'New' Saint Boniface

I've made you wait long enough for pictures. A parishioner took these, and kindly shared his disk. The pictures really don't do justice to the project, especially as you cannot see the before and after. But here you are...

This is one of two niches in the back of church; the other is Saint Anthony of Padua. Both these statues were beat up and needed some attention. A volunteer cleaned them and repainted them at no charge. The artist hired to repaint the church added the shadow of the cross on the wall behind this statue--you can see just a bit of it in the background. If you're wondering where the votive lights are, they're in front of St. Anthony; this statue is so large, there's not room in front of it for candles.

Here's a nice view of the back of church, as well as the new wood floor and the new pews (as well as some parishioners after Mass). The whole floor of the nave was replaced; we removed carpeting and put down a new, stiffer sub-floor, and then hand-scraped hickory planks as you see. The floor has a bit of texture, so it's not too slippery; it has a super-hard finish we expect to last for decades before any refinishing; and the acoustics are much improved. The pews are very close to the original--and, yes, they have kneelers.

The balcony that you see is not exposed wood, as it appears. That was the work of the artist, recreating wood. I don't believe the balcony was actually a good quality wood, so stripping it wouldn't have worked.

The statues you can't quite see on the back wall are St. Louis on your left, and the Infant of Praque on the right.

Here's a reasonably good view of part of the ceiling. It was all white, with blue ribs; now it's blue, with gold stars, and the ribs are made to look like finished wood. The whole ceiling is actually metal.

Here's a nice view of the apse ceiling, but you can't really see the detail. This, too, is all tin, and the crosses are pressed into the tin. The ceiling was stripped of all paint, primed, painted a rich blue, and then each of the crosses was painted in gold. You also get a good look at the walls, which were painted to look like sandstone blocks.

Here are three of the six new saints (from left): Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Therese (the Little Flower), and Saint Angelo. I'd like to have someone do closer photographs of each. Any takers?

Here are the other three (from left): Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio; Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Each of these was painted to look like a mosaic, and they do.

Here is a view of the new-old statue of the Blessed Mother. She was in the church until the 70s, then moved out, now returned. (Another image of Mary took her place, and we are going to put it in the school.) You can see our pulpit, which wasn't changed, but we may do something with that down the road. Also, you can just see the bottom of St. Stanislaus Kostka on the wall.

Here is Saint Joseph, again, newly repainted and restored to church. The image that was there for the past 40 years will be put into the school. You can also see the statue of the Risen Lord, which we bring out during Easter. He also got a new suit of clothes for Easter.

The area behind Joseph (and Mary) is not an alcove in the wall--that was painted by the artist. Before, a panel of wood was behind each side altar, but the squared-off style didn't look right with the rest of the church. That is the feet of Saint Theresa of Avila on the wall, right over where the priest sits. I figure, if I ever mess up, she'll rebuke me by falling on my head! Ora pro me, Sancta Teresa!

Here's an image of the crucifix and the reredos. The crucifix itself was taken down, cleaned and refurbished. The panel behind it had been wood, with a criss-cross pattern that many found distracting; so we took down the wood molding that formed the pattern, and the artist painted this mosaic background on canvas. The gold matches well with the saints' portraits and much of the gold throughout the church. You may not be able to tell, but I do have the "Benedictine Arrangement" on the altar: six candles and a crucifix. The altar cloth does have a "pucker" in it; the lady who made it new for Easter is going to fix it for us.

The floor here is ceramic tile, although the tiles look like stone. I pointed out to the servers that, to help them know where to stand, we installed (grout) lines on the floor! This floor will never get burn marks from candles or incense.

Certainly if anyone has close up pictures, let me know and I'll post them.
Parishioners have reacted with great happiness, saying they are "stunned" by the transformation. The Archbishop--who hasn't seen this yet in person--said he heard about it and was happy with what he heard. Many parishioners cried on Easter when they returned to church, and a lot more have strained their necks looking around.

These pictures, while good, don't do the project justice. There are many other details not captured here; so you'll just have to come and see for yourself!

Why no pictures yet?

You may be wondering why I haven't posted pictures of the new Saint Boniface. Well, for the following reasons: First, I'm more incompetent than you can imagine; I simply do not know how to send a picture from my cell phone to anything else. Second, I have been crazy-busy the past few weeks, and no, it didn't get any better after Easter. And third, I really do want to wait until it's essentially finished. As it happens, several key items of artwork were not finished for Easter, despite much hard work. The six, new images of the saints chosen by the parish were all finally set in place last night around 9 pm, and we blessed them before 10:30 am Mass today, along with those that were restored to the church. But there are some additional items still to be completed in the sanctuary this coming week. So...God willing, by next Sunday, all the pieces will be in place, and I'll have some photos.

Meanwhile, if ever your pastor considers having first communions the week before Easter, and confirmation the week after, kindly tell him he's a crazy man! (We didn't have much choice, just the way things played out; but oh! it has been a marathon, not counting many other trials and difficulties.)

At last!

We made it!

We reopened Saint Boniface Church tonight with the Easter Vigil. I just got home to have a lamb sandwich and a beer.

Sometime in the next few days, I hope to have some pictures to post. We had a fairly full house for the Vigil. If you were there, what did you think of our "new" church?

The Lord is risen!

Taxes finished, one form yet to file...

OK, taxes are finished.

My taxes weren't any harder to complete than past years; thankfully, my situation doesn't change much year to year, so I can pull out my prior year's forms to recall how I worked it out before.

The city of Piqua's forms remain an obscurantist's delight. The whole thing irritates me, because what happens is folks don't even bother to fill out their forms. Instead, they go downtown, and line up, for city employees to fill them out. What a waste of valuable time on the part of our city employees, and thus tax dollars!

Also, here's a lovely thing the city does. If you file your form on time, but you make a mistake, you are penalized as having not filed on time. This is true even if you overpay, and are due a refund! The penalty is deducted from your refund!

Even the federal beadles don't do that! If you overpay, you pay no penalty for making mistakes on your forms.

I have paid penalties twice, even when my mistake was in the city's favor! I.e., they found I was due even more money...then took part of it back.

Now you understand why so many city residents have the city do their taxes.

Good news/bad news: I was due a refund from all arms of Leviathan. I could have had it months ago, but various circumstances made filing my taxes sooner hard to do.

Parting shot: I advocate a tax reform that no one will adopt: everyone who earns any income, however slight, should have to file a federal and state income return--and pay something. Even if you earn only $1,000 in income, then you pay...I dunno, a dime. A penny. But everyone pays something. I really disagree with past tax changes in which the pols brag about "millions of Americans are taken off the tax rolls." If all Americans had to go through the labor of filling out these tax forms, they would be attuned to questions about how simple or complex taxes are--and what's really good for the country. Also, I think it's only right that everyone pay something, even a minimal amount. Even if you get a refundable tax credit. Maybe folks could deposit their dimes at the post office. But the way I look at it, if you want the government to tax anyone's income, you should take part as well.

All right, end of rant. I'm a little grouchy which is what happens when I have to bring my bricks in for Pharaoh.

St. Boniface update

Full disclosure: this post is a dodge from doing my taxes...

I stepped into St. Boniface Church a little bit ago to see how work was progressing, here's an update:

1) As reported already, the ceiling and walls are finished--well, almost! We have some special touches behind several statues that we may not have finished by Easter.

We did, along the way, see a need for redoing the stations, for example; but that will have to be done down the road.

2) The tile floor is finished, but it needs a good cleaning. The wood floor is (very nearly) finished: we have some edging or whatever you call it in several places to do. The vinyl flooring in the choir loft is being installed today. The carpeting for the vestibules and sacristies is about to go in.

3) The pews are all in place, and the kneelers--yes, we will have kneelers, no fear!--are being installed as I speak. The new pews are very handsome.

4) The young lady who is restoring the statues is finishing up on the Pieta and a couple of others. They'll be in place by Easter. We had a discussion about the Lord's body not looking too "healthy."

5) The altar is back in place, which is so important spiritually. I am very happy about that.

6) The sanctuary lamp is in place, but not lit yet of course; it will be lit at the Easter Vigil.

7) One sacristy has been painted; the other one, not yet.

8) The six paintings of the saints will be installed next week; the artist is back in Wisconsin, executing them. I haven't talked to him, I hope all is well with him; otherwise, that may move back a week.

9) Still a lot of stuff has to be moved around and put back in place. Holy Week here we come!

10) We will have the Vigil Mass here, no matter what.

Busy days

Here is a condensed account of my past few days, made busy both by the liturgical season, the wrapping-up of the school year, tax season, and a parish mission:

Saturday: the calm before the storm. I had 4 pm Mass at St. Boniface, but also had to coordinate meeting with Father Nathan, our mission speaker who was arriving "between 3 and 4" and was scheduled to preach at the 4 and 5 pm Masses, plus all Masses the next day. He arrived in time, we worked out plans for the weekend, and after preaching at the 4 pm Mass, he booked over to St. Mary to take the 5 pm Mass. That was helpful, because my parochial vicar is ill at the moment.

After 5 pm Mass, we had a "spring social" at that parish, which raises funds to help students attend Lehman High School. But I had promised to take our visiting priest out to dinner; so I quickly made the rounds at the party, then the vicar and I took our visitor to dinner. That was the only time, till now, we all sat down to dinner together and about the only time I had much of a conversation with our mission priest.

Sunday: I was up early, made coffee for our visitor who had a long day, preaching at 5 Masses, and offering two of them. My first Mass was 9 am, then I had noon. At 1 pm I had two baptisms; at 2 pm I was meeting with the high school students to get their input on our new, 5 pm Mass on Sunday. Between 4-5:30 I was with the junior high group, and I met with some of the 8th graders who are preparing for confirmation. At 6 pm we had a pizza party with the high school students, I stopped in there for a few slices of pie. At 7 pm our mission began, so I was in church making sure all was in order. During the talk, I heard confessions, along with our ill vicar. At 8 pm, I began exposition, for a holy hour, then back for more confessions; we concluded the holy hour at 9 pm, and Father Nathan, our mission speaker, stayed for individual conferences.

Monday: my off day. I had a few things to do at the office, and then I had the mission at 7pm, same plan as the night before.

