Crossing over to risen life

As has been my experience every Easter since being ordained in 1978, Jesus comes out of the tomb just in time for me to go in and get some shut-eye. This year was no exception, what with our vocation retreat, holy week services at the Knoll and my regular Masses at the Korean church in Queens, I was dead tired. Now that I have rested up and have risen from the dead, a report is in order.

I and many Maryknollers I spoke with were impressed with the high calibre of the 13 young men who came to spend the Triduum with us and learn about Maryknoll and our mission work. And like the Society they are checking out, the retreatants came in different colors, categories and convictions. A young priest from Fr. Benedict Groeschel's Franciscans of the Renewal, who worked in Southern Sudan and is applying to join our Associate program, seemed right at home with us. Two other guys got into lively debate at supper over taxes and government spending (sign 'em up!) and seven of them played kick-ass volleyball.

Following the movie "Of Gods and Men" about the true-life drama surrounding the Trappist community's gut-wrenching discernment to stay in Algeria in the 1990s which ultimately led to their martyrdom, one prospect expressed some disappointment our Maryknoll community in Juarez would "abandon the people there" to the violent situation by closing that mission. Not having been part of that decision-making process, I simply stated that each Maryknoller has to decide for himself what is best. But he would have none of it. His feeling was that without guys willing to take risks for Christ, young men like him will not be attracted to overseas mission and Maryknoll's future is "dim", to quote how one resident at St. T's put it. I countered that Maryknoll's main purpose is not its own survival, but rather announcing the reign of God. As long as we are doing that, whether we go out of existence through attrition or martyrdom, is inconsequential. All seemed to be in agreement on that. If Maryknollers are true to the Gospel, new members will come.

One young man from the Korean parish is inclined to join Maryknoll but wisely wants to experience mission first. His plan is to go to college for a year, then take some time off to explore a short-term volunteer program with Maryknoll overseas to help him discern. If he gets "bit by the mission bug" he may consider applying to the Society.

Later, up in the Third Floor Rec Room following the Easter vigil service, while six guys played Monopoly, Fr. Dave LaBuda, from the vocations team, spoke with me about an effort by five Society members to enter into a conversation in Chicago with Fr. Ed Dougherty, superior general, and somehow dissuade or convince him not to send the dreaded Second Letter to Fr. Roy Bourgeois, which would set in motion the final 15 day deadline till the Third Letter of dismissal from the Society and appeal to Rome for laicization.

Dave was quite candid in thinking there wasn't really much wiggle room. Roy deliberately painted Maryknoll leadership into a corner, and as long as we want to keep that Catholic portion of our C.F.M.S.A. title, Doc has little choice but to blast a whole in that corner. Just what is the status of that Second Letter. Dave didn't know. The retreatants who listened to our discussion, in fact, hadn't even heard about Roy or this recent piece of drama and, when brought up to speed on developments, seemed to side with Doc.

Life and death issues during Holy Week. Appropriate enough. A blessed Easter to all. Click on the Alleluia YouTube entry above on the right. The third installment of a video meditation on our Maryknoll Centennial Missa ad Gentes, by Michael Joncas.

Holy Week Bits of Tid

AN THEN THE RAINS CAME. Sweet Mother of Pearl, the quadrangle out back reminds me of the rice paddies that used to surround every mission in Asia up until 1975. Guys now gaze out from the upper cloister and wistfully say, "I remember when this was all dry land."

Luckily the rains held off so that we could have not one but two Palm Sunday services, one for our community and the other for the 150 Haitians here for retreat lead by Fr. Romane St. Vil, back from his second relief trip to Haiti.

Fr. Dennis Moorman and Deacon Steve DeMartino, along with Fr. Dave LaBuda, are in Jamaica (the one in the Caribbean, not the one in Queens) conducting a Vocations Retreat at the parish of Father Leo Shea. Five young men are attending. Please hold them in prayer for guidance and discernment during this holiest of weeks.

The Holy Week Vocations Retreat alternates between here at the Center and at a mission site overseas. Absent any young'uns here this week, we are scaling back on our own services. For example, this Good Friday we will not have the outdoor Stations of the Cross as has been our custom nigh these many years. If our guys had to schlepp that huge wooden cross themselves around the property, more than our Lord would be falling three times.

There may be as many as six men applying for admissions to the Society this year. Pray for them, the admission board, our men in formation, their formators and for an increase of vocations to Maryknoll.

The rains are to continue till Wednesday, after which the spring sun and temperatures in the 70s are forecast for the Triduum.

[Personal musing: one of the reasons Pope Benedict excommunicated Fr. Roy Bourgeois was because Roy's outspoken and public advocacy for women's ordinations was causing "scandal and confusion" among the faithful. Now that His Holiness himself is the source of scandal, confusion and not a little anger, outrage and disappointment, how will he discipline himself? Just wondering...]

Pilgrims' Progress

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PRILGRIMAGE to Central America ended last week with 20 participants (2 deacons and 18 priests, including three canon lawyers) according to Rev. Mr. Steve DeMartino, vocations ministry coordinator, who organized the tour.

As the group made their way around the various spots in Guatemala and El Salvador made holy by the blood of many martyrs, including Bishop Oscar Romero, the four churchwomen and the Jesuits, not to mention hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, the group was particularly moved by the eye-witness accounts of survivors, DeMartino said.

Last of all they heard the stories of Maryknollers who lived there during those dark days: Br. Marty Shea, Fr. Bill Donnelly, Fr. Bill Mullan and Fr. Dave LaBuda. Maryknoll Fathers John Spain and Tom Goekler also hosted the group at their apostolates.

DeMartino proudly points to these pilgrimages as an excellent opportunity for Maryknoll to foster closer relationships with clergy of the Church in the U.S. as well as expose them to the Maryknoll mission reality.

Three of this year's participants expressed a desire to entire into deeper discussion and discernment in possibly joining our Associate Program.

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On an unrelated yet too humorous to ignore note, after the pilgrimage, Deacon Steve and Father Dave LaBuda were parambulating in the Petén (no mean fete in itself), when Steve heard the distinct noise of cracking branches and rustling leaves in the jungle canopy to either side of the path. They were being stalked by howler monkeys, to which Dave replied, "Whatever.

Finally Steve could take it no more and turned to address their still hidden adversaries, "Show your faces already!" (although truth be told, I don't know if he spoke in English, Spanish, Maya or Huachuatl). After two fruitless attempts to flush the monkeys out of hiding, one howler appeared and proceeded to live up to his name.

"Is that the best you got?" Steve howled back, at which point the howler proceeded to rain down his answer. Flushed out indeed.