WestFriars
Newsletter of the Saint Barbara Province of the Franciscans
VOLUME 43, No. 6
November/December 2009
Friar Alan E. McCoy, O.F.M.
1913-2009
96 years old,
76 years in vows,
71 years ordained
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EDITORIAL MUSINGS
One of the important updating is the individual friar’s instructions about burial. How well I remember a friar who told his confreres that he wanted cremation…but in his written instructions he named ground/vault burial. And then
the relatives got involved…
For years I just assumed that my lifeless body would occupy a slot in the friars
vault. But a recent wake service definitely and definitively changed my mind.
The occasion was the wake service for the late Fr. Emery Tang at Sts. Simon and Jude
church. No casket. No struggling (if not dottering) pallbearers, no piles of flowers, no “busy
stuff.” The ceremony was extraordinarily well planned down to the proverbial last detail,
thanks to Fr. Michael Harvey (who, incidentally but importantly, accomplished a magnificent remodeling of the church).
The opening procession included the ashes in a modest hand-carried wood tent, as it were,
and this was placed on a pedestal in front of the altar. Then the traditional prayers began.
What struck me was that everyone’s attention was focused on the liturgy, not on a casket.
The music set the tone: reverent and reflective. Only too often, even at Franciscan funerals,
the hymns almost try to cover up what is going on, implicitly persuading us to sing lyrics that
are totally foreign to what we are feeling at that particular moment—sort of a banal cover-up
demanding that everyone be happy. A sad countenance is considered bad form. (Bluntly, a
display of sorrow makes others feel uncomfortable.)
There was a grand simplicity coupled with a deeply felt serenity. It befitted Fr. Emery, an
exemplary priest and superb artist.
Yes, there is much to be said in favor of a choice: ground burial or cremation. (In the case
of cremation, one friar offered the suggestion that—since there is so much emphasis on the
green-house environment, etc.—perhaps it would be even better to place the ashes in a cardboard box and bury it in the ground…with a simple marker or plaque.)
Since November is traditionally the month of remembrance, in this issue some photos and a
commentary by Fr. Joe Schwab are included. Joe, as guardian at the Mission at that time, is
the one who had the crypt under the sanctuary opened and examined. Quite interesting. WJR
WestFriars
Editor: Warren J. Rouse, OFM . Layout, Design & Circulation: Ali Packard
Archives: Timothy Arthur, OFM
Submissions: (E-Mail attachment preferred) [email protected] or:
Warren Rouse, OFM PO Box 127 Malibu, CA 90265 Tel: 310.924.2124 Fax: 310.456.9417
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Warren,
FRIAR ALAN McCOY, O.F.M.
I write especially to congratulate you on the
fine Sept/Oct edition of WestFriars
To celebrate the life and the memories of Friar Alan, the January issue
of WestFriars will publish your
personal reminiscences and tributes.
I read with great interest the deserved words
that the Bishop of Tucson had for Tom and
Max. Humility and gentleness (notwithstanding the grip of a master pipefitter) have
indeed been the mark of Tom, as a grand
sense of humor has been the M.O. of Max.
Tom's parish is (or was) the size of Connecticut. That's what they used to tell us about
our parish in Provo. It did take some time to
travel about. 26 years for Tom, and 19 for
Max -- not counting their missionary days in
Asia.
The deadline for contributions
will be December 1.
If at all possible, email attachments
are preferred. -WJR
I thoroughly enjoyed too the two eulogies
given for Floyd and the one for Emery. ExProvincials seem to be in demand nowadays!
Lengthy talks, to be sure, but also heartfelt,
touching, informative, and eloquent. I was
unable to make Emery's memorial in Fruitvale, but I did get to Floyd's funeral Mass
at St. Boniface. A great reunion with many
of the friars, for which I am grateful. Sort
of like meeting my own blood relatives -- at
present we do it mostly at funerals! Sic transit. Floyd was indeed a wonder. Floyd, Tom,
and Max -- in my view, wonderful friars
who fill well the shoes of our past great ones,
such as, Tim, Giles, and Claude, to name but
a very few. The friars have, despite difficulties, much to be proud of. Never overlook
that.
LETTERS
I was so excited to read about Malibu, San
Damiano and Mission Santa Barbara in the
new issue of Westfriars.
What was so compelling for me was the way
the articles shared different perspectives of
our wonderful places.
I believe by expressing our places, as sacred
grounds available for peace and good, continue to help the friars see how viable and
necessary Retreat Centers are to society and
to the friars.
Thank you Fr.Ray , Sr. Susan and Fr.Warren,
for your articles. [Charlie Brown, FRC]
P.S. In my earlier note re your latest Westfriars I overlooked mentioning that at Floyd's
impressive and well deserved funeral in S.F.
One thing probably went unnoticed by most
all the throng who attended: his classmate,
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Bob Mariante, flew into S.F. from Boston
with his wife on the day before the funeral
for one reason: to attend the services for a
man he respected. The two of them returned
to Boston the next day. I thought that was
one magnificent tribute. [Andrew Galligan]
groups. I love it and it provides a rich source
of meaning to my life. One support group
is for anyone in the Sun City Center, and the
other is at Prince of Peace Catholic Church.
I also teach a course called LIVING LIFE
FULLY based in part on Maslow's Hierarchy
of Needs and Erickson' Eight Stages of Life.
My goal is to help seniors that they are not
retired to simply wait for death, but to grow
until their last breath. And in addition to
these activities I volunteer to visit Hospice
patients. My life is full and fulfilling.
Dear Fr. Warren,
Thank you for adding me to your Westfriars
list. I enjoyed my first edition very much.
Of special interest was Editorial Musings on
psychology and spirituality. I am pretty sure
that I did not mention to you that at age 65 I
retired from upper management and became
a psychotherapist. I loved Fr. Len Kofler'
zinger: "Spirituality without psychology
is not anchored. Psychology without spirituality is directionless". Additionally your
comment that "everyone is wounded". I
love the practice of psychotherapy and am a
very good diagnostician. I attribute this to
the fact that I spent many years in business.
Most therapists went from college to graduate school and then into practice.
I mentioned to you that I attended the St. Anthony's Seminary Alumni gathering at Santa
Barbara which was interesting and enjoyable.
It was a real connection even though I did
not know a soul there. I also wish there were
a San Luis Rey Alumni gathering. I did reconnect with the Franciscan spirit and wish I
could be a member again. [Frank Koebrich
‘50]
OUR MISSIONARIES
TOHONO O’ODHAM BID
‘FATHER MAX’ FAREWELL
My Lord has provided or made possible a
wonderful life for me: my Catholic faith,
the seminary, years my Franciscan spirit,
my education, my wife and son, the three
years with the U.S. Air Force in Europe with
all the travel opportunities, my rapidly rising career in sales and marketing into top
management, and then the decision to return
to the university at age 65 to become a psychotherapist. The unseen finger of our loving
God has been in my life in the big and small
things thus proving His intimate and personal love for me.
By Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas
A great blessing in our Diocese is our cultural diversity, and a wonderful part of that
diversity was in evidence on Aug. 16 when
I joined the people of San Solano Missions
Parish in Topawa on the Tohono O’odham
Reservation in saying farewell to their beloved pastor, Father Max Hottle, O.F.M.
