MONDAY DIARY: SEMI TRUE STORIES OF A PRIEST

This past week was the feast of Saint Blaise.  Saint Blaise was a bishop during a time when Christians were persecuted.

One day he was out (somewhere) when he came across a mother whose son was choking on a bone.  He miraculously cured the child by making the Sign of the Cross over him.

The kid turned out Okay hence the connection with blessing of the throats.

Later Blaise was imprisoned for his beliefs and the mother of the child he saved brought him things during his captivity among which was candles so he could see in his cell.  (Hence the candles.)

So now, adding to the many reasons why it is fun to be Catholic, we take two candles and bless the throats of people who come to Mass on this day by saying, "Through the intercession of Saint Blaise bishop and martyr, may you be delivered from all diseases of the throat and from every other disease in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

There can be a lot of throats to bless on this day.  Father Pfeiffer and I went into the school where there are hundreds of people to bless with this blessing.

There was also a 5 o'clock Mass that day - plus the office staff - people dropping by . . .

It's amazing what all those blessings of throats can do to a guy.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: DEFINING YOUR PARISH III

Statues should not be that difficult to identify. If it is not well known in the parish or of there is not some sort of name plate, blue prints will help. “Shrine to Saint Clare” it would read. In any event it is unlikely there will be an unknown saint in your parish. If there is and there are no “old-time” parishioners who can be contacted for an interview, a book on symbolism or saints will be needed to help you do research. A book on symbolism would be the best place to start since you could indentify objects with the statue and see to whom they are commonly attributed.

In any event, why a statue is who it represents is far more interesting than just that a statue represents who it represents. In this way not only do you increase the interest of your research, you enable others to recognize the same saint elsewhere. For example color is important. Martyrs always where red. This will people narrow down a statue that they see elsewhere. “Red. I read in my parish handbook that martyrs where red. At least we know that this is a martyr.” Joseph almost always where a yellowish gold, sometimes with some purple added. At different points in Jesus’ ministry (if the artist knows what he is doing) he might wear different colors. (White with a god sash is teaching, red is Passion . . .)

The clothing is important. Of course it will tell you right away if the person was clergy or religious or lay or royalty . . . Sometimes it will give you a country with which to identify them. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss some of the various clothing. Why do bishops carry a crosier – what does it mean – where does it come from – does it mean something different when it is facing out or in . . .”

Objects are very important. So is there location. Objects at the feet often mean something that has been overcome. Instruments of Christ’s Passion are often at the feet of the resurrected Christ. The dragon (devil) is at the feet of Saint Michael or Saint George. Things in the hand are objects for which the saint is well known. Martyrs might hold the instrument of their torture (giving you the opportunity to tell their story) or a church building (showing that they built a particular church or helped build up the Church in general . . .)

On rare occasions where the saint is looking is of importance. At our cathedral St. John holds a pen and book in his hands as his gaze turns toward a wall on which is painted the visions of the Book of Revelations which he wrote. But such innovation is rare since most statues are bought “off the rack.”

So far, between the windows and the statues you begin to see why Catholic Churches are called catechisms in stone for they are very full of information about the faith and the life of the Church.

HOW DO I TALK ABOUT THE HEALTHCARE MANDATES?

The debate and battles over the new federal healthcare mandates are likely to go on for five years (before the Supreme Court hears it) and the real fallout only hitting in about one year when all institutions and individuals will be forced to adhere to the new laws (conveniently after the November elections.) So much for pro-choice in these matters. As you enter into these discussions it will be tempting to be sidetracked into other discussion that, while worthy, are not helpful in the healthcare debate. In order to assist you in these discussions, a couple of talking points are suggested.

1. Others (and perhaps you will be tempted) will try to move the topic of conversation to abortion or contraception or universal healthcare for the poor. Do not be so mislead or tempted. As worthy as those topics may be, that is not what this debate is about. Nor is it about the Catholic Church. It is about the Constitution of the United States being blatantly violated. Because of this, it is a cause of concern for all citizens, not just Catholic citizens.

2. This is the part of the Constitution about which we are concerned:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

This new law severely undermines this amendment. Core beliefs of a faith are not only being trampled upon, a religious organization is now forced to spend its funds on matters to which it is fundamentally opposed. That it focuses on Catholics today is one thing. But what about when for the “common good” other rights of other faiths can be ignored and its freedoms abused because of the precedent begun with the Catholic Church?

