Posts

May 11

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I am sorry it gets to be some longer times between posts. My class I've been taking down here in San Diego ended this past Friday (May 8).  I finished with an A- but that is ok with me.  It was a very interesting class as I had hoped for.  We learned about how various religions and cultures view death, dying, and the afterlife -- Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.  In the second half of the course, we focused on more grieving issues from the deaths of children; how to approach children in terms of when someone dies whether it be a parent, sibling, or friend; how hospital personnel cope with their own work seeing death so often (including chaplains); and, one of the more interesting topics of Death and Inequality (how some people in disadvantaged situations don't have the same opportunities because of insurance or lacking of funds to "properly repose of their loved one." I found the religions very cool to learn about.  Christianity is exactly...
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April 26

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A blessed 83rd birthday, Dad!  The world misses you a ton!  No matter what I am doing, I keep you on my mind.  When I was at Mass today, I prayed for your soul.  You worked very hard during your lifetime.  It was short time in our eyes and hearts, but God knew it was time for you to rest.  From your first bout with Hodgkins' Disease in the early 1970s and the chemotherapy that you endured to go into remission, you battled this world so that a disordered society would not be mired in sadness.  That is what your smile and attitude toward life meant for those of us who even had the chance to meet you just one time. You started coaching Little League in 1975 for Ed's team - The Marauders - a team that would become iconic over the next 30 years in our hometown.  There was a healthy fear for any team that would be our opponents for the day.  If anyone were to beat the Marauders on a given day, it was the highlight of their season because it happene...
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Jubilee

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Being away from home has certainly had its advantages.  There is a lot less pressure to meet deadlines, I have not had to deal with the heartache of many people, especially while I still work through my own.  I've been told many times that you cannot be effective ministering to others if you are not taking care of yourself.  Of course, that is why sabbaticals are important.  I truly cannot thank the Vicar's office for the help they gave and the encouragement they continue to offer. One drawback to being away from a purely social view is that I missed the annual celebration of the jubilarians' mass at the seminary.  The men celebrating 25 and 50 years are honored by the Archdiocese, friends, and family with a formal meal after the mass.  Many of my classmates I don't see very often as it is.  I think they are all in the city or northwest suburbs, while I have remained in the southern and western suburbs.  I spent two years at Holy Name Cathedral an...
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Has it really been two weeks since my last blog?

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I reckon it has, indeed, been two whole weeks since I posted.  That means since before Easter.  WOW! Good Friday is always an important day for me.  While I can continue to say that I was overall pleased to let others do the work with Lent, Holy Week, and Easter after 25 years, I must admit just how different the experience was. When I arrived at the church for the 3:00pm Commemoration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, I was confused as I walked in because the Stations of the Cross were still being prayed.  They were barely over half way through the devotion with no more than 10 minutes before the 3pm service was supposed to begin.  In other words, it did not start on time. The beginning of the service is always a favorite of mine as we the clergy prostrate ourselves before the altar.  Lying face down on the ground is a powerful statement of our commitment to Christ.  I have been prostrate on carpeted sanctuary floors, and have been on marble floor...
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Last night - Holy Thursday

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I attended the cathedral here in San Diego for the Mass of the Lord's Supper.  It has always tended to be one of my favorite liturgies over my 25 years of ministry.  It's a ton of work leading up to it, however.  For once it was nice to watch it happen and praying from the pews.  Been a long time since I had done so. The first thing I noticed was that they began the liturgy with the tabernacle open and empty.  It's not how I have done it, but it does send an interesting message to those who might notice.  Every year when we enter the Triduum, the story of the most holy days unfolds anew.  So having the tabernacle empty from the beginning should remind the people that they are in the upper room with Jesus and the Apostles for the first time and that the Passover meal they eat is new and fresh.  Even the gospel story from St. John narrates something that most people who attend Holy Thursday evening services have seen for many years as we, who are in...
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I keep on thinking about...

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...how much these past 25 years of Holy Week have meant to me and my spiritual life as a priest.  Sure it started before ordination, but I never would have thought of being a priest when I was a child nor as a teenager.  It's the first time in ages I will be sitting in the pews for these coming days.  As of last night (when asked about it), I don't miss it all just yet.  It's different, yes.  But am I upset that I am not on the altar right now?  Nope.  Holy Week IS life-giving, but it's a lot of work whether you are by yourself at a parish or even like we have at St. Cletus with 3-4 priests normally.  There is simply a lot of build-up as you need to make the environment looking more dramatic for these days.  Palm Sunday is mostly red cloth with lots of palms and succulent plants around the sanctuary.  Some places have an extra cross somewhere in the decor as well. The decor for Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper (Last Supper) is d...
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March 27

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  In a desert area like I am currently experiencing, palm trees are everywhere.  Since this Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week, I thought I would reflect a little on the terrain and the goodness of palms. First things first -- Palm Sunday is truly one of my favorite liturgies of the year as many of you would know.  Just getting to think in a more focused time about that fateful time Jesus endured, knowing that He was heading to Jerusalem to meet His demise.  Throughout the gospel stories, Jesus hints to the Apostles what His Way was leading to.  He even made it very plain to them at one point, to which He admonished St. Peter for trying to divert their path. As I said, palm trees are everywhere as you would anticipate from any desert climate.  There are lots of succulent plants around here, of course, but nothing by comparison to the amount of palms.  Something I noticed when I arrived down here was that palms that had fallen from their trees not onl...
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