MASS IN A BOX

I have two Mass kits. I wonder if it is legal for me to have them.

Both were left at my last parish assignment by moving priests. They are kind of unique and I thought you might find them interesting. A Mass kit, of course, is a “Mass In a Box” of sorts. It enables you to have what you need to say Mass in a place that is not set up for such things.

This one comes from the U.S. Air Force. If you look closely at the contents list (below) it becomes apparent that this kit was made before Vatican II as it mentions such things as “Mass cards.” The two small canisters with lids are the candles. I suppose if you are saying mass around where helicopters are landing or taking off you would want to protect the flame from the breeze of the blades.

The whole thing is in a soft container that was, until recently, also filled with formed sponge but that had become so deteriorated it had mostly turned to sand.

I thought about getting rid of this kit or passing it on to another priest but it does come in handy from time to time though the last time I used it was about two summers ago when I went on a cattle drive in Wyoming. Several of us were able to gather together in a tent and have a simple Mass. Most other Mass kits would have not been very practical on this trip.

The next kit came from the United States Army and every piece is stamped with a bold "U.S." It is actually quite a nice, substantial, heavy kit which I also think predates Vatican II. The box itself, which is made out of steel, transforms into an altar though the places I have taken it (such as the nursing home or boy scout camp) generally at least have a table for me to use.

Catholics do not travel lightly (as I am discovering through preparing to move) though Catholics in the Air Force seem to come as close as possible. We have not even touched on the books, vestments and bottles of wine.

And you thought your kid’s school backpacks were weighted down. . .

HOUSTON: THE TOOTHPASTE IS OUT OF THE TUBE

Greetings to you Gentlereader,

This post was not going to appear until Sunday but it seems the cat is already well out of the bag judging from the number of people stopping me to ask about it. It is hard to understand why we need instant messaging when news like this can spread on its own so quickly. It is quite amazing.

On Monday, the Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland called me to his office at the chancery to inform me that he is transferring me from the Church of Saint Clare to Saint Sebastian in Akron, Ohio. The effective date is June 24th, less than three weeks away. The Reverend William Karg who has served the parish faithfully is now retiring and so the Bishop is sending me there as administrator with the intent of making me pastor once term limits for pastors are initiated in the diocese (which I suppose to be a few months).

When I was assigned to St. Clare for a four-year term they said not to expect to be here longer than two years. But as it turned out I was graced to spend three years here under the pastorate of Fr. Stanley Klasinski and with the wonderful people who make up this parish.

Meeting for the first time yesterday with Fr. Karg and some of his staff I find that although it will be sad to be leaving such a great parish behind, I will be stepping from outstanding parish to another. What a blessing. I thank the bishop for allowing me to serve him there in this capacity.

As for the blog nothing has been decided as of yet. (This is coming quickly.) Just know that there may be blank days as I move and since I will be the only priest there, there may not be the opportunity post daily or at all. Time alone will tell.

I try to remind you from time to time that you readers are in my prayers. Today I ask you to pray for me that I might worthily serve God and this diocese in my new role.

God bless.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK - LXVIII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "Too often our liturgical art, music, and architecture bow to utility and economy, when they should bow to the transcendent. John's vision (The Book of Revelation) inspires us to rethink the ways we design our churches. The visible should be a vehicle for the invisible, giving our senses a taste of the glorious mystery in which we partake, filling our being with reverence and awe, lifting our minds and hearts to heaven." from Scott Hahn's "A Father Who Keeps His Promises"

QUOTE TWO: "The one thing an agnostic knows for sure is: you never know." from Mary Doria Russell's "Children of God"

IN OTHER NEWS:

News coming on this site soon. Big changes in store.

This is a picture I took in Ireland.

(If you find it difficult to read it states, "SOLD! Unless previously sold.")

MONDAY DIARY - CHAPTER 10

Someone said the other day that there is an impression out there that priests do not do anything but sit around the rectory and pray and wait for the phone to ring between masses. “You should let them know that you do other things,” she said to me.

The diocese of Dublin tried to get that message across once. When I was traveling there with Fr. S. we kept passing these signs on the bus shelters that had pictures of men in various activities such as making a goal in soccer or performing. When we had an occasion to see one of these posters up close we were shocked to see that they were vocation posters for the diocese. In small lettering below the pictures it said something along the lines of, “These men are priest of this diocese.” The message was clear. “You can be a priest and still have a life!” I do not know if that was exactly the best way to put the message but I understood what they were trying to do.

Being a priest is my life but to it are added the spices that make everyone’s life more interesting. You have vacation time, continuing education time, retreat time, as well as your days off and at least in this diocese they are fairly supportive that you be loyal to these times. You cannot help someone else if you are burned out, depressed, spiritually depleted, and bored.

I will not go into all the things that I enjoy doing. It is nice to have some privacy, but I’ll share with you one love that I have. We used to spend much more time together when I lived close to her. I have since moved across the diocese and so we do not get to see each other as often but she is always glad when we do. We have been together now for about five years and she grows more beautiful each day. I am talking of course of Maggie, my appaloosa.

This past Sunday we went for a long ride in the woods out back of the farm. There are many trails cut into the woods as the trees are tapped for syrup. The trails however are not in any kind of grid and wander aimlessly wherever they need to go and we became quite lost which was fine, it just meant a longer ride.

This is the season for good riding too. It is cool and the horseflies have yet to show themselves. To loosely borrow from Michner in Chesapeake, “God added the (horsefly) to remind man that no paradise comes free – there are always (horseflies).”

While still assigned to that part of town I would ride the horse to the day school dressed in my finest clerics and call the principal from my cell and let her know I’d be outside for the children.

One of my favorite times was when I was riding through a development with a friend of mine and we were dressed in cowboy hats and riding coats and a little boy went running to his friends in the back yard and we could hear him yelling, “Guys! There are a couple of cowboys riding down the street. Real cowboys!” Shooting back into the front yard he came to a dead stop, his arms fell to his side, eyes opened wide and slack jawed. When he pulled himself together he said, “You look just like the priest from my parish!”

“That’s funny,” I said, taking off my hat in salute, “I am the priest from you parish!”

As a side note – this I the second Mail Pouch sign that I painted. Those of you from farming areas would be familiar with them. This painting replaced the barn that had burned the previous year.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP LXVIII

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

IN OTHER NEWS:

"From the time of the first apostles up to our own day, men and women have heard the resounding call of the Master, “Follow me”. This dynamic program features priests, nuns, and religious discussing how they responded to that call, and what it has meant for them to let go of the world and live for Christ alone." This is about a show on EWTN which, Adoro tells me, is on at 5:00AM! Too bad! But it sounds like somthing to investigate for those of you discerning a vocation.

Habemus Papem sent this over about a new blog! "I am a newly ordained priest in the Diocese of Cleveland currently serving at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma, OH." Congratulations Father and good luck and God's blessings on your blog!

Adoro also says go here to MSNBC and vote and mess up their expected results for a call for women priests in the Catholic Church.

Jay is blushing from excitement that Catholic Carnival 174 is up!

Frank sent this in. Up close you see Einstein, but step back (and squint) you will see Marilyn Monroe. Sort of.

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - NO "SINCERE" CANDLES

I would be most excited if anyone gets the title of today’s post.

Today we have a look at the candles that are lit at the altar for mass. These candles are not optional and must be lit before the mass begins. Once again, they represent Christ who is the Light of the World and also add “reverence” and “festiveness” to the celebration. The GIRM does not prescribe of what materials these candles may be made as it did for the Sanctuary Lamp, but the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops have. They must be made of wax and expressly banned are imitations candles, “forever” candles, electric candles, and interestingly if I read it correctly (you can check it out here) candles used for devotions (vigil candles) are likewise banned. Here’s the rule: in the interest of symbolism and authenticity it must be a wax candlestick. Period. (I wish we could do the same for “fake instruments.” But that’s just me.)

