LITURGICAL YEAR B - THE GOSPEL OF MARK
The liturgical year begins with First Sunday of Advent, which starts four Sundays before Christmas (December 25). In this Liturgical year which begins on the 27 of November, 2011, Circle B, the Church meditates on the Gospel of Mark and uses it for most of Sunday readings (St. Mattthew for Circle A and St. Luke for Circle C). St. John, who appears several times in the Liturgy of the Word of almost all three years, is offered in a special way during the time of the Lord's Passion.
YEAR A -MEDITATING ON THE GOSPEL OF MArk*
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is mentioned some eight times in the New Testament. He is the cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10). When the Apostle Paul writes his letter to the Colossians from his prison in Rome, he mentions that Mark is there with him (Col. 4:10). He also mentions in his letter to Philemon that Mark is one of his fellow workers (Phiemon 24). Peter addressed him as "my son Mark" (1 Peter 5:13). It is very likely that Peter was the one who brought Mark to conversion and raised him up in the faith. Mark was an associate of Peter and likely wrote his gospel in Rome where Peter was based. Mark wrote it in Greek. It was likely written for Gentile readers in general, and for the Christians at Rome in particular. The gospel is usually dated between 65 and 75 AD, sometime shortly after Peter's martyrdom in Rome in 64 AD
The Gospel according to Mark
Among the four gospels, Mark's account is unique in many ways. It is the shortest account and seems to be the earliest. Both Luke and Matthew use much of Mark's text. Luke’s account contains over half of the verses in Mark’s account (some 350 verses out of a total 660 verses in Mark). Unlike Luke and Matthew who begin their accounts with the events surrounding the birth of the Messiah, Mark begins his account with Jesus' public ministry and the mission of John the Baptist. Mark leaves no doubt as to who Jesus was. In the very first sentence of his account he proclaims that Jesus is the "Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). Jesus was not simply a man among men, but one who caused great wonder, amazement, and awe upon those who encountered him. "They were astonished at his teaching" (Mk 1:22); "they were all amazed" (Mk 1:27); "they were utterly astounded" (Mk 6:51); "the disciples were amazed at his words" (Mk 10:24), etc.
Jesus in the Gospel of Mark
Mark stresses Jesus as "Teacher" and as the "Servant of God". Jesus is regularly addressed as "Teacher" by his disciples (Mk 4:38 ) and by those who seek his help (Mk 5:35). He also uses the Hebrew form of teacher, "Rabbi" (Mk 9:5). Ironically Mark gives little of Jesus' teaching compared with Luke and Matthew. Mark mainly stresses what Jesus did. He depicts Jesus' ceaseless activity and his power over sickness, disease, death, and the work of evil spirits.
Mark also displays both Jesus' divinity and his humanity. For example, Mark tells us that Jesus is "the carpenter" (Mk 6:3). Matthew softens it a bit by saying that Jesus is the "carpenter's son" (Matt. 13:55). Mark even tells us about Jesus' emotions. Jesus was moved with "compassion" (Mk 6:34); he "sighed" (Mk 7:34; 8:12); he "marveled" at the unbelief of his own townsfolk (Mk 6:6); he "looked" upon the rich young man and "loved him" (Mk 10:21). Mark also adds vivid details that the other gospel writers leave out. For example, he describes Jesus' tenderness as he took the little children "in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them" (Mk 10:16). On another occasion Mark describes Jesus "asleep on a cushion" in the stern of the boat as the apostles feared for their lives when caught in the storm at sea (Mk 4:38).
Themes of Gospel of Mark on each Sunday in Liturgical Year B
THE MEANING OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR
• The Liturgical Year celebrates the Mystery of Christ
By preaching the Church “announces” “the whole mystery of Christ” (CD 12) and with the Liturgy it “celebrates it presenting the sacred memory (SC 102). In such a way it makes present today “the unfathomable treasure of Christ” (Eph 3, 8 ff; cf. 1, 18; 2, 7): his signs of salvation, with which the faithful come into contact in order to draw from it the grace of salvation. The Liturgical Year which has its “source” and its “summit” in the Paschal Mystery is articulated into five “periods of time” which have a special relationship with the diverse moments of the Mystery of Christ (SC 10; LG 11). Therefore, they follow a progressive order: Advent and Christmas; Lent and the Passover or Easter; Ordinary Time.
