Do I have to go to Mass? It’s a common enough question, especially when Holy Days come around – whether it is “Of Obligation”, or not. We want to do what we have to do, but what is not required, maybe not.
But what about, Am I allowed to go to Mass? Or, What will you do to me if you catch me going to Mass? It is hard for us to imagine, though we may have vague awareness of folks in other times, or other places, who were forbidden to go to Mass: China, Egypt, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, England.
England? You bet – in the sixteenth century, under Queen Elizabeth I, it was a capital crime to practice the Catholic faith. But some faithful people did stay faithful. Some of them died for it; just last week we celebrated the feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, who are famous martyrs under Henry VIII. There were others whose names you may not recognize who died, or otherwise suffered, under that cruel law.
One man remained true to the Faith but was not executed, possibly because of his great talent, definitely because of the personal favor of the Queen. His name was William Byrd, and he was one of the most gifted composers of his age. He wrote marvelous music for the royal court, but gave up that privileged life for a remote exile, where he continued to write music for the Mass and the worship of the Church, much of which was sung only in secret, for fear of punishment.
This week you will have a chance to experience this man’s music, and on a most appropriate day: the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, this Wednesday, 29 June. That evening at 7:30, we will have a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form, much as Byrd would have known it, to celebrate these two great Apostles and the Church that Christ Jesus founded.
Byrd takes these prayers of the Mass and brings them to his own situation. In fact, he musically emphasizes the words, thus saith the Lord to Simon Peter, as if emphasizing to his persecutors who gave the Church her authority and her Pope. And throughout the Mass, he savors the texts that convey the beauty of the Truth for which he had given up all his comfort and ambition.
The choir Chantry will be singing Byrd’s music for our Mass. A concert they gave of it last week received a favorable review in the Washington Post: The repressive atmosphere may have helped produce some of Byrd’s most intense and personal music. There is nothing distant or High Church about these performances; (Chantry Director David) Taylor pulled robust, characterful readings out of his singers. If the effect was sometimes more athletic than atmospheric, it also brought edge-of-seat vitality to the music.
On this day that we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ, and rejoice in this great gift that Christ gives us only in and through His Church, it is a good time to ask ourselves not whether we have to go to Mass, but what would we do if we weren’t permitted to go to Mass? What would we risk – our property? Our families? Our lives?
Thanks be to God we don’t have to make those decisions. It is always good, though, to remember just what the Mass truly is, and who gave it to us. You don’t have to come to Mass this Wednesday evening, -- but you can.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Mission: Possible
Trinity Sunday is traditionally one of the most dreaded days for preachers. No, it’s not a lack of material that intimidates, but rather a superabundance. What could be a richer inspiration than the inner life of the living God?
But there’s your problem: the inner life of God. It’s so difficult to see, or understand, or explain; so theological and complicated, so arcane. It can be oversimplified (Saint Patrick and his shamrock, or St. Joseph Calasanz and his threefold blanket) and overcomplicated (any theological text; the recurring word circumincession).
But don’t cry for me yet, Argentina. The awareness that God has given us in revealing His inner life to be Three Persons in one God is already woven into our life and understanding of everything. It is not foreign to us, nor far from us. Just like me, until you have to explain it, you are very comfortable with the Triune nature of God.
You see, as far away and arcane as can seem this talk of Trinity and Unity, there really is a lot there about us, ourselves, too. Every time you make the sign of the Cross, you invoke and express the Holy Trinity, even if only for grace before meals. You use words that you use in other conversations about your own life: name, father, son, spirit. Hello, my name is --; What name do you give this child? Wait ‘til your father gets home; Happy Father’s Day! My, but your son has a lot of spirit!
It is really fabulous and amazing news that God is in relationship, in conversation, even before anything else comes into being. It announces a sort of pre-existing openness to relationships and conversations that can, should, and will include you and me. That is a pretty radical thing for God to be up for. And it reveals that the kind of relationships and conversations that God has are consistent, mutual, and life giving; they are, in fact, the work of love.
