I hope you are enjoying our 45th Annual Parish Festival, which benefits our parish school 100%. It was originally begun as a one-day St. Paddy’s event for the school, but “has grown by leaps and bounds” over the years. Removed from the middle of March because of conflicting schedules of carnival workers and others, it has become a staple of the Delray and Boynton Beach communities and our “snow-bird” visitors. I thank our Moms and Dads (and a good number of Grandparents, too) for the volunteerism over these days, including setting up and taking down so many items that help make it a huge success. Our children are also involved with volunteer services at the festival, while benefitting from some time for the family fun. All of this takes place under the leadership of Mr. Gerard Olortegui and his countless assistants. May God bless them for their service to our parish in helping to keep the expense of receiving a quality Catholic education to a minimum. May our parish family continue to show their appreciation to these fine workers by treating them with the respect they deserve during these exhausting days at work.

We are sorry to say “good-bye” to our Sister Maria Gruszka, LSIC, who departed for her native Poland this past week in order to take care of her ailing mother, Zofia (89), who suffers from the effects of a debilitating stroke. Sister Maria has served us well as Director of Religious Education and Sacristan. Her many hours of dedicated service to God’s House and His people will be sorely missed. She asks for your prayers for her Mom, and I assured her you will do so. In her place as Director of Religious Education, I have appointed Mr. A.J. Castro, who will also serve as an assistant to Mrs. Heather Hackett in our Youth Ministry Program of LIFE TEEN and EDGE. “A.J.” has had experience working in these areas, and I’ve assured him of your support in his work here. You’ll probably be seeing him at this weekend’s Festival.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has flatly rejected President Obama’s obsequious so-called “accommodation,” on the recently issued mandatory birth control edict, calling it “an assault on the freedoms and sensibilities of all religious believers everywhere.” Good for them! They have stood up for the religious freedom of their own faithful as well as all other believers. Some media pundits are calling this “the greatest fight for religious liberty in our domestic politics in our lifetime.” But, the real issue here is not contraception or even abortion, although the media and the pro-choice crowd are trying to put contraception in the forefront in order to isolate the Bishops. No, the issue here is religious liberty: Can the state trample on the rights of people’s consciences and force citizens to violate what they believe are their obligations before God? I sure don’t want my tax money going to violate my principles!

What we are witnessing is a profound assault on what our Nation’s founders thought was the primary, foundational liberty which had to be guaranteed—the right to the free exercise of religion. If this right is destroyed, then no bulwark against tyranny will remain. This is why we must redouble our efforts to defend religious freedom. In the end, we all know this is a spiritual battle. If you call this a “battle,” then the battle lines are drawn. No Christian can afford to be on the sidelines. Many Churches and believers of many Christian traditions and denominations are standing together as one. Even non-Christian leaders have signed a petition to address this issue with Mr. Obama. Our strength is in our unity and in our determination to be faithful to the Lord in whatever he calls us to do.

Though it’s occurring in an election year, and some are saying that the Catholics have made this a political issue, our President could have very easily avoided this situation at this time; it seems that the “political football” was punted from his side of the field at the moment his advisors thought best. So, while we get on our knees, let’s ask our friends to join alongside us to pray, especially, that God might use this dreadful threat to unite His Church and raise us up for action. We must also contact our Congress (both Houses) to ask them to circumvent the whimsical fantasies of this Administration by introducing legislative action that will stop the executive “fiat” of our President and his puppet, the so-called “Catholic” head of the Health and Human Services Department. I thank you for your co-operation in our defense of the most precious of all our basic 4 freedoms: freedom of religion.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

As we enter our 71st year of the existence of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish, we have so much to be grateful for, and many people to pray for, including our long-time members, some of whom who cannot always get to church because of weakness or illness. We also have people whose lives were deeply affected by their Catholic education in our parish school in past years, many of whom have gone on to be successful in different areas of the state or country, yet, who continue to proudly reflect the benefits of being a member of our parish. We are particularly grateful to those parishioners, friends and visitors who take the time, effort and resources to support our parish and its school in numerous ways: the Ferrer Fund, our Annual Parish Festival, the Auction/Dinner-Dance and our Golf-Tennis Tourney, to name just a few. For all who help “keep us going,” we say “THANK YOU!!” Now, we are entering the final days of our preparation for the festival – our 45th one! The many hands and hearts that make this possible are a great blessing to our parish school and its children - - YOUR children - - OUR CHILDREN! In order for this enterprise to be a financial success, we still need to sell those $100 raffle tickets. Our kids are counting on us! So, for the last few weeks before we hold the $50,000 worth of prizes drawing (with a $25,000 Grand Prize going to the 1st place winner), let’s see if we can pool our resources (already successful in the preliminary drawing in January) and purchase the remaining tickets to make it all work!

This weekend is COMMITMENT SUNDAY for our annual DSA (Diocesan Services Appeal), and if you haven’t filled out your pledge envelope yet (or forgot it, or didn’t even get it mailed to you), there will be plenty of envelopes available for you via our Ushers and Ministers of Hospitality. As we prayerfully reflected this past week upon the sacrificial commitment that Bishop Barbarito asked us to make, may our response be one that expresses our gratitude to God for all that He bestows upon us. Even if you are a guest here, your gift still counts! Many men and women, who have reached out to us over the years as members of our Catholic Faith in a “Circle of Friends” and “extended family,” help us grow closer to the Lord by service to His people everywhere. Here is our chance to make an effective response in gratitude.

What a wonderful “collection of celebrations” we had during CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK. Among the ones that especially touched me, was the performance of our children on Grandparents’ Day and their loving display of their God-given gifts in the Talent Show that took place in conjunction with the Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday night. They really exploded with joy and exuberance as they put forth their best efforts to entertain and demonstrate how well they are maturing in the right ways because of their Catholic school education. These are our precious children and the hope of the future for the Catholic Church in America. I pray they will continue to use their God-given talents to develop their minds as Christian men and women leaders in years to come. Let’s thank their teachers and administrators, too.

Yet, there is a deep concern I have for our young people if their parents don’t bring them to church on Sunday to worship God. The rationalizations that are poured forth for not being in the House of God on the Sabbath read like classic dribble from a godless author, or an anti-Christian polemic on why we don’t need God in the 21st century. Growing up in a Catholic household, where expected participation at Sunday weekly worship was a “given,” and not an option, we took seriously the clear command, found in the third of the Ten Commandments: “to Keep Holy the Lord’s Day.” If our children are not shown a good example in this area of their lives through the undoing of week-long efforts of teaching in our Catholic schools, what can we expect of them when faced with other challenges once they leave school? I apologize for the scandal also given by those who walk out of Mass early each weekend. It’s not really reflective of the majority who stay for God’s blessing. Jesus saw one of “His own” do that, and He warns us of the consequences of giving scandal to “little ones.” He’s quite blunt, and didn’t mince His words.

We were privileged to have our shepherd, Bishop Gerald Barbarito, celebrate the annual Anniversary Mass for Married Couples in our church this past Saturday for those who have been married for 25, 40, 50 or more years. There were several of our parishioners among these honored. It’s nice to see the large number who made and continue to make the great effort to live out their wedding vows, supporting one another and building up in each other the love of Christ. They and their families are the “little church” that the last two popes have spoken of so glowingly, and serve as a fitting example of real commitment.

This past week afforded me two special privileges. On Monday, I was able to concelebrate Mass with Stanislaus Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, and long-time secretary of our late pope, Blessed John Paul II. My friendship with Cardinal Dziwisz goes back to Rome, in June of 1967, when he was a young priest-secretary of then-Cardinal Wojtyla (the future Pope John Paul II) and I was a young seminarian. I didn’t even suspect that his “boss” would one day become the great spiritual leader of our Church, though the recollection of our meeting then should have been an indication of the possibility of his future greatness. I still remember those days fondly, and cherish the souvenir photos of that time. On Wednesday, I was in Tallahassee for the annual “Catholic Days at the Capitol,” and offered the prayer for the opening session for the Florida Senate, thanks to the kind influence of our local Catholic State Senator, Maria Sachs. It wasn’t the first time I’ve offered the prayer in our capitol (County Tax Collector and parishioner, Ann Gannon, first offered it to me several years ago), but each time it is a cherished opportunity to lead legislators in prayer to consider the needs of our state and nation. The week in Tallahassee is also a time as concerned Catholics to express our concerns for upcoming legislation and to lobby local leaders to respect and consider the Catholic point of view on those issues that have direct moral implications affecting our lives and those of many others. Among those who assist us in the lobbying are the members of the Florida Catholic Conference, including our former parishioner, Sheila Hopkins, who directs much of the legislative program that assists us in our visit. May our civic leaders be sufficiently inspired to lead us closer to our God-directed destiny!!

