"Making All Things New" November 2015
In This Issue
Mountain Online Auction
Fr. Dan's Column
2015 Mountain Auction
Finding a Calling at the Mountain
Thanksgiving Prayer

Nature's Corner

Amazing, we are part of the whole universe. 
 
Peace, Br. Joe Kotula, ofm

SHOP AMAZON & SUPPORT MT. IRENAEUS

Each time you purchase from Amazon, we encourage you to shop on smile.amazon.com where you can select Mt. Irenaeus to receive 0.5 percent of your total purchase price.

This is an easy way to help support the Mountain this holiday season. Many small donations can make a big difference! 


We would greatly appreciate your participation!

Thanksgiving Mass

Thanksgiving Mass at the Mountain will be celebrated at 11 a.m. All are welcome.

Please note there will not be a brunch following Mass.

30th Anniversary

Suzanne English, a member of the Mt. Irenaeus Communications Committee, wrote a wonderful article for Holy Name Province's newsletter, HNP Today, about the Mountain's 30th Anniversary Celebration. 

Click the link to read a full recap and view some photos from the Sept. 19 event.

Fr. Dan's Podcasts



Connect with us!
Mountain Online Auction Now Open 
Auction features unique and Mountain-themed items up for bid through Nov. 22.
 
Original artwork by Fr. Dan, like the watercolor shown here, is available through the Mountain Online Auction.
Dear Friends of Mt. Irenaeus:

If you haven't done so already, visit our Mountain Online Auction! 

You can begin your holiday shopping and help support Mt. Irenaeus at the same time by bidding on unique and special items, including: 
Auction Closes at 8 p.m.(EST), Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. 
How else can you help? Please help us spread the word about the online auction by sharing this link (http://mounti.com/online-auction)  with your friends and family. Bid high and check back often! 

Thank you for your continued support of The Mountain, which continues our mission: To join with Jesus Christ in "Making all things new!" (REV 21:5).
Giving Thanks for Our Land
Fr. Dan Riley, ofm, offers thoughts on gratitude for the land, which espouses God's presence.

A picture by the pond at Mt. Irenaeus, taken by Fr. Dan as many trees shed their final leaves last week.
The extravagant beauty and now the expanse of our mountain valley flows down before me and lifts up with clouds this morning, inviting me to gratitude. It is not of the head, but of the body that I found myself being thankful. I am one with this large body which is our country, nearby the Mountain.
 
We are rich in so many ways and barely aware of it at times, I suspect. As a Franciscan, I realize as I get older that I have little to measure, yet so much that I can count on - a world filled with bounty and beauty around me and within us. There is so much here that stirs us beyond the culture of self-preoccupation to the extravagance of a God-given presence. The beauty of the sky and the trees, even in their amber nakedness at this time of year, says, "I am here..." Read more. 
Annual Mountain Auction 
 
About 180 people came out to Premier Banquet Center in Olean Nov. 7 for the 15th Annual Mountain Auction to enjoy cocktails, great food and bid on myriad prizes, including vacation packages, electronics, jewelry, housewares and wine baskets. 

We wish to sincerely thank all who attended, placed bids or donated one of the more than 200 gifts and packages offered. Proceeds from the annual auction cover an important portion of the Mountain's operating budget and help fund many improvements and expenses. The total amount raised will be tallied in the coming weeks. 

We're very grateful to our co-chairs, Kimberly Palmer and Mike Sullivan, and all of our volunteers who so graciously gave of their time and talent to make this event possible.

Thank you all for helping us fund another year of our mission of "making all things new!" 
Mt. Irenaus: A Gateway to Service
SBU grad Hannah McGrath reflects on how the Mountain influenced her decision to serve for a year with the 
Franciscan Volunteer Ministry.


I often say that my time involved with the Mountain was the best thing about my four years at St. Bonaventure. It was where I first heard about Franciscan Volunteer Ministry (FVM). 

I remember being at a women's overnight during my junior year, sitting by the fire eating Mountain dip, when I heard Sr. Suzanne Kush, O.S.F., (who at the time was in charge of some of the service trips at Bonaventure) talking about a Franciscan volunteer program that emphasized community, simple living and spiritual growth. Although I knew virtually nothing about the program, I felt called to it in a way that I've almost never felt.

I quickly found out as much as I could about the FVM program and its different sites, and I started the application process as soon as I could. I'm currently two-and-a-half months into the program and I could not be more sure of my decision to follow that calling ... Read More.

2015 St. Bonaventure graduate Hannah McGrath, pictured second from right, at the Franciscan Volunteer Ministry retreat held at the Mountain Oct. 25-29.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Our Father in Heaven,  
We give thanks for the pleasure 
Of gathering together for this occasion. 
We give thanks for this food 
We give thanks for life, 
Prepared by loving hands. 
The freedom to enjoy it all 
And all other blessings. 
As we partake of this food, 
We pray for health and strength 
To carry on and try to live as You would have us. 
This we ask in the name of Christ, 
Our Heavenly Father. 

- Harry Jewell

Contact Us

 

Mt. Irenaeus
P.O. Box 100
West Clarksville, NY 14786
585-973-2470