Advent Joy

I do not know a person who does not want to be happy.  After all, who wants to be sad or miserable? At the same time, we recognize that we cannot always be happy.  Happiness is a feeling that can easily be fleeting.  It can also be taken away by another person or situation.

Joy is entirely different.  Joy is that deep-seated conviction that you are in a profound relationship with the Other and all others.  It is that assurance that you are not alone, that you are deeply cared for, accepted and loved.  It is liberating in that there is no proving to do, just a dwelling in being valued and cherished.  Joy centers, guides and grounds another regardless of the situation.  

Joy is always reachable and equally enjoyable alone or in the company of those who are the source of this joy.  Philly fans were greatly surprised and pleased that the Phillies surpassed all expectations in making it to the World Series.  Whether you were one of the 43,000 watching them win the National League pennant at Citizens Bank Park, gathered with others at Xfinity Live or another venue, or watched the game alone from home, the same joy was shared by those watching the Fightins.  From the diehard fan to the recent bandwagon enthusiast, joy connected us, brought us together and resonated within that everything else can be exciting and enjoyable when shared with others.  Joy connected us, gave us a sense of belonging, and another reason to believe that life is good, and we must work together to get along, heal the ills of society and help to build that Kingdom of God such as God envisions it.  

Many things awaken the joy within us whether it be the beautiful smile of a little baby, the innocence of kids playing and enjoying each other running from here to there, your child hitting the buzzer beater in double overtime or the enjoyment realized when lovers silently gaze in the eyes of the other sensing complete acceptance and oneness.  The most difficult aria sung so perfectly, the enjoyment of the most spectacular performance on stage, the full moon lighting up the ocean for miles silently bringing home peace and beauty, the evening sunset complete with hues of many colors that spark thanksgiving for another day in the presence of God, loved ones and friends all bring joy to the fore.  

My heart is alive and full when in the company of nephews and nieces celebrating the holidays, a family wedding and the annual vacation down the shore.  Joy is on display in an unbreakable intimacy that is gifted by God who is the source of all this goodness.  That same joy is profoundly present when alone reflecting on God’s presence especially as it is wonderfully manifested in family, friends and any other relationship we have membership.

Such joy wants to be shared and realized with sisters and brothers we don’t know: those lost on the streets or through addiction, those fleeing family and home for a better life, those displaced by war, our brothers and sisters not recognized for who they are, those denied freedom or what justice demands they should possess.

Advent Joy visits us yearly to remind us that we must work to achieve the peaceable kingdom, beat swords and spears into instruments of productivity, fill in the valleys of poverty and need, make straight the paths for those struggling, look for the desert and parched land exulting, and welcome the God who removes our guilt, comes with recompense, to give sight to the blind, hearing to those deaf, tremendous mobility to the lame who journey to the mountain singing for joy and then to a stable to adore and give homage to the Prince of Peace.

Joy readily sustains us in prayer where we are alone with the Lone to the point we desire more readily the time when this will be forever in heaven.  Likewise, joy empowers us during sadness and sorrow to persevere for we go to that Center who can only love, guide and protect us, who assures us of His presence, that He will never abandon us, and that His will for the world will come to fruition.  

Sitting in that realization, letting it take over, we contemplate the Divine within us and resolve to see that in others, all others and the world.  From that Center, we reinvigorate ourselves that the world has a purpose and our humanity has such tremendous dignity in being co-creators to bring forth the Reign of God until that final consummation, where symphonies are all finished, and when hearts are no longer restless for they are all resting in eternity where our awe will be beyond imagination or comprehension for we see the face of God that always looked upon us with approval, understanding, satisfaction and incomparable JOY.

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Gentleness

Recently I read the Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Saint Francis de Sales presented following the 300th anniversary of his death on January 26, 1923.  Pope Francis is to issue a letter to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis on December 28.  

In his encyclical, Pope Pius XI declared Saint Francis the Patron Saint of all Writers.  Pius XI began this work by stating, “The great need of our day is to curb the unmeasured desires of humankind, desires which are the fundamental cause of wars and dissensions, which act, too, as a dissolving force in social life and international relations.”

Don't you find these words strikingly relevant for our world in our day? I won't provide a grocery list of all that makes our world seem at least mildly crazy.  For many of us, finding a way to cope with our world's situation is overwhelming, leaving many with a sense of helplessness and even hopelessness.  

Pius XI identifies a remedy to this heavy burden in the beauty and grace found in the writings and life of Saint Francis de Sales.  The remedy is the virtue of meekness (gentleness), which Francis held as essential for imitating Christ.  By his admission, Francis found this virtue challenging, especially since he admits to a quick temper and ready anger.  Turning our hearts from anger, frustration and annoyance, to gentleness toward our neighbor and ourselves is a tough road.   

Pope Pius XI writes:

“The meekness (gentleness) of Saint Francis should be held up to the faithful in a very special way for their imitation, for this virtue recalls to our minds so well and expresses so truly the kindness of Jesus Christ.  It possesses, too, in a remarkable degree, the power to bind souls one to another.  This virtue, wherever it is practiced among men, tends primarily to settle the differences, both public and private, which so often separate us.  Likewise, can we not hope that, through the practice of this virtue which we rightly call the external sign of the inner possession of divine love, there will result in perfect peace and concord both in family life and among nations?”

Advent leads us to consider the meekness (gentleness) of the Holy Family, so well reflected in every manger scene this season.  Lowly animals, simple shepherds, a manger, and the Prince of Peace can lead us to rest in the gentleness of Christ and bring to our world the hope expressed by Pius XI in promoting the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales.

Here are some maxims from Francis de Sales that may help us model the gentleness of Christ and the Gentleman Saint.                                                                                 

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness— nothing so loving and gentle as strength.”  The Spirit of Saint  François de Sales, IV, 9

“It takes more oil than vinegar to make a good salad.”  The Spirit of Saint François de Sales, II, 13

“When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.”  Letters to Persons in Religion, I, 6

“He who can preserve gentleness amid pains, and peace amid the worry and multitude of affairs, is almost perfect.”  Letters to Persons in Religion, II, 25

Father Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

Advent Hope

Hope is the sense that what we desire or long for is possible.  It’s an ardent feeling that things will turn out for the best.  With this in mind, hope is the great motivator that keeps us going in difficult and stressful times.  I consume as little news as possible these days as I cannot tolerate the fighting and the hostility that is prevalent in our world.  It gets sadder to realize that this has overflowed into our church in some respects.  My hope is that if we keep doing what we believe to be God’s will for the world each day, this can become contagious and others may do likewise. 

This is not to assume a position of self-righteousness, for humility grounds us always to know that whatever we do comes from God and that we rely on God’s grace, mercy and presence at all times. Instead, it is a mindset that comes from a relationship with the Creator to whom we belong, who wills us to make a difference in some way.  So, in the midst of so much negativity, we aim to do our part to make the world a bit kinder and gentler.  Hope seems to demand an idea of what we lost, of what we would like to see restored or of what God has in mind.  It is the desire to persevere to where we see ourselves putting God as the center of our very being and all that we do.  It’s knowing that we cannot think of living, loving and doing apart from God.  

Hope is that day when all people will have what justice demands, be accepted and loved for who they are, and be free to worship, love and live without fear, rejection or ostracization.  It is living until we see that there is no one outside our circle of intimacy but all enjoying being embraced by God. 

Personally, hope is fidelity to the present moment.  It is a recognition that God has given me another day, another chance, another opportunity to allow him to take hold of me where I will not let go.  Tenui nec dimittam was Saint Francis de Sales’ motto, “I have taken hold and will not let go.”  Each day’s hope is that we will let go a bit more, trust in God a whole lot more and better imagine Him today than we did yesterday.  But as I write that, I am reminded that it’s not about our accomplishment, our proving to God, but rather our emptying ourselves and allowing God to do for us, to love us where and how we are.  

It’s a confidence that God will not give up (has taken hold and won’t let go) and we grow daily in embracing, living and sharing this incredible and infinite love God has for us.  Knowing this in a humble way, leads us to wish this and to work for this for others. Gradually, the world becomes more loving as we continue to go out to those in need, recognizing they belong to us as brother and sister, and we belong to them.  Most importantly, we all belong to God. Hope brings us to a bond of belonging and kinship.  Hope is recognizing God in others rather than what separates us from one another.

Hope is not wishful thinking.  It has some evidence that propels us to want more completion, consummation and fulfillment.  It may not be realized fully until our God calls us home to be with Him for eternity.  But that invitation finds acceptance in the here and now.  

Hope is seen in one’s charity to another.  It is a prayer uttered for those whom we do not know personally but realize they are hurting, suffering, alone or forgotten.  It’s seeing a parent not giving up on their child.  It’s a little kid donating his piggy bank to an elderly couple who risk being evicted.  It’s crying when we know things should be different, better and then resolving to do whatever we can to see this happens.  It is “staying” with another, with our Church, with our sinful self, accepting continuously God’s presence, mercy and unmerited, unconditional love. Hope is “seeing the one beholding us and smiling” (Anthony de Mello, SJ).  

A little hope goes a long way.  Some days it is all we need to get by.  Let us hope in God, in God’s plan for us and the world, and in our ability to do our part.  Hope is “thy will be done” implying “our will be gone.”  Hope is “taking hold and not letting go.”

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Christmas Moments, Stories & Carols

No other season quite brings as much excitement and anticipation as Christmas does.  No other season seems to be as busy as the Christmas season.  Even though many of us have been shopping, decorating and planning for weeks, once the calendar turns to the last page, the pressure to enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year” is even more intense.  With the arrival of December, the countdown to holiday shopping, decorating, baking and entertaining takes on a new urgency.

Despite the cheerful songs and Hallmark movies, for many people, this season can turn into “the most stressful time of the year.”  The added anxiety and pressure to plan the “perfect holiday” can actually cause us to miss the real meaning and beauty of the season.

Many of us are familiar with the forty-year-old classic film A Christmas Story.  Throughout the movie, Ralphie and his family are so concerned about the trappings and details of Christmas, that the setbacks and struggles they encounter during the days of December almost ruin their celebrations.  It is only on Christmas night, with the children in bed and Mom and Dad finally relaxing in the glow of the tree lights, that they seem to really appreciate the moment. 

Saint Francis de Sales was not thinking of department stores or dogs ruining Christmas dinner when he preached about dealing with the circumstances of life.  However, he certainly understood the challenges of living in the world and dealing with the ups and downs of relationships.  His emphasis on the present moment was something he suggested we follow all year long, in season and out of season, not just during the weeks of December. 

The holiday season is a time when we usually connect with family, friends and neighbors.  This is something many of us cherish and enjoy.  However, it is also a time to be aware of everyone around us – especially the poor, the lonely, the outcast and those that others ignore.  The Scriptures last weekend reminded us to “stay awake.”  If we focus on the here and now, if we are attentive to the needs of our neighbor, we can appreciate and help all of God’s children.  We can recognize the light of Christ in each person and see the amazing opportunities that surround us each day. 

In the novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  Each spirit helps Scrooge to appreciate life and inspires him to be transformed into a generous and caring man, a true man for all seasons, a man for others.  The story ends with Scrooge declaring: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.  I will live in the past, present and future.  The spirts of all three shall live within me.” 

During these weeks of December, if we look around us and live in the present, we will not only honor Christmas, but we will enjoy it.

Reverend Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

Advent Little Virtues

The practice of the Little Virtues is a large part of the reason I became a Daughter of St. Francis de Sales.  Focusing on these virtues freed me from the need for absolute perfection and allowed me to shift my attention to the small things I could do from day to day to move me closer to a life of devotion. 

The season of Advent is a good time to review where we stand in relation to the little Salesian virtues.  In particular, it is good to consider those virtues which seemed to be lacking in Bethlehem when a young woman, heavy with her first child, sought shelter with her husband after a long and dusty journey: kindness, hospitality, generosity and thoughtful concern for others.

