If fonts were human

No, not baptismal fonts.



Hat tip to Oh Gizmo.

Emergency call for housing of refugees

I received this message in my email today. Can you help?

---

The staff of Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program sends their warm hellos and thanks for your past support of newly arrived refugees.

Many of you have been wonderful advocates for refugees for years, and it will come as no surprise to you that we are in the midst of our annual "refugee bulge." We resettle close to 70% of our annual caseload from July to September each year. (The federal calendar closes on Sept. 30, and no one flies after that until the President signs the new year's Presidential Determination - hence the overseas push out of the camps.)

Can you help us this summer?

Our two Refugee Transitional Homes are full to capacity, and Santa Clara County's housing situation is very, very difficult this year. We're finding it next to impossible to rent affordable apartments or homes on short notice. For example, we have a family of six (parents and 4 kids, ages 10 months to 13 years) from Bhutan arriving tomorrow, Friday. Their housing fell through today, and now we are scrambling to find a place for them in the next 24 hours.

Would you consider helping this family - or an individual refugee, or couple, or mother and child - during this time? Do you have extra room where you could house someone for a month or two and help us to welcome them into the country? We are expecting refugees from all over the world this month, including Burma, Bhutan, Sudan, Iraq - and we desperately need a hand.

You won't be alone - our case managers will help them with English classes, jobs, school enrollment for kids, housing - and lives will be transformed. Theirs, and yours - I know.

Thanks for considering this request, and for your past support.

Warm regards,
Coleen

Coleen Higa, Community Relations Manager
Refugee Foster Care Program
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
2625 Zanker Rd., Ste. 201
San Jose, CA 95134
408.325.5159
coleen@ccsj. org
www.ccsj.org

Managing Low Gluten Hosts at Mass

Todd Flowerday, who writes at Catholic Sensibility, has a regular feature called The Armchair Liturgist. Think of it as Monday-morning quarterbacking for Catholic geeks like you and me.

In this installment, he asks the question of how you handle giving Communion to those with wheat allergies who need low- or no-gluten hosts.

Here's a past article on the US Bishop's FAQ on Celiac Sprue Disease.

Click here to participate in the conversation at Todd's blog and to read the wisdom of his readers who have figured out how to make the Eucharistic table more hospitable to our brothers and sisters with this special need.

E-Waste Collection

Saint Lawrence the Martyr Youth Ministry is hosting a free e-waste collection on Saturday, July 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This will serve to keep all your old electronic waste out of landfills as well as benefit the Youth of Saint Lawrence.

Contact Bruno Martinez for more information: (408) 869-8254 or bmartinez@saintlawrence.org.

Video Clips from World Youth Day 2008

Here's a collection of videos compiled by Judy Swazey, liturgy director at Saint Martin of Tours Parish in San José. Congratulations to all the pilgrims! Prayers for safe travel back home.

A new litany of saints? I dare you... :)

Doing Becker at an andante (walking) tempo doesn't seem so difficult anymore.

Hat-tip to Concord Pastor.

A Song of Peace for the 4th of July

This has always been my favorite song for this day. You might even find it in your hymnal next to all the other patriotic songs. Peace to you and to all our lands.


(performed by the San Francisco School of the Arts)

Some background info on the lyrics here.

And a beautiful arrangement here...

(performed by The Southwest American Choral Director's Association Collegiate Choir)

Tune: FINLANDIA, Jean Sibelius (1899)
Vv. 1-2: Lloyd Stone (1912-1992)
Vv. 3-5: George Harkness

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a prayer that peace transcends in every place;
and yet I pray for my beloved country --
the reassurance of continued grace:
Lord, help us find our one-ness in the Savior,
in spite of differences of age and race.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done.

Ideas for observing the Year of St. Paul

Pope Benedict XVI has declared June 29, 2008 (Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul) through June 29, 2009 the Year of Saint Paul. During this Pauline Year, how will your parish highlight the Pauline elements of our Church? Sure, you can bring in speakers and biblical scholars, or have a special Bible study course on Paul's letters, or go to a diocesan workshop on Paul.

But what are the things we already have at hand, without paying anything extra or adding another event to our calendar, that can help us celebrate Saint Paul?

Here are some no- or low-cost, simple ideas for you to do right now to honor this Pauline Year.

Blessings for World Youth Day delegates

Got a group of people traveling to Australia for this year's WYD? Send them off with a blessing. The Book of Blessings, chapter 8, has two orders for blessing pilgrims. And here's a blessing for travelers adapted from the blessing of pilgrims that you can also use.

Classifieds (outside diocese): Director of the Office of Worship

Position available: Diocese of Raleigh, Director of the Office of Worship

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, NC is seeking a Director of the Office of Worship to assist the Bishop in the role as principle liturgist of the Diocese. The position will report to the Vicar General.

The Diocese of Raleigh was established in 1924 and encompasses the eastern half of the state of North Carolina. It includes 54 counties, is divided into eight deaneries with a total of 96 parishes, missions and stations and seven centers for campus ministry. The registered Catholics in the Diocese have doubled in number since 1990, now standing at 188,000. In the past 15 years, more Spanish-speaking people have settled in North Carolina than in any other state in the Union.

The Director of the Office of Worship serves as a resource on liturgical matters to the Diocesan Bishop and to the parishes of the Diocese. The Director will also provide leadership and support in coordinating all Episcopal and Diocesan liturgies, recommending particular norms and praxis in keeping with the universal liturgical norms of the Church, and conduct liturgical formation on the Diocesan and parish levels in appropriate collaboration with Diocesan offices.

The successful candidate is a practicing Roman Catholic in good standing with a true love for God, His Church, and the Sacred Liturgy; will have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Theology, preferably a Master's or Licentiate degree in Liturgy or Liturgical Theology. In addition, the successful candidate will have three to five years of significant experience in planning and coordinating Diocesan and/or parish liturgies; has an understanding of the Spanish language and Hispanic liturgical customs, with fluency of the language preferred; and have strong leadership and communication skills.

The Director should be an example of leadership and professionalism in the execution of all his/ her duties and work effectively with staff members, parish representatives and volunteers. Attractive characteristics of such an individual include having an understanding and appreciative attitude with an openness to learn.

Salary range is $40,000 to $50,000, commensurate with education and experience.

A letter of interest and resume should be sent in confidence to: Frank Shannon, Principal, EduSearch, Email: fshannon@edusearchonline.com

Resources for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord

The Liturgy Office of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has put together an extensive set of resources for the celebration of the Year of the Eucharist, especially the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ that takes place in the United States on Sunday, May 25, 2008. (In England and Wales, the solemnity takes place on the Thursday after the Most Holy Trinity. The booklet referenced below includes several sections on how to make weekday holy days more significant in the life of the parish.)

You can find all their resources here (you will need Adobe Reader to access some of the materials). Below is an excerpt from their booklet on Celebrating the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

===

The Liturgies of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord
Each of the three elements described below requires, and will repay, careful preparation. The greatest attention should be paid to the preparation of the liturgy of the Mass. A planning sheet is provided at the end of this booklet

I. Liturgy of the Hours
The Offices of the Solemnity are found in the Volume III of the Divine Office. The Offices may be prayed in their own right, but may also be prayed during a time of Exposition. In addition they provide a resource for prayers and readings for other times of prayer.

II. Mass
a) Proper texts
The Proper of the Mass is found on pp 348-9 of the Roman Missal. One of the two Prefaces of the Holy Eucharist should be used (P 46 and P 47, Roman Missal, pp 467-9).

b) Penitential Rite
Themes related to the Solemnity are to the fore in a number of examples of Form C of the Penitential Rite, examples c ii, c vi, c viii (Roman Missal, pp 361-4).

c) Solemn Blessing
Any of the Solemn Blessings I – V for Ordinary Time may be used or of the Prayers over the People 1-24 (Roman Missal, pp 574-5 and 579-83 respectively).

d) Music
Some general notes are offered here. More detailed guidance on music and the Liturgy of the Eucharist may be found in the document Music and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Particular care should be taken on this day with regard to the music used at Mass, and especially during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Priority should be given to singing the key sung elements of the Common of the Mass – the Gospel and Eucharistic Acclamations, and the Gloria. In the Communion Rite best practice should be followed with regard to the Communion Song and the Period of Silence or Song after Communion.

