Head in the clouds (Literally!)

(Hey, it's not the worst place to have one's head.)

I know I just posted a few hours ago when all too often days or weeks go by without so much as an annoying peep from me, but I could not resist posting from 35,000 feet up on a Chicago-bound Delta flight. You see, for all the emphasis on homeland security especially effecting airports and air traffic, THEY offer Wi-Fi right on the airplane. In flight even.

So I guess Mother Knoll has higher security standards than the FAA. This surely explains the new security swipe-card system being fine-tuned even as I post. In a matter of days the ubiquitous X key will go the way of the Walsh Building and rotary phones and only the special security card will admit you to one of the eight (of 32) doors from the outside. Till then the soon-to-be defunct keys will still let you in from the quadrangle near the R-wing elevator and near the M-Wing elevator.

Also, if you've already read my earlier post today, that list of meddling committees is by no means exhaustive. Trust me, the Maryknoll members are equal opportunity annoyers. Perhaps this is but a reflection of the overall frustration in the body politic with anyone in authority. Diminishment and limitations are potential sources of deep spirituality, if one takes the time and energy to plumb their depths. If not, well, you end up with a houseful of cranky, old men.

Meanwhile, men complain the Knoll is turning into a "prison" with all the rules and extra safety measures. Consider the 12+ surveillance cameras both outside and inside the building that create a comforting illusion of security while, at the same time, fostering a disquieting sense of paranoia. Nice. Also a special antenna will soon be installed in our tower so we can get live TV feeds from St. Patrick's Cathedral. Nunc dimitis, Domine, servum tuum...

Now if we could only catch the Maryknollers (from outside the Center, I'd wager) who made off with entire sets of summer vestments, or the guys who help themselves to community newspapers and magazines, or who borrow books from our library to help the cousin of a parishioner overseas, maybe this expense for extra security would be justified.

As it stands, what has saved us thus far from an unfortunate and tragic incident such as seem to occur throughout the country on an almost daily basis is, in fact, either dumb luck or divine intervention. Surely asking all would-be thieves, kidnappers or murderers to sign in at the reception desk doesn't seem much of a deterrent, don't you think? Although offering Purell hand sanitizer is a nice touch. And what is with that offering box within six feet of entering the building? So whatever committees thought these brainstorms up, consider yourselves called out and offended.

The good news or break in the storm clouds is that the house committee and Regional Council and Center Coordinator and physical plant and Channel 15 all seem to be in agreement that those tacky bulletin stands, often numbering as many as five and making our rotunda look like ye olde roadside Burma Shave signs (remember?), have got to go. In their place and discreetly on the wall, a flatscreen monitor will scroll up-coming events and visitors. 

Of course this requires electric wiring and Lord only knows what other committees have to sign off on it (Remember it took six MONTHS to get the statue of Our Lady of Maryknoll moved from being shunted to a corner of the rotunda into her present place of honor on the Spellman Room.)

Speaking of which, why do we need yet another sign indicating where the Spellman Room is, when there is no public event in the Spellman Room that day or all week? Mayhaps the person who used to spend so much time putting the letters and numbers on the bulletin stands, can use 15 seconds to remove or re-place the Spellman Room sign as needed---or not. All this is to restore some dignity to our main entrance which, alas, is starting to resemble a yard sale.

I leave you with an observation on these above topics by Fr. Ed Szendrey, who opined over lunch outside one day last week, that given the current trend, in less than 25 years we will read: "Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kraft Foods."     

Laundry list (Don't shoot the messenger...or the laundry lady)

Well, folks, ELB is midway through their extraordinary session, but halfway is not all the way so keep those prayers and intersessions coming. Amongst many important presentations about aging, retirement, what is the right time and when can you tell if a member should start to consider coming "home" to Maryknoll and why so many members avoid Mission Central like vampires avoid daylight (my words), it seems that this time around there will be adequate time for input from ELB members, N'Sha'Allah.

Two themes are certainly bubbling (or simmering) not so far below the surface here at Mother Knoll and from a surprising wide range of members, age, Region and theology-wise.

One is what seems to be a total breakdown in communications between leadership and both individual members as well as regions and departments.Odd—and sad—as the last Chapter was supposed to herald in a new age of openness and transparency.

The second is more subtle if not insidious. With all the necessary, indeed urgent, hiring of lay employees in top managerial positions and with the emergence of our able stable of lawyers and insurers calling the shots, guys have the distinct impression Maryknoll and Maryknollers are no longer in charge of their own actions and lives.

Let me hasten to add that this is NOT the fault of the employees, who are doing the jobs for which they were hired. The fault, dear Hamlet, is not in the stars but in ourselves. It isn't enough to have an M.M. nominally at the top of the food chain. He must be proactive. It needn't be a full-time assignment, either. But when decisions are made that effect the quality of life here at the Knoll (and I assume at other centers), a Maryknoller should put the final stamp of approval or disapproval on the action or decision.

For too long we have witnessed an abdication on the part of Maryknollers who hide behind what our lawyers, insurers, internet auditors, external financial auditors, health services, safety committee, and yes, even the all-important food committee says about how we are to live.

Now, lest you think this is "washing our dirty laundry in public," as one member expressed his uneasiness to me with this much appreciated yet far too candid blog, because—and this is a direct quote—"anybody can read it. Even Jesuits and Franciscans." Let me hasten to back up the contention of one of my defenders that other groups face the exact same issues and maybe we can help one another find a solution expressly by shining some daylight on it. To wit, the following link to a Cappuchin blog that makes my paltry effort seem positively Pollyannish by comparison.

I refer you to some Franciscan dirty habits:

http://whispers-in-the-woods.blogspot.com

Coming events

We have a busy week coming up.

Tomorrow Sept. 19, we welcome 150 visitors from the Bronx who will be here for a tour and lunch. Members averse to crowds are encouraged to eat earlier (12:00~12:30). In addition, Fr. Marty Lowery will host about 20 Korean Catholics from the community in Connecticut to celebrate a "Chusok" (Harvest Moon festival) Mass and they will supply their own traditional foods for lunch. Chusok falls on Sept. 21 this year. September 19 also marks the great and glorious feast of San Gennaro, and if that's not enough to make his blood boil, all the fried food available along Mulberry Street might do the trick.

But the big event is the reflection day at Mariandale on Sunday for members of ELB who have been gathering from Asia (Fr. Alfonso Kim), Africa (Fr. Lance Nadeau) and Latin America (Fr. Jim Lynch) in recent days. Fr. Mike Duggan (U.S. regional) and Fr. Tom McDonnell and Fr. Tom Ahearn (Retirement community) had no need to gather because they are already here. This day of reflection will open a fall session of ELB that will go till Friday.

Providentially all these will culminate on Saturday, not here at the Knoll but in Chicago, where Sem. Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry will be ordained to the diaconate by the Most Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller MSpS (Misioneros de Espiritu Santo) from Mexico.

Then the next day, focus returns again to Mother Knoll for Benefactors Appreciation Day, when we get to say thank you and benefactors get to hobnob with missioners.

Six Months till Lent!

Chocolate-covered strawberries had the lowest calories of all the goodies.

Deserts galore!

Tonight Sodexo put on a magnificent desert table featuring sugar-free as well as coma inducing confections.

House meeting

Many issues surfaced at our monthly house meeting this afternoon:

Fr. Dick Callahan spoke about the current construction taking place or planned in the coming year. Eight items will come before the 2011 budget committee:

* Swipe cards for security access will be needed for all doors (eight of the 32) from the outside in the near future, but a special glass structure with sliding doors and intercom will be built in the back similar to the one on the side entrance for those who don't yet have a card.

* The mailbox area will be renovated to make it more spacious.

* The tower needs work, especially masonry repairs.

* Blacktopping around the main entrance and driveways, as well as around the gas tanks and St. T's., will be replaced.

* A sprinkler system will be installed in the south quadrangle (where OLOM and the kiosk are) so grass can be readily watered, given the added wear and tear on our lawn with the various

* A columbarium (niches for urns containing ashes) will be constructed behind the Founders Tombs (the Crypt) on either side of the Holy Spirit altar beneath our main altar. Sixty-four 10" x 10" niches are planned. These are for Maryknollers who request cremation. This seems an appropriate place since, in addition to the Founders, plaques with the names of Maryknollers buried overseas or elsewhere in the United States line both walls.

* The main chapel will be cleaned and restored, especially the narthex (thanks to Fr.Ed Szendrey for that bit of pedantic arcana), as the Lady Chapel was last year.

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Fr. Kevin Hanlon announced the Benefactors Appreciation Day, our first in three years, will take place on September 25. Eight hundred guests are expected. Concelebrants for Mass are encouraged as are Maryknollers to volunteer to help out and greet guests. Those who have native garb from their mission are encouraged to wear it.

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From the all-important Food Committee comes word the summer items will rotate out of the menu, such as chicken wraps and vichyssoise. These will be replaced by more robust fare: pate de fois gras and if your taking this seriously you haven't been reading this blog long or don't know me well.

But seriously, folks, Comment Cards will appear in the dining area beginning tomorrow so no one need wait for the biannual survey to express opinions, questions or suggestions regarding our most excellent Sodexo Food Service.

Oktoberfest will be our next opportunity for ethnic food and, if I might make an educated guess, it will be German food, music and decor and I'll bet anything it'll be in October.

Challah french toast will soon be offered in the morning.

New food survey to go out soon.

Maryknollers are reminded to please sign in guests at meals. Sodexo needs to account for the number of meals even though Maryknollers are not chargged for guests.

Numerous signs in rotunda, announcing various events, often look like those old Burma shave roadside ads. A flatscreen monitor with revolving info will go far to making our main entrance more inviting and classy.

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One hundred and ten visitors from the Bronx will be here Sunday on a tour. Members are encouraged to take their meals within the first half hour of mealtime if they wish to avoid the crowd, although the men are encouraged to mingle.

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St. Micheal's Day will be a great celebration of our Brothers' feast day---complete with bagpipes!

Lastly, Fr. Emile Dumas sent word from St. Teresa's that the men there are most appreciative of visits from guys here. He encourages more visitors and signing up for Mass there.

For what it's worth

• The new state-of-the-art voting machines they installed throughout New York State did not work here today at Maryknoll, a.k.a. Ossining Voting Precinct 20. And since they already got rid of the old voting lever machines, we who were eligible to vote in today's primary had to resort to ye olde paper ballot. These had to be marked and sealed in an envelope the old fashioned way and will be manually counted at 9:00 p.m. Who says the Third World is gone?

• Looks like we'll be adding the Myanmar flag in the main chapel now that Fr. Jim Kofski is officially assigned to the erstwhile Burma. To be sure, Br. John Beeching has gone in and out for years, but Jim will have residence there. Will we ever add the North Korea flag?

• Maryknoll has purchased a house in Washington, D.C. but so far I haven't learned where it is or who will live there. My guess it will be part Office of Global Concerns and part Promotion, but that is total speculation on my part.

• The liturgy committee agreed on new concelebration stoles for our 100th to replace the ones we have from the 1970s (if only our theology could be so easily updated!) They are reversible, red or white, with a circled, Chi Rho in gold. We await hearing back from Fr. Joy Tajonera as to final adjustments. Once we see the revised sample, I will post a picture here. Center houses or individual Maryknollers who want to order these stoles for your use overseas will be told the cost and given an address to contact Joy directly to place your order.

Sent from my most excellent iPhone

Perpetual Help

The superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, founded by Maryknoll Father John E. Morris in what is now North Korea, visited the Knoll and their founder's grave with several of their members. Some MK Sisters and Fathers who worked in Korea later enjoyed lunch with them at the Sisters' Center.

Visitors from near and far

Br. John Blazo hosts students from Bishop Francis X. Ford High School in Brooklyn.

If the shoe fits...

Many thanks to Fr. Dave Smith for sending this Dilbert cartoon. It's reassuring to know our lunacy isn't unique.

Gazelles

Sr. Janice & Baobab tree

Packed house

Sr. Janice & Food for Thought

Sr. Janice McLaughlin, president of the Maryknoll Sisters, spoke this afternoon to an overflow crowd of Maryknollers in the Founders Room about her 2009 Orbis book, "Ostriches, Dung Beetles and Other Spiritual Masters." The author of several books, Sr. Janice considers this her most spiritual book.

How did this book come to be? Although she didn't realize it at the time, It ended up being her farewell gift to Zimbabawe.

As a child Janice was always interested in nature. She remembers looking at tadpoles or going fishing with her father on the lakes and rivers around her native Pittsburgh. Waiting to get a fish to nibble was her first experience of contemplative prayer.

With her assignment to Africa (Rhodesia) she was overwhelmed with the beauty of nature and the people, with their faith, their joy and their hope in the face of terrible oppression. Visitors to her mission in the millennial year inspired her to see as much of Zimbabwe as possible. About the size of Texas, Zimbabwe has about nine million population. For New Year's they drove to Lake Kariba and visited the game parks.

All along the way to Victoria Falls they saw magnificent wildlife. Janice listened to the game guides, who explained animals and plants and was struck by the description of the baobab tree and how it survived in dry, hot climates and can live for more than 1,000 years. When it gets a disease, it expels it from within, leaving a gaping hole yet healed. Janice wondered whether we could do that spiritually. She began to take notes.

Janice also learned to appreciate the lessons taught by animals from her dog in Africa.

Lions are playful and enjoy leisure. They are family-oriented.

Zebras are each original. Like Maryknoll Sisters, there are no two alike. Babies can find their mothers even in a huge herd.

Elephants live in matriarchal families and they truly never forget. They communicate with sounds imperceptible to humans from a distance of 50 kilometers. They mourn their dead. They gently caress their deceased and leave. After a year they come back to find the bones and do a dance with them. Elephants separated from their families go rogue.

Giraffes symbolize flexibility. Their agile tongues get around thorns to get to tender leaves. They regulate their blood flow when they drink. They have much to teach missioners about being adaptable.

Wildebeest exemplify cooperation. They give birth together. This assures some will not be eaten.

Herd animals cooperate in keeping watch and helping all avoid danger and get through hard times.

Rhinos are examples of stability and this unfortunately makes then easier to shoot. Poaching is on the rise in East Africa and the rhino may disappear in less than 100 years.

The hornbill shows unconditional love. The male seals its mate into the hollow of a tree where she and the babies are totally dependent on the male. Her chapter on the hornbill begins the book and is the most personal for Janice. Her neighbor in Pittsburgh was a policeman who had to take care of his sick wife and their daughter, working two jobs, dedicating himself totally to their well-being.

When she was imprisoned in Rhodesia and faced the death penalty, she felt the comforting presence of God. Like the female hornbill imprisoned in the tree, she was totally dependent on God for her survival. She doesn't think people need to wait till they are arrested to experience this loving presence of God.

Zimbabwe means "House of Stone" and one can see rock formations from the Rift Valley. These formations were used for thousands of years as places to worship. Africa makes you appreciate the wonders of life and nature.

A poor man from Zimbabwe was one of two artists who illustrated the book. She learned he died recently of cerebral meningitis. So many of the people she knew and worked with on Africa have since died of AIDS or other debilitating disease. Yet despite all the suffering, there is a peace and tranquility that emanates from Africa.

Lastly, the dung beetle Janice sees as perseverance, never giving up, forging ahead despite overwhelming odds---like writing this book! Each chapter comes with discussion questions and suggestions for action.

Her book is on sale in the Maryknoll Gift Shop for $11.60

Empty Walsh building

Future novitiate, retreat house, formal garden, parking lot or ...?

Future of Walsh building?

The Walsh building, oldest building on the property and home to MARYKNOLL and Revista magazines as well as Orbis books, Voices of Our World radio and New Media offices for decades, has been vacant for more than two years since the staffs of those operations moved over to the highly utilitarian but less interesting Price Building.

"Rumor has it" that a plan for the future use of the Walsh building has already been decided, but it is easier to get the minutes to the staff meeting of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il's inner circle than to pry information from those here in a position to know (let the reader take note.)

Speculation abounds (which it is wont to do when information is scarce and communication rare). One man thought a Center for Spirituality would be nice, or perhaps a counseling center. Another suggested an expanded parking lot would be useful. Another said a formal garden right at the entrance of the property would be pretty.

I, for my part and for what it's worth, bandied the future of the Walsh building about with the former Super G, Fr. Ray Finch. He and I agreed it would make a great initial formation house for men when they first enter the Society. Since that is supposed to be a non academic year, it would be a wonderful opportunity for the men to imbibe the spirit and history of Maryknoll and meet the veteran missioners while still having some measure of independence and privacy.

It would take a considerable investment to gut the insides of the Walsh building and bring it up to code as a residence. But I heard it could comfortably hold 20 bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area (which it already has) a living area and rec room as well as a small chapel. And wouldn't it be a great sign of hope for the future of Maryknoll? Your suggestions?

And while on the topic of North Korea, isn't it ironic that North Korea now also has a Facebook Page that no one living in North Korea can access? I mean, really. Talk about insecure, despotic control freaks!

The St. John's Bible

Fr. Mike Patella gave the last of his lectures in the Asia Room on Saturday morning on the creation and progress of the hand-written on parchment St. John's Bible on display in Collegeville, MN or in various museums around the country.

Here, thanks to the notes of Fr. Ed Szendrey, are highlights of that presentation.

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The St. John’s Bible Project.
 
• A project to create a new hand-written and hand-illuminated version of the Bible.

• The idea was first proposed in 1996, about the time that many Dioceses and Religious Communities were thinking of ways that they could celebrate the new millennium, that is to say the 2000th anniversary of Christ’s birth. The Benedictine (OSB) community wished to do something that incorporated both the tradition from which the Church arose, but also looked forward to the future of the Church.

• This idea originated with Donald Jackson.  Jackson is the court calligrapher for Queen Elizabeth II (he hand-wrote all of the invitations for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, and also hand-writes all official edicts from the Queen). Jackson participates in a workshop at St. John’s University called Calligraphy Connection, which draws calligraphers from all over the world.  In 1980, during an interview on the Today Show, Jackson expressed that one thing he wished to do was to produce a hand-written version of the Bible (much like those of the Middle Ages prior to the advent of movable type).

• In 1996 Jackson presented this idea to a member of the OSB community for consideration as their millennial project. This member brought the idea back to the OSB Superior.  He agreed that the St. John’s OSB community would facilitate and sponsor this project.

• One thing they DID NOT want this project to become was an “antiquarian romp” through history.  Rather, they wished to use this ancient artistic medium to speak to the present-day reality of the Church and its faithful.  Therefore, they wished to have represented in the illuminations women, the poor and marginalized, the concerns of the average person in the pews, environmental concerns and the tension between science and theology (they wanted as much science as possible represented).

• It was decided that the New Revised Standard Version would be used, over the New American Bible.  This is because the NRSV translation more seamlessly incorporates gender neutral language and also because the NAB is currently undergoing a re-translation (they wanted to use a version that will not change in the near future). NRSV was also translated by both Protestant and Catholic scholars.  Using this translation is in keeping with the project’s goal to be ecumenical.

• The first step was to bring together a group of theologians, scripture scholars, artists and art historians (called the Committee on Illumination of Texts).  This group would meet and reflect on passages and sections of the scriptures.  They would then send their ideas to Jackson (at his workshop in Wales, UK), who would in turn draw up sketches that he would send to the committee in Collegeville (Patella: This project could not have been done before the advent of e-mail).

• Jackson put out a call to the calligraphers around the world to look for a team to work on this project.  Of the dozens who responded, he chose four.  So good is this group that on those pages where more than one worked on writing, only an expert can tell where the work of one ends and another picks up.

• The Bible was divided into 7 volumes.  The first section they worked on was the Gospels and Acts. This was followed by the Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets, Wisdom Lit., Historical Books, and finally Epistles and Revelation (this last volume is still in production).

• Portions of the finished volumes have been exhibited at the Museum of Biblical Art in NYC, the Library of Congress and the Victorian Albert Museum in London.

• The volumes have been digitized and shrunken (with great success in maintaining the beauty of the original) and will eventually be compiled into a 7 volume edition priced at $600.  300 ‘Heritage’ editions will be produced, which will be exact copies of the original (even to the point of printing them on parchment). These will sell for $145,000 (obviously intended for University and Museum collections).

• Proceeds from the sales will be used to finance the educational portion of this project, i.e. developing a teaching paradigm for the St. John’s Bible.  It is hoped that using this Bible as a teaching tool will get more people interested in the Bible and its history, as well as get them to see the Bible in a new way.

• Patella has used examples of this Bible to great effect in his ‘Introduction to the Biblical Tradition’ classes.  Catholic colleges are interested in acquiring Heritage Editions and using them as the center point for programs to revive the Catholic character of their institutions.

• By the way, no animals were EXPRESSLY killed to produce these works. The calf skin used to produce the parchment was obtained from abattoirs that were certified as using humane herding and slaughtering methods (which consequently results in a better parchment).
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The second session was a powerpoint of some examples from the St. John’s Bible.  I will share my notes on just a couple of them.
 
• The illumination for the creation story is divided into 7 sections for each of the days of creation.  Day 1 begins on the left and then it proceeds to the right.  Interestingly, the section for the third day (the separation of the land from the sea) was based on satellite photos of the Ganges River Valley, considered one of the cradles of civilization.  The section for the sixth day (the creation of humans) was based on prehistoric cave drawings found in East Africa, where human beings are believed to have first evolved. The seventh day of rest is rendered in different tones of gold.  Throughout all of the illuminations of the St. John’s Bible, the color gold is used to represent the divine presence.

• The illumination for the Ten Commandments is rendered quite uniquely.  The bottom of the illumination is a series of random dots, but as you move upward, they begin to coalesce more and more until finally the words of the first commandment are distinctly seen at the top.  This represents the creation of the moral universe, chaos at the bottom, but more and more orderly the closer it gets to the top (i.e. God/Heaven).

• Interesting note on Proverbs 31:10-31 (instruction to the valiant woman/wife).  Instead of seeing this as instructions to a wife, read them with the mindset that this passage is referring to Christ (as much as Christ is the creative word, or Sophia, of Wisdom Lit.).  This passage is about what Christ does for God’s children, and what all children of God must do for one another. Good homily fodder.
 
Much more on the St. John’s Bible project can be found at http://www.stjohnsbible.org .

Making a point

Fr. Patella lectures on Wisdom

Scripture class!

Today and Saturday morning, Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, Scripture scholar from St. Johns University in Collegeville, MN, spoke to a gathering of Maryknoll Fathers, Brothers & Sisters in the Asia Room on the Wisdom literature.

Wisdom books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs , Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Ruth, Esther, Lamentation, Judith, Baruch and additions to DanIel.

Why were the Wisdom books neglected for so long?

For years scholars dismissed Wisdom books as having no great theological depth or revelation with pithy sayings having little relevance for today.

Recently scholars are discovering a new depth and profound teaching in Wisom books which greatly influenced the early Church.

Tradition gave birth to the Bible, not the other way around.

Babylonian exile compelled Jewish community to write their stories and traditions down lest they be lost through assimilation and intermarriage. Most scholars believe the bulk of what we call the Old Testament was written during the Babylonian Captivity.

The intelligentsia, the artisans, the craftsmen were taken away; the poor were left behind, not fit even to serve as slaves.

Cyrus the Great allows the Jews to return and is hailed in Scripture as a man of God, although he wasn't Jewish.

Alexander the Great overthrows Cyrus. Alex dies and his empire is divided with Seleucus and Ptolemy take up territory north and south of Israel. Generally the Jews faired better under the Ptolemies. The city of Alexandria was the crown jewel of their empire with its magnificent library which was to contain all sacred  texts of all religions.

More Jews lived in Alexandria than in Palestine (like New York City). King Ptolemy asked the Jews for their Scripture, but in what language, Greek or Hebrew? Thus we get the Septuagint. The Greek and Hebrew texts often do not match at all. Some modern scholars contend they came from two completely different, although perhaps interrelated, sources. It was the Greek Scripture that formed the basis for Christian spirituality.

Christianity's sacred stories start out as an oral tradition.

The earliest preaching of Paul follows the pattern of preaching in the synagogue, stirring people up, causing a riot and ends up in jail. After getting out, he goes to another town and starts all over again.

Paul fails to impress the Jews is Jerusalem so he goes to the Gentiles and first preaches to the Diaspora---in Greek. The version of Scripture quoted by Paul is the Septuagint.

The people in Diaspora had different and more books and much of this was the Wisdom literature. It made more sense "connecting the dots" that Jesus was the anticipated Messiah in the Greek Scripture.

Our Old Testament is NOT the Hebrew Scripture and calling it that is nonsense. Jews don't care what we call our Old Testament as long as we don't try to force them to call their Scripture that. The Old Testament contained many Greek texts as well as Hebrew books.

St. Jerome labored to translate the Septuagint into Latin and struggled to reconcile the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures.

Martin Luther concluded much of the Catholic Bible was a gloss if not a distortion of the original Hebrew to justify much of the abuse of power he saw all around him. Many of the books omitted from the Protestant Bible were Wisdom literature. 

When we talk about the Hebrew Bible we refer to the Leningrad Codex, a ninth century Massoretic text that added vowel points to the Hebrew.

With the discovery of a complete book of Isaiah among the Dead Sea Scrolls, a comparison with the Massoretic text could be made and it was discovered it was spot on.

New attention, then, was given to the "Catholic" books of the Bible as being instrumental in development of early Church's understanding of Jesus.        

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After coffee break, Mike continued:

Dabar and Logos---how to these Hebrew and Greek word for Word influence the development of Christianity.

Alexander the Great wanted to impose Greek culture on the entire empire. Greek was to the ancient world what English is today. With the language came the culture and with that came conflict. Hellenistic culture influenced the world. This became a big problem in Israel because it was monotheistic and modest and the Greeks were polytheistic and elevated the cult of physical beauty. Circumcision was repulsive to the Greeks and tried to suppress the practice among the Jews, thus undermining the sign of the covenant.

Greek culture fostered learning. Gnosticism came with it as a religion-philosophical movement.

The word Dabar (Word) spoken is of primary importance especially in an oral culture, even more son than the written word. In the ancient world, the spoken word stays forever. This is the opposite of our way if thinking. The dauber has a life of it's own.

Once a word leaves one's mouth it cannot be recalled.

The dynamic Word of God suffices to create. "Let there be light!"

Naming things establishes supremacy over them. Name equals being. The word posits the reality it signifies.

"Thus says the Lord...." means the spirit of God impowers the prophet.

Logos is used rarely in Matthew and Mark. Luke uses it more. 

Logos is a loaded word in Greek.  It means cognitive thought, reasoning, rationality, logic, logistics, philosophy. 

In the NT it carries both Dabar and Logos 

John uses it far more differently than the Synoptics. The word is Jesus himself. He formats the great incarnational principle at the heart of Christianity. Paul and John are thinking alike.

This is foolishness to the Greeks and scandal to the Jews. The Greeks understanding of Logos is tied with Gnosticism, a secret knowledge given to only a select few. Paul had to contend with this, as did John.

To Gnostics considered the body as a prison at best and a hindrance at worst.

Christians proclaimed the Logos as the connection between God the creator in Genesis and the Savior in Jesus and his physical life, death and resurrection.

Gnostics provided the vocabulary and intellectual traditions against which Christian were forced to articulate their incarnational and Trinitarian theology.

John's prologue answers the Gnostics and lays the groundwork for belief in the preexistence of Christ and belief in the Trinity.

For Paul, the Logos is the Gospel which is the Word of God which is Christ which is eternal life. It is a distinct dynamic reality. Paul often talks about the Word, without "of the Lord" for it refers to an eternal reality.

Philo wrote a treatise connecting Dabar with Logos. Logos is neither created or uncreated but rather mediates God.

The Hebrew word "ruah" connects the breath, wind and spirit. The Greek word "pneuma" means the same thing.

Hokmah (wisdom) in Hebrew becomes Sophia in Greek. Both are feminine nouns. This will influence the development of Christian theology.        

Spinning our wheels?

There are more variations on the latest Maryknoll Brothers vs. the Vatican vs. Father Dougherty vs. the Maryknoll Constitutions (note plural) story than different melons in the fruit salad at our famous salad bar, source of grist for the mill and posts for this blog. I shall attempt to distill their common elements.

Apparently whoever is in charge of putting up with us at the Vatican, grew weary of our continually asking for exceptions and variances to our Constitutions. Br. Frank ten Hoopen, for example, some years back was allowed to serve on the regional council in Africa. As was Br. Mark Gruenke after that. But then followed the election of Br. Wayne Fitzpatrick, not as advisor or consultant but as U.S. Regional Superior and we all remember how that turned out. So apparently the recent election of Br. Mark Huntington to serve on the Africa Regional Council was too much for somebody. (Here the stories vary as to who exactly said, "Basta con tutta questa sciocchezza!" but since there are only two actors in this drama who speak fluent Italian, it kind of narrows it down. Now the question is, what does "questa sciocchezza" refer to, the continual election of Brothers or this blog?) Btw, I intentionally did not translate that, so you have a reason to talk to our members of Italian descent and find out who really understands the mother tongue.

The upshot of all this is, apparently, a moratorium on electing Brothers to any leadership roles until we take a look at our Constitutions and revise or amend them accordingly. The Brothers will be meeting soon to discuss this amongst themselves (and they have every reason to feel "verklempt"---go ask a Maryknoller from NYC) and will run their ideas past Fr. Joe Everson, our canon lawyer, to submit these either to ELB or to this blog or to the Food Committee, whichever seems to carry the most weight, authoritatively if not physically.

As it stands, we are a clerical Society of Apostolic Life with auxiliary lay Brothers. Do we need to rethink our identity? (Now THERE'S a project worthy of our Centenary!) Or perhaps a simple sentence or two will suffice, to the effect that "Only a cleric can be elected as major superior and no consultant shall have automatic right of succession." In the event of a "sede vacante" (ask someone ordained before 1965 or after 2005), a clerical member of the General Council will assume responsibility of leadership until another election can take place. Or something.

Perhaps ELB (Extended Leadership Board) later this month will take up the all-important task of discussing vision, directions and priorities. Or perhaps they will simply gather to watch PowerPoint presentations, flip charts and pie graphs of mind-numbing statistics and reports until they run out of time to consult on anything of substance.

"Give us a break"

[The following letter apparently came in response to the official statement on the decision to stop funding the SOA Watch]

In the Empire
18 August 2010

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers:

"Given Father Bourgeois' central role as the founder and public face of the SOA Watch, Maryknoll Society leadership has determined that it cannot continue its financial support of that organization without giving the impression that it also supports the actions of its leader concerning the issue of women's ordination"

Who the hell are you guys kidding? Does anyone seriously believe this mealy mouth excuse to cut off funds to SOA Watch? The group writing this nonsense would have flunked Moral Theology 101 in my Franciscan classes. Ever hear of the distinction "remote and proximate cooperation"?

"Without giving the impression..." TO WHOM? This is a stretch that boggles the imagination and strains rationality. Why not acknowledge the real cause for this embarrassing statement? Come on, WHO pressured you? The troglodyte neocons in your order? A Chancery lackey? Maybe one of your donors threatening to cut you off? Or is it some Vatican miter trying to justify the recent outrage considering backing women's ordination to be a 'delicta graviora'?

How about a moment of truth instead of your lame excuse? I must say I will have to cut off funds to your Order lest I give the impression I believe your statement has any integrity.

By the way, what do you say to MANY Catholic activists who have demonstrated and have been jailed and fined over the years trying to indicate the Church opposes torture and Death Squads? What impression do you wish to avoid cutting them off from your support?

GIVE US A BREAK

(Rev) Tom Dunn
Laurel, NY


[Blogger's note: I must confess I didn't know what a "troglodyte" is, although I've seen it bandied about on Facebook. I went to Dictionary.com and found the following: trog·lo·dyte [trog-luh-dahyt]
-noun
1. a prehistoric cave dweller.
2. a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
3. a person living in seclusion.
4. a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
5. an animal living underground.
Origin: 1545–55; < L trōglodyta < Gk trōglodýtēs one who creeps into holes, cave dweller, equiv. to trōglo- (comb. form of trṓglē a gnawed hole; cf. trogon) + dý(ein) to creep into + -tēs agent suffix

I wonder if that makes me one????]

"Disheartened and dismayed"

To date I have received five letters from Catholic priests (two from the same priest) expressing their strong disagreement with Maryknoll's decision to cut off our yearly subsidy ($17,000) to the School of Americas Watch because of Fr. Roy Bourgeois' continued advocacy for women's ordination. I presume I was included in these correspondence (to Fr. Ed Dougherty, Fr. Bob Jalbert or Mr. Jim McCullough and cc-ed to me) because my name appeared in the NCR column by Ms. Heidi Schlumpf.

Here are two letters from Fr. Brian Joyce from Christ the King Church in Pleasant Hill, California, which I reprint with his permission:

July 30, 2010

Dear Fr. Dougherty,

I write to you as an experienced, active pastor and a long time friend and supporter of Maryknoll to express my disappointment and dismay at the decision to withdraw my customary and long time annual financial support to SOAW. It makes a clear and alarming statement about the current direction and goals of the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. The ongoing protest by SOAW is one of the very clear and doable calls for justice in our nation and one which directly affects the people of Latin America where Maryknoll has so faithfully served.

Any argument that the goals and funding of SOAW should be tied to the recent "excommunication" of Fr. Roy or considered part of any agenda over ordination of women is obviously mistaken and wrong headed. For the thousands upon thousands who annually protest at Fort Benning or financially support SOAW and Maryknoll's work as well, the issue is clearly not ordination of women. The issue is the School of Americas Watch. Our local congressman and the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor said to me of the School of the Americas and its promotion, "If we lay down with dogs sooner or later we will get fleas." No mention of women's ordination there! Only a serious issue of justice which up to know Maryknoll has joined in addressing and now has uncharacteristically deserted. My considerable efforts at fund raising will now be directed to SOAW and the sisters, not the fathers and brothers, of Maryknoll.

May God bless you and may you quickly reconsider.

Sincerely,

Rev. Brian T. Joyce
Pastor

***************************************

[This second letter was addressed to Mr. Jim McCullough, in our Marketing and Development office and cc-ed to Father Dougherty and me. Once again, it is reprinted here with Fr. Joyce's permission.]

August 13, 2010

Dear Jim,

Thanks you for your letter of August 5. While everyone recognizes Fr. Roy as founder and inspiration of SOA Watch, given a moment's reflection, no one would think of him as its "public face"! The public face of the SOA Watch is clearly the four churchwomen killed by military death squads of El Salvador, six Jesuits and their companions slain in El Salvador, and the countless victims whose names and crosses are carried in procession each year at Fort Benning. That is the public face of SOA Watch and that is the face, people and cause, Maryknoll leadership has chosen to forsake. It is interesting that you cite how Society members have long been involved in the defense of human rights throughout Latin America. I question whether those members were consulted or whether they would agree with this recent decision.

I have been a faithful and vocal supporter of Maryknoll for many years, so I am doubly disheartened and dismayed at the decision and also at your "explanation". Please note my contribution this year, exactly $17,000 to mirror the amount withdrawn by Maryknoll leadership, will go to SOA Watch.

You still have time to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Brian T. Joyce
Pastor

[A xeroxed copy of Fr. Bryce's check to SOA Watch appears on the bottom of his letter.]

Lay Mission Anniversary Supper

About 40 present and former Maryknoll Lay Missioners broke bread with Society members on Friday as they gather to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the MLM movement. Tables were decorated with the flags if all the countries they served. On Saturday, the Mass will be celebrated in our main chapel with Archbishop Timothy Dolan officiating.

Not quite family

Former Maryknoll seminarian John Pahls read my post of Father Mike Duggan welcoming the new men with the quote from The Lion in Winter, "What family doesn't have its ups and downs?" While we like to consider ourselves the Maryknoll Family, his experience ---and alas others as well --- belie that phrase.

With his permission I post his two emails:

8/22/10

Dear Joe,

Sure, go ahead and post what I wrote. I didn’t run it by Casey or Matt yet can’t imagine they would have any problem mentioning their marriage bans. Ah Yes Fr. Joe, my final weeks with Maryknoll… Perhaps with all of us there are a few watershed moments over the course of our lives, marking times when things are altered forever. In my incarnation so far there was when I left home to join the army as a teenager in 1982, the day my Mom died in 1993, and December 19, 2006, the dismissal, was another such moment. Life really changed after that, not just Maryknoll but the whole relationship to the Church and sense of God.

*********************************

8/20/10
Hey Joe V:

A blast from the past here----- it’s John Pahls the former seminarian that exited the society December 2006. Greetings. Howdy do.
Really like your blog. Think it was Matt Rutter sent me the address and I’d say at least once a week check in. You help me stay connected to what encompassed my life for 6 years. Thank you. You are a good writer! Particularly poignant was one posting concerning a vocation weekend you wrote something to the effect…”let’s hope these potential candidates pray, truly discern the Holy Sprit, yet join Maryknoll anyway. ;)----- I’m lovin’ it. That was rich.

Fr. Joe, as much as I enjoy your blog and read it, did want to chime in on your latest post, a recounting of Mike Duggan relaying to the current candidates how a family, as he referenced in the great Lion in Winter film will sometimes argue, harangue, etc.

I never was comfortable with the Maryknoll as family analogy often given to us as seminarians. A family may disagree, argue, discuss, etc. it is true. Yet I contend at the end of the day a family is still bound to one another, there being a connection at the core, hopefully a loving one. Yet in the society a formator evaluates, judges, writes up judgments and documentation, and at times contingent upon their personal wounds or struggles, may work behind the scenes to have a seminarian “dismissed” from the family. That was my experience, certainly. A family does not evaluate and dismiss its members, I contend. Therefore, a family analogy for those in permanent oath, yes. Yet Maryknoll as family for
someone in temporary oath, or not in oath at all, my experience did not prove this.

Anyway, again, I love your blog. After so many years in the society Maryknoll is still part of who I am, still pulls on me. Maybe stranger still if I did not read it.

Still keep in touch with 2 guys was in the seminary with, Casey Sterr and Matt Rutter (although when living together in 2002 Matt and I almost came to physical blows one night, you ever hear that one? We laugh about it now). The three of us are actually getting married within a 6 month time span. Matt and Tabatha earlier this August, Casey and Susanna September 25, and Saren and I, January 1. John McAuley are in touch as well, I visited him in Taipei in June.

Take care, Joe!

John Pahls

Ups and downs

U.S. Regional Superior Father Mike Duggan gives a copy of the Society Constitutions to the five new members in formation. Mike alluded to the famous scene from The Lion in Winter where Henry II (Peter O'Toole) spends the Christmas Court with his erstwhile imprisoned wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Catherine Hepburn), trying to poison, stab or strangle each other. At one point, Henry flings Eleanor to the ground after throttling her. She looks at the camera and says, "What family doesn't have its ups and downs?"

Turning to and naming the new Sems, Mike added, "Welcome to Maryknoll."

Fr. Charlie Cappel, living history

Photo taken with Camera Zoom app.

Sent from my most excellent  iPhone

Welcoming reception

Fr. Charlie Cappel, the last Maryknoller to have met Bishop James A. Walsh, shares his recollections with the five newest seminarians and the gathered community at a special reception in the Founders Room.

Sister Anne

Twenty Fathers & Brothers and 25 Sisters gather to hear Sr. Anne Bryan Smollin rapid-speak her talk on Humor. As with the airline instruction to put on your oxygen mask before assisting others, she says unless we attend to our care and sanity first, we won't be able to help others.

Corrections & additions

The Welcome reception for the seminarians will be in the FOUNDERS ROOM at 5:00 this afternoon, not the 3rd Floor Rec. Room. But speaking of seminarians, three Salesian seminarians are here with about 25 members of their Society as part of a strategic planning session. They said they'd love to meet our sems if they get back in time. I just got off the phone with Philip Yang who said they are on the road and will be back within the hour and will definitely stop in to meet Salesian seminarians. Interreligious dialogue at its best!

Maybe our guys can challenge their guys to a friendly game of Texas Hold'em.

Humor us

St. Joseph Sister Anne Bryan Smollin will speak to our community today at 3 p.m. in the Spellman Room on Humor, the Joy of Healthy Aging, Wellness, Spirituality and Stress. No joke.

Alas, I will only be able to chuckle for the first half hour because the All-Important Centenary Liturgy Committee for the Opening, June 29th and Closing Massses will meet at 3:30, and no doubt will be producing comic relief for months to come.

The 10 seminarians return from Enders Island Retreat Center today and the five new guys will be officially welcomed at a special Hour of Happiness at 5 in the Third Floor Rec Room.

I still feel we need an Office of Maryknoll Traditions and Customs, for which I would willingly volunteer. In years past, a cassock, cincture and Chi Rho marked one's progress through the Formation process; Now we got nothing. I suggest guys in the first year should get a rosary; and when they take first oath they should receive the official Maryknoll lapel pin with the coat of arms of the Society; after that maybe one of several articles of clothing (Tee shirt, cap, polo shirt etc. with the Maryknoll logo on it, perhaps with different colors designating different years).

Too bad the sems won't be back in time today to attend the Humor seminar. because from what I hear, Formation is no laughing matter. Around the salad bar I do hear from multiple sources that two mistakes Formators make (and this has been true since I was in the seminary back in the 19070s) was acting in what appears to be an arbitrary manner and not treating their charges as adults.

Might I be so bold as to suggest that this tendency also plagues men in leadership? (Hey, if I get called in because of this, I'll claim I was just kidding. Get it?)

Providentially today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of our co-founder, Father Thomas F. Price, and we all know what a jokester he was. He also entered the seminary on his birthday when he turned 16. Another piece of the puzzle.

Maryknoll is very in tents these days.

Once more with feeling

The lawn in the Quadrangle had almost recovered from the abuse of putting in the emergency access grid under the grass, Founders Day, Jubilee and the blistering summer drought, when the tents are going up again.

We expect 500+ Haitians here on Saturday for their annual day of prayer, praise and reflection. Our own Father Romane St. Vil organizes this event. IMHO our lawn is a small price to pay to attract life and enthusiasm to this place, not to mention a faith-filled people.

This could be a foretaste of what our main building can become in the future. I know the Koreans from St. Paul's in Flushing could easily fill this place several times a year were it converted into a functional* retreat house and mission center. And that's just from one parish. Haitians, Vietnamese, Filipinos and Hispanics could just as easily spend several weekends here each year. Training other groups for mission, cross-cultural seminars, conferences on interreligious dialogue all could take place here with just a few Maryknollers heading a staff of competent employees. I've seen this at other centers.

My concern is that from where I sit (outside in the Quad watching the tents go up) I don't detect any future thinking except for turning off the lights and locking the door. BIG mistake.

*Functional means grandfathering guys out of the R Wing and letting retreatants and workshop attendees have those floors to themselves. It means putting the word "active" back in retirement. It means not giving in to whoever whines the loudest that all this commotion is disturbing their nap.

"People perish for lack of vision." Ain't it the truth.

Comings and Goings

Yesterday we had a nice, if cramped, welcoming get-together in the Second Floor R-Wing Rec Room for four men who have recently taken up residence here at the Center. Br. John Frangenburg, Fr. Jim Nierkarcz, Br. Al Patrick and Br. Conrad Fleisch have swelled our ranks here to 89. Br. Conrad is especially amazing. He is 99 years old (one month older than our Society, BTW) and he looks and feels marvelous. His mind is sharp, his health is good and he walks regularly. No, I do NOT want to look and act like him when I am his age. I want to look and act like him right now!

To no one's surprise, yesterday Maryknoll and our music director/pianist/organist finally parted company after about a year and a half of a rather awkward relationship that "just didn't fit." Although expected, her departure was sad because she is a very nice person but just didn't have what it takes to lead music for our community. For the foreseeable future we will rely on a list of local talent for funerals and look forward to Ms. Lucille Naughton coming back to direct music for Christmas and the all-important Centenary liturgical celebrations, not to mention Jubilee and the ordination of Rodrigo Ulloa to the priesthood next spring.

Speaking of seminarians, TEN of our TWELVE seminarians will be here this weekend as they gather before their opening retreat in Connecticut on Monday with Fr. Dr. Peter LeJacq directing. The five Newbies: Jonathan Hill, Tony Lopez (another one!), Peter Letouf, Glen D'Angelo and Chase Olinger will join the "older" seminarians: Rodrigo Ulloa, Shawn Crumb, Angel Oswaldo Garcia, Philip Yang and Daniel Kim. Seminarians Dae Kim and Lam Hua are doing their OTP in Bolivia and Kenya, respectively. Not to jinx this sudden influx of new life, but we might have a goodly number joining us next year, so keep those rosaries and Angeluses flowing.

Back with more news

I was away on retreat the first week of August and then was up to my sister's place in the Adirondacks to soften the transition back to life here at Mother Knoll. As you might expect, things continue to happen. In no particular order:

+ One man mentioned that, going on two years into this "new" Council, we have yet to get a copy of the revised and amended Constitutions or directory or any particular conclusions or directions. There are rumblings from various quarters about a "return to an old style of leadership." I find this odd, given the oldest man on the team is only 63. But as Fr. John Meehan, of blessed memory, once observed when he said Korea had no young members (this was back in the 1980s and I rattled off several names), "I'm not talking age."

+ Twenty five Chinese priests and Sisters from the mainland, who are studying here in the States as part of in the Chinese Seminary Teachers & Formators Project organized by Fr. Larry Lewis, are trickling into the Knoll for their yearly retreat and workshop. This will lower the average age in the building to about 35 and will give us a good, lively spirit here in the house for the next two weeks. Larry, IMHO, is an example of the Maryknoller of the future: one man in a critical position playing a crucial role to help develop a local church, in this case, China. To that end, the fifth alumnus from the program has just been consecrated bishop with the full blessing of the Vatican as well as the approval of the Chinese government. Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiao Ting, 46, was ordained coadjutor of the Yulin diocese (Shaanxi Province) last July 15. From 1999-2002 Yang studied sociology at Catholic University in Washington. Yang was ordained to the priesthood in 1991, the first Chinese to be ordained after the seminaries were re-opened in the 1980s.

+ You all remember the notorious ambo whose price would cover a down payment on a house? Well, it's due to make a reappearance after more than 15 years in storage exile. Granted it is WAY too large to be placed anywhere near the main altar, still I agree with those who contend that sound stewardship at this point demands we at least try to use it since we apparently tried and failed to give it away. My suggestion is to put it towards the far end of the main chapel and rearrange the chairs between the altar and the ambo to choral style with the pews in back still facing forward. This would visually balance the ambo and altar and give prominence to the Liturgy of the Word. I expect major kvetching on this in the coming weeks. The ordination of women and suspended funding of the School of America's Watch are out there somewhere, but by golly, nobody rearranges furniture in the chapel and gets away with it.

+ Speaking of down payments on a house, I want to publicly thank Fr. Jerry Hammond of Korea for generously pitching in to help me and another Maryknoller pay for a hand-painted icon of Our Lady of Maryknoll by Fr. William Hart McNichols for our 100th anniversary next year. His offering will be in memory of the Hammond and Barr families, mine will be for the Veneroso and Kindar families (long story!)

Be careful what you pray for

More than ten years ago at one of Maryknoll's many "brainstorming" sessions about how we can once again make Maryknoll a household word among Catholics, the idea surfaced (modesty forbids me from saying from whom) that Fr. Roy Bourgeois and the SOA watch should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I even blogged about it earlier.

Anyway, thanks to Fr. Roy, Maryknoll is once again becoming a household word though not in the way we had hoped. Then, go to find out, Roy and SOAW have indeed been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize by the Society of Friends (Quakers) Service Committee. You can read their statement here: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/11/22/

Themselves a Peace Prize winner, the SFSC is only one of many former winners who may be inclined to vote for Fr. Roy. These include Desmond Tutu from South Africa, Rigobertto Menchu from Guatemala and Wangari Muta Maathai from Tanzania. (Kim Dae Jung, another winner and friend of Maryknoll from Korea, passed away in August 2009.)

My point is this: imagine if Roy and SOAW win. The Christian in us should probably rejoice because the causes of justice for Latin America and equality in the Church have come to the fore and public discussion of these following the media attention can only help clear the air. The pragmatist in us realizes we're screwed. No matter how we spin it, no way does Maryknoll come out looking good.

Now more than ever we need an articulate, street-smart, media savvy, professional journalist for our Media Rep who can think on his/her feet and cultivate that kind of relationship with both Catholic and secular press people that will see us through times of both crises and celebration.

Here at the Knoll, reaction to the news about Maryknoll's discontinuing of funding the SOAW has been mostly one of confusion and disappointment---and not a little anger. Many have checked out the video in the link below and concluded that that side of the story has not gotten out and as a result Maryknoll's reputation is suffering. I know for a fact we have lost supporters over this. This only underscores the URGENCY to hire a full-time, experienced, pro-active public media-relations rep, but to date no posting has been made, internally or externally, to fill this position.

Inertia may indeed prove our undoing.

Some still unsettled dust

The following was an anonymous post in a CNS (Catholic News Service) blog on Maryknoll's stopping financial support for the SOA Watch.

Anon, on July 26, 2010 at 5:58 pm Said:
Heidi – I send this to you FYI. http://thechristianradical.blogspot.com/2010/07/fr-roy-soa-primer-2010.html. This video was shot on Fr Roy’s SOAW national tour (information I found on a SOAW press release re: dates/locations for Fr Roy’s national tour, which ended in late May 2010). The tape is dated within the week of the reported May 24 meeting between Maryknoll and Fr Roy about the SOAW funding cut by Maryknoll. My guess is that this is the reason Maryknoll felt they had to cut funding. Listen through to the end of the tapes. Fr Roy has my full faith and support and I trust that he speaks from a place of deep and well-formed conscience. Nonetheless, I am not surprised Maryknoll felt it had to make this decision, based on Fr Roy’s very clear statement that, whenever and wherever he is granted a forum to speak about SOA and SOAW, he will also speak about women’s ordination. In fairness to Maryknoll, I think these videotaped – and thus fully authentic – statements need to be publicized, to flesh out this story and balance the speculation. Again and again, I have read and heard questions – including my own – that ask why it is assumed that SOAW should be held accountable for the personal beliefs of its founder. The tapes answer that question, I believe. I do not write this in critique of Fr Roy or SOAW. I write in the interest of honesty in general and fairness to Maryknoll in particular.

The CNS blog can be read here: http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/maryknoll-ends-financial-support-of-school-of-americas-watch/

Statement by Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers on SOA Watch Funding

Here, without comment or critique, is the official statement crafted last May by the General Council, a hard copy of which I got from Mr. James McCullough, interim media rep.

*********************************************************

On May 24, 2010 Father Edward Dougherty, Superior General of the Maryknoll Society, met with Father Roy Bourgeois to discuss the Society's decision to discontinue financial support to the School of Americas (SOA) Watch.

Given Father Bourgeois central role as founder and public face of the SOA Watch, Society leadership has determined that it cannot continue its financial support of that organization without giving the impression that it also supports the actions of its leader concerning the issue of women's ordinations. (Those actions led to his automatic excommunication [Latae sententiae] by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2008.)

This decision is not intended to be punitive and is not designed to put pressure on Father Bourgeois, or on the SOA Watch organization and its activities. Maryknoll continues its solidarity with the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, and is unambiguous in its support of the goals of the SOA Watch.

Maryknollers pull SOA Watch funding | National Catholic Reporter

Maryknollers pull SOA Watch funding | National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/maryknollers-pull-soa-watch-funding

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Sent from my iPad

Thanks to my Catholic Press Association colleague, Ms. Heidi Schlumpf, author of the above blog, for giving me a heads-up on the above story via Facebook.

I, and I trust most Maryknollers, were blind-sided by this. There are problems on many levels.

1) Absent any media relations person (a replacement for Ms. Betsey Guest who retired last month has yet to be hired) calls from the press get bounced around giving the impression of an organization in disarray.

2) Maryknollers find out about this from outside sources. Granted it doesn't have to be via this blog, but it might have been classy to let the membership know that this very public action was taking place. Talking points would have been nice.

3) As Heidi pointed out to me in a later post, Maryknoll shouldn't be surprised when this results in bad press for us and even more loss of support.

4) We will lose more friends and not placate our detractors by one iota. So who are we trying to impress? (I know the answer, but I need my Prudence Chip now more than ever.)

5) Sources here would neither confirm nor deny details of this story and then, WHAM, it appears in NCR. What happened to transparency and better communications?

6) The Acts and Motions of the Eleventh General Chapter are effectively dead. In the paragraph about our relationship with the Church in the U.S. we said that actions on behalf of justice were necessary "even when they result in a loss of support." The word "prophetic" peppered that same document. Sounds nice, but this present action belies that stance.

7) What in the name of justice does the righteous work of closing WHINSEC (School of the Americas) have to do with the "attempted ordination of women"?No matter what you think of the latter, (and last week we know exactly what the Vatican thinks of this) the SOA Watch seeks to give voice to the voiceless and bring peace to Latin America.

8) SOA Watch has already issued a fund raising letter and will no doubt replace the funds cut.. The ultimate loser in this sorry case is Maryknoll.

Firetruck access lane

The north quadrangle gets plastic surgery. The lawn will make a comeback. We hope.

Young people

More than 30 young adults from around the country have gathered at Bethany for a two-week orientation to overseas mission workshop. Maryknoll Lay Missioner Joe Regotti is fascilitating the program for these lay missioners, most of whom are Salesians. None is from Maryknoll.

These young people are going to some serious mission territories such as Rwanda, Guyana, Bolivia and China. It is very refreshing to have young Catholics bubbling over with enthusiasm for overseas mission, theology and the Catholic Church. They will be joining us for lunch on Thursday (tomorrow.)

A big thank you to a fellow Maryknoller who wishes to remain anonymous and who contacted me with a donation of $1,000 to offset the cost of the commissioned icon of Our Lady of Maryknoll. I know this money could have been given to the poor but I firmly believe Maryknoll's refunding (Ha! Talk about Freudian slip! That should be REFOUNDING) starts with our spirituality and prayer life, and these ought to be rooted firmly in devotion to the Mother of God.

On a more mundane note, new emergency vehicle access lanes, such as the ones now under the lawn on either side of the kiosk in the main quadrangle, are now being laid in the north quadrangle. Hopefully the lawn will recover despite the hottest weather on record and Day 17 of the current heatwave of 90 degree weather in July alone.

Keep cool, everyone!

Our Lady of Maryknoll

Nicely lit.

No lift

We are now into the fourth week with the F-Wing elevator (the oldest and the newest) out-of-order. Go to find out, during renovations 15 years ago the car and shaft were replaced but the original motor, built ca. 1930, was kept. At first this seemed a wise move since the newest elevator on M-Wing seemed to have all kinds of problems, adding credence to the argument that things were just made better back in the old days. Well, now the motor of the F-Wing elevator has finally given up the ghost and there are no spare parts to be had. The replacement motor is supposed to be in place and running by week's end.

The beautiful statue of Our Lady of Maryknoll, gift of the Huber and Huvane families, that graces the Spellman Room and is visible from the Rotunda, has finally gotten the proper lighting (thanks to Mr. Tom Dunstan of physical plant) to focus on the statue without those unsightly eye-shadows that made Mary & Jesus look like Zorro's family, if not Rocky Raccoon's.

Speaking of OLOM, I have received the contract from iconographer Father William Hart McNichol's for a hand "written" 18" x 24" 23-karat gold leaf and acrylic traditional icon of Our Lady of Maryknoll in time for our opening liturgy on January 25, 2011. I am prepared to pay the entire cost myself, in which case it will be given in memory of the deceased members of the Veneroso family. However, I am more than willing to share the honor and the expense with fellow Maryknollers if anyone cares to donate. I do not want to be so crass as to reveal the entire cost, but if five other Maryknoller's each contributed $1,000 we could all share equally in this project. You do the math. Personally I figure the singular event of Maryknoll's 100th anniversary deserves nothing less.

Fr. John McAuley is in town, ostensibly to get his new visa that will allow him to teach in China. Tomorrow evening he will gather for dinner with whatever former Walsh Building cohorts remain. Unlike with previous meals, he no longer requires a food taster. I'll let you know if this was a wise move.

Weekend update

Responding to the "clarification" by the Vatican that lumped "the attempted ordination of women" as a "grievous sin" on par with the sexual abuse of children, our own prophet-in-exile Roy Bourgeoise issued a statement. In it he merely observed that to date not one convicted pedophile priest or bishop has been excommunicated. Protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, it does seem that by this punishment some in the Vatican must think ordaining women is actually worse that abusing children. Hard to argue with this logic. But as with most things from the Vatican these days, logic is not the issue.

I erred in an earlier post when I wrote the mission exposure trip to Honduras was already underway. Actually four men depart for Central America tomorrow, Saturday the 17th. Deacon Steve DeMartino will accompany Pablo Talavera, Sean Farry, Richard Rivera and Ryan Danaher. (Yes, they pay their way down and back and enjoy Maryknoll hospitality in between.) Please pray the Holy Spirit guide their discernment but that they apply to Maryknoll anyway. (I couldn't resist.)

Having celebrated the Mass for the community this past week, I had the opportunity to fan some sparks into flame---in a good way, I hope. It is my contention that Maryknoll is not dying, but we might very well kill it with our indifference. I see the two greatest threats to our survival as a Society as apathy and inertia. We no longer want to try new things and take risks that might upset our comfortable routine. Fr. Ernie Brunelle said we apply the "lowest common denominator." Today's first reading from Isaiah for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel spoke of the dying Hezekiah who turned facing the wall to pray and weep at his imminent demise. God heard his prayer and granted him 15 more years. If we could only cultivate an equally fervent spirit of prayer, I am confident Maryknoll will enjoy many more years of mission service.

This weekend at the Knoll we welcome parishioners from St. Michael's Church in Jersey who are on retreat.

Similarly, tomorrow all day in the Asia room there will be the School for Vibrational Healing Meditation. Seriously. (Thank you, Prudence chip, but I never pick low-hanging fruit.

Renewal and reform

On this great and glorious feast of St. Bonaventure, Seraphic Doctor of the Church, several things converge. Bonaventure is one of 33 Doctors of the Church. You'd think by now it would be cured.

Alas today we have yet another self-inflicted wound as the Vatican issued a "clarification" that only confused people more. In it they stream-lined the procedure for defrocking pedophile priests, bishops and even Cardinals, put lay people on the judicial panel reviewing these cases and added child pornography to the list of things that could get a cleric booted. Still strangely silent is any mention of disciplinary action against bishops whose duplicity and/or incompetence perpetrated the scandal for decades (unless you consider being appointed to a plum position as pastor of one of Rome's major basilicas a punishment.)

Worse, that same document elevated the "attempted ordination of women" to the category of "grievous sin" on par with sexually abusing a child. Hello? A Vatican spokesman hastened to clarify the clarification that one was a moral sin while the other a sacramental sin. Huh? Advocates for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (S.N.A.P.) were outraged as were women's groups and ordinary people with consciences. But of course these are a small minority of those real Catholics who come to church and pay their offering and shut their eyes, ears and mouth, so who cares what they think, right?

Enter St. Bonaventure. He was the eighth Minister General of the then still young Franciscan movement. He strove to link the heart of Francis of Assisi with the intellect of his contemporary, Thomas Aquinas. He opined the more one loves God, the more one would want to study about God; and the more one studies about God, the more one would love God.

It was both a logical and emotional wedding of two trends in Catholicism, so naturally he was vehemently opposed by those in his Order as well as those in the Church.

We here at the Center mourn the passing of the spirit of Vatican II. We give lip service to the reformation of the Church and the renewal of Maryknoll, both of which must take place if either is to survive.

But we are the Church. And even more so, we are Maryknoll. Want to renew the Society? Then do it. Be the Maryknoller you think the Society needs you to be. Want to reform the Church? Good luck with that. But renewing Maryknoll would reform the Church!

Today's gospel gives the solution: "Come to me all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart."

Ultimately, the renewal of Maryknoll and reformation of the Church are God's work. If we do our part and it is God's will, it will succeed. If we don't and it isn't, it won't matter.

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

On this great and glorious feast day of the Lily of the Mohawks, I give special thanks to Fr. John McAuley, in transit from Taiwan to the States, for this wonderful link. Blessed Kateri was always dear to me, since my hometown of Amsterdam, NY, is only seven miles from her birthplace in what is now Fonda, and across the river from Auriesville Shrine of the North American Martyrs. I am happy to share her story now with the Maryknoll world.

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[Pronounce: Gah-deh-lee Deh-gah-quee-tah]

The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf were tortured to death by Huron and Iroquois Native American nations, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New York. She was to be the first person born in North America to be beatified. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the Blackrobes (missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. She refused to marry a Mohawk man and at nineteen finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.

Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was powerfully moved by God's love for human beings and saw the dignity of each of her people. She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began a two-hundred-mile walking journey to a Christian Native American village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.

For three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in charity and in strenuous penance. At twenty three she took a vow of virginity, an unprecedented act for a Native American woman, whose future depended on being married. She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a day and was accused of meeting a man there! Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her. She humbly accepted an "ordinary" life. She practiced extremely severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980.

Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Patron: Ecologists; ecology; environment; environmentalism; environmentalists; exiles; loss of parents; people in exile; people ridiculed for their piety; World Youth Day.

Symbols: lily (a symbol of her purity); a cross (a symbol of her love of Jesus Christ); or a turtle (a symbol of her clan).

Cruising Manhattan Island

Eleven guys set out on a cruise around Manhattan Island this morning. Ms. Kathy Brophy from our Assisted Living office, is driving the van. Safe trip to all. We can only pray there is never a recurrence of the infamous Boat Ride Up The Hudson some years back when 30+ Maryknollers got stranded in Croton when the ship pulled into the dock listing at a 45 degree angle. We picnicked in the park that day. Of course that was a blessing. Can you imagine the chaos if the boat started taking on water with us on board and half way to West Point?

Thank you, Fr. Joy Tajonera, for getting back to me so soon about having some local people design and make stoles and vestments for our Centenary.

Speaking of which, I have contacted noted iconographer Fr. William Hart McNichols, to "write" an icon of Our Lady of Maryknoll in time for our opening Mass in January 2011. Bill wrote the famous icon "Mother of God--Light in All Darkness." commissioned by the U.S. Catholic AIDS Network. Google him. His work is inspired and inspiring.

I am also happy to report that three weeks into our 100th year, the Angelus has become a daily habit before Mass here at the Center. The reader leads the community in it's recitation just prior to beginning the liturgy, which makes for a nice reminder of the Incarnation flowing into the Eucharist.

Several young men are participating in a mission-exposure-discernment trip to Honduras even as we speak. Some 35+ young people are scheduled to descend on Maryknoll at the end of the month for two days of prayers, discussion and discernment about serving in the different Maryknoll entities. Please keep all of them in your prayers.

Maryknollers on the move

I'm not sure these have been officially announced yet in the (very retro hard copy of the Council Bulletin), but since multiple sources all seem to discuss this in our dining room, I figure it's OK to share them with you.

Fr. Jim Madden is in to take over as head of Maryknoll F & B Vocations Office starting September 1 from Fr. Dennis Moorman. Dennis is itching to get back to Brazil but has agreed to hang around to assist in the transition. Dennis is even as we speak in Tanzania with the two winners of the Explore My Mission contest.

Fr. Jack Northrup is back from our now closed Border Project in Juarez. He turned off the lights but Fr. Juan Zuniga has gone back to lock the doors. This was a valiant and noble effort over more than 20 years and not only helped the people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border but also helped many vocation prospects discern whether or not mission was for them. The violence has gotten totally out of hand in recent years to the point where our presence might inadvertently make things worse for the people we are trying to help. "You got to know when to fold 'em" as the gambler says.

Fr. Stephen Taluja will assist Fr. Ray Nobiletti in Chinatown for about a year starting September 1. To explain all the machinations that took place since his ordination last year would make the Byzantine imperial court look like the Salvation Army. Rather than read between the lines, ask Stephen yourself.

Fr. Tony Brodniak, formerly of Japan, now assists OSP in offering spiritual direction to the members here. He is using the office of the late, great Fr. Al Schiavone, right next to my room R-203.

On another liturgical note, plans are afoot to replace those concelebration stoles (You know, the red/white reversible ones with the red yarn fringe from back in the1970s) with new ones in honor of our 100th. Fr. Joy Tajonera, if you are reading this, please contact me if you are able to get us a good price on some quality, handmade stoles from any of your contacts. Absent this, ironically both Fr. John Kaserow and Super G Ed Dougherty thought it would be nice to have them made overseas, preferably by some "XXXXX ALBINO XXXX in XXXXXXXX. (My prudence chip once again got the better of me.)

Speaking of a throw back to the 1970s, IMHO I think it's past time to throw back our 1970s theologies and ecclesiologies. But that is grist for another blog mill.

Mid July Bits of Liturgical Tid

Greetings from a sweltering Maryknoll.

My hiatus (no, not a hernia) in blogging stems from multiple reasons. Mostly not much exciting to report. Other times I may be away from the Knoll or am actually busy working (rarely, to be sure). More often then not there are REALLY juicy tidbits that prudence, one of my weakest virtues, forbids me from posting. That being said, in recent days I have gleaned some interesting snippets to share.

The Liturgy Subcommittee for Maryknoll's Centenary, of which I am co-chair with U.S. regional Superior Fr. Mike Duggan, has selected January 25, 2011 to formally open festivities.

Why this date? Early December is taken up with rehearsals and performance for the annual Advent/Christmas concert, usually the second Friday. That leaves precious little time to prepare for an opening liturgy in which we will introduce the Missa ad Gentes, composed by Michael Joncas of "On Eagle's Wings" fame for our 100th. Christmas-New Years is down and away time at Maryknoll. Towards the end of January, we have on January 25 the Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul, with various themes all of which virtually SCREAM Maryknoll. so there it is.

This will be followed by a joint day of reflection with the other Maryknoll entities.

Our Subcommittee is entrusted in preparing three such liturgies: one at the beginning; THE 100th Foundation Day on June 29; and a closing Mass sometime either in December 2011 or January of 2012 during which we shift gears to focus on the 100th of the Maryknoll Sisters.

According to Br. Kevin Dargan, Maryknoll's answer to Google, this is slightly misleading since that would be the centenary of the Teresians, the lay women secretaries of the early years who did not receive their canonical "recognition" (here's an example of my prudence kicking in) to become the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic until 1921. But hey, Brothers mark their time in Maryknoll from their first oath, so who are we to quibble? Besides, Hawaii has every right to celebrate the Fourth of July along with the original 13 States.

Also marking their 35th anniversary this year are the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, with Archbishop Timothy Dolan presiding at the Mass in our main chapel on August 28.

I have much more to share but you could not bear it now. Check back in about 12 hours.