FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PEEK A BOO - I SEE YOU

ON FRIDAY I WILL BE ON THE ROAD ALL DAY - HOPEFULLY GETTING HOME IN TIME FOR A YOUTH RETREAT. SO THIS IS POSTED EARLY. ENJOY. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

The priest is in the sacristy, the organist is in the choir loft, the bride is in the narthex, the servers are in the server’s sacristy, and the groomsmen are at the cross aisle. How do we get this show on the road?

Of course, there is that little bell. The voice of God! Ring it and everybody runs to their places and begins doing whatever it is they do to start the Mass. At other times there is someone with an astronomical watch that keeps an eye for the final nanosecond to blink by and sticks his index finger in the air in a “Let’s role” symbol causing the cantor to say, “Please stand now and greet our celebrant with, “Hail Holy Queen.” Let us pray that that never happens again.

Saint Sebastian has a button to press that sounds a buzzer in what in the old days was called the boy’s sacristy. It meant, “Hurry up and get over here! We’re about to start!” There was also an in-house phone system now defunct. It had four buttons on it. One could ring the sacristy, choir loft, rectory, and if there were more locations they have long disappeared. This went a long way in coordinating efforts (and asking last minute questions.) Some parishes have replaced this with walky-talkies. Now that everyone carries every kind of communicative device in their person at all times it seems that even this is unnecessary.

Saint Bernard’s has the equivalent of a rear view mirror just outside the sacristy door so that the priest can see if everyone is ready to go without sticking his head out like someone from an Our Gang epsode before the big show in the barn. Some places have more clever means. St. Ann in Cleveland Hts. has a peep hole built into the intricate grill work in the sanctuary. One goes into a small closet and peeks out at the congregation through a small and inconspicuous hole. One parish I was at had one way glass that almost worked. I wish I could remember where it was but there was a place that had a little door in the sacristy door about eye height. You opened it ala Wizard of Oz (Who rang that bell?) but it was hardly subtle.

Saint Francis in Akron probably has the most practical idea but because it works so well and makes so much sense it is almost uninteresting enough not to mention it. They simply have a peep hole in the door like one finds in a hotel door with the funny magnifying glass in it. It works. Blah. Now if only the door opened the other way . . .

SOMETIMES IT IS ABOUT ME

This guy asked me for money and I didn’t want to give it to him. I went to talk to my spiritual director. We had some discussion about giving versus not giving to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that asks you for a few dollars. “Sometimes it isn’t always about money going to the right person,” he told me, “Sometimes it is that you need to be the type of person who can give it freely away.”

I think of that every now and then. It is not much different from our stand on life. We as Catholics defend life even to opposing the death penalty in, if not all, most situations. (John Paul allowed for the possibility that it might be employed in some unusual situation I believe.) Everybody knows of some seemingly unredeemable person that makes being anti-death penalty a very difficult position to hold. We have one in Cleveland at the moment. A man lured women to his home, had his way with them and then murdered them one after the other and buried them around his property.

How could one defend the life of such a person who snuffed the life out of so many other people? Does he appear redeemable? Will he ever be able to be set free again? Does he have any use to society? Is there any chance that he will have a major conversion and save his soul? It is quite possible that the answer to all of these questions is no. Even if he should live for a hundred more years. And the amount of money and time that he will use up – my money and yours – as he drones through the years is astronomical. Is it worth the off change that something – anything good might come from this?

Yes. Because it isn’t always about the “bad guy” earning redemption. Sometimes it is about us being the type of people who offer a chance for it.

YOU SAY TO-MAE-TOE AND I SAY TO-MAH-TOE

STILL ON RETREAT - STILL THINKING TOO MUCH

When one is on retreat you have a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think and analyze too much. Just the same this is though that came to me and I throw it out to you just to see what you think. It might be bunk but I like to think not – not because it means I might be actually right about something but because it would mean that there is much more hope in the world than meets the eye.

In his encyclical “Caritas In Veritate” Pope Benedict reminds us that Christ teaches that God is love. Love then is the center of the Church’s social doctrine. Because love is at the “heart” of what we are about, his encyclical then is addressed not just to Catholics or even to Christians, but to the whole world because love is a universal. It takes a particularly bitter person to not have any kind of faith in love.

The love about which he speaks is not sappy, sentimental stuff such as of what Hallmark cards are made. True love, he reminds us, bears truth. Truth and love has order. Christ’s whole mission is bringing all people into unity. Evil divides, grace unites. After Babel all the inhabitants were sent their own way speaking different languages. Christ was constantly calling people to unity – a unity in which we call God our Father. The people who are in ordained, sacramental leadership positions in the Church are said to be in “orders.”

Is it not interesting that left to its own nature tends toward disunity – toward chaos. When something dies it decomposes – falls apart. Left completely on its own all of its components will dissolve, pass, and never return to life again.

Life requires order. God creates. We co-create. God is the source of life – and he continues creating with our cooperation whether it be a baby or a skyscraper. Truth and order.

So we come to people who say they do not believe in God. In effect they say they do not believe in love –in truth nor order. Yet outside of a brooding teenager’s bedroom there is little evidence that there is anybody who does not see some use – does not believe in love and truth and order.

