Welcome to Christmas! On behalf of the growing family of Sanctuary of Hope Prayer Center, I want to wish each of you and your loved ones a most blessed Christmas and New Year. Be assured of our continued prayers for your intentions and our gratitude to God for all the countless hours you have given in support of our mission. The Live-in staff, our associate members, our workers and guests tell me many times over how God is responding to the prayers that are offered daily at SOH. It’s a joy to watch God in action and know that he doesn’t miss any details.

This is the God who comes again into our lives as we read in the letter to the Hebrews at Christmas: "Brothers and sisters: in times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, God has spoken to us through the Son, whom God made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being, and who sustains all things by His mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs." (Hebrews 1: 1-5)

This Sacred Scripture is all about revelation. Gradually God chose to reveal who God is to humanity. I understand that Jesus was always coming to this world. When we sinned, then the plan of God became redemptive. Had we not sinned, then Jesus would still have come in His full humanity as He will return one day in full majesty and power. This tells me that God has always desired to have an adult relationship with you and me. God desires that each one of us be responsible and accountable for developing such a friendship with the Lord. "In times past," God spoke to me as a child. I loved to look upon the Christmas crib and see myself there with the shepherds and the wise men and Our Lady and St. Joseph and the baby Jesus. I saw the world pretty much with rose colored glasses and never realized the sacrifices that others made for me and one day I would be called to make for them. "In these last days." I see more clearly and say with all my heart: "Lord help me to change my life and be more like you in every way...don’t let me leave out anyone who you bring into my heart...may I walk more humbly with you and all my brothers and sisters along this old journey...please Lord, I give you permission to imprint your being upon me." As St. John prayed: "I must decrease and You must increase, O Lord."

If you haven’t visited our place, do come by and take some time to be in the presence of God. You are always welcome. Sometimes staff isn’t present, but you can still walk the grounds and enjoy the peace. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Years with all those you love.

Con mi amor y mis oraciones, with my love and my prayers,

Padre Dennis Wait, Fr. Dennis

Pictured below are several new features of our South trails. A large statue of Jesus with his hands outstretched in Blessing looks over I-70 and the city from the top of our hill. This statue stood over the emergency entrance at old St. Margaret’s Hospital.

The big building project for the Summer/Fall was the installation of four bathrooms for guest use. One is pictured with John Newhouse, retired engineer, who worked five days a week for months to complete the job. He was helped by Ralph Swartwood, Ralph Pruente, Jeff Seib and many others.

Statue of Jesus, from old St. Margaret's Hospital, looking over I-70 and the city from the top of our hill.

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For the second year, Father Dennis directed the Charismatic Renewal Retreat at Sanctuary of Hope, Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30. Thirty people spent the night on Saturday and about one hundred people attended at various times. Everyone raved about the meals Stephen Sullivan, Gary Schumann and crew provided.

Father Dennis based his talks on the FIRE acronym. Faith is openness to God. It is our nature to be open to God because He breathed life into us. Our faith asks us to look deeply forward—to go deeply into the water rather than just wading. After all there are 33,000 promises in the Bible.—more than there are verses.

Father Dennis said that Intimacy is getting to know God. We experience intimacy when we enter our prayer closet or "Cuppa" (Canopy over the bridal couple in a Jewish wedding ceremony.) Since equality is needed for an intimate Relationship, God covers us with the Grace of Jesus to bridge the gap. In intimate relationships we shed our masks and we share our wounded ness and are healed. Such a wounded place can be our meeting place with God and each other. Until we are healed there can be no further growth, Equality or relationship. We find our own gifts to be who we are in relationship with others. In his last talk Father stressed the need to move out of the bridal chamber to see the sacred in all and let them touch the sacred in us.

Five priest’s heard confessions during the morning and there was plenty of time for reflection and enjoying the beautiful weather. There was a healing service Saturday evening. In an atmosphere of candles and soft light the staff and Msgr. Vincent Moser offered individual prayer and laying on of hands. The retreat closed with Mass on Sunday and dismissal at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

About twenty people, including their director, attended a four day silent retreat of Buddhist prayer and meditation during October. This group has used SOH several times before and have scheduled four more retreats during the next two years. Twenty members of Grandview Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Kansas spent the weekend and twenty from the Community Covenant Church in Shawnee a full day. Six priest and brothers from Redemptorist Catholic Church spent a day together in prayer. Twenty seminarians from Conception Abbey spent the night when they came to observe several ministries in the inner city.

Forty members of the Central Avenue Betterment Association, business men and women and ministers from the Central Avenue area of Kansas City,Kansas, our neighbors, met for their monthly prayer breakfast and business meeting.

Juniors and Seniors, from Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City Kansas, continue to join us for an hour twice a week for their science class. They are studying and identifying the leaves, trees, and bushes of SOH and the topography of the land. They plan to test the spring on the back part of the property and build an outdoor classroom. Ron Fitch is the SOH liaison for the program

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Were there angels singing in the Chapel? Before the SOH Chapel was renovated, still dusty and empty, a group of people had prayer in the Chapel. As everyone was leaving, Leah Mullens heard beautiful singing. She thought it was the three women standing by the altar rail but when she got near they were silent. Theresa Best also heard the singing as she left that day. Tom Schwarzenberger didn't hear it the first time, but when he and Leah returned to the chapel and Tom prayed to hear it, he did. They would hear singing and then it would be quiet. Tom and Leah communicated with their hands and eyes as they heard the singing come and go to acknowledge that they were hearing the same thing. Leah said, "It was so beautiful! I’ll never forget it! I couldn’t understand the words as they weren’t in English." Leah heard the singing several other times but not since the chapel has been renovated

Sister Mary Eugenia loves red birds. She has a lovely book by Paula D’Arcy The Gift of the Red Bird in which the cardinal is seen as the healing presence of God. Sister and Bill Loechler attended a retreat given by Ms D’Arcy in Dubuque recently. Later, Sister had a very sore and swollen leg, requiring her to walk with a cane. As five of us prayed in a circle in the Chapel over her ailment, a beautiful cardinal flew against the Chapel window, stopped briefly for a bird’s eye view, then swooped away. Another sign of the presence of God! Later Sister’s leg was still swollen when she left for California to visit her sister and her family and we were very concerned about her. However, she returned a week later well and without her cane. She even visited the mission at San Juan Capistrano. Praise the Lord for such a speedy recovery!

One work day, we were blessed with a larger number of workers than usual. Many returned for seconds of spaghetti. There was only about two inches of sauce remaining in the pan. The cooks prayed that they would have enough sauce. Many workers came back for three servings and then there was at least four inches of sauce left—enough to send home with people!!!

Bill Loechler lost his cell phone while he was on the Bobcat tractor in the woods. We all prayed. Afraid that he would never find it again, Bill retraced his steps, ringing his own number from another cell phone all the way. Bill finally heard the reply ring from the inner chamber of Sheba’s dog house where she had hidden it. Bill had to take the roof off Sheba’s house to retrieve the phone which was all wet with Sheba’s saliva. We just hope she didn’t make too many long distance calls, Bill.

My friends, Mike and Jannie were driving from Seattle area to Maine to pick up their daughter Katie from college. Approaching KC, Mike voiced a prayer that, as a Northwesterner, he’d like to see a good Midwest thunderstorm, "But not while I’m on the road, please God," he prayed. Mike called me and I was delighted to welcome them at SOH. As soon as the couple got onto the front porch, a rumble, flash, a sprinkle, then a downpour of Summer rain cascaded over the gutters, splashing all of us laughing spectators, into our ice tea and over our photos. By the time the visit was ended, so was the rain. Thanks to God.

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