Having served the people there for 19 years,
Father Hottle is leaving us for at least a year
to pastor St. Francis de Paula Parish in Tu-
Here in Florida I facilitate two support
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larosa, New Mexico.
Father Max was greeted at St.
Catherine Parish Hall by children who performed a special
blessing dance complete with
rainbows, thunder and lightning and birds in the sky. It
was beautiful!
Father Max and his successor,
Father Ponchie, O.F.M., stood
with me as Joseph Enos, a
community elder of the Tohono O’odham, gave a blessing prayer, thanking God for
the parents of Father Max and
asking all in the community to
give Father Max their blessing.
cess of evangelization in the parish.
As many of you know, Gerard pulled off
After a delicious lunch, we were honored by the miracle of the decade (possibly of the
century) here in Tierra Blanca a couple of
the presence of Ned Norris, chairman of the
years ago. In a town that averages no more
Tohono O’odham Nation’s Tribal Government, who told us how much Father Max has than two hours of electricity a night and has
meant to the people of the community during only two telephones, he got the internet up
and running as part of a computer lab in the
his nearly two decades of service.
high school where he is principal and teaches
all the religious education classes. UnfortuOne of Pope Benedict XVI’s intentions for
this special Year for Priests is that priests will nately, all technical assistance for the internet
service is located in Lima, three days travel
become occasions for people to meet God.
from Tierra Blanca by way of one ferry, a
In the years I have known him, I have witsmall plane and domestic airline flight.
nessed Father Max living out that intention
with great dedication.
So, as in many other areas, Gerard has become a self-trained computer technician.
We hope Father Max will return to serve in
The other day, the internet system failed to
our Diocese in a year or so.
function. Any other person would have just
thrown their hands in the air in desperation,
TOMMY KING WRITES:
but not Gerard. He pulled apart the internet
transmitter unit, played with some wires,
After celebrating the Feast of St. Francis
did some soldering, and got the system up
with gusto in Tierra Blanca, I have escaped
and running again. Above is a photo of him
again to Pucallpa to rest a bit and complete
working his electronic miracles in the middle
various tasks that I hope will serve the pro5
Catequista to help me in my
work with the animators
and to support the work of
a priest from their diocese.
Their generosity financed
most of the publication of the
new edition in May of this
year and provided 100 copies for me to use in the parish. Alleluia! to the left is a
photo of me with some animators at a recent three-day
training session, showing off
their new parish T-shirts and
newly revised copies of El Libro del Catequista.
of the Peruvian Amazon.
To say “it is a small world” when we talk
about the Body of Christ is the understatement of the year. Another example from my
neck of the woods: El Libro del Catequista
is one of the main books I use for animator
(lay pastoral leaders in the villages) training; it has been out of print for print for two
years. It is a wonderful resource because it
addresses many key areas for the animators
( the Catholic vision of the Bible, preparing
parents and godparents for Baptism, homily
preparation for Liturgy of the Word services,
basic Church history, etc.).
When the village of Tierra Blanca was
founded over fifty years ago, Francis of
Assisi was designated as its patron saint. So,
as you can imagine, the first week of October every year is full of religious and civic
celebrations. Since we Franciscans Friars
celebrate this year the eighth centenary of
the founding of our Order, I wanted to do
something special. With a little encouragement from me, six young men and a woman
lector agreed to present a simple drama of
the Transitus of St. Francis--key events during the final hours of his life. Since Francis
First, the printer in Lima said it was being
revised and then they told me that there was
no money to print the revised edition. It
just happens to be that the author, Fr. Gerald Hanlon, who has worked for many years
north of us in the Vicariate of Iquitos, is from
the Diocese of Leeds in England. My sister
Linda was very active for many years in her
parish in the Diocese of Leeds before recently returning to live in the United States. As a
going-away present, Linda asked her fellow
parishioners to make contributions toward
the publication of the revised El Libro del
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are our next door neighbors. It was a relaxing time full of lots of laughter. From left
to right in the attached photo you see Sisters
Ana María, Guadalupe and Esther. Ana
María, a native of Argentina, is the superior
of the community, coordinates the religious
education of the children and works with a
women’s group of the parish who visit the
sick. Guadalupe is a Peruvian packed full
of energy. As a nurse she attends to the sick
of the town in her simple clinic on weekday
mornings, regularly visits the home-bound
sick, coordinates the youth choir for parish
liturgies and works with the parish youth
group. Esther, also a Peruvian, is director of
the vocational training center in Tierra Blanca that teaches sewing and beautician skills
to women so they can earn extra money for
their families. She also prepares children for
their First Communion.
called death his “sister” and sang God´s
praises even in the pain-filled moments of his
dying process, the Transitus is an important
tradition celebrated by Franciscans during
the evening of October 3rd . Above is a
photo of the group who presented the Transitus for the first time in the history
of the parish. They worked hard
at rehearsals and I think they did
a great job. Since the procession
with the statue of St. Francis is an
import tradition after the solemn
Mass on honor of the saint, decorating the float is serious business.
Above is a photo of some wonderful kids of the parish who helped in
this process.
Thanks again for your ever-faithful spiritual
and financial support! I am very aware of
how your prayers help me to minister with
joy and peace in my heart.
After all the religious celebrations
were over on October 4th, Gerard and I enjoyed a festive lunch
with the Franciscan sisters who
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JOHN GIBBONS WRITES:
set that her garden was flooded. When we
built the church, the land around it ended up
higher than before. This resulted in standing
water in the neighbor’s garden which threatened to rot their potato crop – a serious issue
for people who rely on those potatoes to see
them through the winter. So I dug a drainage canal through our property behind the
church; the neighbor even volunteered her
son to help me! It was hot, but I relished the
sun after mostly overcast Petersburg. I slept
outside on the veranda, somewhat tormented
by mosquitoes but not enough to chase me
inside. How wonderful to breathe clean
country air again!
First, let me say that I had a wonderful summer. I decided to take advantage of the fact
that the Franciscan community in Ussuriysk
was (is) short-handed, with only 2 friars to
cover both parishes and the homeless shelter
(we were 4 friars while I was there). Since
the seminarians, for whom I am responsible
in Petersburg, left for their summer placements, and since things are slow at the parish summertime, I escaped Petersburg for a
month and helped out in Ussuriysk and Arceniev. The friars were grateful for the extra
body in community and to help at the parish and shelter, and I had a wonderful time
seeing old friends and parishioners from my
4½ years of study and pastoral work there.
Things are pretty much the same, apart from
a big fence now around the parish in Arceniev.
The highlight was the last week, when our 2
parishes collaborated for their annual parish
family summer camp. Basically it is 5 days
at a primitive “resort”, where the mornings
are devoted to something spiritually edifying, and the afternoons are for R&R. We 3
Franciscans were all supposed to be there,
but Fr. Peter was not feeling well so he opted
out, and Br. Rogero was entangled in some
document labyrinth at the homeless
shelter so he had to come a couple
days late. So I ended up taking all
the Masses, talks, and pretty much
leading the music, too. Aside from
that I devoted much time to “God
talk” with people who are not so
churchy but who will open up more
in an informal setting. But there
was plenty of time to relax, too –
we had sunshine every day and,
with a warm lake just a few steps
away, we went swimming 2-3 times
a day, played games, sang and variously enjoyed each other’s company. The oldest grandma (the ages
were 4 to 75, a true family camp!)