Love and order is the basis of life. Without it nothing can exist. So does belief in Love – an adherence to order and truth - not constitute the rudiments of belief in something which law abiding atheists say do not exists? They may deny that the Love they honor is what we say God is – but if we both believe that which is the fundamental force in the world is truth and order and love – is the only difference the fact that we prefer to name it God and they don’t? (This is not to deny that beyond this very simple formula there lies a great gulf of ideas and beliefs that are no where near reconciled.)

Even belief in the Darwinian Theory, while not containing the fullness of truth, may be a first step in belief in a God otherwise denied. After all what is stated in the Darwinian theory? In a chaotic universe there came order, consciousness ex nihilo (from unconsciousness), there is life and love and order. A total denial of God would have to include denial that there is truth, order, and love.

A supposed atheist may argue that they can love perfectly well without God thank you very much. It could be argued that this is the same thing as saying, “I never use chick peas! I use garbanzo beans!” In other words it is the atheist’s job to argue that, “I believe in order in the universe, but I denies that there is something that allows for order in the universe.” I find this a more difficult position to hold than that there is no God.

Love, truth and order – this are basic attribute of God. To acknowledge their existence is the first kernel of belief in God as He has revealed Himself to us.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Trust in God does not mean that everything is going to be Okay.” Fr. Benedict Groeschel

QUOTE II: “It is very fine and pleasant to think of ourselves as the most put upon folk in history – but then everyone has though that from the beginning. It makes a grand excuse for all manner of laziness.” From Tobias Wolff’s “Old School”

IN OTHER NEWS:

I am on retreat at Trinity Retreat House in Larchmont, New York. It is a retreat house for priests run by the diocese. It is my luck that Fr. Benedict Groeschel is the retreat master.

Today, as had been my custom during the afternoon break, I took a pilgrimage to St. Augustine Parish – a nice little hoof from the retreat house, said some prayers and lit a candle for you.

Several of you were kind enough to send in links to Pope Benedict’s call for priests to blog among other things. Image in that – me – cutting edge. To know me is to know how ridiculous that thought is.

For those of you who may have been waiting we are finally getting ready to launch what might possibly be the only Chesterton Society in the Diocese of Cleveland. (Let me know if I am wrong.) Watch this blog for details.

John sent this in. You might find it interesting. "Dear Friends, I would like to invite all of you on my mailing list who are interested in Church developments to sign up to receive the Dispatch From Rome Newsletters from my pal Bob Moynihan, the dean of Vatican Journalists and editor and publisher of Inside the Vatican magazine. His dispatches are also posted to his Blog The Moynihan Report here: http://www.TheMoynihanReport.com/ There is a subscription link there. Also visit the Inside the Vatican Website here: http://insidethevatican.com/

VERY INTERESTING: This came in from Yellow Line Cinema: SAN DIEGO, CA - 1/21/2010- In 1973, The U.S. Supreme Court gave women a choice. Thirty-seven years later, we're giving them a voice.

Yellow Line Studio announces the premiere of BUMP+, a web series that follows three women facing crisis pregnancies. The pilot is scheduled to launch on Friday, January 22, 2010. Thirteen episodes will follow in February and March; and the final cliffhanger is so unpredictable, even the writers and producers don't know how the series will end.

From Juno and Bella to Glee and Desperate Housewives, a woman's right to choose has been explored across the media landscape. What makes BUMP+ different? We're letting the viewers decide how our characters' stories will end. We've opened the official website to comments and invited people to share their personal stories. Our team will craft the final episodes, including the ultimate decision about each pregnancy, based on audience feedback. This isn't a moral or political statement - it's an experiment to see if story can succeed where nearly four decades of angry rhetoric and political posturing have failed.

That experiment is already underway at our website. A trailer for the pilot has attracted several comments and personal stories from viewers; and the YouTube, Facebook and Twitter following is growing quickly; and as someone with a strong commitment to quality, thought provoking entertainment, we'd like to invite you and your audience to be part of it. For more information, or to schedule an interview with members of the BUMP+ creative team, please contact me personally using the email address or phone number below, or visit our website.

MONDAY DIARY: RETREAT!

Greetings! I am on retreat this week and so posts may be late or sporatic! Sorry for the inconvenience. Say prayer for me as I say one for all of Adam's Ale readers. (I'll light a candle for you too!)

I’m on the road today. After the last Mass on Sunday, the last walk of Sebastian (at this point he started to suspect something,) and before evaporating out the door going over notes with my ever vigilant parochial vicar, I slipped in behind the wheel of my car, set the GPS, (I’m beginning the slippery slope toward high tech dependence saint preserve me) and stepped on the gas pedal to my yearly retreat. It was time to go. I was starting to get snarky and was taking things too personally. These being major signs that it was time for this priest to charge his spiritual batteries and reboot.

This is the first time that I am going to the retreat house on my own. I usually buddy up with at least one other priest but schedules were so conflicted and convoluted this year it was easiest just to make the seven hour trip on my own. A whole program of entertainment was in place to keep me interested in driving. The first hour was listening to “Wait, Wait! Don’t Tell Me” an NPR news quiz. When the signal was lost there were various CDs (and my rosary) to keep my company. There was a book on tape – a book that I read about ten years ago and enjoyed thoroughly and now was listening to again on CD, “Pillars of the Earth.” There was also “Nick Danger, Third Eye” which I can recite line for line. “What’s all this brouhaha? Brouhaha? Ha ha ha!”

