Well, It is that time of year again. Things have been improving. I remember with sadness my first year here. There were some seven different first communion celebrations. I would have to search my archives to see if I ranted about the zoo-like atmosphere at all of them. In the recent past the CCD team has been more cooperative and the only over-the-top liturgies were in Spanish or for our parish school.

I long for the day when we all know the difference between doing something at the liturgy or doing the liturgy.

This year, these kids are doing nothing except participating in the liturgy, the liturgy itself. Even the school may have a adopted some attitude of reverence when it comes to the sacred liturgy. We shall see and I shall report later.

At any rate, it starts this weekend. There will be five celebrations over three weekends.

Here is the program for this coming Sunday. It will be very similar to what we do every Sunday at 10:00am. I eliminated a few things for copyright concerns, but you can see the essence of what is in the program, mostly ritual music.

I would be curious to see if there is any other parish in the country that even approached this kind of celebration for first Communion. Let me know.

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Make this new fire holy, and inflame us with new hope.

A flame divided but undimmed.

I baptize you in the name of the Father….

Receive the light of Christ!

Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Here are Jason, Clara, Marion and Victor with me at the Preparation Rites on Holy Saturday. They were Baptized, Confirmed and received their first Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil.

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Today, a quiet day. Two Masses, one solemn with choir. A great way to begin the new year. Today is also filled with rememberance of last year celebrating new year's day with Benedict XVI.

Blessings to all on the New Year

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It is Priesthood Sunday and the people here at St. Edward have been very affirming. Many have stopped to wish me a happy anniversary whuch happiliy coincides with the event, and members of the Team have informed me that I needed to relinquish the last page of the Sunday bulletin so they could celebrate Priesthood Sunday there too.

But probably the most affirming letter I have gotten in a while came by email. The correspondant has graciously allowed me to post the letter, but I have removed the signature to protect their privacy. The letter is here.

My favorite part of the letter:

At St. Edward’s you have proven that, despite some problems, the dignified, prayerful, and truly artistic celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not beyond the reach of the contemporary Church. Despite some difficulties, you have avoided allowing the assembly to determine the way a liturgy should be celebrated, but instead have demonstrated, that “Priests who faithfully celebrate Mass according to the liturgical norms, and communities which conform to those norms, quietly but eloquently demonstrate their love for the Church”.

It is apparent that he/she reads several blogs and is well educated on the liturgy. It is a joy to celebrate Mass with such generous and faith filled parishioners.

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My dear children, there are two things I want you to remember about our patron, St. Edward.

First, is the Church we see him holding. St. Edward had a great devotion to the Church. It was more than the money he gave to have the Church built, but it was also his devotion to the people he was sent to serve. The Church is where we meet Jesus and coming to Sunday Mass is the most important thing we could ever do.

Second, I want you to remember the ring that is part of the St. Edward story. The ring he gave to feed and clothe the poor. It stands as a symbol of his generosity and his ability to see what needed to be done, and then to go and do it.

So we are the people who have St. Edward as our patron. So we too will have a devotion to this church and especially to the Most Holy Eucharist which is celebrated here. And we too will see to serve the poor, most of all, to see what needs to be done, and to do it with great generosity of heart. That is what will make us the people of St. Edward.

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We had three celebrations of First Communion last weekend and will have three more next weekend. These celebrations are getting better. There is a great focus on the child and the sacrament now after three years of trying. We are doing our best to eliminate the phlanx of parents with their cameras. This year we hired a professional photographer to record the event. These people were exceptional. They made a minimal impact on the liturgy, and they were available before and after for portrait sessions in the Hall. In the picture each child appears in front of the altar with all its Easter decorations, a picture that was taken a few weeks ago. So the Church, before and after the ceremony, is preserved as a sacred space. The ushers are getting better at ridding the aisle of camera bearing parents, and they are now free to enter into the experience of the sacred mysteries.

Here are some of the pictures that were taken.

First Communion Pictures

Next week is three more First Communion celebrations, then we have two Confirmation celebrations on the following Saturday. The following weekends will see an increase of wedding celebrations, along with the School Graduation.

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Yes, as promised last year, the Exsultet will be chanted in Latin. The Homily will be about Mother bee, very prominent in the Latin but unfortunately missing in the dreadful English translation. The program will have a literal translation into English, along with the Spanish translation.

There will be six baptisms tonight, and one recieved. They will all be confirmed and I have recieved faculties to confirm the husband of one of the newly baptised, the fiance of the one recieved, and two who are receiving their first communion tonight.

Homily Notes:

Fratres Carissimi, Queridos Hermanos, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Risen Lord. At the beginning of this night, with ancient words and melody dating back to the first years after the resurrection, the church surrounds a significant candle, and invites it to embody the praise of the people of God, the church, as it chases away the darkness of this night and fills it with a glowing light.

