The Joy of Preparing for a Baptism

Photo taken this Thursday for Diocesan I.D. Card. Some of you in North America mentioned that you wished to see an occasional photo of me. Here you are.

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was full of blessings. I'll try to briefly describe one for you. I had the joy of visiting a young couple expecting another child, to help prepare them for the Baptism of the child they are expecting. Part of the preparation was to go over the ceremony. The traditional rite of Baptism is quite rich. I find that walking the parents through the ceremony, commenting on the various prayers, explaining/expanding upon the text, is a good way to help them prepare.

The ceremony begins by asking the baby "What do you ask of the Church of God?" His godparents' reply, "Faith." "What does faith offer you?" "Life Everlasting." The priest then urges the child to keep the commandments of God, if they wish to go to Heaven, just as Jesus told us in the Gospel. From there the rite quickly dives into the prayers of exorcism--which provide great material for catechesis. Then there is the physical movement with the baby--walking from outside the church to inside, as part of the ceremony--the symbolism of the godmother holding the baby in her arms and replying throughout the ceremony (to emphasize the role of godparents), the various signs of the cross, the anointing, etc.

As I tried to walk the parents through those elements I had the particular joy and challenge of their current toddler (about 14 months), wanting to play with me, wanting me to read him a book, etc. I tried for a while to hold him on my lap and open a book with pictures for him to look at, while simultaneously holding the baptismal rite book and trying to explain it to the parents. This worked for a short while but then he began to try to push the "adult book" away and get my undivided attention for the picture book. So we went a bit quicker through the rite than I would have planned but made it through.

It was wonderful to see a couple open to life. When I meet with couples for baptismal prep I try, in addition to ensuring that the minimum requirements are met, and preparing them for the ceremony, to offer something that can help them grow in their faith or in their particular roles as parents. So I was able to do this with this couple, and then, at the end, had the blessing of getting down on the ground and at last satisfying the toddler's desire to just play. We played with a plastic fire truck, some cars, and then I read from a children's bible (which had lots of pictures) the story of Joseph in Egypt.

It was a visit that certainly made my heart smile. I'm very much looking forward to the Baptism itself!

On a completely separate note. Some of you have asked me for article(s) presenting clearly key points that would help understand some problematic elements being permitted by the Church's pastors. I thought I would pass on this recent summary (and link to full text) of a speech given by a Franciscan member of the Vatican's International Theological Commission: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/u.s.-bishops-former-theologian-four-marks-of-church-are-becoming-opaque-und

May Jesus and Mary watch over each of you and grant you to dive generously into Lent.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

The Humility and Charity of a 90-year-old Priest

Current presbytery kitchen, which the workers will begin, this week or next, tearing out. The kitchen will be moved to a different space and this room will become a kitchenette and full bath (two separate rooms), to go with the room next to it, which I'll show you below.

Current dining room. It will be fixed up to become the presbytery office, but in such a way that it can also become a guest room (with the attached bath and kitchenette) if in the future we can move the office elsewhere. Later this spring I will be moving in here while they renovate the rest of the presbytery.

A new apron that someone just donated for the presbytery kitchen, with an appropriate caption from my native continent :).

Dear Friends and Family,

I'd like to share with you something I experienced on Ash Wednesday, and that was quite moving for me. It involves Father Bernard Hasey, pastor of St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Plymouth, where I celebrate the Holy Mass each Sunday.

For those who do not know 90-year-old Fr. Hahesy, he has been a priest for over 60 years. Ordained in Ireland in the 1950's, they thought he would die shortly after ordination because he was so ill. Over and over again, over the past 60 years, that diagnosis has been made: he can't have much longer to live. When he was appointed past of St. Edward the Confessor 30 years ago I think they thought, "He will spend a few years here and then die."

He lived through the awful period of the decades after the Council and has continuously stood boldly for the truths of our Faith, especially the most rejected ones such as the mortal sin of contraception. This morning he did not hesitate to lay into his congregation for something they were not doing well. That is Father Hahesy, never shying away from speaking the truth, even though it has caused him, so often these past decades, to be somewhat alone or rejected. And yet he has also been loved by many. As a parishioner who knows him well told me, "The poor always know that if they knock on Fr. Hahesy's door they will find help. And he spends much time in the parish church. He truly prays."

