Some of you may know by now that I will be leaving St. Eulalia’s for a new position in California at the end of June. My journey which has led me to this latest place is a cause for great reflection, and some considerable sadness in leaving all my friends and colleagues here.

I am immensely grateful to all who hired me two years ago and entrusted me with several of our Faith Formation programs. When I joined in my first full time ministry position in the Church here, it felt “right”. As I prayed before the interview here in the sanctuary where you now sit, an immense feeling of peace came over me. I believe this was affirmation of a call.

Now, I have another one. This time the move will cause great upheaval in my family, as a 3,000-mile distance is put between many of them and my new work location at a Passionist retreat center in Sierra Madre, CA. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a Passionist Provincial meeting in Houston, where they announced two lay directors for their largest retreat centers in the USA. It is a sign of change in the Church, with vocations for priests continuing to decline in many major archdioceses. The Passionist order is addressing this issue by bringing priests from their overseas operations and increasing the hiring of laity in the retreat centers and missions.

We only have to look to our own parish here to also see the change. The wonderful aspect of this is the continued expansion of the laity into all Church activities; the decline in vocations less so.

This opportunity for us (the laity) to learn more has only been possible by the change instigated since Vatican II. The same time as the establishment of his parish. The ability to say the Mass in English, go to a college and study theology at the seminary, and the reestablishment of the deaconate all have had a profound effect on the Church. Obviously, there is much more to come, as the Church continues to try and respond to the needs of the modern world without doing damage to our traditions.

Saint Eulalia’s has a history of being on the cutting edge of where those wanting spiritual nourishment can find what they are looking for at the parish. The sacraments, bible study, music, twelve-step, bereavement, divorce, contemplative prayer and retreats and trips all form the rich tapestry which are offered here. We may not be the largest parish in the neighborhood, but as Fr. Savage outlined to me, we want to offer the richest programs.

I have been so pleased to have journeyed with you all a short way in your history, and while I am saddened to leave St. E’s, I will attempt to remain in contact with The Unbroken Word.

Thank you all for all you do, have done, and will continue to do in His Name.

Peace and Love,

Michael J. Cunningham OFS

Mater Dolorosa, Sierra Madre, CA

 

Last Friday, the 8^th of June, I had the pleasure of taking my final examination for the Doctor of Ministry degree at Catholic University in Washington D.C. The exam, which was a defense of my Treatise turned out well, and studies are now complete. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me over the past two years in the parish, and in particular, those on the Poetry and Photography retreat earlier this year, which formed the basis of my Treatise project.

As is usually the case, I stayed with my daughter, her husband and the two lovely granddaughters. They live in an area near H Street, an area that was decimated by the riots in 1968, but has since rebounded and become an area for “gentrification.” Within the two nights spent there we had the wonderful experience of finalizing my degree at Catholic University with over twenty other doctoral students present at the defense, plus family and some fellow doctoral students from my class/year. As I picked up my granddaughter from school, she scooted down the street, playing with young friends, overlooked by motherly gatherings in the neighborhood. All seemed well in Happy Valley.

But appearances can be deceptive. Later that same day, on a walk in the afternoon, I could see some properties still in disrepair and waiting for the developers to pounce; squeezing out the black population which formed the basis of this neighborhood for decades.

On the evening of my examination, we had a lovely meal and received some beautiful cards from family and friends. When we returned to the house from the restaurant in the taxi H Street was blocked off for two blocks; a motorcyclist had been hit by a drunk driver and dragged down the street. Traffic was redirected for some time; a sad note to the evening. We all headed to bed, and most of the house was asleep at 12:30 am when my wife and I heard four gunshots nearby. I turned the lights out in the hallway and investigated to see if there was anything close enough to be concerned. Upon returning to bed a tremendous crash was heard behind in the alley behind the house; more investigation, but whoever it was had left by the time I peered out through a darkened window. The following day we determined someone has smashed two panels out of the back fence at the alley behind the house.

On Saturday pm I took another local walk and was drawn to the wonderful Gospel sounds coming from the “Yahweh” Church less than 150 yards from my daughter’s house. It was full of love and vibrant sounds spilling all over the neighborhood. I did not go in but regret that now; God invites us and we should respond.

My final stop on this walk was to a photo exhibit in the basement of a local coffee shop. It consisted of photos of black mothers holding their “lifeless” black sons. The images were from all over the country, and while the lifeless bodies in the photos was staged, they were also very compelling. The artist was bringing to our attention police violence against the black community. Ironically, a community which is being moved out of the neighborhood, not because of their color, but the color of money; as row house after another are converted to apartments costing five hundred thousand dollars or more for each one.

I do not offer any of these observations as a judgment of the events of just two days spent in DC, but rather the very different worlds which surround us. In just a couple of days, I saw great love, worship, violence, stupidity, family values and tragic loss all within a few blocks of each other. The contrast is huge, between those who have and those who do not. There is a reason Pope Francis wants the Church to turn towards the poor and needy. That call is to us of course, as we are the Church.

Jesus’s passion is felt by them and demands our compassionate response; with whatever gifts we have, we are called to bring them.

At the end of this weekend, I felt very, very privileged to have been able to study at Catholic University, but am reminded the only purpose of all this is to help others. It gives me pause for each day and leaves me soaked in the sadness of those who are still hurting in such a tangible way. I am rarely confronted by this in the small, safe Massachusetts town where I live.

 

 

If you have ever been to London, England you may have seen a popular tee-shirt or souvenir covered with the words Mind The Gap. Even if you have not, you may have heard these words and wondered what they mean.

Like many English sayings, they come from a public service announcement; this one being an indication to be careful of the gap which separates a London subway train from the platform. If you have ridden the “tube” (Londoners name for their subway system) you may not have read the notice, but will probably have heard it all day long from the audio announcements which play continously. The message is a warning message, don’t fall because of the step and the gap. Today there a whole industry now built up around London Transport’s use of these words, including films, records and novels using the same name. What does this have to do with God or theology, you might well ask?

This week, I will be traveling to DC for (hopefully) the last part of my doctoral program at Catholic University. In reviewing my treatise I noted two theologians Lonergan and St. Thomas Aquinas seems to talk to this issue in an interesting way. We often think of taking an action to move towards God as a bridge to be traversed, as if there is a gap between us and Him. That we need to close this gap. Sometimes we think of prayer and the sacraments as a way of closing this gap, that there is a separation which prayer or sacraments will help us close it up.

One way to close this gap is sometimes described as the “billiard ball effect” where one ball hits another causing the movement to occur. In theological terms this is called causality, and in the case of the Mind the Gap metaphor, this would close the gap; achieved by taking a step over the gap.

However, Lonergan and Aquinas do not see it this way. Because God is always there, always on, there is no gap to close. We do not need to move towards God as He is already present in us. If God is everywhere, that includes us; so there is no “gap” to close, merely a need for us to turn inwards and see where He is operating in our lives. However, we can self-mediate to recognize His presence.

The mediation of Christ occurs in the sacraments, in particular, the Eucharist. Here grace is communicated because of two factors, the grace in the sacraments and our desire to receive the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist we become part of a larger body, our community in Christ, each of us refilled with grace in receipt of transformed bread and wine, into the living, active Christ received within us. Our desire to receive fuses us with God within us, and amongst us in a way where there are no gaps, only grace and the incarnate nature of God lies within us waiting for us to spread it around the world.

We can be assured of this enternal presense always, all we need is the desire to be present to Him; as He is to us.

Image Copyright Daily Telegraph (UK)