World AIDS Day Mass & Eucharistic Adoration

December 1 is World AIDS Day. For many years, the Maryknoll AIDS Task Force under the capable leadership of former MK lay missioner Ms. Susan Weissert, held many moving and meaningful activities here at the Knoll in conjunction with this date.

Alas, Susan's mandate and the Task Force ended two years ago; double alas, AIDS is still hitting the people of the world, especially the poor, very hard.

Last year the day came and went without fanfare. This year, albeit on short notice, our community Mass tomorrow will be offered for all the Maryknollers around the world who minister to people with HIV/AIDS. Plus Eucharistic adoration will follow in the Lady Chapel from noon till 5:00 p.m. with people (hopefully) taking 30-minutes to one hour shifts. Then Evenin Prayer at 5 will be followed by Benediction.

We encourage you wherever you are around the world to spend some time in prayer for the people who have died of AIDS, those who live with the disease or HIV, as well as for the Maryknollers involved in this important ministry.

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CENTENNIAL EXHIBIT IN SPELLMAN ROOM DECEMBER 1 - 12.

Artifacts from the Time Capsule opened two weeks ago, along with displays from Centennary activities around the Maryknoll World, and many of the beautiful banners, plaques, statues and pictures we have received, will be showcased starting Thursday, December 1 till our official closing liturgy on December 12, Feast of Our Lady of Guataluoe.

A momento book will be available for people to write their prayers, greetings and good wishes to the Missioners of 2061. That book and other new artifacts will be placed in the cornerstone and sealed for the next 50 years.

Gathering of Centenary Eagles

WITH THE CLOCK TICKING, nine members of the 11-member Centenary Committee finally gathered from around the world to finalize (?) plans for Maryknoll's 100th. The prize for traveling farthest goes to Fr. Jim Kroeger from the Philippines, with Fr. Joyalito Tajonera from Taiwan coming in a close (or is that a distant?) second. Fr. Steve Judd migrated north from Peru; Karibu sana to Fr. Ken Thesing from Africa, but Br. John Beeching stayed behind to escort very ill Fr. Doug Venne back to Bangladesh from Thailand. (Please keep Doug in your prayers.)

Mr. Greg Darr came in from the Chicago Promotion House. Fr. Jack Sullivan is rumored to be around. Mr. Dave Brown (former MKer) also arrived this morning. These will join the Executive Committee: Fr. Bob Jalbert, Ms. Diane Bernadini (Donor Services) and Ms. Bernadette Price (Orbis).

Rumor has it they will find a HUGE folder of proposals awaiting them.

In the meantime, there are somethings that luckily don't require a Committee or C-3 to put into practice. Br. Kevin Dargan and I will proceed with the relatively inexpensive project to post relevant Maryknoll historical dates on the stand outside the foodline. He and I will go through a mission chronicle put together by the late Fr. Larry Vaughan. We hope eventually to have a few anniversary dates posted each week.

In other news, Rev. Mr. Stephen DeMartino, Vocations Coordinator, has taken wing to Jamaica (the one in the Caribbean, not the one in Queens) to reconnoiter Fr. Leo's Shea's mission as the proposed site for next Holy Week's Vocation Discernment Retreat. Four NEW prospects have already signed up. Five men are applying for admission next year.

NEWLY ORDAINED Fr. Stephen Taluja is due in today to celebrate his first Mass at his home parish, Holy Spirit in Cortlandt, this Sunday and meet with Father Superior.

Speaking of whom, Doc was unable to meet with Cardinal Ivan Dias in Rome because the prelate took sick and had to be hospitalized.

Still no word on Br. Wayne's election as First Assistant U.S. Regional.

Today is deadline to vote for U.S. Regional!

TODAY IS THE LAST CHANCE for members of the U.S. region to cast your vote for U.S. regional in this torturous and seemingly endless election process. If it is conducted like ballots past, the scrutators will count them tomorrow and the results "embargoed" until Monday. Why the delay? Far be it from me to speculate (yeah, right) but let's just remind ourselves that the vote is consultative and not deliberative. 'Nuff said.

But since it is the express purpose of this blog to report on the buzz around the salad bar or in the dining room, here are some nuggets:

• If Fr. Mike Duggan wins, how long before we can expect the Second Coming of the Ambo?

• If Fr. Bob Jalbert wins, what will become of the ambitious plans of our Centenary Committee?

• Will the Council immediately name Br. Wayne as First Assistant?

• Will the membership look outside our region for Second and Third Assistants?

As soon as the results are announced, I will post them here.

Pre-emptive Centenary Report

FR. BOB JALBERT was kind enough to pass out to us in advance a three-page outline of the report he is scheduled to give this afternoon at the Monthly House Meeting concerning the Centenary Committee which has yet to meet. And if that isn't enough to run-on your sentences, misplace your modifiers and dangle your participles, I have before me even as I blog a copy of said report and shall attempt, in my own biased way, to separate the wheat from the chaff. (Which one I am giving to you is for you to decide.)

Thus far, the Committee has agreed to hold the Annual Foundation Day Weekend (June 24~26, 2011) at the Center; the second Maryknoll Youth Day in the spring of 2011, and a Benefactors' Appreciation Day in the fall of 2011. Call me a skeptic, but weren't these already planned a long time ago, like, before the Committee was formed?

Also under consideration is an event in 2011 celebrating the Hispanic church, a symposium on mission, and a major Sunday Liturgy at St. Patrick's followed by a catered luncheon (guests, I presume TBA).

Promoting our Jubilee Year is nothing less than a proposed letter from none other than His Holiness Benedict XVI due out early in 2010 as well as a proclamation from the USCCB. I shall file both these in my "Don't Hold Your Breath" drawer. "Early 2010" after all, starts in less than two months.

"Quality not quantity" of events is the goal and there have been several meetings with the Congregation and Lay Missioners for joint celebrations that span both our Centenary Years (2011~2013). Those years also include the 35th anniversary of the MLMs, the 20th anniversary of the Affiliates.

Many committees, subcommittees and groups are planned, in keeping with Maryknoll's true charism: More Meetings.

The Core Planning Committee consists of: Fr. Jalbert as Chair; Fr. Jack Sullivan (Retirement Community); Mr. Greg Darr (MEP Midwest); Ms. Diane Bernadini (MEP/Marketing); Ms. Bernadette Price (MEP Orbis); Fr. Steve Judd (Latin America); Fr. Jim Kroeger (Asia); Fr. Ken Thesing (Africa); Br. John Beeching (MK Brothers) and Fr. Joyalito Tajonera (Overseas at-large member)

There is much more in the outline but you could not bear it now. Trust me. I know I can't.

God in His Goodness has also seen fit to schedule choir practice from every Wednesday from 4:15 ~ 5:00, conflicting nicely with the house meeting. As liaison with the all-important Food Committee, I have already cleared it with Fr. Lukaschek to speak first, leaving my brethren to sit through other reports whilst I sing tenor parts to various Christmas carols.

Weekend tidbits

Here are a few odds-and-ends:

• Seasonal flu shots will be offered to MKers at the Center beginning this week. This will not include the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine because, according to Nurse Mary Ellen Jablon, that vaccine is targeted toward younger people who are more adversely effected by the disease. H1N1 vaccinations will be available for us oldsters a little later. So until then remember—sneeze into your sleeve and sanitize with Purelle. (Suppressing the Handshake of Peace at Mass is usually the first sign flu season is upon us.)

• The Centenary Committee has postponed its gathering yet again and will not meet until December, ostensibly because members must fly in from around the Maryknoll world. Yikes. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. (Why do I fear we will end up just having a huge cake with 100 candles?)

• Our combined U.S. Region/Retirement retreat begins Monday evening (because all MK events begin with Happy Hour). Br. Jim Zullo will direct our reflections on the Emmaus experience. (Usually "our hearts burning within us" has more to do with eating kimchi.)

• Thanks to Fr. Dennis Moorman's Facebook page (which guys at Maryknoll cannot access unless they have an iPhone) the Young'Uns in Hong Kong had a wonderful visit to Macau, including the St. Francis Xavier church, and the Holy Spirit Seminary in Hong Kong. Sunday off and then two more days to wrap up their meeting.