Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

Last Friday, residents of the UK voted to leave the European Union.  Some are calling it a revolution and comparing it to what we did in 1776 when we broke away from England’s rule and formed our own government, a Democracy.  We wanted a government for the people and by the people FREE FROM MONARCHICAL RULERS.  We celebrate that this Independence weekend as we remember and recall the events that led up to this historical event which changed our world forever.  Along with the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights was formed.  These documents high light and promote various liberties that we enjoy as citizens of this much beloved nation.  We are a nation bound not by race, or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty and equality.  Webster’s Dictionary defines freedom as an absence of coercion, constraint in choice or action.

As Americans we enjoy a number of freedoms such as Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Religion, to name a few; however, with these freedoms or rights comes responsibilities as well.  Some responsibilities include respecting the rights, beliefs and opinions of others and serving on a jury when called upon.  Countless numbers of people have rigorously and vehemently defended the rights and freedoms we enjoy as American citizens.  Without a doubt FREEDOM is one of our most cherished beliefs and practices here in the United States.  Many people from nations with tyrannical leaders and oppressive government regimes long to come to the United States so that they too can be free.

We should be ever mindful and vigilant that we do not take these freedoms for granted.  Apathy and indifference towards the freedoms we enjoy (ex. Bill of Rights) should never be taken for granted.  Our founding Fathers worked hard to ensure and safeguard that these cherished ideals would be preserved for succeeding generations.  Speaking about RELIGIOUS FREEDOM from the White House in September 2016, Pope Francis said “freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions and as my brother Bishops in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have reminded us all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens to preserve, defend and promote that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”

Several contemporary issues have placed some of our freedoms in jeopardy.  One example of this is the HHS MANDATE requiring Catholics and other Religious organizations to facilitate health insurance coverage of sterilization, contraception and drugs and devices that can possibly cause abortions.  John Milton, the English poet said, “give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience above all liberties.”  As Catholics and Americans striving to be good and faithful servants we are called to prosper the gift of free will and to do that we must learn the meaning of conscience rights and recognize the forces denying that right.  Catholics must learn the Constitution’s unique protection of conscience rights and not passively yield them to placate a secular culture.  Only then can we answer every attack on Religious Liberty in our community, state and country.  The deliberate and willful erosion of respect for Christians, religious practices and deeply held beliefs has brought unimagined and liberty crushing cultural and political changes some of which directly and willfully contradict and challenge the Church’s teaching on issues of human dignity and life.  Some in our government will NOT allow Catholics and other people of good will and faith to remain faithful to their consciences.  Instead in true tyrannical and narrow minded thinking legislators have proposed crippling and crushing fines that would bankrupt many of our schools and health organizations that the Church runs.  It is not easy to defend or defeat such laws, but as Catholics we are called to not only practice and promote our faith in Church but to publicly proclaim it in the public sphere as well!   On this Independence Day weekend we remember the hard fought battles and sacrifices made by people before us so we might enjoy the many liberties and freedoms we have in this country and will do all in our power to make sure that our freedoms and liberties will be safeguarded and protected for future generations.  ENJOY A SAFE AND HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND!

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

When I was in college back in the early 1980’s I had an accident on the morning I was scheduled to take a final exam. It was not a car accident, but an accident in my parents’ bathroom in Williston Park. I awoke much earlier than usual around 4:00 AM and the exam was not scheduled until 12:30 that afternoon. Perhaps it was anxiety, although the course was enjoyable and relatively easy and the professor was very reasonable and fair. It may also have been the fact that it was the last final of the semester and I was ready for vacation and Christmas. Nonetheless, I got up and went into the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. When I got into the bathroom, I felt sweaty, cold and “light-headed” and sat at the edge of the bathtub because I felt as if I was going to faint, and FAINT I DID! The next thing I knew my father was trying to pry open the bathroom door to reach me lying face down in a pool of blood. Apparently, I cut myself directly under my eye because of a sharp prong at the bottom of a radiator. My father was attempting to help me get up, and I all I keep saying was where’s mommy? I want mommy. Talk about insulting my poor father! Both my mom and dad took me to Winthrop Hospital in Mineola where I had plastic surgery performed directly under my eye, so there would be no scarring.

