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 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 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 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 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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Post for June 28, 2008
Tonight was a special celebration at Consolata parish for its pastor, Father Robert Gendreau. It began with a mass, followed by a sumptuous dinner in the parish basement. Unfortunately I got there late, as Father Ben and I were going by metro and it wound up being stopped for 20 minutes without power. Still, knowing Italian banquets as I do, I knew this would not be a problem — the main course could take 2 hours to get to the table after the dinner itself started!
Father Gendreau is quite a guy — a very faithful priest with a ton of energy. I was exhausted just watching him work the room! May the Lord grant him many more years.
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Post for June 13, 2008
We had a special BBQ today especially for the English priests of the diocese, in order to honour those brother celebrating special jubilee anniversaries. Congrats to Fr. Jim MacDonald (50 years), Fr. Joe Sullivan (known as “junior”, 25 years) and Fr. Gilles Surprenant (my previous pastor, 25 years).
I was particularly delighted that our Vicar General, Msgr. Jean Fortier, was able to be present, along with his assistant, Fr. Alain Faubert. I live and work with both men, and I can confidently say they are fine chaps.
The weather was beautiful and the BBQ’d steak delicious. The best part, though, was seeing all these brothers. Hopefully I can get together with some of them (as we have said we would) for a beer or whatnot over the summer.
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Post for June 11, 2008
As many of the readers of this blog know, I was once a chaplain at the Lakeshore General Hospital. While I was there I got to know an Orthodox Jew named Sam, and his lovely wife Milly. Yes, I am a Catholic priest, but I was chaplain not just for the Catholics but for anyone in the hospital, and I always had a great time visiting Sam. He eventually did pass away from his illness, and then I was transferred from the hospital, and I thought things would simply end there (as they usually did).
What a delight it was for me, then, to go for coffee today with Milly and her daughter (who is up visiting from Florida). It turns out that Milly’s hairdresser is a parishioner at a parish I visited recently, and through this good Samaritan a connection was made. I was so happy to hear from Milly, and certainly delighted to be able to walk over to the local Second Cup and share some stories.
This is one of the great things about being a priest: you never know what kind of interesting people you might meet, and where that friendship might take you.
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Post for June 10, 2008
I went for lunch today with an aspiring writer. She is doing a screenplay in which one of her major characters is a priest. As she explained to me, however, she does not actually know any priests, so she wanted to speak with one (i.e. me) to make sure her character “sounds right”.
Now I am not claiming that my personal experience as a priest is somehow normative, but at the same time the work I am doing now puts my in touch with LOTS of my brothers from all ages and backgrounds. I accepted because I felt I would be able to represent a broad spectrum of priestly life and experience.
Also, she was paying for the food.
Anyway, I hope the research will turn out to be worthwhile for her. She quoted me at one point to use as dialogue for her priest character. She said she’d give me credit in her acceptance speech the day she wins her Oscar. I’ll hold you to that!
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Post for March 19, 2008
I cancelled class today, as today was one of our most important diocesan celebrations: the annual Chrism mass, at which the archbishop blesses the holy oils and the clergy renew their ordination promises. I love these celebrations, for exactly these reasons. For the last few years we have begun with a gathering of the English-speaking clergy at Saint Patrick parish, and then proceeded over for the Chrism mass.
The mass itself begins with a huge entrance procession, as well over 200 deacons, priests and bishops enter into the church. The blessing of the oils is a most ancient ritual: we don’t really know when it began, but we do know that the apostles themselves used oil in the sacraments, and that holy oil was used in Jewish rituals as well. The blessing of the oils would seem, therefore, to be of apostolic origin. For me, though, the most significant part of the ceremony is the renewal of my ordination promises. When I was ordained I placed my hands in the hands of the bishop and promised obedience to him and his successors. Like with any relationship, though, I know this promise needs to be renewed. It always means a lot to me when I do.
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Post for March 15, 2008
Bety & Charif are a couple from St. Luke parish, where I was once posted. Late last year Bety gave birth to Paula, their first child (a daughter). Unfortunately I had not been able to make it to the post-baptismal party, so we took a raincheck. Today was the day, so I headed over to Pointe-Claire for brunch in their beautiful condo.
