Post for February 4, 2010
I tried to get back to Montreal today, but it would seem that God had other plans.
My flight was to leave Mexico City at 9:40 am, so Padre Roberto and I left Cuernavaca around 6:30. One hour of driving would get me to the airport two hours before departure… or so I thought.
It was not to be. We drove through pounding rain and heavy winds, only to be turned back by the federal police. The highway was closed.
Padre Roberto suggested we take the old two-lane highway as an alternative. We quickly discovered why the roads were closed. That pounding rain was turning roads into lakes, and the wind was literally sending trees crashing down onto the road.
How could it be so bad? Well, the road between Mexico City and Cuernavaca is actually a mountain pass, and it gets windy up in them there mountains. We eventually had to turn back, making it to Cuernavaca by noon.
Happily I had accepted the offer of a lift from Padre Roberto and not insisted in taking the bus. We managed to contact Air Canada to cancel the reservation (so I didn’t lost the ticket entirely) and another members of Air Canada personnel back home helped me to rebook. Let me at this point give a big shout-out to those people and to that company. We all know of airline horror stories, but I will tell you know that I received service above and beyond the call of duty. I actually had tears of gratitude in my eyes, I kid you not.
The people back at the parish were a bit surprised to see me again — after all, we had already said our goodbyes! But one thing I’ve noticed about every Mexican I’ve met is their ability to take things in stride. I’ve got something to learn there.
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Post for February 3, 2010
Every first Wednesday of the month Padre Roberto picks up his parents and takes them out to a restaurant for brunch. Today was no exception. What made it different was having a Canadian visitor to tag along!
I don’t think they were expecting to see me, but I must say we got along famously. A funny moment came when they asked Padre Roberto to translate for them when they would speak to me — when in fact I understood everything (or at least up until that point).
Breakfast was at a restaurant that Padre Roberto and I know well (a chain called Sanborns). After that they had some errands to run… well, to be more accurate, Padre Roberto went with his mom to run some errands, so I hung back with his dad. As it turns out we both have the same favourite way to kill time: in a bookstore. We each picked up this and that and chatted about that we found. Him: the story of the Mexican revolution. Me: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (hey, I need something easy for this Spanish stuff).
Priests don’t grow on trees: they come from real flesh-and-blood families, and it was nice to get to know Padre Roberto even more in this way.
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Post for February 2, 2010
The last time I was in Mexico I wrote about how my real test of Spanish knowledge did not involve writing exams or recieving diplomas. No, the real test was taking a taxi.
Well, today was my second test/diploma, and it was even more dramatic.
A bit of background: I’ve decided to go home a bit early (Thursday) so as to get some downtime before heading back to work. I’m having fun here, but thinking and speaking Spanish can be a bit tiring, especially given my level of knowledge (or lack thereof). So rather than take another week of classes, I decided to visit Mexico City (see the post for yesterday) and use today and tommorow to develop some personal study notes (i.e. consolidate what I knew) to help me stay fresh once I am back home. Oh, and take a bit of a break too!
But God had other plans. Around 10 am the parish secretary asked for me. There was a (very) young couple in the office, she explained, who had just had a baby (little Leslie Guadelupe). Unforunately the baby was in critical condition in the hospital, and the hospital did not have a chaplain. Given that Padre Roberto was out and was not expected until later this afternoon, could I go and do an emergency baptism?
I’ll admit I had a momentary flash of panic, but how could I say no? So I grabbed the ritual book and a stole, and off we went (the parish secretary came with us, thank God, to help translate not so much the words as the situation).
After going through a decontamination process, we saw the little one. How tiny! She was born with a hole in her abdomen, so some of her intestines actually were outside after birth (a condition called gastroschisis). Two surgeries later, she was still going but was very critical. I explained that I would use the short ritual for emergency baptisms, as it was the most appropriate in this case (heck, godparents had not even been identified yet). To be honest, I’m not sure the parents even noticed how stressed I was, nor do I think they cared about my broken Spanish — they were just glad it was happening.
When it was over I got their names for the baptism register and headed back home with the parish secretary. What an adrenaline rush! You feel glad and nervous all at the same time.
So my Spanish still sucks. After all, it has only been my second week here (sixth if you count my first time in Cuernavaca 18 months ago). But as lousy as it was, it was enough to get a little baby baptised. For me, that’s more than enough for now, and is a real incentive to keep learning.
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Post for February 1, 2010
Padre Roberto and I took that day off today and went to visit Mexico City. Well, actually, most of the country took the day off, as today was a national holiday dedicated to honouring the Mexican constitution. Well, actually, that day is on February 5, not Feb 1, but they transferred the holiday to give people a long weekend. (Why they didn’t consider that a Fri-Sat-Sun long weekend is just as long as a Sat-Sun-Mon long weekend is beyond me, but I digress…)
We left Cuernavaca early in the morning. Happily the main bus station is literally a three-minute walk from the parish, so it was a piece of cake to grab the first bus to Mexico City (they leave every half-hour). This brought us to a southern subway station (like Montreal, they call it the Metro). First impressions: the subway was immaculately clean, and ran very smooth (none of the usual screeching associated with metal-wheeled trains). Various vendors would wander through the cars, selling their wares (e.g. maps, flashlights, chocolate bars, pirated music, etc.) A street-performing pair also came in, whose performance involved smashing themselves with broken glass. I couldn’t look. Neither could Padre Roberto.
We got off at Zocalo station, located at the main square in Mexico City (also known as the Zocalo). Several main government buildings are there, as well as the Cathedral and the remains of the ancient pyramid temple of the Aztecs. Unfortunately all the museums were closed (they all close on Monday, like at home) so that cut out a lot of things we might otherwise have seen. But there was still lots to see! We wandered around a bit in the central historic section, eventually attending mass at a local church and grabbing some lunch. Then, after lunch, we hopped on one of those circuit tour buses that take you around the city.
The bus was ok. Of course, the things we were taken to see were interesting, but the pre-recorded translations that were offered made me laugh out loud at times. Also, it started to rain, and even got a bit chilly, so we had to stay in the bus. From my point of view, it was essentially a down-payment on my next visit. 
Regarding the weather, BTW, when I say “a bit chilly” I am speaking as a Canadian, of course: the Mexicans themselves were freezing, and wore heavy jackets and scarves (I had a light sweatshirt over a t-shirt). Frankly, they know nothing of the cold. As for me, all it took was a good Starbucks coffee to warm me up and I was good to go again.
