Planning Guide for the Celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial

 

 

PLANNING GUIDE 

for 

The Celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial

Introduction

We extend our deepest sympathy on the loss of your loved one. At this difficult time, we turn to our loving God for comfort and strength. As we prepare for the Mass of Christian Burial, we offer some suggestions for your consideration. 

 

Ministerial Roles

Family members or friends are welcome to minister in the following ways:

–Assisting with placing the Pall on the casket, as a reminder of the white Baptismal garment

–Proclaiming the First and Second readings 

–Reading the General Intercessions (Prayer of the Faithful)

–Bringing the bread and wine forward at Preparation (offertory) time

–Assisting with the distribution of Communion, if he/she is a Eucharistic Minister

–Assisting as an Altar server, if so trained

–Music Ministry

**You may consult relatives and friends as they visit with you, and then discuss these options with the priest or deacon.  You may also contact the parish Director of Liturgy and Music regarding these choices and the music selection. 

 

Scriptures

The words of scripture can be particularly comforting at this time. This booklet contains a selection of readings which may be proclaimed at the funeral liturgy. You may select an Old Testament and a New Testament passage. The Responsorial Psalm will be sung, and will be considered in the Music section of this booklet.  The priest or deacon will proclaim the Gospel. 

 

FIRST READING

(select one from #1-7)

#1

Job 19:1, 23—27a

Job answered and said:  Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record; That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him, And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.

#2

Wisdom 3: 1-6, 9

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–Wisdom 3:1-9)

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.  They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.  For if  before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of him self.  As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. (In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.)  Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

#3

Wisdom 4: 7-15

The just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age. He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among sinners was transported–snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; For the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind. Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of long career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness, But the people saw and did not understand nor did they take this into account.

#4

Isaiah 25:6a, 7-9

On the mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

#5

Lamentations 3:17-26

My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord. The thought of my homeless poverty is wormwood and gall. Remembering it over and over leaves my soul downcast within me. But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope:  The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.  My portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  Good is the Lord to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him; It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord.

#6

Daniel 12:1-3

I Daniel, mourned and I heard this word of the Lord: “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; Some shall live forever,  others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.

#7

2 Maccabees 12: 43-46

Judas, the ruler of Israel, then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he  sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing  this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view;  for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin. 

 

SECOND READING

(select one from #1-19) 

During the Easter season, reading 1, 17, 18, or 19 may be used as the first reading instead of a reading from the Old Testament

#1

Acts 10:34-36, 42-43                            

(Easter Time)

(Long form in parenthesis & italic Acts 10:34-43)

Peter proceeded to address the people in these words:  “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.  You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.  They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all people, but to us,the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.)  He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.  To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.” 

#2

Romans 5: 5-11

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.  Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.  Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

#3 

Romans 5: 17–21  

If, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ.  In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all.  For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the disobedience of one the many will be made righteous. The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

#4

Romans 6:3-4, 8-9

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–Romans 6:3-9)

Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.  (For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.  We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.  For a dead person has been absolved from sin.)  If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

#5

Romans 8:14–23

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, “Father!”  The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation it self would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within our selves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

#6

Romans 8: 31b - 35, 37-39

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?  Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?  It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn?  It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

#7

Romans 14: 7–9, 10b–12

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.  For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.  For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

#8

1 Corinthians 15: 20–23

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–1 Corinthians 15: 20–23, 24b-28)        

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.  For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruit; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; (then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”  But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the One who subjected everything to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.)

#9

1 Corinthians 15: 51-57 

Behold, I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.  And when that which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,  then the word that is written shall come about:  “Death is swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

#10

1 Corinthians 4: 14—5:1

We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence.  Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.  Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.  For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

#11

1 Corinthians 5:1, 6–10

We know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.  So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.  Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

#12

Philippians 3:20–21

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

#13

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.

#14

Timothy 2:8-13

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal.  But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.  This saying is trustworthy:  If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.  But if we deny him he will deny us.  If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. 

#15

1 John 3: 1–2

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved,we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

#16

1 John 3: 14–16

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that we laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

(Easter Time)

#17

Revelation 14:13                                       

I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”  “Yes,” said the Spirit, “let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.”

#18

Revelation 20: 11-21: 1                                      

(Easter Time)           

I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. This pool of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

#19

Revelation 21:1–5a, 6b -7                                            

(Easter Time)

I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”  The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son.” 

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (this is sung after the first reading)

–You may choose one of the following Psalms:

Psalm 23:  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Psalm 25:  To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Psalm 27:  The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Psalm 42:  My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

Psalm 63:  My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Psalm 103:   The Lord is kind and merciful.

Psalm 116:   I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalm 122:   I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.

Psalm 130:   Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.

Psalm 143:   O Lord, hear my prayer. 

 

GOSPEL READING

(select one from #1-19)

#1

Matthew 5:1-12a 

When he saw the crowds, Jesus went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

#2

Matthew 11: 25-30

On one occasion Jesus spoke thus: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.  “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

#3

Matthew 25: 1-13

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples:  “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.  Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.  At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.  Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.  Then the door was locked.  Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

#4

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.  And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’  And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’  Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’  He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’  And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

#5

Mark 15: 33-39

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–Mark 15: 33-39; 16: 1-6)

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah.”  One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”  Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.  The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.  When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  (When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices  so that they might go and anoint him.  Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.  They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”  When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.  On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.  He said to them, “Do not be amazed!  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him.”)

