WELCOME TO CHRIST HOPE ON THE WEB
I am Father Bill Hausen, Pastor. I was Ordained a Priest by John Cardinal Wright in 1965, for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. After 67 years in the Roman Catholic Church, (41 years as a "Roman" Catholic Priest) I became acutely aware, along with many confreres, that SPIRITUALITY is more important than following rules which are, very often, outdated, inhuman, and man-made. As is oft said, "Religion is for those who are afraid to go to hell, Spirituality is for those who have been there." I'm one of the ones who has been there!
On May 2, 2004, "WE" began Christ Hope Church, in the Sewickley Country Inn. We now, number over 250 Families from the Pittsburgh area... and now have a New Home - Located in Brighton Heights. We Welcome all persons, of all faiths. We concentrate on the Spirituality of Agapic Loving... the 2000 year old tradition of Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament points to at least three definite aspects of what "sprituality" should entail:
1. It is orientated to agapic loving.
2. It is always interpersonal.
3. It announces there will be suffering in this life.
So, the big question in spirituality seems to be:
"How can we humans come to love ourselves & our neighbor, imperfect as we may be, in the midst of suffering?"
(without denying the suffering.)
Spirituality is for those who seek peace in the midst of chaos, hope in the midst of despair, love in the midst of fear, faith in the midst of a scientific age.... without denying the chaos, the despair, the fear, or the science of the modern day. We grapple for Intellectual Integrity, above all. In the words of the Bard, "To thine own self be true, and it follows, as the night the day, thou canst not be false to any man."
Therefore we care about:
l. Divorced Persons, especially their remarriage.
2. Persons of all Sexual Orientations.
3. Women who want full stature and equality with men, NOW.
4. Those who want to see Celibacy and Clerical Domination ended, now.
5. Those who seek Intellectual Integrity, and, at the same time, a real and vibrant Faith.
Our Ritual is exciting and meaningful. It is modeled in a traditional way, but has been rewritten and adapted for all persons. No one, of any religious background, should be offended. All persons are welcome to Holy Communion, inclusively. General Absolution for sins is offered at every Liturgy.
We do not believe in Dogmatic Statements. There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy. Our knowledge is merely confined within a certain tolerance. (confer Heisenberg and Planck on the "quantum") We look with great reverence and openness of heart to Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, as our Main Teacher, but we also study and appreciate the Great Teachers of all the Great Religions of the World. We are, therefore, an eclectic,independent, and common sense community.
We run a "WE" program of Parishioners and People who attend. We are Positive, and spend little time on past resentments. We are Responsible, and are attracted by the Great Thinkers of the Ages who brought us out of darkness into a new wonderful light.
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