I took lots of photos, but I don’t have access to a decent photo editor here so posting them will have to wait. Our bus ride home was uneventful, and we made it back by 8pm. Poor Padre Roberto wasn’t feeling that great, so we hit the hay early. I had a bit of a headache myself (due to the pollution in Mexico City, I expect). At any rate, I am glad I went, and I look forward to the next time, now that I have a good sense of what is available to see.
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Post for January 30, 2010
Padre Roberto has two Saturday masses, one at the parish and one in the local hospital. Or at least, I thought it was in the hospital… more like *at* the hospital…
Allow me to explain. Because Mexico has a highly secular elite, with a strong separation between Church and State in law, priests sometimes have trouble getting into hospitals to care for people. There are no chaplains, for example, in a secular hospital. And, I might add, there are no chapels, and no masses.
However, because Mexico is also highly Catholic, the people *want* religious services. They *want* the mass said for the sick and their families, and they want it close to where their loved ones are, i.e. the hospital. So what is the solution?
Simple: the people themselves erected a shrine to Our Lady of Guadelupe just outside the hospital, in a side alley. And the priest goes once per week to say mass outdoors, in the side alley.
True story! So we packed up the car with a the mass books, a portable mass kit, and even a portable altar. Once we got there it took a grand total of five minutes to turn an alleyway into a chapel. We were expected: chairs were already set up, and there was even a choir! It was very touching, to see how people just would not let their faith be extinguished. I am not sure how many understood that the powers-that-be officially did not want them there. I expect many of them have had the experience of being looked down upon so much they hardly noticed it anymore. But at the same time, it didn’t change anything: the mass is the mass, even in an alley, and the Eucharist has the power to turn even an alley into a palace.
I shared some coffee with some people afterwards, and all I sensed was the joy of faith. Yeah, it was outdoors at night. Yeah, it was cold (by Cuernavaca standards). But these people were doing something their earliest ancestors on the faith did as well. If those early Christians has the same joy, no wonder the Roman Empire couldn’t get rid of them. From what I could see, joy is the ultimate answer to oppression.
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Post for January 28, 2010
Today I had a chance to visit with another friend, an older lady who owns a lovely home in the parish where I had stayed the last time I was in Cuernavaca. Padre Roberto and I, as well as the parish secretary and her family, were invited for dinner. And what a dinner it was! Where do these Mexicans pack away all the food that they eat?
I visited with Toni (the name of the hostess) and her husband the last time I was here, but unfortunately he has since died (he had been quite ill). He was English, and so had been delighted to speak with someone (i.e. me) in his mother tongue. Toni told me she had fond memories of that visit, as do I. I am told I have an open invitation to visit whenever I like.
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Post for January 27, 2010
One thing that I was worried might get me in trouble here at the parish (in Mexico) is the fact that I’ve been reading the gospel and concelebrating (with my own part of the Eucharistic prayer). You see, I can practice these ahead of time, so I actually sound pretty good in Spanish. Unfortunately, this also gives people the impression I can actually *speak* the language, rather than just read it.
So after mass one elderly lady come to me, asking me for prayers for… well, to be honest, I have no idea. None whatsoever. She was speaking softly, I guess so that no one would hear her request, and swallowing some of her syllables, so I got about 5% of what she said.
So I (in Spanish) told her that I didn’t speak all that much Spanish, and asked her to repeat herself. But she began to offer replies that made absolutely no sense. It was like she hadn’t understood me at all, but was just faking that she had.
It was then I realised that she was hard of hearing!
So I began faking that I understood her, as she faked understanding me. It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision, but what else could I do? I couldn’t just walk away, and she seemed happy to be speaking with me. Well, to me. Well, at me. You get the picture. The bottom line is that there was a lot of head-nodding and hand-holding on my part, accompanied by can only have been a very strange exchange. I can only imagine what we must have sounded like to an eavesdropper!
In the end I blessed her, and she left contented. Not knowing what I should be praying for, I just offered it up to the Lord, saying “Lord, you know what she was talking about. Your will be done.” Which is pretty much what I might have prayed had I understood her in the first place.
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Post for January 26, 2010
My friends Lily and Jorge came by the parish this evening for the 6pm mass. The church was packed, so I only noticed them when it was almost over. They were the other two of the three friends who met me at the airport, so I was really delighted to see them again. And their generosity was proven once again, as we priests received a gift of… Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Mmmm… At any rate, we are planning to see one another again for dinner on Sunday. I look forward to it.
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Post for January 25, 2010
I had my first official Spanish classes at the IDEAL school today, and by the time I got back home I was just beat. Padre Roberto has his day off on Monday, and because he prefers to spend it outside the parish we headed out to visit a nearby town: Tepoztlán!
This is a really lovely town that is very popular with tourists but which has still kept a very local feel. We went mainly for the food, as there are a couple of very famous restaurants in the area (and I must admit, the chicken enchiladas with salsa verde we just amazing). I also was looking forward to seeing the local pyramid, but when I saw how far up it was I said forget it: all I had on was my sandals! But we did see the local parish church, which was very lovely.
On our way back we visited a local Benedictine monastery and stayed with the monks for vespers. It was nice to round off the day with a calming environment of prayer.
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Post for January 24, 2010
The last time I was in Mexico I connected with the Dominguez family, who have sort of “adopted” Padre Roberto and, now, myself. After the masses of the day I headed over to their place in Juitepec (a suburb of Cuernavaca). Dinner was delicious, and after we went for a walk in a nearby “greenbelt” area (although given it is dry season, it was more of a “brownbelt”). Padre Roberto joined us a bit later, and we played a rather silly game board game involving eggs dressed as people (click the link to see what I mean). All in all it was a nice chance to reconnect with people who helped me a lot the last time I was here, and who hold a special place in my heart.
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Post for January 19, 2010
Well, I made it to Cuernavaca. I was received at the airport by three friends, including Padre Roberto with whom I am staying. We had lunch at the airport itself, and then took a tour of the basilica and grounds of the shrine of Our Lady of Guadelupe. I’d been there before, but I had only seen the church itself, so I was glad to get a chance to see more. On the hill itself where the apparations took place there is a good lookout over Mexico City, and you really see how absolutely ENORMOUS the place actually is.
