CatholicCaregivers.com. We were especially pleased to read the positive comments from members Maureen Togher (in Perth, Australia) and Jim and Ann Cavera (in Bellevue, Ohio); and from our own pastor, Father Sean Fox of St. Pius X Church in Mountlake Terrace, Wash.     If you're a National Catholic Register subscriber, you can log in and view the article here.     And thank you to Dan Connors, editor of Catholic Digest magazine, for including FSJC.org as a resource for caregivers in the November issue. Dan has been a loyal supporter for a long time! (The November articles aren't posted yet.)     Because of that great PR, we saw a very pleasant increase in the number of visitors to our Web sites, received more requests for "The Little Book of Caregiver Prayers" and were sent some donations, too! (Speaking of donations, our annual appeal letter will be going out soon. Please watch for it!)      We also saw an increase in the number of people requesting prayers for their particular intentions. We’re always happy to add to that list and we encourage you to keep these folks and their concerns in your prayers. - - -     November – coming soon to a calendar near you! – is National Caregiver Month. If your parish is looking for ways to help caregivers -- and to mark Family Caregiver Sunday (the second Sunday in November) -- you’ll find some suggestions here. - - -     This week we're pleased to welcome two new members: June A. from Connecticut and Elenor S. from Washington state.      We invite you to become a member, too! As we wrote last week, maybe you've been putting it off. What better time than Respect Life Month? It takes only a moment or two and costs nothing. Not now, not ever.    God bless you!                                                          Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Past "Dear Friends" notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 29, 2007    In the Middle of Disaster Dear Friends,     We want to begin this week's letter with a special note to family caregivers whose lives have been impacted in so many ways by the devastating fires in California: You are not forgotten. You and your loved ones are in the prayers of members of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver.     This message -- and promise -- goes out not only to those who live near their care-receivers but to long-distance caregivers, too. How difficult it is, under the best of circumstances, to offer care to a loved one who lives in another part of the state or country. How especially frightening these recent days and weeks must be. Again: You are not forgotten. You are being prayed for.  - - -     Among those offering prayers for the families affected by the California fires and for all caregivers are the newest FSJC members. This week we're so pleased to welcome Mike E. from Arizona, Nisbe B. from Hawaii, M.E.S. from Pennsylvania, Edelmira S. from Texas, Michelle from Maryland, and Ellen S. of Indiana. Please remember them and their intentions in your prayers. And please consider becoming a member, too. It's very easy. (No meetings! No dues!) The only requirement is agreeing to pray for caregivers and those in their care. You can sign up here or download an enrollment form here. - - -     Thank you so much to writer Lisa Ferguson and Our Sunday Visitor newspaper! The Oct. 28 edition features a great "In Focus" section on family caregiving (and that includes an interview with us about the spirituality of caregiving). Thanks, too, for the very kind words about the Friends of St. John the Caregiver in the editorial. - - -     Attention, parishes! The November editions of Catholic Caregivers ("Not My Loved One"), Bulletin Briefs and Prayers of Intercession have been posted at CatholicCaregivers.com. All the material is free and can be used by any group or individual. Print as many copies as you would like -- all for the same great price: Nothing.     And a reminder, too: November is Family Caregiver Month and the second Sunday, Nov. 11 this year, is Family Caregiver Sunday. What a great time to include caregiver material in the bulletin and offer a prayer of thanks for family caregivers during Mass. You can read more here, - - -     One final note: We're finishing up the material to mail out for this year's Annual Appeal. The theme is "You're Not Alone."     God bless you!                                                          Monica and Bill To contact us To join FSJC To make a donation To view or make prayer requests Past "Dear Friends" notes