3. The amendment does not say that laws may not be passed except for those that are very popular, or except for those laws that are deemed for the common good, but that no law shall be passed prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

4. Catholics cannot “opt out” as many people suppose they can. “Catholics do not have to avail themselves of these services if they do not want to” is not a worthy argument. Catholics will be forced to pay for these services even if they have no intention of every using them. We become material agents in acts we see as totally morally corrupt. That is not opting out.

5. Most American would see a new federal law with accompanying penalties that required permits for

assembling at which an official representative of the government must be present a horrendous trashing of the Constitution. Whether one’s rights are being violated or not by this new federal mandate, one should see this action as a similar disregard for the Constitution and for the freedom of the citizens of this great nation.

6. Catholics, practicing Catholics, are equal citizens as all others. We are deserving of the same protection of our rights as all other citizens.

ADDENDUM:  The first commenter reminds me of this other important fact.  The establishment clause is not only about the right to worship, which we will still have of course.  IT IS ABOUT THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION.  There is a subtle difference here but it makes all of the difference in teh world.  There has been a shift in wording and that wording has significant ramifications.  One only concerns what we do for an hour on Sunday, the other is far more reaching and is what is protected by the Constitution.

ADDENDUM II:  Maybe this will help:  Suppose everybody in the nation - your place of business, was forced to pay to keep up Catholic Churches.  Many would scream, "You can't use my money to fund something that I don't believe in!  That is a violation of my rights!"  And what if I said in return, "This does not change what you do on Sunday morning.  You do not have to participate in Mass."  That would not be a satisfactory anwer.  Perhaps that will help some to see why this is such a mess.

Remember these points.  Print them out and hold on to them until you here a better stating of them.  Great things are at stake here.

SHAKE IT - DON'T STIR

“Shake it off” coach would say when you were injured on the court. What he did want? For his team to focus back on the game. Don’t get caught up on who injured you. Uncontrolled anger and retaliation are the beginning of the loss of the game. And there is a certain amount of pain that one needs to learn to live with. If it is greater than that, then you need attention or rest. But if you are still able to play – shake it off.

There are a lot of spiritual reasons also for “offering it up.” When injured physically, mentally, or spiritually we often here this direction. “Offer it up for the poor souls.” One facet of offering it up is close to shaking it off. By offering it up you are also letting it go. Anger, retaliation, despondency, all the negativity that brought about the injury ends with you. You will not continue the cycle of sin. I will break the chain. You will not lose the game of life.

That does not mean that pains and slights are ignored. They may still need to be dealt with. But cycle of negativity ceases with you as thoughts turn from self to the needs of others who need your prayers and for whom you “offer it up,” using your situation instead of only being used by it.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "From a human point of view, we may be tempted to surrender, when our government places conception, pregnancy and birth under the 'center for disease control,' when chemically blocking conception or aborting the baby in the womb is considered a 'right' to be subsidized by others who abhor it," said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

QUOTE II: “Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it.” G. K. Chesterton

IN OTHER NEWS:

Joseph Pots writes, "I am a Catholic Youth Music artist responding to that "Why I hate religion but love Jesus video" by releasing my debut album in a couple days. Its not what you may think so please give it 1 listen." Give him a listen here.

C. C. writes, "In case you missed it, here are links to some of the coverage surrounding the HHS ruling on contraception mandating coverage:

http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x842390485/Ohio-Catholic-leaders-oppose-birth-control-rules

http://www.pressherald.com/news/diocese-pushes-back-on-birth-control-rule_2012-01-29.html

http://nation.foxnews.com/war-religion/2012/01/23/christian-leaders-say-obama-trampling-religious-liberty



And from the Washington Post.

The Diocese of Cleveland Social Action Office invites you to their site.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter:  "Thousands participated in the 39th annual "March for Life" in Washington D.C. which coincides with the Supreme Court decision of 1973 legalizing abortion in the United States. Members of the staff and students from Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese participated in the pro-life event which ultimately seeks to change the nations laws to prohibit abortion." See the story and video here.

MONDAY DIARY: WHEN YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN

FRIDAY A fax was sent to the parish today from our bishop. It stated that “This week the federal government’s Department of Health andHuman Services issued a mandate which requires religious non-profits to cover sterilizations, contraceptive services, and some abortion-inducing drugs as part of their employee’s healthcarebenefits.” It went on to say that a letter was attached that was to be read at all Masses and stuffed into each bulletin.