Now, you probably do not think about that very often, even if you make the sign of the Cross a hundred times a week. But it changes your understanding of who you are, and what you are for. In case you wonder whether I am making this up, all you need to do is spend some time getting to know people or societies who have not accepted, or had the opportunity to accept, God’s revelation of Himself: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. It changes everything about the way they understand themselves, what they want, how they live, love, and pray, and how their societies are ordered.
You could never say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” at the beginning of a government event anymore, but our whole society is shot through with the awareness that centuries of Trinitarian faith have given. The problem is that as we move away from an explicit acknowledgement of this understanding of God as the basis for our self-understanding, the less we know what makes for right relationships and right order in our society.
Once our personal relationships and societal order cease to be called explicitly to be consistent, mutual, and life giving, that is, the work of love, then our personal and public life will deteriorate. Obscuring the revelation of God will lead us into darkness.
So, pray for your preachers this weekend; pray for us, and with us. We don’t actually dread preaching on the Holy Trinity; we dread failing to preach the Holy Trinity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Monsignor Smith
But there’s your problem: the inner life of God. It’s so difficult to see, or understand, or explain; so theological and complicated, so arcane. It can be oversimplified (Saint Patrick and his shamrock, or St. Joseph Calasanz and his threefold blanket) and overcomplicated (any theological text; the recurring word circumincession).
But don’t cry for me yet, Argentina. The awareness that God has given us in revealing His inner life to be Three Persons in one God is already woven into our life and understanding of everything. It is not foreign to us, nor far from us. Just like me, until you have to explain it, you are very comfortable with the Triune nature of God.
You see, as far away and arcane as can seem this talk of Trinity and Unity, there really is a lot there about us, ourselves, too. Every time you make the sign of the Cross, you invoke and express the Holy Trinity, even if only for grace before meals. You use words that you use in other conversations about your own life: name, father, son, spirit. Hello, my name is --; What name do you give this child? Wait ‘til your father gets home; Happy Father’s Day! My, but your son has a lot of spirit!
It is really fabulous and amazing news that God is in relationship, in conversation, even before anything else comes into being. It announces a sort of pre-existing openness to relationships and conversations that can, should, and will include you and me. That is a pretty radical thing for God to be up for. And it reveals that the kind of relationships and conversations that God has are consistent, mutual, and life giving; they are, in fact, the work of love.
Now, you probably do not think about that very often, even if you make the sign of the Cross a hundred times a week. But it changes your understanding of who you are, and what you are for. In case you wonder whether I am making this up, all you need to do is spend some time getting to know people or societies who have not accepted, or had the opportunity to accept, God’s revelation of Himself: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. It changes everything about the way they understand themselves, what they want, how they live, love, and pray, and how their societies are ordered.
You could never say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” at the beginning of a government event anymore, but our whole society is shot through with the awareness that centuries of Trinitarian faith have given. The problem is that as we move away from an explicit acknowledgement of this understanding of God as the basis for our self-understanding, the less we know what makes for right relationships and right order in our society.
Once our personal relationships and societal order cease to be called explicitly to be consistent, mutual, and life giving, that is, the work of love, then our personal and public life will deteriorate. Obscuring the revelation of God will lead us into darkness.
So, pray for your preachers this weekend; pray for us, and with us. We don’t actually dread preaching on the Holy Trinity; we dread failing to preach the Holy Trinity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Whose idea?
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that unless He went away, they would not receive the Holy Spirit. It is possible that some of the disciples thought he was just making excuses, trying to cover up the real reason he was leaving.
While we know that it would have been foolish for the disciples to think that, nonetheless it is easy for people to suspect ulterior motives when somebody moves. Perhaps it is an indication of how vulnerable we are, that our fear leads us to suspect some threat, insult, or injury.
This is the time of year that priests move. Fr. DeRosa and I aren’t going anywhere, but Father Nick is going to his next assignment as Dean of the seminary in his home diocese of Rockville Centre. We all knew this was coming, as soon as he completed his doctoral studies. So without any fear or rancor, we can rejoice this weekend in all he has done for our parish as we acknowledge how much we will miss him.
