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!