• Time of Advent and of Christmas
Advent is a time of preparation with a twofold characteristic: it recalls the first coming of the Son of God in humility and pre- announces the second coming in glory: it is a time of active waiting, of expectation, of desire, of prayer, of evangelization, of joy. Christmas is a time of joyful contemplation of the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of his first manifestations, who has come for our salvation “man among men”. During this time Mary is particularly celebrated as “Mother of God”.
• Time of Lent and of Passover or Easter
Lent is a time of preparation the purpose of which is to guide to a more intense and gradual participation in the Paschal Mystery. During this time the catechumens are accompanied through the various degrees of Christian initiation, and the faithful through the living memory of Baptism and Penance. The Passover or Easter is the summit of the Liturgical Year, from which all the other parts draw their efficacy of salvation, it is the fulfilment of the redemption of humanity and of perfect glorification of God: it is the destruction of sin and of death, communication of resurrection and of life.
• Ordinary Time
During this long period of time, which has a first stage between Christmas Time and Lent, and develops more extensively from Pentecost to the following Advent, is a global celebration of the mystery of Christ, which is taken up again and deepened in many of its particular aspects.
Already, we can say that Sundays – “The Day of the Lord” – are the “Weekly Passover or Easter” and therefore, a living grafting into the central nucleus of the mystery of Christ throughout the whole year; but then the Weeks (33 and 34) develop through an intense and continued recourse to the Bible the deepening of small cycles of the mystery of Christ, offering these to the meditation of the faithful in order that this may become a stimulus to the action in the Church and in the world.
LITURGICAL COLORS
Liturgies celebrated during the different seasons of the liturgical year have distinctive music and specific readings, prayers, and rituals. All of these work together to reflect the spirit of the particular season. The colors of the vestments that the priest wears during the liturgy also help express the character of the mysteries being celebrated.
 | White, the color of joy and victory, is used for the seasons of Easter and Christmas. It is also used for the feasts of Our Lord, for feasts of Mary, the angels, and for saints who are not martyrs. Gold may also be used on solemn occasions.
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 | Red (the color of blood) is used on days when we celebrate the passion of Jesus on Passion Sunday and Good Friday. It is also used for the birthday feasts of the apostles and evangelists and for the celebrations of martyrs. Red (the color of fire) recalls the Holy Spirit and is used on Pentecost and for the sacrament of Confirmation.
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 | Green, seen everywhere in plants and trees, symbolizes life and hope and is used during Ordinary Time.
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 | The colors violet or purple in Advent help us to remember that we are preparing for the coming of Christ. Lent, the season of penance and renewal, also uses the colors violet or purple.
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 | Rose may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday. It expresses the joy of anticipation for Christmas and Easter, respectively. |
Carmel of Our Lady of Nazareth
Diocese: Cabanatuan
It was on 8 July 1982 when the 16 year old Carmelite community of Guiguinto (Philippines) received the invitation from the Bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan, Mgr. Vicente P. Reyes, D.D., to found a monastery in his diocese to pray for the increase of priestly and religious vocations, and the sanctification of priests and Christian families.
The following 27 August, the Chapter of the cloistered nuns considered the invitation and prepared themselves for their first encounter with the bishop of Cabanatuan. The nuns set the date of their first trip for 30 August, the feast of St. Rose of Lima, patron saint of the parish where they met the bishop and the chancellor, Mgr. Lamberto Bondoc. The latter generously offered them his house and a lot located in the barrio of San Antonio, but the site of his house was not suitable due to its isolated location. So the bishop offered them a one hectare lot at the back of the seminary which satisfied the nuns. Yet this first offer did not materialise.
On 22 September the nuns received the official permission from the bishop confirming the proposed foundation. On this date a provisional house was offered to them and an association of ladies offered and promised to help them to make this foundation possible. All the clergy of the diocese expressed their agreement and acceptance of the new foundation.
On the feast of Our Lady of Pilar, 12 October 1982, the nuns met the bishop together with the Vicar General, Mgr. Florentino Cinese, at his residence which was at the same time the chancery. On this second visit, the bishop showed the nuns a place in his own house and offered it to them as their provisional house. Though the nuns found this place very good for them, the offer never materialised because the MCST active sisters took residence there. In the same period the Liwag family, a local prominent family, offered to the nuns a lot for the new monastery, but because of its distance from the city it was not accepted.