Very Rev. Canon Tom

This weekend, besides being “Super Bowl Sunday,” is also the official “kick-off” weekend for the 2012 Annual Bishop’s Appeal.  It begins the opportunity to pledge our special support of our Bishop in his efforts to promote the work of charity throughout our five-county diocese. In sponsoring a number of institutions and programs that help those in greatest need, we foster a sense of “ownership” of these organizations and programs and help them carry out the work of God through us. How can you help?  By making the pledge that best indicates your desire to assist Bishop Barbarito in reaching our diocesan goal, as well as once again making our parish goal ($199,000). Encourage your little ones to help, too.

Our young people will also be showing their concern for the homeless of our region by holding out their soup pots for your generous donation that will support the “Family Promise” program that’s HQ’d on our campus. Several of them will also spend a day in makeshift cardboard shelters, trying to fathom, if only for a day, what it might be like to be homeless and dependent upon others for food and shelter.

Thank you for the efforts you made last week to show your continued support of our Catholic school. The Knights of Columbus gave a generous gift of $1,000, the result of several fund-raising efforts on their part, including last week’s fun-filled “Knight at the Races,” Pancake Breakfasts, Fish Frys and 50-50s. Our observance of Catholic Schools Week, with its theme of “faith, academics and service,” is highlighted by the Spaghetti Dinner fund-raiser that brings us together as a family, enjoying food and fun together. Thank you to Mrs. Delgado, the staff and all the parents who worked so hard to make all these great things happen for our kids. Our students are God’s special people and are certainly worth it! Now let’s keep the momentum going with the upcoming $100 raffle ticket sales. It helps keep our school going.

This week, I want to share some further thoughts on the theme of the dignity of human life that we’ve been promoting in these past few bulletin letters. Admittedly not mine, these thoughts come from the new President of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops. I found them to be “right-on.” In a recent address at Fordham University, Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York said that “Natural law is a concept of objective truth, not religious preference; and reliance on natural law and human rights will move the culture and its laws in the direction of authentic respect for human life.” The most effective way, according to him, to engage in conversations about human life with people who disagree with the Church's position is to "untether" discussions of natural law "from what might be thought of as unique Catholic confessionalism," and reference the writings of non-Catholic authors. After all, it's not really a ‘Catholic’ thing; it's a natural thing; it's a human thing!

"Our society has caricatured natural law as some medieval tool the Church is using to justify its own unique and antiquated system of teaching. Of course, the opposite is true," he said. "Natural law theory is not uniquely Catholic; it's human! Some of the greatest exponents of the natural law, like Aristotle and Cicero, never heard of the Catholic Church. These things we teach are not true because they happen to be taught by the Church. We teach them because they happen to be true.” This pre-dates the Church.

Blessed John Paul II's encyclical "Evangelium Vitae," described the culture of death as one that denies the basic solidarity inherent in the human person, and is obsessed with efficiency and convenience, waging a war of the powerful against the weak. The Cardinal asks, "Can sustained human rights, girded by law, survive in such a culture? The pragmatic, utilitarian world view depends upon sand to construct a system of laws protecting human rights, particularly, human life itself, since everything is constantly being re-negotiated, based on drifting dunes of utility, convenience, privacy, and self-interest."

An important proposition of the Gospel of Life is "that the dignity of the human person and respect for inviolable human rights are not just based on divine revelation, but on an objective moral law which, as the 'natural law' written in the human heart, is the obligatory point of reference for civil law itself.”

A strange feature of modern political and legal theory is that only neutral, utilitarian principles can provide a basis for public policy discussions and law; so, appeals to transcendent values, such as religion, cannot legitimately be presented. “The Gospel of Life proposes an alternative vision of law and culture, one that provides an antidote to the pragmatic nihilism that produces a culture of death. It seeks to recapture the essential relationship between the civil law and the moral law, and to foster a culture in which all human life is valued and authentic human development is possible. The Gospel of Life calls us specifically to offer a clear, faith-based view of humanity as a basis for human law. Christians propose that truth can only be known and freedom truly exercised by recognizing that they are a gift from God."

Dolan continued, "A reliance on the natural law and human rights will enable us to move the culture, and thus our laws, in the direction of authentic respect for human life. It will be a gradual, incremental process ... and require compromise and acceptance of intermediary steps."

He described pragmatism, utilitarianism and consumerism as a trinity of related culprits that chisel away at the culture of life and "seem to be ascendant in culture and normative in making laws." From this point of view, "A baby is useless and impractical from a raw, pragmatic, utilitarian or consumerist view" and is seen by some in the culture of death "as a commodity, an accessory.  We have babies, if at all, to satisfy our desires, not to sacrifice for theirs; to fulfill our needs, not to invite us to spend the rest of our lives fulfilling their needs; to reward us, not because we want to give to them."

"To this culture of death, the Church boldly and joyfully promotes the culture of life," he said. “People can promote the culture of life by living, speaking and teaching the truth in love. Usually, we will attract more people by the compelling nature of our love and, in the end that will be what most hypnotizes and magnetizes people."

Very Rev. Canon Tom

As we get closer to our 45th Annual Parish Festival, you’ll continue to hear our priests and committee members “push” the event at our church, particularly by selling the $100 raffle tickets that account for a major part of our all-important fund-raising effort for our school. Though the economy has not been the best, we’re still offering the same amount of prizes that we had offered in more prosperous times. If you and your friends, family-members or co-workers get-together and consolidate your donation for the purchase of the ticket, you’ll be one of those who stand a chance at winning gifts that will more than cover your expenses for the ticket. Again, I thank our volunteer Moms and Dads who will man the tables outside of church to bring us the opportunity to take home one of the cash prizes. They do make nice gifts for any number of occasions. Buy a ticket and help support Catholic education in our parish school!

Did you notice the new Baptismal/holy water font at the front entrance of our church? It’s quite heavy, weighing half-a-ton, and with its richly sculptured white marble will enhance the entrance and add beauty and dignity to our church and to the Sacrament of Baptism. It replaces a temporary wooden piece that has served that same purpose for several years. We still have a little gold-leaf embellishment to add as a touch-up for the font to finish the project that was commissioned in our 70th anniversary year by our Parish Pastoral Council. If you are interested in being one of the donors for the font, please contact Deacon Bruce or me for that possibility. Ten donors at $1,000 a piece, or four at $2,500, or two at $5,000, or even one at $10,000 will ensure your remembrance in that gift.

Were you as puzzled as I to see the very poor coverage that the media gave to this past week’s annual “MARCH FOR LIFE” in Washington, D.C.? Yet, why should we be surprised? The current administration is overtly commandeering the media in its attempt to get its anti-life, “pro-choice” (read: “pro-abort”) propaganda out to the public in order to obscure the valiant efforts of the faithful to promote respect for life in all forms. Additionally, our news reported that under new federal regulations, most Catholic institutions will have to get “in-step” with the rest of the country’s industries and organizations to offer medical “benefits” (as they call them) that will include many that are antithetical to Catholic teachings and traditional moral practices. What have we done to ourselves in allowing these challenges our basic Constitutionally-guaranteed “freedom” of religion to go unchecked?

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI spoke with a group of bishops from the U.S. telling them that at the heart of every culture is a consensus about the nature of reality and [the] moral good. In America, that consensus was grounded in a worldview shaped not only by faith but a commitment to certain ethical principles deriving from nature and nature's God. Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such. To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, they represent a threat not just to the Christian faith, but also to humanity itself, and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation: our relationship to God.

He said that the Church's defense of a moral reasoning based on the natural law is grounded on her conviction that this law is not a threat to our freedom, but rather a 'language' which enables us to understand ourselves and the truth of our being, and so to shape a more just and humane world. “She thus proposes her moral teaching as a message not of constraint but of liberation, and as the basis for building a secure future.” He explained that the Church's witness is “of its nature public: she seeks to convince by proposing rational arguments in the public square. The legitimate separation of Church and State cannot be taken to mean that the Church must be silent on certain issues, nor that the State may choose not to engage…. the voices of committed believers in determining the values which will shape the future of the nation." He also stated that it is "imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism, which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion."

The pope noted concerns about the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices; and a tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience. "Here … we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-àvis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a... secularism which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society. The preparation of committed lay leaders and the presentation of a convincing articulation of the Christian vision of man and society remain a primary task of the Church in your country; as essential components of the new evangelization, these concerns must shape the vision and goals of catechetical programs at every level."

Benedict XVI lauded the bishops' efforts “to maintain contacts with Catholics involved in political life and to help them understand their personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time: respect for God's gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights." He stated that anyone who looks realistically at the issues he described will see "the genuine difficulties which the Church encounters at the present moment."

Very Rev. Canon Tom

It’s the weekend for Respect Human Life, and I have a twist on our annual observance. Everybody has a hero, it seems, though what type of hero and what is the source of that admiration seems to play differently to the vast audience of hero‐worshippers. Some admire “heroes” from the spiritual realm, others are to be found in Hollywood on the celluloid or other make‐believe stages of the entertainment world. Others are war or civic heroes, true to form. Still, some are found among the vast array of political, sports or financial entrepreneurs. A current one for me, believe it or not, is a sports hero, too. His name: Tim Tebow!