Wow.

I don’t know what stuns me more right at this moment – the blatant violation of the Constitution of the United States which is only a thinly veiled attack on the Catholic Church, or that our bishop is speaking out so boldly and quickly! I must say that it fills me with a bit of pride and excitement That he has done so.

This past weekend we celebrated the feast of Saint Sebastian and I warned the congregation that someday their faith might be put to a similar trial – particularly those who worked in the medical fields.

That day came more quickly than I anticipated.

How big will this be? Will it go out in a puff of smoke? Or will this be the beginning of a war on the Church? Will a bishop end up in jail? Will we have our tax exempt status taken away from us? (Given

in to this mandate is not an option.) I imagine much of it depends on the reaction of the populace that understands that any violation of the Constitution places the whole Constitution in jeopardy.

Wanting the parish to know that their pastor is also taking this seriously I yearned to make a statement right away. I went over to the church and said a prayer before the painting of Saint Sebastian. Tonight (around 7PM) before my next appointment, I copied and blew up the pertinent parts of the bishop’s letter, “We cannot – we will not – comply with this unjust law . . .” put it on parish letter head and stuck it to all the doors of the church.  I call the bishop and leave a message that the letter is great.

This comes to mind tonight: The Chicago Archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, remarked, “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.”

SATURDAY I woke up this morning with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The excitement is that there is something happening that could galvanize us as a Church. There is a cause for which we can all unite. The nervousness was about what could be in store for us if

this remains the law of the land.

Fr. Pfeiffer came home late from his retreat last night and the morning was the first opportunity to talk. How seriously do we need to take this? We don’t want to be reactionary but neither do we want to think that missed the opportunity to help bring strike down this unjust law.

It is time for the homily at the 4:30 Mass. I point to our patron Saint Sebastian and remark, “Last week we talked about how our patron stood up to a corrupt government and remarked that we should be ready to face such opposition if we encounter it. That day has come!” Then I read the letter sent to us from our bishop. “We cannot – we will not” conform to this unjust law. At the end of the letter the organ stuck up “Faith of Our Fathers” and we sang.

Faith of our Fathers living still
In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword.
O how our hearts be high with joy
When ere we hear that glorious Word
Faith of our Fathers
Holy Faith!
We will be true to thee to death!

A Man for All Seasons (St. Thomas More)  52 seconds.  Watch it!

SUNDAY I wake up and go downstairs to read the letters to the editor of the Plain Dealer. (There is nothing in the Beacon Journal) They basically told the Catholic Church that it needs to buck up and get over it. Nobody sees that this is a blatant attack on the Constitution of the United States. They do not see that once part of the Constitution can be ignored it all can be. They feel safe because

they don’t mind this action, but what about when it recoils on them? Why is this not emblazoned on the front page of my newspapers? Have they fallen so far?

The letter was read again at the 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, and at the 5PM Mass the people clapped. One man from out of state said, “I realize that you were only reading your bishop’s words, but that was one of themost stirring homilies I have ever heard! I am taking this letter to my bishop!”

I read that in one diocese they have instituted praying the St. Michael Prayer. I write my representatives in congress. At the Chesterton we are reading book two of Napoleon of Notting Hill. The topic turns to this legislation for a while.

MONDAY I take Sebastian for a walk. We come across a man with a dog who is a regular playmate of Sebastian. He asked me how things are going and I tell him about this legislation. He states that he is for, at least in part, all the things that are included in that package. “It is about pooling money.” I state that it has little to do with any of those things. This is a blatant attack on the Constitution of the United States! Everyone no matter what they believe on reproductive rights should be screaming angry! That the conversation kept turning to contraception, abortion, and sterilization was unnerving. In this case these are all moot topics.

The point is, if you remain silent while this is done to the Catholic Church, then don’t be angry, surprised, or resentful when the government comes into your religion and passes laws and imposing

penalties forcing you to act against your core beliefs. That is what this is about.

I stand in awe that this is happening and happening so easily. We wonder how such things happened in other countries throughout history?

Like this.

SPECIAL EDITION: Bishops decry HHS rule, urge Catholics to stand up for religious liberty and conscience rights in homilies at Vigil for Life

ACTION ALERT!

The following was sent to all parishes late Friday from Bishop Lennon:

“This week the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a mandate which required religious non-profits to cover sterilization, contraceptive services, and some abortion-inducing drugs as part of their employee healthcare benefits.”