The rest of the time was taken from CDs more in keeping with the purpose of my trip. One was entitled, “The Year of the Priest.” I listened to it with what I’ll admit was a bit of embarrassment. It went on at length about the great sacrifices priests make. And we do. But . . .

Now, there is no denying that there are priests who make extraordinary sacrifices: leaving family behind, working in terrible conditions, suffering poverty, way overworked, being accused unjustly of all sorts of things, and in some parts of the world facing severe opposition and almost monthly a priest meets with martyrdom. But you know what? If you are called to the priesthood, it is a far grander sacrifice not to be ordained. I have met these men in the confessional. They did what they were “supposed” to do – pressured by family or peers to do what everyone else was doing – wife, kids, job - and now quietly sacrificing something within themselves in order to fulfill the life they vowed to live.

Everybody makes sacrifices. You cannot begin to build anything until you sacrifice something. One must say no to many things in order to start creating something great out of the idea you are willing to say yes to. The sacrifices I make in order to be a priest I gladly do. My priest friends and I, when we get together, talk about how fortunate we are and are in wonder that more men do not choose this life. We know the sacrifices that others make and are in wonder at them. At the breakfast shop on our day away we see a mother and father struggling with a young child in the throes of a tantrum or a young couple obviously in a fight with their arms crossed, or we perhaps we’ve talked with family who may have to pull their children from the school because of a monetary set back and think we are lucky for the life we are privileged to live. “How do they do that?” Yet we also know that if that is the life to which God is calling them, anything else would seem a trial.

The escapism book that I am reading told a story about an honor that the main character is receiving. (I hesitate to recommend this book before I finish though I am quite enjoying it. It happened once that I recommended a book when half way through that was just delightful but turned rather lurid to the point that I was embarrassed even to have it on my bookshelf!) When the character was told of his honor it was so well written that I felt his thrill. I started to wonder what honor I could receive that would give me the same thrill. To be quite honest I can’t think of anything that would be more of an honor than of being the pastor of my parish. Become bishop? No. Win an award? No.

The richest man in the world is the one who is happy with what he has. Sure there are things I would like to change (one of which is wishing the Sebastian was on this trip with me.) But they are minor in comparison to the benefits that being a priest is to me.

Sometimes I worry about the future. Will there be a day that I am sorry that I do not have (grand)children? Will I feel loss for not having a family and a home? I was told to expect that when I turned 40 (and am well past that now.) But I realize there has not been a day that I have regretted (maybe a couple of incidents however) and that I am happy today and there is no reason to suspect that I will be unhappy, at least overall, tomorrow.

I hope you have said yes to something. I pray that your yes is bringing you closer to God and joy. But to those of you who are really facing sacrifices whether you be a priest, a married person, a deacon, a religious, or a single person, thank you. Thank you for saying yes and doing your best to build something greater than yourself for the benefit of your brothers and sisters and for the glory of God.

MONDAY DIARY: RETREAT!

I’m on the road today. After the last Mass on Sunday, the last walk of Sebastian (at this point he started to suspect something,) and before evaporating out the door going over notes with my ever vigilant parochial vicar, I slipped in behind the wheel of my car, set the GPS, (I’m beginning the slippery slope toward high tech dependence saint preserve me) and stepped on the gas pedal to my yearly retreat. It was time to go. I was starting to get snarky and was taking things too personally. These being major signs that it was time for this priest to charge his spiritual batteries and reboot.

This is the first time that I am going to the retreat house on my own. I usually buddy up with at least one other priest but schedules were so conflicted and convoluted this year it was easiest just to make the seven hour trip on my own. A whole program of entertainment was in place to keep me interested in driving. The first hour was listening to “Wait, Wait! Don’t Tell Me” an NPR news quiz. When the signal was lost there were various CDs (and my rosary) to keep my company. There was a book on tape – a book that I read about ten years ago and enjoyed thoroughly and now was listening to again on CD, “Pillars of the Earth.” There was also “Nick Danger, Third Eye” which I can recite line for line. “What’s all this brouhaha? Brouhaha? Ha ha ha!”

The rest of the time was taken from CDs more in keeping with the purpose of my trip. One was entitled, “The Year of the Priest.” I listened to it with what I’ll admit was a bit of embarrassment. It went on at length about the great sacrifices priests make. And we do. But . . .

Now, there is no denying that there are priests who make extraordinary sacrifices: leaving family behind, working in terrible conditions, suffering poverty, way overworked, being accused unjustly of all sorts of things, and in some parts of the world facing severe opposition and almost monthly a priest meets with martyrdom. But you know what? If you are called to the priesthood, it is a far grander sacrifice not to be ordained. I have met these men in the confessional. They did what they were “supposed” to do – pressured by family or peers to do what everyone else was doing – wife, kids, job - and now quietly sacrificing something within themselves in order to fulfill the life they vowed to live.