Tuesday: a morning of reflection with the staff and our mission speaker, then an appointment and a busy afternoon in the office. Same plan at the mission with 2 hours of confessions. Ate dinner around 10 pm.

Today: had some quiet time this morning, then an appointment; then busy day in the office. About to head to the chapel for confessions, then Mass. No Bible Study tonight, due to the final evening of our mission; but more confessions tonight.

I have a penance service in McCartyville tomorrow night, and that means I can't attend the school board meeting, and I need to call the school board chairman beforehand--maybe later tonight.

Oh, and I have to do my taxes. Friday I guess.

Missalettes: pro or con?

With the new, improved translation of the Mass coming this fall, I'm thinking very seriously about adding pew missalettes (may be a trademarked term by J.S. Paluch Co., I mean this in the generic sense) at the one parish that doesn't have them.

This gives me the opportunity to look at the various versions of them.

I've found three so far:

OCP: cheapest; has many options, including a Spanish mini-missal. Cover art is reasonably good.

Paluch/WLP: next cheapest; cheap option has boring cover art; what we use now at one parish. Has an edition with a Spanish insert, adds $1 per copy per year.

Leaflet Missal Co.: much more expensive as far as I can tell; $35 per year, not volume discount--seems geared for individual use. Ghastly artwork. No mention of anything Spanish at all.

I know the Mass settings in these are usually dreadful. We never use them. But it would be nice to get one that actually had music and Mass settings we wanted to use.

So...before I settle on one of these, any suggestions?

Parish Mission in Piqua April 9-13

The Cross of Christ, Source of True Hope with Fr. Nathan Cromly

Come to Piqua this weekend to hear Father Nathan call us back to the Cross of our Savior!

Father Cromly has a powerful message that will speak to all hearts. He was very well received at a recent "Cast Your Nets" youth rally, and is a frequent and popular speaker at mothers' retreats in this area.

Schedule:

Saturday & Sunday: Father Nathan will preach at all Masses (Saturday, 4 pm at St. Boniface and 5 pm at St. Mary; Sunday, 7 am at St. Boniface, 9 am at St. Mary, 10:30 am at St. Boniface, Noon and 5 pm at St. Mary).

Evening talks at 7 pm Sunday-Wednesday in St. Mary Church, 528 Broadway, in Piqua Ohio. At 8 pm, a holy hour will follow, with confessions available as well as spiritual direction.

Monday morning will feature a special day session on Scripture and the Mass, beginning with Mass at 8 am, followed by Father's talk. Also at Saint Mary Church.

Father Nathan is a member of the Community of Saint John, which sponsors a youth program called Eagle Eye.

This is not only an opportunity to strengthen your own faith, but also to invite others who need a spiritual boost.

New Roman Missal comparisons

Today I was looking online for information about the new editions of the Roman Missal. As I hope everyone knows by now, at the end of November, we'll all begin using the new, improved translation of the Mass in English-speaking countries. Hence new Missals for church and chapel and Mass kits.

Here's what I found, and I welcome input:

U.S. Bishops.

Both a "Ritual" and "chapel" edition, the latter being smaller.

At first I was suspicious, because I assumed this would be the same Catholic Book Publishing that currently produces so many ritual books for U.S. Catholic parishes--but it's not (see information on that outfit below).

All we can see so far is the cover (at right) and a few inside pages. My reaction? The cover looks OK, the interior art looks good. What I can see of the layout looks fine, but too little to judge. Price? It's $169, but with a 25% discount if ordered by June 30.

Liturgical Training Publications.

I have a ritual book from LTP, a bilingual ritual for visiting the sick. It's not bad, but could be laid out better. That makes me wonder if I'll have the same experience with a missal from LTP.

The cover is, to my mind, better looking (at left). The inside art? Well, it's by Matthew Alderman, whose stuff I like--but it's executed in black-and-red, while two other publications produced full color art. I am sorry to say I wasn't so keen on this artwork. At $175, the price is slightly higher than that of the bishops, and no discount--but some discounts can be negotiated.

Midwest Theological Forum.

OK, this is the one I really like. It comes in a "regal" edition with real leather and a fancy cover (who needs that?) and a "classic" edition that seems very similar, but faux leather and not as many bells and whistles.

I really like the art in this one, but when I showed it to other folks in the office, one liked the bishops' edition better for that. I also like this cover best, but again, one of my employees here didn't agree (at right).

How about price? Well, this is the highest: "classic" is $350; "regal" is $500.

Catholic Book Publishers.

Here's the company that produces so many of the books we currently use in parishes in the U.S. Sorry to say, I hate their books. The art in them is horrible, there is no imagination or style about them--these books seem to be published by people who have no romance or poetry in their hearts. Some will say, "who cares, they're serviceable"--these are the folks who are content with gruel if it's nutritious; who cares how it tastes or smells?

But, I thought, maybe they will step up their game; when I went to the bishops' site, I thought they had, till I realized it wasn't the same company. So what are they offering? Here's the image of their top-of-the-line edition:
I know, you're thinking, that's not bad--but that's their "regal" edition. Hint: the cover is almost exactly the same as what they're producing now. Upping their game? Not so much.

But wait, you say, let's look inside. I click on the link for inside pages, for typography and artwork--and what appears?








That's right--nothing (if you get it to work on your browser, let me know). I don't know if they have any artwork uploaded, but they haven't posted any details on features so far. Price is $159--but no discount mentioned.

And just to give you a treat, here's the cover of the "chapel" edition:
Impressive, isn't it?

When death is near

I wrote this today, originally to be a bulletin item, but it grew too long. I may still insert it in the bulletin at some point. Help me edit it--let me know what you think. If something isn't clear, let me know.

I get many emergency calls as you can imagine, and I witness both inspiring and heartbreaking situations, let me tell you some stories.

Too often the priest is called at the last minute, or even too late. At such times, we come quick as we can and do all we can. Things can chaotic; when the patient isn’t responding, I often wonder, would this patient have had a question, or gone to confession, had I come earlier? Many times the patient receives Last Rites alone. Or, I’m called after the patient has died. Of course I come and pray—but I can’t give sacraments after death.

Sometimes it can’t be avoided. But if it can, why delay?

Calling the priest doesn’t mean giving up hope. Anointing is for healing—and I’ve seen folks at death’s door recover after the anointing. When things are calmer, the family can be present, and the patient can speak privately with the priest if desired.

I cannot stress enough that you must be very sure the hospital has put you or your family member on the list of Catholic patients, even if you’re in “for just a day.” Things happen. Some “too late” calls are for patients who were in the hospital days, even weeks.

Many priests and volunteers from several parishes visit weekly, so not only call your parish, but also tell the hospital. Be insistent; I cannot explain it, but some names do get left off.

Waiting too long sometimes means it’s too late to receive communion, the most important last sacrament. I realize some patients have trouble swallowing; I can give a patient a tiny portion of the host, or even bring the Precious Blood, with a day’s notice.

A hard lesson: don’t assume your family knows—or will carry out—your wishes.

A man called me once to see his dad after he died. He actually told me his father wanted a priest before he died, yet didn’t call me till too late! I was flabbergasted. Don’t assume. Pick someone you trust the most and tell him or her—in detail—what your wishes are, when you can’t act for yourself. If I can help, let me know.

Only some stories are so sad; others are faith-inspiring.

One of the most awe-inspiring things I see is when I visit and the family is present and praying. I recently visited a parishioner who was very ill, yet hopeful. Her family was present as I anointed her and gave her holy communion.

The next day it turned bad and I was called back.

I anointed her again, gave her “the Apostolic Pardon,” a special blessing and plenary indulgence from the Holy Father, reserved for “Last Rites.” And with her family around her, we prayed beautiful prayers of “commendation,” invoking the saints to watch over her and to be with her as Christ called her to Himself. I told her she was “well fortified with the sacraments” and remained as her family kept praying, with her leading, until her last breath.

But that experience didn’t just happen. It was the well-earned fruit of a lifetime of practicing the Faith and teaching her family to do the same. My grandmother used to say, “being a Catholic can be a hard life—but it’s an easy death.”

Last Rites are more than the anointing, which, by the way, is not just for our final hours. It also includes confession, communion, and prayers entrusting our loved one to God. Many times I come into a hospital room, and I suspect things are really close to the end—but I don’t know for sure and it’s risky to assume! Sometimes the patient, or the family, may not be ready to face that reality.

When the priest comes, we may be hesitant to suggest Last Rites, but if you ask, we’ll eagerly give you every consolation we can.

Finally, Last Rites can be repeated—I gave my own father Last Rites three times. It can be great consolation for everyone involved.

These situations are rough, emotional roller coasters for everyone involved. Your priests want to do all we can to make things a little more bearable and hopeful.

A new auxiliary bishop!

Congratulations to my friend, Father Joseph Binzer, just named auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati!

Father Binzer has a deserved good reputation as a hard working, humble priest who is very wise and very attentive in his many roles. He currently serves as chancellor for the Archdiocese, a position of great importance for the local church: he advises the Archbishop on legal matters, and makes sure legal matters are well handled. He is also a resource to pastors and parishes, and I can tell you when I've sent him emails or called him, he's always been very responsive and helpful. He has also served as pastor of Saint Louis Parish in downtown Cincinnati. Even though it's a downtown parish, I'm sure it still places plenty of demands on his time.

Father has also taught at the seminary, and he taught me--but do not hold that against him, he tried his best! I had him for a course in canon law, and another course in business matters. As far as I can tell, he receives a lot of respect. I certainly respect him.

Of course, now every priest in the archdiocese is wondering, or making confident predictions about, who will replace him as chancellor! We'll find out eventually...

Six years ago today...

Six years ago today, Pope John Paul II went to his eternal reward. This is a photo of him the last time we saw him, on Palm Sunday that year. (Photo from: http://saltandlighttv.org/blog/?p=2492)

Santo subito!

My personal motto

I just decided what my personal motto should be:

Ut visum notitia bona id temporis.

Translated*:

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

*According to Google Translate. Any Latinists, please assist.

Pictures of St. Boniface Renovation

Here are some pictures of the renovation of Saint Boniface now well underway. I hope you enjoy seeing this. But you won't be able to see the whole package deal until Easter!

This is the artist's original proposal for the interior of Saint Boniface.

I had him create this in 2006, as a "someday" project. Since this original proposal (and this photo washes out the colors), we've changed our plan. The ceiling over the sanctuary has been done in a very different fashion, we decided to add a tile floor in the sanctuary, and a hardwood floor in the nave; and we also decided to have six images of saints painted and displayed on the wood paneling behind the altar. The ceiling has been decorated largely as you see, as have the walls. Also, this picture isn't intended to give an accurate depiction of the sanctuary as it was or will be; the artist was focusing on his recommendations, not on the pulpit (which is missing) or the altar, which wasn't being changed.

Here's a picture of Saint Boniface as we began the work. The Nativity Scene (with the Magi just arriving) reveals the day: January 2, Epiphany. That Sunday a crew of parishioners came in and hauled out everything that needed to be moved, and we began taking up the carpet. The windows you see were restored over the past three years by the same artist who is doing a lot of detail work in this project.

Oh, if you're wondering about those stations of the cross...some years back it was the fashion to take perfectly lovely works of art in churches, that were full color, and paint them mono-color. You won't believe this, but the theory was that having art that was so beautiful was a distraction; painting them over like that was the compromise in order to save them.

Thankfully, the iconoclasts have been overthrown, and in many places these unfortunate decisions are being reversed. We have a plan for restoring them to full color, that arose as we began this--but we can't do it by Easter. Something to look forward to.

Here we are hauling out the original pews.

We had a lot of discussion about whether to replace them or restore them. These were badly damaged over many years of being moved (one more problem with carpeting churches); as we moved them, two out of every four fell apart, and the third was only prevented from falling apart by those carrying it, leaving one in four that kept together. A lot of those had very bad cracks and splits. The cost of refurbishing them exceeded the cost of new, and refurbishing them would have left them with many remaining problems to manifest down the road.

The new pews will be similar in style and identical in wood and stain. Folks asked me, "will they have kneelers?" I'm thinking, "folks, this is me!" But I just smiled and said, "oh yes." The new kneelers will be pitched at a better distance from the back of the pew, making it easier on parishioners' backs.

Yes, that is yours truly on the left, wearing a Piqua Catholic sweat shirt. If you're wondering why I'm not in clerical attire, I believe I was wearing my cassock, and judged it prudent to remove it for this sort of work. You know me, a big liberal!

Say goodbye to the carpet.

After this carpet was taken up, we laid down plywood as a sub-floor, and have installed a tile floor (on top of cement board) in the sanctuary, and are--as I type!--installing hickory wood in the nave. We'll keep carpeting in the vestibules, in the sacristies and the stairs. The choir loft is getting a vinyl flooring.

Actually, the carpet wasn't in terrible shape, and if we didn't have to paint the church, and if we didn't have pews desperately in need of replacement, this carpet would have lasted awhile longer. But we decided that if we were going to do all the other work, why not take up the carpet--as opposed to coming back, in a few years, and removing the new pews (expense and damage!) to replace it then?

This carpet was laid by a parishioner who has since gone to his reward, Luke Holscher, who in addition to being an outstanding carpet man, was a hard worker at bingo and an intense player of Bid Euchre.

Before he departed this life, I used to play cards at his house with his wife and some bingo workers; they'd start at 10 pm on Sunday and go till about 3 am! (Part of the reason we went so late is almost every hand was analyzed right after! I can still recall Luke arguing about how a partner played his hand!) Then we started earlier, and still went pretty late. The rest of us have gotten together a few times since Luke left us. Luke did a splendid job laying this carpet--it was flat and tight, no ripples, and it came up easily. Requiescat in pace.

Here is the church after the pews and carpet have been removed. That is, we think, the original floor. Before it was carpeted, it had linoleum tile, which was removed at some point. If you look closely, you may be able to see a row of circles in the floor; this is where the gas lamps were at one point. Wouldn't it be cool if we still had those?

The odd bundle of carpet is our baptismal font. Why didn't we move it? It's three pieces of solid, antique marble, that's why. We used the old carpet to wrap it up safely as you can see. FYI, this font came from Assumption Church in Walnut Hills, in Cincinnati. After some cleaning and some slight modifications, we placed it here a few years ago. And, by the way, we have actually moved the font since this picture was taken in January. Now that we're installing a new hardwood floor, we had to move it. A parishioner with the right kind of equipment did it early today, while I, happily, wasn't here to witness it.

In the background you can see the image of our Infant King, which was restored to the church a few years ago on the Feast of Christ the King. Parishioners have noted that many good things have happened for us since that restoration. No, we don't dress him.

Here are some of the statues in process of being restored. The statue of our Lady, to the left, was in our 24-hour Eucharistic Exposition Chapel for 20 years; we wanted to bring it back to church, and another lovely statue of our Lady took its place. This statue has since been repainted in richer colors than you see here.

The others are, from left, St. Aloysius of Gonzaga, St. Louis, King of France, and St. Teresa of Avila. At least, I think it's St. Aloysius; there is no label on it, and when I searched for images of saints online, St. Aloysius isn't usually shown carrying the infant Lord; but other details suggest it's him, there's no one else it seems to be, so...who gives the ruling? I guess I do. Until someone else convinces me otherwise, it's St. Aloysius. (Pay no attention to his right hand. After the statue was restored, the dopey pastor tried to move the statue, and--like a scene from a horror flick, the hand came off! Agghh! He has since had restorative surgery and I don't get within two feet of this statue!)

FYI, these three statues were on the old high altar that was, alas, destroyed many years ago. A fourth statue, of Saint Clare, is in our all-night chapel which is named for her.

Here's how the apse ceiling--i.e., the sanctuary--looked for many years, until this renovation. (Actually it looked better than this picture, I think.) When we announced the renovation, one of the comments folks made was, don't change this! So our plan was to replicate this as you see it, only with brighter blue and gold.

Then, when the artist was installing one of the stained glass windows here, he saw this ceiling up close, and beckoned me up on the scaffolding. In my cassock, I climbed up and he showed me the indentation of the crosses, pressed into the metal. We wondered what it might look like. So we decided to strip part of this paint away, and then decorate part of it as it might look. If you look closely at the right side of this picture, you'll see a patch with bare tin, and then a patch with the "new look" that partially restores the old. Then we invited parishioners to vote: and they chose the "new/old" look overwhelmingly.

Here's the nave ceiling with the base coat of blue. A lot of folks didn't like it when they first saw it, but this was before the ribs were painted and the gold stars added. Everyone who has seen the ceiling now loves it. The ceiling is all metal; a lot of folks seeing those ripples, thought the ceiling was covered with paper. No, it's just how the metal is shaped, and I don't think we can do anything about it. The stars help conceal that.

Here's the apse ceiling with the new/restored look, still in process. It's "restored" insofar as the crosses were there all along, but had been covered with the design you saw earlier. We think they were gold way back when, but we haven't found a picture to verify it. It's "new" insofar as before, this ceiling was probably gold-on-tin, not gold-on-blue. The whole ceiling is all metal; but now that this is complete, those who've seen it think these ribs are real wood.

Update: here's the website for Michael Blanck, the artist doing the detail work

Renovation of Saint Boniface (update)

OK, here's an update which will appear in an upcoming bulletin. Sorry to be so preoccupied.

See neighboring post for pictures! Anyway, here's where the project stands:

Ø Our friends at Brian Brothers have completed most of their work, but have a few final details. They have been great to us, as always.

Ø Michael and Ann Blanck are continuing their detail artwork on the walls. The ceilings are—but for the inevitable “final touches”—complete.

Ø A friend of Father Ang’s is working hard on our statues. She is doing this at no charge—simply as a gift to God.

Ø Celia has lovingly restored the three statues that were in storage for many years, as well as St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, and the Sacred Heart statue, and the body of our Lord that is on the crucifix. The angels that hold the lamps have also been repaired and are being repainted.

Ø We hope to be able to restore the statues of St. Anthony and of Mary holding her Son’s dead body as well. Pray for Celia and her family who are helping with this!

Ø A crew from the Floor Store of Versailles is finishing the tile floor in the sanctuary, and just starting on the hickory plank floor in the nave. This is why we relocated adoration to St. Mary until April 6. The pounding from two weeks ago was the sound of installing a substantial sub-floor that has made our floor stiffer, more level, and should eliminate most squeaks, at least for a while.

Ø Bob Paulus, whose company this is, gave us a price that earns him little in worldly riches, may God bless him with eternal wealth for his good price! We will be calling on a crew of helpers to install the floor in the balcony before long.

Ø The carpeting in the vestibules, sacristies and on the stairs will be installed soon.

Ø The bathrooms have been painted and the sacristies will soon be painted.

Ø New light fixtures have been installed in the sanctuary; brighter lighting will also be installed in the back, and the remaining fixtures will also be brighter. If we decide we want still more light, we can make further improvements.

Ø Our new pews will arrive in a couple of weeks.

Ø Soon Michael and Ann will hurry home to Wisconsin to complete the paintings of our six saints we are adding. We’ve asked a lot of them and they’ve worked hard.

Ø Holy Week will be busy as everything comes back together and we handle all the last-minute items.

Please note these three key dates and plans:

1. Reopening of the church at the Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 23, 9 pm.

Please gather in the Downing St. cafeteria—rather than in church—between 8:30 & 9 pm. We’ll begin the Vigil Mass, as usual, with a bonfire outside. While the church will be open for anyone who really can’t walk, won’t it be nicer to walk into church with Fr. Tom bringing the Easter Candle, singing, “Christ our Light!”? (If its raining, we’ll simply gather in church.)

This Mass is lengthy, as we recall God’s plan of salvation from Adam and Eve to the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. We will have a group of women, children and men baptized, confirmed, received into the Church, and make their holy communion. It will be “high church” (incense and chant).

2. Blessing new artwork and restored statues, Sunday May 1, 10:30 am.

This is rescheduled from Easter Sunday. This solemn blessing (with incense) will add perhaps 15 minutes or so to Mass, but will be a one-time event. It was rescheduled to avoid trying to do too much on Easter.

As we are honoring several new saints’ images, invitations will go out to folks with a special interest: to the Sisters of Charity for Mother Seton, to Franciscans for St. Francis, and to the Hispanic and Mexican communities for Blessed Jose.

