Food For Thought

Came across the following in the comments section of an article I was reading this morning. It really makes one think.

I urge everyone to read "Illicit Celibacy and the Deposit of Faith" by Edgar Davie, a Roman Catholic layman and retired father of 7 grown children. It is the best book I've read about the Christian faith, outside of the bible.

Go to http://www.illicitcelibacy.com/ for more details.

According to respected church expert, Richard Sipe, the following statistics are telling:

2% of priests have a true gift of celibacy, & would not marry even if allowed.

8% of priests force themselves to remain celibate, throughout their lives.

40% of priests TRY and FAIL, and have periodic sexual "lapses".

50% of priests are sexually active, homosexually or heterosexually, at all times.

It is time to re-address the practice of mandatory celibacy for the diocesan priesthood. It is not dogma or doctrine, it is only a Practice that CAN be changed tomorrow, if the Vatican wants it changed.

1/3 of the priests in Milwaukee asked for celibacy to be re-addressed at the US bishops conference, six years ago. They were ignored, it is time these priests are heard.

St. Peter on the Water

From this morning's Gospel:

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

When we hear this well-known vignette it is very tempting to immediately focus on St. Peter's weak faith. I would argue that we miss the point by directing our attention to this point. I would rather admire Peter for having the courage to get out of the boat in the first place! After all, that took considerable courage - and faith. Yes, once out on the water he floundered. Without hesitation, though, he cried out to the Lord. And Jesus readily reached out His hand and saved Peter, with but a gentle rebuke issuing from His lips.

We need to follow Peter's example and allow ourselves to get out of the boat and walk towards the Lord. Will we, like Peter, start to flounder and sink? Undoubtedly! But that is not the point. Once out of the boat we simply need to cry out to the Lord and know that He is at our side, always ready to stretch out a loving hand and save us.

If we never even get out of the boat we will never get anywhere. Then we will really deserve the Lord's rebuke!

Latrobe

I am glad that I took the time yesterday to visit former parishioners in Latrobe. All the visits were great, but the last brief one touched my heart the most. I stopped by to see a woman whom I regularly visited on First Fridays. Normally I wouldn't accede to a request that I come on a particular day, but "Ella" was especial. I still remember my first First Friday visit; she was nonplussed by the fact that I was wearing khaki (not black!) pants. Clearly she was very "old school." However it didn't take us long at all to establish a real connection. Despite the fact that I was most definitely different from my predecessor - and from her expectations - she saw that I was trying to serve the Lord - and her. As our relationship deepened I relished any opportunity to help her with some of difficulties in her life. She became one of those people of whom I can honestly say that I was blessed to have had the opportunity to minister. (Of course every person to whom one ministers is a blessing, but I trust dear reader that you know what I mean!)

Her reaction when I rang her doorbell in the late afternoon yesterday was priceless and reminded me of why I love being a priest. There is no greater feeling than to realize that you have been able to bring joy to another human being. That joy coming not ultimately from oneself, but rather from the One whom one represents - Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May He be praised forever and ever unto ages unending. Amen.

Malta Thoughts ...

Just to make clear to those who may be unsure ...

I only post "hate emails' for the rather unchristian reason of mocking the ludicrousness of such people. I really don't let myself get disturbed by such nonsense. But I get irritated by their delusional notion that they represent 'true' catholicism. And any good 'orthodox' Catholic would realize that many Saints made it quite clear that it was quite sinful to speak against priests; PRAY for them, do not criticize.

Now I have no illusions ... I need LOTS of criticism! But nothing will help me nearly as much as PRAYERS!

To all those who regularly pray for me and for all priests I offer a great big THANK YOU!

Hate Mail From Malta Part II

Another missive from my dear friend in Malta. I think he would be appalled to realize that he basically commits heresy in his helpful comments. But then again ...

And let's not even bring up the whole "massage of God' thing. Not sure what's up with that.

daniel johnston 

kimberly@onvol.net

I challenge you to post this here e-mail on your website.

Do you not think that this is displeasing to Christ this, punk priest lifestyle. So Saint Paul used pagan poets, but he did that to send out his message: you on the other hand do not do it to send the massage of God. You do it to seem famous, as an excuse to listen to rock music.

What about the picture of those newly weds on your website? Don't you think that the bride is wearing clothing that is improper in front of Jesus in the Eucharist?

And the bookshelf? I found no True devotion to the Blessed Virign, no Secret of the Rosary, no Glories of Mary, no Imitation of Christ, no story of a soul and no famous spiritual books. In fact, the Blessed Mother seems to be missing on your website. She is scarcely mentioned and if our Lady is mentioned, it is only to name a feast or a parish or to show a picture of the Holy Family.

And how is your example supposed to make the little one's love Jesus and Mary? Why don't you spread the message of our Lady of Fátima? Or preaching the Rosary and the Brown scapular. You know what Saint Louis de Montfort said'' To Jesus through Mary!". In fact devotion to our Blessed Mother is the thing that pleases Jesus the most, even more than the Eucharist!

Please give me an answer.

A-HA!

On the way to my dad's this afternoon I had one of those revelatory moments that seem to strike out of the blue, one of those "a-ha!" moments when that which one knows to be intellectually true is suddenly felt in the very core of one's being. As I drove the twists and turns of Route 201 I found myself contemplating the gifts with which God has abundantly blessed me, especially those which serve me so well in ministry. Invariably, as soon as such thoughts enter my mind, I almost immediately am overcome with the realization that I am completely undeserving of anything from Him. The older I get, the more I lose the zealousness of my youth, the more overpowering this sense of complete unworthiness becomes. I compare the priest I am now to the priest I was (or more accurately - imagined myself to be!) in years gone by. Inevitably I decide that, rather than ascending towards the summit of priestly perfection with the passing of the years, I have been sliding steadily downhill. This realization serves only to deepen the guilt I feel when pondering God's gifts. It was in the midst of these guilt-filled thoughts that God made me to understand, in my heart, that all His gifts are just that - GIFTS. Nothing I have received has come because of my own efforts, my own worthiness, my own holiness. I have absolutely nothing to do with any of it. It is ALL His doing. How liberating to know that I do not have to earn anything from God! How free this knowledge leaves me to live a life of loving gratitude to the God Whose generosity knows no bounds!

A Sign?

Sometime around 5 this afternoon I visited my 9th communion call of the day. I had done 5 this morning after Mass and before heading off for a few hours of fun hauling stuff to Geibel. Then after visiting the funeral home for a Vigil Service I managed 4 more. Beverly was the last of the day. In the course of our conversation she asked if I would be interested in an angel or two. She had been collecting Roman's Seraphim Angel figurines and had amasses quite a collection (hundreds by my reckoning). She decided it was time to "cull the herd" and wanted to dispose of all but her favourites. I was happy to take her up on her offer and after perusing the proffered selection chose a beautiful trumpet-blowing angel named Annalisa. I was happy to take one of the angels because my mother collected them as well. However, it wasn't until that moment that it struck me that this very day was the eve of the tenth anniversary of her passing from this earthly life. How appropriate to be offered such a gift today of all days! And I could not help but take comfort in the fact that this particular figurine was titled Joyful Spirit.

Ministry Moments

Events like a parish festival provide lots of opportunity for ministry. Yesterday those opportunities were flowing at the end of the festival and immediately afterwards, starting at the beer wagon and continuing at the SOKOL club. Several people began talking with me at the beer wagon as things were winding down. Questions related to marriage and comments about needing to "get down to church" quickly entered the conversations. I was then introduced to a young, non-Catholic who wouldn't believe that I was the priest. Apparently he couldn't conceive of anything other than a fat, balding 60 year old in the role! He, and the older gentleman who introduced us, invited me to come up to the SOKOL club. The young man, I'm told, was further shocked that I actually showed up there. Glad that I did. Several more fruitful conversations about annulments and getting back to church ensued.

Go out and meet the people where they are; we cannot sit back and wait for them to come to us.

Festival Review

Well, it's 10:49 and time to reflect on the day. The weather could not have been better - sunny and warm. Great crowds. All seemed to have a good time. All in all I am very happy with the day. Total receipts may be down a little bit from last year, but without the car show that isn't a total surprise. The important thing is that people came together, worked together, and had fun together. As far as I am concerned parish festivals and such are primarily community-building events; if they raise money that is merely an added bonus.

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

Things are looking good for tomorrow's parish festival. If the weather-persons are accurate (yes, that does occasionally happen!) it should be an absolutely perfect day - sunny and upper 70s. Sure beats the heat and afternoon downpours of the past two festivals! I am hoping the weather will bring record crowds. My only concern is that the lack of a car show this year might negatively effect numbers. I'm not expecting that to be the case. POSITIVE thinking in ALL things!

As I sit in my summer office (the porch or, more accurately, stoop) typing this I am amazed at how cool it is getting. A good omen for tomorrow I trust.

God bless Mrs. Melenyzer!

Those who weren't physically here this weekend may not yet have heard of the incredible blessing that came our way. Let me recount the story ...

Friday afternoon I had gone on the Yough River Trail with my classmate, Fr. Mike Sikon. When I returned to the office I noticed that there was a thick business-size envelope on my chair (the place where my erstwhile secretary places my mail and messages so that i don't miss them). From a distance it looked like any envelope from the Marriage Tribunal containing marriage papers. the only problem - I didn't have any papers outstanding. Upon closer inspection I saw that this mysterious envelope was posted from a law office. I immediately thought to myself "Self, what comes in a thick envelope from a lawyer's office? Wills of course! " (Call me an eternal optimist but the other possibility - lawsuits - never crossed my mind.)

The envelope contained the Last Will and Testament of Mrs. Rose Sweeney Melenyzer. Additionally, there was a cheque in the amount of $50.000,00 made out to St. John the Baptist Parish from the estate. A careful reading of the cover letter revealed that the cheque was but an advance payment as the estate was not yet settled; most likely more is in the offing.

Please keep Rose, her family, and her intentions, in your prayers. Her memory will most certainly always be honoured here at St. John's!

Give her eternal rest O Lord
and may perpetual Light shine upon her.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

I'm bad at this!

OK, I admit, I'm not that disciplined with this blogging thing right now. I get excited about it and blog for a bit. Then my attention gets diverted elsewhere. It may be the adult-onset ADHD that I swear that I have somehow contracted.

LOTS of exciting things this past week, as I am sure that you have already read elsewhere on the web site. The first phase of The Baptist's Garden (or whatever we ultimately choose to call it) has been completed. The Statue of John the Baptist - from the original church, meaning it is over 100 years old - forms the centrepiece. I just hope we have adequately weatherproofed him. Certainly he will need to come in for the winter. The sanctuary has also been painted, to mixed reviews of course. Any major environmental change like that will take time for some people to accept. I did hear lots of positive remarks, though.

Feel free to let me know what you think. I can take constructive criticism and contrary opinions! Just realize that if you have only seen the pictures on this site, you aren't getting the full effect. In my humble opinion, it looks much better in person!

As always, I can be reached at thepunkpriest@gmail.com.

God bless!

The Garden of the Baptist

Our most devoted gardeners at St. John have embarked on the landscaping of the front of the church. We brought up the 100+ year old statue of John the Baptist from the basement to see where he would be placed in the garden. Now he is being repaired and sealed against the elements. I can't wait to see how it all looks when it is done!

Today's hate mail ...

... all the way from Malta! I feel honoured!

Name=Daniel Johnston
Email=Kimberly@onvol.net
Subject=On your priestliness
Comments=Excuse me for being so rude but, is this not blasphemous. This is not the conduct of a priest who should be working for God to please him and not the world. What do you think Jesus is saying when he is seeing you making a mockery of the mass with rock songs and all. Were rock songs present at Calvarly? No!

And I can see that you are not a Marian devottee because, if you were, you would be doing this outrage. I suggest saying the Rosary everyday with attention and meditationg on the mysteries. Read Saint Louis de Montforts book, Secret of the Rosary, and Saint Alphonsus ligouri's book, The Glories of Mary and The Same Louis de Montfort's book, True Devotion. I also see that Mary is not present on your website.
Fix this outrage immediatly!

Father's Day (Part II)

We had an even better response this morning for the Beer and Brats Bash. I am thrilled by the reaction of our people to these community-building experiences. For me the highlight of the gathering was when an older gentleman - one of the old-time pillars of the community - stopped by on his motorized scooter (he lives down the street) and commented on how much life he was seeing in the parish. God indeed is good!

Father's Day Bash

Tonight's "Beer and Brats Bash" in honour of Father's Day went over reasonably well after Mass. I think we had more people stick around for the Mother's Day gathering but others disputed that suggesting that the location we chose tonight allowed us to be more spread out than last time. Whatever the case may be those who stuck around definitely enjoyed themselves. And I had the pleasure of meeting a young family who is returning to the parish after a number of years away. God is doing wonderful things at Saint John Parish ... I am so excited - and humbled - to be a part of His work here!

From several years ago ...

A friend from a former parish recently sent me this clip. Don't know how she found it! I was the keynote speaker for the Diocese of Trenton's Diocesan Youth Celebration and during the course of the day I was interviewed for the Diocese's youth TV program, Real Faith TV. Somewhere in this segment is the interview with me. I never saw the final product; I really can't stand to watch or listen to myself!

Interesting

Read this today and found it very interesting:

I have known, admired, and revered Fr. Jaki for over thirty years. I first met him in the mid-1970s when he came to John Jay College and gave a brilliant talk on what he called the "stillbirths of science" in ancient India, China, Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, and on the "only viable birth" of science in medieval Christianity. His account of the rise of science was a Copernican turn in historiography. All those ancient cultures had come to a stop after making a few steps in the direction of the three laws of motion (the basis of exact science) because they viewed the world as an eternal treadmill, doomed to endless returns after every Great Year (represented by the swastika). For those cultures, the status quo was the most that could ever be achieved. Christians, by contrast, believed in a creation out of nothing and a single one-directional movement in time. No wonder a Christian scholar named Buridan formulated the first law of motion in 1348. Historians of science are mum about these "stillbirths of science" in pagan antiquity and of its "only viable birth" in medieval Christianity. The supposed darkness of the Middle Ages turns out to be the "dark recesses" of the biased minds of historians. For more on this, read Fr. Jaki's Science and Creation.

Famous Parishioners!

This is a St. John's parishioner. He is a member of the choir and a lector. His wife serves on Pastoral Council.

Perhaps he can start a St. John's golf team ...

Web Site Worth It?

Is having a parish web site worth the trouble and expense? In case I had any doubt:

Fr. Lubic,

I am writing to say how happy I am to see such a great web site for St. John's. St. John's was my parish up until 1999 when our family moved to Florida. My brothers and attended the school and I was the last class to graduate in 1994 before it closed. Our family lived in the red brick house on the corner 3 down from the church. I miss Perryopolis very much, and St. John's as well. But now, when I am feeling home sick I can log on to the web site, look at pictures, and read your blogs. It is comforting to know that a priest is there that cares about the people and about the community. I live in Myrtle Beach, SC that has a total of 2 catholic church's. I have not found one that I have been comfortable in. I wish that you could bring a little of your spirit to the priests down here. Once again thank you for such a great web site.

Sincerely,

Benjamin W. Martin

Facebook

OK, I admit it. I am an inveterate Facebook addict. I have had an account for years but really did little with it. Then I discovered how easy it was to take pics with my iPhone and immediately upload them to Facebook. Once I realized that, I was hooked.

It has proven to be yet another way to reconnect with people from the past. A whole group of 1984 Geibel grads planned out upcoming reunion through Facebook correspondence. It is also another excellent ministry tool. The Church can never sit back and wait for the people to come to her; she must go out into the world and meet the people where they are. And today they - especially but by no means exclusively the young - are to be found in "places" like Facebook.

Friends have at times accused me of overdoing it; the laugh and mock me for "posting my every move" on Facebook. To a degree they are correct and I deserve the mockery! However, on a very practical level, my "overdoing it" serves to give an "as it happens" view of what the day to day life of a priest is really like. We don't (as I stressed in the bulletin a fortnight or so ago) work a few hours Sunday morning and spend the rest of the week on the links!

If you are on Facebook you can find me by searching "Bob Lubic."

Lots going on!

A hive of activity the last several days. Things are finally starting to happen around here ... I, for one, am quite excited!

The sanctuary walls have been repaired and re-plastered with a beautiful Spanish texture. I can't wait to see how it looks once it is painted.

The sidewalks around the church have been "lifted" by a technique that pumps a material under them. This has eliminated the dangerous unevenness in the sidewalks that was just inviting people to fall. I am quite pleased with the results, especially right in front of the entrance, where I have seen countless people stumble on the uneven surface.

I also working on de-tchaching the vestibule of the Church. I don't think that any area of the Church should be junked-up. I had the two bulletin boards removed (with one moved to the hallway leading to the cry-room and the water closets. I have some other plans for the vestibule that I hope will make it a more fitting transitional space between the secular and the sacred.

Nice letter ...

The parishioner who wrote me the following very nice and humbling email suggested it might be good to include it on the blog as counter to the "less-than-nice" email I published previously. So, removing all names so as to "protect the innocent, here goes:

Father Bob:

How can I even begin to thank you? I'm truly embarrassed to say that I have been dreading this day (the day of my daughter's baptism) for weeks because of all the tension and stress between myself and my daughter's father and our families. But, I have to tell you that you alone were able to take this day from something that could have left hard feelings among our Jewish guests to something absolutely beautiful and moving to everyone involved. You reminded me (and everyone else) why we were there today. You brought us back to the core of baptism. You were able to pull us out of our own personal tensions, to REMEMBER what this day is about - the baptism of a beautiful innocent child - not the petty differences between the families. The way [my daughter] smiled and laughed today during the service only solidified my belief that angels were among us and flying close to the ground today.

I wish you could have been a fly on the wall after the baptism service this afternoon. EVERYONE (both Catholic and Jewish) had the most wonderful things to say about you. People were truly moved and overwhelmed that you were so very sensitive to the Jewish guests while still adhering to our faith as Catholics.

I'm honored that my daughter will learn and grow in the Catholic faith because of your sensitivity and persistence in helping to finally have her baptised. From the counseling sessions with me as well as [my daughter's] father, to the deterring phone calls from other family members, you have stood by my side in the most important quest - to have this innocent child become a member of our faith.

You truly impressed me and many, many others at the service today. I can only imagine how hard it was for you to make sure that everyone was comfortable admist the stress and uncertainity of having families with personal issues all together in one room, let alone knowing that half were Jewish. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Tomorrow, I will frame [my daughter's] baptism certificate and when she is older, I will proudly show her the videotape of today's service. I will always remember your kindness and will make sure she knows what a wonderful gift you have given her today.

I truly want you to know what an inspiration, calming guide and friend that you have become to me. As you know, I drifted slightly from the church for awhile and felt unworthy and reluctant to come back - being as I'm an unwed mother. But, you have made me feel welcome and have gone above and beyond to help me through the current hardships that I'm having in my life. If I would have tried to come back to my childhood church, St. John's, with another priest at the helm, I may not have had the courage to continue, but you have shown me what our faith is all about - forgiveness, community and most of all, love. You emcompass and define all that's good and true within the priesthood.

So, let the naysayers come - they can send you snarky emails or negative words - but don't let it get you down --- just know that you have a band of brothers standing behind you - both Catholic and Jewish. Isn't that what all priests should be doing? Respecting other faiths/beliefs while remaining true to our own?

As my grandfather used to say when we did something that he was pround of - "You done good."

And, I'd like to quote [...], who was at the service today (and for the record, is very 'hard to please' in any situation - but not today), she spoke of you fondly and in the end only had one additional thought of your service today - "brilliant."

Again, from myself, my family and my daughter - we thank you!

A preview of next weekend's bulletin ...

Following are some of my remarks which will appear in this coming weekend's parish bulletin:

AIR-CONDITIONING As we head into the summer months the age-old battle between those who are "too hot" and those who are "too cold" heats up (bad pun intended). This past Sunday I understand that there were complaints because the air conditioning was in use. Considering that the Church was packed and that Mass would be somewhat longer than normal because it was a) Pentecost, b) graduates' recognition, and c) the Youth Mass, I believed that it would get uncomfortably hot if the air were not employed. I know that I was sweating like a stuffed pig walking down the aisle at the beginning of Mass, before the church had cooled. (I didn't turn it on until right before Mass.)

I have learned over the years that I will NEVER make everyone happy; it will always be too hot or too cold for some no matter what. However, I have always approached the issue from this point of view: when we are too hot, we can't in church strip down to our skivvies (or less!) but when we are too cold we CAN choose to wear additional clothing. So it seems that when it is going to be warm it makes most sense to use the air conditioning and trust that those who think it may be too cool for them to have the common sense to dress appropriately. Obviously this past weekend was the exception because we are at the very beginning of the warm season and people may not have yet expected the air conditioning to be in use. From this point on, though, it is reasonable to expect it to be used unless it is unseasonably cool. And if there is doubt one can always bring a sweater just in case!

SPEAKING OF MASS BEING LONGER THAN NORMAL ... Another no win situation! There will be people who would complain if the priest had them in and out in twenty minutes! Not quite sure why those types (a very tiny minority I trust!) even bother. My personal philosophy has always been that I have an hour. If I use less than that, great. If I consistently go over an hour there is a problem and I am showing disrespect toward my people. However, there WILL be times when it is to be assumed that Mass will exceed an hour. The High Holy Days of our faith - Easter, Christmas, Epiphany, Pentecost, to name a few. Masses where sacraments are being administered. (Although I have always tried my best to keep Masses where a Baptism is taking place to no more than an hour by shortening the homily.) And a few other times when circumstances make it very difficult NOT to go longer, for example when we are obliged to read a twenty minute-long letter from the Bishop. Generally, though, I try my best not to exceed that magical one-hour limit.

It is a little different now for me, being a pastor, and the only priest regularly celebrating. (We have Fr. Jim, of course, but he usually celebrates at St. John only one Mass a month.) In my past assignments as an assistant it seemed that I was with priests who tended to preach longer than I so no matter how long I yammered on I was always the one with the "shorter Mass." I kind of miss those stress-free days!

A BUSY weekend ...

This was one of those weekends when one gets hardly a moment's rest ...

Admittedly I didn't get up when I would like to have Saturday. But as soon as I did get up I ended up in the church helping with decorating for Pentecost. (a HUGE shout-out to the wonderful Environment & Art people who have taken charge of ensuring that the church is properly 'decked out' for each Liturgical Season!)

In the midst of the morning decorating I was thrilled to learn that we would be able to unveil the refurbished baptismal font (from the old St. John Church) in conjunction with the celebration of Pentecost. The font ended up looking far better than I could have ever imagined when first I saw it, decrepit and seemingly beyond help, in the church basement. My heartfelt thanks to Tim Babyak and his collaborators who loving restored and renewed this treasure from our past. (You can see pics of the font on the St. John web site or on my Facebook page.)

I next had a 2 PM wedding Mass. There I finally got the ammunition necessary to declare verboten that carryover from medieval times known as the crash, or runner. First, the young girl who proclaimed the second reading tripped over it when she was returning to the pew. Then I got mucked up in it and nearly fell over when I was preaching. It was so bad that in the middle of the homily groomsmen got rid of it. I could barely contain my glee as I HATE the idiotic thing and have been LONGING for the day that it would become nothing but an embarrassment to the the bride. Many Dioceses forbid it outright as an insurance liability; I shall now follow suit.

I barely had time to put the church back in order and check my email before it was time for confessions and then the Vigil Mass of Pentecost. Mass was followed by a potluck dinner -well attended! - in the parish Social Centre, and then Alabaster Production's presentation of Magdalene. The show was quite thought provoking; unfortunately the young people who need the message presented were lacking. I immediately decided that it would be a good move to try to get the show at Geibel next year. Even though I know 95% of the students would mock it (the performer told me after wards that the rudest audience she ever experience was at Greensburg Central Catholic) I can't help thinking that if even handful of students can be reached it will be well worth it.

This morning began with the graduates Mass at 10 AM, which featured our Youth Band. Immediately following was a luncheon for our graduates and their families. I then went to the graduation party for one of our college graduates, the girlfriend of one of the members of the youth band. It seemed like half the parish was there! My predecessor, Fr. John Euker, stopped by, and I was able to show him the new font. Which of course I was quite excited to do!

When I returned from the party I worked on de-Easterizing the church. I made sure to pray Vespers before I did to much, so that I would mark the official end of the Easter Season and the return of Ordinary Time. The day concluded with some parishioners coming by to watch the Pens game, which, sadly, they lost.

And now, after spending some time posting pics to facebook (check out there the album of pics I took of the church this eve before the de-Easterizing), I am blogging. I need to get in the discipline of doing this more frequently!

Wedding

Just finished today's wedding. I remembered the air-conditioning this time. No lost bride!

Ascension Follow-up

I was falling asleep when I posted last and It just occurred to me that I didn't finish what I had intended to say ...

When I commented about marveling about how may mind works I wasn't trying to "pat myself on the back." I had meant to continue with the observation that when those perfect ideas pop into my head it is obviously the work of the Holy Spirit and in the final analysis has nothing to do with me.

In the days between the Ascension and Pentecost, as the Church awaits the celebration of the first effusion of the Spirit, it seems very appropriate to acknowledge the Paraclete's action in our own lives.

Ascension

It amazes me (perhaps it should frighten me!) how my mind works. Last night I was running around at Geibel preparing for 8th Grade Graduation when a song popped into my head. And it was the perfect song for Ascension. (The Graduation Mass was the Anticipated Mass for Ascension; in the Province of Pennsylvania, a well as the rest of the northeastern US the Holy Day is not transferred to the 7th Sunday of Easter. Thank God!) I had already planned on focusing my homily on the idea that just as Jesus ascended to Heaven the 8th graders were ascending to a new life. Then, out of nowhere, I started singing this song to myself. It didn't take me long to realize that it was perfect for the Solemnity ... and the graduation.

What was the song, you are by now no doubt wondering. (Unless, of course, you were at Mass today.) Well, I can't remember the name, and I had to google the singer, but the words that came to me were "Your love has lifted me higher than I've ever been lifted before." The Cliff Notes version of the homily that ensued: It was the love of the Father that lifted Jesus to Heaven and we must allow that same love to lift us higher. In this life, moving beyond the self-centeredness that has resulted from The Fall. And ultimately being lifted up to were Christ has gone ahead of us.

Last night I directed the message particularly to the graduates as they enter High School. Today I was able to use the same idea both in my two parish Masses and the school Mass at Geibel.

Busy

Three Masses today. Morning Mass in the parish at 8:30 AM. Then a Spanish Mass at St. Sebastian at 9:30 (which I managed to get through unscathed). Then Graduation Mass for Geibel 8th Grade at 6:30.

Tomorrow the same thing ... parish Masses at 8:30 and 6:00 and Geibel Mass at 10:30.

I was worried about the Spanish Mass; I haven't studied Spanish for 26 years. It went well, fortunately. And as long as there weren't any native speakers there my mistakes shouldn't have been all that obvious! My biggest concern when doing such things (I have periodically done Spanish Masses in the past) is that I get "tired" and my pronunciation goes steadily down hill. I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to chant the Eucharistic Prayer. I reasoned that chanting it would slow it down and help me to get the pronunciation correct.

Why I LOVE The Internet

Every now and then I get unsolicited email. From persons who are, too put it mildly, vicious. The sad thing is that they imagine themselves to be exemplary Catholics. I post this recent missive to illustrate the point. Not sure what these "clown masses" about which these nuts keep ranting. I have never experienced such a travesty. And I certainly wouldn't participate in such a sacrilege; the Eucharistic Liturgy is way too Sacred to mock like that!

Anyways, for your amusement:

Name=Bernie McGinniss
Email=bernmcginn@aol.com
Subject=punk priest?

Comments=Dear Father - After hearing about you and seeing your website I am shocked. Maybe its growing up with the most loving parents who had a mystical Holy love for the Roman Catholic Church and The fact that I became a Marine. I became a Recon Marine and spent over 10 years in my beloved Corps. You make a mockery of the Sacred Priesthood and it seems that you can not except that reverence and tradiction is part of the Holy Priesthood. It is people like you and I speak of the dress and manner of actions that only confuse the catholic of today. I have seen my church go from 25 families to over 400 families in less then a year. After a while people realize that clown masses, rock music, and priest who rather be the headliner are leading them away from the One True Faith. There is no tradition, no holiness, no discipline and the people of God want a sacred holy mass a mass that gives glory to God and not the priest. Yes, by now you know that I attend the Latin Mass. The Novas Order Mass can be beautiful like on EWTN and I would attend this Mass. My wife who is a convert from the start without me telling her what Mass I attend she went to a local Catholic Church and then attended Mass with me as we were dating and stated that the Mass that we went to together was more Holy and fitting for the praise and glory of God. The words and action of the Priest reflexed a mystical prayer to God. My wife is black and was a Pentecostal member. By the grace of the Holy Sprit she picked up our faith faster then a Marine picks up his rifle. I know this e-mail will not change you so I pray that you see that the glory, praise and attention goes to God rather then you due to your way of punk life style. It's not about you it's about bring people to the One True Faith.

Wedding Blues

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. I mean, I've been a priest for 13 years now. Surprised it didn't happen sooner. I finally lost a bride. Not once, but twice. Years ago I ha a 'Best Woman' faint. But never a bride. Until today that is. Fortunately she was kneeling down both times so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I felt very bad because ultimately I guess it was my fault. It is so early in the season that I am not yet in "air-conditioning" mode and I never thought to turn it on. I didn't think it was all that hot, but then I wasn't wearing a wedding dress!

All's well that ends well, though. Post-Mass formalities (receiving line and pictures) proceeded without incident and I have no doubt that as I type this the newlyweds are dancing the night away.

Mimosas for Moms

We had quite a full house yesterday for the morning Mass, which Fr. Jim celebrated. (The second Sunday of the month is switcheroo Sunday ... I go to Smock, Fr. Vince goes to Grindstone, and Fr. Jim comes here and also goes to Brownsville.) I'm not quite sure why we were standing-room-only. Perhaps Fr. Jim's statement in the homily that many were there to "make mom happy" contained more than an once of truth!

Whatever the case, it was nice to have an overflowing crowd. It was even nicer to see so many stick around afterwards for coffee, doughnuts, and - as promised - mimosas. I had two baptisms so I wasn't able to stay outside for the festivities very long before I had to go back into the church. The little I did experience certainly warmed my heart!

The most gratifying element of the two Mother's Day receptions was the number of people who remarked that we need to do more things like this. A sign that people are hungry for more community!

Finally!

Ok ... it has taken awhile but I am finally getting around to writing on the blog.

So I begin with the wonderful evening we had today.  To celebrate Mother's Day we had a Wine and Cheese reception outside the church after the 4:30 Mass.  The sun came out and the wind died down just as Mass ended ensuring perfect weather.  I have to say that I was very happy with the number of people who stuck around.  I hope to see more such events in the parish.  Definitely seems that the people are receptive.

Coming Soon!

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