FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PARISH HISTORY: FOUR FOR ONE AND ONE FOR FOUR

1962

The Catholic world begins to change dramatically as we enter this year.  It is the opening of the Second Vatican Council.  From religious habits to the way Mass is celebrated, many aspects of the Church went through dramatic alterations.  This would include architecture.  But the original integrity of St. Sebastian church remains largely intact to this day.  Built with the same foresight as the rest of the campus and falling on the cusp of the Council, the building seems to have had a sense of the changes that were to come.  So the when the changes did occur, very little was needed at all by way of alterations.  In fact, besides the addition of a second free standing forward altar donated by the Wendelken family, there were no changes necessary, all other adjustments to the space being made later and for different reasons.

1964

This was an unusual year for the parish.  It would be unusual for any parish.  St. Sebastian prides itself with a long line of sons ordained to the priesthood.  But in 1964, FOUR of her boys would be ordained on the same day, the Rev. Francis LaRocca, the Rev. Joseph Kraker, the Rev. William Karg, and the Rev. David McCarthy. One of them, Fr. Karg, would later become the fourth pastor of the parish.  Another, Fr. Kraker, would become pastor of the parish’s mother parish, St. Vincent.

A picture appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal concerning this rare event.  Monsignor Zwisler stands, holding an oversized clock normally used in the school to teach children how to tell time, while the four men who are about to be ordained point to the times each chose to celebrate his First Mass of Thanksgiving at the parish.

In a Beacon Journal article dated May of 2004 covering the 40th anniversary of these men, Marie Thomas tells a story about how mischievous they were in school.  “We had a front door and a back door in our classroom.  They would sneak out the back and rap on the front door.  When the nun went to the front door, they would sneak in the back.”

Having four priests ordained in the same year was quite an exciting thing but Monsignor was not out of tricks yet.  In 1964 a group of Catholics saw a need for a retreat facility in Summit County. On the first board were many prominent persons from St. Sebastian Parish as well as Monsignor Zwisler himself.  After appealing to the Jesuits for their sponsorship, the board raised the money needed and acquired a parcel of farmland overlooking Nimisila Reservoir near the Portage Lakes in southern Summit County.  Today it is known as Loyola Retreat House.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: A LITERAL GOD

So last week found me at the Jesuit Retreat House in Parma with these fine, young, transitional deacons:

They were on their final retreat before being ordained to the priesthood for service to the Diocese of Cleveland and I was fortunate enough to be their retreat master.  I was recalling the day of my ordination (18 years ago - when did that happen?) and what a beautiful day it was.  When ordination is about to begin and the weather is nice (which it mostly is) we all go out of the old chancery building and line up on the sidewalk in order to process around the outside of the cathedral and enter in through the main doors.  It is alway a sight to see.

The only people who do not line up along the sidewalk are those who have instrumental roles that day.  So, for example, the bishops, the pastors of the ordinandi, and, of course, the ordinandi themselves.  They line up "under the arch."  The arch is a piece of architecture that connects the cathedral rectory to the old chancery building the first floor of which is a giant stone arch (did you see that coming?) with an ornate iron gate.  

I tried to draw you a picture but it may just confuse you more:

It is something when, after so many years of watching others line up there on their ordination day to finally be in the class that lines up in this special place.

And it was!  Not perfect, but it was!  Fifteen minutes before the ceremony was to begin, we were all called to make our way outside and line up along the side walk.  And there they were, those about to be ordained, lined up under the arch looking excited and radiating holiness.

So my prayer and wish for them came true and I was very grateful.  

And then this happened:

So I guess technically I did get that for which I prayed.

WITH GREAT JOY, ST. SEBASTIAN PARISH PROUDLY ANNOUNCES . . .

Many of you are experiencing priests collecting boxes.  It is the time of year when those who are completing their assignments are getting ready to move where the Spirit (and their bishop) calls.  For these more seasoned men, the news of where they are going is largely handled over the phone.

