Catholic conundrum

SHOW: Dansmettieduiwel - Alfred Hinkel may not have received the memo stating that some people, most probably Catholics, might be offended by his Dance Umbrella work, Dansmettieduiwel.

CAST: Grant van Ster, Christo-
pher Samuels, Byron Klassen
VENUE: Market Theatre,
Newtown
CHOREOGRAPHER: Alfred Hinkel
CLASSIFICATION: 16


The production tells the story of a boy named Emmanuel Bugen, born in a Roman Catholic mission station.

The second the words “Catholic” and “boy” are in the same sentence, the public cannot help but think of the sexual abuse cases involving priests and altar boys that  received prominent media coverage in recent years.

 Instead of creating yet another production that takes a jab at the Roman Catholic church, though, Hinkel explores the relationship that the church has with women and children.

 Most of us know that there were a number of criminal prosecutions involved with the recent scandals, but rehashing those would not have been as insightful as what Hinkel presents.

Right from the start,  Hinkel demonstrates his intent to steer away from the stereotypical notion of the Catholic faith and the priests by using Janis Joplin’s Mercedes-Benz   as his piece’s opening track.

Then, just when you think that the choreographer is treading too far away from the facts, sacred music steps in to bring it back to reality.

This is when dancer Grant van Ster (as the priest) allows his mind to drift into unholy sexual thoughts about Byron Klassen (Eros). These unthinkable acts are expertly performed by the pair.

Dansmettieduiwel is a multimedia production that also utilises videos taken from parts of the Catholic mass. Seeing the priest and the young boy performing explicit dance moves, while there is a priest and an altar boy being projected on a screen, is high-impact stuff.

The piece is also heavily reliant on sacred music,  used to distinguish between innocent motives and unholy actions.

Hinkel employed the similar techniques when it came to using scriptures from the Bible in the piece.

For a complete programme of this year’s Dance Umbrella, go to www.artslink.co.za/arts.

A physical faith

As the father of two homeschooled boys, I have the great privilege of teaching them religion each evening. (My wife takes most of the other subjects during the day.) One boy is in the sixth-grade and the other is a first-grader, and I look forward to coming home from work and sitting, reading and (yes) memorizing with my boys.

I have a master’s degree in theology, but I still learn a few things from the simple presentation of the tenets of our Catholic faith, taken from the St. Joseph edition of the Baltimore Catechism and a supplementary text that has reprints of beautiful Catholic artwork.

How wonderful it is to review the Commandments and the sacraments from a child’s-eye view, and tell my boys stories about the day they were baptized, or when I received my own First Confession, First Communion and Confirmation – way back in the old days!

My older boy is looking forward to Confirmation in a few years. He enjoys hearing about how in my day the bishop gave a tap to the cheek of each person receiving the sacrament.

“Was it a real slap, dad?” he says, swinging his arm in a roundhouse manner.

“Sort of,” I say, jokingly, “and we were only fourth graders at the time. I wonder if I still have the scar on my cheek.”

My son is not quite sure if he is happy that the bishop today simply lays his hand on the forehead while making the Sign of the Cross with holy chrism. He thinks a little rap on the cheek would make the experience sort of fun and scary – and memorable.

I tell my boys about our Catholic faith’s unique emphasis on the physical, the Church’s insistence that we express our faith not only in spirit, but with physical gestures – standing, sitting, kneeling, laying on of hands. We fashion physical things to signify spiritual realities, using water, bread, wine, oil, gold chalices, huge crosses, stained-glass windows, and larger-than-life statues.

My son has it right, all these physical signs and gestures make the faith memorable, indelibly imprinted not only in our minds but in our flesh. How appropriate this fact is to a religion that professes “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”

This physical attachment, I think, bewilders and intrigues our evangelical brethren, who have a faith more of intellectual assent.

They often say they “believe on” the Word of God, as if words were something you could hold on to in physical way, perhaps expressing a hidden wish for more physical realities in their mode of belief.

They shake their heads, and sometimes their disapproving fingers, when Catholics claim to love not only Jesus, but the Church – in both senses of the term, the mystical body of Christ and the brick and mortar building where they worship on Sunday.

No, brother, I hear my evangelical friends insist, you must set your sights above, not become bound to things that will burn away on the last day. I gently correct their implied dualism, and tell that that in the world to come we will have the flesh of humans not the breath of angels.

My sons understand this fact instinctively. They sense that in every physical reality there is a shadow of immortality.

The stuff of this world may be burned away, but it will be with a purifying fire. This world will pass away, but some things will be reclaimed and renewed through God’s own refreshing breath.

After all, he told us himself that what he created is good, and we “believe on” his Word.

400000 Expected to Attend Pope Benedict’s Catholic Mass at Bicentennial Park

400,000 Expected to Attend Pope Benedict’s Catholic Mass at Bicentennial Park

On the morning of Sunday March 25, Pope Benedict XVI will conduct a Mass in Bicentennial Park located in the municipality of Silao, Mexico. A total of 91 representatives of the dioceses of Mexico are expected to be present for the Catholic Mass which will take place at the foot of Cubilete Hill. Officials are expecting a crowd of some 400,000 people in Bicentennial Park for this occasion. 

The Park has been used for a number of outdoor festivals and large national celebrations, as this area is known for its beauty and historical significance. The monuments and historical buildings that make up an architectural landscape have been kept intact for hundreds of years, as the area is known for its cultural and artistic lifestyle.

Bicentennial Park is also an example of use of renewable resources. For instance, the lighting is powered by solar cells and system has rainwater harvesting for watering and feeding the aquifer, in addition to a water treatment plant with a capacity of 25 liters per second.

Following the Mass, Pope Benedict will then pray with the bishops of Mexico and Latin America in the city’s cathedral. Monday the 26, Benedict XVI will say goodbye to Mexico and travel to Cuba to continue his tour in Latin America. 

Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aurora reopens

It has taken more than 13 years, but a Catholic church in Aurora has completed a journey from ruin to resurrection.

After years of services in the cramped basement of an adjacent former school, Sacred Heart on Sunday moved Masses to a spacious new church on the city’s east side.

A fire started by an arsonist destroyed the original century-old church in December 1998, and the predominantly Latino parish slowly raised $500,000 in reconstruction funds, largely through bake sales and post-Mass meals of tacos, tostadas and other treats. 

Those sales, along with insurance proceeds, funded the construction that began in spring on a $1.5 million sanctuary that seats 450 — double the capacity of the old facility — and drew overflow crowds Sunday.

“I’m so excited that we’re actually here. It’s been such a long time,” Adolfo Garcia, a member of the church’s building committee said. “A lot of people had lost hope for a while because nothing concrete was being done … but we couldn’t let this disappear.”

Sacred Heart, Aurora’s oldest Roman Catholic parish, is at Fulton and State streets in a residential neighborhood about a mile east of the Fox River.

Founded by in the late 19th century by residents with ties to France and Luxembourg, the church has faced difficulties throughout its history, including an earlier fire as well as a more recent string of financial woes.

In 1980, the Rockford Diocese considered closing Sacred Heart. In 1987, another proposal to merge the debt-ridden parish with another Aurora church was scuttled when parishioners raised funds and closed the parish’s school to save money.

Then came the 1998 fire that gutted the classic brick structure with the tall spire. The blaze was so intense that only one stained-glass window could be salvaged. It’s now on display in a hallway in the new building.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested, but the Rockford Diocese declined to press charges.

Today’s congregation is multiethnic, though predominantly Mexican-American. About 80 percent of the congregation is Latino and three of Sunday’s four Masses were in Spanish.

“It’s marvelous. Especially after 13 years our people were longing and waiting for this moment,” said Monsignor Arquimedes Vallejo, wearing purple and white vestments to mark the first Sunday of Lent. “They made a lot of sacrifices. This was a field here. Now it’s a most beautiful place.” 

The new Sacred Heart is a single-story brick structure with a functional design that includes a slanted roof supporting a modest metal spire. The relatively narrow interior is about the length of a half city block with a spacious, open feel. 

It’s well-lit with track lighting and suspended fixtures salvaged from another church. Twelve stained-glass windows also allow streams of sunlight to brighten the interior. The altar area has separate stained-glass images of Jesus and his mother, Mary, along with a large crucifix and seasonal black and purple draping.

The remaining problem is parking, but the congregation hopes to raise an additional $350,000 to level a nearby property and upgrade existing lots. It also wants to renovate the church’s rectory and former convent.

Sunday’s early Spanish language Mass drew more than 500 people — a mixed crowd of young and old, including families with children who later adjourned for First Communion classes. 

A midmorning Mass in English filled about 40 percent of the space. The 11:30 a.m. third Mass, also in Spanish, attracted more than 600 people who crowded side aisles and a separate entryway.

The parish is described as the least affluent in the Rockford Diocese.

“Despite the poverty, we are rich in faith and in people giving of themselves, their time and their talent,” said Sue Niemiec, a longtime churchgoer active in parish affairs. “Maybe the way we do things isn’t the most elegant. But we get it done and a lot of people help and it’s wonderful.”

Bishop Thomas G. Nolan, the chief of Rockford’s Diocese, is expected to join numerous dignitaries for an official consecration Sunday.

In the meantime, Vallejo said he’s pleased with the new home but was quick to put the move in perspective.

“It’s a different place, but the same Jesus,” he told congregants at the second Mass.

All Schools Mass honors Eric’s Promise

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Thousands of local students attended Catholic Mass at Notre Dame on Monday.

The 20th Annual “All Schools Mass” recognizes the importance of faith and education.

The theme this year was “Catholic Schools: Faith. Academics. Service.”

“To know that there is that commitment within our community a commitment to these children to let them know how important they are to our faith it really does speak volumes,” said Sean McBride of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese.

After the mass, each school donated a basket of food to St. Vincent de Paul.

It’s called Eric’s Promise, in honor of a fallen Marian High School student.

Ad-libbing priest changes his mind, withdraws his resignation

Rowe said Monday that he has withdrawn the resignation but will offer it again if the bishop insists that he must leave. But Rowe said he hopes his action will encourage more discussion about his straying from the exact words of the liturgy that might lead to him be allowed to stay, but added he won’t stop ad libbing during Mass.

Braxton has a policy of not commenting to the local media. His spokesman. the Rev. John Myler, could not be reached for comment.

Rowe said he has been a priest for 47 years, serving as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force and then at various parishes in Illinois.

Braxton is not the only bishop to warn Rowe about sticking to the official wording of the liturgy when celebrating Mass. Rowe said that during the time when now Archbishop of Atlanta Wilton Gregory was bishop of Belleville, he warned him that he was “pushing the envelope” by not following the exact wording of the liturgy. But Gregory did not take any action to remove the priest.

In his recent letter to Braxton, dated Feb. 23, Rowe corrected the bishop’s Feb. 14 open letter to parishioners that laid out the history of the dispute and the bishop’s role in it. Braxton wrote that Rowe told him that some Mt. Carmel parishioners had come to him and complained about Rowe diverging from the exact wording of the Roman Missal. But in his letter and during an interview Monday, Rowe said the bishop is mistaken. He said he never said that and heard it from the bishop during their meeting in October, He said he simply made no comment when he heard that parishioners had complained.

Rowe, whose parish council and parochial school board have written letters to the diocese in support of him, has served in Mt. Carmel without taking a salary, relying on a pension from the Air Force and Social Security to live.

He has said if he is forced to leave in June, when a successor is named, he may operate a soup kitchen, perhaps in Belleville.

Irish Apostolate Notes

Irish Apostolate Notes

As we have begun the Season of Lent, I am sure you all received ashes on your foreheads this Ash Wednesday. While the custom of putting dirt on your forehead may seem rather quaint at first, the act itself is very symbolic. The ashes come from the tradition of putting some earth on top of a coffin or casket at the end of a funeral service. By doing this, we acknowledge that we are all frail human beings, and are reminded that sin estranges us from God. Through repentance, we are glad to admit that we need the help of God to lead better lives.

Each year, Lent serves as a time to reenact the great events of our salvation through prayer, fasting and penance. These celebrations culminate in the events of Holy Week and Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, Lent is a season of renewal. It is a challenging time that serves as a seasonal reminder of the great challenges of Christian life. As an exercise in penance, and a practice in self-control, people abstain from certain vices, like cigarettes or alcohol, during the season. I remember years ago that, while I only sought to give up cigarettes for Lent, my sacrifice proved a great blessing, and I never went back to smoking.

While extraordinary penances can often define Lent, the Lenten season is primarily about doing the ordinary everyday things well. Lent is a time to make a fresh start, a time when we try, more earnestly and sincerely, to live up to the responsibilities and challenges of our Christian lives, families, and communities. During Lent we should also think of the poor of the world, and pray for those people who give alms at this time of need to those, not only in their midst, but also to those who struggle in other parts of the world.

Gospel

Our Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent only contains about five lines from The Book of Mark. We are told that Jesus went off into the desert for forty days and while there, was tempted three times by the Devil. The point of the Gospel is that Jesus was similar to us in his simple, fully human capacity to be tempted. However, despite the Devil’s allure, Jesus denied him and did not succumb to temptation.

What we can learn from this Gospel is that when we suffer, we do not suffer alone. Together we have Christ, our God, impelled by his love for us, choosing to share in our sufferings. Today, in all of us, we see Him suffering the agony of temptation, weakened by hunger and wearied by loneliness. While He is urged by Satan to withdraw to the safety of divine self-service and to reject the cross, He chooses instead to suffer alongside us. Suffering in its many forms is an integral part of our lives, and, much like Jesus, we can only seek relief through a full acceptance of the cross.

Additionally, we can be encouraged by the example of Jesus when we experience pain and disappointment. Christ did not sin, yet chose to share in our weaknesses so that we might live off of his strength. The suffering he himself passed through enables him to help others when their faith is being tested. While a close union with Christ will not eliminate suffering, this suffering is lessened by the hope of being united with Christ in heaven.

A few days ago I met with two women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Though they came to me asking for my prayers and help, I felt rather helpless. All I could say was that, despite everything, there is a good God out there who loves and cares for each of us. During this Lenten season, let us remember that this truth is eternally comforting, and is the guiding light during Lent and Holy Week, as we try to renew our faith in Jesus Christ and his message.

Monk

Some months ago Fr. Bernard O’Dea OSB, a Benedictine monk who was the first Irish-born monk at Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, passed away. I have a story to tell you about this good priest.

Recently I read the pretty horrifying story of a child who was born out of wedlock to a 16-year-old Limerick girl on November 14, 1948. Celine Clifford was abandoned by her mother and placed in a Magdalen Home in Limerick, where she effectively spent many of her early years. Her father, who was unaware of Celine’s birth, married her mother and continued to have a large family, all while living only a few miles away from the orphanage.

Celine never saw her mother for the first 16 years of her life, except for one occasion when her mother briefly visited the orphanage without acknowledging her. Celine would not discover it was her mother who had come to visit until much later in life. Years after this visit, when Celine’s father found out about her, he was surprised and angry.

Nevertheless, despite these years apart, the two of them grew quite close to one another. Though Celine’s family had two nuns and a priest in her extended family, it was not “respectable” to have an “illegitimate” girl in the family. In the tradition of 1980s Ireland, Celine’s “Auntie Nuns” refused to acknowledge her, barely letting on that they had any relationship whatsoever.

On her First Communion Day, Celine was brutally raped. The incident occurred at a time when her stepmother, to whom she was fostered out to, also ran a brothel. She and Celine met the rapist, whom Celine recognized, several months later in the town of Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, after a Sunday Mass. Her stepmother demanded some sort of retribution and got a one pound note from him. In the eyes of her mother, Celine was merely worth one pound.

Celine survived and, at the age of 15, was sent out “on service” to a lady in Limerick who happened to be a close friend of Fr. Bernard O’Dea. Celine got to know Fr. Bernard and he was kind to her, listening to her story and encouraging her to become literate. He coached her in reading and writing, and gave her books to read, further advising her to become a nurse. He arranged for her to go to Belfast to become a children’s nurse and then onto London where she would become a senior nurse, eventually getting married and having two children.

Reconciliation

Years later, Celine ran into one of her aunts in London and eventually began a slow reconciliation with the rest of her family. While many people along her journey treated her poorly, it is my estimation that Fr Bernard O’Dea, whom I knew quite well, showed the true mark of a kind, compassionate priest, while also proving a lifesaver and great mentor for Celine. Celine’s powerful and moving story can be found in her book, No One Wants You: A Memoir of a Child Forced into Prostitution, by Celine Roberts.

What I would like to add to this story is that in Ireland, the nuns, brothers, and priests who ran Magdalen Homes, some of whom behaved reprehensibly, have suffered the ignominy and disgrace resulting from their actions. However, the parents of the many girls who have fallen pregnant as a result of selfishness or rape have almost always moved on without punishment.

Both Celine’s mother, who abandoned her own flesh and blood, and her “Auntie Nuns” who were aware of Celine’s existence yet ignored her, deserve to live with similar levels of shame. Regarding young women getting pregnant out of wedlock, “poor” families would often rear the “love child” as one of their family, while “respectable families” would send the pregnant girl off to a Magdalen Home.

This ethical disparity between the two classes underlies a fundamental problem with morality in the country. While it is clear that I have little sympathy for religious clerics, whether bishops, priests, brothers or nuns who acted in an unchristian manner to poor girls who made “mistakes” either through passion or rape, I have equally less time for people in Ireland, or elsewhere, who reject their own flesh and blood in the name of protecting their “family respectability” in an already flawed Irish society.

Enough for this week. I wish you every joy and blessing for Lent.

Brendan Duggan, CSSp (917-226-8237).