In spite of the Broncos loss last weekend, the question still will be asked whether Tim Tebow will end up an NFL great, like fellow Bronco, John Elway? That remains to be seen. I could probably get as many opinions as the number of people that I ask. But what is certain is that Tim has become a special person in my book (though I’m not known to particularly favor the Broncos) because he’s not afraid to live and proclaim his Christian faith. He’s a walking, living pro‐life testimonial, going back even to before he was born. When he was still in‐the‐womb, his mother courageously chose to carry him to term despite doctors’ recommendations that she abort him.

Even before he went pro, a Christian family group commissioned an innocuous TV ad that ran during the 2010 Saints‐Colts Super Bowl game. It briefly told the story of his family’s struggle about Tim’s impending birth. The word “abortion” wasn’t even mentioned, but all it took to rock the liberal “anti‐life” movement was a positive portrayal of child‐bearing. Radical feminist groups (some call them femi‐Nazis), media‐types and liberal pundits went haywire even before the ad ran. The vice president of The National Organization for Women (NOW) told ABC News that Tebow’s story of survival was “really quite offensive… This ad is hate masquerading as love!” she barked. But guess where the real hate was? You see, Tim wasn’t dismembered alive and scraped in pieces from his mother’s womb. The New York‐based Women’s Media Center launched a failed censorship petition drive to pull the ad, framing it as an “attack on choice.” Yet, Tim’s mom did make a “choice,” only it wasn’t the right choice for them, and she dared to make it known publicly.

As Tim Tebow’s claim to fame has grown exponentially, so, too, has the left’s hatred for him. This is due in large part to his very open Christian faith. After each game, Tim begins by thanking God: “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The new expression known as “Tebowing” is about his dropping to one knee in prayer. Then there’s Tim’s favorite Scripture verse, John 3:16, (also found on Notre Dame’s Library wall facing their football field) which he’s known to wear painted in black swaths under each eye. After the Broncos’ recent electrifying playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, John 3:16, was reportedly the most popular search term on the Internet. During that game, Tebow coincidentally passed for precisely 316 yards and averaged 31.6 yards per completed pass. As the television viewing audience for the last 15 minutes of the game was 31.6 percent, to add this to his mystique.

The attention that Tebow’s bold faith has drawn to the Gospel message has secular “progressives” and other Goddeniers furious ranting as raving lunatics. American Atheists, a New Jersey‐based group that promotes religious cleansing from the public sphere, says that Tebow is “full of cr*p.” “Tebow takes religion and injects it into the mix and divides the fan base,” complained David Silverman, the group’s president. “[Religion] injects the divisive force into football,” he continued. “Why in the world are we talking about religion when we are talking about football?” he demanded (because, leaving out religion, then football is just a touchy‐feely snuggle fest). Of course, Tebow is merely doing what Jesus asks of his followers: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) 

The problem is that secular “progressives” don’t want Christ acknowledged before anyone ‐‐ period! They endeavor to shut down or mock anybody who tries. For example, during the Broncos’ regular season loss to the Buffalo Bills, socalled “progressive” anti‐Catholic and pseudo‐intellectual funnyman Bill Maher tweeted about the game, capturing the left’s visceral hatred for Tim Tebow in 140 characters or less: “Wow, Jesus just [expletive deleted] TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve!! Somewhere in hell Satan is Tebowing, saying to Hitler ‘Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.’”

Jesus addressed the Bill Mahers of the world — past, present and future — on more than one occasion. In John 15:18‐20, for instance, He reminds His followers: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Those who belong to the world do indeed hate Tim Tebow. He stands for much of what our post‐modern popular culture despises: sexual purity within the bonds of natural marriage, the sanctity of human life, selflessness, personal charity, humility and much, much more. After all, Tebow has never even been arrested for drug possession or sexual assault, for Pete’s sake! We simply can’t allow children this kind of sports’ role model now, can we?

So, even if God doesn’t care about who wins NFL football games, He unquestionably cares about those who play, watch and love football. Win or lose, no matter what happens with the rest of the football season, one thing is for sure: people will keep talking about the Broncos’ Tim Tebow. And when people are talking about Tim they can’t help but talk about the profound faith that drives him both on and off the field.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

Our annual diocesan Catholic Men for Jesus Rally will take place Saturday, Jan. 28th, from 8 am to 1 pm, in the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, 9999 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens. It’s open to all men from ages 14 and up, and breakfast and lunch will be served. The closing liturgy will be celebrated by Bishop Babrbarito, and our featured speaker will be author and nationally syndicated radio host, Allen Hunt, a convert from Methodism. He is now associated with Matthew Kelly’s Dynamic Catholic Institute. Last year, we sold out, so please register early. Our parish rally coordinator is Jamie Lesane, at 752-4278. It’s a great uplift for all men who want to be good Catholic men, husbands and fathers.

It has been 39 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the U.S. So, on Monday, January 23rd, the annual Palm Beach Diocesan observance of the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of the Supreme Court will take place across the street from the County Court House (in front of the old court house), with Bishop Barbarito leading the Rosary, beginning at 11:00 a.m. I invite you to join in this peaceful, prayerful demonstration against the unjust taking of human life by abortion, and to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide those women facing the loneliness.

The results of our election last weekend of a new member to the Parish Pastoral Council shows that the majority vote went to Kit Johansen. Congratulations to Kit, and to all who exercised their right to vote in the election. These men and women are an important source of information and help in guiding me with the administration of our parish and planning its future.

The winners of the Early-Bird Special Raffle of the hundred-dollar raffle tickets for the 45th Annual Parish Festival are: Pat Fuller, Anna Powell, Larry Clarke and “The Ten of Us” (% Pat Scarpino). Each of these lucky ticket holders win $500 now, and have a chance to win again in the Grand Prize Drawing on February 26th. Congratulations! Thank you to the sellers of our tickets outside the church doors on the weekends. I appreciate your support of the festival; it is a blessing for all the parents who want to keep our school as the best one in town and beyond!

Our annual Men’s & Women’s retreats at Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center in North Palm Beach are fast approaching. This year’s theme is “Handing on the Faith.” The retreat will be a reflection both on receiving the Faith, and our Baptismal call to hand it on and make it known through our lives and words to others in this world. The men’s retreat will be held February 3-5, and the women’s on March 16-18. For more info and registration, the website address is: http://www.ourladyofflorida.org/programs.htm. Our parish coordinators are: (Men) David Henninger (251-2866) or David Schmidt (665-1107); (Women) Deborah Dowd (276-3991). This is a great way to launch our adults into the spirit of the Lenten season.

As we draw closer to the weekend of our 45th Annual Parish Festival, I thank all the members of the Parish Festival Committee, under the leadership of Geraldo Olortegui, for exercising their stewardship of time and talent for the sake of our parish, especially our school. Also, the parents and students who sell the tickets on the weekend are a big plus in our efforts to promote the event. My prayer is that all of our parents will participate in volunteering for the festival (“volunteering” really means doing it without counting the cost or seeking a personal reward or “perks”). This helps us to save on the costs involved in educating our kids in a Catholic setting, and that’s what makes the difference! God bless our volunteers!

We’ve officially closed the Christmas season last Monday afternoon, with the Feast of Jesus’ Baptism. During the Christmas celebration this year, I was asked this question more than once: “Is missing Mass on Sundays and Holy Days still a mortal sin that has to be confessed; and if so, why?” I think they must have been visitors, because I think our parishioners already know the real answer. But in case there may be some doubt, let’s consult the law. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn that, “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin (CCC 2181)[emphasis mine]. That directive is quite emphatic in its own right. So, I just wonder how many are failing to exercise this serious obligation, and then proceed to receive the Holy Eucharist (unworthily?), as if nothing serious happened in their responsibility and obligation to keep holy the Lord’s Day. The Code of Church Law (CIC #1247) says, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” Notice, it doesn’t say just “go to Mass.” Thank God, we have the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Now, if we could just get those who regularly walk out of Mass early (and miss God’s blessing at the conclusion) and think they still are pleasing God because they “came to church,” --to rethink their heresy……

Very Rev. Canon Tom

Is your celebration of Christmas over yet? --Not ours, nor the Church’s -- for today we celebrate a feast often referred to as “Little Christmas,” or the Feast of the Epiphany, or the Feast of the Three Kings. Traditionally, it was celebrated in the Western part of the Catholic Church on January 6th, right after the 12th day of Christmas (hence “little” Christmas). It was the real day when gifts were exchanged. In the earlier centuries, it was considered an even more important day than the feast of Christmas itself. Sadly, it has lost a lot of its significance, so much so that the Catholic Church decided to put it on a moveable date: the first Sunday after the first of the New Year, when it could be celebrated with greater attendance at Mass.

