I HATE POPE FRANCIS

Despite his rockstar status, in many circles, there are those who are very wary of Pope Francis and they let me know it.  It is a completely different group from those who were very wary of Pope Benedict and let me know it; which was a somewhat different group from those who didn’t care for Pope John Paul II.  Was it ever thus?  St. Paul had a run in with St. Peter and sought him out to set his straight.  Then there were those who didn’t care for Jesus much either, even among His most intimate brethren.

Is there cause for concern with Pope Francis?  I will admit that every once in a while he says something that causes my right eyebrow to rise up slightly higher than the left.  Objectively, he has not changed anything of the fabric of the faith.  The most serious accusations thus far (at least it seems to me) is that he thinks a bit too much out loud and may be a cause of scandal particularly for those whose faith is weak (adult children, grandkids, friends.)  

Conversely there are those crowing because they are back on some sort of “winning side.”  With Pope Francis they see the hope of some flagging dreams for the Church spark and catch on once again.  

Every pope brings his with him his human strengths and weaknesses.  They are men after all.  Pope Francis seems to think out loud.  A lot.  John Paul II - excuse me - St. John Paul (the great?) - was not a great administrator.  But if you really want scandal, especially of the moral kind, it is easy enough to find in the history of the line of popes in the Catholic Church.

But the faith has never been compromised.  Sometimes God uses his popes as sons, sometimes as tools.  Even the most morally corrupt pope was what the Church needed at the time - saving the Church from bankruptcy, making it possible for some of our most beloved art to exist - but never did God allow the Church to fall away from truth in any official manner and I dare say he won’t under this pope either.

There are two reasons for this:  The first is that there are just far too many safeguards in place.  A pope may say, “I have decided that polygamous marriages are a good idea,” but that does not mean that the Church will allow it.  (Have you witnessed one change to faith and morals in the past century during a time that mainstream Protestantism went through wholesale overhauls of 2,000 years of beleif?)  The second is that the Holy Spirit is ultimately in charge.  He always has been in charge and He always will be in charge.  Men and women may do unintelligent and unholy things, but the Church, the spotless Bride of Christ the Bridegroom, will never be so sullied.

So if you don’t like, agree with or are nervous about a particular pope, pray for him and for the Church.  I guarantee you he is making mistakes and needs prayers.  It’s difficult enough trying to manage a parish, I can’t imagine trying to manage 1.3 billion Catholics of different languages, customs, practices, cultures, etc., some of whom are cheering you, others booing, some passionate, some disconnected.  

Then give thanks that you are not the pope.

MONDAY DIARY: OH THE PEOPLE YOU'LL SEE!

A good number of years ago on this blog I had a series titled, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" stolen from the Dr. Suess book of the same title.  In it I wrote about how sometimes being a priest opened doors (literally) and lets you see places that most may never have the opportunity to see.  One of those places visited recently I wrote to you about already is St. Paul Shrine were the Poor Clares who are cloistered live.  Almost nobody is allowed back in the cloister but Mother Mary Thomas and I have been working on some projects (on which I play an incredibly small part) and so I had the great privilege of being able to go back into the cloister of this beautiful building.

 

Here is a picture of Mother and me from last week at which time she revealed the finished painting of St. Sebastian.

Another good series might be, "Oh the People You'll Meet!" but it would be a lot like name dropping wouldn't it?  BUT it is very cool the people you get to meet because you are priest so with the aim of promoting vocations I will only do it once and limit myself to just a couple.

 

Of course meeting Mother Mary Thomas who is also a fantastic artist was a treasure.  Below was meeting Pope John Paul II (soon to be a saint!) after having celebrated Mass with him in his private chapel in the papal apartments.  I wish I could say I was very eloquent but after his greeting all I could muster was, "Ablagammagoogoo."  The reason the picture looks weird is because it is a picture I took of a picture.  You might be able to see me with the camera in the reflection.  Gosh, I had a lot more hair then!

Going to Rome more recently with the parish choir, after singing for the Mass we were invited back into the sacristy (bigger than my parish church) in order to meet Angelo Cardinal Comastri, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter.  People were freaking out.  "No choir ever gets invited back here!"  But we were.  Then he took us on a little tour through part of the Vatican.  What a great day that was.

On the same day of the visit to Mother Mary Thomas noted above, a friend named Sharon and I met with Bishop Gries and wonderful couple recently engaged (congratulations and prayers) John and Cortney hoping that they would be on the board of the Poor Clares which they agreed to do.  THANK YOU.  That was great enough but . . .