One project I got into almost immediately in
Arceniev was trench digging. It had been a
very wet spring and the neighbor was up-
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Back in Petersburg, my community was
preparing for a Franciscan conference,
the first to gather together various Franciscan friars and sisters in Russia. The
talks were good, and the presenter, who
has much experience with seminarians,
also gave me some pointers, since I am
still feeling my way along. The best
part for me, as usual at such gatherings,
was getting to know the other participants. There was a good balance of
presentations, group work and free time,
so we were able to get to know the friars
and sisters from Moscow, Novosibirsk,
Nizhniy Novgorod, Perm, a couple of
other places I have forgotten, plus of couple
friars from Vienna and Rome. Even though
I have been overseas for 6 years now, I still
get a kick out of all the different languages
flying around: Russian, English, Italian, German, Polish, Slovenian, French…we were 50
participants from 17 countries! The Franciscans are truly an international presence in
Russia.
decided to organize a spontaneous play to
thank the organizers, and it was a hoot. Russians young and old are experts at creating
costumes and props out of nothing and making great and hysterical entertainment. I’ll
include a photo.
Summer camp ended, I returned to St. Petersburg but almost immediately left again
since my visa was expiring. Since I had just
been to the States after Easter I decided to
save a little money and went to Sweden!
It is close, cheap and I could stay with my
castmates from my Up With People tour
22 years ago. I was there almost 2 weeks
and it was marvelous. Sweden is a lovely
country, with all the natural beauty that I
miss in the big city, and I had great hosts
staying with my Swedish family. I’ll attach a couple photos. I managed to see 8
out of the 9 Swedish cast members, plus a
couple others in Denmark and Finland, 10
in all. Although it has been 22 years, the
friendship is a strong as ever. I also earned
my keep, spending a few days smashing up
a cement floor and moving rocks to help
one family renovate their basement.
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As I write, we are preparing for the Feast of
St. Francis. Things are done much differently here: there are meticulous rubrics (liturgy instructions) for everything, and while
the result is suitably solemn and impressive,
it lacks the creative touch, enthusiasm and
fraternal warmth of my home Province on
the west coast. So at such times I tend to be
a bit wistful, remembering my Franciscan
brothers back home. My best support is Fr.
David in Kazakhstan – he writes me charming letters with such titles as “Another thing
to rant about” and goes on to describe the
latest Machiavellian twist in Kazakh-esque
document formulation, or his latest headache
in community life. We grump and grouse to
each other and afterwards feel much better.
instead Jesus gives me this mysterious peace
in my heart, which doesn’t explain anything
at all, which is as intangible as warm mist,
but which sustains me – which is enough.
And so, I plug along, blindly persevering,
following the elusive untraceable shadow of
my Shepherd. That is missionary life for me
at the moment.
My love and prayers to you all.
PROVINCE HISTORY
VISITING THE CRYPT
Friar Joseph Schwab, O.F.M.
I am finally starting to feel my place here
in Petersburg (though not so at home as I
felt in Arceniev). I have not written one of
these letters for some months because, as
wonderful as the summer was, it was partly
an escape from a rather depressing situation.
Returning here, to be honest, was no fun,
and my new summer energy quickly drained.
But just when my thoughts were glowering
storm clouds and I was convinced it was all
pointless, I experienced some lightening,
some release, and I seem to have found my
inner core of peace and joy again. Grace. I
can only thank God because I know it is not
my doing. I continue to learn what being a
missionary is about; it is nothing like what
I expected. It requires much less heroism,
but much more sheer doggedness and trust.
I think I would call it “blind perseverance.”
I don’t know what I am persevering for, I
don’t understand the point in the present
situation nor see where it is all heading. But
it is not a rut; our Lord is still leading me. I
cannot avoid this truth. I demand a sign, and
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[Fr. Joe Schwab recalls the opening of the
crypt under the main altar at the Mission.
Note that Bishop García Diego y Moreno’s
body is buried on the right side of the altar,
not in the crypt. -WJR]
When I was the administrator at Mission
Santa Barbara I had wanted for some time
to check on the condition of the crypt under
the altar as part of the process of gathering
information on every part of what is a massive complex of buildings. I was also interested in upgrading the museum. I wanted
to get another room in the front wing for an
exhibit on the friars today. Many paintings
and statues were in poor condition with tears,
dirt, breakage, etc. and it was time to change
exhibits in order to encourage more tourism.
Some photos of the interior of the crypt were
in the museum on public display for a good
while. I don't know if they're still there or
not. I don't remember any filming but I do
remember some photos. Anyway, it was
about 15 years ago so my memory isn't
decision to open the crypt again
and have a new plaque of harder
stone, granite, inscribed with the
same names as were listed on the
marble one.
too precise on that particular and I could be
wrong.
I also had a cataloging system begun for all
articles in the collection. I thought of replacing the plaque on the front of the church
which states that the church was "destroyed"
by earthquake in the 1920's because "destroyed" is an exaggeration. The towers
were, not the rest of the church, but
it's one of the many things I never
finished out of many ideas for improving the experience of visitors.
Ozzie Da Ros, an old friend of
the Mission, made the new granite covering and came to remove
the old marble one. Despite the
use of lifting equipment, the lid
was stuck and we had to exert
more force than we wanted. As
a result, the lid cracked even
though it was thick. It had rested on two
metal rails set into the floor which rusted
due to the humidity, the rust having placed
extra pressure on the stone which caused it
to stick. Had we done nothing, the pressure
from the rust could have cracked the stone
eventually and I needed to replace it anyway.
The rails looked like streetcar tracks, and I
read that a streetcar used to come up near the
People were curious about the burials both in the church and in the
cemetery. The names inscribed
on the marble plaque covering the
entrance to the crypt were wearing
off pretty badly and it wouldn't be
long before the inscriptions became illegible. I believe that the
marble covering was placed when
the church interior was remodeled
after the earthquake in the 1920s,
so about 70 years had passed since
it was made. As a result I made the
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mission from downtown. I guess they got
parts of the abandoned streetcar tracks and
used the metal in this project.
(Ozzie later said that the old marble cover
broke because church officials were in a hurry to get it open. We weren't in a hurry. The
cover was stuck and it cracked by accident.
I don't know why he felt he had to come up
with a reason for the crack because no one
was upset. It was certainly not intentional.)
The first thing that surprised me was this: apparently the crypt entrance was originally farther down the nave away from the altar. At
some point (1920s remodel?) the steps leading into the crypt were filled in with rubble
and mortar, leaving only a few stone steps
uncovered at the bottom of the opening. This
assumes that there is a full flight of steps,
Also, the steps were not quite lined up with
but that can't be checked without excavation. the nave - almost, but at a very slight angle
toward the south according to the view from
the altar. The church faces southeast. Was
the crypt built for the church ruined in the
1812 earthquake and therefore lined up at a
slightly different axis? There seems to be no
way to know for sure at this time.
