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Thank you, Rob Stewart!
 
Rob Stewart has retired from his position as President of our chapter of St Vincent de Paul. His many years and countless hours of dedicated service in our pantry are greatly appreciated. Rob worked with the emergency services volunteers as they implemented the necessary changes to safely operate during the pandemic.  As a leader, he was willing to do any task, no matter the size or the importance. He did whatever was necessary to maintain our services and a safe environment. Rob was a pleasure to work with and he will definitely be missed! We wish him all the best and look forward to worshipping and socializing with him at St Andrew in the days ahead.

Emergency Services Statistics for May 2021:   
  • 217 families (296 individuals) received food from Emergency Services
  • 5902 pounds of food
  • Four Families received assistance to help them with utility bills - $521.92
  • We partnered with twelve families to help with rent - $5,712 
  • Total assistance this month: $6,233.92.
  • 15 volunteers worked a total of 104 hours in May.
All donations to the St. Andrew Conference of St. Vincent de Paul support those in need in our community.
Please write checks to: St. Vincent de Paul/St. Andrew to ensure your donation goes to emergency services of our parish.

Juneteenth Oregon is going virtual for 2021! 

The Juneteenth Alonzo Tucker Historical Marker Ceremony in Coos Bay is ONLINE.  Join us by zoom at 10 AM on Saturday, June 19th, 2021. There were 300 people at the lynching and our goal is to have more than 300 people paying witness to that lynching on this day. For more information, check out the Oregon Remembrance Project’s Facebook event page here.

The Equal Justice Initiative (Montgomery, AL) has documented nearly 6,500 lynchings of African Americans between 1865-1950. At least one lynching of an African American occurred in Oregon. His name was Alonzo Tucker and he was lynched in front of a crowd of 300 in Coos Bay, OR in 1902.
Since 2018, the Oregon Remembrance Project, the Coos History Museum, and the City of Coos Bay have worked to memorialize Alonzo Tucker into the collective memory and collective consciousness of Oregon by participating in the Equal Justice Initiative's Community Remembrance Project, which aims to work in the communities where the lynchings of African Americans took place to find healing and reconciliation through a sober reflection on history.
Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, says "truth and reconciliation are sequential."

This truth telling began with a soil collection ceremony for Alonzo Tucker on February 29, 2020, and this truth telling will continue with the installation of an Equal Justice Initiative historical marker in Coos Bay on June 19, 2021.

We have the power to rewrite the ending to history's stories. Join us in rewriting the ending to Alonzo Tucker's story. There were 300 people at the lynching and our goal is to have more than 300 people paying witness to that lynching on this day.

Today, June 8th, is World Ocean Day
 
Why It’s Important:
“Protecting the ocean protects marine life, human life, and all life on Earth. Advocating for the ocean is advocating for life itself.”
Image by VIVIANE MONCONDUIT from Pixabay

Earth Beat, by Brian Roewe
As we pollute the oceans, sea life isn't alone at risk — our health is, too.

Ocean pollution "poses serious threats to human health and well-being," but it can still be halted, according to a December 2020 report from 44 scientists in 20-plus countries. The report, led by the head of Boston College's Global Observatory on Pollution and Health, found that human activities like plastic waste and mercury pollution posed the greatest threat to healthy oceans, which in turn has repercussions for human health. The report recommended national bans on single-use plastics and an end to burning coal for energy use.

Read the full article here.

Image by Three-shots from Pixabay 

Oceans are our planet's true lungs

May 20, 2020
by
 Samantha Panchèvre      Spirituality

 

Chapter 1, section 3: Loss of Biodversity

Pope Francis doesn't hold back in his section on the loss of biodiversity: "Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see because they have been lost forever… Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right" (33).
Click HERE to continue reading this article.

This article appears in the Digging Into Laudato Si' feature series. View the full series.
ECOJUSTICE CALL TO ACTION
Call City Commissioner, Dan Ryan, at (503) 823-3589 and leave a message. Remind him, he has the power to stop Zenith from moving dangerous crude oil through our town by finding that this use is not compatible with how we have said we want our city to operate and how we want to live.
  • Five years ago an oil train derailed and burst into flames in Mosier, Oregon.
  • The strong Gorge winds were not blowing on June 3, 2016, no one was hurt.
  • Oil trains are running through our neighborhoods now.
  • Zenith Energy accepts crude oil by rail from the tar sands of Canada and the Bakken fields of North Dakota.
  • At Zenith’s NW Portland operations, oil is stored and loaded onto ocean-going ships.
  • The Zenith facility stores toxic materials in a sensitive earthquake zone.
  • Zenith’s role as a fossil fuel transloading and storage site undermines the health, safety, and climate goals of our community.

Our wonderful and talented liturgist, Michael Prendergast, is retiring later this summer. We'll provide details for a celebration in a future newsletter.  