The food was awesome, but so was the company. Both are immigrants to Canada (Bety from Mexico, Charif from Lebanon) who met here, so I got to hear about how they met, how they started dating, how Charif proposed, and so on. Charif and his mother (who was also present) also shared some stories of their experiences during the war in Lebanon — of being shelled, of being robbed, of being terribly burned in a gasoline fire…..wow, it was compelling stuff.
And yet, here they are, and now a new generation has begun.
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Post for January 19, 2008
I visited with a family this evening, and their 5 year-old daughter gave me a picture she drew for me. Click on the image to enlarge it.
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Post for December 20, 2006
Tomorrow I leave on a very special trip: I’m off to St. Augustine. No, not the one in Florida — the one on the lower north shore of the St. Lawrence river, just south of Labrador and just west of Blanc Sablon.
How did this come about? A priest in another diocese, who knew that I had been appointed to “head office”, figured that I probably didn’t have any particular assignment in a parish. He also knew that the people of this small community (population 791, according to the latest numbers) hadn’t had mass since Easter, and really wanted a priest for Christmas. I gave the community a call, and it turns out the nun who runs the parish is a friend of my brother (what a small world). After speaking with my family to see if it would be ok to delay our Christmas gathering for a few days, I accepted to go.
How does one get to St. Augustine? There is no road, so I will have to fly in on Air Labrador, and then get into town by snowmobile. Once there, I have quite a work schedule, with confessions, anointings, and a mass with the Montagnais Indians across the river (in Pakuashipi). It should be quite an adventure! I get back on the 27th, and then head to Ottawa for family Christmas. Please say a prayer for me!
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Post for December 14, 2006
I had the honour this evening of being the Master of Ceremonies for the ordination of Silvain Cloutier, a friend, fellow blogger, and now brother priest. Ad multos annos!
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Post for November 9, 2006
Life as a priest just keeps getting more and more interesting. I got a call two days ago from the Apostolic Nunciature (the Pope’s embassy in Canada). There is going to be an international conference here in Montreal next week on culture and development, and they were looking for someone to attend on their behalf.
Why me? I asked myself the same question. The explanation is apparently of one of those “being in the right place at the right time” sort of things. As it turns out, the Vatican is often invited to these sorts of conferences, but it isn’t as though the Vatican has a huge staff of people ready to attend every event that comes up. The Secretariat of State will delegate this responsibility to the local Nuncio, who in turn looks for someone in the local nation to help out. In this case, the conference is in Montreal, in English, and has to deal with both cultural and economic issues. I live in Montreal, I’m English, and I have a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business, with a specialization in intercultural relations. So they called me.
I’m looking forward to the experience — it should be different, no matter what. But I’ve got a lot of preparatory documents to plough through. It’ll keep me busy until the opening session next Monday.
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Post for October 6, 2006
I was near Quebec City the last few days for a conference of the young priests of Quebec. I went to one of these 4 years ago (they happen every 2 years), and this year I decided to go once again. It was a good chance to get to know priests from all over the province, as well as to hobnob with some of the upper crust of Quebec society (Denise Bombardier, Michel Bisonnette and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, for example). Apart from that, we basically spent most of the time eating and drinking, talking and praying (not necessarily in that order). I took the chance to rest a bit as well, which felt good.
One particularly moving moment for me was when we visited the Cathedral of Quebec to pay our respects to Cardinal Vachon (may he rest in peace). It was late — visiting hours by the body were almost over — yet the family was still there. All 40 or so of us sang hymns of prayer for Cardinal Vachon, and everyone was quite touched by it. I also got a chance to pass by the shrine of Blessed Bishop de Laval and say a prayer for the church of Quebec.
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Post for September 21, 2006
I got elected to a new post today: member of the board of the clergy pension fund.
YAWN!
Or maybe not. The fund is facing a serious deficit because of a recent actuarial re-evaluation. The challenge is to make sure we catch up, to ensure a reasonable retirement for our priests. All in all, another form of service for my brothers.
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Post for September 15, 2006
This evening was our latest diocesan healing mass, set to be held at St. Willibrord’s church in Verdun. I was supposed to arrive around 6:30 pm to pray with the team and help set up, but I only got there around 7:20 pm. Why was I late? Because I was already engaged in healing ministry — in the local metro station!
