One Hundred Years Ago Today

As I knelt waiting for Mass to begin on a cold rainy Monday evening, I became aware of the comfort I felt under the shelter of our old church building. Exactly one hundred years ago, my grandfather was a prominent figure in the construction of our church, a beautiful red brick edifice that stands tall as a testament to our Catholic Faith in this small Indiana town. It has weathered many storms over those hundred years while those inside prayed amidst the peaceful glow of candlelight.

The following paragraph is taken from a Diamond Jubilee booklet published by our parish in 1956:

Prior to the spring of 1910, solicitations for the building of the new church and school had been going on for some three or four years, and an accumulative fund of about five thousand dollars had been compiled. The Church committee was comprised of Frank Vessely, Frank Dalka, and Joseph Dolezal [my grandfather], men of good sensible and prudent minds, as can readily be seen by the pretentious edifice that was erected for housing Our Lord. The building of solid brick, was built on the exact site of the old structure. The high ceiling sanctuary and the main body of the church with most elegant stained glass windows, and the front vestibule over which the choir loft was flanked on each side by steeples in which one has the bell, and the other the Baptistry, is the complete floor plan of our church. The school was also started at the same time, consisting of four large classrooms. This tremendous undertaking cost in the vicinity of $45,000, however this does not include the many hours that were donated by all parishioners of labor, as well as their hard worked teams of horses, hauling the sand from the basement, the unloading and hauling of the lumber and brick from railroad cars to the site, the mixing of cement, mortar and plaster. The corner stone for the church was laid on May 21, 1910, by the Very Rev. Louis A. Moench of Mishawaka, delegated by Bishop Alerding to perform the ceremony. On Easter Sunday, April 11, 1911, the church was ready for its first Mass. The church was completely furnished, with the exception of the High Altar and stations of the cross. These buildings carried a $40,000 mortgage. The yoke was of very great weight and it was felt for almost 20 years.

Think of all the things that have occurred in the world while this church building was standing, and how those events affected the thousands of people who sought solace in the real presence of Christ within her walls. Two world wars, the depression, triumphs and tragedies, births and deaths, weddings and funerals, good times and bad. Here in this small town church, the Body of Jesus Christ awaits us daily, offering comfort and forgiveness, peace and tranquility. As the brick walls and slate roof protect us from the elements, Christ’s Church, built upon the Peter the rock, shelters us from the storms we face in everyday life.

Imagine building a church and a school with $5000 down payment and a $40,000 20-year mortgage. It seems funny today, but that was a huge amount of money back then. What faith our Catholic ancestors must have had to even attempt such a project. I pray that their Faith brought them a great reward in heaven, and I hope they are watching over us as we still reap the fruits of their labor.

Stoning the Rock

The Church is in the national news most every day, and none of it is good. Sex abuse allegations, many dating back decades, have resurfaced, bringing out the Church-hating sharks that smell blood in the water. They would like nothing more than to bring down Pope Benedict by somehow connecting him to a cover up. In this age where the Catholic Church stands alone in claiming authority to speak for God in condemning abortion, artificial birth control, and same-sex marriage among other things, secularists are determined to destroy the Church and everything she stands for.

Yes, members of the Church committed grave sins. These things should have never happened. From what I have read, sexual abuse is even more prevalent in Protestant communities and our educational system, but those cases do not get the same media attention as the ones in the Catholic Church. Don’t get me wrong. The Catholic Church should be held to a much higher standard than any other ecclesial community or institution, but these stories do not make the front pages because the media holds the Church in high regard. On the contrary, they despise the Church for having the audacity to claim moral authority while seemingly trying to hide its own indiscretions. This is a natural reaction that we will have to live with.

The Church has put itself in a difficult position. The secular media is not going to present the magisterial side of the story. Not understanding Holy Orders, they do not realize the difficulty in “unlaying” of hands. They will not consider the attitude society had forty or fifty years ago, when counseling was often the prescribed remedy for sex abusers. We will never hear that civil authorities were usually not notified because the alleged victims’ families did not want them notified. Certainly, any of the victims could have called the police at any time. That is not to say everything was handled properly. Terrible mistakes were made. Yet, the lawsuits and other pending actions likely have little to do with aiding the victims, and everything to do with destroying the Church.

Vigil-antis

With Holy Week quickly approaching, we have been preparing for the Easter Vigil liturgy, the most exciting event on the church calendar. My enthusiasm is tempered this year because we have no one entering the Church from our parish. Our faith formation class has only one candidate and she will not be making her profession of faith until later. This saddens me for several reasons.

