Unity With The Catholic Church

Dear Parishioners,

Last week an issue came forward regarding an illicit (unsanctioned or illegal in view of Canon Law) Mass which was was being offered in Grants Pass by the Society of St. Pius X (aka SSPX) who is locally found in Veneta, OR. Consequently, I have had many questions come my way as to why I told our faithful not to attend.  Here is a more thorough response.

It is important to know that we, as Catholics must always be in union with our Pope and our Archbishop, and do nothing that will harm our unity.  Archbishop Alexander Sample is our local apostle whose role it is to teach, guide, and sanctify the faithful of his diocese, sharing that role with his priests and deacons who serve under him. As a priest and pastor of our archdiocese, I made a solemn promise at my ordination and again when installed as your pastor to be obedient and work in harmony with my bishop and his successors. This is a serious role for all clergy.  As citizens of this country, we lift up our rights and independence.  Yet while those are goods in so far as they respect the truth, they are not ultimate goods, for our rights can be subjugated by greater rights or responsibilities (ie. the right to life of an unborn child creates a responsibility on the part of the parents preserve that life), and our freedom can only be free when we freely choose the good (ie. we can just do whatever we want, for when we choose to sin, we bind ourselves and lose our freedom). 

Remember the four pillars of Catholicism?  We proclaim every weekend that we are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. By being one, we are proclaiming that we are in union with the Holy See as well as our local Ordinary (think bishop).  The SSPX have been suspended and do not enjoy full faculties to offer the Sacraments. As such, we all need to know that due to the knowledge of a planned Mass by the SSPX, Archbishop Sample, sadly, had to write the SSPX, denying them permission to offer the Sacraments in the Archdiocese of Portland.  Who are the SSPX?  Why were they denied permission to offer the Sacraments? Please indulge me as I offer the following excerpt from an EWTN article which was written revised in 2015 by Colin B. Donovan, STL:.  You can find the source article here: https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/sspx_fssp.htm. In addition, the group also mentioned in the article, the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, can be found on the web here: http://www.fssp.org.  Here’s the article in its entirety:

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)

The Society was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a retired missionary bishop who had served in Africa, in order to perpetuate the traditional liturgical rites of the Church. The previous year Blessed Paul VI had introduced a new missal in response to the liturgical reform called for by the Second Vatican Council. Reformed rites of the other sacraments would follow in the years following.

While Archbishop Lefebvre did not reject the possibility of reforming the sacramental rites (he had voted for the Council document that called for it), he did reject the specific reforms of the Mass promulgated in 1969 in the Missal of Paul VI. For this reason, the Society he founded uses the 1962 Missal and the other sacramental ritual books of that era.

In 1971 Archbishop Lefebvre started a seminary in Ecône, Switzerland, to train priests for the Society. Despite being specifically warned by the Pope not to ordain them, the Archbishop ordained the first ones to the priesthood in 1976. Those ordinations were valid, but illicit. Pope Paul VI immediately suspended the Archbishop's priestly faculties, and those of the men he had ordained. Those suspensions remain effective, and apply to all new ordinands of the Society, until such time as the Holy See regularizes the status of the SSPX and its clergy.

In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre, now fearing that he would die and leave no one to ordain priests for the SSPX, sought an agreement with the Holy See for the lawful continuation of the Society. After reaching an agreement with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, acting for Pope St. John Paul II, Archbishop Lefebvre broke the agreement and, in an act which was ipso facto schismatic, ordained 4 bishops without a papal mandate. This action incurred an automatic excommunication under canon 1387, confirmed a few days later by Decree of the Holy See (https://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CBISLEFB.HTM). Twenty years later (January 2009), as part of another effort at reconciliation on the part of Rome, Pope Benedict XVI lifted these excommunications. Despite this, to date reconciliation has not been achieved.

Therefore, until the status of the SSPX is regularized by the Holy See, the bishops and priests of the Society remain suspended from the exercise of Holy Orders. Their celebration of the sacraments are valid but illicit, except for those sacraments requiring jurisdiction (Penance, Marriage), which are both invalid and illicit. This means that sacramental absolution by a Society priest is invalid for lack of jurisdiction, a requirement in all circumstances but the danger of death (canon 976). Similarly, lacking jurisdiction, marriages witnessed by SSPX clergy would also be invalid, for defect of the "Catholic form", which requires witnessing by one's bishop or proper pastor or a dispensations for other circumstances (canon 1108).

For both Penance and Matrimony, while it is theoretically possible that a particular absolution or marriage might be valid due to "common error," in which the penitent or couple are ignorant of the priest's lack of jurisdiction (which the Church then supplies by law, canon 144), given the notoriety of the canonical status of the SSPX it seems highly implausible in fact that such cases exist, since willful ignorance provides no such excuse.

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP)

In the circumstances of the 1989 episcopal ordinations, some SSPX clergy and seminarians, not wanting to go into schism, sought an agreement with the Holy See. This request resulted in the founding of the Sacerdotal (Priestly) Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP).

This immediate erection of the Fraternity by the Holy See, without all the preliminaries of time and formality usually required, was a tremendous charity by the Pope toward the former members of the SSPX, who have since returned it with loyalty and faithfulness, together with their tremendous devotion to the Traditional rites, which is their proper charism.

The Fraternity, therefore, celebrates the Mass and other Sacraments according to the Missal and ritual books of 1962, validly and licitly, in complete communion with the local Ordinary and with the Roman Pontiff.

Since the writing of this article, Pope Francis allowed priests of the SSPX to validly and licitly hear confessions during our Jubilee Year of Mercy which he later extended until other provisions are made. So, clearly our Holy Father desires full unity and reconciliation, and is striving to shepherd the flock.  

This situation is complicated, but as you have read, the Church continues to dialogue with the SSPX to find resolution. I know, personally, that Archbishop Sample desires such dialogue and reconciliation.  Let us all pray for that unity.  In the meantime, for those who seek out a licit Mass in Latin under the 1962 Missal, what is now called the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, we hold such a Mass every other month at Our Lady of the River in Rogue River.  Those dates are March 12, May 21, July 2, September TBD, and Nov. 5 (Archbishop Vlazny will be offering that last Mass).  

I hope this rather lengthy reflection helps fill in the blanks where there are questions. Let us all continue to pray for unity and harmony wherever it does not now exist. 

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Description of the logo for FSSP (from the SSP website: http://www.fssp.org/en/telecharger.htm):
The two crossed keys principally evoke Saint Peter, Patron of our Fraternity. They also refer to the Holy See, to which we have been united with indefectible fidelity since our foundation. The absence of a tiara and the color of the background, however, clearly distinguish our arms from those of the Apostolic See. The blue background, a Marian color, reminds us that the FSSP is under the protection of the Mother of God (Constitutions #4). Lastly, the tears commemorate the difficult historical circumstances of our inception: “Qui seminant in lacrimis, in exsultatione metent” (Ps 125, 5), as well as Saint Peter’s triple assertion of love for the Lord (Jn 21, 15-17). This number may also evoke the three central aspects of our charism – hierarchical fidelity, doctrinal rectitude and the Gregorian liturgy.

Sport: A Classroom of the Christian Virtues

Dear Parishioners,

Last week at the end of the announcements at the 11 AM Mass, I made known my hope regarding this year’s Super Bowl. I exclaimed, “Go Falcons!”  Instantaneously, I received back some cheers and laughter.  After exiting the Church and then encountering the community as they were leaving, I was greeted with a multiplicity of cheers and laughter as well as some who exclaimed, “Go Pats!”  It was all in fun and while differing in views with regard to the team for which would be rooting, it was a win all around. In those moments last Sunday, we exemplified what Pope Francis had encouraged us to be and do. That’s right. The Pope recorded a short video message for people who were going to experience the Super Bowl.  Here’s what he said:

Great sporting events like today’s Super Bowl are highly symbolic, showing that it is possible to build a culture of encounter and a world of peace. By participating in sport, we are able to go beyond our own self-interest - and in a healthy way - we learn to sacrifice, to grow in fidelity and respect the rules. May this year’s Super Bowl be a sign of peace, friendship and solidarity for the world. - Pope Francis, February 5, 2017

Overall, the game turned out to demonstrate all of these signs. Moreover, it was filled with displays of the classical Seven Christian Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance (see Catechism of the Catholic Church #1805), Faith, Hope, and Charity (ibid. #1813). Mastering them makes one an excellent athlete, and more so, an excellent example of a Christian. In fact, it would be a very productive conversation to discuss each of these virtues in light of the game and to hone one’s vision about these virtues, not only in watching or participating in sport, but striving to live them out in our own lives.

Sport has been a very effective vehicle to battle injustice. A powerful example of this was dramatized in the Clint Eastwood directed movie, “Invictus,” starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. It depicts how the newly elected Nelson Mandela forgave his oppressors who jailed him due to his opposition to Apartheid and used rugby as a vehicle to unify South Africa. I highly recommend this movie.  It is rated PG-13, so parents should use their discretion with their children in viewing the movie. Other sport-related movies I have found which exemplify these virtues are“Rudy,” “The Blindside,” “Radio,” “We Are Marshall,” and “Remember the Titans.”  Okay… yes, these are all about football. Did I mention that I liked football?

In sport as in life, the desire is for excellence. And while there were also counter examples of each of these virtues (traditionally call the Cardinal Sins and which we should rightfully reject) in the Super Bowl, St. Paul to the Philippians gives us good advice: 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. - Phil. 4:8-9

St. Paul was not ignorant of the lessons and examples that sport can offer Christians. He even wrote about life as “running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:1-2). He wrote of enduring our trials as “discipline” (Heb. 12:7). Again, the connection of sport with the Christian life is clear.

Personally, I detest poor sportsmanship probably because of my own experience with injustice, greed, and the other Cardinal Sins.  So, when I watch sporting events, I look purposefully for all the Christian Virtues, for I recognize my need to have examples of real people, more than superhero-fiction, who can encourage me and challenge me to greatness, not just for my own sake, but for the sake of being who God call me to be. When we live out who we are called to be, when we live as the saints God desires us to be, we ultimately give glory to God, a purpose greater than sport, indeed, a purpose greater than all other purposes.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

p.s. Congratulations to the New England Patriots!

Be Salt & Light

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we heard from Jesus that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (cf. Matt. 5:13-16) Salt was a preservative and is still used as an additive to our food, making it more tasty.  Salt was an important chemical compound which was valuable to the people then and now. Chemically, salt, the ionic compound Sodium Chloride (NaCl), cannot be turned into another compound by any known natural process. That means the quality of saltiness cannot be removed from the compound.  What he just ignorant of chemistry? No. Here’s some thoughts… 

In antiquity, sources for salt were highly impure and therefore, exposure to water over time could remove the salt leaving only the impurities which would not have the salty taste.  So in this manner, it is possible for someone to come to the conclusion that salt could loose its taste. Since we are talking about Jesus here, this sense of understanding is not likely the way in which Jesus intended to speak.  More likely he was speaking rhetorically: what good is salt if it is not salty? Knowing some basic chemistry heightens the sense of contradiction to the point of hyperbole (exaggerating to make a point).

Jesus may have wanted to express how important we are to his plan and that by dismissing or diminishing our calling, we become useless.  Are you aware that you are called by our Lord for some task, a vocation, in this life? It is ridiculous for any of us to make a claim that we are without value when he himself made us in his own image. You see, we cannot lose our value (aka our saltiness). So, know that you and I are all salt, important parts of life and of God’s plan, valuable beyond imagination, wanted and loved beyond comprehension. Faith can be another way to understand the image of salt used in Jesus’ teaching.  What good is faith if it is not faithful to God’s command to be shared? This connects to the next image Jesus spoke about.

He called us “the light for the world.”  He wanted us to know that we have received the light of truth and salvation which is intended to be shared with the world.  Too often some might say, “My faith is a private thing,” and excuse themselves from expressing or sharing it.  While it is certainly an intimate thing which dwells deep within one’s heart, Jesus is clear that we are not to hide ourselves or keep our faith, to ourselves. So, pray this week about how you might be able to recognize your saltiness and be a beacon of light to others.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Living the Beatitudes

Dear Parishioners,

When asked what is it one desires in life? Most people will likely say, happiness.  Regardless of their being a Christian or not, a believer in God or not, this is part of what is most deeply seated in our heart.  We desire to be happy.  In the Gospel, the word has been translated, “blessed.”  The Greek word is Macarios. It literally translates as “happy.” But, in our modern English, being happy is something that is transitory, something that is based on current events.  Something that changes with circumstances. “I am happy when I eat my favorite food or spend time with my close friend,” orI am happy when I watch a great movie.”  But, blessedness carries that sense of being full and content with God which is beyond transitoriness. It carries with it the the meaning which our word, “happiness” seems to have lost.  It is more like the kind of happiness or joy that is so deep seated that it cannot be displaced by the tragedies of life. It is not founded in one’s own self esteem or accomplishments. Rather, it is founded in God, in his presence in our lives, in our openness to his prompting and acting in our lives. For whenever we encounter our Lord and are open to him, we are transformed.  Our deepest desires are filled and our sense of worth and belovedness is deepened.

What makes us blessed or happy is holiness.  Yet, rare it is that we talk about how we can be holy.  In fact, such a conversation is sadly one of the most rare, don’t you think?  We must be in a faith sharing group or Bible study for that conversation to occur.  We prefer to talk about politics, the latest events, our neighbors, or family members. But, when we get down to the most fundamental part of who we are, we must admit that we are restless and that we too often try to fill that restlessness with all sorts of things that do not satisfy, do not make us happy, do not make us blessed. For many, there is a deep dissatisfaction in their lives.  They are lost.  Some have no joy whatsoever. Today, Jesus, who is the author of love who is the Word incarnate, who knows what it takes to have a joyfull and blessed life, tells us what it looks like to be happy. 

Today, the Church sets before us in the Liturgy, Jesus who tells us how we can be happy, how we can be blessed: He tells us that they are people who focus on

• being poor in spirit and not their own aggrandizement, , 
• mourning for those who have lost instead of mocking or making fun of them, or simply being glad that they are not the one who has lost
• being meek and humble and not self-confident without God or arrogant thinking you are “all that”
• hungering and thirsting for righteousness instead of reveling in sin or the destruction of others
• being merciful and showing tender loving kindness instead of punishing for revenge
• being clean of heart instead of filling one’s life with images and thoughts of sinful acts
• being a peacemaker instead of planting/inciting division, spreading rumors, or being disorderly or disobedient

Archbishop Sample wants to equip us with the the spiritual and intellectual formation to help our parishes learn and grow along these paths and to incorporate the Beatitudes in our everyday life and be able to share it with others. Through the Ministry Formation Program, we have been blessed to have a myriad of classes which have helped us live out these Beatitudes.  Through the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal (aka “ACA") (now of which is the announcement weekend, and next week is the commitment weekend) local instructors have been found and scheduled to offer important classes to lift up our Catholic parishes.  I myself have been an instructor for 16 yrs, teaching classes on Liturgy & Sacraments, Vatican II, Ecclesiology, Christology, and Pastoral Administration.  Other classes have been offered in our vicariate such as Church History, Moral Theology, and Scripture classes. The Ministry Formation Office has made available training classes for catechists, youth ministers, and Pastoral Musicians. Again, these have been made possible by the generosity of the people in the parishes throughout the Archdiocese who have given to the ACA. And while this year, the focus of the ACA Appeal is on Faith Formation, the ACA continues to fund Hispanic Ministry grants, retried priest, office of marriage and family life, youth ministry, and much more.

Finally, in our current time, we need to be all the more equipped to know and live the Gospel of Christ, to love him and serve our neighbors.  But, in order to live out the Beatitudes which are profound examples of this life, we need formation and education. Being a Catholic Christian isn’t easy today.  In fact, Jesus tells us that when we live out these Beatitudes, we will be persecuted.  Yet, if we do these things because of our faith in Jesus, we will be blessed.  If we truly listen and obey his teachings, we will find the source of all satisfaction and love.  I our hearts, we will have the kingdom of heaven.  We will be comforted. We will be shown mercy.  We will see God.  We will be called Children of God. Blessed will we be for our reward be great in heaven.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Encountering God's Grace In A New Year

Dear Parishioners,

Happy New Year!  With the beginning of a new year, we recognize that all time is only possible by the grace of God.  Thus we call 2017, and indeed each year, a Year Of Grace. So, welcome to the Year of Grace 2017! Grace can be likened to the power of God given freely to us.  One writer from Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com/tracts/grace-what-it-is-and-what-it-does) called it a “supernatural kick in the pants.”  With such grace available to us, consider making that part of your plan, your new year’s resolution, to encounter God’s grace with ever day that is given, for we certainly need it.  

As we begin this year, we have hope that it will be a good year.  We must also be aware that it will also bring great challenges.  So, borrowing from a Facebook post (https://www.facebook.com/kyleld) by Fr. Kyle Doustou of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, here’s some suggestions for the new year:

• If you don’t pray, start. If you do pray, pray more. Beef up your devotional life.
• If you don’t fast, start. If you do fast, fast more. Strengthen your will. Get better at saying “no” to your appetites and passions.
• If you’re lax about Mass attendance, get your priorities straight. Go every Sunday and Holy Day – nothing is more important. Nothing.
• If you don’t go to confession, go. Regularly. Stop waiting. Stop making excuses.
• Get more intentional about knowing your faith. Study it. Learn it. Share it. Defend it.
• Spend more time at home with your family. Eat together. Work together. Play together. Pray together.
• Cut out the non-essentials. Simplify your homes and your lives.
• Give more of yourself (your prayers and your time, but also your money and your skills) to those who need help. If you don’t know who needs help, trot down to your local parish office – your priest can give you a list, I’m sure.

A relationship with Christ is not ethereal and it’s not simply an “internal” reality. It is something that is lived out, day by day, in mind, body, and soul. It is not a given and it can never be taken for granted. Now is the time.

So, may the Year of Grace 2017 be a time of encounter and growth in the Lord.  May he enrich your life and vivify you so that the grace given you will shine like a light which draws all to Him!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

“From Cave Junction to Grants Pass” Honoring Our Past, Pt. 6

Dear Parishioners,

As we come to the end of the year, this will be the last installment of Honoring Our Past reflections for 2016.  Last weekend, I went to each of our missions, St. Patrick of the Forest in Cave Junction and Our Lady of the River in Rogue River, to invite them to participate in our campaign.  Our Lady of the River has been with us for over 40 years as a mission from her inception.  St. Patrick of the Forest, on the other hand, pre-dates St. Anne by some 40 years.  The following information can be found on our webpage, stannegp.com.

In December of 1857, Archbishop Francis N. Blanchet visited the native tribes in the area and held services for them in what is now Grants Pass. The Oregon City archbishop was returning from South America by way of Jacksonville seeking funds to alleviate church debt.

The first church of St. Patrick of the Forest and its adjoining cemetery were built and then blessed by Father Francis X. Blanchet at Allen Gulch near Waldo on March 17, 1864. Archbishop Francis N. Blanchet later blessed the Saint Patrick church cross and cemetery on October 8, 1867. 

In the 1880’s, Father Francis X. Blanchet, nephew of Archbishop Blanchet and pastor of St. Joseph parish, Jacksonville, purchased property in Grants Pass hoping to build a church there “by early 1886.”  

Grants Pass began to grow with the arrival of the Oregon and California Railroad from Portland in December, 1883. It became part of Josephine County in 1885 and the county seat on January 1, 1886. Grants Pass was incorporated as a city in 1887. 

Father Louis P. Desmarais, pastor of Jacksonville, began raising funds for a church in Grants Pass, in 1895. He blessed the new church building on October 11, 1896. The church sat 100 persons and measured 40 X 24 square feet with an additional 16 X 14 square foot sacristy. Non-Catholics raised the majority ($500) of the total $800 cost of the church. Archbishop William Gross dedicated the church, “Saint Anne,” after the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and with homage to the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, Canada from where the first priests to Oregon came.

View fullsize

1896 Church with added bell tower. Convent on the left.

In September of 1899, Father Michael J. Hickey became the first resident pastor of Saint Anne. In September of 1948, Fr. Augustine Meyer began construction of a gymnasium opposite the church. The building which served as a parish recreation and social hall, accommodated 300 persons and was located on what is now 8th and N.E. ‘C’ Streets. Archbishop Edward Howard dedicated the hall on September 18, 1949. Father Dan Kelly was pastor at its dedication.  In 1954, Fr. Kelly purchased the 6 acre lot where our parish campus now resides and later in 1956 had the first building erected: the rectory.  Later in 1959, he began the process of constructing the church we are in today.

More about this in our next edition of “Honoring Our Past.”

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

The Big Push:"Commitment Weekend"

Dear Parishioners,

Did you know that our Honoring our Past - Building Our Future capital campaign has three goals? 

1. Raise a minimum of $2.5 mil.,
2. To reach a challenge goal of $3 mil., and finally
3. To give everyone an opportunity to participate in any way they can to this important campaign.

If you check out our thermometers in our narthexes, you will see that we have met goal #1.  Yea!  Thank you to all who have made it possible. This coming weekend, we can make a strong push for goals #2 and #3.

This weekend is called “Commitment Weekend.”  It is one of our biggest moments where I am asking that everyone that has not already made a financial commitment to our capital campaign, to do so.  By heading over to the Parish Center after Mass, you will be able to speak with a campaign volunteer who will guide you in making your pledge. It is not a negotiation, but a time to graciously and gratefully receive whatever gift you decide upon to give.  Even if you have not yet decided on how you will give, please still speak to a campaign volunteer in order to let us know.  Why you might ask?  Well, after all the Masses in the afternoon, we will then make an effort to go visit the homes of those whom we have not yet heard from in regards to the campaign.  So, if you prefer that nobody come to your home, please stop by the Parish Center after Mass and let us know.  Again, our goal is to try to have personal contact with every parishioner we can so as to make sure that everyone has a chance to get involved in this amazing project.

If you have any questions, again, going to the Parish Center will connect you with a campaign volunteer who will help answer your questions.  

Thank you all for your amazing generosity!  The community of St. Anne has done it again!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Advent: A Season of the Paschal Mystery Honor our Past- Building Our Future, Pt. 5

Dear Parishioners,

Advent is upon us!  O Come!  O Come Emmanuel!  In this season, we are to be preparingfor the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord (his first coming) as well as looking head with hope to when he will come again (his second coming). It is a time to reconcile with God and our neighbor when sin and a cold heart may keep us apart.  It is a time to be people of light amidst the darkness. 

This is very likely our last Advent in our current church.  With that comes a sense of sadness as well as hope. We may be sad, as we cling to the memories that are framed by the walls of this sacred space. It may be joyful as we look to a new beginning with a foundation being prepared for the future. We honor all those experiences and people who have dawned our doors.  As we gaze about our church, we are reminded of how it has changed so many times in the past. This is a perfect season to prepare our heart for something new, something that builds on the memories and guides us towards our future. With the process of a new church building moving forward, we must hold close to our hearts the Paschal Mystery (the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus). 

The thought of change causes pain and suffering for most of us. But, as Catholic Christians, we know that suffering can be redemptive if we join it to the sufferings of our Lord.  We do best not to avoid our suffering, but to go head-long into them.  By doing so, a part of us dies—possibly our selfishness or pride, possibly our neediness or sinfulness.  Whatever dies in us, we know that through death, new life—resurrection—comes forth.  Advent is a time to allow our old sinful ways to die so that we may live anew. 

So, let us walk as people of the light amidst a darkened world.  Stare down your fears and sufferings and let go of whatever is keeping you shackled in your heart.  Let us enjoy this final Advent knowing that something new is coming, something that will also give Glory to God.  May we let the light of Christ shine even more brightly in our hearts so that his first coming will propel us to fearlessly head towards his second coming. O Come!  O Come Emmanuel!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Honoring Our Past, Part 4

Dear Parishioners,

Another way to honor our past, is to simply share your memories of events in the current church as well as those when we were located on 7th Street. I have loved hearing how things were built, rebuilt, renovated, fixed, etc. I love to hear about the various ministries, movements, and events that have taken place here at St. Anne in the past.  I know some basics about how the Charismatic Renewal took root in our parish, how our youth program hosted a national gathering of REACH youth ministers, how the school was created and fostered, the difficulties encountered with unexpected underground springs during the construction of the extra wing for the school, how funds were raised in the “Two-by-Two” capital campaign for the Parish Center and how it was built, and the colorful stories of our former priests and on and on. If you have any photos you would like to share, it would be wonderful to make a collage for people to see.

Conceptual Elevation Rendering of St. Anne, July 31, 1956

A few weeks ago, I went looking through our collection of old drawings and plans that dated just before 1960.  What I found was quite surprising.  Below are two renderings of a potential church building and campus that was dated to July 31, 1956.  It is a mission style structure with a very ambitious master plan including classrooms for a school, a rectory, and convent. Clearly, Fr. Kelly had some big ideas for the future.  I wonder if anyone today was ever shown these drawings and if so, I wonder if they are still alive today.  Let me know if you ever saw this plan before, as I would be curious to hear why it was scrapped. 

Master Plan renderings of conceptual new church, July 31, 1956

While this plan never moved beyond conceptual drawings, it reminds me of the myriad of conceptual drawings our current Core Building Committee reviewed from S & B James Construction.  In the end, as with our current plan, dreams had to come down to reality and something more modest was chosen, something that was affordable and functional.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Honoring Our Past, Pt. 3

Dear Parishioners,

Continuing with the theme of honoring our past ~ building for our future, I would like to turn our attention to one of the main reasons for our church project: the overall arrangement of things in our church, most specifically the sanctuary and pews. How did the current arrangement come about?  Who were the main players?  What were their reasons? What issue(s) were they trying to solve? And finally, are those solutions still relevant today? How does our new church project honor the original intent of our current building while bringing up to date the norms of the Church?

