First Sunday of Advent
November 30, 2003
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The new year on the church calendar begins with the first Sunday of Advent when, once again, the faith community commences its year long celebration of the saving mysteries of Christ Jesus, starting with our preparing to celebrate his birth. Happy New Year!
As you read in this space several weeks ago and more recently in the press, some small changes are being made in the way we celebrate Mass. These changes are outlined in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). The Roman Missal consists of the Sacramentary (the large red book from which I pray at the chair and altar) and the Lectionary (several volumes of scripture lessons for use in the liturgy). The General Instruction includes both general and specific directions and guidelines for celebrating the church’s prayer. At the present time the General Instruction for the new Roman Missal has been translated, authorized for use and published in English but the new Missal for which it introduces is still in process. Nevertheless, the church is asking that some of the changes in the new Instruction be implemented even before the Missal is available for our use.
Many parishes are introducing these changes this weekend, while others are taking a slower approach - as will we in our parish. The changes themselves are not many and might seem strange if introduced apart from a larger context. That is why we will use this opportunity provided by the church to review and renew how our parish parish celebrates the liturgy. By Easter 2004, we shall have studied the prayer we offer and how we pray it. During the course of the next five months we will work towards renewing elements of our prayer in need of attention and we will introduce those changes from the new General Instruction which we might find helpful in our prayer. In the meantime, when worshiping in other communities, you may notice some of the changes already in place. You can be sure that none of the changes are dramatic enough that you would feel lost or out of place in another parish’s prayer!
So, where shall we begin? Let’s begin at the beginning! The new General Instruction answers the “most frequently asked question” on the parish phone line: “What time is Mass?” The Instruction tells us that, “After the people have gathered, the Entrance song begins as the priest enters with the deacon and ministers. The purpose of this song is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or feast, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers.” (GIRM, Chapter 2, no. 47)
“What time is Mass?” Mass is to begin “after the people
have gathered...” when we are all there. Suppose that we did indeed
wait until “after the people have gathered” before beginning our
celebration of Mass. If we did this, our weekend schedule would look something
like this: Mass on Saturday at 5:16; and on Sunday at 7:38, 9:45 and 11:47.
What difference does it make if people are late? That’s an important
question and a great example of how helpful it can be for us to review and
renew how we worship. Those who arrive late miss some important moments in
our prayer together:
-the opportunity to sit for a few moments before Mass and prepare for the
liturgy
(not to mention the opportunity to find a seat!)
-the entrance song which is intended to foster our unity and introduce us
to (give us some cues about)
the season or feast we are celebrating
-the opportunity to “call to mind our sins and to remember God’s
mercy” in the penitential rite
-the opportunity to hear the voice and word of God in the scriptures and homily
It is not unusual in our parish for as many as 40- 50 to arrive during or
after first reading has been proclaimed. Others arrive only after the second
reading and it is not uncommon for some to arrive during or even after the
proclamation of the gospel.
The first reason, then, for parishioners to make the effort to arrive on time is to make sure that they do not miss important moments in our weekly prayer. In a very real way, the entrance song and prayers and the scripture readings “set the scene” for the rest of our celebration. Imagine walking into a movie 15-20 minutes late! We wouldn’t! We’d wait until the next show because we wouldn’t want to miss the beginning of the story. The same is true of the liturgy.
The new General Instruction reminds us that the Mass is made up of two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There are two “tables” in the liturgy: the table of the word and the table of the eucharist, “so intimately interconnected that they form but one single act of worship.” (GIRM, Chapter 2, nos. 27-28) You may have noticed that my homilies invariably end in the same way: by drawing our attention to the table of the eucharist. I do this not because I can’t find more creative ways to end a homily but because of the importance of the connection between the tables of word and sacrament. It is the table of the word proclaimed and broken open for us that gives us reason to approach the table of eucharist in thanksgiving for God’s gracious action in our lives. Latecomers, having missed a substantial portion of the entrance rite and the scripture readings, come to the table at least partly unprepared to do so. Thus, those who arrive late are depriving themselves of a rich opportunity.
Of course, late arrivals can distract those who are already at prayer. While theaters and concert halls employ ushers to “hold” latecomers until a “break” in the performance, I trust that we can invite latecomers to wait for a similar moment in the liturgical action and then to take a seat as quickly and unobtrusively as possible. Arriving on time for Mass, even some minutes early, will benefit everyone! It’s a win-win situation for us all.
It is especially important for us to teach our children the importance of arriving on time for prayer - even if our children are sometimes the reason we are late start for Mass! We should at least make the effort to be as “on time” for church as we are for work, for school, for soccer practice, a Red Sox game or the movies. Our children will learn from us and our practice what is really important, and what is less important.
On any weekend, there are probably at least 50 good and understandable reasons why an individual or family is late for Mass - and everyone understands that this is the case. What we ask here is for all of us to consider this matter and to make an effort to arrive on time.
And while we are speaking of these things, we recognize that the parking situation around our church is very difficult and the best of efforts and intentions are often foiled by the large numbers of people who worship with us in contrast to the limited number of parking spaces. Like you, I long for the new parking area adjacent to the Harvey Wheeler renovation project to be opened up. Things should be much improved when that chain link fence comes down!
As we “review and renew” our worship, we will not make new “house rules” for our community, but rather invite ourselves to work toward taking greater responsibility for our corporate worship. Arriving on time is a good example. We have no desire to embarrass anyone or make them feel uncomfortable. We only want to do what will enhance the prayer we gather to offer. This weekend is our “liturgical New Year’s celebration.” Perhaps we could all make a “New Year’s resolution” to arrive on time and even early for Mass so that we might give ourselves more deeply to worship of our God and to the assembly of God’s faithful people.
Sincerely,
Fr. Fleming
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Wondering if Mass attendance is up or down in our parish? Every year in October,
every parish in the United States takes a three week head count at weekend
liturgies. Here are our parish figures for the past 6 years:
Total for Average Average Attendance
3 weekends Weekend at each Mass
1998 2762 921 230
1999* 2910 970 194
2000* 3007 1002 200
2001** 3059 1020 255
2002*** 2782 927 232
2003 2832 944 236
* Note: in 1999 and 2000 our weekend schedule included a Sunday 5:00 p.m.
Mass.
** The peak numbers for October 2001 were one month after the September 11
terrorist attacks.
*** The October 2002 numbers follow the January 2002 Boston Globe Spotlight
Series on sexual abuse by clergy.
November 22, 2003
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The number of topics on which I’d like to comment this week is staggering!
But first, the good news! My thanks to Joanne Cormier and all of her “Christmas
Fair Elves” who worked so hard, for so long to make our parish seasonal
fair such a success. And thanks to all who came to support this fund raising
effort and who contributed to raising $5,200! The proceeds will benefit the
general fund of the parish, our high school summer service program, and the
Navajo mission school. The longer I am a pastor the more I see that the most
successful parish programs are those which depend on the initiative of parishioners,
and the Christmas fair is a fine example of this. When several people who
attended the Fair congratulated me on its success, I was quick to point out
to them that I could take no credit in this regard. The displays were beautiful;
the craft items were artistic; and the food was wonderful. My only regret?
I didn’t win any of the raffle items! A list of the raffle winners appears
elsewhere in this bulletin.
Two weeks ago I preached a homily in which I quoted the baptismal and marriage statistics from history of our parish. I then compared those numbers to the number of volunteers (only 1) who had responded to our request for drivers to give rides to and from Mass from Concord Park. We have received a few more calls since then, but the still small number of volunteers and the negative response to my homily from three parishioners has helped me to understand that my approach was neither helpful nor faithful to the preacher’s task. The three critiques of my homily led me to see that although I thought I was communicating my disappointment and calling the community to its responsibilities, what was really coming out was an expression of my anger. It’s not wrong to have anger, but it is wrong to use the homily as a vehicle for it. And at this point in my life I should know that anger is not a way to urge or persuade others to assume greater responsibility. I know how I feel when I am the object of such anger and I apologize for having subjected you to the same. As I said in the same homily, the number of good works and the outreach of our parish effort is too much to count - so generous are so many. We will always have more needs begging for our response: I pledge to call us to that effort in a more responsible way. Finally, my sincere thanks to the three people who were so honest with me in responding to my homily: this is how preachers become better preachers and how pastors become better pastors.