The symbolism of this Gospel story today gives us deeper insight into God’s love for us, and how we can better live the Christian life. Most of us have sweet memories of that time that our parents first brought us, as little children, to kneel at the Christmas crib and marvel at the peaceful scene before us. I recall that the baby Jesus had His arms reaching out, as if to embrace everyone in the world. That image sums up perfectly the meaning of His Epiphany (manifestation), to the Magi or Wise Men from the East. Jesus, sharing in our humanity, invites men and women of all nations and races to share in His kingdom.

The Magi were Gentiles, sincere men seeking the truth, and they made a long journey to find the Wisdom of the ages: Jesus. They offered Him gifts, which were perfectly appropriate: gold, which acknowledged His kingship; incense, which represented His divinity, and myrrh, which indicated the sacrifice He was to make for us.

The Magi worshipped Jesus and gave Him their most valuable gifts. What would be our most valuable gift that we could give to the newborn Christ? I’m not sure that there’s a right answer, but I think that there is no greater gift we could give than the gift of ourselves. By giving ourselves, we become disciples of Jesus. Pope John Paul II, in a homily on one Epiphany feast, invited all of us “to do everything that the Magi did: offer gifts – the gold of love, the incense of prayer and the myrrh of sacrifice.

God reveals Himself to us so that we will be epiphanies (manifestations) for others! Just as He revealed Jesus to the Magi from foreign countries, we must reveal Jesus to people who still do not know Him, or to those who need to know Him better, even among our friends, families, and neighbors. Christ, the light of our life, is “out there,” in the world. But He is also within us, to be revealed by our words and actions as people who have been redeemed out of love and who are to continue to spread that love to a world that has been darkened by sin.

Today, we also honor the Wise Men in their finding of Christ with the tradition of the 3 Kings brought from Central Europe: by invoking their intercession as we inscribe in blessed chalk on the main doorways of our home the initials of the traditional names of the Magi: namely, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. The inscription can be done this way: 20+C+M+B+12. The incense can be burned as desired at home, perhaps during a family prayer get-together (but please do it in a safe manner).

This Tuesday, after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, we will dismantle the Christmas decorations in church, as we have returned to Ordinary time in the Church calendar. I need some volunteers for about two hours to help our maintenance staff put away the manger and decorations and clean the sanctuary. A lunch will be served (as always) for those volunteers who help. Do you have the time and volunteer spirit to help?

This Sunday, after all of the weekend Masses, we vote in the Parish Family life Center for one of the proposed candidates for our Parish Pastoral Council. Their pictures and a brief biography have been posted near the entrances of our church and Parish Center. If you are a registered parishioner who is 18 or older, you may cast your ballot. The winner will serve a specified term on the Pastoral Council, which serves to give me advice in administering our parish. I thank the candidates for their willingness to serve.

Also, this Sunday in Kellaghan Hall, we will be drawing the winning prizes for our “early-bird special” raffle (those who already bought their $100 tickets for the Annual Parish Festival that occurs toward the end of next month). The winners are also eligible to win again in the drawing at the end of the festival!

We welcome back Father Jay Haskin, recently retired from the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, who graciously assists us on weekdays and weekends in the midst of his retirement. We also welcome back from the Alaskan outback, our poster boy for Blue Bell ice cream, Monsignor Anderson. Both priests are a blessing to our parish and a great assistance to me in ministering to our parish.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

Today (January 1st), besides beginning the New Year, we celebrate the Solemn Feast of Mary, Mother of God. In actuality, this is one of the oldest Marian celebrations in the Christian calendar, but somehow slipped into obscurity for many generations. Revived by Pope Paul VI, this feast now stands at the head of the calendar year, although, not the liturgical calendar (which began on the 1st Sunday of Advent). We invoke the intercession of Mary as we begin our New Year. This year, on January 8th, we will celebrate the greatest feast of the Christmas season, the Epiphany (also called the Feast of the Three Kings, and “Little Christmas,” a real misnomer, for it should be the “Great Christmas!”). Then we will conclude our 12 days of Christmas, which will end on January 9th, the Baptism of Our Lord. Afterwards, we’ll revert to Ordinary Time, until we begin Lent.

Thank you for your generous contribution to our annual Christmas collection. Though final figures are not in, our Christmas collection, thus far, is over $55,000 this year, with promises of more gifts to be received. Though we lost out on a Sunday collection this year because of the occurrence of Christmas Day on a Sunday, your generous gift to make up for that loss closes us in nearer to last year’s double opportunity to give. Additional gifts for tax write-off purposes will also help close the financial gap. May you be rewarded by Our Lord for your continuous help and support of our parish!

I express my hearty “Thank you” to the men, women and teens who help set up all the Christmas decorations in our church this year. Many of our out-of-town visitors expressed comments such as “stunning” and “inspiring” regarding the beauty of the arrangement. I hope the flowers will last through the Christmas season, and I thank you for your support in paying for their purchase. I also express my gratitude to Bill Stafford and the Adult Choir, along with solo members of our Liturgical Music group that brought such delight to our parishioners and visitors with their musical enhancement of the Masses here. It seems that they took special effort during the Advent season to truly prepare for the celebration of Christmas at St. Vincent, and brought much joy to the people who participated at Mass on Christmas. The extra hard work of practicing and rehearsing truly “paid off” this year.

The following “Thank You” note comes from Rami Qumsieh, of the Catholic Palestinian community, who spoke recently in our church about the plight of Catholics and other Christians in the Holy Land.

“I am very pleased that many of you took the time to come to meet me after Mass. Your community – Msgr. Skindeleski, other priests and deacons-- made me feel very welcome and appreciated. So many of you gave me kind and sincere words of gratitude; your kindness to this cause is very humbling. I know if enough of us become aware of this issue, a solution will be at hand quickly. I appreciate that many of you purchased the religious articles that were available.

Many Christian Palestinians will soon be hard at work to replenish what you purchased, and more. This, in turn, creates a virtuous cycle of simple commerce, all because of those who chose to participate. Thanks!

Please remember, money is part of stewardship. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer. Now that you know we exist and realize our natural role in the family of Christ, please pray, and ask others to pray for us, as well.

I pray that our Prince of Peace will always protect the Christian character of the Holy Land for generations to come. Please visit our website, www.HolyLandDirect.com and feel free to drop me a note; I read them all.

Wishing you blessings in the Christmas season and a holy New Year, Rami Qumsieh.”

Next weekend, we will hold the elections for vacancies on the Parish Pastoral Council for the coming year. The names of the candidates to be elected are posted on the church doors and the lobby of our Parish Family Life Center. They include Phil Bukowski, Kit Johansen, John Lynch, Frank Manfredonia and Joe Mastrullo. All registered adults (18 or over) will have an opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice after the Masses next weekend. They will serve as advisors for me in making certain decisions that affect the life of our parish family. Here’s your chance to get the representative you feel will best serve in this role.

That same day (Jan 8th), we will also hold the pre-Festival Raffle for those who have already purchased their $100 raffle ticket. You will again have a chance to win big at the Festival in February (24, 25, 26). The raffle, to be held in the Family Life Center, will follow the last morning Mass. I wish you Good Luck!!!

Our Ferrer Fund begins its new year for a major support of our parish school and our church. The past year’s total, as of December 27th, was $150,432.75, with pledges still being honored totaling $4,300. Even though we had originally hoped to reach a higher set goal, most of the figure is based on gifts for the first half of the year, rather than the full year (since we began the program in the calendar year 2011). Our scheduling of this year’s goal coincides, for the most part, with the academic year of our school, which began last August and ends around May 31st, though this year’s challenge will continue until the end of the fiscal year, June 30th. Your past gift is so well appreciated, making possible the improvements already being utilized in the school, and that makes a difference in the way our children receive a quality education. Thank you for your gracious assist in meeting the needs of our parish.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

Merry Christmas! A Blessed Christmas! A Happy Christmas! A Holy Christmas! – to you!! No, I didn’t write “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” for a particular purpose, because that’s not how Christians greet one another during this time of the year. Even my non-Christian friends know that. The other greetings are the appropriate ones for clergy and non-clergy alike. So, when you go your merry way today and the next few weeks, greet your neighbors and friends with the appropriate Christian greeting, and may the sound of that greeting in your ears give the reason for the season. Keep Christ in Christmas, and don’t let the Grinch steal it from us.

Thank you to our Knights of Columbus who sponsored the parish event Friday a week ago that helps fund the tuition in our school for the children of the late John Krolikowski, our first Parish Manager. As you know, the Lord came and took him to Himself (for reasons that we probably won’t know in this life), and changed the plans that John had to give his children the Catholic education he cherished. Thanks be to our brother Knights and their helpers, we came together as a parish family to help realize that dream, and help those plans of John’s come to fulfillment. That’s why I invest a lot of my time and energy into the Knights’ organization, for they epitomize what their founder, the Venerable Father Michael McGivney, wanted the men to be: men who exemplify the virtues of charity, unity and fraternity. May God bless them and their supportive families!