This ancient song makes special mention of the work of human hands and so it is fitting that in this church we place this hand-made candle and praise the work of the artist that gives us such a gift. But the song also makes special mention of the work of the bees. The fire of this candle, although it is divided into parts, knows no loss from its light being lent out, divided and spread afar. As the light is given to each one of you, the intensity of the light in this place glows evermore intensely. The chant praises the melting streams of wax, which the mother bee has produced for the substance of this precious candle, and for the power and energy it gives for the increase of light.

Mother bee has produced no ordinary light. This light banishes a culture of darkness and now mingles with the lights of the heavens, and joined with the morning star praises the rising sun that breaks like a peaceful dawn upon a broken world.

O truly blessed night, in which heavenly things are joined to those of earth. This is the wedding night of the marriage feast of the lamb. This is the marriage of heaven and earth. In any marriage two opposites become as one, and in this marriage the Creator of the universe has invested each and every part of our creation with a capacity for the divine. God has taken up our flesh and our humanity even to the experience of death, and in his rising he has conquered death forever.

There is an old expression, "If you think you are too small to make a difference in this world, try sleeping with a mosquito". I would invite us to think like this: "if you think you are too small to make a difference in this world try living as a Christian." If the tiny bee can nourish a light that can compete with the stars of heaven, how much more can our small flesh and blood, when immersed in the great mystery of the of the death and resurrection of the Son of God and filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, spread the light of his resurrection to every corner of this world.

My dear Elect, this is the night of your rebirth in Christ Jesus. This night is not about anything we can do or anything we can feel. It is all about Jesus Christ our Lord and what he has done, in us and for us. It is he who has shed his most precious blood for us and invited us into the holy of Holies, to stand with confidence before the Father as his beloved children. We shall remain in our weak and sinful human flesh, but he will clothe us with his glory and change us into his likeness. And when we remain in him no darkness can ever overcome us because we shall always have the light of his resurrection to scatter the shadows and fear of the world.

In the days ahead when the power of darkness seeks to exert his influence over you, I invite you to remember mother bee. Remember the work of the bees and the human hands that fashioned this candle. Remember the glory of its light that mingles with the lights of heaven. And remember that the Lord has taken each of us, as small as we are, and given us his light and made us his children. And now changed into his likeness he has given us the ability to boldly stand in his presence and show the world a light that never fails.

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Do you ever wonder why the Gospel of this day tells the story of the washing of the Feet, and not the story of the institution of the Holy Eucharist?

Our God has come to earth, and has invested everything on earth with the capacity for the divine. “Capax dei;” the ancients would have spoken of this “capax dei,” a capacity for God. Bread and wine, once simple fruit of the earth, crushed grain and crushed grapes changed into the stuff that nourishes our bodies and fills us with joy. Now they are changed again, into the very presence of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

“Capax Dei” It would have been a normal gesture of hospitality, providing water for your guests so they could wash the dust of the road from their tired feet. Maybe there would have been a extra measure of devotion on the part of the disciple who assisted the master in washing his feet. But here everything is changed. Jesus has turned the world upside down. The master washes your feet. We would have expected him to be the Master, instead he becomes a slave.

But as he got up from the table and "took off his outer robe," we have an indication of something larger. He has taken off more than his robe. St. Gaspar invites us to see how far this love has taken him. He has emptied himself completely. He had no fear that his role or prestige or his person would be diminished. He did not even fear death. He is the one who knows who he is, where he is from and where he is going.

And during supper Jesus, knowing that God had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.

It is the same for us. This is no mere gesture. This is not simply a sign or re-enactment. This is not about some past event. This is a celebration of who we are now and who we are to become.

We are invited to take off who we think we are that we might discover who we really are. The human heart is now where God delights to dwell. Bread and wine is where he sits us at table and waits on us. The simple act of washing the dishes or serving a neighbor can become a place where God is served and indeed where we become his presence. St Gaspar would invite us to both service of neighbor and in adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist, and tell us that in either act we are serving the divine presence and celebrating that he has given us a capacity for God.

This day also marks the origin of the priesthood. This is the glory of the priesthood, as Gaspar teaches, to effect and make known this incredible love of Jesus.

You also, are invited to make this extravagant love known to the world. Those who have been washed in him, who now share completely in him, in his life and his mission, we are with him those who know who we are, where we have come from and where we are going. Death has no more power over us. We can live without fear and do what needs to be done because we know that nothing, not even betrayal, will prevent the reign of God from being revealed in us.

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Sr. Mary Mark Schoenstein, OP, a Pastoral Team Member here at St. Edward and recent fellow pilgrim to Rome, got a note recently from a student she had back in the 50's. She has not seen this student since, but it is clear from what she said on her website that Sr. Mary Mark had a pretty profound influence on her and her career. Sometimes you just never know what kind of effect you will have on people. Congratulations, Sr. Mary Mark!

Here is some of what the website said:

This woman, who now lives in Northern California, let me join her choir when I was eight years old. She taught me to read those funny little square notes of Gregorian Chant and to sing in Latin with feeling. She taught me to serve the song, rather than the other way around. Under her guidance, I experienced the collective soul of a choir, finding that harmony is a matter of love, as well as technique. She gave me my first solo in church.

This gentlewoman set the tone for my life in music, for a certain spiritual position or place to stand, within song, that had meaning.
I can’t completely describe this position in words really, but it has something to do with yearning and service.

She is the original version of that. It’s as if she wrote a beautiful prayer on a little piece of paper in my heart, showed me how to fold it into a perfect paper airplane, then invited me to sail it high and far over the heads of our congregation.
The impossibly high standards that I learned early on, made my work in the music business more difficult.
However, I’m still here and she’s still here, and that little paper airplane still flies.

I’ve been wanting to thank her for the longest time.
Thank you, Sister Mary Mark.

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The parish has invested in a new Nativity scene. A closer look can be had at the parish website. That picture should remain there for the rest of the season.

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Incensing the Book of the Gospel
and yes, the Gospel and the entire Mass was chanted.

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One of my favorite rituals is the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. It is a rite rich with purpose and meaning. It does what it says it does. The New Catechumen is signed with the cross of salvation and they have a feeling of real welcome, support and joy from the Congregation. Here toward the end of the first part of the rite, the Deacon assists as I place a small wooden cross over their neck. The crosses are Olive Wood and they come from the pruned olive trees in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Homily was based on the text from the Gospel, "The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert." At the end of the homily each new catechumen received a small bible inscribed with the date and their name.

This is one of the joys of parish life. We have a pretty vibrant Adult Faith Formation program, and this year five young people have asked for the sacraments. It is such a pleasure to accompany these individuals on their journey of faith.

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Ok, I had not realized that it had been all that long since I blogged. I will try to get back to this for Advent. It is, after all, my favorite season.

Today is a bit daunting, three masses and three baptisms.

What has consumed a bit of time lately is the planning involved for a trip to Rome, Assisi, Giano del Umbria, Siena, San Gimignano, and San Giovanni Rotondo that will take place December 27th through January 13th. I will post the itinerary when it is complete. And yes, part of the trip will be a visit to Ristorante Rifugio San Gaspare.

The other thing that has consumed a lot of time and energy is the annual wrestling the budget to the ground. So how does one cut $91,000 from the budget and still keep smiles on the faces of the Parish Team?

Oops, I need to get my Christmas cards started.

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Next Monday, October 23 we welcome Ensemble Amarcord to St. Edward Parish for one of the few American events they are offering this year. The Sacred Concert will be at 7:30pm and tickets are $20 at the door.

You can read about them here.

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St. Edward Parish in Newark , is hosting its second annual parish fundraiser on Saturday, October 28th at the Golden Peacock Hall, 3681 Peralta Blvd., in Fremont . Ask anybody that came to last year’s event and he or she will tell you that it was exceptional and fun filled. This year’s event promises to be entertaining and full of surprises. Tickets are $40 per person. Proceeds will support the Parish’s various ministries.

Want to win a trip to Rome for two with a private tour in the Vatican ? How about a trip for two to Hawaii or a weekend in Napa ? Raffle tickets to win these first, second and third prizes are for sale at $50 each. Winners will be announced at the parish fundraiser. Winners need not be present to win. To purchase event or raffle tickets, call the Parish Office at 510-797-0241.

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With a few departures and a few new additions, it was time for a new Parish Team Picture. Front Row, Left to Right, Fr. Jerard Raj Irudaynathan Irudaya, C.PP.S., Sr. Diane Aruda, OP, School Principal; Sr. Mary Mark Schoenstein, OP, Office; Samuel Dorlaque, Music Director Back Row, Maria Lopes, Finance; Irma Ramirez, Parish Administration; Fr. James Franck, C.PP.S., Donalyn Deeds, Director of Faith Formation; Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S., Pastor; Deacon Alfonso Perez, Hispanic Ministry; Michele Javier Poma, Youth Ministry; Cruz Calvillo, Buiuldings and Grounds.

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The last few weeks have been dedicated to opening school, opening Adult Faith Formation, Opening Children's Faith Formation, and opening confirmation classes. The energy needed for Autumn is extraordinary.

