Is someone calling you?

August 30th, 2010

If you have been baptized, yes. As I was reminded about a week ago in a homily, the lay faithful  are called to be priests, prophets and kings (or queens). Surprised? Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

All of us are expected to be evangelists; spreading the Gospel is the reason the Church exists. The trick is to be alert for and open to our call from the Holy Spirit, to listen to it, and to act on it.

Perhaps that call is inviting you to become a parish catechist. Oh, you might say, you don’t want to teach little kids. That’s fine. There are are adults and adolescents who want you to pass on the Faith to them in a lively and engaging way. In fact, there is a huge need for catechists of adults and adolescents.

That sounds interesting, you might also say, but you are not a teacher. You never took an education course in your life. If this is your concern, stop worrying. The Archdiocesan Catechetical Office has a variety of resources and a training program for catechists that you can take either in live classroom settings or on line.

The Catechist Formation Program is divided into two parts. The first level of formation for a catechist provides you with opportunities for growth as a person of faith; you also learn effective teaching/facilitating skills and develop a plan for your ongoing training and developing spiritual life. The second level of formation deepens your training by focusing on essential areas of theological training, such as Scripture, the Creed, and morality. Your program will focus on the audience you wish to serve: children, adolescents or adults.

On Sunday, Sept. 12, Archbishop Dolan will preside over the annual certification ceremony for catechists at Maryknoll Seminary in Ossining, N.Y. He will also award the Catechetical Medal of Honor to those who have given 25 or more years to the ministry of catechesis in the archdiocese. Twenty-five years may seem a very long time but the recipients always say that the years simply flew by.

Perhaps there is a certification ceremony in your future or even a Medal of Honor. If you want to know more about being a catechist and all the wonderful resources available to you, visit our website. Most important of all,  talk to your pastor or to your parish director/coordinator of religious education. Even you are not currently a catechist, take the courses anyway so that when your call comes, you’ll be ready to answer it.

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A Sunday Scripture Website that’s not to be missed

August 3rd, 2010

Who says Catholics aren’t interested in Scripture!

Back on June 26, the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office, the American Bible Society and the Fordham University Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education sponsored the New York Catholic Bible Summit at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan. Our hope was that adults, especially those who provide faith formation in their parishes, would enjoy meeting some of the best Scripture scholars in the country. Well, everyone liked the day so much and we received so many requests for more of the same, that there will be a Second Annual New York Catholic Bible Summit in June 2011.

The Summit continues to provide insights and resources. In his workshop, Dr. John Pilch, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biblical Literature in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., suggested a wonderful site for reading and reflecting on the passages from Scripture used in the Sunday readings: “The Center for Liturgy at St. Louis University:  Sunday Website.” It is available in English and Spanish.

Many people profess to have trouble understanding the proclaimed readings and that’s a shame. One should not have to bury one’s head in a missalette while the Word of God is being spoken. With this St. Louis University site, you can take some time during the week to familiarize yourself with the upcoming Sunday readings.

And there’s more to the site, including spirituality resources, music, and in-depth explanations of the readings from renowned Scripture scholars.

Whether you simply come to Mass on Sunday or you have a role (lector, musician, member of the liturgy committee) in the Sunday liturgies in your parish, do visit liturgy.slu.edu

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Making musical history at St. Patrick’s

July 13th, 2010

It’s hard to top St. Patrick’s Cathedral, not only as a church, architectural treasure and municipal monument, but also as a venue of drama This applies as well to the Cathedral’s music program, which has had almost as many high and low moments as New York City itself.

I’ve just finished reading a wonderful book by St. Patrick’s Cathedral musical historian and cantor, Salvatore Basile, titled Fifth Avenue Famous (Fordham University Press, 2010). Whether your interest is music, New York history or you simply love an inside story, you will really enjoy this book. And if, like me, you come to the Cathedral regularly, it may explain a few things you have heard and seen.

I have been present for many of those highs and lows as the Cathedral’s music directors, organists, and singers juggled Gregorian chant and polyphonic anthems with the requirements of the post-Vatican II church while, at the same time, responding to the personal preferences of an assortment of archbishops and rectors.

One or two music directors even tried to resist. I recall a Sunday in 1989 or 1990 when longtime conductor John Grady led what had to be the liveliest rendition of the Welsh air, “Cwm Rhondda,” outside of the Welsh Rugby Union.  I am not 100 percent certain which set of lyrics Grady used – it might have been “Guide Me Now, O Great Jehovah” with its reference to the Bread of Heaven because this all took place as the congregation received Communion – but I will never forget the sight of Cardinal John O’Connor listening to it. I think I saw steam coming out of his ears.

Until I read Fifth Avenue Famous, I had no notion that the two men had been on a collision course since the Cardinal’s arrival in 1984. Grady had failed to understand who was in charge and that Cardinal O’Connor wanted the Liturgy to be complemented by the music, not the other way around. Cardinal O’Connor was an enthusiastic proponent of congregational singing, too. Actually, he knew and appreciated fine music a great deal more than Grady and a lot of other people ever realized.

Sal Basile’s book is filled with facts that add to the legend of the Cathedral. Did you know, for example, that the Kilgen organ you hear every day at St. Patrick’s was preceded by a Jardine, which was briefly (and probably erroneously) billed as the largest in the world? The Jardine owed its highly touted sound as much to a small army of treadle-pumping Irishmen as it did to the many great organists who played it.

Did you also know that Italian composer Pietro Yon, who was perhaps the best known of the Cathedral’s conductors, had a sense of humor that was nowhere near as tasteful as his music? And that when Pope Benedict XVI arrived at St. Patrick’s in April of 2008, organist Daniel Brondel had to call his mother in France to give him his music cue because the Secret Service would not tell him when the pope was supposed to enter the church?

From William Pecher, who led the music at the first Mass in our Cathedral on May 25, 1879, to Dr. Jennifer Pascual, the first woman music director, appointed by Cardinal Edward Egan in 2003, 131 years worth of musicians have stamped their personalities and music on the Cathedral. Sal Basile has gathered their stories in a book I enjoyed so much that I read it from cover to cover in one night.

Whether you are a St. Patrick’s regular, a liturgist, a musician or someone who just likes a great story, you are going to love Fifth Avenue Famous, too.

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This one’s for the guys

July 1st, 2010

Talk to your average man about his spiritual life and pretty soon, he’ll be shifting from one foot to the other, and planning his escape. It’s not that he isn’t a spiritual person; it’s just that the way women plan spirituality experiences doesn’t always appeal to the men of the faith community. For one thing, guys don’t easily jump into sharing their inner thoughts and concerns. Just the word “sharing” probably makes many of them cringe. It’s just not their thing.

Happily, the smart people at Loyola Press, a Jesuit Ministry, have come up with a blog for men: “Men on the Journey,” created by and for men. It was inspired by the reflections on male spirituality from Richard Rohr’s On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men, published by Loyola Press.

This great idea began as an e-mail conversation between two editors, Joe Durepos and Tom McGrath, who worked on Father Rohr’s book. The two had a year-long correspondence that offered each other support as well as challenge. They found it so interesting that they decided to keep it going and share it with other men.

Perhaps you’ll share “Men on the Journey,” too.

Have a wonderful Fourth of July celebration.  Happy 224th Birthday, USA. You’re looking great!

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When sports and faith meet

June 8th, 2010

This past Sunday, I went to the 7:30 pm Mass at a nearby church and when the priest invited everyone to “exchange a sign of peace,” something really interesting happened in the pew in front of mine. A man turned and offered the following greeting to another gentleman, “Peace be with you…and good luck tonight.”  The recipient looked startled for a second. Then he grinned and said, “Peace be with you, and thanks.”

Well, I thought to myself, that has to be one of the most interesting liturgical moments I have ever witnessed. Then, when the second man turned to me with his hand out, all became clear. He was wearing a Boston Celtics shirt.  His team would play (and beat) the L.A. Lakers later in the evening.

Now this wasn’t exactly correct liturgical practice but it did show that at least one person in the church wasn’t offering the sign of peace on autopilot. He genuinely was connecting with the other person, even a person who supported a Boston sports team!  Of course, the Feast of Corpus Christi could not have been a better day to do it. We received the body of Christ sacramentally and we are the body of Christ as church. Peace to us all.

That was the second time in the past few days that sports connected to faith for me. The other was the blown call on the part of umpire Jim Joyce that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.  Many people are calling on Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to reverse the call, given that Joyce admitted his mistake and apologized. They want Galarrago to have his well-earned place in baseball history.

We Catholics, with our Sacrament of Penance, can draw a line from Joyce’s heartfelt confession and apology  to Galarraga’s very gracious acceptance of the same. However, we might ask if there isn’t also an obligation to restore what was taken; to make some sort of satisfaction, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in article 1459. I suspect that if Joyce could have his way, Galarraga’s name would be in the record books. So what’s with Bud Selig? Why won’t he do it? He has the power to make restitution.

Well, perhaps it’s because the commissioner fears what happens when someone tries to modernize the rules. I can understand that. I don’t want the game stopped play after play, while everyone studies the video.  On the other hand, a real injustice can be done when a when people resist change. Any rule made by humans should be looked to make sure that it really is promoting justice. If it isn’t, it needs to be amended or abolished.

Here’s my suggestion to Commissioner Selig. Officially recognize Galarrago’s perfect game. And from now, use instant replay BUT ONLY when there is serious evidence that the umpire has made a bad call and his fellow umpires are in agreement on this. This is not going to impact negatively on the umpire who has made an erroneous call. He might not have had a clear view of the play. This is not going to destroy baseball, as we know it. And it will promote justice.

Sometimes, saying you’re sorry is just not enough.

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“Nasties” on line

May 13th, 2010

The other day, a local newspaper’s online edition ran a story on a speech that Archbishop Dolan delivered at the Manhattan Institute. His topic was Catholic schools but you could not have guessed that by some of the comments posted. Instead of reacting to the Archbishop said, several bloggers unloaded on the church, the bishops and the priests.  What they wrote was more than inappropriate. It was hateful, inaccurate and sick. It made me wonder why kind of weird people are out there.

While I am all for providing opportunities for comment and I am a fierce (some might say too fierce) defender of the right to free speech, I also think it is important to note that something very evil has been making its way through the Internet for a number of years: hate-blogging. Right now, the Catholic Church, the pope and bishops are the targets of choice, but they are not the only ones to be on the receiving end of this. Public servants and entertainers get it, too. Moreover, I believe that hate-blogging is not the sport of choice for the majority of those who submit comments online.

I just think there is a small group of nasty people who have found in the Web an anonymous (although it really isn’t) vent for their anger. Perhaps it’s the only way that they can make others notice them. Technology renders it easy. Before the Internet, it took a bit of enterprise and money to spread hate anonymously. The person had to write a letter and distribute it. This took a lot of stationery, a lot of photocopying, a lot of envelope addressing, and a lot of stamps. And most of the stuff, unless it looked like the work of a seriously disturbed person, wound up in the dust bin.

But not these days. Hate-blogging goes out with a mouse click and stays out there, to be picked by all the search engines.

Sadly, I also have noticed that a few, just a few, irresponsible opinion writers are inciting their corps of haters with misinformation and pseudo-emotional appeals. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I’m starting to suspect that what these few are really trying to do is increase the traffic on their sites, so that they will impress their editors.  These few may have crossed the line of free speech into another territory.  The really good, respected opinion writers don’t do this, although even they occasionally and, I am sure, inadvertently set off the hate-bloggers.

There must be some way to deal with hate-blogging without infringing on our precious, hard-won and Constitutionally-guaranteed right to express our opinions.

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It’s First Eucharist time.

April 21st, 2010

The month of May is filled with milestones, among them Mother’s Day, college and university graduations, and perhaps most importantly for many Catholic families with young children, First Eucharist.

As I write, our parish directors and coordinators of religious education, our catechists, and our Catholic School teachers are preparing thousands of children for what is both a sacrament and a milestone in a life long journey of faith for the First Communicants and their family.

For a pastor, the Liturgy is one of joy. What a comfort it must be for him to look out on those eager little faces and to see their proud parents, grandparents, siblings and family friends just beaming. Of course, in many parishes, the number of children receiving First Eucharist is so large that the seats assigned to each family have to be limited. In other parishes, there are several Liturgies. This means a great deal of work for the pastors, directors, coordinators, catechists and teachers, not to mention the servers, church musicians, ushers and other parish staff members, but one rarely hears any complaints from them.

What Catholic, active or inactive, could fail to be reminded of her or her own First Eucharist? A young member of my family will receive First Eucharist on Saturday, May 8. When I learned of the date, I suddenly remembered that I received the Sacrament for the first time on a May 8 as well. Of course, that was more years ago than I care to admit but isn’t it interesting how the date stayed with me? I couldn’t tell you the date of my Confirmation.

Of course, many families will celebrate with a party afterward, but the wise ones will know that the key moment is the Liturgy. It’s not about the pretty white dress and the new suit; it’s not about the gifts, although they are lovely; and it’s not about the restaurant or caterer. It’s about Jesus coming to the child and that child’s family.

In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based catechetical method that is growing in popularity in our archdiocese, First Eucharist is preceded by a family retreat experience. After the First Eucharist liturgy, children don’t rush off to party. Instead, they actually return to the atrium, that reserved special place in the parish where the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd always takes place, to ponder what has happened. If the families want to have parties that’s fine, but they are asked to schedule them for a later date.

Interestingly clothes are not a big issue in the Catechesis because all the children wear simple white garments. Doesn’t that make every parent who had to watch a daughter try on 50 dresses before falling in love with the most expensive one, just a little envious of the parents in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd?

Whatever catechesis our First Eucharist children are in, all of us in the Archdiocesan Catechetical Office, both at our central office and every one of our regional offices, join in the joy of these children, their families and their friends.  May the rest of their lifelong journeys of faith be filled with joy and grace.

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The Easter Women

April 1st, 2010

In church on Palm Sunday, as I was listening to Luke’s version of the Passion, it was difficult not to notice the irony of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and how he heard the Hosannas from the people. Just a few days later, he was abandoned by most of them.  But not all.

As Jesus carried his cross to his place of execution, Luke notes that he stopped to speak to some weeping Jerusalem women. This reminded me that women played key roles in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus…and that they were loyal when many others disappeared. There are so many examples in the four gospels.

Later in his account of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Luke mentions women observing the centurion saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” Women followed Joseph of Arimathea, who removed Jesus’ body from the cross and laid it in the tomb. They made plans to return and anoint the body.  When they did come back, “on the first day of the week,” they discovered that he had risen, as he said he would. These women, who included Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James, told Jesus’ followers, including the remaining eleven apostles, but no one believed them. Only Peter got up and ran to the tomb.

Mark’s Gospel mentions the presence of Jesus’ mother, and of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and an additional woman, Salome. “There were also many other woman who had come up with him from Jerusalem,” this gospel writer reports.  Mark also mentions that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, but that when she tried to tell the others, nobody believed her.

Matthew tells an even more exciting story. He puts Mary Magdalene and another Mary at the tomb when the angel of the Lord rolled the stone away from the mouth of Jesus’ tomb.

Finally, the gospel of John tells of Mary Magdalene’s discovery of the empty tomb and how she ran to get Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” The men rushed to the tomb and discovered that indeed Jesus was no longer there. Then they returned to their homes.

But not Mary Magdalene. She stood there weeping, then peered into the empty tomb and saw the angels. When they asked why she was crying, she said. “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.” Then she turned to see Jesus, whom she did not initially recognize. But when she did understand, this great woman rushed to tell the other disciples, “I have seen the Lord.”

Just imagine how that little band of Jesus’ female friends felt watching almost everyone abandoning him. And yet something in them kept them nearby. Even after his death, they went about caring for his body. Maybe they held a tiny flame of faith that he would rise as he had promised. In any event, they stayed close. That flame of faith may have burned high and it may have burned low, but the flame never went out. And their faith was rewarded.

The women did not abandon the Lord. The women held on. The women were the first to learn and spread the good news of the Resurrection.  That’s something to think about these days.

A Blessed Easter!

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Let’s hear it for San Giuseppe

March 17th, 2010

Correct me if I am wrong but I am not aware that anyone has ever asked the Archbishop of New York to lift the Lenten abstinence rule when the feast of St. Joseph (March 19) falls on a Friday, as it does this year. Yet, whenever St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Lenten Friday, there’s big outcry for an exception to the meatless Friday regulation.

As they used to say in my old neighborhood, “that’s no fair.”

Now you might have thought that with my Irish name and semi-Irish heritage, I would be blogging about Patrick’s Feast today.  Well, I’ve looked around and it appears that everyone, up to and including the Pope, has that pretty well covered.

So….let’s turn to the big story on St. Joseph – from his place in Scripture to some nice ways to observe his feast, besides attending Mass: what to cook and what to bake, a song or two and, of course, the connection between him and the return of the swallows to Capistrano on March 19. I’ve discovered that it’s customary to eat fish on Joseph’s feast, wherever  day it falls on the calendar.

And by the way, St. Joseph actually is a more important saint than Patrick. I heard this myself in my parish church on Sunday. It’s that great big one on Fifth Avenue and 50th Street.

So Happy St. Joseph’s Day to you and prayerful thanks to this strong, quiet man for being a role model for husbands and fathers.

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Do we need a bigger Cathedral?

March 3rd, 2010

One would think that St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which seats 2,500 people in the nave alone, would be sufficient for the Archdiocese of New York. But I am beginning to wonder.

Last Sunday and the Sunday before, men and women seeking full initiation in our Church this coming Easter poured into the Cathedral, accompanied by their godparents or sponsors, their pastors, by the parish RCIA teams who are shepherding them on their faith journey, by their families, and by their friends. They filled those seats.

On the first Sunday of Lent, at the Rite of Election, the catechumens – about 600 according to our registration numbers – made their way down the nearly 365-foot main aisle as their individual names were called, to sign the Book of the Elect in the presence of Archbishop Dolan. These catechumens hopefully will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Eucharist in their parish churches on the evening of April 3 at the Easter Vigil.

This past Sunday, undaunted by all the snow that had fallen, more than 700 already-baptized Christians arrived for the Call to Continuing Conversion. This Call is for Christians of other denominations who wish to join our Church, as well as for baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist. Like the catechumens, these candidates are on a journey to the Easter Vigil, when they will receive those two sacraments.

In one of the great moments of this service, the candidates were called into the sanctuary to stand around Archbishop Dolan as he sat on his cathedra. Believe me when I tell you: there was not an unoccupied inch on the floor of the sanctuary. In fact, the crowd overflowed into the crossing aisle

I had the chance to sit and watch the service on the Cathedral television monitors. It was such a joy to see the happy faces of the candidates in the sanctuary and the proud smiles of their supporters in the pews.  Archbishop Dolan lifted up and held two small children, who gazed around and seemed totally unfazed by all the excitement.

Another 200 or so candidates were scheduled to attend the same rite in Newburgh, N.Y., at the Church of the Sacred Heart. But Newburgh, like all the rest of Orange County, was buried in snow. Don’t worry. It will happen next Sunday.

Even though we are deep in the penitential season of Lent, these two events were occasions for rejoicing.  Archbishop Dolan said he found hard to resist crying out, “Alleluia.” Never mind. We’ll all sing out our alleluias at Easter and again on Sunday, May 16, when all these wonderful, fully initiated members of the Catholic Church will return to the Cathedral for the 10:15 Mass.

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