Deacons in the Diocese of Erie

I have been reading posts and emails for some time from 'The Loop', a Catholic site that seems to be both orthodox and fair in its reporting.
If you would like to check them out, go to [email protected]. And it's free!

Saw this on Catholic Exchange this morning, and wanted to share with you. Merry Christmas!

the Christmas Crèche
MARIA AUGUSTA VON TRAPP
The Tradition of the Christmas Crèche
When asked about the origin of these old folk customs, one sometimes finds it hard to answer. They have come down to us through the centu­ries out of the gray past. Some are so old that they go back to pre-Christian times, having been baptized together with the people and turned from pagan into Christian customs. But, once in a while, we know how one or another custom originated.

The Christmas crib, as we have it today, goes back to St. Francis of Assisi. Not that he was the one who made the first crèche; this devotion is almost as old as the Church. We are told that the very place of Christ’s birth and the manger in which He lay “wrapped in swaddling clothes” were already venerated in Bethlehem in the first centuries of the Christian era. Later, devout people substituted a silver manger for the original one and built a basilica over it, and, with the centuries, the veneration of the Holy Child lying in the manger spread all over the Christian countries.

More and more ceremonies sprang up around this devotion, until, in medieval times, they had grown into a real theater performance—drama, opera, and ballet combined. Finally, Pope Honorius had to put a stop to this, for it had grown into an abuse. A generation later, St. Francis of Assisi got permission for his famous Christmas celebration in the woods of Greccio near Assisi on Christmas Eve 1223.

Francis and the Crèche
His first biographer, Thomas of Celano, tells us how it happened:

It should be recorded and held in reverent memory what Blessed Francis did near the town of Greccio, on the feast day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, three years before his glorious death. In that town lived a certain man by the name of John (Messer Giovanni Velitta) who stood in high esteem, and whose life was even better than his reputation.

Blessed Francis loved him with a special affection because, being very noble and much honored, he despised the nobility of the flesh and strove after the nobility of the soul.

Blessed Francis often saw this man. He now called him about two weeks before Christmas and said to him: “If you desire that we should celebrate this year’s Christmas together at Greccio, go quickly and prepare what I tell you; for I want to enact the memory of the Infant who was born at Bethlehem and how He was deprived of all the comforts babies enjoy; how He was bedded in the manger on hay between an ass and an ox. For once I want to see all this with my own eyes.” When that good and faithful man had heard this, he departed quickly and prepared in the above-mentioned place everything that the Saint had told him.

The joyful day approached. The Breth­ren [the Friars who had gathered around St. Francis] were called from many communities. The men and women of the neighborhood, as best they could, prepared candles and torches to brighten the night. Finally the Saint of God arrived, found everything prepared, saw it, and rejoiced. The crib was made ready, hay was brought, the ox and ass were led to the spot…. Greccio became a new

Bethlehem. The night was made radiant like the day, filling men and animals with joy. The crowds drew near and rejoiced in the novelty of the celebration. Their voices resounded from the woods, and the rocky cliffs echoed the jubilant ou-t burst. As they sang in praise of God the whole night rang with exultation. The Saint of God stood before the crib, over come with devotion and wondrous joy. A solemn Mass was sung at the crib.

The Saint, dressed in deacon’s vestments, for a deacon he was, sang the Gospel. Then he preached a delightful sermon to the people who stood around him, speaking about the nativity of the poor King and the humble town of Bethlehem…. And whenever he mentioned the Child of Bethlehem or the Name of Jesus, he seemed to lick his lips as if he would happily taste and swallow the sweetness of that word.”

That is the beginning of the crèche as we know it in our day. St. Francis’s idea of bringing Bethlehem into one’s own town spread quickly all over the Christian world, and when there was a Christmas crib in every church, the families began to reenact the birth of Christ in their home too. With loving imagination, more or less elaborately, the little town of Bethlehem would be reconstructed. There would be the cave with the manger, “because there was no room at the inn,” and the figures would be carved in wood or modeled in clay or worked after the fashion of puppets. They also might be drawn and painted and then glued on wood.

Manger Traditions

In some countries, whole valleys would take up the carving of these figures—as in Tyrolia and southern Bavaria. Some of these crèches are works of great art. On the long winter evenings, during the weeks of Advent, the people are working on them. First, the scenery is set up again, and then the figures are placed, each year seeing some new additions, until such a crib fills almost a whole room with its hundreds of figures.

Outside the town of Bethlehem, Connecticut, the nuns of the Benedictine priory called Regina Laudis have devoted a whole building to their huge Christmas crib, a Neapolitan work that was given to them as a gift. This beautiful crib could become an American shrine, the center for a pilgrimage during the Christmas season.

A Von Trapp Crèche
At home in Austria, we wanted a crèche we could make mostly by ourselves. That is why we did not buy one of the ready-made models, but went out into the woods with the children before the first snowfall and carried home stones, moss, bark, lichen, and pine cones. A large tabletop, three by five feet, was placed over two carpenter’s sawhorses and draped with green cloth. This was the foundation on which, every year, a slightly different scene would be erected by artistic young hands—the stony hill with the cave; the field, covered with moss; and shepherds in the foreground.

For the figures, we bought only the heads and hands, beautifully modeled in wax at a little store in Salzburg that sold handmade, artistically decorated candles and Lebkuchen. At home we made the foundations of the figures with wire and then dressed them with loving care. It is incredible what ingenious hands can produce with a needle and thread and remnants of dress material.

Every evening during Advent, some time was devoted to the crèche. At the end of the first week, the landscape was completed; the second week was animal week, at the end of which many little sheep were grazing on the meadow and the ox was standing in the cave. In the third week, the shepherds appeared, watching their sheep in little groups, while, in the fourth week, Mary and Joseph could be seen approaching from afar with the little ass, advancing steadily every day. Finally, on Christmas Eve, they reached the cave.

The ass joined the ox behind the empty manger. Mary was kneeling in expectation (that’s the beauty of the wire under the blue dress; the figures can kneel, stand, or sit), while St. Joseph hung up a lantern above the manger, and everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting until just before Midnight Mass. Then, the youngest member of the family would put the little Baby in the manger, and joy would reach its height. After Midnight Mass, the figure of the big angel would appear, suspended on a long wire above the shepherds, announcing, “Glory to God in the highest.” There is no telling how much love and joy goes into the making of such a crib year after year.

Again I must go back to our first year in this country. Of course, Christmas without a crib under the tree would have meant for us that Christmas was missing something essential. The beloved figures of our Christmas crib, however, were among the things we had left behind. And so, the older children’s Christmas present to me in that memorable first year turned out to be a large, elaborate Christmas crib with the figures and the little town of Bethlehem, self-designed, cut out of cardboard, and hand-painted. Our neighbors in Germantown had kindly invited the children to help themselves to the necessary bark, moss, and stones in their gardens.

✠

Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a chapter in the book Around the Year with the von Trapp Family, which is available from Sophia Institute Press.

Merry Christmas!
May the Peace, Joy, and Love of the Christ Child fill your hearts today and forever!
Blessings!

Congratulations to our news deacons and their wives!

Brothers and sisters, I have been experiencing so many negative comments and rude behavior concerning our upcoming election. Some of the most mean spirited are coming from those who tell me they are active Christians. I am not sure if you are experiencing the same, but if so, what are you doing with it? I am beginning to resolve to simply allow them to rant and rave, while praying for them each night (my list is getting long). Let's keep each other in prayer. Blessings!

Brother Deacons and wives,
This month I received the following prayer from the Deacons for Life and Priests for Life website concerning our upcoming election season. With all the concerns in our daily ministries, helping our people in prayer strengthens their resolve. Here is the prayer if you wish to use it.
God's Blessings & Peace!

O God, we acknowledge you today as Lord,
Not only of individuals, but of nations and governments.

We thank you for the privilege
Of being able to organize ourselves politically
And of knowing that political loyalty
Does not have to mean disloyalty to you.

We thank you for your law,
Which our Founding Fathers acknowledged
And recognized as higher than any human law.

We thank you for the opportunity that this election year puts before us,
To exercise our solemn duty not only to vote,
But to influence countless others to vote,
And to vote correctly.

Lord, we pray that your people may be awakened.
Let them realize that while politics is not their salvation,
Their response to you requires that they be politically active.

Awaken your people to know that they are not called to be a sect fleeing the world
But rather a community of faith renewing the world.

Awaken them that the same hands lifted up to you in prayer
Are the hands that pull the lever in the voting booth;
That the same eyes that read your Word
Are the eyes that read the names on the ballot,
And that they do not cease to be Christians
When they enter the voting booth.

Awaken your people to a commitment to justice
To the sanctity of marriage and the family,
To the dignity of each individual human life,
And to the truth that human rights begin when human lives begin,
And not one moment later.

Lord, we rejoice today
That we are citizens of your kingdom.

May that make us all the more committed
To being faithful citizens on earth.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Brother deacons and wives,
Without the opportunity to gather together for our annual retreat, what are you doing for a retreat this year?

Here is another update on Deacon Reed from Linda McQueen:

Hi, again,

Dick just called. It is treatable. It was caused by fatty liver. Chemo until November. A recheck and if smaller, surgery to remove. Needs plenty of prayers. Thanks.
Blessings,
Linda

Brother Deacons and wives, I received the following message from Linda McQueen. Please keep Deacon Richard in your prayers.

Hi, you two,I am not happy to be letting you know that Dick Reed needs prayers, please. He found out yesterday that he has cancer. He is seeing the oncologist this afternoon to hear the extent and to determine the course of action (if any). Please pass on the request.My love to you both. And hoping all is well during this very strange time!Linda McQueen

Brother Deacons and wives,
I recently received the August newsletter for the NDICE (National Deacon Institute for Continuing Education). I was really impressed with the article from Deacon John Fridley on Anger, Mercy, and Forgiveness. In it he spoke about Bishop Desmond Tutus' four fold cycle of forgiveness. In the world we are living in today, especially in our country, this might be a helpful tool for those we minister to and for ourselves. I am going to try to attach it to this post, but those who know me know I am not the most computer literate person in the world. If it does not come through, look up the NDICE and check out their latest newsletter. God's Blessings & Peace!!!

How are you dealing with
the world in general? The
world today to me seems full of
anger and hatred. Where is the
mercy and forgiveness?
Have you ever just lost it?
Lost your emotions, your cool
and lashed out at another? I
have, it hurts and is not Christlike.
It hurts me and hurts the
one(s) on the receiving end. I
do not know about you, but
I went sleepless for several
nights. What causes emotions
to flare, anger to raise? I do
not know. Maybe it is stress,
surprise, disappointment,
frustration? You pick or add
your own. In their book, When
Anger Hurts, authors Matthew
and Judith McKay and Peter
Rogers suggest, ‘…anger is our natural defense
against pain. So, when I say I hate you, it really
means you hurt me.’ They also suggest,’…it is
better to cry than to be angry because anger
hurts others while tears flow silently through the
soul and cleanses the heart…’ Both are good
messages we need to hear right now. I do not
know about you, but I seem to see more anger
today than ever before. We can easily blame
it on being isolated because of the COVID-19
lock down, but is that it? Maybe all the social
justice issues we face today contribute to
our sense of insecurity? Maybe just being
locked out of our Church and away from our
source and summit of sanity (the Eucharist)
contributes?
Let’s talk more about anger, mercy and
forgiveness. Let us see if we can defuse some
of the hurt and anguish going on in our
homes, communities, nation, and our world. Maybe we can start a conversation and discuss
some ways to help in forgiving others and
ourselves for our weakness. God does not want
us to be angry. “In your anger do not sin: Do not
let the sun go down while you are still angry”
(Eph 4:26).
Let us start with Mercy. What is Mercy?
My go-to source, the Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC) defines Mercy as, “The loving
kindness, compassion, or forbearance shown to
one who offends (e.g., the mercy of God to us
sinners)” (CCC1422/1829). In Cardinal Kasper’s
book, Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the
Key to Christian Life, (ISBN 978-0-8091-0609-7)
he formed his remarks on Mercy by affirming
‘imitation Dei.’ The very imitation of God and
his actions in Jesus Christ is what we all should
strive for. “He once called me friend,” is the end
goal (Jn 15: 15). Jesus demonstrates what a true
friend would do, lay down his life for the love
of God and love of neighbor. In today’s world
that can be hard. So much hatred and built up
frustration. Cardinal Kasper leads us through a
possible solution.
Using the disciples as a model, their only
concern was helping the downtrodden, the
sick, the outcast and the wronged. They
demonstrated the mercy of God. The love of
neighbor and they exhibited the ability to
forgive one another. Forgiveness for perceived
wrong is difficult. It might begin with forgiving
ourselves for our own weaknesses. In our
lifetime we will undoubtedly need to forgive
ourselves many times, as we ask our Father for
His forgiveness. He already knows our weakness
and need for forgiveness. All we must do is ask
and He will forgive us our sins. The challenge is
to teach/enlighten others to the amazing good
news.
One avenue the disciples demonstrated
was not to repay evil with evil, but to repay
evil with good and kindness. We are all in this
world together, it is how we pick to live out our
journey of life that matters. We can help one
another with trust and faith, or we can stay in
a constant world of competition and the stress
that goes along with it. How much is enough?
Jesus renounced violence, lust, and greed. He
just forgave. Is that a bridge too far?
It seems today whoever tells the first lie
wins. It should not be that way. One of us
needs to reach out and offer the other a hand
up and show mercy. Cardinal Kasper defines
the spiritual works of mercy (CCC 2447) and
points out at the Last Judgment, ‘…only
sinners who failed to do what was good were
condemned.’ Imitation Dei,’ imitating God and
His faithfulness. Today might be a good day to
reach out to someone who hurt you or that you
hurt, through words or actions, and say ‘I am
sorry” or “I forgive you.”
Now the hard part, forgiveness. I recently
read a book written by Desmond Tutu and his
daughter Mpho, where they describe in the,
“Book of Forgiving,” (ISBN 978-0-06-220356-
4), “One of the greatest obstacles to love is the
inability to forgive.” The man who wrote that
should know. He spent much of his life living
under an Apartheid government with a long
record of agony and brutality inflected on
their black population. How easy would it have
been for him to incite his countrymen to revolt
against all white people in South Africa? But he
did not. He demonstrated there is, “No future
without forgiveness.”
Why is it important to forgive? One, “Without
forgiveness, we remain tethered to the person
who harmed us.” How true, once we forgive,
we are free to move on, but not to forget how
we felt. We may not ever want to forget that
sinking, hollow, intense feeling we have after
hurting someone or being hurt ourselves. It is
almost a visible movement, wanting to reach
out and grab those words back or the action
demonstrated. We can forgive others and
ourselves, but maybe we should never forget
that haunting sick feeling inflicted on ourselves
or others. Tutu says, “…forgiveness is a gift we
give ourselves.” If I could go back in my lifetime
and meet all those I hurt, I would. Recently,
Bishop Braxton, upon his retirement as the
Bishop of Belleville, wrote a beautiful letter to
all parishioners expressing his gratitude for
the privilege of serving God and the diocese.
However, what really struck me was his apology
to anyone he may have hurt along the way.
Saying,” I am sorry”, those three small words
carry so much power to heal. “I am sorry,” if I
have ever hurt you.
Desmond Tutu modeled a fourfold cycle
of forgiveness providing an opportunity to
heal while forgiving. His process proposes:
1) by telling the story, 2) naming the hurt, 3)
granting forgiveness, 4) renewing or releasing
the relationship, we can grant ourself a chance
to heal. Telling the story begins by telling the
truth. Telling the story is getting free from the
hurt. “The only way out of what hurts is through
it.” Giving the hurt a name is the beginning of
the mending to our violated parts. The author
suggests the third stage, ‘Granting Forgiveness’
is difficult. He says, “Forgiveness is not letting
people off the hook, it is letting ourselves off
the hook.” It is the difference between being a
victim and being a hero who moves on. The
fourth step in the process is on you, the victim.
You choose to renew or release the relationship
with the person who hurt you. Tutu makes
it clear, “The important thing to remember
is that there can be no genuine forgiveness,
and therefore no genuine healing, without
genuine truth. It is what sets us all free.” The
apology, “I am sorry” can be difficult words to
utter. Similarly, uttering the words, ‘I forgive
you” are not easy to say either. Meanwhile,
do not forget to forgive yourself and strive to
begin the ‘forgiveness cycle for all who you
encounter.’ “And when you stand praying, if you
hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so
that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins”
(MK 11:25).
I pray these words will give you some food
for thought. Anger, Mercy and Forgiveness are
real. They are issues we all need to deal with. I
will leave you on a lighter note. For those that
need a little laughter in their life right now.
Author Leonard Scheff and Susan Edmiston,
in their book “The Cow in the Parking Lot: A Zen
Approach to Overcoming Anger,” ISBN 978-0-
7611-5815-8) suggests when someone slights
you or hurts you, just think of the person in
the parking lot that cut you off or took your
parking space. When you feel anger rising, just
substitute the car in the parking lot, for a cow in
its place. Changes your whole perspective. Try
it and smile.
Deacon John Fridley

Brothers Deacons and wives, a few months ago I was invited to join Deacons for Life. Protecting lives from conception to natural death should be a part of all our ministries. I am copying a response I received lately from a conference call we had. Near the end is an invitation for you to join if you so wish. God bless! August 18, 2020

Dear Deacon Ralph,

Thank you to all who participated in the August 17 Deacons for Life Zoom meeting and for your comments and questions. It was a joy and an encouragement, as always, to talk with you and I hope it was the same for you.

I offer a special thanks Deacon Keith Fournier and Deacon Dom Pastore who help in the leadership of Deacons for Life.

As we pointed out, we really have to push as hard as we can right now for the election. Please let people in your parish and other circles of influence know that volunteers are needed across the country to help educate voters, and that the range of such activities, and the training needed, will be provided. They can sign up at www.ProLifeVolunteer.com.

Some other items we discussed include

1) Our National Prayer Campaign at www.ElectionPrayer.com.

2) An educational election video series: How and Why We Vote Pro-Life at www.ElectionVideos.org.

We discussed the importance of using social media and other online platforms to get our message out especially in this day and age when not everyone has yet returned to attending Mass.

Deacon Keith also reminded us of the importance of constantly referring back to the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, one of the many treasures left to us by St. John Paul II.

There were a lot of other excellent questions regarding how to answer the sincere concerns of the people we serve in regard to the elections. One of the themes is that we have to keep urging our people to make this election about policies, not personalities, and about the long-term future of America, not just the next four years. Judges appointed now, for example, will be issuing decisions affecting our great grandchildren 40 years from now!

A good resource to point people to are the pro-life accomplishments of President Trump which are summarized both in video and written format at ProLifePresident.com, and his overall accomplishments at www.PromisesKept.com including freeing Priests for Life, the Archdiocese of Washington and other Catholic organizations from the Obama-Biden HHS Mandate which tried to force us to provide abortion and contraception in the health insurance plans we offer our employees or else face crippling fines.

Please note that my team and I will be happy to help you and the people you serve with any other specific questions or pastoral needs. Just email me at [email protected].

We look forward to our next call. Meanwhile, if you can reach out to other deacons in your diocese who may not have signed up for Deacons for Life yet and invite them to do so, that would be great! Have them send us an email likewise at [email protected].

Blessings!
Fr. Frank Pavone

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Priests for Life
PO Box 236695
Cocoa, FL 32923
Phone: 321-500-1000
Toll Free: 888-735-3448
Email: [email protected]
www.EndAbortion.US

www.endabortion.us

On this 18th Sunday in Ordinary time I'm struck with the compassion that Jesus shows in our Gospel reading from Matthew today. May we, his hands, feet, eyes, ears, mind, heart and soul be compassionate as He is compassionate!

Deacon Ordination June 4, 1999!

Looking for a way for deacons and wives to communicate a little better than we do now. Does anyone think this will work?

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That there may be food in my house.
Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you, and pour down upon you blessing without measure!

Micah 3:10

"I am among you as one who serves". Luke 22:27

Is anyone seeing this? Not sure if I started this page correctly.

Deacons in the Diocese of Erie A page for the deacons and their wives from the diocese of Erie, PA