Care should be taken to choose a Communion Song which can begin immediately after the communal recital of ‘Lord, I am not worthy to receive you...’ and continue until all the assembly have received Communion. So as not to encumber the assembly with books or service sheets during the procession the song may be led by a cantor or choir and include a repeated response or refrain from the assembly.

Suitable settings include:
Settings of Psalm 115 (116) (The Blessing Cup)
Settings of Psalm 33 (34) (Taste and See)
Amen, Amen So Shall It Be — Foster
Take and Eat — Joncas
How Blest — Schiavone
Eat This Bread — Taizé
Come Christ’s Beloved — Walsh

Although the Communion Song can be followed by another Song after Communion it may be preferable to allow a time of silence to allow for members of the assembly to offer their prayer of thanksgiving in silence, and to contemplate of the mystery celebrated. (This would be particularly appropriate if a time of extended exposition was to follow after Mass, or if a final hymn was to be sung.) If hymns are being sung then it is better for them to be sung as Entrance or Final Hymns rather than at other times.

III. Procession
A Eucharistic Procession ‘is a prolongation of the celebration of the Eucharist: immediately after Mass, the Sacred Host, consecrated during the Mass, is borne out of the Church for the Christian faithful to make public profession of faith and worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament’ (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 162)

Wherever it is possible in the judgement of the diocesan Bishop, a procession through the public streets should be held, especially on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as a public witness of reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament, for the devout participation of the faithful in the eucharistic procession on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is a grace from the Lord which yearly fills with joy those who take part in it’. (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 143)

The Church’s guidance for such processions is given in the ritual book Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist outside Mass (part of the Roman Ritual).

It will normally begin immediately after the celebration of a Mass. It should normally go from one church to another, but may return to the same church where it began.

a) Music
No particular songs are required to be used during the procession, but suitable ones would include those listed above for use during Communion. Again it is helpful if the songs are sung by a choir with a chant for all participants (as many will be familiar with from the practice in Lourdes). Traditional hymns might most easily be sung at the beginning or end of the procession, when the congregation is stationary.

b) Good order of the procession
As already noted the decision as to whether a public procession may proceed belongs to the Bishop. Matters that he is likely to take into consideration are the likelihood of the procession provoking reactions of disrespect of the Church or blasphemy towards Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament.

When a public procession cannot be held, the tradition of holding eucharistic processions should not be allowed to be lost. Instead, new ways should be sought of holding them in today’s conditions: for example, at shrines, or in public gardens if the civil authority agrees.(Redemptionis Sacramentum, 144)

Well in advance of any planned procession, the appropriate permissions must also be obtained from any necessary civil authorities – for example the local council or police force for processions taking place on public roads. The civil authorities will indicate the necessary health and safety measures that should be observed for the well-being of worshippers and the general public.

Your summer RCIA reading list

Summer is the perfect time to build up your reading library and to update your own formation by reading--and re-reading--some of the essential resources for your ministry.

I am always shocked, but unfortunately not too surprised, to hear that a person preparing a liturgy, or some aspect of it, like the music or sacramental preparation for it, has not read the actual text of the rite they are planning. (Shocked! Shocked, I tell you!)

Reading the rites will actually make your job easier. Yet too many liturgical musicians, catechetical ministers, and even liturgists and clergy have not actually read the RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). If they are working in a typical parish, they will be planning and preparing at least six rites during the year that come directly out of the RCIA. But preparing for these rites without actually reading the Rite out of the actual Rite book is a bit like trying to learn about the Bible without actually opening a Bible.

Now I've been guilty of this too in my younger years. Like many people, I simply pulled out the script that the previous liturgist put together. Or I did what I remembered seeing at a workshop, convention, or institute. Or I did what the pastor said was "the way we have always done it here in this parish." But, at worst, much of what I was doing was actually not what the Rite was calling for. At best, I wasn't understanding the intent of the Rite and therefore couldn't authentically adapt it for that particular assembly.

So your very first book at the top of your RCIA reading list must be the RCIA itself. If you're still not convinced, click here to get six more reasons you must read the RCIA.

And for more essential reading for anyone working with the RCIA and its rites, go here to check out TeamRCIA.com's essential resources for the RCIA. TeamRCIA.com breaks down the list by showing you what's essential for everyone to read, then listing resources for getting started, for teams, sponsors, preachers, ministers working with children, liturgists, and other sacramental preparation coordinators.

Speaking with authority--another take on it.

"Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority" (Luke 4:31-32).



[tip to Concord Pastor who tipped The Deacon's Bench.]

Blogito ergo sum

The Vatican Web site has long been available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. Well, dust off your Wheelock's textbook because now you can read the Vatican Web pages in Latin.

Scripts and the Pope's Ordo

One of the things I often do is prepare a ritual script for the Bishop or other presiders, especially for more complex liturgies like the Chrism Mass or Rite of Election. It really is an art to put together readable and clearly laid-out scripts for presiders.

I think those who designed the Pope's Ordo (order of rituals) for his recent U.S. visit did a great job. If you haven't seen it yet, click here to see the complete set of scripts (in pdf) that the Pope used throughout his visit here.

Liturgical Coordinators' Gathering - May 6, 2008

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recently issued a document on music called "Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship" (pdf). A striking paragraph at the beginning of this comprehensive work says this:

The Paschal hymn...does not cease when a liturgical celebration ends. Christ, whose praises we have sung, remains with us and leads us through church doors to the whole world, with its joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties....Charity, justice, and evangelization are thus the normal consequences of liturgical celebration. Particularly inspired by sung participation, the body of the Word Incarnate goes forth to spread the Gospel with full force and compassion. (8-9)

How do you see charity, justice, and evangelization being the consequences of the liturgies your parish celebrates? How does the music that your assemblies sing help them go through your church doors to continue the Paschal hymn of Christ in the world?

Liturgical Coordinators’ Gathering
“Music and Liturgy that does

Charity, Justice, and Evangelization”
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
10:00a - 12:00p

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Parish Center

17400 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, 95037

Please RSVP with Bernard Nemis
408-983-0126, or online.

You will come away from this meeting with:

• Three ways to judge the appropriateness of music for your assembly;
• Four ways to improve the assembly's sense of ritual music;
• Five strategies for making liturgical singing more just;
• Eight things to do this summer to improve your liturgy by next September;

Bring your ideas, best practices, and questions. If you have any questions about these gatherings, please contact Diana or 408-983-0136.

Musical by Julie Wind and Joanne Culver - May 10, 2008

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Saturday, May 10th

7:30 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph

A free musical performance. This story brings to life the women of the Gospels, demonstrating the value of women to the ministry of Jesus and how they serve as role models for men and women today. The gifts of these women were not refused by the Lord.

Written by Joanna Culver and Julie Wind.

The Ageless Apostle Paul

Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed a Pauline Year in preparation for the 2000th anniversary of the great apostle’s birth. Church historians reckon that St. Paul was born around 10 A.D. in Tarsus, now located in Turkey. Following his conversion to Christianity he became the Church’s foremost evangelizer in spreading the gospel among the Jews and the Gentiles.
The Pauline year will run from June 29, 2008 (feast of Saints Peter and Paul), to June 29, 2009. The purpose is to highlight Paul’s life and his contribution to the spread of Christianity in the first century, and to remind us of our baptismal obligation to spread the Good News.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to pray at the tomb of the great apostle and to honor his missionary legacy, the Holy Father reflected that “The Church is by nature missionary. Its primary task is evangelization. In the third millennium the Church feels with renewed strength that Christ’s missionary mandate is more pressing that ever.”
The Pauline Year invites us to recall the genius and sanctity and zeal of the Apostle of the Gentiles. The Pope encourages us to imitate what he taught, and to renew our missionary spirit.

The perennial power of Paul
How did Saint Paul do it? What did he speak, write, and do to attract so many to Christianity? He was a dynamic evangelizer, the premier Apostle of the Gentiles. Sitting in a pew, or participating in a Bible study circle in the third millennium, it can still be difficult to fathom the meaning he loaded into terms like “flesh,” “spirit,” and “the world.” But, promise biblical scholars like Father Joseph Fitzmyer, a Pauline authority, there is power to be found in Paul’s letters of faith, proclaimed years before the gospels were composed.

