Four Priests who need your prayers

[This homily was delivered on the 12^th Sunday of Ordinary time – June 19, 2016 at the 9:30 and 11 AM Masses at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Staten Island, NY.]

In today’s Gospel Jesus asks his disciples, those men who would become his first priests:

“Who do the crowds say that I am?”

They said in reply, “John the Baptist;

others, Elijah;

still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

Then he said to all,

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  

This applies to all Christians, but today I’m going to talk about 4 priests.  These 4 priests are linked together. 

The first is Father Joe Murray.  Joe was a parishioner here at OLGC for a number of years before he joined the Order of St. Augustine. Joe was ordained the priest yesterday at St. Thomas Church on the Villanova university campus. I had the privilege of singing for the Mass in the small choir made up of seven Augustinian friars. After the bishop laid hands on Joe, praying that the Holy Spirit come into him, everyone of us priests got in line and did the same. That part of the ceremony makes me feel as if each one of us priests is sharing our priesthood with the newly ordained.

Father Joe is not a young priest. He’s 58 years of age. His first assignment we’ll be right there at Villanova. He will work as a member of the campus ministry team. And I’m sure that he will do a very fine job. In that context the Lord will ask him to deny himself, take up his cross and follow him. 

Every day in one way or another Jesus will be asking him:

“Who do you say that I am?”   I want you all to pray that Joe answers that question in the way it needs to be answered every day of his priesthood - for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

Immediately after the ordination Mass I drove a couple miles to Bryn Mawr Hospital, and visited Father Jack.

I took this photo of Fr. Jack in the
fall of 2008 in Maggie Valley, NC. 

Father Jack Denny is from a big family - eight brothers and one sister.  His brother Bill was the year ahead of me at Msgr. Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, PA. Jack was nine years younger than me, so I didn’t know him then. But in 2008 when I returned to the Augustinians after 12 years out on an extended leave of absence, I was assigned to St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, where Jack was the pastor and Brother Bill Harkin was the prior of the friary. With their kindness, warmth and good humor, Jack and Bill made my return to Augustinian community life and active priestly ministry a smooth and pleasant one.

Five years ago, Father Jack was appointed pastor of our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Brother Bill (a permanent deacon) is semi-retired and still works at OMGC on weekends. In early April of this year I was very pleased to learn that my next assignment would be to go to Bryn Mawr as Father Jack’s assistant pastor.  I was thrilled that Jack and Bill and I would be working together again.

Then, just four days after that, we all received news that Jack was diagnosed with cancer of the liver that was rather advanced. My assignment was changed from “assistant pastor” to “administrator pro tem.”  During this last week other organ systems started to fail.

When I walked into his hospital room on Saturday, I knew that he was very weak and that I shouldn’t stay long.  Jack received me with a smile. He spoke slowly. I told him that I had been looking forward to working with him again, but that I considered it a privilege to be able to continue the work that he was doing in the Parish. I asked him for his blessing and almost immediately he raised his right hand and began the words: “May the blessing of Almighty God...” I quickly knelt beside his bed to receive that blessing. Then I thanked him for all the kindness and warmth that he and Brother Bill had shown me in Maggie Valley and said good-bye.

Jack also is 58 years of age.  Joe is beginning his priesthood.  Jack might soon be coming to the end of his active ministry.

And every day Jesus continues to say to Jack:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Please pray that Jack may respond to that question in a way that pleases the Lord, every day of his priesthood.    However long or short that might be...for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

And then there’s that priest Fr. Jack Denny blessed yesterday afternoon. 

This priest, Liam O’Doherty, standing here in front of you.    

The Lord has made me a better priest in the 6 years I have been here among you at Our Lady of Good Counsel. At least I think and believe so.  Thanks to your patience with me, I think I have become a more patient pastor.  A pastor who listens better.  A more relaxed priest. 

Working here among you these past 6 years has helped me to realize that the most important thing for a priest to do is to help his people fall more deeply in love with Jesus Christ. 

