Diary of a Parish Priest

First Communions and First Confessions are finished...now the hard part.

Now that our parish celebrations of First Communion and First Confession are completed, let us remember that we have been initiated into a lifelong relationship with Christ by virtue of our Baptisms, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. It's not only about the "first."

It was a joy to welcome some of our First Communicants at the weekend parish masses for the first time on Sunday, many of whom wore their First Communion outfits.

Let us pray that our children grow up sustained by the Eucharist as a regular part of their spiritual lives, and a necessary strength for their spiritual journeys.

First Communions This Saturday at Holy Cross

This Saturday Holy Cross will celebrate First Eucharist for our young parishioners at four consecutive masses. First Communions are one of the happiest days in the life of any parish, and I would have to believe in the life of most parish priests, as well. 

Please pray for the sacramental grace to bless and fortify not only our First Communicants, but their families and our entire parish.

May their first communions be the beginning of a life long Christian journey nourished by Jesus' Body and Blood each week.

 

Ashes to Begin Lent

The ashes imposed on our foreheads during liturgies on Ash Wednesday retrace the sign of the cross our parents and godparents made on our forehead the day of our baptism, and the sign the priest or deacon made with the  sacred chrism immediately after the baptismal water washed us into God’s family. If we have been confirmed, the bishop or his delegate also anointed our foreheads with sacred chrism.

The grimy residue of a cross on our head reminds us midweek that we have been claimed for Christ by our baptism. It also helps us prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter by initiating a period of penance and fasting. Ashes have been used for penance and sorrow for sins since the days of the Old Testament and have been incorporated into Ash Wednesday ceremonies in the Catholic Church since the first millennium. 

 

Music Director at Holy Cross

As you may know, Holy Cross parish is searching for a new Music Director. Luckily, we have many qualified individuals interested in discovering our parish. Over the next several weeks, the organists you see and hear at our masses are among those who are being considered for this very important responsibility. Accordingly, please be patient if our liturgical music seems a little off pace, or not "the way we're used to." This seemed to be the best way to enable many people to hear potential directors, asess their skills during real liturgies and permit interviews to proceed without formal auditions.

Let us know your reactions to the musical accompaniment at any particular mass.

Catholic music is so important a part of our Sunday worship that we will invite the best director we possibly can to join us.

Christmas Mass Schedule Survey - Final

 We're closing the Christmas mass survey with 39 reponses total; 34 attending mass at Holy Cross on Christmas.

Christmas and New Year Mass Schedules 2011 Survey

Please help us in planning for next year's Christmas and New Year's Day mass schedules by taking a quick survey regarding this year's mass schedule at Holy Cross.

 

Christmas Mass Holiday Schedule Survey 2011

Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God

Whenever Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God (New Year's Day on the secular calendar) both fall on Sundays, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, usually celebrated on the weekend between these two feasts, is celebrated on Friday. 

 

The Feast of the Holy Family was never a holyday of obligation. The importance of prayer for our families and the need for an inspiring model has never been greater, so while we honor Mary as the Holy Mother of God on Sunday, perhaps we can spend a few moments thanking her for her role as Mother of her family and now as Mother of the Church.

 

 

Survey Comments on the Revised Roman Missal Translation

It seems well to reflect on some of the comments written by those taking our survey on the revised translations of the Roman Missal. Keep in mind, the earliest shipping dates I have seen for the missals themselves are in September and October. 

Q. How are these changes going to be introduced to children, especially young children, who are still learning parts of the Mass and trying to understand what they mean? What materials are religious ed/CCD teachers AND parents going to be given to help them explain the changes and what the words mean to the children?

Good question. The new translations will be an excellent opportunity for teaching, even if some of the words are more difficult for the children to pronounce. We're still reviewing the materials as they're printed and will select the best to use in both our Religious Education Program and our School. There are, as you may be aware, three separate Eucharistic prayers which can be used during masses for children which we use from time to time. I need clarity on whether these can be used after Advent, or which parts need to be changed. Stay tuned.

Q. In a time when attendance at Mass is plummeting, why is the church hierarchy spending resources re-translating the Mass instead of addressing some of the more fundamental problems facing the Church? Further, the translations have resulted in a more stilted, awkward dialogue -- not a dialogue that would increase a person's feeling of comfort and closeness communicating with God.

Interesting comment, but mass attendance in the US is not plummeting, it's been fairly constant for at least the last decade. It's dismally low, to be sure, but mass attendance entered a slow and reasonably steady decline from peaks in 1957/1959 beginning in the sixties. (See hyperlinks to CARA documents below)

It's premature to speculate on the fruits of the new translations, but I think it's fair to say that "comfort and closeness communicating with God" was not the aim of the new translations. For good or ill, a liturgical, Scriptural tone more attuned to the Church's official texts was the goal. Let us pray that our liturgical prayers bring us closer to God in all ways.

Q. Everything old is new again; makes earlier decisions look questionable; why, therefore, not these?

A: I doubt these translations are forever either, you're right. As spoken and written English changes, or if the priciples guiding the translations are changed, so will the text...just not quickly.

Comment: Won't make anyone more holy.

Response: No public liturgical prayer will automatically do so. The hope is that the more formal language will promote a spirit of reverence during the liturgy which will help our personal call to holiness. Let us hope.

2005 CARA Survey

2011CARA 

Revised English Translation of the Roman Missal

So far the results are interesting though partial and incomplete. Approximately 20 parishioners have taken our survey on the revised translations. 

One important goal of our survey is to help plan the amount and kind of preparation we need to do for the orderly implementation of the new translations at the beginning of Advent 2011.

There will be more bulletin inserts and some catechesis at mass and a parish meeting for those interested in learning more about the history and the reasons for the new translations. 