What he said yesteryear fits this year
The meaning of Saint Paul’s letters is the same today as they were for his contemporaries. They cannot be different. The 1993 Pontifical Biblical Commission instruction, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, explains the “actualization” of the word of God. It wants to help us understand what the Bible is saying to us today in the third millennium. God did not speak through the inspired writers only for the people for 2000 years ago.
Beginning with what the scripture text meant for its own time, actualization invites us to do three things: hear the text from within one’s own situation, identify the aspects of the present situation underscored by the text, and draw from the text the meaning that guides us to the will of God. Although the biblical texts have been composed in the languages and circumstances of the past, they reveal their message for us today as we apply their message to present-day circumstances and express it in today’s language.

What was Paul telling us?
Paul describes for us the effects of Christ’s redemptive act, what he did for humanity. He comments on the various effects of the redemption as looking at the event from ten different angles. From one angle he explains that Christ justified us – justification; from other angles, he depicts salvation, reconciliation, expiation, redemption, freedom, sanctification, transformation, new creation, and glorification.
Each angle of vision derives from Paul’s Jewish or Hellenistic background and education. He tells us that Jesus Christ justified us, that he made it possible for us to stand before God the judge and hear a verdict of acquittal as one would in a court of law today following a trial. Is there a difference among all these images or facets of the saving act of Jesus? Not really. Christ Jesus did this, and Paul simply uses different images to convey the results.
In examining Paul’s theology, the experts tell us to recast what Paul preached into a form that Paul himself did not use. In this way we attempt to synthesize his teaching.
What Paul proclaimed to his contemporaries, he proclaims to us today.

Paul’s conversion
The Acts of the Apostles gives us three different stories of Paul’s conversion. We find the episode on the road to Damascus in chapter 9, and the others in chapters 22 and 26 recall the incident. But these are Luke’s accounts of Paul.
Only once does Paul write about what happened to him, and this is recorded in Galatians 1. Paul speaks of his call from God. He does not use the word “conversion,” but speaks of his “call.”
Paul is unaware of Luke’s description, and Paul makes no mention of an incident on the road to Damascus. Mainly, Paul recounts his call because he is insisting that he is an apostle, “not from human beings nor through a human being, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead” (Gal 1:1). Some people were denying that Paul is an apostle. Paul insists that he is, and struggled to be recognized on the same level as the twelve apostles.

Paul’s letters preceded the gospels
Paul’s letters have special significance because they were written before the gospels. He gave us an interpretation of Christ before the early Church had recorded the story of Christ. The letters that most scholars agree were written by Paul himself (1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, and Philemon) were written between 51 and 58 A.D. The earliest gospel, Mark, was written about 65 A.D. Our earliest portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth, then, is given us by Paul. For this reason, Paul is the first theologian of the Christian faith.

Paul’s theological vocabulary
In Romans 9:5 Paul talks about the Messiah according to the flesh. Naturally he means his human descent from David as David’s progeny.
Paul also talks about the flesh in opposition to the spirit. He does not mean the Holy Spirit, but the characteristics of the human being that at times he calls the flesh and at other times the spirit. Paul does not work with the Greek or Roman idea of body and soul. He regards the human being as a unit. In referring to the human being as flesh or spirit or mind, he is mentioning different aspects of a composite that he does not separate into parts.
When Paul refers to the human being as flesh, he means humanity’s earth-oriented tendencies. When he talks about the human spirit, he means that aspect of the human being’s openness to God and God’s influence. When he refers to the human being as heart, he means the emotive and affectionate aspect of the person. When he talks about the mind, he means the intellectual capacity.

The core of Paul’s theology
What is the heart of Paul’s theology? He himself responds, “We preach Christ crucified.” His proclamation is that God has not done this before in human history, that God has entered human history in a new form. God sent his Son and that Son died for us on the cross. The consequence is the Resurrection.
The key to Paul’s theology is expressed in terms of what he himself frequently stated in various ways. For example, in 1 Corinthians 1:21-24, Paul says, “For, since in the wisdom of God, the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
The cross puts Christ Jesus himself at the center of God’s way of salvation. God works the salvation of humanity through Christ Jesus. Everything in Paul’s teaching is oriented to his Christ-centered understanding of salvation.

What would Saint Paul tell us today?
This is not an easy question to answer. But really he has already told us. We would like to locate answers to the problems of our current times in a facile manner by looking into the Bible. But this requires study, reflection, and prayer.
When we read Paul today, we are reading him through the lens of patristic teaching, theological reflection, and the dogmatic tradition of the Church – the Christian wisdom of centuries. Paul gives indication of what is pertinent to our condition, but he does not give the full answer.
The purpose of discussing Paul’s theology is to offer a descriptive presentation of Paul’s Christian faith and to determine especially what Paul meant when he addressed the Christians of this day. This also challenges us to ascertain what his theology means for us here and now.
Paul’s theology is an exposition of the inspired biblical heritage of early Christians that has an existential meaning for our faith today. Paul’s theology is part of biblical theology. In biblical theology we find two poles or aspects: one is descriptive – it describes; the other normative – it prescribes. Paul’s meaning for the faith of people today cannot be anything other than the meaning he intended for his contemporaries.

Reading the letters of Paul today
It is not a simple matter to grasp Paul’s meaning immediately. His letters are not a quick and easy read. When we examine the proclamation of prodigious Paul in his letters, we need to realize that we need an accurate translation and some professional guidance. We cannot grasp his message in a simple glance.
There are some passages of the New Testament to keep in mind when approaching St. Paul. In 2 Corinthians 1:13 Paul says, “For we write you nothing but what you can read and understand, and I hope you will understand completely, as you have come to understand us partially….” Then look at 2 Peter 3:15: “And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction just as they do the other scriptures.” So we can see that even as Paul’s letters were being collected by the early Church the faithful did not find them easy to understand.
The Acts 8:30-31 when Philip is evangelizing the Ethiopian eunuch, who is reading Isaiah 53, we are told, “Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me.’”
We cannot simply open the Bible and expect to understand everything right off the bat. The Greek text of Acts says literally, “Unless someone guides me.”
Saint Paul helps us to recall the wonder of our creation and the greater wonder of our redemption. He inspires us to ponder the Paschal Mystery and to ask God to bring to perfection the saving work he has begun in us.

Passionate, prodigious, perennial Paul, pray for us!

$25 Lectionaries

You can't beat the price. Liturgical Press is having an inventory reduction sale through June 30, 2008.

You can get the ceremonial edition of the Lectionary for Mass at about half off (from $49.00 to $24.50). And the chapel editions are just $17.49 (down from their original price at $69.95!).

Go check out what else they have on sale. There's lots of great foundational liturgical studies texts too.

Here's the link to the Lectionaries sale page.

Do you have your Pentecost Sequence ready?

Click here to read about the tradition of singing sequences in the liturgy, and learn which two are required to be sung.

Ascension Sunday - May 4, 2008

In the western dioceses of the United States, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred from the Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter which falls this year on May 4. The readings and prayers for the Ascension should be used on May 4 in place of those for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.

Fun fact:
Only in the ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha is the Ascension celebrated on the Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter.

What is an ecclesiastical province?
An ecclesiastical province is a way of grouping dioceses under the jurisdiction of an archdiocese. San José is in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Click here to see what other dioceses are in our province.

The Liturgy Files: Why are some holy days moved to Sunday and others remain on their proper date?

Part of my job is to answer email. Some of these emails are simple Q&A. In these Liturgy Files, I'll share some of the most helpful Q&As.


Q: Why do we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on the actual weekday (August 15), instead of transferring the celebration to the following Saturday/Sunday celebration like we do for the Ascension? What are the parameters for other times when we do transfer a feast day celebration from weekday to Saturday/Sunday celebration?

A: The pertinent current legislation in the United States is as follows (warning: this is more information than you will ever want to know about this):


From the Code of Canon Law, Canon 1246

§1: Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church. Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary Mother of God and her Immaculate Conception and Assumption, Saint Joseph, the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and finally, All Saints.

§2: However, the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See.