I thank God for that.  I thank you, the people of OLGC for that. 

And of course every day Jesus is asking me:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Please pray that I may respond to that question in the way the Lord wants to hear, every day of my priesthood - for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.   

And then there’s Fr. Ambrose Madu - the priest who will come after Fr. Liam.

I . really . like . Father . Ambrose.  

He spent an afternoon with us here at the beginning of the month.

In the next 12 days until he becomes your pastor I plan to spend 2 more days with him.  I like him.  I believe he will be good for this parish.  But you, the people of OLGC, have a very big part to play in that. 

You, the people of OLGC supported me in many ways. 

I pray that you welcome and support Father Ambrose even more. 

He will need it even more than I did.     

Let me talk to you from MY Experience:

I know what it is like to be a pastor in a country that is not your own. 

My first pastorate was at St. Monica’s in the city of Nagoya in Central Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka.  There I was, like Father Andrew - a priest from a faraway country, a priest of different racial background. 

Not only did the people support me and the wider parish community through their participation in ministries and activities, they also invited me into their homes to break bread with them (actually the main staple food there is rice rather than bread – but you get the idea.) 

Their warmth and acceptance made a huge difference for me. 

Please! Befriend Fr. Ambrose with your warmth, your smile, your acceptance.  

Father Ambrose will need that same kind of help and support. 

And please pray for him. 

And of course every day, in some way or another Jesus will be asking him every day:

“But who do you say that I am?”   Pray that Ambrose answers that question in the way fits what God expects of him every day of his priesthood.  

For the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

  

So you have these 4 priests: 

• Joe, who at 58 is beginning his priesthood.
• Jack, who at 58 is possibly coming to the end of his. 
• Liam, who is moving on to a new Good Counsel
• Ambrose, who will be your new pastor in less than 2 weeks.

Please pray for them and for all priests:

That they may answer that question:

“But who do you say that I am?”  

in the way it needs to be answered every day of their priesthood.  

For the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

[Note: Father Jack went home to the Lord less than 24 hours after this homily was delivered.]

What's the Difference between Archdiocesan & Augustinian?

Dear friends,

As you know, the Augustinian friars established OLGC parish in 1899. We have worked here for over 117 years.  It truly does pain us to leave here after all this time.  As of July 1, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York will become the new pastor here.

Many people ask me, what is the difference between an Augustinian friar and an archdiocesan priest? Let me begin to explain by telling you about religious orders.

Seal of the Order of St. Augustine
Front door of Our Mother of Consolation Friary,
Lawrence, Massachusetts

You have heard about the Jesuits, the Franciscans, the Benedictines and the Dominicans. These groups, plus the Augustinians, and many other groups are called “religious orders.” Usually, most of the members of men’s religious orders are priests, but many of them are brothers. They may never become priests, but they are full members of the order.  They are teachers, counselors, artists, administrators and many other professions.  All members of orders take religious vows.  Poverty, chastity and obedience are the three that most of the orders take.  All of them dedicate their lives to Jesus and to the Church.  Among the mendicant orders (Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans and Dominicans) all members are called “friars,” a term that comes from the Latin word “frater,” meaning “brother.” All of us are brothers (friars) from the time we make our first vows.  Although I am a priest, I never quit being a brother.  So it is as correct to call me "Friar Liam" or "Brother Liam" as it is to call me "Father Liam."  My blog, in fact, is called "Friar Liam's Blog." 

Members of religious orders usually live in community. They pray together, eat together and very often they work together and recreate together too. These religious orders have a special “charisms,” or characteristic. For the Franciscans, it is poverty; for the Dominicans, is preaching. For the Benedictines, it is monastic life. For the Augustinians it is community life, hospitality and a spirit of searching for God.

Religious orders report directly to the Pope, but they are also very much involved in serving the local church.  They can be sent to work almost anywhere.  For instance, I have worked in Troy, NY, Boston, North Carolina, Tokyo, and Nagasaki.

