April 2004 Archives

I will hand the choir direction duties off to one of the able students who pitch in when I am gone, yet this time I will remain and preside and preach at the Eucharist. And yes, I will sing everything.

Letters 1751-1800 are online here.

All the letters can be found here.

Wading through the letters is a wonderful exercise. Many letters deal with some mundane matters but they serve to place this saint here on earth and to see how he dealt with temporal matters. But occasionally you stumble upon a letter of spiritual direction that has some pretty remarkable stuff in it.

The following was part of letter 1772 written in 1828 to Fr. Betti.

Anybody who has ever experienced spiritual dryness can benefit from number 4:

Fr. Larry Heiman, C.PP.S. is a treasure. I studied music under him back in the '80s and for the last several years have attempted to participate in his Chant Institute.

It is now or never. With the fact that I am taking on the pastorate of a parish on August 1st I may never have the opportunity again. Fr. Heiman isn't getting any younger either.

So it starts on June 19th and our Assembly out in California ends on the 18th. I will do my best. Now I have recieved the highest honor. As I am sitting here listing to Fr. Heiman's last chant CD, I recieve an email from him asking me to serve on the next one to be recorded June 30th. Cool!!!

There goes vacation, but when would I have a chance to do that again? Stay tuned for information about the Chant CD of Lent and Triduum chants that will be recorded.

Deny yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified; drink deeply of the blood; fill yourself with the Blood; vest yourself in the Blood. If you have been unfaithful, be baptized again in the Blood; if the devil has clouded your intellectual vision, bathe your eyes in the blood; if you have been unappreciative of unrecognized gifts, be grateful in the Blood; if you have been a lax shepherd, forgetful of the rod of justice tempered with prudence, undo that in the Blood…In the heat of the Blood dissipate your tepidity. In the light of the Blood banish your darkness, so that you may be the spouse of the Truth and the true shepherd and guardian of the flock placed in your hands.

St. Catherine of Siena’s advice to Priests

Link from last year.

I have been waiting to see these. I think at first glance they are pretty wonderful. I especially like the Eucharistic Prayers.

Thanks to Aris for the link.

Letters 1401-1450
Letters 1451-1500
Letters 1501-1550

Let me know if you find any gems in these.

I had some other letters already up, so now I am up to letter 1750, and they can all be found here.

Letters 1351-1400 are now on-line

...In Chicago. Tired, fatigued. ok...sleep!

.... home to Chicago today

It is a restful day but there is much work to be done. So many projects.... I will be blogging again by Monday.

I printed it out and will take it on the airline for some reading. It's a four hour flight so it should be no problem to get the whole thing read. Maybe I will have some comments tomorrow.

A brief chronology of the life of St. Gaspar Del Bufalo

Letters 1301-1350 are now on-line.

The rest of the letters are here.

This little gem from letter 1309

Is God with us in this effort or not? Do you suppose that the devil is pleased to see the clergy dedicated to the glories of the Crucified Lord? After all, that is why we are priests, to apply the merits of the Divine Blood. "You have redeemed us, O Lord , in your blood" and also "making for our God a kingdom at priests." Therefore, wishing to bring about the reform, it was necessary to begin this great work, starting with the sanctuary. This is what God wants; then, the rest will follow. Workers are needed everywhere.

I have enough to do at the moment, but added to the mix is the search for a music minister for the parish. The Current director gave Fr. Finley two weeks notice after Easter. He has taken a job closer to home. I already have one blogger out there applying for the job. I hope to have someone in place by June. I become pastor on August 1st.

MUSIC MINISTER

Active parish in San Francisco Bay Area seeks competent, collaborative musician, pastoral minister, as member of Pastoral Team. 5000 family parish, 300+ parish school, Adult and children's choirs, seven weekend masses; pipe organ; masses celebrated in English, vibrant ethnic mix in parish; Cultural understanding essential; Chant, Traditional and Contemporary repertoire, Organ skills, knowledge of liturgy, experience preferred. Competitive salary and benefits. Send resume to Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, CPPS, e-mail to (click the link in the side bar)

This time the computer goes with me but I do not know how much blogging will happen over the weekend. The Province Center only has dial-up and that can be pretty slow at times. I will be staying at the Province Center for the Pacific Province of the Precious Blood Missionaries in San Leandro, California. While in California I will participate in setting the agenda for the next board meeting of Retrouvaille International, Presiding at the 50th Wedding anniversary of Peggy and Jack, and the attending a Provincial Council Meeting on Monday. There is also a special project to which the Provincial has assigned me vis a vis my formation work, so there will be some car travel and some interviews involved. All in all a very busy weekend. I will be back to Chicago on Tuesday.