#6

Luke 7: 11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.  As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  A large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”  The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has risen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.”  This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

#7

Luke 12:35-40

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.  Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.  And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

#8

Luke  23: 33, 39-43

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Jesus and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.  Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us.”  The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?  And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”  Then he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

#9

Luke 23: 44-46, 50, 52-53

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–Luke 23: 44-46, 50, 52-53; 24: 1-6a)

It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun.  Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he said this he breathed his last.  Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock–hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.  (But at daybreak on the first day of the week the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.  They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?  He is not here, but he has been raised.”)

#10

Luke 24: 13-16, 28-35

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–Luke 24: 13-35)

Now that very day the first day of the week two of the disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.  And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.  (He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”  They stopped, looking downcast.  One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?”  And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”  They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him.  But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.  Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive.  Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.”  And he said to them, “Oh how foolish you are!  How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!  Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.)  As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther.  But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”  So he went in to stay with them.  And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.  With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.  Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”  So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those  with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”  Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

#11

John 5: 24-29

Jesus said to the Jews:  “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.  Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself.  And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”

#12

John 6: 37-40

Jesus said to the crowd:  “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.  And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

#13

John 6: 51-58

Jesus said to the crowd:  “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”  The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

#14

John 11: 21-27

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–John 11: 17-27)

(When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.)  Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.”  Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”  She said to him, “Yes, Lord.  I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

#15

John 11: 32-45

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?”  They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”  And Jesus wept.  So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”  But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”  So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.  Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”  Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone.  And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me.  I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”  And when he said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth.  So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”  Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

#16

John 12: 23-26

(Long form in parenthesis & italic–John 12: 23-28)

Jesus told his disciples:  “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Amen, amen, I say to you , unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces mush fruit.  Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.  The Father will honor whoever serves me.  (“I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name.”  Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”)

#17

John 14: 1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.  Where I am going you know the way.”  Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him , “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

#18

John 17: 24-26

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Father, [my disciples] are your gift to me.  I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  Righteous Father, the world  also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me.  I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

#19

John 19: 17-18, 25-30

Jesus carrying the cross himself went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.  There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.  Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple  there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.  After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.”  There was a vessel filled with common wine.  So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.  When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.”  And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. 

 

MUSIC

–You may choose 4 or 5 of the following songs:

A Living Faith

All Creatures Of Our God And King

Alleluia Sing To Jesus

Amazing Grace

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Ave Maria

Be Not Afraid

Blest Are They

Crown Him With Many Crowns

Eye Has Not Seen

For All The Saints

Hail Mary, Gentle Woman

Here I Am, Lord

Holy God We Praise Thy Name

Holy Holy Holy

Hosea

How Great Thou Art

I Am the Bread of Life

I Have Loved You

I Heard The Voice Of Jesus

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Immaculate Mary

In The Garden

It Is Well With My Soul

I Want To Walk As A Child Of The Light

Jerusalem My Happy Home

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Like a Shepherd

Lord Of All Hopefulness

Lord When You Came

Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace

Morning Has Broken

O God Our Help in Ages Past

O Lord, I Am Not Worthy

On Eagles’ Wings

One Bread, One Body

Panis Angelicus

Prayer of St. Francis

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Rock Of Ages

Shall We Gather at the River

Shepherd Me, O God

Sing With All The Saints In Glory

The Hand Of God Shall Hold You

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The Strife Is O’er

We Walk By Faith

You Are Mine

You Are Near

You Satisfy The Hungry Heart

We Remember

We Shall Gather At The River 

 

SPEAKERS

Certainly, there will be many stories told and memories shared over the next few days.  During the Mass of Christian Burial, the homily is based on readings selected. The homilist may well incorporate stories recounted by the family as examples of ways in which the deceased exemplified Gospel values in his or her life. If a celebrant allows a speaker during the Mass itself, we ask that you respect the following:

“one speaker, a member or friend of the family may speak for not more than five (5) minutes.”

It is imperative that the “5 minute” rule be followed as closely as possible due to the many different schedules that converge to allow a funeral Mass to take place. We must be considerate of everyone’s time and schedule. 

 

CONCLUSION

We will continue to remember your family and friends in our prayers during the coming weeks and months. If you would like more information or if you have any questions pertaining to the funeral, please feel free to call your Parish Office. 

 

Planning Guide for the Mass of Christian Burial

Name(s) of the deceased:

 _____________________________________________ 

Date: ________________________ 

Serving as pallbearers are:

 _________________________________________________

Eulogy?

□ Yes

□ No  

Name of speaker: ____________________________  

Remains:  

□ Casket    

□ Cremains     

□ No remains will be present   

Will incense be used? 

□ Yes 

□ No   If so, when? 

□ At the offertory

□ Before Mass

□ After Communion 

□ After the Final Commendation 

Table needed for photos, etc.?  

□ Yes

□ No  

Introductory Rites

Processional 

Hymn:  ____________________________________________________________________

Greeting – Sprinkling with Holy Water – Placing of the Pall

Will the Pall be placed over the remains by family members? 

□ Yes

□ No 

If so, by whom?

 ___________________________________________________________________________

Opening Prayer

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading:

_______________________________________________ 

Read by: ___________________________

Psalm (normally this is sung):

 _________________________________________________ 

Second Reading:

 _____________________________________________ 

Read by: ___________________________

The Gospel Acclamation (sung)

The Gospel: 

____________________________________________ 

Proclaimed by: ___________________________

Homily offered by:

 _________________________________________________ 

General Intercessions     

Read by: 

___________________________________________

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Preparation of the Gifts

Will the gifts of bread and wine be brought forward by family members?

□ Yes

□ No. 

If so, by whom?

 ___________________________________________________________________________

Offertory Hymn: 

  ____________________________________________________

Sanctus – Acclamation – Amen

Rite of Fraction (the Lamb of God is sung)

Communion

Is there a need for an additional Eucharistic Minister?

