Monday, May 27, 2019

Memorial Day 2019 - Mass at St. Denis Cemetery


Initially, the hope and desire was – stay out of it. This is Europe’s problem. We have enough problems back home. But each time, World War I – World War  II, it became clear – America was needed – the free world depended upon us.
So off went our men and women to serve, fight, and many to die.
After WWI, General Pershing urged the creation of cemeteries overseas – to be cared for by our own government. And so, there are 26 American Military cemeteries throughout the world.
Plaque at Normandy – General Mark Clark
“If any proof was needed that we fought for a cause and not for conquest, it could be found in these cemeteries. Here was our only conquest. All we asked for was enough soil in which to bury our gallant dead.”
They range from Florence Italy 4,402
-         Luxembourg – 5,076
-         Sicily – 7.861
-         Netherlands 9,387
-         Largest in Manila 16,636
Ten in France
-         Largest Meuse – Argonne – 14,246
Most famous Normandy – 9,387
Site of D-Day – This June 6 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Invasion of France – the largest seaborn invasion in history. Majority – UK, Canada and Us – but many other countries as well.
I remember watching Saving Private Ryan – which includes what many believe to be the most accurate portrayal of the landing. An absolute horror.
I remember seeing Ryan collapse as he approached the grave of the man who gave his life for him. No greater love then to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.
I said to myself – I must go one day – and I did.
Normandy is a gorgeous part of France – and American flags can be seen all over – they have not forgotten.
We climbed up to Pointe du Hoc – where the Rangers were ordered to scale 100-foot cliffs.
We walked on the beaches – at first, we were in shock – people were walking, swimming and bathing? But of course – that’s why we helped to set them free.
Then – Cemetery – gorgeous piece of land right above the landing beaches - 9,387 only a small part of the toll – you begin to walk - and then you begin to understand the sacrifice – for the people of France and for the entire free world. They gave their lives that we may be free. You cannot help but walk away changed.
Right before Captain Miller died – he whispered in the ear of Private Ryan 2 words – Earn this!
Understand the sacrifice that was made. Made by them – made for us. Earn this – How can we possibly earn this? It was a pure act of love – who can measure up to that? We are not worthy!
It gives me an even deeper appreciation for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – Christ gave his life – for each of us – to break the power of sin – and grant us the hope of eternal life. How can we possibly earn that?
But we must try.
After quietly reflecting at the tomb of Capt. Miller – Ryan speaks – every day I think about what you said to me on that bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope I have earned what you have done for me.  
He salutes.
His wife approaches – he speaks again – tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man. She looks at the grave – then looks at her husband – you are.
That’s why we have Memorial Day every year – never forget – accept challenge to live a good life, a moral life, the best life possible – to honor them and to honor always the Sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation. Do this in memory of Me!

Sunday, May 26, 2019

From the Blog - Deacon's Bench

This essay appeared in The Washington Post Friday, from a Catholic father expressing the anxieties a lot of parents have these days about children simply being around priests, particularly as altar servers:
I am as conflicted as many other Catholics. The church has been a strong fiber threading through the various stages of my life, shepherding me through the most difficult times. A late priest who was a longtime family friend of my in-laws used to say Mass at their Bethany Beach house on summer Sunday afternoons, the kitchen island serving as the altar for a sunburned congregation of a half-dozen. That same priest married my wife and me. Seven years later, a different priest sat in our living room and counseled us during a difficult pregnancy. It was he who made an emergency visit to the hospital one morning a couple of months later to baptize our baby, who died hours later.
Maybe that’s why, despite the wretched stain that pedophile priests have left on their religion, and the trauma they have inflicted on thousands, I firmly believe that the good priests far outnumber the bad ones, and I believe that through the good ones, God’s will is done on earth. Is that naivete? Hope? Faith?
Faith, we are taught, is the belief in that which we cannot see. You have seen and believed, the risen Jesus told a doubting Thomas, but blessed are they who have not seen and yet still believe.
I believe — I must believe — that the priests I am allowing to interact with my children are honest, pious men.
…This Sunday, my children will once again enter the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in northern Baltimore, they will dip their hand in holy water, make the sign of the cross and offer their service to the church.
My wife and I will sit in the pew and hope and pray that today, tomorrow, always, the church will remain a safe place for them. It is a huge act of faith.
We hear this from time to time. “My child wants to be an altar server — is that safe? Am I crazy to let him do it? Will they have to get undressed in front of priests to put on their vestments?!”  (If you’re wondering: no. Kids are fully clothed at all times. Albs or cassocks go over their street clothes.)
These fears are understandable.  But a few points should be made.
First, most cases are old. Very old.  Given what we hear in the media, parents can’t be faulted for thinking predators are lurking in the shadows of every Catholic parish, even as I write this. That ain’t necessarily so. Most of the allegations surfacing over the last several months date back decades, and many of the accused are now dead. The accusations date to a time long before protective measures were put in place to identify, investigate and punish priests accused of abuse. (And they fit a pattern: nearly half of the accused in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report are dead; a few were born in the 19th century. And as the John Jay report noted:  “The majority of men in this study were born between 1920 and 1950 and were ordained in their mid- to late-twenties.” The most common decade of birth for alleged abusers was the 1930s and the most common decade of ordination was the 1960s.
As for more recent incidents, the latest USCCB audit notes:
In 2017, over 2.5 million background checks were conducted on Church clerics, employees, and volunteers. Over 2.5 million adults and 4.1 million children have also been trained on how to identify the warning signs of abuse and how to report those signs.
Twenty-four new allegations came from minors. As of June 30, 2017, six were substantiated and the clergy were removed from ministry.  These allegations came from three different dioceses.  Four of the six allegations were against the same priest.  Eight allegations were unsubstantiated as of June 30, 2017.  Three were categorized as “unable to be proven” and investigations were still in process for five of the allegations as of June 30, 2017.
America magazine reported last year:
 In the last three years, 22 allegations of abuse occurring during 2015-2017 have been made. This is an average of about seven per year nationwide in the church. That is far too many. Nothing is acceptable other than zero. At the same time, to put those reports in some context, 42 teachers in the state of Pennsylvania, where the grand jury reported from, lost their licenses to educate for sexual misconduct in 2017. As recently as 2015, 65 teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (L.A.U.S.D.) were in “teacher jail” for accusations of sexual abuse or harassment in that county alone. The current wave of educator sexual misconduct has yet to receive the same aggregation and attention that clergy sexual abuse has by the media (although The Washington Post has rung a warning bell and Carol Shakeshaft has written extensively on it in academic work). As the John Jay researchers note, “No other institution has undertaken a public study of sexual abuse and, as a result, there are no comparable data to those collected and reported by the Catholic Church.” (More on this below.)  
The chart below, from CARA at Georgetown gives a quick snapshot:
Secondly, it’s not just a Catholic thing. The horrifying reality is that this scourge iseverywhere: 
 A 2018 study by three criminologists revealed that hundreds of claims of sexual abuse are made every year against pastors and other Protestant church leaders (despite the fact that most Protestant pastors are married). According to the study’s authors:
Three faith-based insurance companies that provide coverage for 165,500 churches—mostly Protestant Christian churches and 5500 other religious-oriented organizations—reported 7,095 claims of alleged sexual abuse by clergy, church staff, congregation members, or volunteers between 1987 and 2007. This is an average of 260 claims of alleged sexual abuse per year, which resulted in $87.8 million in total claims being paid.
Ernie Allen, the director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said in an interview with Newsweek magazine, “We don’t see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else. I can tell you without hesitation that we have seen cases in many religious settings, from traveling evangelists to mainstream ministers to rabbis and others.”
Third— as noted above — it’s not just a religious thing, either :
 A 2004 report from the U.S. Department of Education indicated that one out of ten public school students experience some kind of unwanted sexual advance from an educator. Two-thirds of those students say the advance involved some kind of physical contact. According to the report’s author, “more than 4.5 million students are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarten and twelfth grade.”
Why, then, does the public still associate priests with sexual abuse and not public school teachers, who may be in the present moment more likely to abuse children?
Perhaps it’s because news media tend to report on crimes like clergy abuse in “waves” that can leave an impression in the public mind that they’re more common than they really are. (For example, pervasive media coverage of mass shootings may lead people to think violent crime is at an all-time high, but according to FBI statistics violent crime actually dropped by forty-eight percent between 1993 and 2016.) Also, since one-third of those who were abused between 1960 and 1980 waited to report the crime until after 2002, and since fresh reports of investigations, like that of the Pennsylvania grand jury this year, are treated as news even though the incidents they cover are usually decades old, there can be a compression of events that magnifies their perceived frequency.

Fourth, the Catholic clerical culture is changing. I can tell you it is rare these days to find a priest or deacon who will spend any time alone with a minor — and many won’t even meet alone with an adult. The risk of a false accusation is just too great. (Whenever I meet with someone, whether an adult or a minor, I make sure the door is open and, if possible, someone else is within earshot, if not also in the room.) Also, every adult working with children is required to undergo training to detect problems or warning signs of abuse, and to report them immediately. For these and other reasons, the likelihood of abuse happening has diminished significantly.
Finally, whether you realize it or not, the Catholic Church may be the safest place for children.  The Church is doing more than almost any other institution to battle this nightmare.  And, despite all its problems and flaws, it’s working.
As David Gibson wrote a few years back:
Whatever its past record, the Catholic Church in the U.S. has made unparalleled strides in educating their flock about child sexual abuse and ensuring that children are safe in Catholic environments.
Over the past 10 years, Catholic parishes have trained more than 2.1 million clergy, employees, and volunteers about how to create safe environments and prevent child sexual abuse. More than 5.2 million children have also been taught to protect themselves, and churches have run criminal background checks on more than 2 million volunteers, employees, educators, clerics and seminarians.
Allegations of new abuse cases continue to decline, as they have since 1980, and appear to reflect the effectiveness of some of the charter’s policies as well as ongoing efforts to increase screening of seminarians and to deal with suspected abusers before they claim multiple victims.
The analysis by America magazine has some excellent detail about all this, including information about when abuse occurred and when it was reported — and why.
None of this is meant to forgive or justify or explain away the horror of sex abuse. This remains a pervasive evil that we as a culture and as a society need to battle, using every weapon available. The toll it has exacted on generations of innocent lives is devastating — and attention must be paid. Justice must be served.
But any parent wondering about how safe their child might be among Catholic clergy in 2019 should know the facts.

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice for our country. Join us for Memorial Day Mass at 9:00 a.m. at St. Denis Cemetery. In case of bad weather, Mass will be offered in the Parish Hall. There will be no Mass at St. Columba. Both our Parish Office and our Adoration Chapel will be closed on Monday.  

Funeral Mass - Robert Green

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Robert Green on Tuesday, May 28 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family. 

Theological Virtues


It is one of the most popular hymns. It is often sung at both weddings and funerals. Ave Maria by Schubert. The melody came to him as he was hiking with a friend in the mountains of Austria.
Another famous piece by Schubert is his 8th Symphony or Unfinished Symphony. Why didn’t he finish it? First part was amazing – how could he match it? Never know, but lots of things are left unfinished.  Even Jesus left things unfinished.
Bu, he said – do not be afraid – I will send the Holy Spirit to help you.
This kind of help that the Holy Spirit gives us is often spelled out in terms of the theological virtues – which means they come from God and directed to God - faith, hope and charity.
Faith – this July – 50 years ago – Neil Armstrong became first human to walk on the moon. There were many other flights to prepare for that moment. One was Gemini 4 – manned by Ed White & Jim McDivitt. Ed White was the first American to walk in space.  He was asked later – what did he take with him – a St. Christopher Medal given him by Pope John 23. He said – “faith was the most important thing Jim and I had going for us.”
Faith – a supernatural virtue given us in Baptism by the Holy Spirit. It empowers us to believe in God. That God exists, that God made all things, that God made us in his image and likeness, that he made us for good. Where would we be without that faith?
Hope – deep down in every human heart there is a hunger for happiness.  Hope is the assurance that this hunger will be satisfied in the future and now. But what kind of happiness? Do not let your hearts be troubled! God will make a dwelling within us! God is here!
Victor Hugo – Let us be like a bird as he sits of a frail branch singing. Although he feels the branch bending in the wind, he does not stop singing, because he knows he has wings.
Charity – or love. Love of God gives us peace. What is that peace – Tranquility of right order. Right relationship with God and with others. How is that possible?
” Can a rock that has been in the warmth and heat of the sunlight all day not fail to give off warmth and heat at night? Can a Christian who has lived in the sunlight of God’s love not fail to give off warmth and love? No. That is why you have to have first things first. You don’t say to others, “Start loving each other. Be nice.” No, no, no. First, we need to live in the sunlight of God’s love. We need to bake in the sunlight of God’s compassion. We need to absorb God’s light into us. And then…we start to give off the love. May your light shine on me, God. May your love shine on us, God, so that there will be peace in our families and on the earth.
Unfinished – but now it’s our turn. What will we make of our lives? In the end, faith, hope and love remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Funeral Mass - Frank Liccardi

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Frank Liccardi on Monday, June 3 at 10:00 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

Funeral Mass - Anthony Rowland

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Anthony Roland on Saturday, May 25 at 11:30 a.m. Please pray for him and for his family.

A New Commandment


This is my commandment – Love one another as I have loved you.
Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in the Passion of the Christ, understood the meaning of that love.
Mel Gibson asked him to take the part – when he was 33 years old.  He had the initials JC.
While playing this role:
-          Was hit by lightning
-          When the Whipping went wrong he had 14-inch gash on back
-          It was so cold on cross suffered hypothermia – would later need heart surgery.
-          While carrying cross his arm was pulled wrong way = dislocated shoulder – captured on film.
One scene – carrying cross – over 100 pounds – he falls to ground. Nearby the mother of Jesus is watching. She is so saddened by what she is sees, she is afraid to get closer. But then she has a vision of a young boy who is playing and falls. She runs to comfort her son Jesus.   And now she understands what she must do, she runs to Jesus. She can’t save him from what he must go through, but she can be there! She can keep loving him!
Elie Weisel said that while they were in Auschwitz, the Nazi’s told them to forget family and friends – think only of yourself – this is the only way to survive.
The opposite happened. Those who lived only for themselves were more likely to die, while those who lived for a parent, a sibling, a friend or an ideal had the best chance of survival.  Not selfishness but love. Love brings out the best in us.
Love is not for the faint hearted. It is not a feeling or an emotion. It is about a commitment. It is “willing the good of the other.”
You see, this is life, the carrying of crosses. Life is not easy. Life can be very hard. We are fragile. We have all sorts of challenges. We are limited in what we can do.
We can be filled with bitterness. We can be filled with anger and hate. We can lash out at people. We can hurt ourselves and others.
Or
We can say – bring it on!
We can pick up that cross, those crosses, and follow Him. We can help others carry their crosses. We gathered last night at the Knights to have a benefit dinner for the Scampoli’s. Richie died too young, and that can fill us with anger. Or, we can do something, We can love – the hall was jammed, and over $20,000 was raised.
When Mary knelt before Jesus on the ground, he lifted his head and said – See, I make all things new!
Where there is hatred – now love
Where there is injury – now pardon
Where there is doubt – now faith
Where there is despair – now hope
Where there is darkness – now light
Where there is sadness – now joy.
I give you a new commandment – love one another as I have loved you!

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Funeral Mass - Donato Forlenza

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered for the repose of the soul of Donato Forlenza on Monday, May 6 at 11:00 am. Please pray for him and for his family. 

Do You Love Me?


Two churches come to my mind today –
1st is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee – has a Rock inside called Mensa Christi – Table of Christ – where Jesus served that 1st Breakfast – simple, humble church
2nd – in Rome – great Basilica -  built over the Tomb of Peter
Amazing  – had come so far from Galilee!  How did he get there?

Peter:  Given name was Simon – called Petra – Rock, but also Scandalon – Stumbling Stone
-       Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man – From now on catching people.
-       Jesus walking across the water – Peter says if you wish, I could do it too – come! – walks but begins to sink – took his eyes off Jesus
-       Who do people say that I am? – Whom do YOU say I am – You are the Christ!

But now things have changed – Crucifixion, then an empty Tomb - they were told to go to Galilee – there they would see him.

There were 7 apostles there that day -  Peter says: I am going fishing
Strange - back to old ways – of course they caught nothing - without Christ!

Dawn had come – they hear a voice: Children - still spiritual children - have you caught anything to eat? You haven’t caught anything, have you?
Cast your net on the right side - do it his way - net full to the breaking point
153 fish - symbol of every species – St. Augustine: all nations

John - it is the Lord!
Peter - has no clothes on – strangely puts on clothes to jump in water
Adam - put on clothes after he sinned

Charcoal fire - last time - Peter denied him 3 times.
Come have breakfast - loaves & fish - Eucharist

Some unfinished business:
Simon son of John do you love me?   Agape – self giving
Unwilling to say - I love you – look what he did! You know that I love you  -  Philia – friendship   Feed lambs!
Once again – do you love me – agape?
You know that I love you – philia    Tend sheep!
Do you love me – philia – to his level, accept what he can give.
You know everything – you know well that I love you – philia   Feed sheep!

This has taken him from Galilee to Rome!
All has to do with Mercy – Peter committed a grave sin and denied Jesus.  Three times denied now three times forgiven!
Despite his failures, Peter was the first to visit empty tomb – first to preach Resurrection – first Pope – and on the Vatican hill he was crucified upside down – not worthy

Like Peter, we are all sinners – we are imperfect – we commit same sins over and over again – we do not always trust – we struggle with faith

And yet - If Jesus could do all that with him – he can do it for us!  And so, He says to each of us – FOLLOW ME!