The baby, who was then born in a manger, later gave an unambiguous teaching about kindness, hospitality, generosity and compassion in Matthew 25 when he said, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the needs of the world when we follow the news.  As individuals, we have little impact on big problems like world hunger or violence.  But Saint Francis de Sales offers us wise guidance when he says, “Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily.”  Another great saint, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, said, “Spread love everywhere you go, first of all in your house.  Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

What are some of the ways to practice the Little Virtues during this Advent season?  Offer to cuddle a young mother’s baby for an hour so she can take a nap or go for a walk.  Compliment the harried cashier at the grocery store.  Check on someone you haven’t seen at Mass recently.  Make a batch of cookies and take them to the police department.  Walk across the street and visit the lonely old lady who lives there.  Call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to for a while.  Switch lanes so another driver can safely merge into traffic.  Offer to shop for groceries or bring a meal to someone recovering from illness or surgery.  Gather a few friends to sing Christmas carols at a nursing home.

Who knows?  You may actually be ministering to Jesus himself as you put the Little Virtues into practice.

Sue Roth

Daughter of St. Francis de Sales

Consecrated 4/10/2011

Advent Begins

An Advent song by Father John Foley, SJ, has this refrain: “Patience, people, till the Lord is come.”  Patience is one of the Little Virtues of Saint Francis de Sales, the other virtues include gentleness, humility, patience, simplicity, good-naturedness, tenderness towards our neighbor, bearing their imperfections, etc.  

We need patience because Advent is a time of waiting: to celebrate Christmas, to give birth to Christ this year by the way we live, and to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Many of us have a hard time waiting.  I lived with a priest who prayed, “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now.”  His prayer defeated its purpose because patience is defined as “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset” (Oxford Languages online).  There was no tolerance for delay in my confrère’s prayer.

Our Liturgy gives us Advent to prepare to celebrate Christmas.  It is a time of anticipation, a time to wait to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ in time many years ago.  Advent readings offer images of what will happen when the Christ, the Messiah, comes: valleys filled, hills made low, rough ways made smooth, the blind given sight, the deaf given hearing, the ill, mute and lame given healing, prisoners freed, debts forgiven, enemies made friends, and all peoples dwelling together on God’s holy mountain.  What a vision!  Especially when we consider the times in which we live where what divides and separates us seems more the focus than what unites us as God’s people.  And so Advent is counter-cultural.  We’re already celebrating Christmas with our trees, decorations, lights, music, shopping and more, but we’re called to wait with patience.  

Blessed Louis Brisson, OSFS, tells us that, “Advent means ‘coming.’  This time is set aside to prepare for Christmas,” which is the first great Advent when Christ became a human being to reconcile us with God.  He goes on to say, “The second advent of Our Lord is made in our hearts.  Every time that we have a good thought, every time that we take the Good God with us…” (Cor ad Cor, p.  11).  In other words, Advent is also about making Christ known today in clear and tangible ways.  So our songs, decorations, shopping and partying need not take away from Advent waiting and patience.

While these things are expressions of our love and care for those in our lives, when Christ comes, we are able to express our oneness as children of God on God’s holy mountain.  When we practice the love that God is and Christ made visible for us, we take the Good God with us and make God known today.  When we gather to celebrate the goodness of life, faith and love-made-flesh, we make the “Little Virtues” known and they can make a big difference in how we view ourselves and others as precious in the sight of God.  When we take time to be with those in need or take to give gifts of clothing, food, money, and presence to our sisters and brothers, we imitate Jesus’ care for all people.  When we visit family, friends, neighbors, and strangers, Christ is with them because we take the Good God with us.  And, in my experience, Christ comes to us in clear ways because of this welcome and gratitude.  When we work for systemic change so that injustice and oppression are less and inclusivity and egalitarianism are more, we challenge ourselves and our world to live the promises we hear in our Advent readings and we make God’s ways known in practical and clear ways.

Living the second Advent which Blessed Louis speaks about requires that we take time out to pray, to be with the Lord whose coming we celebrate.  We need to stop, be quiet, listen for God’s voice, share our hearts and minds with God in prayer, and wait for the response that will empower us to “Live Jesus” every Advent day and beyond.  

So I invite you to consider this prayer exercise each Advent day.  Make it your own 5-10 minute Advent calendar where you open the door of your mind and heart to discover how Christ can be known through you:

• First, close your eyes and quiet yourself.  

• Second, breathe deeply and let your breath and God’s breath unite.  

• Third, ask Jesus “How can I make you known today?” Review your day and look for opportunities to do just that.  

• Fourth, choose one of those activities and do it.  Take the Good God with you or pledge to see Jesus Christ in someone else.  

• Fifth, take a deep breath and say, “Thank you for being with me.  Give me the patience to do your will.” 

Then, not only will you see Advent as the time to celebrate Christ’s first coming years ago.  You will also see Christ coming to you and through you each day until Christmas and beyond.

Father Paul Colloton, OSFS

Superior, De Sales Centre Oblate Residence

Childs, MD

Advent Faith

For me, faith has always been confidence or trust in another.  I have faith in the mechanic who works on my car, the nurse to give me the correct medicine, the driver approaching who will stop at the red light, the person speaking with me is telling the truth, and that most people are genuinely fair, kind, and good.  In the Old Testament, people put their faith in God, His leaders, and His plan of freeing them from slavery, bringing them back from sin and promising a Messiah. 

The long-awaited Savior would gather the lost tribes (scattered because of sin), cleanse the temple (by making himself the new temple to seek forgiveness, become holy and offer right praise), defeat the enemy (sin, not hostile nations) and reign as Lord of all nations (a reality realized but in need of being accepted daily).   Some leaders had flaws, some people doubted, complained, or strayed, but through it all, God kept His promises by forgiving and renewing His covenant time and time again.  

In the New Testament, disciples left their livelihoods and family to follow this itinerant preacher who spoke not of vengeance, judgment and punishment but forgiveness, love, mercy and turning the other cheek.  They put their nascent faith in Jesus as he embraced children, loved the poor, dined with sinners and kept company with prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners.  He sought the last, the least, the lost and the lonely.  Richard Rohr noted that empathy for the victim became the most subversive element in Jesus’ teaching.  And while he cured the sick and forgave sins, he always spoke of the Father’s will, their relationship and invited all into this intimacy. 

More spectacular than restoring sight to the blind, hearing to those deaf and freeing those paralyzed and suffering from various ailments was Christ highlighting for others their faith which may have been unknown or latent.  Awakening this gift of faith invited them into a right relationship with Jesus and set them on the road to eternal life.  “Faith seems to be the attitude that Jesus most praises in people, maybe because it makes hope and love possible” (Jesus’ Alternative Plan, p.19).

The Messiah accomplished all four goals and continues to intercede on our behalf welcoming us back when we turn away with a sense of entitlement, cleansing our inner temple of the Holy Spirit by reminding us of his unconditional love and never giving up on us, defeating the enemy of sin, racism, hatred, bigotry, selfishness and the like with His grace and our cooperation and reigning as Lord of all nations of Heaven and Earth.  This is our faith.

 As I write this, I wake to a story of five people killed in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs with more than twelve injured.  Club Q was the one safe haven in a community known for its anti-gay activism.  A misguided young man takes this away with his hate crime.  That same night, two men were stopped in New York, one wearing a Nazi armband, in connection with threats to attack a New York synagogue.  Faith sustains us in these moments to continue building the reign of God on Earth, that is, the world as God envisions it.  Faith empowers us to proclaim God as Lord of all nations, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Iraq, the United States and every land and people God birthed into being.  Faith tells me that what God desires for our world must be embraced in the now.  Here is where the Gospel must flourish.  Anything contrary is unacceptable. 

Faith empowers us to do what we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” That Reign of God is found in the home, at the workplace, on war-torn lands, in gay night clubs, in synagogues, mosques, temples, cathedrals and in us.  Faith is that gift that we can do better, we must do better.  Better put, faith is that gift that has us empowering God to do through our surrender, our trust, his vision and our willingness to give it a try today, tomorrow and always.  Faith enables us to be continually forgiven, nourished, held and kissed by our God.  It is that gift that convinces us that we are worthy of such infinite, unconditional love. 

Advent faith reminds us of God’s plan to share with us His divinity, which enhances our humanity from selfishness to otherness, from our will to God’s will, from division to communion, from slavery to freedom and from hatred to love.  Advent faith is the Savior of the World born in a stable, perfectly embracing our humanity and showing us how it is possible to “Live + Jesus.”  Faith makes the prophet Habakkuk’s words the motivating force that “the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment and it will not disappoint … and if it delays, wait for it for it will surely come” (Habbukuk 2:3).

May our faith make hope and love possible.  

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

“No more war. War never again.”

Mekong Delta, rice paddy, South China Sea, Viet Cong, Viet Minh, Tet Offensive, Saigon, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh Trail, agent orange, DMZ, hamlet, napalm, Pentagon Papers, draft lottery, deferment, Indochina, peace with honor, PTSD, quagmire.

If these terms and place names spark a memory, you probably lived through the time of war in Viet Nam, a tragedy enacted on the other side of the globe and brought into American living rooms courtesy of CBS, ABC, and NBC. You recall that this was a period of turmoil on campuses and streets and at dinner tables across the nation.  Otherwise, maybe you have studied this (ancient) history.

In 1975 when the North Vietnamese army overran Saigon, and America witnessed the final helicopter lifting off from the US Embassy, I was 14 and had a sure assumption that there would be no more war for us.   So much was learned from this quagmire in Southeast Asia and from the debates and battles on the homefront.  The draft ended.  We had a Bicentennial to celebrate.      

One Sunday in the 1990s, at a Northern Virginia parish where I was assisting with Masses, I visited with a priest from Viet Nam.  He shared his background and I asked how life changed after the war was over in 1975.   He politely related that the war had ended for us, but it was far from over at that time for his people and his family.  He shared about his uncle’s imprisonment and other privations and persecutions.   The US may have moved on to other things, but people in his home region did not have that option. 

Another insight came talking with a parishioner here in Camden, a vet who had served in the war and who bore unmistakable scars from that experience.  I shared how much I had enjoyed and learned from the multi-part Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary that had just come out about the war.  It looked at the conflict from the points of view of the various parties, trying to see the war through the eyes of all the stakeholders.  I told him, “It is well done and helpful—I bet you would like it.  I would like to hear what you think.”  He had not seen the series but heard it misrepresented and disrespected the military, the soldiers and the sailors.  Viet Nam really is not ancient history, not all issues are resolved.

Saint Pope Paul VI spoke to the UN General Assembly on October 4, 1965: 

“… If you want to be sisters and brothers, let the arms fall from your hands.  A person cannot love with offensive weapons in his hands.  Arms, and especially the terrible arms that modern science has provided you, engender bad dreams, feed evil sentiments, create nightmares, hostilities, and dark resolutions even before they cause any victims and ruins.  They call for enormous expenses.  They interrupt projects of solidarity and of useful labor.  They warp the outlook of nations.  So long as humans remain the weak, changeable, and even wicked being that we so often show ourselves to be, defensive arms will, alas, be necessary.  But your courage and good qualities urge you on to a study of means that can guarantee the security of international life without any recourse to arms…”

As we know too well, the Viet Nam War was not the last “recourse to arms” that humanity has seen.  Since February 24th we have witnessed the war in Ukraine—with its horror, waste and heroism on display.  None of this disruption and pain needed to happen, yet still it goes on and on, into a bitter winter ahead.  And of course, this is only the most visible of wars to Americans; many more are taking place around the world.

It struck me back in February that Vladimir Putin began a senseless, unnecessary war the same week a beautiful American died, Dr. Paul Farmer.  You may know that he is one of the founders of Partners in Health, an effort to bring good medical care to places in the world where that is not available.  The phrase he lived by is, “The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”    

Since I write from Camden, NJ, I want to end with a mention of a lovely Camden man, Father Michael Doyle.  He died during this month when we honor veterans and pray in particular for all who have gone before us to the fullness of God’s kingdom.  Google his name to find any of the several tributes and obituaries that sum up his life so well.  Since 1974 he was pastor of Sacred Heart Parish and dedicated his life to gathering with others to cooperate with God’s will for peace and justice in the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden and in the wider world.   

The most remembered line from Saint Pope Paul VI’s UN speech is “No more war.  War never again.”  It is important to remember and to learn from outstanding peacemakers who by their conviction and practical work show that aspiration for peace is more than a dream or a flower-child slogan.  Each of us in our lives can build or destroy, heal or hurt.  The best way anyone can honor veterans and their sacrifice is to work so there are no more wars.  And we can remember outstanding peace-makers and their sacrifice by building and healing, supporting on every level efforts to make peace.  

Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS

DeSales Service Works

Camden, NJ

Francis & Me: Maureen A. Furletti

Maureen A. Furletti: Graduate Student, Loyola Institute for Ministry, Loyola University New Orleans; Parishioner, Our Mother of Consolation Church, Philadelphia, PA

Maureen A. Furletti

“Counting Our Blessings: Francis & Jane’s Tips for Growing Gratitude”

After many years of hosting, I have the routine down pat.  Order the turkey.  Review our favorite family recipes for stuffing, potatoes, and green beans.  Run to the Acme for the ingredients and grab extra canned goods for the school food drive.  Prepare the table with my grandmother’s porcelain dinnerware.  Accept my sister’s gracious offer to make a delightful dessert.  I checked all the boxes off my to-do list.

Yet, with all this running around, I fail to focus on the purpose of the holiday: Thanksgiving. 

One meal.  One day each year.  How is it that I too often let the importance of this holiday escape me?  Miriam sang, danced, and played the tambourine in thanksgiving to God for safely leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  King David sang songs of praise to God.  Certainly, gratitude and thanksgiving for God’s loving and lavish gifts should be at the top of my checklist - not just on Thanksgiving, but every day!

How can I incorporate gratitude into my daily life?  I look to my friends Francis and Jane for insight.  

Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal remind me that I must first embrace a posture of humility.  Salesian Spirituality recognizes humility as a highly prized virtue.  Francis and Jane encourage me to abandon the “I-can-do-it-on-my-own” attitude and strive for a humble heart.  I am reminded that I cannot merit these gifts, but rather, God’s gifts are lavishly given because of God’s unconditional love.  

My saintly friends also teach me to find “little occasions” to offer thanksgiving.  I may not be able to compose songs of praise as beautiful and poetic as King David’s Psalms, but I could say a few simple words of gratitude to God while I’m waiting in line at the grocery store or stuck in traffic.  I think Francis and Jane would applaud these small steps towards holiness, not apart from my daily routine, but within it.

I will continue to look for ways to live well the virtue of humility and the habit of thanksgiving. What are your suggestions?

On November 20, Maureen Furletti will be presenting "Counting Our Blessings: Francis & Jane's Tips for Growing Gratitude" at “Third Sunday Enrichments” hosted by Our Mother of Consolation Parish ( 9 E Chestnut Hill Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118). If you are in the area, please consider attending!

Reflection on Dad

Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, with his dad, John, and sisters (left to right) Donna, Maureen and Ellen celebrating John’s 80th.

Milestone birthdays are always special and celebrated with a little extra excitement.  This past Sunday my family pulled out all the stops as we came together for my dad’s 80th birthday.  My dad always told us that Father’s Day and his birthday are his favorite days, so we had a big party to commemorate this important event in his life.

As we smiled, laughed and enjoyed the celebration, I was thinking of the Gospel that was proclaimed throughout the church that morning at Sunday Mass.  Jesus spoke of earthquakes, plagues, wars, injustice, misery and violence – not the type of message that I would choose to kick off a party.

Yet, as I reflected on how the Scriptures spoke to me that day, it was a reminder that in the midst of death and destruction there will always be love and life.  Like anyone who has reached 80 years on this earth, my dad’s own journey has seen many moments of sadness and loss, but there was (and is) lots of joy, love and grace.

Life shows us that there will always be something to love; the world is full of things to love!  A lifetime is not long enough for the loving.  In the Bible, Saint Paul tells us that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace might also reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:20–21).

Father Jack Kolodziej, OSFS, with his dad, John

Our gathering last week was not only a chance to show our appreciation for my dad but an opportunity to celebrate life and love. Saint Francis de Sales summarizes this attitude when he taught us to live in the present moment. I pray that God continues to bless my father with good health, longevity and the grace to live each day well. I pray all our days will be filled with the strong bond of family, faith and love.

Reverend Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

Change is Constant

Autumn began on September 22 and we went from days in the 80s and 90s to temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and the 50s a few weeks later.   One could see leaves beginning to change color, ever so slightly, and leaves began to fall from the trees.   There was a change in the air, as someone noted to me at table, “It feels like fall.”  And Pumpkin Spice Latte appeared in a variety of forms weeks before that!

Even memes on various platforms highlighted these changes.  Some rejoiced in the colors and cooler temperatures.  Others bemoaned the fact that they are simply a prelude to the frigidity of winter, the work of raking or blowing leaves, and trees that are bare.  However one feels about the season of autumn, it is a time of change for both good and ill.

Change is a fact of life.  A woman religious friend of mine often says, “The only thing certain in life is change.”  To some this is good.  To others, it is a challenge.  If someone enjoys change, they are positive.  If someone bemoans any change, they are negative.  I once attended a workshop where the presenter held up a diaper and said, “You know the only people who like change…[PAUSE]…are those wearing diapers, and even then the change isn’t appreciated until they are clean and dry because they’re wearing a new diaper.”  While we laughed at this example, we all knew that it was true.

But another constant in life can help us negotiate the changes that come our way.  God is with us at all times.  We are another “constant” in the midst of change.  Change happens to us.  Change happens through us.  Saint  Francis de Sales said, “Our hearts are trees, our affections and passions are their branches and our works or actions are their fruits” (Introduction to the Devout Life  4.  13 – 323). Notice it is our hearts, our, affections and passions, and our works.  God is with us, constantly, even when we are not conscious of God’s presence.

Our hearts, no matter what shape they are in at various points throughout our lives, are within us during every stage, and every change of life, until they no longer beat to give us life.  Our affections and passions, which can change greatly throughout our lives, even throughout a day, are branches on which the life situations we face are made known.  In good times, those leaves are beautiful, whether green like summer or with the rainbow of color that fall can provide.  In difficult times, those leaves start to fall and our branches become empty.  Emptiness seems overwhelming at times.  However, falling leaves make room for new growth that can come when our life cycle changes.  And those affections and passions become visible by how we live, the works we do or don’t do, and the places in which we place our energies and treasures.

When I was Chaplain at Ohio Dominican University, the school motto was “Connect your passion with your purpose.”  I would often rephrase that to “Connect your passion with God’s purpose.”  In other words, make God’s Will your will and look for God’s presence in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, no matter what that moment in your life looks like.  If we do that, the autumns of life give way to winters that help us lay fallow until a future spring brings new growth.  Isn’t living God’s Will the one constant the Saint Francis de Sales sets before us no matter what?

So, I ask you, how’s your heart this autumn: strong and steady or irregular and in need of an adjustment?  What are your affections and passions? Where we place our time and energy reveals the answer to that question.  As Scripture says, “By their fruits you shall know them.”  Does our passion reflect only our purpose or is God’s Will, evident too?  What needs letting go, like leaves in autumn, to make room for the growth that God can give?  I find this image, Lessons from Autumn, helpful in answering this question.

Yes, change is constant but so is God and so are we.  What kind of autumn will give way God’s new growth in you, even through the dead of winter?

Father Paul Colloton, OSFS

Superior, De Sales Centre Oblate Residence

Childs, MD

All Saints, All Souls, All Month

When I was in high school, I saw a headline in a Catholic magazine for their November issue celebrating the month of All Souls.  The headline was “All Saints, All Souls, All Month.”  This expression always intrigued me.  I used to think that the commemoration of the saints and souls was just one more holy day, one more event in the Church calendar that could be “checked off” and then put aside as we moved on to the next feast.

As I have gotten older, as I have experienced more life and more death, I realized the power of that simple slogan.  It became a reminder that the celebration of our holy heroes, the memory of our deceased loved ones, and the belief in the “Communion of Saints” is not just something that we commemorate one day a year or only during a certain week.  In Catholic theology and practice, the connection we have with the saints and souls is something that we should remember all the time - every day, every year.

These celebrations are liturgical reminders that Christians are part of a Church that extends beyond time and space.  On All Saints Day we look to the future, remembering those who have gone before us in faith and who are now with the Lord.  We are inspired by the lives of the saints because they have run the race and have received the crown of victory.  We celebrate because we have the sure and certain hope that we, too, can reach this goal.  Saint Francis de Sales tells us that “the lives of the saints are nothing but the Gospel put into practice.”  

On All Souls Day we look to the past, to those who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection.  We pray that our departed brothers and sisters will experience God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness as they transition to a new life in the Lord.  As the mystical Body of Christ, we believe that we can pray for one another all the time.  This is not just an option; it is our duty as Christians.  We need not be the holiest, most devout, most pious believer, nor do we need to be a religious sister or brother, priest, deacon, or bishop to accomplish this duty.

In the fall of 2020 Pope Francis issued an encyclical entitled Fratelli Tutti – Brothers and Sisters All.  The Holy Father called the Church and the world to remember we are all connected as sisters and brothers.  We are in relationship with all of humanity and we are responsible for one another, on Earth as is in heaven.  The celebrations at the beginning of November help us to remember that we are all in this together.  This message of faith and fraternity is something we must recall every day.  

The month of November is a reminder of the relational nature of Christian life, of relationship with those who have gone before us, with those who will follow after, and with the God who is the source of all relationships. 

May we remember this all month, all year.  May we practice this every day. 

Reverend Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

Unmasked

This Halloween we had our usual share of trick-or-treaters at the parish rectory, knocking on the door and chanting in that sing-song way, “Trick or treat!”  It’s amazing to me that Halloween is now the second most popular holiday for adults in the United States (Christmas is still the first).  Yet, at the same time, Halloween is the one holiday where we don’t celebrate who we really are.  Instead, we put on masks and go door to door begging for treats, we disguise ourselves in order to get something good.

In a sense, this is a metaphor for real life.  How many of us disguise ourselves every day by putting on “masks” at home or at work in order to get what we think is good?  How many of us wear “masks,” that is, behave or do things that we believe will make us feel affirmed and liked; powerful and in control; secure and safe?  How many times do we get what we need by wearing masks?

If we are honest, it can be difficult to be ourselves.  It can be hard to freely express your own opinion or thoughts for fear of what others might say or think.  If you are in a restaurant and publicly pray over your food, some people may look at you as if they have seen a monster and, for some of us, that public shaming or disapproval is more frightening than anything we saw at our doors Halloween night.

The poet E.E. Cummings said it best, “To be nobody but yourself in a world that is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody but yourself — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight — and never stop fighting.”

That’s why it’s great that the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints right after Halloween.  All Saints Day is really the feast of those who took their masks off and lived lives free of artificiality and pretense.  All Saints Day celebrates the many different men and women over the centuries who became holy by taking the words of Saint Francis de Sales to heart, “Be who you are and be that well in order to give glory to God, the Master Craftsman whose masterpiece you are.”

We too can be saints.  We too are called to follow Saint Francis de Sales’ teaching and become holy.  We can live our lives without our masks.  All we need to do is approach the door of God’s love every day, acknowledge our sinfulness and respond to God’s mercy and grace. This invites us to take our masks off, humbly knock at God’s door as we are, and lovingly accept God’s “treats” — the grace and love He offers daily to us.

May God be praised!

Father Michael Newman, OSFS

Pastor

Holy Family Parish

Adrian, MI

Gratitude through Grief

Last week I was on the 45-minute drive from my home in Adrian, MI, to my office at St. Francis High School in Toledo, OH. That afternoon I presided at the funeral of Brother James Dorazio, OSFS. Brother Jim died on October 9 at 88 years of age. The day was well planned. My morning was filled with setting up the reception at the Oblate residence, setting up the church, meeting the funeral directors, informing lectors and other ministers at the Mass of their responsibilities, and greeting Brother Jim’s family from PA and MD.

As I drove, thinking about the funeral and Brother Jim, a man I’ve known for over 50 years, I also began thinking of my older brother’s funeral, which occurred just five days before. Somehow, my thoughts and feelings for both men started to intertwine, and grief hit me like a slap in the face. My eyes welled up and sadness filled my heart. It’s a good thing the drive was 45 minutes long; the time allowed me to pull myself together and face my tasks undistracted when I arrived in Toledo.

Brother Jim died after a very long and fruitful life. My brother, Gary, died at 77, but his life was not as linear as Brother Jim’s. Ten years before his death, my brother began to exhibit signs of Alzheimer’s disease. I’m sure you know what the journey for him and his wife was like following that diagnosis. It wasn’t easy, to say the least.

As I drove, both of these deaths coming so close together, set my mind and heart into a whirlwind of emotion and thoughts. We all face this when we lose someone we love. While I’m still dealing with grief and the millions of memories that arrive following the death of both of these men, I am stepping back a bit today and looking at what death means for those of us who have the risen Christ at the center of our faith.

I believe it is not uncommon for people to think our faith should be our strength and guide at times like these, and to succumb to grief, loss, and sadness is somehow a betrayal of that faith. The great consolation for me in this is the story of the raising of Lazarus by Christ. Even though he told those who followed him that he was going to Bethany to raise Lazarus, upon his arrival there, Jesus wept. Christ himself has sanctified grief, loss, and sadness. These feelings reflect the power of the sacredness of our love for others and our need for one another.

I cannot imagine facing the death of those I love without my belief in the resurrection and the hope of eternal life in God’s reign. That faith is not disturbed by my grief, but it gratefully illuminates the hope in which our faith allows us to live. So, while I had my moment of despair on that daily trip I made to Toledo, I also found consolation in Christ and the resurrection. I am eternally grateful to God for this gift and to those who nurtured it in me.

In the words of Saint Francis de Sales, “Unhappy is death without the love of Christ; unhappy is love without the death of Christ!” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 12, Chapter 13)

Father Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

We Cherish the Memories

“Salesian Sands,” the Oblate house in Ft. Myers.

My first assignment after ordination was to teach at our high school in Fort Myers, Florida.  Shortly after arriving, our principal and the Oblate pastor across the street went for a drive to look at a small house on Fort Myers Beach.  In order to attract young Oblates to southwest Florida, they wanted a place for the Oblates and their families.  It was a small three-bedroom rancher very close to the beach.  The Provincial agreed to pay for the place with the proviso that we would send $50 per Oblate each month until the mortgage was paid. 

Another Oblate and dear friend, Hugh, and I were the first “caretakers” of the house.  We gradually furnished the house in a modest, yet comfortable way.  On Fridays, we loaded our laundry baskets in the car during the school day.  We were the first off the property to enjoy a weekend at the beach.  Others joined us when available.  The parish priests used the place during the week.  One of the parishes we assisted on the weekends was just around the corner from our residence.  Three doors exited to the pool with its screened lanais.  One was from the laundry room where minutes before exiting the pool on a nightly swim, we would put towels in the dryer for comfort when exiting.  We were living like kings! 

Growing up, I knew no one who had a pool.  Life was good!  Our students knew we had a place on the beach and were determined to locate it but never did.  Personal money was tight but The Munch Box, around the corner, made great hot dogs.  There was time for sleeping on the beach, a dip in the pool, college and pro football, card games, and great camaraderie.  Classes for the week always were prepared as well.  At about 7:00 PM on Sundays, we cleaned the house thoroughly and had dinner at Perkins on the way home (always ham and cheese omelets).  A guest calendar became quickly booked for visiting family, friends, and fellow Oblates.  What started out as a place of respite, relaxation, and renewal for those in the high school and our parish across the street, grew in the 30+ years to include three other Oblate parishes.  It was a gathering place for Oblates.

The ceramic Oblate shield was part of the living room floor in the Oblate house.

After the hurricane, Hugh sent me three short videos taken from what was our front door.  Everything was gone.  You could make out the pool sans lanais.  To the right were the washer and dryer, now outside.  All was outside, as there was no inside.  All three videos ended on the ceramic Oblate shield that was part of the living room floor.  Central was the cross.  Perhaps it symbolized the loss suffered, as we all need to participate in Christ’s suffering.  Perhaps, it symbolized the victory won for us by Christ that gave us this place to enjoy God’s presence, especially in those with whom we recreated. 

This house was built on sand (figuratively) and could not withstand this hurricane.  Many times, the Oblate caretaker went down to close the shutters for an impending storm.  We did this with Ian but mother nature was too powerful.  We never tired of this gift known as Salesian Sands.  We cherish the memories of the laughter and the good food shared with our Oblate family and, by extension, our own families and friends. Those moments and stories (often exaggerated as the years grew) will sustain us and continue to give us grateful hearts. 

But, many lost their only home.  As is always the case, the poor (e.g., the shrimpers who lived on boats) suffered the greatest.  Our prayers go out to all those who lost their possessions, homes, and livelihood.  Above all else, we pray for those who died and for their loved ones who mourn their loss. 

Hurricane Ian is proof of Saint Francis de Sales’ maxim to “Live Today Well.”  Let us live it well in love, sharing, accepting, and forgiving.  Let us live it praying for an end to violence, discord, enmity, and hatred.  We need to hold on to memories of compassion, understanding, and kinship.  Never has the demand been more expedient to “Live Today Well.”

“For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.” -Dag Hammarskjold

Father John Fisher, OSFS

Pastor

Our Mother of Consolation Parish

Philadelphia, PA

Finding True Healing

Saint Luke

Traditionally, each Oblate community has a designated library in their local residence. In an Oblate library, you will find many different types of literature. However, I would say that the majority of books are works of theology, history, and biographies of famous people.

A few years ago, when we were cleaning out the library of the Father Judge Faculty House, I came across a tattered paperback that was a combination of the three most popular categories I listed above. The book was called Dear and Glorious Physician and was about Saint Luke, the writer of the third Gospel. The title is from an older translation of Colossians 4:14 in which Saint Paul referred to Luke as "the beloved physician."

This historical novel tells the story of a young Greek slave who apprenticed with a man of medicine and science to become a respected physician with a reputation for healing both body and spirit. Luke traveled around the ancient world bringing healing and hope to everyone he came in contact with. Yet his own sufferings and sorrows could not be healed until he discovered the life, death, and restoring power of Jesus of Nazareth and his resurrection.

The author of this study of Saint Luke was Taylor Caldwell, a writer who is best known for her successful 1972 novel Captains and the Kings. Before she found fame and status in the 1970s, Ms. Caldwell found faith and hope. This is what she tried to share through her writings.

At the time it was released, Ms. Caldwell described her work in this way, "The story of Lucanus, Saint Luke, is the story of every man's pilgrimage through despair and life's darkness, through suffering and anguish, through bitterness and sorrow, doubt and cynicism, rebellion and hopelessness, to the feet and the understanding of God. The search for God and the final revelation are the only meaning in life for men."

