ARISE Together in Christ

Dear ARISE Committee Members:

Your work in bringing ARISE to the parishoners of Saint Paul supports the instruction of our Holy Father given in his homily at Yankee Stadium on April 20th.

Benedict XVI informed us "the power of the word of God, authoritatively proclaimed by the Apostles and received in faith, to create a unity which transcends the divisions arising from human limitations and weakness. Here we are reminded of a fundamental truth: that the Church's unity has no other basis than the Word of God, made flesh in Christ Jesus our Lord. All external signs of identity, all structures, associations and programmes, valuable or even essential as they may be, ultimately exist only to support and foster the deeper unity which, in Christ, is God's indefectible gift to His Church. .... The Church's unity is 'apostolic'. It is a visible unity, grounded in the Apostles, ... and it is born of what the Scriptures call 'the obedience of faith."

The ARISE program is Christ centered, and thus focused on the Word of God proclaimed in the Gospel. We are His instruments to bring this unifying and faith filled program to our fellow parishoners.

It is a blessing to work with you.

Bill Wise