Even if you believe in these things this disregard for our Constitution has far reaching implications. If the establishment clause can be ignored than all of the Constitution may eventually be ignored. Taking action on this new law should be a high priority of all citizens regardless of their personal beliefs.

This weekend a letter concerning the action of our diocese will be read at all Masses and distributed to all Catholics in the Diocese of Cleveland. It is not yet available on-line as of this posting. Please make sure that you read it and ACT!

Here is a post on the Diocese of Cleveland site.

Here is even more information on the USCCB website on what you can do right now.

Please pray.

FRIDAY POTPURRI: DEFINING YOUR PARISH PART II

Thus far you have collected all readily available material. Now some further research should be done. Let us start with the windows. Your information may not be complete or it might not appear to be quite correct. There are a number of avenues to help you out. One is to figure out what the general theme (if there is one) of the windows are. For example, if a series of windows depict the Beatitudes or the Ten Commandments, you may be able to figure out what a window is supposed to be but not necessarily why.

It is a good idea to record all the symbols in a window. Some may have been glossed over by previous persons doing your project. If the artists used traditional symbolism there are a few good references that you might employ to assist you in deciphering the window.

My favorite book is “Signs and Symbols in Christian Art” by George Ferguson. It is very user friendly and unlike many books out there concentrates on Catholic/Christian specifics. It has been in print since 1954 so may have to search for it though my addition was printed in the 80s I believe. Another book is “Saints, Signs, and Symbols” by W. Ellwood Post. While not exhaustive, these books have most of the basics.

There are some excellent websites as well. Seiyaka.com has a lot of great information. Fish Eaters is pretty good, and Christiansymbols.net is excellent.

There are times, however, when these resources will fail you. It might be because the artist has chosen to use innovative symbols that unless you are familiar with the artist’s intent they may confound you. For example, at one parish the windows were depicting the Ten Commandments and artist used red circles to mean “don’t!” Fortunately we came across an old paper that told us of this. (Don’t covet was interesting.) But how would we have known otherwise?

That leads us to your next step if you are desperate (and lucky.) In the corner of one of your windows (assuming they are all made from the same company) there very well may be (usually in the lower right hand corner) the name of the company responsible for the windows. At one parish it was the choir loft window, at another that last in a series in the nave of the church, at St. Sebastian it is in window off to the side of the sanctuary. It might be the artist and his studio itself, or the company that hired the studio to make them and then they stuck their own name on it. In any case this will give you some information. At the very least it will provide some historical data for you. If you are lucky, it might give you everything you want to know.

There was one set of windows that confounded me to no end. The artist was very creative and once you got into his mindset they made a lot of sense – but we needed a key. I found the name of the creator of the windows and then found someone at the company that would sneak out the blue prints for me. I ran down to the library and copied them as quickly as possible along with the artist’s notes. (Can you imagine trying to copy blueprints on 8 ½ by 11 sheets? – the taping together later was horrendous!) But the result was great! All the mysteries of the windows were cleared up and they became great tools for catechetical instruction.

WHY I HATE RELIGION BUT LOVE JESUS - A CATHOLIC RESPONSE

If you did not see yesterday’s post, you may want to peruse it before you have a gander at today’s.

I hope you had a chance to think it over a bit and draw some of your own conclusions. What follows are some of my thoughts. Here are a few caveats however: He does not say that he is speaking about the Catholic Church but about Christianity in general, but this response will be from a Catholic specific standpoint. For the most part, issues already addressed in the videos will not be rehashed. And finally, these are just some immediate thoughts, not a complete thesis on the video.

So here we go. When I was in Junior High School, my “girlfriend” took me with her youth group to a local amusement park. On the way home on the bus she said she had something she wanted to talk to me about. We hunched down in our seats and she said, “You know, you Catholics worship statues and make Mary like a god and God specifically banned these practices and condemned such people to hell.”

While the conclusion of the argument may be correct, the premise was false. I remember leaning back in my seat and saying, “Whoever told you that Catholics worship statues or Mary for that matter was either seriously misinformed or lying.” To this day I find this a common practice. Someone will announce that the Catholic Church believes “X” and then go on to condemn the Church because of “X” when in fact the “X” itself is completely or mostly false.