□ Yes

□ No.  If so, who? __________________________

Communion Hymn: 

 ____________________________________________________________________

Meditation Hymn:

 ____________________________________________________________________ 

Prayer After Communion

Final Commendation

In paradisum:  

□ Recited     

□ Sung by: ___________________________ 

Version: _________________________

Recessional Hymn:

 ____________________________________________________________________ 

Will Holy Water be used at the conclusion of the funeral? 

□ Yes

□ No   If so, where? ________________________ 

 

NOTES

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 2021

Today we celebrate that moment when the Blessed Virgin Mary completed her life on earth and was taken, body and soul, into heaven.  We believe in the Assumption because we believe that God the Father would not allow the corruption of death to touch the pure and holy body of his most favored daughter (and perhaps others as well!).  

The idea that a human being could be taken into heaven is as old as the Scriptures themselves.  It is believed the Old Testament figures Enoch and Elijah were both “taken into heaven” upon the completion of their earthly lives. About Enoch we read “he walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him (see Genesis 5:24), and about the great prophet Elijah “he went up to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha saw it happen and he cried out, “My father! my father! Israel’s chariot and steeds!” Then he saw him no longer (2 Kings 2:11b-12).  Some also believe Moses enjoyed a similar privilege as was given to Enoch and Elijah; even though the Scriptures say he died and was buried; we read “to this day no one knows the place of his burial” (see Deuteronomy 34:6b).  And because Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (which gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse into heavenly glory), it is suggested both Old Testament figures indeed had already been assumed into heaven and had places at the heavenly throne (see Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, and Luke 9:28–36).   

These Old Testament accounts of Enoch and Elijah (and possibly those referencing Moses as well) allow us to believe the Blessed Virgin Mary enjoyed a similar fate.  And why not?  Surely, she was the most important human being to have part in the events that led up the Incarnation of Jesus our Lord!  Her singular role in Salvation history, her complete cooperation with the will of God the Father, and the fact that she bore his Son within her womb are so significant we believe they enabled her to enjoy the complete fruits of the Redemption for the entirety of her life: from her conception within the womb of her own mother to the end of her natural life on earth!  Surely, Mary was most favored by God, perhaps even more than the chosen Old Testament figures of Enoch and Elijah (and possibly Moses too!).  

One aspect of the special role of Mary that particularly inspires me is that she was a poor and humble young woman when the Angel Gabriel appeared and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus.  She lived in the small, out of the way, insignificant town of Nazareth, and it was there and through her that God the Father Almighty made possible the Incarnation of Jesus our Messiah!  God allowed an impoverished and lowly virgin to become perhaps the greatest human being in all of history; a reality about which she herself alludes when not long after the Annunciation and while visiting her cousin Elizabeth she proclaims: “for he has regarded: the lowliness of his handmaiden . . . and behold, from henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed . . . he has cast down the mighty from their thrones: and has exalted the humble and the meek” (see Luke 1:48 and 52).  In this sense, it seems to me all of those who are lowly, or marginalized, or humble, or despised, or poor, or outcasts in any way, may be the most likely to complete God’s will during their earthly lives!  Oh, and how easy it is for “the rest of us” to dismiss and think such people cannot possibly find favor with God!  Not only may they find such favor, but they like Mary can be assured a place at the Heavenly Banquet for all eternity!  This is something upon which I believe genuine Christians must reflect and always contemplate!  

One day each of us will share in the great joy of Mary in heaven.  We believe someday will meet God face to face and like Enoch, Elijah, Moses, and like all the holy men and women who have come before us, we will enjoy the glory of heaven.  There, with Jesus our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints, we will forever and with complete happiness praise our loving Father.  We remember Mary also said to Elizabeth: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (see Luke 1:46).   May we, like her, proclaim the greatness of our God in the way that we live our earthly lives and in the hope of our own resurrection and glory.

The Franciscan Sisters' Garden at St. Clement

 

 

The Franciscan Sisters' Garden at St. Clement

When I was the Pastor of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer Church, Rosedale, Baltimore County, Maryland (‘18-‘22), we undertook a project to build “security” fences between the church building and the parish center.  The beautiful space we created between the buildings was later dedicated as the “Franciscan Sisters’ Garden,” honoring those sisters who had previously dedicated many years of service to the parish.  The parish center was housed in the former convent. 

At the time I posted the following report on social media:

<<The last couple of days we’ve been working on a little “project” here at St. Clement.  This fence is “phase one” of a plan that will also include a similar fence at the back of the same yard between the church and the parish center (the former Franciscan Sisters convent).  We hope to make the enclosed space into a peaceful garden where various parish activities can happen.  It’s going to be a wonderful spot for church fellowship and prayer!  It will also make the yard more secure for those passing from the church to the parish offices.  Praise God!>>

Around the same time, we also completed a major renovation job on the parish food pantry, making vast improvements to the facility.  All the while, we were also (and very reasonably) spending large sums of money (paying day-laborers and renting large dumpsters) to remove all kinds of “junk” left inside our empty school building (in order to ready it for possible sale to a developer who hoped to renovate the building to create affordable housing for the elderly).  Additionally, and very economically, we renovated some rooms in the parish center (using materials from the former rectory) to create a usable guest space/small apartment and laundry room.  At the time, the parish council, parishioners, and others who needed to know, were kept apprised of these initiatives. 

 
Some people criticized us for “misappropriating parish funds” by building those fences, creating that garden, and the way we used parish resources on those other projects.  We did no such thing.  

I was happy to have initiated and completed those much needed initiatives.  

 

I know that to this day that they have served the parish well!

Praise God!

