Dis-Order of Canada
The opposition to Henry Morgentaler being named to the Order of Canada has been coming fast and furious. I would like to present a few of the thoughts and facts that have been noted on this issue. I borrow heavily from news releases and article that have been written in the last few days.
Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, that Dr. Morgentaler named to the Order “would be a most unfortunate choice.” “As Canadians we would like to see the Order of Canada given to people whose contributions to such initiatives as charity, education, culture, the environment, things of that kind that are uniformly viewed as positive and tend to unite people,” she said. “With this choice, the one thing that everybody really agrees on about Morgentaler is that he is a very divisive figure.”
The Knights of Columbus of Ontario note that the Order was established as the highest civilian honour within the Canadian System. It is supposed to exemplify the motto “desideranted meliorem patriam” (Hebrews 11:16), meaning “those who desire a better country”. It is a sad day indeed when this honour is bestowed on an individual who has brought destruction to the defenseless unborn.
REAL WOMEN of Canada notes that the Order has been awarded to feminists, homosexuals, environmentalists, left-wing broadcasters, writers and others involved in promoting the political left in recent history. Rarely has the Order of Canada recognized the services of those who take a conservative approach to issues. Since it is politics, rather than achievement, that is the operating principle of the Order of Canada, the Order of Canada should be discarded because it is a partisan organ.
How can Canada celebrate the man who has become a multi-millionaire by promoting such a desperate procedure? As Ian Hunter said in Wednesday’s National Post, “all who are touched by abortion are hurt by it. No winners, only losers.”
Finally, Archbishop Collins of Toronto has publicly asked the faithful of the his diocese and all people of good will, to protest this act of dishonour. Write, phone, or e-mail the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and your member of Parliament. Ask that this action be revoked.
His statement goes on to say ask all his churches to pray this Sunday “That the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land, that those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, That all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and that all who have experienced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love.”
Amen
Related: Outraged priest returns Order of Canada medal
Catholic Community Return Foundress’ Order of Canada
Former N.B. lt.-gov. quits Order of Canada over abortion controversy A Thousand Attend Ottawa Rally Demanding Order of Canada to Abortionist be RevokedUpdate: July 8th
The Sault Star published a version of this posting in the Letter to the Editor section on July 7th. If you are interested it is at: http://saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1103525
I have been asked what evidence there is that the Order is partisan, as REAL WOMEN claim it is. For an answer to that, I will quote from an article by Henry Aubin of The Gazette (Montreal) on July 8th, 2007. The link follows the quotation, if you care to read the whole article.
McGill ethicist refused OC because she was ‘too controversial’
The Order’s receptiveness to new, taboo-breaking social mores was evident well before the Morgentaler appointment. The Order last year approved the candidacy of Brent Hawkes, a Toronto cleric who performed Canada’s first same-sex marriage. Also last year, the Order appointed writer Jane Vance Rule, lauding her specifically for “populating her novels with homosexual as well as heterosexual characters.” And when it honoured Jean Chrétien, the Order put a curious emphasis on his support for same-sex unions.
Few people, even critics of gay rights, made a fuss. I think most Canadians thought the Order was making an effort to reflect a significant current of public opinion. It’s hard to be against broad-mindedness.
Now, however, it suddenly turns out that the Order is not so broad-minded after all. It has refused admission to Margaret Somerville, the McGill University ethicist who is a leading critic of the social views that the Order welcomes.
Welcome, Fr. Sam
Today our parish was blessed to have Fr. Sam from Nigeria presiding over mass. His warm heart and message triumphed over any troubles speaking in English. Today was the first time I saw a priest go down every aisle, shaking hands during the peace prayer. His humble nature and genuine enthusiasm was infectious. I noticed some people couldn’t stop smiling during his homily.
Too bad the church was half empty.
Fr. Sam comes to us from Italy, where I imagine he was studying. During my time in Bangladesh, it was common for priests to go to Italy for their studies and to learn other languages.
So how did he end up at St. Gerard’s for one month, you ask? Well it might be God’s timing, or perhaps being in the right place at the wrong time. Fr. Sam told me he was visiting a friend in Sudbury, when the Bishop asked him to fill in. He’s currently on “vacation”.
Fr. Sam’s willingness and generosity of spirit is a great example for all of us.