But there is another group of men anticipation something similar.  They are our soon-to-be newly ordained.  The announcement of where they will be spending the next four years of their lives is not handled so casually.  Rather, it is more like a game show.  Those to-be-ordained and their future pastors are invited to the Cathedral Rectory where Bishop Thomas would make the big reveal.

I was really not all that concerned.  It is a great group of men and I would consider myself lucky to have any of them.  But for some reason, I woke up nervous that morning.  I would meet the guy with whom I would be working and living for next four years.  So I guess that is worth being nervous over.

I rode up to Cleveland with other Akron pastors who would be receiving a newly ordained.  (That made the trip so much easier.)  We were ushered into the Bishop’s parlor, a large well appointed room.  We sat on wingback chairs in front of the large marble fireplace over which hung a large painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary who presided over the room.  The rector of the seminary spoke to us first and told us his impressions of the men we would soon be meeting as we distractedly sipped at our coffee.

Then, about a half hour into the meeting, the Bishop lead the soon-to-be-ordained-preists in the room and sat them in alphabetical order across from us.  Fortunately the Bishop was not of a mind to prolong the torture and immediately went about the task of announcing the assignments.  Here are the results:

Deacon Peter Bang                       Holy Angels, Bainbridge

Deacon Jacob Bearer                     St. Francis de Sales , Akron

Deacon James Cosgrove           St. Christopher, Rocky River

Deacon Eric Garris                      St. Raphael, Bay Village

Deacon Matt Jordan                      St. Hilary, Fairlawn

Deacon Robert McWilliams                St. Joseph, Strongsville

Deacon Peter Morris                     St. John Vianney, Mentor

Deacon Anthony Simone           St. Sebastian, Akron

Notice Deacon Simone is at the end of the list.  It was agony waiting to see who would be coming to St. Sebastian.  When it was down to just Deacons Morris and Simone, I was as tense as a cat on the sting above a pool of swimming doberman pinchers.  Quickly enough, by process of elimination, it became clear that we would be blessed to have Deacon Simone at St. Sebastian!

About a month ago we had a dinner for this class at St. Sebastian.  Even though they were not supposed to know, for various (and good reasons if anybody from the diocese is reading this) they knew that one of those men would be coming here in June.  “If they were puppies,” they told me, “and we get to pick one of them . . . “  Well don’t you know Deacon Simone was at the top of the list!

The rest of the afternoon was a workshop basically detailing how best it might be for old men (me) and young men (the deacons) to live together in harmony.  Then we had to go our separate ways for they had a seminar to go to that evening.  It was like getting a new bike and being told you can’t ride it for two months.

When I went through this as a young almost priest, we left the meeting and found phones to call people and tell them where we were going.  Whey Fr. Pfeiffer was coming to St. Sebastian, all of his class and phones to immediately text to their family fiends where they were going.  At this meeting, WE ALL HAD PHONES and by the time the meeting was over, parishes were already posting the results! 

Please keep all of these men in your prayers.

You are invited to the ordination at St. John Cathedral on May 19th at 7:00PM.

MONDAY DIARY: ORDINATION!

It was a killer weekend!  Not only was there ordination and his reception, there was a funeral and a wedding, two concerts, PSR May crowning, and the parish reception and Fr. Leonard was filling in for another parish whose pastor was away.  We are all rather dragging today.

 

It took A LOT of people A LOT of hours to make everything seem smooth and effortless.  Below (center) is the newly ordained Fr. Jeremy Merzweiler from St. Sebastian, to his left is his very capable MC Fr. Kovacina who was in charge of the cast of thousands, and me whose main job was to smile and pretend that I had anything to do with anything.

Fr. spent hours giving first blessings.  This was a rare moment of rest for him (below) with Fr. K and our DRE.  (They all kinda match.)  In the background you can see a couple of glasses.  There was a stack of them back there.  People feeling sorry for the kid priest kept bringing him something to quench his more than quenched thirst.

