Connected


Ok, I am not a bishop. And I certainly do not have a desire to be one. Can anyone sane really desire to belong to the current crop? Ok I know a few good ones, and I have a great deal of respect for the one who ordained me. I know everyone in this list is a bishop except me. It is just that I love the laying on of hands. I love the connection to the apostles. I love the gift. That is what it is: pure gift.

Bishop Scipione Rebiba was ordained a bishop in 1541, the records do not reveal by whom.
Cardinal Rebiba ordained Bishop Guilio Antonio Santoro in 1566
Cardinal Santoro ordained Bishop Girolamo Bernerio, OP, in 1586
Cardinal Bernerio ordained Bishop Galeazzo Sanvitale in 1604
Bishop Sanvitale ordained Bishop Lodovico Ludovisi 1621
Cardinal Ludovisi ordained Bishop Luigi Caetani in 1622
Cardinal Caetani ordained Bishop Ulderico Carpegna in 1630
Cardinal Carpegna ordained Bishop Paluzzi Abertoni Altieri in 1666
Bp. Altieri ordained Bishop Pietro Francesco Orsini in 1675
Orsini became Pope Benedict XIII in 1724
Benedict XIII ordained Bishop Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini in 1728
Lambertini became Pope Benedict XIV in 1740
Benedict XIV ordained Bishop Carlo della Torre Rezzonico in 1743
Rezzonico became Pope Clement XIII in 1758
Clement XIII ordained Bishop Colonna in 1762
Colonna ordained Bishop Gerdil in 1777
Gerdil ordained Bishop della Somaglia in 1788
Cardinal Della Somaglia ordained Gaspare del Bufalo a deacon in 1808
Della Somaglia also ordained as Bishop, Gaspare's friend, Bishop Odescalchi in 1823
Odescalchi ordained Bishop Patrizi in 1828
Patrizzi ordained Bishop Parocchi in 1871
Cardinal Parocchi ordained Bishop Guiseppe Sarto in 1884
Sarto became Pope (St.) Pius X in 1903
Pius X ordained Bishop Giacamo Della Chiesa in 1907
della Chiesa became Pope Benedict XV in 1914
Benedict XV ordained Bishop Eugenio Pacelli in 1917
Bishop Pacelli became Pope Pius XII in 1939,
Pius XII ordained Bishop Francis Spellman in 1932
Cardinal Spellman ordained Bishop McIntyre in 1941
Cardinal McIntyre ordained Bishop Alden Bell in 1956
Bishop Bell ordained Bishop John Cummins in 1974

Bishop Cummins ordained Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, CPPS to the Priesthood, October 26, 1991

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:15 PM link

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Remarkable Day

Any day has its own grace. I remember the old Spiritan refrain of “do not neglect the grace that this day gives” that apparently comes from their founder Ven. Francis Libermann.

Anyway today was a grace-filled day. The morning was filled with paying bills and finishing financial reports, never my favorite activities, but passed easily and in peace. Then off to downtown to accomplish a few errands.

In the midst of this I arranged to have lunch with Tom Abbott who has his own blog. Because I enjoy reading his blog, and because he occasionally posts in the conversations here, and finding out we work in the same city I suggested lunch. One of the graces of this ministry is that I get to meet and share faith with people all over this country and all over this world. Occasionally you meet people who simply by speaking their hopes and dreams express everything that is meant by the word “faithful.” All right, he is rooting for the Angels (the ones in Baseball uniforms). But I was not surprised by that, and everything else was the height of graciousness. Yes, a day filled with grace. I won’t tell you anything more about him but invite you to witness his blog from time to time.

Later I finished my errands and rushed back to the House of Formation for a meeting with one of the seminarians. That was finished in relative peacefulness and soon after the whole house gathered for Evening prayer.

This being Friday, there was no regular cook so I betook myself to the kitchen and heated up some leftover vegetarian Minestrone, made a salad. That with a glass of chardonnay finished off a simple meal along with conversation with some of the seminarians over the contents of the day’s newspapers.

Now I am doing laundry and finishing paying bills there being no World Series game to distract me tonight. Then I have to pack.

Tomorrow is a retreat day. I will spend it alone, in car driving to Celina, OH. I am sort of looking forward to it, just a day to be silent, to reflect on the wonder and mystery of the last eleven years. I plan to take along “Gift and Mystery” by John Paul II. It is a book I have in print as well as on CD. In the early morning I will celebrate the Eucharist with the men in the house of formation, and then get on the road.

As I think about today: grace.

Tomorrow: grace and mystery. My ordination to the priesthood, through the laying on of hands, by Bishop John Cummins of the Diocese of Oakland, at St Augustine Church, Oakland, CA, October 26, 1991.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:03 PM link

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Unique?

This almost caused me to choke on my morning coffee. It has been a curious thing, being a transplant to Chicago, seeing the local press experience my home state. I was born and raised in Hayward, CA, in the shadow of San Francisco. I lived in the City for a time in Graduate School. I have lived in Fremont, Newark, San Leandro, Oakland, Berkeley, and Menlo Park, all in the shadow of San Francisco. I have lived in Houston, TX, and in Peoria, IL, and Glenwood Springs, CO. One year I spent the summer in Europe. I have spent longer than a week in the following countries, France, Austria, Poland, Italy, Israel, Egypt, Ireland and Canada.

Yes, we all have our uniqueness, cultural identity, and local customs, but deep down inside we are fundamentally one people. Our hopes and dreams and deepest desires come from the same place.

One of the more significant experiences of my life was a week I spent in Taize, France. One day I heard confessions for 10 hours with only one 40 minute break. The young people who came to me, came only because they saw this sign over my head that said "English." The young people who came to me were from America, Ireland, England, Portugal, Italy, Romania, The Netherlands, Belgium, Nigeria, Zaire and the Phillipines. Some of the most interesting were the Polish kids who did not want to go to their Polish priest so they did their best in broken English with a Polish/English Dictionary in one hand. I was overwhelming impressed with their devotion, but also struck by how every thing sounded pretty much the same, no matter which country they came from. The hopes and desires and dreams of every people find a welcome in the Body of Christ.

By the way, where is Frisco? I have never been there. (grin)

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:16 AM link

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Gaspar on Courage II

“The bravery of a soldier and his skill are recognized in battle, the sturdy plant is made evident as soon as it resists the violent wind. The quality of metal is proved by repeated blows of the hammer. Therefore, be courageous. The Father is totally intent on having us grow in perfection.”

St. Gaspar 1813

Regarding this Friday’s gospel: (October 25, Luke 12:54-59)

Gaspar wrote the above quote while he was in prison, even while his prison experience was becoming worse. He saw the signs of the times and he did what was necessary.

The Sign of the cross: God gave us everything, even the last drop of his blood.

The Pharisees could tell the weather but could not tell that God was present, even though all the signs from the Hebrew Scriptures were here, the lame walk, the blind see, etc.

Now is the time to respond to God’s desires, not yesterday, not tomorrow. Today is the day to be courageous.

(Link to St. Gaspar on Courage I, (letter 62) is in the sidebar)

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:00 PM link

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More...

...on the Precious Blood Martyrs.

Here too.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:35 PM link

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Prayer Works

Thanks to Amy Welborn for this: Prayer works.

Out of the many visitors yesterday, only two sent emails for me to forward on to Italy. I hope the rest of you have promised to pray. There are those who say prayer is not enough, that what counts is action. Prayer is the first and primary action. St. Gaspar said he could only accomplish things through prayer.

One of those two emails came from Peter Nixon. He was so generous as to post the prayer request on his blog, but as far as I know, his was the only reply from that source. Thanks Peter. The emails were forwarded on to Italy last evening. I am sure that Lamberto and Rinuccia spent the day traveling from Turin to Rome. The Retrouvaille weekend begins tomorrow evening.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 2:45 PM link

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Please, Please...

You have heard me speak of Retrouvaille here before. It gives me great pleasure to serve in several Retrouvaille communities and to serve on its International Board. Retrouvaille International is now expanding to Italy and the very first Retrouvaille program in Italy will take place in Rome on October 25-27, 2002. The Italian Retrouvaille community has worked with great determination and joy to prepare for this program. Retrouvaille, as you know, is a program needed throughout the world, and we are thrilled that its introduction to Italy is now a reality.

We ask that you offer your deepest prayers for the Italian Retrouvaille community, for the presenting team, and especially for the hurting couples attending the program. As part of the conclusion of the weekend the emailed prayers and letters of support from other Retrouvaille communities and couples are posted so the couples can see them We invite you to send your prayers for posting so that I can forward them to Guido and Rinuccia Lamberto, the grace-filled couple coordinating the Italian Retrouvaille effort. You can e-mail your prayers to me here, or post them in the conversation area and I will forward them.

Due to the lateness of our request, we ask you to take advantage of your earliest opportunity to send your prayers to them. Guido and Rinuccia live near Torino in northern Italy, several hours from Rome. It would be best if you send your prayers as soon as possible so that I can forward them no later than early Thursday morning.

If you are able to send your prayers in Italian, that would be beneficial. However, there will be sufficient bilingual members of the Italian presenting team to help with translation when necessary.

Thank you all for your support in reaching out to Italy.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:03 AM link

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Morning Prayer

Here is another one of my articles for Precious Blood Family

In the quiet darkness the sound of morning is heard. Some days I wish it were the distant sound of bells as was heard on a recent retreat. Instead it is the insistent beep of a modern alarm. Yet whatever device wakes us to the new day, the words and gestures remain the same. Making the sign of the cross I say “Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.”(1) This is the ancient and traditional verse and response that begins the Liturgy of the Hours for the entire day. It may be a few minutes before I turn the light on, find my glasses and pick up the prayer book. I do not waken as swiftly as some, yet the day is given its focus. We belong to the Lord, and as with any intimate relationship a practical aspect of that bond is the morning greeting. And as with any human relationship that greeting is done with more or less devotion depending on the day and the feelings. Still this is more than a personal greeting. It is the Church’s greeting. The Body of Christ rises to greet the new morn, in many ways and in many forms, in formal settings and in prayer at home, throughout the world.

The Morning Prayer of the Church, from the Liturgy of Hours, is ancient and meaningful. It can take many forms, and different Religious communities give it varied expressions. Generally it begins with the introduction mentioned above if it is the first prayer of the day, otherwise it begins with “O God, come to my assistance…”(2) When the prayer is prayed in common, a hymn may then be sung. Then there follows a psalm, an Old Testament Canticle, and then another psalm of praise. For individuals the psalms are prayed simply, quietly and directly. When they are prayed together in a group they can be prayed or sung antiphonally, each side of the assembly taking alternate verses or strophes. The psalms are a participation in the Word of God. The members of the community take turns both speaking and listening to this Word. The psalms contain every human emotion, and these emotions are available to us in our relationship with God. In times of joy we may be called upon to pray psalms of sadness, or in times of struggle we are called to pray psalms of praise. Yet, we are praying in more than our own name. We pray in union with all members of the Body throughout the world, praying with them and for them. The Psalms are followed by a reading from the Scripture and a response. Then the Canticle of Zechariah from the Gospel of Luke is prayed every morning. Its focus on the coming Savior and the coming “dawn from on high” are particularly apt for daybreak. This is then followed by a period of intercession offering the day and its concerns to God. After the Lord’s Prayer is recited the concluding prayer for the day is said followed by a simple conclusion. If a priest or a deacon is leading the prayer, the blessing and dismissal are very similar to the Mass.(3)

The Liturgy of Hours, or the Divine Office, sometimes has a bad reputation. It is looked upon as some stern duty that priests of old were required to do under pain of sin. The removal of the “duty” was not a reform designed to make us pray less, but to pray better. Pope Paul VI stated the hope that the Liturgy of Hours would pervade and permeate the whole of Christian prayer, for the clergy and religious AND for the Laity.(4) The intention of the Church was that the Liturgy of Hours would become the basis for councils and groups at parishes, and also for families at home.(5) The point is not to multiply a great many words, but to use the prayer of the Church to give life and expression to our own prayer. For someone praying alone it may be as simple as a psalm, a reading, some silence, some intercession, and the Lord’s Prayer. For a group or assembly it can be sung with great solemnity. There are many books and aids available today to assist with the prayer.(6)

Saint Basil the Great bids all “to take nothing in hand until we have been gladdened by the thought of God.”(7) Saint Gaspar asks us to apply ourselves to prayer “as soon as the alarm rings in the morning.” (8) The Morning Prayer of the Church calls us to rise beyond ourselves and make our own the prayer of the whole Body. We are changed and transformed by our immersion in the Paschal Mystery. Even when we pray this alone it remains the voice of the Church. The basic attitude must be a desire to be one in heart and mind with all our brothers and sisters, and to be one with the mind and heart of Christ.

(1) Psalm 51:17.
(2) see Psalm 31:3
(3) See General Instruction on the Liturgy of Hours, 41-54
(4) Apostolic Constitution
(5) See General Instruction on the Liturgy of Hours, 21,22, 27
(6) Liturgy Training Publications (LTP) has “Children’s Daily Prayer” and “At Home With the Word” as samples of what might be possible.
(7)Saint Basil the Great, Regulae fusius tractate, Resp. 37, 3: PG 31, 1014, General Instruction on the Liturgy of Hours, 38
(8)Letter to Gregory XVI, March, 1831

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:31 PM link

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Recreation and Prayer

I needed something else to do with my free time.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 4:04 PM link

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I could not have said it better. I have criticised this particular writer from the National Review before and have taken a bunch of grief for it. My defense of the Holy Father has even caused one friend to avoid this blog, possibly he places a greater value in the media. The writer even sent two priests into the Conversations section to defend him. Yet his recent critique of the Holy Father's letter gives me the impression that he has an axe to grind based on some pretty awful ignorance. Gaspar got himself into trouble defending the Holy Father. So I guess his feast day is a great time to stick my neck out again. I have said this before: Those who identify themselves as Catholic writers need to have a better understanding of the Church.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 3:56 PM link

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Blessed Feast

October 21, 2002, The Solemnity of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, Priest and Founder of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood. His feast is celebrated with great joy in the houses and parishes administered by the Missionaries. If you are in Italy you will find him in the ordo over there and he will be celebrated as an obligatory memorial. If you are just now hearing about this great saint, you will a wealth of information here.

A short summary of Gaspar’s life can be read here.

Texts for the feast can be found here.

Greetings for the Feast from the Moderator General in Rome can be read here.

Lots of other Links to St. Gaspar can be found here.

Some of Amy Welborn’s thoughts on St. Gaspar can be found here.

Reflections on the Gospel for the Feast can be found here.

Gaspar’s advice on Prayer can be found here.

Pope John Paul II’s commission to the sons and daughters of St. Gaspar is still available on the Vatican Website.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 9:47 AM link

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Happy Feast

"O Soul,
redeemed by the most precious Blood of Jesus the redeemer,
at this point,
lift up your thoughts
and realize that this ineffable benefit
and august mystery,
together with the incarnation of the Son of God,
was a flaming outburst of love:

exinanivit semetipsum forman servi accipiens.
(Phil 2:7 “he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave”)

His submission to so many pains and trials
was a flaming outburst of love,
finally expiring in a sea of sorrows
and on the infamous scaffold of Calvary.
It was a flaming outburst of love
to leave himself entirely in the Eucharistic banquet.
It was a flaming outburst of love
for him to find his delight in US.....

deliciae meae cum filius hominum
(Prov. 8:31 “rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”)

and that burning wish of his
for our eternal salvation
in the beloved homeland of heaven.

O Soul,
plunge yourself deeply
into these moving thoughts
and you cannot but help to repeat with the Apostle:

Caritas Christi urget nos!
(2 Cor 5:14 “ For the love of Christ urges us on”)

It is not so much what Jesus suffered
as it is the love that he demonstrated
in his suffering for us
that obliges us
and even forces us
to love him in return."

St. Gaspar del Bufalo, from Letter No. 57 to Countess Lucrezia Ginnasi, April 14, 1813

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 11:53 PM link

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Gaspar's Gospel

This is the Gospel text for today's Mass, the celebration of the Feast of St. Gaspar.

Mark 16:15-18
Jesus appeared to the eleven and said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Here is St. Gregory's commentary on the text.

There are certain things concerning these signs and wonders which we should carefully consider. Each day the Church does spiritually that which she then did corporeally by the hands of the apostles. For when her priests giving the grace of exorcism lay hands on those who believe, and forbid the unclean spirits to dwell in their souls, what is it they do but cast out devils? And the faithful, who have put aside the speech of the world and speak of holy things, are speaking with new tongues. While they who by their pious encouragement draw evil out of the hearts of others take up serpents. And when they hear evil counsels, and yet are not drawn to evil doing, they drink a deadly thing, and it shall not hurt them. And they who as often as they see their neighbor grow lax in doing good strengthen them by the example of their own good works, lay their hands upon the sick that they may recover. And the more spiritual are these wonders the greater are they; and the greater they are the more, by means of them, not bodies but souls are restored to life.

And here is a summary of my homily:

In many ways, the text we use for the feast of St. Gaspar is an obscure text. Many of the commentators ignore it. Often they dismiss it as a later addition to the gospel of Mark. The theory being that the early disciples were unhappy with the ending of Mark’s Gospel at 16:8 and many communities strove to complete it with various summaries. The best the commentator can say is that it is consistent with passages found in the great commission stories of other gospels, but that this was more than likely a 2nd century addition to the ending of Mark’s Gospel.

Without much help, in our fundamentalist culture, this can be a very daunting passage. Is it a challenge to us when we hear that signs like “these” will accompany those who believe? No, this is not permission to go drink a bunch of deadly liquids. Fundamentalists have gotten into to trouble picking up deadly snakes.

So what does it all mean?

St. Gregory the Great’s commentary may be helpful, but still we need to do some reflection to bring this into our own day.

One of the most inspiring stories of St. Gaspar for me has been the story of his stay in prison. Prisons in those days were less pleasant than they are in our own time. It is said of St. Gaspar and his Companions that they were the “gaudentes.,” the joyful ones. They took that dark and miserable place and made it a place of joy. Sure they could have been overwhelmed with sadness, darkness, doubt and even despair. Instead they gathered together each day for prayer, for reflection, for study and for singing psalms. When they could steal a bit of bread and wine they celebrated the Eucharist. Isn’t this what the scripture means by “handling serpents?” Napoleon would be “serpent” enough for me, and in the face of this challenge Gaspar spoke the language of fidelity. “I cannot, I must not, I will not,” became the memorable phrase that started Gaspar’s journey with the Napoleonic regime.

This is what it means to speak new languages. There are enough serpents in our world with Sept 11 and with the clergy crisis in the Church. In the midst of whatever darkness and struggle, the Lord has given us the ability to speak the language of fidelity, of peace and justice, of charity and of joy. We have been given the ability to handle these “serpents.” They have no power over us. In the midst of whatever the world throws at us, we remain who we are. We are the ones who are called to become the “gaudentes” in this day and age. It is not because of what we say, but it is because of who we are that we are able to speak this good news to all creation.

What are some of the ways you handle the “serpents” of today? How is it that you can speak these new languages in the world? Join the conversation.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 6:53 PM link

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Cool

Do a search for St. Gaspar on Google and somewhere on page five or so you can find a link to Amy Welborn.

Here is her Blog.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:10 AM link

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