The work of the annual fall meeting of the American bishops, Nov 10-13, (www.usccb.org) addressed a wide variety of issues: the impact of the sexual abuse crisis on the church; a pastoral response to issues facing farmers and farm workers, including criteria for agricultural policies; questions regarding marriage and same-sex unions; guidelines for concelebration and devotional practices; work on a policy for response to Catholic politicians whose positions do not conform to church teaching; a statement addressed to young adults regarding stewardship of their personal gifts and talents; guidelines for responsible investment practices; and work on a brochure to remind Catholics of the church’s teaching on artificial birth control.
One important and pressing item the bishops failed to address is the issue of mandatory celibacy for priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Pressed on why the bishops would not raise this issue, Bishop Donald Kettler of Fairbanks, Alaska said that the pope flatly opposes allowing priests to marry and “We’ve got to do what the boss wants.” Balancing Kettler’s opinion, Bishop Michael Pfeifer of San Antonio, Texas said that the “boss” is God, not the pope and that a discussion about mandatory celibacy could be helpful. “We don’t lose anything by listening,” said Pfeifer. It does seem that some in the Catholic church do fear that we will lose something by listening.
•Perhaps that fear was there some 35 years ago when Pope Paul VI wrote
the encyclical Humanae Vitae in which he reaffirmed the prohibition of artificial
contraception after his own appointed commission of experts had voted 52-4
in favor of making a change in that ban.
•Certainly we “lost something” in failing to listen and
respond honestly to children (and their families) sexually abused by priests
and in fearing what scandal might come of immediate action.
•What is the church losing in fearing and failing to listen to Voice of the Faithful? Why is VOTF banned in many dioceses and why are new chapters of VOTF not allowed to meet on church property in the archdiocese of Boston. What fear keeps the archdiocese from making a definitive response on this issue?
•What might I have lost if I had not listened to the three parishioners
who offered me a critique of my recent homily? What is lost in our parish
when you or I fear to listen to the church, to each other, to our children,
to our parents?
•Are we afraid to listen to gay and lesbian (individually and as couples)
whose experience and contribution to our churches and communities may be more
compelling than we want to acknowledge?
I believe that Bishop Pfeifer is correct. We lose nothing by listening. But in refusing or failing to listen we may weaken our grasp on the truth.
I’m making the effort to truly listen to the many voices raised in the debate over the recent Massachusetts Supreme Court decision. I’m still making my way through the text of the decision and the dissenting opinions. I believe there is reason to be found on both sides. I have read our Archbishop’s response to that decision and also the American Bishops’ Conference’s statement on same-sex unions. I try to screen out the (many) shrill voices on both sides of this issue.
Marriage in the United States is a seriously wounded institution. The state no longer takes seriously the vowed relationship of which it pretends to stand as witness: for better, for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death... It might be also argued that the practice of annulments in the Catholic community hedges the church’s capacity to witness the same. It is difficult for me to understand how a gay or lesbian couple’s public promise of fidelity and their entering into a relationship sanctioned by the state (and by some faith communities) poses a threat to the larger community. Will our acceptance of such relationships change things? Undoubtedly. But I do not believe that those changes are inescapably dangerous to the common good. As I have written in this space before: we are obliged not only to listen to what the church teaches, but also to listen to the wisdom of our own experience. (I believe this is what Pope Paul VI intended to do in establishing the papal commission to study the birth control question.) The truth is not something that can be found and locked up for safe keeping. It is, rather, an ever-unfolding reality which, at its heart, does not contradict its past - except in those cases where the truth reveals that what we once believed to be true was, indeed, false. Please pardon, here, my inconclusiveness: I’m looking for the truth.