But other parishes – including our neighbors St. Andrew and St. John the Baptist – are experiencing pastor changes this summer, and we know the temptation people will have to ask: Why is the Cardinal doing this to us? Why is the Cardinal doing this to him? Why did he want to move on? Why is he being taken from there and put here?
Oh, it is not just priests, either. It can happen with anybody else we count on to be there for us. This is also the time of year when teachers, including but not limited to those in our school, make their moves. It’s obvious why the change is needed when there is a new baby, but otherwise there is always the temptation to suspect that there is some more insidious force at work – especially if it someone with whom we had grown quite comfortable.
It was with great grief that I heard from Camille Frezzo that she is retiring this summer after fourteen years of leading our Contemporary Ensemble. I would have insisted she stay, except that her husband, Ron, is also leaving his decades-long work at Little Flower. They want more time to enjoy being grandparents – especially on weekends. They will both keep teaching during the week, Camille here in our school.
So, of course I am disappointed. But why would I suspect any other reason for her to leave? Just to make me miserable? It will be hard for her to step away from the choir she has led not only in music but also in prayer and friendship; why make it more difficult by taking offense, or doubting her reasons? I know her granddaughter, so it seems quite reasonable to me – darn it.
One of the great things about being pastor here is that I get to stay for a longer time. But being the one with the stability means I have to endure other people’s leaving. I mentioned last year, about this time, how it affects me when parishioners move on. Similarly, I feel not only my own loss, but also that of the whole parish, when the folks who have been making major contributions to the life, operation, and character of the parish move on – sometimes after many years.
But I have to trust that no one, least of all the Lord, is acting out of spite when these life changes occur. If He Himself had to move on so that the disciples could get what they needed, it is eminently believable that He has great things in store for the ones moving, and for us who are staying. Come Holy Spirit!
Monsignor Smith
While we know that it would have been foolish for the disciples to think that, nonetheless it is easy for people to suspect ulterior motives when somebody moves. Perhaps it is an indication of how vulnerable we are, that our fear leads us to suspect some threat, insult, or injury.
This is the time of year that priests move. Fr. DeRosa and I aren’t going anywhere, but Father Nick is going to his next assignment as Dean of the seminary in his home diocese of Rockville Centre. We all knew this was coming, as soon as he completed his doctoral studies. So without any fear or rancor, we can rejoice this weekend in all he has done for our parish as we acknowledge how much we will miss him.
But other parishes – including our neighbors St. Andrew and St. John the Baptist – are experiencing pastor changes this summer, and we know the temptation people will have to ask: Why is the Cardinal doing this to us? Why is the Cardinal doing this to him? Why did he want to move on? Why is he being taken from there and put here?
Oh, it is not just priests, either. It can happen with anybody else we count on to be there for us. This is also the time of year when teachers, including but not limited to those in our school, make their moves. It’s obvious why the change is needed when there is a new baby, but otherwise there is always the temptation to suspect that there is some more insidious force at work – especially if it someone with whom we had grown quite comfortable.
It was with great grief that I heard from Camille Frezzo that she is retiring this summer after fourteen years of leading our Contemporary Ensemble. I would have insisted she stay, except that her husband, Ron, is also leaving his decades-long work at Little Flower. They want more time to enjoy being grandparents – especially on weekends. They will both keep teaching during the week, Camille here in our school.
So, of course I am disappointed. But why would I suspect any other reason for her to leave? Just to make me miserable? It will be hard for her to step away from the choir she has led not only in music but also in prayer and friendship; why make it more difficult by taking offense, or doubting her reasons? I know her granddaughter, so it seems quite reasonable to me – darn it.
One of the great things about being pastor here is that I get to stay for a longer time. But being the one with the stability means I have to endure other people’s leaving. I mentioned last year, about this time, how it affects me when parishioners move on. Similarly, I feel not only my own loss, but also that of the whole parish, when the folks who have been making major contributions to the life, operation, and character of the parish move on – sometimes after many years.
