Advent busyness

Sorry for my silence, folks. Things get crazy just before Christmas, as I'm sure you understand. Some interesting things are going on, however. This, from Fr. Richard Callahan:

The results of the Maryknoll Farm (a.k.a. the “Pachamama” Farm) for 2010 are in:  33,000 pounds (sixteen and a half TONS) of vegetables and fruit were distributed to six food banks in the area. Over the past nine years since the farm was started, it has produced and distributed 158,000 pounds of food to the food banks. Special thanks to Fathers John and Fern and to their many volunteers for taking seriously Jesus’ command to “feed the hungry” in our midst. ~Richard B. Callahan, M.M.

Following the gas leak (which is not totally repaired) Sodexo made the switch over to propane. Four huge tanks are now outside the kitchen.

Vocation ministers, Admissions, Initial and Lifelong Formation people have concluded a productive three-day meeting here.

Superior General Fr. Ed Dougherty has asked for a "Town Hall" meeting. But here's where the buzz at the salad bar gets tossed. Some say he will meet with only Society Members this Wednesday, others say it will be in January, and still others say that's for Maryknoll Employees as well. The term "Town Hall" evokes nervous laughter from the troops. Perhaps they're thinking about the raucous Town Hall meetings the Tea Partiers held two summers ago. In any event, no matter when it's held, it's sure to make a buzz.

In planning for our opening ceremony on January 25, the intention is to precede the liturgy with a procession of flags of all the (42) places we've worked in our 100 years. Maryknollers would carry in each flag in chronological order and the emcee would announce each flag, i.e. The United States of America, 1911 (accompanied by the papal flag), China, 1918 etc. One diplomatic kerfuffle might arise as the Palestinian flag (1990) enters and is announced as such. Would our expected Jewish guests be offended? Yet we could not in good conscience bring in the Israeli flag. One suggestion is to announce it as "Bethlehem" instead of "Palestine."

While attending a retreat up at Graymoor for our Korean junior high students from Queens, I spoke of our up-coming Centennary with some of the friars. They, in turn, told me of some of their up-coming events next year, including a Mass to be celebrated there by Archbishop Dolan on-----October 30. To those of you unfamiliar with all our planned celebrations, that is the same day His Emminence is scheduled to be the main celebrant at our official Centennary Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Now, I've heard from those who know him well and it's quite possible he'll be able to be in both places. Let's just hope he can and we don't go down to St. Pats just to say Mass by ourselves.


 

More on the Pachamama Farm

The last we heard, Fathers Fern Goselin and John Hudert had both been laid up in the hospital with various medical issues. Well, thanks be to God, they are all better and back in business on the Pachamama farm, a one-acre community garden located on the north side of Maryknoll's property. The purpose of the farm (the name means "Earth Mother" in Quechua) is to provide fresh produce to seven local food pantries. Anything extra is offered to our employees at St. Teresa's Residence. About ten volunteers, mostly senior citizens and retirees, plant, weed, water and harvest. Alas, times being what they are, no children or even college students are permitted to volunteer, unless accompanied by their parents.

John and Fern set the mood for today's Food for Thought presentation by singing "One Day at a Time" (If the desired mood was hillbilly religious rock, they succeeded.)

Goselin was bought up on a dairy farm in Vermont, so he has farming in his blood. When he first returned from the missions, 60 acres of Maryknoll's 93 acres land were unusable, so with the help of a neighboring farmer with a tractor, he cleared 20 acres of land.

He discovered all kinds of abandoned plows and farm equipment in our dump and this offended both his missioner's and farmer's background, so he sought ways to put it to use. The original tractor, still in use and one of four, was driven by Fr. Charlie Hugelmeyer when he was a seminarian back in the Middle Ages.

Maryknoll Affiliate Mary Murphy came up with the original idea of planting a garden and convinced Fr. Dick Callahan to make the initial investment of $6,000 for electric fencing (to keep out the deer, raccoons and other fauna) and equipment.

In the earlier years (the farm started ten years ago) the farm produced 3,000 pounds. The following year 6,000. Then 9 and 12,000 respectively. Last year they harvested 25,000 pounds of vegetables, in addition to apples.

A blight followed all the rain this year, so the tomato crop was a disappointment. Even so, to date 17,000 pounds of produce have been harvested with more to come. The only fertilizer the farm uses is horse manure donated from local stables. Talk about re-cycling.

In addition to tomatoes, the Pachamama Farm grows three kinds of squash, eggplant, beets, cabbages, peppers, beans, cucumbers, turnips, leeks and garlic. A local beekeeper maintains four hives nearby and gives part of the honey to Hudert.

A new barn was erected last month to store the tractors and other machinery and equipment. The residents of St. Teresa's donated more than $10,000 of the $15,000 cost of the barn. Harvesting starts as early as May and goes through November.

Catholic New York and Catholic News Service, among other local publications, have carried stories about the Pachamama Farm. It's just one example of good stewardship.

Hiatus over; H1N1 update

MY BAD. I took Monday off to recuperate from performing a wedding at the Korean church, then hearing confessions, giving a talk and saying Mass at a junior high retreat at St. Josaphat's Byzantine Catholic retreat house in Glen Cove, N.Y. over the weekend. I have to hand it to the teachers. It was certainly a baptism by fire for us all. A special shout-out to Father Jim Gilligan, our canon lawyer in residence, for taking my two Masses at the church in Queens so I could stay at the retreat center and lose sleep. Thanks a lot, Jim. Really.

This week does promise to give me several topics to address, most notably the Monthly House Meeting (Third Wednesday of every month) which will take up, among other things, suggested H1N1 precautions. My report from the all-important Food Committee will go over like a lead balloon because guys don't want to be told they can't go into the food line when the doors are closed, no matter what the lawyers and insurers say. Nor do they want to be discouraged from squirreling food away for later consumption.

But back to the H1N1: all the dioceses of Pennsylvania and now the diocese of Brooklyn strongly recommend no sharing of the cup and a bow in place of the handshake during the exchange of peace. I suspect these will be implemented easily at the Knoll although some may suggest substituting the liturgically suspect practice of dipping the Host in the Precious Blood. (Apparently nowhere in the Aramaic does it say, "Take and dunk...") I for my part have long shied away from sharing the cup (unless I am celebrant and therefore first) because of the unavoidable backwash. Thirty guys drinking from one cup and you are Number 31. You do the math.

Fathers Fern Goselin and John Hudert are on tap with Food For Thought this Thursday and will speak about, what else? The Pachamama Farm.

Thursday evening several of us will go to the Peekskill Theater to see Lily Tomlin's live performance.

Check back in a few hours and I'll tell you what else is new around the salad bar.

Revenge of the Pachamama, Part 2

BOTH OVERLORDS of the Pachamama Farm, just north of St. Teresa's, have been knocked offline, as it were, this week for serious, but God willing, not life-threatening conditions. We wish speedy recoveries to Fr. Fern Goselin and Fr. John Hudert. Thus, at the height of the harvest, the volunteer gardeners, mostly Maryknoll Affiliates and some neighbors, must fend for themselves.

The September 25 issue of NCR ran a wonderful spread on the farm, which has for many years been a source of fresh, home-grown produce for local food pantries. Maryknollers being Maryknollers, that particular issue of NCR disappeared from the periodicals room within minutes.

It has not been a good year for gardening in the east, as above average rainfall at at the wrong time decimated the tomato crop and spread fungi (not the edible kind) among surviving plants. We will have zucchini and squash, however, up the old Wazoo (which is a popular though largely unexplored river in Australia.)

Revenge of the Pachamama?

Father Fern Gosselin was injured yesterday when he was hit by a tractor while working in the Pachamama farm just north of St. Teresa's. Get well soon, Fern!

The injuries forced Fern to cancel his participation in the Maryknoll Variety show that was held today from 10 a.m. to noon. The show, dubbed Carbaret Edoardo (after the Doc) consisted of various acts performed by employees and Maryknollers, with the cabaret theme carried over with decor and cocktail tables. Mr. Bob Ambrose acted as M.C. (a lá Alan Cummings, minus the sleaze) and also sang in the Doo-Wop rendition of "Teenager in Love."

Br. John Blazo and Fr. John Moran did a hilarious skit on the miscommunication between a returning missioner and the IT department, with terms like "Window", "Word" "Office" and "Money" throwing the missioner into reverse culture shock. The banter was right up there with the famous "Who's on First?" routine.

The Council (minus Fr. José Aramburu who conveniently planned his trip to Korea to escape) brought down the house with "There is Nothing Like a Dame", the irony apparently lost on most in the audience.

There were two segments of six acts each and an intermission. A lot of time and effort went into this show, with slides of Gaudeamuses and plays past projected on the screen to remind people this is just the latest in a long Maryknoll tradition of Dog and Pony shows---or bread and circuses.

But a good time was indeed has by all in the standing-room only crowd.

It was videoed so you may be able to get a DVD copy from Ms. Maureen Toohey or watch it on our local Channel 15 when you next visit the Knoll.