Lucious

That's a person ... Lucious Newsom. He was 95 years old, and died Monday night. As I type this up, he's being waked in the Cathedral, and his Funeral Mass will be here tomorrow at 1pm. This is a BIG deal ... the Governor and the Mayor will both be in attendance and have some words at the beginning of the Funeral.

Lucious was a a champion of the poor, the homeless and the hungry in Indianapolis. He was a Baptist preacher, originally from Memphis, TN. When he can to Indy twenty-some years ago, he quickly got involved with things. And, since the Catholics were the most responsive to him and his work, he joined the Church. He wasn't a parishioner here, and I never met him, but he's very well known in these parts and for one reason or another family and friends decided to have the Rites of Death and Burial here. If you go to Indystar.com and do a recent search, several articles on Lucious should pop up. We just had some news crews filming the wake, and I understand more will be here tomorrow.

I was actually down home on the Hill for some quiet days when I got a call informing me that Lucious had died and the Cathedral was to host his funeral. So I cut my visit short and came home a day early to manage things. I'm in my element with this kind of stuff ...

Going back to the Jubilee weekend ... everything went very well and a good time was had by all. It was weird (the realization of 25 years already) but good. The climax of it all came on Monday morning when what started out as a routine dentist visit turned into a root canal. I didn't even have time to get worked up about it ... he said I needed it and he could do it right then, so I told him to go ahead. Part of my going home this week was to have the prelimary work done for a crown on that tooth ...

Guess I had better go check on things in the Church ... then soon I'll need to get set up for the 7pm Vigil Service.

Lucious was a real piece of work ... even in death ... he's laid out in bib overalls and a Colts cap.

Jubilees

Today at Saint Meinrad we observe Jubilees of Monastic Profession ... Father Theodore marks 85 Years (he's 107 years old and will most likely be at Mass this morning), Abbot Bonaventure marks 70 Years, Brother Kim and Brother Giles mark 50 years, and I MARK 25 YEARS. Yes, I'm a Jubilarian. When I entered, I thought Jubilarians were old, and now I am one. My Parents, Sister and Brother-in-law, and a few friends are here. It's a typical southern Indiana summer day (hot and very humid) so among the things we give thanks for today is airconditioning in the Abbey Church!

More on all this later ... I hope ... maybe ...

Sister Madeleine Sophie

Monday morning I received a call that Sister Madeleine Sophie, OP, had died at the Motherhouse in Adrian, Michigan. Sophie was my eighth grade homeroom teacher, and a very significant influence in my life. We've maintained contact over the years ... on and off ... but always reconnecting, no matter how logn tha lapse of communication had been. When Sister Eileen(my other "eighth grade nun")called on Monday, I immediately told her that I would try to attend the funeral ... Adrian isn't all that far from Indianapolis. She called back later in the day inviting me to Preside and Preach for the Funeral Liturgy. So I drove to Adrian on Tuesday after the Noon Mass at the Cathedral, and got there in time for the Reception of the Body and evening Vigil. The Funeral Mass was on Wednesday morning ... a bright, clear, Michigan summer day. Everything was lovely. There are too many "Sophie stories" to go into right now, suffice it to quote one of Sophie's wisdom sayings: "There are no accidents in the Providence of God."

God rest you, my Dear Friend

A yea ago this week ...

...the sabbatical was about to launch and Julian was going on the loose. It sure sems like a lot longer. I have the pics with me here in Indy, so maybe I'll start vicariously retracing my travels. It would also be good for me to make an attempt to reclaim what German I started to learn.

Meanwhile for life in Indy, there's been no want of things to do. I was home for a few days at the beginning of the month when the Indianapolis Priests held their annual convocation on the Hill ... as Director of Liturgy I coordinated all the common prayer and Masses for the convocation, but stayed in my Monastery cell. It was nice. Last week I had a wedding and a funeral, with another funeral (mortuary service the burial) tomorrow. Betwixt and between, I've been doing some yard work and landscaping around the Cathedral ... last Monday I worked outside for a good five or six hours straight, for which my back has been very slow to forgive. I've also been doing some work with the large potted plants we have in the Church.

On Saturday the 28th, the Archbishop will ordain first class of Permanent Deacons fpor the Archdiocese ... TWENTY-FIVE of them. I keep saying that the hospitality ministers will need to be armed guards, since admission to the Cathedral will be carefully controlled ... NO TICKET, NO GET IN. We only seat 800 in the Nave, and other spaces have to be held for priests and worthies ...

Sunday, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, is our Parish Feast Day, so we're having a picnic in a park not far from the parish. Then on Monday I'm heading out for a week of vacation ... flying to Memphis for a few days, then on to Seagrove Beach, FL, to hang with some friends in a condo on the beach through the 4th of July.

Come June 30th, I will officially have one more year here ... that's the date referenced on my letter of appointment from the Abbot. The Archbishop's letter is less specific, so we'll see how it all shakes down. I imagine there are a few people around here who may start a countdown calendar ....a proverb's paraphrase may apply ... you can please some of the people all the time, and you can please all the people some of the time, but you can't please All the people ALL the time.

There's no place like home ...

This week I was on the Hill (Saint Meinrad)for several days for Community meetings. I didn't realize how much I missed the locale of Southern Indiana until I drove down into the hills with all the trees and farms and QUIET. When I got out of the car Monday morning, I was immediately struck by the deafening silence on the Hill ... it was wonderful. The days were cool and clear with a nice breeze, and I spent a good bit of time walking around outside.

The meetings themselves went well ... not that we came to any great resolutions or conclusions, but good discussion was had. A number of us "expositi" (those placed outside the Monastery) were home. Unfortunately, a number of people who usually are at home weren't ... go figure.

After the meeting on Tuesday evening, I asked the monk who was assigned to have Mass for the Sisters at Ferdinand on Wednesday if I could take the Mass over there ... he looked somewhat puzzled and asked "Why?" and I said "Because I miss them." The Sisters were quite surprised when I walked out onto the Altar, and I got to visit with a number of themn after Mass. After Breakfast I went up to their Infirmary to check on a few Sisters and had a nice quick visit up there. Several of the Sisters mentioned that they read this blog occasionally ... and I remarked "Probably more like when I occasionally post something." I haven't kept touch with them very well, but I haven't kept touch with alot of people lately ... ask my Family.

These are "high holy days" here in Indy ... this is RACE WEEKEND. As I sit typing, the streets around the Cathedral are blocked off for staging areas and parking for participants in the parade. The parade used to come past the Cathedreal, but now "de-stages" two blocks south. Streets are supposed to be open and cleared in plenty of time for folks to get here for 5pm Mass. A Parishioner invited me to go to the track for Carburation Day with him yesterday (Friday) but I was booked up. No, I'm not going to the race tomorrow, either. I understand I'll be able to hear the roar of the race from here, though ...

No plans for Memorial Day ... if the weather is good, I have more flowers to plant. I also need to get some new stuff to replace the shrubs I cut down. I think I'm gonna go with holly bushes ... I found some at a good price at Home Depot.

When I got in the car on Wednesday to drive back to Indy, there was a big part of me that wanted to stay there. When I mentioned it to one of the staff, she said "Well, then, we just won't let you go home anymore." I have no idea what I'll do when I go back next year (they seem to be needing dishwashers these days) but that's OK. For the next year this is my assignment, and it's good ... but there's no place like home.

20 Years

Last week I observed my 20th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. Twenty years. I almnost got weepy during the 8:00 Mass ... keenly aware and mindful of all those who were part of getting me to that day, those who have been a part of the years since, those who are a part of my days now, and those who will be part of years yet to be. In years past I would try to go through the pictures of the Ordination and watch a little of the video on or around the Anniversary, but I don't have any of that with me here in Indy. So instead, I took an afternoon drive down to Calvary Cemetery here in Indianapolis (it's on the south side) to visit the tomb of Archbishop O'Meara, the man who ordained me Deacon and Priest. We had a very nice prayerful visit, then I came home and made some supper for a quiet evening here at the house.

I've been doing a bit of yard work here about the grounds in some of my off time ... planting some groundcover, splitting the hostas, and getting ready for our flower planting. Today I took a saw to some dead limbs on the trees in front of the house and cut down some shrubs that had gotten too big and bushy on top but bare and twiggy underneath. Now to figure out what to put in their place .... and then go SHOPPING. I do my research on the net and watch for sales at the home improvement places ...

I had two pots of calla lillies on the back Altar in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and they did quite well these last weeks of Easter ...now I think I'll put them in a big planter outside on the Chapel Porch. I also want to get some tomato plants for a container on the porch off of our kitchenette upstairs...I think there will be enough sun.

I head to the Hill next week for Community Meetings... the topic is monks assigned away from the Monastery, so it would probably be good for me to be there. I haven't been home since January, so this will be a chance to get caught up with people.

As for everything else ... grace provides ... life is good.

Post Papa

If you were looking for me on TV, you didn't find me .... our seats were in the fourth pew from the BACK of St. Patrick's Cathedral...in the corner by the gift shop. The priests were all seated in the side sections, alphabetical according to Diocese, so Indianapolis put us way to the back of the south side. I sat next to Joliet, in front of Knoxville and Kansas City. And I was behind a pillar ... so I participated in Mass watching the flat-screen monitor mounted on the pillar. BUT, since we were so far in the back, we got a decent view of B16's arrival at the Cathedral. Then, the recessional brought him down our side aisle, so I was about two feet away from him. He's much shorter than I thought. I could have reached out to touch him, but the Secret Service were pushing people away ... some people said the Secret Service guys nearly body-blocked a bunch of little nuns who stepped out into the center aisle when Papa was passing by.

No, I didn't have to crawl into a porta-potty in full Mass vestements.

Getting through the Secutiry was really pretty simple ... much less the hassle than an airport. The two and a half hours we were in the Cathedral BEFORE PAPA EVEN ARRIVED passed rather quickly. Get a bunch of priests together and they gab as much as anyone ... there was lots of "Oh, do you know...?" and "So-and-so was my classmate". I spotted a group of Sisters I knew form Connecticut, so made my way over to them, and bumped into priests I knew from Toledo and Sioux City, Iowa.

I was defintiely in my travelling mode ... Stephen's apartment was on 73rd Street, and the Cathedral was down on 51st Street ...and I walked it several times. The only time I took the taxi was Saturday morning at 6am on the way to the Mass, and that's only so I didn't get sweaty before a long morning in vestments. I walked down and back on Friday afternoon to scope out my seat, then back up to the apartment on Saturday afternoon, then down and back for Sunday Mass at the Cathedral. I also walked another twenty blocks down and back to meet up with friends for dinnder Saturday evening. I pushed my way through the sidewalk tourists like a native ...

Sunday morning I got to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral with the Rector there. It was fun processing up that long aisle ... and the place was, of course, packed. I enjoyed getting to see up close where Papa had stood the day before, and get a sense of the Cathedral from the Sanctuary.

I didn't even go NEAR Yankee Stadium. Instead, I took an afternoon taxi to Brooklyn for dinner and overnight with Brendan's Parents. Then they took me to the airport on Monday morning.

Since getting back it's pretty much business as usual ...as the Easter Season winds down, we're planning for summer events like Priesthood Ordinations and the Ordination of the first class of Permanent Deacons for the Archdiocese ... 25 of them. I'm also on the Executive Committee for the big bash for the Archdiocese's 175th Anniversary on May 3, 2009. That will be Mass with ALL the Confirmations for the year at the new Lucas Oil Stadium (new home of the Colts). We're looking to have 30,000 people, give or take ten thousand. So far, the largest Mass I've planned and orchestrated was for only 3,000 ... so this will be a bit more of a challenge...but fun.

In the meantime, there's ordinary business to attend to.

Off to see Papa

Tomorrow morning (Friday) I leave right after the 8am Mass to fly out to New York. I'll be staying at a friend's apartment on 73rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue (he won't be there) which means I won't have to pay 600 dollars (or some ridiculous amount) for a hotel room in Manhattan. He's alerted the doormen, the Super and a good friend in the building. This morning, he gave me the run-down on restaurants up and down the block, so I'm psyched.

Staying at Stephen's will also be relatively convenient (St. Patrick's Cathedral is on 51st Street) and that's a good thing .... since we are to be at a hotel across from St. Patrick's by 6:30am on Saturday morning to vest and go through security. Mass is at 9:15. The extensive instructions that came with the ticket also noted that port-a-potties will be available outside one of the Cathedral entrances within the secure zone. I do not relish the thought of squeezing into a port-a-potty in full Mass vestments. Note to self: don't drink much coffee Saturday morning.

I hope to do a little poking around the city on Saturdeay afternoon, and then on Sunday I'll head over to Brooklyn to visit with our Father Brendan's parents. I've gotten to know Mary and Ted over the years, and have even stayed at their home on another trip to NYC. So I'll be in Brooklyn for Passover.

I fly out of LaGuardia Monday morning, and should be back here sometime late afternoon. I'm flying Northwest, and to my knowledge they're running OK. We'll see.

Otherwise I'm continuing to have fun here in Indy. Made a big roaster of oxtail soup last weekend. Did some steaks on the grill one night.

I'll try to post a timely report on the NYC trip ... My ticket says I'm in pew 104 on the south chapel aisle in St. Patrick's so it remains to be seen how much I will actually see. No, I'm not taking my camera... ain't gonna mess with that. It would be great to see the Pope up close, but it would REALLY wow me to greet his MC or Secretary. What can I say ...

Where to begin ...

I haven't forgotten abaout the blog, it's just been ... well ... busy.

Mom's 70th Birthday was on March 8th, so after Mass on Sunday the 9th I drove up to Toledo to surpise her. Dad didn't know I was coming, either ... only Kathy knew, and I forbad her to even tell Butch. The ruse built up for days with phone calls, the last of which was made as I was within blocks of the house. I had made a big batch of czarnina (duck soup) that weekend and told Mom that maybe I'd swing by and drop some off ... ha, ha, yeah, yeah ... then a few minutes later I pulled in the driveway and got the cooler out of the trunk. Mom greeted me at the door with a kind of "What the hell are you doing here?!" look, and I said "I told you I'd drop off some soup ... Happy Birthday" Both Mom and Dad were very surprised ... mission accomplished.

With the Archbishop's treatment regimen he's pretty much confined to his house so as to avoid germs, and subsequently was unable to preside at the Holy Week Liturgies in the Cathedral ... that means I got to. At the Easter Vigil I Baptized two adult men and received six other adults into Full Communion. Easter Sunday we had First Communion for five of our young people. Of course I had my own suggestions and ideas on how to do things ... and some of them were actually well received (which means others were NOT).

Easter evening (after my nap) I went to supper at a parishioner's home ... it was nice and low key, and no little kids running around.

Dad's 72nd birthday was Holy Saturday ... I told him ahead of time not to expect any surpiose visits, as I was kind of occupied that weekend.

This past few days the NCEA national convetion was here in Indy ...about 8000 people. Since the Office of Education for the Archdiocese was the official host, other Archdiocesan agencies were enlisted to help. The Office of Worship coordinated the major liturgies ... the opening Mass in the convention center had 3000 people, the closing Mass was much more intimate ... only 1500. As Director of Liturgy it fell to me to figure out, among other things, how to distribute Communion (under both forms) to 3000 people in an orderly and timely manner. We did it, and the powers-that-be seemed pleased. Before all these liturgies could happen we had to pack up and haul down to the convention center everything needed for Mass with 3000 people ... Altar, linens, books, vessels, candles, and much more. And, becuase this was the convention center, we had to take stuff that was proportionate to the size of the space ... BIG altar ... BIG cnadlesticks ... LOTS of vessels ... you get the idea.

Tomorrow I have my first wedding here at the Cathedral ... the Bride is from Jasper, and the Groom is Polish (both parents 100%) from Columbus, OH. We're made for each other. They invited me to the Rehearsal Dinner to have the meal prayer, so I started out with the Sign of the Cross in Polish. The Groom's Busia was thrilled. After the 2:00 Wedding, I click into weekend mode with the usual schedule. But inbetween ...

I have to finish planning/coordinating a priest's funeral for Monday morning.

