| June 2, 2008 | Volume 83, Number 16 | |
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Can priest make own rules at Mass?The response to the question regarding a local priest receiving Communion after the congregation from Father Dietzen (May 19 issue) was rather abrupt and uncalled for. If a local priest can make his own rules regarding the conduct of the Mass, why have the GIRM?
(Catherine Combier-Donovan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, responds: I think Fr. Dietzen responded correctly and, yes, forcefully. He answered that the priest could not alter the “conduct” of the Mass in the case of the order of reception of Holy Communion. Redemptionis Sacramentum (#97) does state that the priest and Ministers of Holy Communion must receive prior to distributing Communion to the assembly. To the question, “why have the GIRM?” I would state the following. The Roman Missal is the official book of prayers used by the priest at Mass, and the introduction to that book is the General Instruction (GIRM). The heart of the book is the Order of Mass, a kind of script for the most common spoken or sung words, actions, and the rubrics. Printed in red, the rubrics are instructions governing the actions of various participants - the priest, ministers, as well as the assembly. The rubrics ensure that what happens at Mass is what the Mass intends. In spite of all that, Sunday Mass is unpredictable. The rubrics do not explain everything that goes on. Unexpected things happen, and universal and local customs emerge. As sacramental theologian Fr. Paul Turner says, “almost every participant at every Mass fails to fulfill all that is expected and brings to the Mass more than is required. Yet the result is the same: the greatest miracle in the world, the Celebration of the Eucharist!”) Father Dietzen’s column doesn't not appear in the Web edition of the Catholic Virginian.
Parish profile validates hard workOn behalf of myself and all the people of Our Lady of Peace in Appomattox, we want to thank you for the splendid coverage and parish profile of our church (April 21 issue). Our Lady of Peace has had a wonderful year, and your coverage helped to validate the hard work and ministry of God’s holy baptized lay people there with their priest. We are small but you help us stand tall in the love of our God. I always say that your reporting is balanced and fair on all issues. You call forth the goodness of the people of our diocese.
Teacher for 38 years set to retireMrs. Ruth Arvin is retiring after 38 years of teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes School, Richmond. There will be a reception in the multi-purpose room of the school on Saturday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. (after the 5:30 p.m. Mass) to honor her dedication and commitment to Our Lady of Lourdes School. If you were a student of Mrs. Arvin please join us in wishing her the best in her retirement. Patty Evans
Jew and Muslim share message to allI was privileged to hear an Israeli Jew and a Muslim Palestinian speak on the same program May 8 at the Richmond Diocesan Pastoral Center.
Both men have been able to turn away from their rage, call each other brother, and travel together in an effort to win support for an end to the bloodshed and a just peace. I was disappointed at the sparse attendance at this memorable program and noted that the only clergy present was a priest from St. Paul Episcopal Church in Richmond’s Capitol Square. Both men are members of the Parents Circle-Family Forum, an association of some 500 bereaved families of Israel and Palestine who support peace, reconciliation and tolerance. It is a partner of Catholic Relief Services. The only request these two men had of those present was not to merely observe their pain. This letter is my small response in that regard.
Haitian Flag Day observed in RoanokeHaitian Flag Day, May 18, was celebrated with aplomb by the Haitian Community of Roanoke, in Elmwood Park. An array of festivities began with an elegant procession of cars draped in flags. Intermittent rain during the day did not dampen the spirits of the almost 500 who attended. Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham proclaimed this the “Third Annual City of Roanoke Celebration of Haitian Flag Day.” The National Anthem of Haiti proceeded and then my wife Adele and I, who were keynote speakers, sang the Star Spangled Banner. In my address I invited all to pause for a moment of silent prayer for the safety and return of Lovinsky Pierre Antoine, well-known human rights activist and founder in 1994 of Fondasyon Trant Septanm, who was kidnapped August 12, 2007 and has not been heard from since. I honored the heroes of Haiti, especially those connected with the flag. I congratulated the Haitian Flag Day Committee in their tireless efforts to plan this event and congratulated all Roanoke Haitians in their long-time (since 1980) efforts to support their families back home and also in bringing to us in the U.S. their strong sense of Hope, and working together as in a Konbit. Adele focused on the origins of the Haitian community in Roanoke, recounting how eight men who had been picking apples in the migrant camps around Chilhowie asked Sisters of the Holy Names to help them escape: “We brought them to Roanoke. Father Tom Caroluzza opened his rectory at Our Lady of Nazareth, which became their first sanctuary.” Today the Haitian community has grown to over 2,000! These humble, destitute refugees could not have imagined they would play a role in the origins of the Richmond Diocese Haiti Outreach — but they did! Bishop Sullivan met them and was so moved by their stories of courage and faith that he was drawn to go to Haiti himself, and along with other influences, in 1984, proclaimed Haiti as the official missionary outreach of the Diocese of Richmond. The celebration of Haitian Flag Day proved that Haitians have endeared themselves to many in the Roanoke Valley. Seven area parishes are in twinning relationships and a young couple, Elizabeth and Tim Moore, came up to us after our talks and excitedly shared that they are in process of adopting a Haitian child from Port-au-Prince and can hardly wait for the day of her arrival.
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The Jew, Rami Elhanan, lost his 14-year-old daughter, Smadar, in 1997 on Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem to a Palestinian suicide bomber. The Palestinian, Mazen Faraj, lost his 62-year-old father, Ali, in 2002 during the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He was killed by an Israeli soldier.