Gospelizing

Sometimes ya just gotta rely on the ol' Anglo-Saxon for things to make sense for ya.

This is a recent bulletin article that appeared in a slightly different form.  

When many Catholics hear the word “Evangelize” in English, they think of the time someone approached them and asked, “Have you been saved,” or, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?”  Others might know that Evangelization is an important part of the work of the Catholic Church, but that it’s mostly the work of the priests.  For many Catholics, the word “Evangelization” just makes their eyes glaze over. 

Sometimes it helps to translate a word with Latin or Greek origin into good old Anglo-Saxon.  “Evangelization” comes from a Greek word meaning “Good News.”  If you wanted to translate it into Anglo-Saxon-style English, it would come out something like “Gospelizing.”  But that sounds like such an odd word.  “Giving the Gospel to others,” or even better, “Giving the Good News to others” is probably a good definition.   When someone accepts the Good New we give them, it changes them.  It transforms them. 

Evangelization is one of the main responsibilities of a pastor.  I have to make sure that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is faithfully proclaimed and explained in my own homilies and in those of Father Jorge and Father Jim.  I have to see that it is being proclaimed and taught in our parish school and in our religious education program.  I have to see that the Gospel is proclaimed for adults through RCIA and programs like Renew.  Many, many people are actively evangelizing others in this parish, including and very importantly the parents who teach their little ones how to pray, tell them stories about Jesus, Mary and the saints, and most importantly bring them to Mass on weekends. 

Evangelization is a life-long process.  The more we open our hearts to the Gospel, the more it transforms us.  As an adult, as a priest and as pastor, I have a responsibility to make sure that I receive evangelization.  That’s why I make a yearly retreat, make sure I spend time with Holy Scripture and other spiritual reading.  I am evangelized by the friars I live with and by my spiritual director.  I am evangelized by you, the parishioners, who also give me the Gospel, the Good News.   All of us, as baptized Christians, have the duty to evangelize, to give the Good News to each other. 

I have been your pastor for only 2 months now.  As I told you in my first homily, during my first few months, “I intend to observe, participate, ask a lot of questions and strive to understand the way things work in the parish.”  That is still where I am and will be for quite a while.  One thing that is becoming clearer to me is that we as a parish community and I as pastor need to re-evangelize our brother and sister Catholics who no longer worship with us.  From 2004 to 2008, Mass attendance in the churches of Staten Island has decreased 17.2%.  That’s close to 1 out of 5 of our brothers and sisters who seem to have chosen not to position themselves where they can receive the Gospel message.  In love and compassion we need to figure out how to reach out to them.  Praying for them is extremely important, but we also need to consider concrete steps to win them back. 

Father Liam 

Five Days in New Jersey

The following is a letter I wrote for next week's parish bulletin

Dear Parishioners,

Atlantic Ocean

Last week from Monday to Friday I participated in a meeting of pastors from the Archdiocese of New York at a small hotel in Spring Lake, New Jersey, right across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. We pastors prayed together, had meals together and listened to three talks a day. Archbishop Timothy Dolan was with us for the final day and a half of our meetings. For me, having only arrived in the New York archdiocese in August, this was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the archdiocese and its history, and to get to know face-to-face many of the other pastors working in the Archdiocese. It was also an opportunity to meet some of the chancery officials as well.

The talks were on a wide range of topics: the history of the Archdiocese, preaching, the Second Vatican Council, planning for the parochial schools of the archdiocese, etc. Two priests spoke on strategies for attracting new vocations to the priesthood. A priest who works at the Vatican gave us a talk about the English translation of the new Roman Missal that we Catholics in the United States will begin using in Advent of next year. There were talks about physical and mental wellness and also on finances. The final talk on Friday morning was about spirituality for priests, given by a Jesuit from Philadelphia.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan

For me, the highlight of the week was Thursday, when Archbishop Dolan spoke to us in both the morning and afternoon sessions, and also preached to us at Mass at noontime. The talks that he gave were simple at the same time profound. He started by talking to us about what it means to love Jesus. He made it very clear to us that he sees us pastors as his partners in looking after the needs of all the Catholics and the archdiocese, but at the same time, he is concerned about our souls. He wants to make sure that each of us has a deep and personal relationship with Jesus.

Archbishop Dolan is extremely frank and realistic about the very difficult challenges that are facing this Archdiocese in particular, and the Catholic Church in general in the United States. These challenges are especially worrisome when expressed in numbers. There has been a very sharp decline in Mass attendance. More and more younger Catholics are opting not to marry in the Catholic Church. For most dioceses and religious orders, the number of men entering formation programs and seminaries has dwindled to a mere trickle. In the face of all of these difficult challenges, Archbishop Dolan has a confidence in God’s love and God’s grace that is contagious.  The Cross of Jesus Christ is the foundation of his faith. He is extremely affable and personable, and has an extraordinarily disarming sense of humor. You can tell that he genuinely enjoys spending time with his priests, and that his concern for them is very real.

Soon after I arrived in Staten Island back in August, Archbishop Dolan phoned me to welcome me to the Archdiocese. At that time, he expressed interest in coming out to visit all of us here at Our Lady of Good Counsel. I’m hoping that takes place sometime soon after Easter.