Today I received an email from one of my Monastery classmates who left a few years back. He started out something like "Well, I guess the big news is that I had a heart attack on Palm Sunday then triple bypass surgery on Monday of Holy Week." He's one year older than me ...

So it's been with me ... but I'm having fun and most people are great, and that makes it all very worthwhile.

Alleluia, y'all.

Laetare Sunday

Just got back from a few days away .... I took off last Sunday after Mass and started making my way to northern Michigan. Yes ... I WANTED to head for the snow. I got as far as South Haven, MI, (just south of Holland) and decided to stop for the night. All was well as I snuggled into my hotel room ... until I awoke around midnight in extreme discomfort and GI distress. That means I was sick as a dog. For the next several hours I was back and forth between bed and bathroom. Come daylight, things had "settled down" a bit, and I was faced with some decisions. I heardly felt like getting back in the car, and I still had three hours to drive to get to my destination. If I wanted to stay another night, I'd have to change rooms because the room in which I was holed up "was already sold" for the night. AND the forecast had a big snowstorm coming through lower Michigan (where I was) later that day. So my options were to plug ahead, get snowed in at a Hampton Inn in South Haven, or turn around and go home. In the end, I medicated what needed medicating, sipped some herbal tea, and decided to push on. All things considered, the day's drive wasn't so bad (with the help of some Vernors and a nap at a rest area) and I amde it to Bear Lake somewhere around midafternoon.

The rest of the week was spent between the bed, the couch and the kitchen ... because that's what I had planned to do, nondisirregardless of my GI distress. That's the way I spend my vacation (I'm a very dull guest). From the couch I looked out over a spruce grove drifted with snow, and could watch the wind swirl about the snowy fields as I snuggled up with the dogs.

But now I'm back ... for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Unfortunately, we don't have a rose vestment, and I haven't had time to whip something up. Maybe for Gaudete.

Have I mentioned that I'm going to New York City in April when the Pope is there? The Archbishop (of Indianapolis) invited me to attend the Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral for Priests, Deacons and Religious. It will be me and several thousand others, but not nearly the Yankee Stadium crowd. A friend has an apartment not too far from St. Patrick's, so that will be convenient. I won't be surprised if we have to go through a security check to get OUT of the airport that weekend ....

For now, I have mail and messages to finish going through before looking to the afternoon Confessions and Mass.

Victor

Since coming to the Cathedral in October, I have had the uncomfortable privilege of putting a face on homelessness and poverty. Every day I encounter those who come to the Church for warmth and shelter, those who come to the Kitchen or Pantry for Food. I’ve gotten to know some of them by name; Victor is one of them. Victor used to “live” in the south vestibule of the Church during the day – he was one of the first people I met back in October. He’d be the last one out when I locked up in the evening, and one of the first to come in when I opened up on weekends. Victor died at Wishard Hospital recently. He was one of us, so we'll bury him from the Cathedral with all the Rites owed a faithful soul. After the funeral, he will be cremated so his ashes can be returned to his family in the West Indies and interred near his parents. I’ll miss Victor. I’m proud of what the Cathedral community did for him in this life - God grant him rest and security in eternity.

Paczki Day

We had a Parish Mardi Gras super on Tuesday ... Brother Howard (our Sacristan) makes pancakes, with sausage and bacon. I'm told it's a southern custom, linked to French custom, that has pancakes for Mardi Gras. As an added feature, I made paczki (poonch-key - think Polish donut). Last week I went out and got myself a small deep-fryer and two tubs of lard ... yes, lard ... to get ready. These little sweets are traditionally fried in lard, and who am I to argue with tradition? I used a recipe from my Grandmother ... it's in her handwriting on a page from an old steno-pad, so I keep it in a plastic sleeve to protect it. I made one batch on Monday to see how many I'd get out of a single recipe, and it made about five dozen. I sent two dozen over to Choir rehearsal that evening, and most of the rest got "sampled" here in the house, so that meant I needed to do more on Tuesday. Actually, I doubled the recipe, and got about 13 dozen ... plain, prune, apricot and raspberry filled. And they all went.

Uphold me, O Lord ...

