Farewell, youngster!

Ms. Nina Planamenta gives Ms. Pat Moritis a goodbye hug to show she forgives her for abandoning us after a mere 31 years.

Mike on the mic

Mr. Michael Reddy heaps accolades on Ms. Pat Moritis at the bittersweet party bidding her happy retirement. Fr. Wayman Deasy can be seen behind her counting the number of boards on the floor. Jesus can be seen behind him counting the hairs on Wayman's head.

She takes the cake

Last Thursday, April 25, Maryknollers and health care providers gathered for a retirement party for Ms. Pat Moritis who is retiring from St. T's after 30+ years of service.

Westchester Broadway Theater

Kathy Brophy is surrounded by a melange of missioners taking in luncheon and a show (Guys & Dolls) at the Westchester Broadway Theater in Elmsford.

Meanwhile, back at the Knoll, the joint Maryknoll choir will start today practicing for Dae Kim's ordination Mass on June 1.

Musical chairs...er...piano benches!

Thanks to the family of Maryknoll Father-Doctor Peter LeJacq, a baby grand piano now graces our main chapel.

This wonderful addition did necessitate moving things around a bit. (See following pix.)

Upright

The piano from the main chapel has been moved into the Lady Chapel.

Makings of a piano bar?

...so the piano from the Lady Chapel is now located at the entrance to our main draining room.

If Romero was "blocked", what are we?

Message from sender:

Folks, while news out of the Vatican that Pope Francis has "unblocked" the cause for Oscar Romero, clearing the way for beatification and, we hope, canonization fills us with great joy, we have to wonder.

1) Who blocked it to begin with?
2) Are they still connected to the Vatican?
and most germane to Maryknoll:
3) What possible hope do our "saints in the pipeline" have?

If a martyr like Romero got blocked, our guys must have been completely buried--bureaucratically speaking.

But today is a day to rejoice in our causes for canonization being half full.

Published on National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline.org)

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Francis 'unblocks' Romero beatification, official says

John L. Allen Jr.  |  Apr. 22, 2013

John Allen in Rome: Pope Francis' support of the sainthood cause of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador means beatification could come quickly.

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Source URL (retrieved on 04/22/2013 - 23:06): http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/francis-unblocks-romero-beatification-official-says?splash=

Hiatal hibernation over!

Surprise! After getting a nice email from Ms. Ann Langille, former Maryknoll employee who worked with our late and dear Fr. John Halbert in the Retirement Community, I decided it was time to come out of my hiatal hibernation. (Sounds painful, I know.)

Ann, like several other dear friends of Maryknoll, check in from time to time with Knollnews to keep up with all the intrigue and drama that somehow never make it into "Journey of Faith", much less the Maryknoll Magazine. As I told her in my reply, my silence was part busyness and part laziness, because there is certainly enough going on at Mother Knoll these days to merit mentioning.

A gathering of about 20 Maryknoll Affiliates and their governing board (reps from the Society, Congregation and Lay Missioners) just finished a four-day meeting at the Knoll. It was certainly wonderful having people with pulses join us for meals!

Speaking of which, another 75 vocation ministers swelled our ranks at lunch time on Saturday (yesterday) thanks to the organizing efforts of Deacon Steve DeMartino and Fr. Jim Madden of our vocations office. Ms. Margeret Sheehan, Sodexo manager, gave the men a heads-up on Friday lest there be more complaints of too much noise in the dining room or someone's cheese having been moved.

Early arrivals for our once-in-a century pan-Society Gathering have begun trickling in. Our youngest priest missioner, Fr. Rodrigo Ulloa-Chavarry, is back (at least physically) from Nepal. Due to jet-lag, his mind is expected to arrive by Tuesday. Fr. Ed Shellito is also in from (I want to say) Namibia (?). I want to avoid the annoying Maryknoll habit of citing all missions by country name but then clumping all Africa into one geographic lump. The nice thing about the blog and internet is I can correct a mistake as soon as it is pointed out. So if Shellito is not from Namibia but from Sudan, Mozambique, Congo, Hoboken or  Burkina Faso, please let me know and I will change.

Other news: at the house meeting last week it was decided to experiment with a long-proposed earlier wake service. This has been on the back burner since Fr. Ray Hill's council in 1989! So, the next Maryknoller to die (if there is one) will be waked at the Center at 4:15 instead of 7:30. This will also allow Maryknoll employees a chance to attend. An earlier wake will be held at St. T's at their discretion.

Speaking of experiment (and intrigue and drama), the year's experiment with the ambo and new configuration of the main chapel officially ended with the Triduum, as per the original arrangement. Now it's time for the evaluation. A non-biased and impartial survey will be sent to all Society members, asking simply whether to revert to the traditional, tired, and boring set-up or maintain the current, dynamic, awe-inspiring and liturgically excellent arrangement. The survey will be numbered to insure no one stuffs the ballot box, as it were. The Gathering will allow the greatest number of members to see and experience the ambo and chapel in its present configuration, in order for them to make an informed and enlightened choice (not that this has ever stopped us before).

Whatever the outcome, the chapel will remain in its present formation until after he Jubilee celebration.

Maryknoll hails election of Pope Francis

The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers join with Catholics around the world, with people of other faiths, with the many we serve in mission and all peoples of good will in asking God's abundant blessing for Pope Francis as he begins his pontificate.

We are especially inspired by his example of humble service and concern for the poor, as well as for social justice. By choosing the name Francis, may the Holy Father combine the simplicity and humility of St. Francis of Assisi with the missionary zeal of St. Francis Xavier to share God's love and mercy with all of us.

Our mission as followers of Christ is to prepare each new day to ensure God's good work will continue. We place ourselves in the hands of Pope Francis as he guides us and leads our Church. May he be blessed with wisdom, courage and compassion as he tends to us, God's flock, here on earth.

Father Edward M. Dougherty, M.M.
Superior General
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers

Third Wave Mission Institute

There were 24 participants who came to Maryknoll from March 4-6 to continue the reflection on the "hird Wave of Mission". We had worked on a vision statement and this was discussed and approved.

 

     There were 24 participants who came to Maryknoll from March 4-6 to continue the reflection on the "hird Wave of Mission". We had worked on a vision statement and this was discussed and approved.

     We estimtate that there are 400,000 Catholic aduls who participate in an overseas mission experience each year. There are an additional 500,000 Catholic youth who participate in mission each year.

     The principle thrust is through parish twinning. There is a wide variety of approaches to the twinning process.

     A significant experienceis volunteer service. This is from two weeks to a year. Catholic Volunteer Network places 19,000 volunteers each year. Some 2,000 go overseas.

     There are a significant number of one week mission trips.

     We developed four formation modules:

     -Accompanying the People

     -Establishing Relationships

     -Best Practices for Projects

     -The re-entry process and sharing the experience.

 

     These were critiqued and a final form will be ready in one month.

     We worked on an operational plan for the rest of the year.

 

     This is a collaborative effort with all three Maryknoll entities, and the Maryknoll Affiliates, CRS, uSCMA, FROM, several Diocesan Mission Offices, College campuses and the Haiti Partnershiop.

 

                                 Gerry Kelly

Rev. Gerald E. Kelly, M.M.
Southern Region DIrector
Maryknoll MEP

Huffington Post: Latest From Rome

I repost this only because Roy Bourgeois is mentioned in the last paragraph.

		Latest From Rome
	"There is still no date set for the conclave," stated father Federico Lombardi, director of the press room for the Holy See, even before journalists could start asking questions. Today's assembly -- the fourth since Monday -- was attended by 113 electoral cardinals out of 115. The archbishop of Warsaw Varsavia Kazimierz Nycz and Vietnamese cardinal Jean-Baptiste Phạm Minh Mẫn, both of whom are expected to reach Rome tomorrow, have yet to arrive. Tomorrow is expected to be a day of frenetic activity: The cardinals will assemble in congregation both in the morning and the afternoon in order to continue to discuss the profile of the new Pope and the future of the Church. Will the world have a new Pope by Palm Sunday (March 24)? "While we wait, many believe that's probable. But that's a hope, not a certainty," notes father Lombardi. There were a total 18 interventions during this morning's assembly. Overall, a total of 51 cardinals have made contributions since the conclave "primaries" began. Among the themes addressed today -- explained father Lombardi -- were the challenges facing the church in the contemporary world (in other words the new evangelization), as well as expectations for the kind of new pope the cardinals will elect. A Eucharistic adoration overseen by the cardinal archpriest of San Pietro, Angelo Comastri, is scheduled to be held this afternoon at 5 p.m. in the San Pietro Basilica, and any cardinals who wish to do so may attend. Furthermore, work has begun on the Sistine Chapel, closed to the public since 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon, in preparation for the conclave. The chapel will be renovated and the pavement will be raised to create a single, uniform level all the way to the altar. The briefing with U.S. cardinals has been cancelled. The U.S. cardinals will not hold their press conference today. Journalists had become accustomed to going up Gianicolo hill to attend a sort of secondary press conference held by the North American College of the Gianicolo. Today, cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Episcopalean conference, was scheduled to speak. Dolan is considered the head of the U.S. group here at the Vatican. Over recent days, it became clear that the U.S. cardinals tend to communicate more with the press than their fellow cardinals. The fact that today's conference was cancelled undoubtedly reflects discomfort among the other cardinals -- especially those within the curia -- over what is considered an excessive familiarity with the press. When asked about the issue, father Lombardi explained that "the tradition of the conclave and the path towards the conclave is in part a tradition of secrecy designed to protect the ability to reflect and meditate for each member of the conclave." The spokesperson for the Vatican went on to add that, "therefore it's possible that the American cardinals decided to rethink their approach to the media after having considered the sentiments and indications from members of the college of cardinals on the whole." Father Lombardi: "The cardinals are aware of the importance of this moment." This morning, during an interview with Italian radio station "Radio Anch'io," father Lombardi stated that "the cardinals are entirely aware of the importance of what they are going through." Lombardi noted that "everyone has been immediately struck by the atmosphere of strong desire that this task be carried out well and carefully." Over the course of the congregation there will be "a broad overview of the problems that the church is facing in today's world." For this reason, continued Lombardi, a general identikit for the next pope is coming "not only through collegial efforts," but also "through a series of meetings and encounters that individual members of the college of cardinals hold between one another." The Italian weekly magazine Famiglia Cristiana has published an agenda for the next pope: "Put an end to the Vatican Bank, support ethics in finance." The magazine has drawn up a list of the priorities the Church should focus on in order to be a "willing to deal with its growing loss of credibility." Among the various points on the agenda for the next pope, selected by authoritative exponents from the Catholic world, there is a particularly interesting position concerning the IWR, or Institute for Works of Religion. The article, written by Giorgio Campanini, invites the Vatican to "give up on the IWR," and open to "ethical banks" instead. Camparini, a historian and sociologist, writes: "(An entreaty) that has a strong sway over public opinion, including ecclesiastical opinion, is the request that the Vatican free itself from all connections (and even more so from all compromises) concerning finance. Today there are, both in Italy and in numerous other countries, ethical banking institutions, within which credit is distributed according to extremely severe criteria aimed first and foremost at development projects, and which completely exclude speculative aims. Why not give them, or similar institutions, the responsibility of dealing with the church's finances (with the exception of a small control and oversight commission)? Complete transparency would reassure the faithful, who continue to make generous offerings, that the money they give to the church, once all the needs connected with the church's upkeep and maintenance have been fulfilled, will be destined first and foremost to helping the poor people of the world." In the editorial presented in the dossier, Don Antonio Sciortino, director of Famiglia Cristiana, underlines the "prophetic courage" of Benedict XVI who, "after the scandals and 'filthiness,' reconciled the church with believers the world over." Ratzinger's decision to leave the papacy "has put the church back on the path to purification, to the request for forgiveness and renewal," writes Sciortino. According to the weekly magazine, the challenges that the next pope will have to face include: having the courage of the prophecy, promoting increased unity between faith and life; guaranteeing more transparency in order to close the door on the era of suspicion, finding new words for today's man, and proceeding with necessary reforms. The parish priest in Castelvittorio who burned a photograph of the pope is "ready to leave the parish." In Castelvittorio, in Italy's Imperia province, faithful parishioners remain upset over the gesture by Don Andrea Maggi, the parish priest who, last Sunday during the celebration of the eucharist, burned a photograph of the pope emeritus Benedict XVI, accusing him of not being a pastor, and of having abdicated and abandoned his "sheeps." In a short statement, the Ventimiglia-Sanremo diocese communicated that "Don Maggi has expressed his intention to leave his position as parish priest," adding that "the appropriate procedures called for in this kind of situation are all being taken into consideration." The pope emeritus "grateful" for letter from cardinals. Yesterday, Benedict XVI (of whom the Italian weekly Chi published the first images of him taking a walk in the gardens in Castel Gandolfo) received a telegram sent to him personally by the cardinals. "The pope emeritus, who has always been an extremely sensitive person and full of gratitude, deeply appreciated this simple, yet spontaneous and honest, sign of affection, support, respect and gratitude," explained father Federico Lombardi. In the telegram, the cardinals thanked Benedict XVI for his "luminous ministry and the example he has provided of generous pastoral solicitude for the good of the church and the world at large." Woman-priest out for a walk in piazza San Pietro in Rome. This morning, during the "appointment" with the general congregation, visitors to piazza San Pietro were treated to the following amusing scene: a woman dressed up as a priest went walking around the piazza, surprising the faithful. According to several witnesses, this was only the latest in a series of provocations of a group from the liberal front of the church, initiated in light of the conclave and the election of the new pope, and aimed at supporting the creation of female priests. The woman, a foreigner of approximately 60 years of age, refused to make any statements. She was wearing a priest's white collar, black pants and shirt. Several faithful and tourists present in the piazza stated that they were stunned to see "yet another form of protest against the prohibition of women priests, especially now in light of the elections for a new pope." In 2011 a group of 150 priests signed a petition to support the American priest Roy Burgeois, after he publicly stated that he was in favor of allowing women into the order.

 

Sent from my most excellent iPhone 5

While we wait...

The bells of Maryknoll rang out at 2 p.m. EST today to mark the end of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. When will the conclave officially begin? How many days will the voting take? Who will be chosen as the next pope? And what name will he take? These are the questions circulating over the salad bar. It would be unseemly to organize an "office pool" on these  questions, even if it's 50/50, with half the proceeds going to charity. (I didn't say we aren't doing it; I just think it's unseemly!)

Meanwhile, news from Seoul via Chicago is that His Eminence Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo Jung has agreed to be the ordaining prelate at the priestly ordination of Deacon Dae Wook Kim here at Maryknoll, N.Y., on Saturday, June 1.

This will be a truly glorious occasion for both Maryknoll and the Korean Catholic community, as Archbishop Yeom, in ordaining Dae, brings our mission to Korea full circle.

This ordination will occur one week after our 2013 Gathering ends, so we should see a large number of Maryknollers as well as Koreans present.

Aloha

Fr. Art Dwyer was among many extending best wishes to Maureen at her retirement party this afternoon.

Farewell, Maureen!

After 26 years of dedicated service to Maryknoll, Ms. Maureen Foster followed the example of the Holy Father and retired.

Maryknollers and employees gathered in the Founders Room to wish her well and partake of many delicacies. (Thank goodness most of us are "of an age" where fasting and abstinance are voluntary.

Here's my latest in National Catholic Reporter

Message from sender:

During Lent five articles I have written will appear in NCR. Here is the link to the second installment.

Published on National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline.org)

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Guilt gives way to grace

Joseph R. Veneroso  |  Feb. 26, 2013

Lenten reflection: Guilt has, over the years, gotten a bum rap. Guilt does, in fact, serve a useful purpose.

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Source URL (retrieved on 02/26/2013 - 19:46): http://ncronline.org/blogs/soul-seeing/guilt-gives-way-grace

Taizé prayer

About 50 Maryknoll Sisters, Fathers and Brothers gathered in the Eucharistic chapel with members of the New York chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians for an evening of Taizé prayer.

The liturgy consisted of chant, silence and readings and lasted about one hour.

It's official

Maryknoll Lay Missions have officially moved their offices and headquarters to the refurbished Walsh Building. Lay
Missioners-in-training will live at the Sisters or at our Center.

Bethany has reverted back to the Society and our leadership is open to suggestions as to the future of this property.

More on the Apocalypse

Rev. Michael Patella, OSB, biblical scholar and rector of the Benedictine Abby in Collegeville, gives a one day recollection day on the Book of Revelation.

And the logical choice is....

Having communicated with a most reliable source, it it intuitively obvious to the most casual of observers that the logical choice for next pope is: Cardinal Luis Antonio "Chito" Tagle of Manila.

If you put the following factors into a computer, here's what I conclude:

Assuming the Italians fail in their last ditch attempt to retake the papacy, the College of Cardinals will look to a non European successor of Peter.

As a Filipino, he bridges the gap between European and non, by coming from a country geographically in Asia but  with a culture closer to Latin America.

With 75.5 million fervent, still-practicing Catholics, they must be doing something right.

He is media savvy, with a weekly TV show called "Break Open the Word" in which he comfortably, pastorally and, most important, understandably links the readings of each Sunday's Mass and presents them in such a way so ordinary people can follow.

His parents are both alive: his mother is Chinese Filipino. He comes from a modest background.

He is a close friend to many Maryknollers. (But I do not think we ought to flatter ourselves by thinking we are that well-known among the other Cardinals to make this a negative!)

He is known to help out at soup kitchens and open his house to the homeless.

He is the youngest of the papabilli, at 55. But who knows? Maybe Benedict's example might encourage his successors to put in ten good years and then pass the tiara to the next one.

But here's the clincher for me: he's been on FaceBook for YEARS!


That being said, the most glaring mistake in these considerations is to think the election of a pope has anything to do with logic.