Norbert Bufka

This book is a compilation of letters to the editor by the author over his lifetime. They cover a full range of topics.

This book explores the themeaning of faith and how it is influenced by language, cosmology, and history. The author examines faith in relation to beliefs, religion, and spirituality. He then draws this all together in a history of the Catholic Church with special emphasis on Vatican II. He ends with meaningful suggestions for a new way to look and experience faith. The reader is urged to take the journey of exploration along with him in this book.

Norbert Bufka suggests alternative mysteries based on the beatitudes and corporal and spiritual works of mercy. These are action oriented mysteries designed to motivate the person praying into a more active Christian life.

Pope Francis inspires us with his amazing gift of writing about doctrinal issues with a pastor's love for the people of God. He combines the two with honesty and tenderness and asks the bishops and pastors of the Church to do the same. Without giving new rules or even changing the old ones he asks us to make decisions based on local situations and mitigating factors through a discernment process which includes the internal forum, a concept long held in the church but jealously guarded by those in authority, that is, the hierarchy.

In 1855 German and Bohemian immigrants in Chicago joined together to establish a village on the west shore of Good Harbor Bay in Leelanau County. They called the village North Unity because it was in the north and it reflected the unity of their groups.

Pope Francis is about action, not doctrines, dogmas, or creeds. So was Jesus. Pope Francis is all about mercy and care of the poor. So was Jesus. Pope Francis has challenged political and business leaders to take better care of people. So did Jesus. We need to heal the wounds of people, Pope Francis said. That is exactly what Jesus did. Pope Francis is calling the Catholic Church to be one of compassion, not one of ideological purity. Jesus challenged the "church" of his day - the Jewish leaders - as well. Pope Francis extends the teaching of Jesus to the environment and urges us to take better care of God's creation. The author expands on all these themes in this book. He also includes reflection questions for the reader's own personal religious and spiritual development.

Pope Francis has captured the imagination and admiration of millions of people of all faiths. He is frank, honest, humble, and lives the Gospel in his everyday life and reflects that in his teaching. What is not well known is that the Pope has been the successor of the Roman Empire for nearly 17 centuries. Even his title, Pontiff, come from the Latin title of the Roman Emperor, Pontifex Maximus. Over the years the trappings of imperial status has overtaken the papacy but Pope Francis has rejected much of that in symbol and substance. This book shows clearly how Francis is doing that. The author begins with a brief history of the church followed by an overview of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Chapter 3 then focuses on Bergoglio and his life and how he is changing the papacy as Pope Francis. The last two chapters are summaries and quotes from his two letters: Joy of the Gospel and Care of our Common Home (Laudato Si).

Saint Joseph's Seminary was a minor seminary owned and operated by the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Boys typically enrolled in night grade and completed six years of study at this boarding school before moving on to the major seminary with six more years of study and preparation to be a Catholic priest. Norbert Bufka graduated from St. Joe's in 1961. This book is the story of that seminary from 1909 through its heyday in the 1950's and its transformation and final sale in 2008. .It includes the history woven with personal accounts of the author and others who attended the seminary as well as many stories from the student newspaper through all its years. The combination of history and personal stories brings to life what seminaries used to be like and might explain why a pastor acted the way he did. This book also is a fascinating account of what the Roman Catholic Church used to be like, what it thought was important, and how that influenced every Catholic. Vatican II (1962-65) was a watershed event for the Catholic Church and the church has been forever changed.

"Laudato Si" (The Care of Our Common Home) addresses the environmental degradation of our earth. Humans are clearly responsible for most of this degradation including global warming, he says. Pope Francis' solution is grounded in faith but he urges dialogue among leaders of all religions, science, economy, politics, and others because the changes required are enormous. These changes involve moving from "extreme consumerism" to a more simple life. This book includes additional resources for the reader to expand his/her knowledge. It also has links to documents cited by Pope Francis and suggestions for group study. It also has a number of reflection questions in many places in the letter.

This Second Edition of the Bufka family history includes 30 more pictures and more information about the Dechow Kilway, and Nemeskal cousins. It also has corrections found since the first edition was published in 2011. As before it includes a detailed account of life on the farm in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, "Memoirs" of Joseph and Agnes Bufka, "Grandma's Memories" by Agnes Bufka about her life as a child in southern Indiana 1901-1915, charts of descendants.

The Nicene Creed was written nearly 1700 years ago under the direction and authority of the Roman Emperor Constantine at the first Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. It was originally written in Greek and was quickly translated into Latin, the two main languages of the Roman Empire at that time. This book is an attempt to reinterpret the words of the Creed in light of the many scientific, philosophical, and theological advances that have been made since it was originally written. It is intended for anyone seriously interested in the background and meaning of the Creed but will most likely appeal to theologians and academics since Greek and Latin are referred to extensively. "What a synthesis of ideas, showing the limitations of our words, and yet the many new openings too. Very readable." Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Good Harbor Michigan is about a thriving community in central Leelanau County. A lumbering town sprang up in the mid 1880's only to die as the result of a fire. The community continued and this is their story, based on primary source material, especially the Leelanau Enterprise which began publishing its weekly paper in 1880. citations are included for the serious historian and the people data are a bonanza for the genealogist and family history buff. Fascinating accounts of travel, shipping, schools, churches and cemeteries in Good Harbor are presented. A list of names and birth and death dates of people interred in the four cemeteries is also part of the book.

Good Harbor was a lumbering village in the late nineteenth century on the shore of Lake Michigan in Leelanau County Michigan. This book has original news items as they appeared in the Leelanau Enterprise from 1880 to 1931. Descriptive entries about Good Harbor from the Michigan State Gazeteer and Business Directory from 1875 to 1931 are also included..