For those of you in the north, whether you can believe it or not, I’m hot and sweaty. I don’t know the temperature exactly but it’s hot today. We have just finished celebrating the feast of St. Francis de Sales our patron. His feast day is January 24,last Tuesday, and ordinarily we celebrate on the Sunday before the feast so we can do it up right and invite guests but we were cramped for time last week so we put it off till today. It’s a big production. We had a list of some 31 invited guests but in the end probably we had over 50. The rice almost ran out, but we made it. The menu included fried chicken legs, rice and beans, a macaroni dish plus a cabbage salad and another green salad. Our men did it with the help of a community friend. Really it was topnotch. To drink there was an assortment of Coke, 7UP and beer. We had a big cake made which also just about made it for all the guests to have a piece. Then there was “des bon-bons” which are simply wrapped hard candies. That’s big here to have “bon-bons”. Well, all in all it was a great celebration. We had Mass first scheduled for ten o’clock but we got underway at ten thirty. The singing was especially good and for one of the readings there was a brief biography of St Francis de Sales. My homily spoke about printing the gospel with our lives and used Francis as an example. I think it went all right – whether anybody turned their life over to Jesus when I was finished I have no idea but think it encouraged everybody to ask if their life and words and actions were in fact reproducing the gospel.
What I really liked was the spirit of cooperation I saw in the members of the community. Everybody pitched in and did his part, not only for the preparations but especially for the cleanup after. It does my heart good to see everyone working together and it’s true that “many hands make work light.” To me this is truly the "Oblate spirit"; it what we're all about. We were through cleaning up in about an hour or so. Not bad given the crowd we had. Personally I was beat and I needed a siesta after to recoup my energy.
My sister Ann gave me a Kindle for Christmas. Like all new electronic devices it takes some getting used to. A Kindle is a device sold by Amazon.con which replaces a book. It’s like a little screen about six by ten inches and very light and you can order books which come electronically to your Kindle and are stored there. Books whose copyright have run out are free which includes all the classics- Russian, French, English, etc. but you can buy modern authors and bestsellers for around $10 a piece. That’s not bad when you consider buying an original, even in paperback is at least $15 or more. Anyway I successfully ordered a new book and also have gotten a free Tolstoy. It’s very easy, so easy I can do it. It was great on the plane coming back to Haiti, very lightweight and easy to put in your carry-on. Ironically some very good friends of mine gave me a series of books that a New York Times columnist suggested for summer reading instead of the usual junk people read at the beach. So I’ve brought some of them back with me and will read them as well. One of the blessings of being here, and they are many, is the time I have to read. It’s a real gift.
When home I’m always asked about the progress that’s being made (or not) in Haiti after the earthquake. I’m always hesitant to say that I don’t see much but I have to say that this time coming back I have noticed some changes. By the airport there have been thousands of tent-dwellers since the earthquake. Well most of them are gone and the space around there has again opened up. I’m told the government is giving people money to relocate. I hope that’s true and that they find something more livable that just a tent. I’ve also noticed some road repair going on. That to me is a first class miracle. The roads and streets overall are in terrible shape with huge holes and crumbling pavement and these are the main streets of the capitol! Well, I actually saw a work crew repairing some of the streets, again around the airport. I hope it’s not just to impress visitors. We’ll see. I’m also told that new president is fulfilling a campaign promise to put all the kids in school. Please God, may there be some progress for this very poor nation.
Finally I have to report that I’ve decided to go to Brazil in early February to be present for the ordination of the first Haitian Oblate. I was very much against his being ordained in Brazil and not shy about stating that publicly, but when all is said and one I guess I have to set aside my upset and simply be there for this historic event. I’m also happy to hear that the five Haitian novices presently doing their novitiate in Brazil will return to Haiti in late February to make their first vows. May that trend continue, that is, may the SA Province continue to move toward dealing with Haiti in a more wholesome way.
So that’s it for now. Blessings to all and happy Ground Hog Day! Tom
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012
January 22, 2012
This blog is entitled “Tom in Haiti” so I’m here to say that Tom is back in Haiti after a month away. It was a very full month and I had a chance to see lots of family and friends. What a joy! Also I want to say that many of you who read this blog sent money to help with the purchase of van that we will be needing pretty soon. It’s not near enough to getting down to looking for a vehicle but it’s a good start and I’m very grateful for your generosity. Thank you.
I spent the first few days in the US in New York City with Mary and Tom where I got to see my niece and nephew, their spouses and my “grand” nephews. I have a Haitian grandnephew, Gabriel, son of Kathleen and Hans. Actually his dad is Haitian/American, but because he’s never been to Haiti but his folks come from here, he doesn’t speak Creole. So I lovingly say I’m going to teach Gabriel Creole. “Mwen tonton Tom. Ou Gabriel!” (I’m Uncle Tom. You’re Gabriel!) He’s a very bright little boy not yet two and just starting to speak in sentences so I’m sure my Creole lesson falls on deaf ears, but it is fun. After I left but before the end of the year Steven and Jeannette had their second son, “James Riley” and a brother to Thomas McAnulty. Family can be such a gift!
Christmas I spent with my sister Ann in Niagara Falls. We had a great time and got to see lots of family and friends. The weather was mercifully mild – little snow and temps in the 40’s. After Christmas it was back to Saginaw for my annual physical and visits to the eye doctor and dentist. I had good results with my physical but nearly had a stroke in trying to order a six month supply of my medications instead of the usual three month refill. It meant calling the company who handles our prescriptions, getting put on hold for over 45 minutes, getting cut off and having to start over again, and on and on and on. I was either talking to recordings or to folks from somewhere in the world whose English was hard to understand. Everybody told me that that is pretty much standard practice nowadays. Spare me!
None of the Catholics I encountered liked the new translation of the Mass demanded by the Bishops starting the first Sunday of Advent. The priests I met liked it even less. For them it’s like learning to say Mass all over again. Thankfully the pastor of our parish in Niagara Falls where I celebrated Christmas Mass said, “Just use the old missal.” Bless him.
Another Mass I celebrated was for my cousin Stephanie Stirling and her fiancé John Darlak. That too was a joy. There were lots of people there for the wedding Mass. I’m told that it is often the case these days that people go to the reception but often skip the actual wedding. Not so for this wedding. There were lots of folks in the church and also there for the reception later. I gave the couple a crucifix as a gift, a symbol of what real love is all about. I’d gotten the crucifix from Tom Hagan who along with some of his volunteers had made it out of pieces of wood and broken concrete – ruins from the earthquake of two years ago. It was thus doubly symbolic of facing hardships that come along and doing our best to carry on when it’s not easy. Newlyweds, like all of us need to have reminders of that. By the way, you all know this but I was unaware of a famous couple who got married on TV only to divorce a month or two later. Whatever happened to “for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death”? Anyway, the wedding was a wonderful event. Vince and Gail, Stephanie’s loving parents and my “first cousins once removed” did so much to make the even just spectacular down to the littlest details like putting gift bags of goodies and drinks in the hotel rooms of the guests who stayed overnight. God bless them all!
I was in the US for the second anniversary of the earthquake and was interested in the coverage this got in the media. They talked about the thousands still living in tents which is true and the many scenes of rubble and debris still blocking streets which is also true but I heard some criticism of the NGO’s (Non-governmental Organizations) like the Red Cross and and of course Tom Hagan’s Hands Together. The word was that they are not working together or not spending their money well. That is certainly not true for Hands Together. All, and I mean all the people Tom has hired to teach in the schools, drill the wells, distribute the food, work in the clinics, etc, they are all Haitians. I also heard that there has been an effort to build “temporary housing” but there has to be a more far-reaching solution. That’s true in my opinion. Some group or groups are building little cabins 10’x10’ made out of untreated plywood which are a step up from a tent but not much of a step up. I’ve still never heard of a large overall plan to address the region of the earthquake and Port au Prince in particular. It seems to me that this is the moment, given all the money sent at the time of the earthquake to address the problems of the infrastructure of the city and the region. To plan new sewers, water and electrical systems, repair and plan news streets and highways, etc. but even as I write this I have to say what I said many times when talking to you and others when I was in the States, “I (we)can’t look at the ruins of Haiti with ‘American eyes’. I have to look at Haiti with ‘Haitian eyes’.” Haiti is Haiti with its history, its people and its culture. It is the Haitians who must solve these problems – given help from outside, yes, but Haiti has to be fixed by Haitians. I read that the new Archbishop of Port au Prince said about the same thing at the Mass on the second anniversary a few weeks ago.
As for community news, I just received word that the five Oblate Haitian novices will be coming back to Haiti to make their first vows. Halleluiah! Also Claudiomiro a Brazilian priest is going to come to live here, learn the language and be a part of the future Oblate Haitian presence. There is a plan to get another house where the scholastics (those with vows)will live with Claudio and Lionel, the first ordained Haitian Oblate. All that is good news, even very good news. I will be here with the postulants who have not yet made their novitiate or professed vows.
As for our property, I can report that the walls build to surround our plot of land are almost finished and paid for. The next step is the construction of a house of formation – rooms for twenty men, guest rooms, plus baths, common rooms, kitchen and dining room, a chapel, etc. All that is in God’s hands but I’m supposed to get that started somehow. Pray I get the help I need! Let it be said that from the very beginning of this project which began with the buying of the property in October of 2010 that I have total trust in God’s providence. If it’s to come about, it will be God’s work not mine. I just march to the beat of the Drummer, if you get my drift.
So, I’m back and all seems to be going well. I wish you all blessings on this new year that we have begun. Count on my love and prayers. Tom
This blog is entitled “Tom in Haiti” so I’m here to say that Tom is back in Haiti after a month away. It was a very full month and I had a chance to see lots of family and friends. What a joy! Also I want to say that many of you who read this blog sent money to help with the purchase of van that we will be needing pretty soon. It’s not near enough to getting down to looking for a vehicle but it’s a good start and I’m very grateful for your generosity. Thank you.
I spent the first few days in the US in New York City with Mary and Tom where I got to see my niece and nephew, their spouses and my “grand” nephews. I have a Haitian grandnephew, Gabriel, son of Kathleen and Hans. Actually his dad is Haitian/American, but because he’s never been to Haiti but his folks come from here, he doesn’t speak Creole. So I lovingly say I’m going to teach Gabriel Creole. “Mwen tonton Tom. Ou Gabriel!” (I’m Uncle Tom. You’re Gabriel!) He’s a very bright little boy not yet two and just starting to speak in sentences so I’m sure my Creole lesson falls on deaf ears, but it is fun. After I left but before the end of the year Steven and Jeannette had their second son, “James Riley” and a brother to Thomas McAnulty. Family can be such a gift!
Christmas I spent with my sister Ann in Niagara Falls. We had a great time and got to see lots of family and friends. The weather was mercifully mild – little snow and temps in the 40’s. After Christmas it was back to Saginaw for my annual physical and visits to the eye doctor and dentist. I had good results with my physical but nearly had a stroke in trying to order a six month supply of my medications instead of the usual three month refill. It meant calling the company who handles our prescriptions, getting put on hold for over 45 minutes, getting cut off and having to start over again, and on and on and on. I was either talking to recordings or to folks from somewhere in the world whose English was hard to understand. Everybody told me that that is pretty much standard practice nowadays. Spare me!
None of the Catholics I encountered liked the new translation of the Mass demanded by the Bishops starting the first Sunday of Advent. The priests I met liked it even less. For them it’s like learning to say Mass all over again. Thankfully the pastor of our parish in Niagara Falls where I celebrated Christmas Mass said, “Just use the old missal.” Bless him.
Another Mass I celebrated was for my cousin Stephanie Stirling and her fiancé John Darlak. That too was a joy. There were lots of people there for the wedding Mass. I’m told that it is often the case these days that people go to the reception but often skip the actual wedding. Not so for this wedding. There were lots of folks in the church and also there for the reception later. I gave the couple a crucifix as a gift, a symbol of what real love is all about. I’d gotten the crucifix from Tom Hagan who along with some of his volunteers had made it out of pieces of wood and broken concrete – ruins from the earthquake of two years ago. It was thus doubly symbolic of facing hardships that come along and doing our best to carry on when it’s not easy. Newlyweds, like all of us need to have reminders of that. By the way, you all know this but I was unaware of a famous couple who got married on TV only to divorce a month or two later. Whatever happened to “for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death”? Anyway, the wedding was a wonderful event. Vince and Gail, Stephanie’s loving parents and my “first cousins once removed” did so much to make the even just spectacular down to the littlest details like putting gift bags of goodies and drinks in the hotel rooms of the guests who stayed overnight. God bless them all!
I was in the US for the second anniversary of the earthquake and was interested in the coverage this got in the media. They talked about the thousands still living in tents which is true and the many scenes of rubble and debris still blocking streets which is also true but I heard some criticism of the NGO’s (Non-governmental Organizations) like the Red Cross and and of course Tom Hagan’s Hands Together. The word was that they are not working together or not spending their money well. That is certainly not true for Hands Together. All, and I mean all the people Tom has hired to teach in the schools, drill the wells, distribute the food, work in the clinics, etc, they are all Haitians. I also heard that there has been an effort to build “temporary housing” but there has to be a more far-reaching solution. That’s true in my opinion. Some group or groups are building little cabins 10’x10’ made out of untreated plywood which are a step up from a tent but not much of a step up. I’ve still never heard of a large overall plan to address the region of the earthquake and Port au Prince in particular. It seems to me that this is the moment, given all the money sent at the time of the earthquake to address the problems of the infrastructure of the city and the region. To plan new sewers, water and electrical systems, repair and plan news streets and highways, etc. but even as I write this I have to say what I said many times when talking to you and others when I was in the States, “I (we)can’t look at the ruins of Haiti with ‘American eyes’. I have to look at Haiti with ‘Haitian eyes’.” Haiti is Haiti with its history, its people and its culture. It is the Haitians who must solve these problems – given help from outside, yes, but Haiti has to be fixed by Haitians. I read that the new Archbishop of Port au Prince said about the same thing at the Mass on the second anniversary a few weeks ago.
As for community news, I just received word that the five Oblate Haitian novices will be coming back to Haiti to make their first vows. Halleluiah! Also Claudiomiro a Brazilian priest is going to come to live here, learn the language and be a part of the future Oblate Haitian presence. There is a plan to get another house where the scholastics (those with vows)will live with Claudio and Lionel, the first ordained Haitian Oblate. All that is good news, even very good news. I will be here with the postulants who have not yet made their novitiate or professed vows.
As for our property, I can report that the walls build to surround our plot of land are almost finished and paid for. The next step is the construction of a house of formation – rooms for twenty men, guest rooms, plus baths, common rooms, kitchen and dining room, a chapel, etc. All that is in God’s hands but I’m supposed to get that started somehow. Pray I get the help I need! Let it be said that from the very beginning of this project which began with the buying of the property in October of 2010 that I have total trust in God’s providence. If it’s to come about, it will be God’s work not mine. I just march to the beat of the Drummer, if you get my drift.
So, I’m back and all seems to be going well. I wish you all blessings on this new year that we have begun. Count on my love and prayers. Tom
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Decenber 11, 2011
“O come, O come Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel,
who mourns in lonely exile here,
until the son of God appears…
This week has been one of real emotion. Monday, after waiting for over three months the seven postulants finally received their visas for Brazil. It has been a long wait and it’s not always been easy. The seven were great really. They thought they’d be leaving toward the end of September but no – no visas, despite the fact that they had all their documentation in before the end of August. Well, they had some extended time with their families, but they've all been here since the beginning of October. Mind you, it was not their idea to go to Brazil for their novitiate. It was a request coming down “from above,” from the provincial and his council. So they waited patiently for their visas. Several times we went to the consulate to check on the progress of their request and each time they were told to be patient. Well two weeks ago Monday we ran out of patience and I went to the consulate and “demanded” either one or the other – our documents back or the visas. On Wednesday they had the visas but there was more red tape. So last Monday we finally got the visas in hand.
The next thing was the news – again coming down from on high - that they should leave on Thursday, two days after getting their visas. There was no time to say goodbye to their families in person. It was rush, rush, rush! I felt bad and they felt bad but what can you do? The tickets were bought in Brazil. So Thursday at one o’clock we had a special dinner to say goodbye. At the same dinner, on the same day, we welcomed three of the scholastics who arrived from Brazil for six weeks of vacation. (They are part of the group who left right after the earthquake.) I had one of the men who was staying here say a few words to one of the men leaving, plus a word of welcome to the three individuals who just arrived. It seemed to work out well. Of course it is no surprise that I was “teary” but it was a surprise that many among the seven were also visibly in tears. I’m not sure but I think that it is very, very unusual for a Haitian man to cry, period! but especially to cry in public! Good for them. They are men after my own heart! Here are the words I spoke at the end in Creole. It was entitled, “Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go.”
“Soon after the foundation of the first Visitation convent (a new congregation founded by St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal), there was a need to made other foundations in other cities. It was difficult for the first sisters to leave Annecy and to be separated one from the other. We have an expression which comes from that time and the expression is , ‘Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go.’
I am remembering those words today when our community is having the same experience. We have been together since the earthquake. We have shared our sufferings and the sufferings to all the others who were in the earthquake zone. During those days we literally helped feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick and injured. It was a difficult time. It was a hard time. We slept under the stars until we got tents. During those days we saw some terrible things – people who lost an arm or people who lost a leg. Everybody knew at least one if not two or three people who died. We lost two of our brothers, Innocent and Rochelor. We made a real effort alongside Fr. Tom (Hagan) to help those in need, especially in Cité Soleil.
Thanks be to God and thanks be to the Sisters of Providence, we received the use of an SUV to help with our work. When courses started up again “in tents” in mid April we were there to join the other seminarians in a sign of solidarity with all Haitians who had suffered so greatly but who were beginning to build a new life. We were there.We had to leave our house in Tourgeau (a section of Port au Prince) and move back to Delmas 33 (our present residence) which needed to be thoroughly cleaned since had abandoned it after the quake.
All this is our history. We lived it together. Since then we have spent a year and a half in this house as postulants of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales. I want to say (and here came the tears big time) that I am very proud of each one of you, those of you who are leaving and those of you who are staying. YOU ARE VERY GOOD PEOPLE! My prayer for all of us is that we will continue to live the fidelity that we have had during this last year – fidelity to God’s will, fidelity to the Congregation of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales, fidelity to “Live Jesus!”.
Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go."
Just to let you all know that I am a sinful man, the emphasis on “and we were there!” was for the three who had just arrived, three of the seven who left right after the earthquake and who obviously “were not there.” What I said was true but maybe I could have found a more charitable way of saying what I did.
Not long after dinner we left for the airport and a tearful goodbye. Shortly after arriving home we got a phone call saying that the group could not leave because they did not have round trip tickets, just one way. Well, I headed back to the airport – it’s only 15 minutes away and when I got there the “problem” had been resolved and they could leave on the five o’clock flight. Thank God they arrived in Brazil the next morning safely but, alas, without their luggage. It was probably in Panama where they stopped and changed planes. I hope by now they have their bags.
AS for the three who arrived, one will stay and continue his studies in philosophy which he left after the earthquake. The other two will go back to Brazil in early February. We had “a talk” on Friday morning. I think they wanted to tell me that indeed they had made the right choice in choosing to leave right after the quake. Well, to put it briefly (though I was not brief on Friday morning) they did not convince me. It was their chose, yes. And they made it, yes. But it is a choice I clearly did not agree with and looking back I still do not agree with. This is all very ironic. You see, they know that if it were not for me, the Oblate Haitian foundation would have simply fallen apart. After the earthquake I was the only one here guiding the 19 aspirants and 12 postulants – insuring a transition during those troubled days. I’ve been here to purchase the land on which a Oblate house will be build. I’ve established a strong program for the postulants. They know all this and truly appreciate it. I think I’m something of a hero for them. But at the same time they know how strongly I feel about their decision to leave and I’m sure that annoys them, to say the least. So there we are, for better or for worse.
Now to something else, a subject I’m not delighted to approach but I think I must. You read above about the very very generous gift the Sisters of Providence of French-speaking Canada made to us in giving us the use of one of their vehicles since they returned to Canada to regroup after the earthquake. I understand their convent was unstable and their school was in ruins. Well, we’ve used their SUV for close to two years now and since the Sisters are back they’ve indicated that they will probably be needing it.That leaves us with simply our tap-tap which is an old Toyota pickup reconfigured to use as a vehicle for transporting our community to and from classes, etc. I hope it will hold up but we will really need a van shortly. Not a new one, of course, but a decent used one. There’s no money in our very tight budget to buy a vehicle so if any of you out there would like to help us to get a van I’d be very grateful. You can send anything at all to our Provincial Office noting that the enclosed is for Tom Moore’s work in Haiti. The provincial can send you a letter (for tax purposes) acknowledging your gift.The address is: Rev. Ken McKenna, OSFS/2056 Parkside Blvd/Toledo,OH 43620-1597. Well, there it is. I don’t like asking but we are in need. And please don’t feel obliged to send anything. I know all of you are hurting yourselves due to the weak economy and anyway, God will take care of us here. He/She’s been doing a good job up till now and I have faith that that will continue.
Thursday, “Si Dieu veut” (God willing) I’ll leave for the States for some rest and relaxation. The men have always managed to carry the ball while I'm away so I’m counting on the same for this trip. Actually with the seven who went to Brazil I’m depending on a new crew, but I’m sure they will do fine. So with that I’ll sign off wishing you all a blessed end to the Advent season, a holy and happy Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s blessings. Thank you for all you are to me. My heart is filled with gratitude. Peace and blessings, Tom
and ransom captive Israel,
who mourns in lonely exile here,
until the son of God appears…
This week has been one of real emotion. Monday, after waiting for over three months the seven postulants finally received their visas for Brazil. It has been a long wait and it’s not always been easy. The seven were great really. They thought they’d be leaving toward the end of September but no – no visas, despite the fact that they had all their documentation in before the end of August. Well, they had some extended time with their families, but they've all been here since the beginning of October. Mind you, it was not their idea to go to Brazil for their novitiate. It was a request coming down “from above,” from the provincial and his council. So they waited patiently for their visas. Several times we went to the consulate to check on the progress of their request and each time they were told to be patient. Well two weeks ago Monday we ran out of patience and I went to the consulate and “demanded” either one or the other – our documents back or the visas. On Wednesday they had the visas but there was more red tape. So last Monday we finally got the visas in hand.
The next thing was the news – again coming down from on high - that they should leave on Thursday, two days after getting their visas. There was no time to say goodbye to their families in person. It was rush, rush, rush! I felt bad and they felt bad but what can you do? The tickets were bought in Brazil. So Thursday at one o’clock we had a special dinner to say goodbye. At the same dinner, on the same day, we welcomed three of the scholastics who arrived from Brazil for six weeks of vacation. (They are part of the group who left right after the earthquake.) I had one of the men who was staying here say a few words to one of the men leaving, plus a word of welcome to the three individuals who just arrived. It seemed to work out well. Of course it is no surprise that I was “teary” but it was a surprise that many among the seven were also visibly in tears. I’m not sure but I think that it is very, very unusual for a Haitian man to cry, period! but especially to cry in public! Good for them. They are men after my own heart! Here are the words I spoke at the end in Creole. It was entitled, “Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go.”
“Soon after the foundation of the first Visitation convent (a new congregation founded by St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal), there was a need to made other foundations in other cities. It was difficult for the first sisters to leave Annecy and to be separated one from the other. We have an expression which comes from that time and the expression is , ‘Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go.’
I am remembering those words today when our community is having the same experience. We have been together since the earthquake. We have shared our sufferings and the sufferings to all the others who were in the earthquake zone. During those days we literally helped feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick and injured. It was a difficult time. It was a hard time. We slept under the stars until we got tents. During those days we saw some terrible things – people who lost an arm or people who lost a leg. Everybody knew at least one if not two or three people who died. We lost two of our brothers, Innocent and Rochelor. We made a real effort alongside Fr. Tom (Hagan) to help those in need, especially in Cité Soleil.
Thanks be to God and thanks be to the Sisters of Providence, we received the use of an SUV to help with our work. When courses started up again “in tents” in mid April we were there to join the other seminarians in a sign of solidarity with all Haitians who had suffered so greatly but who were beginning to build a new life. We were there.We had to leave our house in Tourgeau (a section of Port au Prince) and move back to Delmas 33 (our present residence) which needed to be thoroughly cleaned since had abandoned it after the quake.
All this is our history. We lived it together. Since then we have spent a year and a half in this house as postulants of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales. I want to say (and here came the tears big time) that I am very proud of each one of you, those of you who are leaving and those of you who are staying. YOU ARE VERY GOOD PEOPLE! My prayer for all of us is that we will continue to live the fidelity that we have had during this last year – fidelity to God’s will, fidelity to the Congregation of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales, fidelity to “Live Jesus!”.
Those who go, stay. Those who stay, go."
Just to let you all know that I am a sinful man, the emphasis on “and we were there!” was for the three who had just arrived, three of the seven who left right after the earthquake and who obviously “were not there.” What I said was true but maybe I could have found a more charitable way of saying what I did.
Not long after dinner we left for the airport and a tearful goodbye. Shortly after arriving home we got a phone call saying that the group could not leave because they did not have round trip tickets, just one way. Well, I headed back to the airport – it’s only 15 minutes away and when I got there the “problem” had been resolved and they could leave on the five o’clock flight. Thank God they arrived in Brazil the next morning safely but, alas, without their luggage. It was probably in Panama where they stopped and changed planes. I hope by now they have their bags.
AS for the three who arrived, one will stay and continue his studies in philosophy which he left after the earthquake. The other two will go back to Brazil in early February. We had “a talk” on Friday morning. I think they wanted to tell me that indeed they had made the right choice in choosing to leave right after the quake. Well, to put it briefly (though I was not brief on Friday morning) they did not convince me. It was their chose, yes. And they made it, yes. But it is a choice I clearly did not agree with and looking back I still do not agree with. This is all very ironic. You see, they know that if it were not for me, the Oblate Haitian foundation would have simply fallen apart. After the earthquake I was the only one here guiding the 19 aspirants and 12 postulants – insuring a transition during those troubled days. I’ve been here to purchase the land on which a Oblate house will be build. I’ve established a strong program for the postulants. They know all this and truly appreciate it. I think I’m something of a hero for them. But at the same time they know how strongly I feel about their decision to leave and I’m sure that annoys them, to say the least. So there we are, for better or for worse.
Now to something else, a subject I’m not delighted to approach but I think I must. You read above about the very very generous gift the Sisters of Providence of French-speaking Canada made to us in giving us the use of one of their vehicles since they returned to Canada to regroup after the earthquake. I understand their convent was unstable and their school was in ruins. Well, we’ve used their SUV for close to two years now and since the Sisters are back they’ve indicated that they will probably be needing it.That leaves us with simply our tap-tap which is an old Toyota pickup reconfigured to use as a vehicle for transporting our community to and from classes, etc. I hope it will hold up but we will really need a van shortly. Not a new one, of course, but a decent used one. There’s no money in our very tight budget to buy a vehicle so if any of you out there would like to help us to get a van I’d be very grateful. You can send anything at all to our Provincial Office noting that the enclosed is for Tom Moore’s work in Haiti. The provincial can send you a letter (for tax purposes) acknowledging your gift.The address is: Rev. Ken McKenna, OSFS/2056 Parkside Blvd/Toledo,OH 43620-1597. Well, there it is. I don’t like asking but we are in need. And please don’t feel obliged to send anything. I know all of you are hurting yourselves due to the weak economy and anyway, God will take care of us here. He/She’s been doing a good job up till now and I have faith that that will continue.
Thursday, “Si Dieu veut” (God willing) I’ll leave for the States for some rest and relaxation. The men have always managed to carry the ball while I'm away so I’m counting on the same for this trip. Actually with the seven who went to Brazil I’m depending on a new crew, but I’m sure they will do fine. So with that I’ll sign off wishing you all a blessed end to the Advent season, a holy and happy Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s blessings. Thank you for all you are to me. My heart is filled with gratitude. Peace and blessings, Tom
Sunday, December 4, 2011
December 4, 2011
I guess batting 500 first time out isn’t too bad but I don’t feel good. It’s all about the first homily I gave in Creole today, that is, the first “big” homily I’ve given in Creole. During weekday Masses for quite some time now I’ve been giving very brief homilies but today was the first time I got into the big leagues and gave a homily to a Sunday congregation. I had the first Mass today at six o’clock in Carradeux at the Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus, an outlying chapel of our parish Ste Clare. I’ve been saying Mass there for about two months now and I thought I could try giving the homily in Creole. Usually one of the postulants preaches. Well I wrote a homily in English during the week and translated it into Creole. My teacher thought I had done a good job so I practiced and practiced my delivery for the Mass at Carradeux and then for the nine o’clock Mass at Ste Anne’s where the community always goes on Sunday. Tom Hagan presides there when he’s in town and I take his place when he is in the States like today. Well the first Mass went well. It is a tiny primitive chapel and the congregation is usually around thirty people – a good mix of men, women and children. There are no microphones to fool with and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I felt at ease and all went well.
Not so at Ste Anne’s. This is a very large chapel and the congregation is always a mix of about at least a hundred school kids – grades one through six or so. in addition there is a group of senior citizens which numbers about a hundred. There are a few supervisors for the kids but the kids often act up. I suspect they have no idea why they are there so like all kids they are bored and start talking among themselves. It doesn’t seem to bother the other preachers, they just go on. Well, today, given the circumstances, my “nervousness” level was high to begin with. Then there were the microphone problems and added to that lots of words in the text for this Sunday’s Mass which were tricky to pronounce. I don’t know about you but when I make one mistake or two in the beginning I get tense and that leads to more mistakes, and so it goes. What went well at the first place, did not go well at the second. Here I was preaching “hopefulness” and “patience” and not listening to my own words since I finished the Mass very discouraged. It’s all ego stuff. I was wanting to do well and and then knowing that I didn’t. “Be patient with all, especially with yourself.” St. Francis de Sales. I say that to a lot to people and fail to do it myself. All this reminds me of one of the Advent people the Church gives us to help us move through the Advent season. John the Baptist said “Repent, and confess your sins…” Well there are some (just some) of my sins.
The week was filled with ups and downs. Monday I went to the Brazilian consulate to see about the visas for the seven men going to Brazil for their novitiate who have been waiting since September for their visas to come through. After waiting over an hour I finally got into one of the offices and told the man in no uncertain terms, either one or the other: give us the visas or give us back our documents. We’re tired of waiting and have not more patience. Well the man said he’d get right on it. (Yah, sure!) On Wednesday we got a call that the visas were there in order and all we had to do was pay the fee for each visa which came to $575 American (that's for all seven). We paid it immediately and guess what? Still no visas in hand! In the meantime I wrote to Brazil telling them we had the visas and they could order the plane tickets. Well they got right on it and were saying the guys could leave this Tuesday, December 6. I had to write back and say no, wait; we don’t have the visas in hand. Thank God they hadn’t ordered the tickets and didn't have to change the date. It costs a hundred bucks to do that in the States. I don’t know if the same rule exists in Brazil. Anyway we are still waiting. It's up and down!
Yesterday I went to the youth group, Friends of St Francis de Sales. I used to go regularly but lately I’ve not been going. We took a tap-tap but this time it was not a made over pickup truck but a big panel truck. There were benches along the sides and people stood in the middle and hung on (for dear life) to a rope stretched the length of the compartment. I haven’t been in a tap-tap for some time now and it was a sort of refresher course. As we got underway a man started talking in a loud voice. At first I thought we were in for a sermon which often happens, but no, it was a man selling pharmaceuticals. He opened little boxes containing plastic strips of various pills, explaining which each was for: this is vitamin B 12 and it’s good for this or that, this is a pain reliever, etc. People reached over and gave him a dollar or two whatever he was asking. When there were no sales he looked in his knapsack for something else. Nobody seemed to be afraid that whatever he was selling might not be good for them, maybe because they didn’t buy enough of a dose to really harm themselves. You only bought a strip of six or eight pills and not the whole box. This is everyday life in Haiti for folks who have not car, meaning most everybody.
On the return trip we had to hustle to get on an already loaded tap-tap of the same kind. Young people, women with big sacks, men with tools, the whole gamut was represented. We ended our trip at the final destination point “Gerald Bataille”. From there it is an uphill climb of about a quarter to a half mile dodging all the street venders and the hustle and bustle of Saturday early evening traffic. Well, I’ve been exercising for over two months. I do a half hour each day up and down the hill our property here is located on. It’s a sensible workout and it gets my heart rate up to where it should be for an exercise period. Well it must be paying off since it started up the half mile climb at a good clip and arrived at our house well before either of the two postulants. Not too bad! Really I’m very grateful to God for the gift of my good health. I know it can disappear at any minute with an accident caused by a misstep or by some kind of attack or other. But while I have it I’m grateful for it and when I no longer have it I hope I’ll be thankful for what I have.
Now for an ending! Since I talked so much about the homily in Creole I'll give it to you in English. If you want out, stop reading here.
During Advent we wait!
We wait for lots of things.
We wait for an end to the cholera epidemic.
We wait for the day when everybody who wants work will get work.
We wait for violence and crime to end in our streets and in our neighborhoods.
We wait for a lot of things.
Advent is the season when we reflect on the act of waiting.
As we wait we remember our ancestors who waited too – in exile for 80 years. Yes, that is a long time to be far from you own land, a land given to you by God. But they were in exile, far from their home, powerless, discouraged, knowing that it was their own sin that was the cause for their exile. They waited.
As we wait we remember a young girl, a girl who is pregnant and who is living in Nazareth. She too waited. She waited for the birth of the baby within her. She waited in silence. She too was powerless but she was not discouraged. She had hope.
As we wait we remember a man God called to prepare the way for the Messiah. He too waited. He waited in hope like the girl in Nazareth.
During Advent the Church gives us guides to help us as we wait for the three comings of the Lord.
We wait to celebrate again the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem at Christmas.
We wait for Jesus as he comes to us in our ordinary lives, our everyday lives, when Jesus comes to us in the folks who are hungry, in those who are thirsty, in those who are sick, in strangers, in those who are in prison.
And we wait for Jesus’ coming in glory at the end of time.
Just who are these guides that the Church gives us to help us during this season of Advent as we wait?
The first one is Isaiah. He was a prophet who lived in the time of the exile. He preached hope in a time of no hope and faith in a time of no faith.
He tells us we cannot know the mind of God. We must wait in hope and confidence. God is faithful says Isaiah. God will free us from our exile.
We should remember this message. After the earthquake during this time of suffering, of violence and of crime we must wait in hope. We cannot be discouraged. We cannot lose our faith.
Listen to Isaiah. He can guide us during this time of Advent
Another guide for us is Mary, Jesus’ mother. She teaches us that we must wait in silence. We should find time in our very busy day for prayer,time to thank God and to renew our confidence in God. We must find time to help those in need as she found time to help her cousin Elizabeth who was old and who was also pregnant.
Listen to Mary. She too can guide us in the season of Advent.
And finally we have a third guide, John the Baptist. He teaches us that we must confess our sins, that we must avoid evil and do good.John the Baptist speaks of purification and penance. We are all sinners. We all need to confess our sins and to do penance.
Listen to John the Baptist in this time of Advent.
And so, we wait. We need to pray for one another that our Advent will be full of hope in the face of our difficulties. That during Advent God will give us the strength to help those in need. And that this season of Advent will lead us to everlasting life. (“pral nennen nou nan la vie ki pap jam fini an”).
Okay, it’s all done! That last phrase in Creole picks up an oft used phrase in the liturgy. So with that I leave you. Next Sunday is my last one here in Haiti for awhile. On the 15th I will leave for the States, God willing.
May your week be blessed. Tom
Not so at Ste Anne’s. This is a very large chapel and the congregation is always a mix of about at least a hundred school kids – grades one through six or so. in addition there is a group of senior citizens which numbers about a hundred. There are a few supervisors for the kids but the kids often act up. I suspect they have no idea why they are there so like all kids they are bored and start talking among themselves. It doesn’t seem to bother the other preachers, they just go on. Well, today, given the circumstances, my “nervousness” level was high to begin with. Then there were the microphone problems and added to that lots of words in the text for this Sunday’s Mass which were tricky to pronounce. I don’t know about you but when I make one mistake or two in the beginning I get tense and that leads to more mistakes, and so it goes. What went well at the first place, did not go well at the second. Here I was preaching “hopefulness” and “patience” and not listening to my own words since I finished the Mass very discouraged. It’s all ego stuff. I was wanting to do well and and then knowing that I didn’t. “Be patient with all, especially with yourself.” St. Francis de Sales. I say that to a lot to people and fail to do it myself. All this reminds me of one of the Advent people the Church gives us to help us move through the Advent season. John the Baptist said “Repent, and confess your sins…” Well there are some (just some) of my sins.
The week was filled with ups and downs. Monday I went to the Brazilian consulate to see about the visas for the seven men going to Brazil for their novitiate who have been waiting since September for their visas to come through. After waiting over an hour I finally got into one of the offices and told the man in no uncertain terms, either one or the other: give us the visas or give us back our documents. We’re tired of waiting and have not more patience. Well the man said he’d get right on it. (Yah, sure!) On Wednesday we got a call that the visas were there in order and all we had to do was pay the fee for each visa which came to $575 American (that's for all seven). We paid it immediately and guess what? Still no visas in hand! In the meantime I wrote to Brazil telling them we had the visas and they could order the plane tickets. Well they got right on it and were saying the guys could leave this Tuesday, December 6. I had to write back and say no, wait; we don’t have the visas in hand. Thank God they hadn’t ordered the tickets and didn't have to change the date. It costs a hundred bucks to do that in the States. I don’t know if the same rule exists in Brazil. Anyway we are still waiting. It's up and down!
Yesterday I went to the youth group, Friends of St Francis de Sales. I used to go regularly but lately I’ve not been going. We took a tap-tap but this time it was not a made over pickup truck but a big panel truck. There were benches along the sides and people stood in the middle and hung on (for dear life) to a rope stretched the length of the compartment. I haven’t been in a tap-tap for some time now and it was a sort of refresher course. As we got underway a man started talking in a loud voice. At first I thought we were in for a sermon which often happens, but no, it was a man selling pharmaceuticals. He opened little boxes containing plastic strips of various pills, explaining which each was for: this is vitamin B 12 and it’s good for this or that, this is a pain reliever, etc. People reached over and gave him a dollar or two whatever he was asking. When there were no sales he looked in his knapsack for something else. Nobody seemed to be afraid that whatever he was selling might not be good for them, maybe because they didn’t buy enough of a dose to really harm themselves. You only bought a strip of six or eight pills and not the whole box. This is everyday life in Haiti for folks who have not car, meaning most everybody.
