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DEC. 23, 1998
Page A8
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Bishop Wilton Gregory Elected Vice
President O f Bishops’ Conference
W ith M uch G ratitude
Dear Mr. Washington:
I t is with much gratitude that we send this letter ol thank you lor
your response to our request for you to participate in the Morning
Star Missionary Baptist Church Annual Christmas Banquet.
This gala affair has touched many lives in terms o f future
aspirations leading many young people to aspire tor positive citizen
ship. Guest speakers have challenged us to become batons o f hope:
speakers such as Quaford Coleman, Black Journalist for Gospel
Today Magazine and Benjamin Hooks, former president ot the
T h e C a th o lic B ish o p s o f the
U n ite d S ta te s e le c te d B ish o p
W ilton D. G regory o f B ellev ille,
Illin o is to a th re e -y e a r te rm as
v ice P re sid e n t o t the N a tio n a l
C o n fe re n c e , o f C a th o lic B is h
o p s and U n ite d S ta te s C a th o lic
C o n fe re n c e (N C C B /U S C C ).
B ish o p G re g o ry , 50, is the
first B la c k to be e le c te d V ice
P re sid e n t o f th e C o n fe re n c e s.
H e su c c e e d s B ish o p Jo se p h A.
F io re n z a o f G a lv e sto n -H o u sto n
w ho w as e le c te d p re sid e n t.
W ilto n D. G re g o ry w as b o rn
D e c e m b e r 7, 1947, in C h ic a g o ,
th e son o f W ilto n and E th e l
NAACP, just to name a few.
Very truly yours
Ms. Karen Smith
Banquet Chairperson
Rev. A. Wayne Johnson, Pastor
M orning Star Missionary Baptist Church
D u n c a n G re g o ry . H e a tte n d e d
C a r th a g e G r a m m a r S c h o o l,
Q u ig le y P re p a ra to ry S e m in a ry
S o u th , N ile s C o lle g e o f L o y o la ,
and St. M ary o f the L ake S e m i
n a ry . T h re e y e a rs a fte r h is o r
d in a tio n to the p rie sth o o d he
b e g a n g ra d u a te stu d ie s at the
P o n tific a l L itu rg ic a l In stitu te
( S a n t’ A n se lm o ) in R om e. It
w as th e re th a t he e a rn e d his
d o c to ra te in S acred L itu rg y in
1980.
B ishop G reg o ry w as o rd a in e d
a p rie st o f th e A rc h d io c e se o f
C h ic a g o on M ay 9, 1973. He
w as o rd a in e d a B ish o p on D e-
RAMADAN
B y D erek R asheed
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Allah (God) revealed the Qur’an, a
book formankind offering clearproofs
o f divine guidance with a criterion for
right and wrong.
Muslims fast during the month of
Ramadan. It is one o f the five pillars
o f Islam and is a obligation o f every
Muslim to practice unless they are ill
or on a journey. If any day o f the
month that the practice missed, they
can make it up by feeding the hungry
or by prolonging their fast.
Fasting is a source o f self-restraint,
piety and receiving God Conscious
ness. It was prescribed by Allah (God)
for the Prophets before Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh). In the Q ur’an
verses, Allah has pointed out its goal
or purpose: “Fasting is a shield from
the Hell-fire like one o f your shields
used in fighting.”
Ramadan also comes as an inter
cessor on the Day o f Judgement. The
Prophet (pbuh) has said, “the fast
and the Q ur’an shall come as inter
cessors on the Day o f Resurrection.”
The person fasting shall say. ’O Lord,
I prevented him from his food and
drink during the day, so let me inter
cede for him .’ The Q ur’an says, ‘I
kept him from sleep during the night,
so let me intercede for him ’ Then
they will be allowed to intercede.” It
is an act that demonstrates one’s
sincerity to Allah. Only Allah (God) is
aware if a person truly fasted or not.
No one can know if he secretly broke
his fast. Therefore, Allah has a spe
cial reward for those who fast.
Allah has said, “He leaves his food,
drink and desires becauseofme. Fast
ing is for my sake and I shall reward
it and every good deed shall be re
warded ten fold.” By A llah’s grace
and mercy, if a person fasts the month
o f Ramadan with faith in Allah and
hoping for its reward, Allah will for
give all ot his previous minor sins.
The purpose o f fasting is to re
lease the spirit o f man from the
clutches o f desire and moderation
prevailed in his carnal self. And
through it, he can realize the goal of
purification and everlasting felicity.
It is aimed at curtailing the intensity
ofdesire and lust by means ofhunger
and thirst to induce him to realize how
many were there in the world like him
who had to go even without a small
quantity o f food- at making it difficult
for the Devil to deceive him and at
restraining his organs from turning
towards things in which there was
the loss ofboth worlds. Fasting, thus,
is the bridle o f the God-fearing, the
shield o f the crusaders and the disci
pline o f the virtuous.
Ramadan starts on the sighting of
the new moon and runs thirty days
after the first ten days o f seeking1
Allah (God) and Mercy, the second
ten days o f our seeking Allah (God)
for forgiveness and the last ten days
ofour seeking freedom from the Hell
fire in the hereafter.
Ramadan brings spiritual uplift
ing to its observer. It has been re
ported that A lla h ’s M essenger
(pbuh) has said, “When Ramadan
begins, the gates o f Paradise are open,
the gates o f hell are locked and devils
arechained.” Fasting in Islam involves
abstinence from the three primal
physical needs o f human beings -
food, drink and sexual intercourse
from dawn (approximately 1 'A hours
before sunrise to sunset) with the
intention o f fasting. There are how
ever, no restrictions regarding these
physical needs during the night time.
May Allah bless all o f you with
success in com pleting this holy
month.
c e m b e r 13, 1983, a fte r h a v in g
s e rv e d as an a s s o c ia te p a s to r
at O u r L ady o f P e rp e tu a l H elp
P a rish in G le n v ie w , as a m e m
b e r o f th e fa c u lty at S a in t M ary
o f th e L a k e S e m i n a r y in
M u n d e le in , and as a M a ste r of
C e re m o n ie s to C a rd in a ls C ody
and B e rn a rd in . B ish o p G re g o ry
w a s in s ta lle d as th e S e v e n th
B ish o p o f B e lle v ille on F e b ru
a ry 10, 1994, f o llo w in g te n
y e a rs as A u x ilia ry B ish o p of
C h ic a g o .
A s a m e m b e r o f th e N a tio n a l
C o n fe re n c e o f C a th o lic B is h
o p s , h e s e rv e d o n e te rm as
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C h a irm a n o f the b is h o p s ’ c o m
m itte e on the L itu rg y . He is
c u rre n tly a m e m b e r o f th e N a
tio n a l C o n fe re n c e o f C a th o lic
B ish o p s C o m m itte e on D o c
trin e , C o m m itte e on the T h ird
M ille n n iu m /Ju b ile e Y e a r 2 0 0 0 ,
an d A d H oc C o m m itte e on
S e x u a l A b u se , as w e ll as the
U n ite d S ta te s C a th o lic C o n fe r
e n c e C o m m itte e on I n te r n a
tio n a l P o lic y .
H e has w ritte n e x te n siv e ly
on the su b je c t o f litu rg y , p a r
tic u la rly in the A fric a n -A m e ri
can c o m m u n ity , fo r a v a rie ty
o f p u b lic a tio n s.
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Showroom Hours: M-Sar 9 - 6 1
24 Hours: (503) 492-1571 I
Christmas Eve Celebration
Pastor Henry and Kathy
Greenridge and the
Covenant Church family
invite you and your family
to share a special
Christmas Eve celebration
and experience" The Joy of |
Christmas" at 6:00 pm, at
4069 NE Martin Luther
King. Jr Blvd
I
N orth Portland Bible College
Winter Term classes
J a n u a r y 4 - M a rc h 18, 1 9 99;M ondays, 6:30 - 9:30 p .m .
N T 102: N ew T e s ta m e n t Survey II** N a n c e
U M 102: M in istry to U r b a n F am ilies II** C h is m :! uesdays, 9:00 a.m . - 1 2 n o o n
N T 102a: N ew T e s ta m e n t Survey II** N a n c e
T u esd ay s, 6:30 - 9:30 p m
B 102: I n d u c tiv e B ib le S tudy** L indsey:P M 102: E q u ip p in g th e S ain ts IP
F r a u g h t( 1 5 w e e k s :J a n . 1 2 - A p r. 27)
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T h u rs d a y , 9:00 a .m . - 1 2 n o o n
O T 102a: O ld T e s ta m e n t Survey II** C o le m a n
C E 101a: T e a c h in g T e c h n iq u e s
J e n k in s
T h u rs d a y s , 6:30 - 9:30 p .m .
O T 102: O ld T e s ta m e n t Survey II** C o le m a n
O T 141: I n tr o d u c tio n to th e P salm s W ilson
D ev 071: C o m p u te r K e y b o a rd in g
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