Ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Robert Deeley for the Archdiocese of Boston

On Friday, January 4^th, 2013, I had the wonderful experience of attending the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Robert Deeley, who becomes an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston.  The following are some random reflections, typed out in the late night, with my head threatening to droop down onto my keyboard.

I received an invitation to the ordination some time ago.  Since I work in downtown Boston, I decided to take a half day, and attend the ceremony.  People in my office must have wondered what I was up to when I brought in my suit carrier, which contained both my alb and dalmatic.  I took the MBTA Silver Line to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.  In the basement of the Cathedral, I vested with the rest of the clergy, and found my fellow deacons.  Because of most of the permanent deacons work and were unable to make it, there was only about a dozen of us there.  We were definitely outnumbered by the diocesan priests.

The participants began to gather for the entrance procession; ahead of us were members of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Order of Malta, then came the clergy.  As we processed down the main aisle, we walked through an honor guard of the Knights of Columbus, which was a new experience for me.  The Cathedral sanctuary was beautiful, with all it’s Christmas decorations still up.  The end of the procession had the Archbishop, Cardinal O’Malley OFM Cap, Bishop-elect Deeley, the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Vigano, and Cardinal William Levada.  And with them were also about 40 Archbishops, Bishops and Abbots.  When one sees this many bishops gathered in one sanctuary, it makes real for me the term, “College of Bishops.”

The liturgy itself was very beautiful, very inspiring.  I know that there have been some stories on the blogosphere about Catholics finding the old Tridentine liturgy more meaningful, more “spiritual.”  I still hold that our current liturgy can be that and more, if we take the time to plan carefully, and encourage all who attend to actively participate.  The Lord was definitely among us that afternoon.

I pray the Father will be with our new Auxiliary Bishop; that through the Son, he will be strengthened for his work; and through the Spirit, he will receive wisdom.  May God be with him as he helps shepherd the Catholic community of Boston.

These Stories Make Me Nervous

There have been two stories in the Catholic news services that are making me very nervous. One is a Catholic News Service story that the National Catholic Reporter posted on their website. It was a report of the Vatican issuing instructions to local bishops, telling them to make access to celebrations of the Tridentine Mass easier. The other CNS story, posted on the blog “Pray Tell,” reports the comments made by a Vatican official. He stated that it is the Pope’s intention not to have two forms of the Mass existing side by side, but to merge elements of both into one liturgy

Now I grew up during the time when Vatican II was still in session. The Mass my family and I attended was the Tridentine Liturgy, and I mean attended, not participated in. We observed the liturgy being celebrated. When I became an altar boy, I memorized the liturgical Latin, but the words had no meaning for me. The Eucharistic liturgy that came out of the Vatican II renewal was meant for all the people of God. We, the laity, can actively participate in the celebration, worshiping in a language we can understand, being able to witness, to see the miracle that is the consecration; the Body and Blood of Our Jesus Christ, present on the altar.The current liturgy is not perfect, that is because of the human element. But this liturgy has become a very important part of my faith life. Now I understand why there are those who still find the Tridentine liturgy attractive, but for me, it does not represent my understanding of what it means to be Church, to be the People of God in today’s world.

So instead of trying to turn the clock back, we need to listen to the faithful, what are they looking for in the Eucharistic liturgy, and how can we improve it so that it will answer the spiritual needs of all the Church.

Different Views of Leadership

I am sorry, but when I saw this picture on the National Catholic Reporter website, I got ill. It was taken at the High Mass, in the Tridentine rite, which was celebrated at the National Basilica in D.C. by Bishop Slattery of Tulsa, OK. I really feel that this has no place in a post Vatican II Church. Seeing the bishop move majestically down the aisle, with the laity bowing to him, where is the image of the servant leader?

I know enough Church history to know how some of these practices came about. And I know there are those who feel that the dignity of the Church was decreased when Pope Paul VI cut back on the pomp, no longer wearing the papal tiara, reducing the number of papal processional escorts, getting rid of those “imperial” fans, and bishops and cardinals reduced the regalia. But I keep remembering what Our Lord said: “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors,’ but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.” (Luke 22: 25-26).

Through baptism, we all have a share in Christ’s priestly office, but there are those who are called by the Spirit to serve the faithful as ordained bishops and priests. When they forget that they are servant leaders, then we see a very least a low opinion of the laity, at worst, abuse of power. And what the Church really needs in this time of crisis are more servant leaders.

Picture from CNS

The Story Keeps Dribbling Out

Most scandals, whether it involves politicians, business men, or unfortunately clergymen, can be exposed all at once, or slowly, with little bits of information leaking out; “death by a thousand cuts.”

We are seeing this happening now with the clergy abuse scandal going global and Vatican connections coming to light. The National Catholic Reporter has been posting a continuous stream of stories concerning Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, a retired Vatican curialist, involvement with some cases of clergy abuse. The uproar resulting from these stories have caused the Cardinal to decline being the principal celebrant at a High Mass in the Tridentine rite. This Mass is being celebrated on April 24th at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Those of you have been regular readers of this blog know my feelings about the continued celebration of the Tridentine liturgy. When I heard about the High Mass being celebrated at the main altar of the Basilica, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know there those who will disagree with me, but I still feel that the Tridentine liturgy has no place in a post-Vatican II Church; we are a different laity, with a new understanding of our role in the Church.

And as a faithful laity, we deserve full disclosure from the leaders of our Church, not having to endure constant snippets, day after day, month after month, year after year. We deserve to have our church leaders be accountable for their failures, and ready to work towards healing our Church. We deserve an institutional Church we can be proud of, that we can rejoice in.