The young man in the video makes a lot of scandalous accusations against religion. I agree with every point he makes – if and when they are true. For example; he accuses religion of building large building but failing to feed the poor. That is an outrage. But is it true? What evidence does he supply? None. What can we offer in return? That the Church (Catholic) is the largest charitable organization in the world bar none. Catholic Charities in northeast Ohio is the largest Catholic Charities in the world. (I am starting to encroach on the third video so I will leave it there.)

But what about those “large buildings?” They are for the poor also. The poor need more than food – they also need beauty. If they desire to part of the faith there is a pew for those of us who are poor - nobody pays for the holy water or the blessings. Those who can do (and have an obligation to do so) but that does suggest not having money means that the building is not for you.

Another accusation is that religion tells single moms that God does not love them if they’ve had a divorce. I would like one document, one official statement, one example of this being true for where and if it exists it should be condemned. Divorce, in the Catholic Church, does not even keep you from the Blessed Sacrament. You might find somebody who says that it does, but they would be wrong. Getting remarried while not separated from your spouse in the eyes of the Church would keep you away from the Blessed Sacrament true (as it would get you arrested for getting married while not getting a civil divorce first by the government) but never does God cease to love. Ever. Period. And all things are correctable. The idea is to protect that woman and the integrity of the sacrament not punish people for a failing marriage.

The idea that we can dress up on the outside but still be notorious sinners on the inside is acceptable to men of religion is just, once again, false. “Rend your hearts, not your garments.” Religion is there to help people do this who are open to it. Want an example of someone who acts religious but keeps sinning – I’ll give you plenty of examples. But an abuse does not negate the value of something that others find transformative. Sacraments of healing and forgiveness, of drawing closer and giving praise to God, recognizing the dignity of others – this is what good religion is supposed to do.

You get the idea.

Then some of his sweeping and misleading claims grow broader. “God does not support the self righteous.” This is true and I agree. But his inference is that all men of religion are self righteous – is an oddly self righteous statement. It is a kin to a statement made at the beginning of his video that simply calling someone else blind does not mean that you can see – could be a statement that ricochets back on him.

And does it have to be one way or the other?  It is not about man searching for God but about God searching for man?  Is it not both?

Did Jesus come to abolish religion? No, I believe He came to abolish bad religion. To say straight out that all religion is condemned by God requires the ignoring or fancy footwork around a LOT of Biblical evidence. Not the least of which is the Bible itself which was solidified for us by . . . the Church in the fourth century. Religion.

Okay – this is getting way to long. I hope you had fun thinking this through yourself and maybe had some conclusions that were not even touched upon by either this short essay or in the other videos. To tell the truth I like this young man. Think about it: He seems utterly sincere in his love of Jesus and he went through some considerable effort to spread what he sees as the Good News. Even if I disagree with him spreading what comes down to his version of religion (ironic), I am jealous for my own youth they are not all out there doing the same.

WHY I HATE RELIGION BUT LOVE JESUS

Okay Adam's Alers - time to put your thinking caps on. This first video is eating up the Internet. As of this writing it has had over sixteen million views! Quite incredible.  This young gentleman is making the argument that Jesus came to destroy religion.  Listen to it with a critical mind.  Many of us will be confronted with one of points or another that he makes here.  How would you respond?


Before you read (or view) on, think about what he said.  Bearing in mind what you know about the faith how would you respond?  Where might you find flaws in his commentary?  Do you know enough about your faith to make comment?

Below is one response from Fr. Robert Barron from Word on Fire.  Of course it is not as slick or entertaining and unfortunately he seems rather annoyed (maybe exasperated) with the young man.  But here is a beginning of a good response.



Responses are coming in spades from all over the place and you can see them on Youtube.  Here is another young man making a different tact from the one above.



I like his style, his respect, and his sincerity.  But how would you go even further?  Was there anything in that first video that struck you as not quite right?  It is a great exersize to watch it and respond if to nobody else to yourself so that when you are thusly confronted you will have had the advantage of thinking it over already.

I will try tomorrow (time willing) to give just some responses that I have to the video.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CCXLVI

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND:  "God is in the intrusions.  God is in the interruptions."  Fr. Richard Rhor

QUOTE II:  "Divinity is always in the least place you would expect it."  Archbishop Sheen

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Rev. Damian Ference has another article to see on Word on Fire.  "Beyond the prolific writing career, the fascinating personal life, and the peacocks (lots of peacocks) Flannery O'Connor was a devout and inspirational Catholic. Word on Fire contributor Father Damian Ference takes a look at the writer today on the Word on Fire blog."  Read the article here.  Good show brother.