New Year begins on Sunday, January 1st, with the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. Our Mass schedule next weekend, therefore, follows the Christmas Day Mass schedule, with NO Sunday evening Mass at 5:30 PM! Please be advised of this special schedule, as the obligation to observe this Solemnity falls on a day of the regular Sunday obligation (which doesn’t hold if it falls on a Saturday or a Monday).

Father Danis and I have noted how many involved parishioners of our parish have been in the hospital during these past two weeks (or family members of our involved parishioners). It seems that we have been running the gamut of hospitals in south Palm Beach County, not only our own local Bethesda. In most instances, these patients will return to their families; but in some cases, they are preparing to return to the Lord. Hopefully, in each instance their stay, it’s been a chance to be open to the spirit of this holy season, even with the possibility of saying to the Lord, face-to-face, “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” When He finally does come, may they be happy to celebrate Christmas with Him in heaven. In the meantime, may you and your family enjoy the peace, joy and hope of this Christmas season. May you not lose its flavor long after the Christmas season has closed on January 10th, and the trees and decorations have been taken down.

“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays…” goes a popular song of the season. But for many people, the tune can have many different takes. “Home” could be anywhere in this country, or abroad, or as distant as heaven itself. Some people long to be with loved ones who have gone before us in the hope of the resurrection. For whatever reason, they’re celebrating Christmas here, though saddened they may be. For others, it means travelling to or from here to be with the loved ones. Wherever you may find yourself this Christmas, may you be filled with much peace!

Very Rev. Canon Tom

WOW! Christmas is almost here! We’ve been observing the Advent season to prepare for the coming of Christ - into our lives – not just at Christmas, but when He will call each of us either to be with Him for all eternity– or NOT. Sometimes we realize that our own disposition toward Him has not been the best, and that we have put a priority on things as more important than God. Our failure to keep HOLY His day and worship Him each week on HIS day is only one of the ways in which we seriously offend Him, and this is by neglect. There are many willful ways in which we set Him aside and put something or someone ahead of Him. We’re not asked to have a “I’m going to be good and do good because God has a reward for those who do so,” approach to curry favor with God that should motivate the goodness of our lives, but a returning love for all that He has first given us. Each day should be like a Christmas, because it’s each day God is lavishing His love upon us – gifts galore…that we often ignore or don’t consider. And if each day is like Christmas in the gift-giving sense, then how do we express our gratitude? How often do we actually stop to think about and thank God for these gifts? What gift shall we bring Him for His birthday? We need to recall this when people wish us “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” type of greeting, throwing a “damper” on the joyful spirit that these coming feasts in the next few weeks should really exude. Don’t throw away your tree and decorations before the season has ended on January 9th!

Sadly, This Advent season, Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, has penned a letter to her supporters proclaiming: “Choice on Earth.” Emanating from the head of the world’s largest abortion chain, Planned Parenthood’s “Choice on Earth” stands in direct opposition to the song that burst forth from heaven at the birth of the Christ Child: “Peace on Earth.”

Admitting in her letter that Planned Parenthood has never had such a year as this one, she refers to so-called “relentless attacks on Planned Parenthood and women's health,” while daring to make an appeal for more money for her billion dollar-a-year “killing machine” in order to continue her relentless attacks on the preborn. Her appeal for Christmastime donations for the nation’s largest abortion chain reflects a coldness of heart that can only manifest when one is wedded to the “Father of all lies.”

While we continue to pray for the conversion of all those who support and work at Planned Parenthood, we pledge to do our best to bring “peace” on earth by eliminating the abortion business known as Planned Parenthood. Doing so will be a huge step toward bringing peace on earth to all people of good will. This Tuesday, December 20th at 7:00 in the evening, we’ll have an opportunity to express our sorrow for not always appreciating the gifts that God bestows upon us. We’ll have a community celebration of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. There will be about 10 priests available for Confession, so please use this opportunity before Christmas to be reconciled to the Lord and His people. In that way you can present yourself to the Lord as a pleasing gift for Christmas, and avoid the last moment Confession and its long line on Friday morning after Mass.

On Monday, December 19th, after the 8:30 A.M. Mass, we’ll decorate our church for the season of Christmas. I welcome all people “of good will” who wish to join in decorating to do so; and we will provide a lunch for those who stay to help.

Our Middle School pre-teens and teens from our “EDGE” program will present their annual “LIVE NATIVITY” on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 24th) from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside our church by the 10 Commandments monument. This is their unique way of showing their own appreciation of the birth of the Savior. May God bless them for their wonderful presentation!

Please note that there will be NO 5:30 p.m. Life Teen Mass on Christmas Day. The same will apply for New Year’s Day, the following Sunday. We do have the extra Mass on Saturday, Christmas Eve, at 9:00 P.M. (our substitute for Midnight Mass). On Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, therefore, we have the regular 4 morning Masses, but not any in the late afternoon.

Since Christmas falls on Sunday this year (as does New Year’s Day the following weekend), we have only the 1 (Christmas) collection. So, we lose out on our regular Sunday collection. If your generosity would allow it, your “little extra” donation in that Christmas collection envelope will help us manage the costs to maintain our parish. This weekend, we set aside an envelope for Christmas flowers and decorations for church. The donation in that envelope never really fills the gap left by a “lost Sunday” collection, so your extra at Christmas will surely be a blessing. Thank you very much.

Father Danis, Monsignor Anderson, Deacons Lee Levenson, Rusty Skinner, Bruce Turnbull and I wish you and your family all the choicest of blessings for the Christmas season (which begins December 25th and concludes on January 9th, the Baptism of the Lord). May the true spirit of this season be a lasting source of grace and consolation to all who have need of them.

May you enjoy a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Very Rev. Canon Tom

This weekend after all the Masses, we will have our Christian friends from the Holy Land exhibiting their beautiful hand-crafted olive wood figures from Bethlehem. You have heard them and me before, as we spoke of the plight of the dwindling Christian community in Israel and surrounding countries of the Middle East. What was once a strong, vibrant Catholic and other Christian population has dropped to around two percent of the population. These Palestinian Catholics count on your support of their artistry to help them and their families survive in the midst of all that anti-Christian, anti-Western turmoil. This is an excellent opportunity to come and see their work, to speak with them about their delicate spiritual, economic and political situation, and take the opportunity to purchase those beautiful items for your Christmas gift needs. You will be uplifted in hearing their commentaries on their endurance and suffering in a manner not unlike the first Christians of the Holy Land. Come to Kellaghan Hall after Mass.

Our award-winning parish school will host an “OPEN HOUSE” for all our parishioners this Sunday, following the 10:00 AM Mass, and we invite you to take a look at the many excellent programs and facilities that help our students excel in so many areas of spiritual, academic, athletic and service achievements. Our Principal, Mrs. Vikki Delgado, her staff and teachers will welcome you, especially prospective parents of future students. You even have a chance to win the raffle that will assist you in tuition payments for next year. So come, and have a great visit!

We are delighted to learn that the following students from our parish (most of them graduates of our parish school, attained the following academic honors for the first quarter at Pope John Paul II High School. Principal’s List: Lauren Browning, Alena Costanian, Travis Hughes, Nicholas McNamara, and Emily Sama. First Honors: Clare Brinkman, Ariel Chandler, Erin English, Monica Espinel, Natalie Irving, Emily Kowalik, Hunter Maxwell, Victoria Mazzeo, Emma McNamara, Meghan Mendez, Abigail O’Malley, Katherine Roussin, Alexandria Shumway, Alyssa Skehan, Holly Stryjek, Gina Tenore, Sarah Transleau, Gerald Williston, Sara Wohlfarth, and Katherine Youngross. We offer them our congratulations and hope they continue to use their God-given talents in various good ways.

On this Third Sunday of Advent, the Readings highlight two figures that had a pre-eminent role in the preparation of Jesus Christ’s entering into history: the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. The Gospel of Mark focuses precisely on the latter and describes the personality and mission of the Precursor of Christ. Beginning with externals, John is presented as a very ascetic figure: he is clothed in camel skins, he eats locusts and wild honey and he lives in the wilderness of Judea. Jesus once contrasted him with those “who live in the palaces of kings” and “wear soft garments.” John the Baptist’s style should recall all Christians to choose a more sober lifestyle, especially in preparation for the feast of Christmas, in which Jesus, as St. Paul says: “although He was rich, became poor for your sake, that you might become rich through his poverty.”