While we were there we also ran in to Larry Holmes and Hanford Dixon who were EXTREMELY kind to be bothered to have their picture taken with some anonymous priest.  God bless you gentlemen.

God is sooooooo very cool.  He is constantly blessing it seems.  I honestly do not know why more guys do not want to be priests.  It is good life if you're cut out for it.  (Just like any life I suppose.) 

MONDAY DIARY: RATHER WOWWED

Well . . .

 

I’ll admit this is NOT what I thought I’d be posting today.  I’m rather stunned.

 

I walked into the sacristy today and greeting our deacon who said, “Good morning.  Did you hear the pope is retiring?”

 

No.  I hadn’t.

 

I was told it was all over the news so upon return to the rectory I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down with our newspapers.  Not so much as a hint that anything was going on.

 

A phone call came in from a radio station wanting a comment.  I had no idea what to say.  (What do you say?)  Finally I got to my computer and read up on the whole thing (with as much information as is available.)  READ THE POPE’S OWN WORDS HERE.

 

Now, it is not so much that someone is retiring from the office that kind of made me step back for a moment, but that a pope has resigned (for the first time in centuries.)  When I was in the seminary there was discussion as to whether a pope could resign.  (Are you pope for life?  Or is it merely an office?  What if, after you retire, you change your mind?  Well, if it is merely an office, too bad for you.  If you are pope for life who voluntarily steps down, can you step back up?  Does it annul the office of the other pope?  Do we have two popes?  Even if we don’t, each thinking that he is the one who will save the Church from utter destruction, each takes those loyal to him and causes a schism?  THAT’s why we waist valuable time in the seminary thinking about such things.)

 

From the time that I was in junior high school (public school – the Catholic kids were allowed out of class to watch the election – can’t see that happening today) I’d only known Pope John Paul.  It was rather difficult, in my priesthood, to become accustomed to saying, “and Benedict our pope” at the Mass.

 

Now that I have thought about it a little bit, good for the pope to put the good of the Church ahead of holding an office.  But one of the things that I appreciated about John Paul was that even in his infirmities, he held on to the office.  It was a great message: we find all humans valuable even if they are not up to doing what they once could.”  But I understand that I don’t know what goes on behind papal palace walls or how physically and mentally difficult it must be to have attained his age and wake up each morning knowing that you are the pope.  That could be a strain beyond comprehension. 

 

So here is a note to arm-chair historians and teachers:  This is an historic moment.  Popes don’t retire every day.  It happens so rarely that there was question as to whether he could do it at one point.  So pay attention.  This is one for the history books and you get to live it.

MONDAY DIARY: A PEEK IN ANOTHER PRIEST'S DIARY

There was a nice gathering at the St. Sebastian rectory a couple of Fridays ago.  My classmate is the pastor one parish away.  Fr. Pf, our parochial vicar, has a classmate that is my classmate’s parochial vicar.  We had a seminarian staying with us for a two week “rectory experience.”  His classmate was at my classmate’s parish too.  So they all came to St. Sebastian for dinner, along with one of their home grown seminarians, our two seminarians, and Fr. Swirski who is in residence at St. Sebastian (and of course, Sebastian.  If the rectory had blown up it would have been a serious blow to the percentage of clergy in Summit County.

 

After dinner, those who were brave enough climbed the bell tower.

 

Back to Fr. Swirski who helped round out the generations of those gathered.  He will not be in residence at St. Sebastian much longer though hopefully he will still be doing some of his ministry here.  It has been fascinating hearing his life story starting as an orphan in Poland, fighting in World War II, and befriending a young priest by the name of Karol Wojtyla who would later become Blessed John Paul II.  Unfortunately Fr. “Ted” is rarely any longer able to dredge up stories of his early years at will.  They can still come up naturally but often not when called upon.  Soon his stories may disappear.

 

If I piece together his narratives correctly, he first met the young Fr. Wojtyla as a new priest.  Fr. Ted was traveling (in Poland) and needed a place to stay for the night.  Someone directed him to a nearby rectory.  It was late and the lights were dimmed.  He went to the back and knocked at the back door.  There he waited.  The door swung open and Fr. was greeted with pan full of water and suds being thrown on him.  The housekeeper had not heard his knocking, had been giving the pastor a shave, and had opened the door to throw the shaving water out into the dark!  Fr. Ted was drenched.  The pastor came out to see what all the brouhaha was about and the housekeeper said, “I just through water on this seminarian in the dark!”

 

“Not seminarian,” said Fr. Ted, “Already priest!”

 

At that he was invited in and introduced to a priest who would become the future pope who was the assistant there at the time.  “He was so kind with me as a new priest,” reports Father, “and he stayed up late talking to me and giving me encouragement.”

 

That was not the last Father would come across Fr. Wojtyla.  Fr. Ted, at a very young age, (the Church in Poland was trying to rebuild itself after the war) became pastor of a parish near a lake.  Apparently his fellow priests would come out to the lake to enjoy a couple of days of retreat from time to time.  Fr. Wojtiya being among them was apparently an expert swimmer and enjoyed many hours in that lake.  Fr. Ted often used sound effects to tell stories and would say, “He would dive in the water and go woo, woo, woo,” indicating, I think, that he swam like a fish, “and so we called him ADMIRAL!”

 

The rectory was small and they had to set up temporary beds.  Apparently the future John Paul was offered one of the remaining beds.  He, however, turned and asked, “Who is the oldest?”  When the oldest priest was presented JP said, “He shall have the bed!  I shall sleep on the floor!”

 

I guess they also used to call him Lolek, something well known, but according to Fr. Ted they also called him Stash for some reason I cannot seem divine from Father’s stories.  (Maybe someone can clarify.)  A new story came up this past week that we had not heard before.  “Stash” came to the United States for a visit (before he became pope) and visited Fr. Ted in Akron.  They went to our Cathedral church and Fr. Ted said, “See how many people go to Communion!”  And the future pope had a look of concern and said, “I hope that they are all prepared to go and make use of the sacrament of confession.”

 

It has been very interesting living with Fr. Ted these past three years.  Maybe this will help his stories live on a little longer.

MONDAY DIARY: JUST AS PLANNED

Generally most of my mornings start out the same way.  The alarm clock goes off, a wind up that rings bells.  Far more reliable that something that plugs into the wall and tends to go hay wire when the electricity goes out.  Or maybe that is just my excuse to rely on old technology.

The first thing that I do is turn on the little light next to my bed, grab my breviary and pray my morning prayers.  For me this is an absolute delight!  A slow waking up!  Staying under the covers and thinking things about God before taking on the world.

After that I grab the Lectionary and read the readings for the day.  Only then is it time to start engaging the world.  In the shower I contemplate the readings and think about what I am going to say that morning.  After dressing I sit down and make a few sentences on yellow stick'm notes to have with me in the pulpit since I have the remembering capacity of a turnip.

Saturday mornings take a little more time than usual.  There is no deacon so I have to come up with some petitions and there is no organist so I also get to choose the opening hymn.  This is all done before I step foot in the church, usually just a couple minutes before the bells in the tower ring and we start the Mass.  Such was the case this past Saturday.  I walked in and gave a "good morning" to the ministers and one of our cracker jack sacristans greeted me with:

Uhm . . .

That would be no.

This past Saturday was rather historic.  Those attended Mass were among the very first to celebrate a Mass in memory of Blessed John Paul II and to hear the prayers and readings for that day.  Actually, originally I was not supposed to have this Mass, Fr. Pfeiffer was.  But the calendar got crazy this weekend and so I ended up having the Mass.  But when notification for the Mass came from the diocese, I put it out of mind because I would not be saying a normal daily Mass that day.  So I gave the information to the sacristan so that THEY would remind the forgetful priest that day.

Which turned out to be me.

Of course, now my homily made absolutely no sense.  I had about 30 seconds to come up with a song, (easy one - Be Not Afraid - not my favorite but it fits JPII), change the petitions, rewrite a homily - not time.

So I read the Gospel and went on with the Mass hoping something would pop into my mind while waiting to read the Gospel.  I know guys who have said, "Do you know when I write my morning homilies?  On my way from the chair to the pulpit."  I, however, can't get up in front of a group of people to announce that someone has left their headlights on in the parking lot without notes.  Just thinking about that now makes me nervous.

Add to that my itsy bitsy brain trying to remember what the Gospel is while trying to pay attention to the rest of the Mass.

Well, something came to mind.  I think it was Okay.  I really don't remember.

MONDAY DIARY: UP AND AT 'EM, ADAM ANT!

Let this be a lesson for you 45 year old priest: Don’t be relatively inactive all winter long and then think you can stay up all night playing basketball with high school students. You will pay for it.

As you are probably aware, John Paul II was beatified this past Sunday morning in a ceremony that occurred at approximately 4AM our time. Not sure if we would regret it more if we stayed in bed rather than watch it on T.V. we thought it would be a cool idea to have a lock – in, stay up all night with some of our youth and then watch it live on T.V. Beginning at 10PM they youth arrived along with chaperones and us two priests to keep each other occupied and awake until the pre-ceremonies were broadcasted starting at 3:30AM.

So a couple of volleyball games were had though that was hardly a descriptive name for the game we were playing. It should have been called serveball for that is about as far as we got 65% of the time. There was a break for pizza and a little discussion about John Paul and then the dreaded basketball game.

The nice thing about being the oldest person playing is that I had some weight in calling, “Old Man Break,” as I struggled to catch my breath, rehydrate, and not look completely foolish in front of the others. (I think Fr. Pf secretly liked the old man breaks too but was loathe to admit it.) Anyway that was the beginning of my downfall making it incredibly difficult to genuflect the next morning at Mass and, to be quite honest, I am still sore today.

Limping over to the church we had a holy hour with a little homilette and some music and a visit from the police who wondered what we were doing in the church at 2AM. “Honest officer, I’m the pastor! Everything is Okay.” (Actually, I am VERY thankful that they have an eye out for us.) Then benediction and off to the basement to watch the beatification.

It was quite an event to see. But basically this is what the audience watching the T.V. looked like.

Ha! We may be older but we can still stay up later.

The next day the youth, looking a little rough around the edges, walked in the opening procession with a picture of John Paul and placed it in the sanctuary for the Mass. I remember when John Paul was elected pope. I was in public Jr. High School and for some odd reason the teachers let me and one other student out of class to go down to the library and watch his election. I was never sure why they did that but it remains one of the strongest memories that I have of Jr. High School (other than the “tire” and “shaving cream” incidences.) I hope that this will help these youth remember his elevation on this path to priesthood in much the same way.

MONDAY DIARY - CHAPTER 6

It has been pretty fun having the pope here on American soil and seeing how the nation responds to him though I’ve left remarking on it to other bloggers much more dedicated to the endeavor of watching, commenting and analyzing.

Even if you are a jaded individual when it comes to meeting famous persons (as I tend to be) meeting the pope is a moving experience. Those coming in contact with Pope Benedict seem greatly moved, many to tears. I did not get to see him this go around (though I hope to get a glimpse of him this summer down under) but as I’ve reported here before I did get to meet Pope John Paul II about nine years ago at the Vatican. After a mass in his private chapel we were escorted into some chamber where the handful of priests that were there removed their vestments and then were shuttled off to a library with a few of the people who were granted short audiences with the pope. He worked his way down the line, greeting, listening, blessing, and giving out rosaries. I remember thinking, “What do you say to the pope? Is it possible even to say anything profound? I so don’t want to say, something trite like, ‘Great job,’ or ‘Hi from everyone in Cleveland,’” though now I wish I would have.

When he finally got to me his secretary said, “Father Valencheck from Cleveland. The pope shook my hand and said, “Ah! Cleveland!” to which I responded, “Blablablab.”

I told that story this weekend in my homily and of course it got a laugh. But what was really funny is what happened after mass. We were over in the parish hall for coffee and donuts (where two or three are gathered in His name, we shall serve donuts) when the mother of the young lady from this parish who joined the Sisters of Life in New York received a phone call. “Mom!” she very excitedly reported on the phone, “I got to meet the pope and shake his hand!” The only downside of the event was that she was listening as the pope made his way down and hearing people saying such things as, “God bless,” and “We love you,” but she said something much more profound. “Blabldhekl!” Good for her. “That’ what Fr. V. said when he met John Paul!” her mother informed her.

One may think what one will about the state of the Church in the United States but it has been inspiring to see the enthusiasm and the piety of the young people over the days of this papal visit. It must be remembered what a mixed up and difficult period from which we are just now emerging. We have every right to be a bit dysfunctional IMHO. But was there not hope here? Was there not a brilliant future emerging from a long season of confusion? This great outpouring of faith, devotion, and love of the Church was not just a fluke with John Paul. This will continue. And we as Church can expect a brilliant future.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP XLIII

This weeks Sunday Video was so stolen from Uncle Jim over at A Second Chance, but I did like it so. (3:38)


IN OTHER NEWS:

Jay announces that Catholic Carnival 150 is up and running over at A Third Way.

