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The elderly and the victims of war

Posted on by Cori Urban

Many years ago, I watched an older woman making Ukrainian Easter eggs at an international crafts fair. The complex process, intricate patterns and bright colors fascinated me, so I purchased a kit and spent time during Lent trying to master the traditional art of “pysanky,” as the eggs are called.

I learned that pysanky symbolize Christ’s resurrection, hope, new life, and prosperity. They are traditionally made during the last week of Lent by the women of the village who work at night as their children sleep. Prayers are said as the intricate designs are drawn on eggs with beeswax, each line bearing an intention for the person destined to receive the egg.

In this way, one author noted, the creation of pysanky becomes a contemplative practice similar to praying the rosary.

Egg dyeing is just one of many traditions of which millions of Ukrainians will be deprived this Easter. The same author suggested that the making of pysanky would be a good way for people throughout the world to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Although it’s a little too late for me to get started on a big pysanky project, it’s never too late to pray and offer sacrifices for the suffering people of Ukraine.

It is often said that women, children, and the elderly are the first victims of war.

As a Little Sister of the Poor, I naturally focus on the plight of seniors. My heart aches as I think of the Ukrainian grandmothers who should be busy at home making pysanky, paska – Easter bread – and other traditional dishes for their families. I can’t imagine where they find the strength to endure as they hide in basements or board refugee buses bound for unfamiliar destinations, carrying their possessions in sacks and plastic bags.

The worn, tear-stained faces of these women follow me throughout the day.

Every day I see media reports in which elders weep at the loss of their sons and daughters, their homes and everything they hold dear. After surviving the second World War and a Soviet-inflicted famine in their youth, they cannot believe that such carnage is again visiting their homeland.

Pope Francis has suggested that as much as they are suffering, the elderly have an invaluable contribution to make during tragic times. Like Moses, he said, “The elderly see history and pass on history.”

He said: “An old age that is granted this clarity is a precious gift for the generation that is to follow. Listening personally and directly to the story of lived faith, with all its highs and lows, is irreplaceable. Reading about it in books, watching it in films, consulting it on the internet … will never be the same. There is a tone and style of communication to direct, person-to-person storytelling that no other medium can replace. An older person, one who has lived a long time, and receives the gift of a lucid and passionate testimony of his or her history, is an irreplaceable blessing.”

The pope asserts that great social challenges and peace processes call for dialogue between the keepers of memory – the elderly – and the young, who move history forward. “Each must be willing to make room for others. … Encounter and dialogue between generations should be the driving force behind a healthy politics.”

“I can give a personal testimony,” the pope said. “I learned hatred and anger for war from my grandfather, who fought at the Piave in 1914, and he passed on to me this rage for war. Because he told me about the suffering of a war. And this isn’t learned in books or in other ways … it’s learned in this way, being passed down from grandparents to grandchildren. And this is irreplaceable. The transmission of life experience from grandparents to grandchildren. Today, unfortunately, this is not the case, and we think that grandparents are discarded material: No! They are the living memory of a people, and young people and children ought to listen to their grandparents.”

It is clear from the abundant media coverage that Ukrainians do not discard their elders. Families are suffering together and they will rise from the rubble together.

Let us thank God for their heroic example and pray that their resurrection may come as quickly as possible.

—Sister Constance Veit is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist. 

—Published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

 

 

Deacon John Magnier deployed to Texas to assist with border situation

Posted on by Submitted Article

From Jan. 2 to Feb. 16 Deacon John Magnier of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Shelburne, an employee of the Department of Homeland Security, was deployed to Eagle Pass, Texas, to assist with the processing of migrants at the southern border. He spoke about this experience with Deacon Chris Noble of Our Lady of the Angels Church in Randolph, St. John the Evangelist Church in Northfield, and St Anthony Church in Bethel. Below is a portion of their conversation. 

Can you describe your initial impressions on arriving in Eagle Pass?

I was shocked! What I saw was nothing like what you see and hear in the media. First, the size of the operation. Unless you have been here it is hard to imagine the huge numbers of people involved.

Second, if you listen to the media, it sounds like there is an angry “standoff” between state and federal agents on the ground. That is just not so. Both federal and state agents on the ground respect each other and realize that they both have a job to do – but that job …  let’s call it mission …  is different at the state and national level.

Finally, you quickly realize that, across the border, the cartels are in charge, very organized, and making a ton of money. Of the people we process, none leave Mexico without the consent of the cartels. Surprisingly, the cartels not only control the physical movement of people but even the messaging.

What can you tell us about the people coming across the border?

I can just tell you about what I saw as a processing official responsible for data entry and background checks. Over half were families, and by that, I mean young mothers with children. The rest were service-age men. Only a very few had previous criminal records. While doing the intake interview, I had no idea if they were going to be deported or allowed to stay in the U.S. That decision is made further down the process.”

What can you tell us about the process?

The initial interview and background check is comprehensive and formal, and for some — particularly the families — very stressful. You see a lot of worry and anxiety. They had just made a very dangerous trip of hundreds or even thousands of miles, and now their entire future would soon be decided.

They all believe there is a better life in the U.S., so much better that the cost and risk of the dangerous journey is worth it.

Are the basic needs of the people being taken care of once they cross the border?

The physical needs of the people are being well cared for. Food, clothing, shelter, even medical care for those who need it. What is not addressed at all is spiritual care. Most of the people I processed were from places that have strong Christian beliefs, and none of the spiritual needs were being addressed.

As an ordained permanent deacon in the Church, it must have been hard to see all that human suffering, and spiritual need. How did you react to that?

The biggest challenge for me was the families; it is heartbreaking to see what they were going through, I wanted to give them hope. But that is very hard. I had no idea if they would be admitted or deported, and I struggled with the question of giving hope when the outcome likely would not be what they wanted — by that I mean they would be deported.

By procedure, processors are required to be very formal and straight-faced and not engage at all with the people. This is counter to what your heart is telling you to do. Your heart is telling you to be empathetic and consoling, but your mind and procedure are telling you to remain detached.

By entering our country without proper permission, I certainly knew that they had broken our law. But there is another side to it, particularly when you are sitting there face-to-face with the human reality. Most times this was a scared mom with her children, hoping and praying for a better life in the U.S. What would you do?

How did you handle that spiritual struggle?

“The first two weeks were hard. I took it to prayer – Lord what do you want me to do? I also found a wonderful parish church here in Eagle Pass.  Our Lady of Refuge is just four blocks from the border with Mexico and experiences the fallout from the crossings every day. The pastor there, Father Juan Gasper, OMI, is just amazing – and as you can imagine he has been dealing with the difficult human question of unlawful border crossings all his adult life. Father Juan is a gifted priest who radiates God’s love! He was great spiritual support and even gave me tips on homilies.

I also had strong support from my fellow deacons in Vermont. Their prayers and discussions were very helpful.

This experience was life-changing — seeing the risks people will take to get here I have a new and strong appreciation for the life we have here in the U.S. Maybe we take for granted how good we really have it here.

I also learned it is never wrong to offer hope – even when hope is hard to see! By procedure, I was not allowed to speak words of empathy and consolation, but I could and did think them. I could also “see” our Lord in the people I processed. After I started doing that, things got much better for me, and I felt a real peace. I am one person working for God’s Kingdom – and it is OK if I don’t see the results of my efforts.

Even when circumstances prevent ministering and offering the peace of our Lord to those suffering, we can always pray for them and respect and love their humanity. It makes a real difference to them and in us. …

My pastor, Father Dwight Baker, always emphasizes that we are “all God’s children.”

And St. Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

—Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Spiritual Director Training Program update

Posted on by Deacon Phil Lawson

This past year, the Diocese of Burlington offered a first-ever spiritual director training program facilitated by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. This was launched to increase the availability of trained spiritual directors in the diocese.

Thirteen men and women — including a number of deacons and one priest — recently completed Year One of the three-year program.

The training has been substantial, including four full and rigorous weekends of formation, practicums, lectures, reading, lots of time focused on Praying with the Scriptures, human psychology and development, and for those continuing on to Year Two, participation in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. It should be noted that the diocese investigated numerous training opportunities for spiritual directors, and this one, facilitated by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary stood out for its rigor, fidelity, and practicality.

Spiritual direction is a time-honored ministry in which one trained person assists another person in growing closer to God. The director helps facilitate a three-way conversation with the Lord, along with the directee and the Holy Spirit. “The focus of this kind of direction is the relationship itself between God and the person. … Spiritual direction of this kind focuses on what happens when a person listens to and responds to a self-communicating God” (“The Practice of Spiritual Direction,” Barry and Connolly). Contrary to the name, the “director” is less directive and seeks through a contemplative, evocative approach the way the Lord is leading the directee. This is especially true in the Ignatian method of St. Ignatius of Loyola in which the participants are being formed.

