Called and Sent: Shepherds of Christ’s Flock

“Listen to the Savior, ‘I regenerated you, I set you free, I healed you, I redeemed you. I will give you life, that is unending, eternal, supernatural. I will show you the face of God.’”

— St. Clement of Alexandria

On Thursday April 19, Bishop David A. Zubik convened all the priests and deacons for a Spring clergy convocation entitled, “The Church in the Public Square: The Human Health Service Mandate and You.” The day was presented by four experts. Helene Paharik, Director for the Department for Human Dignity, spoke on the principles of faithful citizenship. She reminded us that we’re a people of the story and that Trinitarian love is the origin and destiny of the human person. Rita Joyce, a civil and canon lawyer, and Judge Maureen Lally- Green, Director for the Office of Church Relations, spoke on religious liberty and government mandates. They reminded us that as Catholics we must be moved by love, grounded in truth, practice in freedom and enhanced by prudence for the complete integration of our development as humans. Amy Hill, the Director of Communications for the PA Catholic Conference, spoke on the tough questions that face us and reminded us to be courageous and be an advocate for our faith convictions. Otherwise, she said, we run the risk of the erosion and dismantling of all that is sacred to us.

Fr. Joe Mele, the Rector of the Seminary and Director of Post-Ordination Formation for the Clergy, asked me what I found most profitable in the day. I said that I enjoyed the insights of the encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love: Deus Caritas Est, in which being a Christian is presented not as a result of a lofty idea, but as the encounter with an event, a person, who gives us a new horizon and a decisive direction. In his writing, the Holy Father speaks of two levels of love: micro love and macro love. Micro love is loving in ‘little ways’, like St. Theresa of Lisieux. To love one person, one day, one thing at a time. Macro love is the love that transforms the ecclesial community, especially through its pursuit of justice and charity, such as love for widows and orphans, love for the sick and the needy, love of prisoners and foreigners. This love is essential to the ministry of the sacraments and the preaching of the Gospel.

Pope Benedict states, “The State may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions. For her part, the Church, as the social expression of Christian faith, has a proper independence and is structured on the basis of her faith, as a community which the state must recognize.” Thus in these distinct spheres of Church and State, faith and reason, there is an interconnectedness. Faith gives greater clarity and purity to reason. Therefore faith is a necessary element of society and a great benefit to the State itself. Both work towards the common good. The Church is contributing to the purification of reason and the reawakening of moral values to promote organizationally and institutionally the common good. And the mission of the Church is to configure social life more correctly, respecting individual autonomy and yet cooperating with other citizens. Charity needs a formation of the heart where one is led to encounter God in Christ, which awakens love and opens our spirits to others. Christian charity must always be independent of parties and ideologies, calling us to communitarian love of the Trinity, God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church must carry out its ministry of charity at all levels from the parishes, through the particular Churches, to the universal Church.

During our day at the seminary, Bishop Zubik dedicated the Bishop Michael O’Connor Hall (first Bishop of Pittsburgh) for the new John Bernard McDowell Center (auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh of 44 years) and three other rooms that were blessed in memory of Msgr. Donald Kraus, Fr. George Saladna, and long-time rector of St. Paul Cathedral for over 30 years, Fr. Leo Vanyo. (In gratitude for the monetary gifts that these prelates left to the Diocese, the Bishop chose to dedicate these renovated areas in their names.) There is also a great hall honoring seven cardinals with ties to Pittsburgh: His Eminences John Cardinal Wright, John Cardinal Deardon, Anthony Cardinal Bevilaqua, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Adam Cardinal Maida, Sean Cardinal O’Malley and Donald Cardinal Wuerl. As I looked at the pictures of these cardinals, I thought of how much they have preached the Good News, written about the faith, and shepherded God’s holy people. As these Cardinal’s toil and labor on the macro level of the Church and its life, so we support them on the micro level, working together to spread the Kingdom of God. As St. Angela Merici said, “A good heart as well as a soul on fire with charity can do nothing but good and holy works.”

On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally called “Good Shepherd Sunday," the Church reminds us of Jesus, who conquered death, who leads His sheep to paradise and who is the model of authentic, self-emptying pastoral care. From the first book of the Bible, Genesis, to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, the Shepherd image runs all through Scripture. Israel’s two great leaders, Moses and David, were shepherds. Jesus in the New Testament freely applied the image to Himself. This Sunday is also designated World Sunday for Prayer for Vocations. One thinks of a wide range of vocations to pastoral service, namely, lay, religious and priestly. When humankind veers far from the ways of God, Jesus the Good Shepherd, calls us back by His care, love and concern for each and all. We hear His voice, we follow His call and we lead others in His Gentle way.” As the priests of the Diocese closed our day with evening prayer and dinner, we were, like Christ the Good Shepherd, sent out to our own flocks, to care for His sheep, to feed them, forgive them and serve them well in His name.

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how to spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart and amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything” (Attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, 28th Superior General of the Jesuits).

A Simple and Faithful Friend

Last Saturday morning, on the seventh day of the octave of the Easter, I journeyed to St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon to attend the funeral of Mary Agnes D’Amico, the mother of Fr. Carmen D’Amico. She was 94 years old. Mary is the mother of 4 children and the grandmother of 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. There were 22 priests in attendance, along with Bishop Winter for this bright and light celebration. Bright in that it reflected the laughter, levity, humor, faith and joy that characterized Mary’s life; and light in that the darkness that death creates was overcome by an abiding and confident faith in Christ the Risen One.

In that august, gothic church, there was a wide diversity of worshippers in the assembly. I greeted many women religious outside the church, and many laity from various places, including parishioners from St. Benedict the Moor where Fr. Carmen served for twenty years. Fr. Carmen even had a priest friend from Kentucky concelebrate. The liturgy was alive and every detail was well-planned. The diocesan cantor, Diane Rudolph, graced us with her lyrical voice, singing the “Ave Maria” in its entirety. At the Sign of Peace we sang “Let there Be Peace on Earth” and at Communion, Michael Joncas’ hymn, “No Greater Love.” The processional hymn was “Jesus is Risen” by Last Uns Efreusen and the recessional was “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” a 14th Century Latin hymn. Fr. Jim Dowes, CSsR, a longtime friend of Fr. Carmen’s, played the organ, and Fr. Carmen even had him hit a few notes during his homily to rejoice that his mom had gone home. There was an outstanding brass ensemble with two trombones and two trumpets led by Bernie Black. Fr. Carmen’s longtime friend, Fr. Michael Greb, OFM Cap, sat beside him in the sanctuary and did the Rite of Committal at the cemetery.

While I sat in the congregation with my brother priests, I thought of the parallels of Fr. Carmen’s life and my own. Both of our mothers’ names are Mary. Fr. Carmen is six years older than me and his mom was six years older than my mom. Both of our mothers shared the same illnesses. His mom lived at Vincentian Regency Nursing Home in Allison Park and my mom lives at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Brighton Heights. Both of us attended St. Paul’s Seminary in Crafton and Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. Both of us shared the same pastor, Fr. Francis F. Carey, at SS Simon and Jude Church in Scott Township, and celebrated our first Mass there. And we both try to walk with God’s people simply and joyfully.

In his homily, Fr. Carmen mentioned that he took inspiration from his mother’s nursing home roommate whose name was also Mary. He noted that many people of that generation were named Mary after the mother of Jesus, demonstrating the sense of devotion of that time. Fr. Carmen’s mom was born in Italy and her maiden name, “Semplice,” means “simple.” He noted the fittingness of this name as his mother was a simple person in an oftentimes complex world. Fr. Carmen spoke of two simple beliefs which his mother lived by:

1) To think positive so that good things happen. Like the notion of Dr. Norman Vincent Peal, the Father of Positive Thinking, his mom looked at the good in life in people and in situations and always strived to bring peace in every circumstance.

2) To always “Eat jello.” As the congregation roared, Fr. Carmen talked about the joy of jello and how his mom always served jello and believed jello was a healing agent. Fr. Carmen encouraged all the grandchildren to take from their Nana’s life the lessons of living simply, joyfully, gratefully, humbly, and helping one another grow by sharing, caring and loving each other.

Mary’s married name was “D’Amico” which means “friend.” Mary was a amicable person with many friends, whether at Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Brookline of which she was a longtime member, the Three Hundred Club where she loved to dance, later as a member of St. Bernard Parish in Mt. Lebanon, or at the Italian Festival in Bloomfield which she loved to take in. Through her demeanor, graciousness and faith, Mary was a constant presence of Christ’s joy and hope to the family. She showed to all that no matter what trials, temptations or tribulations we pass through in life, if we are close to Christ, we become more purified and grow in humility and a greater measure of love for God. Even suffering gives birth to joys and we rejoice. Fr. Carmen had all the people who served at the Vincentian Regency Nursing Home stand, in gratitude for all who made his mother’s life so joyous.

There was a touching eulogy offered by her granddaughter, Mary Bell. Mary Bell commented that by age 5 everyone drank coffee in their Italian family. And she spoke of her grandmother’s extraordinary cooking and baking abilities, especially in her pizelles, biscotti and pane pasqua cu lovu (bread with egg). Mary Bell accented how her grandmother stressed the importance of family gatherings, celebrations and sacraments. I was delighted when Mary Bell said that on Holy Thursday they had a tradition to go to Grandma’s house. There her grandmother would get out all the pots and pans and open all the doors and windows, not only to let the Spring air in, but to sing and pray in order to get the devils out because too much darkness separates us from God and one another and Easter is the perfect time to purge the devil and all sin and sadness away. As Mary Bell recounted all the beautiful qualities, values, beliefs of her grandmother, she built her eulogy to a crescendo saying, “And by the way, her son is a priest, and that was the wind beneath her wings. That brought her great delight and joy.” The congregation responded with an ensuing roar. In the final commendation, we sang, “The hand of God shall hold you, the peace of God enfold you, the love that dreamed and formed you still surrounds you here today. The light of God beside you, above, beneath, inside you, the light that shines to guide you home to the loving hand of God.” As I was in the sacristy saying goodbye to my brother priests, I thought, “What a celebration.” Echoing my sentiments, Fr. Malcom McDonald, a prison chaplain said, “Now I can serve the people in jail and skip with joy!” Alleluia!

License Plate — God’s Joy

“You must know that God is offering His salvation to all the world.”

— Acts 28: 28

On Easter Monday, after making a visit to a funeral home and hospital, I waited at a stop sign only to take notice of the license plate on a car in front of me which read GOD’S JOY. That plate seemed to encapsulate the entire message of Easter.

God’s Joy — The octave of Easter is eight days which St. Augustine refers to as "days of mercy and pardon.”

God’s Joy — On Palm Sunday evening, the youth of our parish presented a memorable, meaningful, musical and prayerful experience of the Living Stations.

God’s Joy — Overflowing crowds for the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday Mass — 248; Good Friday Service — 248; Easter Sunday Masses: Vigil — 310; 8:00 AM — 300; 10:00 AM — 546; 12:00 Noon — 486

God’s Joy — Through the spirit of the Anthony Volante Feed the Hungry Fund, 60 families were given an Easter meal. The vital health of a community depends on sharing.

God’s Joy — A pastor’s message and Easter flowers brought light to 96 shut-ins of the parish.

God’s Joy — The donations for Easter flowers in honor/memory of loved ones.

God’s Joy — Families placing flowers at the cemetery.

God’s Joy — Assistance during Holy Week from two brother priests — Fr. Gerry Rogala, Archdiocese of Chicago and Fr. Joe Calderone, OSA, from Philadelphia.

God’s Joy — The 6 people who were baptized and total of 9 people received into communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil.

God’s Joy — A blessing given to a couple on Easter for their 56th year of marriage. This call to union and communion at every level, physical spiritual and psychological demands a continuous growth in unselfish love as a way of holiness.

God’s Joy — The Fish Fry crew who kept alive the tradition of service to our brothers and sisters. Great food, teamwork, faith sharing and fun.