A new instruction on the Eucharist will be released by the Vatican tomorrow.

I have noticed a so-called Catholic news service article that bemoans the fact that it took more than a year and will probably be a disappointment. Unfortunately I am coming to my own conclusion that not all Catholic News Services are created equally and the buyer must beware.

I especially appreciate the measures approach that this blogger is taking.

I would encourage all to read the document, to check your expectations at the door, and to recieve the teaching with an open and humble heart. I will try to do the same.

Letters 1251-1300 are now available on-line.

Here are some selection from this set:

Letter 1294 to Sister Maria Saveria di S. Agostino:

Hope in the Lord, says the Prophet, ... act manfully ... Are we not serving a loving God? Look at your own soul and you will see that fear is born from the desire to please God. Love your vocation and never cease yearning to perfect it. So, let us trust in God and strive to serve the Lord moment after moment and never be doubtful of eternal salvation. When contrary temptations arise, always say: "I love and I want to keep loving God". I add nothing further.

And this little tidbit on the arrangement of a mission from letter 1290

1. It is understood that the Mission is to last 15 days.

2. There will be two Missionaries: misit binos; by my calculations I cannot promise more. One will teach catechism and one will do the preaching; have no doubt, it will be handled well. The economical use of time is crucial. Misit binos; let us trust in these words, and especially in the universal Jubilee; at another time, I would make other calculations.

3. The Missionaries' are to have the greatest possible freedom in their place of residence. They will bring along a Brother in service who will assist them and, it is understood, they will lead a religious life iuxta regulas.

4. See that the platform is quite spacious.

5. Ask for the faculty of adding the Collect "pro petitione lacrymarum" to the Mass.

6. At the time of the sermons, all the taverns are to be closed etc. Oh! the good work that will be done. More when we see each other in person. I kiss your hands. With all esteem and respect, I remain, in Jesus Christ Crucified.

The other letters available on-line may be found here.

The renovation at St. John's is progressing rather nicely. It will be beautiful and I hope to see it when it is finished. You may remember that I preached a lenten mission there recently surround by dust and scafolding. It was fun. I posted pictures of the Grand Mural Arch in the parish. Anyway, it seems their kneelers are making the news.

I have enjoyed reading John Paul II's commentaries on the psalms for some time. His comments on some of my favorite psalms and canticles have been inspirational. It was a treat to find that Bill White has organized the links to the commentaries for Morning Prayer into a marvelous little resource. I will include the link on my sidebar too.

Holy Cards see a resurgence in popularity I have a huge supply of St. Gaspar Holy cards. Anybody want some?

The Pacific Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood was established on April 20, 1965.

St. Anne Parish in Gilbert, AZ had an interesting problem at Easter Sunday.

You may remember that I preached a parish mission there recently. There is even a Catholic Blogger in the pews there.

[update: the link to that Phoenix newspaper may not work. It only works for me half the time. You can try it again, or go to the Blogger's website and try the link from there. Blogger's links are not working so scroll down to "Parish Profile"]

I am still slowly, but surely, putting all the letters of St. Gaspar del Bufalo on-line. I prepared letters 1201-1250 this morning.

Letter 1202 has this little gem:

Aridity in prayer is ordained by God so that we might recognize that: Our soul, for you like the earth without water. God sees that our intent is to serve him and love him, so as to enjoy him eternally. He, who has begun the work in us, will bring it to perfection. He who began the work will complete and will confirm it.

Courage, therefore. There will never be a lack of crosses, for we are even crosses to ourselves. Our holy religion, however, is the great balance that shows us how to govern ourselves and make our wills consonant with the supreme will of God.

The Letters of St. Gaspar can be found here. Click on Documents. Letters are in pdf format.

...and thoroughly, exhausted, weary, fatigued, tired. Some good nourishment, and a good nights sleep and I should be fine by morning. On to California next week....

The homily is not done. I will not put the finishing touches on it until Sunday, after I have worked with these couples for a few days. But here is the outline I am taking with me. See 'ya Monday.

It is community night tonight, then to finish packing. I am off to Midway airport very early in the morning, and Steve will be shocked to learn that the computer is staying home. I can't believe that more than 100 people came by here and only one left a promise of Prayer for the Retrouvaille couples. I dislike having nothing to show when I tell them people all over are praying for them. I will be flying to Washingto, DC for a bit of sightseeing, and then the Retrouvaille in Herndon, VA. Have a great weekend.

Here's some more revealing information about Voice of the Faithful. Thanks to JohnH for pointing this out.

I have been pondering ways to meet people and to hear ideas about the future direction of the parish. I become Pastor again on August 1, 2004.

I was thinking of having a variety of town hall meetings over several months. I do not plan on making any immediate changes to the parish beside just the change of Pastor. My main question is going to be "How did you do it last year?" Obviously Fr. Finley and I are two different people, but he is much loved by the people and has done a great job over the past 14 years there.

I was thinking of having meetings with the Staff, and with the Pastoral Council just to hear their experience and ideas. Then I thought I would have town hall meetings, first with the elders in the parish, then with Young Families (child care provided) and then with the Youth, simply to hear their questions, their needs, and to get their ideas.

In order to have a voice, I also have to be able to listen. Listening is not something that VOTF seems to be doing. There has to be a better way than VOTF.

Bishop Vigneron of Oakland writes a regular column in the Catholic Voice. He is planning to use the next several articles to provide some commentary on the coming ad limina visits of the American Bishops, and on the Holy Father's words to the Bishops.

I found his current (April 12) commentary very encouraging.

Pope John Paul II leaves us in no doubt about the path that will lead to the reconciliation and renewal he is prescribing for what ails the Church in America: “a holier priesthood, a holier episcopate and a holier Church” (Address # 1, sec. 1).

Effective reform can only come from interior renewal, from conversion from sin and turning back to obeying the Lord’s commandments. So, the first of our “marching orders” from our Holy Father the Pope is to recommit ourselves to putting off the ways of the old Adam and living the life of Christ in the Spirit.

In taking to heart the challenge of the Holy Father, I cannot help but think of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, which is the very means our Savior gave us to accomplish the goal the Pope says we must work for.

So, I intend to start a series of discussions with the consultative bodies of our diocese about how we can mobilize the resources of our local Church for the continued revitalization of the practice of frequent Confession. Peter, speaking through his Vicar John Paul II, has pointed out to us where we must begin. Now, we need to strategize about how to move forward on the path he has traced out.

I fully acknowledge that the Pope says the renewal of the Church in Oakland must begin with the reform of the Bishop of Oakland, that is, with me. If we are to become holier, I must become holier. It is my practice to see my spiritual father for direction and Confession frequently.

I am resolved to be more careful about being faithful to this commitment and to make the issue of my growth in holiness for the sake of our Diocese a regular theme of my dialogue with my confessor. I will begin again to follow Christ, so that I can lead you to Him.

What was encouraging is that this is the similar to the same conversation I had with my spiritual director today.

Also in the current issue of the Voice there were several letters to the editor criticizing Bp. Vigneron for not letting the Voice report on or advertize the local VOTF conference. His response to that is clear and direct

In these words of Peter’s Vicar I find clear confirmation of my serious doubts about any group or movement that seeks to build up the Church while withholding assent from the Church’s teachings.

I am looking forward to working in the Oakland Diocese again.

Retrouvaille is probably the church's best kept secret. I would recommend it to any married couple. I am amazed at how much it has helped me as a priest. You do not have to be in trouble, either as a priest or as a married couple, although it is designed primarily for them. But if you are a married couple with any communication difficulties or problems, this is the place for you.

April 16-18,2004, Retrouvaille weekends are being held in the following places:

I will be working the weekend in Herndon. If you post any promises of prayers here, I will have them printed out and on display for the couples.

Yep, the taxes are due tomorrow. oh well, checking account is $500 poorer.

The other thing today is cooking, like I did not have enough of it Sunday. That was Calvert House, this is home, it is my turn to cook. But it is still Easter and every day is a solemnity, so...

Jenna is home from the hospital. Thanks be to God.

My great-niece Jenna is in need of prayers. She is 9 months old and she is in the hospital fighting off a virus. Prayers appreciated. And say some prayrs for her mom, Julie, and for her grandmother, my sister who arrived home in California to find out about this.

Easter lasts for 50 days. Lent seems to have captured the imagination more than the Easter Season has. The fasting and works of charity of Lent seem to take center stage more readily than Easter practices. I am curious what readers out there are doing to observe the Easter Season. Leave your comments and suggestions in the comments box.

A Voice of the Faithful petition was received in the mail today. While I have some sympathy for some of their views, I do not agree with their work. Only a Bishop and a Diocese can claim to represent the voice of the faithful. And yes, that bishop is a sinner, just like me. So, the petition went in the round file.