When talking to parishioners who were here when it was constructed as well as four of our former pastors, they all told me stories about how, the pastor at the time, Fr. Kelly, demanded that the church be fireproof, thus cinder block and steel were the main materials used.  The church was intended to seat 700 people facing the West where the Sanctuary and main altar was going to be placed. In my research, I was surprised to find other versions of the church that were drawn up prior to the final one we have now, some of which placed the altar on the East side of the building and others having very ambitious ideas for the entire campus.

St. Anne Catholic Church ca. 1

After construction of our current church began in 1959, Fr. Edmund Murnane, pastor of St. Mary parish in Eugene and friend of Father Kelly persuaded Fr. Kelly to place the altar in the middle of the church so that people could see both the altar and the priest. Some pastors shared with me that there was talk coming from Rome that liturgical changes were potentially coming, thus another reason for Fr. Murnane’s encouragement to Fr. Kelly. Keep in mind that the Second Vatican Council had not yet taken place, so the Mass was in Latin with the priest faced ad orientum or liturgical “towards the east” along with the entire congregation. In that form of the Mass, much of the action at the altar was obscured by the priest’s body. So, when the rubrics called for the priest to raise the host or chalice after consecration, he had to raise it well above his head. This moment is the most commonly captured image when referring to that form of Mass, now called the Extraordinary Form. If you want to experience that form, we host specially trained prIests to come roughly every other month to our mission, Our Lady of the River, and offer that Mass. So, in the context of the time, putting pews to the side of the sanctuary would have been very avant guard yet practical in view of the goal of being able to see more of the action happening at the altar. That being said, the arrangement of the church interior was very controversial amongst parishioner then and has continued to be so until today.

When the Second Vatican Council concluded, the liturgy was to be reformed in light of ancient documents describing the earliest liturgies as well as a sense of “full, active, and conscious participation.” The post-conciliar document, Inter Oecumenici §91, spoke directly about the preference for altars to be centrally located and free standing in order to permit walking around it, i.e.. for incensing. The 1970 Missal and subsequent editions have encouraged the priest to face towards the people, ad populum, when possible.

In the time since the Second Vatican Council, many ideas have been offered for church construction and layout.  Some have held the test of time while others have been corrected and/or removed.  According to “Built of Living Stones,” the document from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, tabernacles can be placed in many locations. When they are placed in the sanctuary but not directly behind the altar, confusion has happened as to the proper liturgical gestures and behaviors are appropriate.  Archbishop Sample, when I asked him what he wanted in a new church, gave me clear direction. He stated that he wanted a church to look like a church, to be beautiful, and the Tabernacle to be located directly behind the Altar, for “it would solve many issues.”

With these changes in the liturgy, the original reason spelled out by Fr. Murnane to Fr. Kelly for placing the sanctuary half-way down on the North side of the church with the pews on the side no longer offered the advantage for which they were intended. In my humble opinion, the only advantage to our current arrangement is the close proximity of the people in the pews to the sanctuary and the action at the altar. This an important feature when pondering on the placement of pews, but in our situation the disadvantages, over time and experience, outweigh this singular advantage. When our Core Building Committee began meeting three years ago, it was clear that they wanted the church to have all the pews facing the same direction. They felt the orientation of the pews to be more distracting than helpful when it came to paying attention. They voiced their concerns that the acoustics inherent in our current arrangement, regardless of the sound system, made much of the Mass unintelligible. They voiced concern about the issues created by not having a main aisle and how we had missed many opportunities to host weddings for our parishioners in lieu of other parishes that “looked and felt more like a church.”  These issues and more were likely unforeseen in the process of discernment when our current pew layout was being planned.  

So, with the needs of the preconciliar Church being met by Fr. Kelly, the reforms of the Second Vatican Council offering reforms, the norms of our Roman Missal giving us new clarity, the guidelines by our bishops giving us guidance, and the reflection from our Core building Committee giving ideas on how to meet today’s needs, I think that it it is safe to say that if our new church plan was built back 1959, it would have been received well.  That is another way to honor our past.

I will be offering more about our history in forthcoming bulletin articles.  So, keep your eyes peeled to this column in the weeks ahead.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor