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Young Adult Retreat

Posted on by Submitted Article

The first Diocesan Young Adult Retreat since before the pandemic took place at St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle LaMotte March 17-19.

Thirty-six people in their twenties and thirties attended from throughout the Diocese of Burlington.

Presentations throughout the weekend were led by Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Mary Mercy and Amaris. Father Brandon Schneider, parochial vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Parish in Randolph, Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Bethel, and St. John the Evangelist Parish in Northfield, served as the chaplain. The retreat was organized by the Office of Pastoral Ministries of the Diocese of Burlington.

“The purpose of the retreat was to give our young adults throughout the state a chance to connect with each other and spend some time away with our Lord,” said Deacon Phil Lawson, executive director of pastoral ministries for the Diocese of Burlington.

Activities during the retreat included reflections from the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, Jeopardy!, outdoor Stations of the Cross, Mass, all-night adoration Saturday night, and a Saturday evening game night.

“The retreat was very well received, and we anticipate making this an annual event for our Diocese,” Deacon Lawson said.

‘You witness to our society,’ archbishop tells social ministers

Posted on by Catholic News Service

“You witness to our society,”

CNS screen grab/CSMG live-stream

of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, said to hundreds of the Church’s social ministers gathered online for a Feb. 6 virtual Mass as part of the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering.

“What you do is essential to the church’s mission, to the common good of our society,” Archbishop Gomez said in his homily during the Mass, celebrated from Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles. “Catholic social teaching is not an economic or political program, as we know. It reflects the vision that Jesus Christ gave us for the Kingdom of God.”

“Each of us, in our lives, we have experienced the salvation of Jesus, his healing touch. This is the meaning of our baptism. This is the reason we are gathered here to worship him in this holy Eucharist,” Archbishop Gomez said.

“Jesus wants us to continue his message of preaching and healing,” he added, “through our words, through our works of love, and through our lives.”

Archbishop Gomez said, “That is what makes the Catholic Church unique in our public life. We are not social workers, or activists or lobbyists. We are witnesses. … We are brothers and sisters, children of our Father in Heaven. We are called to build the kingdom, each in his own way.”

He added, “Let’s go with Jesus. Let us ask him tonight for the grace and the strength to preach and heal in his name. To do everything for the sake of his Gospel. And let us keep praying for our country. Let us keep do everything we can to help American keep to its sacred promises.”

In the sizable, spare sanctuary of the cathedral, there were only eight people other than Archbishop Gomez during the Mass because of coronavirus precautions: Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell of Los Angeles as concelebrant, two altar servers, a cantor, an organist, a lector and a permanent deacon.

There were just eight people in the front pews visible from a camera shot from high inside the cathedral.

Archbishop Gomez’s homily was amplified in remarks made by Deacon Rogelio Ramirez after communion.

“I received a phone call regarding this family who was in Lancaster (California), with no food at the table at all. And there were 35 more families living in this trailer park. When he explained (to) me about his situation, he told me that he was working as this packer of carrots and onions, and he was infected there (with the coronavirus). Many members of his family got infected,” Deacon Ramirez said.

“So all of these families in this trailer park were infected without any assistance, and we got food and we were there, and we listened about their needs,” he added. “It’s sad when they are afraid to say, ‘I need help.’ It’s sad when they don’t feel comfortable to do it.

“And we as a church, we as citizens, we have to be sensitive, and we have to be in solidarity and in empathy with them.”

This year’s virtual gathering of U.S. Catholic social ministry leaders organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development was co-sponsored by 10 USCCB departments and 18 national Catholic organizations.

—Mark Pattison

You are loved; you are not alone

Posted on by Deacon Phil Lawson

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God” (1 Jn 4:7).

With these words the Apostle John encourages the early Church to love each other. St. John goes on to remind the Church that “…if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 Jn 4:11).

We have been loved by God, and in turn we must love others.  And by virtue of sharing that love, we ensure that no one is alone.

Who of us doesn’t desire and need to hear, “You are loved and you are not alone” during these challenging times.

St. John Bosco, in his work with young people, noted: “It is not enough to love them. They must know that they are loved.” Without a doubt our parishes and leaders love their people. But do people know they are loved? Do they feel that they are loved? Do they hear that they are loved?

The Diocesan Evangelization Committee put together a list of concrete things parishes could do amidst the pandemic.  Among the recommendations was to joyfully and intentionally welcome people back to Mass.

As more and more people feel comfortable coming back to Mass, make sure to joyfully welcome them each and every week and let them know they were missed.