There is a neat little Liturgical Music Grudge Match going on over at Catholic Light.

I have been in many liturgical settings where the Becker Litany was used. It has always been very confusing and artificial sounding to get in extra saints, like Saint Gaspar del Bufalo and Saint Maria de Mattias in the Becker Litany, and I have never seen it prayed successfully.

It seems the the most comments on the Good Friday post were about the vesture. I got this wonderful email from Br. Michael who has chanted the speaker parts these past two years"

....your "blog friend" Maureen is a tough liturgical cookie. I was amused by her comments on the vesture for Good Friday. I believe "choir dress" is the proper vestment for Good Friday. The Ceremonial of Bishops #66 states "Presbyters who take part in a liturgical service but not as concelebrants are to wear choir dress if they are prelates or canons, cassock and surplice if they are not." Regarding "choir dress," found in #1206-1210 of the same Ceremonial, "regular clergy" wear their religious habit in accord with their own traditions. Finally, the Ceremonial says in #65, "Acolytes, readers, and other ministers may wear other lawfully approved vesture in place of the vestments already mentions" (thus, my religious habit is most appropriate for such a ministry).

Next year, as pastor I will inevitably be presiding and I will be in red Chasuble so it will not be a question. The other two singers, since St. Edward Choir does not wear robes, will probably be in suit and tie. (Hey, Dan, start practicing that Narratiion part)

Although, for Stations I may choose to wear the Cassock, cross and chain since that is distinctive for my community. I'm sure Maureen will have an opinion.

There were a couple of students who asked me if they could have copies of my homily last night. Well, all I had was a small piece of paper with a bunch of notes and an outhline crowded on to it. I promised I would type up the notes and make them available.

A written text is never the same as the public proclamation. Words on a page generally do not have the same power as hearing the spoken word. This is just a bare outline. On my notes they were just titles and words. Here I put them into complete sentences.

Also I included a few background notes from the writings of St. Gaspar

The homily Notes can be found here. You will need a free acrobat reader.

Here is a listing of the music selection for Sacred Paschal Triduum celebrated this year at Calvert House. The Liturgies are celebrated at Bond Chapel on the Campus of the the University of Chicago.

It will be the same three chanters again this year

Brother Michael Berry, OCD, Fr. Michael Yakaitis, Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S.

Mission Cross, St. John The Baptist, Whiting, IN

St. Maria de Mattias
"By silence and prayer we will come to understand much better the preciousness of the cross, made sacred by the precious blood of Cross." 1863

"The Cross is always dear to those who truly love Jesus. Whoever love the Cross gives a sure sign that she holds in her heart a genuine love for Jesus. My dear, let us never move away from the Cross, for this is the key to the treasures of heaven. This is the gate of Paradise." 1847

From St. Gaspar
Where the Cross is, there also is the mercy of God. St. Vincent de Paul used to say: my Congregation would cease to be if a single day would go by without crosses. Jesus was tempted to come down from the cross: " If you are the son of God ...", but, for our instruction, he taught us to remain with the cross and to die on the cross.

What a great thing it is that the blood of Jesus is even our drink in the Eucharist and how, finally, through the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ we shall arrive in paradise. With your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation]. You made them a kingdom. . . .

Herein lies the glory of the priesthood, instituted for applying the price of redemption to souls, so that the divine Blood will not have been shed in vain, due to our own fault, as we note in the Holy Scriptures: “Quae utilitas in Sanguine meo?” ... Sanguis Jesu Christi emendabit conscientias nostras ab operibus mortuis. (What gain would my blood be? The Blood of Christ Jesus cleanses our conciences from the dead works.)

...from Pope John Paul II, 2004

St. Gaspar's Letter to you on Wednesday of Holy Week. You will need an Acrobat Reader. If you do not have one, go here.

I saw this cute little thing in the Newsweek that showed up today. It was a short little sidebar on a book of grammar. One example of how grammar changes things is:

A woman without her man would be nothing.

Now just add a little punctuation and see how it changes.

A woman: without her, man would be nothing.

Sooooo…..

Me thinks that maybe it is just our punctuation that needs reforming.

Too often people sing in church:

“Here I am, Lord.”

when what they really mean is….

Here, I am Lord.

My sister, Kathryn, will be visiting here in Chicago for the next week. She arrived today and will depart next Tuesday. The remainder of the week looks to be very busy. I will post some of the things I am doing along with the music, otherwise it shall be pretty quiet here at the New Gasparian.

Blessed Triduum an Easter to all.