Then it was back to work! 

And what a great day it was.  Fr. Merzweiler became the 28th man ordained to the priesthood from this parish.  We figure that so far, these 28 men have given 1,230 years of service to the Church. 

 

May God bless you Fr. Merzweiler!

TIS THE SEASON

Tis the season of ordinations to the priesthood and assignment changes for priests and some people want to do something nice him.  Monsignor Manners finds himself cornered quite often by persons demanding to know what they “could get” for a particular cleric.  By and large the etiquette for buying gifts for clergy are the exact same as that for anybody else.  To that extent, Monsignor Manners recommends that you go on line and look up advice written by Miss Manners.  Examples are HERE and HERE.

 

Unless you know your priest well, there are a couple of things I would recommend avoiding.  Plaques would be at the top of my list.  Granted, it may be different in your situation.  You may know the priest well and know exactly what to get him.  Unfortunately when people are stumped, they tend to buy plaques.  Considering the sheer number a man might receive it is good to remember his living conditions.  If he is newly ordained he will most likely not have that much room.  He will have an office, a bedroom, and possibly a sitting room.  And he will only be there for a limited amount of time.  In the Diocese of Cleveland that would be four years.  Now, Monsignor Manners has been blessed in that he has always been assigned to parishes with ample rectories, but that is the exemption more than the rule.  So keep in the back of your mind limited space and the need to be moving around the diocese as he is transferred at the beginning of his ministry

 

Also be careful about gift cards.  Miss Manners finds these horrid excuses for gifts in general but there is also the problem of where the priest may end up.  Is that store convenient?  He may end up in a place where travel to the store is inconvenient and your fine gift will turn into a fine gift for that company.

 

There is one important area in which Miss Manners and Monsignor disagree.  That might be overstating it a bit, for, in fact, most of the time I would give the same advice.  It concerns the giving of cash as a present.  Although in polite circles it is considered a thoughtless gift, in this particular case it is needed, appreciated, understood, and acceptable especially with the newly ordained.  They have just left the seminary.  Some seminaries do not allow the priest to work because they need to focus on their studies.  They have probably been driving an older car and will need something reliable.  They will be in need of a new wardrobe and books and other articles.  More than likely they have some sort of debt such as student loans.  And though they will be well taken care of, they are not going to be making a lot of money.  A monetary donation is as much of a funding of new ministry as it is a gift.

 

But don’t be afraid.  I received four books of blessings when I was ordained.  One went to my first parish that didn’t have one, one in my office, one travel version in my car, the other I gave to someone who didn’t have one.  Spiritual bouquets are also appreciated.  He will need lots of prayer.  That you thought of him and think that the life he has chosen is meaningful to you too means the world.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: THOSE ORDINATION BELLS ARE RINGING

You are invited to the priestly ordinations for the Diocese of Cleveland this coming Saturday at 10AM.  It is a particularly happy one for St. Sebastian since one of her sons, Deacon Jeremy, will become Father Jeremy Merzwieler.  (I'm so proud!)

This past Saturday he and a bunch of seminarians descended upon St. Sebastian parish for a rehearsal for his First Mass of Thanksgiving which will be held at St. Sebastian this coming Sunday at 11AM to which, once again, you are invited.  Below you will see Fr. K directing the cast of a thousands into an organized, fighting machine.

Dinner on the lawn followed and a crew of the more brave ventured to the top of the bell tower where it proceeded to rain.  Hard.  So that we were soaked.  It didn't rain once drop other than the five minutes we were up there.

But then again, it only made it more memorable.

GUEST BLOGGER: THIS GUY ROCKS - er - MARBLES

Today's guest blogger is Deacon Jeremy Merzweiler.  He is a member of St. Sebastian and was ordained to the transitional deaconate two weekends ago with an eye toward being ordained a priest.  This is his first homily as a deacon and he has given permission for it to be printed on Adam's Ale.  Please keep him in your prayers!

