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Inspirational reading

	IT'S IN THE BOOK: Ginny Lardinois uses her Little Black Book for Lenten prayer at Holy Cross Church, Bay Settlement. (Rick Evans photo)

Sr. Sandy Peterson, pastoral associate for St. Mary Parish, Bear Creek, and St. Rose Parish in Clintonville, "wouldn't start the day" without her Little Black Book.

Anissa Melotte, Green Bay Diocesan consultant for sacred music, initiation and evangelization, keeps hers on her desk at work.

At Holy Innocents Parish in Manitowoc, the small Scripture groups use theirs for study, said Jane Janssen, secretary.

Fr. David Koch, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish, Neenah, refers to his in Sunday homilies.

The Little Black Book in all these cases is a book of Lenten reflections written by Bp. Ken Untener of Saginaw, Mich., based on the Passion of Christ from John's Gospel. It has a plain black cover, hence the name.

On each right hand page, is a reflection for each day of Lent consisting of a verse from the Passion and an explanation of it. On left hand pages are stories about religious symbols, church customs or saints' lives.

The book is part of a series that includes a purple book for Advent and a white one for Easter-Pentecost.

Melotte said the Green Bay Diocese has advocated using the books for about three years, but "really made the push" this year because of the diocese's "stewardship thrust emphasizing prayer, service and sharing. The focus for Lent is prayer."

The Little Black Book discusses several kinds of prayer -- liturgical prayer, lectio divina (for an explanation of this type of prayer, see the stewardship article by Sr. Judy Roemer on p. 14), meditation, contemplation and active contemplation.

Homily references

Fr. Koch said his weekend homilies were on different kinds of prayer. In each, he "made reference to what was written (in the Black Book) for that Sunday."

The Saginaw Diocese has no information on which Green Bay diocesan parishes ordered the books and the size of their orders, Melotte said. But when she surveyed recent church gatherings, she found that two-thirds to three-fourths of the people said they or their parishes used the books.

When Resurrection Parish in Green Bay ran "bulletin blurbs" before Lent about the books, parishioners called the office asking where they could get them, said Michele Becker, liturgist and musician. It ordered 750, then needed to order 300 more.

St. Bernard Parish in Appleton mailed a copy to each member. It kept extra copies in its office. Parishioners came to get them for parents or other relatives, said Clare Sturm, office and worship coordinator.

Holy Innocents, Manitowoc, started out with 200 copies, then reordered 700 more, said Janssen.

St. Mary Parish in Omro distributed 500 to 600, said Fr. Joseph Mattern, pastor.

Fr. Koch said St. Margaret Mary began with 500, then got 100 more.

All parishes surveyed reported favorable comments about the book.

"People find it very practical," said Fr. Koch, who "found it relates to every day life personally in my own ministry."

Sr. Peterson said parishioners in Bear Creek and Clintonville like the information, the spirituality and the prayer.

Personal, easy to read style

Resurrection parishioners find the "style of writing is personal and easy to read," Becker said.

The book advocates spending six minutes a day on each reflection. Becker said people have told her that reading one doesn't take six minutes, but the book also advises spending quiet time with the Lord. That, she thought, added up to the six minutes.

Mary Pribbenow of Holy Name Parish in Kimberly, finds the reflections a "quick way to spend time in prayer. I think sadly in our busy lives that quick is appealing. I think it has given me a chance every day to spend that six minutes, eight minutes or 10 minutes, however long it takes me, to pray. I think we have to pray more as a church and a people."

"It's daily time to tap into the spirit of Lent," Fr. Mattern said.

Melotte found it "a way I can take time each day sitting at my desk. Normally I wouldn't take that time every day to pray especially with Scripture so it's been a very good thing for me. I hope I will be able to continue the habit."

Several people liked the information in the reflections.

Gets to core message

"It gets to the core of that day, that section of the Gospel," Janssen said.

Fr. Koch and Sr. Peterson pointed to what they learned about Pilate's movements while he was questioning Jesus. Those movements "struck me particularly," Fr. Koch said. "The tensions and the dilemmas in which he found himself in trying to come to grips with what is really truth and the cost when he found himself compromised."

In summing up the Black Book's impact on Bear Creek and Clintonville parishioners, Sr. Peterson said: "It seems like it is helping our whole parish. We are all sharing the same thoughts so it is really nice to discuss with one another."

Melotte said the book has helped her spiritually because it has "helped me think outside myself and my own world and to focus not only on other people -- other Catholics -- but on the wider community as well, especially with what is going on in the world, with the war, and how my own faith and taking time to pray and acknowledge God's presence in our lives. Otherwise, it'd be a tough life."

Some parishes said they plan to order the white Easter books and to use the Black Book next Lent.