On Saturday, June 27, 2009, I had the privilege to attend the ordination of eight men to the priesthood. On Sunday, June 28, 2009, I had the joy of attending a friend’s first mass – his Mass of Thanksgiving. It is such a blessing to have the ordination coincide with the Year for Priests. There is sure to be extraordinary amounts of prayers going up this year. Especially remember the newly ordained.
Part of the Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood is the anointing of hands with holy chrism. Later, when receiving a blessing from my newly ordained friend, the fragrance of the holy chrism still lingered like the incense of prayer. I recalled my Confirmation and chrism that was rubbed on my forehead — the aroma that something mystical took place. The night of my reception into the church — I didn’t wash it off and slept with the fragrance into the next day. Witnessing my first Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood — the sights, sounds, and smells — reaffirm that God is in this place. In the same way that God looked down on his baptized Son, said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” God most surely looked down on the men that day and is very well pleased.
On my morning commute, I pray the rosary with the Daughters of St. Paul. At the conclusion of each set of mysteries, the sisters sing a song. During the weeks leading up to the ordination, I looked forward to Thursdays — the recitation of the Luminous Mysteries — the ministry of Jesus. The fifth luminous mystery is the institution of the Eucharist. Following this, the sisters sing “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. It is really for this that I looked forward to Thursdays — as I have prayed for this ordination — this song is a celebration of praise. I cannot sing this song without thinking of the hands of the priest. Enjoy and remember to pray for our new priests and for more vocations.
My Papa & His Mother - St. Anthony's Hospital - Terre Haute IN - ca 1930
My papa was born June 19, 1910. Several years ago, I dabbled in genealogy research. I bought the Family Tree Maker that came with records on lots of CDs. I would pick up the project and put it down in spurts of interest. In the Summer of 1998, I began attending Inquiry sessions to learn more about the Catholic Church. My mom knew of my interest and it reminded her of some things about her father — my papa. I don’t know if I’d heard the story before but it seemed I had not. She said that her daddy and granny had moved to Terre Haute, Indiana after the accidental death of his father. Dates confirm his death April 30, 1929. All mom recalled is that they worked in a hospital and boarded at a convent. Perhaps he had studied the church Catechism. That Summer, I did my best to research for more information — even emailing a convent to find leads. I became fascinated with the stories of women religious communities and was often sidetracked in my research.
Mom gave me a few items that were papas — an ebony crucifix that is about the size that would be worn on habit rosary — a medal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that I wear to this day — two prayer pamphlets 1) “A Daily Visit to The Blessed Sacrament” IMPRIMATUR, William Turner, Bishop of Buffalo, and 2) “A Remembrance of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart” — and then there is papa’s journal. Papa liked to write and he wrote two poems of Catholic influence dated 1929 and 1930. I have these old photos taken in front of a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux. In faded pencil are written “Mother St. Anthony’s Hospital Terre Haute” on the back of one photo. The other photo is written April 1930 on the back.
I was very prayerful as I discerned entering the Catachumenate — to formalize my intentions. One night I had a dream. I was sitting on a church pew — the front row — a deceased uncle was sitting on my left and I was looking down at the floor — a prayerful posture. I was gazing down at shoes as I realized someone was standing in front of me. I raised my eyes up to look into the smiling face and laughing eyes of my papa. I felt assurance. I put aside my genealogy ventures for quite some time.
The research spurt came more recently as Ancestry[dot]com brought research to a web based environment. I played around with free access information. I found census records for the various places my papa lived with his parents and sister. In March 2007, I found the gem I’d been looking for — the 1930 Census taken of St. Anthony’s Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana. I scanned the names and there was my papa listed as a “painter” and my great-grandmother listed as a Widow and servant. Papa was 19 and learned the painters trade while there–it was his lifelong profession. My jaw dropped in amazement at the long list of Sisters names — the nuns — close to thirty names. Many had German parents as I learned they were founded originally in Germany. With this information, I learned that the hospital was founded by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration — Franciscan nuns. St. Anthony’s Hospital was a teaching hospital for nurses. This order of Sisters founded several hospitals. Even tonight as I write this, I’ve discovered an online book from the Vigo County library that tells of the hospital.
As these discoveries unfold, it is interesting that I find myself Catholic and a Franciscan. I have no idea what sent my great-grandmother and my papa to Terre Haute — to those jobs at the Catholic hospital. I don’t know how far my grandfather got with his study of the Catechism. The hospital is no longer named St. Anthony’s and is Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
I was going to write on something totally different today–until I got in my car after Mass this morning. My rosary CD started skipping so I popped it out of my player — just needs cleaning. Oh what to fill in slot 6 of my 6 CD player — I scanned the other CDs in my holder — yes, “Jesus Freak” — nothing like celebrating the birth of the Church with DC Talk’s “Jesus Freak.”
I like to imagine being an original first person witness to the teachings and miracles of Christ. I’m sure I’d be standing on my tip toes trying to see over and around the taller people in the crowd — trying to see His face — hear His voice. The overly righteous part of me thinks that any way. I may have thought it was all crazy. It is one thing to be a follower of someone you can see and hear. It is a much different thing to follow someone who claimed to be God — who was crucified and died before many witnesses — who was resurrected from the dead on the third day — who was seen walking around with many witnesses after having raised from the dead.
Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus’ mission went truly supernatural. The miracles almost seem nothing compared to this — even Lazarus was just a dress rehearsal — “Resurrection of an entombed dead person: Take 1.” If it was Jesus that put a face on God, it was the Holy Spirit that gave God breath. Just as God breathed into Adam’s nostrils and gave him life — God gave life to the Church in the breath of a mighty rushing wind. In some cosmic way, the Trinity was present at the onset of creation in Genesis. In another way, the Trinity was present at the baptism of Jesus. My uncle took my picture when I was submerged in my Southern Baptist baptismal pool. God sent down the Holy Spirit like a Dove when his Son was baptized. Supernatural.
In the Catholic Church, we sign ourselves with the Trinity — In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are baptized into the Christian faith by these words of the Trinity. And, if in life we strive to live up to our baptismal promises — to profess something of the Trinity — the dead rising — and maybe a virgin birth — we may indeed be labeled — Jesus Freaks. So, I reveled in this loud music in my car all afternoon today.
It seems the time is flying by. Over this long Memorial Day weekend, I have purposed to do some Spring cleaning — especially my office space. I just have to close my eyes and toss things away at times. I inevitably find new projects, abandoned projects, and procrastinated projects in the midst of all my stuff. These discoveries side track me and turn two hour cleaning exercises into four hours of reminiscence. I gathered up two years worth of greeting cards to sort through. I cringe to toss some away while carefully laying aside those with lengthy notes and others of sentimental value. The only people who have never failed to give me a Valentine’s Day card — my parents. The wonderful birthday and Christmas greetings of close friends. I scooped up all that I saved and headed to the storage box in my garage. I opened the top and added these to the pile of sentimentality dating back to high school. Oddly enough, my high school is preparing to have multi-year reunion on June 13. I will be at the Atlanta Eucharistic Congress that day but high school memories surface here in my plastic storage bin. I have my Senior memory book and open to a familiar poem. A classmate gave me this poem, ripped from a Sunday School magazine, she said it reminded her of me.
Green Fields
Out there
Somewhere
I think
There are green fields
Spotted with white daisies!
Out there
Wherever
I think
The people dance gaily
To a joyous melody.
Out there
Someplace
I think
There is a rainbow hanging
In a blue, sunlit sky.
If what
I think
Is there is there
Why shouldn’t I opt
To find my freedom, too?
But
What if
There, as here,
The eternal green fields
Grow only from within?
What then?
—- Franklin Farmer
I think about this sometimes, as though the person is always thinking of someplace else. My parents would say I was in a fantasy land or dream world of my own — sometimes lovingly put and sometimes critically. A Baptist church friend of my mother’s, who after learning I was joining the Catholic Church, said, “It doesn’t surprise me. She always seemed to be someplace else.” Well, my someplace else is a wonderful place to be.
A few weeks ago, I looked ahead at our Elijah Cup schedule and saw that the May 3rd 9:00 Mass was still open. Perfect. Nothing better than bringing the Elijah Cup home on the Sunday designated as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In the many years my parish has participated in the Elijah Cup, this is only the second time I have signed up to bring it home. I’ve never needed to have it in order to remember to pray for vocations. We are asked to place it in a place of honor in our home.
Elijah Cup in my home
I did this upon returning home; however, when the tornado warning siren went off in my county, I snatched it and the prayer book up and raced to my basement. While taking cover, with the cup clutched close to me, I browsed through the pages of the prayer journal that accompanies the cup. I actually found my prayer dated – 2/11/01 – where I wrote, “I ask the Lord to guide and bless those of our youth who may be discerning a religious call in their life.” It is indicative of my ministry at the time — Life Teen Core Team member. It was very short while many of the entries are longer. I was not yet fully professed with the Secular Franciscans. Here and there I find entries with men named who have been ordained to the permanent diaconate or the son of a parishioner who was in the seminary — now fully ordained to the priesthood. In the last year, I expanded my church family via the Internet and methods of new media. I met Fr. Roderick Vonhogen,a priest in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, who has to bicycle between Masses at various parishes — there are not enough priests. In the last year, I witnessed a friend’s ordination to the Transitional Diaconate. My daily vocation prayer has become a familiar routine. I do pray in general for a increase in vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate, and to religious life. I also pray specifically for my friend, for the Franciscan family — most especially for the OFM Conventual Friars of the St. Anthony of Padua Province and for an increase in vocations to their way of life. I pray specifically for Fr. Roderick and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood in The Netherlands. Fr. Roderick reminds me of the severe shortage of priests in many parts of the world. He shares so well and so honestly in many of his Daily Breakfast podcasts the challenges he faces. Here is one of Fr. Roderick’s episodes with a lengthy opening segment on vocations that I highly recommend. Daily Breakfast 612 – Vocations Click on arrow to play the MP3 file.
For Extra Credit: Fr. Roderick played some voice feedback I sent him in March about the Elijah Cup. I was responding to his episode on Vocations from the above link. Daily Breakfast 632 – Alien Potatoes click the arrow button to play the MP3 file. My feedback is near the beginning but the entire programs are usually around 27 minutes. You will enjoy the entire episode. Sometimes I’m in the chat room when he is live broadcasting the recording of his programs. I was in the chat room during this episode.
Just posting a quick note with a link to a Georgia Bulletin article to which I contributed information. The article details some of the information regarding my Immaculate Conception Fraternity Jubilee celebration in March. It provides a nice overview of what we are about.