Yesterday was Brother Christian's Solemn Profession... I drove home Thursday evening. It's the first time in over ten years that I've "just attended" a Profession Ceremony, as I was always Master of Ceremonies. In fact, this was the first big event I've been present for that I wasn't MC ... definitely a different expereince. Twenty-two years ago I stood in the Archabbey Church with arms extended singing the Suscipe, and I still get teary thinking about it. Christian is a good man, and I'm glad he's cast his lot with us.

I had to drive back to Indy yesterday afternoon so I could be on deck for the 8am Mass today. We have the Sitio de Jerico devotion going on in the Chapel (started last night) so we moved Mass to the "big church". Actually, the devotion goes 24/7 until next Friday night, so both daily Masses will be in the Cathedral this week. It will be a bit odd having Mass with ten people in the big space.

This week it was announced that the Archbishop of Indianapolis has Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He'll soon begin a round of chemo. Not knowing just how the treatement will affect him, they've covered some of his liturgical bases for the next several weeks. Now, I will preside and preach in his stead for the World Day of Consecrated Life next Saturday. The Vicar General asked me to take it since I'm Administrator of the Cathedral and especially since I'm a Religious ...

My cousin Tom's wife, Amanda, who is 20wks pregnant, was recently diagnosed with vasa previa ... a very dangerous condition for her and for the baby. I presided at their wedding a year ago October. Remember them before God, please.

I don't have anything particularly fun or funny to relate at this juncture ... as you can tell, it's been a week of serious stuff. (The mother of one of the priests I live with died and was buried this past week, too ... I helped with the funeral.)

We pray so often "Thy will be done..." If we follow that up with a prayer for the grace to accept and abide by His will, then, indeed, all will be well.

Uphold me, O Lord, according to your promise, and I shall live. Do not confound me in my expectation!

Catching up

I'm posting from the Cathedral Ministry Conference in St. Augustine, FL ... four of us are here from the Indy Cathedral. The conference is held every two years, so this will be my one and only. It's a good group and I'm fining it very worthwhile ... there's an element of a Saint Meinrad Alumni gathering, too, as StM Alumni from various Cathedral and Diocesan Staffs around the Country are here. The conference ends tomorrow (Thursday) but we're staying over till Friday with my Secretary's cousins outside Jacksonville. Then it's back to Indy Friday afternoon for a full weekend.

The Holidays were all very nice. With some very mild weather, the attendance at all the Christmas Masses was the largest it's been in some years ... so I'm told. I spent Christmas Day quietly in my rooms, dozing in the recliner and on the couch. In the days leading up to Christmas several parishioners invited me over, saying "You can't be alone on Christmas...." to which I reponded "Oh yes, I can, and even enjoy it." Actually, that evening I did go over to the home of a priest-friend's family for a bit of supper, which was nice.

By the way, I did do the kiddie homily at the 5pm Christmas Eve Mass, and am told it went well. I was more anxious about that than anything else, but the Holy Spirit came through.

Mom and Dad were going to swing by Indy and pick me up so we could go to the Hill for a couple of days after Christmas, but a good friend of theirs died suddenly on Christmas Eve morning, and they wanted to stay in Toledo for the funeral. So we didn't go. In the end, I wound up driving to Toledo to preside and preach for his funeral ... he made the wine for my Mass of Thanksgiving in Toledo when I was ordained, and we still had a bottle downstairs at Mom and Dad's, so I sampled it ... It was good ... like sherry ... so I used it for the funeral. Becuase of the wine connection, I used the Gospel for the Wedding Feast at Cana ... now John enjoys the finest wine in eternity.

With Lent coming so quickly (February 6th) there is little breathing time following the Holiday season ... but this conference has provided for a little bit of break ... at least change of venue.

I made a quick trip to Saint Meinrad last week to take care of a project, and it was nice to get home for a bit. Next week we have Brother Christian's Solemn Profession, so I'm hoping to get home for that.

One of these days I need to do a Christmas letter for folks who don't read this blog or even know that I've tromped around Eruope before taking up the assignment in Indianapolis.

In the meantime ... all is good.

Christmas at the Cathedral

A Christmas-New Year-Epiphany post will follow ...