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MORE DETAILS OF LIFE AT OUR SAVIOR
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These are random (or not so random) thoughts that I want to share with everyone.
Wednesday morning, I did an “office chat” about the timing and methodology of our gradually (underline that word!) opening up the church more like it was “back in the day.” Please check it out on our parish’s Facebook page. Spoiler alert: the “big weekend” will be Pentecost (22-23 May).
I want to thank the eight folks who stood for election to the Parish Council—it was one of the very best slates of candidates I think I’ve ever seen. I am so grateful for Cheryl Colleli, Maria Sangilan, Jim Haines, and Debbie Morgan for their willingness to serve and I congratulate David Dai, Celestine Chappell, Traci Henriksen, and Heath Parker as newly elected/appointed.
In one of my last “Year of the Eucharist and the Parish” chats I spoke about inclusivity and diversity in our parish, and I referred to the crucial role welcomers play as liturgical ministers. The next talk will be about diversity at Our Savior from a differing point of view. Please watch for it.
The word “crisis” is too weak to describe what is happening in India right now with the resurgence of the COVID virus. Even “catastrophic” is too light. But if it can happen in India, it can happen here (though perhaps not to that extreme). It’s why we must still be careful and considerate. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain asked God in Genesis 4. The answer is yes…
In spite of what has been happening in other parishes, and in spite of the fact that we’ll be beginning to open up, in a few weeks, here at Our Savior, it’s important to know that we will continue to offer “Communion on the porch” on Friday mornings, 9:30-10:00, and Sunday afternoons after 11:00 Mass. If many folks are ready to get back, others are not, and we (I) must and will continue to minister to their sacramental needs, to the best of my ability and with respect for their worries.
This past Sunday, 25 April, should have been the Feast of St Mark, but of course a Sunday in Easter takes precedence. It was also my birthday, and it was the celebration of Italian Independence (their “Fourth of July,” if you like). Mark bailed on Paul and Barnabas (his cousin) in the middle of the 1st Missionary Journey; he somehow was reconnected both with Peter and Paul (probably in Rome); his home in Jerusalem was an early gathering place for the infant Church; his writings constituted the first written Gospel (placed #2 in our New Testament lists). So, he was a central figure (if not as glamorous as Peter and Paul). Perhaps he was actually the youth who appeared in Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested, who fled naked when his linen cloth was grabbed. We have no proof, but it’s an interesting guess. He is the patron of the great cathedral in Venice, from where 3 popes came in the 20th century—Pius X, John XXIII, and John Paul I.
That should be enough for everyone by now! Perhaps next weekend I’ll have a more coherent essay. Or not!