 

 

Homily 10/26/14 – Priesthood Sunday

 

Are you made for the marble? 

 

By itself, this question does not make sense. 

 

Yet, for years I have asked myself this question.  Am I made for the marble? 

 

See, during my time at the seminary, as I served Mass and different liturgies throughout the years, I would always glance at the sanctuary floor and see the marble floor and ask myself, am I made for the marble?

 

Why the connection to the marble?  What does the marble signify?

 

If you have ever been to St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Cleveland and have seen the sanctuary floor, it is made out of marble. 

It is in this place where ordinations occur; it is in this place where seminarians lay down their lives on the marble and give of themselves fully to the Church, for the people of God, for all of you.   

 

Therefore, to be made for the marble is to be made for others! 

 

In fact, just this morning, 3 seminarians and I during the diaconate ordination Mass, literally laid down our lives and laid prostrate on the marble floor as the Church prayed for us by singing the litany of the saints.

 

In laying down our lives on the sanctuary floor, we are laying down everything, our whole lives. 

 

This ‘laying down of our lives’ is at the heart of a priestly vocation and any vocation for that matter.  Yet, we don’t lay our lives down for some thing, or some job, or some amount of money, but rather, we lay down our lives for some one.  And who you want to lay down your life for will form who you want to be. 

·        Married people lay down their lives for their husband or wife, and children. 

·        Single persons lay down their lives for the community. 

·        Religious, deacons, and priests lay down their lives for the Church!

 

This is really what today’s Gospel is all about.  When a Pharisee asks Jesus which commandment in the law is the greatest, he responds:

 

"You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your mind.

 

And….You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

 

The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

 

In this, Christ makes love the greatest commandment. 

 

Yet, this type of love requires everything, your whole heart, soul and mind, everything needs to be laid down for God and for others! 

 

For it is Christ, who in John 15, before he enters into his own passion, says to his disciples that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. 

 

From all of this, we can say that all of us are made for the marble.  All of us are called by Christ to give our whole heart, mind and soul to others in love.

 

Throughout the diocese this weekend we celebrate priesthood Sunday, in which we are called to challenge those pondering the call to priesthood to consider it and to check it out. 

 

Basically, the message is that it is important to do something about the stirrings within your heart.  If you are thinking about priesthood, come talk to me, Fr. Rosing, Fr. Elbert or give the vocation director a call.    

 

It is extremely important to not ignore what is going on inside, to not ignore what you are being called to do. 

 

One person who understands this is Lebron James.  Since this last July, much hype and intensity has been centered around Lebron’s coming home.  In fact, the Cav’s regular season begins in just a few days. 

In his Sports Illustrated Letter in July, Lebron writes:

 

“I feel my calling here goes above basketball.  I have a responsibility to lead in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously.  My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from."

 

When it comes to vocations, to living out the vocation we are called to live, like Lebron who could make a difference in Miami, we too could make a difference doing what we want to in life. 

 

Yet, I believe it can mean more when we lay our wants and desires down and be open to what God wants and desires for us in our lives. 

 

The lie that often comes with this is that God’s wants and desires are somehow against what we want and desire.  In fact, the opposite is true.  What God wants and desires for us is in fact the way that will mean more for us in life, it will be the way that will lead us to true happiness and joy. 

 

Therefore, be open to what God wants and desires for your life.  Do not be afraid of the stirrings of your heart.  Even though Jesus wants you to love with everything you have, do not live in fear, but instead give him your whole heart, your whole mind, and your whole soul. 

 

And when you do this, not only can you say that you are made for the marble…

 

you can say that you are made for the Lord…

 

made for others….

 

made for love!

MONDAY DIARY: JUST A SATURDAY

I usually draw Monday Diary cartoon during a quiet time on Sunday.  There isn’t going to be a stretch of quiet time this Sunday and Monday I will be spending most of the day signing teacher’s contracts the net result being: no cartoons today!