Finally... Several weeks ago all the priests of the archdiocese received a letter indicating that our presence was required at a meeting with the Archbishop at BC High on Saturday, December 6. No agenda item was announced - only that the reason for the gathering was important enough that the Archbishop wanted all of us to be there. The clergy scuttlebutt has been that this is all about merging and closing parishes. The papers this morning report that the archdiocesan spokesman said the archbishop has not decided whether to close parishes, how many parishes might be closed, or even what exactly he plans to discuss on December 6. While it seems that some may fear public disclosure of the agenda for this meeting, I’ll follow Bishop Pfeifer’s advice and be there on December 6 to hear what Archbishop Sean has to say. After all: we don’t lose anything by listening...
Sincerely,
Fr. Fleming
November 7, 2003
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Some parishioners have asked me why we are failing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our parish, their question based on the “October 1903” date on the church’s corner stone. The reason for the lack of festivities is that this is not the centennial year of our parish. 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the church building but our church was originally a “mission” of St. Bernard Parish in Concord center, reaching out to a growing Catholic population (mill workers) in West Concord. (St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln was also originally a mission of St. Bernard Parish.) It was not until 1907 that the Archdiocese established Our Lady Help of Christians as a parish unto itself and so the centennial of our parish is still four years away.
Another question I’m asked with increasing frequency is how much longer I will be the pastor of this parish. In the Archdiocese of Boston a pastor is named for a term of six years, renewable for a second six year term. On March 1, 2004 I will have been pastor here for 10 years with two years left in my second term. Is it possible that I might stay beyond the standard two terms? That might be possible. With the shortage of priests, the Archdiocese now sometimes leaves a pastor in place beyond his appointed term. However, there’s no way that I can predict what the situation or circumstances might be two years from now and so I work with the understanding that in 2006 I will be reassigned. I’d be delighted to stay beyond that date and I will at least inquire about the possibility of staying for the centennial year in 2007.
Others have asked me if I am sure that I will be replaced whenever it is that I am reassigned. My best guess is that the answer to that question is yes. The closing and merging of parishes will occur primarily in those faith communities where the need for multiple clergy and houses of worship no longer exists. That is certainly not the case in Concord where there are two, large, viable faith communities. Although I believe a day will come when one priest is assigned to pastor both Concord parishes (now there’s a challenge I’d enjoy!), I am relatively confident that both Fr. Murray at St. Bernard and I will be replaced at the time of our departures.
Another related question! What’s going to happen to the rectory at 1404 Main Street? You may recall that the initial plan was that upon the completion of the parish center we would sell 1404 Main and purchase a smaller home as the pastor’s residence - with the parish picking up a tidy profit in the process. Good real estate advice, however, has urged us not to do so, and for several reasons. First of all, we all know that even a small home in Concord comes with a very large price tag. Second: we would find ourselves in the position of marketing a property which a buyer would want to upgrade significantly while at the same time looking to purchase a property needing little or no work at all. Since my time here may be short and since the rectory is more than adequate for my needs, there seems to be some wisdom in putting off this question until another pastor arrives. Shortly after reaching this decision with the advice and consent of the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Council, a parish in a neighboring town invited me to take up residence in their rectory where there was an available set of rooms for another priest. This was very appealing to me and I inquired of the Archdiocese about simply selling 1404 Main outright. The decision from Brighton however was not to put the property up for sale at this time. Although in some sense the parish owns the rectory building, there must be approval from the Archdiocese before disposing of such property in any way. While this may seem restrictive, it is a wise policy which preserves parish communities from suffering the consequences of pastors whose decisions may be less than helpful.
Last week I included a “Help Wanted Section” in my letter. Here’s the response:
NO RESPONSE
WANTED: Person to coordinate 8th Grade sale of Advent Candles in late November
(proceeds will be used as fund raiser for students’ work at Sylvia’s Haven.
Seasonal work! This “position” involves a total of about 8 hours work over
several weeks this fall. Please call Colleen Brennan in 978-369-2810.
NO RESPONSE
WANTED: Volunteers to drive residents at Concord Park (in West Concord Center)
to and from Mass on Saturdays and Sundays. Residents are seniors who very
much want to worship with us but who can no longer drive or make the walk
to church. A rotation of volunteers is certainly possible, but some consistency
in drivers would be helpful. Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
ONE RESPONSE - FILLED
WANTED: Person to coordinate middle school and high school volunteer lectors
for Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the Sunday 9:30 Mass. (Attendance at
the 9:30 Mass is not required.) Position requires phone call reminders and
occasional mailings to a small group. This position requires about 10 hours
of work per year. Please call Colleen Brennan in 978-369-2810.
3 RESPONSES - MORE HELP NEEDED
WANTED: Persons to help “stuff” parish bulletins (inserts, Fr. Fleming’s letter,
etc.) on Friday afternoons at the Parish Center. You might volunteer for once,
twice, thrice or four times a month, depending on your schedule. No more than
one hour each week. Several volunteers needed for each Friday. Please call
Sheila at 978-369-2810.
3 RESPONSES - FILLED!
WANTED: Volunteer to schedule Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors and Altar Servers.
Involves 3-4 hours per month. Basic computer skills required. This work can
be done at home! Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
3 RESPONSES - FILLED!
WANTED: Web Site Advisor to assist in maintaining our parish web site. We
recently upgraded our parish site with DreamWeaver Software and seek someone
familiar with this software to advise our office staff on its implementation.
Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
NO RESPONSE
WANTED: Volunteer to secure and lock up the church building following the
Saturday 5:00 Mass. Position requires staying an extra 15 minutes after Mass.
Several volunteers would allow us to rotate the responsibility over the course
of a month. Please call Fr. Fleming at 978-369-2810.
Most disappointing is that no one responded to our request to drive elderly people to and from Mass on the weekends. What is disappointing is that this request revolves around something parishioners would already be doing: coming to Mass themselves. This work involves no special skill beyond having a driver’s license. It does not require giving up a weekday afternoon or evening. It doesn’t cost anything. I hope we will have a better response this week, and I hope that at least some if it will come from parishioners not otherwise formally involved in parish organizations and activities.
Fr. Janez Sever, SJ has talents you may not know! He is a photographer and an exhibition of his work entitled, New “Russian” Icons is opening at the Library of the Episcopal Divinity and Weston Schools of Theology. Janez has invited all of us to the opening of his show and a wine and cheese reception on Thursday, November 13, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Sincerely, Fr. Fleming
November 1, 2003
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
In my letter of September 28 I began an occasional series which I’m calling What Catholics Are Asking... My first effort was a look at “whatever happened” to the sacrament we used to call Last Rites. In this letter, I’ll look at some questions Catholics have been asking about “new changes” coming in our celebration of the liturgy. First, allow me to make a few distinctions. For several years now, the Vatican has been working on a new edition of the Roman Missal - that large red book which I use at the presider’s chair and at the altar. The Roman Missal has a General Instruction which sets out particular rules and guidelines for how we pray together. The new General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) has been published by Rome, translated into English and is intended to be implemented on the first Sunday of Advent 2003. Curiously enough, it will probably be several years before we have the approved English translation of the Roman Missal for which this new Instruction is an introduction. (You can’t make up this stuff and please remember that I am only the messenger!) These texts are not to be confused with a report you may have seen recently in the media about a letter coming from Rome which would introduce some significant and unwelcome changes in our worship. From what I can gather, a letter is coming, but the reported, offensive changes have already been excised from the text. Now: back to the GIRM!
The changes in the new Missal are neither sweeping nor many. There is also some room left for pastoral discretion at the local level. The changes we will introduce here in our parish will be introduced slowly. Some dioceses in the United States have been preparing parishes for as much as a year, using the new GIRM as a moment for renewing parish worship in general. In the Archdiocese of Boston, workshops on the new Instruction have only been held in the last six weeks. The last thing I want to do is repeat the mistake of how “the changes” were introduced in the liturgy in the late 1960’s, just after Vatican Council II. What we will seek here is clarity, not confusion. So, on the first Sunday of Advent, I will begin a series of inserts in the bulletin helping our parish “review and renew” our prayer together. My plan is that by Easter 2004 we will have had ample opportunity to study our common prayer and introduce those changes which will help us towards more active, conscious, reverent participate in the liturgy.
What sort of things might we “review and renew” in our prayer together? There are many facets of our liturgy to study: how we gather for Sunday worship; how we prepare our children for participating in the liturgy; the role of song and response in our prayer; the role of silence in our prayer; the quality of the signs and symbols we use in prayer; out coming to prayer (sometimes late?) and our leaving (sometimes early?); our attentiveness to the proclamation of the Lord’s word; our reverence for the eucharist and how we receive it; our posture at prayer (standing, sitting, kneeling); our sense of community even as we gather as individuals or as individual families; the quality of our ministers’ service; and our openness to welcoming new parishioners at prayer with us. And that’s just off the top of my head!
In the meantime, should you worship on Sundays in another parish, you might
notice folks bowing or kneeling at different times, or liturgical ministers
serving in slightly different ways. A good rule of thumb in such circumstances
is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Follow the local custom when visiting other parishes and be patient here at
home as we work to renew the worship we offer our God. I invite you to join
me in the months ahead in doing our best to grow in our understanding of the
worship we offer and in offering that worship with greater grace and reverence.
Our Parish “Town Meeting” was a great success! Some 75 parishioners
gathered to hear reports from our parish Finance Council, our parish Social
Action and Justice Commission, our Religious Education program and our new
Family Ministry. Following the reports, those present split into small groups
to respond to questions about the state of our parish and hopes and concerns
for the future. After the small groups reported to the larger assembly, there
was time for an open mic. I was pleased to see a fairly good cross section
of parishioners in attendance. I only wish we could discover some magic time
when our younger families would find it easier to participate in such gatherings.
My thanks to Jane Neuhauser and the Parish Pastoral Council for their work
in putting this evening together. The Council will soon offer a report on
the evening’s findings. My thanks to all who came - we’ll do this
again!
Sincerely,
Fr. Fleming
HELP WANTED SECTION
WANTED: Person to coordinate 8th Grade sale of Advent Candles in late November (proceeds will be used as fund raiser for students’ work at Sylvia’s Haven. Seasonal work! This “position” involves a total of about 8 hours work over several weeks this fall. Please call Colleen Brennan in 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Volunteers to drive residents at Concord Park (in West Concord Center) to and from Mass on Saturdays and Sundays. Residents are seniors who very much want to worship with us but who can no longer drive or make the walk to church. A rotation of volunteers is certainly possible, but some consistency in drivers would be helpful. Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Person to coordinate middle school and high school volunteer lectors for Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the Sunday 9:30 Mass. (Attendance at the 9:30 Mass is not required.) Position requires phone call reminders and occasional mailings to a small group. This position requires about 10 hours of work per year. Please call Colleen Brennan in 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Persons to help “stuff” parish bulletins (inserts, Fr. Fleming’s letter, etc.) on Friday afternoons at the Parish Center. You might volunteer for once, twice, thrice or four times a month, depending on your schedule. No more than one hour each week. Several volunteers needed for each Friday. Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Volunteer to schedule Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors and Altar Servers. Involves 3-4 hours per month. Basic computer skills required. This work can be done at home! Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Web Site Advisor to assist in maintaining our parish web site. We recently upgraded our parish site with DreamWeaver Software and seek someone familiar with this software to advise our office staff on its implementation. Please call Sheila Spooner at 978-369-2810.
WANTED: Volunteer to secure and lock up the church building following the Saturday 5:00 Mass. Position requires staying an extra 15 minutes after Mass. Several volunteers would allow us to rotate the responsibility over the course of a month. Please call Fr. Fleming at 978-369-2810.
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