Probably the one place that is the biggest trial here is First Communion. We have nine first communion celebrations in the spring, and in the past they have been like the spring gathering of the pagan hoarde. Many people in church behaved as if they were coming to a sporting event, and in some cases there was the question of whether the child was adequately prepared.

This year I decided that I needed to make some serious demands of the parents in the formation of their child. I am blessed with an excellent DRE and School principal who are supportive of my efforts. We cannot really make demands of the parents without offering them the resources. So this year we had the Daughters of St. Paul come by for a Sunday and set up their book store in our Faith Formation Office. They came back again for the meeting of First Communion parents and offered a great deal of Catholic Resources for parents and children.

We also gave a free copy of Catholic Truths for our Children to each family. We may actually build our First Year First Communion Program around that book. It is an absolutely stunning book and just what we needed for our Parents.

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Homily for tonight's solemn Requiem Mass:

The Readings and prayers were taken from the Mass In Time of War or Civil Disturbance.

Readings:
Micah 4:1-4 (lectionary 897-2)
Psalm 72 (899-1)
Gal 5:17-26 (898-1)
Alleluia (900-1)
Matthew 5: 20-24 (901-1)

Prelude: God of our Fathers, America the Beautiful
Introit: Requiem Aeternam
Kyrie, Mass XVIII-B ad missam pro defunctus
Psalm 72, Alstott
Alleluia, Mode VI
Offertory: Pie Jesu, Faure
Sanctus, Mass XVIII
Mortem Tuam, chant
Agnus Dei, Mass XVIII
Communio: Lux Aeterna
Anthem: "I Heard a Voice from Heaven" Sir John Goss (1800-1880)
In Paradisum, Mode VII
Postlude: In Paradisum, Theodore Dubois

9/11 is a word or phrase that conjures up many images. There are few people in this country who, because of the power of news media and constantly re-played video images, have not seen these planes appearing with such force out of a calm cool morning to wreak violence and destruction on unsuspecting thousands. There are few who have not seen and witnessed the images of those mighty buildings, suddenly and so horribly dissolving in a cloud of dust.

So many lives were irretrievably altered in one moment.

Millions were affected.

“Husbands and wives lost their spouses. Children lost their mothers and fathers. The grief provoked by such a horrific event cannot be measured. It never really goes away. Five years after the events of September 11th, there remains a terrible void in countless lives.”
We do not need any words to help us remember. The images and the memory are so vivid. So we must pray. We must gather in the Lord’s name to be his people and to gather his strength and healing.

We pray for those who died. It is difficult to imagine the moments they suffered so violently. We pray for the survivors, for those who are left behind and are still rebuilding their lives and their dreams. And as difficult as it may seem, yet in obedience to the Lord Jesus, we also pray for those who persecute us [Mat 5:44].

With events such as these it is difficult, yet most necessary, for us to confront the cross of Jesus Christ. His death was no less violent or brutal, yet here he asks the Father to forgive those who bound him to the cross because they do not know what they are doing.

I believe that those who persecute the innocent in these acts of terror know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. Yet we must turn away from them to challenge our own hearts.

Forgiveness takes time but it is a free and unconditional choice. It is an act of the will, not of the emotions. Justice may never be possible, but forgiveness is different from justice. Forgiveness is not about condoning; the injury remains unjust and undeserved. We have a right to defend our homes and our land, but we have an eternal obligation to defend our own heart from becoming a vessel of anger and hatred, consumed by bitterness and fear. And it takes a change of heart, a conversion, a realization that old ways are not working and are even more destructive.

Forgiveness, mercy, even pity is not easy, and is certainly not even accomplished in one moment or one day, but it has to be considered as an option. For here the Lord Jesus enters our world, not simply as an enlightened prophet who might come to us with “Thus says the Lord.” No, he comes as Divine lawgiver with “You’ve heard that it was said.”

Where was it said? It was in the Law, the Torah, the ancient book of the covenant, the Word of God. So he stands in the place, in the person, and as living Word of God and says, “But I say…!” “Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

This is no mere law, this is not accomplished in simple observance, this isn’t addressed to cities, counties and governments; it is addressed to the human heart. Christ does not reject the law, instead he intensifies it. The law now is more demanding because it places conditions, not just on our external observance, “but above all on the abiding attitude of our heart and on the concrete results that this attitude has on our actions.” [Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis]

Our persecutors are not here. We are; and what kind of people shall we be? The prophet Micah offers us a vision where “every man shall sit under his own vine or under his own fig tree, undisturbed.”[Micah 4:4] The apostle Paul instructs us that hatred and outbursts of fury are works of the flesh, and that there is no law against patience, generosity, or self-control.