The United States Bishops’ Conference has taken three actions regarding this canon:

Action 1

In accord with canon 1246, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops decrees that the holy days of obligation to be observed in the United States are:

• the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God;


• the Solemnity of the Ascension;


• the Solemnity of the Assumption;


• the Solemnity of All Saints;


• the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;


• the Solemnity of Christmas.


• The Solemnity of the Epiphany shall be transferred to the first Sunday following January 1;


• the Solemnity of Corpus Christi shall be observed on the second Sunday following Pentecost.

Approved: November 1983
Promulgated: March 1984


Action 2

On December 13, 1991 the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States of American made the following general decree concerning holy days of obligation for Latin rite Catholics:

In addition to Sunday, the days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States of America, in conformity with canon 1246, are as follows:

• January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God


• Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension


• August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary


• November 1, the solemnity of All Saints


• December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception


• December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ


• Whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

Approved: July 1992
Promulgated: January 1993

Action 3

In accord with the provisions of canon 1246 §2 of the Code of Canon Law, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States decrees that the Ecclesiastical Provinces of the United States may transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter according to the following procedure.

The decision of each Ecclesiastical Province to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension is to be made by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the bishops of the respective Ecclesiastical Province. The decision of the Ecclesiastical Province should be communicated to the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and to the President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Approved: July 1999
Promulgated: September 1999

The Pope's video message to the US

Before his trip to the East Coast next week, the Pope sends the US Church a video message. The video is five and a half minutes. Click here for a transcript courtesy of Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggia.

And if you are a Catholic with a sense of humor, click here (also courtesy of Rocco) to see the Washington, DC, Metro ad for the upcoming papal visit that the local archdiocese asked be pulled from circulation. I've heard opinions on both sides. You can decide for yourself.

Classified: Pipe Organ

Looking for a pipe organ?

We have one for you to buy (cheap). It’s in fair working order, but is too small for our church. Contact Rose Barry, rose@stmarygilroy.org, 408.847.5151, for more information.

Confirmation of Adults - May 11, 2008

On Pentecost Sunday, May 11, 2008, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath will welcome adult candidates for Confirmation to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph.

Confirmation of Adults

Sunday, May 11, 2008, 3:00p

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph

80 South Market Street, San José

Registration form below.

Some things to know:

• The liturgy will begin at 3:00p and will be a Liturgy of the Word with the Rite of Confirmation.
• Candidates and their sponsors need to arrive by 2:30p to check-in and be ready for a brief rehearsal.
• Please supply each candidate with a nametag on which is written the name they want the Bishop to use when they are confirmed. It should be written or typed clearly in a large font (at least 18 point in a simple non-calligraphy font).
• Each candidate must be accompanied by at least one sponsor; they may bring two sponsors.
• Several rows of each section of the Cathedral will be reserved by parish for candidates, their sponsors, and two members of the parish Confirmation team. Families, friends, and parishioners are welcomed and can sit in the unreserved sections.
• At least one member of your confirmation team should be present to assist your candidates. Pastors and parish priests are encouraged to attend.
• Please review with your confirmandi and sponsors the responses for the Confirmation Rite (see Rite of Confirmation, #21-#30).
• Dress is Sunday best. (Wear something you would wear if you were visiting the Pope)
• The chancery does not give Confirmation certificates. If your candidates want a record of their Confirmation, you are welcomed to provide them with your own parish certificate.
• Each parish is responsible for recording the Confirmation date along with necessary information in your parish register. The place would be the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph. Bishop Patrick J. McGrath would be the person who confirmed.
• There is free parking on the street or in the city parking lots on San Fernando Street between First and Third Streets. Click here for more information on parking in downtown San José.

Registrations are required for candidates and sponsors. To register your candidates and their sponsors, please do one of the following:

• fill out and submit the online form below no later than May 1, 2008;
• or, download this Word document by clicking this graphic
  
  
  
  and sending the completed document to the Office of Pastoral Ministry, attn. Bernard Nemis, 900 Lafayette Street, Suite 301, Santa Clara, CA 95050-4966, no later than May 1, 2008.

Questions? Contact Diana Macalintal, 408-983-0136.

Confirmation of Adults 2008
Registration Form for Candidates
Registration deadline: May 1, 2008

Parish:


Confirmation Coordinator:


Email Address of coordinator:


Phone Number of coordinator with area code:


Total number of candidates:

Total number of sponsors (2 maximum per candidate):

Please type in alphabetical order (by last name) the names of your candidates as you would like them to appear in the worship aid. Please include only the names of the Confirmation candidates. DO NOT include the names of the sponsors.

Names of Candidates (place each name on a separate line)


Bernard Nemis from the Office of Pastoral Ministry will contact you via the phone number or email address you gave above to confirm your registration. Please make sure all your information is correct before submitting this form.

Beatitude Mass - April 19, 2008

Henry Mollicone's
Beatitude Mass

A choral work illuminating the plight of the homeless...

This soulful choral and orchestral work imparts stories and emotions gleaned through a series of interviews with homeless individuals, poignantly synthesized into its two leads: Adam and Evelyn. Symbolically named, these characters underline a major theme of the piece, which Mollicone describes as "the similarities - the universality - between all people."

Conducted by Leroy Kromm, the performance features Nancy Wait-Kromm, soprano, and Paul Murray, baritone, as well as members of the SCU choral ensembles, San Jose Symphonic Choir, Monterey Symphony Chorus, and full orchestra accompaniment by an array of professional community musicians.

The evening opens with a performance by the SCU Chamber Singers, under the direction of Thomas Colohan, and the dance piece Light, Seeking Light... choreographed by Kristin Kusanovich, and features a photo exhibit by Renee Billingslea's Exploring Society through Photography class.

Saturday, April 19, 2008
Mission Church, 8pm
Suggested donation, $25
All proceeds donated to homelss advocacy organizations.
www.scu.edu/cpa/beatitude.cfm

Tabat Scholarship for Students of Liturgy - 2008

Below is an announcement for a $1000 scholarship for those participating in graduate studies in liturgy. In 2003, I was awarded the Tabat scholarship which helped me in my studies at St. John's University, School of Theology, in Collegeville, Minnesota. The scholarship has been awarded every year since 2002 by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, a national organization made up of the diocesan commissions of the United States that collaborate with the US Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy--that is, it was awarded each year except for the one year that NO ONE applied!

This is FREE money, and if I know graduate students, especially graduate liturgy students, you can use all the free money you can get! So apply. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

I encourage those of you who have a vocation to serve the Church as parish liturgy directors to explore pursuing an advanced degree in liturgy, theology, or liturgical studies. We are blessed to have Santa Clara University, the Graduate Theological Union, and the University of San Francisco in our own backyard. All of these offer advanced degrees in the field of liturgy or theology.

Some other schools to consider that offer graduate degrees in liturgy are St. John's University in Minnesota, Chicago Theological Union, University of Notre Dame in Indiana, the Catholic University of America, and Washington Theological Union, both in Washington, DC. Some of these and many other schools throughout the country also offer summer-only programs or online courses to help you complete a graduate degree on your own schedule. Some even offer full or partial scholarships for laypersons pursuing graduate studies in liturgy or ministry.

Contact me if you want to talk about what it's like to do graduate studies in liturgy.

The Tabat Scholarship

Sister Joan Tabat, a School Sister of St. Francis, was a pioneer and a tireless worker for liturgical renewal. She held numerous musical and liturgical credentials and was a well-respected and honored member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM). Most of all, Sister Joan excelled in the day-to-day pursuit of excellence as a pastoral musician. She had an amazing ability to bring out the music in people. Oblivious to conservative or progressive titles, Sr. Joan was driven by a deep wisdom and love for the church and commitment to the principles of Vatican II. Sr. Joan died in an automobile accident on September 25, 2000.

A grant of $1,000 in honor of Sr. Joan Tabat, SSSF, will be awarded at the national meeting of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions in Milwaukee in October, 2008. The purpose of the grant is to provide assistance with the purchase of books, the continuation of research, or the payment of tuition.

The Tabat scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a graduate degree in a program of liturgical studies to prepare for service in the Church of the United States in an academic, diocesan, or parish setting.

Applicants should send the following to the FDLC National Office, 415 Michigan Avenue, NE, Suite 70, Washington DC 20017 (nationaloffice@fdlc.org) no later than June 30, 2008:

1. A curriculum vitae;
2. A short description of how the grant will be used;
3. Two letters of recommendation, in a sealed envelope, from professors or from someone knowledgeable about the person's work.