Letter #2 to Fr. James McCurry and Definitory regarding MAC Pastorate

 

 The Roman Catholic Parishes of

St. Michael the Archangel, Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

A Franciscan Pastorate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Friary: 2 Willow Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21206 

 April 10, 2021

The Very Rev. James McCurry, OFM Conv. and Definitory 

Provincial House

Our Lady of the Angels Province

12300 Folly Quarter Rd. Ellicott City, Maryland 21042

Re: The Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel Church, the Church of the Annunciation, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

Dear Fr. James and Definitory:

Greetings from Northeast Baltimore County!  This is the second of two letters I am sending you regarding the ministry of the friars here in the Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (affectionately called the “MAC Pastorate”).  In this letter I hope to offer my thoughts about why I believe the friars of our Province should not depart from this ministry after the next Provincial Chapter.  

Our House Chapter met on February 18, 2021 and we discussed the “First Draft of the Fraternal-Pastoral Plan, 2022-2026” of the Our Lady of the Angels Province that was sent to us via email on Friday, February 12, 2021.  We did this in response to the invitation expressed in the same email that “each friary chapter to do a thorough review and thoughtful study of the plan.”  For nearly a week prior to our House Chapter, the friars of our community had several lively dinner table and community-room conversations about the “First Draft” as it was presented.  After our House Chapter discussion, these conversations continued in our house for at least another week, and so we continued to study and share our collective thoughts on the matter until when on the morning of Friday, March 2, 2021, and for the record, we formally sent a written response to the draft plan via email to Friar Richard-Jacob Forcier.

In that email we wrote the following:  

1. A statement voicing surprise at the Province’s possible departure from Most Holy Trinity, Brooklyn, NY.  We noted that Trinity can support the salaries of three to four friars, and that it offers our friars a “perfect ministry” for service to the poor.  

2. Regarding the Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, we noted (1) our commitment to the staff and parishioners of the Pastorate, (2) the very recent and costly renovations and improvements done to the friary to accommodate four to five friars, (3) the “groundwork” done by the friars in establishing the Pastorate, (4) the fact that St. Michael has had five pastors in the last ten years, and (5) our good working connection with the friars ministering at Archbishop Curley High School. 

On the evening of March 2nd, and in response to our email of earlier that day, you asked us in a reply email to offer further input.  You also reminded us that “we do not have the number of friars, or required skill sets, to remain in all of the places where we presently live and work.”  An important point you made is the fact that our Province currently does not have enough friars to do Spanish ministry in places where it is needed.  And so, you requested that we give “recommendation for two alternative places (of similar number and skill sets) to be closed.”  

Very frankly and personally, I do not feel informed enough and/or qualified to make “recommendation for two alternative places (of similar number and skill sets) to be closed.”  But for the most part I do believe I understand the reality that our Province “does not have the number of friars, or required skill sets, to remain in all of the places” it currently serves.  To me it does not seem productive to suggest very randomly that “we should stay here and not there.”  But I do have some other views on the matter that I would like to share (and I realize these ideas very likely have already been raised by others).  And so, these are some of my thoughts:  

1. It is estimated there are thirty million Spanish-speaking (i.e., “Hispanic”) Catholics in the U.S.A.; only about ten percent of these Catholics regularly attend Mass every Sunday.  About forty percent of all Catholics in the U.S.A. are Hispanic; in many dioceses Hispanics make up more than thirty percent of the population.  Today, most Catholics under the age of thirty in the U.S.A. are Hispanic.  This is the growing, most dynamic single population of Catholics in our country (see  www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/05/04/hispanic-catholic-church-us-growing-survey-confirms).

2. Isn’t it a noble idea for our Province to make every effort possible to serve the church where we are most needed, and in this case with Hispanics in the U.S.A. (who are growing in numbers and who will continue to represent one of the largest and most vibrant communities of faith within our country)?  Do we want “to jump off” this proverbial “train,” and perhaps fail in our Franciscan obligations to build and to rebuild the Church, and to serve “the neediest of God’s people?”

3. For many years, in fact for almost all its history, the former St. Anthony of Padua Province depended heavily on the assistance of foreign-born Polish friar-priests.  These priests came from Poland and were a much-needed part of the Province’s ministry to its many Polish-speaking parishioners.  Why not continue this tradition in a new light as we embrace modern-day needs of the Church in the United States, a church in which the Spanish-speaking population is growing and flourishing?

4. There are Conventual Franciscan Friars living and working in many Spanish-speaking countries throughout the world.  In fact, in addition to Spanish-speaking friars in the four provinces of the U.S.A., we have provinces in Spain, in Columbia, and in Mexico; there are custodies in Bolivia and in Costa Rica, and there are delegations in Chile, Cuba, Paraguay, and Venezuela.  While I am sure these friars, and their respective jurisdictions, are as “stretched” as we are in meeting personnel needs, I am left to wonder what type of success we might have had, or may have in the future, in soliciting the help of our brothers, even temporarily, to meet some of the Spanish language needs we currently have as the Province of our Lady of the Angels?   Could we develop some type of “exchange program” where they come to help us, and we in turn send friars to them who could build bridges between our jurisdictions, and for O.L.A. friars who could use such opportunities to immerse themselves in Spanish and Hispanic cultures (thereby preparing themselves for possible future ministry among Hispanics at home)?   This would be following exactly in the tradition of the former St. Anthony of Padua Province’s interaction with the Polish provinces for the purpose of securing linguistically able priests for the Province’s ministries. 

5. Might we also study and propose creative, if even just “temporary,” solutions to our Province’s lack of Spanish-speaking friars available for ministry?  While certainly not “ideal,” why not invite local diocesan priests and/or other religious communities to our parishes where Spanish ministry is needed to assist us as “outside clergy” and/or “weekend help?” This could be a “stop-gap measure” done until a day in the future when again we will be able to respond robustly to these needs ourselves.

I offer these thoughts above as a different option to the invitation to make “recommendation for two alternative places (of similar number and skill sets) to be closed.”   

In the first of these two letters that I have sent to you I outlined numerous accomplishments and benefits we have experienced as friars ministering in the emerging Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, “A Franciscan Pastorate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.”  Building upon what I presented in that outline, and upon the thoughts our House Chapter shared with you on March 2nd, I would like to offer the following reasons I believe we should not depart from this ministry after the next Provincial Chapter:

1. We have worked extremely hard, and very successfully during the past two and a half years to build a very positive and productive rapport among the members of our extended Pastorate staff.  It seems “we just got here” and after immediately and enthusiastically working on staff development, which continues to demand our energy and attention, it seems if we depart then all these efforts might have been for naught.  And I do not mean to suggest a departure would be to our friars’ disadvantage, but rather that it would be very detrimental to a staff of people (not to mention parishioners) who during these two and a half years have trusted us, who have been willing to accept our guidance, and with whom our efforts in staff restructuring and development have been so successful.  I believe we have had a similar success in the rapport we have with various diocesan officials with whom we have worked to build the Pastorate.  Why would we want to “throw-away” such an accomplishment?  

2. In August of 2018, when our community first took up residence in the St. Michael the Archangel Rectory (now our friary) we did so “sight unseen.”  The condition of the building was not suitable for the five friars assigned to live there.  And so, for more than a month after we first arrived, and at the cost of about $56,000.00, we were able to renovate and to refashion the building so that it could comfortably accommodate a religious community of men.  We are grateful the Province was able to grant us with $25,000.00 to partially cover the expenses associated with that renovation, but the St. Michael Parish’s necessary $31,000.00 contribution to the project was very painful, given the concurrent financial stress it also was facing.  At the time, and in meetings with the parish Finance Council and parishioners, we “sold” these renovations with the idea that they were parish “investments” in a future in which our friars would serve for a long time.  Now if we depart after so short a time, this part of our history at St. Michael will no doubt cause very hard feelings among parishioners and perhaps the clergy who come after us.  I would also add that because of the work we did on the house, I believe it is now one of the most functional and “conventual” friary buildings within the Province.  We can easily accommodate five friars, there are two guest rooms, we have a very well-designed community room, there is a fine chapel, and among other positive features there is more than sufficient space to entertain guests and visitors while maintaining the privacy of the community.  We are positioned here to have a truly “conventual” friary where friars engaged in multiple ministries can function together quite well (for example and perhaps in a future where friars from Archbishop Curley and those of our Pastorate could be housed at St. Michael and/or in the currently underutilized former rectory at Annunciation).  I believe it would be regretful to lose such a possible asset to our broader Conventual community.    

3. The Pastorate was formed by bringing together St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, where our friars served for many years, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, where our friars served since the early 1990’s.  All these parishes had long histories of administration by diocesan priests.  In a relatively short number of years, our friars developed tremendously positive and robust rapports with the people of St. Clement and Annunciation.  We have just begun to make such headway with the people of St. Michael (and incidentally the parish has had five different pastors over the past ten years) and our success thus far has been very encouraging.  I believe we really have worked hard and have made very positive efforts to truly make this “A Franciscan Pastorate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.”  Why would we give up on these people, and these efforts to establish a strong and stable “Franciscan Presence” in Northeast Baltimore County and City after such a short time and so enormous an effort?  Also, what impact would this have on the morale of the many friars who over the years have ministered at St. Clement and at Annunciation, and those of us who for these past two and a half years have worked so hard also to include St. Michael as an important part of this Franciscan apostolate?  

4. We have an excellent ministerial relationship with the friars of our community who staff Archbishop Curley High School.  During the past year, the friar-priests from Curley have become very regular “weekend clergy help” in all three of our parishes.  The people of our parishes understand that we are making an “all-out-effort” to be a “Franciscan Pastorate,” and I believe the inclusion of the Curley friars in our ministry has tremendously bolstered these efforts.  Because of this, and in addition to the nearby ministry of the friars at St. Casimir and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, I believe our Province has a formidable presence in East Baltimore City, as well as in our Pastorate’s part of Northeast Baltimore County.  I believe this presence is very significant and beneficial to our broader Province community of friars and to the people we serve in the Baltimore area.  

5. In our three parishes we have very many families who are associated with Archbishop Curley High School (as well as with the nearby all girls Franciscan school, the Catholic High School).  Many of the men and fathers of our three parishes are graduates of Archbishop Curley, and many of their sons, our young parishioners, are currently students there.  In conversations with these parishioners, and whenever “the friar connection” between our parishes and Archbishop Curley is mentioned, it is without exception done with tremendous pride and joy by both the old and the young.   I believe this robust “Franciscan Presence” on the East side of Baltimore (including also the two parishes in the city) brings with it the great possibility of true and visible “vocation promotion” that we hope to develop and expand as a Province.  Since “vocation promotion” is one of our stated objectives for the future, why would we depart from such a fertile opportunity? 

6. These parishes are not “rich,” nor are they “affluent” as possibly some of our other Province apostolates are.  Our parishioners are mostly “working class” or “blue collar middle class.”  The neighborhoods surrounding our three parishes are “changing,” but not necessarily for the better.  St. Michael the Archangel is very financially challenged.  Even so, our parishes have tremendously wonderful outreach ministries to the needy.  Both St. Michael and St. Clement have active St. Vincent de Paul Societies and wonderful food pantry ministries.  Annunciation has a fantastic “Social Concerns Committee” that throughout the year sponsors various outreach efforts done for the poor of Baltimore City.  All three parishes regularly support the food pantry and outreach efforts of my former parish of St. Wenceslaus in Baltimore City (a coincidental reality for me that long precedes my association with any of these parishes).  This Pastorate apostolate gives our friars direct opportunities to work with and minster to the neediest of our neighbors.  That is what Franciscans do!  I believe this Pastorate is an excellent place for our friars to thrive as sons of Il Poverello and as Franciscan witnesses to the Gospel!