From Mexico City we drove to Cuernavaca. There is a highway that connects the two cities that goes up over the mountains (and continues past Cuernavaca to Acapulco). The highway can be tricky on the way down, mind you, with lots of tight curves, and unfortunately a truck ahead of us took it too fast and rolled over. Traffic was horrendous as the road was closed for a bit, and then only opened to one lane. I don’t know that happened with the driver, but I said a prayer for him.
Once in Cuernavaca we did a bit of shopping (at Costco, if you believe it) and then we headed over to the parish church — dedicated to both the Ressurection of our Lord and Our Lady of Guadelupe. It is a very simple place, located in the poorest section of Cuernavaca, and I learned my timing was somewhat unusual: there have been a series of robberies here over the past several months (three in the past three weeks), so everything now has a lock on it. Oh, and no hot water (bring on those cold showers — brrrr). But they have high-speed internet! Ah, priorities…
Things got really interesting after a bit of grocery shopping. Padre Roberto was going to come with us, but a couple of ladies were waiting for him at the door so I headed out to the Mega supermarket with a parishioner and her grown children. When we got back we discovered those ladies were related to the fellow who had robbed the place at least those three most recent times, and they were here to return the things they found to the parish. A parade of stolen goods started to come in the door, and I had to laugh at how useless some of these things were — who steals a box full of tea bags, for example? Anyway, it was quite a first evening. We had a spot of supper and then I headed to bed, just exhausted.
As for today, Padre Roberto and I went out for breakfast to a nearby restaurant, and then he had to go an teach philosophy at the local seminary. I headed over to a couple of language schools to check out availability and prices. It turns out one school only offers one-on-one lessons (for a very high price), while another does group lessons but is at least a 30-minute walk. Yeah, I found that out the hard way, although I got a bit turned around going there so the leg out was more like 45 minutes. Still, this school is the one I studied at last time, so I am seriously considering returning, as I know what to expect, and I liked the people in general.
This evening I did dishes. A TON of dishes. Let’s just say that Padre Roberto’s home is definitely a bachelor pad. He was considering hiring a lady to help with cooking while I am here (I would contribute, of course), but she’s having some personal problems so so far she’s a no-show. While a number of things needed cleaning, the sink was just loaded, so I rolled up my sleeves and started in with the so-called “woman’s work”. Machismo be damned, somebody had to do it, and between us it got done.
Oh, did I mention the kitchen has no running water? The thief (or thieves) stole the copper tubing that fed the kitchen. We were hauling in buckets of water to get the job done. This is turning out to be quite an adventure!
I had a chance to spend a good hour before the Blessed Sacrament today, and I concelebrated mass this evening. I’ve been praying part of my breviary in Spanish, and of course the environment as a whole is forcing me to refresh what I already knew (and which is coming back to me muy rapido). For the next couple of days I will study on my own, reviewing the materials I brought with me as I continue to settle in. Oh, and I need to find a place to recharge my laptop, as right now I’m running on batteries and they won’t last forever — but one thing at a time. I’ll try and post again when I can. Pray for me and I’ll pray for you!
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Post for November 20, 2009
Today was Fr. Lowe’s funeral. Once again, my experience of funerals where faith is truly involved has been confirmed. In short, I have learned that when the deceased was a person of faith, the funeral, while sad, has a certain lightness about it. It is thanks to hope.
Many brother priests were there, and the church was full. But I must say, the homily was AMAZING. At first, I thought the preacher was being a bit abstract, talking about points of eucharistic doctrine etc. But then he brought it to Fr. Lowe’s life as an example of a man who, while being totally himself, was deeply committed to others: to Christ, to the Church, to his people. He loved the eucharist, he was deliberately faithful to the magisterium, and he was constant in promoting sound doctrine.
Again, it was amazing. It was like Father Lowe’s example was giving every priest, every PERSON, permission to be a true disciple of Christ. And the focus of the homily really wasn’t Father Lowe, but the things in which he believed. Fr. Lowe’s life was merely the key which opened a door of faith, and we were invited to walk through that door to Jesus.
Again, it was great. I am sorry my friend has died, of course, and I pray for the repose of his soul and for his community which will now be living a period of uncertainty. But I am grateful for having been given the chance to see experience that living faith that lets us grieve, but with true hope.
Posted by Wordmobi
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Post for September 25, 2009
Did I mention that video is hard? (See post of September 24 for the answer.)
Today I had the chance to interview Dawn Eden, the author of the book The Thrill of the Chaste and (former) blogger over at The Dawn Patrol. This wasn’t just for print, or even for audio: the Cardinal let me use his interview room at the Archdiocese and we had a genuine 3-camera setup. Many people came together to help make this happen, and I want to first say a public thank-you to Biagio, Vince, and especially Lisa, the director/camerawoman without whom I would have been TOTALLY lost.
The video will still need to be processed, as we had 1.5 hours of footage to fit into 3 10-minute clips — so stay tuned! But I have certainly come away from this with a new and awesome appreciation of the challenges of the video craft. Wow, it’s hard. On a purely technical level it’s hard, and I know that video is very unforgiving of even simple mistakes. But this is something I want to learn to do, and do well. It’s brutal, but that is kind of the point: if you can do it well, it really says something.
Many thanks to Dawn for coming to Montreal — it was a lot of fun to get to know her.
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Post for September 20, 2009
Today I visited my family in Ottawa, and brought with me my father’s birthday gift — a computer I had built for him. The system is very bare bones, but my idea was to recycle as many parts as I could from the old machine and swap them into the new. In particular, I wanted to transfer the hard drive, as that would make sure no data would be lost, although I suspected I might have a problem so I did make a backup first.
And yes, we had a problem.
You see, when Windows XP is first installed the system creates an installation code out of the product key and the serial numbers of some key system parts. This code is then registered with Microsoft to validate that the copy of XP is genuine. The process is called “Windows Genuine Advantage”, although it is only an advantage for Microsoft.
So what happened when I swapped the hard drive? The system, upon startup, detected that new hardware was present, and assumed that the copy of Windows that was being run was a pirate copy. In other words, every time I tried to get into Windows apart from Safe Mode, it was no dice.
“No problem,” I thought to myself, “all I need to do is redo the validation routine with Microsoft.” Except that doesn’t work. Safe Mode only worked if I didn’t have any networking drivers installed, so no Internet access. And while Microsoft does have a telephone mechanism for validation, the telephone menus did not include an option for the problem I was facing. I finally managed to find an option to be passed to an actual human being…and the system hung up on me.