No doubt, sometimes many of us just want our mother; perhaps just for soothing comfort. We live in frightening and uncertain times. All we need to do is look back two weeks ago at the shooting in the night club in Orlando, FL. This crime was a horrible act of depraved indifference against individuals who were just enjoying a Saturday night out on the town. It is a frightening and sad fact of contemporary life to live with the uncertainty of a surprise attack where innocent and law abiding people are just out having a good time. As one commentator put it, NO PLACE IS SAFE OR IMMUNE FROM SUCH AN ATTACK; life can, indeed, be scary.
What are we to do? If we look back at history, there are other periods of turmoil and uncertainty as well. One such period was the Middle Ages when Pope Pius V asked Christians to seek Our Lady’s intercession for the defeat of the Muslim Ottoman Turks against Christianity under the title Our Lady Help of Christians. Throughout the centuries, Catholics have relied on Mary’s intercession and sought her help for a variety of causes.

In 1866, Pope Pius IX entrusted the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to the Redemptorists with the mission to MAKE HER KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Today the icon is known to millions of devotees praying and celebrating with Mary, the outpouring of God’s abundant graces and unconditional love. The title is quite appropriate for Mary, because she loves us, her children, unconditionally, as all mothers do. Our world certainly needs her intercession and assistance at this tragic and frightening time in history.

Here at St. Boniface, Martyr on Monday,
June 27 at 7:30 PM in Church we will hold a prayer service in honor of the SESQUINCENTENIAL ANNIVERSARY of this devotion. Christians and Christianity are under attack; Religious Liberties and religious Freedoms are being taken for granted at best and subtly being eroded and rescinded at worst! Another very beautiful title for Mary is Our Lady of Peace. We desperately need peace in our world and ourselves. Today, more than ever we face so many difficulties; PLEASE CONSIDER ATTENDING THIS SPECIAL PRAYER SERVICE INVOKING OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP!

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

Canon Law requires priests and deacons to make an annual retreat of at least five days.  It is a time away from the demands and responsibilities of a priest or deacon’s regular full time ministry.  This time alone, away from the ordinary rhythm and demands of ministry allows a priest to refresh and renew himself spiritually and to deepen his relationship with Jesus Christ.  This past week I made my annual retreat with another priest friend at the Campion Renewal Center, a Jesuit run retreat house in Weston, Massachusetts.  I always look forward to making my retreat as it affords me the opportunity for silence,   solitude and reflection something I cherish and value as part of my priesthood,  Prayer and contemplation are key ingredients in fueling and sustaining the priestly life.  In fact not only is it important for priests but is equally valuable for all people.

In learning about prayer, silent contemplation is a special dimension that very few of us have fully grasped.  Most of us are not skilled in simply beholding God.  Life is busy and fast paced.  All of us are easily distracted and influenced by the noisy distraction of our modern day culture.  There are very few public places where we can be alone with ourselves for some quiet meditation.  It seems wherever we go someone is talking on a cell phone or there are other unnecessary background noises.  Our culture is noisy and in the midst of a whirlwind of activity that we have so often misunderstood as important or necessary, we have missed the beauty and necessity of learning the discipline of silence before God.

hile it is not possible for many people to go away to a retreat house for a period of several days, it IS POSSIBLE TO SPEND TIME IN SILENCE AND PERHAPS MAKE A RETREAT LOCALLY, even if it means just going for a walk for an hour, or visiting the beach (we are fortunate to have beaches within walking distance for many people in St. Boniface).  We have prayer groups and various devotions on a regular basis here at St. Boniface, and of course we have MASS EVERY DAY.  One does not even have to leave his/her home.  A favorite room or comfortable place can be made for you and others in your home where YOU CAN BE STILL; WHERE YOU CAN BE ALONE WITH GOD. We so often miss out on the life of contemplation, one of beholding the beauty of Jesus.

In the rectory here at St. Boniface we have a sign hanging in the kitchen and a plaque in our living room and both have the same saying, BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.  It serves as a constant reminder to Fr. Azubuike and I as well as the other priests and individuals who visit the rectory about what is really important, ONENESS WITH GOD, and that it is ultimately GOD WHO IS IN CHARGE!

Take a portion of your day to sit silently before God.  If you are at home, behold the beauty of your home perhaps admire the attractiveness of your back yard or neighborhood.  If you visit the beach view the water and the rhythm of the waves crashing against the shore and become aware of the cycle of the tides and how NO HUMAN BEING CAN CONTROL OR STOP THE CYCLES OF THE TIDES.  Behold and delight in the might and majesty of God!