 

It was an enjoyable weekend however.  It started off with Fr. Pfeiffer and I taking a morning trip to Cleveland to our Cathedral of St. John for the ordination of 5 new priests who will be serving in our diocese.  The diocese predicted the apocalypse for downtown on that Saturday morning.  There was a marathon going on and the shooting of the new Avengers movie not to mention the outrageous amount of construction on East 9^th Street.  They sent out “Worship Traffic Passes” and warned us to show up extra early or we might not make it to the cathedral until after Communion.  So Fr. Pf and I found a kindly retired priest to take the early Mass, we cancelled confessions and took off for Cleveland.

 

Having an excellent parking spot because we got there almost an hour and half early having faced nearly empty streets, we walked down to the Hilton for some coffee and muffins.  As it turns out, the marathon was a 5K and was over already and movie wasn’t being shot for another week. 

 

The Ordination Mass was beautiful.  We saw some parishioners there and asked them later what they thought.  They had seats all the way at the back and couldn’t see much, “until,” she informed us, “I noticed people with their Ipods out watching the whole thing live streaming.  So we were in the building but watching what we couldn’t see on somebody’s computer.” 

 

Note to self:  Not everybody looking at a computer screen during Mass is doing something bad.

 

Getting back to good ole St. Sebastian (after a quick stop at Swensons) we had about an hour to set up for welcoming pilgrims to the parish.  St. Sebastian was picked by Bishop Lennon to be one five parishes that people could visit as part of the Year of Faith celebration.  To tell the truth, I was not expecting many people.  It was the first weekend and few people seemed to be catching on to what this whole thing was.

 

I was wrong.  As I write this we are only about half way through our first weekend hours and already about 75 people have shown up!  Wow.  Some are from neighboring parishes, some from far away – one couple was from Texas!  For most we were the first stop though for a couple they had been to St. Mary in Wooster already.  There is more information on the pilgrimages here and here.

 

There was another interesting incident this weekend.  There was a man who took up a post across the street from the church.  He had a sign that said, “The end is near!  Repent!  You are going to hell!”  He also had a bull horn through which he informed everybody that Catholics are going to hell.  I asked him if it was just Catholics in particular or were there others in town that were coming along for the trip.  Apparently it is only Catholics.

 

I tried to get a handle on why we are so special and all he kept saying was that it was because Catholics teach that only Catholics are getting into heaven.  When I pointed out that it wasn’t true, he said I was mistaken.  There was an attempt to engage him in the documents of Vatican II but there was the more important task of yelling at people as they walked out of the church.

 

So what does one do with this?  I thought about the apostles who “went home rejoicing because they were found worthy” to be yelled at for believing in Christ and His Church.  What else are you going do with that?  Such is life.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PUTTING THE MAN IN MANUTERGIA

Today is just a cleanup of some last notes about ordination.  It is interesting to note how many times Mrs. Fenner makes reference to “The priest and his mother . . .” It almost seems that Dad has been excused or is late of our company.  Modern senses might want Dad to be far more involved.

 

That being said there is a practical reason Mom is so relied upon: the priest does not have a person with whom to exercise the duties of hospitality at his own reception.  He has no bride.  And the reception is not so much being thrown in his honor as it is he is throwing a reception for those kind enough to have shown him support over the years.  A priest needs his Mother.  Apply that as you will.

 

Seminarians: in general, you will need to warn your mother about what will happen to her as you near ordination.  She will receive a lot of attention.  More than if you were getting married.  The larger community has a stake in your new vocation in a more visceral way and since you are away at seminary she can become a lightening rod of attention.  I remember my Mom being warned by mothers who went through ordination and she then warning mothers of future mothers of priests about the attention that they will receive. 