Many of the suggestions and observations I have made above (particularly those having to do with the Franciscan obligation to serve the poor) would also apply to my belief that we should not depart Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary in Brooklyn (where I served joyfully for a total of seventeen years).  Trinity must be the most dynamic, the most “conventual,” and the most service-to-the-poor oriented parish we have.   I believe a departure of our friars from there would be deeply regretted for many years to come.  Once the dust would settle, they likely would say: “we never should have left there.”   

I, Friar Timothy P. Dore, OFM Conv., strongly believe that we ought not withdraw from our Province commitment to ministry in the Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (nor from Brooklyn as well).  I believe the friars with whom I live and minister, are in complete agreement with me on the points I have presented in this letter.  I am grateful for any attention you can give to what I have written.

Most Sincerely,

Friar Timothy Dore, OFM Conv.

Pastor, St. Michael the Archangel, Annunciation, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

Letter #1 to Fr. James McCurry and Definitory regarding MAC Pastorate

 The Roman Catholic Parishes of

St. Michael the Archangel, Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

A Franciscan Pastorate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Friary: 2 Willow Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21206 

 

April 1, 2021

The Very Rev. James McCurry, OFM Conv. and Definitory

Provincial House

Our Lady of the Angels Province

12300 Folly Quarter Rd. Ellicott City, Maryland 21042

Re: The Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel Church, the Church of the Annunciation, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

Dear Fr. James and Definitory:

Greetings from Northeast Baltimore County!  This is the first of two letters I am sending you regarding the ministry of the friars here in the Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (affectionately called the “MAC Pastorate”).  In this letter I want to report about the great success we have had in forming our Pastorate during the past two and a half years.  In my second letter I will offer my thoughts about why I believe the friars of our Province should not depart from this ministry after the next Provincial Chapter. 

I wish to share the following with you:  Since August of 2018 when our friars became the administrators of the Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer we have accomplished and/or benefited from the following:

1.  Extensive renovations on the new friary at St. Michael.  Prior to our arrival, the environment and condition of the house made it unsuitable as a friary for the five friars who were sent (sight unseen) to live there.  Its new and current configuration is now able to comfortably accommodate a religious community of men.  This not to mention the closure and removal of furniture, household items, etc. from the former St. Clement Friary, a monumental task.

2.  The hiring of a “Facilities Manager” Mr. Jaimie Spangler, to oversee the maintenance and security of buildings, HVAC systems, and grounds of three Pastorate parish campuses. 

3.  The consolidation of Pastorate accounting services under the direction of our two incredibly capable accountants Mrs. Robin Novak and Mrs. Maria Boling. Previously there were three different accountants and offices, and each parish used a different bank.  Although the parish accounts are separate, each now use the same PNC Bank.  This greatly simplifies things.  

4.  The parishes, particularly St. Michael the Archangel, have some financial challenges, but we are carefully and responsibly dealing with these issues (examples of this are the permission Archbishop Lori recently has given St. Michael the Archangel to launch a five-year $500,000.00 Capital Campaign for necessary repairs to its church building, the $129,000.00 cost of replacing the roof on the Church of the Annunciation, and the tedious process of selling the school buildings and the former friary at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer).

5.  Financially speaking, St. Michael the Archangel presents many challenges.  The parish is $1,438,006.78 in debt to the Archdiocese (this includes years of unpaid Cathedraticum, old school bills from the former St. Michael School, and previous years of unpaid property and health insurance).  At the close of the 2019-20 fiscal year, and in consultation with the Parish Finance Council, a most difficult decision was made to lay-off several St. Michael parish employees (including a semi-retired Permanent Deacon, a parish secretary, several youth sacristans, and evening office receptionists).  This caused sentiments of anger from some parishioners and was a very tough moment for all concerned.

6.  We also had to terminate the employment of an organist at the Church of the Annunciation, and a maintenance worker at St. Clement Mary Hofbauer.  We did so in full consultation with the Archdiocesan Human Resources Department and completely “according to the book.”  As unpleasant as such moments can be, we handled these terminations with great respect and with regard for the dignity of those we had “to let-go.”

7.  Late in 2018 we implemented and/or renewed the strict money handling protocols as directed by the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  Previously some of these protocols in all three of our parishes were not being carefully followed.

8.  The official September of 2019 activation of the “Pastorate” with the assistance and guidance of Ms. Julie St. Croix of the Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning (now the Office of Parish Renewal and the Institute for Evangelization).  This has involved the creation of a Pastorate “Collaborative Committee” consisting of three Parish Pastoral Councilors from each parish and significant Pastorate staff members.  Pre-Covid the committee was meeting once a month with Ms. St. Croix and working on key questions and ideas related to forming a Pastorate.  More recently and less frequently due to the pandemic, these meetings have been conducted via Zoom, a great challenge. 

9.  From the beginning, and on all our official documents, including the Pastorate bulletin, we have proudly labeled ourselves as “A Franciscan Pastorate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.” 

10. The redefining of three Parish Pastoral Councils within the “Pastorate model.”  This included the (pre-Covid) scheduling of “Mega Parish Pastoral Council meetings” on a regular and rotating basis.  This involved a tremendous amount of “catechesis” and “diplomacy” and was not an easy task.

11.  A change in the weekend Mass schedules in three parishes.  Previously there had been a total of fourteen weekend Masses among the three parishes.  Some of those Masses were scheduled at simultaneous times.  After extensive consultation with the Parish Pastoral Councils and parish staff members, and after careful study of pertinent data about the various Masses (i.e., attendance numbers, varying musical and liturgical styles, hours scheduled, availability of clergy, etc.) “Town Hall” meetings were held in each parish to address the issues and to consult the parishioners.  This was not an easy task, as some parishioners were angry and vocal, and resistant to change.  After the “Town Hall” meetings, plans for the schedule change were “tweaked” and refined because of valuable parishioner feedback.  Therefore, within the first year of our arrival, and pre-Covid, we were able to implement a schedule of ten weekend Masses instead of fourteen.  Now, after the Covid lockdown and the subsequent drop in Mass attendance, we currently have a “temporary” schedule of seven weekend Masses.  This schedule too was carefully thought-out and implemented given coronavirus restrictions and challenges.

12.   We have recently (mostly due to Covid limitations) changed even our Daily Mass schedule.  Previously all three Masses were conducted at nearly the same morning time (two at 8:30 a.m. and one at 9:00 am).  Our new Daily Mass schedule now includes a 7:30 a.m., a 9:00 a.m. and a 12:00 noon.  This gives parishioners from all three parishes more options for these Mass times and makes is much easier to schedule clergy coverage.

13.   We have accomplished a complete redefining and restructuring of the Pastorate staff.   This was done in close consultation with Ms. Connie Vagrin, the Employee Relations Manager of the Archdiocesan Human Resources Department.  After very careful study and reflection, and much hard work on the part of the “core clergy team” (consisting of Friars Timothy and John, and Sr. Susan Engel) the job descriptions of every member of our Pastorate staff were rewritten.  Duplication among responsibilities were eliminated, and staff members were given specific “Pastorate duties” as part of the restructuring.   This includes monthly “Pastoral Administrative Team” (PAT) meetings where principal staff members are consulted and encouraged to give feedback in a most collegial manner.   In addition to the clergy and Sr. Susan, there are nineteen lay persons employed as members of our Pastorate staff.   We work well and very closely with each other, and the morale is very positive.  I believe our staff members feel “cared-for” and respected by the Pastor and by each other. 

14.   The relocation of most Pastorate administrative office activities to St. Michael the Archangel at our newly named “Pastorate Center.” 

15.   The development of a “Pastorate Pastoral Care” office under the leadership of Sr. Susan Engel. 

16.   A very close clergy and staff rapport and collaboration with Mr. Paul Kristoff, Principal of St. Michael – St. Clement School.

17.   The creation of a “Pastorate Executive Secretary and Liaison to the Parishes” position held by Mrs. Amy Smith.  She has done a fantastic job facilitating communication, scheduling of events, and keeping the lines of communication open between all three parishes and associated organizations and ministries. 

18.   A unified Pastorate “Faith Formation Ministry” under the direction of staff member Mrs. Nikki Lux, and in close collaboration with Mrs. Kathy Brotzman, our Pastorate Director of Religious Education. 

19.   A unified Pastorate “Youth and Young Adult Ministry” under the direction of staff member Ms. Margaret Brogden (who also serves as our Pastorate Liaison to St. Michael – St. Clement School).

20.   The creation of one “Pastorate bulletin” under the editorial management of Pastorate secretary Ms. Susan Rammel.

21.   The development of Pastorate bereavement outreach under the direction of Pastorate secretary Mrs. Cindy Ledford.

22.   Pre-Covid we were able to have several liturgical and social common activities, such as shared celebrations of the Easter Triduums using each of the three parishes as “stations” for the liturgies, shared “All Souls Remembrance Masses” in which parishioners from the three parishes joined together to pray for the previous year’s deceased (118 souls in 2019-20), joint and very nicely catered Christmas dinner parties (held at the Church of the Annunciation) for all of three Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils, a huge summertime Pastorate volunteer appreciation picnic at Rocky Point Park which was lovingly hosted and “worked” by all of our Pastorate staff members and attended by more than one-hundred-and-fifty Pastorate parishioners (it was a huge success but unfortunately not repeated this past year because of Covid).

23.   The securing of the assistance for weekend Masses from Curley Friars Bart, Donald, Bryan, and Chris, who thankfully have become part of our “Franciscan presence” in all three of our Pastorate parishes (with special thanks to Friar Chris who has been a great help with our Spanish ministry).

24.   The ministry of recently ordained (and former student-friar from St. Anthony Province) Deacon, Rev. Mr. John Micciche.  His close association with our friars and his presence on our staff is also a complement to the “Franciscan identity” of the Pastorate.

Some additional, pertinent, and requested important financial information:

1.  Do your parishes have any debts (and how much, and to whom)?  YES

St. Michael the Archangel:  $1,438,006.78 (see explanation in #5 above).

The Church of the Annunciation:  No debts.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer:  $86,404.77 in cathedraticum owed to the Archdiocese.

2. Are there repayment structures in place?

St. Michael the Archangel:  No, but we are working with the Archdiocesan “Extraordinary Administration Committee” who’s membership includes Bishop Adam Parker, an Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, Mr. John Matera, the Archdiocesan Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer, and Ms. Ashley Conley, the Archdiocesan Director of Parish & School Finance, to begin formulating such a plan.

The Church of the Annunciation:  No debts.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer:  $86,404.77 in cathedraticum owed to the Archdiocese.  The plan is to pay off this debt as soon as the sale of the school buildings and former friary are finalized.

3. Do your parishes anticipate and capital repairs or improvements during the next quadrennium?

St. Michael the Archangel:  We are currently launching a five-year $500,000.00 Capital Campaign for necessary repairs to its church building (see explanation in #4 above).