Brother priest GDB sent this picture:

 

"I'm on top of the world looking down on creation . . ." as the song goes.  Thanks R. U. for sending in this panoramic view from the top of Mount Everest.

From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter, "Did you know, the First Friday Clubs Page is now updated with speaker information for the three club luncheons that will be taking place in early February?"  Read more here.

R B sent this in about Mark Wahlberg's reversion to the faith.  We need many more like him in Hollywood.  God bless him. 

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE REMINISCENSE

Not too long ago I told you about the story of my sister and I almost knocking out Saint Joseph during my time as a seminarian working at Saint Augustine in Barberton.  That brought to mind another story that took place that summer.  Now that I think of it - it is amazing that they kept me employed there.

This took place before the bell incident.  I was sent up into the bell tower to see what condition it was in.  To get up to the bell one has to climb a number of stories on a rung ladder that has not breaks in it all the way up.  It was quite a climb. 

The bell housing itself was in pretty poor condition and there were a couple projects that needed attention.  One would be to paint the metal so that it would stop rusting. 

The other job was to clean out years of accumulated bird donations.  This was not a fun job but I was grateful to have something to do to earn money to return to seminary so I got a shovel and some industrial sized plastic bags and got to work.

Now, the trick was trying to get the donations from the birds OUT of the bell tower.  I couldn't just toss it out onto the city sidewalk below.  No, it had to be carried down the ladder and disposed of properly.  That meant trying to climb a vertical ladder with only one hand and my chin.

The above is what I saw.  The bag was so heavily full of bird droppings that the industrial bag slowly started to rip.  What could I do?  I could not let go of the ladder.  Even if I did, then what?  Like watching an inevitable car wreck, there was nothing to do but watch the bag rip away from my hand.

And that it did, plummeting seven or so stories straight down the bell tower into the upstairs sacristy where it made a terrible explosion of filth.  But that was not the worst of it.  The disgusting cloud was not content to remain confined in the upstairs sacristy, it sent it's deathly plume up the tower like a chimney - or like an explosion in an elevator shaft in some actions packed movie.

It was horrible.  And the door to the server's sacristy downstairs was also open and so the whole place filled with years of disintegrated droppings.  I would have fired me at that point.  But kindly Mrs Z said not to worry and she helped me clean up as much as possible. 

Now I always buy quality trash bags.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: DEFINING YOUR PARISH PART I

At most of the parishes with which I have been associated I have created a document unlocking all of the symbolism contained in the parish, have taught a class, and usually given numerous tours helping people become more aware of the building they call their spiritual home. It almost always elicits and “I never saw that,” or a, “I never realized what that meant.”

Over the past five years of Adam’s Ale we have explored an incredible amount of Christian symbolism. We’ve also explored books and websites that I have recommended. But we never have really looked at how you might attempt this at your parish. So we will try that for a spell.

When starting out there are a couple of things that will make the process easier if you settle on them right away. The first is to get your clergy on board. Depending on the scope of your project you will have to spend a lot of time in your church (assuming it is not iconoclastic in nature) and you will need to do a certain amount of snooping – more likely in older church buildings where interesting symbolic pieces may be somewhat hidden.

The next thing you will want to decide is the scope of your project. Do you want to do just the windows? That is one thing. Do you want to do all the artwork? That is another. How about every last scrap of meaning you can drag out of a building, that is yet quite another. The first will be easy, the last may require finding blueprints and trying to locate companies and all kinds of research.

So let’s say that you are going for the whole enchilada. The first step is to try to save yourself some time by locating information that has already been accumulated for you. Often a parish directory has been produced and often there is a description of the windows or other art. Perhaps a pamphlet has been produced at a significant anniversary or at the consecration of the church.

Most parishes have an archives room or at least a good sized archives file cabinet. This is a good place to start looking. (Be very careful! Keep things neat and in order and be sure to return them so that you and your project can move forward without people becoming upset. These items can be difficult to replace and can be jealously guarded.) Scan or copy interesting articles and descriptions. You will most probably find that something is wrong in the descriptions, but they are an excellent beginning point.