 

That is not to say that things are not expected of the father.  It is traditional (but not mandatory) that the dad give a toast at the reception followed by words of the pastor and then the newly ordained.  Monsignor Manners highly suggests that you have your remarks prepared in advance and that you keep them concise as possible.  People want to hear you and when you take the microphone they will have broad smiles and shining eyes.  This is a highly emotional event and you most likely will be quite overwhelmed.  There is a (horrible) tendency to begin droning on and on, repeating yourself, over and over; going over the same things again and again, then remembering someone else to thank, and declaring how wonderful you feel over and over. (Get it?)  At this point smiles will become strained, some of the sparkle in people’s eyes will fade, and your friends from seminary will start snickering.  Don’t be that guy.  People will be afraid to come hear your homilies.

 

The new priest should also be prepared to give some gifts.  Generally there is a reception after the rehearsal – especially for the seminarians and your MC who will be helping out with your first Mass.  Mom might make something (or Dad grill something) or just order pizza.  Nothing fancy is needed.  If you have relied heavily on your MC and/or pastor, some small token would be appropriate.  They are instrumental in making the day run smoothly since you most likely will be torn in twenty different directions.

 

Then there is something for Mom and Dad.  A traditional gift for mom is the manutergium.  Most technically this no longer exists in the ordinary form of ordination.  At one time it used to catch the excess Chrism oil used on the priest’s hands at ordination.  Today, the priest wipes his hands on a purificator.  But carrying on the tradition, Monsignor Manners had a purificator made (that I had over my cincture) that had, “In honor of my sons ordination.  The Rev. John A. Valencheck DATE” embroidered on it (white on white), which I gave to her at the reception and with which she was subsequently buried when she passed.  If you are not into such things there are many other meaningful choices.

 

One idea that a classmate came up with was a pen.  Each to-be-ordained must write a letter to the bishop asking for Holy Orders.  We purchased nice pens, wrote out our letters, made a photocopy of the letter and gave it and the pen to our fathers as a thank you gift.  Be creative.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: I'M GETTING ORDAINED IN THE MORNIN'. DING DONG THE BELLS ARE GONNA CHIME

Say that you are invited to an ordination; what does that mean?  Depending on the size of the cathedral and class size, the ordination ceremony for diocesan priests are quite often open to the diocese.  And First Masses of thanksgiving, because they are sacramental in nature, are open to the general worshiping community also.  But it is an honor to be specifically invited to such an event.  For both occasions those attending should dress as though they are attending a wedding Mass.

An invitation to the reception is most often another matter.  Though at times a simple reception is held and all those who attend the Masses are welcome, most often there will be a dinner arranged for invited guests.  And though it may range from very formal to a more relaxed atmosphere, unless noted the dress is the same as for the Mass.

Almost every year someone wanting to give a newly ordained a gift will ask me what to give him.  Firstly, as in all celebrations no gifts are required.  There is no payment due for an invitation issued.  Your presence is what is gift.  But most do wish to make some sort of acknowledgement in this way.

My advice?  NO RELIGIOUS PLAQUES.  Very few people can carry this off and get what the priest will want to look at on his office wall for the rest of his life or at least the next 10 years of it.  And there is usually a box full of interesting wall plagues that he has stored away somewhere.  Similarly are other religious items that are considered bric-a-brac.  If you are picking something out for his ministry be very careful.  He will have certain tastes and if you buy him an expensive silk stole with realistic hand stitched images of the four Evangelists but he is in to burlap with felt flowers, your gift will not get much use.  Likewise be careful about liturgical books and things such as sick call kits as several of these may find their way into his hands.  There are ways of finding out what the man needs.  A recent development has been registers at the local Catholic store, but though helpful, this seems a bit off color – as if one is expecting gifts.

It should be remembered that the man is still a man and will need the very average things that most young men need.  This is very extravagant but one of the best gifts that I received along this line was a set of luggage that I still use today.  A sweater that looks good with clerics I still cherish though it is getting on to a decade and half since I have been ordained.  To everyone but me it is time to let it die a peaceful death. 

