About Your Faith.
In the heart of downtown DC, only minutes and blocks from the White House is a bookstore and Ikon Art shop, with the occasional religious statues, and other religious items (prayer cards, Easter cards, saints bracelets, etc). In most mysterious fashion when wandering inside, browsing at the widest selection of ecclesiastic book fare and pilgrimage spots, trip guides and monastery location sources, DVDs on the lives of Saints, etc. outside the Shrine or bookstores in seminaries one notices that the back wall has interesting stained glass features. One is struck by the power of the Ikons, beautiful gold gilded pictures of Christ that would make phenomenal Easter presents for yourself and loved ones, of all sizes.
If you get really curious you want to see what's behind the stained glass so you open the doors and find astonishingly, in the middle of K street a Chapel. Wild and cool. Every week day they have noon Mass and after that exposition of the blessed sacrament for hours. This is really quite something for downtown Washington, DC. Whodathunkit.
The Catholic Information Center, (http://www.cicdc.org/) runs an amazing array of programs regularly- today for example Raymond Arroyo gave a talk in conjunction with the last of his trilogy on Mother Angelica, of EWTN fame which was both hysterically funny and enlightening about this great evangelist nun's life followed by a book signing. They regularly hold spiritual reflection evenings for men and women every month with receptions, they have hosted movies of saints, talks of lobbyists on timely issues (health care reform, etc.), and series of lay evangelists.
The CIC is run by Opus Dei, whose founder, Saint Jose Maria Escriva, (meaning literally something like Joseph Mary Scribe/Writer...) was originally a practicing Attorney in Spain before being a priest. His order is unique in that it believes, actually closer to the Protestant tradition, in the spiritual priesthood of the souls of all believers and the universal evangelical mandate (Great Commission) with a strong emphasis in understanding that the laity have a special role and position in evangelization. That is why it is an Information Center- with lots of books, and the goal is to educate people, engage them in serious discourse and discussion on even controversial topics, and seek together to find the light and truth. Whatever your faith tradition, this bookstore is a must-see. You must visit. It is a unique spot of light in downtown DC.
It hosts a more or less packed house for Mass daily- and people from all over Washington cherish the exposed blessed sacrament which they know they can visit in downtown DC any day of the week. This is the ONLY place in downtown DC that does this.
Recently a very generous donor/sponsor has given a pledge that if $100,000. is raised in a fundraising effort between now and the Founder Saint's birthday which is June 26th, that this donor will match it- giving the Center necessary operating capital in the highest rent district in DC.
If you can contribute to this great effort, it will be greatly appreciated by Fr. Arne (and his cute fundraising guy Ray) who are trying to meet the 100k goal. They would, I am sure, welcome any and all suggestions regarding what programs, movies, lectures, etc. you would like to see hosted at the CIC. It is one of the more intellectually refreshing beach-heads for exploration of the Faith- they take all questions seriously and work with the most stubborn of us.
Here is what Fr. Arne wrote recently in his letter to the faithful: "We live in a world of unprecedented confusion surrounding man's understanding of himself and God. Identifying this spiritual crisis in our civilization, Pope John Paul II called for a response 'new in ardor, methods and expression." The CIC exists to advance this new ardor of evangelization which has also been underlined by our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, by engaging this spiritual conflict head on here in American's center of political power. What appears to many as an unassuming Catholic bookstore and Chapel is actually a beachhead, a type of spiritual bunker or staging area for Catholics to be formed, outfitted and equipped for the battle for hearts and minds being waged daily in Washington and our culture at large."
This doesn't mean that they take a knee-jerk posture with regard to political positions- it means that it challenges people to think through all angles considering spiritual implications and challenges people to learn and examine themselves.
Let's see if we can't get the CIC fully funded up to it's 100k goal by June. If you have not made an Easter Pledge yet to support the Faith, call up the CIC- and have a chat with Fr. Arne. They need it now more than ever.
www.CICdc.org
and a bit about Fr. Arne:
A 1967 graduate of Harvard College, Fr. Panula subsequently earned a doctorate in Theology from the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain. After his ordination, he served as the chaplain of The Heights School in the mid-1970’s. Thereafter, for almost twenty years, he exercised his ministry in Northern California working with high-school students and later with university students. Beginning in 1988, he carried out administrative responsibilities for Opus Dei in California for a decade, and in 1998, the Prelate of Opus Dei appointed him Vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei for the United States, in New York. For his last five years in New York, he has been the Spiritual Director of the Prelature of Opus Dei for the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment