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Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:22)
Today, a most beautiful DC day, with great joy and fanfare the Church ordained Father Joseph Augustine DiNoia, O.P., 66, a bishop. The setting was the beautiful Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The drama of the Liturgy couldn't come together in your theological imagination better than when you read the words in dome over the sanctuary which reads, in part: "Jesus has pored forth His Spirit you see and hear." Right, the Lord poured forth his Spirit upon Father Augustine ordaining him a bishop.
He was appointed by the Holy Father the titular archbishop of Oregon City. Even more to the point, he's the archbishop secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; this office is part of the Roman Curia so Archbishop DiNoia works for the Pope.
William Cardinal Levada was the consecrating prelate with the assistance of Archbishop Thomas Cajetan Kelly, OP and Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl. Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera was supposed to be here but he forgot his passport at home and didn't have time to run back to the Vatican to get it and make the flight. Easily 250 priests and a handful of bishops including three other cardinals.
The image to the right is of Fra Angelico's Coronation of the Virgin (at the Convent of San Marco) was used for the invitation, worship aid and remembrance card. Talk about theology and Liturgy!
When the Papal Bull was read by the Dominican Provincial Father Dominic Izzo you heard the Pope say of DiNoia: you are a beloved son, suitable for the office of bishop because you manifest gifts of mind and heart, piety, diligence, experience and prudence; you are now asked by the Church to use these gifts for the up-building of the Church through the work of Liturgy and the sacraments.
In the context of the Eucharist, family, friends, colleagues (past and present) and others who thought it best to attend, gathered to pray for the Spirit to come down upon Father Augustine so that he receive the gift of the fullness of Order, i.e., a bishop. We were reminded by Cardinal Levada that following ancient belief and practice the mission given to the apostles through Holy Spirit and imposition of hands the Tradition is preserved until today. The action of the Holy Spirit and the Church Father Augustine was conformed to the three-fold work of Christ as teacher, shepherd and priest not for himself but to join with Saint Peter and the apostles, Pope Benedict and the entire college of bishops in communion with the pope. Therefore, the doctrine is that a real "communio" exists with Augustine and the Pope and with every bishop in the world. So our Catholic belief here is that Father Augustine lives as Christ's vicar because of his episcopal character having particular care and solicitude for all the Church.
The notion of episcopal solicitude means that a bishop builds up the body of Christ not only at the local level but worldwide. How is this done? Going back to the point of calling on the Spirit to come down upon the person to be ordained and the anointing with oil. Delving deeper into this dramatic Liturgy we notice that the Church invokes the Trinity, the saints and angles to come upon Father Augustine who abandons himself to Christ in humility in an act of humility seen in his prostration before the altar. Moments later the cardinal imposed hands (with the other bishops) and poured oil on the head and gave the visible ornaments of the bishop's office (ring, mitre and crosier). Capping the ritual off was the seating of the bishop and the sign of peace. BUT, I think we need to reflect on the cardinal's words when said we are all to look to the "destiny of divine embrace" as all of heaven gazes down upon Augustine. Here we realize the promises of Christ. And to that, the saints and angels lift Augustine's gaze heavenward while the Trinity gives the grace to preach the gospel with constancy and faithfully.
Cardinal Levada reminded us of the tall order DiNoia was called to: to live and teach Gospel in truth. As a point in history he renews his commitment to the truth of Gospel. Remember: truth is not a thing but a Person. Truth, you will recall, makes us free for the service of Christ oriented toward the liberation of the world.
A nice point of continuity with Dominican history is that Archbishop DiNoia used the crosier of Father Benedict Edward Fenwick, OP, founder of the Dominican Province of Saint Joseph and bishop of Cincinnati. Other points of continuity were the presence of the archbishop's chaplains Dominican Fathers Gabriel B. O'Donnell (JAD's ordination classmate & my spiritual father) and Romanus Cessario. One can't overlook all of the Dominican family and friends who travelled long distances to support him.
Archbishop DiNoia's episcopal motto is In Oboedientia Veritatis. The explanation given comes from a papal homily:
"A beautiful phrase from the First Letter of St. Peter springs to my mind. It is from verse 22 of the first chapter. The Latin goes like this: 'Castificantes animas nostras in oboedentia veritatis.' Obedience to truth must 'purify' our souls and thus guide us to upright speech and upright action. In other words, speaking in hope of being applauded, governed by what people want to hear out of obedience to the dictatorship of current opinion, is considered to be a sort of prostitution: of words and of the soul. The 'purity' to which the Apostle Peter is referring means not submitting to these standards, not seeking applause, but, rather, seeking obedience to the truth...This is the fundamental virtue for the theologian, this discipline of obedience to the truth; it makes us, although it may be hard, collaborators of the truth, mouthpieces of the truth. For it is not we who speak in today's river of words, but it is the truth which speaks in us, who are really purified and made chaste by obedience to the truth. So it is that we can truly be harbingers of the truth." (Pope Benedict XVI, Redemptoris Mater Chapel, Apostolic Palace)
Finally, the whole ecclesial event was a wonderful grace for Archbishop DiNoia and in that my own friendships were renewed by seeing so many very friends, plus making new ones.
Tonight I had a wonderful time with friends and ducks. The ducks, all 11 of them, are a few days old and are the adopted children of Knettie and Flip.
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN) in the New England region celebrated the jubilees of three sisters today: Sister Mary Victoria (75 years), Sister Mary Barbara (50 years) and Sister Maryann (25 years). We also remembered Sister Jeanette who died in December and who was to celebrated 50 years.
The Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated by Father Jim Meszaros (of NY) and the homilist was Monsignor Robert Weiss, pastor of Saint Rose of Lima (Newtown, CT & friend of Sister Barbara); six priests concelebrated. Sister Mary Ellen did a very nice job with the music that was selected by a julibarian sister.
The Mass included the renewal of vows of the jubilarians. After giving thanks for the graces of perseverance and service, the sisters promised to continue to be faithful to Mother Foundress' vision and spirit cooperating with Christ and the Church as women of prayer and service. The example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the saints were invoked for supernatural assistance. A striking line from Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd were striking: "Once again I had the unmistakable evidence that human hearts are in the hands of God, that we depend upon Him alone, and that His Will guides the course of our lives."
Guests from all over New England and New York and Pennsylvania came to pray and celebrate. The Sisters had a delicious dinner for us. I enjoyed dinner and conversation with friends and colleagues Sisters Mary Ellen, Thaddeus, Rose, (at right) Virginette and Mary Anthony. The company was truly delightful and the hospitality warm!
Following our midday dinner Sister Mary Ellen (in the gray habit) gave me a gracious tour of the beautiful grounds and the CSFN heritage room. Since I love the history of religious life and the Sisters of this congregation, I was much happy to see how the CSFNs have labored in the Lord's vineyard.
Among the sisters at the Monroe convent are my second and fifth grade teachers plus a few other sisters I've known since my grammar school days. Sister Mary Constance is doing well for 86 (65 years in the convent) and Sister Mary Estelle is living with Alzheimer's and was peacefully sleeping. I also saw Sister Hedwig at dinner.
But who are the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN)? In their own words they are:
We,
the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, an international apostolic
Congregation, believe that the Holy Family of Nazareth, three persons in
communion with God and each other; obedient and faithful to the will of God,
reveals to us the profound reality that God is present in the most simple and
ordinary experiences of human life. This vision, which so captivated our
Foundress, Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Frances Siedliska), is the
source and inspiration for our life and service. Sharing in Jesus' mission of
spreading the Kingdom of God's love, we engage in a variety of ministries with
and in the Church. Mindful that it is an environment of love that persons come
to fullness of life, we witness a family spirit among ourselves, and are
dedicated to the moral and religious renewal of family life. We are committed
to create communities of love and hope, which celebrate the oneness of the
human family.
Please pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of the Reverend Father Paul Cioffi, S.J.He was a friend and mentor to me, especially in the field of liturgical theology, when I was at Georgetown. Paul's sudden death still reminds me of the fragility of life.
Eternal rest
A very dear friend was visiting me at the Abbey this week. Father Michael is an Orthodox monk following the Rule of Saint Benedict at a small monastery called Christminster just outside Toronto, Canada. It was delightful to have him here for a few days; until recently he was on the left coast of these United States and so I am grateful that he's back in the east, well, sort of east....
The Wiki note on Christminster
Today, I learned of the death of a former professor of mine, Sister Marygrace "Ginger" Peters, OP (on the left in the picture). Sister Marygrace died on Feb 21, 2009 after a long battle with lung cancer. Of late she was the Prioress General of the Houston Dominican Sisters.
When I was doing studies in St. Louis, MO, I had five classes at Aquinas Institute of Theology, for one of the classes Sister was my Church History professor. At all times Sister Marygrace was a terriffic presence: happy, faithful, positive and prayerful. All what you would expect and cherish in a Dominican sister. Plus, she was a New Englander which was a consolation many times!
May the soul of Sister Marygrace rest in the peace and love of our Lord!
Ring them bells, for the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on its side
Ring them bells
For the lines they are long
And they're breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong.
John Donne
I am still saddened by the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus. Many are. I pray for him regularly at Mass and while saying the rosary and I find myself wondering what he'd say about this or that today. First Things arrived the other day and I shelved it temporarily because I've got other things to read first (what, I am not going to drop everything to read FT???); I look forward with eagerness to read to First Things as much today as when I first was introduced to the magazine by friend Father Edward Oakes but I have to admit it is still a little awkward seeing RJN's name on the cover.
A Google preview of American Babylon
Product description
Christians are by their nature a people out of place. Their true home is with God; in civic life, they are alien citizens "in but not of the world." In American Babylon, eminent theologian Richard John Neuhaus examines the particular truth of that ambiguity for Catholics in
Neuhaus addresses the essential quandaries of Catholic life--assessing how Catholics can keep their heads above water in the sea of immorality that confronts them in the world, how they can be patriotic even though their true country is not in this world, and how they might reconcile their duties as citizens with their commitment to God. Deeply learned, frequently combative, and always eloquent, American Babylon is Neuhaus's magnum opus--and will be essential reading for all Christians.
Let me recommend to you the Richard John Neuhaus Online Archive, a well stocked blog of materials by or on Father Richard.
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