Everybody makes sacrifices. You cannot begin to build anything until you sacrifice something. One must say no to many things in order to start creating something great out of the idea you are willing to say yes to. The sacrifices I make in order to be a priest I gladly do. My priest friends and I, when we get together, talk about how fortunate we are and are in wonder that more men do not choose this life. We know the sacrifices that others make and are in wonder at them. At the breakfast shop on our day away we see a mother and father struggling with a young child in the throes of a tantrum or a young couple obviously in a fight with their arms crossed, or we perhaps we’ve talked with family who may have to pull their children from the school because of a monetary set back and think we are lucky for the life we are privileged to live. “How do they do that?” Yet we also know that if that is the life to which God is calling them, anything else would seem a trial.

The escapism book that I am reading told a story about an honor that the main character is receiving. (I hesitate to recommend this book before I finish though I am quite enjoying it. It happened once that I recommended a book when half way through that was just delightful but turned rather lurid to the point that I was embarrassed even to have it on my bookshelf!) When the character was told of his honor it was so well written that I felt his thrill. I started to wonder what honor I could receive that would give me the same thrill. To be quite honest I can’t think of anything that would be more of an honor than of being the pastor of my parish. Become bishop? No. Win an award? No.

The richest man in the world is the one who is happy with what he has. Sure there are things I would like to change (one of which is wishing the Sebastian was on this trip with me.) But they are minor in comparison to the benefits that being a priest is to me.

Sometimes I worry about the future. Will there be a day that I am sorry that I do not have (grand)children? Will I feel loss for not having a family and a home? I was told to expect that when I turned 40 (and am well past that now.) But I realize there has not been a day that I have regretted (maybe a couple of incidents however) and that I am happy today and there is no reason to suspect that I will be unhappy, at least overall, tomorrow.

I hope you have said yes to something. I pray that your yes is bringing you closer to God and joy. But to those of you who are really facing sacrifices whether you be a priest, a married person, a deacon, a religious, or a single person, thank you. Thank you for saying yes and doing your best to build something greater than yourself for the benefit of your brothers and sisters and for the glory of God.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: LET ME MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLERE

“Aint it a shame?” some people say from time to time, “those beautiful windows way up high in our church and nobody can see them!” These windows in the part of church architecture known as the clerestory (pronounced clear-story) is the upper part of a church building that rises above the lower level. It sits above the first roof line and is punctuated with windows. The purpose of it is to fill the building with space and light. The windows are high not to make them inaccessible but so as to give the space an airy and celestial feel.

With modern lighting and the movement to bring things down to our level if they are to mean anything and pragmatic concerns such as heating bills, the tendency to have clerestories have largely disappeared in modern architecture.

St. Sebastian, a building built in modern Romanesque style makes good use of the clerestory as shown here. Though well above the heads of the congregation the ample open space makes seeing the windows much easier and the artists and architects made good use of the windows to makes them catechisms in glass.

This is just my personal opinion so feel free to disagree nobody will have to go to confession for having an opinion on such things I dare say, but it seems to me that we have lost something in focusing too much on the human person in our church buildings. They no longer give us the feeling that we are participating in something much bigger than ourselves. When we gather for Mass we gather with the universal Church at the one Mass being offered around the world and throughout time. The whole Body of Christ is present. We represent the Church militant (which is why the sign of peace is supposed to be a symbolic gesture made to one person) but also present are the saints and angles (as we here every week in the preface) as well as God Himself. Often times modern church architecture is weak in expressing this – and any help we can get would in this regard is useful!

A ROSARY BY ANY OTHER NAME

The other day I was reaching into my medicine cabinet and saw the Mason jar I keep there. My mother who passed away a number of years ago gave it to me. When I was moving into the seminary she gave me a care package part of which was a Mason jar lined with cellophane (of course) and containing cotton swabs. Over the years they have been mostly used and replaced but I keep a few that she gave me (white sticks instead of the new blue) just as a remembrance.

This day for some reason I was particularly struck by it and took it off the shelf and just thought about the great love of a mother for her son that she would go through the trouble of something somewhat trivial but none-the-less helpful to extend her care to when I would be away. It was nice just to meditate on that for a little, to remember her, and to say a prayer.

That is kind of where I am with God on the rosary currently. If one wants to pray the Rosary well it means there must needs be some meditation to go along with it (the prayers being an aid and path to meditation.) Sometimes I simply think about the life of Christ during the particular mystery, sometimes I think about the mystery’s implication for the Church, sometimes I try to relate it to current living giving it a homiletic bent, but more recently (just my latest kick) I’ve been treating the mysteries like that glass Mason jar. I pull the mystery out and just look at it and try to concentrate on being thankful. “You bore Your Cross for me? Thank you.” “You resurrected for me? Thank you.” “You transfigured that I might believe? Thank you.”

There are many different ways to meditate on the rosary. You need to find your way. And like me it may change from time to time as you discover something new in God Who is more than our simple minds can ever mine.

HAPPY FEAST OF SAINT SEBASTIAN!

Today is our titular feast day. Actually we had it transferred to Sunday but most of the world is celebrating it today. Blessings to you from the Parish of Saint Sebastian!

More in depth information about our patron here.

An interesting time line of Saint Sebastian here.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXVIII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “We presume that there will be another breath to take . . .we could just as easily not be here . . . In Haiti one day seemed just like the last and then one day everything that seemed ordinary in their life was turned upside down.” Fr. Frank DeSiano

QUOTE II: “All other swindlers upon the earth are nothing to the self swindler.” Charles Dickens

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ellen from Paraclete Press calls our attention to this video. It is just under ten minutes long. It is particularly useful for those contemplating the priesthood.