The task before us is to find someone to fill his shoes! Please click here to see the full job description on our parish website.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

The Liturgical Coordinator functions as an integral member of the parish staff, demonstrating a commitment to the mission of St. Andrew by sharing in the responsibilities of planning and preparing liturgical services. The Liturgical Coordinator works at the direction of the pastor, communicating and planning with liturgical ministers and commission, RCIA, religious education, youth ministry, Hispanic ministry, and the sacristans.

 
 
There are sign making materials available.

Join us each Thursday from 4:30 to 5:30 PM
Defund the Police? An Abolition Curriculum

Defund the Police? An Abolition Curriculum

Valerie Chapman will lead this powerful discussion group beginning in Mid-June. The program is 9 sessions that are 90 minutes each. She usually plans groups at 11 AM on Thursday, 4 PM on Tuesdays, or on Sundays at 11:30 or 12. And, the group will decide if they want to meet weekly or every two weeks.  This will be a ZOOM event to give people from a distance the opportunity to gather. Valerie offers this program at no cost.  There are optional readings and videos that people could choose to do, but they do not have homework per se. 
Please email Valerie at
 valerie.orazio@comcast.net  if you are interested in participating or learning more.

Click
HERE to explore the curriculum.

Plan to wear your mask when attending Mass.

More and more people are getting vaccinated and businesses are opening. Mask mandates in many cases are being lifted. However, for indoor group gatherings caution is advised. So, we will continue to require masks for a few more weeks while we watch the Covid case numbers.  We ask everyone to be patient, wear masks inside the church, and focus on the health of everyone around you.

UPDATE: We are able to open for 75 people now.  Click on this link to sign up to attend Mass: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4eada62fa7ff2-sunday. If you do not have a smart phone or computer to register call Michael Prendergast 503-756-7172 and he will add you to the list. Please register by noon on Saturday.
 
Visit the Parish YouTube channel: Here you will find recordings of the Lectionary readings for Year B and music videos and a special St. Andrew at. See parishioners both far and near who are recording these reading to help us stay connected to the Word of God and each other. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOH5KdvwVjcyMckWktjAC5A
 
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay 
 
Volunteer opportunity: We need some flower people!  Could you provide flowers for church on Sunday and water the plants? You would need to arrive by about 8:45 AM on Sunday and arrange flowers you bring, water plants in the church and the four large planters outside the church steps in front of the church. Please contact Michael Prendergast mprendergast@archdpdx.org or call 503-756-7172 if you can assist.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RENTERS
IN THE PARISH AND COMMUNITY
  1. Starting July 1 renters can be evicted if they do not pay the full amount of July rent and all the months after that.
  2. By February 28, 2022 all rent owed from March 13, 2020 until June 30, 2021 must be paid.  Renters cannot be evicted for rent that is owed from that time until March 1, 2022.
  3. Parishioners who need assistance should email Lisa Hatten at lhatten@standrewchurch.com or Diana Ruiz at hispanic@standrewchurch.com
$280 Million in Rental Assistance is now available from the state.
Apply today!
 
The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) helps eligible low-income households with their past due rent and utilities. This program uses funds from the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which allocated a collective total of $280 million to Oregon, the City of Portland, and multiple counties in the state. In most cases, approved applications will result in payments made directly to landlords and utility providers.
https://www.oregonrentalassistance.org/
Help Wanted:
Lisa Hatten is looking for someone to help coordinate the volunteer schedule for the Walnut Park Emergency Shelter. Joy Ruplinger has offered to do the shopping. Thanks, Joy! 

For more details contact Lisa at lhatten@standrewchurch.com
We're looking for St. Andrew graduates so we can offer them our congratulations and a blessing during Mass on Sunday June 27th.

There will be a slide show at the end so please send pictures to Jessica Chapman by June 13th!
Do you have a family member who is graduating from 8th grade, high school, college, trade school or a graduate program? If you know another family with a graduate would you help us spread the word? We don't want to miss anyone during this unique and important time!

Please email JESSICA CHAPMAN at 

jchapman@standrewchurch.com with the following information.
  • Graduate's full name
  • Mailing address
  • Current school
  • Future school or plans (travel, new job, TBD)
  • Pictures of Graduate for slide show
Contact your state legislators to urge them to support SB 555 which provides critical funding to support the continued expansion of Double Up Food Bucks to participating farmers markets and grocery stores across the state.
Click
HERE to find your legislators.
 
Increase access to nutritious food — and support Oregon farmers and retailers — by expanding the
Double Up Food BucksSNAP match program at local grocery stores and farmers markets (you can find a retailer near you here).
 
How it works:
Get more fruits and vegetables when you spend your Oregon Trail Card SNAP dollars at participating farmers' markets and grocery stores. It’s easy with Double Up Food Bucks! For example, if you spend $10 of your SNAP dollars at a participating farmers market or grocery store, Double Up Food Bucks Oregon will give you another $10 to buy more locally grown fruits and vegetables.
 
Read
Investments in food security are a smart choice for Oregonby the American Heart Association. The article is copied from The Sunday Oregonian.
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