Communio – Page 280 – …bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Remembering Cyril

My friend Father Cyril Crawford died unexpectedly a short time ago, on 15 May 2012. He died in his sleep in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he was working on a doctorate in Philosophy so that he could teach at his monastery’s college.

Dom Cyril, 46, was a monk and a priest of the Abbey of Saint Joseph of Covington, LA.

A photo tribute to Cyril can be seen here.

Over at The Substance of Things Hoped For, Benedictine Father Denis Robinson (Rector of Saint Meinrad Seminary) wrote a remembrance of Dom Cyril. Father Denis’ words are very true and capture Cyril well. I met Cyril at Saint Meinrad’s, in the library, and found him to be a friend.

My heart is saddened, deeply so. Cyril as a good monk, priest with an honest search for God and keen sense of humor and intellect.

More info including Abbot Justin Brown’s homily at the Mass of Christian Burial of Cyril can be found here.

Saint Benedict and Saint Cyril of Alexandria, pray for Father Cyril, and for us.

The Meeting (Rimini) 2012: By Nature, man is relation to the Infinite

The Meeting, as it is known in shorthand, is quickly approaching (19-25 August). This is its 33rd year. This cultural event now draws nearly 800,000 people from across the globe.

The theme of the 2012 meeting is “By Nature, man is relation to the Infinite.”

The brief video on The Meeting was produced by Rome Reports.

One of the last items is a note that our own NY CL member Dr Elvira Paravincini will be making a presentation on her work as a neonatologist and the hospice she founded. Blessings on Elvira and her work.

Dr Paravincini with several other healthcare professionals, many of them belonging to CL, the MedConference is a key event in the US for talking about faith and the practice of medicine. This year the MedConference is running 19-21 October in Florham Park, NJ.

St Norbert

Saint Norbert is often overlooked in this country, perhaps because he lived so long ago that he hardly matters today, or because meeting his spiritual sons and daughters is a rarity unless you live in Paoli, PA, DePere, WI or Silverado, CA, New Mexico (or a handful of other places places) where you might encounter the Canon Regular, aka Norbertines. BUT I would submit that Saint Norbert cannot be dismissed because he lived in the 11th nor because you have neither met the Canons nor the Canoness.

Saint Norbert is a saint of the Eucharist. AND that ought to be enough of an enticement to know Norbert.

Christians: Let us be neither dogs that do not bark

Today’s first reading from the First Letter of Peter offers an exhortation to his hearers who are facing difficult times: be eager to stand firm. As the people who heard Peter so we too, today, need to remember that the Lord has an infinite amount of patience; in fact He never tires, but His adopted children need to recall that only He’s the matrix of the covenant’s fulfillment. God is present, stand firm.

Saint Boniface, the Englishman monk who became the Apostle to Germany, whose memory we commemorate today, also exhorted those of his time to stand firm because God is present. In the Office of Readings this morning I reacquainted myself with a rather curious set of images that Boniface delivered to the bishops of his time and place make connects very nicely with the Scriptures. Saint Boniface said, “Let us be neither dogs that do not bark nor silent onlookers nor paid servants who run away before the wolf. Instead let us be careful shepherds watching over Christ’s flock. Let us preach the whole of God’s plan to the powerful and to the humble, to rich and to poor, to men of every rank and age, as far as God gives us the strength, in season and out of season, as Saint Gregory writes in his book of Pastoral Instruction.”

Indeed, let the bark be heard.

Mark Cooper elected 5th abbot of Saint Anselm’s Abbey, Manchester, NH

The monks of Saint Anselm’s Abbey (Manchester, New Hampshire) have elected Father Mark Cooper as their 5th abbot. 25 of the 28 monks were eligible to vote.

Abbot Mark Cooper succeeds Abbot Matthew Leavy who as served the Abbey, the College and the Church since 1986. Abbot Mark just retired after serving for 33 years as the VP for Finance of the College. He’s an alum of 1971. More on Abbot Mark can be read here.

Abbot Mark is graduated Saint Anselm’s College in 1971 with a BA in Political Science, and later studied at the University of Notre Dame, Saint John’s Seminary, Brighton, MA, Saint Albert’s House of Studies (operated by the Dominicans). He was ordained in 1976. In the course of time he taught at Woodside Priory and helped out pastorally as a priest.

As spiritual father of the monastic community the Abbot is also the Chancellor of the College; he is also the superior of Woodside Priory just outside of San Francisco, CA.

Upon election this morning the new abbot has taken the Oath of Fidelity and received the obedience of the monks and made the Te Deum for this gift of service. The election was presided over and confirmed by the Abbot President of the American Cassinese Congregation, The Right Reverend Hugh Anderson.

Continue reading Mark Cooper elected 5th abbot of Saint Anselm’s Abbey, Manchester, NH

America Magazine appoints Matt Malone 14th editor in chief

The century old magazine edited by the Jesuits, America Magazine, has a new editor in chief, Father Matthew Malone, SJ. He’s the 14th editor, and the youngest in the publication’s history.

America is a mixed bag of journal opinion when it comes to covering the Church, it mostly pushes the envelop on matters that are not up for debate: it sheds more smoke and than light. In many ways it seems as though America has abandoned it’s prestigious and valuable nature of journalism as a Catholic publication rooted firmly in Ignatian spirituality. I pray that Saint Ignatius and all Jesuit saints and blesseds inspire Father Matt in his new mission. I certainly wish him the best.

America’s press release is here.

Where do you remain, and with whom? Where is your joy?

On January 14, Monsignor Massimo Camisasca admitted several men to Candidacy. This means those who are asking to be ordained priests in the Missionary Fraternity of Saint Charles Borromeo. Monsignor is the founder and Superior General. The reason I am posting this homily is because of Monsignor Camisasca’s imagery of the house of God and the invitation given to enter. He sets the stage of what priesthood is about… Where do you remain, and with whom? Where is your joy?

To introduce us to the profound meaning of what happens to you today and in reflex to us, let us place ourselves on the same wavelength of the question that Andrew and John directed to Jesus: Master, where do you live? (Jn 1.38).

As well as this evening we also ask: “Where do you live?”. To be able to stay with Him, we must know where he lives. Your “yes” today is placed on the path that you are completing here in the seminary, a path in which you learn where Jesus lives and how to stay with him. To know Jesus, to know Him interiorly, profoundly, to experience him constitutes the fullness of our existence.

Continue reading Where do you remain, and with whom? Where is your joy?

25 years later

Today marks the 25th anniversary of death of my dear grandfather, Julius J. Zalonski. I can’t believe the time has moved so quickly. The noon Mass is celebrated for him as the Mass was celebrated for my grandmother last week on her 8th anniversary.

God was very good to me in giving me the grace of good grandparents on both sides of my family. A gift that allows me to be full of gratitude. Much good and love was experienced with my grandfather, more than what I am aware…

With the Church I pray,

O God, giver of pardon and loving author of our salvation, grant, we pray you, in your mercy, that through the intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever-Virign, and all the Saints, my grandfather Julius who has passed from this world 25 years ago, may attain a share in eternal happiness.

7 years since Basil Pennington

Today marks the 7th anniversary of death of M. Basil Pennington, OCSO, monk, priest, abbot, writer. In 2005 he died on the feast of the Sacred Heart.

Abbot Basil died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident at the age of 73.

He was described aptly as a “great, loving bear of a man” with a terrific sense of humor and laugh. He was energetic and an impressive leader with a very large capacity for friendship. His openness and keen intellect allowed him to publish 57 books and more than a 1000 articles.

Father Charles Cummings’ obit of Dom Basil can be read here. If you’ve not known about Basil, then I would make the humble suggestion to read this piece and find the book, As We Knew Him, to introduce yourself.

Rest in peace, Dom Basil.

Can’t be called a Theist if you don’t believe in a Personal God

No one is to be called a Theist, who does not believe in a Personal God, whatever difficulty there may be in defining the word “Personal.” Now it is the belief of Catholics about the Supreme Being, that this essential characteristic of His Nature is reiterated in three distinct ways or modes; so that the Almighty God, instead of being One Person only, which is the teaching of Natural Religion, has Three Personalities, and is at once, according as we view him in the one or the other of them, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit–a Divine Three, who bear towards Each Other the several relations which those names indicate, and are {125} in that respect distinct from Each Other, and in that alone.

John Henry Newman

An Essay in aid of a Grammar of Assent, Chapter 5