On the 2nd week of every month, the Asheville-Triad Chapter (AsTra) gathers from different households for chapter assemblies conducted online on Zoom. The theme for the month of February was “Conquering Evil with Good: The Mark of a True Christian”. Elder Greg Tan gave a short exhortation on choosing to live in love and not in anger. Uly Espadero, Astra’s PFO coordinator and household leader shared his personal experience in choosing to love rather than to hate a person who has wronged him and his family.
Wrapping up the assembly in fun, members played a game on the zoom call called “Sing That Line” where an obscure line from a famous song is shown and the first one to sing that line wins a prize. The winners were Jean Cammayo from Asheville, Alex Calago from Clemmons and Uly Espadero from Browns Summit.
In preparation for lent, the theme for Astra’s chapter assembly in March was “The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Source of True Peace and Joy”. The assembly was blessed with the presence of Fr. Rob Morgia, pastor of St. Joh the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard, Louisiana. Fr. Rob gave the talk on the Sacrament of Confession. It was indeed a privilege as the members got to ask questions most people have wanted to ask a priest but have not had the opportunity to do so. Questions like: Is it a sin not to go to confession? Do priests remember the sins confessed to them? Why do we have to confess to a priest, why not confess directly to God? Fr. Rob answered all our questions and reminded us that the sacrament of confession is a gift and that God always welcomes us with love.
As always, the assembly ended with fellowship. This time, the members showed off their knowledge of Catholic trivia in a game of Kahoot. Questions ranged from identifying an object used in the Holy Mass to translating a liturgical phrase in Latin. Winners of the game were Tito Tony Ventura from Asheville, Tita Josie Aquino from Charlotte and Alex Calago from Clemmons.