The “mass candles” must be in direct relation to the altar of celebration. That is, one cannot be placed by the altar and another dramatically on the steps, and another by the ambo, etc. . . They are to be on or near in the altar so that the connection is clearly seen (and also so that the view of the people is not obstructed.)

There is no longer a rule about how many candles there should be beyond this: There are to be, “at least two in any celebration, or even four or six, especially for a Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation. If a diocesan Bishop celebrates, then seven candles should be used.” (GIRM 117) Note that the wording of the GIRM is very deliberate. Words like should are not picked lightly. So two is the minimum. But seven would be simply swell and preferred if the bishop were present, but if you cannot swing it, Oh well.

Before the reform of the liturgy the rules were a little more stringent but as you can see they are quite relaxed now though many people still employ the symbolism: 2 for daily mass, 4 for Sundays, 6 for major feasts, and seven for when the bishop comes a calling.

TEN AND COUNTING

This is being written about 7:00 on Thursday night and Fr. B. just called and had this story about which I had forgotten. He said, “About an hour from now ten years ago tonight I came to your room at the Seminary and stood in your doorway. You said to me, ‘Are you going to come in or not?’ And then we prayed together that we would be able to sleep well that night as in the morning we were heading off for Saint John’s Cathedral for our priestly ordination.

May 30th, 1998 at 10:00AM in the morning my classmates and I pictured here walked down the aisle for the laying on of hands and invocation of the Holy Spirit that we might be priests of the Holy Roman Church of Jesus Christ. And so far the hears have simply flown by. The best evidence that that amount of time has actually slipped by is my continuing retreating hairline and my tax records. Just last week I was out with Frs. B. and W. and in awe we stated how fortunate we are to be priests and how we cannot believe more guys do not want to do this. What a joy it has been to serve Him.

There is so much that I would like to say, but it all pales next to, “Deo gratias!”

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BROTHERS!

GUEST BLOG II

The Computers are back up but I do not know for how long! Here is part II of yesterday's blog.

I started going to Church, although I don't remember going to Confession. I ended my career in child care for a 'real job' at (name of company removed). I found new friends, many of whom I still keep in contact. This continued for 6 years as I was slowly rebuilt. But God knew I had to get out of Columbus in order to continue my spiritual growth. The company was bought, divided, and pieces-parts sold off. the new parent comapny then crashed into a financial tailspin, caused by the upper management. Many of us lost our jobs. I moved to Cleveland to live with family and collected unemployment checks - a very humbling experience.

I would walk to church for daily and Sunday Mass and would often talk with Fr. M. and other parishioners. I was being drawn back to the Church. I finally landed a job, bought a house a year later, and registered at a parish.

I remember my first confession in years... the night before I happened to turn on EWTN. Fr. Corapi was talking about sins and the 10 Commandments. Within an hour I discovered that I sinned against every Commandment...some multiple times! That night I made my laundry list of sins and went to the Cathedral that morning. I walked into the Confessional, knelt down (actually hiding from the Priest because I couldn't face anyone with these sins!...even God), and wept! In between the tears, a sin would be voiced, and a kleenex box would appear from the other side of the screen. I don't remember what my penance was...I just remember hearing 'that was a good examination of conscience' and 'I absolve you from all of your sins'. I was walking on clouds when I left the Confessional! Mass was amazing that day! I had never felt so close to our Lord.

I started going to Adoration and soon signed up for a weekly Holy Hour. I read the Bible, books on Saints, Epistles, prayer books, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, all provided by the parish for their Adoration Chapel. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I found Pierced by a Sword at home and started reading. I remember my mom telling me about it and highly recommended the book but I had always ignored the hint...until now. I couldn't put the book down! I think I read it cover-to-cover in a weekend! This book changed my life! I felt myself being called closer to God but unsure in which direction.

After reading an article on Spirit Daily, I did some research on becoming a Consecrated Virgin. I emailed the Associate Pastor at the parish but never got a response and soon he was transferred to another parish. I started talking with friends about people they knew in a religious life. I visited Shrines and other Catholic Churches around Cleveland. I also researched St. Maximillian Kolbe, Militia Immaculata, and emailed the Diocese about the process of becoming a Consecrated Virgin.

The yearning for our Lord was growing stronger. I consecrated myself to Mary through the Militia Immaculata in September and found a Militia group on the west side of Cleveland and started attending the meetings. We prayed and studied Will to Love, daily reflections by St. Maximillian Kolbe. I felt drawn to St. Max and discovered that his feast day and my birthday were the same day! What a blessing!

I still heard nothing from the Cleveland Diocese regarding becoming a Consecrated Virgin, so I figured this was not the route our Lord wanted me to take. There was an ad in the bulletin for a Scott Hahn Bible Study on Mary and joined that with my parents. For the next 10 weeks my parents and I went to Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine on Sunday nights to study our Heavenly Mother. I got to know some of the Sisters at the Shrine - they all seemed sane - not at all like Sr. Patricia.One of the Sisters asked me what I wanted out of a religious vocation. I had never thought about this. So I did some additional research and started making a list. From what I discovered, there were many orders that were not following the Magisterium - this was a must for me. So I then started revising my list in to the 'Must-haves'. When I was finished, there were 3:

1. Must be fully habited, including the veil. If I was going to join a religious order, I wanted people to know.

2. The Order must be faithful to the Magisterium, Teachings, and Traditions.
They also must have a Charism of the Most Hly Trinity, Mary our Heavenly Mother, and

3. Apostolate of Education.

This narrowed my search quite a bit - especially the full habit criteria. I discovered that most of the orders that do not wear habits also do not follow all of the Teachings & Traditions of the Catholic Faith. Now I had to decide what type of Order I was looking for - monastic, cloister, charity, service, etc. Monastic and Cloister were eliminated quickly because my vocal ability is lacking tonality and my ability to be silent was hindered by my ever-running brain to which I must then voice my thoughts.

I talked with several Orders and visited several communities in the Cleveland area. I researched my criteria on the internet and found 3 Orders that I was deeply interested in:

The Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity, Euclid, OH

Society of Our Lady and the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), TX

Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

No matter which Order/Community I visited, I was always led back to the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity. Although all of the other Orders are remarkable and the Sisters, amazing, I felt at home with the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity. This is where God has been leading me...this is where He is asking me to call home.

If you have any questions or thoughts for L.M., especially if you are contemplating a religous vocation, please feel free to contact her through this site.

GUEST BLOG - PART I

Greetings!

COMPUTERS ARE DOWN AGAIN! I AM IN THE SCHOOL BETWEEN CLASSES TO POST THIS SO IT MAY BE THAT POST MAY BE LATE OR NOT POSTED AT ALL FOR THE NEXT SPELL.

Those of you who have been around for a little spell know that L.M., a regular visitor on the site had decided to join a religous order. She recently shared he story with me and said that she would like for it to be shared in the even that it could assist someone else. Here is part one of her vocation story:

Although the title above sounds a bit 'schoolish', I have been asked by several people for my vocation story. And since I also have to write it for my application to (the religious order she is joining), I thought I would write it here so my family & friends could read it as well.I can't say it's always been my dream to be a Nun. Growing up I thought I would get married and have children like my parents. God, however, had other plans for me - in fact, much better plans!

I went to public school through most of 7th grade so my memories of Sisters is limited during this time. I think I remember seeing them sporadically in Church - I remember the stories that my mom told me about growing up & going to a Catholic grade school, but I did not have this experience, at least not until the 8th grade.

I do have to say that my school-age memories of the Sisters were not very encouraging toward a religious life. We moved to Georgia and we went to a Catholic grade school. Sr. P., my English teacher in 8th grade, used to tell us stories about how she taught Moses to speak English. She would also sit behind her desk during independent study time and play tic-tac-toe with her feet. How she lost to herself, I'll never know. In 9th grade, I had the greatest Sister! She was in a non-habited Order yet she was a whiz at Geometry & Algebra. It was through her (and my 8th grade math teacher) that I fell in love with the math-sciences.

