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Last Sunday in the Church

In the bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

This weekend, May 30-31, is the last weekend that we will celebrate the Holy Mass in the church as it is now. During all next week, our hard-working maintenance crew will be busy transforming the Fr. Puhl Center into our temporary church, while renovations take place.  Our new location is going to work very well and will be very appropriate for the Holy Mass.  Another  bright spot: with Summer coming up, we will have beautiful air conditioning during Mass!

Our parking habits will have to undergo some changes for the next nine months: all of our parking will be available, however the south-west parking lot will be the farthest from the Fr. Puhl Center and will require you to walk around the outside of the building.  The parking lots on the east side will fill up first, so we encourage you to also use the very conveniently located city-owned parking lot that is on the north side of 76th.

How long will it take for the renovation?  For the next nine months, our architects and contractors will labor, and then deliver a beautiful church to us.  Just as the woman in labor of the Gospel, we will forget the minor discomforts we will endure in the meantime, in the happiness of enjoying the completed project.  Once again, I thank all of you who so generously contribute to our campaign.

Memorial Day 2009: The Four Chaplains

Today is Memorial Day, when we remember the ultimate sacrifices given by the soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coast guard.  Many other blogs have videos and tributes today. The American Battle Monuments Commission has some moving tributes to service members who gave their lives overseas. Today is a good day to remember four men who took John 15:13 to heart:

The Four Immortal Chaplains

At 0100 hours on 3 February 1943, the USAT Dorchester troop transport was torpedoed by German submarine U-223 approximately 100 miles west of Greenland. The Dorchester was severely damaged, and eyewitnesses report the ship sinking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic in less than 30 minutes.  Hundreds died instantly when the torpedoes exploded, others were trapped below the deck, and many were lost to exposure in the 34 °F (1 °C) seas. A total of 675 persons were lost, with only 229 survivors, making it the third largest loss at sea of its kind for the United States during World War.

Aboard the Dorchester were the four chaplains: Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist preacher and WWI veteran from Waits, VT; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi from York, PA; Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister from Schenectady, NY; and Lt. John P. Washington, a Catholic priest from Elizabeth, NJ. All four volunteered for the Corps of Chaplains after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The four first met in November 1942 while attending Chaplain’s School at Harvard University. Prior to joining the Army, Rabbi Goode, Reverend Poling and Father Washington had all served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.

After the torpedoes struck, the four chaplains quickly spread out among the soldiers.  They tried to calm the frightened, tend the wounded and guide the disoriented toward safety. The chaplains prayed and encouraged the others.

One witness, Private William B. Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded by dead bodies and debris. “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” Bednar recalls. “I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that kept me going.”

When there were no more life jackets in the storage lockers, Engineer Grady Clark saw the chaplains removed theirs and give them to four frightened young men.  As the boat sank, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains together with arms linked and hearing them pray together.

As I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets.
- Grady Clark, survivor

Each chaplain posthumously received the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. The Chaplains Award for Heroism was authorized by Congress, and posthumously presented to the families by President Eisenhower on 18 January 1961. It ranks just below the Congressional Medal of Honor, this nation’s highest medal for valor. The Four Chaplains are remembered in stained glass in the Pentagon (top stained glass window), Fort Snelling, MN (middle window) and at West Point (lower window, above).

The chaplains were also honored with a stamp, issued in 1948 and by an act of Congress designating February 3 as “Four Chaplains Day.”

For more on the Four Chaplains, see:

• Wikipedia: The Four Chaplains
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Chaplains
• Home of Heroes: The True Story of the Four Chaplains
  http://www.homeofheroes.com/brotherhood/chaplains.html
• The Four Chaplains Foundation: The Story
  http://www.fourchaplains.org/story.html
• The Immortal Chaplains Foundation: The Story
  http://immortalchaplains.org/Story/story.htm
• Four Chaplains Memorial by Dorchester, Wisconsin
  http://www.wisconsincentral.net/Culture111605.html
• Sound clips on the Four Chaplains from NPR’s Speaking of Faith
  http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/memorialday/particulars.shtml

Thanks to all who served and sacrificed.

heir voices could also be heard offering prayers.

Bell Tower News

In today’s bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

You’ve noticed that the bell tower is back on the cover of this week’s bulletin!  Although we still have a few steps to go through with the City of Westminster, I am 90% sure that we will have our bells.  The final step is a City Council meeting at the beginning of June, with their approval we will be able to build our bell tower!  Please keep this in your prayers.

Our last Masses in the church are next weekend! For the weekend of June 6-7, Masses will be in the Fr. Puhl Center .  These are exciting times for us!

Ascension

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to [the disciples], was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. (Mark 16 – 19:20)

Stained Glass Window from the Chapel of St. Michael and St. Gabriel (The Adoration Chapel) at Holy Trinity Church in Westminster, Colorado.

Your Generosity Makes Church Construction Possible – Begins June 1st

In the bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

These last few weeks, we have been busy with the last-minute details before we begin the renovation of our church.  As I looked at the final designs, I imagined the joy that all of you will experience when you see how beautiful our beloved church will be, and I once again was reminded that everything worthwhile in this world is the fruit of generosity.

For instance, holy and inspiring marriages are the fruit of two spouses who selflessly give of themselves to each other and to their children.  The earliest hospitals and universities came into existence because people with a vision gave without asking for anything in return.  The gift of our Faith has come down to us from countless Catholics who sacrificed everything, even their lives, to spread the Gospel, from the Apostles, the many saints and martyrs that followed them, and the sacrificial example of our families.