On the return trip we had to hustle to get on an already loaded tap-tap of the same kind. Young people, women with big sacks, men with tools, the whole gamut was represented. We ended our trip at the final destination point “Gerald Bataille”. From there it is an uphill climb of about a quarter to a half mile dodging all the street venders and the hustle and bustle of Saturday early evening traffic. Well, I’ve been exercising for over two months. I do a half hour each day up and down the hill our property here is located on. It’s a sensible workout and it gets my heart rate up to where it should be for an exercise period. Well it must be paying off since it started up the half mile climb at a good clip and arrived at our house well before either of the two postulants. Not too bad! Really I’m very grateful to God for the gift of my good health. I know it can disappear at any minute with an accident caused by a misstep or by some kind of attack or other. But while I have it I’m grateful for it and when I no longer have it I hope I’ll be thankful for what I have.
Now for an ending! Since I talked so much about the homily in Creole I'll give it to you in English. If you want out, stop reading here.
During Advent we wait!
We wait for lots of things.
We wait for an end to the cholera epidemic.
We wait for the day when everybody who wants work will get work.
We wait for violence and crime to end in our streets and in our neighborhoods.
We wait for a lot of things.
Advent is the season when we reflect on the act of waiting.
As we wait we remember our ancestors who waited too – in exile for 80 years. Yes, that is a long time to be far from you own land, a land given to you by God. But they were in exile, far from their home, powerless, discouraged, knowing that it was their own sin that was the cause for their exile. They waited.
As we wait we remember a young girl, a girl who is pregnant and who is living in Nazareth. She too waited. She waited for the birth of the baby within her. She waited in silence. She too was powerless but she was not discouraged. She had hope.
As we wait we remember a man God called to prepare the way for the Messiah. He too waited. He waited in hope like the girl in Nazareth.
During Advent the Church gives us guides to help us as we wait for the three comings of the Lord.
We wait to celebrate again the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem at Christmas.
We wait for Jesus as he comes to us in our ordinary lives, our everyday lives, when Jesus comes to us in the folks who are hungry, in those who are thirsty, in those who are sick, in strangers, in those who are in prison.
And we wait for Jesus’ coming in glory at the end of time.
Just who are these guides that the Church gives us to help us during this season of Advent as we wait?
The first one is Isaiah. He was a prophet who lived in the time of the exile. He preached hope in a time of no hope and faith in a time of no faith.
He tells us we cannot know the mind of God. We must wait in hope and confidence. God is faithful says Isaiah. God will free us from our exile.
We should remember this message. After the earthquake during this time of suffering, of violence and of crime we must wait in hope. We cannot be discouraged. We cannot lose our faith.
Listen to Isaiah. He can guide us during this time of Advent
Another guide for us is Mary, Jesus’ mother. She teaches us that we must wait in silence. We should find time in our very busy day for prayer,time to thank God and to renew our confidence in God. We must find time to help those in need as she found time to help her cousin Elizabeth who was old and who was also pregnant.
Listen to Mary. She too can guide us in the season of Advent.
And finally we have a third guide, John the Baptist. He teaches us that we must confess our sins, that we must avoid evil and do good.John the Baptist speaks of purification and penance. We are all sinners. We all need to confess our sins and to do penance.
Listen to John the Baptist in this time of Advent.
And so, we wait. We need to pray for one another that our Advent will be full of hope in the face of our difficulties. That during Advent God will give us the strength to help those in need. And that this season of Advent will lead us to everlasting life. (“pral nennen nou nan la vie ki pap jam fini an”).
Okay, it’s all done! That last phrase in Creole picks up an oft used phrase in the liturgy. So with that I leave you. Next Sunday is my last one here in Haiti for awhile. On the 15th I will leave for the States, God willing.
May your week be blessed. Tom
Sunday, November 27, 2011
November 27, 2011
I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving with good food, friends and family. Here I lifted you all up to the Lord, thankful for you, my family and friends. Recently I read something that I’ve read before and that is, what a grace and blessing friends are. The love shared by friends opens us up the an awareness of God’s love in that we can say,if this love I am experiencing in my friends is so good, so wonderful, how much more wonderful will it be to experience God’s love in its fullness when we get to the other side. As kids often say, “I can hardly wait!”
This morning at the six o’clock Mass we celebrate at the Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus, an outlying chapel of our parish, a girl about 12 years old was brought to church carried,yes carried by her mom. I’ve seen the girl before. She has a lovely face but when you look at her arms they are like twigs –so very skinny. The girl is very fragile. I’m told she has some kind of health condition. After Mass we gave her a ride home in our SUV. I asked her before all the guys had gotten into the car if she understood my Creole. She said yes. That was good news. I’m getting up my courage to give a homily in Creole. In fact I want to do it in the next two weeks before I come home at Christmas. I’ve been giving a brief introduction to Mass in Creole, nothing much, just a few sentences. It was that and my recitation of the Mass prayers that I asked the girl about. Shortly after, on the way home after we had dropped off the girl, I asked Osias, our driver and my right hand man, about my introductory remarks and he said they were well done, in good Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisen). So I asked him, is there another kind of Creole and he smiled as though giving away a secret. It turns out there is “Kreyòl blan” (“white Creole”) or, roughly translated, Creole spoken by white guys – guys like me. I laughed. I reminded him that I had learned something else this week in Haitian when I was with him. On the back of a mini bus was written “Lavi ti nèg pa fasil” (“Life for the little guy is not easy.”) You may have noticed the use of the words “blan” which comes from the French “blanc” meaning “white” and the word “neg” which comes from the French word “nègre” which Larousse translates as “Negro”(and not far from the “n” word which I hope is vanishing from our American vocabulary). Well in Creole “blan” can mean simply “foreigner” and “neg” means man, male or even “guy”. Neither word is racist. All this I find fascinating. Not long ago I was warned by two of my siblings about “going easy” when getting into “touchy” areas such as race or native religion, etc. with the Haitians since I am clearly white and not Haitian or black. So I brought this up to my teacher Anacréon. I told him what I had said and what I had talked about and he said, ”You’re simply learning about our culture, Père Tom, and that fine.” I thought that was the case and that I was not being offensive, but I was happy to be reassured.
Here’s a little anecdote which is true. When I was at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Parish in Detroit in the mid 1970’s, the parish school sponsored a workshop for all the parish staff on racism. It was given by a team which included a white man whom we learned was originally from the South. In the course of the workshop we also found out that this same man had been ostracized from his family because of his work for racial and social justice. During one of the sessions he said, “If anybody calls me a racist…” Now let me stop right there. If I were that man and somebody called me a racist I’m sure I’d say, “Just wait one minute here buddy! Don’t call me a racist! I’ve spent a lot of my life working for racial justice. I’ve even lost my family because of this work!” Well, that would be me. It was not that man. What did he say? “I someone calls me a racist, I say, ‘thank you for pointing that out to me. Show me how I am racist so I can erase it from my life.” Wow, those words have always stuck with me. Here was a man who was steeped in racial justice, a man who had paid a high price to follow his ideals and yet he could admit after all that that there may in fact be hidden racism within his head or his heart. So while I feel I am not a racist I must always examine myself to make sure there is not some hidden racism (or sexism, or other “ism”) hidden somewhere in my being. It was an excellent workshop and a great lesson.
Today is the day in the Catholic Church throughout the English speaking world that the text of the Mass was officially changed or “updated” or whatever the term is. It has been the cause of a huge amount of anger and upset for many priests and laypeople. They feel the process was all wrong and that the final product is a very very poor translation of the original Latin text. If you know me, as most all of you do, you know which side I’m on. I’m against the new version and I’ve signed petitions asking for it to be “marketed” in different places, different parishes of different sizes and makeup, etc., all of course to no avail. Rome and the “go along” bishops of the USA would hear of no such action and simply went ahead and forced this very labored text on an unsuspecting laity. Well yesterday I read an article on this subject. It’s pretty long but I think it’s worth reading if you’re interested in the topic. So at the end I’ll add it to this week’s blog. If it does not interest you simply stop reading at my closing which is now.
Blessings to you all and may you Advent season be blessed. Count on my prayers and keep my in yours, Tom
Erasure of Vatican II extends to new Missal—affecting 400 Millions
The three foremost developments in the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council committed it to engage the modern world are the largest exodus in 2000 years for lack of such engagement, the sex abuse scandal’s betrayal of children, and the relentless Vatican campaign to erase the Council. By 1997 this infidelity to Vatican II had led dozens of European theologians to judge the Vatican in schism in its rejection of collegiality: the Holy Spirit speaks to only one person.
Emblematic of this rejection of the highest Church authority was the Congregation of Divine Worship’s presumption to delay approval of the English-speaking Bishops’ Conferences’ (ICEL’s) excellent new Missal translation, l5 years in the making (available at misguidedmissal.com), to replace the hurried 1973 post-Council translations, and then, in 2001, to reject it. These translations had been approved in 1998 by all eleven English-speaking conferences, exercising authority the Council granted solely to the bishops’ conferences, by a 99.9 per cent Council vote. The CDW’s role was to check adherence to procedures.
The Council’ liturgical constitution calls for translations of “noble simplicity . . . short, clear [sentences] . . .within the people’s powers of comprehension,” that lead to “full conscious, and active participation in the liturgical celebrations” by “all the faithful.” The norms had emerged from over 50 years of liturgical scholarship.
The CDW’s Liturgiam Authenticam dumped Council norms and abandoned the universal use of dynamic equivalence in quality translation. For English prayers it required literal word for word translations from the New Latin Vulgate, even to grammar, syntax, punctuation, and capitalization, and through sacred vocabulary to evoke transcendence and mystery. One moment’s Latin vernacular translation, falsely claimed to have been endorsed by the Council of Trent (which occurred before it), with its now archaic sexist language, should now be the sole basis for 21st century translations in all languages!
The CDW then claimed right of approval of an all-new team of translators to work in secrecy and called an end to decades of ecumenical collaboration to produce common texts. Notre Dame theologian-historian-chant scholar Peter Jeffery calls LA “the most ignorant statement on liturgy ever issued by a modern Vatican congregation.”
The norms promised failure. Secrecy limited consultation; the substitute team lacked expertise. The result is a big step backward. The texts occasioned 10,000 proposed amendments and a new Vatican review group, Vox Clara, continued to make numerous changes even after bishops’ conferences, if reluctantly and under pressure, had given approval. Glaring errors remain—sentence fragments, redundancies, a cue treated as a prayer. The first Eucharistic prayer ends with “we offer you firstly” without a “secondly.” Profusis,, meaning “overflowing,” is translated as “overcome,” beclouding a joyous scene.
Style failures abound. One Eucharistic prayer sentence has 82 words. One Easter Vigil prayer cannot be readily understood. “When supper was ended, he took the cup” becomes “”He took the precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands,” three needless adjectives too many. Is anything gained by saying “incarnate of the Virgin Mary” and “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father” that warrants sacrifice of clarity and availability to all? Bishop Donald Trautmann, a former U.S. ICEL chair, views “consubstantial,” “chalice,” “born ineffably of the inviolate Virgin,” etc., as reducing understanding rather than bringing Catholics closer to God. Apparently, no one remembered that these texts are to be heard, not read.
Ideology deep-sixed this fine 1997 Collect for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time: “Almighty and eternal God, Whose bounty is greater than we deserve or desire. Pour out upon us your abundant mercy; Forgive the things that weigh upon our consciences. And enrich us with blessings for which our prayers dare not hope.” All new ECEL prayers were discarded.
Why a wooden loyalty to a single undistinguished Latin translation at the price of clarity and intelligibility? Liturgists see traditionalist resistance to clear, simple prose in liturgy; hostility to inclusive language, and an imperious rejection of Council collegiality. Forget prayability and those for whom English is a second language, accented speakers, and children.
Bishop Arthur Serratelli, current US Bishops’ CDW chair, identifies dissatisfaction with these translations as rising from contemporary individualism which rejects institutional authority in favor of freedom--do-it -yourself liturgical originality, creativity. and diversity. But innovative excesses and efforts to curb them have not been associated with the 1997 translations nor these. Complaints have focused on the illicit imposition of translations at odds with spoken English prayer.
Writing in the July 15 Commonweal, Rita Ferrone sees the thrust of the CDW and Liturgiam Authenticam as the basis for disapproval. Vatican II reforms “that invited aggiornamento and engagement with the world” are sacrificed for a “liturgy reimagined as an event taking place in some sacral space outside of our world, rather than the beating heart of a world made new.” The shadows of John Paul II, who extended the old Latin rite over near-unanimous episcopal objection, and Prof Joseph Ratzinger, who faulted lack of doctrinal precision in the first vernacular translations, figure in answering why.
When Anthony Rupp, a conservative Benedictine liturgy scholar realized that an unsatisfactory translation was being imposed in violation of the English-speaking bishops’ authority and tempered his promotion, he was dismissed. He now observes that when he thinks of that process and “then of Our Lord’s teachings on service and love and unity. . .I weep.”
The Irish Association of Catholic Priests reject the translation as “archaic, elitist, and obscure, and not in keeping with the natural rhythm, cadence, and syntax of the English language,” a style so convoluted “that it will be difficult to read the prayers in public.” LA actually declares linguistic norms detrimental to the Church’s mission!
Others fault abandonment of the first principle of effective translation into English, to use Anglo-Saxon rather than Latinate words whenever possible and the straitjacket of literal translation in obscuring meaning . The most criticized literal Vatican translation, “Christ died for many,” illustrates; the Latin “the many” is a nuanced way to say “all”!
Prof. Jeffery faults the apparently unqualified translators as “not familiar with the treatment of Greek and Semitic words in the Latin scriptures and liturgies,” “unacquainted with the history of the Credo and the Kyrie,” “use Aquinas as a source of proof texts without regard for what he was actually saying,” “do not understand the relationship between the New Vulgate and the traditional Vulgate,” “seem unaware of the other Latin Bible texts used in the Roman tradition,” and “show no sign of ever having read any patristic exegesis” etc. “The tradition is bursting with vitality,” he observes, “LA is rigid with prohibitions.” “Why would anyone choose the thorns over the roses?” he asks. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New First Sunday of Advent Collect 1997 Opening Prayer
Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, Almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ strengthen the resolve of your faithful people
with righteous deeds at his coming, to prepare for the coming of your Christ
so that, gathered at his right hand, by works of justice and mercy,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom. so that when we go forth to meet him
Through the Lord Jesus Christ your Son . . . he may call us to sit at his right hand
And possess the kingdom of heaven.
. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . .
New Postcommunion 1997 Postcommunion
May those mysteries, O Lord, Lord,
in which we have participated, Grant that in our journey through this passing world
profit us, we pray we may learn from these mysteries
for even now, as we walk amid passing things, to cherish even now the things of heaven
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and cling to the treasures that never pass away.
And hold fast to what endures. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord
Through Christ our Lord
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The new translation offers some felicities. Ferrone notes the response, “It is right and just,” at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, which is crisp, easily understood, and avoids the present sexist pronoun. “From the rising of the sun to its setting” is restored in Eucharistic Prayer 3. The prayer before Communion harks again to the Latin “I am not worthy to have you under my roof” but using the Latin subjunctive---“that you should enter under my roof”” strips meaning and poetry.
The Vatican-directed translations will be introduced on the first Sunday of Advent following promotion as a “precious gift” that “delves more deeply into the mystery of Christ” and better reflects the faith (without explaining how). Extensive promotions, from the USCCB to parish bulletins ignore the excellent 1997 translations scuttled by the Vatican and hijacking of translations authority. They compare only the hurried1973 and present translations; ignore serious inadequacies and wide disapproval, and some lob off these translations as if the licit 1997 ones or claim them they further Council objectives they reject. Neither do they mention near uniform reports from the premature South Africa use of the translations that reveal “opposition bordering on outrage,” leading to calls to reconsider use elsewhere and pleas for letters to bishops.
When Cardinal Francis George bullied ICEL to change its norms “or be finished” (Archbishop Denis Hurley chided him for being uncollegial), the fix was in, the bishops’ powers soon taken. Now, Rome claims a right to make its own translations.
Fortunately, the heavy Vatican hand has, so far, fallen only on some 400 million English-speaking Catholics.
william.slavick@maine.edu William H. Slavick
A retired English professor, Bill Slavick studied liturgy under scholars who contributed to the Second Vatican Council liturgical constitution and at St. Bernard Abbey. He recently attended a seminar with Anthony Rupp, OSB, on the Missal translations.
This morning at the six o’clock Mass we celebrate at the Chapel of the Holy Face of Jesus, an outlying chapel of our parish, a girl about 12 years old was brought to church carried,yes carried by her mom. I’ve seen the girl before. She has a lovely face but when you look at her arms they are like twigs –so very skinny. The girl is very fragile. I’m told she has some kind of health condition. After Mass we gave her a ride home in our SUV. I asked her before all the guys had gotten into the car if she understood my Creole. She said yes. That was good news. I’m getting up my courage to give a homily in Creole. In fact I want to do it in the next two weeks before I come home at Christmas. I’ve been giving a brief introduction to Mass in Creole, nothing much, just a few sentences. It was that and my recitation of the Mass prayers that I asked the girl about. Shortly after, on the way home after we had dropped off the girl, I asked Osias, our driver and my right hand man, about my introductory remarks and he said they were well done, in good Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisen). So I asked him, is there another kind of Creole and he smiled as though giving away a secret. It turns out there is “Kreyòl blan” (“white Creole”) or, roughly translated, Creole spoken by white guys – guys like me. I laughed. I reminded him that I had learned something else this week in Haitian when I was with him. On the back of a mini bus was written “Lavi ti nèg pa fasil” (“Life for the little guy is not easy.”) You may have noticed the use of the words “blan” which comes from the French “blanc” meaning “white” and the word “neg” which comes from the French word “nègre” which Larousse translates as “Negro”(and not far from the “n” word which I hope is vanishing from our American vocabulary). Well in Creole “blan” can mean simply “foreigner” and “neg” means man, male or even “guy”. Neither word is racist. All this I find fascinating. Not long ago I was warned by two of my siblings about “going easy” when getting into “touchy” areas such as race or native religion, etc. with the Haitians since I am clearly white and not Haitian or black. So I brought this up to my teacher Anacréon. I told him what I had said and what I had talked about and he said, ”You’re simply learning about our culture, Père Tom, and that fine.” I thought that was the case and that I was not being offensive, but I was happy to be reassured.
Here’s a little anecdote which is true. When I was at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Parish in Detroit in the mid 1970’s, the parish school sponsored a workshop for all the parish staff on racism. It was given by a team which included a white man whom we learned was originally from the South. In the course of the workshop we also found out that this same man had been ostracized from his family because of his work for racial and social justice. During one of the sessions he said, “If anybody calls me a racist…” Now let me stop right there. If I were that man and somebody called me a racist I’m sure I’d say, “Just wait one minute here buddy! Don’t call me a racist! I’ve spent a lot of my life working for racial justice. I’ve even lost my family because of this work!” Well, that would be me. It was not that man. What did he say? “I someone calls me a racist, I say, ‘thank you for pointing that out to me. Show me how I am racist so I can erase it from my life.” Wow, those words have always stuck with me. Here was a man who was steeped in racial justice, a man who had paid a high price to follow his ideals and yet he could admit after all that that there may in fact be hidden racism within his head or his heart. So while I feel I am not a racist I must always examine myself to make sure there is not some hidden racism (or sexism, or other “ism”) hidden somewhere in my being. It was an excellent workshop and a great lesson.
Today is the day in the Catholic Church throughout the English speaking world that the text of the Mass was officially changed or “updated” or whatever the term is. It has been the cause of a huge amount of anger and upset for many priests and laypeople. They feel the process was all wrong and that the final product is a very very poor translation of the original Latin text. If you know me, as most all of you do, you know which side I’m on. I’m against the new version and I’ve signed petitions asking for it to be “marketed” in different places, different parishes of different sizes and makeup, etc., all of course to no avail. Rome and the “go along” bishops of the USA would hear of no such action and simply went ahead and forced this very labored text on an unsuspecting laity. Well yesterday I read an article on this subject. It’s pretty long but I think it’s worth reading if you’re interested in the topic. So at the end I’ll add it to this week’s blog. If it does not interest you simply stop reading at my closing which is now.
Blessings to you all and may you Advent season be blessed. Count on my prayers and keep my in yours, Tom
Erasure of Vatican II extends to new Missal—affecting 400 Millions
The three foremost developments in the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council committed it to engage the modern world are the largest exodus in 2000 years for lack of such engagement, the sex abuse scandal’s betrayal of children, and the relentless Vatican campaign to erase the Council. By 1997 this infidelity to Vatican II had led dozens of European theologians to judge the Vatican in schism in its rejection of collegiality: the Holy Spirit speaks to only one person.
Emblematic of this rejection of the highest Church authority was the Congregation of Divine Worship’s presumption to delay approval of the English-speaking Bishops’ Conferences’ (ICEL’s) excellent new Missal translation, l5 years in the making (available at misguidedmissal.com), to replace the hurried 1973 post-Council translations, and then, in 2001, to reject it. These translations had been approved in 1998 by all eleven English-speaking conferences, exercising authority the Council granted solely to the bishops’ conferences, by a 99.9 per cent Council vote. The CDW’s role was to check adherence to procedures.
The Council’ liturgical constitution calls for translations of “noble simplicity . . . short, clear [sentences] . . .within the people’s powers of comprehension,” that lead to “full conscious, and active participation in the liturgical celebrations” by “all the faithful.” The norms had emerged from over 50 years of liturgical scholarship.
The CDW’s Liturgiam Authenticam dumped Council norms and abandoned the universal use of dynamic equivalence in quality translation. For English prayers it required literal word for word translations from the New Latin Vulgate, even to grammar, syntax, punctuation, and capitalization, and through sacred vocabulary to evoke transcendence and mystery. One moment’s Latin vernacular translation, falsely claimed to have been endorsed by the Council of Trent (which occurred before it), with its now archaic sexist language, should now be the sole basis for 21st century translations in all languages!
The CDW then claimed right of approval of an all-new team of translators to work in secrecy and called an end to decades of ecumenical collaboration to produce common texts. Notre Dame theologian-historian-chant scholar Peter Jeffery calls LA “the most ignorant statement on liturgy ever issued by a modern Vatican congregation.”
The norms promised failure. Secrecy limited consultation; the substitute team lacked expertise. The result is a big step backward. The texts occasioned 10,000 proposed amendments and a new Vatican review group, Vox Clara, continued to make numerous changes even after bishops’ conferences, if reluctantly and under pressure, had given approval. Glaring errors remain—sentence fragments, redundancies, a cue treated as a prayer. The first Eucharistic prayer ends with “we offer you firstly” without a “secondly.” Profusis,, meaning “overflowing,” is translated as “overcome,” beclouding a joyous scene.
Style failures abound. One Eucharistic prayer sentence has 82 words. One Easter Vigil prayer cannot be readily understood. “When supper was ended, he took the cup” becomes “”He took the precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands,” three needless adjectives too many. Is anything gained by saying “incarnate of the Virgin Mary” and “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father” that warrants sacrifice of clarity and availability to all? Bishop Donald Trautmann, a former U.S. ICEL chair, views “consubstantial,” “chalice,” “born ineffably of the inviolate Virgin,” etc., as reducing understanding rather than bringing Catholics closer to God. Apparently, no one remembered that these texts are to be heard, not read.
Ideology deep-sixed this fine 1997 Collect for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time: “Almighty and eternal God, Whose bounty is greater than we deserve or desire. Pour out upon us your abundant mercy; Forgive the things that weigh upon our consciences. And enrich us with blessings for which our prayers dare not hope.” All new ECEL prayers were discarded.
Why a wooden loyalty to a single undistinguished Latin translation at the price of clarity and intelligibility? Liturgists see traditionalist resistance to clear, simple prose in liturgy; hostility to inclusive language, and an imperious rejection of Council collegiality. Forget prayability and those for whom English is a second language, accented speakers, and children.
Bishop Arthur Serratelli, current US Bishops’ CDW chair, identifies dissatisfaction with these translations as rising from contemporary individualism which rejects institutional authority in favor of freedom--do-it -yourself liturgical originality, creativity. and diversity. But innovative excesses and efforts to curb them have not been associated with the 1997 translations nor these. Complaints have focused on the illicit imposition of translations at odds with spoken English prayer.
Writing in the July 15 Commonweal, Rita Ferrone sees the thrust of the CDW and Liturgiam Authenticam as the basis for disapproval. Vatican II reforms “that invited aggiornamento and engagement with the world” are sacrificed for a “liturgy reimagined as an event taking place in some sacral space outside of our world, rather than the beating heart of a world made new.” The shadows of John Paul II, who extended the old Latin rite over near-unanimous episcopal objection, and Prof Joseph Ratzinger, who faulted lack of doctrinal precision in the first vernacular translations, figure in answering why.
When Anthony Rupp, a conservative Benedictine liturgy scholar realized that an unsatisfactory translation was being imposed in violation of the English-speaking bishops’ authority and tempered his promotion, he was dismissed. He now observes that when he thinks of that process and “then of Our Lord’s teachings on service and love and unity. . .I weep.”
The Irish Association of Catholic Priests reject the translation as “archaic, elitist, and obscure, and not in keeping with the natural rhythm, cadence, and syntax of the English language,” a style so convoluted “that it will be difficult to read the prayers in public.” LA actually declares linguistic norms detrimental to the Church’s mission!
Others fault abandonment of the first principle of effective translation into English, to use Anglo-Saxon rather than Latinate words whenever possible and the straitjacket of literal translation in obscuring meaning . The most criticized literal Vatican translation, “Christ died for many,” illustrates; the Latin “the many” is a nuanced way to say “all”!
Prof. Jeffery faults the apparently unqualified translators as “not familiar with the treatment of Greek and Semitic words in the Latin scriptures and liturgies,” “unacquainted with the history of the Credo and the Kyrie,” “use Aquinas as a source of proof texts without regard for what he was actually saying,” “do not understand the relationship between the New Vulgate and the traditional Vulgate,” “seem unaware of the other Latin Bible texts used in the Roman tradition,” and “show no sign of ever having read any patristic exegesis” etc. “The tradition is bursting with vitality,” he observes, “LA is rigid with prohibitions.” “Why would anyone choose the thorns over the roses?” he asks. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New First Sunday of Advent Collect 1997 Opening Prayer
Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, Almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ strengthen the resolve of your faithful people
with righteous deeds at his coming, to prepare for the coming of your Christ
so that, gathered at his right hand, by works of justice and mercy,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom. so that when we go forth to meet him
Through the Lord Jesus Christ your Son . . . he may call us to sit at his right hand
And possess the kingdom of heaven.
. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . .
New Postcommunion 1997 Postcommunion
May those mysteries, O Lord, Lord,
in which we have participated, Grant that in our journey through this passing world
profit us, we pray we may learn from these mysteries
for even now, as we walk amid passing things, to cherish even now the things of heaven
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and cling to the treasures that never pass away.
And hold fast to what endures. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord
Through Christ our Lord
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The new translation offers some felicities. Ferrone notes the response, “It is right and just,” at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, which is crisp, easily understood, and avoids the present sexist pronoun. “From the rising of the sun to its setting” is restored in Eucharistic Prayer 3. The prayer before Communion harks again to the Latin “I am not worthy to have you under my roof” but using the Latin subjunctive---“that you should enter under my roof”” strips meaning and poetry.
The Vatican-directed translations will be introduced on the first Sunday of Advent following promotion as a “precious gift” that “delves more deeply into the mystery of Christ” and better reflects the faith (without explaining how). Extensive promotions, from the USCCB to parish bulletins ignore the excellent 1997 translations scuttled by the Vatican and hijacking of translations authority. They compare only the hurried1973 and present translations; ignore serious inadequacies and wide disapproval, and some lob off these translations as if the licit 1997 ones or claim them they further Council objectives they reject. Neither do they mention near uniform reports from the premature South Africa use of the translations that reveal “opposition bordering on outrage,” leading to calls to reconsider use elsewhere and pleas for letters to bishops.
When Cardinal Francis George bullied ICEL to change its norms “or be finished” (Archbishop Denis Hurley chided him for being uncollegial), the fix was in, the bishops’ powers soon taken. Now, Rome claims a right to make its own translations.
Fortunately, the heavy Vatican hand has, so far, fallen only on some 400 million English-speaking Catholics.
william.slavick@maine.edu William H. Slavick
A retired English professor, Bill Slavick studied liturgy under scholars who contributed to the Second Vatican Council liturgical constitution and at St. Bernard Abbey. He recently attended a seminar with Anthony Rupp, OSB, on the Missal translations.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
November 20, 2011
It’s the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the feast of Christ the King. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the USA and next Sunday we begin Advent. I can hardly believe it. Pretty soon I’ll be headed to the States for some r and r. I’m looking forward to it. The only glitch is that the seven men headed for Brazil still have no visas from the Brazilian embassy. The end result may be that they’ll be refused and then what? I hope they can begin the process again but this time apply as “students” and not as “religious”. But they’ve gotten hints that they may not be able to do that. And to think that if they had applied as "students" they would have left in early October. What a mess. I thinking of asking for permission to have their novitiate here (my original request which was refused)so we’ll see. Dealing with the administration of the South American/Caribbean Province is very frustrating. More on that later.
This week I got one of the thousands of “group e-mails” that get sent by friends and others thinking that “This is cute” or “You’ll like this” etc. Well this one I did like. It is a quote from Steven Colbert. I’ve heard he is a comedian who assumes a very conservative stance as part of his act, but in reality he mocks many ideas of the right. Anyway, here’s an example:
If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we’ve got to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition — and then admit that we just don’t want to do it. — Steven Colbert
I thought it was funny.
Well I’ve been wasting time trying to think of something to write, things like what happened this week or my observations on one thing or another but nothing is coming. I wrote above that dealing with the Administration of the SA/C Province is frustrating, well it got more than “frustrating” this week. Thursday at the end of an e-mail from one of the Haitian scholastics who is Brazil continuing his studies – one of the seven who chose to leave the country after the earthquake – he let me know that the first Haitian Oblate is to be ordained a priest on February 12 in BRAZIL! My heart was broken. I have tried to convince the Provincial and his Assistant when they were here in August that this ordination must take place in Haiti. It is so very symbolic. It says the Oblates of St Francis de Sales are here in Haiti and intend to stay. Buying property is one thing. Even building a house of formation is another, but we need more. We need real, living Haitians to make there their vows here and to be ordained here.
On top of all this I have heard not one word from the Provincial or his council about this decision. It was only indirectly that I learned this information. In spite of all my pleading and Tom Hagan’s as well, they are just going ahead and doing what they want. So, long story short, you friend Tom is not a happy camper these days. What is ironic is that I just finished Ravier’s life of St. Francis de Sales our patron and model. He was so given to do the will of God. I’m fond of saying, “What is, is” and it’s up to me, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discern just what God is saying in the events of everyday. Well, what about this situation? It seems to me that the Haitian point of view is being completely overlooked. As for me, I feel God sent me here. I did not know why but since the earthquake especially, I seem to be the one appointed to hold the Oblate foundation together since all the professed Oblates and the Brazilian Oblate superior all left the country. So I feel I have a role to play and that role is to speak up for Haiti and the Haitian foundation. I’m not to sit back and simply go along with any decision that comes out of Brazil. The Postulants can’t speak up for themselves. Like the postulants of any religious congregation they are at the bottom of the ladder and have no voice. So I’m their voice and with Tom Hagan I’m aware of the situation here in Haiti. We know what’s going on. The Brazilians simply do not. It’s as simple as that. I had to swallow hard last August when the Provincial and his Assistant, over our pleas, said that the seven postulants had to go to Brazil for their novitiate and not make it here in Haiti. (Isn’t it ironic that the Brazilian government seems to be at odds with the Brazilian Oblates’ plan?) Anyway, enough! I’m in the process of contacting the “powers that be” to get this decision turned around. Wish me luck.
I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Keep me in your prayers. You are in mine. Tom
This week I got one of the thousands of “group e-mails” that get sent by friends and others thinking that “This is cute” or “You’ll like this” etc. Well this one I did like. It is a quote from Steven Colbert. I’ve heard he is a comedian who assumes a very conservative stance as part of his act, but in reality he mocks many ideas of the right. Anyway, here’s an example:
If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we’ve got to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition — and then admit that we just don’t want to do it. — Steven Colbert
I thought it was funny.
Well I’ve been wasting time trying to think of something to write, things like what happened this week or my observations on one thing or another but nothing is coming. I wrote above that dealing with the Administration of the SA/C Province is frustrating, well it got more than “frustrating” this week. Thursday at the end of an e-mail from one of the Haitian scholastics who is Brazil continuing his studies – one of the seven who chose to leave the country after the earthquake – he let me know that the first Haitian Oblate is to be ordained a priest on February 12 in BRAZIL! My heart was broken. I have tried to convince the Provincial and his Assistant when they were here in August that this ordination must take place in Haiti. It is so very symbolic. It says the Oblates of St Francis de Sales are here in Haiti and intend to stay. Buying property is one thing. Even building a house of formation is another, but we need more. We need real, living Haitians to make there their vows here and to be ordained here.
On top of all this I have heard not one word from the Provincial or his council about this decision. It was only indirectly that I learned this information. In spite of all my pleading and Tom Hagan’s as well, they are just going ahead and doing what they want. So, long story short, you friend Tom is not a happy camper these days. What is ironic is that I just finished Ravier’s life of St. Francis de Sales our patron and model. He was so given to do the will of God. I’m fond of saying, “What is, is” and it’s up to me, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discern just what God is saying in the events of everyday. Well, what about this situation? It seems to me that the Haitian point of view is being completely overlooked. As for me, I feel God sent me here. I did not know why but since the earthquake especially, I seem to be the one appointed to hold the Oblate foundation together since all the professed Oblates and the Brazilian Oblate superior all left the country. So I feel I have a role to play and that role is to speak up for Haiti and the Haitian foundation. I’m not to sit back and simply go along with any decision that comes out of Brazil. The Postulants can’t speak up for themselves. Like the postulants of any religious congregation they are at the bottom of the ladder and have no voice. So I’m their voice and with Tom Hagan I’m aware of the situation here in Haiti. We know what’s going on. The Brazilians simply do not. It’s as simple as that. I had to swallow hard last August when the Provincial and his Assistant, over our pleas, said that the seven postulants had to go to Brazil for their novitiate and not make it here in Haiti. (Isn’t it ironic that the Brazilian government seems to be at odds with the Brazilian Oblates’ plan?) Anyway, enough! I’m in the process of contacting the “powers that be” to get this decision turned around. Wish me luck.
I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Keep me in your prayers. You are in mine. Tom
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November 13, 2011
I’m starting this on Sunday late afternoon but from the way our electricity has been acting up, I may not finish it today. We’ll see. It’s all part of living in the Third World. You go for stretches with electricity and running water (which depends on having electricity) and then, all of a sudden for no reason you have none. You’re at the mercy of the electric company. Of course there are other problems as well. For example we found out that there were problems with the transformer on the utility pole outside our house and our house was not able to accept the electricity coming from the company. That had to be looked into and “fixed”. Get this! I was up at 5:20 this morning and immediately realized that there was no electricity. So I get ready to leave for a Mass at a chapel about ten miles from here and when I go out to our car it’s not there. The guys who know about our electricity and the attendant problems had called the man they are in touch with who checks out our electric problems. They got him out of bed and picked him up to come and see what this problem was all about. I find that amazing. You just call some guy, tell him you’ll pick him up and expect he’ll say yes and come to your place to work on your electric problem on a Sunday morning. Amazing! And another thing, it doesn’t cost a fortune. I can find out, but I’ll bet we paid that man no more than twenty bucks max. The word they use for any so called “professional” who deals with a specific problem – it could be an electric problem or a plumbing problem, etc. is “boss”. I think it’s both a Creole word and in French it’s “le boss”. One of the guys pointed out to me that these “bosses” are not necessarily “professionals,” in fact they are not professionals, but just anybody who knows more about the subject than you do. I keep learning and learning and learning and I find the “system” amazing. It keeps things going when there is no real overall system in place. God bless the Haitians and the people of the Third World. There is a resourcefulness about them and a resilience that has me in awe.
The weeklong visit of Fr. Claludio, the Brazilian Oblate was a big success. He didn’t speak French but he jumped right into the midst of our community and showed lots of enthusiasm. I liked him and I think he is planning to learn French in Brazil so he can come here and help out with our Oblate Haitian Foundation. Anyway, I hope so.
Not much other news. Again the seven going to Brazil for their novitiate have still not received their visas. I met with them last evening and I’ve decided to find a Portuguese teacher and get them started here on learning the language. If there is not progress by December 1st, I’m going to write and ask permission if we can have the novitiate here. I don’t know if that will fly but we’ll see. This week I also wrote to my friend Maurice Riguet, my Oblate classmate from Fribourg who is in Benin, Africa. I asked him for a copy of the First Profession of Vows ceremony in French so when the five presently in Brazil making their novitiate come back in March we’ll be prepared. Again I hope the Province does not go back on its word to have the profession ceremony here in Haiti. We should also have the first Haitian Oblate ordained here in Haiti. He was ordained a deacon in Brazil where he has been with the others since the earthquake. Some are scheduled to return now that their theology studies are finished. I wish I had more definite information but I just don’t and there has been no change in that either.
Guess that’s it for now. Thinking of you all and sending blessings and good wishes from Haiti. Tom
The weeklong visit of Fr. Claludio, the Brazilian Oblate was a big success. He didn’t speak French but he jumped right into the midst of our community and showed lots of enthusiasm. I liked him and I think he is planning to learn French in Brazil so he can come here and help out with our Oblate Haitian Foundation. Anyway, I hope so.
Not much other news. Again the seven going to Brazil for their novitiate have still not received their visas. I met with them last evening and I’ve decided to find a Portuguese teacher and get them started here on learning the language. If there is not progress by December 1st, I’m going to write and ask permission if we can have the novitiate here. I don’t know if that will fly but we’ll see. This week I also wrote to my friend Maurice Riguet, my Oblate classmate from Fribourg who is in Benin, Africa. I asked him for a copy of the First Profession of Vows ceremony in French so when the five presently in Brazil making their novitiate come back in March we’ll be prepared. Again I hope the Province does not go back on its word to have the profession ceremony here in Haiti. We should also have the first Haitian Oblate ordained here in Haiti. He was ordained a deacon in Brazil where he has been with the others since the earthquake. Some are scheduled to return now that their theology studies are finished. I wish I had more definite information but I just don’t and there has been no change in that either.
Guess that’s it for now. Thinking of you all and sending blessings and good wishes from Haiti. Tom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
