Servant of God Terence James Cooke (Feast Day October 6)

March 1, 1921-October 6, 1983

Terence Cooke was born in New York City to Irish immigrants. His father was a chauffeur and a construction worker. At the age of 15, he entered seminary to study for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York. As a priest, Fr. Cooke served as chaplain for St. Agatha's Home for Children and later completed graduate studies in Washington, D.C., where he earned a degree in Social Work. He returned to New York to serve a parish in the Bronx, the Catholic Youth Organization, and later for Catholic Charities.

On April 4, 1968, Cooke was installed as the Archbishop of New York. That same day, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Archbishop Cooke went to Harlem that very evening to plead for racial peace. A year later, he was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome. In his time as Archbishop and Cardinal, he founded Birthright, an organization that aids women in choosing life over abortion, inner-city scholarship funds, housing development programs, and nine nursing homes.

In 1983, Cardinal Cooke announced to the public that he had been battling leukemia since being diagnosed in 1965 and that he only expected to live a few more months. Having battled his illness quietly for years, Cardinal Cooke chose not to resign from his position. In a letter to the church in the Archdiocese of New York, he wrote, "The gift of life, God's special gift, is no less beautiful when it is accompanied by illness or weakness, hunger or poverty, mental or physical handicaps, loneliness or old age." He died on October 6, 1983, in his home in New York City.

• In your own words, describe what it means to have faith.

• Search the internet to find a picture of a mustard seed. What is Jesus trying to say about faith in today's Gospel story?

• In the second part of today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us about knowing our place in God's plans. We must be willing to do what God expects of us and not seek a reward. Are you willing to do this? Why or why not?

• Through his work, Servant of God Terence James Cooke showed respect for life at every stage. What are some concrete ways we can respect life as Catholic Christians?

Cider Mill/Apple Picking

Mulberries are not that easy to come by, but apples are plentiful especially in this time of year.

Take a trip out to your favorite cider mill or apple orchard and enjoy the family activities they have to offer. Be sure to pick some apples while you are there. If you don't live near an apple orchard, consider finding a local "u-pick" farm and pick some fresh fruit or produce.

Deep Dish Apple Pie

Why not make pie with all the apples you picked?

Filling:

4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup sugar, plus 1 tsp to sprinkle on top
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground allspice

Perfect Pie Crust:

12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 Tbsp (about ½ cup) ice water

Topping:

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, ½ cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about ½-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it. Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1 inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.

Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/deep-dish-apple-pie-recipe-2103535

The Rosary

October is the month of the rosary. Pray the rosary as a family.

Gather your family together to pray a rosary today. On Sundays, we typically pray the Glorious Mysteries. To find the prayers of the rosary and the Glorious Mysteries, please visit:

https://www.usccb.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary

How many plants and flowers do you see in your church today?

Pray the rosary as a family each day this week.

Respect Life Month occurs each October. We respect all life from conception to natural death, and this belief drives all Catholic social teaching.