Reducing the Distractions

Dear Friends:

Happy Fathers’ Day! On this special Sunday, I pray that my father, affectionately known as Monk, and all our fathers feel honored for all their years and sacrifices for leading their family. I also hope that on every other day of the year, you, our fathers, feel how truly loved you are!

Perhaps it is fitting that on this special day for dads, as we continue our series on how to revitalize our church, we take a deeper look at how we can better worship our “Dad in heaven,” God our Father - not only in words of praise, but with our lives.

Now Saint, then Pope, John XXIII was elected in 1958. His favorite title was “Servant of the Servants of God.” The story is told about him that at bedtime, in a childlike manner, he put his trust in God and would say, “I’ve done my best I could in your service this day, Oh Lord. I’m going to bed. It’s your church. Take care of it!”

As churches across the Western world wither, it’s that careful balance of “doing the best we could in God’s service” and then “trusting the rest to the Lord” that is the perfect formula to revitalize our Church - one that embodies the vision of making disciples of Christ. Making disciples begs the questions:

• What would it take to find an honest and humble way, where all people are nurtured by God’s sacramental grace that would empower each person to live every day as Church?

• How could we be better grounded in God’s expansive love so as to generously serve others, especially the poor and most vulnerable?

• What would it take to carry the liturgy outside the walls of St Teresa of Avila and teach our faith not only by our words but with our actions and daily example?

• What would our lives be like if we were to discover that in feeding others, we ourselves are fed?

Jesus declared, “I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18). No matter how this passage is interpreted, it speaks of a church that the gates of hell shall not prevail against and could never be destroyed. But, echoing the words of the beloved Saint John XXIII, we have to do our part, only only in working to build up the Church, but also ensuring not to destroy it!

Over the 2,000 years of our Church’s history, the mission has grown to include many things. The Catholic Church has been the sponsor of hospitals, nursing home, schools, universities, orphanages, dispensaries and so many other institutions that have cared for and assisted people. And although some recent revelations report that there have been some errors, even serious ones, for the most part the Church has cared for, assisted and loved people in all parts of the world.

The same can be said of our parish. For our more than 150-year history, St Teresa of Avila has stood proudly here in this community to celebrate the sacraments, educate children, feed the hungry, console the anxious, bury the dead and so on. But it goes without saying that the way we do what we do today is so different than at any other point in our history. All the circumstances of our current reality - staffing, engagement, finances, enthusiasm, etc all shape the kind of parish we have become - and there’s no turning back. We cannot, and should not, try to recreate the past.

We cannot do everything. The time has come to reduce the distractions, removing things that take us away from our mission. While this can be seen as a painful process, especially with the elimination even of good things, we need to focus on advancing our mission by participating in the most important things. Every parish has things we like, and people who like them, but in order to survive here and now, some programs, ministries and practices will have to be eliminated or reconfigured. Our time under quarantine has given us good opportunity and training for adaptation.

There is no doubt everyone has their pet project or ministry that they are willing to champion, protect and defend. However, the time has come to ask the hard questions for everything we do, “how does this help advance our vision to make disciples for Christ?” This question needs to be asked not only for this generation but in preparing for our unknown future. Exercising prayerful wisdom and discernment, we will begin the examination of our schedules, ministries, and opportunities to see what is really necessary going forward.

Today’s Catholic planners remind us that “programs were made for man/woman, not woman/man for programs.” Our goal here at St Teresa of Avila is to offer our parishioners the best worship, the most essential ministries, informative and creative education for children and adults, and meaningful service opportunities. The end result is always about people having an opportunity to encounter and become more like Jesus.

Despite the newness, and perhaps even the uncomfortableness, I hope you will join and support us as we re-configure our parish. I have every confidence that the best is yet to come!

Blessings!

Father Bob

Identifying the Essentials

Dear Friends:

Today our Church celebrates the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, for those who prefer the Latin! It’s a day to remember our Catholic teaching that Jesus appears to us in the species of bread and wine, actually giving the world his own body and blood as real food for our spiritual journey. This core teaching sets us apart from many other Christian denominations who teach that the elements merely “represent” or “symbolize” Jesus but are not actually his own body and blood.

In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that:

“The Most Blessed Eucharist contains the entire spiritual boon of the Church, that is, Christ himself, our Pasch and Living Bread, by the action of the Holy Spirit through his very flesh vital and vitalizing, giving life to men (and women) who are thus invited and encouraged to offer themselves, their labors and all created things, together with him.”

Because the Eucharist shows itself as the source and summit of the whole work of preaching the Gospel, means that we cannot believe anything else more central than that. Belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is essential for all Catholics, despite perhaps not fully understanding or being able to adequately explain the mystery.

As we continue in our series on how we revitalize and re-open our parish, this week we find ourselves at discussion point #2: Identifying the Essentials.

I’m guessing that a bit of context and some recent history may help. For many of our parishioners who participated in the life of the parish in 1962-1965, the years of Vatican II, you will remember this parish (as most parishes) engaged only with a few things: sacred ministers, sacraments, schools and some service. Priests, religious brothers, and religious sisters directed and organized the model - and surely not all as equal partners.

The role and responsibility of the parishioner was often referred to simply (and unfortunately) as pray, pay and obey! A certain English Monsignor of the 19th century quipped with regard to the laity, “to hunt, to short, to entertain - these matters they understand, but to meddle with ecclesiastical matters they have no right at all?” Time has shown how wrong he was!

Looking deeper, before the Council laity were passive spectators in the liturgy, often praying devotional prayers while they were “hearing” Mass since the readings were in Latin. Of course, lay ushers collected and counted the money, and often the choir and its director were lay. As for the apostolic life of the church, laity were involved in charitable works of mercy through such groups as the Knights of Columbus and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. However, teaching of the faith was predominantly the role of the priests and the sisters.

Then along came the Vatican Council when Saint, then Pope John XXIII “opened wide the windows of the Church” ushering in a more expansive vision and a more inclusionary model - one where leadership and direction was opened to and encouraged of lay people too! Over a three-years period more than 2,000 bishops from all over the world, assisted by thousands of advisors, issued 16 landmark documents. While no new dogma as issued, the council transformed the church from an exclusive to an inclusive institution.

We live now as Catholics in 2020, days that have been marked for human history as challenged by the world-wide scourge of COVID-19 and more recently by protests and movements against racism. Additionally, we continue to suffer from a serious decline in Church attendance. One study shows that from 2014 to 2017, an average of 39% of Catholics reported attending church in the past seven days. This is down from an average of 45% from 2005 to 2008 and represents a steep decline from 75% in 1955. (Https://news.gallup.com/poll/232226/church-attendance-among-catholics-resumes-downward-slide.aspx)

In this context we need to ask some important questions:

• How do we identify the essentials?

• How do we see and respond to the signs of the times?

• How do we work together, each with our unique gifts, to make disciples of Jesus?

While my thoughts are still forming, and I welcome your thoughts, I would submit the following are essentials for us:

1. Proper celebration of the sacraments - with the Eucharist being pre-eminent.

2. Generous service - especially to benefit the poor and most vulnerable.

3. Re-igniting growth in understanding and teaching our Catholic Faith.

4. Celebrating the dignity and worth of all human life.

Authors, including James Mallon, have written that we are at the end of Christendom suggesting that what we have no longer reflects the reality around us. What we have is designed to reach a world that no longer exists. To be successful, and quite frankly to survive, we will need to move our parish model from maintenance to mission, focusing better and more generously on what we can do for all people, especially those people who are on the fringe, who have walked, or run away from our Church.

Success will not be achievable by circling the wagons, getting defensive, or bemoaning our new reality. These times give us new opportunities to embrace our mission with a new vitality. As mission will drive our structure, we will have to take a hard look at all our resources and how we use them. Our current reality will force us to make difficult decisions.

With your help, I know that we can bold do what needs to be done. With your support, I know that we can re-open and re-invigorate our parish not just from the closure caused by the pandemic, but to advance our vision, to make disciples of Jesus. The pruning may hurt, but new life is not possible without it.

I hope you will join us on this exciting journey - re-committing to being engaged members who are enthusiastic and excited about being a part of the mission of Jesus. Future generations are counting on you! I’m counting on you - but more importantly, so is the Lord!

Blessings!

Father Bob

Adopting a New Mindset

Dear Friends:

As I write this, our staff is beginning to ready our parish for the re-starting of public Masses that can again be attended by people. As I have noted a number of times already, we will surely all have to adopt a new mindset - our world, our community, our Church, our parish - even our very selves have been forever changed by the pandemic and things will not be the same. As your pastor, with your assistance and cooperation, I will have to exercise adaptive leadership so that we can continue to fulfill our mission of making disciples for Christ in these coming days.

Given the "new normal" of face masks, social distancing, as well as greater awareness and exercise of hand-washing, sanitizing and disinfecting, as a Church we will have to adapt what we do in order to continue to advance our mission with hope.

Before moving forward, however, it's always important to look back and first measure how one has done. I hope that you have had the chance to participate in the parish survey - the results of which are printed in the June 7, 2020 bulletin. What follows below is a sampling of the 66 comments that were offered by some of our parishioners. We take them all seriously. We are grateful for the positive comments and assure those who offered constructive suggestions, that we will consider and study them.

Here are some of the comments offered:

• Thank you for your creative commitment.

• I didn't realize there were youth ministry zooms so more communication on that would have been helpful.

• Thank you for helping us stay connected to our faith during this time!

• Would like to the Church to be open for Mass.

• I especially love Kristen's music and Father Bob's family Masses. Thank you for helping my family and providing us with the gift of faith and connection to the community and the Church during this challenging time.

• Thanks for your great support.

• I've found the 9AM Mass wonderful (despite my having grown children!) - they've been so full of life and joy they've made my week - thinking about each homily and hearing "Sing Alleluia Sing" in my head has been such a help in these trying times.

• I'm grateful you continued the Loaves & Fishes ministry, but wish volunteers had been allowed to continue helping...

• I was blown away when I received a phone call from St Teresa's looking to see how my family was doing and if we needed any help. I was sincerely and deeply touched to tears, and it deepened my commitment to my faith. Thank you!

• The website isn't as intuitive as I thought it would be. A little challenging to update my weekly donation.

• When it was possible, having the Church open for prayers with mask and social distancing with a monitor - has been so important for my elder parents. Thx so much!

• I think the parish and staff have done an exceptional job during the pandemic keeping the community together.

• At the beginning, especially, when there was panic and I felt alone, I found the online Mass to be of great comfort ...especially when I knew there were a number of others watching at the same time. The personal calls you made (I received one from Angela) did NOT feel like it was something the caller had to do...it felt genuine and I felt that I DID have somewhere to call if I needed. Thank you to you all for being there.

• Enjoyed Angela's article so very much. Wanted her to know! Thanks!

• Missed being present IN Church...look forward to returning!

• I initiated online giving prior to the crisis and I'm glad I did. I appreciate the emails and ability to participate in a livestream Mass. Thank you!

• I think you all have done a fabulous job at this difficult time. My heartfelt thanks for your outstanding work.

• I am very disappointed with the change in the Mass schedule before the pandemic. I prefer the 5:30 in the main Church with music. I am still a parish member however I have been attending St Rose of Lima in Short Hills.

• Keep up the strong faith work during these challenging times. Thank you.

• Recommend Sunday Mass streaming be permanent so people can attend Mass when they are unable to leave their homes.

• I was extremely pleased with the way the parish had a plan in place and communicated that plan with us. Once Mass started up again, I feel confident and safe to go into the Church because of how serious you have reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic! Thank you!

• Can we learn how many parishioners died during shutdown period and have a special Mass for them and for those who are ill and have hardship as a result of this time.

• Let's reopen for Mass!

• You have been excellent!

• Fr Bob, you and your staff have been wonderful. Once we had someone shop for us. Thank you.

• Homilies are too long on Sun (too verbose - be short and to the point), and I'd rather the Gloria not be sung.

• We need socially distant baptism services for babies born right before and during this pandemic.

• I think the parish has been doing a great job.

• Great job under trying conditions! Thanks to Father Bob for his leadership and the staff dedication!

Next week we will outline the new guidelines for worship mandated by the Archdiocese. In addition to promoting the protection and safety of all, they will also allow us to identify the essentials so that together we can re-open and re-build our parish to practice our Catholic faith.

Blessings!

Fr Bob