The Catholic Church is divided up into regions.  Each region is called a diocese or an archdiocese.  Each of these regions is placed under the care of a bishop or archbishop.  Priests who belong to these regions aid their bishops in the care of the souls of the people of these regions.  They are called diocesan [or archdiocesan] priests. 

Diocesan priests also dedicate themselves to Jesus Christ and to His Church. Unlike members of religious orders, they do not take the three vows, but on the day of their ordination they promise to obey their bishops.  Most of them will work in parishes, high schools, or in special ministries in their own diocese for all of their life.  They “belong” to the diocese and they “belong” to the bishop. 

Many of you know Father Louis Jerome who was pastor of Sacred Heart and is now pastor of St. Charles.  Both Father Jerome and I have the same boss.  Our boss is Cardinal Dolan.  The difference is that besides working for Cardinal Dolan, Father Jerome also “belongs” to Cardinal Dolan as a priest of the Archdiocese of NY.  I work for Cardinal Dolan, but I “belong” to the Villanova Province of the Order of Saint Augustine. 

Many OLGC parishioners are afraid that things may change when the new pastor comes.  Even when one religious order priest replaces another one, some things change to some extent.  But Bishop O’Hara and Cardinal Dolan want to make sure that the new pastor will have the pastoral leadership qualities of wisdom, understanding and flexibility needed to continue the Augustinian tradition here at OLGC.

Peace,

Fr. Liam

This is based on my letter to the people of 
Our Lady of Good Counsel, SI, NY 

for the May 29, 2016 Sunday Bulletin. 

今日の俳句 Today's haiku 2016.05.19

ごみの横

争う四つ羽

春の鳥

Beside the garbage


four starlings argue over


leftover chicken.

Letter to the People of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Dear friends,

We are grieving. As a parish we are grieving. We Augustinian friars are grieving. More than one parishioner has said to me, “This is like a death in the family.” I don’t think that the simile is overdramatic. This hurts. For all of us.

At the same time, to combine quotes two of our parishioners: “But nobody has died – we will get through this if we support each other – and no matter what, Jesus is still with us.”

I have been telling people how proud I am of the parishioners here at OLGC. In a number of conversations in the past week after the announcement, first came shock and some very raw emotional reactions.  Then in a very short time the conversations shifted to the need to form a task force to try to help the parish community to get through all of this, to prepare to welcome the new pastor whoever he may be, and to make the transition as smooth as possible for all concerned. I think that nothing could have made me feel prouder as a pastor then to hear our parishioners express that sentiment!

By the time you read this letter, the Parish Council will have met and that task force will have started to form and to begin its work. I will keep you posted through our normal means of communications (Mass announcements, OLGCSI.org, the OLGC Facebook page and Flocknotes*) regarding activities of this task force.

Father Emeka. Although Fr. Aquilino and I will be here at OLGC until the end of June, we are sad to say goodbye to Father Emeka during the second week in May. We will have a simple farewell Mass and hospitality for Father Emeka on Sunday, May 8, which is also Mother’s Day.

Deacon Joe Murray. A bit of happy news is that Joe Murray, OSA, who entered the Augustinians from our OLGC parish community, will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 18 at Villanova. He will celebrate his First Mass/Mass of Thanksgiving here at OLGC the next day, Sunday, June 19 at 3 PM. This will be a happy occasion and I hope that many of you will join this celebration. 

Father Jack Denny. My next assignment will be parochial vicar (assistant pastor) at Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. My friend Father Jack Denny, OSA is pastor there. Father Jack and I worked together in 2008 and 2009 at St. Margaret’s Church in Maggie Valley, North Carolina where he was pastor at that time.  Please keep Father Jack in your prayers.  He has just been diagnosed with cancer. 

On Sunday, June 26 we will have a special Mass and event to mark these 118 years.  Bishop O’Hara (who hopes to be with us for the Mass) refers to it as a “Mass of Thanksgiving” which is an appropriate title.  The Augustinians have much to be thankful for in the years we have journeyed with OLGC.  We will invite all friars who have been assigned to OLGC in the past to be part of this occasion. 