The Church of the Annunciation:  No.  We recently replaced the roof on the church and the work is completed.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer:  We are currently working on the security cameras and monitoring systems.  We are also in the process of installing a new electronic sign in front of the church building.  Soon, we may also have to make some significant roof repairs (this issue is currently being evaluated). 

4. Do your parishes have savings in reserve? How much?

St. Michael the Archangel:  Savings $16,017.23, Money Market $111,077.76.

The Church of the Annunciation:  Savings $388,000, Endowments $418,000.

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer:  Savings $318,255.98, Endowments $ 200,330.45 and $ 104,750.00.

I, Friar Timothy P. Dore, OFM Conv. have presided as Pastor over this Pastorate of St. Michael the Archangel, the Church of the Annunciation, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, during the past two and a half years.  With all due respect to any detractors, and with all humility, I believe our very collegially functioning staff and I have done an excellent job bringing together and forming this Pastorate.  Without any doubt, I strongly believe that working together as a Pastorate administration, we have all the necessary “skill sets” needed to continue making progress as we proceed.  We are proud of the very productive and demonstrable success we have worked so vigorously together to achieve.   

Most Sincerely,

Friar Timothy Dore, OFM Conv.

Pastor, St. Michael the Archangel, Annunciation, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer

+Friar George Abram OFM Conv.

 REST IN PEACE:

This post is one of many tribute pages found on my blog created to honor significant family members, friends, and loved ones who have passed from this life to the next . . .

+ Friar George Abram, OFM Conv. (my dear confrere)

Date/place of birth: February 4, 1944, Ronzone, Northern Italy

Date/place of death: March 6, 2021, Ghana, West Africa

 

 

**Friar George was a victim of the COVID-19 virus during the Pandemic that swept the world beginning in early 2020.

– Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Meeting a friend in Baltimore

 

Meeting a friend in Baltimore

This morning I got a call from a young man, someone who I would call a friend, and who I knew from my days as the Pastor of St. Wenceslaus, a wonderful "inner-city" parish in East Baltimore. My friend begged me to come and see him in the city because he said he'd been going through some very difficult times and he needed my "help."

Although my schedule was filled, and my time very limited, I decided to respond to his call and so in the early afternoon I took a "quick" drive into the city to see him. I made this decision to visit him somewhat reluctantly because to be honest, my friend has "issues," and sometimes interactions with him can be quite complicated.

He asked me to meet him in front of St. Wenceslaus, and as he said it, he told me how much he missed my presence there. Back in the day he would often come to Mass on Sundays at St. Wens, and in those days he would literally sit in the very last pew of the church-like the tax collector in the Jesus' Gospel parable of "the Pharisee and the Publican" (see Luke 18:9-14). Many times and on many a weekday afternoon, this friend of mine and I would sit together in the front parlor of the rectory of the church, and over coffee and a little something to eat, we would talk about life and the struggles and even the joys therein. I fondly remember those wonderful conversations!

This afternoon, as I drove up Ashland Avenue and arrived in front of the church, I saw him on the steps of that beautiful house of God. It was completely heartbreaking for me to see him when I caught sight of him: he was laying on the highest of those steps, close to the doors, and he was seemingly "passed out." It was as if being on those steps, his frail body hugging those doors, was a place of refuge and some kind of comfort for him. And I knew that entrance so well from my years of warmly greeting parishioners near those very doors. Today, anyone else who might have seen my friend like that may have assumed he was just another "homeless bum" and a "degenerate person." But I knew better! (I quickly snapped this photo of him, hoping I could show it to him at a later time and use it to talk to him about why he had ended up in such a way).

Truth be told, my friend is a heroin addict, and he's homeless and he has many "issues," but he is a human being and he's a real person with feelings and dreams, and he has genuine hopes for better tomorrows. This young man is actually a very good person with a most beautiful heart! I know him to be a person who cares for others, especially those who are suffering, and he, like most of us, wants this world to be a better place for all people.

I got out of my car and I went over to where he was resting on the steps of the church, and I asked him if he was okay. "Are you okay my brother?" I said to him, and then he opened his eyes and looked into mine and he broadly smiled, as if to say "thank you for being here my friend!"

He then looked and stared off into some distant place, and his eyes, changing in that instant to something hollow and sad, spoke loudly to me of some deep inner pain. He told me things haven't been too well for him lately. As I looked into his very tired face, and I observed how frail indeed he looked, I had no doubt he was sharing a great truth, and the reality of tremendous inner pain and struggle.

Among other very sad and unfortunate things, he told me about how just the previous night someone had aggressively approached him on the street, and as he was verbally assaulted and spit upon by that most unfriendly stranger, was told he should "just roll over and die."

Yes, my friend is a drug addict, but he doesn't want to be enslaved by the illness he has. I strongly believe he wants to be like any one of us who desire happiness and contentment in this life.

Think about this: We are quick to say drug addiction is an "illness" but aren't we less willing to treat it as such?

Would I walk into the hospital room of a friend or loved one who is dying of cancer and raise my fisted hand toward them and loudly scream at them saying "how dare you suffer with this illness?" Of course not!

Drug addiction is a very complicated illness, and those of us who have family and friends suffering with this disease certainly must be careful not to become "part of the problem." And often that is a difficult road to walk!

My friends, please don't harshly judge our sisters and brothers who struggle every day with the disease of substance abuse and addiction.

They are people too! They may even be members of our families and/or our own dear friends.

And frankly, none of us are perfect, and we are all sinners!

Please pray for my friend. He's really going through a difficult time during these days.

Thanks. Friar Timothy