In return, I encourage each of us to help make Fr. Sam’s vacation in Sault Ste. Marie a pleasant and memorable one. Please consider taking some time to be with him so he isn’t too lonely. Those with some extra time might show him some of the sights around town, or perhaps take a drive up north of the Sault.
Or it could be something small to us but a big favour to him. I left him my phone number in case he ever needs something or has a question.
Just call the parish to arrange something. 949-0435
Maybe we could even arrange an informal gathering of people from our parish for a Sunday picnic lunch or a hike at Hiawatha.
Got some ideas? Please share them via comments.
Happy birthday, Fr. George
Fr. George, I hope you are able to spend your day with people you love. Know that you are loved by the parishioners of St. Gerard’s. We remember you every week in the prayers of intentions.
According to Facebook, you’ll have plenty of candles on your cake this year (48) – keep a fire extinguisher handy. (haha).
Everyone is invited to add their birthday message for Fr. George by clicking on the “Add Comment” link below. I’ll send a message via Facebook to Fr. George to let him know about it. There are other ways to send him a message also.
Disrespect
Does the Bishop care about the morale of the parish?
Last Sunday, we found out *at mass* via an announcement read at the end that Fr. Brendan was moving on, having completed a month of fill-in for the Bishop at our parish. That’s right, no advance warning, no way for people to prepare themselves for another transition.
It gets even better, or worse depending on your level of cynicism.
Who is supposed to be coming next? Will this be a permanent pastor or temporary?
“No one knows, not even Jesus” as my good pastor friend told me last night. Well, we do know now. Veronica, our parish secretary didn’t know this morning, but I found out from another priest at the 11th hour that Bishop Plouffe assigned Yet Another Priest (YAP), an African fellow to the parish for a month. I didn’t get the name.
Fr. Hamish was kept busy, showing the guy where (and perhaps how) to buy groceries and other life essentials. The African pastor doesn’t have a car, either so taxis are his only means of getting around.
I am looking forward to meeting him, and helping him out in whatever way I can. Our family, having lived overseas in Bangladesh for 2.5 years, has a soft spot for immigrants and visitors from other cultures. Hopefully I can get to know him over dinner – no doubt he’ll be happy for someone to cook. In Africa, men do not do housework. He might even be accustomed to having hired help. Let’s hope for his sake someone comes to clean the toilets.
More on the new pastor later.
So here we are, 2 months after Fr. George left suddenly. Two months of rent-a-priests coming in, and another month coming up. After that, we’re off to mingle with St. Jerome’s for a month, effectively giving Bishop Plouffe another two months to delay the inevitable. It’s not like new options are going to turn up.
The Bishop seems to think all that matters is there is someone here to consecrate mass. If that is the case, we all might as well go to St. Jerome’s.
Meanwhile, parish attendance continues to drop as morale goes unchecked. What the Bishop is doing is disrespectful and uncaring for the parishioners of St. Gerard. Besides procrastinating, we’re neither consulted nor communicated to on the matter. We deserve better, and the Bishop ought to be told this can’t continue from leadership within the parish. Right now, the Parish Leadership Team (PLT) seems the logical choice, in the absence of a parish council.
That reminds me I need to write about our PLT, something I keep putting off.
Enough with band-aid solutions. We need to move forward, which includes dealing constructively with the recent past.
Nelson Mandela, a South African, once said “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”
We need visible leadership, either from a pastor or from a parish executive, ideally from both.
Should you feel inspired to contact the Bishop directly, you can call him at 705-674-2727 ext. 222 or email jlplouffe@diocesecentre.com. If you do, please let me know. I’d like to keep a running total.
Youth Defending Youth – The Ottawa March for Life
Twenty-seven Sault Ste. Marie residents returned early this morning from Canada’s largest ever pro-life demonstration in Ottawa on Thursday. Nine of them were youth who have been associated with the local Catholic youth movement.
A charter bus was organized by Our Lady of Good Counsel parish. The Knights of Columbus, Superior Council 932 financed the transportation for the students who participated. Youth from Sault Ste. Marie, and St. Gerard Majella, have attended in other years. This has happened with the cooperation of various groups and individuals from Sault Pro-Life, Superior Council 932, and teachers from the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board.
The event calls for legislators and Canadians to put an end to abortion in Canada.
