Abbey-Roads2

Fr. DeBruycker is back at St. Joan’s.

He was gone for awhile, so he missed some of the fireworks that goes on there.  Ray from Stella sent me a piece Father wrote for this Sunday’s bulletin.  I reprint it here:

Pastors 2 Cents: From Fr. Jim DeBruycker

It’s good to be back. First of all thank you to Fr. Cassidy who made it so easy to get away and for his leadership during our latest crisis. The prayer service of June 25 has been described to me as one of the most moving and memorable services held here at St. Joan’s. Forgiveness and understanding called forward in truly hurtful times are powerful.

Do you know what Mass is? In the Church it is what the sun is in our world, it is the soul of our faith, the center of our religion, the end and center of all the ceremonies, rites and sacraments. In a word, it is the summary of all that is beautiful and good in the Church of God.”

- St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751) This quote, and many others like it on old yellowed paper, were glued to the wall in the sacristy at St. Leonard of Port Maurice. St. Leonard was the father of the ferverino, those short fire and brimstone speeches calling the sinner to repentance with threats of damnation. His fame was built on his preaching repentance through meditation on the sufferings of Christ in the stations and especially the Mass.

“Be now confounded for very wonder, reflecting that the proposition just laid down is indeed most true; a soul assisting with adequate devotion at holy Mass renders more honor to God than that which all the Angels and all the Saints put together render with all their adorations.”

- St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)When I was first called to priesthood, as with many of you in the congregation, it was this theology which inspired me. The great privilege of serving at and saying Mass. It still is and it is still true at St. Joan’s. If nobody cared, where would the controversy be of who said it, where and how and by whom? At Mass we meet God face to face in the elements of the Eucharist and in the gathered assembly in prayer.

Why bring this up? On Sunday afternoon I made the mistake of checking my e-mails that had accumulated during the last six weeks. There were surprisingly few about the GLBT prayer group, but literally a hundred commenting on a YouTube film of our Palm Sunday Mass with the masks created by our children in cooperation with the In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater.

The insinuation was that we were idiots who despised the Mass. Nothing could have been further from the truth. We made sure all of the elements of the Mass were there and used the art of this world renowned acting troop and the art of our children to help deepen the sense of the mystery of the passion. Many commented on how this Mass, more than ever before, made the betrayal and death of our Lord come alive in their hearts. To our detractors; you own no monopoly on understanding or reverence. - Fr. Jim 

So here are my unsolicited 2 cents:

I already forgot about the controversy over the puppet Mass - Father has a point however - probably more valid about 10 to 20 years ago when innovations, along with good intentions, were enough.  While reading his comments,  I realized that the parish actually thrives on controversy - much like a severely dysfunctional family does - living through one crises after another - it is what unifies them as a ‘community’ I think.  As such, they seem to have marginalized themselves into a corner, filled with co-dependent individualists in a state of continuous dissent.  God bless Fr. DeBruycker for his deep faith, heartfelt sincerity, and genuine compassion - he is a good man in a very difficult job. 

The Third Apparition of Our Lady at Fatima.

On July 13 1917 they recited the rosary with the crowd, they saw the usual reflex of light and then the Lady on the holmoak. Lucy asked: “What do you want from me?” She answered: “That you come the 13th of the next month, that you continue to recite the Rosary every day to our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world and the end of the war, because only She will be able to aid you.” Lucy said ” I want to ask you to tell us who you are, and to make a miracle for the crowd to believe that you appear.” She Answered: “you continue to come here. In october I will tell you who I am, that which I want, and I will do a miracle that all can see and believe. Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say often this prayer, especially during any sacrifice: “O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins commited against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”. As she spoke these words, Our lady stretched out her hands, and bright rays came forth which seemed to penetrate into the earth. All at once the ground vanished, and the children saw Hell, frightened they lifted their eyes to the Lady who told them:”You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save future souls God wishes to establish in the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved.” Then She said:” If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will scatter her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecution of the Church. The good will be martyed, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be destroyed…But in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, Russia will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world“. “Do you want to learn a prayer?” the vision asked, “Yes we do!” the children responded. “When you recite the Rosary, say at the end of each decade: Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.“

That isn’t a question.

Merely an observation.  Cardinal Schönborn from Vienna (considered ‘papabille’ before the election of Cardinal Ratzinger) appears to be a rather cosmopolitan man.  Not long ago, he approved a blasphemous art exhibit in the Cathedral’s museum, and just recently he awarded a pro-abortionist woman one of the highest honors conferred by the Roman Catholic Church to lay-people; Papal knighthood.

The wonderful world of Eugenics.

“On June 25, Vienna Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schönborn awarded Vienna Deputy Mayor Renate Brauner the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great, one of the highest honors conferred by the Catholic Church.  The German-language Catholic news service Kreuz.net reports that Brauner is a well-known supporter of abortion.

In 2000 when Austrian politician Herbert Haupt attempted to protect the right to life of handicapped children by banning abortion for such unborn children after the third month of pregnancy, Brauner strenuously opposed the move.  “Hands off the abortion law!” Kreuz.net quotes her as saying. 

“I consider Haupt’s suggestion to reduce the period of the so-called eugenic indication, an attempt to call abortion into question,” she said at the time. “This becomes clear as Haupt challenges the exclusive responsibility of the woman to decide for or against an abortion.”

In autumn 2005 she said: ‘If we socialist women speak about lasting values, we mean lasting women’s values - abortion rights are part of it.’” - Story

I’m sorry, I just don’t understand.