Unlike priests who take a vow of poverty, a young diocesan priest may accept monetary gifts though most etiquette books abhor the notion and I normally would agree.  This will highly depend on the individual man, but many come from simple means, have been students unable to work much of their time in seminary, will not be making much by way of compensation, and have accepted that they will be living simply.  They may have been nursing a car along for the past number of years and reliable transportation is imperative in the ministry.  (I am thinking of my decades old Ford LTD that regularly shed pieces of its body as I drove down the street.)  For these reasons both Mrs. Fenner and Monsignor Manners make an exception to the “no money as gifts” rule – for it can be seen not so much as an excuse for the thoughtfulness of a gift, but a donation toward a ministry.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: MRS. FENNER ISSUES HOLY ORDERS ORDERS

Mrs. Fenner turns her eye next to the topic of ordination.  It is not as easy a beast to tackle as you might imagine.  The standard of yesteryear has evolved into a variety of options.  Often these options are not chosen by the man being ordained but by the circumstances in which he might find himself. 

 

For example, in the Diocese of Cleveland back when Monsignor Manners was ordained, the events surrounding the ordination weekend might make presidential inaugural festivities in minor countries look like a five-year-old’s birthday party.  Because of policy changes in the diocese, men and their families may not even begin planning such affairs until just several months before the ordination date (which means no reserving of halls and bands and caterers and so forth.)  Mrs. Fenner eschews both of these as overly lavish. 

 

Monsignor Manners remembers his ordination weekend.  There was a dinner at Slovene Center following ordination at which my Uncle’s band played.  The next day was the First Mass of Thanksgiving followed by another dinner at the parish.  This was capped off by benediction.  Then we went to Slovenia to my grandparent’s home village and started all over again with Mass and dinners and bands.

 

Mrs. Fenner, while acknowledging that such events even take place is a more recent convention, suggests having a simple reception in the home, though she recognizes that formal luncheons at “the club” is appropriate.

 

Of course, the larger the affair, the more complicated (and expensive) it becomes.  Monsignor’s Mother, who received mentoring from other moms who went through the process before her, spent the next few years passing on her experience to other mothers.  There was compiled a six page check to do list that covered duties that started a year and half in advance to the end of the signing of the last Thank You note.

 

Starting with the priest to be and his family, before planning anything there are some things that you need to find out.  Most importantly, what is the policy of the bishop?  This will dictate much.  The second question is what does the home pastor have in mind?  Often a parish will throw some sort of reception following the First Mass for the parish.  It is not unheard of that two or more of those being ordained will join forces and have one reception following ordination.  What are the resources available for such an event?

 

Finally, what does the man himself desire?  To you I say: This is not about you.  To do nothing is unfair to those who want to express their joy on this important event.  It is creating a poverty in the Church that could be put to such good use.  There is no “eloping” into the diocesan priesthood.  You are a public figure now and it is your duty, however simple it might be, to graciously provide for and welcome well wishers.

 

Conversely this is not about creating the perfect day for you.  This is a celebration for the Church.  The more you focus on providing a pleasant experience for others rather than the ultimate day for you, the more others will enjoy it, the more relaxed you will be when things do not go exactly as you with them, and the greater benefit to the cause of the Church which is what we are really celebrating.

FRIDAY POTPURRI: HANY INFORMATION FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR

This weekend is ordination weekend in the Diocese of Cleveland. It is always a great thing to go to and the diocese as a whole is invited so go if you can. (Saturday at 10:00 at the Cathedral.) Duties at the parish will keep me from going but Fr. Pfeiffer will be there.
Part of the ceremony is the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is a prayer calling down the Holy Spirit upon a person. When you think of it, the gesture is beautiful. Extending back through the Bible a man who was likewise ordained and has the faculties (a duly empowered bishop) calls down the Holy Spirit, chooses a man, and signifies the choice to the community all by the laying on of hands. This has been going on in the Catholic Church since its foundation. Therefore in theory I should be able to trace my ordination back to a bishop who can trace his ordination back to a bishop who can trace his ordination back to a bishop all the way back to an Apostle.