Please help by taking our survey and leaving comments... Revised Translations Roman Missal Survey

Take A Survey on the Revised Translation of the Roman Missal

Help us plan for the implementation of the revised translations of the Mass on the First Sunday of Advent 2011 by taking this survey.

Click here to take our Survey.

Survey on Homilies and Late Arrivals for Mass

 
I've been asked to address the problem of late-comers arriving at mass. While it is true that, like the old proverb says, "Better late than never," it continues "But better, never late." At a recent 10:30 AM mass, the majority arrived late. Take the survey to indicate your suggestions.

The survey also deals with homilies, at Holy Cross, specifically my several recent "haiku homilies." There were strong opinions both liking and disliking them.

Just for the record, I didn't have a sore throat, feel ill, angry or have someplace to go. I thought it would be good for a changeup. I remember only three homilies I have heard, all were several sentences long. They made me think, had a dramatic impact on my prayer and helped me to listen to all homilies better. They obviously can't completely replace longer, more catechetical homilies. Check out the survey and let me know.

Click here to take survery:  Late for Mass and Homilies

Candles at Easter Vigil

This year we offered the option of battery operated candles for any small children who wanted to feel part of the Easter Vigil by holding a candle, but were a little too young to hold real fire. These two real candles would have to qualify for the most distorted candles among those we collected after the service.

Christ Our Light - Lighting of the Easter Candle at Holy Cross

Holy Thursday Foot Washing Poll

The results of the Holy Thursday foot washing poll are interesting. In retrospect, I wish I had included questions about whether or not respondents have had their feet washed, or whether they attend the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. There is always a balance between making the surveys quick to take and informative at the same time.

Somewhat suprisingly, the foot washing is not looked upon with universal appeal, despite the fact that it has been restored to the liturgy in one form or other since the 1950's. Those who are charged with recruiting volunteers to have their feet washed may have expected as much, since it seems a difficult privilege for people to accept in some parishes.

A majority were neutral or opposed to the foot washing. Anyone who answered that the washing sould be eliminated would also refuse to be washed, while those who advocate it should be retained answered they would agree to be washed.

I doubt we would ever eliminate it since there is a tradition at Holy Cross, at least in recent years to include this option. However, exhaustive efforts to recruit twelve persons might be missplaced.

Liturgical experts generally agree that substituting other "washings" is wrong-spirited and a majority of our respondents agree. While it's true that we generally wash our hands before meals, and foot washing isn't part of our contemporary practice, neither is hand washing generally performed for us by a servant, so the substitution falls a bit flat. (Let's not even think of Purell!)

The liturgy committee won't take up the matter for another year, so there is plenty of time for prayerful reflection on the matter.

 

Easter Vigil

Allelulia! Christ has conquered the darkness of sin and death!

 

Holy Week 2011 Holy Cross Church, Rumson NJ

Last evening's diocesan celebration of the Chrism mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton with Bishop O'Connell was a spirit-filled beginning to the grace-filled period of Holy Week. Many priests of the diocese gathered along with the bishop to bless the sacred oils that will be used in sacramental anointings at all the parishes in the diocese during the coming year. Our own RCIA team was selected to bear the Oil of the Catechumens to the sanctuary for blessing. It is tradition for the priests to renew their promises of priestly commitment at the Chrism mass each year. The presence of so many faithful from parishes all over the dioceses made the occasional even more poignant.

Bishop O'Connell preached to the largest number of priests in recent years and exhorted them to be bearers of the Truth to a world which sometimes doesn't want to hear it. While noting the tragedy of those priests who have wounded the church, he celebrated the goodness of the priesthood and of faithful priests, emphasizing their sacramental roles in persona Christi throughout the diocese.

This Wednesday, there will be mass at 9 AM as usual, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament all day until Evening prayer and Benediction at 5 PM.  Traditional Latin Mass will be prayed at noon as usual. Confessions will be heard in the church from 6 PM to 7 PM.

There will be no Faith Seeking Understanding meeting this Wednesday, but sessions will resume sometime after Easter with a bible study on the Book of Revelation. More details to follow.

 

Chrism Mass in Trenton Tonight

Tonight Bishop O'Connell and all the priests of the Diocese of Trenton will bless the sacred oils used in the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick, Confirmation, Ordination to the Priesthood and Baptism.

Our own RCIA team will have the privilege of bringing up the Oil of the Catechumens to be blessed at the mass.

The Chrism mass is an opportunity for the bishop to address the priests of the diocese and along with them to renew the promises made at priestly ordination.

Please pray for our bishop and our priests.

Palm Procession from Seabright to Rumson Holy Cross Parish

Well, the rain did hold off! Just as we reached the church's parking lot, the sun broke through the clouds and we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny Palm Sunday. The sky in these photos even tell the story!

Thanks to all who braved the initial cold and helped us mark the solemn beginning of Holy Week.

The earliest arrivals at the public parking lot in Seabright

The holy water was blowing everywhere!

The procession speed never reached 30 mph, but the winds might have!

Our intrepid group leaves Seabright for the walk across the bridge.

 

It's always exciting to cross the bridge into Rumson on foot.

Home Sweet Home and Just In Time for the 10:30 AM mass!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...We Need A Dry Procession Day !

It's supposed to clear up, or at least stop raining by the time of tomorrow's Mass, so if it's not actually raining, we'll see you at Seabright in the public parking lot at 10 AM on Palm Sunday!

Join Us On Sunday for the Holy Cross Palm Procession from Seabright to Rumson

 
Parishioners will gather at the public parking lots in Seabright beginning at 10 AM on Sunday to process at 10:15 across the bridge to Rumson for the 10:30 AM mass.

Join us to usher in Holy Week

and share in the festivity of our annual Palm Sunday Procession.