May 28, 2006

Dear friends in life and in ministry . . .

It is Memorial Day Weekend. I have been thanking God all day that two years ago when our furnace finally hit the dust, we elected to invest in an HVAC system with central air. I recall that about thirty years ago, after driving cross country with the windows of our 1976 Plymouth Volare station wagon pumped open, we decided that, if we could ever afford it, all future cars would have air conditioning. We have been so blest.

My grandfather had a sign with a short poem on the wall of his garage-workshop.

"As a rule a man's a fool
when its hot he wants it cool.
When its cool he wants it hot,
always wanting - what is not."

This weekend I had the privilege of officiating at the marriage of Doug Balcerek and Amy Vandemark at Nazareth College's Linehan Chapel. It was a glorious day and a beautiful wedding.

Pat and I combined our Rochester weekend with opportunities to spend time with family, old fiends and deacon classmates. Congratulations to Paula Nancarrow who, as a teen, was a member of Celebrate Life - a teen singing group and ministry that I helped found and direct. Paula celebrated her 50th birthday at the home of a mutual friend Dave Kunz. If you want to really feel old, a celebrate half century birthday with a "kid" that you befriended during her teen years. I feel very old today.

Congratulations also to my niece Melanie who graduated from SUNY Purchase. We celebrated her accomplishment with Pat's siblings at a family picnic on Sunday afternoon .

Thanks to Deacon Dan and Sheila Kinski who shared their home. hospitality and refrigerator with us during our Rochester visit. On Saturday evening Dan, Sheila, Pat and I dined with Deacon Stan and Joanne Douglas and reflected on our diaconal formation which began about 28 years ago. We'll celebrate 25 years of ordained ministry on April 17, 2007.

On the Memorial Days of my youth, my siblings and I delivered roses to "Gold Star Mothers" who had lost sons in combat, marched in parades and visited the graves of loved ones. Today's Memorial Day holiday was spent in a much more relaxed fashion. I spent most of the day in restful recovery from a very full and enjoyable weekend and thinking grateful thoughts for those whose sacrifices have allowed us to live such a blessed life.

Once again, our Faith Formation/Youth Ministry Coordinator has written another inspiring chapter in her journey with cancer. I'm including Mary Carol Wall's essay - "The Theology of Hurry Up and Wait" with this email.

Ray

Click images for printable column... (Adobe PDF file, plugin needed) (Click Here For Sent To Serve Archives)

May 28, 2006

May 28 Insert

Mary Carol's Musings Hurry Up And Wait

May 28, 2006

DaVinci Code is No Treat to Faithful
Last Friday evening Pat and I were among the first to plop down $5 for Senior Citizen tickets to “The DaVinci Code”. After reading the book over a year ago, I was curious as to how director Ron Howard (You remember him as Mayberry’s Oppie) would recreate this story on film.

In last week’s bulletin, Fr. Ed Palumbos spoke to the fears of some that the film, based on Dan Brown’s best selling book, would lead people to question major tenants of our faith.  After seeing the film version - I agree with Fr. Palumbos that there is nothing to fear. The big screen seems only to magnify the silliness of Brown’s premise—that Jesus and Mary Magdalen had married and she had given birth to a child—a “truth” that the Church had covered up for centuries. Unfortunately, the Church has once again been portrayed, not as the Body of Christ bringing the Good News of Christ to a hurting world—but as a fear driven and corrupt institution that is capable of even murder to  keep the easily bewildered faithful from knowing the real truth.

Frankly, it wouldn’t shake my faith one iota if Jesus was married. Marriage is a holy vocation and a Sacrament that mirrors the love and fidelity of God’s relationship with each of us. That it has often been treated as a second class state by the Church is nothing new.  But, that said, our insatiable appetite for conspiracy theories seems as out of control.  The real truth is that Christ continues to call as his disciples - human beings who have not totally conquered our own sinfulness.  And, in spite of our weakness and frequent failures—God always wins. God’s Holy Spirit will find a way to assure the God’s will in done on earth as it is in heaven. Baby Boom Brings Parish to Life Last Sunday’s 9 a.m. Mass was alive with the sound of new life. Some may consider the sometimes joyous/sometimes unhappy sounds of babies and toddlers a distraction.   I believe they are the sounds of the renewal taking place here at St. Mary’s. Gabriella Marie Colgrove joined our parish family through the sacrament of Baptism at Mass. She joins Wyatt Ambrosone, Brodyn Baldwin, Gracie and Xavior Carter, Meredith Czajkowski, Noah Dieg, Christopher James Dickson, Raegan Faulkner, Anna Fitzgerald, Abigail Gnann, Lucas Hyer, Jack Kilroy, Alexis Orcutt, Julia Saurbaugh, Grace Stuart, and William Whaley, who have been baptized at St. Mary’s in the last year. Many of these children’s families have become regulars at Mass and parish activities and their presence brings new life to our parish family.

Sunday, yet another family with youngsters joined our parish at Mass. Welcome to Steve and Roxanne Corso, their toddler Theresa and newborn Carmella who have recently moved to Bath.  May you find here a St. Mary’s many new friends who share your desire to attend Mass with your children so that they may feel the love and support of a caring faith-filled community.