I have no idea who may want to come, but it occurred to me that our Mexican brothers and sisters might be very joyful to have one of their own honored here in Piqua, so we may have some new faces and voices at Mass. Let’s welcome them!

3. Open House for whole community Saturday, May 7, 11 am. This, too, was rescheduled (from April 30).

This will be an opportunity for anyone who may be interested in a closer look at the church, as well as the sacristies and choir loft.

Here’s an idea: do you know folks who haven’t come to Mass? Or maybe you know folks who aren’t Catholic, but maybe you’d like to share our Faith with them in a friendly, non-threatening way. This is a way to do it. Invite them to this Open House. I plan to be there, along with others involved, to answer questions.

Everything is coming together! Please pray for those who have a lot of work to do, especially Mark Pitsenbarger and our many contractors and volunteers. Please pray for all those whose generosity made all this possible.

Battlefield: LA

I saw it, I liked it; I like the video at the link (click title).

Not much time...

OK, I've got to get going soon. Fish Fry at St. Mary's till 7 pm. Couldn't make last week due to responsibilities, and I am the pastor!

Busy day here..."the Pile" is growing. To riff off a line of President Reagan's about the deficit, I'm not to worry about this pile, it's big enough to take care of itself.

You might be interested in a few of items (clock ticking...):

> Had some meetings with folks about personal matters, obviously can't describe them. But I'm praying for them. If you ever wonder what to pray for, or what a priest does, keep this in mind. Some folks bring me serious stuff and I wish I could do more to help.

> Wrote a couple of news releases and worked on a handout, related to the re-opening of Saint Boniface Church at Easter, after our renovation. Trying to plan out the celebratory events. The handout gives a complete accounting of all the saints and all the artwork in the church, including the statues being returned to church after their exile 40 years ago, and the six new images of saints which will be added. The handout is intended to be a "keeper" for all those who wonder about the images, what saints they are, etc.

> Checked on the progress of the work. The tile floor in the sanctuary is almost finished (may be finished now); the painting is progressing nicely, but still a lot to do. The statues being restored are awesome--and being done for free! The hardwood floor for the nave is going to be installed starting in about 10 days. Many more details to work out. Pray for our director of maintenance who is superintending all this, keeping me sane--er, well, as sane as I may happen to be at the moment.

By the way...did you know that on Solemnities, the rules of fast and abstinence are not obligatory? This is the Vigil of St. Joseph! Don't anyone tell the folks at the Fish Fry, where I'm headed next!

Well this is cool

OLD3_594_9.JPG (JPEG Image, 750x1131 pixels) - Scaled (55%)

Cincinnati priest didn't like my letter

Well, it seems someone mentioned me in a letter to the latest Catholic Telegraph:

Editor:

How sad that Father Martin Fox missed the whole point of Mr. Daley's well-written column (Letters, March 4). In its concern for ecumenical dialogue as well as relationships with non-Christian religions, the Second Vatican Council made bold steps toward eradicating centuries of hostility. The documents from this Council clearly indicate a broad interpretation of the formulary of St. Cyprian: extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the church there is no salvation).

In his opening remarks, Mr. Daley cited this phrase with the explanation that a very narrow interpretation had dominated Catholic thinking for many centuries. Such thinking hindered any kind of dialogue with other Christians, much less non-Christians.

However, a broader understanding of this phrase was enunciated in a letter from the Holy Office to the Archbishop of Boston in 1949, which became the foundation for further exploration in the Second Vatican Council. That "open door" led to fruitful discussions and relationships with other denominations and religions.

While there is not sufficient space here for a more detailed discussion, Mr. Daley's use of the the phrase was most appropriate. And he was right on the mark by noting that the Catholic Church has taken a leading role in promoting interreligious dialogue. This, too, is one of the things that keeps me Catholic.

Father Raymond C. Kellerman
Holy Trinity Parish, Norwood

OK; here's the letter I wrote:

Editor:

Michael Daley, a religion teacher at St. Xavier High School, began his article in the Feb. 25 edition of the Telegraph with the phrase Extra ecclesiam nulla salus — outside the church there is no salvation.

In the column that followed, it did not seem to me that he explained what this means to us as we continue to teach this as a doctrine of our church — which we do. Yet without further explanation, it certainly gives rise to confusion.

So what do we mean when we say that? “Outside the church” refers to the Body of Christ understood in its fullest sense. We don’t know how many will be saved ultimately. We hope for vast numbers, but we don’t assume it will be everyone. But whoever is ultimately saved will be members of the Catholic Church in eternity, whether or not they are full members in this life.

In this sense, no one who is saved will be “outside” —salvation means they are “inside.” This is our hope for those who never hear about Jesus in this life, as well as those who, while not receiving actual baptism, may share a “baptism of desire” or “of blood.”

Likewise, reason tells us that if someone rejects Christianity — or the Catholic Church in particular — because of misinformation, then Christ knows the difference between that, and someone who rejects the truth, yet knowing it to be true.

Here is what Vatican II said: “This Sacred Council...teaches that the church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His body, which is the church, is the one mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved” (Lumen Gentium 14).

Whoever is saved, can only be saved through the merits of Christ, and will be united with Him. No one can be united to the head, yet not part of the body: so those who will be saved will indeed be, not “outside,” but “inside” the church.