Radical Islam would label us as infidel and instruct its members to eliminate us. It is the same kind of violence that radical Christian fundamentalism gave birth to in Oklahoma City. All of these are the work of the flesh and have nothing to do with those who seek the heart of God. We will not be defeated if we respond with extreme faithfulness to the call of Christ, to attend to our own heart and become people who will be celebrated, not as infidels, but as the most faithful to the Cross of Christ, which stands, not as a symbol of defeat, but a cross of victory. Rather, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." [Rom 12:20]

This is not a message that I would expect to find acceptance in the halls of power. This is not intended to address their obligation to defend our homeland. This is only for those who have gathered in prayer this night, who are challenged by the Gospel of Christ to examine their own hearts, to see if they be places of violence or a place where God would dwell. If we become angry, vengeful, bitter people, then we have been conquered. We shall not be conquered. Only in Christ shall we see the victory, only in him is death swallowed up in victory. Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Cor 15:54-58]

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A notice from the Oakland Diocese to its parishes.

The Diocese of Stockton has investigated Ms. Evelyn Sevilla-Davis, leader of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly Holy Grace Prayer Group, and before that Peace of the W.O.L.R.D. (We Our Lady of the Rosary Devotees) Prayer Group. The Bishop of Stockton has decreed the Group may not, under any circumstances:

1. teach or preach in the name of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Stockton,
2. use the term “Catholic” … in reference to any activities of her prayer group,
3. use Church facilities of the diocese for meetings or prayer group activities.

This information is provided for your awareness of this Group, since it has planned to hold a gathering of its devotees in a public pavilion in proximity to St. Edward in Newark , Sunday, September 10, 2006, around 2:00 PM.

Actually they were planning something in The Newark Pavillion that might as well be out my back door. We seem to have been able to cancel the event.

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Effective August 15, when I return from vacation, I will begin moving into my new office at St. Gaspar House. A new set of doors, visible in the picture have replaced the sliding glass doors. This will provide a bit more security, and will also enable me to enter from this side. Other groups will continue to use the large meeting room and the kitchen area of the house and will continue to use the front door. With this new door, I will not need to interupt their meetings to get to my office. Now I will be able to move my office out of my my bedroom, and I will have a place to meet prarishioners on a regular basis.

St. Gaspar House which is at the end of the property of the parish, was purchased may years ago. It was used as a meeting place and a service center for volunteer services. The house had not been well cared for in the past serveral years and it has collected a lot of junk that no one uses. So room by room we are going to begin to repair the house. It will become a place for Adult Faith Formation, for Spiritual Direction and for Marriage and Family Counseling as well as Administration. Catholic Charities provides a licensed Counselor on Fridays. The Legion of Mary meets there on a regular basis, and on Sunday it becomes a Sunday School for pre-school children. The School uses the large meeting room and the yard for retreats for various classrooms.

And finally, the Pastor has his own office. The principal, the School book keeper, the School Development office, the DRE, the Youth Minister, The Music Minister, the Maintenance Director, the Parish bookkeeper, all of these people have their own private office. Now the Pastor gets his own space. Currently my name is one of three on one of the small parlor doors.

Many thanks to Ken and Cruz who have worked long hours of repairing the walls and painting, and now will help assemble the desk and bookcases. When I am moved in, I will post a few pictures.

St.Gaspar House will also have its own website. This site will also replace the old Pacific Province site which was the home of all of St. Gaspar's letters. The new site for St. Gaspar's letters will be here once I get all the links moved over.

One the the new sets of Documents going into this new page is the book, The Life and Times of St. Gaspar del Bufalo by Giorgio Papasogli. This book was considered by Fr. Ray Cera, C.PP.S. to be the best "Life of Gaspar" available. Through the work of Fr. Milton Ballor this book is now availble in print and is a very valuable addition to any collection of the lives of the Saints. One of the things I like about it is the thorough explanation of the society, the culture and the politics of the early 19th century that forms the background of St. Gaspar's life and ministry. Another item the print version has that is not availble on the internet is the collection of pictures of the various places that were central in St. Gaspar's life.

The book is available for $20 plus shipping from Fr. Milton Ballor, C.PP.S., St. Charles Center, Carthagena, OH 45822. Parishioners of St. Edward or anybody here in the Bay Area can pick up a copy here at the Parish Office or St. Gaspar House when I move in.

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I am just about through the mountain of mail that arrived on my last vacation. The second half of vacation is the first two weeks of August. I will spend my last weekend doing a Retrouvaille in Austin, but I have no idea where to go for the rest of it. I have a free flight to cash in, and a vacation allowance.

Anybody with any ideas?