When I left Father Judge a few years ago, I brought this little book with me. It collected dust on my bookshelf until I finally picked it up this past summer. I found the book to be everything the author expressed. The book gave me an insight into Saint Luke and his own search for healing and redemption. In many ways, the image of Saint Luke that emerged from this novel is the image of the "wounded healer" that the great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen reflected on exactly twenty years after Dear and Glorious Physician was first published.

This past week, the Church celebrated Saint Luke's feast day (October 18). This year, as I remembered a great saint and evangelist, I also recalled his first calling as a wounded healer. A book that is over 60 years old helped me to see God at work in our world today.

The life of Luke and the story of his conversion is an example for all of us. Today we are blessed by the miracle of modern medicine, science, and technology. We can find relief from pain, cures for diseases, and many procedures and medications that will make our bodies strong and our lives more comfortable.

As a doctor, Luke worked all of his life to find ways to help his fellow human beings live a healthy life. It was only when he encountered the Risen Lord that this beloved doctor found the true way to life - eternal life. At the end of his Gospel, Luke recounts how two disciples recognized the Lord on the way to Emmaus. When we walk our own roads in life we will find many roadblocks, struggles, and detours. May our encounter with the Risen Lord help us to overcome these obstacles and to find true healing. May our faith help us to live each day well.

Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

Victory Over the Self

Self-love, with its subtle finesse, is ever persuading us that if we have no hand in it, all will not go well. 

Saint Jane de Chantal

Are you giving your whole being to God and surrendering yourself to his care? 

Stay that way and replace all your self-scrutiny with a pure and simple glance at his goodness. In that glance, let all your fears and introspections die. Stop being so hard on yourself, forever in despair over all your problems, wallowing in your misery and choosing to make yourself a martyr. 

Some people can be greatly afflicted when they have committed any fault; feeling like they could never change nor help falling again, so that when they speak about it, they shed many tears. Consider such tears as coming from self-love; and all our childishness and nonsense and all our surprise and disappointment at seeing ourselves as imperfect, only come from our forgetting the maxim of the saints: "We must begin again every day." 

The best and the greatest practice of patience which you can possibly make in the spiritual life is to bear with yourself in your weaknesses and powerlessness of will to do what is right, in which your poor soul finds itself at times. 

Saint Jane de Chantal

Accepting God's Will

A few weeks ago, I visited one of our senior Oblates residing in a local nursing facility. Due to back issues, he cannot walk or stand for any time, he needs assistance with basic activities. He also has mild dementia.

As we spoke he surprised me, asking if he had any role in an upcoming Province Assembly scheduled for the end of June. Our Assemblies typically occur every June, and, health permitting, every Oblate in the Province attends. It is always a joyful time as men from different parts of the country come together, reconnect, share what has happened over the past year, pray, share meals, plan for our future, and generally have fun together. All of us look forward to this time.

I was surprised he made this request because the Assembly is a four-day event, that includes travel, and spending the nights on site. Indeed, it is well beyond what is reasonable for him due to his health issues.

Catching me by surprise, I blurted out, “Of course, you can be there. Please join us.” At this, he was so excited and happy that he began to cry, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him how difficult it seemed. I knew that this would be an almost impossible request to fulfill. I also knew as I watched him weep, that his heart belongs to the Oblates, and not attending the Assembly would be sad and a painful loss for him. Chickening out, I told him I’d look into the possibility and get back to him next week. I just couldn’t tell him the truth and bring that disappointment to him at that time.

On the following Friday, I revisited him. On my way there, I prepared my response informing him, as gently as possible, that attending and participating in the meeting would be impossible. I was dreading it. As I entered his room, and before I could even say hello, he said, “Jack, I have to tell you something.” I sat down and he said, “I know you were probably driving here struggling to find words to tell me I cannot attend the Assembly. I want you to know that I have come to that conclusion on my own.” 

He went on to say, “St. Francis de Sales teaches us to recognize and believe that God’s will is found in the ordinary stuff of our lives. Due to my health, I know that I will not be able to participate in the Assembly. I know that I am where I am because I need to be, and it is God’s will for me to find His embrace and place in His heart here. I spent last night praying about this and know this is the right decision.”

I can’t tell you how relieved I was and grateful for his beautiful insights and trust in God at that moment. His sacrifice in accepting this truth expressed his faith and deep immersion in our Salesian charism. We talked for quite a while following this exchange, and as I prepared to leave, he reminded me of the saying of Francis de Sales, “Why build castles in Spain when you have to live in France?” He said, “I guess my France is this nursing home. I don’t necessarily like it, but I know God’s embrace for me is here, and I will accept His will by staying here.”

For me, this was a spiritual and life lesson from a wonderful Salesian gentleman. 

Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS

Provincial

Toledo-Detroit Province

The FEAST of St. Mary Magdalene

Yesterday (July 22nd) was the feast of St. Mary Magdalene.  For centuries, she has been venerated as the “Apostle to the Apostles” for her role on Easter morning in recognizing the risen Lord and proclaiming the good news to the closest disciples and friends of Jesus.  

Five years ago, Pope Francis changed the status of this day from what is called a liturgical Memorial to a liturgical Feast (the Church has a hierarchy of celebrations from memorials to feasts to solemnities).  This may seem like a minor detail to most Catholics but in changing the rank of this special day, Pope Francis has raised the feast day to a status that is equal to that of the other (male) Apostles.

Women make up a large majority of volunteers, catechists, religious educators, faith formation leaders, sacristans, administrative assistants, and others who do so much to support the mission of the Church.  This goes back to the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus.   We know from Scripture that there were many women who accompanied the Lord and were part of his journey.  Yet, their role as friends and colleagues is hardly recorded or remembered.

By elevating the role of Mary Magdalene, the Church recognizes all the women over the centuries who helped believers grow in their faith. They may not be mentioned in any history books or stories of the saints, but they probably include our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, teachers, women religious, friends, and neighbors.  In our own Oblate tradition, we think of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, St. Margaret Mary, Mother Mary de Sales Chappuis, St. Leonie Aviat, and all the Visitation and Oblate Sisters who handed down and helped to spread the spirituality and message of St. Francis de Sales.

On this Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, as we honor the friend and foremost female disciple of Jesus, we give thanks for all of the women in our lives who have helped us to deepen our faith and have helped us to encounter and share the good news of the Risen Lord.