After climbing down a ladder into the entrance, there is a very narrow hallway leading up to the area under the sanctuary. It's
just barely large enough to walk through, but
you have to bend your head down a little.
Even given the fact that people were shorter
200 years ago, it was still pretty cramped.
After this hall you enter a small room. The
actual crypts are lined up on the sides, several high and shaped with small arches. The
names are listed on each covering. There is
a small altar made of stone and white plaster
engaged in the wall in the center. The bot12
no serious reason to do so, but did take photos which were in the mission museum for
people to look at. I don't recall that there was
any discrepancy in the listing of names, but
it has been more than 12 years since I went
in so maybe I've forgotten some specifics.
It was an interesting day of discovery and I
hope that the floor plaque remains in good
condition for a long time to come.
CONGRATULATIONS TO
FRIAR JACK ROBINSON
Jack Clark Robinson, member of Our Lady
of Guadalupe Province and of the
community here at the Old Mission since
September 2004 defended his dissertation
on June 6th, and received his PhD from UC
Santa Barbara in history on June 14th, betom of the altar curves in and downward fom coming the second Old Mission friar to get a
the edge of the mensa to a central point near doctorate within a month. (Richard McMathe floor. In the wall above the altar there is nus received his D.Min. on May 24th.)
a series of small ledges topped by a cross all
Jack's dissertation is entitled, "Franciscan
made of white plaster. The coloring looks
Friars of New Mexico: Three Trails through
original and is in fair condition.
the Borderlands to Vatican II, 1957-1985,"
and explores the responses of St. Barbara and
The second thing that surprised me was the
extreme humidity. In fact, the longer we had St. John the Baptist Provinces, as well as Our
Lady of Consolation Province of the Conthe entrance open, the more water began to
condense on the walls and drip onto the floor. ventual friars, to the changes around Vatican
II. Following his graduation, Jack returned
We did not open any vaults because we had
to Albuquerque to take up work as an itinerant Franciscan history teacher, as well as to
work on a couple of writing projects.
Jack taught most of the time that he was here
in Santa Barbara. From the fall of 2004 until
the spring of 2007, he worked every school
term as a teaching assistant in the History
Department. He was one of two lead teaching assistants, teaching other graduate student
13
continued on page 26
Dedication Homily for Old Mission San Miguel Church
September 29, 2009
Fr. Ray Tintle, O.F.M., Pastor
Truly, in the words of the prophet Nehemiah, in our first reading tonight: “Today is holy to
the Lord, your God. Do not be sad.” (Nehemiah 8: 8-9)
Tonight is a night for praise and thanksgiving. praise to God for this miracle that we are
witnessing as well as thanks for God’s continued guidance and direction. For this is truly a
work of God. It was a so-called act of God, “the San Simeon earthquake of December 22nd ,
2003,” that put us in serious trouble. But it was surely an act of God that has brought us out.
We are all convinced of that!
We also thank the Roman Catholic diocese of Monterey and the Province of St. Barbara of
the Order of Friars Minor and our former trustees, Bishop Ryan and Fr. Mel Jurisich, for
their leadership in this joint venture that we have been undertaking the last six years. We
thank the diocesan pastoral office and especially Tom Riordan and Susan Mayer for their
help in brokering the insurance settlement that has been made tonight possible, along with
the indefatigable work of our project director, Mr. John Fowler. You have all done a great
job and should be proud of your efforts. Special thanks to our engineer, Nels Roselund,
and architects Fred Webster and John Loomis as well as Tony Crosby and our art conservation corps, whose expertise figured out how to do this. Thanks to our onsite contractor, Tim
14
Gohr, and the Eagle Construction
Company and to all their crew as well
as all those who have worked so hard
to get our beautiful church open again
to the public. Finally, special thanks
to Knox Mellon and the California
Missions’ Foundation, and to all our
donors both large and small whose
contributions have made tonight possible. Your kind generosity has helped
to save the irreplaceable, and we are
truly thankful.
I am reminded also of the vision that God
has given us for this little place we call San
Miguel. We have survived the devastating
aftermath of the San Simeon earthquake and
not perished, precisely because of that vision. How many times over the past six years
have we recalled the scripture in the Book of
Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 18: “Where there
is no vision, the people perish”? (KJV) Truly,
our vision for the future of San Miguel,
“God’s vision,” has enabled us not only to
survive but to thrive. As our guardian, father
Larry Gosselin, has been telling us, we are
beginning a whole new era in the history of
this historic mission. As Jesus told Nathanael
in tonight’s gospel reading from John: “You
will see greater things than this.” (John 1:49)
We cannot even imagine what God has waiting in store for us to accomplish here.
I am also reminded as I listened to our second reading tonight from the Book of Revelation how our patron, St. Michael the Archangel, has protected us in some of our darkest
and weakest hours when we felt so defenseless against overwhelming odds. But, our
second reading tonight from Revelation reminds us that “through Christ Jesus we have
conquered and can truly rejoice.” (12:10-12)
Finally, as I stand here before you tonight,
I am reminded of that Christmas Eve night
almost six long years ago when I stood before you and told you the difficult news that
we had lost our beloved church for Christ15
mas. You told me: “No, Father! You didn’t
lose your church. We’re still here!” and you
have been here all the while. You were here
when we moved to Casa San Miguel. You
were here when we lost the lease to Casa
San Miguel and had to move to the seniors’
center. You were here when we were allowed
to use the beautiful and convenient novitiate building for six months. You were here
when we gratefully appreciated the friars
for letting us use it. They had to move out of
the novitiate building and meet outside under the trees for worship in the cold and the
wind. You continued to believe in the vision
and the dream and worked hard to fulfill it.
You were there for the golf tournaments, the
benefit concerts, the Baja Mexican cruise,
the paella dinners, the busy bees’ rummage
sales & boutiques, the Hispanic community’s
kermesses, etc. You put in action the faith
model which begins with a God-inspired vision, the willingness to put to work, meager
and insufficient as they may seem, all the
resources you have to accomplish that vision,
and trusting God to supply whatever is lacking. And it worked!
As a people of faith, God has used you as an
example to others of what persistent faith can
accomplish despite what at times may seem
to be insurmountable odds. To you I say tonight: “Welcome home!” As we dedicate this
beautiful building, let us be reminded that
our dedication ceremony is not limited to just
these four walls, but that we are also called
by virtue of our baptism to renew our dedication as God’s chosen people to become that
spiritual temple of “living stones” being built
up in the Lord” (1 Peter 2: 5) that reaches
out in service to all who live not only in San
Miguel but the entire central coast of California with the love of God as a beacon of hope
for a world desperate for a sign of hope.
San Miguel Restoration
Near Complete
Project manager John Fowler said organizers have raised roughly $10 million to date
including several million in fundraisers and
an interim settlement with Lloyds of London
through its earthquake policy in 2006 and
were still “seriously raising money,” to fund
the remaining restoration work.
“I’m really excited,” he said
of his reaction to the reopening. “ I look at how far
we’ve come in this projectsix years ago we went into
[Mission San Miguel ] after
the earthquake and looked
at the damage, individual
murals and now we were
going to have the building
and the murals.”
The entire church will be
16
feature required for mural conservation - will
be taken down, and its facade is expected to
appear as it did in its original condition.
“We really wanted to get the ceiling completely done before we were able to open the
church,” Fowler said. “Because we couldn’t
fix the murals on the walls themselves we
did a lot of stabilization to make sure we
don’t lose any plaster or paintings until we
get conservators to come up. There is initial
cleaning of the surface, then there’s a small
amount of in-painting.”
Although much progress has been made,
there is still a lot of work to be done on the
mission. In the future, the project team
plans to “section off” portions of the walls
for the rest of the mural conservation.
seismically safe upon completion of the retrofit, Fowler said. The “core team of professionals” consisting of roughly 12 specialists
including architects, engineers, archeologist,
conservators and plaster experts, helped
complete “all of those things that haven’t
been done in 60 to 100 years,” he said.
Among improvements, the church’s choir
loft, formerly out of service for a decade or
longer, will be back in service, Fowler said.
Certain features were added to the church for
fire protection. The main doors of the church,
closed for a decade or longer, will be accessible to the public who formerly had to enter
the church from a side door. The project team
repaired extensive cracks in the building and
stabilized its doorways and windows to keep
it from suffering further earthquake damage.
A portion of murals painted by Indian artisans under the direction of Esteban Munras
on the mission wall was conserved, along
with its antiquated pine ceiling.
Scaffolding on the building’s exterior- a
Fowler said that with four phases and between $3 and $5 million left in fundraising
to complete them, organizers planned to
continue to pursue donations from the community. The $5 million figure is not expected
to escalate but may decline, he said.
“We just hope that we keep working on the
phases and keep fundraising and we’ll get it
done,” he said.
Fowler said organizers are working with
the National Trust for Historic Preservation
and California Missions Foundation, “both
of which have been instrumental in raising
money for missions,” to plan a tour of the
new facility and help spark another infusion
of donations. Mission San Miguel, founded
in 1797, is a National Historical Landmark.
The re-opening will allow churchgoers currently displaced to a portion of its museum to
17
relocate mass inside the church facility and
for mission officials to also restore the museum to its original condition and use. The
completed mission will be able to accommodate up to an estimated 300 attendees while
the museum allowed only 50 to 60, Fowler
said. The historic old Mission Convento, gift
shop and courtyard are now re-opened to the
public.
struction boss examined it and called the Fire
Marshall. Due to another unrelated event,
the bomb squad happened to be in nearby
Paso Robles and arrived at the Mission in
a short time. The device was identified as a
live Japanese grenade. The authorities closed
Hwy. 101, evacuated the area, dug a hole in a
nearby field and detonated the grenade.
PROVINCE HISTORY
[Source: Paso Robles Gazette, September 25,
2009]
MISSION SAN MIGUEL
FR. NOVATUS BENZING, O.F.M.
1869-1939
(An occasional chapter of Province history
that has brought us to where we are today.
Of special interest was his work at the now
Saint Mary’s Basilica and the Native American missions. – WJR)
A BIT OF THE UNUSUAL
(Email Information sent to the Province by
Fr. John Hardin, Provincial. Just another
routine day at the novitiate! – WJR)
Our beloved ex-provincial was born at
Neuses, In Hosse-Nassau, Germany, on
December 6, 1869, and in baptism received
the name Henry. He received his primary
education at Neuses and Klein Steinheim,
Germany. Coming to the United States as
a mere boy, he entered St. Joseph’s College, Teutopolis, Illinois, in 1884, to prepare
himself for the priesthood in the Franciscan
Order. Completing his classical course, he
was invested with the habit of St. Francis
at Teutopolis, July 28, 1890; he was sent to
Quincy, Illinois, where he pursued his philosophical studies from 1890 to 1892. Thereafter he studied his theology at St. Louis from
1892 until December, 1895. Solemn vows
were taken July 29, 1893, and the sacred
priesthood was conferred June 24, 1895.
“Tuesday, July 7, 2009, one of the construction workers at Mission San Miguel found
a suspicious package outside the Mission
by the friars’ dining room. He notified the
police, the bomb squad arrived, the Mission
was evacuated, US 101 was closed. They
dug a hole and detonated the device. No
one was injured. The friars were allowed to
return to the Mission. The incident is under
investigation. We will keep you informed as
more information comes to us.”
Then an update to that message:
Brother Arturo Noyes, O.F.M, who resides
at Mission San Miguel, has given us the
following information. It was a neighbor
who found this device in his front yard and,
not knowing what it was, brought it to San
Miguel, thinking the construction workers
might know what to do with it. The con-
Father Novatus’ entire priestly life was to
be bound up with the spiritual and material
development of the Franciscan southwest.
18
During the second half of his fourth year of
theology, he was sent to Phoenix, Arizona,
to finish his last semester of theology privately and to engage in parochial activity at
the same time. Doubtless, his superiors saw
in Father Novatus those sterling and virile
qualities he evinced in later life, and on the
strength of these sent him to the difficult field
which Phoenix was in 1896.
What Father Novatus beheld in Phoenix, late
in January, 1896, was not an encouraging
sight in a human sense; yet it was a veritable
paradise to anyone with a priestly heart and
a zealous soul. Materially, the parish plant in
Phoenix was no more than a frontier group of
buildings. There was the old adobe Church
of St. Mary on Monroe Street, far from a
worthy place for divine worship. It was covered with a shingle roof and the sky could be
seen through it in a hundred places. Moreover, the church was devoid of many proper
furnishings. The fathers and brothers of the
community lived in two adobe huts and in
a small brick building of two rooms. Father
Novatus accepted this situation out of obedience and set his heart and hands to work.
Father Novatus’ first six months in Phoenix
was anything but a bed or roses. As stated
before, he had his theology to finish. He
was assistant in the parish. He knew English
and German well, but found out on arriving
at Phoenix that knowledge of Spanish was
absolutely necessary. He did not put this off,
but worked so diligently at this that within a
few weeks he was able to deliver simple sermonettos. With the passing of the years, he
handled Spanish as fluently as the other two
languages he knew. In the first few months
of his residence in Phoenix, Father Novatus turned his attention to another field of
work, which was indicative of his zeal. The
Pima Indians to the south of Phoenix used to
come into the city and petitioned for priests
to come out and minister to them. Father
Novatus had a heart for these neglected sons
of the desert, and gave a willing ear to their
request. It should be remembered that at the
time the Franciscans had charge of the entire
county of Maricopa which included the Indians. Father Novatus wanted to go out and do
something for them. Nor did he have an easy
time convincing his superior of this. Doubtless there was plenty of work to do in Phoenix, but Father Novatus did not opine that the
work should stop there.
So finally one morning in April, 1896, Father Novatus drove out to the vicinity of the
present St. John’s Mission in an old buggy,
and there held the first services among the
Arizona Indians by a Franciscan friar in
modern times. The beginning of the far-flung
Franciscan Indian missions of Arizona took
root. The mission field was opened. Without
a bit of exaggeration, Father Novatus may
be called the Junipero Serra of the modern
Indian missions of Arizona.