Download a pdf flyer of the scholarship information by clicking the link below.

Catechumenate Support Group - April 3, 2008

Did you survive it?! I saw seven baptisms last Saturday, and it was glorious!

But as you know, we're not done yet. We still have the period of post-baptismal catechesis and mystagogy to help keep our neophytes well-tended to and strong.

At our next Catechumenate Support Group, let's look back on the year and evaluate our parish catechumenate processes. What do we need to be planning for now to improve for next year? What worked well this year that we want to replicate next year? What would you have changed in your process and rites if you had known what you know now?

Everyone who attends the meeting will receive a FREE article on how to upgrade your RCIA. Get some practical answers to these and your other questions at the next Catechumenate Support Group Meeting.

Catechumenate Support Group Meeting
"What I Would Have Done Differently"
Thursday, April 3, 2008
7:00p – 8:30p

Saint Christopher Parish, Msgr. Allen Center
2278 Booksin Avenue, San José 95125

RSVP with Bernard Nemis at 408-983-0126
or online here

Other Catechumenate Support Group dates for the year:

• Thursday, June 5, 2008, 7:00p – 8:30p, potluck dinner, Saint Albert the Great, Palo Alto canceled

Faithful Citizenship Workshop – April 3, 2008

You are most cordially invited…

To all parish staff, parish social justice liaisons, community leaders and friends, lay ministers, ILM students, and ALL justice advocates – everyone:

I would like to call your attention to a workshop that is timely and important.

During this election year, the Council of Priests, the office for Evangelization, Justice and Peace of the Office for Pastoral Ministry and the Vicar for Clergy office are co-sponsoring workshops for clergy and laity on the document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States”, issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is a timely document that calls every Catholic to prepare for the upcoming presidential election by reflecting on forming consciences for faithful citizenship. It poses challenging questions and offers a framework for responding to the political questions of our day.

This day will be presented by Dr. Stephen Colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace of the USCCB, where he coordinates USCCB policy on international issues. Dr. Colecchi holds a doctorate in ministry from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. A prolific author in the area of Catholic social teachings, social justice and political responsibility and the infusion of Catholic social teaching into Christian education programs, he is the author of A Leader’s Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching and In the Footsteps of Jesus, a Parish Resource Manual.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, April 3, 2008, at Our Lady of Peace Family Learning Center, Santa Clara.

Dr. Colecchi has made himself available to us for the following sessions:

• 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Presentation on the Middle East situation and the War in Iraq
• 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Faithful Citizenship Workshop

He will also be doing a morning presentation for the priests, deacons, and seminarians of the diocese. The bishop has urged their attendance.

Click here for a printable flyer.

For more information, see http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/.

Thank you.

Linda Batton

Sunday Reflections and Social Ministry - Catholic Charities

Many of you in San José will know Elizabeth Lilly from liturgical, catechumenate, justice, and pastoral circles. She is now more actively working with parishes to help them foster and support their justice activities through her role with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County. Because she is a liturgist at the core, she has been working on helping parishes make the connection between liturgy and justice clearer. Part of her motivation comes from the United States Bishops’ 1993 document, Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish.

The most important setting for the Church’s social teaching is not in a food pantry or in a legislative committee room, but in prayer and worship, especially gathered around the altar for the Eucharist. It is in the liturgy that we find the fundamental direction, motivation, and strength for social ministry. Social ministry not genuinely rooted in prayer can easily burn itself out. On the other hand, worship that does not reflect the Lord’s call to conversion, service, and justice can become pious ritual and empty of the Gospel.

Below is a sample bulletin reflection she offers that you can use each week that connects God’s story found in the Sunday readings with our story found in the real-life events of a person affected by the work of Catholic Charities and gives information on how you can become part of this story by proclaiming the Gospel in concrete ways in Santa Clara County.

Get the entire collection of reflections for Easter 2008 as a Word doc by clicking the graphic below.



Permission is given to download and reprint for your parishes and communities.

Sunday Reflections and Social Ministry
Easter – 2008

For weekly bulletins, faith sharing groups, prayer at meetings, bible study, lectors, outreach actions…anywhere the word of God calls us to act with charity and justice. Community and Parish Partnerships Elizabeth Lilly, 408-325-5262, elilly [at] ccsj [dot] org.

March 31, 2008
“Peace be with you.” John 20

Catholic Charities story: Grace was grieving the cancer death of her 40 year old daughter, and while depressed and overwhelmed by her loss, she was suddenly raising two teenage grandchildren. The girls, too, were grieving and could not manage their school work. The Kinship Resource Center case manager referred Grace to the Center for Living with Dying and the teens to a mental health agency. She then helped Grace obtain legal guardianship for the girls. After 5 months of intensive case management, both young women are doing well in school, and Grace reports that her stress levels have decreased significantly.

Catholic Charities opportunity: For information about “kinship families” (grandparents, aunts, uncles, or siblings raising family member children) and the available resources, contact Marina Hurtado, (408) 325-5164, mhurtado [at] ccsj [dot] org. In May visit the KRC new location at Paseo Senter, 1900 Senter Road in San Jose near Saint Maria Goretti church.

A Good Friday Reflection

The following is a reflection presented by Diana Macalintal at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, in San Jose on Good Friday, 2007.


Is there anything beautiful about suffering?

Year after year, for two thousand years, millions of people around the world gather on this day to commemorate the suffering and torture of one man. Why is his pain and agony so attractive to us?

O sacred head surrounded by crown of piercing thorn
O bleeding head so wounded, reviled and put to scorn.
No comeliness or beauty your wounded face betrays.
Yet angel hosts adore you and tremble as they gaze.

A 12th century mystic named Bernard of Clairvaux wrote those words as he meditated upon the image of the dying face of Christ. What is it about this human, fragile, bloody face that makes even the angels tremble?

On a fall day in October, 2006, I think the angels trembled.

On that day, in a small town named Paradise, Charles Roberts entered an Amish schoolhouse at around 10:00 AM carrying a shotgun, a handgun, wires, chains, nails, and flexible plastic ties which he would use to bind the arms and legs of his hostages. He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard and sent away from the classroom a pregnant woman, three parents with infants, and all 15 male students. The gunman, a father of three children, remained inside the school house with the remaining ten female students. The youngest was six; the oldest was 13.

The first police officers arrived about ten minutes later and attempted to communicate with Charles through the PA system in their cars. Charles ordered the police to pull back, and if they didn’t within two seconds, he would begin firing. They did not comply, and he began shooting.

Charles killed three girls, and then he shot himself. Two more girls died the next morning. The youngest victim was six. The other five girls were in critical condition.

News reports stated that most of the girls were shot “execution-style” in the back of the head. But according to Janice Ballenger, the deputy coroner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, she counted at least two dozen bullet wounds in one child alone before asking a colleague to continue for her. Inside the school, she said, “there was not one desk, not one chair, in the whole schoolroom that was not splattered with either blood or glass. There were bullet holes everywhere, everywhere.”

There is nothing beautiful about this. Suffering, pain, and death are not God’s will for us, nor was it the Father’s will for his Son, Jesus. Just as on that day on Golgotha, heaven surely must have wept on that morning in Pennsylvania.

The angels wept. But the next part of the story is what made them tremble. What happened next could only have been the will of God, for no human could have done this alone.

Barbie Fisher was one of the girls who survived the massacre. She told the story of how her sister, Marian, the oldest hostage in that school room, had begged Charles to shoot her first so that he might spare the younger girls. So he did. After seeing her sister shot, Barbie asked Charles to shoot her next. She received bullet wounds in her hand, leg, and shoulder.

Two days later, the grandfather of Marian stood in their home with her lifeless body laid on her bed being prepared for her burial. He called over the youngest of his family to come and stand next to Marian. Speaking to all those in the room, he looked intently at the children and told them, “We must not think evil of this man.”

Later that day, a reporter asked this weary, grey-bearded grandfather, “Have you forgiven this man who killed your granddaughter?” He turned his face away from the camera not wanting the attention. “Yes,” he replied. “How can you do that?” the reporter asked. “With God’s help,” he answered.

Yet angel hosts adore you and tremble as they gaze.

