FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Spiritually Speaking
Re-route and
come back
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St.
Patrick Church
I am sure many of my readers have
driven vehicles to some previously un-
Fr. Thankachan
known locations. In such situations, we Joseph
can always depend on the global posi-
tioning system (GPS). GPS has made a
huge impact in our lives, and GPS devices have become
a standard part of travel life, and when we get lost or fail
to follow the directions provided to us – as I have done
several times - it helps us re-route and find our destination.
We have followed our spiritual journey with the idea of
returning to the Lord and used the spiritual GPS. Already
four Sundays have passed, and we are moving towards the
fifth Sunday of Lent, which is inviting us to enter into a
relationship with the Lord and thereby encounter the Lord.
The themes during Lent are requesting us to re-route and
come back, take a U- turn, etc.
The reading from prophet Jeremiah (31:31-35) is an
assurance of God’s constant manifestation with us. It also
reminds us of what God is about to do: “I will make a new
covenant and never call their sin to mind…then, I will be
their God and they will be my people.” God is ready to
set aside a relationship that was destroyed by infidelity.
He wishes to restore a broken relationship. On our part,
we must be ready to accept this new covenant with God.
Unlike the previous covenants He made with humankind,
it is not written in books or carved on stones; instead, it is
engraved in the heart of man. This new covenant offers us
salvation and life. So, as we continue our walk this Lent,
let us know that God is willing to fulfil His promise, and
nothing can stop Him. All He demands from us is to be
ready to accept this new covenant made in Christ Jesus.
Are you ready to be part of this new covenant?
The reading from the letter to the Hebrews (5: 7-9)
reminds us of the Gethsemane experience of Jesus. It
reminds us of the great sacrifice of Christ. It teaches us
the obedience of Christ; He obeys to the point of death.
Though He could have avoided it, Christ Jesus surrenders
to the will of His heavenly Father. First, this was in order
to fulfil the promise of His Father. Second, it was in order
to save us. “…He learned to obey through suffering…He
became for all who obey Him the source of eternal life.”
Are we ready to follow the precepts of Christ even to the
point of great pain and agony?
The Gospel of John, an example of straight talk of
Jesus, is actually called a Gospel of Signs. Seven signs
are explained in his Gospel, although from chapter one to
13, Jesus speaks of six signs in a language quite difficult
for the common person to understand. The seventh sign
is His death and resurrection. It comes right after Jesus’s
entry into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday.
He and His disciples have come to Jerusalem for the
Passover festival; Jesus has climbed onto a donkey and
ridden in procession through the city gates like a king
coming into his capital, with His disciples waving palm
branches and the crowd cheering and shouting, “Blessed
is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King
of Israel!” (John 12:13). It must have been an impressive
sight. The second part of the Gospel speaks about the grain
of wheat dying and producing much fruit. We are called
to be like the grain of wheat - we need to die daily to our
bodily as well as worldly passions. It may be bit difficult
to begin, but surely the sprout of the seed that you have
planted will take root in you.
We started the Lenten practices and Lenten obser-
vances with an intention of meeting the Lord in our
lives, and I am sure all these various themes have been
guiding us all into that relationship. The Lenten practices
of fasting and almsgiving we have taken upon ourselves
should lead us to see the Lord in our surroundings. In the
readings is the message that we need to encounter daily
sufferings, pain, and difficulties. But the cross is not our
final destination. It is only a stage on our journey, not only
through Lent, but in our lives, too. We have to stay at the
cross before we experience the joy of the resurrection.
To reach the final destination, the Lord is requesting us
to re-route and come back, take a U- turn, etc. Maybe
these re-routes can lead us closer to Jesus. Perhaps these
re-routes have come in the form of a life situation, change
within our family and circle of friends. Maybe they have
come in learning new truths about ourselves and others.
Regardless of what causes the re-routes, we should con-
sider how we can re-route ourselves in ways that will
bring us to our spiritual destination. May God help us in
our spiritual GPS as we journey towards Him.
Good News Only
By Doris Brosnan
Keep those good news
items comin’ in, every-
one. We all enjoy sharing
someone else’s positive
experiences.
Signs of making head-
way against the ever-chang-
ing virus include the reduc-
tion of Morrow County to a
low risk level, allowing for
a little more social interac-
tion while continuing to be
careful. Pats on the backs
to all who continue to be
conscientious and cautious.