The extent of Father Novatus’ stay in Phoenix the first time was from January, 1896,
until September, 1903. Already in the first
year of his priesthood he became pastor of
St. Mary’s, Phoenix, August 1, 1896. During these first seven years he accomplished
many things. Many repairs and improvements were made on the dilapidated adobe
church. Early in 1897 plans were perfected
for a decent friary, which he built at the cost
of $10,000. In the same year he built a brick
school for Mexican children, and acquired
for St. Mary’s parish the other school built
for Americans as early as 1892. In 1903 he
19
called in the Sisters of the Precious Blood to
teach in the two schools. In1902 and 1903,
Father Novatus laid the foundations of the
present church of St. Mary, building the
lower church, which was dedicated by Bishop Granjon, in February, 1903.
he built the modern, up-to-date, parochial
school. It was dedicated February 21, 1926.
Higher honors came to Father Novatus in
July, 1928, when at the Provincial Chapter
held at Old Mission Santa Barbara, he became the third Provincial of the Province of
Six months later, Father Novatus was called Santa Barbara. His success and ability as a
away from his first scene of priestly labors,
leader and administrator is shown in the fact
and was sent to St. Anthony’s Seminary,
that for three successive times he was elected
Santa Barbara, where he served as a teacher
Provincial, holding that office until July,
for the scholastic year, 1903- 1904. After this 1937. During his terms of office he showed
he returned a second time to Phoenix, again himself most zealous for the observance of
as pastor, and there he remained until March, the Rule and he insisted on discipline and a
1910. This time he was sent to Santa Barbara religious spirit as the first requisite of those
again, as guardian and pastor of the Old Mis- of whom he was the spiritual father. In ansion, which offices he held until the summer other matter he was a provincial man. Father
of 1912.
Novatus had exceptional talent and ability in
financial matters and thus during the trying
For a third time he was sent to Phoenix as
and dark days of the Depression he guided
pastor. There he remained as pastor until the the province safely over troubled waters.
summer of 1922. It was during this period
that he built and completed the present St.
During his career, Father Novatus held other
Mary’s Church, which was dedicated by
important offices of trust. For many years he
Bishop Grajon, on February 11, 1915. In
was superior missionum for the home mis1917, he built a high school for boys and
sion field of Arizona. He was definitor of the
girls. With the entry of the Jesuits into the
Province from 1922 until 1928, and custos
field of education for boys, the high school
of the Province from 1937 until the moment
became known as the Girls’ High School,
of his death. In 1919, he was appointed by
and after the departure of the Jesuits from
the minister general as visitor general to the
the field of secondary education, a new high Franciscan Province of the Twelve Apostles
school for boys was built by the present pas- in Peru and, in 1923, was appointed to the
tor, Father Martin Knauff.
same office for the Province of the Holy
Faith in Columbia. In 1933, he travelled to
Obedience again called Father Novatus to
Rome to participate in the election of the
Santa Barbara as pastor of the Old Mission
minister general. During his provincialate,
for the year 1922-1923. Thereupon he bethe Province of Santa Barbara, in 1934, took
came director of St. John’s Indian School at
over the Chinese Mission field of Western
Komatke, Arizona, which office he fulfilled
Shantung, with headquarters at Tungchangfu.
until March, 1924. From 1924 until July
1928 he served as pastor of St. Mary’s, Phoe- The chief work of Father Novatus’ priestly
nix, for the fourth time, during which time
life then, was the spiritual and material de20
velopment of Phoenix and its environs, and
his administration of the Province of Santa
Barbara, for nine years. Father Novatus came
to Phoenix when it was just another western
town. He lived to see it develop into an enterprising metropolis; Father Novatus came
to Arizona when it was just a territory and
lived to see it become a prominent state. He
has grown up with Arizona, with Phoenix in
particular. It would be hard to find a person
in Phoenix who had not heard of or met Father Novatus. He was a spiritual influence in
Phoenix for many a year. Many of its citizens
he baptized, taught, married; many a one he
has accompanied to their final resting place.
To the Province of Santa Barbara he has
given steadiness and a mild conservatism.
Upon it he has impressed his character.
It is not an easy thing to form a hundred
per cent correct estimate of a departed friar,
especially if he has been the superior of all
the friars. However, what we say here is the
result of what we trust is our seasoned judgment.
and he expected others to do likewise. The
religious and priestly life, for him, meant
a life of fidelity and devotion to duty. If he
expected much of others, he accomplished
the same in his own life. He was not inclined
to softness or relaxation, for he was made
of sterner stuff. Despite his many years of
residence in Arizona, he never once visited
the Grand Canyon, legitimate enough, but
his travels he looked upon more as matters of
duty than of pleasure.
Father Novatus was a humble man, despite
his accomplishments and his success. He
was a pious man, but his piety was a virile
kind. He was a most sincere man, and hated
sham and hypocrisy. He turned away with
disgust from the pretense of the worldling.
His words and actions showed that he cast
his lot and shared his joys with the simple,
the humble, and the sincere. He was content
with the poverty he professed as a religious
and meant what he said that he joined the
Order to do penance.
He possessed a strong will and carried out
Father Novatus was first of all a real man. He what he saw to be the right thing to do. His
was virile, rugged, and externally, at least,
life was a succession of problems to be
somewhat gruff. He had definite ideas about solved, and he was willing to tackle a probthings which showed he had a mind of his
lem. He had the industry and zeal of an outown, and used the particular head which God standing pastor of souls, was a much sought
gave him. Withal he was kind and considercounselor, an administrator of no mean abiliate, and beneath a rugged exterior he had a
ty. He was resolute in his judgments until the
heart of gold. He would listen to you, even
end, nor did his clear and capacious memory
after he apparently had made a final judgfail him through the years.
ment, provided you could show him the truth
of a matter as you saw it. And humbly, he
With the passing of Father Novatus, there has
would reverse his judgment.
passed to eternity also the garnered knowledge and wisdom of many years. As stated
He saw things from the viewpoint of duty
before, he saw the rise and development of
and obligation. The duties and obligations
Franciscanism in Arizona, and it is unfortuincumbent upon him, he fulfilled faithfully,
nate that leisure was not his to write these
21
This Land is Your Land
annals in which he was the chief protagonist,
for they would have been revealing for the
future. Nor was he inclined to turn author,
but was content to work steadily and stoutly
for God, to await death in God’s own time,
and to hope for the reward of his labors.
(Song of The Vaults)
Father Novatus was primarily a pastor of
souls and an administrator. He was an eminently practical man. Knowledge was his
nevertheless, though he made little of it.
Though immersed in the details of administration, he realized the necessity of education
for the flock under his care, and in the Order
made ample and generous provisions for the
educational development of the friars. And
those who were favored to pursue higher
studies under him must assert that nothing
was left undone to make those difficult and
strenuous years smooth and profitable. He
hated waste of any kind, no matter how insignificant the waste; but he was surprisingly
generous when it came to real and necessary
needs.
Father Novatus now rests from his manifold
labors. He was a tower of strength in the
Province for many years. He was a shining
light as a priest and a religious. His character
stood out. His monuments are not only in
buildings in Phoenix and in thousands of the
laity and hundreds of Franciscans whose live
he influenced and whose destinies he guided.