Scripture tells us we must be still to truly know God.  Silence is a necessary art if we truly want to know God.  It is a gift from God.  Make it a priority; if you’re in the car, turn off the music and think about God.  If you have the time make a short retreat; stop in Church for a few minutes and sit in silence before the Blessed Sacrament.   There is a story about a French farmer and the Cure d’Ars.  The farmer would remain for hours before the Blessed Sacrament in silence and stillness gazing upon the tabernacle and when the Cure d’ Ars asked him what he did there he simply replied: “I LOOK AT HIM AND HE LOOKS AT ME.”

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

With Easter over, and our Parish Feast behind us, we have begun to settle into the summer season. Life for most will slow down a bit; schools will close soon and people will begin to enjoy the warmer weather with trips to beaches, pools and other summer time destinations. For us as Catholics, we have entered into the liturgical season called ORDINARY TIME.

While the connotation of the word Ordinary in popular usage is used to describe things that are dull, non-descript or run of the mill, in liturgical circles Ordinary means customary, regular or ordinary. Ordinary Time may also be called Ordinal Time, which means numbered time. Hence Ordinary Time is the standard, orderly, counted time outside of the other liturgical seasons. Ordinary Time does NOT need to be ordinary and should NOT be considered a time when nothing special happens!

It is actually a time to celebrate the Mystery of Christ in all its aspects. Some important feasts and solemnities occur during this season, i.e. Corpus Christi, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and All Saints to name a few. We also celebrate events in Jesus’ life that were ordinary, much like ours. For example we have all been invited to people’s homes for dinner or to weddings and other parties, so was Jesus. The Wedding at Cana is a prime example of this; Jesus was an invited guest to a party. Jesus lived his life fulfilling the work of the Father and promoting His mission by preaching, teaching and sometimes, simply being present to others.

We, too, try to live out our callings as a people of faith carrying out our daily obligations as best we can and tending to the needs of others. In all we do whether it is in word or deed we should remember that we are giving Glory to God and putting our faith into practice. Woody Allen is famous for saying that we get credit for just showing up, but on any of these nameless days it is likely that unconsciously we are carrying out our obligations doing our work as well as we can; keeping our word and in the simplest of ways, as through an understanding word or embrace being true to ourselves as we strive to love somebody else.

Many people here at St. Boniface live these words day in and day out in their own lives. Two weeks ago we came together as a Parish to celebrate our Feast by the Shore. A heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THIS A FINANCIAL SUCCESS AND AN EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE CORE COMMITTEE WHO CHAIRED THE EVENT AND WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY TO MAKE THE FEAST SUCH A MEMORABLE AND ENJOYABLE OCCASION! THERE IS NOTHING ORDINARY ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE FAITH FILLED GENEROUS SPIRIT THAT PERVADES THIS PARISH! ALL WHO HELPED SIMPLY DID IT BECAUSE THEY LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, JESUS CHRIST AND HIS HOLY CHURCH.

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, she was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty and she is known in most circles, especially music, simply as Rihanna. She is a Barbadian singer and song writer known for a number of hit songs like We Found Love, Diamonds, and Umbrella. I am sure that many of you have heard her songs at either parties, social gatherings, or just over the radio.

Some of the lyrics to her song Umbrella include, “You can stand under my umbrella- ella- ella-ehh- ehh-ehh….” In an interview, Rihanna was asked if this song had any particular meaning or was about proving protection to which she replied, “an umbrella is for protection; it protects us from the rain.” She then stated that in her case it was a metaphor for negativity and vulnerability. One could conclude that the song offers comfort and consolation to someone who might be going through rough times and how she will be a source of refuge and support in both good times and bad times.

I would like to add my own personal interpretation of the song that the umbrella could also be a source of inclusivity. As Catholics, we pray in the Creed that we belong to ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH. The word Catholic means universal. In other words, it is worldwide and as such includes every race, language and culture around the globe. It also means that all Her members believe, embrace and hold as true all Her teachings; however, the Church would also teach that in unity, there is diversity. Some examples of this would include differing styles in liturgy and worship. For example, the Church in Nigeria (Fr. Azubuike’s homeland) uses liturgical dance in liturgies. Men and women in ornate and elaborate dress dance up the aisle during the Presentation of the Gifts, something we here in the United States (especially those of Western European ancestry) do not do during Mass. Another example would be the language and worship style of the various Rites that compose the Catholic Church. We here at St. Boniface Martyr are part of the ROMAN RITE which is the largest Rite of the Catholic Church; however there are other Rites (Byzantine, Syro-Malankara, etc that also belong to the Catholic Church. Their rituals (ways of celebrating mass) are quite different, but very beautiful. To all of us who belong to the Roman Rite, these other customs and traditions would appear “very foreign” but the Church encourages differing cultures and nationalities to incorporate their traditions into the Sacred Liturgy.

Holy Mother Church seeks to embrace, love and support all people UNDER HER UMBRELLA!
I am often puzzled and sometimes dismayed by what appear to be many faithful and good Catholics who for one reason or another tend to pass judgment on other Catholics who may embrace other more traditional forms of worship particularly pious devotions and prayers or more forward thinking ways of worship. Several parishes in our Diocese have a Rock Mass on Sunday evening. The music is ALWAYS CHRISTO-CENTRIC and LITURGICALLY PERMISSIBLE; however, the instruments are not quite so traditional, i.e. organ/piano. Rather Rock instruments are used such as drums, base and electric guitars and perhaps a keyboard. When I was assigned to St. Aidan we had a Rock Mass to draw in young and not so young who were looking for a more contemporary style of worship, while still reverencing all the rubrics and liturgical laws governing worship. One individual wrote the Pastor and me a letter complaining how I could celebrate such a mass because he deemed it irreverent. Worse yet he asked the Pastor how he could allow such a thing in Church!

The Church through the ages has encouraged differing styles of worship and prayer provided it IS NOT CONTRARY TO THE FAITH. In case you’re wondering how I responded to this person’s objection, I simply told him “THE UMBRELLA OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS BIG ENOUGH FOR ALL TO FIT UNDER!”

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

People have many images for God, although no one particular image can fully describe or capture who God is. In his book, The Shack, William Young presents several unorthodox and non-traditional images about God. In this fictional novel the first and third persons of the Holy Trinity are certainly not portrayed in conventional ways.

When people think about God the Father the vast majority of individuals conjure up an image of an old man with the long grey beard, and the Holy Spirit is often portrayed in art depictions as a dove. Jesus, on the other hand, was a human being who entered into this world so images and pictures of him are more familiar and perhaps a bit more true to life, (long hair, beard, white tunic, olive/tan colored skin).

This I suppose is a little more historically accurate since Middle Eastern men do have beards, or at least some facial hair and their skin is dark. Young’s novel, however, depicts God the Father as a robust, smiling and heavy set black woman, while the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a young Asian woman with her hair blowing in the breeze. I am sure you will agree that these images are not the ordinary and run of the mill depictions were see in art work.  Jesus, on the other hand seems to fit the typical male Middle Eastern appearance.

The desire to know God is at the heart of every human being’s deepest wants and needs. We will never fully know God in this life because God is an infinite being and we are finite beings. This weekend we celebrate one of the central mysteries of Christianity, the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. We express it in our creed, where we acknowledge ONE GOD, BUT THREE DISTINCT PERSONS. We refer to it as a Mystery because we can neither explain, nor fathom how this can be, but we ascent to it in FAITH.

Faith in the 21st century is a challenge with so much information at out finger tips. We can find out many things instantaneously and quickly. Just look at our Presidential primary races, by 8:00 or 9:00 PM on any give state’s primary day, television anchors are able to announce the projected winner. Rarely do we have to wait until morning to find out who the winner is and as a society, we are consumed by social media, instant snap chat, twitter, face book, skype etc. It seems that we are always searching for information, friendship, confirmation, “likes,” etc. Many people do not even answer their phones, especially younger people.

Large numbers of people today send simply TEXTS, especially those under 40. It seems things are more visible than audio. We are attached to our phones. Does GOD TEXT? How does God send messages? 2000 years ago, God sent His only Son into the world to show us what God is like and how much God loves us. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit who is also sending us messages, some more subtle than others, but if we are attuned to God’s presence we will INDEED RECEIVE THESE COMMUNICATIONS FROM GOD! I propose that God does TEXT!

Let’s look around and see his text to us. How do we feel God’s presence and closeness, if we do not hear His voice? Two weeks ago we spent an entire week in gray, cold and rainy weather. Then on Saturday evening the sun came out and the sky was brilliant azure blue; people were refreshed and uplifted by this-God’s text of His warmth!

Iceland, Sweden and Finland beyond the Arctic Circle, the beauty of snow, ice and arctic Northern lights among the intense cold and darkness, yet one can still experience God’s beauty. A cool breeze, on an extremely warm day is a text that God is present. A kind and unexpected surprise from a friend, relative or neighbor could be a text of God’s mercy. The sacraments are a text of God’s grace and forgiveness.

The birth of a child is a text of God’s unconditional love and happy or joyful times are texts for the sign of eternal life. Last weekend we celebrated Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church. Perhaps the descent of the Holy Spirit was the first smart phone from God; faith is the wireless connection and maybe the celebration of this feast, the presence of the Holy Spirit alive and active in our world is God’s smart phone for us to feel the Holy Spirit through His texts.

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

Twice a year, the Diocese offers conferences and workshops for the priests who minister here in Rockville Centre.  While the Bishop does not make these days of professional development and renewal mandatory, it is his fervent hope that the priests avail themselves of such grace filled opportunities, and so, last Wednesday, I travel led to Huntington for an afternoon and evening of reflection of the MERCY OF GOD.  It was appropriate that the Diocese offer this to its priests since we are celebrating the Year of Mercy as proclaimed by our Holy Father Pope Francis.  Perhaps there are some that may say, “That’s all I have heard from Priests, Deacons, Bishops and even the Holy Father this year!”   Well, maybe that is because we need to keep hearing it so we can not only practice the virtue of mercy but also be very aware of how God is indeed, merciful to us!

The theme of the day was titled The Priest Recipient of God’s Mercy and Minister of God’s Mercy.  Notice, I purposely highlighted the word recipient and that it is mentioned first in the statement with the word minister being mentioned second.  There is a reason why recipient is not only highlighted, but in italics as well.  The speaker for the day was Bishop Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the St. Maron Eparchy of Brooklyn and he made great effort to explain why recipient was mentioned first in the topic of the conference.  Simply put, he said, “in order to be good ministers of mercy, we first must come to know that we have been the recipients of God’s mercy.”  That is certainly very true, and it does not just apply to the ordained clergy, but to all people.

All of you who live in this area are familiar with the intersection of Sea Cliff Avenue and Glen Cove Avenue by North Shore Farms.  It is a rather oddly positioned intersection, as one simply cannot drive straight across it; the driver must veer slightly to the right In order to pass straight over Glen Cove Avenue and so, the day after the conference, I was driving west along Sea Cliff Avenue and came to the traffic light by North Shore Farms; it was red and obviously I stopped.  Since I was travelling west, I pulled up in the right hand lane, and next to me an 18 wheeler truck pulled up to turn left; he even had his left signal direction blinking!  When the light turned green; he began to maneuver the truck to the right, and all of a sudden the rear end of the truck was millimeters from my Toyota Rav 4. When I say the rear part of his truck was literally alongside my rolled down window, I AM NOT KIDDING!  I honked my horn violently and thought he cannot see or hear me; I think I am in his blind spot.  Fortunately I was able to back up slightly and make clearance for him.  Then to my surprise he actually turned left, not right!

I must say I was rather angry, but then I became afraid, as after he turned right he pulled his truck over, and came rushing toward my car.  (The traffic light turned red again, before I could get out of there, but it was DIVINE PROVINCE that I wait for another green light).  The man was running towards me and I thought he is going to provoke an argument, but nothing of that sort ensued!  He asked me if I was the car honking at him, and I said, “YES.”  He wanted to know was I okay, and then explained about an oncoming truck moving straight toward him and how he was forced to veer slightly to the right.  Then he even thanked me for using my horn because he had no idea I was alongside of him.  I thanked him for his concern and told him that I was okay and he did not touch my car or me.

Upon my arrival back to the rectory I thought someone was watching over the both of us today.  That someone was the mercy of God.  That man could have screamed and yelled at me for being in his blind spot (and I realize I was, but that was because the traffic light changed to green; he had his right directional blinking and the car in front of me began moving, so I began moving), but the driver of the truck did not know that.  Truck drivers have great challenges driving here on Long Island and my uncle is a retired “big rig” truck driver, and so I know firsthand of the difficulties of handling them here in congested and narrow streets.  Believe it or not I was incredibly calm as well; I simply apologized and said I understood.

I thought about the Bishop’s talk the day before, and how God was there with that truck driver and me, and by God’s grace we were both okay; our vehicles were not damaged and most of all we both managed to understand the other’s point of view and position. In order to be merciful we first must realize we have been the beneficiaries of perfect mercy, DIVINE MERCY.

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.

Fr. Kevin Dillon is the Pastor of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY.

Their names are Ralph, and Yuri.  They are brothers and they treat all their customers as FAMILY!  They own a barber shop and jewelry store on Willis Avenue in Albertson.  They are hardworking, friendly and devout Jews.  They are my barbers and my friends as well.  One day when I walked in to have my hair cut Yuri was standing behind the counter wearing what appeared to be a prayer shawl and Yakama.  He was saying his morning prayers in Hebrew.  After he saw me walk in, he became a bit flustered and I dare say somewhat startled because I had arrived a few minutes before the store’s official opening time.  I affirmed him by telling him how impressed I was by his deep reverence and devotion to the prayers and customs of Judaism.  On more than one occasion, they have invited me to break bread with them and have lunch at their store.  Lunch is always delicious and the food they share with me is homemade, and kosher.  Eating kosher food is a tradition that is embraced by Conservative and Orthodox Jews.

We as Catholics have customs, devotions and practices as well.  We call it Tradition and unlike other religions, Catholicism is comprised of traditions with a capital (upper case) ”T” and lower case “t”. The fact that only men can be ordained priests is Tradition with an upper case “T”.  Tradition with an upper case to is the words and teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.  Remember, it was many years before Scripture was actually written down, so during the years immediately after the Resurrection, the Apostles communicated the message of Jesus’ resurrection and other articles of faith through what is known as Oral Tradition.  In other words, the tenets of the faith were communicated verbally.   The use of Latin, blessing ourselves with holy water and praying novenas such as the Miraculous Medal Novena that is prayed here on Saturday mornings is tradition with a lower case “t”.   Tradition with a lower case “t” is NOT official Church teaching or dogma.  Pious practices such as novenas, blessings, and the use of Latin are simply devout practices and customs which have evolved through the ages.  One is free to embrace or reject such pious practices.

Many of our devotions, however, are very beautiful and are an asset to deepening one’s spirituality.  In fact, being Catholic is sort of like being in a spiritual candy store or dessert shop.  We know that when we are in a candy store or ordering dessert or some other sweet indulgence we need to eat these treats in moderation or else they become bad for our health and weight, but the great treasury of devotions that the Church offers us, her, members can be feely indulged in as much as we want, and the benefits are beyond this world.  Devotions foster a deeper and richer relationship with God.

Part of our Catholic Tradition has been the use of Latin in the Church’s liturgies and songs.  While I am NOT in favor of celebrating mass in Latin, it is a part of our Tradition.  Personally, I prefer Mass in the vernacular, but some Catholics seem to be nourished more by praying the Mass in Latin, and that’s okay.  I am somewhat puzzled, however, by some Catholics who absolutely and positively want NO Latin what so ever.  Some of our beautiful hymns such as Tantum Ergo, Salve Regina, and

O Sanctissima to name a few are sung beautifully in Latin.  St. Thomas Aquinas has a beautiful saying for ancient practices, Beauty, Ever Ancient Ever New!  Believe it or not Latin is still the Official Language of the Church.  It is a part of our Catholic culture; it is a part of our heritage, and it is a part of our tradition (tradition with a small “t”).

Hebrew is used in many Synagogues and Temples and Arabic is used in Islamic Mosques because it is a part of their rituals and tradition.  We use Latin for the same reason.

While I am NOT in any way advocating for Mass to be celebrated here at St. Boniface in Latin, I do think that once in a while some hymns and chants could be sung in Latin, much like we did Holy Thursday with Mozart’s Ave Verum and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Pange Lingua.  From what most parishioners told me, the celebrations of Holy Week were beautiful, prayerful, reverent and inspiring.  Most of us have customs and traditions in our families; some have beautiful china and dinnerware which are only brought out on very special occasions.  I do not think if people had an heirloom that was handed down from one generation to the next; it would be discarded or thrown away!  The same is true for the devotions and practices of the Catholic Church including chanting or singing a song or mass part (Agnus Dei) for example in Latin.

Fr. Kevin’s letter appears each week in print and online in the St. Boniface Martyr Parish Bulletin.