I am not recommending this site - just seeing if anybody out there can give any insight - if it is a good organization or not. Personhood USA.

It was good to see that Catholic Relief Services (CRS - the people who bring you Operation Rice Bowl) are listed among the top groups bringing relief to Haiti. It is one of the stregths of the Catholic Church that we are so interconnected and can weild such a response. I fully endorse CRS and find it to be one of the finest charitable organization in the world. Here you can read about what they are doing in Haiti and make a donation. This coming weekend our parish will be taking up a collection for Haiti and the monies will be funneled through CRS. We are in there for the long haul. We were there before this disaster struck and we will be in there long after the cameras are gone and people have forgotten about the devistation.

Fr. F. sent this in about a new convent of Poor Clares out in California. If you need a shot in the arm concerning women's religious orders you might want to check out the video. Thanks friend.

MONDAY DIARY: MINDING YOUR Ps AND Qs AND Fs

Last week I discovered just how deeply we have invested in becoming a two priest parish instead of a one priest parish. Our ever vigilant, hard working parochial vicar went away on retreat leaving me to man the ship by myself. There was no fear in this. It was a one man ship when I got here.

Then he left.

Then our priest in residence got the flu.

Then the pastors emeritus also skipped town.

And then there was one.

Then somebody inadvertently said the magic curse. Theater has a similar problem. A play becomes cursed when someone utters a line from Macbeth. “Out darn spot!” A careful ritual is observed among the superstitious to remove the curse (as can be seen in “Shakespeare in Love” in order to remove the curse and save the show – and in turn save box office receipts.

The line in parish life that causes similar strife involves the “F” word. No, not that one – the other one. And it is usually couched in this innocent enough sentence: “Gee, we have not had a funeral in a long time.” As soon as it was uttered I knew I was doomed.

Two phone calls came in rapid succession. There would be two funerals on the first day the parochial vicar would be gone! A day later another one came in for my otherwise day away. Later another came on for the week’s end. Not as many as some parishes – more than we are used to – and a lot for when you are suddenly and completely alone (priestwise).

There is a reason that priests of our diocese are released from their obligation to pray the Office on the day they have a funeral. Every funeral means there is a homily to be written, at least one meeting with the family to be had, phone calls to be made, paperwork to be filled out, a visit to the funeral home with prayers, the Mass, the trip to the graveyard, and the time rescheduling appointments that had to be cancelled.

This is not a complaint. It is why we are ordained. Firemen don’t get upset because their day was interrupted by a fire. It is what they are there for. But I bet they secretly wish that all the fires weren’t during the same week that all their buddies were away. I wonder if they have a similar forbidden sentence. I can imagine a rookie fireman saying, “Why don’t we fire up some brats on the grill?” and his fellow fire fighters jumping up, shushing him and saying, “Don’t say the “f” word!”

“What? ‘Fire?’”

“Arg! He said it again! Get him!”

But fortunately just then the fire alarm rings and he gets away with some dirty glances and the lesson to watch is language.

FRIDAY PITPOURRI: DREAMS IN BLUE

This week Saint Sebastian Parish is celebrating its titular feast day. This year we are having an exhibit of some of the proposals for future development of the property from the early 30s. This first plan shows the original church and school but nothing else came of these ideas. In the lower left hand corner is a trail and grotto. A line of trees through the center marks the parish gardens. Next to that is the nun's private lawn. And way to the left is the rectory.

Here is a detail close-up of the rectory. Notice the rector's garden, pool, and summer house. If you tried to pull this off today you would be hung from the highest tree. Selfishly I wish Monsignor Zwisler would have pulled it off. "What do you expect? It was here!"

This was another idea. The original school and church are seen here as above but the rest of the grounds are much different. The convent is the small building at the top of the page and the rectory opposite. The church which today faces Mull Avenue and is built in a modern Romanesque style is shown here with an apse and large dome.

Now I am willing to admit these are quite grand designs and there could be great debate as to whether such grandeur is the business of local parishes. That is a debate for another day. But what is important here was that there was a grand scheme in mind. As too often happens a parish just happens and when they need a building they stick it in the next available place. That usually ends up with a mishmash of buildings oddly placed. It is not an ostentatious thing therefor to at least have an overall vision for the future (maybe without the pool) so that the end result may be please to the eye and pleasing to be in. There is no sin in that.

I have found in the archives of many older church are grand designs such as this. My home parish which was quite tiny had beautiful plans to build an English Gothic school attached to the little church. For various reasons however it was built down the street in 1950's utilitarian splendor.

So check your vaults! Your blue print files! Who knows what dreams you might find!

THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN

Someone out there may already have a solution to this problem or perhaps have an insight from being a person who finds themselves affected by this problem. So before we spend too much brain time on it I thought I would throw it out to you for you in put.

As parish many of our programs assume that children are from relatively intact families and can meet the demands of our programs. More and more however this is not the case. So we have a sacramental program and a child does not show up much of the time. It might be a little less worrisome for programs that meet weekly as a child may be caught up. But when a program meets monthly or even every other month and they miss half of those the program is essentially gutted for them.