My thanks to Father Jorge, by the way, for writing last week’s bulletin article - the second article about Evangelization.

Sincerely,

Father Liam 

The Jerusalem Temple and our Church – article three

Here is an article I wrote today for our parish's Sunday's Bulletin a few weeks ago. 

From the beginning of Jesus’ life on Earth until close to the end, the Temple is the scene of many episodes.  In Luke’s Gospel he is presented to the Lord as an infant and Mary and Joseph find him there when he was “lost” at age 12.  We know the story of Jesus chasing out the moneychangers from the Temple.  Especially toward the end of his public life he often taught in the temple precincts. 

From what we can tell, the “temple precincts” or outer courts were the places where people gathered to pray, to socialize, sometimes to do business, often to discuss the Torah (the first 5 books of the Hebrew Scriptures) and other things.  These outer courts were separated from the inner courts of the Temple which contained the Holy Place, the Holy of Holies and other chambers where usually only the priests entered and where they offered special prayers, burnt incense, and performed animal sacrifices and other sacred rituals.  In some ways these outer courts were a “buffer” between the inner sanctuary of the Temple, which was the place where God resided on Earth, and the world outside. 

Those outer courts of the Temple remind me of our plaza – also a “buffer.”  There are differences.  The outer courts of the Temple were surrounded by walls and our plaza is not.  A very large portion of our plaza is under a canopy and the outer courts of the Temple were not.  I love to see people gathering and talking before of after Mass on this plaza.  I remember with much pleasure how we all gathered there and ate together, chatted together as a community in August when we said farewell to Father John. 

Know one more thing I like about the plaza?  The floor.  Blue slate!  Nearly the same as the floor in the Church.  Father Henry Eagan, OSA in his booklet, “The Sacred Art of our Parish Church,” writes very simply: “The plaza is made of blue-stone paving which runs into the Church flooring, wedding the outside and indoor areas.”  To me, walking on the blue slate of our plaza (our “buffer”) into our Church reminds us that we take the thoughts, cares, worries and joys of our life “outside” with us as we enter into our Holy of Holies to worship our God.  Then walking from the slate of the Church floor onto the slate of the plaza, reminds me that the encounter with Jesus begun during the Mass continues as I bring Him with me to the “outside.” 

Kin

Left is my brother-in-law, John.  Middle is my sister, Kathleen.  Right is my brother, Hugh.  John and Kathleen just returned to the US after living in Europe for about 23 years.

Love Thy Neighbor on Staten Island

The following is a letter I wrote for this Sunday's parish bulletin.

Dear brothers and sisters, 

Last Sunday afternoon I was walking down Victory Boulevard toward Jersey Street. As I passed the mosque, a 5-passenger truck was leaving the parking lot and a man got out to close the gate after the truck. He smiled at me and asked, “Do you want a ride?” “I’m not going very far,” I said. “We’ll take you.” So I said thanks and climbed into the truck. I should mention at this point that I was wearing my habit at the time. 

I told him I was heading to the rally being held to protest against the Jersey Street sanitation truck garage in that mostly residential neighborhood. “Yes, that’s where we are going too,” he said, and introduced himself as Ferid Bedrolli, imam of the mosque. I introduced myself and told him that I was planning to stop by the mosque sometime to introduce myself more formally. He said to come any time.Offering me that ride was a small act of kindness, but it meant a lot to me. It was a small act of kindness from someone not originally from my country nor of my religion. 

Project Hospitality and the clergy group of Staten Island have picked this Sunday as “Love Thy Neighbor Sunday.” This is in response to the crimes of violence committed against members of minority communities here on Staten Island over the past few months. At this early stage of my time as pastor of OLGC, I am concentrating on getting to know the parish and you, the parishioners and limiting my activity outside the parish to only a few things. But preaching about love of neighbor is part of my job description, can be done right here, and most importantly of all, is Gospel teaching that we need to be aware of every day. No one in this congregation is guilty of violence against members of minority communities, I’m sure.   But it is important for us as followers of Jesus Christ to see all people as He sees them, and not to let stereotypes and preconceived notions dictate how we think and feel about them and interact with them. 

Let us ask Jesus for the grace to be able to do that.

Peace

Fr. Liam 

Jerusalem and the Altar in Our Church - part two

Here is an article I wrote today for next Sunday's Bulletin

Two weeks ago in part one in this series about our altar, I mentioned that the renowned the Belgian artist, Benoît Gilsoul, who designed the sacred art in our church, chose “Jerusalem” to be the theme of the design of the whole church, but especially that of the altar.   In the first article I wrote about Jacob’s ladder, the twelve gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem, and the dove representing the Holy Spirit who came down upon the apostles in the earthly Jerusalem, from where they spread the Gospel to the entire world.

