Month: June 2023

I first arrived in the United States in the summer of 1992. I flew into Kennedy airport, NY and from there to Dayton, Ohio. I have to tell you that looking down from the sky, as we passed over vast territories, I was shocked. You see, I had in my mind an impression of what Ohio looked like. To be honest, I thought Ohio would look like the Pacific Northwest – great forests, wide and fast rivers, vast lakes, mountains, and valleys. I expected a wilderness, with occasional settlements, some cities, few roads, and fewer people. Of course, my image of the land came from James Cooper’s 1826 novel, “Last of the Mohicans.” I figured Ohio was next to Kentucky so that made sense to me.

Several things struck me when I got here: how friendly and kind the people were and how polite; how welcoming and accepting people were; how appreciative the people were; and how generous and big-hearted people were.

I realized how vast the country was when I made a trip with my parents from Dayton to the Outer Banks by car, stopping in Washington, DC overnight. I can’t believe that my dad and I could be in a car together that long and both of us survived. To give you some scale, the country of Ireland would fit into the State of Ohio, and there would still be room. In the time it takes us to travel by car from Cincinnati to Cleveland we could drive from the top of Ireland to the bottom of Ireland – if you had decent roads that is.

Another thing that struck me was that the continent of North America, and the country of the United States, is so spacious and vast. It is so vast that one single time zone is not enough to account for the passing of time in this great land. It is surrounded by oceans and has lakes as big as some seas, it has some of the highest mountains on the planet, and valleys that are as deep as mountains are high. It is a country that is comprised of people from many nations, and gives a home to peoples of every nation, language, culture, and color. It is so vast at the one moment it experiences snow and desert, tremendous heat and sub-zero cold, forests and prairies, swamps, and crystal-clear springs. It is at once new and vibrant, and at the same time, makes the past and tradition a living presence and reality. 

All of this is present, here, and now, in this one nation and in this one people.

As amazing as all this is it is not the most impressive things I have experienced in the United States.

I guess what has struck me most about the United States is the character of the people who give the nation of the United’s States, its character, its vision, and its attraction to the rest of the world.

Certainly, people are people, and there are good and bad, everywhere. It is true that many of the characteristics of the people here in the States are shared by people everywhere. Characteristics like generosity, kindness, hospitality, concern for others and for the world, a sense of pride in our culture.

Nevertheless, what I see as unique is the character of a people who absolutely and confidently believe in themselves, a people who see human value as something that is inherent and not handed down and definitely not bestowed from another as a privilege which is handed down and can be taken back. You are a people who don’t live by another’s gift, or good will, but a people who believe in your own right to freedom, self-determination, and independence. You are a people who believe that no man, or the state, or the government, no king, emperor, despot, or president, no congress or senate, has given you these rights. You are not “subjects,” rather, you are “citizens.” 

You, as a people, believe that Almighty God has bestowed on your individual freedom, and that God, not man, nor king, nor government, is the source of that freedom and freedoms. You also believe that you as individual citizens, and as the people of this nation, are the source of human authority bestowed on another, on the government, on the elected not the chosen, for the good of all. This authority is not given away, not traded for the things of this world, the patronage of the political class, the generosity of the wealthy, the promises of the elite, or the will of the powerful. Your idea of government is one that represents not rules. You believe that all people are equal, and as the Rev. Martin Luther King said, the only aristocracy in the United States should be an aristocracy of character. Character is about who we are, what we do, and how we live. 

Self-reliant, but working together, independent but willing to share everything with everyone, powerful but humble, determined, and compassionate, honest, and straightforward, lovers of peace but willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the weak and the vulnerable. This is what I have found in the character of the people I have encountered in my almost thirty years living among you in the United States.

Yet, because people are people, and not angels, we can always fall back into the old ways, and we can either hand our freedoms over, or have them taken from us, by new aristocracies. It seems to me that in 1776 a word was spoken on behalf of all freedom loving people, and all people who desired a new world and the freedom to live life as they wanted, and that word was liberty. Independence meant liberty. Liberty from the old world, the old ways, and liberty to build a new life and a new way. We have inherited that liberty and our future liberty depends on how we safeguard our liberty now, today, in this generation. I think that is what we celebrate on the 4^th of July. It means independence from all those who would steal from us our liberty. Our liberty is not preserved by the government, it is defended, protected, and guarded, and preserved in and by “we the people.”

In the Gospel Jesus asks for complete commitment from His followers. Very often it is those closest to Him who fail to recognize who He is and who sent Him. Very often familiarity breeds contempt and we can overlook the benefits we have, the blessings we have received, and the fruits that are a gift. We can also overlook the source of those gifts. We, the people, can fall into the same failing. Having been blessed for so long with so much we can forget the source of our blessings and the purpose for which God has given them. Let’s not be like the crowd and fail to recognize who has given our nation such great blessings. Let’s not fail to have every one of our citizens, all our people, share in these blessings, and let’s not fail to know that God desires us to share with others the blessings he has bestowed on us. The freedoms we cherish as a people do not come from man but for them to survive, they depend on men and women if they are  to be preserved.

“Your sea, O God, is so great, and my boat is so small.” President John F. Kennedy kept an inscribed wood carving with this old Breton prayer on his desk in the Oval Office. It was given to him by Admiral Hyman Rickover who typically gave it to new submarine captains as they began their assignment. The president quoted it when he dedicated the East Coast Memorial to the Missing at Sea on May 23, 1963. 

We have all lived through storms both actual storms that make you feel the world is coming to an end and the figurative storms of life when we feel overcome by darkness and terror and we seem to be sinking and drowning. There have been times when we have all felt that the waves of life were just going to overpower and sink us.

Just like our personal lives the same feelings can arise for communities, parishes, the archdiocese and even the Church. It can seem, at times, like the storms that beat against us, the winds that prevent us from moving forward, the waves that threaten to sink us are just too powerful and we are going to falter and sink into oblivion. And yet, after all the storms of history the Church is still here. In a storm the crew look to the captain and our captain is Jesus.

In Jesus we find our direction, our hope, our strength, our captain. In Jesus we find the one who calms storms, who settles the waves, and silences the wind. Weather in the Church, archdiocese, our parish, our homes, and especially in our own hearts, it is His voice that we should listen for because His voice calms the storms and silences the wind. Even more, His voice gives us direction, shows us the way, and provide the vision for our future. 

In our archdiocese, in our family of parishes, and in our communities, we are in the midst of a process carefully trying to discern the voice of the Lord Jesus as we look to our future. I realize that there are many mixed emotions as we move forward, anxiety, fear, impatience, excitement, I’m sure we could name the whole range of responses to what is happening in our parishes.  At the same time there is tremendous energy and goodwill exhibited in the process and that is surely a sign of the movement of the Holy Spirit.  

In the midst of the huge and expansive sea the sailors keep their eyes fixed on the heavens and the stars show them the way. Even in the darkness there is light. Jesus is our light, and we need to keep our eyes, our gaze, our vision fixed on Him if we are to find our course. After all, He is “the Way.” So, I’m asking you now to pray to the Lord, to send His Holy Spirit among us, to renew us and to establish among us the community He desires us to be. Please pray every day for the vision to build a lasting, vibrant, faithful, and exciting community of faith. Ask God to give us the courage not to do our will but to do God’s will. Whatever that might be, wherever that might lead, whatever sacrifice that might require.

Thank you again for all your do to build God’s Kingdom here in our communities. It is good to remember that while the sea can suddenly produce a storm, winds, and gales, the sea is also full of all kinds and variety of life, and Jesus loved to be on and near the sea. The sea held no fear for Him, and it shouldn’t hold any fear for us as Jesus is master of the sea and all it contains.

What is Christ Renews His Parish/Welcome?
Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP, pronounced “Chirp”)/Welcome is a Spiritual Renewal Weekend designed to help individuals grow in their personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to bring members of a parish together in Christ. CRHP/Welcome is an excellent opportunity for Catholics to renew their understanding of the basic beliefs and traditions of their faith.
 
The Weekend Retreat for Mary, Queen of All Saints Parish Family

During the weekend you will listen to parishioners who have volunteered to give a personal witness to the power of Jesus Christ in their lives. Group discussions and responses follow each presentation. You’ll be free to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable. There will be readings of scripture, time for prayer, and time set aside for personal reflection. You and your needs will always be respected.
Sacraments are an integral part of the weekend. There will be an opportunity to go to confession and the weekend will include a private Mass. All experiences shared on the weekend are confidential, unless otherwise expressed by the participants.
 
When/Where/Who?
One weekend for men (3rd weekend in February) and one weekend for women (3rd weekend in September) will take place each year.

CRHP/Welcome is open to all adult parishioners of Mary, Queen of All Saints Parish Family.

The weekend begins Saturday morning and ends Sunday afternoon. The weekend sessions are conducted at St. Simon’s Campus, in Plagge Hall and Main Church.

The CRHP/Welcome weekend is conducted by a team made up of parishioners who have
attended previous weekends and gone through a year of formation following the retreat.
 
Cost/Meals/Sleep
The renewal weekend is a gift from the presenting team and the parish. There is no cost to you. All meals are generously provided by parish volunteers. There will be regular breaks with coffee, soft drinks, and snacks. We will do our best to accommodate dietary needs.
Sleeping accommodations are in the Plagge Hall meeting rooms and classrooms. Cots are provided. You are asked to bring your own sleeping bag or sheets and pillow, along with your own towel, soap, and other toiletries that you might need. We will extend every effort to ensure your comfort.
Though we recommend spending the night for the full retreat experience, you may commute to and from each day of the retreat if you prefer to sleep at home.   What happens after the CRHP/Welcome Weekend? The uniqueness of CRHP/Welcome is in its continuation. Participants are usually so inspired, so renewed, so uplifted, that they are anxious to share their faith experience with others from their parish. Participants have the opportunity to begin planning the next renewal weekend soon after they complete their own, if they desire. They become the “new team.” During this “Formation” time, even greater spiritual growth occurs. The transition between attending a weekend and leading a weekend takes place over a 12-month formation period. Typically 1-2 meetings per month.
 
For More Information
Call Susan Meyer at 513-706-9950 or Deacon Mark Machuga at 513-922-4460 Ext. 8895 to find out more or to sign up for a renewal weekend.

There is just a year and a month between my brother David and myself. I was born on 14^th January 1964, and he was born on 16 February 1965. As we grew up as children we were as close as brothers can be but at the same time we would fight, argue, tease, and annoy each other. It seems, one afternoon, while playing on the street in front of our house we got into a brawl. We were probably eight or nine at the time. This wasn’t unusual but on this occasion my mother heard a neighbor lady exclaim, while leaning out from her upstairs window: “isn’t that terrible, brothers fighting!” Now, her own sons were no saints, but hearing this really annoyed my mother. At that moment another neighbor, Mr. Flynn, happened to be passing, and my mother called out to him: “Pat, grab those two will you!” At which point Mr. Flynn grabbed both of us by the shirt collar, pulled us apart, and delivered us to our mother.

The truth is that on our street, a street of about 70 houses, 70 families, we were never like “sheep without a shepherd.” In fact, every parent, 140 people all considered themselves responsible, in some way, for every child. On that street every child knew the name of every other child and every adult. More importantly, every adult knew the name of every other adult and every child. Everyone was a shepherd, not only for their own flock, but for the entire flock.

Jesus looked at the crowd and He was “moved with pity, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” He turns to his apostles and appoints them to be shepherds for the crowd. Not just shepherds but shepherds after His own heart, shepherds like Him. The apostles are then named, listed, identified, so all can know who the shepherds are. They are identifiable, Jesus points them out, they are assigned a task and the sheep know their names. Pope Francis would say that they know the smell of the shepherds, they are that close to them.

In my youth I would have known, and identified easily, who these shepherds were: they were the pope, the bishops, the parish priest. They were the successors of the apostles, and they led the flock of the Lord. To paraphrase St. Paul, now that I am an old man, I see things differently, I see things more from experience, more from the heart of a life lived. I still believe that the pope, bishops, and even priests (God help us), are shepherds, important shepherds, and while they have a God given mission to lead and care for the sheep, they are probably not the most important shepherds. Maybe it would be better to say they are not the most intimate shepherds.

Everyday of my life I have experiences the love, affection, care, sacrifice and even the discipline of shepherds. Certainly, my parents, who gave me life, who nurtured me, cared for me, loved me, healed me, supported me, and so much more. I also experienced this sort of shepherd in my brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, family, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, the community I was raised in and the people I knew. I see this sort of shepherd in my brothers and sisters now that they are parents, in my nieces and nephews. I also see it everyday here in our parishes, our families, our schools, on the playing fields, in the gym, in the care and compassion that expresses itself every day in so many ways, so many places, so many kindnesses, so much charity, love, generosity, and sacrifice. Everywhere, every day, I see shepherds caring for their own sheep, and for other people’s sheep, and lambs. I’m fortunate, because seeing this helps me realize that we are all called to be shepherds, and I see their wonderful work every day. I am fortunate because I can appreciate what God is doing – in you and through you.

Thank you for all you do to care for the Lord’s sheep, and lambs.