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Patrick reports in on last week's Solemn Mass followed by a BBQ.

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Well, first of all, congratulations to the graduating class of 2006 at St. Edward Catholic School. They really are some fine young men and women. The Pastor's award went to Domenic and Elliot, two who have faithfully served at weekday and weekend Masses and are even beginning to master the fine art of Incense.

I am sure they enjoyed their day, and many complimented that is was such a wonderful service. A former principal, now serving as superintendant, remarked that our graduations are so personal. On the other side, a parent thanked me for bringing some reverence to an otherwise party atmosphere.

I had a little more advance warning on the musical choices. All of it was acceptable except for the chosen closing song (We Are Called, Haas) It was superfluous and so I simply nixed it. The Slide show was cute and disgusting and had no place in the Eucharist. Oh, The Eucharist; it was a gracious afterthought.

Some of the clothing worn at the graduation would not have been acceptable at the Vatican, so why was is so acceptable here? I think next year, we shall put the teachers in academic garb.

Any further comment from me would simply be uncharitable. I am glad it is over. Next year, it will be different as I will insist the the School completely reimagine the way graduations are done here.

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"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light particularly to those who are suffering."

Pope Benedict XVI, May 25, 2006

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Perhaps as a response to today's crazyness, I decided how I would spend part of my summer vacation. I signed up....

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I am posting this picture just to remind myself that the parish where I am the Pastor is a Catholic Parish. I was forced to remove the Blessed Sacrament from the Church this morning, not simply because there were no expectations that there be appropriate behavior in church during the Graduation exercises, but because I was the one who is considered to be odd because I objected to the Processional, a song proclaimed by a boombox, a song by the title, "Poprocks and Coke."

I am not sure what planet I am on. People think I am the unreasonable one. So they showed a slide show today AND WILL SHOW THE SAME SLIDE SHOW TOMORROW DURING GRADUATION MASS. The Students behaved appropriately during the slide show, which is to say they behaved inappropriately for Church. One slide showed a graduate in a dumpster. Both the Principal and the Eighth grade teacher believe this is appropriate behavior in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

This afternoon, I put the cloths back on the altar, returned the flowers and candles to the tabernacle, returned the Blessed Sacrament to the Tabernacle, placed the Blessed Sacrament in the Monstrance, and began a time of adoration. About 30 people showed up for an afternoon of adoration and reparation. There were maybe 100 to 150 people for an afternoon First Friday Mass and Benediction.

Still the dominant feeling was sadness. Oh yes, the closing processional this morning was a Beatles tune on a boombox. How low we have sunk: This is in a parish with a full time professional musician. The Tantum Ergo this afternoon was surreal.

Yup. I am pretty angry. There has not been a single person who supports me in my objection to this crap.

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Sombody had to say it.

Thanks to Fr. Daren J. Zehnle for the Link.

Graduation is on the horizon and I am currently haggling with the School over normal First Friday adoration. It will be replaced this year with an Award's Assembly on the Day before Graduation. We shall see what kind of hooting and hollering go on. I am not sure I would go as far as the Bishop in this story, but I am not sure it will ever happen again.

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Tomorrow begins the only traditional novena in the Church, the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost. Even when we transfer the Ascension to the Sunday, it is still fitting to spend this time in prayer along with Mary and the Apostles in the upper room.

I created this novena for the Charismatic Prayer group in the parish because I did not really appreciate the sometimes fundamentalist material they were using.

I borrowed the titles for each day from Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa's book "Come Creator Spirit." Then the Scriptures and prayers for each day come from various places in the Mass and the Liturgy of Hours.

Another book I would recommend would be Fr. Cantalamessa's "The Mystery of Pentecost."

I have titled the novena, "Pilgrimage Novena: Seeking the Guidance of the Holy Spirit."

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My friend Mary Jane asked, and so here is the list of music we used for the ordination this past Saturday.

Entrance Hymn: “Gather In The Banquet Hall,�? text based on the fifth circular letter of St. Gaspar (1831), Tune by Fr. Keith Branson, C.PP.S.

Sprinkling Rite: Tune based on O Filii et Filiae

Gloria, Congregational Mass, John Lee

Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 116, I Will Take The Cup, musical setting by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S.

Gospel Alleluia, O Filii et Filiae

Litany of Saints, chant

Laying on of Hands, Veni Sancte, Taize

Prayer of Consecration, Amen from Community Mass, Proulx

Vesting “Tu Es Sacerdos�? (It was a choral setting And Sam will have to fill us in on the composer. They also sang another Choral Tune but I found no record of it in the program so Sam will have to fill us in.