We beg God, who is the reward of the just,
that the soul of Father Novatus may rest in
peace and that the perpetual light may shine
upon him. Farewell! (Lives of Deceased
Friars, vol. 2. Fr. Maynard Geiger, O.F.M.
Emphases mine. WJR)
[This was written by Brother Tom Moore
Page, CFX. Brother Tom was in charge of
the Retreat Center here at Mission Santa
Barbara during the time when the new friars
vault was under construction. Courtesy of Br.
Timothy Arthur.]
Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land,
From the Commission we have permission,
So we can be buried and rest in
God’s peace;
This land was made for you and me.
1. Although we told them and we could all
swear
That all the Indians were buried elsewhere,
Now that Committee is part of history;
This land was made for you and me.
Chorus:
2. Then there was water to be considered
The dead don’t use it as Ernie figured,
So in due seasons they came to reason;
This land was made for you and me.
Chorus:
3. And what of traffic in the peak hours
“Congestion downtown!” cried the high
powers;
The dead as all can see are sedentary;
This land was made for you and me.
Chorus:
22
4. Somehow the Fish and Game got interested
Though why we know not, but as you
guessed it,
Even the fin and fowl let out a great
howl;
This land was made for you and me.
Chorus:
Come Together
Catholics and Muslims light the way to a
more sustainable community
By Jeff vonKaenel
The only way we can move toward a sustainable future is if each and every one of
us moves out of our comfort zones toward a
5. Oh we’ve had troubles and we’ve had sor- higher plain where former rivals can come
row
together to focus on a new, better vision.
To pay the high fees we’ll have to borThis vision of the future would have points
row,
of agreement that are so strong, they overBut we poor sinners are now the winners; shadow any minor disagreements.
This land was made for you and me.
Our ability to accomplish these goals will,
Final Chorus:
to my mind, only be possible when environmentalists and farmers feel they are on the
Final Chorus:
same page, when smart-growth advocates
This vault is your vault, this vault is
and developers are rooting for the same polimy vault,
cies, and when business owners and regula
When rigor mortis shall come to court tors share common goals. Then and only then
us,
will we have a real shot at building a sustain
From its planning stages through the
able community.
distant ages;
This vault was made for you and
me.
(We had so many problems with the City
regarding the new burial vaults for the
Friars. So when we finally got the go
ahead Tom wrote this.)
Imam Mohamed Azeez and
Fr. Anthony Garibaldi
23
photo by J.D. Warrick
My hope for the future was ratcheted up
three or four notches several weeks ago
when I attended iftar—the breaking of the
daily fast that marks the end of the Islamic
month of Ramadan—at St. Francis of Assisi
Catholic church in Midtown.
The Catholic parish invited the Sacramento
Area League of Associated Muslims to break
the fast. In the basement of St. Francis, nearly 125 people, roughly half from SALAM
and half from St. Francis, gathered together
to mark the occasion.
The highlight of the evening was hearing
Mohamed sing the call to prayer in the basement of St. Francis. Although I have heard
him recite the prayer numerous times in
other settings—at SALAM last month and at
the News & Review’s Call for Unity event
at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center—somehow it
sounded more beautiful in a room filled with
both Christians and Muslims.
It was remarkable that two religious groups
with such longstanding animosity toward
each other could come together, bury their
differences and move on to a higher plain.
This convergence of Muslims and Catholics For those who seek to build a more sustainwas inspired by an event that occurred nearly able community, it’s a lesson that should not
be ignored.
800 years ago, in 1219, when St. Francis of
Assisi visited the Muslim Sultan al-Malik al[Source: Sacramento News and Review, OcKamil in Egypt. St. Francis’ courage should
not be underestimated, since at the time, the tober 1, 2009]
Muslim and Christian communities were at
war in the midst of the Fifth Crusade.
SENIORS’ PAGE
At the breaking of the fast last month, head
Our Spiritual Needs
priest Father Anthony explained that St.
Francis, upon returning from Egypt, was so
Our spiritual needs emerge developmenimpressed with his hosts that he adopted some
tally innervated with our physical and psyof their teachings, including the Muslim trachological needs. Our spiritual needs are
dition of referring to God as “all knowing.”
felt as “Yearnings of the Soul” that require
our advancing attention lest we lapse into a
Both Father Anthony and SALAM’s reli“spiritual failure to thrive”. Failure to thrive
gious leader, Imam Mohamed Abdul-Azeez,
is the name given to the condition of an inspoke of the similarities between the Cathofant who doesn’t adequately physically grow
lic observance of Lent and Islam’s Ramadan.
because she/he doesn’t receive sufficient
Fasting encourages both Catholics and Mulhuman touch, warmth, and affectionate atsims to practice moderation and refrain from
tention, even though she or he receives quite
everyday evils such as gluttony. By controladequate food and hydration.
ling desires for a few weeks, days or even
hours, individuals can build a foundation on
I think we can use the same concept of failwhich to tackle larger personal problems,
ure to thrive to describe a maturing adult
physical and spiritual.
who either neglects, or in some way is
24
blocked from meeting her/his spiritual needs.
These unfortunate folks are spiritually
Spiritual directors don’t chart your spiritual
starved, although they may be quite satiated course for you, indeed they don’t “direct”
in every other life dimension.
you at all. They are trained in an essential
competency of guidance – they know how to
A need is a requirement of the organism;
ask the right questions, the kind of question
failure to address a need always begets some that has innate poser to illuminate a “spiritual
form of pain. As I survey the lives of maspace” in your formerly unlit.
turing adults, I find that I can aptly use the
term “spiritual failure to thrive” to describe
Spiritual Need 2. Turn around life crises or
a number of them. We enter into a spiritual
challenges into character enhancement and/
failure to thrive condition when we neglect
or spiritual development. Our maturing
our spiritual needs.
years seem punctuated by a flow of change;
much of this change is attrition – diminishSpiritual Need 1. Find a spiritual guide,
ments of one sort of another.
mentor, or director. The need for an active
spiritual model in our lives is clear. Our soul The parade of diminishments, physical,
seeks guidance, or at least guideposts upon
familial, social, and otherwise build one on
which we can “take its spiritual bearings”.
another forming a considerable load that
can only be constructively shouldered if and
All of our greatest spiritual personalities,
when we shift our view of diminishment
including the saints who have been recog(loss) away from being a “thief in the night”
nized as spiritual giants, as well as the multi- and toward recognizing it all as a “master
tude of ordinary folks (like us) who strive to teacher” of life.
discover God’s direction, and who, at times
are even able to, ever so temporarily disSuch a shift requires that we turn around our
cover God’s kingdom while still living in this perception; taking a long view of loss as a
world, all attest to having spiritual guides
character builder, and hopefully even seeing
who show them a way, or at least held up a
the loss through a spiritual lens that translantern, so they can better find their way to
forms the loss into steps, although sometimes
God.
painful steps, closer to God.
Who are your spiritual guides? Are there
certain people who serve as spiritual beacons
for you? Are there authors who challenge
you to spiritual depth? Do you avail yourself
of the guidance of a trained spiritual director
to help you discern your soul food? Perhaps
you look to the Holy Spirit as your primary
source for spiritual guidance, as suggested by
St. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionist Congregation.
The power required to move onto such an
exalted plane is nothing short of grace. Our
maturing years invite us to open our portals
of grace wider so we can better accept the
love-energy from God we call grace. We
invigorate our spiritual pace by making
time for prayer, our primary grace accepting
mechanism. Dr. Richard Johnson
25
as well. Brother Ernie LuVisi joined him for a
couple of trips to visit the sisters there, and Sr.
teaching assistants in 2007 and 2008. Then,
Susan Blomstad of the MRC went for several
last fall, he taught a course of his own in the
as well.
Religious Studies Department entitled: "Catholicism and U.S. History: Many Voices,
But Jack admits that if he is to be missed at
Lively Conversation."
the Old Mission, it will probably be for his
annual Kentucky Derby Party on the first SatSince 2005, Jack has done all of his teaching
urday of May, which always involved mint
at the University in his Franciscan habit, as
juleps, fancy hats for the lady guests, as well
well as riding the bus to and from school each
as the singing of "My Old Kentucky Home,"
day, because as he put it, "I'm too cheap to pay
when everyone watched Jack tear up as he rethe parking fees at the University when the
membered his birthplace.
bus is free with my student ID."
ROBINSON continued from page 13
Besides his teaching at the University, Jack
gave regular days of recollection for the Secular Franciscans here at the Mission and helped
a couple of times with days of recollection
for the MRC. He usually taught a couple of
weeks a year in the novitiate at San Miguel, as
well as going back to the novitiate of the three
Midwest Provinces in Cedar Lake, IN, to offer a course in American Franciscan history.
He claimed that his most nervous teaching
experience yet was standing in front of nearly
every friar of St. John the Baptist province in
May of 2007 at their provincial convocation
to tell them about their own history!
We wish him well. [Friar Timothy Arthur]
Jack kept his hand in with sacramental ministry as well, takinga regular turn with community and parish Masses, as well as regularly helping with ministry at the Poor Clares
- though he admits to having forgotten that
he was scheduled for Benediction a couple of
times over the years!
These are not contained in the Editio Typica
nor in the U.K. volumes, but solely in the
American edition of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Who decided to insert these prayers, who
composed them, and why?
This past September, he gave a week-long retreat for the Redwood City Franciscan Sisters
at the Marian Residence in Santa Maria. They
invited him back for a monthly follow-up talk
26
LITURGY
Psalm Prayers in the
Liturgy of the Hours
[This question was submitted by WJR and
the answer came from a liturgist, Fr. Brian
T. Mullady, O.P., in the June 2009 issue of
Homiletic and Pastoral Review.]
Question: Throughout the four-week psalter
we encounter “Psalm Prayers.”
Answer: One of the animating principles behind Vatican II was called resourcement, a return to the sources of our faith. This was true
in theology and it was also true in liturgy. The
revised rites exhibit numerous attempts to return to practices used in the early Church, before the evolution that occurred in the Middle
Ages. Some of these have been more effective do not form part of the Liturgy of the Hours.
There is therefore no obligation to use them.
and helpful than others.
One example of this return is the addition to
the Liturgy of the Hours of the Psalm Prayer,
which is printed in the American edition of
the breviary immediately after the psalm and
before the antiphon. According to liturgical
experts, the present prayers are probably German in origin. They most likely reflect a practice of the monks in Egypt. When they prayed
a psalm they would first listen and since many
of them were illiterate, individuals would
repeat phrases from the psalms or add some
petitions. The abbot would then pull them all
together according to a common theme. This
practice died out long ago.
TURNING PAGES…
A must read (“Challenges and Opportunities”) is International Priests in America by
Dean R. Hoge and Aniedi Okure, presented
by the National Federation of Priests’ Councils. The parameters: all priests born overseas (including Puerto Rico) whose ministry
in the United States began in 1985 or later,
deliberatly and rightly excluding the earlier
international priests, largely Irish.
Well documented indeed, the “pro” side cites
the need to serve immigrant parishes, the
need to fill the gaps in our priest shortage,
It seems that, for the present liturgy, it was and the idea that immigrant priests bring a
thought advisable for more solemn celebra- sense of the universal Church to the United
tions to revive the custom of composing the- States.
matic applications of the meaning of the psalm,
such as those ancient monks. These were ap- The “anti” side offers four arguments: There
proved in Latin and published by the Holy are too many problems with them, mainly
See for optional use. They are not printed in in language and culture. Bringing priests
the Latin edition of the breviary, nor are they to America is an irrational deployment of
in many of the vernacular editions including priestly resources in the world; it postpones a
the edition published in the United Kingdom. much-needed restructuring of parish leaderThe editors of the breviary used in the United ship; and it postpones lay efforts to recruit
States evidently thought it would be helpful more vocations here.
to provide all aids to recitation which were
available and so they added the prayers in the Both sides offer explanations with documenpresent edition. They are given to aid reflec- tation. Toward the end there are a number of
tion or for private meditation.
commentaries as well as research methods,
tables, etc. This is an extraordinary book and
Some priests and religious seem to think be- begs serious reading. [Liturgical Press. ISBN
cause they are printed in the breviary that they 978-0-8146-1830-1]
are obligatory. They are not. In fact, the antiphon placed with the psalm provides the pri- The Shadow of His Wings is a totally enmary application and reflection on the psalm. grossing autobiography of a German Nazi,
There is nothing wrong with using the Psalm SS trooper, seminarian, Franciscan and
Prayers, but they are strictly optional and such
27
WESTFRIARS
P.O. Box 127
Malibu CA 90265
e-mail: [email protected]
TURNING PAGES continued
priest, all in one! The author is Friar Gereon Goldmann. What he went through during World
War II defies description, including an audience (as an active SS soldier) with Pope Pius XII
who gave permission for him to be ordained even though he had not formally studied theology. He writes from his parish in Japan—which had been his goal all along. This is a fascinating book, hard to put down. Don’t miss it! [Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-774-8]
Don’t be misled by the title, Four Paws From Heaven, subtitled “Devotions for Dog Lovers.” It’s a beautiful, even superb, book of short meditations, sometimes—but not always—
about what the authors (M.R. Wells, Kris Young and Connie Fleishauer) have learned from
their pets. These anecdotal but spiritual reflections are powerful, each one ending with a
Scripture citation and pertinent questions for reflections. Sensitive friars will gain much
from this book. [Harvest House. ISBN 13-978-0-7369-1640-0]
Great Psalms of the Bible by J. Clinton McCann, Jr., emphatically deserves reading. The
author is an internationally recognized expert on the Psalms—tellingly so because he wastes
no time on introductions: he jumps right into his chosen psalms: 1,8,13,23,32,51,63,73,90
,103,139,148. His literary, lucid explanations give the reader a larger view of the contexts
before proceeding to the verses. An added bonus is that McCann has concluding sections
on contemporary meanings and questions for consideration. Anyone (hopefully many) interested in a better understanding for one’s prayer life will find this volume most rewarding.
[Westminster: John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-23176-7]
WJR
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