The participants heard speeches from MPs, women who have had abortions and Dr. Alvada King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Erin and Bridget Murphy of St. Gerard Magella parish, disembarked from a charter bus at 1:30 a.m. on Friday morning, with their seven friends.
“It was great to be there with my friends and so many other students from across Canada,” said the 15-year-old Murphy. “I have never been part of such a big event.” It was estimated that half of the 8,000 participants in Ottawa were under 25 years of age.
Some of Erin’s photos of the trip are attached to this posting. Comments follow. Maybe you can guess which comments belong to which photo!
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
- They were impressed by the beauty of the Basilica. Fortunately they got a seat. Even the standing room was gone!
- An eerie silence descended on the large crowd as the March passed by the Ottawa abortion facility.
- The Sault Ste. Marie. MP and St. Gerard Majella parishioner, Tony Martin, meets participants on the Parliamentary grounds.
- The Sault bus posed for a photo.
- The Sault youth posed for a photo on the grounds too, and a random crowd of students they did not know decided to jump into the shot! The spirit of the rally was fun, friendly and spontaneous.
A link to a report on the rally: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050803.html
Mass of Unity
Last Friday, the downtown area was packed with Catholics from all over as the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board celebrated its 10th anniversary with a mass at the Steelback Centre.
I caught a few glimpses of St. Gerard parishioners past, present and maybe future from the SooToday article.
If you were there, please share your thoughts and pictures with the rest of us by adding a comment below.
Marty Frolick (left, guitar), teacher at St. Mary’s and plays at the 5:00 pm Saturday mass. Marty and I used to attend St. Gregory of Nyssa in Echo Bay before it closed. The very talented Claryssa Webb on violin, daughter of Peggy and Bill Webb, former long-time members of St. Gerard. The Frolicks are also a talented musical bunch. Marty’s brother Mark is there too (look for his head is resting on Fr. Hamish Currie’s arm).
My good friend Fr. Eric Pannike (left) and temporary St. Gerard pastor Fr. Brendan Connelly. Is this a photo of present and future? We should know in 2-3 weeks.
Presence
Thought and quote for today from one of my favourite inspirational authors. May our time at Eucharist together draw us closer to one another and to Christ:
Precisely where we feel most present to each other we experience deeply the absence of those we love. And precisely at moments of great loss we can discover a news sense of closeness and intimacy. This is also what the Eucharist is about. We announce the presence of Christ among us until he comes again! There is both presence and absence, closeness, and distance, an experience of at-homeness on the way home.
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Sabbatical Journey
Smartest goalie in the NHL
At this time of year the sounds of Hockey Night in Canada can be heard in neighbourhoods across the country. Here in the Sault and especially at St. Gerard, we can cheer on one of our own, Marty Turco of the Dallas Stars. Marty, called the smartest goalie in hockey by loud mouth Don Cherry is having an exceptional playoff run so far, carrying his team into the second round and now leading the San Jose Sharks two games to none.
I don’t know Marty that well. My memories of him come from the time he was at the parish during the NHL hockey strike back in 2005. He played in the parish ball hockey tournament and perhaps to be fair I don’t think he played in net. 
He certainly didn’t act like anyone special – you’d hardly even know he was there. A nice part about the Sault is that someone famous like him can come to mass each week and not be the centre of attention.
So I’m thinking that if Marty and the Stars can get to the Stanley Cup Finals, we’re going to have organize a big screen party at the parish to watch one of the games. Anyone else interested in going to an event like this?
The Gulf is Wide and Deep
Solemnly Promulgated by his Holiness, Pope Paul VI – Vatican II
In this decree the Council seeks to describe the nature, character, and diversity of the lay apostolate, to state its basic principles, and to give pastoral directive for its more effective exercise.
“33. The most holy council, then, earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in this hour and the impulse of the Holy Spirit. . . . the Lord renews his invitation to all the laity to come closer to Him every day, recognizing that what is His is also their own (Phil. 2:5), to associate themselves with Him in His saving mission. Once again he sends them into every town and place where He will come (cf. Luke 10:1) so that they may show that they are co-workers in the various forms and modes of the one apostolate of the Church, which must be constantly adapted to the new needs of our times. Ever productive as they should be in the work of the Lord, they know that their labour in Him is not in vain (cf. 1 Cor. 15:58)”
UPDATE – Tuesday, April 22
I have had some questions as to what the heck this posting is about. I agree, it is a tad vague regarding where I am going with it. I really wonder why it is that people will ask me this in person and not pose the question on this blog. The blog is here for a reason.
