CTA New Mexico

February 2000

Editor: John Wheeler, 615 West First, T or C 87901

CTA-NM Calendar

Sunday, March 19th, Board Meeting in Socorro 12 noon to 4 p.m. at Val Verde Restaurant. All members are welcome to attend.

Sunday, April 9th, 2-4 p.m., CTA-NM Albuquerque gathering at the home of Mark & Rachel Sutton, 2909 9th St NW, 345-3677.

April 15th: Deadline for $15 CTA-NM Conference registration

June 10th: CTA-NM Conference at UNM Conference Center

First Time Reader?

Are you a first time recipient of this newsletter? If so, it is because we have learned that you may be one of those Catholics who feels disappointed (if not betrayed) that John XXIII's dream for Vatican II reform has been stalled by revisionists in the Curia. We suspect that you are a thinking person whose knowledge of history and scripture tells you that the Holy Spirit was given to all. We "Pew Catholics" clain that power given us -- not just to a few old men at the Vatican.

If our assumptions are correct, we hope that you will join us in our prayerful struggle to restore Catholicism to that early church model where everyone was invited to the table, where no one was left unfed, and where Jesus's teaching about inclusivity will be fully realized.

If you would like more information about Call to Action USA and Call to Action New Mexico, please write John Wheeler at 615 West First St., Truth or Consequences, NM 87901, or email him at jwheeler@zianet.com. And, if we are wrong in our assumptions about your interest in church reform, let him know that you woud like to be dropped from our mailing list. Of course, we hope that we are right!

New Readers Needed!

John would like to hear from each of you about friends who may be interested in Call to Action. This is one fairly effortless way that you can keep the hope of Vatican II alive. Please write or email him with names and addresses of persons whom you suspect share our goals. No one will call them. You won't be attributed as a source. Maybe your friend is already on our mailing list If so, we will let you know. If not, we will see that they get the next newsletter which will tell them about exciting developments in church reform, including details about our June 10, 2000 statewide conference in Albuquerque.

Liturgical Dancer will Participate in New Mexico Conference

Martha Ann Kirk, a member of the congregation of the Incarnate Word and authority on liturgical dance, has agreed to participate in the CTA gathering in June. She will led the participants in an entrance rite ritual and other movements throughout the celebration closing the conference.

She will also bring with her an exhibit of soft sculptures called "Pillows of the Church" which she excecuted 25 years ago. In a gentle way they show the power in the church of Sts. Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and the "Little Flower". -- Fiorello LaGuardia??? Just want to see if anyone is paying attention. I'll take this out if I get any feedback on it. -- Webmaster.

Last Supper Update

By Sharon Pikula

[see also: Last Supper Page] Just when I thought there would be a winter lull in the interest of the Last Supper print and postcards, Jane Kerns from Las Cruces proved otherwise by ordering 250 more postcards. "Way to Go, Jane!!!" Your request left me speechless. That makes our total orders to be over 600 cards. That's amazing. I received a comment that I would like to share:

Comment: I love this picture but it is not politically correct because the orthodox Jewish community would not have had men and women dining together, nor would that have been the custom in the Middle East in the time of Jesus. Please don't ever take it off this wall. I think myself it is wonderfully inclusive but I have lived in many cultures where women do not eat with the men -- e.g., throughout most of Africa it is simply not done. It does not matter what station in life the women are.

Response:This is definitely an interesting statement. The question that it left me with was: Do you consider Jesus to be an orthodox Jew? Judging by some of the stories (e.g., curing on the Sabbath, walking through Samaria and talking to a Samaritan woman, stopping a crowd and religious folks from stoning a woman caught in adultery, and challing the religious leaders of the day), I have a hard time putting him in an orthodox category. It would also be interesting to know how the development of men and women eating together occurred. Again, I have been to only one Seder meal in a Jewish Temple and there was no split between men and women eating. The ritual seemed to lend itself to including all because there are specific parts for the eldest as well as the youngest.

Anyone else out there have any thoughts to share? email or send to the address below.

Also, Andy Andrews is still cranking out framed postcards for $4.00 He puts a simple yet elegant pine frame around the postcard. If you're interested, he can be reached at 505-894-7906, or email judyandrews@bigfoot.com

So keep up the good work and find ways of incorporating the prints and postcards in our everyday lives.