People respond to love. They respond to being noticed and valued. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta put this emphasis at the center of all her encounters, that everyone she or her sisters encountered would know they are loved. And there are many ways to do that from a smile, to a word of encouragement, to a listening ear, to the gift of time spent in someone’s presence, to affirm the goodness of the gift of their life and ultimately not to be afraid to tell them that they are loved by the Lord, their priest, their deacon and their parish. For all of us, it feels good to hear that you were missed or that someone noticed when you weren’t present and to walk in the assurance of being loved.

Our encouragement is to not assume this, but in myriad ways concretely let people know how much they are loved. Have you ever heard a husband or wife say to each other, “I wish you’d stop saying you love me so much”? Of course not; in much the same way, let us never tire of sharing these same words and sentiments with our people.

When Jesus sent His disciples out, did He send them one by one? No, as we know it was “two by two.” Why? In not being alone, they would have someone to accompany them, they would strengthen and encourage each other on the way, and no doubt they would also challenge each other as well. They were not alone.

There’s an old Christian maxim, “A Christian alone is a Christian in danger.” We’re not meant to be alone in this pilgrimage of life. This is structurally built into our Catholic practice as we choose godparents for baptism, a sponsor for confirmation, a best man/maid of honor for our wedding. We intentionally invite these people to walk with us, to support us, encourage us and lovingly challenge us when necessary, all with the goal of helping us get to where we need to be.

We’re not limited to just these formal roles. This is an opportunity for our parishes to come alive, to also accompany the people in the pews (and at home). Nobody in our parishes should feel like they are alone.

For those on the road to entering the Catholic Church in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process, this time of year typically features the “Rite of Welcome/Acceptance.” This takes place at a Sunday Mass and serves as the first public presentation of the RCIA participants to the whole parish community. The candidates and catechumens, having been in formation for the past few months, are now publicly presented, stating their desire to continue this journey into communion with Christ and His Church and asking for the prayers of the parish as they do so.  It is a beautiful rite to observe and experience.

At my parish a number of years ago, a woman in RCIA commented after this rite: “When I walked into the church, I felt like I got a big hug from God and the Church.” She felt loved and she knew she was not alone.

In her book, “Start with Jesus: How Everyday Disciples Will Renew the Church,” author Julianne Stanz writes of the importance of ensuring people know they are valued and loved, citing Pope Francis:  “Jesus himself is the model of this method of evangelization which brings us to the very heart of his people. … If he speaks to someone, he looks inter their eyes with deep love and concern: ‘Jesus, looking upon him, loved him’” (Mk 10:21) (Evangelii Gaudium, #269).

She goes on to note: “If every person felt valued, loved, visible and welcomed, think of how this could change our communities!”

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, “God With Us.” May this gift of the birth of God’s son, given out of love, remind us that we are indeed loved and that we are not alone, Emmanuel, God, is with us.

—Deacon Phil Lawson is the executive director of evangelization, catechesis, divine worship, marriage and family and respect life for the Diocese of Burlington. He can be reached at plawson@vermontcatholic.org.

—Originally published in the Winter 2020 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

 

 

Yes, Christmas Eve is a Sunday, but there’s no ‘double dipping’ for Catholics

Posted on by Our Sunday Visitor

“Pick 1,” directs a guide printed in the parish bulletin of St. Joseph Church in York, Pennsylvania. The command in the graphic is listed twice, over two columns: The first lists Mass times for the fourth Sunday of Advent, the second lists Christmas Mass times.

The takeaway: No single Mass fulfills both a Catholic’s Sunday obligation and the Christmas obligation. Because they are different liturgical days — even if they overlap on the calendar — they require attendance at different Masses.

Typically, Mass celebrated at any time on Sunday — including Sunday evening — fulfills Catholics’ obligation to attend Sunday Mass. Same goes for Saturday evening Masses that anticipate Sunday Mass. Likewise, an evening Mass before a holy day of obligation (such as Christmas) also typically satisfies a Catholic’s requirement to attend the holy day Mass.

This year, Christmas Eve is Sunday. So, many Catholics are asking if attending Sunday evening Mass this year can “count” for both.

Canon lawyer Jenna Marie Cooper recently tackled the query in her regular “Question Corner” column for OSV News.

“Because there are two days of obligation — Sunday and Christmas — this means that there are two distinct obligations to speak of. Each separate obligation needs to be fulfilled by attending a separate Mass,” she wrote in her column, published Dec. 4. “That is, you cannot ‘double dip’ by attending a Christmas Eve Mass that happens to be on Sunday and have this one Mass fulfill two obligations.”

That may seem straightforward, but there’s some nuance, Cooper explained.

“Now for the part that can get confusing: Even though you must attend two Masses to fulfill the two obligations, all this means is that you must go to Mass on that calendar day or attend a vigil Mass the evening before. The readings and prayers do not necessarily need to match the day whose obligation you are fulfilling,” she wrote. “So, you could go to a Christmas Vigil Mass on Sunday, Dec. 24, and have it count as your Sunday obligation this year; but if you intend for this to fulfill your Sunday obligation, then you must also attend another Mass on Christmas Day to fulfill your obligation for the holy day.”

“Of course, if you were to attend a vigil Mass on Saturday for Sunday, and then the Christmas Vigil Mass on Sunday (Christmas Eve) for Christmas Day, then you’ve got it all covered,” she said.

A Catholic also could technically attend Mass twice on Sunday, Dec. 24 — once for the Sunday obligation, and again in the evening for the Christmas obligation.

Cooper notes that when Christmas falls on a Sunday — as it did last year, and will again in 2033 — that “Christmas essentially replaces the Sunday liturgically, which means there is only one obligation.”

Regarding the meaning and necessity of a Catholic’s “Sunday obligation,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.”

It goes on to say, “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.”

St. John Paul II expounded on the meaning of Sunday (and, by extension, holy days of obligation) and Catholics’ obligation to attend Mass — which is rooted in the Third Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath — in the 1988 apostolic letter “Dies Domini” (“The Lord’s Day”).

He wrote, “When its significance and implications are understood in their entirety, Sunday in a way becomes a synthesis of the Christian life and a condition for living it well. It is clear therefore why the observance of the Lord’s Day is so close to the church’s heart, and why in the church’s discipline it remains a real obligation. Yet more than as a precept, the observance should be seen as a need rising from the depths of Christian life. … The Eucharist is the full realization of the worship which humanity owes to God, and it cannot be compared to any other religious experience.

—Maria Wiering, OSV News

Year with the Saints: St. Luke

Posted on by Vermont Catholic

Feast • Oct. 18

Church • Fairfax

Of the four evangelists, Luke is the only one who was not born a Jew; his background lends a unique flavor to his Gospel.

A convert, he wrote specifically for an audience of Greek Gentiles, and of all the evangelists, he devotes the most time to Mary.

Above all, Luke emphasized God’s forgiveness and mercy; it is his Gospel that contains the story of the Prodigal Son.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke chronicles the story of the early Church and the life of St. Paul; he was his companion until Paul’s martyrdom.

St. Luke’s feast is Oct. 18.

St. Luke Church in Fairfax was originally built to be the catechetical center for the parish, completed in 1964. But when the original church located in the town center burned, the parish turned the catechetical center into a church, and eventually built a new rectory alongside. The current pastor is Father Henry Furman, who has redecorated the sacristy with a Communion of Saints theme. He wants to people to be aware of the rich resource they have as Catholics, that the saints are there for them, in the Church Triumphant, and they can pray to the saints for their intercession. The reredos features many icons of saints, and one wall next to the sanctuary features small saint statues, particularly engaging for children.

—Originally published in the Fall 2020 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Editorial note: A reader who is a parishioner provided this comment: The move from the original St. Luke Church to the present one was done due to structural concerns with the old building. After the move it was sold and major renovations allowed its use as apartments and a store, first Berardinelli’s and then Steeple Market. The building was destroyed by fire on Christmas Eve 2008. Many volunteer firemen from St. Luke ran from Christmas Eve Mass that night to respond to the fire at this beloved building. The new Steeple Market has arisen from the ashes and boasts a small steeple as a lasting memorial to its proud history.

Year with the Saints: St. Francis Xavier

Posted on by Vermont Catholic

St. Francis Xavier Parish in Winooski was founded in 1868 by Bishop Louis deGoësbriand to serve French-speaking immigrants who worked in nearby textile mills. The church has unmistakable twin steeples that can be seen throughout the city. Inside are colorful stained-glass windows and paintings of angels and saints on the ceiling. Above the altar is a painting of St. Francis Xavier holding a cross and bible surrounded by angels.

One of the seven founding members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), St. Francis Xavier undertook the missionary efforts of the order with great zeal. In about 1540, he began his work in Goa, India; from there he traveled throughout South India and present-day Sri Lanka, sharing the lives of the poor with whom he lived. In 1549, St. Francis Xavier journeyed to Japan where he established a church that endured even through great persecution. He died in 1552 of a fever just as he was about to enter China to evangelize there. His feast day is Dec. 3.

—Originally published in the Winter 2020 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.