I think some people are just shy about posting in public. I think some people are afraid of getting “in trouble”.
I find that troubling in itself. But perhaps that is a topic for another posting.
This posting is the concluding paragraph of the Decree of Apostolicam Actuositatem, the laity’s role in the church. It is very hopeful about the value of the labour that the laity offers with respect to the mission of the church. The Decree has much to say about our role. It might be a interesting resource for St Gerard Majella, at this juncture.
Our participation in the sacraments and liturgy sustains us in our journey “in the world”. On the other hand, our experience “in the world” has much to offer our church. It is my personal observation that the wisdom the laity has to offer the church in the practical issues of management, finance and planning are, very often, dismissed by clergy.
The gulf between the laity and the clergy is wide and deep, from where I sit. That hurts us both. This may be very presumptuous, but I hazard to say that, in general, the laity expect far too much from the clergy, and the clergy is far too dismissive of the role (and may I say, the expertise) of the laity.
I ask you, St. Gerard Majella parishioner, does this make sense? We have had a second pastor disappear before our eyes will no explanation and deafening silence. What does that say to you? Is it true, as people have said to me, that St. Gerard Majella parish is hard on our pastors?
This blog is intended to be a work in Christ – a modern one, sure, but a valid one. This labour is not in vain, as long as the church (read ‘ you and I’ ) has the fortitude to use it.
The Legacy
After mass on Sunday, I was approached by Rico Bruni, a former member of the Parish Leadership Team, a liturgical minister and all-around nice guy. He thanked me for the blog (now to encourage him to comment – still needing some courageous souls for that), and then he shared what he felt were some good changes Fr. George had introduced. I list them here, with some of my additional thoughts:
- Making (little) people feel special at celebrations. Remember how the First Communion kids would stand on either side of him behind the altar while Fr. George read the Eucharistic Prayer? They all had this “Wow, we’re up here with Father! This is cool!” look on their faces. Then, when it was time for each child to receive communion for the first time, his / her whole family would come up beside them, while all eyes were watching that blessed host pop quickly (or sometimes not so quickly) into that little mouth. We’d all clap together as a sign of support. I wasn’t that fond of the clapping, and not just because my boy would wake up from the noise, but most people seemed to like it. And who can forget each baptized baby held aloft, like Simba in the Lion King?Or the times the kids come up at the start of mass, and Fr. George asks them questions to which he gets all kinds of answers?Or passing out the children’s bulletins at the end of mass, the kids running down the aisles to get their copy, as if Father might run out of copies before they reached him?Yes, this was one of Fr. George’s gifts. He knew how to make children feel special. He probably also figured out that kids interested in going to mass bring adults who are only moderately interested.
- Organizing the Eucharistic ministers for Communion. Rico is going to have to explain this again as I don’t remember it fully, but he was saying something like the distribution of the Body and Blood is very orderly and efficient, the way that Fr. George organized things. I have to agree. Fr. George paid attention to every little detail, and made sure everything flowed well. Even the people in the opening procession came in on his signal, like downhill skiers in the starting gate, waiting for the beep to sound. In some ways things were almost too perfect, too clinical, but never disorderly.
We should take the time to recognize the positive contributions Fr. George gave to our parish, ones that are worth keeping, and then work to keep them. When our parish is used to doing things a certain way, and that way seems good, why not continue to maintain those traditions?
I thought about that as I observed Fr. Brendan’s very low-key approach to First Communion this past weekend, lacking anything celebratory really. It’s frustrating to see every new priest come in with his own ways of doing things and expecting the parish to change directions, even if it’s 180 degrees from how things were done. Why can’t the priest integrate himself into the parish, instead of the other way around? Isn’t it better to maintain the current direction, especially during an already difficult transition time? More on that in a post later this week.
So please take a moment to help our parish identify what Fr. George’s legacy should be, that we might continue to do those things that we feel bring life to the community. I will collect all comments and promise that Fr. Brendan, Veronica our secretary and any PLT-like committee (should one get formed again) will receive a copy.
You are an important part of this parish, and I’ll hoist you over my head at mass to prove it if necessary, or die trying.