Another sign is the in-
crease in some travel now
allowed, and Greg and Jan-
et Greenup are among the
beneficiaries. Janet reports,
“Greg and I spent a week in
Arizona, returning Sunday,
March 7. We stayed with
Phil and Sandra Ayers in
Gold Canyon. We saw a
spring-training game be-
tween the Cubs and Mari-
ners in Mesa, ate, visited the
Chapel of the Holy Cross
in Sedona, ate, visited the
Hopi cliff dwellings in Wal-
nut Canyon, Tortilla Flats
and ate again. The weather
and company were perfect.
Bill Doherty and Bill and
Robin Canaday joined us
on the flight home.”
I am also benefitting
from a travel plan allowed
by my daughter. Now that I
have had two vaccinations,
she says I can visit Salem
this week, seeing her fam-
ily for the first time since
October. I am especially
pleased with being able to
visit Danny in his care fa-
cility – a true face-to-face
(with a mask on.) in his
room instead of a FaceTime
call. If all continues to go
well, visiting of residents at
Willow Creek Terrace, both
outside and inside visits,
can now be arranged by
calling the Terrace.
Last weekend, Archie
and Diana Ball welcomed
a young man familiar to
many Heppnerites. Ryan
Duncan, son of Bob and
Sue, came for a great week-
end visit.
Although the St. Pat’s
celebration was again post-
poned this year, at least one
of the famous leprechauns
livened up today with visits
and antics at the Willow
Creek Terrace and about
town.
Erin go bragh.
A new life for the Naz-
arene Church building lies
ahead, as it is being repur-
posed by the new owners,
Morrow County Health
District.
Ione community mem-
bers are invited to meet
the four individuals who
have applied for the school
superintendent position.
Great opportunity tomor-
row at 5 p.m. could impact
a decision and the future of
the schools.
Good news from Lex-
ington includes Mayor Juli
Kennedy and other volun-
teers working together to
organize a May Day parade.
Call the town hall at 541-
989-8515 for additional
information or to offer your
assistance.
Willow Creek is such a
valuable asset to Heppner.
For one thing, it is a big at-
traction to some individuals
who enjoy its ambiance on
a regular basis. One section
of which this is true is its
banks on both sides of the
bridge that crosses to Hep-
pner Elementary School.
Unfortunately, some people
who hang out there have
been careless with their
debris, creating unsightly
areas of left-behind trash.
But the good news is that
the creek is lower now than
it will be soon, which will
enable those individuals
to correct their mistake.
Garbage bags are readily
available, and a concerted
effort by the frequenters
will create a healthier, re-
newed-pristine, inviting,
spacious area to enjoy.
If you jot down your
good news as an email or
call it in, I know the readers
will be glad you did. (I am
repeating a few ideas: new
babies, marriages, anni-
versaries, new jobs, new
businesses, visitors, trav-
els, vacations, adventures,
promotions and successes,
education and sports news,
great pets, children’s’ ac-
complishments.) Anyone
who has a tidbit is invited to
email it to dbrosnan123@
gmail.com or to call 541-
223-1490.
Hoping some good
news comes to everyone
reading this.
Church has food
boxes available
Food boxes will be giv-
en away Sunday, March 21,
from 2 to 3 p.m. (or while
supplies last) at the back
door of the Hopeful Saints
Parish Hall at the corner of
Church and Gale, Heppner.
This gift at the begin-
ning of spring break is espe-
cially intended for families
with hungry children at
home during the school va-
cation, but it is available to
anyone in need, first come
first served, no questions
asked.
The homebound may
call the church office at
541-676-9970 to request
delivery by leaving a name,
address and phone number.
to provide services for Morrow County Parks. Contractors submitting qualifica-
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HEPPNER.NET
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Fee schedule.
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Weekly deadline for all
news and advertising is
Monday at 5pm.
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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR FIRE CONSULTANT
Morrow County Public Works Projects - Morrow County, Oregon
Morrow County, Oregon, requests proposals for a qualified Fire Consultant
188 W Willow, Heppner
541-676-9228
Copies of the Request for Qualifications may be obtained from Morrow County
Public Works, P.O. Box 428, 365 W Hwy 74,
Lexington, Oregon 97839, (541) 989-9500,
spointer@co.morrow.or.us
Complete proposals will be accepted at
the same address no later than 4:00 p.m.,
March 25, 2021. Any questions or concerns
may be addressed to Sandi Pointer.