The question remains, does it matter whether we are full members of the church in this life? Certainly. Baptism matters. The sacraments are powerful helps to salvation, as is the teaching office (i.e., magisterium) of the church. More help is more help. God acts in the lives of those not full members of the Catholic Church, and He knows their hearts.

Having the fullness of the Catholic faith isn’t a golden ticket for Catholics; it makes us more accountable. But it would be dangerous to think, “Oh it doesn’t matter, I’ll get to heaven somehow.”

Seeking Christ in His church is a wiser course.

Father Martin Fox, pastor
St. Mary and St. Boniface parishes
Piqua

(If you want to see the original article, go here.)

OK, well, let me offer these comments:

> I didn't miss the point of the original article; I didn't address it all. I simply observed that the author didn't really address the meaning of the "extra ecclesiam" doctrine. I think that's a statement of simple fact.

> I am certainly aware of what the Second Vatican Council had to say, as I quoted it.

> It could be that Father Kellerman thinks I was finding fault with Mr. Daley's column. Well, re-read my letter and please show me where I criticized Mr. Daley's essay? I suppose the very fact that I wrote the letter seems an implied criticism--i.e, that Mr. Daley ought to have explained the doctrine. Well, OK, maybe he should have, or else handled it differently. But columns need to be brief, so adding such explanations are hard to do and I don't blame Mr. Daley for not explaining it. And if my letter didn't need to be brief, I might have said as much when I wrote the Telegraph.

> In any case, the question of Church teaching on salvation "outside" the Church does often gives rise to misunderstanding. Or so I have found; perhaps Father Kellerman has had a different experience. I offered some clarity, which as far as I can tell, Father Kellerman finds no fault with.

> I'm sorry to hear Father Kellerman is sad. I hope he cheers up!

Spiritual Combat (Sunday homily)

Sorry, I'm a little late in posting ("yeah, over a month late, Father!"), sorry about that! Lots going on. Each parish has big projects underway: two construction projects planned at St. Mary: a new gym floor and a new roof on the school; St. Boniface Church is being renovated, to re-open Easter; we are having an outreach to our parishioners this Sunday: volunteers are going out visit their fellow parishioners, simply to greet them and see if they are doing OK. And in April, we have a parish mission (April 9-13) with Father Nathan Cromley. All that on top of normal parish and school business.

Here are bullet-points from my homily Sunday, for which I had no text:

> I proposed a theme of "spiritual combat" to look at in relation to the readings.
> I talked about the incongruity of almost everyone, who is surveyed, professing belief in God, but something less believe in the existence of the devil. Yet I think I would have an easier time proving the existence of the devil than of God. Why? We often ask, "where is God?" The Scriptures are full of that expression. But who needs me to prove evil exists? How does one explain such colossal evil, such as the gulags and the Holocaust?
> Notice how our Lord prepared for spiritual combat: he fasted. Odd, that; a soldier wouldn't do that before battle, would he? But this is different. Our Lord first conquered the distraction of hunger. We fast for the same reason: we learn in giving things up just how much power those things have for us. Am I the only one who thinks of a hamburger on a Friday during Lent (laughter); apparently not! But is the flag I'm going to live and die for? The hamburger?
> Notice that the devil is excellent in argument and he can quote Scripture. If we try to debate with temptation, we will lose.
> Not only do we sometimes underestimate the power of evil, we sometimes overstate it. Notice the devil did not know who Jesus was: "If you are the Son of God..." He was trying to find out who this Jesus really was; and notice Jesus did not fall for his tricks and left the devil knowing no more than before. The devil is more powerful than we are, alone; but we are never alone! When we were baptized, we are clothed in the armor of Christ, who stands with us and enlists us in his work. When we are overwhelmed in temptation, we turn and look over our shoulder and ask, "Lord, please help me!" And he speaks the word, "begone!"
> We may not realize we are in spiritual combat, but we are--all the time. The outcome, in one sense, is certain: Christ has won; and yet the outcome for many souls, and for our own, is not. The altar is a battlefield: Christ our champion goes into combat for souls and he calls us here because we aren't mere spectators, he counts us to join the battle. Example: a woman called the parish office just over a week ago, Sister ran in and said, "you have to take this call" and so I did. She told me she was going to have an abortion, she didn't know what to do. I began talking to her, to calm her down and I wanted to get her going in the right direction. Then the line went dead. I didn't have her number to call her back. I don't know what happened. Do you think I have been praying for that woman since then? Do you think there's spiritual combat going on?
> I addressed a point to men, specifically: you have sisters, girlfriends, wives, mothers, daughters. Would any of you turn to them and let them go into battle in your place? Of course you wouldn't. Yet notice that is exactly what Adam did in the first reading. He stood there while his wife was under assault and said, and did, nothing. How different it might have been had he simply spoken up! Men, you are here; you recognize your spiritual responsibilities and I commend you. But we know that when we gather for Mass or other prayer, a lot of our men are absent; they are letting others go into combat in their place.
> I don't recall just how I concluded my homily, except to talk about bringing the people and cares for which we are doing battle, to the altar, to ask Christ's power and intercession for them.

I gave this homily four times, and it was a little different each time as you might imagine.