Now there are those that are simply choosing other programs over their sacramental training (backed by their parents! “They can’t miss basketball think of the team!” Of course I am more concerned about their immortal soul. Neither of us can understand the point of view of the other.) This is an entirely different topic. This problem is more difficult. It concerns the children of divorced parents.

Too often one parent can only have a child here every other week. Maybe. Just as often the other parent does not want anything to do with the faith so there is absolutely no support from that end. So we have a child who, through no fault of their own, has little tie to the community, comes to Mass and sacraments spottily, and who knows little about the faith.

It is not like all the kids that this affects have the same schedule or are in the same grade so there is a need to cover all grades and one any given day or time. As a parish we are already understaffed and a volunteer (after they are Virtus trained etc.) would have to be able to teach a child of any given grade and tropic at any given time. We might ask a guardian or parent to “home school” which might be a solution but often – now that they are on their own – their time is stretched to the limit.

So – there is the problem. Do YOU have any ideas that might help these children out?

WHAT WAS I SAYING?

Here’s how conversation works: Something pops into your mind and you say to the person with whom you are spending time, “You know what I was just thinking . . .”

Now prayer is conversation – conversation with God. It is a common thing for people to say that they are distracted in prayer. They are trying to make a holy hour or pay attention at Mass or pray the rosary and their mind wanders off. There can be a number of reasons for this but the one most overlooked is that perhaps it is a conversation that God is looking to have with you. Something has popped into a person’s mind and they spend a great deal of time and energy thinking, “Don’t think about that! Back to REAL prayer.” But it may be the case that the thing by which you are distracted is crying out for attention.

If this happens to be the case for you try this: First acknowledge the distraction. “Okay, this thing is on my mind – let me analyze very quickly what it is.” Then present it to God. “God, I am trying to pay attention to (whatever) but this keeps popping up and obviously I need your help with it.” If that brings you some relief then thank God and gently and simply return to the planned prayer.

It may be the case that God is trying to tell you something at that point. So hold in tension the prayer that you are participating in and also listen to what God may be trying to tell you. If some sort of answer comes, then thank God and then gently and simply return to the planned prayer.

If it is a continual and complete distraction something else may be going on. When the distraction is the problem and not a problem present that to God. “God I need help being distracted from having a real conversation with you – from real prayer with you because I am too distracted by worldly things. Help me.” Then always gently return to authentic prayer numerous time if necessary – but always gently. The more upset you become the worse the problem will be. If this does not help after a spell then you may need a spiritual director to guide you.

But at all times remember that you having a conversation and building a relationship with God. He wants you to share what is going on in your life. Formal prayer is very important and worthwhile but so is informal prayer. It is a text message to God – a quick phone call – a note in His lunch pail that says, “Thinking of you during my day.” We need both. Perhaps many a distraction occurs when there is an imbalance in the ratio and a distraction is sometimes a corrective attempt at conversation (talking and listening) by God with you.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Christianity, and nothing else, is the ultimate foundation of liberty, conscience, human rights, and democracy, the benchmarks of Western civilization. To this day, we have no other options [to Christianity]. We continue to nourish ourselves from this source. Everything else is idle post-modern chatter.” German philosopher and avowed secular atheist Jurgen Habermas as reported in John L. Allen Jr’s, “The Future Church”

QUOTE II: “To be truly satisfied is the beginning of your demise.” Unknown.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Riddle me this Batman: I was watching an original episode of Batman and the Riddler asked this question: “There are four men and five cigarettes in a life boat with no matches. How do they smoke?”

Answer: “They throw one cigarette overboard and make the boat a cigarette lighter!”

If you like riddles here is a “Riddle a Day” site.

IN STILL OTHER NEWS:

This game is kind of creepy but I enjoyed it. Escape: The Dungeon. WARNING: ADDICTION LEVEL: HIGH.

My cousin sent this site in. All you have to do is plug in an address and you can travel around your neighborhood or somebody else's. You can look to the left or the right or up and down. I traveled around the parish here (476 Mull Ave., Akron) and followed a car around the block! We passed a car going in the other direction and I was able to turn around and watch it behind us. A UPS truck also showed up. It was obviously at least three years old because there are some things in the parish yard that were removed just before I got here and the cross with the white cloth on it - so it must have been Easter time.

Fr. Kyle over at Called by Name has some interesting videos concerning what exactly priests do besides during the hour most people see him on the weekend.

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "WASHINGTON - The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, January 10-16.

"This week provides the opportunity for parishes across the country to promote vocations through prayer and education," said Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, chairman of the Bishop's Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. "It is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church. We must also ask parents, families and our parish communities to assist with this work, vocations are everyone's business. As we pray for an increased number of seminarians and candidates for religious life, we recognize the importance of safeguarding the gift of vocations." Visit the Borromeo Seminary web site. Visit the Saint Mary Seminary web site.


We have a volunteer at Saint Sebastian to make some altar linens. Here are some sites that K. found for patterns. 1 - 2 - 3

M. sent in this site on "How to Make Your Server Program Grow by 500"

P. Sent in this article from the Catholic News Agency concerning the link between abortion and breast caner.

MONDAY DIARY - THE BEST WINE IS IN OLD WINESKINS

Yesterday one of my classmates was installed as pastor of the parish at which he has served as administrator over the past number of months. Still in residence is the former pastor Fr. Schleicher. He is a bit of a walking miracle. One day he is literally on his death bed and the next he is teeing off at a local golf course. He’s like that great old car that for some miraculous reason keeps starting and getting you there day after day.

Things are rough for him these days. As we prepared to celebrate this great occasion with Bishop Pevec – bustling about – giving last minute instructions and making introductions – Father comes in slowly and makes his way to a chair from which he will vest.

He looks feeble and sometimes people speak to him as though his mind is feeble also but it is as sharp as a tack. “Gads,” I say to him, “I wish I would have as much hair at your age.” “Well, you better start growing some hair then” he quips back.

Living with my first pastor I saw firsthand that there is such a thing as age discrimination. He too was an old war horse bound and determined to die with his stole on. We might both forget the same name (and he would usually come up with it before I ever would) but with me they would joke that it was a good thing I was a priest and could read rubrics to get along everyday whereas every instance of forgetfulness with my pastor was stored away as evidence by some that he was losing it in his old age.

Fr. Schleicher could not make it in the procession nor stand for long periods. During the Eucharistic prayer he was helped forward to a bar stool and kept a glass of water on the edge of the altar. He still prayed his section of the prayer in his trademark loud, gruff, masculine voice.

What is beauty? Is it that all of the priests and ministers stand up straight and tall and fall seamlessly into processions and can stand still with hands properly folded? Or is it a community standing and applauding the man who had been their spiritual father for decades, who was still true to his vocation, who made an effort to honor and give his approval to the Young Turk who was taking his place and the third pastor of the parish? Is not beautiful that a community does not simply throw out the old for the exciting new?

It is true that at times we wish for new leadership hoping that new life will come; new life that will bring a new spirit, new initiatives, new adventures. But we are not merely congregations that hire pastors. We are families united under our bishop and led by a man we call “father pastor.” To not honor them in their elder years is to bring disgrace to ourselves.

Mostly - or at least officially we are pretty good at this. Now we live in an odd age when younger and younger priests are taking over parishes - having to be more administrative rather than having the time to be creative in ministry. Sometimes right out of the seminary gate young men are taking over parishes - in the plural. There was a time when one was ordained in their twenties and would not become a pastor until they were well seasoned - at least in their 50s. It was a bit of talk when I was sent to Saint Sebastian in some circles - still being so young in priest years. (Priest years are the opposite of dig years - they are much longer.) And though we may benifit some from the energy of the younger pastor we will also miss out on some of the sage wisdom of the long experienced priest.

So kudos to Fr. Bline for giving so much of his day to honor one of the giants. God bless Fr. Schleicher and all of the men of service such as him out there.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: A LITTLE DAB WILL DO YA

Often in older churches you will see a little brass door in the side of wall with the words, “Olea Sancta” or “Holy Oils.” It is called the Ambry or sometimes Aumbry. Here the holy oils that are blessed at the Chrism Mass are kept. Larger ambries also might hold the parish relics or even certain liturgical books.

In more recent times with tabernacles on side altars no longer housing the Blessed Sacrament many parishes have begun using one or the other as the ambry for the holy oils. It seems to become quite the thing to have a glass ambry made today and to store the oils in such a fashion so that they may always be seen by parishioners. This might be a good thing as it makes more people aware of the oils and their use. Often the ambry was not visible from the main body of the church.

There is one note of caution however. The oils are not meant to just be displayed but used in a sacramental manner. Often it seems a parish will obtain a very large quantity of oil and store them in glass stocks (the container used for storing oils) mostly for show purposes. In a far greater quantity than is ever expected to be used the oil is then purposefully wasted. The oil is not a show piece but a sacramental tool expected to be used. There then comes the problem of disposing of the old oils at the end of the year when they must be buried, burned, or otherwise properly disposed of.

HOLY HOUR BATMAN

Alright Catholics – How many times have you heard that if you really want to improve your prayer life you need to start making a Holy Hour once a week? It’s advice that I both get and have received. Rarely however is there ever an explanation as to why. Why a Holy Hour?

There is nothing overly magical about it. It is common sense and you probably know the answer already. What is the purpose of prayer? Is it in order to get things? Well, not alone. We pray for the same reason we tweet, text, Email, call, and hang out with our friends. It is how you get to know somebody. When you want to get married you discovered that desire by spending time with that person. You came to know them and what is important to them. When time was short due to your busy schedule you made time for them. They knew through this that you loved them, you knew it, and so did everyone else. “Sorry, I’m spending time with my girlfriend that day.”

Holy Hours are not much different. You are spending some quality time with God. It is not a quick text message, “God, get me through this traffic,” or “God, get me through this and I swear I won’t do it again.” Who wants to be the friend that only makes contact when you need something and makes that contact at a minimum at that?

Wasting time with God is anything but a waste of time. That is what we do with the ones we love. It also gives us the opportunity to be quiet and listen. This type of prayer does not mean that all our prayers will be answered in the way we want them but carrying on this conversation with God may help us understand how God has decided to answer our prayer.


For some people an hour is way too difficult. Start with a holy half hour. Start with a holy 15 minutes! If your parish is not open to spend time with Jesus pray before a crucifix at home. Steal time! If it is absolutely impossible to do it at any other time do it on the subway ride home – do it in the bathroom – crawl up in the attic – take the dog for a walk – park your car in the park on the drive home and spend a few minutes with God. You can do it! You have done it to have some time with the one you love. Now do it with God.