The Church continues to encourage this beautiful ministry:

As she has never failed to do, again today the Church continues to recommend the practice of spiritual direction, not only to all those who wish to follow the Lord closely, but to every Christian who wishes to live responsibly his baptism, that is, the new life in Christ. — Pope Benedict XVI

The next step for the 12 participants moving on to Year Two in their training is to begin actually directing others, while being supervised. As they meet with directees generally on a monthly basis, they will also be meeting with a supervisor and confidentially discussing their experience of this ministry.

Each of the participants will be working with two to five directees at this time.

If you are interested in both participating in spiritual direction as well as helping these men and women learn to be spiritual directors, you can check with your parish to see if you have someone locally in the program or you can reach out to Deacon Phil Lawson at plawson@vermontcatholic.org.

Please join me in thanking the Lord for these men and women who have prayerfully responded to this call from the Lord, are devoting a large amount of time to formation, and are now willing to serve the good people in the Diocese of Burlington in drawing closer to our Lord.

—Deacon Phil Lawson is the executive director of pastoral ministries for the Diocese of Burlington. He can be reached at plawson@vermontcatholic.org.

—Originally published in the April 27-May 3, 2024, edition of The Inland See.

 

 

Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Msgr. John McDermott

‘Easter Duty’

My dear family in Christ,

Those of us of a certain age likely remember Catholics who spoke of having to fulfill their “Easter duty.” For many, this phrase meant that they needed to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession at some point during Lent or the Easter season. I have been thinking of this because the “Easter duty” isn’t something I have heard mentioned recently. So, the questions I want to ask and answer: “Is there an Easter duty for Catholics? If so, what is it?”

Is there an Easter duty? Yes, but it’s not what many people think. What has been seen as a duty to go to confession is really the Church’s prescription that Catholics who have received First Holy Communion are obligated to received Holy Communion at the minimum once a year. This requirement is spelled out in the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 920 §1. After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year.

  • 2. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year.

The “duty” emphasized by the Church is for Catholics to encounter the Lord in the reception of Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season. This is the bare minimum threshold for the reception of the Eucharist.

So why do so many people see the duty as a requirement for going to confession? As noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season. But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily (CCC 1389).

In order to receive Holy Communion worthily, we must be free from mortal sins, and for this to happen, we need to go to confession. So, the obligation to receive Holy Communion during the Easter season made people not in a state of grace recognize their duty to celebrate confession prior to presenting themselves for communion. Hence, the “Easter duty” for many was focused on confession and not Holy Communion.

What does this mean for us today?  It means the Church wants us to receive Holy Communion frequently. This most intimate encounter with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which strengthens us in faith, hope, and charity, is something we all should long to receive regularly.  However, the Church also knows that we sometimes stumble in our lives of faith and so extends to us the mercy of Christ in confession. The two sacraments go hand in hand to assist us to grow in holiness.

I encourage us all to examine our consciences regularly (here’s a link to a good examination of conscience Examination-of-Conscience-Ten-Commandments.pdf from usccb.org) and if we are conscious of mortal sin rush to receive Our Lord’s healing in reconciliation. Let’s not wait for a yearly confession but seek this spiritual remedy on a regular basis so that we can receive the Bread of Life on a weekly or even daily basis. Let’s not see this as just a duty but a privilege and grace.

Our Lord wants us to be healed and nourished; why would we intentionally stay away from Him who is our salvation?

In Christ,

Monsignor John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

The peace and justice connection

Posted on by Deacon Pete Gummere

The link between peace and justice was not something emerging as a trendy construct of the late 20th century. Admittedly two popes of the Vatican II era did write on the topic. Pope Paul VI (1972) did write succinctly, “If you want peace, work for justice.”  Nine years before that, Pope John XXIII wrote his ground-breaking encyclical, “Pacem in Terris” (“Peace on Earth”). Pope John correctly linked not only peace and justice, but also, truth, human freedom, and love.

Although the documents seemed ground-breaking at the time, both relied heavily on a long tradition going back to biblical times. Pope John XXIII specifically cited the prophet Isaiah: “Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security” (Isaiah 32: 17).