The past year I have had the blessing of getting to know him. His health has also been deteriorating, to a point where he has at times not been able to make it through Mass. Recently, his health has become so poor that it seems he will likely have to move to a retirement home very soon.

So on Ash Wednesday I called him and asked him if I could come by a bit early, before my evening Mass at his parish, to visit with him. He cheerfully said yes. A few minutes later I received a call back, "Can we have dinner together?" I of course said yes.

When I arrived at his presbytery I found, to my embarrassment and edification, that he himself had gone out to a local supermarket (how, I do not know, given his difficulty moving), and had purchased the food for a meal. He had then cooked some fish, potatoes, and other things in the oven. He insisted on serving me my food first in the kitchen and then insisted, "now you go ahead and sit down and eat while I get mine." I was able to convince him that I would wait and it would be better for us to begin eating together. We sat down in his dining room and had a nice meal together, talking about a number of things, laughing at times, but I'll skip over all that in this blog. "Would you like a Budweiser?" he said. This was not quite what I had planned on for Ash Wednesday. But he was so eager to share it (as a good Irishman he knows his beers), and he himself is unable to drink at the moment, that I could not say no.

At the end of the meal, he insisted on offering and serving me coffee. I then offered to do the dishes with him. Once again he insisted that I should not. He would do the dishes while I got ready for Mass. So I went to the Church to pray and prepare for Mass (having stopped eating in advance of the necessary time required for fasting before the Holy Eucharist, in case anyone reading this blog was wondering--I don't want to scandalize you!).

I was thus given a moving example of priestly humility and the spirit of service. May God bless Father Hahesy and take particular care of him as he prepares to leave his beloved parish, and may He grant me to imitate one day some of his virtues.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

Snow and Our Lady of Lourdes

Tuesday morning after Mass--a very rare snowfall (last one was 7 years ago!).

Made for snowball fights and other such games.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today is the (hidden) Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes--hidden because it is covered up by the Sunday celebration. I have fond memories of visiting Lourdes--spending a few days there with my parents, in February 1999. That particular week (just after the Feast) there was almost no one at Lourdes, and I could at times pray at the Grotto all by myself. In addition to being plunged into the famous healing waters of Lourdes, I was able to spend extended time reading through the messages and contemplating the events of the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette.

Lourdes is one of those places that we "think we know about" because we have heard the name often, or are familiar with statues of Our Lady of Lourdes, or because we may have seen a movie on Lourdes. But, like any apparition of Our Lady, there is often much more to the apparition than what we think we understand from a quick perusal of the facts.

The most famous facts at Lourdes are Our Lady's pronouncement to Bernadette that "I am the Immaculate Conception," and the discovery of the miraculous spring of water that has yielded so many well-documented miracles. Lourdes is not an apparition that has a hidden secret that Our Lady revealed that we can study or speculate on. The facts of the apparitions are relatively simple. But like any encounter with Our Lady, much can be learned by taking time to read slowly, and prayerfully, through the accounts of the apparitions. I have often thought that one could make a very fruitful silent retreat by having a few days of silence and a good, detailed, account of the apparitions of Lourdes, or Fatima or other apparitions, to read through. 

For example it is one thing to read quickly that Our Lady said to St. Bernadette, "Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners. Kiss the ground as an act of penance for sinners!" (Feb 24, 1858). It is another thing to read slowly during a Holy Hour, or during a time of prayer at the Grotto at Lourdes, these words and the account of Bernadettes's response, their connection with the miraculous spring, Bernadette's accounts of how Our Lady looked and of praying the rosary with Her, etc.

Silence is so very helpful for letting God's messages sink deep into our hearts.

If you are looking for spiritual reading at the beginning of Lent, you might consider picking up a good account of the apparitions of Lourdes, or a life of St. Bernadette that includes the same.

For me, it is a real joy to recall the events of Lourdes. God has been so good to us in giving us miraculous signs there, and in many other places, of that the truths of Our Catholic Faith are just that, true! May Our Lady watch over each one of you and guide you in all that you do, including helping you to make a good start to this Lent.

Before signing off, I will leave you with a picture of a little boy pushing a breakfast cart at our breakfast after Mass this morning. He looked even cuter in person, and was grinning ear to ear (but became a little nervous when I pulled out my phone to take a picture).

Sending you all love and prayers from England.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari

Last week's post just became public - sorry!

Dear Friends and Family,

For some reason my post that I wrote last Sunday only became public now. Perhaps it was user error and I simply did not click the publish button. My apologies!

I was thinking of you all this week as I continued my retreat here at Lanherne--well, continued it as best I could since construction work is going on all around me. But in fact it was a very blessed week.  Thank you for those who were praying for me. Since last week's post is being published tonight, I will just add two photos and a brief comment:

In the Carmelite tradition, the nativity scene was kept up thorugh yesterday's feast: the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady. We had a full 40 days of contemplating the Baby Jesus. A wonderful blessing. He has so much to teach us...

And now there is an Octave of the Purification of Our Lady which will continue through next Friday.

You all were in my prayers in a particular way on Friday, both because of the Feast of Our Lady and because it is the First Friday of the month, when I pray in the Holy Mass for all of you who support me thorugh your prayers, donations, and sacrifices.

May Jesus and Mary watch over you and guide you.

Lastly, tomorrow night I will be taking my neighboring pastor to dinner, Fr. Anthony O'Gorman, to celebrate his incardination into the Diocese. He's a good fellow. Please say a prayer for him.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari

On Retreat at Douai Abbey

The Abbey Church at Douai.

Dear Friends and Family,

"All our miseries come from our not loving the cross." - Curé d'Ars

Each evening this past week I filed into the heart of the abbey church pictured above, along with 14 other diocesan priests, to accompany the 12 resident monks in chanting vespers in the traditional Benedictine Divine Office. It was quite beautiful to hear the echoes of Gregorian chant reverberating through the vaulted ceiling. There is something truly unique about Gregorian chant and it's ability to help lift our souls to God.

Though the days were spent in silence--apart from the two daily conferences on the Virgin Mary and Her role in the life of priests--we gathered to sing vespers with the monks, and then as a group of diocesan priests we made a Holy Hour in the afternoon and chanted compline together to end the day. There was something quite special about witnessing the love and devotion of fellow diocesan priests. For example, each morning we took turns at three altars, each of us celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at set hours, but often one or another of us assisting at at least a portion of the other's Mass. It was moving to see these priests' devotion to Our Lord and Lady and their fidelity to their priesthood.

I was particluarly touched by the love of one Scottish priest for Our Lady. When he arrived at the Abbey a miraculous medal hung around his neck. I asked him about it. "Our Lady, you see, She saved my life!" (proudly pulling out his cell phone to show me photos of him after surgery a year ago...) "You see, I was in a bad motorcycle accident and they put this in me (picture of metal rods in his torso), and said that if I came out of it I would be in a wheel chair for the rest of my life. I prayed to Our Lady and, a year later, here I am! She's powerful Our Lady!" I can't imitate his Scottish accent but wish you could hear it and see his broad smile as he told the story.

It was a very blessed few days for me. I always find extended silence to be a great help in opening my soul to the Lord's presence and to listening to His voice. For example, I was reading some of a life of the Curé d'Ars. After he had undergone some very humiliating and painful trials, a fellow priest asked him, "Did your trials cause you at some point to lose your interior peace?" "The cross make us lose our inward peace?" the Curé replied, "Surely it is the cross that bestows peace on our hearts. All our miseries come from our not loving it."

Profound words. All our miseries come from our not loving the cross.... This was good medicine for my soul. Was I at times anxious or bothered by certain things? Concerned about trying to not have this or that take place, or how to surmount such and such an obstacle? Sure enough, if I looked closely, a lack of love for the cross was at the root of it. That is, we should not love suffering for it's own sake. That would be sadistic. Rather, we should love Jesus enough to accept with true love and faith the crosses He sends us in our daily lives. So easily I can fall into the trap of thinking that the important things in life as a priest are the--even good, holy--externally successful aspects of priestly ministry or other such things in life. But in fact, it is the sufferings that God sends me that are much more important. After all, the most important things Jesus ever did on the earth were His suffering and death. That was the primary purpose of His life. He asks the same from me as a priest. So looking at my daily life in that perspective gives much more peace and joy than any other perspective.

I won't go on further, but that gives you a glimpse of some of what went on in my retreat.

Since it was a brief retreat, just a little over 3 days, I'll be trying to extend it this week with some extra days of silence. Please keep me in your prayers. You will be in mine!

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari