If It’s All About Sunday, Then What About Christmas? Part I

Dear Parishioners,

Many Catholic theologians, apologists, and evangelists have said, “It’s all about Sunday!”  What they mean is that not only is Sunday the Lord’s Day which we Catholics consider our weekly holy day of obligation (yes, Saturday evening counts too!), but it is on Sunday that we experience the greatest encounter with our faith community as well as visitors.  There is no other experience that gathers us so profoundly. So, as Church, we are called to share the Good News, to evangelize. This isn’t simply what we are supposed to do, it is what the Church is! The Church exists to evangelize. So, there is no greater moment than Sunday Mass to hear the Word proclaimed, receive the Eucharist, and to be equipped to be sent out on mission.  The word “mission” comes from the Latin word “to go out.” This is where we get the name of our Liturgy, “Mass.” The call to go out and proclaim the Gospel is such a potent reason to gather that we call our Liturgy, “The Mass.”

So, Sunday is the greatest time we can hear the word and be present to the Sacrifice of the Lord who gives himself to us in the Eucharist.  Sunday is the most potent time for us ministers to preach the Gospel for the most people to hear at once. Our hope is that in the Mass, we are transformed, changed to become the saints we are called to be. It is also our hope that for those who are seeking, struggling, mourning, and suffering, the Mass will lift them up and give them the strength, through to God’s grace, to carry on in hope.  Daily Mass holds these same graces, but Sunday Mass reaches over ten times the number of people.  In marketing terms, this is called “distribution.” Sunday is the most potent and efficient day to distribute the Good News of Christ’s loving mission.

What Mass is not is merely a social hour. It is not just a time to see our friends. It is not a time to be entertained or watch people. Mass is not a weekend obligation that we must fulfill so that we don’t feel guilty. It is not a time for us to get together to encourage and/or isolate ourselves or shun the world. It is not a time to placate God, our spouse, or anyone else. It is not even about you. It is essentially none of these things. It is all about God and the saving work of his Son who poured out the Holy Spirit to vivify us to live the life of greatness for God.  So, in that context, Mass is a time lay down our burdens before God and exchange our sorrows for joy.  It is a time to offer our sacrifices to the Lord as well as conform ourselves to his likeness. It is a time to be challenged and wooed by the proclamation of God’s living Word. It is a time to love our neighbor who is sitting next to us and to be sent out into the world to love the stranger and even our enemy. Mass is a time allow the Holy Spirit in and change us from the inside out. It is a time to give God all the the glory. It is a time to let him change us…. to be recreated, renewed, renovated, rejuvenated, repented, redeemed, and reconciled. At Mass God calls us and changes us to be an alter cristus (Latin), another Christ for others. Sunday is all this and more. As people conformed to Christ, we must share this Good News so that others may also encounter him who can do all these things, as he has done for us. Sunday is a time for us to be Church, be Evangelizers, to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord in our words and lives.

So, if our lives as Catholic Christians is all about Sunday, then what does that mean for Christmas? Learn next week.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Gratitude & Thanksgiving

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we heard from Proverbs the value of a loving wife. The Psalm reminds us of how blessed we are with our children. Thessalonians reminds us that we are children of the light, not darkness. In the Gospel of Matthew, we heard that the one who stewards well the talents they have been given will enter into our Master’s joy.  In all these things, what is our response?  

It could be one of worry for all the times we have fallen short of God’s standard.  Maybe it is one of regret for the times we have taken our spouse for granted and are guilty of not being as loving as we should be. It could be one of fear, for we may realize that, too often, we have been anything but sober and alert. It could be of sadness for we may have squandered parts of our lives with the talents our Lord has given us. These concerns are worthy of consideration.  They are all worthy of reflection as an action of examining our consciences in light of the Scriptures. There may even be true reasons for concern about our state of relationship with God and our neighbor. I think we should all take these challenges seriously.  But, I would also like to remind us that this is half of the story.

The other half of the story revolves not around how we have failed, but what God has done for us, how our Lord is always there waiting to restore us back to him. I would like to propose that given all our challenges in our lives, we have plenty of reasons for joy and gratitude not despite our failures and sufferings, but through them. God sent his Son who suffered death for us and rose so that our sufferings would not have the final say. Through Jesus’ Paschal Mystery, our Lord can bring grace and restoration when we join our suffering and dying to his, because the other half of the story, the reason Jesus came, was to save us. 

In just a few short days, we as a nation will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I would like to invite you all to Mass on that day (8 AM).  Between now and then, ponder on where you have fallen short, repent and as our Lord to forgive you, and then give thanks for his goodness. On the Mass of Thanksgiving Day, as is my little custom, I turn the homily time towards an opportunity for all present to express, publicly, what they are grateful for.  We must not keep our praise and thanksgiving to ourself.  We must express our gratitude for all that God has given us.  So, between now and then, consider all that God has gifted you with.  Come to that Mass, lay down your burdens, offer your sacrifice, and exchange it for gratitude. We are a Eucharistic people the word, “eucharist,” meaning “thanksgiving.”

May we all give praise and thanksgiving all the days of our lives.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtinger
Pastor 

Q & A: "Black Vestments?"

Q: Fr. Bill, you wore black vestments at the All Souls Day Mass.  I thought black vestments were pretty much abandoned after Vatican II.  What is their status?  Do you wear them when you preside at funerals?

A: Good question!  The short answer is, no, black was not abandoned. However, the preferred option for funerals is first, white, then purple and black as options. It is true that black has fallen out of popular favor so much so that it may appear that it was forbidden. But, that is just perception.

Before I discuss this further, I must share the meanings by these three liturgical colors: White expresses hope in resurrection, holiness, hope, and baptism. Violet expresses reconciliation, repentance, and mercy.  Black signifies mourning, death, sin, and judgement. This latter color may seem to focus on the negative, but, these are realities in our lives which sometimes we need to be reminded about.

The official three color choices for All Souls Day are the same as they are for any funeral. According to the instructions to the Order of Christian Funerals (a.k.a. OCF): 

“The liturgical color chosen for funerals should express Christian hope but should not be offensive to human grief and sorrow.  In the United States, white, violet, or black vestments may be worn at the funeral rites and at other offices and Masses or the dead” (§39). 

I have worn white vestments at funerals in all the parishes where I have been assigned. It has been my pastoral judgement that white has helped the congregation remember that through the waters of baptism, their loved one has died with Christ and that we hold the hope close that their loved one will rise again with him (cf. OCF §160). In the initial rites of the funeral, we place a pall over the casket which I have only seen in white, though violet and black are still options. Therefore, I have made efforts to make sure that the vestments match and carry on a congruent sign conferred by the pall. The white pall symbolizes the white garment placed on a newborn baby who has just been baptized.

That being said, I concelebrated a funeral with Archbishop Sample on the sad occasion of the tragic death of a young adult from the Umpqua Community College shootings back in 2015. There, the priests concelebrants were told to wear violet vestments. In the archbishop’s pastoral judgement, he was giving attention to the guidance by the OCF, where it states:

“The celebration of the Christian funeral brings hope and consolation to the living. While proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnessing to Christian hope in the resurrection, the funeral rites also recall to all who take part in them God’s mercy and judgment and meet the human need to turn always to God in times of crisis” (§7).

So, not only is hope something that is needed at a funeral, but so too is our need to seek out God’s mercy. The tragic nature of some events draw us close to this opportunity of God’s consolation which brings us to repentance and a desire for mercy in our own lives.

Back to All Souls Day. I made a pastoral decision to wear black for many reasons, some theological, some psychological, some liturgical, and some even pragmatic.  I wanted us to be mindful of the reality of Purgatory and the journey that many of the deceased whom we are praying for may be very well experiencing it and need our prayers. Additionally, I wanted us to recognize our own emotional sensibilities to the reality of their deaths and the loss their deaths have played in our lives. Mourning, while not something we like to do, is deeply important to our healing.  When we don’t mourn our losses, we continually carry them with us, and occasionally they come out in some of the most inappropriate ways and situations. Black emotes these feelings of sadness, recognizing and legitimizing them in our lives. When I bought my black chasuble, I purposely chose one that also had violet in it which, I hope, helped us remember our need to repent of our own sins in view of our own coming death and look to God for our only hope. Liturgically speaking, black carries well all these reasons and we hardly ever, if at all, see this color option used in the Mass. It has occurred to me many times that we should not completely forget or abandon our liturgical heritage, and that finding appropriate places to harken back to our sacred tradition keeps us grounded and mindful of who we are as Catholics. I’ve purposely done this in other areas too. You might have noticed that over all, the priests chant more of the Mass than in decades previous. The new Roman Missal has been the driving force for that change.  I’ve heard many times soon after receiving the Missal that we were chanting more.  Simply, it is was one of the various things the reform of the missal called for.  You might also notice that during Lent, as a community we chant the Mass parts during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and at some solemnities we use incense and bells.  Finally, on the pragmatic side of things, until last year, I have never worn a back vestment. But, after seeing this particular chasuble at a bargain price, I thought I would buy it for the few times I might want to use it, All Souls Day being the case use I had in mind. 

Finally, thank you for the question and I hope this helps more of us expand our understanding of the wealth of our Catholic theology and tradition.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Pastoral Ministry Update

Dear Parishioners,

I just thought I’d give you an update as to what has been going on regarding St. Anne’s pastoral ministries since the departure of Carolyn Trumble and Randi Lauby. Their departures have made an immediate impression as to how much work they had been doing. Their absence has also shown how valuable they were to us. I certainly wish to lift them up and wish them the best in their new ventures. Upon their departures, I immediately opened up both positions and formed a search committee. The results were that we did not hire anyone for either position.  This has left us in a tough spot. Yet, I am confident that God is at work, though I must admit, I don’t fully know how.  I do know that we need to reset and rethink these positions and plan to start our search over in the Spring. That being said, good things have been happening ever since.

Regarding ministry for our children, Jennifer Perez, wife of Ramey Perez our Coordinator of Music Ministry, stepped forward to temporarily steward our Faith Formation for Children.  She had been already serving in a support role for Carolyn, so she knows our history and direction going forward. Her role is that of coordinating the catechists for our grade schoolers in Faith Formation as well as RCIC. Sandra Lopez, whom we hired earlier in the year, has continued to serve in many wonderful ways to help Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, and has been an effective liaison to our Hispanic community, maintaining our commitment to serving all of parishioners regardless whether they speak English or Spanish.

Regarding Youth Ministry, our Confirmation classes began this past week, lead by Reneé and Gabe Snodgrass with catechists, Sean and Kristin Bachmann, and Nilda Arms serving in the very needed administrative role.  The Confirmation classes will run concurrent with Faith Formation each week.  At this writing, there is no program for gathered events (aka “Youth Nights”) for Middle School or High School on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s, respectively.  This remains a hole we need to fill. So, I will be hosting a “Youth Ministry Summit” for anyone who has an interest in these two age groups.  Parents, teens, and any adults are welcome to attend.  I will be hosting that meeting at 9:30 AM on Sunday the 22nd of October in the Kelly Youth Center.  Please come with your thoughts, questions, ideas, and most of all, passion to help lift up our young ones in our parish.  Despite not having a youth minister or a concrete plan for youth nights, we are committed to host vicariate event for teens called, XLT, which is basically praise and worship along with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  Fr. Jeff Eirvin, the Vocation Director of the Archdiocese, will be the guest speaker and will share his thoughts on our vocational call.  That will take place on November 10th at 7 PM the Kelly Youth Center.

Many ministries are in transition this year. That means change which can be very hard at times.  I want to thank all who have been prayerfully supporting our ministries, and ask you to please continue.  If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

A Christian Response to Evil

As I write this column (Monday, Oct.2), our country experienced another act of senseless violence, this time in Las Vegas. We feel angry, sad, helpless, a sense of despair, paranoid, and maybe even hopeless. All of these are legitimate feelings. But, I encourage us all to be mindful of how long we entertain these feelings and then seek out our Lord via prayer, Scripture, and the Church. With regard to the Church, the best response I found was from Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, the president of the United State Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):

We woke this morning and learned of yet another night filled with unspeakable terror, this time in the city of Las Vegas, and by all accounts, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. My heart and my prayers, and those of my brother bishops and all the members of the Church, go out to the victims of this tragedy and to the city of Las Vegas. At this time, we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering.  In the end, the only response is to do good – for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light. May the Lord of all gentleness surround all those who are suffering from this evil, and for those who have been killed we pray, eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Cardinal DiNardo’s comments not only comfort, but give us things we can and should do.  First, pray. The Lord hears our prayers. This is a way of taking care of those who are suffering including ourselves. When others suffer, we suffer with them. So, we need to ask God to protect our hearts from the arrows of the Evil One (Prov. 4:23). This includes the hearts of the victims and their families. Prayer also brings us closer to God who opens our hearts for love of others. Prayer can help keep us from despair and remind us that God cares deeply about us and those whose hearts are broken. Prayer can bring hope and courage even amidst tragedy, for we are reminded in prayer that God is by our side even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. By our communion with God, the Scriptures tell us, we can fear no evil, for God is with us (cf. Ps 23).

The second is to do good. As simple as this sounds, responding to evil with evil is most certainly not an answer that will accomplish anything better than what has happened (cf. 1 Peter 3:9).  Instead, we are to return good and blessings when evil is perpetrated. When we do good, we demonstrate that evil has no ultimate power.  It demonstrates that God is not idly watching, disinterested in our fate. In moments of horror and evil, great grace is given. (cf. Rom. 5:20). God can create good, even greatness from evil.  Our Lord is the master of the reversal. An example of this goodness can be found the various stories of those who selflessly helped the victims either escape or shuttle them to the hospital.  I’m sure we will hear more about how the police responded and did what they could to stop the massacre from getting worse. They should be acknowledged for their courage by putting their lives in harms way for the good of others. Another telling example of goodness following the massacre was the overwhelming response of people willing to donate blood when the request went out. 

Locally here in our faith communities, I have witnesses innumerable times when parishioners have gone through some incredibly dark and hurtful times, yet, they refused to be defined by it, and instead, chose to give of themselves in loving service. It is a saintly response to sin in our world, and when I have personally witnessed it, I am speechless, inspired, and challenged to the core. It is proof for me that God is in our midst and the Holy Spirit is moving to inspire us to greatness.

So, in the face of evil, we should stand together in prayer and goodness. We should not give in to the temptation for revenge, rage, fear, or sin. Satan is prowling and wanting to sift us all like wheat (Lk 22:31), but Jesus has interceded with his Father that our faith may not fail (Lk 22:32). Remember that evil will never prevail.  Indeed, Satan has already lost the war. In the meantime, we stand in solidarity responding with prayer and goodness.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

The Bad Liturgy of Sports

Dear Parishioners,

Have you ever considered that football is similar to liturgy? They both have pomp and circumstance.  They both have beloved traditions. They both have particular uniforms. They both bring people of varied backgrounds, politically, socioeconomically, intellectually, etc. They strive to unify the people towards something that is true and noble. They strive to help bring out or encourage the best in humanity. Of course there are many differences.  For example, liturgy is not a competition. It is not entertainment. It is not violent in any way. The action on a football field is not essentially an act of the Divine, but of humanity, yet liturgy is the work of God and the people.

This past many weeks, and particularly, this last week, many people have been upset by gestures made by football players on the field when the U.S. flag and National Anthem were presented. The events have cause people to take sides and become more divided.  So, I was pondering on how it has become such a flashpoint. As a liturgist, I started pondering and has some insights that may be of help.

In liturgy, the actions, symbols, rituals, words, and music are all supposed to be done well such that all understand what they communicate.  When these things confused the congregation, this is the litmus test that we have experienced “bad liturgy.” In the context of the intersection of liturgy and sports, particularly football, it seems that the actions taken during the opening ceremonies (presentation of the the US. flag and National Anthem), have caused confusion. I believe it is safe to say that we all love our country.  It is also safe to say that we all reject racism and brutality by anyone in authority. If these are values that we share, then liturgically speaking, we should be able to find ways to communicate our values in a clear and coherent ways. This clearly did not happen, demonstrated by the divisive responses that resulted.

As Catholics, we are called to be ecumenical, that is to be open to the faith of another, to be desirous to understand another’s faith and belief system. The Catholic Church does this very well in its official channels with delegates and representatives to other faith traditions. Our goal is unity.  But, short of perfect unity, we seek understanding to find some unity amidst diversity, and charity must be the means by which this is done.  Unfortunately, the events of recent weeks have failed in this endeavor. They have demonstrated that we have a variety of interpretations of the presentation of the U.S. Flag and National Anthem. It has demonstrated that there is a conflagration of politics, sports, social justice, and patriotism. 

