Around The Diocese For Sept. 6

Numbers in the Bible

“I was looking through “Catholic Answers” magazine article on the significance of numbers in the Bible,” writes Father Eugene Schmitt, pastor at St. Peter Celestine Parish in Celestine and St. Raphael Parish in Dubois.

“Here are some of the representations of different numbers: One is associated with oneness of nature in God: also one divine person in Christ; and there is one true Church founded by Christ; and there is one mortal life, one baptism, one death and after death one judgment before eternity.

“Two represents the two distinct natures in Christ, human and divine.  The two covenants with God with the human race, the Old and New.  There are two basic commandments which are love God and neighbor.

“Three is the number of persons in the Trinity and Christ spent three days in the tomb. Four is represented of the number of evangelists who wrote the gospels.

“Seven symbolizes perfection and is the number of sacraments we have along with the seven deadly sins. Eight is the number of Beatitudes we have.

“Nine is the number of days we pray a novena. Ten is the number of commandments we have. It is also the basic multiple for fullness and any number multiplied by 10 represents the highest or greatest possible.”

Deacon anniversary

Deacon Michael Morris was ordained Sept. 20, 1985. He serves in prison ministry.

K of C

Mallori Hirt is the 2013 winner of the K of C scholarship. She is a parishioner at St. Nicholas parish in Santa Claus.

Happy Birthday!

Jeanne Heltzel, principal at Washington Catholic Elementary School, Washington, celebrates her birthday Sept. 13.

Dan Gilbert, principal at St. Joseph School, Princeton, celebrates his birthday Sept. 15.

53 years

Bill and Susie Coffman of Vincennes will celebrate their fifty-third wedding anniversary on Sept. 10. “We were married at St. John’s in Vincennes,” she said.

An update on the

Women’s Project

According to the parish newsletter at Holy Family Parish in Jasper, “Many years ago, a member of Holy Family Parish donated $5,000 to Dupity with the following criteria: the money was to be used solely for women from Dupity to borrow against to start their own business. The community of Dupity could appoint whoever they wanted to oversee the program and charge whatever interest they deemed fair, but if the loans were not repaid, the program would end. Thus began ‘The Women’s Project’ (or micro-lending) in Dupity. This program has been a tremendous success in the parish. Many women have taken advantage of this program through the years, and the initial investment has grown as loans have been repaid with interest.

“In October of 2009 while visiting Jasper, Father Brunot, the past pastor in Dupity, reported that women want to borrow more money and more people were on the waiting list. Women use the money to purchase food items and then resell the purchased meat, rice, beans, charcoal, etc. This project is one that Father Brunot took to heart because it worked and has been very successful. The project has gone on for 13 years. Father Brunot reported that there are 66 women in the project and they get about $300 Haitian dollars ( $35.00 U.S.) in January of each year for a total of $19,800 Haitian dollars ($2,300 U.S.). Of these, only four women had reneged on the program. Every three months they pay the interest of $20 Haitian dollars ($2.30 U.S.). At the end of the year, they pay back the principal and begin again. Sometimes Father Brunot forgave the interest if they showed that they were working hard and this was an incentive for others to work harder.

“The new administrator must now give an increase in each loan because of the cost of goods. There are many more women in the project than when the program started. The women must sign a contract each year. Any new women accepted in the program are funded through the interest; if anyone claims that they lost their money, the administrator investigates legitimacy of the story. For example one woman’s husband died; two more became sick and were hospitalized - so that money was lost, but it is a small percentage. Women must report in January in order to reallocate the money.”