It is a good idea to already begin separating your information into categories. “Windows, statuary, paintings, architecture, and such.” Names of artists and companies may serve you very well in the future so it is an excellent idea to have this information if available. Small pieces of history are also very good. “Made in Italy and shipped to the United States and 20 pieces. Assembled . . . etc.” While not directly part of your mission, it is none-the-less interesting to many people and rarely part of a comprehensive document. And again, dates, locations, and the like may serve your research later.

IN THIS SAND, I THEE WED

Occasionally a phone call will come into the parish that goes something like this:

“Hello. Am I talking to the priest?”

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“I’m planning in getting married on June 3rd and I would like to get married (INSERT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: ON THE BEACH, IN THE BACKYARD, PARK, PARTY CENTER, ON A BOAT, WHILE SKY DIVING . . .) and I was wondering if you would do the service.”

The next question out of my mouth will be, “Are you both Catholic?” If they say yes, chances are that I will not be able to assist them in the matter. After initial sounds of disappointment the question will arise, “Why can’t we get married in the (wherever)?”

Of course the Church (or the bishop or the parish or the pastor) comes off as the party spoiler who wants things their way. I understand the concept. Part of this is due to the “service” paradigm in existence in many other Churches. This sees “Church” as something akin to the banquet facility. I want a banquet and so I call a caterer to give me the reception of my dreams. Similarly, a bride (usually) has been dreaming of a certain wedding “since I was a little girl” and so assumes, logically enough, that I call my parish and for a modest sum, they will provide me with it.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what you believe, this runs counter to how the Church envisions the marriage ceremony. It is a public event. It is not too different at all from ordination. We could not say to the bishop, “We have a dream of being ordained in Forest Lodge Park. It is the center of our community and plus we will be in the middle of nature that we love so much.” The bishop would rightly answer, “Boys, it’s not about you. This is not a private ceremony. It belongs to the Church. And we will have it at the cathedral, the central worship placed of our local Church, and throw open the doors to any who wish to attend.”

Marriage, too, is a public event and it belongs to the whole community. It is a sacred event and thus has a special connection to the faith life of the Church. This is exemplified by the banns being published the three weeks leading up to the wedding. The public has a right to know about and have a right to voice objections should there be any true impediments to this marriage. The ceremony belongs to the Church (and by Church I mean all the people) and most technically there would be no such thing as a “private” wedding. (There may be some legitimate reasons for it to be that way in practice, but not in ideology.) The bells ring 5 minutes before the wedding Mass not to call your guests in but anyone in the community who wishes to be a witness. A wedding is an event of the Church, not simply a perfect day for the wedding couple, though if properly catechized, the two should really be one – an event for the Church and a perfect day for the couple.

So almost all weddings between two Catholics take place in a church, the place of the community, the sacred space where sacraments are performed. As a general rule, the show is not taken on the road.

GOLD MINES IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD

This past weekend I went to a concert at one of our local churches; Westminster Presbyterian. The Akron Baroque Orchestra was in performance. It was well attended, of high quality, in a beautiful a setting with great acoustics, and within walking distance of the rectory. What more could one ask for?

There is a great tradition of churches, particularly the Catholic Church, of being patronesses of the arts. In different times of our history the church may have been used for concerts (of certain sorts – never any age’s equivalent of acid rock or the like) and the courtyard of monasteries, often the center of old European towns, have had stages set up in them for everything from an orchestra concert to an opera.

The few churches in our area have had a wonderful concert season. This year one could hear everything from the Akron Symphony Chorus, Apollo’s Fire, Summit Choral Society, to local choirs. It is an outstanding opportunity not only to hear quality music and excellent settings, but (I dare say) an even greater opportunity to introduce families to the art of listening to a concert. (Please don’t take you kids unless you are willing to do the work to teach them how to attend a concert because chances are I will be sitting next to you and say a rosary against you if you let your kids talk and play.)

Often the concerts are of a shorter nature and usually free (save for a free will offering) or much cheaper than a more professional venue making them idea to take a family of five, six, or seven. Instead of paying $50 dollars a head, for a donation of $20 or so the family can learn (and they MUST learn from their parents – no school can do it for you) how to sit still and listen for an extended period of time AND unless they are VERY careful, they may develop a taste for higher music over time.

The unfortunate part is that there is not a community wide listing of concerts. It would be cool if somebody who has a lot of money and does not know what to do with it would put together a flier (that could also be used as a program) that listed the Churches in the part of town and all of the concerts that they provide that could go out to the community (as is found in many communities) letting them know of the gold mine – the outstanding opportunities that they have right in their own backyard.