What made the angels tremble was love—absolute, complete, love.

Here at the cross, we encounter the ultimate revelation of God’s love. It is where God proves that God will do anything for us, even die, no matter what we do, just so he could love us. God takes this instrument of torture and death and turns it into a throne of mercy and grace. God takes defeat and despair and turns it into triumph. God takes the death of one and turns it into life for all.

At the cross, God takes our pain, our desperation, our horror, our hate, our confusion, our fear, places it all onto a cross and transforms it into beauty, truth, and goodness. God takes death and turns it into forgiveness, mercy, and peace.

That grandfather and the Amish community attended the funeral of Charles Roberts who killed five of their own. They took in his widow and their three children into their own families. They helped them pay for Charles’ funeral expenses and have even begun a fund to support the killer’s family now that they are left with no father.

The cross given to that community and their response to it doesn’t make sense, does it? How can something so heinous, something so ugly turn into something so beautiful? Because God is God…and God is Love…and the act of the cross is no longer a matter of reason and logic, but a matter of love.

We who follow Christ do not shy away from the pain and suffering of the world. As Jesus did, we embrace it with open arms. On this day, most especially, when we gather to tell the story of Jesus’ passion and death, we stare it in the face together, we do not look away, and we respond—as best we can, trembling not with human fear and hatred but with the incomprehensible, immense love of God.

***

Sometimes, try as hard as we might, we can look into the pain and suffering of this world, of our own lives, and not see the beauty. The ugliness can be so unbearable that we can’t see or feel God’s love.

At these moments, it’s so easy to lose hope and despair. But there is another choice.

Maria Thompson is a spiritual director in Seattle who counsels people who are grieving because of death or loss. She describes her work like this: “Standing at death’s door is the most intimate and sacred space to stand. It is an act of being, not an act of doing.” She continues, “I am a person who stands at death’s door; that is my job. I am a person who helps people in the darkness of death find the movement of eternal life. So, I sit on the ash heaps. Patiently. As long as they need me to, that is where I sit.” (from Presence manuscript)

When we face the cross and promise to remain there “in the ash heaps,” no matter how absent God seems, we also enter into a promise with each other—a promise to bear the cross together. For the cross requires relationship.

For Christians, relationship is always the cross—the intersection, the interaction, the giving and taking, the forgiving and sacrifice—between people and between God and God’s people. The cross is a struggle of opposites and differences—but a struggle that gives birth to new life, to new and renewed relationship.

In Jewish tradition, the very act of creation was born out of the relationship between God and Chaos. Listen tomorrow night to the first reading. In the beginning was God, and there with God was nothingness. The union between God—the fullness of all there is—and nothingness gave birth to life, night and day, earth and water, plants and humans. And our whole life through, we are constantly placing before God all of our nothingness and asking God to again make something new out of it.

When Christ was nailed to the cross, what was born out of that union between God and all that was not God was the Church—us—people who look upon death and see life; people who experience pain together and offer in return love.

As offspring then of Christ, our first task is to acknowledge the radical love of God by having the confidence to approach this throne of grace and pray for each other, even if our prayer is only, “My God.”

The Church makes its most intense prayers on this day. Later this afternoon, after hearing again the story of God’s love nailed to the cross, our Bishop will lead us in the Great Intercessions which are prayed only today. These are ten solemn prayers for the world in which we ask God, through supplication and silence, kneeling and raised arms, to take the world’s chaos and re-create it anew. It is the Church’s way of being there, in hope where there’s only despair, in faith when it feels as if death has won.

***

Now you might want to stand back, because I’m not sure if what I’m about to say will cause me to be struck down by lightning.

I don’t like the song, Were You there? I think it’s a lovely song and nice to sing. But every time I hear that opening line—“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”—all I can say is, “Nope!”

No, I wasn’t there at Golgotha thousands of years ago. No, I didn’t see him nailed to the tree. No, I didn’t see him laid in the tomb.

But I do tremble.

Because I am here in 2007 in San Jose, and God knows there are enough people today being crucified right before our eyes. You only have to turn on your TV, or log onto the Internet, or go to work, or step out your door, or even just wake up in the morning.

There are people right now out there, in here, who are being nailed to trees of depression and abuse, to debt and divorce. We know real people, maybe it’s even you, who are being sealed up in tombs of unemployment, cancer, loneliness, who suffer a slow death because of the inability to forgive or to ask for forgiveness. Our world is still, after four years, being crucified to the cross of war, our Church is still being nailed to a tree of scandal and secrecy, our cities and homes are still being buried by violence, poverty, broken families, and broken hearts.

No, I don’t need to go back to Calvary to be where Jesus is crucified. Calvary is right here, right now.

But so is the resurrection. When any of us take up the cross of Christ, we proclaim our faith in his resurrection.

But what is the cross? What is your cross?

Bishop Kenneth Untener once said that the cross is that to which we say, “Anything, Lord. I’ll do anything…but that.”

That that is the cross. It’s the thing that you can’t imagine doing because you’ve been hurt too much, because you’ve been betrayed, because you’re too angry, because it feels just too good to hang on to bitterness, because you’re too busy, because you’re too scared. “Anything, Lord. I’ll do anything…but that.”

The reason we remember the day Jesus died at the Place of the Skull is because on that cross—on Jesus’ “anything-by-that”—we learn the way to resurrection, because when we embrace Christ and his cross, we never embrace it alone. We embrace the cross together, with this community. It is through individual people that we see up close the body of Christ for ourselves. But it’s through the community—when we gather to tremble at the love of God and offer our meager, imperfect prayers—that we receive strength and faith enough to live as the body of Christ for the world.

It’s hard to follow Christ; it’s hard to embrace the cross. Tomorrow night thousands of people around the world who have decided to follow Christ will stand at the edge of a dark black pool of water, a deep chasm of nothingness, and just before they are submerged into that abyss, they will be asked, “Do you believe in God, in Jesus, in the Spirit?”

I guess it would be pretty easy for them and for us to say “I do.” But if we heard those words for what they really mean, we all might hesitate in our response. Those seemingly-simple questions mean this: “Will you proclaim God’s justice even in the midst of persecution?” “Will you welcome the stranger?” “Will you follow the example of the saints and martyrs who gave their lives for the faith?” “Will you allow yourself to be nailed upon your anything-but-that?”

If we and those preparing to be baptized tomorrow night dare to say, “Yes, I believe,” we really have no choice but to love, but to serve, but to give our all. We have no choice but to give our lives to the poor, the weak, the sinner, the criminal, the adulteress, the tax collector, the unwed mother, the AIDS victim, the drug addict, the homeless man, the coworker who annoys us, the father who abused us, the friend who betrayed us, the stranger who scares us, the person who terrorizes us, the person who is most unlike us.

For on Good Friday, we do not pretend that Christ is not risen. We stand here before the cross and bow low before it precisely because we know and believe that Christ is risen. We venerate this instrument of death, embrace it with trembling hands, and kiss it with timid lips precisely because we believe that the cross is not a dead end, but a sign pointing to God who is the source of our salvation and the community in which God lives.

The Spirit that was breathed upon us from the cross when Jesus commended his spirit into the hands of the Father drives us to turn to each other—to turn to those who are not our mother and take them into our lives as if they were our own. That Spirit of Christ calls us to turn toward those who are not our children and to call them our own beloved. That Spirit of Christ handed over to us moves us to search out those who were the friends of Christ—the sinner, the diseased, the stranger, the outcast—bend down to wash their feet, embrace them and call them friend, and even lay down our very lives for them, our friends.

Behold the Cross on which hung our salvation.
Come, let us adore.

Determining the Date of Easter

DETERMINING THE DATE OF EASTER

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.
reprinted with permission


People often puzzle over the different dates on which Easter is celebrated. The different dates are determined by the different calendars used for reckoning Easter.

Biblical Background
In the Old Testament, the Jews celebrated the feast of Passover, or Pasch, in remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. The Book of Exodus, chapter 12, tells the story.

Thereafter the celebration of Passover was begun on the fourteenth day of Nisan (Abib), the Paschal full moon following the spring equinox (Leviticus 23:5-8; Deuteronomy 16:1-8). Spring equinox is when day and night are equal.