Eucharistic Acclamations, Community Mass, Richard Proulx

Our Father, Chant

Lamb of God, Community Mass

Comunión, “Amen, El Cuerpo de Cristo�? Schiavone, and “Pan de Vida,�? Hurd

Closing: “Glory Be To Jesus�? by Fr. Justin Henkel, C.PP.S.

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My friend Mary Jane had some nice things to say about our music ministry.

Only yesterday I was rolling around the Internet, looking for inspiration on the role of music - and what did I find? A draft of a document on the music ministry at St. Edward. If this was written by a team, it's the most concise team-produced document I've seen in my life. Way to go, St. Edward!

Here is the document.

Actually the document was not produced by the team. It was produced by me for the team. It does not yet have universal acceptance among the team. Indeed it sometimes has significant opposition. This is why it is still considered a draft. Formation sometimes takes time and patience, and the entertainment models of our culture often still prevail.

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It sure is a busy time. Weddings are taking a bit of time, and today we had Confirmation twice. The last two weekends we had seven or eight first communion celebrations. It is all a blur right now. The stressful thing is being kind to the pagan hoarde that seems to accompany these celebrations. Can you imagine, at both celebrations of confirmation today, a cell phone went off. And one guy gets up during the Vicar General's homily to go outside to take the call!!!! I have to go practice my Spanish homily, because I have the Spanish mass tonight. Tomorrow I have three masses, one in Portuguese, plus the Men's club pancake breakfast, and it is Mother's Day. I hear Mom is coming to the early Mass tomorrow and staying for breakfast. Then we have the Spring Concert tommorrow afternoon. Then I have to pack a bag for the airplane trip. I will be in Ohio all week (so no blogging) and then back here for the ordination next Saturday.

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I was speaking about the book and the movie, DaVinci Code, to the eighth grade class here at St. Edward School recently. I asked if any had read the book. No one had. I asked if any planned to see the movie. Every hand went up.

Such is the power of the movies. So every eighth grader now has a copy of the OSV brocure on the Catholic Response to the DaVinci Code. I am buying a copy of the "DaVinci Hoax" for the Faculty room, and ordering 1500 of the brochures for the parish.

Now I see a Vatican official has suggested a boycott of the movie.

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Recieved from one member of the Pastoral Council:

I wanted to commend you and the Parish staff on a great job during this Holy season. Lent was done very well. I enjoyed the Operation Rice Bowl and I think you did a great job getting people to think about true sacrifices during this season and turning the sacrifices into giving to the less fortunate. I thought the reflections were well thought out and I heard the Mission was awesome I am sorry I did not get to experience it (I was not able to attend [because of family obligations]). I liked how well the schedules and events were communicated in the bulletin and announcements throughout Lent and Holy Week. I enjoyed the Stations of the Cross and the soup supper was a great idea, what a way to bring the community together during Lent! Holy Thursday was an awesome Mass. I thought the music was super. I really enjoyed the Communion Song Amen, El Cuerpo de Cristo (sorry if I got the title wrong- going off memory). The only weird part was the instumental organ music pre-Mass was a little scary sounding. I was thinking maybe there is someway we can, as a congregation, practice some of the new hymns and responses before Mass, this way we are not butchering these beautiful songs during Mass. I think you did a good job incorporating the different cultures represented at our Church. I also enjoyed the procession to the Altar of Repose and the time for adoration. I think the closing prayer on Thursday night was powerful and I wish more people were able to enjoy it. Good Friday was well done. I went to the 1:30 Liturgy. I enjoyed the singing of the Passion and I thought the Veneration of the Cross was powerful. Easter Sunday the Church looked great and sounded great. I had an overall great experience of Lent and Holy Week thanks to your hard work and the hard work of the staff.

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I realize Donalyn does not like me to takes pictures of her, so I shall refain from posting her's here, but I really love her comments about the Holy Thursday Liturgy. Indeed there were some special moments last night, and we have just begun. Here is what Donalyn says:

And this picture does not do the moment justice; not even! Even the screaming child could not completely ruin the majesty of what it felt like to experience the unity and power of this moment; it was palpable.

And the music?! What a difference a year makes, huh? The Festival Choir was, hmm, what's that phrase..."off the hook"? Oh my gosh, we can really do it!!! I happen to think highly of our choir and I have to say that they outdid themselves this evening.

Another powerful time was the offering of the gifts: You and Gabrielle doing the "head-butt" thing, I mean have you ever met a more poised and reverent 1st grader? And Tim and Lily Roberto teaching their daughter Brianna to bow after presenting the gifts...These things really brought the entire congregation into the family and helped everyone to be a part of the offering of gifts; something I think we all sometimes fail to realize.

We know how hard you worked putting this together and your dedication to the Liturgy shows. This was clearly not a Liturgy that was just "phoned in" or routine. It was special. I can't wait for Easter Vigil!

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Before any activity, before the world can change there must be worship. Worship alone sets us truly free; worship alone gives us the criteria for our action. Precisely in a world in which guiding criteria are absent and the threat exists that each person will be a law unto himself, it is fundamentally necessary to stress worship.

Benedict XVI

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Not all quizzes are created equal. I am giving this quiz as part of the class in Adult Faith Formation tonight, and was amazed that some of the questions were confusing.

Check out question #3 and question #5 and tell me what you think.

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Steven has the uncanny ability to stay out of news photos. I have not been able to find him anywhere, although I saw that this blogger mentioned his participation in the Mass today.

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I am sure this will meet with some resistance from parishioners here.

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I watched the consistory this morning for only one reason. I wanted to see if my friend Steven Lopes would show up on the television. Sure enough, there he was seated right behind Cardinal Levada. Unfortunately, I have not found that he showed up on any of the news photes found on the web. A glimpse of him is seen on the left side of this Reuters picture.


He can be seen more clearly in this photo of him with Archbishop Levada and Pope Benedict XVI taken several months ago.






Of course, I always delight in his presence. It was a joy to have him as part of the liturgy this past Christmas. He is pictured on the left here along with myself and Deacon Ernie Perez. Steven will be honored this summer as a distinguished graduate of St. Edward School.

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We have Rev. Patrick Collins here for our annual Lenten Parish Mission. He is a delightful speaker, and a musician too. It was a pretty busy day. I was a bit behind on my other Blog answering questins for parishioners. If you want to take a look at the questions and the answers they are here.

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Rocco has an interesting article on the burning or buying of ashes for Ash Wednesday. We bought some last year because we had no idea if people would bring their palms back. This year we did not buy any as we had plenty of palms to burn. They smolder rather than burst into flame, he said. We had quite the opposite experience. The flames were huge, and it was good to have a screen to keep embers from blowing away. Also there was no need for paper or wood to start the fire. Cruz started the fire with a blow torch, so all we have is ashes from palm branches.

Here is a link to an article and picture in today's paper, although the link should only work for 14 days.

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After the 9:00am Mass this morning, the students at the school took the Alleluia banner and "buried" it in the baptismal font, which was then covered with a grey cloth. Then the students trooped outside to burn the palms from last year and helped prepare the ashes for tomorrow. This evening the Faith Formation children helped with some more palms and then buried last years ashes.

The Staff threw a nice Mardi gras luncheon in the rectory, with beads and decorations and everything.

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The Lenten Calendar 2006
and
The Lenten Brochure 2006

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Vacations are difficult to maintain when you come home to so much work that has been waiting for you.

Prayers appreciated for the Retrovaille Weekend I am doing this weekend here in the Oakland Diocese.

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I am taking a bit of a break from Parish work. I will be back February 4th. I have two masses plus Confirmation tomorrow, and I leave on Monday. I am going to Ohio. Are there any readers of this Blog near Dayton?

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Today was first confession. We often refer to it as being assaulted by marshmellows. From 10:00am to Noon and then again from 1:00pm till 3:00pm; we had five priests for the first session and four for the second session. Some were so cute and adorable, even as nervous as they were, some just made me grin from ear to ear, some made me wonder where they would be in 20 years and what kind of trouble they would find themselves in; all in all it was a rich and full day as a priest. We have first confessions again in March. We will have nine first communion celebrations. Yes, we have that many children.

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I was not able to attend the West Coast Walk for Life, but several parishioners did, and I hope we can get more involved next year. This year I was at the annual Confirmation Retreat. But I was able to see many photos on various sites, and lo and behold I recognize some of our parishioners.

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The joys of Christmas including singing the Mass for nine days for the Simbang Gabi, The Sung Mass for Midnight, and the wonderful generosity of this wonderful parish. It was a real joy to see Steven this season, and he and I have reflected for these days on the mysteries of the Epiphany. He first suggested preaching on the Tribus Miraculis Magnificat antiphon for today, and I chatted with him yesterday about the richness of the Hodie antiphon from this morning's Benedictus. That antiphon places all three mysteries in the context of the heavenly wedding feast. That formed the outline of this morning's homily.

Then Don Marco of Santa Croce Abbey in Rome sent me a wonderful collect for the General Intercessions which I used this morning. It summed up the homily very well. I will print it below.

Steven is seen in the picture above, a picture of the closing procession for Midnight Mass. People commented afterward what a joy it was to have two priests chanting. Steven is Fr. Steven Lopes, STD who is currently serving as the Secretary to Archbishop Levada and also is an officialis i