Let us continue to pray to Jesus and to Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel, for each other and for the entire parish during this challenging time. 

Peace,

Fr. Liam

PS, *to sign up for Flocknotes, please text OLGCSI to 84567, or visit:

Flocknote.com/OLofGoodCounsel

Dancing with Ancestors

Click here to see the Video. 

And here's what my brother, Hugh, wrote about this video: 

HAVE A LOVELY DAY, CELEBRATING YOUR FAMILY'S HERITAGE(S)!

I am sharing this short JibJab that my brother, Liam, assembled and posted, last year.

As the show begins, we see 4 women depicted. Left-to-right, they are: 

• Hannah Lafferty McIntyre (she was the mother of Hannah McIntyre O'Doherty, and therefore, was one of our great grandmothers). My siblings and cousins never met her. 
• Susan Ward Quinn from outside of Glenties, in County Donegal, Ireland. (She married my namesake, Hugh Quinn, from outside Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone, after they separately emigrated to "the states." They were our Mom's parents, and lived on the same block as our childhood home, in Darby, PA.
• Hannah McIntyre O'Doherty, from outside Creeslough, Donegal. (She married Liam's namesake, William O'Doherty, from Malin Head, Donegal, after they separately came to the U.S. They were our Dad's (John O'Doherty's) parents. Hannah was a big part of our lives, too! William died, when he was 39. So, my siblings and cousins never met him.
• Kathleen Quinn O'Doherty (our Mom, who lives at Granite Farms, in Media, PA).

The male dancer who joins the women is Liam.

Thanks again, Liam, for bringing these fine, important people together!

Last week, I had the delight of hearing Julie Gold perform her song, "Goodnight New York." It describes her Russian mother's sailing into the harbor "of hopes and of dreams."

The song reminds me of all 4 of my grandparents, and particularly Hannah; because she was the only one to be processed thru Ellis Island. (The other 3 were processed thru a center in Chester, PA.)

I also think of all the times, since Hannah's arrival, when my family members have crossed that harbor on ferry boats, or have driven across the Verrazano Bridge.

I gratefully think of how my personal hopes and dreams were fulfilled to the extent, that I was fortunate to be able to fly aircraft over (and under) that bridge, and then cruise past Ellis Island, hundreds of times.

Thank you, Susan and Hugh!

Thank you, Hannah and William!

Love,

Hugh,

one of your indebted grandchildren.

Barring Muslims from the US is not what we should be about

The proposal to bar Muslims from entry into the United States of America is one that I find contrary to the teachings of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, very Un-American, dangerous and just plain mean-spirited.

On a personal level, I also find this proposal extremely disturbing for two very personal reasons:

The first personal reason is that I spent 18 years of my adult life as a kind of a migrant in a land where the predominant religion was not my own.   In 1977 I was sent as a Catholic missionary to Japan where less than 1% of the population were Christian. Those years in Japan were extremely rewarding. I was warmly welcomed not only by Christians but by Buddhists and Shintoists alike.

I cringe to think that if the attitudes of fear and distrust I see rampant among many in our country now were present in Japan in the 1970s, I may not have been able to even visit the country, let alone work there for 18 years.

The second personal reason has 4 simple elements:

1.   I am a Roman Catholic and a

2.   third-generation Irish-American.

3.   I am also a native of Philadelphia and

4.   a priest of the Order of St. Augustine, one of the ancient orders of the Catholic Church.

Anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States reached a high point of intensity in Philadelphia in the mid-1840s. After years of friction and hostility between so-called nativist groups and Catholics, anti-Catholic riots broke out on May 6, 1844.

Next day: an Irish fire station and 30 homes of Irish Catholics were burned to the ground.

One day later: mobs attacked and burned two Catholic Churches, St. Michael’s and St. Augustine’s Church, a church established by my Order, the Augustinians in 1796.