But I have to trust that no one, least of all the Lord, is acting out of spite when these life changes occur. If He Himself had to move on so that the disciples could get what they needed, it is eminently believable that He has great things in store for the ones moving, and for us who are staying. Come Holy Spirit!
Monsignor Smith
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Stepping Up
One of the many things I love about our church is our sanctuary, which is raised above the level of the church, with the altar on a platform above the level of the sanctuary. This arrangement makes it clear that I am going “up the mountain” to Calvary, the place of Christ’s sacrifice, as I approach the altar to offer that Saving Victim anew in an unbloody manner.
It also makes it clear to all of us that getting to God is an uphill journey – whether literally, or just metaphorically. Fortunately for all of us, there are steps, so we need not feel pressed to clear the entire distance in a heroic leap.
The founders and builders of our parish put those steps in our church to make it possible for us priests to reach up bread to the altar, there to pull down the nourishing flesh of the living God, and carry Him down to you. Steps make it possible for us to get up even unto the level of God. There are steps on the way to God, not only in our sanctuary, but also in life.
This is the time of year when people move up a step; we call it graduation. Wednesday, our kindergartners showed us all how much they had learned as they crossed the threshold to first grade. This weekend, our eighth graders took their diplomas and their honors and moved on to the thrill of being freshmen. And our biggest graduate in the Class of 2011, Fr. Nick, is finishing what he counts as the 30th grade.
It is so exciting for all of us to see and celebrate their accomplishments, and we are proud. But let us not forget what makes possible every graduation, every move up one step: thank God for teachers. Without them, most of us would not have gotten very far up these steps. At these graduation ceremonies, they stand back and proudly watch their former charges claim their diplomas and applause.
Like the people who put the steps in our sanctuary, the best teachers help us not only to knowledge, but also to the Truth. In the foyer of our school building is a statue of the child Jesus, the Divine Teacher, revealing, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” All who truly teach participate in His revelation.
We have great teachers in our school, and catechists in our Religious Education program, and a number of our parishioners teach elsewhere. I hope all our graduates, in the excitement of their big days, will find time to find and thank the teachers who have helped them up the steps. I am so glad for my own teachers, and all who teach our kids here.
One of our parishioners was acknowledged this spring in the Washington Post with an Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award: Tom Krawczewicz, who teaches at DeMatha -- and on our athletic fields – is the sole non-public school honoree this year. It’s nice when the Post recognizes the good we know so well!
The climbing begins long before caps and gowns are considered, and that requires teaching, too. You parents know when your toddlers first begin to manage the steps in your home, scooting down on his bottom, or lifting her knee to get up, they have begun the long, graduated journey to heaven. You are the first teacher, and Christ is in you when you teach His commandments.
Congratulations to our graduates, gratitude to our teachers, and God be with you all on the next step!
Monsignor Smith
It also makes it clear to all of us that getting to God is an uphill journey – whether literally, or just metaphorically. Fortunately for all of us, there are steps, so we need not feel pressed to clear the entire distance in a heroic leap.
The founders and builders of our parish put those steps in our church to make it possible for us priests to reach up bread to the altar, there to pull down the nourishing flesh of the living God, and carry Him down to you. Steps make it possible for us to get up even unto the level of God. There are steps on the way to God, not only in our sanctuary, but also in life.
This is the time of year when people move up a step; we call it graduation. Wednesday, our kindergartners showed us all how much they had learned as they crossed the threshold to first grade. This weekend, our eighth graders took their diplomas and their honors and moved on to the thrill of being freshmen. And our biggest graduate in the Class of 2011, Fr. Nick, is finishing what he counts as the 30th grade.
It is so exciting for all of us to see and celebrate their accomplishments, and we are proud. But let us not forget what makes possible every graduation, every move up one step: thank God for teachers. Without them, most of us would not have gotten very far up these steps. At these graduation ceremonies, they stand back and proudly watch their former charges claim their diplomas and applause.