As Catholic Christians, we are called to be people of charity seeking understanding and reaching out to those who are poor and oppressed.  We Catholics even have a soundbite which helps us in our focus. We call it the “preferential option for the poor.” So, in light of this Gospel call, we should have concern for those who are victims of injustice and critique how those who have power, wealth, and influence are responsible for their duty to promote the common good and help the poor. In this light, my prayer is that in our national discussion about the events of the past several weeks, we will be people of faith first which will drive us to enter into dialogue which finds common ground. I hope that the signs and gestures that players and teams decide to use to express themselves will be made clear so as to rally us all around the common cause for peace and justice. In a way, I’m going to give the NFL a “mulligan” if you will.  I hope that in the coming weeks, they can come up with a clear and coherent way to express themselves that will unify their fans and our country.  Here’s some of my own personal thoughts on how that could be done which the NFL has done in the past:

The NFL could make all their players wear extra arm bands or ribbons on their uniforms, symbolic of the injustice they desire to remedy while also promoting all our service men and women. They could kneel at some other time outside of the presentation of the U.S. flag and National Anthem so as not to create confusion. They could change socks and wristband to a common color in order to raise awareness of the cause. Teams could give away or sell t-shirts or wrist bands with the team logo alongside statements promoting racial harmony and social justice, and give the proceeds to non-profits that further that cause. They could have a moment of silence expressly for the victims of racism and violence. The NFL could make a concerted effort to show how players go out into our communities and give talks to school children and others. They could publicize meetings where NFL players and officials go talk to our senators and representatives. Teams could publish a group photo in their local newspaper stating that they are unified in racial harmony, are against brutality by people in power, and lift up all those who serve our country.

I’m sure there are many other ways that could been used that could have expressed our unifying desires for our country and challenged our ills. The NFL’s recent bad liturgy has made things more difficult for fans and non-fans alike. Even the players have expressed confusion and struggle as to how they can help express their views and unify at the same time. How do you think they can more clearly help unify us using clear methods which we could all understand and rally behind?  I hope these thoughts will add to the ongoing discussion of our national debate and faith-filled community.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Groundbreaking!

Dear Parishioners,

Last week we celebrated an historic event in our parish’s history, our official groundbreaking for our new church.  A big thank you to all the parishioners for making this event possible, that is for giving of your time, talent, and treasure so that we could come to the point of building a new church.

The Evangelization Team spear-headed the event, getting the Pita Pit wraps, hosting the drinks, and setting up the tables and chairs as well as put them away. The Altar Society brought desserts while S & B James brought their banner, shovels, and hard hats. Thank you to Tom Hall of S & B James, Dave Thomason, and Bill Bailey who shared their hearts with us. Thank you to Fran Todor for making sure we had good sound set up and Adam Busch for live-streaming the event on our Facebook page. 

As of this writing (Mon., Sept 18), we will be finalizing our bids and then approaching the archdiocesan Building Commission, who, I hope, will approve our technical drawings and, thus be our last meeting with them.  A big thank you should be given to all the engineers, priests, and staff who make up the Building Commission.  They have an incredibly difficult work load with all the projects ongoing in the Archdiocese. Once we have firmed up the costs of our project from the bids that we have committed to, we expect to get approved for a bridge loan from the Parish Funds Trust. This fund is made up of monies invested by the archdiocesan parishes and is managed by experts working in the Pastoral Center in Portland.

Looking forward, we hope to be pouring the foundation of the new church in October. From there, several steel framed buildings will be brought in and put together to create the basic infrastructure for the new church. 

Again, thank you to all parishioners who have been helping make these events possible.  May our prayers and work be for the glory of God and the spreading of the Gospel of Christ.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

A Plumber's Eclipse

Dear Parishioners,

After the recent eclipse, I received a letter from one of our parishioners, Rob Murphy, who had briefly stopped me after Mass prior to the eclipse to ask if he should make the 3.5 hr trip to where he and his family could view the totality of the eclipse. I gave him my solar eclipse glasses and encouraged him to go experience a potential once-in-a-lifetime event.  The title of this blog entry indicates came from Rob himself, indicating his profession, and I was delighted to experience his other gift of writing as well.  With Rob's permission, I offer his letter to me...

Dear Fr. Bill

I had to write to you to say thanks for giving us the solar sunglasses and encouraging my wife and I to take the time to view the eclipse.  With a last minute invitation from my niece to join her in Salem to view it in the path of totality, we left at 3am to arrive to join other family and friends on a hill just across the freeway from the Enchanted Forest.  I really had no preconceived expectations of a total solar eclipse other than it would be an interesting phenomenon to see, but what occurred  that morning affected me to the depths of my soul, so much so that I will never be able to express in words the sublime sight I was blessed to witness.

We arrived on the hill just in time to see the darkening edge of the sun after donning your cardboard glasses.  There was a gentle breeze making the leaves flutter and the wind spinner on our host’s porch rotate slowly.  The sky was perfectly clear with very little smoke to blur the magnificent morning as our view stretched for many miles across the Willamette Valley toward Corvallis and the Coast Range.  Again and again, as the eclipse progressed, I took on and off the glasses to see both the shaded sun and the dimming surroundings of our hilltop observatory.  20%, 50%, 90%.......the sun was slowly being covered more and more by the moon.  I was getting excited and knew that something special was coming.   98%, 99%.....99.9%.........And then instantly, in a literal blink of an eye, all went dark through my glasses and I tore them off, and the sky was transformed into the heavens, day into night, where just a moment before shone a blinding sun, there was a disc of beautiful light radiating around a black center that seemed to be alive with movement.  Never before had I beheld such an epiphany before me!  The brilliance of the corona in all its glory was casting a spectacular halo of light while the stars surrounding the sun were immediately visible in the blackened backdrop like so many choirs of angels around their Creator.  I remember yelling loudly, “Oh, My God!” in no way taking the Lord’s name in vain, but truly uttering a prayer of profound praise.  

I remember hearing one of my nephews scream, “Look at the shadows on the ground!”  We were all standing on an asphalt driveway, and as I looked down, there were thin, distinct, rapidly moving shadows rippling and undulating across the surface from east to west, similar to waves across a pond, but the likes of which I had never seen before.  I, too, yelled with wild excitement, jumping all over the ground trying to chase these dancing, ephemeral wisps with an exuberance and elation that this 52 year old has never had since childhood!

Then I heard my brother in law say, “Look at this!” He was pointing to the shadows cast by the maple tree leaves on the blacktop creating hundreds of crescent shape images of differing intensity bearing no likeness to the leaves above.  I whooped and whistled in wild ecstasy like a crazed madman totally unable to control his emotions.  Then my other brother in law yelled to me, “Quiet! Listen!”  I had to force myself to silence and stillness……….What was that noise in the background?........Crickets!! The crickets were chirping loudly, singing their praises to God!  It was complete and total sensory overload.  

Then I remember looking back up to the remarkable and radiating wheel of light and noticed that the upper right portion was getting even brighter and brighter by the  moment, much like a glistening diamond set in a ring.  “Look at that!” I bellowed in delight, pointing to the intense beauty of the sight.  And then, suddenly, again in a blink, a piercing and blinding light came rushing into my eyes, burning an image into my retinas that remained with me as my lids closed.  

It was over……..some 105 seconds in total, an insignificant amount of time, but enough for me to know something very significant in my life had just happened to me, something that I am trying to assimilate and make sense of several days later.  I remembered your homily the week prior where you were speaking of the eclipse and quoted the Psalmist, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God.”  Certainly true, indeed, but there was even more to it for me personally.  I think I caught a small glimpse of what Paul saw in his vision of our Lord on the way to Damascus where he was unable to speak after seeing the heavenly vision. Rather than being struck dumb, I was a blabbering idiot, unable to control my joy and make sense of it all.  I have always known that God is our Creator and that we can know Him through his creation, but this event was truly a deeply religious experience for me because I got to witness the power, glory and brilliance of Him in such a concentration.  True, all of it is explainable by science and mathematics, and some will put their faith in the Big Bang and calculus and quantum theory, but for me I know with certitude, as the wise Dr. Peter Kreeft said, “If there was a big bang, there must have been a Big Banger!”

St. Peter saw on the mountain during the Transfiguration our Lord’s appearance change and his clothes turn a dazzling white.  He experienced something so profound that I think he was at a loss for coherent words when all he could utter was, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”  I, like Peter, got the privilege of seeing for a moment the magnificence of the glory of God, and now I can also say with Peter, “Lord, it was good for us to be there.”  It was, in no small way for me, a foretaste of Heaven.  I got to see the sun transfigured on that Salem hill, and now I pray that the Son will transfigure me.

Rob Murphy

Thank you Rob for sharing your experience and faith.  May God continue to inspire in us all a sense of wonder and awe at the creation in which he has place us.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God

Dear Parishioners,

The “Great American Eclipse,” as some are calling it, is almost upon us.  Here’s some data to help you observe the eclipse from our area:

    9:03 AM - The beginning moment of the eclipse
   10:16 AM - The maximum eclipse.  
   11:36 AM. The end moment of the eclipse

Since we are not located in the “path of totality,” meaning that we will not see a total eclipse, but rather a partial eclipse (94%), at no time should anyone look directly at the sun.  So, as a basic public service, we are making available certified solar glasses at the end of the Masses so you can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.  The event as a whole will last, roughly, two-and-a-half hours. So, there will be plenty of time to observe.

Okay, so one might ask, what’s all the hype about? Simply, the beauty of creation, particularly the heavens, declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:2).  Did you know that the Church has been engaged in science since its earliest developments, and indeed, is responsible for the very scientific method we all use? Astronomy, in particular, has been of particular interest to the Church in order to know the seasons of the year and liturgical events like Easter. The Vatican opened its first observatory in 1891, placing it among the oldest astronomical institutes in the world (vaticanobservatory.va). 

In the Scriptures, “celestial” events have been signs of the works and presence of God.  Some Christians and non-Christians have chosen only to focus on the foreboding events such as the eclipse that occurred at the crucifixion. But, as Catholics, we also recognize that the beauty of the created world gives us a foreshadowing of heaven and a glimpse about the works of God. This weekend’s reading from 1 Kings 19:9A, 11-13A , is instructional. In the text, we can hear that God and nature are not the same thing, as a pantheist would propose. Instead, we heard how nature reflects something about God. In this week’s reading, we heard about Elijah encountered God. The LORD was not in the wind, earthquake, nor fire, three common elements as understood by antiquity. Yet, these events signaled the LORD’s coming presence.  In the end, Elijah experienced God speaking in a tiny whispering sound.  Elsewhere in the Scriptures, God was understood to be announced by the sun in Matthew 17: 2 and clouds covering the tent and filling the tabernacle during the Israelites journey in the desert in Exodus 40:34.  The power of God to forgive sin metaphorically is described via an eclipse in Sirach 17:31.  Encouragement to have no “fear of the signs in the heavens” can be found in Jeremiah 10:2.  The stars served as a sign of promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:5, and my favorite Psalm 19:2 solemnly says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.”

The eclipse that will fall across the United States on Aug. 21st is an amazing event for many reasons.  Primarily for the general public, we will admire it for its sheer beauty.  An eclipse is relatively unusual to the common person, though they happen every year somewhere on Earth. The phenomena surrounding an eclipse (darkness, crescent shadowing under trees, and birds trying to settle in for rest) remind us about the role the the sun and moon have in experience of life on Earth.  For those inclined to things geeky, how amazing it is that the relative sizes and distances of both the moon and sun relative to the Earth are such that the moon can completely block the sun so that people can experience the beauty of a total eclipse. If the moon was any closer or father away, we would not experience a total eclipse. As it turns out, the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth. So eventually, the moon will be far enough away such that total eclipses will no longer happen.  How amazing that we are alive at a very particular time in the history of Earth that we can observe total solar eclipses.  God’s a pretty good planner, eh?

Finally, as a ministry to our community of faith, I have arranged the purchase of hundreds of solar glasses to be given away for free after the Masses this weekend (as supplies last) [REVISION: The shipment did not arrive in time for this weekend. But, it is scheduled for Monday and so we will have the solar glasses available for next weekend's Masses.]  Please enjoy the eclipse in safety.  While viewing, remember how awesome our God is.  May this event be an opportunity to lift up our hearts in praise of the LORD’s handiwork.  

Here’s a website to visit to learn more: greatamericaneclipse.com

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Groundbreaking Scheduled

Dear Parishioners,

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who continues to inspire and work in our Church.  As of this writing, the church building is now completely gone.  The dirt underneath the foundation will soon be removed down to the bedrock, and a new two foot layer of rock will follow.  From that point, the site will be fenced off for safety, and the hole that remains will be off limits.  We will be applying for construction permits, and wait until mid September for more activity.  

Mark your calendars for September 17th when Bishop Peter smith will come for our 11 AM Mass followed by a groundbreaking ceremony. This project needs all of our prayers: prayers for safety, prayers for healing, prayers for those who have been away and are coming back of curiosity, prayers for the continued work of the committees stewarding the project along, andprayers that we will be the welcoming people our mission calls us to be.

If you are involved in social media such as Facebook or Twitter, you may have realized that updates on our project are frequently posted there.  They are, in fact, the most rapid and up-to-date means to maintain clear and transparent communication with people. I will, of course, keep us up-to-date via our bulletin or “pulpit announcements” at Mass as needed. We will continue to do so as a way to help us all journey together and pray together for this work that God is doing in our community of faith.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor