1/2/2022

Welcome to the New Year. It is my fondest hope and prayer that we will continue to experience blessings, trials, surprises, and much of the same old stuff together. I look forward to going through this year with you, as you have so patiently and graciously gone through the last year with me (broken ankle and all). Sometimes that is referred to as “accompanying” people in both their joyful and sad times. I desire to do that. Usually there are sacraments for these peak and valley moments: Baptism for babies and the joy of new life, Anointing of the Sick for times of illness, weddings for beginning life together, confession for when we stumble, Confirmation for transitioning into the maturity of adulthood, and Eucharist for the daily sustenance to keep us going. Sacraments are a priority in any priest’s ministry. So don’t hesitate to ask for Confession or Anointing of the Sick. I have been looking for a time which is convenient for Confessions, and will try Fridays after Mass as well as Saturdays before the 5 PM Mass, and of course by appointment. We who know God’s mercy, understand His love more deeply.
As for Anointing of the Sick, please do not wait for someone to be comatose to call. The sacrament offers peace to those who are suffering and to those accompanying him/her. Any time an illness takes a turn for the worse, especially in us older people, it is appropriate to receive this sacrament. I like to have families gather together, as many as is possible (often on short notice), so that they can celebrate together and pray for the one who is ill. It is a great consolation for the WHOLE family. Though it may be hard to face, it is also a huge consolation to know that the Lord is there in your suffering and in your loss, blessing the transition to eternal life or bringing about healing and extending our lives here on earth. One parishioner who was in hospice (dying) told her daughter that she was going to be OK, and that “Fr. Albert has prepared me for this.” While I recognize that it is really the Holy Spirit and her faith at work, not me, I have never received a compliment that meant more to me, nor have I been so consoled. In the monastery we monks consider it a privilege to be with another monk when he dies and transitions into eternity. At Night Prayer (Compline) the final blessing is: “May the Lord grant you a restful night, and a peaceful death.” It is a sacred moment when one enters into eternity, and we spend our lives preparing for it one way or another. It is possible and a great blessing to make this transition peacefully.
Catholics are often criticized for having so many rules. The celebrations of Christmas time provide a great example of this. We had four Masses for Christmas, three on the day before and one on the day of. Then there was no Mass on Saturday nightfor either Christmas or Holy Family. That was because we would have had to use the readings and prayers from Christmas, since Christmas takes precedence over the Feast of the Holy Family, instead of the normal readings for the Feast of the Holy Family. Rather than explain how the Mass on Saturday night “counted” for Sunday (Holy Family) in terms of satisfying your obligation, even though the readings were for Christmas which took precedence, I chose to cancel the Mass. Then the next week, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God (Saturday) is not a Holy Day of Obligation when it falls on a day (Saturday or a Monday) next to the Epiphany. So we had only the vigil Mass for Mary’s feast, assuming people would not come on a Saturday morning after New Year’s Eve. Saturday night is the normal Vigil Mass in anticipation of the Feast of Epiphany, which takes precedence over the Marian feast. I should also say that having only one priest as well as finding people to staff all those Masses close together is challenging. For those who wanted to know, that is the explanation.
It is a joy to accompany this community on our journey to heaven.

Father Albert, O.S.B.