First of all, nothing is more exciting than seeing new people being baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil. I feel reenergized by those who have finally discovered the Church Jesus established. Especially rewarding is having a hand in preparing them for that beautiful event. Seeing them arrive with family and friends, their nervous anticipation, and the excitement of receiving Our Lord for the first time brings great joy to me and the entire faith community.

An Easter Vigil without catechumens leaves a void in the liturgy. Beyond that, it saddens me that we are not sharing our faith the way we should be. I have always believed that every Easter Vigil would be flooded with new Catholics if we were spreading the gospel the way Our Lord commanded us to do. We have too long subscribed to the notion that actively sharing our Catholic faith is uncharitable or at least, not ecumenical. Quite the contrary, we should be doing it out of love for our fellow Christians and non-Christians too for that matter.

Unfortunately, many Catholics today do not know their faith well enough to explain it to others. In our community, the Catholic school closed its doors more than thirty-five years ago. Up until then, most Catholics received at least eight years of Catholic education. There are still a few of us around who graduated from that school. By today’s standards, our Catholic education far exceeds that of most of our current parishioners. Yet, even those eight years are hardly adequate. Can you think of any profession where an eighth grade education would be considered sufficient?

Our parish offers classes in Faith formation, but attendance is practically non-existent. Getting people to turn off the television even one night a week to enhance their religious education is next to impossible. The Wednesday evening Lenten program in our parish did meet with limited success. A soup supper with guest speakers drew an average of about thirty-five parishioners on each of the four evenings it was held. While you see mostly older people at these events, I was encouraged to see a few young families in attendance. Perhaps that bodes well for the future.

I believe there are many things we could be doing to draw people to the Church. We need to be more visible. Matthew 5:14-16 tells us we should be a light to our community and not be hidden. Twenty-first century technology offers us many opportunities to get our message out and we need to take advantage of all of them.

The Internet is probably the greatest educational device ever conceived. Search engines allow anyone looking for information to find it in an instant. We must make certain we are available with answers. I started a website for our parish about ten years ago. In addition to weekly updates about our church, it contains links to orthodox Catholic sites where seekers can find answers to their questions about the Catholic Faith. We average about 4000 hits per month, not a lot by some standards, but not bad for a parish with about 200 families.

Aside from the website, which goes unnoticed unless someone seeks it out, how visible are we? Our church building is the tallest edifice in town. The Cross on the bell tower can be seen from most any approach and the carillon plays Catholic hymns twice a day, and more often on weekends. While this may attract attention and curiosity, it does little to spread the gospel message.

At one time, our parish published weekly messages in a local advertising publication. They were meant to be inspirational and informational. I do not know how effective they were, but we did seem to have more catechumens back then. The ads were discontinued about two pastors ago.

As many churches do, we have a sign out front with Mass times and space for messages. It is used to advertise dinners and other events, but could be utilized more for evangelization. Often, it is simply left blank which also sends a message. It says, we have nothing to say to you right now.

Many other opportunities exist to be visible in the community. Our town has an annual festival, some of which takes place on church grounds. The Knights of Columbus sponsor a pancake breakfast during the festival, and last year, our parish held a chicken carryout dinner. Each event lasted only a few hours of the festival, and aside from full stomachs, visitors took nothing away. Festivals provide wonderful chances to connect with visitors on the midway. Invite them into your booth for a sandwich and a cold drink, and hand them a Catholic tract before they leave.

Some parishes have their own festivals. Non-catholics may be more inclined to attend a Catholic-sponsored street festival than an event located inside the church itself. Any opportunity for interaction can be an ice-breaker. The key is to look for ways to evangelize while fundraising. With that in mind, make certain such events avoid any activities that could cast dispersions on the parish. Gambling or alcohol consumption is never appropriate when our mission is attracting converts.

All of these ideas require a commitment. In a small parish like ours, finding people willing and able to devote time and energy is difficult. The potential harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Perhaps the best way to share our message is to lead by example. Proclaim your Catholic Faith boldly, and lead your life in such a way to gain the respect of those around you every day. Then, sit back and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Truth or Tin Foil

Well-meaning people forward emails to me everyday. Some of them are funny. Many are political. Depending on the sender, I either peruse them or hit delete. The quickest to the trash are those that question my patriotism if I don’t forward them or promise some reward if I forward them to eight people and back to the sender.

Being a rather conservative Catholic, I share concern with those dismayed by many policies put forth by our current administration. Nevertheless, I get tired of the constant stream of negativity being passed around cyberspace. Yes, we have many things to be concerned about, especially the culture of death, relativism, moral decay, secularism, religious persecution. All of these things threaten our future, but real problems can be obscured by extremists who circulate wild conspiracy theories that often have little basis in reality.

Some conservatives have become obsessed trying to prove our current president is not an American citizen and therefore ineligible to hold the office. It seems like I get an email most everyday containing some new wrinkle about Obama’s birth certificate, his connections to Islam, or his disdain for the military. The smears are endless and merely provide distractions from what really should concern us about his policies. Of course, the leftists did the same thing to President Bush, accusing him of masterminding 9-11 and other ridiculous charges.

We are all aware that many bad things happen in this world. It is nothing new. Evil has been present since the fall of man. We may find new inventive ways of spreading it, but it has always been around. I am not suggesting evil should be ignored, but some people seemed to be obsessed by it to the point where all they see is doom and gloom. We will never see the light by focusing on the darkness.

Our pastor recently handed me a book called Spiritual Dangers of the 21st Century by Rev. Joseph M. Esper. He said, “Read this. There are things in there that will curl your hair.” I took it home and read it. My hair is still fairly straight, maybe a little wavy now. Father Esper writes about the seven deadly sins and how they affect our society. He points out many of the attacks that have occurred on our religious freedom, especially directed at Catholics and other Christians. He warns us of a persecution we are facing. This is a serious concern, but I also found parts of his book to be a little disconcerting.

Some of his dire warnings are based on private revelations discounted by the local bishop, and conspiracy-friendly authors. He focuses much attention on the abuse of modern technology and government intrusion in our lives. He cites articles, some of them from wacko websites, warning of chips being implanted in babies, behavior altering chemtrails being sprayed over metropolitan areas, space-based laser-generating satellites projecting images of Satan’s agent Maitreya in the sky, extra low frequency wave emissions making people think they are hearing the voice of God, and other foolishness. I was beginning to wonder if Father Esper might wear a tin foil biretta. Even the remote possibility that some of these things may be technically feasible does not mean they pose an imminent danger, or even warrant mention in what is otherwise a good synopsis of where we are and where we may be headed.

The Internet provides a platform for anyone to say anything. No longer does one need a discerning publisher or a soapbox in the public square to be heard. Anyone can publish a blog viewable instantly all over the world. Despite the widespread access, much of it finds only a small audience of gullible people to take it seriously. Father Esper cited some of these sources, possibly giving them more credibility than they deserve. He included many footnotes, but questions arose in my mind about the legitimacy of some sources. For example, on page 82, he says, “another estimate suggests that a thousand Christians a day give their lives for Christ.” Wow! Where did that estimate come from, I wondered. The footnote contains a reference to a book by a Christian economist known for his warnings about the Y2K collapse that never happened. The estimate may or may not be accurate. It simply comes from another man’s book.

Serious concerns become diluted when mixed with speculation and unlikely scenarios. I do not doubt that we have many problems facing us as Christians in a secular society, but I grow weary of all the pessimism permeating Christian thought these days. Those choosing the darkened path will not likely be swayed by warnings of peril. Yes, we must be aware of the evil around us, but we should not appear hopeless. We navigate the darkness by following the light. We need to live our Faith in a way that draws others to the beacon of Christ, who gave us a Church and promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

Soldiers for Christ

About ten years ago, our pastor at the time was a rather conservative priest, very orthodox and particular in the celebration of the liturgy. He maintained a small army of well-trained altar servers, all of them boys. Shortly after his assignment to our parish, he dispensed with the servers’ albs and robed them in cassocks and surpluses. Two to four servers were assigned to each Mass, and on special occasions such as Holy Week or Christmas, they all served en masse.

The servers grew to be a rather close-knit group. The older boys got the envied jobs of cross-bearers, bell ringers and incense lighters. They trained the younger servers and taught liturgical protocol by their example. Maneuvers around the altar were coordinated and reverent. Father usually rewarded them with an amusement park outing during the summer.

Eventually during Father’s time here, a few parishioners began to take exception to his conservative ways. Among their complaints was the fact that only boys were allowed to serve at Mass. Most other parishes in the diocese permitted girls to serve, a privilege left to the discretion of the parish priest. Amid persistent pressure from a few parents, Father relented and allowed girls to join the ranks. Among them was my daughter although I was not a proponent of the change. I had reservations about breaking the all-male tradition. Even though priestly vocations are rare in our parish (only two that I know of in our 128 year history), being an altar server is a first step in that direction.