John’s mission was an extraordinary call to conversion: his baptism “is connected to a call to a new way of thinking and acting but, above all, with the proclamation of God’s judgment.” and of the imminent appearance of the Messiah. John’s message goes further and deeper than a more sober way of life: it calls us to interior change, beginning with the acknowledgement and confession of our sins. As we prepare ourselves for Christmas, it is important that we look within ourselves and we sincerely reflect on our life. We must let ourselves be illumined by the ray of light that comes from Bethlehem, the light of Him who is “the greater one” and made himself small, the “strongest one” and made himself weak.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

With some fear and trepidation, we seem to have made it beyond the “stage fright” of adapting to the New Roman Missal in English. Thanks to the preparations made over the past two months by Father Driscoll and Father Khanh, and our Parish Director of Liturgical Music, Bill Stafford and other staff members, we were able to ride the crest of the wave of fear to make the necessary changes, and came out safely. We still have some “kinks” to iron out but, all in all, we’ve done quite well. It will still take patience to learn the new responses of the Mass, especially the easiest (but maybe the trickiest) one, “And with your spirit.” So, by Christmas time, we should be able to appreciate another one of the preparations of this Advent season, and move on to the New Year with a greater sense of the sublime beauty of the Mass.

That Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass is the action of Christ and of God’s people, in which the human race adores the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Here, the faithful join themselves to Christ in giving thanks and in acknowledging the great things God has done. The Mass is the ‘sacrament of unity” in which the faithful are nourished from the table of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body. This unity is expressed particularly in common posture, in communal singing, reverential silence, and in sharing together of the one bread and one cup. Ideally, the assumption of the Roman Missal is that every Sunday and feast day, the Eucharistic liturgy will be celebrated with song, with a cantor, with one or two readers, and with other assisting ministers. Actually, though, we have to deal with the reality of our human limitations that are constantly buoyed up by our loving God.

How wonderful it was, this past Wednesday, to have two dozen volunteers (most of these are women with children in our school) help our parish secretarial staff with the annual Christmas mailings to nearly 3,000 homes and families. In a slight take from the famous words of Julius Caesar, “Veni, vidi, vici,” they came, saw and conquered! In a matter of a few brief hours, they were able to set up an efficient assembly line, enjoy some “goodies,” and busy themselves in a beautiful effort of volunteerism. What a great Advent example for all! A big THANK YOU to: Deacon Bruce Turnbull, Karen Turnbull, Mimi Meister, Carla Zorovich, Mary Louise Finneran, Carolyn Roehm, Susie Rona, Colleen Schuhmann, Michele Harrington, Amy Fairchild, Flor Heaney, Martha Mirenda, Liz Sumi, Sue Perez, Tabitha Robbins, Tricia Wohlfarth, Kim Weber, Amy Vilcnik, Stephanie McInerney, Alexandra Raciunas, Donna Rizzo, Lucia Merchant, Maria Howard and Linda Flood.

Very Rev. Canon Tom

It's good to be back after a two-month sabbatical. I'm ever grateful to Father Michael Driscoll for "holding down the fort" while I was gone, and for his willingness to do so immediately after having just "retired" from his own previous pastorate. I'm also grateful to you and all of our fine staff, including Father Ridore, who welcomed Father Driscoll and worked along with him and his ever-fluctuating personal schedule. I sure appreciate the fine pastoral care and weekly liturgical information that he expertly provided us. I'm also grateful for your warm welcome upon my return home. You have been in my thoughts and prayers constantly. Since we are entering a new liturgical year with the beginning of another Advent, it's a good time for me to be returning home to our parish.

From our earliest training in the teachings of our Catholic Faith, we know that Advent is a time of waiting and a time of welcoming. First of all, we await the coming of Christmas, and the coming of Christ - both now, and at the moment of our passing from this life. The most recent readings of the Sunday Masses have been focused on this aspect of the life to come. Will it be a life with Christ or without Him? The answer will be indicated by the way we have been living out our life on earth. Some people have been so focused on anything other than Christ that it will almost take a miracle to bring them back to the reality of why they exist in this life in the first place. Maybe that miracle will be brought about by the way we live out our Faith in their presence. Many such miracles have been recorded that have occurred in a similar fashion. Surely, we can make the difference in the lives of others just as Christ has made a difference in our life. Advent should help us to refocus our attention on Christ and His coming into the world, both in past history and in the time yet to come. It challenges us, once again, to place ourselves in loving proximity to His call to return to Him and adhere to His message. That's why this is a season to prepare for Christmas, to prepare for the coming of Christ, and not to follow the secular and commercial messages of celebrating Christ's birth before its proper time. We live in joyful anticipation of His coming, and when He does come, we will be ready to meet Him. But Satan will subtly be pushing us in a contradictory vein, with anything and everything he has, to avoid the true spirit of Advent preparation, and to go "gung-ho" into the Christmas season without contemplating the real reason that Christ has come into our world: to save us --from ourselves, and from the power of the Evil One! This year, we also welcome the new updates in the English translations of the liturgy applicable to the Catholic Church in our country. We hope that, with due patience and an openness to the changes that are taking place this weekend, we will experience an uplifting of our spirits and minds to the Lord in the Eucharistic celebrations that are to come. Change is not always easy nor agreeable to our comfortable system of living out our daily activity. That's why we need patience in implementing any new changes, including those in the Liturgy. The best way to accept needed changes is with an openness to the possibilities for the good it can produce that will be beneficial to our entire person (or at least a good part of it!). Fighting the inevitable will sap us of the energy we need to make needed transitions.

As Father Driscoll wrote in his column, these liturgical changes will affect the priest celebrant far more than the members of the congregation. So, I've been using some of my sabbatical time to study these changes, and hope to bring about as smooth a transition as possible; that's why I mentioned that we need patience and openness. It will also continue to require of all of us greater attention to the roles we now have, and the increased participation we must undertake to bring about the best liturgies possible. That's no small task on your part or that of the priest-celebrant. Hopefully, the musical and textual adaptations will appear on our "drop-down" screens with few, if any, glitches. Again, patience will be required. Likewise, the new missalettes should prove to be an additional aid to our learning process.

Finally, I ask you to keep Father Driscoll in your prayers, for he recently received word that the cancer he had overcome on one side of his face a few years ago has now occurred on the other, and he will be undergoing treatments again with his previous specialists in Boston. With the continued shortage of good priests in this country, we need to beseech the Lord not only to send out more good laborers to His harvest, but also to preserve the good ones He has. So continue to ask the Lord to strengthen the shepherds He has sent to care for His flock, in numbers, health and leadership qualities. God bless you!

Very Rev. Canon Tom

We begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist with an introductory period. Bread and wine are brought forth to be placed on the altar. Along with these offertory gifts we also bring up our sacrificial offering, our tithe for the maintenance of our parish and for the needs of others. In the early days of the Church, the Eucharistic banquet was celebrated in the context of a meal. Jesus had instituted the Eucharist at a meal called the Last Supper and told his followers to do what he was doing in memory of him. So they had a full meal during which bread was blessed and at the end of this meal a cup of wine was blessed. This Eucharistic Memorial was celebrated with a full meal. In time the Christian community realized that what was most important at this meal was the bread and wine that was offered so the meal aspect was dropped and instead of bringing all the ingredients for a meal, they brought a monetary contribution to the assembly. We continue this practice.

The bringing up of the bread and wine and the collection is more properly called the Preparation of the Gifts. These are God’s gifts to us and our gifts to God. Even though we call this the “offertory procession” it is basically just a preparation rite for the actual offertory which is the Eucharistic Prayer. When the priest offers up this bread and wine to God the Father, we should be so united with this offering that we place ourselves, as it were, on the paten (dish) that contains the bread and wine. We offer ourselves, our hurts and pains, our thanks and adoration to God for all that God has done for us through his Son Jesus.

Along with prayers, the basic pattern of the Eucharist consists of four parts in imitation of what Jesus did; Jesus took bread and wine; said a prayer to bless these gifts; broke the bread; and then gave the broken bread and the cup to his disciples to eat and drink.

With the invocation of the Holy Spirit to change these gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ and the narrative of the Institution at the Last Supper, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. It is our faith that believes this because we believe in the words that Jesus used at the Last Supper. We pray to the Holy Spirit that we will become more united with God and with one another.

It is the Eucharist that unites us, makes us a communion, a common union. It is the Eucharist that converts us to a deeper life with God. St. Paul tells us (1 Corinthians 10:17) “because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

After the prayers that the priest/celebrant makes on our behalf, we prepare ourselves to eat and drink in obedience to Jesus command at the Last Supper. We prepare for this by using the words that Jesus taught us, the Our Father. It teaches us to call God our father. Our God is the God of all of us so we should respect each other as members of God’s family. We pray for our daily bread, the Eucharist, that sustains us. We beg forgiveness from God as we pledge that we will be as forgiving. We exchange some sign of peace as an act of reconciliation, love and friendship with all our brothers and sister in the Church.

As Jesus gave the consecrated bread and wine to his disciples, we have our communion rite where we receive the consecrated “fruit of the earth,” and “fruit of the vine and work of human hands.” The actual breaking of bread is seen most visibly when the priest and deacon break bread consecrated at that particular Mass. Since Jesus told us to eat and drink, the restoration of the cup is made available as often as possible and we are invited to partake from the chalice. At most meals we eat and drink, so too at the Eucharistic meal we should eat and drink even though we believe that the “totus Christus” (the whole Christ) is contained under either species of bread and wine.

The documents coming from the US Bishop’s Office of Liturgy, over the years, are very explicit in recommending communion under both forms: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) 1970 & 1975 emphasizes in paragraph (#56): “It is most important that the faithful should receive the body of the Lord in hosts consecrated at the same Mass and should share the cup when it is permitted. Communion is thus a clearer sign of sharing in the sacrifice which is actually taking place.” With this one cup and one bread concept always before our mind, we need to look at receiving the consecrated wine that has become the real sacramental Jesus on our altars. The GIRM tells us: “Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it is distributed under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clear expression is given to the divine will by which the new and external Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the relationship between the Eucharistic banquet and the heavenly banquet in the Father’s Kingdom” (GIRM no. 281, see also Norms, #20.2).

The Bishops urge us to receive from the cup so more ministers of Holy Communion are needed for this to take place. The majority of congregants will not receive from the cup but why deprive those who want to partake of the chalice? Is God calling you to be a Eucharistic Minister? Why not accept this ministry?

After a communion song and/or a period of silence to commune with the Lord, the communion rite concludes with a prayer and a dismissal rite. Before the community disperses brief announcements and community business can be brought to the attention of the congregation. We are then sent forth to bring the Christ we have received to the waiting world. As Blessed Pope John Paul II said: “The dismissal at the end of each Mass is a charge given to Christians, inviting them to work for the spread of the gospel and the imbuing of society with Christian values.”

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem

The U.S. Bishops have urged priests and deacons to use the time prior to the introduction of the new wording in the liturgy and the time immediately after to reacquaint parishioners with some of the theology behind our celebration of the Eucharist. All of us need reminders from time to time about what we are doing when we come to Mass and why. It is especially important for those who have not had much religious instruction or have forgotten what they learned years ago. People need to keep abreast of new ways of doing things whether that person is a professional or an ordinary citizen. Lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, clergy, etc. need to keep up with new things or else they will fall behind in their profession. The average person needs to know the best products to choose from in the grocery store, appliance store or hardware shop. In the same way we need to keep up-to-date in our religious life and now is the time to learn more about the celebration of the Eucharist.

Our Mass is divided into four parts, The two main parts are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Each of these two main parts has an introductory part. The introductory rite before the Liturgy of the Word starts off with an entrance hymn or antiphon. The entrance hymn is meant to create a celebratory mood and usually does not stop when the priest/celebrant and deacon reach the presider’s chair. The hymn can be as long as necessary to create that celebratory atmosphere. The priest and deacon reverence the altar as a symbol of Christ with a kiss and make their way to the presider’s chair. Together all make the sign of the cross, the symbol of our salvation and the priest greets the people with the words used by St. Paul when he began his epistles. The priest then gives some introductory remarks about this particular celebration and he concludes his remarks by inviting all for the moment of silent recollection of who we are and who we are called to be as members of the Body of Christ. We reflect on our faults and ask God to forgive our failures for not living up to our Christian calling. The penitential act follows
where we praise God for His mercy and the priest proclaims an absolution. Since it is not the absolution given in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance), we do not make the sign of the cross at this time.

At Sunday Mass, the ancient hymn, the Gloria, is sung or recited. Since it is a hymn, the preference is to sing the Gloria. It is an acclamation of God the Father and of his Christ present among us who are members of his body. Its opening line recalls the Christmas story of the angels announcing peace at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14). The Introductory Rite concludes with the collect or opening prayer. This is the highlight of this part of the Mass. It collects our individual prayers into one as we find ourselves together as a community. The main purpose of the introductory rite is to form a worshipping community. With the words of the collect we prepare ourselves to hear the Word of God and get a sense of what to listen for in the words to come. Since the Liturgy of the Word is a vital part of our Mass celebration we should all be on time to listen to God speaking to us in scripture.

On weekends, we traditionally have three readings plus a psalm which is a response to the Word of God by using the Word of God. Normally, the first reading and the Gospel are related in theme. The second reading is usually not connected to the other readings in theme. Its introduction in the Mass was a way of exposing more Scripture to Roman Catholics. We call this part of the Mass the Word because it is God’s Word addressed to us by God himself. God is speaking to us and hopefully we get that
message. The scriptures are the written record of and reflection on the acts of God in the past whether it be found in the Exodus story or in Jesus. It is in the homily that the homilist tries to point out how God still acts and still speaks to us today. This is why the Church urges the homilist and people to be silent after the homily for a few moments to reflect on the meaning of Scripture in our world today. Silence is also urged after each reading as well as after the homily. Before we come to the next part of Mass we have the Creed (on Sundays and feasts) and the intercessions. In the new translation, the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed both have word changes that we will have to get used to. The Nicene Creed (Council of Nicea) developed out of the baptismal formula used in the early centuries in the Christian community at Jerusalem. The Apostles Creed is the old baptismal formula used in Rome. The Creed is used as an affirmation of faith in all God has done, is doing, and will yet do. The Prayer of the Faithful, or bidding prayers or general intercessions that follow are acts of the whole community praying for the world which the community is sent to serve. These prayers are meant to be global, universal or truly catholic even though they can also be local and parochial. Even when we pray for ourselves we pray for the larger world and the needs of all.

The question arises about using a missal or missalette to follow the readings. Many bishops and priests have said that the Word of the Lord is meant to be listened to not read while the lector or priest/deacon reads to us. While we can debate this forever, the general preference is to discourage the use of reading the texts at Mass by following along in a missalette.

In 1998 the liturgy committee of the U.S. bishops’ conference issued an excellent set of “Guidelines for the Publication of Participation Aids.” With respect to the Liturgy of the Word, it said: “It is clearly preferable that the Word of God be clearly heard by all who participate in the liturgy, for ‘In the hearing of God’s Word the Church is built up and grows’ (GILFM 7). For this reason, the printing of readings and presidential prayers in participation aids is discouraged, unless other circumstances make it impossible for the word to be effectively proclaimed. Even in these instances, however, it is preferable that steps be taken to assure the effective proclamation of the Scriptures rather than resorting to providing a ‘read along’ text to the members of the assembly. Therefore, the ideal is to participate by an attentive external and inner listening to the proclamation of God’s Word and to the presidential prayers at Mass, rather than simply reading along with them.

The missalettes will not go away and can be used prior to Mass or during the week to prepare for Sunday Mass. With good readers and good audio equipment, many parishioners now put down their reading material at Mass and listen attentively to the proclamation of the Word.

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem

In a recently published book entitled “The American Catholic Revolution: How the ‘60’s changed the church forever” (2010), Fr. Mark Massa, S.J. writes that the “American Catholic Sixties” began on the first Sunday of Advent, 1964, with the revised order of the Mass. In Fr. Massa’s words “many Catholics in 1964 lived in a hermetically sealed universe when it came to their faith and religious practices…” They did not know or believe that religious practices could change: “This is the way it was and this is the way it will always be!” Fr. Massa asserts that the liturgical reform mandated by the Vatican Council II altered the allegedly changeless ritual of the Mass. For centuries Roman Catholics believed that everything liturgical came from the earliest apostolic days of the church and remained unaltered throughout the history of the Church. It was only after World War II and the 1950’s especially, that scholars started to look into liturgical history in depth and found that the practices and customs dealing with the sacraments had varied greatly over the centuries. They were not always unchangeable. This theological science called liturgical theology examined these ageless practices and customs and gave us insight as to what could be changed in the way we celebrate the sacraments. So Catholics now realized if the Church could change the ways we had been celebrating the sacraments (including using the vernacular languages instead of Latin), it was evident that changes could come in the future. For four hundred years, the Mass texts (completed after the Council of Trent, the Post-Reformation Council) were prayed in Latin. As the “new Mass” of the 1960’s changed what was being done since Trent, Catholics began to conceive that there could be changes in the Mass for English speakers in 2011 starting with the first Sunday of Advent when we begin our new liturgical year.

There is no problem in critiquing the new translation of the Mass texts. We should be free to give our opinion even though the books are already printed and mailed to parishes and religious institutions. Some of the new translations will please us; others may have us puzzled as to the meaning of some of the new wording. We have to live with it and see if the new translation “grows on us.”

Younger Catholics grew up in a world that had plenty of music in worship as well as outside the assembly. Older Catholics grew up often attending “low” Mass where music was never used. They had “solemn” Masses with plenty of music but “low” Mass was quite popular. After Vatican II this older generation paid attention to the statements in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963) which told us that participation in the liturgy can never be “full, conscious, and active” unless it is also musical. Music has a ministerial role. It helps us make worship more noble and solemn and music is one of the ways we pray, one of the ways we praise God. Praising God as a community is public worship. It is “Jesus and us” not just “Jesus and me.” It is a fact that music or certain types of Church music rub some Catholics the wrong way. Some would like Mass to be silent. But the documents for the past forty years tell us that music is the norm for worship; that having music is the normal way we celebrate Mass. Liturgical guidelines for example, even say if we do not sing the “Alleluia” at Mass we do not have to say it. That statement tells us in a positive way to sing the “Alleluia” if at all possible. Never the less, practically every Catholic parish with multiple Masses, has one celebration without music. Sometimes the reason may be a lack of musicians; sometimes to please those who do not like music. Parishes try to keep everyone happy!

The most recently issued document from the U.S. Bishops’ Conference dealing with music, Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship states in #124: “Music does what words alone cannot do. It is capable of expressing a dimension of meaning and feeling that words alone cannot convey. While this dimension of an individual composition is often difficult to describe, its affective power should be carefully considered along with its textual components.”

Throughout the United States and other English speaking countries gifted musicians have composed or are currently composing new musical settings for the Mass. One year ago there were over ninety new Mass settings composed for parishes in the United States. There may be hundreds more by now. Musicians have been commissioned to write new compositions to go along with the new words in the various parts of the Mass. Patching “old wine skins onto new wine skins” will not work. Musicians will be composing new settings and not revised settings. Creativity will blossom in our Catholic Church! The result of these new compositions is the knowledge that there are many gifted musicians in our world who want to enhance our Mass with beauty. Choirs and congregations will be learning new rhythms that embrace the new texts of familiar prayers. Hopefully, the new music will help us learn the new words and prayerfully bring us closer to God.

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem

The new translation of the Mass texts will bring about the most significant change in the way English speakers have been experiencing Mass for the past 45 years. Those who were born after Vatican Council II (1962-1965) may find this is the first new translation for them. But those born before the 1960’s may say “here we go again”. Hopefully we will be comfortable with most of the new translation. Some new words will jar us as we try to understand the reasons for the changes. There is no harm in questioning the reason why. While the spoken parts for the congregation may be minimal, all of us will see that most of the prayers recited by the priest have a new translation. Some of these prayers are very lengthy as we will readily notice. In the initial months of the implementation of the new Roman Missal most Catholics will no longer be able to walk into their parish church on Sundays and other days and automatically recite the Gloria, the Creed and other parts of the Mass from memory. Unless they can instantly memorize the new words they will need a guide to help them become accustomed to the new translation of these prayers. So parishes will have pew cards, missalettes with the new translation and moving screens with printed texts etc. to guide us through the initial introductory period.

Active participation in the liturgy which is listening and praying the prayers of Mass requires some work. When the priest says to all of us “let us pray” he is not saying “just listen”; he is saying let us all pray and make this prayer our own. We have an important and often quoted theological principle from the early days of the Church expressed in Latin “lex orandi statuat legem credendi” (the law of prayer is the law of belief) or in more understandable English “the way we pray shows the way we believe”, which is applicable today as it was in ancient times. This principle reminds us that what we say in prayer and how we pray expresses what we believe. If we do not partake of the reception of the Eucharist; if we do not avail ourselves of the sacrament of reconciliation by going to confession from time to time, we show a certain lack of belief in these sacraments. When we come to Mass, we do not just listen to the words of Scripture, the dogmas of our faith expressed in the Creed and other prayers but we try our best, despite the distractions we all have, to unite ourselves with Christ and pour out our praise, our thanks, our hurts, our disappointments, our needs, etc. It is communicating with God. It is expressing what is in our heart and on our mind hoping that God’s will is the same as ours. We must be confident that when we communicate with God, God is listening. Our external participation in the liturgy whether sung or spoken in prayer, active and attentive listening, our gestures and our postures, our silent prayer telling God what is in our heart are the ways we encounter God in the liturgy. Even though some liturgical minister in or near the sanctuary may be doing some work for us assembled, each of us has a role. We all pray together and encourage one another by participating actively. It means opening our mouths to say responses. It means singing along with the cantor, the choir and fellow members of the congregation as best we can. Some have been blessed with wonderful singing voices and great musical ability but all of us have been given the gift of speech. If people let the choir, cantor and those with the best singing voices do all the work we fail in charity by not supporting them in sung or spoken word. God loves the worst singers as well as the best singers. God loves those with radio announcer voices as well as those with “frogs” in their throats!

The words expressed throughout the Mass communicate God’s message to the assembly. The words in song or spoken form that we use express our prayers and praise to God. There is a dialogue going on at Mass not a monologue. There is a dialogue going on between the priest and the people. There is also a dialogue going on between God and his people gathered in worship. We express our thanks and our praise to God for the blessings we have been given; we express our needs to God when we beg God’s help for the blessings we yearn for and feel we need; we express our sorrow for our failings and beg forgiveness from God and our resolution to be a better Christian in what we say and do. Through the words of scripture we hear God’s message not just for people thousands of years ago, but God’s message for us here and now as we try to understand how it applies to us in today’s world. God speaks to us in order to teach us, form us, encourage us and forgive us. Throughout the Mass there are many sentiments expressed. It is the fond wish of the Church that the new translation will help all of us to pray the best we can.

Let us hear the words of the document Liturgiam Authenticam which gave the principles for the new translation and the reasons for the new wording:

“By means of words of praise and adoration that foster reverence and gratitude in the face of God’s majesty, His power, His mercy and His transcendent nature, the translations will respond to the hunger and thirst for the living God that is experienced by the people of our own time.” (#25).

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem

We have about one month before we start the new responses in the new Roman Missal which will commence on November 27th, the first Sunday of Advent. Congregations are becoming more used to the fact that there will be changes in the wording of Mass responses. Since there will be worship aids in the pews and in the missalettes, these will guide the members of the congregation in making the proper responses. As has been emphasized, the more we sing parts of the Mass the easier it will be when we say the responses during the week instead of singing. As a member of the praying community, the priest presider has to be confident in the changes to the Gloria; the Sanctus (Holy, Holy); the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God); the memorial acclamations after the consecration; and the Creed. The documents dealing with the new wording advise the priest presiding at Mass to sing according to his capability. Even if the priest cannot sing well, at least he should try to sing. It is a positive statement encouraging singing so the congregation would be “merciful” if the priest does not have the best voice but tries his best.

The U.S. Bishops produced another document a few years back about the place of music in the Mass. Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship reminds the priest about his role in singing the Mass in #19:

The importance of the priest’s participation in the Liturgy, especially by singing, cannot be overemphasized. The priest sings the presidential prayers and dialogues of the Liturgy according to his capabilities, and he encourages sung participation in the Liturgy by his own example, joining in the congregational song. “If however…the priest or minister does not possess a voice suitable for the proper execution of the singing, he can render without singing one or more of the more difficult parts which concern him, reciting them in a loud and distinct voice. However, this must not be done merely for the convenience of the priest or minister.”

The GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) gives priests, musicians and all involved in the liturgical celebration the guidelines for singing. In #40, the GIRM says, “In choosing of the parts actually to be sung,… preference should be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those to be sung by the priest or the deacon or the lector, with the people responding, or by the priest and people together.” Both Sing to the Lord and the GIRM emphasize singing the more significant parts of the Mass if we limit ourselves only to these parts. The emphasis is on singing the parts of the Mass. Too many parishes only sing traditionally four hymns (entrance, offertory, communion and recessional hymns) and the Church urges us to go beyond these and sing the common parts of the Mass which are present at every Mass. So we are urged to sing not just the four hymns but as much as possible the common parts.

The first document issued by Vatican II was the (CSL) Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963). It had a much quoted statement (#14) that said that the full, conscious and active participation of the people is their right and obligation as the priestly people of God (1 Pt. 2:9). This document called for a participation in Mass that was not only “active”, but also “full” and “conscious.” So active participation meant to respond to the words of Mass and perhaps take part in some ministry at each celebration. The CSL gave examples for more participation through acclamations, responses, psalms, antiphons, hymns, gestures, movement of the body by kneeling, standing, sitting, giving the sign of peace, etc. There was a call for both external and internal participation. Fr. Paul Turner, a Missouri pastor and liturgical writer states that our Catholic “Sunday obligation” according to the Code of Canon Law goes beyond our placing ourselves in Church on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation but also participating as much as possible at Mass on these days. “The obligation is more than just being there. It is to sing and respond from the heart.” He states “as a result, when you come to Mass you have words to say, songs to sing, gestures to make, and postures to assume. But all these external actions should be supported by an internal sense that gives them deliberate meaning.”

Once we have put our actions into place and our heart and mind behind all these ways of participating we receive the Lord in the Eucharist and then bring the Christ we have received to the waiting world which needs the Savior of all. Since we celebrate “Mission Sunday” this weekend it is important to realize that our Christian life extends beyond the doors of the Church. We must permeate our community with the example of good Christian lives that assert we have been commissioned to spread the good news by the lives we live outside the doors of the Church. The new dismissal or final words that the priest or deacon will use in the near future tell us about the work all of us have to do. The priest or deacon may say “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” or “Go in peace”, but our mission outside the doors of the church is seen explicitly in the two other dismissal options. “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” We enter the waiting world with a mission.

Very Rev. Michael T. Driscoll, O. Carm.
Administrator Pro-Tem