Winter 2017 V+J Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo-Detroit Province Feast Day January 24
BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Happy 2017! The gift of time is one of the greatest gifts God gives us, a gift to be used well, a gift to be redeemed. St. Jane de Chantal in one of her early conferences to the Visitation Sisters remarked at the end of a year: Time passes. The years come to an end and we pass and come to an end with them. She urged the sisters to use the New Year well: Let us walk with a new step in Our Lord s service! Father Jim Greenfield, Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Oblates, provides the lead article. It is based on a talk he gave to the priests of the Diocese of Lansing (Mich.) in October 2016. The comments focus on priests but Father Jim s advice on our human development is relevant for all Christians both lay persons and clergy. He focuses on (1) our need to be resilient, (2) being aware of God s mercy for us sinners, and (3) taking care of our health and wellbeing. January is an important liturgical month with De Sales feast on Jan. 24, the feast of St. Léonie Aviat (the co-founder of the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales) on Jan. 10, and the feast of the Salesians founder, St. John Bosco, on Jan. 31. Let us ask these three powerful intercessors for a rich measure of De Sales joyful, gentle spirit throughout 2017! Mission Statement The mission of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales of the Toledo- Detroit Province is to Live Jesus according to Salesian spirituality in our personal and communal lives, and to share this spirituality with the People of God. Bondings Bondings is published regularly for the members and friends of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Toledo-Detroit Province. Its purpose is to enhance and develop the bond we have through our common faith in Jesus Christ and Salesian spirituality. Bondings is free of charge to anyone on request. Send your name and address (or that of a friend) to the Provincial Office or call 419.724.9851. Provincial Office 2043 Parkside Blvd. Toledo, OH 43607-1597 419.724.9851 www.oblates.us Editorial Staff Father Roland Calvert, OSFS Father Tom Helfrich, OSFS FAITH Catholic 1500 E. Saginaw St. Lansing, MI 48906 Chairman Rev. Dwight Ezop President and CEO Patrick O Brien Editorial Director Elizabeth Martin Solsburg Graphic Designer Janna Stellwag 2 Editorial Staff
The Human Qualities Needed for Priests By Father Jim Greenfield, OSFS Vatican Council II emphasized the human qualities that are needed for priests to be balanced people, strong and free, and capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities. In this conference, I will offer three areas for our consideration of the human pillar of formation. One, the need for priests to be resilient. Second, what Pope Francis shared with the priests of the Diocese of Rome in the retreat he preached to them during the Year of Mercy. Finally, I will share some fresh research on health and wellbeing. 1. Resilience: People are hungry for those words, insights, visions, and dreams that speak of the deep things of God. We priests bring people into the powerful force of the passionate, unconditional, unreasonable, and excessive love of God. We tell them of this mystery and draw them into it, especially by our preaching, and our preaching is, in turn, formed by our prayer life. But we deliver the message with our own unique human personalities. As St. Francis de Sales said, I am a man and nothing more. In The Lost Art of Walking on Water: Reimagining the Priesthood, Michael Heher offers a somewhat humorous and whirlwind summary of what priests have been doing for centuries: Of all the orders under God s heaven, [priests] have been the most obliging. In temple times, before Christ s coming, the priests worked as God s butchers and barbecuers. Then, in the early years of the church, the presbyterate gathered around the bishop simply to give advice, all the pastoral dirty work having been left to the deacons and the laity. Later, a few of us were sent out from the cathedral to bring the Eucharist to inhabitants of distant farms and homes. Soon, the bishop had us preaching and presiding at Eucharist ourselves with those far-flung groups. Then, in what I presume was our only official request, we asked to live at the mission station with the people; the food was better, the people friendly, and it Winter 2017 www.oblates.us 3
BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine saved wear and tear on the sandals. Thus did we invent the parish, an accomplishment for which we can be justly proud Vatican II restored to us a new way of understanding priesthood. Bottom line: priests adjust. Resilience is an old trick of ours, one the Church needs now more than ever. (p. 151) As we reflect on the human pillar of formation, it is clear that resilience is a tremendous gift, and our ability to develop it is most needed in our contemporary and complex church. 2. Advice from Pope Francis on Mercy: In a meditation for the priest retreat during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis reflected on the vessel of mercy. In other words, our weakness and sin is made whole by God s grace and we become vessels to carry grace and mercy to others. Pope Francis said all of this is seen in the life of saints such as Peter, Paul, and Augustine. In fact, it is precisely those who have experienced mercy who often are the best practitioners of mercy. Listen to Pope Francis himself: Paul received mercy in the harsh and inflexible vessel of his judgment, shaped by the Law. His harsh judgment made him a persecutor. Mercy so changed him that he sought those who were far off, from the pagan world, and at the same time showed great understanding and mercy to those who were as he had been. The image of Peter being crucified head down perhaps best expresses this vessel of a hardhead who, in order to be shown mercy, abased himself even in giving the supreme witness of his love for the Lord. Augustine was healed in his regret for being a latecomer: Late have I loved thee. A way Augustine made up for lost time was the creative and loving process he used to write his Confessions. What is the vessel of mercy the Lord will use for us as we seek to be priests molded in the image of Jesus? 4 3. Health and Wellbeing: Finally, a study on health and wellbeing by Tom Rath and Jim Harter, Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (2014), is an excellent source to consider as we delve in to the human pillar of formation. This is the Gallup Foundation s cross-cultural research identifying five features of health and wellbeing with 1.9 million respondents from 150 countries. Gallup conducted a comprehensive global study of more than 150 countries including more than 98 percent of the world s population. In the initial research, respondents were asked what the best possible future
The biggest single threat to our own wellbeing tends to be ourselves. for them would look like. When evaluating their lives, people often give disproportionate weight to income and health. Perhaps, this is because these things are easy to measure and track. Yet, we do not have a standard way to measure the quality of our careers or the health of our relationships. So, to construct a comprehensive measure of individual wellbeing, Gallup designed an assessment composed of the best questions asked during the last 50 years. Upon completion of the research, five distinct statistical factors emerged. These are the universal elements of wellbeing and describe aspects of our lives that we can do something about and are important to people in most situations. They represent the five broad categories that are essential to most people. The first element is about how you occupy your time or simply liking what you do every day: your career wellbeing. The second element is about having strong relationships and love in your life: your social wellbeing. The third element is about effectively managing your economic life: your financial wellbeing. The fourth element is about having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis: your physical wellbeing. The fifth element is about the sense of engagement you have with the area where you live: your community wellbeing. While 66 percent of people are doing well in at least one of these areas, just 7 percent are thriving in all five. If we re struggling in any one of these domains, as most of us are, it damages our wellbeing and wears on our daily life. People take different paths to increase their individual wellbeing. For many people, spirituality drives them in all these areas. Their faith is the most important facet of their lives, and it is the foundation of their daily efforts. For others a deep mission inspires them each day. While the things that motivate us differ greatly from one person to the next, the outcomes do not. And, the single biggest threat to our own wellbeing tends to be ourselves. Without even giving it much thought, we allow our short-term decisions to override what s best for our long-term wellbeing. These findings certainly provide a rich and fertile resource for us as priests to think about our own wellbeing. May we take the necessary steps to care for ourselves in all of these areas as we seek to be men who are affectively mature and committed to our own human development. Winter 2017 www.oblates.us 5
BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Marathon Priest 6
Father Alan Zobler is an Oblate priest who teaches math at St. Francis de Sales High School in Toledo, Ohio, and also serves as one of the Provincial Councilors for the entire Toledo-Detroit Province. But he is also a runner. His passion has led him to participate in four marathons in Toledo, as well as marathons in Philadelphia and Traverse City. He participated for the second time in the New York Marathon in November 2016. The New York race is the toughest. It begins at Staten Island and winds through all five boroughs of New York City ending in Central Park in Manhattan. It covers a distance of 26.2 miles. More than 52,000 runners from 120 countries take on the challenge. More than a million people line the streets cheering them on. Each marathoner receives a medal, but Father Zobler says that participation already can be described as a win. The racers must train for long hours going out in bad weather, trying to avoid accidents and making sure that their diet is a very healthy one. Without that preparation, they will have no hope of finishing the grueling 26 miles. Father Alan said that his personal goal in this race was to finish in less than four hours. His actual time was 3:59.43 so he finished with 17 seconds to spare! When he was asked about the value of this experience, Father Zobler said simply, The experience renews my soul. Some friends of Father Alan from De Sales University came to NYC the night before the marathon for support and joined him for Mass at St. Patrick s Cathedral. Winter 2017 www.oblates.us 7
BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Father Andrew J. Dunne, OSFS 1928-2016 Father Andy died July 23 at St. Luke s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio at the age of 87. He was born on Dec. 29, 1928 in Wayne, Pa. He earned a philosophy degree in 1956 and degrees in music and education from the Catholic University of America four years later. He made his first profession as an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales in 1950. After completing graduate studies at DeSales School of Theology, he was ordained a priest in 1959. After ordination, Father Dunne taught briefly at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia and Aquinas High School in Southgate, Mich. and then thirteen years at Bishop Duffy High School in Niagara Falls, N.Y. In 1972, he was appointed associate pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Michigan Center, Mich. and became pastor in 1974. He served the good people of Fatima for 34 years. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of a new church. Andy was noted for quick wit and lively personality. He was an accomplished musician who enjoyed listening to the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. He played the piano, sang and, earlier in life, tap danced. A memorial prayer service was held at Our Lady of Fatima Church on July 27 with Father Rudi Schwarzkopf, OSFS preaching. Father Ken McKenna, OSFS was presider and homilist at the funeral Mass the following day. 8 From the Funeral Homily by Father McKenna on July 27th: Father Andy had only two requests for his funeral that it be here at
Our Lady of Fatima and that it be joyful. Some Oblates tell me: Make sure the funeral homilist doesn t canonize me. Andy never seemed worried about that. Perhaps he felt we Oblates lacked the homiletic ingenuity to pull that off. Yet Andy was very Christlike in his pastoral ministry. Pope Francis reminded priests that: God is in everyone s life, even if a person s life has been a disaster. Andy believed that years before the Pope said it. He often helped people that other priests might have turned away. Andy was a rare breed: opinionated, yet non-judgmental; spiritual/priestly, yet approachable/human; a man of wit and wisdom. I know many of you are here today because Father Andy was a real pastor. Andy also was a real Oblate and not just because our religious congregation attracts characters. I recently saw two posters that expressed our spirituality very well. One poster read: God wills, I will. The other one read: God permits, I permit. A good example of living those posters is this church. Father Andy was convinced that God wanted the temporary church to be temporary. This beautiful building is a very large example of Father Andy embracing God wills, I will. It s also a testament to your love of God, your friendship and loyalty to Father Andy, and your generosity. Pastors never know how their day will unfold. Father Andy tried to bring that same Salesian spirit, God wills, I will; God permits, I permit, to his work as a priest and pastor, especially as he handled the unexpected visitor or crisis or need. Father Andy was a good priest because he was a good man... and a good disciple. We will miss him. Many fond memories of Father Andy throughout my childhood years attending Our Lady of Fatima. His homilies were fantastic and he was well loved. Bless you, Father. RIP. Heaven has gained a special soul! Katy Faulk, Liberty Hill, Texas Father Dunne loved the shut-ins of the parish. He also loved the poor at the homeless shelter where I worked. There were several times when someone wanted to go to confession and Father always came at once. Sometimes, he would hang out for a while with the residents and always kept them laughing. On one occasion, a man received the sacrament of penance in the backroom of the shelter, crossed the street, and then dropped dead just inside his hotel. Father made sure God got the credit for that one! Beverly Garges, Michigan Center, Mich. Winter 2017 www.oblates.us 9
BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine F Father Edward Canavan, OSFS 1935-2016 ather Ed died on Oct. 19 at Rosary Care Center, Sylvania, Ohio. He was born May 19, 1935 in Niagara Falls, N.Y. He received a philosophy degree in 1959 from the Catholic University of America. He made his first profession as an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales in 1954 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1964. After ordination, Father Canavan taught at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pa. Two years later, he volunteered to serve in the Oblate missions in Brazil, where he ministered until 2000. Oblate Superior General Father Aldino Kiesel, OSFS, a Brazilian himself, wrote: Father Ed was much loved by the people in Brazil. He touched people with his humility and kindness, always taking plenty of time to listen to people. He was especially dedicated to the sick and the poor. In retirement, Father Ed was an avid reader and deeply appreciated the care he received at Rosary Care Center, especially the constant stream of reading materials. The funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio on Monday, Oct.24 with Provincial Father Ken McKenna as celebrant and homilist. Interment took place on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at Resurrection Cemetery in Toledo, Ohio. From the funeral homily by Father McKenna: If Father Ed had passed away 20 years ago in Brazil, this church would not be large enough to hold the mourners. Tonight, we are here not only because Ed touched our lives but to represent all those who could not be here because of years and distance. Father Ed was at ground zero when liberation theology swept through Brazil. He participated in Base Ecclesial Communities. He advocated for land reform and many other projects aimed at eliminating injustice toward the poor. His work for justice and peace became part of who he was. He 10
could not help but speak up for the underdog as we Oblates witnessed many times and he was bothered by any sign of injustice. His homilies usually consisted of a few questions inspired by the Scriptures, which he would ask the congregation. He was very open and non judgmental to whatever people said. The college associates and novices in particular enjoyed his genuineness and unique style. He liked to stir the pot a bit perhaps to get us to think about something in new ways. In all of this, though, Ed was never pretentious. He knew he was not the Messiah. He accepted his limitations and faults, as honest and open about his shortcomings as any Trappist monk I ever met and they work hard on self-awareness and ego-diminishment. At this moment of farewell for this loved confrere of ours, our Province would like to express our gratitude to your Province and to the members of Father Canavan s family, for allowing Ed to sow the good seed of the Gospel on Brazilian soil during the 34 years he stayed among us. Father Canavan left his mark wherever he went. He was a testament to simplicity, selflessness, Salesian joy, goodness and service to the poorest. He enjoyed being in the company of his Oblate confreres. He patiently listen to everyone seeking his help. He was a peaceful man always ready to serve wherever needed. Father Leoclides Dalla Nora, Provincial of the South American Oblate Province I knew Ed for many years when we worked together here in Brazil. He was one of the most gentle and caring persons I ve known. He had a great sense of humor and was great fun. He would always come up with recreational ideas to relieve tensions and boredom brought about when living in a foreign culture. I recall once he returned from a book fair with dozens of used cheap finds. He showed me his buy proudly. I picked up one song book (he was a great singer) and looked at it and said, but Ed this is in Italian! He looked at me for a moment and said, Yeah, but the price was great! We laughed so much. He was so tall that he had to have a bed made to order as well a mattress extension. He used to drive a VW van; since he was tall he had to keep his head lowered so that when the car bounced over the dirt roads, his head wouldn t hit the roof of the car. Undoubtedly, his size was reason for a great appetite; here in Brazil no limit Bar-B-Q, called rodizio are very common. He and Bob MacDonald would eat tons and the waiters loved it. They would bring more and more while the rest of us would just laugh. I consider it a privilege to have known, lived and worked with Ed. I know he enjoys eternal peace. Tom Hallan Winter 2017 www.oblates.us 11
V+J Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo-Detroit Province 2043 Parkside Blvd. Toledo, OH 43607-1597 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID LANSING, MI PERMIT NO. 689