If we look at the world today, we see great injustice. One country invading another, one people dominating another, denial of legitimate civil liberties, oppressive regimes, terrorism, and numerous other injustices. When people or nations are treated unjustly, they rebel against the oppressor. Even when they merely perceive oppression, the reaction is the same. The great tragedy, of course, is death and the human suffering caused by people pushing back against the oppression.

Is it any wonder then that the people of Ukraine are fighting fiercely to take back the land that Russia seized? The hostilities in the Middle East have been legendary and all related to real or perceived injustices. And there are many other conflicts simmering or exploding around the world. Without justice, peace is not going to flourish.

Within our own country, there are real injustices that drive much of our social and political tension. We need not go much farther than the single issue of race to illustrate my point. There is no question that the enslavement of African captives began pervasive tension surviving for 400 years.

With grave inequity in income, housing, education, and healthcare, along with racial disparity in policing and the criminal justice system, it is small wonder that racial tensions in this country remain high.

Oppression in many other countries has resulted in multiple millions of refugees seeking new homes. This reality has posed serious backlogs at the U.S.-Mexican border. Refugees trying to escape war and oppression have posed a serious problem in numerous European, African, and Middle Eastern countries. These migrants are seeking a better life for themselves and their families than they have in their own country. On a practical level, perhaps admitting some of these individuals (after proper screening) would serve to alleviate the labor shortage we have heard about in the news.

What can we do about this? As Catholics following the teaching of Jesus, we need to assess how much of our energy, time, talent, and treasure we can devote to helping to overcome these persistent problems. We need to discern these issues through serious prayer. It is also essential that in an election year we also look for political candidates capable of helping to move our local, state, and federal government in the direction of greater justice for all.

Ignoring these issues is simply not an option – either morally or practically speaking. Indifference will not make the problems disappear, but only grow. Those hungering for justice must assert themselves toward that goal. Peace will flow from the justice that we promote.

Perhaps God will even shift the mindset of others to follow our lead.

For God’s sake, we must do something!

—Deacon Pete Gummere serves at Corpus Christi Parish in St. Johnsbury and is the retired director of the diaconate for the Diocese of Burlington. He is also a bioethicist.

—Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

 

Memories of decades in church choir bring joy to Michaud Memorial Manor resident

Posted on by Cori Urban

It’s hard to tell what brings 94-year-old Annette Pike more joy: memories of singing in the choir at Newport’s St. Mary Star of the Sea Church or memories of singing there under the direction of legendary choir director Sister Edmund of Jesus.

Pike, a native of Kingsbury, Quebec, moved to Newport with her family in 1939 but moved away after she was married to a Navy man. She returned 64 years ago and now lives at Michaud Memorial Manor in Derby Line where she recently reminisced about her time in the choir at St. Mary’s, now part of Mater Dei Parish.

A member of the Sacred Heart Elementary and High School Choirs during her childhood and teen years, Pike joined the parish choir when she returned to Newport; she resigned from the choir about four years ago because of mobility issues.

But while she was in a choir under the direction of the late Sister Edmund, a Daughter of the Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pike — an alto — learned how to read music, how to control her voice, how to harmonize, how to listen to other parts and how to put feeling into the music. “She was such a great, great teacher. She was wonderful,” she said with a smile.

Sister Edmund expected her choir members to be on time and always “made sure the music we were singing was right,” Pike recalled. “It was all for the glory of God.”

But Sister Edmund taught more than music: “She challenged us to pay attention and do our best. She taught a lot about respect, faith, and getting along with other people.”

St. Mary’s choir member Gail Lontine, an alto — Pike’s youngest sister — enjoyed singing with Pike in the choir for about a dozen years before Pike stepped down. “Annette knew all the older songs. We’d listen to her because she knew all the alto parts,” she said.

For Pike, who has a large extended family, music lifts spirits and is a form of prayer. She said her voice changed as she aged, but she still sings at Mass at Michaud Memorial Manor whenever there is music. She sometimes listens to CDs in her room and enjoys all kinds of music, especially spiritual, Big Band, Christmas and piano.

She used to play piano for her own enjoyment and credits her musical family with instilling in her a love of music. “A highlight of her life, though, was singing in the choir,” Lontine said. “It brought her great joy.”

—Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.