This is not the only place that the laying on of hands takes place however. It is also used to call down the Holy Spirit at confirmation. There is a laying of hands at the anointing of the sick also.

MONDAY DIARY: WAYBACK MACHINE

We are heading into the depths of ordination season. Fr. Pfeiffer just went to his uncle’s 50th anniversary of his priesthood this weekend. His own is only two days away (2 years!.) I never remember when mine is remembering better that my First Mass of Thanksgiving was on Pentecost Sunday. My sister, however, told me yesterday that it is May 30th, 13 years ago.
Wow. Thirteen years. And I’m still thankful.

When I get the chance I tell those who are about to be ordained to journal EVERYTHING. So much happens in the course of a couple days and they will be so wired that they will end up forgetting much of it if they do not.

The night before ordination I spent at the seminary, woke early, got dressed in my new suit and walked down the seminary chapel to pray the office (though we were technically dispensed that day) and then kissed the sanctuary floor as sort of a goodbye to the old place, then off to the cathedral. My family, there early in order to make sure they could find parking, was sitting in a coffee shop probably for the comfort of my father who only expected to be in a church for his baptism, his marriage, and his funeral. Lugging my alb and other necessities I only popped in for a second to say hello and greet their happy faces and then off to the bishop’s parlor.

Slowly my classmates showed in the order that they always showed up for everything from Mass to class to dinner. The bishops entered already dressed so we took the hint and vested up ourselves. My class consecrated themselves to the Blessed Virgin and so we huddled together to ask her to pray for us in this special day.

Moments before heading out the bishop called us over and prayed with us again and then it was outside with us to join the long line of servers, deacons, priests, and bishops in a procession that stretched down the block. The bells in the tower peeled like thunder drowning out the protestors of various sorts. We wound our way up and into the cathedral where the mighty organ helped swell the singing of the packed church. I remember walking down the aisle, hearing my name called out from time to time, seeing the flash of cameras (cell phone cameras not yet the rage), and feeling the excitement of the crowd.

My chair was to the far left (which meant I was last for everything and meant that I had time to remember what to do and correct any mistakes that my classmates may have made.) Our families sat right behind us and over the pew were the vestments which we would soon put on as newly ordained priests.

After we are ordained, we kneel on the marble step and the priests of the diocese come and lay hands on us. Some grip like they are trying to get a stuck lid off of a jar of peanut butter and some barely touch at all. We wore knee pads from our inline skating days being told by older guys how difficult it is to kneel on the marble for so long.

The bishop put Chrism on our hands and we went into sacristy to straighten up a little bit. Though it was strictly forbidden I had a hanky that had the word embroidered on it that said, “Upon the ordination of my son, May 30th, 199 whatever . . .” I forget the year, and I wiped my hands that had just been consecrated on it. Later when she died it was placed in her coffin.

After the Mass we went back to the bishop’s parlor joined by our parents for pictures and then out to greet the people giving so many blessing that I started to lose my voice. My nephew helped me gather my things then and just he and I drove to my parent’s house together discussing what had just happened. It was a quiet and very special little spell with my nephew. One of my favorite memories.

After collapsing at home we went down to Slovene Center where there was a reception. It was already filling up and everyone clapped as we entered and much of the first hour was in giving first blessings. I remember having about 30 drinks that night. I would a take a sip and someone would want a picture, I would put it down and then lose track of it until someone would hand me another to lose. My Uncle Frank’s band played and the rest of the night was pretty much a joyous blur save for a quick walk with some high school friends out and around the block – them trying out the title “Father” and me trying to get used to it.

It was a late night – but there was a big day the next day! There would be the First Mass, the parish banquet, the holy hour with the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and benediction.

And then – utter collapse into a happy coma of deep sleep.