Like the people who put the steps in our sanctuary, the best teachers help us not only to knowledge, but also to the Truth. In the foyer of our school building is a statue of the child Jesus, the Divine Teacher, revealing, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” All who truly teach participate in His revelation.
We have great teachers in our school, and catechists in our Religious Education program, and a number of our parishioners teach elsewhere. I hope all our graduates, in the excitement of their big days, will find time to find and thank the teachers who have helped them up the steps. I am so glad for my own teachers, and all who teach our kids here.
One of our parishioners was acknowledged this spring in the Washington Post with an Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award: Tom Krawczewicz, who teaches at DeMatha -- and on our athletic fields – is the sole non-public school honoree this year. It’s nice when the Post recognizes the good we know so well!
The climbing begins long before caps and gowns are considered, and that requires teaching, too. You parents know when your toddlers first begin to manage the steps in your home, scooting down on his bottom, or lifting her knee to get up, they have begun the long, graduated journey to heaven. You are the first teacher, and Christ is in you when you teach His commandments.
Congratulations to our graduates, gratitude to our teachers, and God be with you all on the next step!
Monsignor Smith
Sunday, May 29, 2011
What we do best
One of the great things about being Catholic is that we have great festivals – Holy Days, and simple holidays. We know how to celebrate, because we know what to celebrate: Jesus Christ the Only Son of God; and everything we have in common with Him, that is, everything truly human, except sin. So we have a lot to celebrate!
Easter is behind us and Christmas far away. Corpus Christi is in late June this year, and Assumption always in the doldrums of August. Graduation will cause no little joy, and some good parties to boot. But we have something bigger than graduation here!
Our year is marked with the milestones of these intersections of our lives with the life of the Savior. Our birthdays: He had one, too. Our marriages: He brought very good wine. Our friends: He rejoiced with His, too.
I have discerned that we at Saint Bernadette have a special gift for celebration. I think that is a special grace from God. Remember, in the book of Revelation we learn that Heaven itself is described as resembling a wedding feast – a really big party, for a really good reason.
Fr. Nick has been here at Saint Bernadette for five years, living in our rectory while pursuing the doctoral degree his bishop assigned him to get. During that time, he has thrown himself into the life of the parish, and it has been great for us. He has been a huge help to our life and growth in Christ, and has given every one of us a great gift.
His new assignment is to be Dean of the seminary in his home diocese on Long Island, New York. We all new he was working toward an important job like this, and we all knew he would have to leave to do it. So it is with both sadness and satisfaction that we notice that that time, and that goal, have been reached.
Before he drives north, though, we have to have a celebration. So I invite all of you to set aside the weekend of June 10 – 12 on your calendars to join in FatherNickFest.
Fr. Nick has many names, like I have many hats. One of them is Father Golf – everyone knows that’s one of his passions. So the Holy Name guys are pulling together a golf outing with him on Friday 10 June.
Then, that Friday evening out on our field, there will be one of those difficult-to-categorize events that we do so well here. There will be fun for everyone in the family, games for the kids, food for families who want to make it dinner, and then it will morph into one of those summer evening specials that make visitors wish they were in our parish.
Sunday, June 12th, Pentecost Sunday, father Nick will celebrate the 11 o’clock Mass as his valedictory here. There will be a reception in the Monsignor Stricker Room between the nine and eleven o’clock Masses, and then after the eleven.
Don’t worry about Father Nick’s other nickname – Father Food. Saturday night is traditionally our night to dine together in priestly fellowship, and we will manage to come up with something good that Saturday. Trust me.
So write it on your calendars and get ready to celebrate. We have a lot of gratitude and a lot of joy, and we know how to use it. See you there!
Monsignor Smith
Easter is behind us and Christmas far away. Corpus Christi is in late June this year, and Assumption always in the doldrums of August. Graduation will cause no little joy, and some good parties to boot. But we have something bigger than graduation here!
Our year is marked with the milestones of these intersections of our lives with the life of the Savior. Our birthdays: He had one, too. Our marriages: He brought very good wine. Our friends: He rejoiced with His, too.