Looking back over the past ten years, I realize my concerns were not without merit. Once girls infiltrated the serving ranks, the fraternity fell apart. Interaction between pre-adolescent boys and girls is awkward at best. What was once much a relationship much like the Boy Scouts soon lost all its comradery. Some boys were reluctant to get involved, and it was not long before girl servers out-numbered the boys. Without the mentoring that took place in the past, the reverent postures and precise movements posture around the altar deteriorated to the point of distraction.

I am not blaming the girls for the changes that took place. Their inclusion in the serving ranks was just one of many changes happening in the church at the time. Our current pastor has taken steps to improve the training of the servers. Both boys and girls are doing better these days, although still a far cry from what they were years ago. I do not know the numbers, but I imagine the girls still outnumber the boys by a few, and it is difficult to go back without being labeled a chauvinist. That did not stop a parish in Minnesota from trying however.

In a blog by Father John Zuhlsdorf, he reports on a post from Stella Borealis telling of two men in a Minnesota parish who increased the number of male altar boys from 10 to 60 by making the rules more demanding. They approached their pastor with a plan for boys only that included training, a system of ranks with cool nicknames, a more reverent atmosphere with cassocks, surpluses and uniform footwear, and a program of outside activities such as bowling and fishing. The boys were motivated by the hierarchy of ranks, along with the program’s high standards of order and discipline.

Implementing such a program would be difficult in parishes where girls have already been permitted to serve, which is probably most everywhere. All servers, boys and girls, would benefit from higher standards of order and discipline. I see servers in our parish arriving late in all kinds of dress, oblivious to the Blessed Sacrament exposed for Eucharistic Adoration, and genuflecting in way where the knee never touches the floor. A little training and higher standards could go a long way. Holding the position of altar server should require certain responsibilities, such as observing dress codes, being on time, and maintaining reverence.

In my day, server training was done primarily by the Sisters of St. Francis who taught at our Catholic School. They attended most every Mass, so they knew who was performing properly. The nuns are long gone from our parish, leaving server training to the priest. The problem is that the priest cannot see what is going on behind him. Many of the server duties take place out of his view. For that reason, trainers other than the priest have the best opportunity to coach servers and evaluate their progress. The post cited above suggests finding adult leaders to run the server program. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Bias Sometime

The Christmas season brings the usual flood of Christmas cards from friends and relatives. I love getting them and dread writing them, but it’s part of the annual tradition. I especially enjoy reading those form letters people send telling all they accomplished during the past year. I think you can download them from the Internet and simply insert your name at the bottom.

When I reflect on the past year with respect to the Church, I can’t help but think about the controversy revolving around the political stance of Catholics, both in and out of government. Living only a few miles from Notre Dame, we found ourselves in a hotbed of debate on whether an abortion-friendly President should be honored at a Catholic University. I try to be a very orthodox Catholic and therefore find those soft on intrinsic evil to be troubling.

Everyday, I am flooded with emails from conservative causes that try to raise awareness of the doom we face if liberals succeed in their quest for power. Conservative Catholic groups are constantly bashing Bishops for not being aggressive enough in making Catholic politicians toe the line. Being conservative myself, I agree in principle, but I also think that constant liberal bashing can be counter-productive. Conservatives can further their cause by sticking to policy issues rather than trying to stir up dirt. Political mudslinging does nothing but obscure what is really important.

One of the Christmas form letters I received bothered me a little. It was from a Catholic priest, a relative of mind who I love and respect. He has devoted his life to God and to serving the poor, underprivileged, and especially racial minorities. In his letter, he said he experienced a deep personal satisfaction when Barack Obama won the election, and that his personal experience in dealing with the plight of African-Americans caused him to be ashamed of his white skin at times. His statement made me very uncomfortable. Whether biased for or against, some people never see beyond skin color.

I have always felt that believing American people to be racially intolerant is itself a stereotypical view. We all have a natural tendency to gravitate to people of similar circumstances to our own, and look down a bit to those who are different. These differences are not limited to skin color. They can be economic, cultural, or religious. They can be ethnic, political, or geographic. They can be authoritative, philosophical, or social. Democrats may cast dispersions on Republicans. Marines may think less of sailors. Constituents may disdain politicians. Boston Red Sox fans boo the New York Yankees. Environmentalists criticize lifestyles of the affluent. Anytime we associate ourselves with a certain group, we may take on a feeling of superiority to those who march to a different drummer. Skin color, in my opinion, is of little consideration today except to the most shallow of minds. The problem is, we still have an abundance of shallow minds.