REW sends news of a new Vatican Web Site to help people in their reading of Scripture. Thanks! This program offers Sacred Scripture, its interpretation in light of Sacred Tradition and the teachings of the Magisterium, with appropriate theological commentary and exegesis.

Just for fun, if you are in the mood, vote in the new poll to the right.

You may remember that Lillian Marie sent us the links to two communities she was discerning. Well, the Trinitarian Sisters have updated their site. Here it is. Thanks LM!

THE REST OF THE STORY: Those of you who read the Cleveland Plain Dealer read on Saturday that the Eastside Catholic Center and Shelter will be closing. The article was very articulate in explaining that it was due to billing errors, mismanagement, and lack of funding. What it makes absolutely no effort to mention, however, is that this organization is not directly affiliated with the diocese. The offer was made by our Catholic Charities to take them under their wing, but for some reason, maybe a very good one, they declined. In any event, there was no effort to let the public know that the poor administration had nothing to do with the diocese. *ahem*

MEA CULPA, MY BAD

This post is in reference to Monday’s post, “Will the Pope’s Pen Be Mightier than the Bullet?”

To begin, let me say that I am sorry about Monday’s blog. Perhaps that was a little irresponsible. To be honest I did not think anyone would buy the “Amour of Love Campaign” or the designer bulletproof vests with fashion accessories. I should have stuck with the initial urge to also include compassionate bullets. They are sanitary and would help cut down on infections from gun shot wounds. That, perhaps, would have done it. So, sorry and I have already gone to confession per Habemus Papem’s urging.

This false report was loosely based on an NPR segment about the Pope’s visit in Brazil. The news coverage was both skewed and consistent with most of the coverage that they Church in general receives. Be clear; I am not complaining about someone not agreeing with the Church but that there is no fair and impartial coverage of the real issues.

Take for example the issue of the free distribution of condoms. The only part of the Church’s message that got through (or ever gets through) is, “DON’T” while proponents receive sound bites and explanations of their positions. And, of course, the pro-condom group is made up of some really good people who see the problem of sexuality abused and how condoms can solve many of the symptoms of the abuse. They want to prevent pregnancy and illness. This can be difficult for Catholics to stand in opposition to. Who wants to be pro-death and pro-unwanted pregnancies? We can sound pretty stupid.

This was part of the frustration that spawned Monday’s article which had much the same effect. Notice that the fake article took gun fighting for granted. So the obvious solution was to give students bulletproof vests to keep them safe. Carol was the first to point out that it seemed ludicrous that parents were sending their kids to school in which they would regularly participate in gunfights! Wouldn’t you want the government (or concerned parents) to bring gun fighting to an end in the schools? Would not supplying more equipment for gun fighting not only give tacit approval of the fights but also encourage even more of them?

Adoro is the one who made the connection to sex. The Brazilian government is providing free condoms. Let us be very clear, condoms are not fail-safe guards against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, between improper use and product malfunction their success rate can be alarmingly low (considering that in order to have so called safe sex you would want them to be 100% effective.)

So then the government provides free condoms because, as you know “they are going to ‘do it’ anyway.” But with that condom there is the message that sex is expected and tacitly approved. With that comes a higher sexual activity rate and more and more people playing Sexual Russian Roulette and possibly having to deal with “unwanted children,” or aborting, or adopting out, or perhaps dealing with a debilitating or even deadly disease all under the banner of so called “Safe Sex.” (Some make the case that at least it is safer sex. I find this as absurd as handing out those bulletproof jackets.)

In both articles there are certain assumptions that are understood to be true. There are gunfights. People die in gunfights. Bulletproof vests save lives. If you are against bulletproof vests you are responsible for more people dying. That all seems perfectly logical.

Kids will have sex. Having sex leads to unwanted pregnancies and diseases. Condoms prevent this. If you are against condoms you are only going to create more unwanted children and spread AIDS. That, too, seems logical.

But notice that popular media are always silent when it comes to the Church’s WHY to its teaching. Why is “the Pope” against condoms? Are they evil? No. Not in and of themselves. Perhaps the reason is that condoms give a false sense of “safety” and therefore encourage risky behavior that only adds to the growing population of “unwanted children”; that creates a larger pool of “children raising children” (or grandparents raising children – or worse yet, abortion of children) or that it leads to more sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

Perhaps it has to do with trying to get a society to value the human person as a being deserving of dignity and love rather than an object to fulfill personal desires. Wow, with a society that uses each other thusly you might expect to see the divorce rate rise. Imagine that.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that when people feel that they can have sex and not have to deal with any of the consequences of the act that they might be more inclined to cheat on their spouse causing children to grow up in split homes. A situation JPII referred to as being “orphans with living parents.”

Perhaps it has to do with stemming the tide of man turning in on himself and seeing sex as something to get from another. If we can remove all consequences from sex so that it means little more than two people using the other’s body for personal gratification, then that opens the way to redefining all aspects of the makeup of our culture.

Perhaps too it has to do with building up the human person, giving him control over his life and body, pointing him toward something greater, higher, and nobler.

Yes, people will always have illicit sex and people will always shoot each other. But like handing out bulletproof vests to an entire country in order to cut down on shooting deaths is no way to solve that problem, handing out condoms only adds to the problem, it does not solve it.

We’ve got the best message: Sex is so awesome and wonderful and powerful and it deserves your respect. Be safer, be healthier, prevent more unwanted pregnancies, have more true freedom, understand not only your own dignity but that of those around you, have and give more respect, have integrity, be holy, and live up to the consequences of your decisions.

The condom message: You body is a toy. Indulge in it. Have sex, avoid consequences, take the risk, have at least a better chance of avoiding birth, sickness, and possibly death than without it. Get away with one-night stands. Increase your chances of walking away without any undo attachments. Play the field. You can’t help it anyway.

Yet all we get printed is, “DON’T”

THE ONLY REMEDY

“I don’t see what the big to-do is over the choir standing in front of the altar to sing a song. What are you getting so upset over?”

This comment is why it is so good to talk to people who do not see the world as you do. For a moment you can step outside of your paradigm and come closer to understanding not only why others do not believe as you but even better, in thinking about it, you come to understand more fully why you do believe.

Truly, the choir standing between the altar and the people even during the sung parts of the canon is an absolutely trite thing about which to be concerned and even makes sense unless you have the fullness of understanding about what the Eucharist is.

If a people think that the Eucharist is anything less than the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the reason the priest can elevate the host and proclaim as John the Baptist did 2000 years ago, “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world,” and mean the same thing, then pulling focus away from Christ does not offend because that which is in the priest’s hands is not fully Christ.

Architecture, art, environment, the way we celebrate all go a long and subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) way in informing us exactly what it is that we are doing. If a person has not been strongly catechized, then poor judgments in these areas will lead to erroneous beliefs about the faith.

Instances such as the one sited above show how a community can begin to close in on itself. Ostensibly gathered to worship God, what is slowly evolving is a celebration of the community wherein our entertainment, our comfort and our concerns become paramount. If we can erode the idea of the Eucharist as a Divine Person then the presence of the only “persons” rises to a disproportionate level of importance. Celebrating God in the community becomes the norm instead of the community looking outward, uniting themselves to Christ desiring to be united to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Is it any wonder then that Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in Sacramentum Caritas that, “Every great reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the Lord’s Eucharistic presence among His people (6)” and that “What wonder must the Eucharistic mystery also awaken in our own hearts” (1).

It will only be in a refocusing and rediscovery of the glory of the Eucharist in which the Church will reclaim her proper course and cease the silliness that has infected our rites. The way we celebrate, our art, our architecture are important tools in the endeavor.

You may be thinking that you have little control over these areas. That is Okay, for they are not even the most effective or long lasting remedies. The most powerful tool in your toolbox is a continual conversion to a life of a person who believes that the Blessed Sacrament is Christ, worshiping thusly and live so as to show evidence of this conviction.

You cannot change another person no matter what you do. You can only change yourself. And if you live the life the way Christ calls us, you will become attractive to those who are seeking and if they follow you, you will lead them to Christ.

John Paul II did this. When he came to the States and we provided him a service with all kinds of silliness going on, he focused on prayer and Christ. I have forgotten most of the silliness, I remember him. We need to follow his lead both at mass and in our daily lives. If not, we get what we deserve, a bellybutton gazing liturgy.

IN OTHER NEWS:

There is a rumor going about that is completely unconfirmed: The new Bishop of Cleveland is distressed that the tabernacles in the diocese are so difficult to find. Perhaps his focus has the above in mind. Pray for you bishop whoever he may be.

