Holy Cross Parish Community
225 Purchase Street South Easton, MA 02375
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Pastor's Weekly Column
This page contains 4 weekly columns. Click on the dates to view.
| February 5, 2012 | January 29, 2012 | January 22, 2012 | January 15, 2012 |
Dear Friends,
Last Saturday afternoon I was in the reconciliation room reading the diocesan newspaper The Anchor (not enough business that afternoon!), when a parishioner stuck his head into the room and said, “Great paper. I read it every week.” I agree, and I do as well.
The Anchor is an important means by which we stay informed of news that ordinarily doesn’t make it into the mainstream press. It can be an important counterbalance to the secular press that at times distorts or ignores important news items concerning religion, faith, and the Catholic Church.
It is the primary means by which we learn what is happening in the Diocese of Fall River. The paper gives us a glimpse of the pastoral ministry of Bishop Coleman as our diocesan shepherd. For example, the past few issues included articles on his ordination of a new transitional deacon for the diocese, his visit to a soup kitchen at one of the New Bedford parishes, and his Christmas message to the diocese. The Anchor likewise covers activities occurring with the diocese, such as an article on the first six months of the new diocesan superintendant of schools, the Come Follow Me retreat for young adults, and improvements to the weekly diocesan TV mass. There are a number of columns written by members of the diocese, both laypersons and clergy, focusing on a variety of subject matter: editorials, weekly homilies, catechesis, spirituality, and general musings.
The paper also has important news stories on the national and international levels concerning the Catholic Church and related topics of interest. Recent articles have included the federal mandate that all heath plans include coverage for contraceptives and sterilizations, recent occurrences affecting the church in the Mideast, Supreme Court rulings impacting religious liberty, the pope’s naming of 22 new cardinals, the new “ordinariate” for former Anglican priests and laity joining the Catholic Church, and the Congregation of Holy Cross’ Year of the Brother in celebration of the canonization of Brother André Bessette, C.S.C.
The paper is a rich source of coverage of teachings and pronouncements from Pope Benedict as our supreme shepherd and from the Vatican. Recent articles have covered his statements on the Eucharist as a source of strength for the tired and lost, the importance of praise, thanks, and trust in prayer, the threat of “radical secularism” to the core values of American culture, and the upcoming Year of Faith as an opportunity for catechesis in the church.
At times there is even coverage of Holy Cross Parish in The Anchor, such as the two issues this past month that featured Claire Smith and Rob Tarallo as persons of the week, with wonderful full-page articles on their involvement in our parish.
I strongly urge all parishioners to subscribe to The Anchor, and to make the time in your busy schedules to read it in order to stay informed.
Yours in Holy Cross,
Father Jim
Dear Friends,
A practice that has grown in popularity over the past several years is the reading of a “Eulogy” at a Mass of Christian Burial. A more proper title for this might be “Words of Remembrance.” It is an opportunity for a family member or close friend who knew the deceased well to share some insights into the quality of this person’s life as his or her birth into eternal life is being celebrated at the mass.
I recently developed some guidelines concerning this practice in our funeral masses here at Holy Cross. In most cases, families of the deceased are very respectful of what is and is not proper regarding inclusion of words of remembrance in the Mass of Christian Burial. I’ve asked both Kane and Copeland-McKinnon funeral homes here in Easton to give these guidelines to the families when they first meet with them, so that they understand what is proper before meeting with myself or Father Larry to plan the Mass of Christian Burial.
I share these guidelines with you so that the parish as a whole can be familiar with what we believe is proper and reasonable in regards to this growing practice:
“Words of Remembrance (a eulogy) are not part of the ritual of the Mass of Christian Burial, but an exception is typically made for pastoral reasons. It is both an honor and a significant responsibility to offer these Words of Remembrance at the Mass of Christian Burial. These guidelines are presented to assist you to develop and present these Words of Remembrance in a manner worthy of the memory of the deceased and appropriate within the context of the Mass.
“We respectfully request that you follow these guidelines:
Ø The eulogy should focus on the quality of the person’s life, his/her importance in the life of family and friends, a summary of the kind of person he/she was… This might be illustrated by some brief anecdotes from the person’s life, but should not become a “roast” of the deceased. These Words of Remembrance are not a personal message to the family or friends gathered (this is the purpose of the homily delivered by the priest), but an opportunity to summarize and celebrate the person’s life.
Ø The eulogy should be completely written out. Keeping to the written text and not diverging from it ensures that the Words of Remembrance are presented in a dignified and focused manner, and that you do not forget something important that you wish to say about the person.
Ø Please try to keep it within five minutes (600-700 words).
Ø The Words of Remembrance should be offered by only one person. The priest presiding at the Mass can decide if there is sufficient pastoral reason to allow two people to offer Words of Remembrance. In this case, each should be no longer than three to four minutes (350-450 words).
