Fall 2010

Twenty-five years in Aliquippa and we belong here. Those other choices we might have made, perhaps they could have made sense, but here we know our belonging has made a difference. Franklin Avenue continues to show small but steady steps of revitalization and we are encouraged by the reminder of God’s faithfulness. We invest our hope and join our neighbors: The Franklin Center, Church Army’s Uncommon Grounds Café, Aliquippa Impact, ROOTS (Reaching Over Obstacles to Success) Academy, in the swings and roundabouts of joy and creativity, investing in people, play and good neighborliness. We share in local sorrows and amazing joys like yesterday’s return of a long-lost friend now cleaned up and taking his meds.

In the big picture we have been privileged to contribute to the grace of this place, and it has contributed to our finding the home in which we meet with God. Here in Aliquippa we have experienced, as so many religious communities have throughout church history, that presence and prayer are the hallmarks and the linchpins of our life together: the presence of God and the daily prayer that engages that presence. Here in the dilapidation of urban decay the Sacraments have strength and poignancy, never having so much meaning as when lived where people’s despair so often overwhelms us all.

At first glance we may not look like we fit - but we know we belong. It may be time to write a new song about our being at home.

The Rev. Moni McIntyre, presenter, leading a session on Nonviolent Social Change

Rejuvenation of our property continues with the completion of a new retaining wall to replace the collapsing hillside behind the first block of rowhouses. We look forward to the springtime restoration of flowers and shrubs.

Bill, Mimi and James in a backyard photo-op with Companion May Daw, who came for a brief visit in July

May and Bill with representatives from the National Association of Episcopal Christian Communities (NAECC). The 2010 annual meeting was hosted by the Rivendell Community in Missouri.

October, 2010 marked seven years of Taizé worship in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. Beginning January, 2011 the service time will be moved to 7:30 pm year-round.

We continue to share our resources with Aliquippa Impact and its ministry to at-risk kids in Aliquippa. College students participate in a two-week orientation and leadership training prior to the summer program. (above) Teaching and worship in the Chapel (below) Group-building exercises in the backyard

On September 25th, 2010, over 70 people participated in a day of catching up with old friends, sharing present-day life and ministry stories, and joining in lively worship. (Organizers and friends: First row - Jane, Val, Jodi, Betty, Sue, May Second row - Margaret, David, Sylvia, Ray, Diane, Nathan Third row - Phil, Jeanne, Bob, Howard, Robert, Bill)

Phil Bradshaw, one of our life vowed members now living in England, has written the story of Celebration from earliest beginnings to the point of building our chapel in Aliquippa.

Following the Spirit focuses on just one strand of our varied history: that which gradually developed the model of a religious order, settled in Aliquippa, PA and eventually achieved formal recognition by The Episcopal Church, USA. Phil includes material on his own spiritual journey, how he came to join the Community and his own experience of it.

We find the Lord’s Prayer presented to us in the gospels in two contexts, both of which have to do with prayer. While both Matthew and Luke present Jesus as teaching a prayer form, when we look into this well known formula we find much more than the prayer we memorized as children. Jesus is also offering his disciples a world view, how they are to comprehend God, themselves, and all creation. In viewing the Lord’s Prayer this way we come to understand better Jesus, his mission, and our own.

Fr. Bernie Tickerhoof is a friar of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. He has been the Director of Novices for his religious community since 2004 and currently serves on its leadership team. Ordained in 1978, he has been involved in spiritual ministry and retreat work since 1979. He has traveled widely throughout the country in a ministry of preaching, spiritual conferences, and retreats.

He previously served as his religious community’s Vocation Director from 1993 to 1996, and has done extensive work in Franciscan Spirituality through the Franciscan Federation of the U.S. and as a spiritual assistant for the Secular Franciscan Order at the local, provincial, and regional levels. Bernie is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life, located on the campus of St. Francis University in Loretto, PA, and is instructor for courses in Franciscan Sprituality and Leadership for the Institute.

Bernie is a founding member of the Vineyard Guild, an ecumenical organization dedicated to promoting spiritual leadership. He is also a member of Spiritual Directors International. Other interests include storytelling, liturgical expression, and ecological concerns. He has developed a variety of programs on holistic spirituality, faith and conversion, leadership development, the enneagram, and dream work.

Annual Conference The World View of Jesus: The Lord’s Prayer June 17-19, 2011