Urgent prayers needed. Christopher, whom I met with his family during a recent mission in Arizona, was just informed that his Father has had two heart attacks in the last 12 hours. His Father is only 45 years old. This is the first time something like this has happened to him. He has been in pretty good health. He is in critical condition in the hospital right now. I spoke with Chris a while ago and let him know we would be praying for him and his family, and that the intention of the mass in the morning would be for his Father.

Everyone else, leave your prayer notes in the comment box for Chris to see.

I really enjoyed reading this post.

We are going to have somewhat limited resources musically for the Triduum at Calvert House this year. This is ok for the chant choir because we are used to doing everything acappella anyway. The Hymnal resources at Calvert House are Gather Comprehensive at Calvert House and Ritual Song at Bond Chapel. The Choir uses the Graduale Simplex for most of their chants, and the stuff in English is put in the program. I print out the grail psalms and point them for the choir.

I was not happy with the available choices for the psalm for Holy Thursday. The choices for the GIA books have never been satisfactory for me, and the Graduale and By Flowing Waters simply does not have the text.

In the old days I was a composer and when in this situation I would just write something. So that is what I did today. I took some motif from a Holy Thursday hymn, chose a chant pattern from the Graduale and hopefully I have fashioned a prayer.

All of you musicians out there can provide some critique of my psalm composing.

Here is a sound recording:

audio post powered by audblog

UPDATE: The PDF file and the sound recording are new. This is now draft three of the psalm. Thanks to Aristotle and to RC for the constructive suggestions.

I have always wanted to know how to make the little crosses I see people make with their palms. Well Mary over at Ever New has a link that shows how to make them. It is very easy. I made three of them this afternoon. Thanks, Mary.

[Update] Link deleted as Mary's blog has been taken over by someone else.

Deny yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified; drink deeply of the blood; fill yourself with the Blood; vest yourself in the Blood. If you have been unfaithful, be baptized again in the Blood; if the devil has clouded your intellectual vision, bathe your eyes in the blood; if you have been unappreciative of unrecognized gifts, be grateful in the Blood; if you have been a lax shepherd, forgetful of the rod of justice tempered with prudence, undo that in the Blood…In the heat of the Blood dissipate your tepidity. In the light of the Blood banish your darkness, so that you may be the spouse of the Truth and the true shepherd and guardian of the flock placed in your hands.

St. Catherine of Siena’s advice to Priests

This promises to be an interesting blog to follow. He describes himself as a former Hindu being fully initiated into the Catholic Church next week at the Easter Vigil, and a future medical student. Welcome to the world of Catholic Blogs!

NCR reports that the Bishops are beginning to take a look at our hymns

I know the song, "Ashes," has become my favorite whipping boy for all my ire on some of these hymns but I found it oddly affirming that it was the first one mentioned in the article. Thanks RC for the link. Ok, Todd, should it still be in a parish repertoire?

Dad would be 84 today.

Francis W. Keyes is in the first row, far left. The picture was taken in 1929.

Here is a description and some pictures of the Grand Arch Mural at St. John's Parish in Whiting where we just completed a parish Lenten Mission.

This won't make the news, for some reason.

150,000 will enter the Catholic Church at the easter Vigil this year.

Here is a link I got from Bill Cork's site.

I am trying to read some of the numbers associated with this new blog address. If I am figuring out correctly what RC told me it seems like the readership of this blog has tripled in the last month. Some of that increase was noticed early in the month before moving to this new address, but it seems to have taken off recently.

Also I am impressed with where the readers are coming from. I have had an extraordinary amount of hits from New Zealand for some reason. The countries listed are:

New Zealand, United States, Canada, Italy, Peru , Singapore, United Kingdom , France, Australia, Lithuania, Taiwan, South Africa, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Uruguay

Welcome to all. Drop a comment here and there and let us know what you think of our St. Gaspar.

The life of a missionary is rich indeed. I get to meet so many wonderful people . One treasure today is a note a young boy gave me at the close of the mission. It is drawn in gold and red and the inside says, "I never knew learning more about God would be fun!"

The first three months of this year I have traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Missouri, California, Arizona, Ohio and Indiana with the message of healing and reconciliation found in the Most Precious Blood of Christ.

Today it is home in Illinois with a pile of mail and bills. I need a secretary, but alas, cannot afford one.

Today I booked flights to Washington, DC, and to Oakland, CA, both to take place before the end of this month.

If there are any married couples who would like to experience the miracle of Retrouvaille in Herndon, VA the week after Easter, it is time to get your registrations in now.