St. Augustine’s Church burning 1844.05.08

Early in the 20th century lynch mobs killed Catholic Italians. Among some groups in this country, this sentiment still exists although it is not a virulent as it was before.  Back then, it was a similar sentiment to the kind of Islamophobia today that's led many Americans to call for shutting down mosques, forcing Muslims to register in a national database, and even banning Muslims from entering our country.

As Americans, we must not turn away from the ideals of the founding fathers. While striving for security, we must at the same time strive for freedom – freedom from fear and hatred and ignorance.

For many of us, in this a holy season.  A season when we celebrate the light - the light that the darkness cannot overcome (John 1:5, NRSV); we are reminded of God’s desire to give the gift of life – life in abundance for all.

Together with all our brothers and sisters who love God in whatever tradition, and with those who do not believe in any God,

we are committed to building a stronger society based on the dignity of each human being, the value of diversity, the holiness of creation, and the common good.

We pledge our partnership and invite all groups and individuals into continued dialogue and engagement to this end.

Reflections on 21 Egyptian Coptic Martyrs (Libya) and the beginning of Lent

（based on Sunday's homily - 説教　四旬節第1主日　B年  2015-02-22 英語　MK 1:12-15）

It's the first Sunday of Lent. For us Catholics, Lent is our yearly retreat of 40 days. Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, we will spend 40 days praying, giving alms, and fasting.

We do all of these things for the one purpose of rededicating ourselves to Jesus Christ.

We do all of these things so that we can become closer to Jesus Christ. 

We do all of these in order to renew our baptism.

And it is through baptism that we are united to the passion, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We do all of these things so that we can follow the command of Jesus: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”(Mk 1:15)

Icon by Tony Rezk

All this week I have been thinking about and praying about the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were recently murdered by the soldiers of ISIS - Muslims who are violent extremists - in Libya. Perhaps you have seen video of this horrible act of violence on the Internet or on television. ISIS released the video last Sunday.  21 black-clad soldiers of ISIS lead 21 orange-clad prisoners along the beach beside the Mediterranean Sea. The 21 Christian men were made to kneel down at the water’s edge. The news sources did not, of course, show the gruesome scene of the soldiers murdering these poor innocent Egyptian Christians, but we know that as they died, most of them were saying the words: “My Lord Jesus Christ,” or “Jesus, help me.”

This martyrdom affected me in a way that surprised me.  Yesterday I was on the phone with a Muslim friend.  I had called about another matter, but when the subject of this horrible event came up in conversation, I suddenly found myself all choked up with tears running down my cheeks. These were tears of sadness, but even more, tears of pride in the victory of martyrdom won by these brothers of mine whom I had never met.  To die for Christ is something I both fear and desire. The stories of the martyrs were a prominent part in my early Catholic education back in the 1950s.  Ever since I was a child, these stories have had a special appeal and fascination for me. My time in Japan, especially my time in Nagasaki - ground made holy by the martyr's blood that flowed there - only deepened my understanding and fascination. A few of the martyrs were my own Augustinian friars and third order (lay) members, both Japanese and foreign born.  More were members of other religious orders or diocesan priests.  The overwhelming majority of them were lay people - some who in the 1700s gave up their lives rather than betray the whereabouts of priests who were serving the underground communities.  Many of the Christians I served there were descendants of these martyrs.  For me, the phrase, "the blood of martyrs is the seed of faith" is not just a nice saying, but a palpable reality.  Proof for me that the "communion of saints" is a living reality.   

The fact that this crime was perpetrated by men claiming to do it in the name of Islam, a faith that is not my own but one for which I have great respect because of the Muslims I know as friends, lends another level of complexity to the whole situation.  The men and women I hold as friends, I know by the fruit of their work and the way they live their lives to be good people who love God as much as I do.  And they grieve the deaths of these Copts as much as I do.  Among the many ideals that Catholicism and Islam hold in common, martyrdom is held in high esteem in both religions. 