I have discerned that we at Saint Bernadette have a special gift for celebration. I think that is a special grace from God. Remember, in the book of Revelation we learn that Heaven itself is described as resembling a wedding feast – a really big party, for a really good reason.
Fr. Nick has been here at Saint Bernadette for five years, living in our rectory while pursuing the doctoral degree his bishop assigned him to get. During that time, he has thrown himself into the life of the parish, and it has been great for us. He has been a huge help to our life and growth in Christ, and has given every one of us a great gift.
His new assignment is to be Dean of the seminary in his home diocese on Long Island, New York. We all new he was working toward an important job like this, and we all knew he would have to leave to do it. So it is with both sadness and satisfaction that we notice that that time, and that goal, have been reached.
Before he drives north, though, we have to have a celebration. So I invite all of you to set aside the weekend of June 10 – 12 on your calendars to join in FatherNickFest.
Fr. Nick has many names, like I have many hats. One of them is Father Golf – everyone knows that’s one of his passions. So the Holy Name guys are pulling together a golf outing with him on Friday 10 June.
Then, that Friday evening out on our field, there will be one of those difficult-to-categorize events that we do so well here. There will be fun for everyone in the family, games for the kids, food for families who want to make it dinner, and then it will morph into one of those summer evening specials that make visitors wish they were in our parish.
Sunday, June 12th, Pentecost Sunday, father Nick will celebrate the 11 o’clock Mass as his valedictory here. There will be a reception in the Monsignor Stricker Room between the nine and eleven o’clock Masses, and then after the eleven.
Don’t worry about Father Nick’s other nickname – Father Food. Saturday night is traditionally our night to dine together in priestly fellowship, and we will manage to come up with something good that Saturday. Trust me.
So write it on your calendars and get ready to celebrate. We have a lot of gratitude and a lot of joy, and we know how to use it. See you there!
Monsignor Smith
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Keeping it up
This place has turned into a hotbed of activity once again. We were all a little caught off guard, I think, when the kids came back from Easter break and we found ourselves already on the Monday before First Holy Communion, and Mother’s Day! Now, already, next week is Memorial Day, and after that comes summer. Imagine!
Despite the weather, which has been admittedly crazy, the campus is swarmed much of the time with activities athletic, spiritual, academic, and of every other good sort. From the small people playing ball on the back field to the prayer groups in rooms across the front, this is the place people come to connect with others who share the strongest connection there is: the divine life of Christ Jesus.
I am relieved that the slow, chill spring has finally produced the thick canopy of leaves on our trees and lush green carpet of lawn that emerges each year between our buildings and the busy roads out front. This turns the place into a parklike preserve that makes me thank God for the wise souls who did not turn the whole front into a paved, striped, sizzling parking lot.
Whether we play on the field or pray in the beautiful church, we have reason to be grateful for the stewardship of those who were here before us. Beyond our gratitude and prayers for them, though, we ourselves have a role to play in that stewardship. We must maintain and improve this place as well as the spirit that animates it, building up the community in love, and giving the buildings a little tender loving care.
In order to make sure that your material contributions to this stewardship continue strong and faithfully regardless of travel or distractions, please consider enrolling in Faith Direct, our secure and straightforward electronic giving program. There are forms at the doors and in the rectory, or you can enroll online at www.faithdirect.net using our church code, MD91.
If you are already enrolled and know how effective and easy it is, please check before you go to make sure your planned offerings reflect your gratitude to God and commitment to the parish. Either way, we have to keep the air conditioning running and the roof fixed, pay our staff, and mow that beautiful lawn, even while you are at the beach or in the mountains.
Allow me to draw your attention to the letter printed nearby from Cardinal Wuerl, thanking us for our participation in the Cardinal’s Appeal, meeting our parish goal for commitment, and making it possible for him to meet his Apostolic commitment to serving the poor and promoting the Gospel throughout our city and our Archdiocese. That is a letter I am pleased to receive, and I join my thanks to his for your faithful witness and sacrificial contribution to this work of love.
Just because our pledges have cleared the hurdle of our goal, please do not think if you have not already pledged that your participation is not necessary. Circumstances often lead some folks to fall short of their planned contribution, so if you get a call or letter asking you to join us in this great work, please, by all means, do weigh in. Remember too that it is important that as many of us of this parish as possible participate together. This is not only a demonstration to our Archbishop of our commitment, but also binds us more closely into one body, one Spirit in Christ. Thank you, and thanks be to God.
Monsignor Smith
Despite the weather, which has been admittedly crazy, the campus is swarmed much of the time with activities athletic, spiritual, academic, and of every other good sort. From the small people playing ball on the back field to the prayer groups in rooms across the front, this is the place people come to connect with others who share the strongest connection there is: the divine life of Christ Jesus.
I am relieved that the slow, chill spring has finally produced the thick canopy of leaves on our trees and lush green carpet of lawn that emerges each year between our buildings and the busy roads out front. This turns the place into a parklike preserve that makes me thank God for the wise souls who did not turn the whole front into a paved, striped, sizzling parking lot.
Whether we play on the field or pray in the beautiful church, we have reason to be grateful for the stewardship of those who were here before us. Beyond our gratitude and prayers for them, though, we ourselves have a role to play in that stewardship. We must maintain and improve this place as well as the spirit that animates it, building up the community in love, and giving the buildings a little tender loving care.
In order to make sure that your material contributions to this stewardship continue strong and faithfully regardless of travel or distractions, please consider enrolling in Faith Direct, our secure and straightforward electronic giving program. There are forms at the doors and in the rectory, or you can enroll online at www.faithdirect.net using our church code, MD91.
If you are already enrolled and know how effective and easy it is, please check before you go to make sure your planned offerings reflect your gratitude to God and commitment to the parish. Either way, we have to keep the air conditioning running and the roof fixed, pay our staff, and mow that beautiful lawn, even while you are at the beach or in the mountains.
Allow me to draw your attention to the letter printed nearby from Cardinal Wuerl, thanking us for our participation in the Cardinal’s Appeal, meeting our parish goal for commitment, and making it possible for him to meet his Apostolic commitment to serving the poor and promoting the Gospel throughout our city and our Archdiocese. That is a letter I am pleased to receive, and I join my thanks to his for your faithful witness and sacrificial contribution to this work of love.
Just because our pledges have cleared the hurdle of our goal, please do not think if you have not already pledged that your participation is not necessary. Circumstances often lead some folks to fall short of their planned contribution, so if you get a call or letter asking you to join us in this great work, please, by all means, do weigh in. Remember too that it is important that as many of us of this parish as possible participate together. This is not only a demonstration to our Archbishop of our commitment, but also binds us more closely into one body, one Spirit in Christ. Thank you, and thanks be to God.
Monsignor Smith
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Time Out of the Bottle
When I was in high school, one of my teachers said that the normal birthdays hadn’t given him any trauma – you know, thirty, or forty. He said the one that drew him up short was twenty-five: a whole quarter century. So, when my own “Big QC” rolled around a decade later, I looked for the trauma, but found only a great dinner with some friends, who gave me a hat (which I still have).
Neither thirty, nor forty have proven to be any more unnerving, either – just opportunities to have fun with folks I like to be with. But this weekend, I have what might be called “the revenge of the QC,” my quarter-century, or twenty-fifth college reunion.
I can’t see what my friend was getting so excited about, really. Twenty-five years is not much at all. At least I keep telling myself that. I mean, look how little I’ve changed since May 1986 (cough). Oh, sure, a lot of other things have changed – the order of the world, for example, the course of the nation, technology both personal and public, and how people live.
Of course fashions have changed too. They say men are most comfortable all their lives wearing the same styles (if not the same clothes) they wore in college. So most of us will be wearing clothes that would have fit in when we were students; fortunately “preppy” never goes out of style. It is a question whether we would fit in to the clothes we wore then, but that’s another story. But I won’t be wearing the same things; I’ll be in my collar.
There’s an interesting prospect, because I didn’t go to a Catholic college, and looking at my classmates bios in the pre-reunion book, I see that banking, investing, managing, some teaching, and lots of lawyering are all to be expected among my fellow alumni, but priesting really isn’t. In fact, I may be the only monsignor my school has ever produced in its 262-year history! They’ll never name a dorm or stadium after me, though – my Annual Fund checks are WAY too small.
I am looking forward to the weekend, though, even though it might seem that I would have little in common with my classmates. On the contrary, I have found that I have more in common with them now than back then – marriages, families, lives, careers, adventures, and other things that surprise us always give me something to talk about with them. And there is always someone who could use some prayers.
Before I leave here for Lexington, though, I have another event to celebrate. Cardinal Baum, for whom I worked for four years as secretary, is celebrating his 60th anniversary of priesthood ordination with a Mass at the Basilica. Now, sixty years – that’s some time. Twenty-five? Not so much. Really it’s not. Young William Baum had to receive a special dispensation to be ordained a priest early, six months before his twenty-fifth birthday – his “big” QC.
Even though I don’t change (stop coughing!) some things around here do. Our new receptionist here at Soubirous Central is Melisa Darby. She’s been at the desk for two whole weeks now, so she’s over the initial shock, and ready to meet you if you just want to stop by and say hello. And next week, our summer seminarian arrives to spend eight weeks here learning about priesting and the parish. His name is Rob Maro, and he’s studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary for our Archdiocese. There will be more about him, soon – because time flies. Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever.
Monsignor Smith
Neither thirty, nor forty have proven to be any more unnerving, either – just opportunities to have fun with folks I like to be with. But this weekend, I have what might be called “the revenge of the QC,” my quarter-century, or twenty-fifth college reunion.
I can’t see what my friend was getting so excited about, really. Twenty-five years is not much at all. At least I keep telling myself that. I mean, look how little I’ve changed since May 1986 (cough). Oh, sure, a lot of other things have changed – the order of the world, for example, the course of the nation, technology both personal and public, and how people live.
Of course fashions have changed too. They say men are most comfortable all their lives wearing the same styles (if not the same clothes) they wore in college. So most of us will be wearing clothes that would have fit in when we were students; fortunately “preppy” never goes out of style. It is a question whether we would fit in to the clothes we wore then, but that’s another story. But I won’t be wearing the same things; I’ll be in my collar.
There’s an interesting prospect, because I didn’t go to a Catholic college, and looking at my classmates bios in the pre-reunion book, I see that banking, investing, managing, some teaching, and lots of lawyering are all to be expected among my fellow alumni, but priesting really isn’t. In fact, I may be the only monsignor my school has ever produced in its 262-year history! They’ll never name a dorm or stadium after me, though – my Annual Fund checks are WAY too small.
I am looking forward to the weekend, though, even though it might seem that I would have little in common with my classmates. On the contrary, I have found that I have more in common with them now than back then – marriages, families, lives, careers, adventures, and other things that surprise us always give me something to talk about with them. And there is always someone who could use some prayers.
Before I leave here for Lexington, though, I have another event to celebrate. Cardinal Baum, for whom I worked for four years as secretary, is celebrating his 60th anniversary of priesthood ordination with a Mass at the Basilica. Now, sixty years – that’s some time. Twenty-five? Not so much. Really it’s not. Young William Baum had to receive a special dispensation to be ordained a priest early, six months before his twenty-fifth birthday – his “big” QC.
Even though I don’t change (stop coughing!) some things around here do. Our new receptionist here at Soubirous Central is Melisa Darby. She’s been at the desk for two whole weeks now, so she’s over the initial shock, and ready to meet you if you just want to stop by and say hello. And next week, our summer seminarian arrives to spend eight weeks here learning about priesting and the parish. His name is Rob Maro, and he’s studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary for our Archdiocese. There will be more about him, soon – because time flies. Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever.
Monsignor Smith
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