You may not notice a difference after a day, a week, or maybe even a month. But one day everything will be different and you will look back and wonder at how things have changed.

But you have to start.

FIRSTS ANSWERS

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz:

1. Though our calendar is off it is meant to mark the years since Jesus’ birth. The reason, however, that we do not start counting the New Year on December 25th is because officially we do not have a Christmas Day. Like the Easter Octave we have a Christmas Octave; eight days on which celebrate Christmas. It is one giant celebration. The Christmas season continues afterward but the Christmas Octave which is counted as a single day is over. If you went to Mass during the Octave you would have noticed that the Gloria was sung each day, there was the Creed, and inserts for the Roman Canon. On the last day of the octave, January 1st, we begin the New Year.

2. The first saint and the only male saint whose complete set of relics were given to the Church in the United States is Saint Datian. His relics are enshrined in New York City.

3. The first and only female saint whose complete relics were given to the Church in the United States is Saint Christine. She is also the last saint whose complete relics were given to the U. S. She is enshrined in the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cleveland. The relics were presented to Archbishop Schrembs in 1928 by Pope Pius XI. Tradition says that Christina was a girl of 13 or14 who died for her faith around the year 300. She was buried in the catacombs of St. Pontianus outside Rome which catacombs were discovered in the 18th century. Along with her bones there is a vile of her blood (long turned to powder.)

4. & 5. The First United States Citizen to become a saint was St. Francis Xavior Cabrini who was born in Italy and came to the United States. The first native born citizen of the United States to become a saint was St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton, a convert from the Episcopal Church. And I made a mistake – I should have said native born citizen, not native American for as one of the commenters correctly pointed out Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha who is a native American is not canonized as of yet. For those who are interested, St. John Neumann, bishop of Philadelphia is also the first United States bishop to be canonized.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CXXXVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Absolutely every person, no matter how enmeshed in vice, ensnared by the allurements of pleasure, a captive in exile . . . fixed in mire . . . distracted by business, afflicted with sorrow . . . and counted with those who go down into hell – every soul, I say, standing thus under condemnation and without hope, has the power to turn and find it can not only breath the fresh air of the hope of mercy, but can also aspire to the nuptials of the Word.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux

QUOTE II: “Poverty does not mean perfection. It is a means to greater charity.” Fr. Zylla

IN OTHER NEWS:

We have not had a quiz in a very long time. Here is one for you entitled “Who’s On First?”

1. I like this question because it never even occurred to me to ask it before until it was mailed in recently. If we count years based on the birth of Jesus Christ, then why do we start the New Year on January 1st and not December 25th?
2. This one is hard so give yourself points if you can name any information in connection with it. Name the first saint whose complete set of relics were given to the Church in the United States by Rome?
3. Who was the first female saint (the second saint and the last time this was ever done) whose complete set of relics were given to the Church in the United States?
4. Who was the first United States citizen to be canonized?
5. Who is the first Native American to be named a saint?

IN STILL OTHER NEWS:

My cousin sent this 4 minute song in for Christmas.


P. sent a couple of Christmas videos in:




IN YET STILL OTHER NEWS:

Are you interested in holy cards? A.M. sent this site in called Saints Unlimited. If you are interested in collecting holy cards this site is for you.

MONDAY DIARY: THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SNOW BUSINESS

The reason I do not choose colors for painting a room is because things look much better in my head than they do in reality. There is a definite difference between how the world “looks” in my head than it does in reality. This story is an example of how this is true.

I came in from taking Sebastian from his morning walk. It was a beautiful winter day with lots of snow. Not just any kind of snow mind you, but great, thick packing snow. Sebastian got his morning treat and I my breakfast and we settled into the breakfast room. Fr. Pfeiffer was there reading the morning Diversions and made comment about one of the comics concerning some kids who got into their mother’s closet and used her clothes to dress their snowmen – er – make that snowwomen.

“Hey,” I said, “we have that old, tiny cassock downstairs. Why don’t we make a snowpriest?”

What a hoot it seemed it would be; our snowpriest standing in front of the rectory welcoming visitors and giving his benediction to passers by. So we dressed warmly, grabbed the cassock and Sebastian and went outside.

Slowly we built up the snow man. We couldn’t just roll giant snow balls because then it would be too fat to the cassock around. But the snow was perfect packing snow and we were able to build up a thin enough snow man to get its robes on. A head was stuck on top using left over, old, rock-hard brownies for eyes and nose. Branches acted as arms and held up the sleeves. Fr. P donated a hat. Fr. Snowman was done! We took a few steps back and said, “Well . . . hmmm . . . looks kind of creepy.”

A lady stopped us after Mass later in the day. “Um,” she began cautiously, “Did you build a snowman in your front yard?”

“Why yes. Yes we did.”

“It kind of looks like a witch. It kind of creeped me out.”

St. Sebastian rectory now has a bare, skinny pile of snow sticking up in front of the rectory.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May it be a year of blessings for you!

Hey Australia - Hope you enjoyed sleeping while we got to go to Mass today!

Pride cometh before the fall.

(Just looked at the post again - the above sentence is about the video - not Australians)

The Shelf - Short Film - watch more funny videos

If you can't view this video go here.