Catholics are warned not to actively seek out martyrdom, but to pray for the grace and strength from God to be able to withstand it. Should the Lord be pleased to call me to such a privilege, I just hope I will be able to rely on His mercy enough so that His strength will see me through. 

From the video released by ISIS Feb. 15. 

These Coptic Christians gave their lives for Jesus Christ.  

They died because they were Christians. These men are glorious martyrs for the Christian faith.

These men were not Catholics. It makes no difference.  

Because of their baptism into Jesus Christ; because of their faith in Jesus Christ – because of their love for Jesus Christ, these men are our brothers. And because of the way they died, these men are martyrs, these men are our heroes. 

Pope Francis spoke about these new martyrs on Monday, the day after the video of the executions was released:

I would now like to turn to my native tongue to express feelings of profound sorrow. Today I read about the execution of those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians. Their only words were: “Jesus, help me!”  They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians. ... The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ. As we recall these brothers who died only because they confessed Christ, I ask that we encourage each another to go forward with this ecumenism which is giving us strength, the ecumenism of blood. The martyrs belong to all Christians.

“Me permito recurrir a mi lengua materna para expresar un hondo y triste sentimiento. Hoy pude leer la ejecución de esos ...21... cristianos coptos. Solamente decía Jesús ayúdame. Fueron asesinados por el sólo hecho de ser cristianos. ... La sangre de nuestros hermanos cristianos es un testimonio que grita. Sean católicos, ortodoxos, coptos, luteranos, no interesa: son cristianos. Y la sangre es la misma, la sangre confiesa a Cristo. Recordando a estos hermanos que han sido muertos por el sólo hecho de confesar a Cristo, pido que nos animemos mutuamente a seguir adelante con este ecumenismo que nos está alentando el ecumenismo de la sangre. Los mártires son de todos los cristianos, recemos unos por los otros”.

In Christianity, martyrs are our spiritual heroes. They inspire us. They make us want to love Jesus more strongly.  In the 2000 years of Christian History, there has been martyrs in every age. Probably none so many as in our present age. Not only the 21 Egyptian martyrs of Libya, hundreds and hundreds have died in Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, and many other nations. Most of them are men and women we never hear about. Earlier this month, Pope Francis recognize Bishop Oscar Romero as a martyr, Bishop Romero was assassinated in El Salvador in 1980.

Christ, in his mercy, gave these 21 Coptic Christian men the grace to be able to die for him. In dying for Christ they gave glory to Christ.

Not all of us will receive that grace.

But we know that Christ in his mercy will give to you and me the grace to be able to live for him. As we enter Lent, we ask Jesus for the grace of renewal. So that in living for Jesus Christ we can give glory to Jesus Christ.  We know that Christ will give us that grace of renewal if we turn to him sincerely in our hearts and ask him for that grace -  ask him for the grace of repentance – ask him for the grace to believe in the Gospel. And recieving that grace, we must follow through upon it.   

Brothers and sisters,

As we enter into these 40 holy days of Lent, let us ask all the martyrs who have gone before us to pray for us to God.  We are united with them throught the Communion of Saints!

Let us ask St. Steven the very first martyr to intercede for us with his prayers. 

Let us implore Saints Peter, Andrew, James, Phillip, Thomas, Matthew, Bartholomew, Paul, - apostles and martyrs to intercede for us with their prayers. 

Let us beg for the intercessory prayers of Bishop Oscar Romero.

Let us ask for the prayers of the martyrs of the 21^st century including the 21 Egyptian Coptic martyrs of Libya,

...that during Lent, God might grant us the grace to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ so that we can give glory to him in the way we live.

---------------

Here is a link to a short conversation on a call-in radio program of a man whose two brothers were martyred in this incident:

http://youtu.be/-yCmnyzYeW8

楓橋夜泊： Here's a 6-minute video about one of my favorite poems.

Friday Night Music

Two songs: 

Knocking on Heaven's Door

Oh! Darling

俳句：学年の最後の日

毎年の六月の半ばの思い出

The last day of school

sweet scent of honeysuckle

brings back the old days.

Poem: four men

four men

the man who walks beside me on my right

walks with a slight limp.

Four Men Walking
by Theodore Major

he’s wearing plaid flannel.

his face bears a grin.

he hums a simple tune.

repetitive. just loud enough to be heard.

out the corner of my eye to the left

I see another man walking.

we walk almost in step.

he has a pained look on his face. intense. slightly angry.

his left hand grasps his upper right arm.

his bare lower arm shows an old tattoo – faded and muddied.

I don’t know what it is.

I don’t need to turn my head to see

the guy walking behind me.

I know that he’s there.

he mutters under his breath.

every once in a while

he steps on the heel of my shoe.

he falls back a little.

then whispers “sorry” loud enough for me to hear him.

the man walking ahead of me just happens to be there.

I am not following him.

he strides purposefully, yet relaxed.

he’s older.

he’s completely bald,

and yet I see flakes of dandruff on the shoulders

of his dark herringbone tweed.

Who are these men?

Where are we going?

Why are we together?
What are they to me?

Can Catholics Sing?

Written for OLGC Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 20, 2012. 

Dear Friends, 
About 20 years ago, Thomas Day wrote a book called: “Why Catholics Can't Sing.” A major premise of his book was that especially on the East Coast of the United States during the formative years of Catholicism in America, most of the bishops in major US cities were either Irish were of Irish descent. Earlier, during the years 1660 to 1760, when the British were persecuting Catholics in Ireland - a period known as “The Penal Times,” Catholic priests were wanted men. Hiding their identities, they traveled from village to village and offered Mass often on stones known as “Mass Rocks” located in wooded areas. Huddled together, praying the Mass with their frightened congregations, the last thing they wanted to do was to attract the attention of the British patrols. Singing was absolutely out of the question. The whole liturgy passsed in near perfect silence.

Click image to view larger version. 

In July of 1985, I attended an O'Doherty family reunion in Donegal, Ireland, and had the privilege of concelebrating Mass around one of those Mass Rocks where my own ancestors may have worshiped a few centuries before.

Professor Day reasons that the fear and trauma of that era affected subsequent generations of Irish Catholics, and by extension, the Catholics in parishes and dioceses in the United States where Irish priests were sent to minister. Professor Day accurately points out that among Catholics in the Midwest, where most of the bishops in the 19th and early 20th century were from Germany or of German descent, congregational singing at Mass has always been much stronger than on the East Coast.

One of the central aspects of Catholicism that makes it so distinctive is the incarnational aspect of our faith. That is, “The Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us.”  That incarnational aspect extends even to our own flesh, our own bodies. The way we experience our faith and express our faith, the way we worship must include the way we use our bodies. That is one of the reasons that the rubrics of the mass are so important. Standing, sitting, kneeling, praying responding out loud, being in silent meditation, actively listening - all of these things are things that we do with our bodies. One of the reasons I worry so much about children in our parish school and religious education program who study our faith but do not attend Mass regularly, is that they are learning the faith in their heads, but they are not learning the faith with their bodies. The incarnational aspect of Catholicism also means that what we do with our bodies expresses and deepens our love for God.

This is where singing comes in. I am proud of my Irish-American Catholic heritage. But I reject the notion that that heritage should keep any of us from singing our lungs out to express the love and the gratitude that we have for the God who created us, that God who loves us, the God who gives us life.

In the weeks and months ahead let us work together to improve congregational singing in our parish community. To those of you who are already singing, I invite you to put your heart in it even more. To those of you who have not yet found your voice, I invite you to step out and to use your voice as a tool for praising God. There are many who tell me, “God did not give me a good voice.” Well, give it back to him!

In the next few weeks I will be assisting the music ministry in cantoring at some of the Masses. The music ministry is there primarily to support the singing of the whole worshiping community, not to sing on their behalf. In these next weeks and months let us work together to praise our God more fervently through our singing together as a community.

Father Liam