S230563-1
Town and Country
event rescheduled
Heppner Chamber’s
Annual Town and Country
Community Awards event
has been rescheduled for
Thursday, June 17, 2021.
The theme for the event
will be “An Evening with
the Stars” and will be held
at the Gilliam and Bisbee
Building, starting at 6 p.m.
Tickets will be available for
purchase starting in May.
Nomination forms are
available to nominate your
recommendation for Wom-
an of the Year, Man of the
Year, Business of the Year,
Citizen-Educator of the
Year, Lifetime Achieve-
ment and Youth Award.
Nomination forms will be
accepted at the Heppner
Chamber office until Friday,
May 14, 2021.
Contact the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce for
additional information.
New visiting
protocols in place
at Willow Creek
Terrace
The welcome mat is
out again at Willow Creek
Terrace. Everyone on the
Hill views the latest chang-
es in mandates governing
visits with great enthusiasm
because visitors can now
make appointments to ac-
tually come see residents.
Indoor visits will be
contingent upon no posi-
tive COVID-19 exposure
within the Terrace or to a
recent visitor, or Morrow
County’s positivity rate
increasing again to high
or extreme. Administra-
tor George Nairns reports
the excitement generated
over being able to plan
for visitors inside soon, as
everyone looks forward to
the return of many visitors.
She issues a kind plea to all
to wear face coverings and
practice distancing, to help
protect our residents.
Outdoor visits can be
scheduled, as well, and a
would-be visitor is asked
to call for an appointment
two hours ahead. This will
allow staff to assist a resi-
dent to get prepared to go
outside. If not scheduled
ahead, the individual may
need to wait. Outdoor vis-
its are limited to tow-three
visitors, and children must
be supervised by an adult
at all times. Some areas are
designated for outside vis-
its: the back patio areas, the
south-end patio, the gazebo
and the front yard.
Due to limited space in-
doors, a visitor must set up
an appointment that must be
arranged at least 24 hours
in advance by calling 541-
676-0004. A staff member
will document visitor, date
and time, and resident to be
visited. The schedule for
indoor visits, which can last
up to 30 minutes, will in-
clude Mondays through Fri-
days at these times: 9 a.m.,
10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3
p.m. and 4 p.m. Presently,
no visits will be scheduled
for Saturdays or Sundays.
To begin with, a visitation
area will be designated for
these visits. The 30-minute
limitation will allow proper
sanitation between uses of
that space. If the area is
already scheduled when a
person wishes to use it, the
staff member will offer an
alternate date and time to
facilitate the visit.
If a person has been ill,
traveled on public trans-
portation or had a known
exposure to illness, he/she
should schedule a visit for
another time.
The Willow Creek Ter-
race residents and staff look
forward to welcoming visi-
tors and can answer related
questions at 541-676-0004.
HHS asks for help
with contact tracing
at events
Heppner High School
athletic director Greg Grant
is asking all parents and
fans to help the process for
fans to attend games. “We
really are working hard to
provide as many opportu-
nities as possible for par-
ents, family and friends to
attend our games this year.
We need help with those
attending to assist us in
these ways.” The kids really
do enjoy having fans there.
Grant lists the requirements
for attending the games:
-As soon as you get
your ticket, fill out the QR
code survey for Covid trac-
ing at least a day ahead.
This allows us to get you
into the game on time and
have your information re-
corded early. This is vital
to managing the contest
and alleviates congestion
at the gates.
-You must present your
ticket to get into the game.
-Please understand that
once you are admitted into
the game, if you leave, we
cannot allow you to return.
-Please follow guide-
lines for bathroom use,
entry, exit and distancing.
-Face masks must be
worn by spectators at all
contests.
-Avoid congregating
before, during or after.
Please contact Hep-
pner High School, grantg@
morrow.k12.or.us or call
541-676-9138 ext. 2512 for
additional information.
Anyone who is un-
able to attend can log in at
https://www.nfhsnetwork.
com/schools/heppner-high-
school-heppner-or to access
the games. All home con-
tests stream for free.