Even in cases where distinction among groups is not chosen (such as race), I believe prejudicial bias is more the result of behavioral choices. Black athletes and entertainers are cheered or jeered by whites, depending on performance. White teenagers often copy clothing styles from trends started in Black neighborhoods. Others wouldn't be caught dead dressing that way. White singers and musicians have mimicked the style of Black musicians for decades. Some like it; some do not. Much of the music I listened to in the 1960’s was written and produced by Black artists. I didn’t even realize it at the time, nor did I care. All of this has little to do with skin color. Yes, we do have a tendency to stereotype, but stereotypes are learned, and sometimes earned. While we may associate them with the most obvious difference, which may be skin color, they are really more a result of other traits or behaviors.

This brings me back to the letter. Why would a Catholic priest who spent his whole life in the struggle for human and civil rights, experience a deep personal satisfaction in the election of a Black president who also happens to support the right to take of lives of the unborn? I can understand a certain feeling of satisfaction in having elected a minority President. I often find myself pulling for the underdog, but not at the expense of throwing all other factors out the window. What does the election of Barack Obama prove? Is it a victory for civil rights? What about the right to life? Does it mean we have finally overcome our racial prejudice in this great country of ours? Was he elected despite the color of his skin or because of the color of his skin? Does skin color trump all other factors just to make a point? While racial bias against minorities may have waned over the years, perhaps the pendulum has swung too far the other way.

Some Catholic clergymen seem to have a propensity for supporting liberal political causes. They assume anyone with money or power got there by victimizing someone else. I suspect they are also the ones inclined to question the authority of their own superiors. Certainly all priests and bishops have the duty to speak out on matters of faith and morals, but when proper actions are debatable, that is, not clearly defined by Church teaching, they should keep quiet.

The recent Copenhagen Climate Summit took place among revelations that some of the global temperature data had been biased to make the problem seem worse than it actually is. For many investors in green technology, the fear of imminent global warming disaster is essential for keeping government money flowing their way. Whether we have a problem, whether we are causing the problem, and what we should do about it is a matter for the scientific community to decide, not the Church. So, what do I find in the December 9, 2009 issue of the South Bend Tribune? An article with the headline “Bells to ring for global warming” says that Churches in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend are being encouraged to toll their bells at 3 PM on Sunday to show solidarity with the effort to call attention to global warming. The article did not say who was doing the encouraging, but I have to assume it was someone within the diocese since only Catholic Churches seemed to be involved. I wonder if they will be encouraged to toll their bells on January 22nd.

The Copenhagen Climate Summit dominated nightly news coverage in early to mid December. Whenever a global warming story appears on television, we are shown the obligatory video of smokestacks with huge white clouds billowing into the atmosphere. I have spent nearly 37 years of my life working in a coal-fired power generating station. We have four large turbine-generators, each with its own furnace and emissions controls. Each unit has its own 500 foot tall smokestack. On any given day, with all four units running at or near full capacity, and with all systems working properly, two of the smokestacks will have the huge white plumes billowing into the air like you see on television. The other two will have little or nothing visible. They never show you those on TV. Now, here is the irony. The white stuff you see billowing into the air is harmless water vapor, a byproduct of the government mandated sulfur dioxide scrubbing process. The other two clean looking units do not have scrubbers, hence no plume. They burn a low sulfur coal, but generally are not as clean as the ones emitting the plume. That white plume is clean technology at work. Don’t be fooled into thinking you are looking at something bad.

I have some questions I would like to ask Al Gore, the Nobel Prize, Oscar and Grammy winning global warming expert. The latest environmental crusade appears to focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. If the density of carbon dioxide is about 1.5 times that of air, why doesn’t all the carbon dioxide settle to the earth instead of floating above where it can absorb infrared radiation? If coal fired power plants consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, why does the oxygen content of air remain a constant 21 percent? If the water level in a melting glass of ice water decreases, why will the ocean levels rise when the polar ice caps melt? My questions probably reveal my own bias against people who claim expertise in areas where they lack qualification.

God gave us many natural resources to use for our benefit. Yes, we must be good stewards and use these resources responsibly, but I wonder if many who blame us for creating climate change are motivated by their own biases while underestimating the power of the true creator.