@#$%!
So I did the only thing left to do: I completely reinstalled the operating system. In retrospect this really was my best option, and (unfortunately) I have enough experience reinstalling Windows that the system worked just fine. My parents now have a much faster PC, and I’m hoping that the automated processes at Microsoft won’t one day decide that my parents are pirates. AARRGGHH!!
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Post for September 18, 2009
I visited the Chinese Catholic mission today to continue the series of Bible study lessons I began with them over a year ago (today we took a look at 2 Thessalonians). At the end we went out for our usual dinner in Chinatown, but the end of the dinner had a special treat:
Surprise! Out comes a cake and the group bursts into song. Even better was a nice card I received with kind words from all who were present. And I had to admit, they had me totally fooled — I didn’t have a CLUE that this was going to happen. I was really touched!
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Post for September 11, 2009
She turns 11 today. We celebrated a bit last weekend up at my parent’s cottage already, but hey, you only turn 11 once, right? No problem mentioning it twice, especially since she is the best birthday present I ever received! Happy birthday Alexandra!
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Post for September 11, 2009
Yes, today is my 39th birthday. My Facebook account + email inbox(es) are flooding with messages, and my cell phone was ringing off the hook this morning. Many thanks to all who are thinking of me — say a prayer for me too, ok? Believe me, I can use all I can get.
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Post for September 7, 2009
My niece’s birthday is coming up, and this being a long weekend I visited with her + the family up at my parent’s cottage. I gave her an early birthday gift: a copy of the Ars Magica game that I contributed to. I think she found it cool to know that her uncle had helped make a game, and of course she wanted to play it. So she, I, and my brother sat down and adventured through a fairy land where the sun never sets and where an evil wizard seeks to extend his nefarious influence.
For me, role-playing games are about creating a story together. Alex’s character was a girl who dreamt of tigers, and who (upon arriving in the fairy world) discovered she could turn into one (which has since gotten her character out of a few scrapes). Her pet dog came with her, and was changed into a wolf. Together they must now do their best to discover how to rescue everyone from being taken over by the evil wizard.
Yep, it was lots of fun. And the story is not over yet!
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Post for August 24, 2009
I was in Ottawa today for a very special occasion: my father’s 88th birthday! It was nice to be with the whole family, gathered around the supper table. I also got a chance to go for a couple of walk with a couple of nieces, which was nice (gave us a chance to catch up).
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Post for August 22, 2009
I mentioned in a previous “summary” post that I’ve taken the 10,000 step challenge, i.e. the idea that you walk at least 10,000 steps per day, as measured by a pedometer. I have to say, it is awesome. I find that 10,000 steps is just far enough that you have to make an effort, but not so far that it is a burden. Having the pedometer helps as well to be intentional about the challenge — it is very motivating! For example, today being Saturday I don’t walk to the office, so I went for a walk up the mountain instead, going along Dr. Penfield to Atwater to conclude with a walk along Ste-Catherine back to the Cathedral (where I live). Not a bad hike, but it was the perfect day for it.
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Post for August 19, 2009
Bing! Is it a sound effect? Is it a search engine? In this case, it is a person: the wife of my old classmate Ian, who is presently in town with Bing and their daughter Chloe. This lovely little family used to live in Singapore, where I once visited them (post 1, post 2). Now they live in Shanghai, and have recently completed a major trip through Europe on their way to visiting Ian’s parent here in Montreal.
The “surprise” part comes in from Bing herself, who called me up, said they were in town, and invited me to a BBQ in the West Island on Montreal. Happily I was free, so I fought the traffic to enjoy a delicious dinner of tomato+mozzerella appetizers, corn, roast lamb, beers, etc., finished off with a walk to the local ice cream parlour.
And yes, they have officially invited me to visit them in Shanghai. I was thinking next April/May. Apparently that is a good time climate-wise, and since the Archdiocese is giving us an extra week of vacation next year (in lieu of a pay increase, due to the economic downturn), I might as well use it for something special.
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Post for August 16, 2009
This Sunday we had an interesting experience at morning mass. It was extremely hot and humid. As I was presiding, I looked out and saw that an elderly gentleman was collapsing. Parishioners trained as nurses went to his side to see how he was doing, and at a certain point I stopped the mass and went down to see for myself. An ambulance was called, and at communion time I also offered this man the anointing of the sick. We aren’t sure if it was just the heat, or if he had a seizure of some sort (it’s possible it was both, actually).
Please pray for Pat!
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Post for August 15, 2009
Some friends of mine are up from Mexico, and tonight they treated me to dinner at a very special restaurant. It is called O Noir.
The food was excellent, as was the service, but to be honest here in Montreal a restaurant can’t survive without these basics. What makes O Noir so different is that you eat in the dark.
I mean really in the dark. Pitch black.
Now you may wonder: how are the waiters and waitresses able to serve you? The answer is simple: they are themselves blind, so the lack of light makes no difference.
Yeah, it’s a gimmick. But a popular one. You need to reserve at least 2 weeks in advance to get a table! And the restaurant does have a social mission as well: the full integration of the visually impaired into so-called “normal” society. I certainly don’t mind supporting that!
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Post for August 8, 2009
Hey blog readers,
Just a little update on what I’ve been up to.
- I’ve been updating a project I was working on last year: the replacement of WordPress with a true multilingual content management system. Turns out I can’t find anything out there that meets my needs, so I’ve been working on writing my own system. My first implementation, it turns out, will likely be my diocese (Montreal), as we are in an extraordinarily cosmopolitan environment.
- I’ve had some pretty bad insomnia during July. For two weeks I wasn’t able to get to sleep until very late (3 am, for example). This was very strange for me, as I usually have absolutely no problem falling to sleep. Anyway, as you can imagine it made me quite tired. I’m happy to report that things seem back to nomal.
- I’m delighted to see that my mass intentions form has seen some use! I’ve been able to respond to mass intention requests from a variety of places in the world, such as the USA, Brazil, and even India. I’m glad to know it helps people, and to be honest it also helps me feel connected through my celebration of the Eucharist to the needs of the world.