The Jewish calendar, however, since it was a lunar calendar consisting of twelve or thirteenth months per year, caused difficulties in determining the day of the spring equinox. Consequently, Passover celebrations would begin on the full moon of either March or April of the Julian calendar.

The Gospel of St. John explicitly states that the death of Jesus coincided with the Paschal celebrations of the Jewish people (John 13:1; 19:31).

Early Christian History
The Christians in Asia Minor, Caesarea, Syria, and Mesopotamia observed Easter on the first day of the Jewish Passover. But the Christians in Rome and Egypt celebrated Easter on the Sunday after the Jewish Passover.

Pope St. Anicetus (155-166) supported the celebration of Easter on the Sunday after the Jewish Pasch. Pope St. Victor (189-198) upheld this practice.

Controversy ensued, and Pope St. Sylvester I resolved the matter at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea, Asia Minor, in 325. The general council decreed that Easter be celebrated on the first Sunday following the Paschal full moon after the spring equinox.

The Julian Calendar
From that time for 1,247 years Easter was celebrated on the same Sunday in the entire Christian Church -- East and West. According to the Julian calendar, March 21 was considered the day of the spring equinox in the Roman Empire.

Eventually the inaccuracies of the Julian calendar witnessed Christians in the sixteenth century celebrating Easter on different Sundays.

In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar had originated the Julian calendar. The astronomers of his time calculated the solar year to have 365 days and six hours. Every fourth year became a leap year with 366 days. This was remarkably close, but each year was too long by 11 minutes and 14 seconds. This small difference accumulated to one day in 128 years. In addition the astronomers figured that the moon cycle of 19 years was exact, that is, that the full moon returned to the identical day and hour after 19 years. However, the cycle was too long by one hour and 29 minutes. This difference amounted to one day in 308 years. By the sixteenth century astronomers were alarmed that the Julian calendar was out of congruence with the seasons of the years by ten days, and with the cycles of the moon by four days.

The Gregorian Calendar
In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII asked the leading astronomers to correct these inaccuracies, and he proclaimed some changes in the Julian calendar. Regarding the solar year ten days were dropped from the calendar, and that year October 5 became October 15. In the future three leap years would be omitted every 400 years. To rectify the moon cycle the calendar full moon was drawn back four days. In the future the calendar full moons were to be drawn back one day eight times in 25 centuries. With these reforms the Julian calendar was brought very close to the astronomical solar year and the astronomical moon cycle.

The Gregorian calendar took its name from Pope Gregory XIII, who proclaimed it to the world.

The Catholic countries of Europe quickly accepted the new Gregorian calendar: Italy, France, Poland, Spain, and Portugal. The Protestant countries—Germany, England (including North America), Denmark, Sweden, Norway—adopted it about 200 years later. The non-Christian countries of Japan, China, Siam (Thailand), Turkey, Egypt, etc., accepted it about 350 years later. The Orthodox countries—Greece, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, and the patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria—adopted it in the twentieth century in civil and historic matters only. They still observe religious feasts (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, etc.) according to the Julian calendar. This divergence can place the celebrations of Easter as much as five weeks apart.

In determining the date of Easter the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars grows each year.

Conclusion
Easter is early this year, 2008. Actually it can be one day earlier, March 22; but that rarely happens. This year is the earliest Easter we will experience in our lifetime.

The next time Easter will be this early, March 23, will be in 2228. The last time it was this early was 1913.

The next time Easter falls a day earlier, March 22, will be in 2285. The last time it was celebrated on March 22 was in 1818.

But what is really important is that Christ is risen. He is truly risen.

Good Friday Intercession for the Diocese of San José

Bishop Patrick McGrath asks that the following intercession be added to the General Intercessions for the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, March 21, 2008.

This intercession has been formatted to match the pattern (either sung or spoken) of the intercessions that are found in the Sacramentary. Please translate this prayer as needed for Good Friday celebrations in other languages.


XI. For Special Needs

For all who suffer from war, violence, or terrorism, that God will give them courage and strength; that those who serve their nations in the military will return safely to their homes. [Pause]

Let us pray.

O God, you are the source of the hopes and dreams of the people that you have made. Watch over our world, and lead us in the ways of life and peace, that all may serve you in love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For your Laetare week: simple laughter

*Someone emailed this video to me, but beware of other versions of this video floating around the Internet. The one emailed to me had a Web address that sent you to a not so innocent site. Thankfully, I found the version above without the tricky little url.

Calling all Singers - Upcoming Diocesan Liturgies

Calling all singers! We've begun the diocese's busy season of liturgies. And for each of these, we need music ministers to assist with singing in the Diocesan Choir. Look at the dates below and see if you would be able to share your skills.

Chrism Mass
Choir Rehearsal:
Monday, March 10, 2008, 7:00p - 9:00p

Celebration:
Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 7:30p

Neophyte Mass
Choir Rehearsal:
Saturday, April 5, 2008, 3:45p - 4:30p

Celebration:
Saturday, April 5, 2008, 4:30p

Ordination to the Diaconate

Ordination to the Priesthood
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 7:00p - 9:00p

Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 7:00p - 9:00p

Celebrations:
Diaconate: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 9:30a

Priesthood: Saturday, May 24, 2008, 9:30a

Confirmation of Adults
Choir Rehearsal:
Sunday, May 11, 2008, 2:00p - 3:00p

Celebration:
Sunday, May 11, 2008, 3:00p

All rehearsals will be in Loyola Hall, the parish hall of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph (80 South Market Street, San José).

People interested in participating in any of these events can contact Julie Wind at (408) 283-8100 x2205.

Catechumenate Support Group - March 6, 2008

We're down to the wire now and waiting for Easter! Are your Elect ready to take the plunge?

As you know, all our work doesn't end with initiation at the Easter Vigil. Everything we do is geared toward training disciples for mission! What are we training the catechumens to do? It's no less than making the Reign of God more visible in our world.

At our next Catechumenate Support Group, we'll look at ways to train the catechumens in the works of justice and a lifetime of discipleship. As part of our discussion, we will see up close one group that is making the Reign of God very visible in downtown San José.

Everyone who attends the meeting will receive a FREE photocopiable bulletin insert on Mystagogy to be given to the assembly. Get some practical answers to these and your other questions at the next Catechumenate Support Group Meeting.

Catechumenate Support Group Meeting
"Initiated Into Mission"
Thursday, March 6, 2008
12:30p – 2:00p

Washington United Youth Center
921 South First Street Street, San José 95110

The Center is behind the Biblioteca,

and the parking lot is behind the Wienerschnitzel.

RSVP with Bernard Nemis at 408-983-0126
or online here

Other Catechumenate Support Group dates for the year:

• Thursday, April 3, 2008, 7:00p – 8:30p, location tba
• Thursday, June 5, 2008, 7:00p – 8:30p, potluck dinner, location tba

Parish representatives for Chrism Mass 2008

Three representatives from each parish are requested to present the oils for blessing during the Chrism Mass on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, at 7:30p. They should be selected in advance for this responsibility and be seated in their reserved seats in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, 80 South Market Street, San José, by 7:10p.

Click here for a seating chart (PDF) showing each parish's reserved seats for their oil representative.

Please note that a $5 flat fee is now charged at all downtown public parking lots after 6:00p. Other private parking lots may charge more. Parking on the street is still free after 6:00p.

It is recommended that those presenting the oils represent some link to the oil to be blessed, for example:

• Oil of the Sick: A minister to the sick, elderly, or hospitalized; or a parishioner who was anointed in the last year.


• Oil of Catechumens: A parish catechumenate team member; or a catechist working in baptismal preparation. Because the dismissal of catechumens follows immediately after the procession and blessing of oils, catechumens and Elect are discouraged from being the parish representative to carry the oils.


• Sacred Chrism: A neophyte initiated at last year’s Easter Vigil; or a candidate for Confirmation; or a catechist working in Confirmation preparation. Because the dismissal of catechumens follows immediately after the procession and blessing of oils, catechumens and Elect are discouraged from being the parish representative to carry the oils.

If you have any questions, please contact Diana Macalintal at 408-983-0136.

Liturgical Coordinators' Gathering - March 4, 2008

Are you surviving this wacky liturgical year? I'm barely hanging on! But this Lenten season is about hope. And an early Lent means an early Easter! So let us persevere in hope...