Everything worthwhile is the result of someone’s generosity, and the renovation of our church is no exception.  The final Mass in the church before we turn it over to the contractors is the last weekend in May, then we will move into our Fr. Puhl Center.  When we return to the church nine and a half months later, our little corner of the Catholic Church will be more beautiful, more prayerful, more inspiring because so many gave so much, and often gave until it hurt.  Thank you!  You will not be disappointed.

Some of you have asked if we’ll have to sit on folding chairs for nine months.  No.  We are using our existing pews in the Fr. Puhl Center and we will make everything as prayerful and “church-y” as possible.   By the way, while we don’t want to count our chickens before they are hatched, I am almost sure that we will be able to have our bell tower!  We will have final word from the City by June 8th, but in the meantime, everything is looking very hopeful.  Thank you to everyone who is praying for this project.

Priesthood Ordination Class of 2009

Like last year, The USCCB has published a feature page on the Priesthood Ordination Class of 2009. This year looks to be a great year for new priests named “David”.

Fr. David Skillman St. Louis	Fr. David Endres Cincinnati	Fr. David Cupps Richmond	Fr. David Cleric Portland	Fr. David Sabel Peoria

This looks to be a good class of Professed Religious being ordained too:

Fr. Harry Monaco OFM	Fr. Peter Hoang Nguyen O Carm.	Fr. Claude Williams O.Praem.	Fr. Louis Leonelli CFR	Fr. Andrew McAlpin OP

One intriguing page on the USCCB site is a list of quotes from the new ordinands. Again, I picked out a few interesting tidbits about these new priests:

People might be surprised to know that I…

Was the Executive Director of Entertainment for the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Was a fallen away Catholic who had a reconversion to God after many years away from the Church.

Am Deaf. I will be the first Deaf priest for the Archdiocese of Boston.

Was born in Germany while my parents were stationed there for the United States Army.

Dated a Catholic girl in high school whom I thought I would marry. She is now a religious sister in the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth in Pennsylvania.

Worked as a locomotive engineer and in the railyards.

Was the assistant equipment manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaners from 1984-1993.

Was the captain of the football team at Yale University.

Have a master’s degree in Applied Physics.

Received a degree in Agronomy. I was planning to take care of a Golf Course or Sports Facility.

Am related to a canonized saint, who was from the same town where my parents lived in Mexico. He lived during the Cristero period, when the Church was under persecution, and died a martyr.

Come from a family of 10 (Father, Mother, 4 brothers and 3 sisters) with 18 nieces and nephews.

Felt a call to some sort of priestly/religious life since I was a child. My mother has often commented on the fact that as early as 9 years old I used to tell people that I wanted to be a monk, yet we were Methodist, and I had never met a monk before.

The USCCB has published a full report on the demographics of this class. A few facts include:

• The average age for the Class of 2009 is 36.  More than half (57 percent) are between the ages of 25 and 34. This is approximately the same as it was in 2008 and consistent with the average age of ordination classes for the last five years. The youngest ordinand in the class is 25; the oldest, 66. Two ordinands are 65 or older.
• Ordinands have been active in parish ministries, with between about half and three-quarters indicating they served as an altar server, lector, and/or Eucharistic minister.
• Responding ordinands represent 112 dioceses/eparchies and 46 religious congregations.

The full PDF report is here:
http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2009/class_of_2009_report.pdf

Congratulations to the Class of 2009!

Click for the post on the Priesthood Ordination Class of 2008.

UPDATE: Thanks to Kevin & Kenna Knight for the link avalanche from New Advent!

It’s Great To Be Part of a Universal Church!

Father Kevin, O.P. attended the Papal Mass in Israel today. In reading his description on the Shrewd Fish blog, I was struck by the broad international flavor of the event described by Father Kevin:

1. An American
2. Dominican studying sacred scripture in
3. Hebrew,
4. Latin and
5. Greek, at a
6. French school in
7. Jerusalem Israel, travels to see
8. German Pope Benedict XVI from
9. Rome Italy celebrate the Holy Mass with a homily in
10. English. Before the Mass, the
11. Arab
    
12. Catholic
13. Scouts of Jerusalem
14. Bagpipe and Drum Band, dressed like
15. Zouaves,  marched and played to welcome the Holy Father.

That’s what I call Universal!

The Arab Catholic Scouts of Jerusalem number about 3,000 members, and are sponsored by the Latin Parish of Jerusalem. They have a great band. Their 2009 Scout Sunday was impressive. Here’s video from their 2007 Palm Sunday celebration:

Happy Mother’s Day!

Above: The Polish Madonna.

For all the Mothers today, here is an article about your vocation. Unfortunately, this essay seems to have disappeared from the web. The complete article appears below the jump. Enjoy!

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The Corporal Works of Mommy

Don’t have time for the Corporal Works of Mercy? Try these!
By Lisa Popcak
10/1/2003

Do you wish you had more time to perform the corporal works of mercy — feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, etc.? Well, how about doing the corporal works of mommy instead? You may be surprised to see how many opportunities for service God puts in your life as a mommy (and a daddy).

Sunday, May 31st, is Our Last Mass in the Church

In the bulletin, Father Hilton writes:

As I announced last weekend, Sunday, May 31st, is our last day in the church. On Monday, June 1st, we will begin removing all of the sacred objects and turn the church over to the construction company so they can begin their remodeling work. During the first week of June, our maintenance men will be moving the altar and all of the pews into the Fr. Puhl Center. So don’t worry, you won’t have to sit on folding chairs for nine months! You will still have your favorite pew to sit in during Mass. Soon, we will all see the visible results of your generous donations to our monthly Giving Campaign. It is your sacrifices that make possible the beautiful renovation of our church that begins in just three weeks. Thank You!