“These guidelines are presented for a variety of reasons, both pastoral and practical, out of respect for the guests gathered at the Mass and all involved in the Mass of Christian Burial, many of whom may have other commitments after the hour-long Mass. Your cooperation with these guidelines will ensure that the Mass proceeds smoothly and solemnly, and will be a beautiful ceremony for the deceased as well as for his/her family and friends gathered for the Mass of Christian Burial.”
Yours in Holy Cross,
Father Jim
Dear Friends,
It is an honor and privilege to be asked to be a baptism godparent or a confirmation sponsor if asked for the right reason, which is the role model that the person will provide for the child or teenager. Many young couples and confirmation candidates will ask a family member to be a godparent or sponsor out of affection for this person. But presumably this person is being asked not only because of a family connection but also, and more importantly, because he or she is living their Christian faith and practicing their Catholic religion. For this reason, it has become standard practice in most parishes to require that (at least) one of the godparents, and a confirmation sponsor, receive the approval of their pastor who testifies that he or she is qualified to serve as a godparent or sponsor.
Here at Holy Cross, we use a certificate that was developed several years ago for use in the parishes in our Taunton Deanery. I like the fact that this Godparent/Sponsor Certificate places the onus on the person asking for approval. A pastor will not know every one of his parishioners (and when you have a pastor like me who doesn’t remember names and faces, it’s even worse!), so this certificate relies upon the integrity of the person completing it and then bringing it to their pastor for his approval.
The first part of the certificate, which the person signs, states:
“I recognize that a godparent/sponsor has a special relationship to the person who is to be baptized or confirmed. As a sacramental sponsor, I must not only keep God’s commandments as Jesus teaches us through the Scriptures and the Church (by loving God and loving neighbor), but must also worship God both in personal prayer and through the liturgical life of the Church (especially in the weekly celebration of Mass). I must also translate my faith and prayers into good works.
“With that understanding, I recognize that in order to serve as a godparent/sponsor, all of the following must apply. I must…
- Be a Catholic who has been baptized, received the Eucharist and confirmed
- Be currently living a sacramental life (i.e. faithfully attending Mass)
- Be at least sixteen years of age
- If married, be married in the Catholic Church (or elsewhere with the permission/dispensation of the Catholic Church)
- Lead a life of faith in harmony with the role I am undertaking, and have the intention of undertaking the role of a godparent/sponsor
- Not be a parent of the individual to be baptized/confirmed
“I hereby accept these responsibilities and promise that I fulfill the requirements to serve in the role of godparent/sponsor.”
As I mentioned above, I rely upon the integrity of the person bringing this signed certificate to me. Perhaps in some cases a person signing this certificate will be motivated to begin fulfilling all its requirements so that he or she doesn’t feel hypocritical in agreeing to be a sacramental sponsor. It is obviously a major responsibility and commitment that one makes in becoming a godparent or sponsor, one that, God willing, this person takes seriously as a role model for the child or teenager.
Yours in Holy Cross,
Father Jim
Dear Friends,
Last Monday the Parish Pastoral Council discussed our parish mission statement, which reads:
The Holy Cross Parish Community is committed in faith and love of Jesus Christ to fulfill the profoundly human and spiritual needs of its parishioners and the larger community it serves. We seek to inspire all, through deeds and by example, to do the work of Christ: to make God known, loved, and served.
We discussed the questions, “How well are we as a parish living our parish mission statement? How can we live it out more fully? What more can we do to live it?”
The pastoral council believes that our mission statement expresses well what we should be doing as a parish, and that overall we are fulfilling it well. We are a parish that warmly welcomes people and responds pastorally to their spiritual needs. We reach out to those in need through Outreach Sunday and other social outreach programs. As one council member stated, we offer so much, but need to figure out how to let others know what we have to offer. Another council member felt that we are so close to harnessing the energy present in our parish that will engage more people in worship and in service.
A couple of concerns raised were how to increase participation among parishioners and how to reach out to inactive and former parishioners. An interesting discussion revolved around the question of how to help both active and inactive parishioners understand what our spiritual needs are- how to identify with our spiritual needs. How is our faith important to us, and how do we live it in our lives?
Some suggestions were made concerning how to integrate our mission statement into the liturgical life of our parish and into the home life of our parishioners. In light of the expansive catechesis we undertook last fall on the Eucharist, the council will consider a slight revision of the mission statement that would identify us as a community centered in the Eucharist.
This mission statement is found on the front cover of our bulletin and on the homepage of our parish website. It is included on many of the pamphlets that describe various parish programs and ministries. It is found in all these places with the hope that we parishioners will occasionally read and reflect on it, and thus become more familiar with it. This mission statement defines who we are and how we strive to live as a parish community. It articulates what we see as our purpose for existing as a parish and how we try to live that purpose.
We do the work of Christ by striving, in the words of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C, “to make God known, loved, and served.” We see this exhortation on the banners at the front doors of the church and on the back of the church front lawn sign. Our challenge is to live out our mission statement and fulfill our parish mission to make God known, loved, and served.
Yours in Holy Cross,
Father Jim
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