On the front of the altar there is a very small cross, just left of center, close to the top of the altar.  It is set off from the rest of the concrete surface by gold- and black-colored tiles.  It is a very humble cross.  It actually serves two purposes:

Firstly, it is part of a set.  If you look at the two sides of the altar two other symbols, also set off from the concrete in tile: a heart on the left side and an anchor on the right.  Traditionally, these three symbols have represented the three theological virtues, Faith (the cross), Hope (the anchor) and Love (the heart).  St. Paul mentions the three of these virtues together a number of times, especially in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 where he writes: “As it is, these remain: faith, hope, and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.”

Secondly, this small, humble cross says something about the altar itself.   One thing I like about our church is that there are very few crosses in it.  That might seem to some a strange thing for a priest to say.  Aside from this small, humble cross, we have the main cross that hangs behind and above the main altar, and the processional cross.  The only other crosses for the most part are the ones that are part of the Stations of the Cross (I’ll probably write about them during Lent).  This is a good thing.  I once lived in a large friary where in some rooms there were six or eight crosses in the design of every lighting fixture in the ceiling, and there were lots of fixtures.  There were little crosses everywhere!  I’m sure the architects thought they were doing a good thing, but by multiplying the crosses and making them the relentlessly repeated theme of the décor, they were in effect watering down the meaning of the cross.

In a very real way, one can say that every altar IS the cross.  Even though it is the words of Jesus at the Last Supper that the priest repeats at every Mass, what happens is that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross becomes present on our altar.  Jesus does not die again.  Though we are standing around our altar in 2010, in a very real way we are also standing at the foot of the cross on that first Good Friday, outside the walls of Jerusalem, at the side of Mary and the Beloved Disciple.  

Father Henry J. Eagan, OSA ends his article about the altar with these words:
“Lastly, the corners of the Altar, from the floor level to the top, are to suggest a certain feeling. The lower part is rough, involved; the upper part near the tabletop, smooth, and peaceful. The lower part suggests the conflict, the struggle of man in the world; but as he approaches the Eucharist, on the top of the Altar, he finds peace, control and order.”

I would love to know how Gilsoul and his people crafted this altar.  It seems as if they poured the concrete into a cast, probably on site, but we don’t know.  Father Jim and I have been speculating.  Does anyone in the parish remember?  As Father Eagan writes, the upper parts, especially the top surface, are remarkably smooth and do communicate a kind of peaceful, solid, stable and settled feeling.  Please feel free to approach the altar and with due reverence examine it more closely sometime.  And if you have young children, please bring them up and teach them about the symbols explained in these two articles.

Jerusalem and the Altar in Our Church - part one

Here is an article I wrote today for next Sunday's Bulletin

Until the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, there was only one altar in all of Judaism.  That was in the Temple in Jerusalem.  Synagogues do not have altars.  Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), all new Catholic churches have only one altar.  Most churches built before that usually have one main altar and two or even more smaller altars.  Our church was one of the first to be built after the council, and it has a beautiful altar!  It is the focal point of our whole church.  The renowned Belgian artist, Benoît Gilsoul (1914-2000), designed most of the religious art inside our church including the altar. 

Many of you probably have seen the booklet written by Fr. Henry Eagan, OSA describing the art in our church.  He tells us that Gilsoul chose “Jerusalem” to be the theme of the altar.  This is extremely appropriate.  For us Catholics, the altar is both altar of sacrifice, inextricably bound to the cross of Jesus Christ, as well of banquet table.  On our altars the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (just outside of Jerusalem) becomes present in our midst.   Let’s look at some of the symbolism. 

First, left of center we have Jacob’s ladder.  Jacob dreamed of this ladder, with angels ascending and descending to and from Heaven, at a place called Bethel (Gen. 28:12).  St. Jerome places Bethel (“House of God”) about 12 miles north of Jerusalem, but some Jewish commentaries place it at Mount Moriah, the site where Jerusalem and the Temple were later to be built.   Jacob’s dream can be interpreted to mean that this is to be a place where God and humankind commune with each other.  In the Gospel of John 1:51 there is clear reference to Jacob's dream pointing to Jesus who is referred to with his title of Son of Man: "Amen amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."  Indeed the altar is the place where we commune with God in and through Jesus, our Lord. 

Then, right of center we see the dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit descended upon the disciples and Mary in the Upper Room, in Jerusalem, on Pentecost.  The seven round seeds seen close to the head of the dove express the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples went out from Jerusalem to witness to Jesus and to the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).   

Why are there holes in our altar?  Those are not holes.  They are gates!  The Book of Revelation chapter 21 describes the New Jerusalem that will come in the Messianic Age (when Jesus comes again) as being surrounded by walls made of precious stone.  The walls have 12 gates.  Our altar has 12 gates.  There are 6 on the front (the smallest is easy to miss – it’s at the base of the wing of the dove) and 3 on each side panel. 

Please take a closer look at the altar to see these symbols.  I’ll be writing more about the altar in a short while.   

Celebrating St. Augustine's Day in my new assignment

My first two weeks as pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel have gone smoothly.  I think I am going to like this place.  Only have had to call John, the previous pastor, twice about a few questions.  The people have been very helpful.  Laura, the office manager, and Vilma, the parish secretary, are both very professional and on top of things, as is Allen, the facilities manager.  Last Thursday I spent a few hours with the parish school principal.  Despite the building being 100+ years old, it has been kept in great shape and the parent have supported a good number of improvements in recent years.  This summer all of the floors were sanded and re-finished, a lot of painting was done, and a whole raft of other things were brought up to current code.  The teachers are all top-knotch!

So many people in the parish are enthusiastically involved in either the parish, the school or both in some cases.  Liturgy is handled very well.  There could be more singing, but that is an East Coast thing, I think.  We'll have to work on it.  The only thing that at this point has me kind of worried is the number of the faithful attending weekend Masses.  There were fewer than 900 each weekend, spread over 2 Saturday evening and 5 Sunday Masses.  I know it's August, so a lot may be on vacation or off on weekend trips.  So it may pick up after Labor Day.


This past Friday the four of us went to Manhattan for supper to celebrate the feast days of St. Monica and St. Augustine.  We went over by ferry.  I had not been on the ferry for at least 40 years.  The sky, the skyline and the weather on the way over were gorgeous.  I had not seen the Statue of Liberty in many years.  It was lovely.

Jim Cassidy, Jorge Luis Cleto, and our summer guest, Deacon Ubaldino Corrales, OSA from Panama was with us.  We went to a Peruvian restaurant in Greenwich Village.  We had a very leisurely (nearly 3 hours?) supper and then went back to the friary.  Saturday morning we concelebrated Mass on the Feast of St. Augustine.  I preached.  For the rest of the Masses over the weekend we substituted Mass for the Solemnity of Saint Augustine for the regular Sunday Masses and the hospitality committee ran a coffee and donut social after each of the Masses.

On Friday morning I visited 5 elderly parishioners in their homes, people who have been faithful members of the parish for many years, many for most of their lives.  3 of them in their 90s.  I feel it is important to bring the sacraments to such people and to maintain contact with them, especially since some of them were very active and vital members of the parish when their health was better.  I'm also convinced of the importance and the power of intercessory prayer, and I believe that people like this can continue to contribute much to the parish community by their prayers on our behalf.  I will continue to do so next Friday.  I keep picking up new names from others of the parishioners.
          

The following is a letter I wrote last evening to be published in next Sunday's church bulletin.

Dear Parishioners,

As I write this letter on Tuesday evening I have spent only a little over 33 hours as your pastor.  But I am very grateful to have been able to spend many hours here spread over the past 6 weeks.  Early in July I visited for 5 days to meet with Father John, members of the staff and some of the parishioners.  I was here for a few days before and after Joe Murray’s first profession Mass, then went on retreat in Suffern, NY, and arrived back here last Friday.  I met many of you at Father John’s farewell Mass and reception.  All of you have received me very warmly.  Thank you! 

Father John has a true pastor’s heart for you, the people of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish.  It comes through in so many ways!  The most obvious is the warmth and affection that flows between you all and him, back and forth.   Back in June, from the beginning of our conversations about this transition, John said more than once that he wanted to do everything he could to make this a smooth handoff.  I know that this is partly because of his concern for me, a fellow Augustinian friar, but also largely because of his great love for his flock, and his desire to make this transition go as smoothly and painlessly as he can for all of you.  You all know that Father John has exceptional organizational skills and pays remarkable attention to detail.  He has organized packets of informative materials having to do with all facets of the pastoral and administrative activities of the parish. Besides reserving large blocks of time to sit and explain these things to me, he has written many pages of notes to convey the more important points.  Often in recent years when a new pastor replaces a previous one, this kind of overlap is not possible.  Sometimes the two pastors never get to meet in person.  In one case I heard about, the new pastor arrived at the rectory and the parish secretary handed him an envelope from the previous pastor containing some keys and a note saying “Good luck!” 

So I consider myself extremely fortunate to be following Father John in this work as your pastor.  Both you and I owe him an immense debt of gratitude.   

When first I was informed about my appointment as pastor here, I was apprehensive.  For many reasons.  It has been a long time since I last was a pastor.  It was a much smaller parish in a nation far away from America.  But God gives us the grace to do the job he calls us to do.  As Augustinian friars, our community life, centered on supporting each other in our relationship with the Lord, is the sustaining basis for our ministry.  I am extremely pleased to be teamed with Fr. Jorge Luis Cleto and Fr. Jim Cassidy as my brothers in the friary and as co-workers in the parish.  Please pray for us, that we might grow into a community that St. Augustine would be proud of, and that we might serve all of you in the wider parish community in a way worthy of Jesus Christ our High Priest. 

And we three Augustinians will of course pray for all of you, our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Sincerely,

Father Liam 

August 8 – August 13 (Sun to Fri) – Annual Retreat

a group of happy friars

This year I really wanted to make a retreat centered on the teachings of St. Augustine and the traditions of the Augustinian Order.  I was not able to find any in the usual venues, but I found out about one being offered at Tagaste Monastery in Suffern, NY during the second week in August.  Father John Melnick, of the Society of St. Augustine in Kansas City, mentioned it to me.  John is someone I got to know through some Augustinian friends on Facebook.  So here I am.  I’m writing this on Wednesday of the retreat and I am very glad that I have had this opportunity.  Father John Oldfield has given some wonderful talks, as has Father John Gruben.  Father Ramón Gaitán, prior of the monastery, has been our coordinator for this retreat and every evening he leads us in shared reflection on the two talks of each day.  Tagaste is a monastery of the Order of Augustinian Recollects.  The Recollects started as a reform movement within the Order of St. Augustine (my order) in 1588 and became an independent canonical entity in 1912.  The Society of St. Augustine is a younger congregation that has roots in both orders.  This has been a wonderful opportunity to pray with the friars in this community (the first time I have prayed the complete Liturgy of the Hours in choir since my novitiate), learn more about Augustine’s teachings, and to be exposed to Augustinian monastic tradition from a slightly different point of view.  It has been very enriching. 

The retreat has involved some tremendous moments of grace and healing.  It is wonderful to see God at work in the people around you. 

This time of prayer and reflection is a wonderful immediate spiritual preparation for my new job, which I’m sure will become very hectic on Monday the 16^th, my first day. 

August 4 – 8  Transition begins. 

August 4 (Wednesday) – Leo Falardeau’s moving crew came over from Lowell to load my stuff onto their truck.  This is the 3^rd time in as many summers that Falardeau and Sons have moved me to a new address.  They drove my stuff down to Our Lady of Good Council Friary on Staten Island and then loaded Father John DelloRusso’s stuff on the truck and drove it back up to Lawrence. 

August 5 (Thursday) – With Jeoffry aboard I drove down to Our Lady of Good Council Friary.  As after the last two moves, she will probably spend the first month or so under the bed.  In the evening she comes out and sniffs around my two rooms.  The first night she even put her head out into the corridor and the second night went over the landing in the stairwell and looked down the steps before skittering back under the bed.  I spent Friday and most of Saturday unpacking.

August 7 (Saturday) – Today at the 5:00 PM Mass Joe Murray professed his first vows in the Order of Saint Augustine.  This was the first time I had been to a First Profession ceremony in a very long time.  It did me a lot of good to see Joe do this in front of all of us, Augustinians and other members of the gathered congregation.  It brought back memories of my own first vows ceremony in September of 1968, over 40 years ago, and helped me to frame more precisely what that means in my own life. 

July 11 – 15  Pastors for a New Millennium: A Toolbox for Parochial Management

This workshop was held at the Redemptorist Retreat House in Long Branch, NJ., right on the beach.  I am so glad that I went!  The workshop is held in collaboration with Seton Hall University and the National Leadership Roundtable for Church Management.  The latter group trains pastors and church leaders in parish management and leadership “best practice” skills adapted from non-profits and other businesses.  Each speaker spoke on such topics as administration, finances, personnel management, relationship with the diocese, spirituality, personal well-being, etc.  Speakers were both lay and clergy.  Each one presented useful information and also provided resources that I am sure I will need to access in the future.  Father Paul Holmes of SHU did a wonderful job hosting the program.  An extremely kind man.  I somehow managed to catch a cold during the week and he went out of his way to make sure I was taken care of.  

July 6 – 11  Visit to Our Lady of Good Council Parish

Sanctuary of OLGC Church, SI, NY

Father John DelloRusso set aside most of Wednesday and Thursday (July 7 & 8) from his busy schedule to show me around the parish and introduce me to people.  John is extremely well organized.  He has all the information I need about the parish, school, parish council, archdiocese, facilities, pastoral matters and so many other topics organized into drawers and binders.  He introduced me to all the staff who were available and drove me around the parish, showing me the hospital, nursing homes and other major educational institutions within the parish.  He introduced me to the two priests in charge of the local vicariate, the sister in charge of the local convent school, and of course to many of the parishioners.  Importantly, he arranged a chance for me to meet with a few of the leaders of the parish council.  We had a very worthwhile conversation.  I am looking forward to working with them and with the other members of the council. 

Although it was not part of the original plan, I stayed until the following Sunday (July 11) and celebrated a few of the Masses on Sunday morning.  The people received me very warmly after Mass.  So many people; so many names!

"Pastor...what does that mean for you?"

Paul Z., a man whom I have never met, lives in Ohio.  His brother-in-law is a musician I used to sing with (one of my favorite choral directors).  Paul and I are brother-Christians though of different branches of the Faith.  Our paths cross in cyberspace every once in a while.  We greet each other with a nod or a few words.  


A couple of days ago, reading that I was to become pastor again, this time in the US, he asked me about it: "what does that mean for you?"  This is a question I have been thinking about a lot over the past couple of weeks.  My simple answer at the time was: "I'm approaching it with a mixture of trepidation, anticipation and confidence in the Lord's wisdom, love and power."  Paul's very kind response was, "...we'll pray for his wisdom, love and power...it doesn't get any better than that!"  A very welcome reply!  


All of St. Augustine's wonderful theological works grew out of his life as a bishop (a pastor-in-chief of a regional church [diocese]).  All the things he wrote about being a bishop apply equally to being a pastor.  Augustine talked a lot about the Second Coming of Christ.  Mostly he preached in joyful anticipation of the Lord coming to establish his Kingdom on earth, but sometimes he spoke of the holy fear appropriate to the final judgement.   He said to the people one time (and I'm paraphrasing): "When you stand before Christ, the just judge, you will have to answer only for yourself.  You have responsibility for your own soul, but so do I as your bishop.  Therefore, when I stand before the judgement seat, I will have to answer for myself and for you."  Already I feel that responsibility; I know that I have to prepare myself well, work hard, and rely on God's grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  I know that like Augustine, it will be my responsibility to lead wisely, to try to keep the parish community centered on Jesus through liturgy and all kinds of other activities, and to pray for them, to intercede for them as Augustine did for his own congregation.  I have in fact already begun to pray for them.  


In another place, Augustine says (again, my paraphrasing): "What I am with you consoles me; what I am for you terrifies me.  With you I am a Christian.  For you I am a bishop."  


One thing that consoles me a lot is knowing who I have been teamed with.  Jorge Luis has already been ministering in the parish for two years.  He knows and loves the people there.  Jim has a huge treasure-load of experience and knowledge and not only worked in the parish some years ago, but was actually ordained there.  I am very thankful.  And I am acutely aware that having three priests on staff at one parish in the USA in the year 2010 may strike many as being a huge luxury - the vast majority of parishes in the country are by now one-priest parishes, I am nearly certain.  But we are Augustinian friars as well as Catholic priests.  Living together "in harmony in one mind and one heart intent upon God" is the basis for the Rule handed down to us from Augustine - his short set of instructions for those who have come together to live the Gospel of Jesus.  And it is our hope that from this Christ-centered, prayerful fraternity, will grow the spiritual energy we need to serve the wider Christian community of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish.  [The sketch above is an artist's rendering of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church.  I was there once for a First Mass about 35 years ago.]


That's another thing that consoles me.  The parish itself!  I have been told that it is a very vibrant, multi-cultural parish.  I look forward to getting to know them well:  the staff and volunteers who work so hard to make a parish a vibrant community, the children in the school, the man and woman in the pew who come to Mass with hearts wanting to worship, yearning to belong, desiring to be healed, and as much as possible those who because of poor health or old age cannot leave their homes.  
The Augustinians have been walking with this community since 1898.  I'm looking forward to being part of that community and serving them as best I/we can.  I know that they will be teaching me and my fellow friars about walking with Jesus through the way they live the Gospels.  


Another consolation is knowing that I have the opportunity to attend a 5-day workshop for new pastors in North Jersey in two weeks.  A lot of it will be centered on the nuts-and-bolts, day-to-day matters that a Catholic pastor has to deal with in coordinating the smooth running of the parish community in cooperation with the regular staff, the generous volunteers, the parishioners, and the other priests on the team.  I'm sure the workshop will help me to access many useful resources.  As I noted elsewhere on this blog, the last time I was pastor it was another country, another century.  So much is different here and now!
I'm also looking forward to meeting with Fr. John DelloRusso, the present pastor, along with many of the staff members next week to learn from them about the parish.  John loves this community and all its members very deeply.  He told me he wants to do all he can to make this a smooth transition.  I value his help so much.  What I learn from him next week will be extremely important for me.  


Add to that the fact that I will be on a retreat based on the teachings of St. Augustine the week before I begin my new assignment.  I signed up for the retreat weeks before I found out about the assignment; the timing could not be better!  


So all of the above is what I mean when I say, "I'm approaching it with a mixture of trepidation, anticipation and confidence in the Lord's wisdom, love and power."


This picture of the Infant Jesus and Mary is dear to all Augustinians.  It is painted on a small panel of plaster and resides in an Augustinian-staffed church in Genazzano, Italy.  How the painting arrived there is a story for another time.  This is a painting of Mary under the title of Our Mother of Good Counsel, patroness of the parish.  Our Mother of Good Counsel is a very popular Marian devotion for many people in many countries.  Especially popular among a number of recent popes!  Popes often pay a prayerful visit to the church where the painting is before making a big decision.  I'm pretty sure that my own devotion to her will only increase in the coming years. 


Please pray for me, the other friars, and for the people of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish.  Pray to Jesus.  Ask Mary and any other saint you may feel close to to intercede with the Lord on our behalf.   




   

Sun on the Beach

The sun on the beach at Ocean City, NJ was diffuse for the most part this afternoon.   At least the sky overhead and the sky out to sea was.  Looking inland, the sky was a brilliant blue.

Drove Mom down to South Jersey to see Aunt Suzanne today.  We had lunch at Fitzpatrick's Jewish Deli in Somer's Point, our favorite lunch place in that part of the state.  More photos of the day here.  Huge orange octopus.  Kites that were 11 feet wide.

Aunt Suzanne and Mom

Here's Aunt Suzanne and Mom looking at photos from Mom's trip to Ireland.






Tomorrow I will complete the work I came down here to do for Mom and drive back up to Massachusetts.

This photo and the one up top were taken from more or less the same spot, minutes apart.  This one facing west, inland, and the other facing east to the sea.  Another photo, of the boardwalk, facing south, shows you the two "sides" of the sky around that time.



Click on any of these photos to see them in larger sizes. 

Back in Pennsylvania / Project 365

Though I was here less than 10 days ago, I'm back for a couple of days to help Mom with some things she needs to get done.  I usually stay at St. Augustine Friary at Villanova and drive back and forth to Mom's place.  About 25 minutes with no traffic.  Drove down from Massachusetts yesterday and was making very good time until I hit the NJTPK.  There must have been 3 different accidents, causing backups all along that stretch of the pike.  

Koa wood ukulele, bought in Kauai, March of 2010

Inspired by a former coworker, for almost a year I have been engaged in my own version of Project 365 - posting one photo a day for a year.  I'm a little bit behind in the posting, but have been faithful in taking the photos daily.  Some days when I'm too busy I either skip, or take a photo of some random object or objects in my room.  The photo the left is a case in point.  Took it using the camera built into my MacBook.  The app always switches left and right for some reason, like a mirror.  I don't skip often.  It has been a good experience and I do think my photos have gotten better.  My eye has improved.  My familiarity with the features of my camera has progressed.  It has been good, but I will be glad when July 16 rolls around.  I will still continue to take a lot of photos, but I'm glad that the year will be up before I move to Staten Island.  Being pastor and a new member of that friary will take up most of the energy of my waking hours.  

Moe's 50th

Father Maurice (Moe) Mahoney, OSA came around today to concelebrate the noon Mass in English with me.  Afterwards he joined Albert and me at Rosario's for lunch.

Father Maurice (Moe) Mahoney, OSA

Moe is in the US right now on vacation.  He works in Nagasaki, Japan.  He attended the Chapter in Villanova last week.  Then last Sunday we had a Mass and party here in Lawrence to celebrate his 50th anniversary of ordination.  Moe studied theology in Rome in the late 1950s and then was assigned to Japan where he has served for all 50 years of his priesthood.  It was something Moe said on a visit to our seminary in DC in the 70s that started me thinking about volunteering for the Japanese missions and when I moved there in 1977 he took me under his wings and showed me around very often.  Moe is a delight to be with.  Very clever with words, both in Japanese and in English.  He also speaks Italian and holds his own in Spanish too.

Lately his back has been giving him trouble but he is looking forward to returning to his work in Nagasaki soon.  Moe loves ministering to the sick and to the Seinen-kai (young adults club) at the parish.

It was my pleasure to host 8 guys, most currently working in Japan and one who served there when I was there and now works in South Africa - Jack McAtee - over the weekend.  Also Tom Dwyer who has recently returned home from Japan to retire.  The common room was crowded especially at meal times and late at night with friends catching up on news with each other and reminiscing about old times.  Lots of laughter.  I drove 6 of them to Logan Airport at 6 AM Monday morning to fly back to Japan.  With Moe back in the US for vacation, Mike Hilden is the only American OSA from our province currently working in Japan.  There were 10 of us there in my early years in Japan.

TD left today / Started packing today

My good buddy Tom Dwyer left today after spending 5 days here in Lawrence with me.  Tom was one of my mentors in Japan.  He recently came back to the US to retire after working 52 years in Japan.  We had a very nice visit together.  Tom is extremely kind and fiercely loyal to his friends; I'm glad he is one of mine.  Last night we went to a SoHIP concert in Andover. The all-women ensemble played music by 18th century Italian women composers.  Maura and Patricia and Arnie were there too.  I drove Tom to South Station this morning for a 9:15 train.  5 hours from Boston to 30th Street Station on Philly, then out to Villanova by the SEPTA train.  He called me at 4:25 to say he arrived OK.


You can click on these pictures to see them in a larger format.  

This afternoon I started sorting my books.  My goal is to find homes for 1/2 of my books and over 1/2 of my clothes.  I have already found homes for 75% or so of my musical instruments.  Down to one guitar and my ukulele.  Oh, the tin whistles!  Forgot.  I only need the D and the low D.   I think I have C, G and Bb.  Any takers?

Moving on to Staten Island

Last Sunday Padre Jorge made the announcement at all the Masses, so I can tell you now. I will be moving on to Staten Island in August. I am thankful for being assigned here to the Merrimack Valley again after 14 months in western North Carolina. I have enjoyed working with the people of the parish. My Spanish has gotten better but still not anywhere close to perfect. (Jorge accurately made reference to this in his announcement. Something like: He reads his sermons well but still can't really speak the language.) It has afforded me the opportunity to sing with the Andover Choral Society for one more year, bringing the total up to 14 years. The opportunity to celebrate Mass and preach in Japanese again (only every two months for the Boston-area Japanese Catholic Community - I was just getting to know them).

Our new Prior Provincial, Fr. Mickey Genovese, has asked me to be pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Staten Island, NY. I was pastor of a parish before in Nagoya, Japan before. But it was another century, another country. This will be full of new challenges. I report for work on August 16. I am grateful that I will have the opportunity to attend a week-long workshop for new pastors in NJ in mid-July. Last week at Villanova I met informally with two of the other friars I will be living with. I am was pleased to discover that all three of us seem to be on the same page regarding our expectations concerning Augustinian common life.  In two weeks I will go to Staten Island to meet with Fr. John DelloRusso, the outgoing pastor.

Provincial Chapter

Today was the second full day of our Provincial Chapter (meeting) that happens every 4 years.  I have attended most of them, even when I was out of the Order for 12 years.  I am extremely encouraged by the content of the discussions and the attitudes of the men who are taking part.  Especially regarding the importance and practicalities of community life.

Also, I met with the two friars I will be working with at the parish I will be assigned to in August.  I was very happy to hear that we all seem to be on the same page in terms of our expectations and motivations.  This new situation could work out really well.










Here's a photo of 10 friars from my novitiate class (1967-1968) who are attending the meetings this week at Villanova.  The novitiate is a very special year and you have a special bond with those you spend it with.  It's really good to be with them again for a few days.

My brain works

My brain works funny.  Our week-long meeting (chapter) began last night.  There were a bunch of guys from our Japanese missions there.  Most do not speak English.  I was chattering along with them in Japanese when one of the younger ones asked me about my current work.  I mentioned that 90% of my parishioners are Spanish speakers.  They asked me about studying Spanish.  As soon as I started to tell them about it, the Japanese-speaking functions in my brain began to shut down as my brain was suddenly flooded with elements of Spanish vocabulary and syntax.

On the road to Villanova

Writing this in a hotel room in Connecticut.  I will arrive at Villanova today before 3 PM in time for a ceremony that will make one of the parishioners of our parish in North Carolina an honorary Augustinian.  Shirley is in her late 80s and is very often the altar server at morning Mass at St. Margaret's in Maggie Valley during the week.  In her white alb and sneakers she is always on top of everything.  Helped  me a lot 2 years ago when I was getting used to celebrating Mass again after 12 years off.  Especially things like kissing the altar at the beginning and end of Mass - gestures that are skipped in Mass in Japanese.

Then tonight we begin 5 days of meetings.  As many Augustinians who can attend this once-every-4-year week of meetings called a Provincial Chapter.  During this time we try to determine our direction for the next 4 years.  Mickey Genovese take office during this week as our new Prior Provincial.

Ora pro nobis!

Mistaken Assumption

Yesterday I was in my office when the church secretary called and said: "I think you want to take this call. It's a Mr. Makiyama*.  So I thanked her, pushed the button and said, 「牧山さん、初めまして。リアム神父ともうします。」["Hello, Mr. Makiyama.  Happy to meet you.  I'm Father Liam."].  To which he responded, "Am I talking with a priest?  Is that Japanese?  My stepfather's name was Makiyama.  That's why I have the name.  My mother married a Japanese guy.  You a priest?"

I apologized for assuming he spoke Japanese and went on with the conversation.  I assumed it was one of the members of the Boston-area Japanese Catholic Community for which I celebrate Mass in Japanese every couple of months.

*not the person's actual name, of course. 

Walk in the woods

Tuesdays are my day off.  
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Went for a walk in the woods today with a friend.  The weather was good when we left the car.  Less than 30 minutes into the walk, the weather turned ugly.   Thunder in the distance.  Lightning visible over the water.  By the time we returned to the car we were pretty wet.  

Corpus Christi

I am very amazed by the devotion of the people of this parish.  The 12:15 PM Mass today lasted for nearly 2 hours and then there was a procession through the streets of the parish for about an hour, ending with Benediction of the Blessed Sacraments on the steps of the church.

Since 1848 this has been a church of mostly first and second generation immigrants.  Irish first.  Now mostly Hispanics.

Not really anything new, except I probably will be moving in August

Yes, I got the call this morning.  I report to my new place on August 16.  Subject to change.  Details still fuzzy.  Will let you know when I get more details.

B&W from Waterock Knob toward Pisgah

Here's another effort to post a photo, this time directly from Picasa3 to Blogspotter. We shall see....

A few weeks ago I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, to Waterock Knob.  I switched my camera over to B&W.  Many of the shots were not very good, but I like this one a lot. Even through the B&W I can somehow feel the blueness of the sky, especially as it changes shade and intensity.

Trying out the photo thingy

This is a butterfly on a white zinnia.

Haywood Community College campus.  Went over there to see their extensive collection of dahlias, but ran into this humble white zinnia too.

You can click on these pictures to see them in a larger format.  

This is a photo of our parish community gathered for worship.

Hard to see in this photo, but the wall behind the main altar and the entire left-hand wall are made of glass.  Huge windows.  You can see the beauty and grandeur of the scenery of Maggie Valley during worship.

Not my dahlias

As much as anything else, I'm uploading this text and these photos just to learn how to do it.

These dahlias were raised at Haywood Community College.  I took these photos early in the fall.  

Also took photos of my own dahlias, but have not posted them on Flickr yet.  

Eustress

"Eustress" is an entirely new word for me, and one that I knew what it meant as soon as I saw it.  In fact, there have been times when I wondered if there was a word that had that meaning.  Just the other day I was talking to my new doctor about landing in the hospital 15 months into my time in Japan.  I loved Japan and enjoyed living there, but my doctor (a Japanese nun) said that it was indeed stress, the stress of trying to assimilate all of the new overt and subliminal information that I was absorbing that had caused my innards to rebel.