Just before 10th grade, we moved to Ohio. I had two former Nuns for teachers at the Catholic high school - one for English and the other for Religion. The Religion teacher was always trying to be 'hip' with the students, but not succeeding, and the English teacher talked in such a monotone that it was difficult trying to pay attention. Not very good role models.

It was on the campus of Ohio State University that I found myself drawn to a religious order. Sr. F. and Sr. M. worked at the Newman Center, just off campus. We would often talk about their decision for religious life, their discernment, and their love for our Lord. They seemed to have it all together and did not live within their communities, although they would often talk about going back to visit. I became more involved with the Church - EMHC, Pastoral Council member, TNT (Tuesday Night Together) Student Representative, RCIA Sponsor, and CCD Teacher. The more I became involved, the more I yearned to know more about our Lord and Savior.

After thinking about this for awhile, at least a couple years, I decided to let my mom know about my decision. We talked for hours. She asked me a question: "Are you wanting to join a religious order because you are really interested or because you are running away from dealing with the abuse.

For 10 years, starting when I was 7, I was molested by some of my cousins. It started innocently but when I told his father, my uncle, about the incident, he laughed and said his sons wouldn't do anything like that. Major blow to a little girl who trusted her parents when they told her that if something should happen, tell an adult, they'll believe you & they'll take care of it. I did, he didn't, and the abuse continued. It wasn't until the night before I was to leave for college that I told my parents about the abuse.

I couldn't answer my mom's question. Was I interested? Was I running? I decided to put off any thoughts of joining an order until I could answer this question honestly and without hesitation. At OSU I had gone to several student councellors - most of whom did nothing to heal the pain. After a year, I stopped....I was all 'talked' out. I needed something more. But now it was a couple years later, I was out of school & in the 'working world' and decided to try it again. I went to several counsellors, psychologists, and therapists during the next few years, most of whom did not help, some may have done more harm than good had I continued the sessions, and one who wanted me to be angry with my father & bring a teddy bear (which I did not own) to the session. That counsellor did not last long!

I soon found myself falling away from the Church looking for any type of healing. I rarely attended Mass. I bought many 'self-help' books and hung out with some interesting friends. These friends led me to psychics, reiki, tarot cards, and other alternative methods of healing. The annual "Light Expo" was also on my calendar. The only two things I refused to try were witchcraft and oiji boards because they scared me too much. The 'healing' sessions became more frequent and yet I never felt happy nor healed.

The healing, God's healing, started one weekend after an extremely busy and tiring week. I was so frustrated with life, myself, and God, that I decided to 'tell' God what I really thought. Little did I know He was listening. I told God that I was tired of my life. Tired of feeling so down, unhappy, and just plain tired! Something needed to change and I told Him to change it. That evening, my mom called to see if I was coming up for the weekend. I hadn't planned on it but a weekend with family sounded really good and relaxing...something I really needed. I packed my bags Friday morning so I could leave immediately after work. The 3 hour drive was very relaxing.

When I arrived at my parent's house, their Bible Study was just ending. We all chit-chatted for awhile until someone, I think it was my mom, asked if I wanted to be prayed over. Hesitantly I accepted, unsure of what they were going to do to me.Quickly they rearranged the room, sat me in a white wicker chair in the middle of the room, and surrounded me. I closed my eyes because I really didn't want to watch...for fear of what was going to happen. I felt their hands on my shoulders, head, arms, knees, and someone was holding my hands. All of a sudden they all started praying, loudly! Then different languages were heard even louder. I wanted to bolt! Every once in awhile I'd hear my name or 'healing' or something in English...but not very often. Although I was apprehensive, I felt at peace when everyone had finished. I couldn't explain it nor did I really understand.Matthew 18: 16-17 "Again, (amen) I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

About 3 months later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me about a man (not really a pyschologist) who taught mind/body awareness specifically for abuse victims...and was located in Columbus. A year of therapy, self-defense, and mind/body awareness, all in a safe environment, led me through the healing of my 'inner child'...and the beginning of my spiritual healing.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK - LXVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND - "The first question Negroponte asks of a development like virtual reality is whether there is a market for it. If a market exists, someone will inevitably exploit it, so it's pointless to ask, 'Do we need this?' or 'How might this harm us?' "the consumer" is a cheerful omnipresence in Negropante's book, a most-favored arbitrator." From Johnathan Franzen's, "The Reader in Exile"

QUOTE II - "Nobody is a total loss. They can be a bad example." Source unknown


IN OTHER NEWS:

The Plain Dealer reports this week that the city of Cleveland wants to take control of the chapel at the airport because it is too Catholic. A representative of the American Civil Liberties Union Christine Link, said of the chapel, which the diocese spent $300,000 to renovate and who also pays rent on the space, that it is not vague enough to be on public property. "I remember going in and seeing this man hanging on a cross and thinking, 'How nondenominational is this chapel?'"

REMEMBERING

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

A little silliness for your viewing pleasure.

Agent $0.07

glumbert - Agent $0.07

ENJOY YOUR DAY - GOD BLESS OUR VETERANS!

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP LXVII

Thievery upon thievery! This too was stolen from Fr. S. who is celebrating 4 years a priest! Congratulations!

IN OTHER NEWS:

With a proud tear in his eye, Jay announces the birth of Catholic Carnival 173!

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter provided us with this article by Bishop Lennon as we enter into ordinary time.

Catholic .net is largely a directory, with news stories from Zenit and National Catholic Register.

Do you want to do some serious Catholic research? Here is the place to go. There is so much here it is almost overwhelming!

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - GIVE ME SANCTUARY

Continuing our discussion on candles.

The Sanctuary Lamp is found by the tabernacle and indicates whether the Blessed Sacrament is present or not. If the lamp is lit one should genuflect before the presence of Jesus. If the lamp is extinguished and not, presumably, merely burned out, one bows before the altar, which then becomes the primary symbol of Christ in the sanctuary.

This lamp burns perpetually and is ideally fueled by olive oil to adhere to the mandate in Sacred Scripture, “And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (KJV)” (Exodus 27, 21-22.) It seems that most parishes however simply burn wax candles. The burning of an electric light or a gas light is expressly forbidden. Usually there is one candle burning (our tradition has it shine through red glass, but that is not mandated) though there may be more candles. They should always be of an odd number however. (1,3,7, etc.) Before the more recent major renovations of the Cathedral of St. John in Cleveland there were seven Sanctuary Lamps around the tabernacle. One remains today. The picture with this article is one of the lamps that used to hang there but now burns before the tabernacle at the Church of Saint Clare.

An “eternal flame” of sorts has always been a sign of vigilance and honor. Just think of the Eternal Flame for a Fallen President at Arlington National Cemetary. Additionally, this flame not only informs us of Christ’s presence but also symbolizes Christ the Light of the World as all candles in the sanctuary do. Or rather - should do.

A BIG PILL TO SWALLOW

MEN:

Suppose your wife came up to you and asked you to take a pill for her. These are the common side effects:

Weight gain
Skin problems
Nausea
Depression
High Blood Pressure
Loss of Libido
Urinary Tract Infection
Gum Inflammation
Can Trigger Asthma
Decrease Your Ability to Ward Off Viral Infection

Here are some less common effects:

Blood Clots
Stroke
Heart Attack

Now suppose you read this on the label on this bottle of pills and also knew that there were as effective alternatives with no side effects. I do not know about you, but I would not then venture to put these chemical poisons in my body.

In marriage Scripture tells us that man and woman become one. They are no longer two flesh therefore but one flesh. To love your wife is also to love yourself. The side effects mentioned above are what can happen to the one you love, the one who with whom you are united in flesh, when she takes the pill. If we are to love her as if she were our own body, if we are to love our wives as Christ loves his spouse the Church, why would we want her to put these poisons in her body even if there have been no apparent side effects with her so far?

Would you risk it?

Let us say no to poisoning our wives.

NO POST THURSDAY

Sorry folks!

The computers were down ALL DAY. I need a computer guardian angel! But as you can see, we are back up now though it does seem a bit late to post so see you tomorrow!

Fr. V.