Most folks don't pay much attention to necks unless they belong to giraffes!  But according to iconographers, the neck of Christ on the San Damiano Crucifix is an important symbol.   Christ's neck is very strong.  It symbolizes the freedom and strength by which the will of God, symbolized by the mind or head of Christ, is connected with the love (heart) and action (hands) of God.  What God wills, He loves. What He loves,  He creates.  The thoughts of God are never impeded but instantly transformed into love and creation.

Only through our neck does our body receive messages from the brain.  So the neck is a channel for whatever the brain determines.  Medieval theologians compared the Blessed Mother to a neck.  God the head sent His graces to the body of believers through Mary, the neck.  She is thus the mediatrix of all of God's graces, not the originator of grace but the channel through whom all grace comes to us.

We might meditate on the neck of Christ and ask ourselves what sort of channel we are.  Do we recognize Christ as our head?  Do we want to be connected to Him?  Do we want His graces to flow through us to the body of folks who people our lives?  Or are we trying to be head, neck, and body ourselves?

Lord, keep me humble. Let me know that any good that I do originates with You, not from me.  Help me to understand that I must channel that good to others because I, too, am but a neck.

OUR RULE OF LIFE AND REFLECTION

The Confraternity of Penitents is not a new organization but a refounding of a previous one which has since been legally dissolved.  Legally the CFP could take no money or assets with it upon refounding, so, on August 22nd of last year when we consecrated this Confraternity on the Queenship of Mary, we were truly as poor as St. Francis when he gave the clothes off his back to his father in the town square.

Refounding the organization, even a private, non-profit one, takes money. There were several start up costs that were to be experienced over the first few months of our onset.  We had to set up communications with our members via the internet and chat rooms for those not connected with a circle or chapter to meet and stay connected. There were legal fees for filing with the State and Federal governmental offices as a non-profit organization. Postage fees, phone bills, paper supplies, copy bills to create a new handbook and hours of work were needed to review and transform all that we were previously into all that we are now.

In that first month of September, members were extremely generous and donated a total of $767.00 towards the general fund.  However, that amount fell far short of the $1443.27 that was spent in September to launch the Confraternity of Penitents and to provide as smooth and comfortable a transition as possible to the refounded organization.  To make up the shortfall, two members loaned the Confraternity a total of $850.00 to help us meet those expenses. To date those loans have not been able to be repaid because, although we are covering our monthly bills, we do not receive enough monies left over to pay back the loans.  On several occasions, these two special benefactors have donated or loaned sizable amounts to cover some of our expenses.  Their generosity smoothed the transition from the previous organization to the refounded one.

In the past ten months our total donations to the General Expense Fund of the Confraternity amounted to $2,469.35. A sizable amount but the operating expenses of the Confraternity for that same period were $3,505.27. That means we fell short of monies to cover our expenses by $1,035.92. That's where the loans and donations from our special benefactors came in.

During the year, to try to generate funds, we've come up with the idea of a CFP calendar, which generated $110.00 and the Cornflakes idea, which has netted $35.00.  We held a Silent Auction at the retreat which brought in approximately $300 and have been working for months on a cook book which we hope to have available for next year's retreat.  This year we will be offering Christmas Cards for sale.  The design has just been selected at the CFP Conference.

However, your help is needed if the Confraternity is going to be financially sound. If you have any ideas for a fundraiser, please contact any of the Council members.  The occasional fund raiser isn't enough, however. Based on a projected budget for 2005, we need to have monthly contributions of $254.75 to cover our expenses, and there is still the matter of the outstanding loans which total about $3400 including start up costs for the CFP Holy Angels Gift Shop.  Perhaps some of you would be willing to be CFP "angels" and make a one-time memorial gift of $250 to cover one month of CFP expenses.  We will create a web page of memorial donors and put on it whatever you, the donor, like, as long as it is in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church and contains a certain minimum of art work.  You may remain anonymous as a donor if you wish.

Chapter 5, Statue 15b of the Confraternity Rule states:
"All are to be reconciled in every way possible and to tithe ten percent of their income to their parish, the Catholic Church, or to charitable organizations whose goals are in keeping with the Church hierarchy and magisterium.  Since the penitent is to financially support their home chapter or circle of the Confraternity of Penitents and the work of this Confraternity, a portion of one's tithe may go to this cause."

�
As treasurer I receive about 5 donations directly mailed to me each month. Periodically I've received checks from 4 Chapters during the year. But that means there are several members who don't support the CFP general fund on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis.

I know that for some members there is just no extra in their budget to financially support the CFP, and prayers are all they have to offer. Quite honestly I believe it's those prayers that have kept us just squeaking by for several months. For others, even if you begin to give $2.00 a month annually, that will pay for a monthly phone bill. There are many people scattered throughout this country and other countries who don't support a local circle or chapter and meet via the Internet. We need your help so that we can continue to meet our expenses and serve you as we have this past year.

If you haven't been supporting the Confraternity as is clearly stated in Chapter 5 of the Rule and want to begin to contribute a portion of your tithes to its support, there are several ways to contribute. First, we have a computerized Pay Pal program that can automatically make deposits to our bank account at your request.  The link to this is on the Cornflakes Link from the CFP home page.  Secondly, you can mail a check to the treasurer. If you are a member of a chapter or circle and do not contribute towards its support, the third option is to please consider a monthly collection at your meetings and mailing the contributions to the treasurer. The complication with this option is that the Chapter/circle treasurer will have to keep track of everyone's donations for tax purposes because a statement will be given to all members at the end of the year, or send a list of names and donations amounts along with the collected contribution to the treasurer each month.

St. Paul says to the people in (2 Cor. 8:1-5):
'We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the Churches in Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints [in Jerusalem].'

How much has the Lord used the Confraternity to call you out of the bondage of the world and into His marvelous light? Please take some time to pray and ask God what He is calling you to give to support the financial needs of the Confraternity.

Thank You.  Rita Farnsworth (sister Mary Rose of the Vine), Treasurer

PLEDGING OF SAUNDRA HOLLINGSWORTH

At the CFP Retreat/Reunion/Conference, Saundra Hollingsworth, having successfully completed four years of formation with Bread of Life Chapter, Rockaway, New York (USA), pledged to live the CFP Rule for one year.   Saundra is retired from her work for the New York City Board of Education.  A quiet, gentle soul who loves to read religious books, Saundra raised two nephews, one of whom, recently returned from a year in Iraq, is married with a daughter and the other still lives with Saundra.   May God bless our dear sister's commitment and guide her ever more deeply into His divine love.   Pictures of Saundra's pledging are on this link.

CONFRATERNITY PHOTO ALBUM