During a meeting held on 29 November the bishop offered, and the nuns accepted, a very good provisional house in Muñoz, some 30 minutes drive by car from the city. On 12 January 1983 the official letter of the bishop specifying the place of the provisional house and the permission to take residence was finalised. On 2 March the nuns of Guiguinto received the much awaited permission from Rome for the new foundation.
Since the bishop, Mgr. Vicente P. Reyes, was very ill, on 22 March 1983 the nuns were met by Mgr. Ciceron Tombocon, auxiliary bishop of Cabanatuan, who helped them to arrange the definitive date of the inauguration and to finalise the ceremony in Muñoz. This house was previously occupied by the active sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who left the country temporarily for lack of vocations. That same day the five nuns, together with five lay persons, started to clean and arrange the temporary residence.
The canonical erection of the contemplative monastery in the diocese of Cabanatuan was celebrated on 8 April 1983 at 12.30 in the afternoon. The ceremony of departure was held in the chapel of the monastery of origin in Guiguinto Carmel. The Mass was presided by the Bishop of Malolos, Mgr. Cirilo Almario and Mgr. Deogracias Iñiguez, the confessor of Guiguinto Carmel concelebrated. The first community was made up of five solemnly professed and two simply professed nuns. These were: Sr. Maria de los Angeles de Jesús, Sr. Ma. De Jesus Hervas, Sr. Ma. Susana Gracia, Sr. Ma. Bernardita Blanco, Sr. Ma. Soccoro Padin, Sr. Ma. Leoncia Sampana and Sr. Ma. Herminia de la Cruz. They were accompanied by Sr. Inmaculada Rodriguez, who was then the prioress of Guiguinto Carmel and Sr. Maria del Henar Rodrigo, the treasurer, both foundresses of Guiguinto Carmel. That year, 1983, the first week of Easter, was their definitive transfer to the new foundation. It coincided with the Holy year of Redemption, a year of grace for the new community. Before the end of the month of April, Bishop Reyes died. He was succeeded by Mgr. Ciceron Tombocon.
In the first temporary house the nuns encountered many difficulties due to the irregular schedule in the celebration of the Eucharist at the monastery and because it was hard to find a possible source of sustenance for the community. It was during the Advent season of 1983 that the community experienced a fearful trial when a drug addict started to throw stones and left all the window panes of the house broken. The nuns stayed nine months in the first provisional house. Then, on 28 January 1984, they moved to the second temporary house located at the centre of Cabanatuan City.
The laying of the first cornerstone of the new monastery was held on 30 December 1984. The simple ceremony, attended by several religious active sisters and by Third Order Lay Carmelites, was headed by the Bishop and Mgr. Deogracias Iñiguez. In the span of two years, progress in the construction of the new monastery was so advanced that the nuns were able to move in on 8 April 1986, the date of the inauguration. From the first year of the foundation the community grew steadily in number and today it counts about 20 religious.
Address: Cloistered Carmelite Nuns
P.O. Box 213
3100 Cabanatuan City, N.E.
Philippines
Dicembre 2011
- Domenica, 27 Novembre, 2011
- Lunedì, 28 Novembre, 2011
- Martedì, 29 Novembre, 2011
- Mercoledì, 30 Novembre, 2011
- Venerdì, 2 Dicembre, 2011
- Sabato, 3 Dicembre, 2011
- Domenica, 4 Dicembre, 2011
- Lunedì, 5 Dicembre, 2011
- Martedì, 6 Dicembre, 2011
- Mercoledì, 7 Dicembre, 2011
- Giovedì, 8 Dicembre, 2011
- Venerdì, 9 Dicembre, 2011
- Sabato, 10 Dicembre, 2011
- Domenica, 11 Dicembre, 2011
- Lunedì, 12 Dicembre, 2011
- Martedì, 13 Dicembre, 2011
- Mercoledì, 14 Dicembre, 2011
- Giovedì, 15 Dicembre, 2011
- Sabato, 17 Dicembre, 2011
- Domenica, 18 Dicembre, 2011
- Domenica, 18 Dicembre, 2011
- Lunedì, 19 Dicembre, 2011
- Martedì, 20 Dicembre, 2011
- Mercoledì, 21 Dicembre, 2011
- Giovedì, 22 Dicembre, 2011
- Venerdì, 23 Dicembre, 2011
- Sabato, 24 Dicembre, 2011
- Domenica, 25 Dicembre, 2011
- Lunedì, 26 Dicembre, 2011
- Martedì, 27 Dicembre, 2011
- Mercoledì, 28 Dicembre, 2011
- Giovedì, 29 Dicembre, 2011
- Venerdì, 30 Dicembre, 2011
- Sabato, 31 Dicembre, 2011
December 2011
General Intention: Peace among All Peoples. That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect.
Missionary Intention: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.
- Sunday, November 27, 2011
- Monday, November 28, 2011
- Tuesday, November 29, 2011
- Wednesday, November 30, 2011
- Thursday, December 1, 2011
- Friday, December 2, 2011
- Saturday, December 3, 2011
- Sunday, December 4, 2011
- Monday, December 5, 2011
- Tuesday, December 6, 2011
- Wednesday, December 7, 2011
- Thursday, December 8, 2011
- Friday, December 9, 2011
- Saturday, December 10, 2011
- Sunday, December 11, 2011
- Monday, December 12, 2011
- Tuesday, December 13, 2011
- Wednesday, December 14, 2011
- Thursday, December 15, 2011
- Friday, December 16, 2011
- Saturday, December 17, 2011
- Sunday, December 18, 2011
- Monday, December 19, 2011
- Tuesday, December 20, 2011
- Wednesday, December 21, 2011
- Thursday, December 22, 2011
- Friday, December 23, 2011
- Saturday, December 24, 2011
- Sunday, December 25, 2011
- Monday, December 26, 2011
- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
- Wednesday, December 28, 2011
- Thursday, December 29, 2011
- Friday, December 30, 2011
- Saturday, December 31, 2011
Lectio: John 5,33-36
John is the lamp, Jesus is the light
Prayer
Father, you sent John to announce the coming of your Son, Jesus. He witnessed with great love for his Friend and Lord. In the fullness of time you sent us your Son as our Saviour. He witnessed to your love even unto death and he taught us to live in intimate friendship with you. Help us to welcome joyfully the presence of Christ, in order to live in communion with him and direct our lives towards you, in the light of his face. Let this light shine on us and reach out from us to our brothers and sisters whom you have put into our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen..
Lettura
From the Gospel according to John (5, 33-36)
You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But I have a testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.33
Meditation
* “You sent … the Father sent me”. The verb “to send” opens and closes this short passage, bringing together and summarising all that the richness of the Word that the Lord wishes to give us. The Jews send priests and levites to Jerusalem to question John (Jn 1,19). they send them to gain an advantage, to rob the witness of John and so to have him killed. The Father sends his Son Jesus from his own womb (Jn 1:1-2) as the Gift of grace and salvation for all humankind.
Sending is an action that belongs to the Father; it is up to us, the children to receive the One who is sent. In receiving, day after day, the experience of freedom and of growth in the spirit begins. Because of this we can then be the ones who are sent, as missionaries, and witnesses to God in the world. This is the pathway that lies ahead of us, the pathway that Jesus with these Words helps us to discover. He is willing to walk with us as Teacher, brother and friend, as a companion on the journey.
* “he witnessed”. Here is another key word, repeated a number of times in this passage, in different expressions: testified, accepting such witness, a testimony, testify on my behalf. The witness is the one who has seen and heard and therefore can recall and repeat, affirm, declare with certainty. The biblical term, from the Old Testament onwards, is very powerful because the root of the word, witness or testimony refers to an action that lasts a long time, or something that in itself has the power to reach beyond, even to eternity. What John does, what we see happening in the life of Jesus and then in the life of his disciples, throughout the centuries, is precisely this movement of going out of oneself, as an unconditional gift, through words and works, and the whole of one’s life. They went beyond, they launched out beyond the boundaries, saying once and saying often their yes to God. There was nothing that could stand in the way of their movement towards God and towards their neighbour.
* “He was a lamp”. The image of the lamp shines out in the centre of this passage, along with words that speak of light: burning, shining, light. Jesus thus point out the direction we have to take, the point on which to set our gaze. There is one sure light, a fire burning, in our night too (Ps 139,12). The lamp, that is the prophets (2 Pt 1,19) who are the witnesses to the Christ, the lamp that is John the Baptist particularly, especially at this time of Advent, has the task of leading us to the true light, that enlightens every human being (Jn 1.9), the light that never fades (Lk 1,78-79), the light that is life itself (Jn 8,12; 9,5): Jesus.
Then there is a sign, a sure proof that the Lord offers us: In this light, that comes from the Father, joy comes to life. All we have to do is look inside, stand before him in openness and sincerity, and also before ourselves, before our life, to see if we can see the signs of this joy. Just for a moment? Or even for ever? ……..
Questions
* The movements in the journey of faith that the Lord puts before us, especially in this time of Advent, are very clear: from John to Christ, from witnessing to the true and faithful Witness, from lamp to light that never fades, from Christ to the Father ….
Do I feel that I am ready to take steps, an not remain stationary? Have I the desire, inside, to journey in this way, to truly move towards Christ, and with him, towards the Father? Or might I prefer, one more time, to let things be, wait for better times, and go on, I too, like the Jews, sending others to ask the questions, to find any king of speedy or superficial answer?
* Are my eyes open, is my heart ready to welcome the testimony of Jesus, the witness of the works that he does, the works of the Father, that reveal Him as the Son, as the Brother? Or, am I blind, unable to see any sign of grace, of mercy, of the presence of God?
* Do I have within me a willingness to be a witness for Christ, a witness for the Father? Or, am I frightened, with no great desire, or not ready, or prefer to close myself off, instead of opening out?
* Is there a light in my life? Or, do I feel I am completely in the dark? Are there clouds all around me, clouds in my heart? The lamp of the Word is lit, since the Father sent his Son, the living and eternal Word, in whom the Father has said everything. Do I want to listen, to remember, to repeat all that I have heard?
* Even in these few lines the relationship of love that exists between Jesus and his Father is very clear, a relationship that unites them and makes them one. I know that this relationship is open, because the Father invites me too, just like every other human being who comes into this world to enter and remain, to enjoy true joy. Do I accept the invitation? Or, do I stay outside, and, a bit like the rich young man, walk away with a heavy heart?
Final Prayer
Resp. The Lord said to me, “You are my son”!
How can young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.
With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.
I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
(from Psalm 119)
The Monastery of Divine Love
Diocese: Solsona
The Carmelite friars, who had been in Tàrrega for several centuries, came to know that there was the possibility of founding a monastery of nuns in their city. The prior at the time, Fr. Miguel Basagañas (Cat), took advantage of the presence of the then bishop of Solsona, Mgr. Vicente Enrique Tarancón, in Tàrrega, to suggest that the proposed foundation be one of Carmelite nuns. The bishop gladly agreed, because the Carmelites were willing to give spiritual assistance to the nuns.
The project began to take concrete form when the Provincial, Fr. Pablo Mª Casadevall and the Prior of Tàrrega. Fr. Miguel Basagañas, visited the monastery of the Incarnation in Barcelona on 26 September 1952. At this meeting, the Prioress, Mª Teresa de la Sta. Faz, and her Council accepted the idea put forward by the friars. After the meeting, the Carmelite friars contacted the city council of Tàrrega to obtain permission for the foundation. This permission was granted and, in addition, a piece of land given for the construction of a cloistered Carmel.
On 11 April 1953, the Prioress of the Barcelona monastery, wrote to the Holy Father, Pius XII, requesting permission to found a Carmel in Tàrrega. Sr. Mª Teresa del Buen Pastor, Sr. Mª Concepción de Jesús Crucificado, Sr. Mª Lourdes de la Transfiguración (from the Barcelona monastery) and Sr. Mª Asunción de la Sta. Faz (from the Villafranca del Pendès monastery) were appointed to this foundation.
On 23 August 1953, at the request of the Provincial to the bishop of Solsona to begin the foundation, the bishop sent Fr. Pablo Mª Casadevall to propose to the nuns the idea of transforming what was meant to be the chapel of the new monastery into a Diocesan Sanctuary in honour of Our Lady of Fatima. The nuns gladly accepted the proposal of the bishop.
The monastery, whose official name is "Our Lady of Carmel and of the Divine Love" but which is generally known as "Monastery of Divine Love", was inaugurated on 6 June 1954, Pentecost Sunday. The community consisted of four nuns and three postulants accepted that same day. On 8 September two other postulants entered, thus the community counted nine members. While the monastery and the sanctuary were being built, the nuns lived in what was to be the guard house.
On 9 June 1957, Pentecost Sunday and third anniversary of foundation, the altar of Our Lady of Carmel and of the Divine Love, titular of the monastery, was blessed. The altar is situated on the left of the sanctuary and in front of the grate of the monastic choir. The picture of Our Lady is carved in wood and so is the icon of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending on Our Lady’s head. These were carved by the sculptor Tomás Bel. Two angels playing musical instruments are painted on the right and left and are the work of the painter and designer Llucià Navarro. Both artists are natives of Barcelona.
From the time of the foundation, the nuns have desired to live an authentic, joyful, contemplative Carmelite life. They have tried, as far as possible, to celebrate the liturgy with the greatest splendour and fervour, according to the tradition of our Order, thus also encouraging the participation of the faithful. The nuns also provide for themselves by the work of their hands. At first they embroidered linen and ornaments. Then they went into industrial manufacturing in their own monastery and at present the work is more artistic: they burn spiritual phrases into pieces of wood.
Monges Carmelites
Santuari Diocesà de la Verge de Fàtima
Av. de Fàtima, s/n
25300 - Tàrrega, Spain
http://www.fatimatarrega.net
Tf. 973 310 437
Electoral Chapters
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Wahpeton, USA
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Wahpeton, USA, was held 1 November 2011. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. Joseph Marie Bedard, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. Margaret Mary Sticka, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. Mary Ruth Farmer, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. Margaret Mary Sticka, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. Mary Agnes Tremblay, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. Maria Afflerbach, O.Carm.
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Osuna, Spain
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Osuna, Spain, was held 10 November 2011. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. del Amor Gómez Martín, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Patrocinio de la Cruz Fernandez, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. M. del Rosario Leon Gómez, O.Carm.
- 3rd Councilor: Sr. M. Victoria Escamilla Martín, O.Carm.
- 4th Couniclor: Sr. Dolores Mª Parrado Quijada, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. M. Victoria Escamilla Martín, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. del Carmen Donado Sevilla, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. M. del Rosario Leon Gómez, O.Carm.
photo: Monastery of Wahpeton
Prison Ministry
Rev. Gus Graap, O. Carm. from Chariot of Fire
I worked with our Lay Carmelites for four years and afterwards I was approached by our Provincial who asked if I might be interested in part time prison ministry. We received a call from a local deacon in the Middletown area who needed to find a priest to work with him and with a second deacon in another prison in order to be hired on as a Catholic chaplain. I said I'd give it a try, and told the deacon that I would commit myself for one year. That was fourteen years ago. (And, interestingly, both of the prisons where I work used to be boys reformatories and were served by Carmelites back in the 50's and 60's.)
Prison ministry is a lot of different things, but perhaps I can sum up what makes this ministry so special by way of two stories. The first is about Mark Graham who entered the prison sys-tem at 17 years of age on a 20-to-life bid. He was a little guy "' about 5'2" and 125 pounds with a smile that reached from Middletown to his home in Manhattan. He told me of this incident that happened in prison: It was Superbowl Sunday and there were notices throughout the prison that the game should take precedence over any other TV programs. (About 40 guys share a TV in each unit.) Mark walked into the TV room about 5 minutes before the game ready to settle in for some fun. However, there was Rock music on the screen and the TV was dominated by a big, young, bully-type of guy. But when 4:00 came around Mark stood right up and changed the channel to the game and sat down. The big guy stood up and switched back to the music. So Mark went to the bulletin board, pulled off the notice about the game and read it to all the guys. He turned the TV back to the game and sat back down. The big guy got up again and switched it right back to the music. Then Mark, by his own account, got up, went to his "cube" and put his sneakers on - his fighting sneakers. He had a perfect record in j ail for about 18 years and would probably get himself pretty banged up, but he didn't care. He walked back into the room and was poised to attack when a friend from our Sunday Mass group grabbed his arm and said, "Hey, man, what are you doing?" Mark said, "That's when I woke up - thank God!" (He smiled.) He continued, "I went back to my cube, took off my sneakers, and I fasted from TV for three weeks because of what it almost did to me." Mark was released from prison after his first appearance at the parole board (a minor miracle) and is now working for an agency in New York City that helps people just getting out of prison.
