Browsing articles tagged with " catholic mass"
My son-in-law Yoni Warren, a Navy chaplain in Okinawa, Japan posted to a Marine battalion, has spent the better part of the past week discovering just how difficult and painful a rabbi’s life can be, in uniform or out. A note to help understand this story… In the military, regardless of what corps you’re in as a chaplain, you minister to all military personnel regardless of faith, corps, or any other determinant. One wouldn’t expect a Jewish chaplain to deliver a Catholic mass, but a Catholic or Muslim young man or woman, of any branch of the military, might come to a Jewish Navy chaplain for counseling or spiritual assistance.
A relatively young Jewish Army captain had recently come to Okinawa with his pregnant wife and two young children. Their adjustment was going well until his wife fell down the stairs in her home, and injured herself so severely that both she and the unborn baby died. She left behind, as you might imagine, a stunned husband, and two children too young to really comprehend what had happened, but still obviously traumatized. Yoni, who was ordained last year and is still very much a young rabbi, called me to discuss how to proceed. There were a million questions, all compounded by the horror of it all, both for the family that suffered the tragedy and for him. And while the steps to be taken were within a military context, and unique to the peculiar circumstances of this woman’s tragic death, the nature of the call was universal. I recognized it immediately, because I and every one of my colleagues have made calls like that in early years of our rabbinate, and many of us still do.
When overwhelming tragedy strikes and you’re relatively new to the job, the almost universal reflexive response is to feel unequal to the task. No rabbinic training, no matter how intensive or good, can adequately prepare you for the worst that life and death can throw at you. When, as a rabbi friend said when I told him this story, you find yourself engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Angel of Death, there is no time-out, no escape. No one says, “class over, and next week we’ll discuss the rituals for welcoming new life into the community.” This is the real deal, and you have to grow up in a big hurry. It’s not about knowing the steps for a funeral, even in complicated military circumstances. It’s about knowing how to deal with a grieving man who is in shock and has two children to worry about, and how to mobilize a military community to offer comfort and support in a way that reflects your own religious traditions. As clergy in those circumstances, you are designing the protocols as you go along- and praying that they will help and be effective.
At the same time that all of this was playing out, I had the privilege, first at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and then at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, to participate in the ordination of a total of thirty-four new rabbis. It was my honor, as president of the Rabbinical Assembly, to be part of a duly constituted Beit Din, a rabbinic panel, which conferred the mantle of rabbinic authority on these very talented men and women.
There is something irreducibly precious about looking into the eyes of a newly minted rabbi. It is not unlike the feeling that I have when I stand under a chuppah and look into the eyes of a young man and woman who are being married. There is so much hope reflected in those eyes, such an excitement about what is to come! New rabbis emerge from their studies ready and eager to change the world, to challenge all of the existing status quo and reshape the Jewish community in their own images, because they know they can do it better.
If I close my own eyes and concentrate very hard, I can remember how I felt when I was ordained. It was an exhilarating mixture of pride and some sense of perceived new power, mixed with a “healthy” dose of arrogance. My friends and I certainly felt that the existing generation of rabbinic leadership, and previous generations, were just a step or two slow in recognizing what needed to be done to bring the Jewish world into greater sync with the times. We didn’t need to verbalize it (although we did)… our message was clear. Move over, older generations, it’s our turn!
As I write this, I am about to enter my thirty-second year in the active pulpit rabbinate. Like a doctor who has treated thousands of patients, or a lawyer who has tried thousands of cases, the years have mellowed me. I have a somewhat more sober view of changing the religious world. It’s a lot harder than it looks when you’re a new rabbi. The obstacles are enormous, and the potential pitfalls are everywhere, waiting to swallow you up the moment you lose focus. My new leadership of the Rabbinical Assembly only brings this reality into clearer focus.
I suppose that’s why I find it so thrilling to share in those ordination ceremonies. It is delightfully restorative to encounter these “rookies” who are full of spit and fire. I know for sure that their ideas and energy are indispensable assets to the Jewish community and to the Rabbinical Assembly, and I’m proud to call them my colleagues! We veterans depend on them to bring new attitudes to bear that will challenge the status quo. That’s how the Jewish tradition stays eternally fresh. Dor dor v’dorshav… Each generation has its own interpreters of Torah, its own teachers.
But always lurking not too far behind, for rabbis both new and old, is the unrelenting, inevitable shadow of cosmic chaos. My fondest hope for the new rabbis just ordained is that they be granted the time to spread their wings and let their creativity loose on the Jewish world before the chaos rears its ugly head, as it did just this past week for my son-in-law. In the long run, the work of the rabbi is to learn to manage the chaos and still be creative and productive. Thirty-two years in, that is still the greatest rabbinic challenge for me personally.
My heart, and my prayers, are with my young colleagues.
A temporary policy allowing the use of sacramental wine in Catholic Mass at the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center is now the jails permanent policy.
A flare up this week over the use of wine during the celebration of Catholic Mass at the jail led to replacement of a chaplain, Monsignor Ed Lofton.
Lofton wont be back at the jail, but Sheriff Al Cannon said Thursday that he would allow the use of wine at Mass on a temporary basis. Cannon said today that hes decided to confirm that policy after consulting with the Diocese of Charleston.
In a statement, Diocese officials said they are satisfied with the policy and that they are pleased this matter has been amicably resolved.
They added, however, it is unfortunate that this matter was not resolved privately. The Diocese has always enjoyed a positive relationship with federal, state and local correctional and detention facilities in its prison ministry which includes the celebration of Mass for inmates. In that celebration, the presence of wine is essential, the statement reads.
Lofton said this week after being fired by the jail that he was the target of a civil-rights violation. One of 86 volunteer chaplains, he demanded to continue using one ounce of wine for himself during Mass at the jail, something he has done for 15 years, he said.
From parades to graveside services, a number of Memorial Day events are planned in the Fond du Lac area. All events take place Monday, May 28.
Parades/Events
n Fond du Lac Memorial Day Parade and Program — The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of Guindon Boulevard and Main Street and proceed north to Veterans Park. The program will begin immediately after the parade. The keynote speaker is retired Navy Capt. John Townsend. State Senator Jessica King, State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt and County Executive Allen Buechel will give a brief welcome. The invocation and benediction will be given by Steve Huff and music during the ceremony will be provided by the Fond du Lac High School Band. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1904 of Fond du Lac is this year’s sponsoring unit and post member Aaron Sadoff will be the Master of Ceremonies. In case of cancellation due to severe weather, an announcement will be made at 8 a.m. on KFIZ.
n Rosendale Memorial Program begins at 10 a.m. at Rosendale Intermediate School gym and concludes at the nearby cemetery. Music will be provided by Laconia High School band.
The 2012 Poppy Princess for the Rosendale VFW Memorial Day observance is Ella Andrew. Ella attends St. Anthony Park Elementary school in St. Paul, Minn. Her parents are Benjamin and Kate Andrew.
n Town of Byron veterans will be honored at 9:30 a.m. at Byron Town Hall, N3097 Highway 175 in Byron. Local historian Wayne King, a retired Army chief warrant officer, is the keynote speaker. The program also includes unveiling of name additions to the Veterans Memorial, a roll call of veterans buried in town of Byron cemeteries, a firing squad salute, and an open house exhibit from 8 to 11 a.m. The event is open to the public. Ed Kelroy and Don Sampson, town of Byron veterans of World War II, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Firing squads from Lomira’s Bintzler-Waehler American Legion Post No. 347 and Oakfield’s VFW Post No. 8092 will assemble at the Town of Byron Veterans Memorial for the event.
n Waupun Memorial Day Parade — 9 a.m. Participants should line up at St. Joseph Catholic Church parking lot from 8 to 9 a.m.
n Ripon Memorial Day Parade — 9:30 a.m., Village Green, 400 Watson St.
Mass/Services
n Memorial Mass 9 a.m. at Shrine of Rest Mausoleum Chapel, County Trunk K.
n Boy Scout Troop 777 will host a Walking Rosary at Calvary Cemetery, 686 Fond du Lac Ave., at 8:30 a.m. A Catholic Mass will follow at 9 a.m. at the Mausoleum Chapel.
n American Legion Firing Squad from Abler-Engel Post 454 of Mount Calvary: 7 a.m. St Charles Cemetery, 7:30 a.m. St. Peter Cemetery, 8 a.m. St. John Cemetery, 8:30 a.m. Holy Cross Cemetery, 9 a.m. St. Michael Cemetery, 9:30 a.m. St. John Cemetery, 10 a.m. St. Mary’s Cemetery and 10:30 a.m. Town of Forest Cemetery.
n St. Cloud American Legion Post 478: 8:45 a.m. Forest Cemetery/Union Cemetery, 9 a.m. Armstrong Cemetery, 9:30 a.m. Lyons Cemetery, 10 a.m. St. Joe Cemetery, 10:30 a.m. St. Cloud Auxiliary Essay contest readings at St. Cloud Cemetery, service at 11 a.m.
n Bintzler-Waehler Post 347: 8 a.m. St. Andrew, 8:15 a.m. St. Luke, 8:30 a.m. Emanuel Cemetery, 8:45 a.m. Mount Pleasant, 9 a.m. Brownsville, 9:15 a.m. town of Lomira, 9:30 a.m. Byron Veterans Memorial, 10 a.m. Ebenezer, 10:15 a.m. St. Martin, 10:30 a.m. St. John’s, 10:45 a.m. Salem, 11 a.m. St. Mary, 11:15 a.m. S.A.L. Wreath laying at the Lomira Village Pond.
n Miller-Justman-Guelig Post 270 of Theresa: 10 a.m. St. Paul, 10:15 a.m. at St. Peter, 10:30 a.m. Immanuel River Church, 10:45 Zion, 11 Hockheim, 11:30 a.m. at St. Theresa Memorial Gardens, noon at Union Cemetery and concludes with a ceremony at the Bridge in Theresa.
ALLENTOWN, PA: Laicization of Episcopal Priests by Rome Angers Clerics
Three Diocese of Bethlehem priests originally ordained as Roman Catholic clerics will strongly oppose it if contacted by Rome
By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
May 24, 2012
Three former Roman Catholic priests from the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, PA who left the Catholic Church to become Episcopalians, are now married, and are serving as Episcopal priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, have received notice from their former Catholic diocese that their status as Roman Catholic priests is about to change.
The Episcopal Church does not re-ordain converting Catholic priests. The Episcopal Church readily recognizes the validity of Catholic clerical orders and receives the converting Catholic cleric into The Episcopal Church with a specialized service entitled “The Reception of Priestly Orders.”
The Rev. Canon Bill Lewellis, the Rev. Canon Michael Piovane, and the Rev. Donald Schaible II all received notice from the Rev. Monsignor Gerald Gobitas, the Diocese of Allentown’s Secretary for Clergy, that the eastern Pennsylvania Catholic diocese will be appealing to the Vatican for laicization on their behalf. This basically means that within the Roman Catholic Church, they will be reduced to the rank of laity and no longer recognized as priests by the Church of Rome.
All three priests are protesting the Diocese of Allentown’s proposed action which comes on the heels of a 2009 directive by Pope Benedict XVI. The recently enacted new norms allow for a more streamlined process by which Catholic priests, who have left the Catholic fold and become married, can be released from their Catholic priesthood as well as the obligations and disciplines surrounding their Catholic clerical status.
Canon Lewellis became an Episcopalian in 1982. He was originally ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1963. As a Catholic priest, Canon Lewellis became a monsignor and served in the Diocese of Allentown’s chancery as the diocesan director of communications. The former monsignor’s Catholic priesthood was not received into The Episcopal Church until 1999. Now retired, Canon Lewellis continues to use his communication skills for the Diocese of Bethlehem. He has worked with the Episcopal diocese since 1986. He first served as the communication minister, then as the diocesan canon theologian, and now as the continuing editor of the New Spin newsletter and blog.
“Your letter about the Diocese of Allentown’s decision to employ the 2009 Congregation of the Clergy procedure for involuntary laicization came as a surprise. Please know that I do not support the application Bishop (John) Barres has sent or will send to Rome. I will, in fact, strongly oppose it if contacted by Rome,” Canon Lewellis replied to Monsignor Gobitas. “However it may be cast, the end of this involuntary laicization procedure, so long as I do not consent to it, would be a gratuitous penalty, a defrocking of clothes I haven’t worn for 31 years.”
Canon Piovane was also originally ordained as Catholic priest. He became an Episcopalian in 1987 and was received as a priest by Bishop Dyer in 1993. He is currently rector of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Trexlertown. This is a position the Canon has held since 1998.
“I received your letter of March 22, 2012 regarding the decision by the Diocese of Allentown to employ the 2009 Congregation of the Clergy procedures for involuntary laicization. I appreciate your respectful tone in advising about this situation. You have always shown me respect as a priest and as an individual,” Canon Piovane replied to Monsignor Gobitas. “I regret that you are the bearer of this news and as the Secretary for Clergy the person directing the involuntary laicization process within the Diocese of Allentown. From your letter it appears that the Diocese of Allentown intends to proceed with my laicization whether I consent or not. For the record, I have not been advised about the procedural or administrative norms being exercised by the Diocese of Allentown in regard to the involuntary laicization process.”
Fr. Schaible has also been received as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem in 2007. Since 2008 he has been the rector of yoked Episcopal congregations nestled in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania: Trinity Church in Carbondale and Christ Church in Forest City.
“Regarding my priestly ministry within The Episcopal Church there is an important clarification. The Episcopal Church recognizes ordination by the Roman Catholic Church and simply ‘receives’ former Roman Catholic priests in a ceremony far removed from ordination. I was not ‘ordained’ into the priesthood of The Episcopal Church,” Fr. Schaible clarified to Monsignor Gobitas. “My only ordination is that as a Roman Catholic priest on June 3, 1989. I became a member of The Episcopal Church in 2004. I was received as a priest of The Episcopal Church on June 29, 2007.”
The three Episcopal priests are not the only ones concerned about the impact of the Diocese of Allentown’s canonical move. Bethlehem Bishop Marshall wrote his reaction to the impending laicization process of three of his priests on his diocesan website.
“I want to note here that the ordination of these three men was recognized by this church some years ago and their orders were received here. They are priests under the jurisdiction and protection of The Episcopal Church. Please be assured that nothing that might occur in the Roman church effects their identity, status, or work among us. I value each of them highly, as I am sure you know.”
In a joint letter posted on the Diocese of Bethlehem’s website the three priests explained things from their viewpoint. They noted that they all are currently priests in good standing in The Episcopal Church.
In late March each received a similar letter from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown regarding the involuntary laicization action being taken against them. The priests also reiterated that none of them had applied for laicization and that they have their own personal reasons for not pursuing that course of action.
“On occasion, the local bishop could take the initiative to have someone laicized because that person was causing ‘public scandal’ of one kind or another. Often enough, what was named public scandal by the RC hierarchy was not so considered by the public,” the Bethlehem priests explain. “In 2009, a Vatican decree made it possible for – in fact, seemed to encourage – local RC bishops to apply for involuntary laicization for former RC priests without having to jump through hoops.”
The three Episcopal priests feel that involuntary laicization would in effect be a penalty and a defrocking.
“Reading between the lines of the piously worded decree, one recognizes that this gave local bishops a way to efficiently laicize priests accused of sexual abuse,” the three Episcopal priests jointly write. “That seems to have been its primary purpose. Beyond the letters we received from the Diocese of Allentown, we have been hard pressed to discover instances where such applications for involuntary laicization have been applied by other RC dioceses to priests who have not been accused of sexual abuse.”
However the Catholic diocese is quick to point out that it hopes that the Episcopal priests’ continued ministry in The Episcopal Church is fruitful. The diocese maintains that their action has no direct impact on the three priests’ ministry in The Episcopal Church, but that it is rather a matter of resolving the former Catholic priests’ conflict with Catholic Canon Law. This action is being taken on their behalf for their soul’s sake.
When a Catholic priest is ordained he is required by canon law to fulfill the priestly obligations of the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, the pursuit of holiness and to seek perfection, obedience to the Pope and local Catholic bishop, and to remain celibate. These are lifelong commitments that the Catholic priest seals with a solemn promise at his ordination. Once ordained, the Catholic priest is considered to commit sin if he does not fulfill these priestly obligations.
Civilly, when a marriage goes bad, the couple has to be legally divorced before either can remarry someone else. One spouse just cannot walk out of a marriage and get remarried to another person without first legally ending the current marital union. Similarly, monks and nuns, who seek to leave the vowed religious life, must first seek formal release from their solemn religious vows before they can re-enter the world and start a new secular lifestyle. The same holds true for the Catholic priesthood. The Catholic Church has a process by which the priest is temporally released from the spiritual commitment he made to the priesthood.
For whatever reason, when a priest leaves the Catholic Church and walks out of his Catholic priesthood without being formally released from his solemn obligations, commitments and disciplines of his priesthood, he is considered to be in a state of sin. He incurs self-excommunication.
The three Episcopal priests chose not to formally end their priestly commitment to the Catholic Church through the process of laicization. They merely walked away from the Catholic priesthood. However, canonically, in the eyes of the Catholic Church they are still bound to the Catholic priesthood and its multilayered demands. The Diocese of Allentown is pastorally seeking to rectify this and release the Episcopal priests from the obligations of the Catholic priesthood, including the celibacy rule.
The new 2009 laicization procedure allows for the Congregation for Clergy to use expanded powers to dismiss men from the priesthood and release them from the obligation of celibacy. This includes Catholic priests who are living with women, priests who have abandoned their Catholic priestly ministry for more than five years, or priests who have engaged in seriously scandalous behavior.
Canon Lewellis, Canon Piovane, and Fr. Schaible have not been practicing Catholic priests for more than five years. The Catholic Church believes that they have abandoned their Catholic priestly ministry. Each priest is now married and living with his wife thus he is no longer fulfilling his commitment to priestly celibacy. However, the Episcopal priests are not guilty of serious criminal and scandalous behavior. This clause does not apply to them.
By being laicized in the Catholic Church, the Episcopal priests would be relieved of the canonical and spiritual responsibilities of the Catholic priesthood. They would have the rights of any baptized layman to live out their faith without the binding obligations of the Catholic priesthood. However, they cannot ever again celebrate a Catholic Mass or any other Catholic Sacraments, wear Catholic clerical garb, or be recognized as a Catholic priest. If they ever returned to the Catholic Church, even through the Anglican Ordinariate, they would not be able to recoup the sacerdotal ministry of their Catholic priesthood.
The Catholic Church is not denying the validity of its priesthood. It recognizes that a priest is a priest forever and the mark of the priesthood is imprinted on the priest’s soul for all eternity. What the Diocese of Allentown is trying to do is release their former Catholic priests from continued Catholic spiritual obligations thus allowing them to continue their priestly ministry in The Episcopal Church unabated.
“The three individuals are former Catholic priests, who years ago voluntarily ended their ministry and service to the Catholic Church. They have since become members and ministers of The Episcopal Church,” explained Matt Kerr the Diocese of Allentown’s director of communications, a post once held by Canon Lewellis. “The three were ordained Catholic priests by a Bishop of Allentown, for the Diocese of Allentown, in the Diocese of Allentown and that’s where they served.”
“Since they no longer serve as Catholic priests, the Diocese of Allentown has requested of the Holy See that they no longer be considered Catholic priests,” Kerr e-mailed VOL. “This will have no impact on their continuing service and ministry in The Episcopal Church.”
Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.
If being human means circumventing that crash by choosing to scale back before we reach the point of no return, then I’m happy to draw the line between humans and “beasts”.
Unfortunately, biology also tells us that this will never happen. Despite the optimistic claims that many make, it is impossible for a species to control it’s own destiny in such a manner, since it would require unanimity. A simple majority wouldn’t work.
I know there are many that think such a view is simply pessimistic, but this is a fundamental principle in biology. Those that reproduce the most and the fastest will win. It’s that simple.
So, if we imagine even a small percentage of people that don’t wish to curtail the birth rate [pick any number you like], and they in turn reproduce as long as they can, instilling that same view in their children [if there's a genetic component to it, then even their "view" doesn't matter]. Then at some point [depending on how many and how much time], that view will eventually prevail over those that seek to control the population. People that don’t have children now or that reduce the number of children are slowing down the rate of growth, but they are also ensuring that they will have fewer representatives in the future.
When this is coupled with our divorce rate, which tends to raise the number of children produced beyond replacement rates, then we can see that it isn’t likely that we’ll ever achieve the unanimity required to avoid a future “crash”. As a result, the only way humans will ever bring their growth under control is through “logic” or reasoning and people voluntarily suppressing their individual desires in favor of humanity-at-large.
Good luck with that.
It’s the same thing with concepts like “stewardship”. It literally doesn’t matter what we do. A quick thought experiment.
Imagine having guests in a mansion and each accepts responsibility for keeping the place in order. At first this works out fairly well, with a few little problems, but everything is in pretty good shape. Now keep increasing the number of guests until they reach a thousand, and then a million, etc. How many guests will it take, before the mansion is trashed, no matter how conscientious they are about taking care of it? In other words, at what point does the place get trashed, simply because they are there?
Again, this is a lesson straight from biology. Why do we have an oxygen atmosphere? It’s because the original microbes “trashed” the place and left oxygen as a waste product. While this certainly was a boon to other organisms and accelerated their development, it did little for the original inhabitants. That’s the problem. Just like our existence and cities can be a boon to many organisms, in the end, it doesn’t really do us any good.
Church officials said that half of the land belonging to the Catholic Church in Taichung’s Nantun District (南屯) has been requisitioned due to land consolidation.
Khohi Mbwi (高福南), a priest from the Democratic Republic of Congo, asked local media why the government has requisitioned half of the church’s land and then asked them to buy it back for NT$28,000,000.
The move was driven by discrimination against religions, according to the diocese, which said that it will celebrate a Mass near the government hall on May 26 to demand justice.
Mbwi said yesterday that Catholics fight not only for the church in Nantun but for all people whose rights were violated by Taichung’s urban renewal plan.
The church has reported the case to the Agency Against Corruption (AAC, 廉政署), charging the Taichung City Government for illegal land consolidation and for the neglect of duty.
Mbwi said the church will also organize a group of lawyers to examine the laws of land requisition and to collect many unjust cases of city renewal, which will be announced in the Catholic Mass on June 26.
The vice bishop in Catholic Taichung Diocese, Hsu Shih-chao (徐世昭), said that the process of land requisition is too crude, calling the process unfair because sometimes the law yields to religious groups that have a prejudice against the Catholic Church.
Sheriff Al Cannon said a Catholic jail chaplains ouster because of the use of wine during Mass is a non-issue, but he said the priest would remain outside the facilitys walls because of a disconnect with administrators.
Cannon also said during a media briefing that 1 ounce of wine for priests use would be allowed but that the Sheriffs Office would consider whether to make that a permanent policy.
Monsignor Ed Lofton was booted from the jail after refusing to stop bringing wine into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center. Lofton claimed that he used only 1 ounce for himself.
But Cannon said today that jail administrators were under the impression that Lofton wanted to give wine to the inmates.
Chief Deputy Mitch Lucas thought that Lofton had never used even small amount of wine, he told The Post and Courier, even though Lofton had been celebrating the Eucharist at the jail for about 15 years.
Lofton added that several chaplains have had difficulties using other needed items for Mass, such as a chalice. The issues arose late last year, but Lofton was allowed to continue using wine until this week, he said.
The jails administrator said wine has never been allowed at the facility.
Lofton, who leads St. Theresa the Little Flower Catholic Church in Summerville, served as a reserve police officer before joining the priesthood as a second calling. He regards the prison ministry as a vital part of his mission.
He also worked as a chaplain at the North Charleston Police Department, when Cannon was chief of the agency.
Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or twitter.com/offlede.
From Staff Reports
May 23, 2012 4:10PM
Volunteers Dolores Koon, left, of Elgin, Ill., and Cathy Story, right, of Sleepy Hollow, Ill., place flags on the graves of veterans at River Valley Memorial Gardens in West Dundee, Ill., on Friday, May 27, 2011. | Andrew A. Nelles~For Sun-Times Media |
Updated: May 23, 2012 4:10PM
Monday is Memorial Day — the national holiday dedicated to the memory of those who died in military service to America and for defending the cause of freedom around the world.
Area communities will observe the occasion with a variety of solemn ceremonies beginning Friday with the placing of flags at River Valley Memorial Gardens in West Dundee.
In addition to the pageantry and ceremonies, there also will be the 35th annual Fox Trot through downtown Elgin — this time on a new day: Saturday. Here is a listing of the weekend highlights:
Elgin
The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, in cooperation with the city of Elgin, will sponsor a variety of programs for Memorial Day on Monday. The schedule is:
8:45 a.m., Mount Hope Cemetery — At Mount Hope Cemetery, 1001 Villa St., there will be a Catholic Mass along with a combined color guard, rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
9:15 a.m., Lakewood Memorial Park — A service to honor those buried at Lakewood Memorial Park, located at 30W730 Route 20, will be held at the cemetery’s Garden of Honor and include a combined color guard. The observance will conclude with a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
9:45 a.m., Veterans Memorial Park — A program to honor those who lost their lives at sea will include an address by former Navy fighter pilot and retired commercial pilot Dale Dopkins. The program will include the Elgin Choral Union and conclude with the strewing of flowers into the Fox River, a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.” The Veterans Memorial Park is located adjacent to the Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N. Grove Ave.
11 a.m., Bluff City Cemetery — 945 Bluff City Blvd. — An Elgin tradition since 1868, this year’s program will be dedicated to all returning veterans and recognize the 180th anniversary of General Winfield Scott’s march through the area during the time of the Blackhawk War. Special tribute will be paid to two soldiers from that conflict who are buried near the Fox River in the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve south of the city.
The program will feature an address by Elgin historian Bill Briska and music by the Elgin Choral Union and the Larkin High School band. Local students will continue the long-held tradition of reading Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and General John Logan’s Orders, which established Memorial Day.
Officials say the most solemn moment of the morning will be the laying of organizational wreaths at the Grand Army of the Republic memorial — an observance akin to the laying of the wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington, D.C.
Activities will conclude with the roll call of deceased veterans, a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
Following the program, Civil War historian Ken Gough will be on hand to help anyone desiring to know more about any of the Civil War-era graves in the cemetery.
Again this year: A free shuttle bus will pick up riders at the main gate and east gate before and after the service for transportation to and from the ceremony area.
Residents are encouraged to visit local cemeteries during the Memorial Day period. At Bluff City Cemetery, more than 500 flags honoring local veterans line the streets as part of the award winning “Avenue of Flags.” There are also more than 2,500 smaller flags flying over veterans’ graves placed by local volunteers as part of the “Adopt a Cemetery” program.
For further information and directions, visit www.elginmemorialday.org.
East, West Dundee
The 2012 Memorial Day Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in East and West Dundee. The parade route will begin at Immanuel Lutheran Church along Route 72 and proceed into West Dundee to end at Grafelman Park. Anyone interested in participating in the parade is asked to call Ken Andresen from the VFW at 847-649-8233. Appreciation is expressed to all those involved at the VFW Post 2298 for their continued support of this annual parade.
West Dundee
There will be a Memorial Day service at 11:30 a.m. Monday at River Valley Memorial Gardens, Route 31 in West Dundee (just north of Alexander’s Restaurant).
The schedule includes:
Spiritual address will be given by the Rev. Aaron James of First Congregational Church of West Dundee.
Dundee Tri-Cities VFW Post 2298 and Auxiliary will participate in this half-hour service honoring more than 964 veterans buried here at River Valley Memorial Gardens.
Soloist is Kathy Clifford.
Lt. Col. Ernest Gross (retired), a volunteer bugler with Bugles Across America, will participate with the National Anthem and “Taps.”
Josh Cunningham, bagpiper with the Dundee Marching Scotts-Piper Band, will perform.
Note: Flag placement on 964 veteran graves will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at River Valley Memorial Gardens by cemetery staff and volunteers.
St. Charles
Official ceremonies and a parade will take place Monoday on Memorial Day. Events include participation in demonstrating respect and love for the nation to Gold Star Families (those who have lost a family member serving our country), veterans still living, and to families and friends is an appropriate way to honor those who offered and given their lives. All veterans and residents are welcome to participate in several activities planned in St. Charles:
Flag Raising — 6 a.m.: at Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St.
Cemetery ceremonies — 6:30 a.m.: Boy Scouts from Troop 1 will place flags on the gravesites of our veterans at each of the cemeteries in St. Charles. The cemetery ceremonies also include an honor guard, firing squad and posting of colors. The cemetery ceremonies will begin at the
South Cemetery (east side of 7th Ave., north of Madison), then continue on to the
North Cemetery (west side of Route 25/5th Ave, north of Johnor Avenue), and then conclude at the
Union Cemetery (east side of Route 25/5th Ave., north of Stonehedge Road).
Parade — 10 a.m.: The parade steps off at 6th Street and Main Street, and continues to Riverside Avenue.
Memorial ceremony event — 10:30 a.m.: A special memorial ceremony at the Freedom Shrine will immediately follow the parade. It will take place along the river, west of the St. Charles Police Department, 211 N. Riverside Ave. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside St. Charles Fire Station 1, at 112 N. Riverside Ave.
For more information, call Mark Powell, VFW officer, at 630-587-6444. Also, donations to support Memorial Day activities can be made out to VFW Post 5036 and sent to Mark Powell, 202 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174.
Elgin Fox Trot
Each year, Memorial Day Weekend represents the kick-off to summer, celebrating with a weekend of activities for the whole family. This year marks the 35th Anniversary year of the Elgin Valley Fox Trot, a milestone that will be celebrated with special after-party activities and new opportunities for the entire community to be involved, plus several opportunities to commemorate Memorial Day at patriotic ceremonies and services on Memorial Day.
This year, the race has been moved to Saturday. The 10-mile race kicks off at 7:30 a.m., and the 5K race begins at 7:40 a.m. The start/finish line is in the Center City area, at Kimball Street and Douglas Avenue. Maps of the race route are available on the Fox Trot website: www.cityofelgin.org/foxtrot.
For those who are not interested in running, “Walk for a Cause” invites everyone who is able to join them in walking this two-mile fun walk and support any of the 18 participating charities. The two-mile fun walk kicks off at 7:50 a.m. at the start/finish Line at Kimball and Douglas.
Registration for all races is available the day of the race in The Centre Fieldhouse, from 6 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. A complete list of participating charities is located on the website www.cityofelgin.org/foxtrot.
For race enthusiasts and family members waiting at the start/finish line, there will be a festival area that includes live music, kids activities, food and a beer tent.
From Staff Reports
May 23, 2012 4:10PM
Volunteers Dolores Koon, left, of Elgin, Ill., and Cathy Story, right, of Sleepy Hollow, Ill., place flags on the graves of veterans at River Valley Memorial Gardens in West Dundee, Ill., on Friday, May 27, 2011. | Andrew A. Nelles~For Sun-Times Media |
Updated: May 23, 2012 4:10PM
Monday is Memorial Day — the national holiday dedicated to the memory of those who died in military service to America and for defending the cause of freedom around the world.
Area communities will observe the occasion with a variety of solemn ceremonies beginning Friday with the placing of flags at River Valley Memorial Gardens in West Dundee.
In addition to the pageantry and ceremonies, there also will be the 35th annual Fox Trot through downtown Elgin — this time on a new day: Saturday. Here is a listing of the weekend highlights:
Elgin
The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, in cooperation with the city of Elgin, will sponsor a variety of programs for Memorial Day on Monday. The schedule is:
8:45 a.m., Mount Hope Cemetery — At Mount Hope Cemetery, 1001 Villa St., there will be a Catholic Mass along with a combined color guard, rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
9:15 a.m., Lakewood Memorial Park — A service to honor those buried at Lakewood Memorial Park, located at 30W730 Route 20, will be held at the cemetery’s Garden of Honor and include a combined color guard. The observance will conclude with a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
9:45 a.m., Veterans Memorial Park — A program to honor those who lost their lives at sea will include an address by former Navy fighter pilot and retired commercial pilot Dale Dopkins. The program will include the Elgin Choral Union and conclude with the strewing of flowers into the Fox River, a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.” The Veterans Memorial Park is located adjacent to the Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N. Grove Ave.
11 a.m., Bluff City Cemetery — 945 Bluff City Blvd. — An Elgin tradition since 1868, this year’s program will be dedicated to all returning veterans and recognize the 180th anniversary of General Winfield Scott’s march through the area during the time of the Blackhawk War. Special tribute will be paid to two soldiers from that conflict who are buried near the Fox River in the Jon Duerr Forest Preserve south of the city.
The program will feature an address by Elgin historian Bill Briska and music by the Elgin Choral Union and the Larkin High School band. Local students will continue the long-held tradition of reading Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and General John Logan’s Orders, which established Memorial Day.
Officials say the most solemn moment of the morning will be the laying of organizational wreaths at the Grand Army of the Republic memorial — an observance akin to the laying of the wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington, D.C.
Activities will conclude with the roll call of deceased veterans, a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
Following the program, Civil War historian Ken Gough will be on hand to help anyone desiring to know more about any of the Civil War-era graves in the cemetery.
Again this year: A free shuttle bus will pick up riders at the main gate and east gate before and after the service for transportation to and from the ceremony area.
Residents are encouraged to visit local cemeteries during the Memorial Day period. At Bluff City Cemetery, more than 500 flags honoring local veterans line the streets as part of the award winning “Avenue of Flags.” There are also more than 2,500 smaller flags flying over veterans’ graves placed by local volunteers as part of the “Adopt a Cemetery” program.
For further information and directions, visit www.elginmemorialday.org.
East, West Dundee
The 2012 Memorial Day Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in East and West Dundee. The parade route will begin at Immanuel Lutheran Church along Route 72 and proceed into West Dundee to end at Grafelman Park. Anyone interested in participating in the parade is asked to call Ken Andresen from the VFW at 847-649-8233. Appreciation is expressed to all those involved at the VFW Post 2298 for their continued support of this annual parade.
West Dundee
There will be a Memorial Day service at 11:30 a.m. Monday at River Valley Memorial Gardens, Route 31 in West Dundee (just north of Alexander’s Restaurant).
The schedule includes:
Spiritual address will be given by the Rev. Aaron James of First Congregational Church of West Dundee.
Dundee Tri-Cities VFW Post 2298 and Auxiliary will participate in this half-hour service honoring more than 964 veterans buried here at River Valley Memorial Gardens.
Soloist is Kathy Clifford.
Lt. Col. Ernest Gross (retired), a volunteer bugler with Bugles Across America, will participate with the National Anthem and “Taps.”
Josh Cunningham, bagpiper with the Dundee Marching Scotts-Piper Band, will perform.
Note: Flag placement on 964 veteran graves will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at River Valley Memorial Gardens by cemetery staff and volunteers.
St. Charles
Official ceremonies and a parade will take place Monoday on Memorial Day. Events include participation in demonstrating respect and love for the nation to Gold Star Families (those who have lost a family member serving our country), veterans still living, and to families and friends is an appropriate way to honor those who offered and given their lives. All veterans and residents are welcome to participate in several activities planned in St. Charles:
Flag Raising — 6 a.m.: at Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St.
Cemetery ceremonies — 6:30 a.m.: Boy Scouts from Troop 1 will place flags on the gravesites of our veterans at each of the cemeteries in St. Charles. The cemetery ceremonies also include an honor guard, firing squad and posting of colors. The cemetery ceremonies will begin at the
South Cemetery (east side of 7th Ave., north of Madison), then continue on to the
North Cemetery (west side of Route 25/5th Ave, north of Johnor Avenue), and then conclude at the
Union Cemetery (east side of Route 25/5th Ave., north of Stonehedge Road).
Parade — 10 a.m.: The parade steps off at 6th Street and Main Street, and continues to Riverside Avenue.
Memorial ceremony event — 10:30 a.m.: A special memorial ceremony at the Freedom Shrine will immediately follow the parade. It will take place along the river, west of the St. Charles Police Department, 211 N. Riverside Ave. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside St. Charles Fire Station 1, at 112 N. Riverside Ave.
For more information, call Mark Powell, VFW officer, at 630-587-6444. Also, donations to support Memorial Day activities can be made out to VFW Post 5036 and sent to Mark Powell, 202 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174.
Elgin Fox Trot
Each year, Memorial Day Weekend represents the kick-off to summer, celebrating with a weekend of activities for the whole family. This year marks the 35th Anniversary year of the Elgin Valley Fox Trot, a milestone that will be celebrated with special after-party activities and new opportunities for the entire community to be involved, plus several opportunities to commemorate Memorial Day at patriotic ceremonies and services on Memorial Day.
This year, the race has been moved to Saturday. The 10-mile race kicks off at 7:30 a.m., and the 5K race begins at 7:40 a.m. The start/finish line is in the Center City area, at Kimball Street and Douglas Avenue. Maps of the race route are available on the Fox Trot website: www.cityofelgin.org/foxtrot.
For those who are not interested in running, “Walk for a Cause” invites everyone who is able to join them in walking this two-mile fun walk and support any of the 18 participating charities. The two-mile fun walk kicks off at 7:50 a.m. at the start/finish Line at Kimball and Douglas.
Registration for all races is available the day of the race in The Centre Fieldhouse, from 6 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. A complete list of participating charities is located on the website www.cityofelgin.org/foxtrot.
For race enthusiasts and family members waiting at the start/finish line, there will be a festival area that includes live music, kids activities, food and a beer tent.
Groton— A Catholic priest who provides services to the Catholic community at the Naval Submarine Base gave the chaplain’s office at the base 12 donated prayer books for the lay leaders serving on submarines.
“This will provide the lay leaders with the materials to be able to pray in union with the entire Catholic community on Sundays during their deployments,” said Rev. Tom Hoar, who celebrates Catholic Mass on Sundays and holy days at the submarine base.
The Father Murphy Council of the Knights of Columbus of Mystic gave the books to Hoar. Lay leaders on board a submarine provide religious services, in the absence of a chaplain, for their particular faith group.
“This gift is a wonderful demonstration of giving and speaks to the strong bonds between our Navy and local community,” said Lt. Shaun Kennedy, Naval Submarine Support Center New London. “It also demonstrates their ongoing support for the spiritual lives and needs of the submariners during their deployments.”