YOU ARE MORE INTERESTING THAN YOU THINK

Almost every job has a certain mystique about it. Chances are that if you are in the middle of it, it all seems rather boring. But to others there is a certain amount of wonder. What goes on in those places that we cannot go? What is behind the curtain? What is it like down in the coal mine? What is it like in the restricted area, in the closed meeting, out in the field, using that machinery, meeting those people, being in such a frightening position, witnessing the event, knowing the inside information, having the skill, understanding how the system really works? (This part of my ongoing conviction that people are far more fascinating than they think they are.)

Today I thought I’d start sharing some of the places that being a priest has taken me. Just some little stories that you might find interesting.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

Early in my priesthood (when, as you will see I still had some hair) I was afforded the opportunity to go to Rome. It was 1999 and so everything was pretty much under scaffolding. Msgr. (at the time) Broglio, a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, was working at the Vatican. Always hospitable to those visiting from the diocese he took me out to eat. It was quite late at night (even by European standards) and he asked at the end of the meal if I would like to have mass with the pope in the morning. Um. Sure. Let me check my schedule. Look at that! All clear.

I was to be at the brass doors early in the morning with my blue ticket (actually, not too many hours from the time of the asking.) Passing through he bronze doors I was saluted by the Swiss Guard. For a priest, the halberd is just sort of tilted out to the side and then back. By the time you are a cardinal they are swinging the thing all over the place. (I exaggerate a little.)

In a room just inside was a group of people waiting to go up to the pope’s private chapel. They were from all over the world and from all walks of life. There was one loud couple there that asked where I was from. When I said, “Cleveland,” they replied, “Oh, you must know Tony!” I had no idea about whom they were speaking until it became clear they meant Bishop Pilla. “Oh, and A. J., you must know him!” “Do you mean bishop Quinn?” “Oh yes, and Eddie.” “Do you mean His Excellency Bishop Edward Pevec?” And so went the conversation. * sigh *

Soon someone came for us and ushered us about the papal palace and up to the third floor. How many world leaders came with major concerns and peasants with petitions over the centuries? It was awing to imagine them.

The lay people were escorted into one room and the priests into another so that we could vest. Then we were escorted into the chapel. (That’s me just to the left of the Paschal candle.) John Paul was already there kneeling on his priedieu. Inside the priedieu were pieces of paper and it was said that these were the petitions that he wanted to remember at this mass. It was amazing to be so close to this man who changed the face of nations, the vicar of Christ, leader of the Catholic world, yet one of the most met and seen persons in history.

His secretary came in and helped him vest and mass began (in Latin facing east.) There was a small choir of nuns in the back that sang in Latin and Polish, surprisingly not all that well, but the mass was electrifying.

After, we were afforded time to pray and then we departed, John Paul still kneeling in prayer. After taking our vestments off, all of us were gathered into a library and we stood in line as John Paul entered and greeted each one of us personally. Some had business with him, some merely offered greetings. When he came to me I knelt and kissed his ring. His secretary said, “Father John Valencheck from the Diocese of Cleveland.” John Paul said, “Ah! Cleveland!” My response is a source of embarrassment to this day. It only happened to me one other time and that was when I met a black bear in the woods in up-state New York. I said, “abadabbabibble.” He handed me a rosary and a blessing. Wow. I could think of a billion things most people would think of as more important for him to be doing at that moment. But he took that time out for me. It still gives me chills. I still don’t completely comprehend it. (On top of that, how many world leaders would take that much time to pray for their people and the world in the first place?)

Ah well, anyway, to finish the story, we were walking down a marble staircase about as wide as the house in which I now live and I was escorting a lady who wrote a stations of the cross booklet and brought for John Paul to bless. The couple about which I spoke at the beginning of this already too long story were behind us again speaking loudly about what clever things they said to the pope. When we got to the turn of the stairs, there was a landing with giant double doors. They seemed to magically open as we approached revealing Msgr. Broglio. “Fr. Valencheck,” he said, “It seems you left your umbrella last night.” “Why thank you Monsignor.” “Not at all. Shall we see you for dinner tonight?” “I should be most honored.” And with that he stepped back, the doors seemed to close on their own and the couple behind us snorted and would not speak in my presence any longer. (There’s proof for God right there.)

I thank God still for that day. What a blessing. And the best part of it all is that I was not unique. What a man. (Perhaps soon, what a saint!)