- I’ve come to realise that I’m far too sedentary, so I’ve been living the so-called 10,000 step challenge (i.e. to walk 10,000 steps per day). I got myself a pedometer to measure this, and I must say that little device really helps keep you motivated.
- I’ve had a chance to meet some of the couples I’ve married over the years, to prepare the baptism of their children! It has always been my dream that the marriage prep would evolve into a continuing pastoral relationship, and I’m honoured that these couples have invited me into this special moment for their family.
- I got a new car! Well, it isn’t that new. It’s a 1999 Tercel. But it only has 28,000 km on it, which means it runs as though it was brand new. I’ll be selling my old car on Monday, and I’m hoping this car will last me for 5-6 years (which means I can save up some money for the eventual purchase of a *real* brand new car someday).
- I just got back from a few days in Ottawa, visiting with my father in particular. We had a really good time. I still have a few days of vacation left, so I’ll probably go back next week just to get some final rest before the school year starts.
I have a LOT on my plate right now (what else is new) but I’ll be sure to check in a little more regularly. God bless!
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Post for July 13, 2009
Some of you may remember I did a pilgrimage back in May to Rome, Assisi, Medjugorje and San Giovanni Rotondo. I last left off with a description of my thoughts regarding Medjugorje. I thought I should pick things up again, starting from our next stop after Medjugorje: the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
We only had a few hours in the spot, which is really a shame given its great beauty. Still, we made the most of it, starting with a visit to the old city.
There was plenty of hustle and bustle, as many tourist cruises were in that day. The streets are quite narrow, preventing good panoramic photos from within the old city — but nothing prevents photos of the narrow streets full of hustle and bustle!
We weren’t there just for sightseeing, mind you, so we made sure to take time for mass. This is from inside the chapel where I had a chance to preside:
Finally, it was time to take the ferry. This turned out to be a bit of an adventure, as the ferry we were *supposed* to take had apparently broken down, and another one was being sent in its place. We had to wait in the terminal for quite some time, but eventually we were able to get on board our boat:
Some dolphins travelled with us on our way across the Adriatic. They were too quick for me to get them on camera, but prior to heading to dinner + bed I did manage a photo of the sun that I found too beautiful not to share.
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Post for July 5, 2009
I was in Ottawa over the weekend for the 40th wedding anniversary of my parents.
I had the honour of presiding, of course (part of being a priest in the family). It was a small celebration, with a strong spiritual focus. One special bonus was a chance to see some of my parents’ wedding video — except that, in those days, it was 8mm film! I had never seen it before, so that was a lot of fun.
Happy anniversary, Mama and Papa!
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Post for June 23, 2009
I left off describing my European pilgrimage last May about two weeks ago. I thought I’d pick it up again with my thoughts on Medjugorje itself.
For those who don’t know, Medjugorje is a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina where (it is said) the Virgin Mary began appearing to a group of peasant children sometime in the early 1980′s. More that that, while these visionaries are now fully grown, they claim to still be receiving apparitions of Mary — yes, over 20 years later.
From early on, people began to visit the little town, some out of piety, some out of curiosity, and some even out of hostility. In the years that followed, years that included the brutal wars surrounding the disintegration of the former Yugoslav republic, Medjugorje has grown into a well-known site of pilgrimage.
So what did I think? First of all, my thoughts on the so-called apparitions can’t be defined, as you can understand, by any sense of certainty. I think there is compelling evidence that something extraordinary happened in the early days. Also, having actually met one of the visionaries while I was there, I have no reason to believe he isn’t sincere when he says he is experiencing encounters with the Virgin Mary. Where I draw the line is in saying that the mystical experiences of today are qualitatively the same as those at the beginning. Simply put, lots of people have experiences where they feel extraordinarily close to God/Jesus/Mary/angels/saints/the dead etc. I wouldn’t be surprised in the later experiences these mystics are having are actually of a more common sort, but filtered and coloured by the initial extraordinary experience (in effect making even their more ordinary experiences extraordinary, I suppose, without taking away from their “everyman” type).
So maybe there are truly extraordinary things happening in Medjugorje; on the other hand, maybe it is just a place of extraordinary piety. To be sure, this was my experience. While I was in Medjugorje, I discovered I was the only French-speaking priest there. I presided and preached every day, and in the evenings I heard confessions for an average of three hours at a shot. Add to that the many other devotional practices celebrated by the people, and the climate of prayer is palpable.
In chatting with people, I think it is this “spiritual atmosphere” that is most important for most people. Sure, a lot of people come seeking the fantastic, but many others come just seeking. When I got home, I couldn’t help but notice how crazy the world seemed. On the one hand, you’d think a town whose main attraction is apparitions of the Virgin Mary would be giant looney bin. In fact, it is the world that seems looney by comparison, with a seriously messed up set of priorities. It is hard to describe exactly, but definitely true.
So what is the contribution of Medjugorje? Again, I don’t know. I’m not sure the Virgin Mary is more “there” than she is “here”, and even if she is I’m not sure it matters. After all, our closeness to her does not depend on geography, apart from the inner geography of the heart. Perhaps that’s the real miracle.
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Post for June 17, 2009
Tonight was a very special occasion for me: a reunion dinner of the past Presidents of the Commerce and Administration Students Association of Concordia University (I was President from 1991-1992). This photo shows the people who were Presidents around my time:
From left to right: Katherine Kruse (1991, just prior to me); Ramy Sedra (1993-94); retired Dean Roland Wills, a real mentor to all of us; Nick Kaminaris (1992-93, my successor); me; Prof Mahesh Sharma, who has always been very close to the students, even winning awards thanking him for his devotion; and Karen Cox (1990-1991). One guy who couldn’t make it but who was with us in spirit, I am sure, was Ian Saint-Maurice, who was President from 1989-1990, the first year I got involved. I visited with him in Singapore a few years back, and now he lives in Shanghai. Guess I’ll have to visit him there too, although I’m happy to learn he’s coming to Montreal this August.
The evening was just a blast — looking at old pictures, and sharing old stories. And there was even adventure on the way home! Katherine offered me a lift, so we got in her car and made it about 50 feet before stopping due to a flat tire (in a rather sketchy neighbourhood, I might add). So we called CAA (AAA for my American readers), and it just gave us more time to catch up.
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Post for June 10, 2009
Day 5 was largely a travel day. We got into Split early in the morning, but the sun was up so I managed to get a few nice shots of the coast of Dalmatia and of Split itself. We had to go through customs, of course, and then take a bus into Bosnia-Herzegovina.
And finally, Medjugorje! First thing I noticed: man, is it ever HOT! The temperature was at least 30°C (that’s around 85°F for my American friends). We settled into our pension, and then immediately headed off to mass at Saint James church (pictured above). It wasn’t far — maybe 10 mintues walk, at the most, if you walk slowly. Medjugorje isn’t a big town.
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Post for June 9, 2009
Rising early the next morning, we began our day with mass (presided by yours truly) at the pontifical basilica of Saint Francis. I love this church. The lower part feels like it is carved out of the rock, and it is here that we find the tombs of Saint Francis and his closest companions (like Brother Leo, for example). I took some extra time in prayer, as Saint Francis is a personal favourite of mine (and has been since I was a child). As for the upstairs, while they have apparently repaired most of the damage from the 1997 earthquake, you could still see cracks in some of the frescos. A real loss, given the cultural and artistic significance of these images.
We also visited the basilica of Saint Claire, but rather than show you yet another church picture I thought I’d offer this view of a typical street within Assisi. The town really has an old-world feel and a special charm to it. Just walking around is a treat, as well as good exercise given the many hills!
Once Assisi was over, though, it was time to head to Ancona to meet our ferry to Split. After checking in on the boat we went for a delicious dinner, and then I headed to bed (it was an overnight ferry). I did get a chance to see the sun setting on the Adriatic, though. We had a very smooth passage — red sky at night, sailor’s delight!
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Post for June 8, 2009
Day 3 began with a visit to the Pope’s cathedral: Saint John Lateran, otherwise known as Christ the Saviour cathedral.
This is a photo of the most important chair in the world. I’m not kidding either: it is the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome, the symbol of his teaching authority as the successor of Peter.
The afternoon began with a visit to Saint Mary Major, another Roman basilica. The mosaics here are just incredible. This is just one photo I took to try and give a sense of their majesty and beauty.
After our visit to this fourth basilica, we boarded our bus and headed to Assisi. Most of our Assisi visit was the next day, but we did stop off at the Portiuncula, the chief church of the Franciscans, upon arriving at the town. I was not allowed to take pictures inside (too bad) but we did have mass in one of the chapels.
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Post for June 8, 2009
Day 2 began with the Wednesday papal audience. I was very close to the central driveway that led to the Pope’s chair, so despite the sea of waving arms I managed to get this picture. The Pope spoke on his recently-completed trip to the Holy Land, and although my Italian was REALLY rusty I managed to catch most of it.
The afternoon was spent at the Vatican museums. The collection of ancient artwork is just INCREDIBLE. Too much to put here in pictures, to be honest, but I took this picture just to give you a sense of scale. You could literally reach out and touch 2000 year old sculptures that still look alive and vibrant. Amazing.
The Vatican museums were very busy, mind you, so when it was over I ducked back into St. Peters for a bit of prayer in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. The sun was setting behind the basilica, and a river of light was streaming in through the dome. It was just beautiful. I called my brother for his birthday after leaving the church, and then headed back to the pension where we were staying.
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Post for June 6, 2009
We left late Sunday evening (May 17) and took May 18 as a day of rest. Our first major day of pilgrimmage, therefore, was Tuesday, where we started our visits of the 4 major basilicas of Rome. We saw these two today:
The first is, obviously, Saint Peter’s Basilica, probably the most famous church in the world (at least to see). The second photo is of the front of the basilica of Saint-Paul-outside-the-walls. Here we had our first major surprise of the trip: running into Bishop Luc Bouchard of the diocese of Saint-Paul, Alberta — and my former seminary prof! We were looking for a place to say mass and he was arriving for the same purpose, so we wound up having a concelebrated mass in a chapel in the basilica. A memorable moment!
I also had a couple of personal moments this particular day: having lunch with the guys at the Pontifical Canadian College, where I was warmly received by Father Eric Sylvestre (also a priest of Montreal), and meeting with Father Gregory Fairbanks of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, where I hoped to establish a link between the PCPCU and the Canadian Center for Ecumenism. Nothing like good Roman hospitality!
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Post for June 6, 2009
When I first started blogging, my blog was entitled “Waiting in Joyful Hope”. Was it a sappy name? Maybe, but I loved it. It expressed who I was, and it also expressed my own blogging philosophy — to share on the “amazingness” of the priesthood.
Three years ago, I started a new job in the Archdiocese of Montreal as part of the diocesan curia. Given this major shift in my life, I retitled the blog to “2000 Stories”, as the office where I now worked was often called “2000″ by the people of our diocese (the street address being 2000 Sherbrooke West). I thought it was a cute play on words. I also made the name change, though, because I felt a change of blogging philosophy was in order. You see, I wanted to make sure that my public blog comments would not be miscontrued as something coming “from the diocese”, when in fact it was just me.
One thing did bug me about the name change, though. A friend of mine teased me by saying that I was “no longer Waiting in Joyful Hope”. He meant it as a joke, but it did stick with me. Was it true? Was it not just the blog that was changing, but myself? After all, prior to the name change my blogging had started to go from daily to quite intermittent.
Fast forward to this past May. I went on retreat and prayed about a lot of things. I then went on a pilgrimmage to Rome, Assisi, Medjugorje and San Giovanni. I got a chance to preside, preach, and (get this) hear confessions 3 hours per day at one point. In short, I was close, really REALLY close to the nuclear reactor of grace that is the sacraments, and it felt great. Renewing, you might say.
So I’m renewing the blog too. The look has been back to my original signature yellow-and-green for some time, but now I’m going back to Waiting in Joyful Hope, both as a blog name and as a blogging philosophy. Father Richard Neuhaus once remarked that this was a “required posture for all of us”. Time to get back to basics.
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Post for June 5, 2009
Sorry for the lack of posting from my trip overseas. I tried, but Twitter apparently was not recognizing my text messages so nothing got posted. *sigh*
Anyway, I did get some really nice photos and had some interesting experiences. And I still have the text messages I was trying to send stored in my phone, so I’ll use them as the basis to do some back posts at some point.
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Post for May 16, 2009
Got back from my retreat two days ago. I didn’t realise how much of a spiritual workout it was until I was back in “the world”. I spent a lot of my time re-reading old spiritual journals, and it was interesting to see what issues have evolved and which have remained constant. More challenging, though, was to see where things have somewhat…stagnated. My last night I spent quite a long time before the Blessed Sacrament, volume 13 of my journal books in hand, writing and writing. The Lord has really offered me a major personal challenge coming out of the retreat, and now it is time to take a step forward.
Just as a reminder, I’m off to Europe tomorrow for 2 weeks. As we’ll be on the road regular blogging will be hard, so I’ve set up a Twitter account for myself. You’ll be able to follow my adventures through this blog (look for posts with the “Twitter” category) or at http://twitter.com/fatherdowd. Posts will be brief (as Twitter posts usually are), but it’s better than nothing, fer sher!
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Post for May 8, 2009
Well I’m off tonight for a week at the Recluse sisters in the East End. I’ll pray for you all!
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Post for May 7, 2009
First things first: I’m not in Mexico. As I wrote in my last post, I was not particularly freaked out by the swine flu, but rather by how everyone else was freaking out about the swine flu. A friend wrote to me from Cuernavaca to saying that people were really scared and that it would be better to postpone. I emailed the Spanish-language school to see if they were even open — and I got no answer. Not very promising. (In fact, I still haven’t gotten an answer. Has no one noticed I didn’t show up on Monday?)
So last Friday I cancelled my ticket. I was really quite saddened by it. I put it off until the last practical minute. But, using my head, I knew it was the only realistic option.
Monday is my usual day off, and I spent it visiting my family in Ottawa. As I was eating my breakfast, I said to my parents: “I’m supposed to be in a plane right now.”
So, yeah, by Tuesday I was feeling pretty bummed. And then, our department secretary comes in to my office and says she has something to cheer me up: a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, and Medjugorje might have to be cancelled because their priest could no longer make it. They needed another one ASAP.
So my negative (not going to Mexico) and their negative (not having a priest) actually combined to make a positive. Yep, I’m off to Europe in a little over a week. Talk about divine providence! I could practically feel the Lord smiling and saying “Haven’t I told you not to worry?”
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Post for April 26, 2009
This morning, before leaving for the parish where I was to celebrate mass, I bumped into the Cardinal on the way to the parking lot.
My first words: “Good morning, your Eminence!”
His first words: “Are you still planning on going to Mexico? This swine flu is very worrying.”
What a way to start your day…and yet, he does have a point. I was actually quite touched by his concern.
I can’t deny that the thought of cancelling my trip has crossed my mind. Yep, I still want to go. I have a couple of offers of places to stay, and my language school from last year has a spot.
But, given this “swine flu”…
Will the school be open for business?
Will the *country* be open for business?
Based on current reports, I’m not actually all that worried. The panic gripping Mexico may very well be exagerrated, just like the SARS episode in Toronto was (in my opinion) blown out of proportion. I’m not saying the suffering of those who have died and their families is insignificant. I’m just saying that 20-30 deaths out of over 1000 reported cases in a population of 25 million (Mexico City alone) is not a pandemic.
And yet…
Can those reports be trusted? Hey, this is Mexico. I’ve seen the inefficiency and corruption. And I’m not saying anything that Mexicans themselves don’t say, trust me. They know it better than I do.
So I am going to keep an eye on the situation for the next few days. If things peter out, fine. If not, I can cancel my ticket and rebook for a later date. Yeah, there would be a penalty, but so what?
There is one thing that really does have me worried, though: my friends. I am honoured to have many friends now in Mexico, and I am worried about them. I am especially worried about the priests, like my friends Padre Roberto and Padre Marco. As priests we come into contact with a lot of people, meaning that we can easily find ourselves on the path of contagious disease (just think of all the hands we shake at the end of each mass, for example). So I ask your prayers for all of them, that the Lord keep them safe. I can just as easily stay home where there are anti-viral drugs ready to go and more that can come. It isn’t so easy for them. Lord have mercy!
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Post for April 9, 2009
I was invited to attend the annual general meeting of the Order of Saint Lazarus today, so I went. What, you never heard of them? Me neither until recently, but I have been pleasantly surprised to discover this group of active citizens working for charitable purposes throughout Canada (and the world). They have a long and (literally) noble history, so I thought I’d give them a plug.
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Post for April 4, 2009
Just a little heads-up: I’ll be off to Mexico again for the month of May. I want to consolidate the Spanish I learned and get more practice.
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Post for April 3, 2009
My brother called me up today to see if I wanted to take in a comedy show. As it turns out, Visions Camp (of which he was a member many moons ago) was doing a fundraiser, so he was coming into town. So I figured, why not? A good chance to hang with my bro, I thought. As it turns out, I saw a lot of people I knew, which was really nice, and I might add that the comedy was actually pretty funny! A little colourful at times, but nothing blasphemous (which I absolutely hate). I had a few good laughs, and I’m glad I went.
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Post for April 2, 2009
I went for an eye exam today (last one was in 2007). Everything checks out well – a slight increase in myopia, but not need for reading glasses just yet, and my astigmatism seems to have gone away! I can keep the same glasses and still be ok for driving, but as these are getting old it might be time for a change.
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Post for March 31, 2009
Today was the funeral of my sister-in-law’s stepfather. Grandpa David, as my nieces called him, was not a believer, so the service at the funeral home was actually more of a memorial than an actual funeral. Still, lots of people came, and I drove from Montreal for it (just to come back right after to teach my evening course). I was really proud of Tawnia for being such a trooper, and of my niece Chloe for the reading she did at the service. Please pray for the family.
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Post for March 28, 2009
I’ve been collecting photos from my brother priests who did the pilgrimmage to Israel in February. This photo was taken by our guide while we were saying mass in the lower chapel of the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. One of my favourites.
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Post for March 4, 2009
I’ve been spending my morning getting ready for week 7 of my course on the Christian Understanding of God. One thing I wondered before going to the Holy Land was how the trip might affect my teaching of this course, or indeed how it might affect my own personal vision of the Christian understanding of God. I’ve come to realise it has.
I’ve been confronted, in a powerful way, by the Christian teaching of the Incarnation. I’ve been confronted, in effect, by kenosis.
Kenosis is the theological idea of the “self-emptying” experienced by the Son of God as part of his Incarnation. Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not cling to that equality, but emptied himself, taking on human nature.
What kenosis does is transform our religion from a myth to a historical claim. “On this particular time, in this particular place, God walked the earth.” Rather than being a fantasy in our heads, it makes a claim to being absolutely *real*.
I’ve known this on a mental level, of course, but I must confess that I now realise how much my own faith was more mythological than really incarnate in the real. After all, I’m a theologian, which means I’m a theorist, and every theory is a kind of abstration. Theologians, like physicists, try and explain reality: we just include God in it. What we come up with a models of reality that help us interact with “real reality”, but we can get so comfortable with our models that a kind of mythological mindset arises. Are we really in a proper relationship with reality? Or are we more in a relationship with the model of reality in our mind?
This first really hit home for me when I visited the ruins of Capernaum. The bottom line was, Jesus lived here. It was not a big town, and he was there for a couple of years at least. We saw the ruins of the old synagogue where Jesus would have taught, and while one might debate whether the synagogue was really there or 10 feet to the left, it didn’t take away from the fact that Jesus walked the same ground upon which I was now standing.
In other words, Jesus was a particular man. He lived in a time and place. Since the birth of Christianty Jesus has been presented as a universal man, and indeed I believe he is, but I think we do this presentation in a way that is sometimes too mythologized (or at least in a way that leaves us susceptible to a mythological mentality). But being in Capernaum meant I was confronted, not with the “universal man”, but with the particular Jesus. Again, the challenge was not to my faith in Jesus, but rather in how much my own mindset has turned the Christian story into a kind of myth, an elaborate religio-scientific theory that needed “figuring out”.
The incarnation is very disturbing. It replaces the universal with the particular.
This hit home for me a second time when I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I will admit I was sceptical at first if the place now called is tomb was really his tomb. After certain archeological explanations offered by our guide, however, I was more open to the possibility that this was really the place where he was laid. And given the limited size of the area, I couldn’t help but think: Gee, he was short.
Jesus was short.
The incarnate word of God was short.
In a mythological view of Christianity, the tallness or shortness of Jesus has little relevance except as perhaps part of an artistic presentation of the man.
But, in the incarnation, the bottom line is he had a particular height. From what I could see, about 5-foot-2 max.
Now you may say to yourself “Come on, Father Tom, what’s the point?” Obviously, I don’t think the question of his height has any Earth-shaking significance. But from my point of view, I was suddenly confronted with a piece of real data that had ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE in my inner understanding of God and Christianty, data that I was unable to brush off as I might otherwise have done BECAUSE I WAS THERE STARING AT THE FUNERAL SLAB.
In other words, I was confronted with how much of my faith perspective had a mythological structure.
As a final point, I think I’ve come to recognize why myths are so seductive: it is because they are so grand. They can embrace anything, and indeed usually embrace everything, covering it all with glory and piety.
Kenosis, and the incarnation, are not grand. They are extremely ordinary.
I feel like I’ve been stripped theologically naked. And the only alternative is to either chase after new myths, or to embrace the incarnation. Or, more accurately, the Incarnate One.
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Post for March 4, 2009
The banner picture you see above was taken by the edge of the Sea of Galilee (a.k.a. Lake Tiberias). Just one more souvenir from the trip.
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Post for March 4, 2009
I got home Monday evening just exhausted. We had to leave our hotel at 1:30 am to get to Tel Aviv in time for our flight. Wow, is security ever tight! It is easier to enter Israel than to leave it. First, an armed guard entered our bus as we were pulling up to the airport, and the luggage compartments were checked. Then, at the airport itself, I was asked questions for a good 15 minutes about our group by one young woman…followed by another who asked more questions! Then, the X-ray machine (for the bags) followed by a manual check. Each bag got more than one sticker indicating it had been verified by somebody or other. Passport control on the way out involved answering even more questions, and so on. You get the drill.
Our flight left at 5:30 am, and got to Zurich around 9am. I managed to sleep a bit on the plane, but not a whole lot. The Zurich stopover was several hours, but we finally managed to take our next flight for home. Unfortunately heavy head winds meant the flight had to be diverted south, taking us away from the great circle route, and thus extending the trip. Bottom line: by the time we got to Montreal, everyone was cramped and exhausted.
As for Montreal, we arrived home aroud 5pm (midnight Jerusalem time). I spent the evening unpacking and generally tidying up. Sorry I didn’t blog, but I was so tired there was no way my eyes were going to focus on the computer screen.
As for yesterday, well I spent that returning phone calls and emails at work. So much to do!
Finally, regarding the trip itself, I am still processing it. I am sensing it was more significant than I expected, indeed more than I am realising now. More on that later. I’m just glad to be home.
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Post for February 24, 2009
Hello friends, I’m writing from my room in the Jerusalem Ritz. Thank goodness for Wi-fi hot spots! It has been quite a trip so far. The highlights:
Nazareth: the village well, only natural source of water (and therefore where Mary went to get water for the holy family. As well, the basilica of the annunciation, where we said mass.
Galilee: The Sea of Galilee is really amazing and very beautiful. My highlight was a boat ride on the lake, which really gave you a sense of the area in which Jesus did his ministry.
Capernaum: To visit this ancient town was to know that you were walking on the same ground where our Lord walked. Yes, even the site of the ancient synagogue, where Jesus did so much teaching, is known. Very special.
Mount Carmel: I presided mass in the Carmelite chapel at the summit. Given the Carmelite side to my spirituality this was significant for me.
Caesarea: A city built by King Herod, it was the official residence of the Roman governors including Pontius Pilate and Felix. We stood in the old palace where Saint Paul was put on trial.
There are lots of other places we visited, and all were nice in some way, but what made these special was that you *knew* these people *really were* in these places. It’s not just a pious guess.
Tomorrow: Bethlehem!
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Post for February 12, 2009
I just got out of a meeting with a missionary who has been working in Papua New Guinea. Now for those of you who don’t know, Papua New Guinea is one of the last places on earth where cannibalism was frequently practiced (heck, even up until 10-15 years ago). So this missionary tells me this story:
He was having a group meeting of some parishioners, and at one point asked the people, just out of curiosity, how many had tasted human flesh. They were nervous about answering, because nowadays cannibalism is illegal in that country. So he reassured them he wasn’t interested in having anyone go to jail, and a few older people put up their hands.
“And what part of the human body is the tastiest?” he asked.
The answer: “Ladies thighs”.
So the next day he made sure to tell the nuns not to go and visit certain villages.
The things you learn in this job!
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