Liturgical Coordinators’ Gathering
“Water, Oil, Bread, Wine:

Triduum Basics and Beyond”
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
10:00a - 12:00p

Saint John the Baptist, Pavalkis Hall

350 South Abel Street, Milpitas, 95035

Please RSVP with Bernard Nemis
408-983-0126, or online.

You will come away from this meeting with:

• Five ways to keep the Easter Vigil from breaking the 180-minute-mark;
• Three ways make Communion the highpoint of initiation;
• Ten Triduum dos and don'ts;
• Four strategies for making mystagogy happen in the Sunday Mass;
• Seven liturgical goals for Confirmation;
• Eight tips for wonderful weddings.

Bring your ideas, best practices, and questions. And here is the date for the next Liturgical Coordinators' Gathering for the year:

• Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Morgan Hill

If you have any questions about these gatherings, please contact Diana or 408-983-0136.

Infant Baptism Workshop

The associates of the Office of Pastoral Ministry and a team of parish infant baptism leaders are offering the following Infant Baptism Workshops for presiders and infant baptism preparation teams.

Saturday February 23rd in English at St. Justin parish hall 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday March 6th in Spanish at Most Holy Trinity Church 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Come learn more about:

Welcoming Families
Preparing Parents
Celebrating the Rite
Connecting with Families after Baptism
Infant Baptism Resources

Online registration available for the English workshop at the Diocese of San José website.

Please invite those who might be interested.

Please click here for the English version of the flyer.
Please click here for the Spanish version of the flyer.

Liturgy, Cold, and Flu

As we continue through the winter cold and flu season on our way to the warmer days of spring, it's a good time to review some common sense liturgical practices and issues to help everyone stay healthy and to care for one another as we gather each week for Mass and other parish activities.


If you are sick, take care of yourself
Encourage those who are sick with a cold or the flu to care for the Body of Christ by first taking care of their own body. Reassure them that the obligation to participate in Mass is not required for those who are sick. In fact, the Church honors sickness and those who are sick with special rites and prayers and cares especially for those who are unable to come to Mass because of sickness.

For Church ministers, it's often hard for us to stay home and care for ourselves when we're ill. We tend to push ourselves over our limits because we want so much to do our ministry and to help others. But let's also remember the safety announcement we hear before every flight: "Put your mask on first, then assist others." Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.

Now don't go posting signs up in your Church doors or bulletins like this one I saw in big, red, bold letters: "Please do not come to Mass if you are sick!" There are better ways to communicate this message. Here is one suggestion:

Take care of yourself and one another. If you are sick, or know someone who is ill for whatever reason, please contact [insert name here] of the parish staff at [insert phone number and email address here] so our parish can pray for you and your caregivers.

If you are sick, do not worsen your illness by trying to get to Church. One of our priests or pastoral ministers would be happy to bring the Word of God and Holy Communion to you if you need to stay home because of illness or because you are caring for a sick family member. Also, if you are seriously ill, the Church wants to celebrate with you the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Contact the parish office at [insert phone number here] so we may care for you and your loved ones during your time of illness.

Wash your hands often, especially if you are a greeter, usher, or Communion minister
Soap, water, and a good scrubbing are the best defense against the cold and flu viruses. Scrub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds—the time it takes to say two quick "Hail Marys." If you are not near soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand cleanser or disposable hand wipe. Keep a small bottle or packet in your purse or pocket.


Don't cough or sneeze into your hands
Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, then throw it away. If you don't have a tissue handy, do what food-service workers are taught to do: cough or sneeze into your shirt sleeve and avoid touching the area of fabric you coughed into.


Avoid shaking hands with others at Mass if you are sick and have been sneezing or coughing
This is just common sense, and you wouldn't be considered anti-social if you are sick. But try not to go overboard either on the giving or receiving end. If you are sick, greet each other warmly before Mass as usual, but avoid hand to hand contact. Use a tissue if you need to sneeze or cough, and throw it away. At the Sign of Peace, you can offer a simple bow of the head to those around you. If you have come in direct contact with someone who has been sneezing or coughing, avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with your hands until you can wash them. This is a good practice at anytime since germs can spread when we touch our eyes, nose, or mouth.


Refrain from receiving Communion on the tongue or Communion from the cup if you have a cold or a cough
Although receiving both the consecrated host and wine are encouraged, you only need to receive one form if you are unable to receive both. If you are accustomed to receiving Communion on the tongue, prevent spreading your saliva to the hand of the Communion minister by receiving Communion in the hand while you are sick.


Pray for the sick and evaluate your ministry to the sick
This cold and flu season is also a good time for parishes to evaluate its ministry to the sick and its full use of the rites and options in the Pastoral Care of the Sick. Remember also to include at Mass and other parish liturgies intercessions for those who are sick, for their caregivers, for those who have died because of sickness, and especially for those who suffer with no one to care for them.


If Communion ministers need to clean their hands during Mass, where, when, and how should they do this?
The best way for Communion ministers to clean their hands during the Mass is in their pew, using a sanitizing liquid or antibacterial wipe, just before they come to the sanctuary. The reason for this is that it becomes distracting and inappropriate to see a line of Communion ministers standing near the altar, first, getting a squirt of sanitizing liquid in their hands (it looks almost like Communion), then, vigorously rubbing their hands just before Communion begins. I've also heard reports of Communion ministers trying the shake off the excess liquid from their hands as they are about to receive Communion. This is just bad form and often looks ridiculous.

Remember, if Communion ministers have practiced good hygiene during the Mass and are not sick, there is no obligation for them to wash their hands again during Mass. But if they need to wash their hands during Mass, give your Communion ministers their own travel-size bottle or packet of wipes so they can clean their hands more discreetly in their pews. If this cannot be done, Communion ministers can wash their hands in the sacristy as they come forward to the sanctuary. Anything you do should not delay any part of the Communion Rite or distract from the focus at the altar.

Whatever you do, don't place a bottle of sanitizing liquid on the altar (I have seen this!) or among the Communion vessels and other sacred items on the side table (I have seen this too). These areas are visually too prominent, and all you will see from the assembly's vantage point is the soap bottle.


Should the presider wash his hands as well or does the ritual purifying at the lavabo suffice?
If he has practiced good hygiene and common sense during the Mass and he is not sick, there is no need for him to wash his hands before distributing Communion. (The ritual washing of hands during the preparation of gifts is a ritual act of purification; it is not intended to be a hygienic action.) If he is sick, it's best that he not be presiding at the Mass. If this is not possible and he must preside while he is sick, the duty of distributing Communion to the assembly can be done by other ordinary ministers: assisting deacons and concelebrants at the Mass. If these are not available, he may permit extraordinary ministers to distribute Communion to the assembly.


How can we prevent panic or alarm during the cold and flu season?
If concerns arise, assure parishioners and your ministers that the usual liturgical practices of the Catholic Church are not dangerous to one’s health when exercised with ordinary common sense. Yet in order to help lessen the spread of naturally existing germs that are more prevalent during the cold and flu season, everyone should be more attentive to their own daily health practices, especially if they themselves are sick.

Catholics cannot be Catholic by themselves. We must gather together in order to worship as Jesus directed us. We cannot lock ourselves away into our own personal “upper rooms” in order to safeguard our health, nor can we put others at risk by our own behaviors. Since we are a communal Church, I hope these are helpful reminders to you to catechize parishioners all year long about good hygiene and standard considerate behavior when one is sick. Help parents teach children about good etiquette when one is healthy and when one is sick.

The axiom, lex orandi lex credendi, tells us that our liturgy teaches us what we believe. Our rites teach us to remain faithful to each other “in sickness and in health.” Our Scripture readings proclaim to us, “fear not, the Lord is in your midst.” We need not fear each other. We do need to care for each other—this cold and flu season and all throughout the year. As a Church, we embrace sickness and death, for the sick themselves, in their very bodies, exercise a special ministry. They are visible signs of God’s enduring love, a love so strong that it took on the frailty of human life and suffered our daily aches, pains, and illnesses all the way to death. As a people of faith, let us honor the God who became human by caring for each other.

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These related articles may also be helpful:

• Rite for Sending Communion Ministers to the Sick from a Parish Mass
• World Day of Prayer for the Sick - February 11