Charlie Murray (not his real name) is another story. He did a ten year bid for killing a man in a bar when he was stone drunk. The victim was gay and had approached him. He was so enraged that he beat the guy over the head with a beer bottle and sent him to the hospital where he died. He barely remembered what had happened when the police came to pick him up the next morning. When Charlie was released he returned to the lower East Side of Manhattan and picked up the pieces of his life - especially his wife and two boys. One day about a year later I ran into Charlie as I was coming home from helping out at Bellevue Hospital. He asked me if I'd like to have dinner with him and his family sometime when I was in the City. I said I'd love to and we set up a date. It was a wonderful occasion and I got to meet his third son who was about six months old at the time. After dinner his wife and kids went their own way while Charlie and I sat down to talk. He said that he had a story that he wanted to share with me and hopefully with the guys still in prison. He said that he had just moved into this new apartment building and things were going great. Then one night somebody new moved into the apartment next to his. The man worked until midnight and when he came home he switched on a sound system that could be heard from 296. St. to the World Trade Center. Charlie's whole family woke up and the baby started to cry. His wife begged him to tell the guy to turn the thing down but Charlie said he'd talk to him the next day. He did so, but the same thing happened the following night, so he had to get up in the middle of the night and pound on the man's door to tell him to turn the thing down. Things were quiet for a few weeks, but then it happened again. Charlie was so enraged that he pounded on the guy's door again until he answered it at which point Charlie barged into the guy's apartment, grabbed the guy by the collar and pinned him against the wall. He told him about his time in prison and about the last guy he had killed. He swore that if he ever blasted his system again he "would be history." It never happened again! At the end of the story Charlie said to me, "Here's what I want you to tell the guys, Fr. Gus: if I was drunk that night I would have killed another person and gone back to prison. Thank God for what I learned in prison, and for AA. "
People learn, and part of our role as chaplains is to help them and support them in the learning process through prayer, Scripture and personal conversation. Being there also helps me to follow one of the goals of the Carmelite Order throughout the world, namely to have "a fundamental option for the poor." And prisoners are definitely poor.
I hate it when people come to talk to us chaplains as a group and begin by saying" I really admire what you people are doing." What are we doing? We're just working with people, and the two deacons and I know that under different circumstances anyone of us could be "wearing green" rather than black clerical attire.
Yes, prison ministry is a lot of different things. For me the most important part is celebrating Mass with the guys and hearing their confessions. The rest is talking with them, loving them, sharing their joys and heartbreaks, their hopes and failures. And it's wonderful to hear from them when they're "back on the street" that something you said or did while they were "behind bars" had such an impact on their lives. It has also been great to have other Carmelites work with me from time to time like Brother Jim who joined me on Sundays for almost 10 years as well as a few of our novices. It's a joy and a privilege to do prison ministry, and I can say without reservation that some of the men are the greatest guys in the world.
Just a week ago I visited with one of the prisoners and his parents in the visiting room just about 3 days after he had been “hit by the board” for another two years. I expected him to be really upset, but he was smiling and his folks were relaxed. He had already done 20 years so they figured they could hold on longer. Besides, he had some hope for an appeal this time around. But he said to me, “Don’t worry about me, Fr. Gus, I’ll be fine. I have a loving and supportive family, some good friends in here, and I have my religious family. Who could want anything more?” and then the flowing week I talked to another guy who was old enough to have no more family “out there”. But he was happy to have religious family in prison. So, both of the men used the term “family” to refer to the people that they meet with weekly to study the Bible and to pray – especially at Mass. We often refer to ourselves as “a parish with the prison fences”.
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Roxas City, Philippines
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Roxas City, Philippines, was held 31 October 2011. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. M. Catalina Elum, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Ana Abrogar, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr .M. Linda Garcia, O.Carm.
- 3rd Councilor: Sr .M. Elena Sta. Maria, O.Carm.
- 4th Couniclor: Sr .M. Jenny Arcangeles, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. M. Ana Abrogar, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. Linda Garcia, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. M. Elena Sta. Maria, O.Carm.