God’s Joy — Those in ministry who worked to ready God’s House for worship through liturgy, cleaning, decorating and preparing the baptistery to make our Easter festivities so beautiful. A blare of trumpets to the Lord!

God’s Joy — It was inspiring to see many experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation where God’s mercy abounds and Easter joy continues!

God’s Joy — USA Today front cover story on Good Friday entitled "'Reverts' return to their childhood religions." Whether Catholic, Methodist or Jewish, a call to return to their childhood religions.

God’s Joy — Mother Judith, Superior of the Little Sisters of the Poor on Holy Saturday who went room to room to visit each resident with the sweetness of a smile, candy and blessing. Mom dressed in her peach Easter outfit.

God’s Joy — A lady who regularly attends yard sales, flea markets and estate sales mailed me a book entitled First Easter: The True and Unfamiliar Story by Paul Maier — Easter changes everything.

God’s Joy — A third grade student said “Father, I’m ready to be an altar server now.”

God’s Joy — The Holy Thursday Chrism Mass at St. Paul Cathedral. Bishop Zubik mounted the pulpit to speak, noting the privilege it is to stand at this pulpit or any pulpit. Bishop Zubik noted in his first year of the seminary in the Fall of 1967 he brought a tray of shrimp cocktail to the room of Bishop John Cardinal Wright. He was asked by Bishop Wright, “why are you here and what piece of advice would you give to be a good seminarian/priest, because to follow Jesus and to serve His Church is serious business.” Young seminarian David had many misconceptions of what was necessary to become a priest. Did you need a perfect family? Did you need to be an artisan wordsmith? Did you need to have extraordinary talents and skills? Much to his surprise Bishop Wright remarked that a good priest must smile. People must see on your face that the love of Jesus is real. Blessed Pope John Paul II often wrote about priests as a man of communion. Bishop Zubik spoke about the four areas in a priest’s life that bring joy.

1) Communion with God — know and practice dropping to our knees what God says, why God says and how God says.

2) Communion with the church — the two important words of the Gospel according to the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen were “come” and “go.” Be a living sign of the saving presence of Jesus Christ. Be confident and courageous in a world and culture that wants to silence God.

3) Communion with God’s people — Christ’s Body — the faithful of the Church. Christ gives His love to us and the more we fall in love with God, the more meaningful the sacraments will become in sharing with God’s people — Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Priesthood. Through the sacramental life, God’s love and grace guides us to heaven.

4) Communion with one’s self — Bishop Zubik noted that the life of the priest is not getting any lighter or easier. There are many demands and burdens where one can easily risk the danger of burnout. He pleaded with his priests to have good self-care, to pray regularly, offer the Mass devoutly, seek Mary’s intercession to be a holy priest, pray the breviary as if it’s your bride, have good friends, take a day off, make a retreat, heal the divisions among us. Never take this call for granted, or be too tired to serve others joyfully, and never forget to smile. The Bishop personally greeted each priest, presenting us with a book Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Fr. Robert Barron, a vestment garment bag and a delicious meal.

Go Pens!

Easter: Sharing Faith, Walking Together

“We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song. Let us sing ‘alleluia’ here and now in this life, even though we are oppressed by various worries, so that we may sing it one day in the world to come, when we are set free from all anxiety... How happy will our shout of ‘alleluia’ be as we enter heaven, how carefree, how secure from any assault, where no enemy lurks and no friend dies... Advance in virtue, in true faith, and in right conduct. Sing up!"

— St. Augustine

I recently read a story about a seminarian who had an elderly priest teach him. The priest said, “Life is a series of ‘Good Fridays’ with an occasional ‘Easter’ thrown in just to keep us going.” But the idealistic young man objected, saying, “No, life is an endless ‘Easter’ with some ‘Good Fridays’ thrown in to keep us on our toes!”

Throughout all of our journeys, we come to know that both the young seminarian and older priest were right. Life is a mixture of Good Fridays and Easter Sundays. For without Good Fridays there can be no Easters. Yes, life is sometimes painfully cruel but our Easter moments are more powerful than all our Good Friday moments put together. In the words of Michael Leach, author of Why Stay Catholic:

Good Friday means you can nail beauty to a cross but you can’t destroy it. Easter means you can bury love in a cave but it won’t stay there. We begin to die the moment we’re born. But Jesus gives us new life the moment He dies. Jesus was our Savior and the greatest teacher who ever lived. How wonderful to know that He rose from the dead as He promised to demonstrate that everything He taught about being loving and at peace was true.

I recall in serving as hospital chaplain at Mercy, an ER nurse of 25 years named Kathy telling me that when people come into the emergency room, they are fearful, frightened and anxious. So she was always reassuring, comforting, and calming them. She said that her goal is to take them from Good Fridays of darkness to Easter Sundays of hopefulness and light.

The word “Easter” comes from a Greek word, Paskha, and a Hebrew word, Pesah. In many European languages the words for Passover and Easter are etymologically related. Easter is the central feast of the Christian liturgical year. In 325, the first Council of Nicea established Easter as the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. (Vernal means spring-like, and equinox from the Latin meaning equal and night.) Thus at this time of the year, night and day have about equal length.

The Paschal Triduum is the very heart of the liturgical year. And in the New Testament Jesus gave Passover a new meaning at the Last Supper by becoming the new Passover Lamb to be slain once and for all. Jesus’ Passover from death to life is central for our belief. At Easter we have the Easter fire, the Easter candle, the Easter water, the Easter scriptures, Easter Baptismal promises, the Easter-baptized Christians, the Easter Exultet, the Easter Gloria, the Easter banners, the Easter lilies, the Easter baskets, and the Easter people.

We’ve heard so many times that Jesus died to save us from our sins, but would we believe it if there wasn’t an Easter? Our solemn, sober, sorrowful Good Friday makes us mourn and lament our woeful, sinful condition. If we look just at our failures, weaknesses and sinfulness, we can easily be dismayed. But the Christian looks to Christ who spurs us to the hope of holiness in a new life, which swallows up death for our salvation. Christ took the rap for our sinfulness and set us free from the enslavements of sin. Sin puts us in bondage and exile, but Christ died to free us and bring us home. Resurrection is a time of renewal, rebirth, recreation, and recommitment to awaken in us the joy, the gratitude, the praise and the peace of being a believer of the Promised One. Christ’s faithfulness and generous grace lifts from our hearts the boulders of our sinfulness pinning us down. He allows us to walk free from the shackles that constrict our movement to the light.

As I celebrate my fourth Easter here at St. Joseph Parish, I am grateful to God for your faith, reverence, prayerfulness, humility, charity, witness, sacrifice, passion for Christ and desire to serve His Church. It was heart-warming to walk and accompany over 100 people for our Holy Thursday Seven Church Walk after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Seeing all the ages of the people on that pilgrimage was inspiring to me. It made me reflect on how Holy Week is about walking, accompanying, knowing, companioning — that Jesus constantly invites us to walk with Him daily, and to accompany Him on His way to His death and resurrection. He desires us to be near and He wants us to be close. He wants us to help one another be better friends and disciples, spurring us to His holy Kingdom.

We thank the youth of our parish for their portrayal of Living Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday. We appreciate the long practices of our choir members, cantors, lectors, instrumentalists who lift our hearts to praise God through inspired songs. We are edified by the great numbers of persons who took seriously the call to “Create in me a clean heart” by coming to Confession. We are ever touched by those who tidy up the house of God and make it aesthetically beautiful, arranging the sacred space so beautifully — for our baptismal font welcoming our new-born Christians. We thank those who gave donations for flowers in honor of their loved ones, and those who fulfilled their mite cards to benefit the poor. We welcome with great joy those born in water and the spirit at Easter and welcome them to our Catholic faith community through the Sacraments of Initiation. Our parish is blessed by the Volante Fund which makes Easter dinners available to the less fortunate. We thank Fr. Gerry Rogala and Fr. Joe Calderone for helping at our parish in this busy season. To our faithful staff who always gives unselfishly and joyfully, being glad minstrels of God’s love, many thanks. And for all our visitors, who come to worship with us at Easter, may we renew our Baptismal promises and walk in His light.

Alleluia, He is Risen! Happy Easter!