Things were going so well. The church is only a 5 min walk from the Verdun metro station, and I was more than on time — I was early! But as I got off the metro and headed up the stairs, I came across a fairly dramatic sight: a man collapsed on his back, his torso on the top landing with his legs on the steps. What had happened to him? Had he slipped on the steps and bumped his head, knocking him unconscious? Perhaps a sudden attack of fatigue, so he sat down but then swooned, falling backwards? It could have been anything: diabetic coma, stroke, heart attack. One thing for sure: he was out cold.
I went over to the booth of the metro attendant, and asked about the man. The attendant told me he had already called for an ambulance. So I went back to the man, and I didn’t think it was right that he be left alone there. And while I did not know if he was sick, or even if he was Catholic, I got out my holy oils (which I happened to have on me because I was headed to a healing mass!) and anointed the man, right there in the station. I don’t know what the passers-by thought of the scene, but I do know one person who was quite happy: the metro cleaning lady, a sweet middle-aged Hispanic woman. We got some security tape and cordoned off that particular stairwell, and she got a wet cloth to put on his forehead (perhaps it would make him more comfortable). She told me how her whole family was “very Catholic”, and I got the impression she quite glad to see a priest sticking around to attend to this man.
The ambulance took a while to get there, at least 30 minutes, although I don’t think it was the fault of emergency services — from what I gather, it was the subway security central that fumbled the ball, as when another passenger went to call 911 for us from a pay phone the ambulance was there in 5 minutes. The man’s breathing and pulse were good, but they were worried about possible neck injury so they began to prep him for a ride on a stretcher. As they adjusted his head he let out a big exhale, and (sadly or happily, depending on your point of view) the smell of booze filled the air. We all looked at each other and smiled — ok, he was fine, just passed out. I made a joke to the Hispanic lady: “I wonder if I can get my oils back?” While we don’t know what else might be going on in this poor man’s life, at least we knew there was no acute medical need, and that made me feel a bit better. I then got up and headed to the healing mass. What a start to the evening!
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Post for September 10, 2006
I learned today that a man I had been visiting regularly at the West Island Palliative Care hospice died during the night. Joe was a great guy — his dying process was a real spiritual journey for him (and me). I had lost touch with him when I moved downtown (and changed jobs), so I was pleased when his daughter contacted me yesterday and asked me to visit with him. He was no longer conscious, so I could not give him the Communion he so eagerly received on all the other visits, but we did anoint him once again and I prayed the Apostolic Pardon for him. It was very consoling for everyone, and I guess it is just proof once more that God is amazing in his providence, for Joe died within a few hours. Rest in peace, Joe.
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Post for June 26, 2006
Tonight was the meeting of the Board of Directors for the hospital at which I work. While I am not a member of the board the meetings are open to the public, so I thought I should attend at least one meeting before I “retire” from hospital ministry. It was quite interesting, actually — I learned a lot, and I got a good “feel” for the topics presented to the Board. In fact, I saw some ways that the Pastoral Department can cooperate more effectively within the hospital and greater CSSS. So all in all, a good investment of time!
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Post for June 22, 2006
I had the privilege of being the Master of Ceremonies for a truly blessed event this evening: the ordination of a new brother to the priesthood. May God grant Fr. Rudolf many years!
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Post for April 2, 2006
My flight to Washington DC went very well, and it gave me a chance to have a couple of unexpected encounters. One of the guards at the security checkpoint was actually a parishioner, and a family I met in the airport was from my former parish of St. Thomas a Becket! At one point, in the waiting area of our gate (they were taking the same plane as me), two little girls came by and asked, “Are you Fr. Tom?” I said yes, and they smiled and said “You were at our church!” Our plane was pretty empty, so during the flight one of them came over and sat next to me and just chatted up a storm. I got quite the hug when we parted in DC.
Fr. Scott Woods, a fine young priest from St. John Neumann parish in Gaithersburg, came and got me at Dulles and drove me back to the rectory. I met the pastor, and then I just crashed — I was up at 4:00 am and by now I was *beat*. I snoozed most of the day, and then went to Mother of God for the start of the symposium. The opening talk was given by Fr. Francis Martin, and it was just BRILLIANT. I felt like jumping up half the time in exclamation at some new point he had made. What a grace to be in the presence of true theology — deep faith nourished by deep understanding.
The next day (Saturday) there were 5 other speakers, who were also excellent. The symposium was quite small (only 30-40 participants) so it was easy to get to know people. I spent the whole day there, only getting back around 9 pm. The focus of the symposium was on “Healing the heart for holiness”, with perspectives on both Eastern and Western approaches to healing ministry. Thanks to the format it was easy for participants to add their own $0.02, so I am hoping I was able to contribute something as well. For an intellectual type like me, it was nourishing and stimulating.
Today (Sunday) there was a big brunch around 10:00 am, so I got a chance to see a lot of these people again, and then I had a series of private meetings with different panelists from the conference. We discussed the contribution of the Charismatic Renewal to the Church, the understanding and use of the charismatic gifts and the role of the hierarchy in structuring that use, and the nature of covenant communities in a broader ecclesiological context. This last conversation isn’t finished yet, and I’m hoping to continue it tomorrow.
I fly home late tomorrow, so my next post will likely be from Montreal. God bless!
P.S. In case you are wondering about the state of my computer, what was initially a case of virus removal has turned into a general overhaul. When I get back I’ll be upgrading my memory in order to handle some new software, my Internet connection needs some debugging (it keeps dropping the connection, making the net almost impossible to use), some drivers need updating, etc. I’m hoping all will be well by the end of this week.
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Post for March 30, 2006
So I’m walking along the 4-South wing, and I see the name of a patient posted outside a room. It looks familiar, so I decide to pop in and say hello. The problem is, both patients in there are men, and I’m looking for a woman, so I’m wondering what’s going on. I’m also a little embarassed, because each patient has company, making for quite a few people in the room when I suddenly barge in looking confused. The conversations abruptly stop, with everyone staring seriously at the man in the collar, wondering why he’s there and who he wants to see.
Just then, one of the patients says, “Oh, a priest! I thought for a moment that you were my son.”
To which I replied, with an impish grin on my face, “Is your son good looking?”
Everyone in the room starts to smile and relax a bit. After a few moments, the man says, “I’m not sure if you are trying to complement my son, or just yourself!” To which I reply, again impishly, “I leave that up to you to decide, sir!”
A bit of small talk ensues and I leave, with a smile going with me.
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Post for March 7, 2006
Today I got a call on my pager, 15 minutes before I was going to leave the hospital to teach downtown. Calling the ward desk, I was told that a patient wanted to see me. Could it wait till tomorrow, I inquired? No, it was urgent, was the response. OK, then, I headed downstairs right away.
The nurse let me to the patient’s room. He was quite upset to be stuck in the hospital. I asked him what he wanted to talk about, and it turned out he didn’t want to talk about anything. He wanted me to feed his cat.
Excuse me?
It turns out that this unfortunate gentleman really has nobody here in the city to help him, and by now his cat was 4 or 5 days without food. He did not remember the number of the superintentant of his building, either, so he had nobody to call. Could I head over to his apartment and explain things to the super, and maybe be let in to feed that cat?
Well, this sure wasn’t part of the job description. Running through my head were the words of advice I had received time and time again: “Don’t try and rescue everybody out there! You have to distinguish between what is essential, and what is merely important! There is only one Saviour, and you are not him!”
But on the other hand, this situation involved a starving cat. And I’m a cat person, so I felt for the poor thing.
So I said ok, with a rolling of my eyes towards the Lord, who by now (I am sure) was having another one of his divine belly laughs. I mean, first the bird, now a cat. I’m really making my way up the food chain!
Things, it turned out, were not as simple as all that. The super is new there, just recently moved to Canada from Romania, and he could not find the proper key. So it was back to the hospital to get the key (and permission to use it, witnessed by a staff member), until I finally managed to get in the door and feed the poor cat. Boy, was he happy to see me!
It turns out that there is actually a deeper lesson in all of this. At one point, as I was heading back to the hospital, I asked the Lord what the point of all this was. And the Lord answered, in one of those moments of clarity that you just know is a divine response. “Tom,” He said, “if I had asked you to do something extravagently important for this man, something heroic, you would have done it without question. Yet now, when I ask you to merely show him a very simple kindness, you are full of doubts and questions and annoyance. Does that make sense?”
“He who is faithful in small things shows himself worthy to be trusted with greater things. It’s not the big things that count, but the little things, done with great love.”
So I fed his pet, and even pet it for awhile. I also took care of a couple of other things for the man (returned some rented DVD’s, etc.) Tomorrow I will see him again, and I’ll talk with the doctor/social worker/whoever about the need to help him put some structure in his life. I know I can’t take all this on as some sort of long-term responsibility — but in the meantime, I can at least feed the cat.
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Post for March 6, 2006
Our parish hosts a weekly support and social meeting for persons suffering from multiple sclerosis. As a way to honour the decades of devotion of the woman who coordinates the effort, we had a special visit from Mr. Jean Charest, the Prime Minister of Quebec, as well as Mr. Geoffrey Kelley, the Minister of Indian Affairs, and our local MNA Ms. Yolande James.
(Left to right: Fr. Roger Martineau, pastor of St. Luke parish; Mr. Jean Charest, Prime Minister of Quebec; and myself.)
What a hoot!
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Post for March 4, 2006
I was sitting with a couple as part of a marriage preparation session today, and just as we were wrapping things up one of our parish teenagers came to the office door. She was sobbing, and tears were streaming down her face. I got up, startled, and asked her what was wrong. “It’s my bird,” she sniffled. “He’s going to die.”
Her bird?
Yep, her bird. Why was he going to die? Because he was a tropical bird, and it was cold outside.
Huh?
It turned out that this young lady had left her house while the bird was out of its cage, and in such a way that the bird was able to fly away down the block. Apparently the bird is a Catholic, however, because it flew to the church and was sitting in a maple tree on our lawn.
So I went outside, and saw her sister there anxiously talking into her cellphone. “Do you have a ladder, Father?” Um, sure. So I told my engaged couple that our meeting was now over, as I had to work to help rescue a tropical bird sitting in our tree.
You just never know what to expect in this job.
After putting on my coat and boots and bringing out the stepladder, I noticed a police cruiser coming down the street and turning into our Church parking lot. I went over to greet the police officer to see what was up.
I discovered that the second sister (the one on her cell phone) had called the fire department (!) to try and get them to come and rescue the bird. They had refused, saying they didn’t do animals (only people), but since she had called 911 (!!) the police decided to come and investigate. A second police vehicle arrived, one labelled “Supervisor”, so pretty soon we had 3 cops and a trainee staring up into the tree (!!!) alongside two close-to-hysterical young women and a priest trying hard to remain compassionate without laughing. (That last one would be me, by the way.)
The bird didn’t like all this attention, apparently, because he flew higher into the tree, and then over to another tree, and then onto the roof of the church. By this time the father of the girls had arrived, so the next thing I knew he was climbing onto the roof after the animal. I had another engaged couple arriving, however, so I took my leave of the gang, turning it all over to the pastor (who had just come back from a morning appointment wondering why there were police in our parking lot).
So I’m sitting in the office, chatting with the couple. I have my back to the window, which means they are able to look past me onto the other side of the church. At one point I noticed that the future groom was no longer looking at me, but looking past me onto the lawn. And then the bride was doing the same thing, asking me “Who are all those people walking around on the lawn? And why does one of them have a gun?” So I turned around, only discover the bird had taken flight once again and was now on the *other* side of the church (the police still being present to help — God knows how).
The story does have a happy ending. After the girl called the mayor (!!!!) to try and get some help from the city in the rescue operation, the bird eventually came down to land on the finger of one of the girls. They took it home, where it (hopefully) will now be safe and sound.
Did I mention that we priests really do see it all? I’m nowhere near to getting all the mileage I can out of this story, and I have a feeling it is only going to get better with each telling.
Finally, I’d just like to mention that I have the explicit permission of the family to tease them by writing this post. They are good sports, and we all had a pretty good laugh the next day. Who knows how God is going to use this incident for his glory — but I can almost see the twinkle in His eye.
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Post for February 28, 2006
Today is Shrove Tuesday, when we put out the call to be “shriven” of our sins during Lent. Of course, it also goes by other names: Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Pancake Tuesday. The latter name had particular significance here at St. Luke’s, as during the evening we had two sittings of a community pancake supper.
One of the blessings I have discovered as a priest is that people, in general, really *want* to love their priests. Some are stand-offish, of course, but even that is usually a sign of their desire to love their priests — they just don’t want to have that love rebuffed or rejected. Honestly, as long as you aren’t a complete jerk, people often go out of their way to help you or make you welcome. Just a very simple example: at the pancake supper I asked if the syrup being offered was corn syrup or maple syrup. The person asked “Which do you prefer?” and I responded “Maple”, and the next thing I knew she was going into the back to hunt around for a can of the alternative syrup. I protested, saying there was no need to go to any trouble, but she would not hear of it: “For you, Father, it’s no problem.” Honestly, I sometimes have trouble accepting this generosity, as I really don’t want to be a burden to people, and because I also sense a potential spiritual danger: the danger of getting used to the kindness, such that a sense of entitlement arises and I lose a sense of gratitude. May God preserve us priests from this!
One cute part of the supper was the crowning of a King and Queen for each of the two sittings. The kids put their names in a basket, and two were picked to wear the crowns for that sitting. One little girl was so delighted to be the Queen that she was speechless. It was very cute.
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Post for February 25, 2006
The team working on the Consolacion library project has been quite busy of late, labelling the various book donations we have received so far so that they are ready to go for a Dewey Decimal System library. As well, the boxes we received from the shipping company needed to be reinforced before they could be packed. But as you can see, the first three boxes are ready to go! Hooray!
Please pray for the Philippines, as that nation is going through a time of political turmoil as we speak. I doubt it will affect this project all that much, but we will keep our eyes on things.
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Post for February 23, 2006
Back when I was the associate pastor at St. Thomas à Becket parish, I promised to take the baptismal choir on field trips to discover the religious heritage of Montreal.
Then I got transferred.
But they did not forget this project! When I wrote my post regarding the various shrines around the city, Sonia left a comment reminding me of my promise. After a flurry of emails, we finally had a chance to make our first field trip: to the Museum of the Hotel-Dieu, and to La Visitation parish.
The first part of our trip was a fascinating journey through the early history of the colony of Ville-Marie (the ancient name for Montreal). We were led by a volunteer guide, an older woman named Lise Roy, and she was a real pleasure to be with — very sweet. We discovered that, in fact, the museum was currently closed to the public, but that they had opened it up especially for us because we had called to reserve for a group tour. Quite the special service! And at the end, after we purchased some small medals of Servant of God Jeanne Mance, and gotten some holy cards for her and Servant of God Jerome le Royer, they also gave us some history books regarding Jeanne Mance as a gift. All in all, a very interesting visit, and well worth it!
The next part of our trip was to La Visitation church, in the Ahuntsic quarter of town. This church is the oldest still standing in Montreal — built in the 1750′s, during the time of the French regime! And it is really stunning — not overly ornate inside, but beautiful and elegant. See the pictures for yourself! We were taken around the parish by Fr. Patrick Goulet, a classmate of mine, who also took us into the attic and into the crypt. Many thanks to Fr. Patrick for his time.
I am proposing two options for our next field trip: (1) Old Montreal, with visits to Notre-Dame Basilica and the Chapelle Bonsecours, or (2) a visit to the Grand Seminary of Montreal and to the shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. I’m looking forward to it already!
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Post for February 16, 2006
Today I attended a very special meeting between the Cardinal Archbishop and his younger priests. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the gathering, but I was pleasantly surprised. My brother priests expressed themselves quite openly regarding the challenges they face in their ministry, and the Cardinal himself spoke quite candidly regarding the current state of health of our presbyterium. Our topics were (1) our living out of the mission of the Church, and (2) the question of solidarity within the presbyterium, especially between generations of priests.
The second question is of particular interest to me. I have heard several times of individuals complaining that many younger Catholics, including many young priests, are very “conservative” and that they have a misplaced nostalgia for pre-Vatican II times. They cannot understand, for example, why younger Catholics would want to attend a Latin mass celebrated according to the pre-Vatican II form. But I don’t believe this is “nostalgia”, as Catholics of my generation and younger weren’t even born at this point. What this is, is a desire on the part of some to connect with something that makes sense. There is a generation prior to our that seemed to do a fine job of exploding every “taboo” there was, and in the process making a fine mess of things, especially family life. So imagine yourself growing up in a broken home, or seeing yourself surrounded by friends from such homes, where you are told that the reason for the generally permissive atmosphere is to allow for greater possibilities for happiness — and yet you can’t seem to find it. So you look for a solid foundation, something to base your life upon, and you find it in the Catholic Church: it’s been around a long time, it believes in Truth as something attainable, it has a Tradition that is both internally consistent and consistent throughout history, and it challenges you to excellence while promising that it is possible. Suddenly you are home, part of a family that includes brothers and sisters all over the world, both on earth and in heaven, some of whom are real saints.
And so why are such Catholics so “conservative”? I think the answer is obvious: because they want to defend their home. To be honest, I prefer the term “traditional”, because what they are really seeking is not to “conserve” anything, but to plug into a Tradition that is greater than themselves which they in turn can pass on to others. In general they are open to reasonable development within the Catholic stream, *as long as* such proposals do not make a mockery (or worse, risk damaging) the very thing they hold dear. It strikes me as a reasonable position.
As for the pre-Vatican II mass people, I respect where they are coming from. For many, Vatican II seemed to be a moment when a lot of craziness entered the Church. I do not believe this was the fault of Vatican II, but for people who are particularly trying to connect to a grand Tradition (especially for those with kids, who want to surround them with good defenses against the poisons in our culture), I can see why some of them might want to keep a bit of a greater distance. They aren’t necessarily saying that Vatican II was crazy, but just that it seems to have at times been surrounded by craziness that they’d rather not have to deal with. In the long run I don’t think mere avoidance is healthy, but I believe in being very patient, understanding and encouraging for those trying to find their way in faithfulness.
I think the one big danger that does exist, though (and this applies to people of all generations and opinions) is the danger of bitterness. This is especially true of the young Catholics I just described, as they often find themselves trying to buck a culture that they know is try to entice them to a negative path (but still it isn’t easy) and receiving very little encouragement (or downright criticism) from other “older, wiser” members of the Church. Critism from “the world” they can understand, but from fellow Christians? Aren’t they supposed to friends and mentors? And so bitterness can set in, and when it does charity quickly disappears.
How do we avoid this fate? I think it comes down to having a properly centred faith. Catholic faith is ultimately *not* a faith in a theological or traditional system, it is faith in a Person, Jesus Christ, whom we encounter through the Holy Spirit and who is leading us to the Father. Our Catholic faith can supply us with so much on the human side of the equation — it is an incarnate faith after all — but it can’t just be something that “supplies our needs” from the outside, even if they are noble needs like a desire for meaning and purpose. Jesus is more than an “answer”, he is Love incarnate, and he must be encountered as such if our faith is to come to full maturity. And when we do, bitterness has a much harder time taking root — because Jesus wasn’t a bitter man, and he leads us away from poison.
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Post for February 15, 2006
My phone rang at 7:45 am. “Fr. Tom, there is a man in Emergency who is dying, and the family has called for a priest.”
So I call the Emergency department at the hospital (I’m still in my pyjamas at this point) and they confirm this info. I ask, “How urgent is his case? For example, does he have a few days, or only a few hours?”
Response: “He could be gone within the next 5 minutes. Get over here.”
So I finished off my mini-wheats, dumped my tea in my Tim Hortons portable cup, got dressed and dragged a comb across my head. I made it there (through traffic) a little after 8.
And I’m glad I did. As I arrived, the doctor just telling the poor wife “There’s nothing more we can do.” He looked at me and continued, “It’s his turn now.”
Honestly, I thought this man might die in the middle of the anointing. It’s the first time I chose to use the super-short emergency ritual, just for that very reason. He didn’t, but he clearly was getting weaker with every breath.
After a bit of chatting I headed back home, as I still had the morning mass to celebrate! And then a funeral 35 km away…..and then my hospital shift in the afternoon…..and then meeting a couple for marriage prep…..I think it’s time to go and catch up with my breviary!
Life as a priest sure isn’t boring!
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