Today's Inspiration: We Live on Borrowed Time

Not only is my pastor an awesome guy AND an awesome preacher...



But he can obviously belt out a snappy tune too!

Go South, Old Church?

USA Today talks of a church that has decided to up and move from Buffalo to the Southern State of Georgia.

St. Gerard's was where her grandparents and parents were married, where she was baptized and wore the white dress, shoes and veil of First Communion. Years later, she can still hear the three great bells, still see the ceiling fresco of Mary crowned Queen of Heaven.
Sharon Wilbur took those memories of St. Gerard's Roman Catholic Church with her when she moved decades ago to suburban Atlanta, where such a church exists only in pictures. Now, two years after it closed, her old church could be following her south.

Instead of building a neoclassical church, Wilbur's growing parish wants to buy classical-style St. Gerard's, take it apart and ship it 900 miles from Buffalo's depopulated east side to Norcross, Ga., for reassembly at Mary Our Queen parish. The parish has the endorsement of the Catholic archdiocese of Atlanta, the diocese of Buffalo and St. Gerard's former parishioners. All it needs is an additional $10 million. Advocates of the plan to move St. Gerard's say it could be a template for saving closed church buildings by finding them new parishes in the suburbs or the Sun Belt — "preservation by relocation," as Mary Our Queen's website calls it.

The Catholic diocese of Buffalo and most former parishioners describe the plan as the only way to save St. Gerard's. Buffalo has a glut of closed, empty churches — the diocese alone is trying to sell 22 other buildings — and a small congregation looking for a church probably couldn't afford St. Gerard's heating bill.

Historic preservation groups are split over the plan.

Some, such as Preservation Buffalo Niagara, accept the move as a necessary evil; others oppose it as what Tim Tielman, director of the Campaign for Buffalo History, Architecture and Culture, calls "a demolition and salvage operation. They want to harvest our architectural heritage and put it in a box."

David Franczyk, president of the Buffalo city council, has a message for the Georgia parish: "Build your own church. We have enough vacant lots."

At first glance, I thought I would agree with Mr. Franczyk. But in fairness, since I am king of fairness, there are reasons that parishes close, mostly because there is not a growing or vibrant community there. Transplanting a building to another locale is not the same as building a parish community. If there is a vibrant community in Georgia then maybe it's a great solution. Perhaps the issue here is one of substituting the literal sacred space of a building (which, again, in fairness, can be very important) for the creation of sacred space in community with one another and developing that sense of community.

Since I'm new to the community here in Buffalo I looked into why the church closed or I should say merged with another parish in the first place. Buffalo Rising had details:

Following years of declining membership, St. Gerard closed in January, and the parish merged with Blessed Trinity on Leroy Avenue.

The diocese has received no offers for the church, which needs a new boiler, roof repairs and leading for its stained-glass windows — which would total hundreds of thousands of dollars, Keenan said.

“Do we preserve a building for nothing or are we going to preserve a building for a worship community?” asked the Rev. Francis X. Mazur, former pastor of St. Gerard, who supports moving the church.

Those opposing the idea “need to come up with a plan,” he said. “Give me an alternate plan, and I’m willing to listen to it.”

The Catch-22 in this case is that there are no buyers for the church and that leaves the diocese with choosing between letting a beautiful building fall into disrepair or moving the building and leaving another empty lot in Buffalo (of which there are a-plenty). The lesser of two less-than-ideal solutions may indeed be being employed here.

After Baptism...Nothing Was Ever the Same

This week I was gifted to be one of the many presenters at the Diocese of Buffalo's Millennial Milestones Conference. The Diocese's foundation is offering grants on young adult ministry initiatives and so the diocesan staff put together a two day conference providing workshops on who young adults are today (My presentation), leadership, parish initiatives and sacramentality.

Dr Jerry Galipeau, D.Min. who you can meet over at the Gotta Sing, Gotta Pray Blog provided me with the most emotional experience of baptism in some time.

He began speaking about visiting the church where he was baptized and it struck him that "my little head was in that font and from that moment on, nothing was ever the same." He noted that his parents thought so much of him that they baptized him into the Catholic community of faith and everything from then on, changed. Because he was Catholic he had studied for the priesthood and instead of choosing ordination he chose the path of parish ministry as a lay person. A gifted musician and liturgist, he has been gift for the church for over 50 years now. It all sprang from that initial moment of water running over a little baby's head.

Dr Galipeau had us all go to the chapel and remember those who were present at our own baptism. Parents, grandparents perhaps, Godparents. A priest. Perhaps some of us, unlike myself, were baptized as adults? What a profoundly different experience that may have been. I know my favorite moment every year is the Easter Vigil, when many adults are newly baptized. It's an amazing experience to watch and to walk with these people as they study in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). I remember my good friend Sr. Jeanne Hamilton led RCIA classes one year at Fordham and when the Vigil was over she reported, "I feel like I just gave birth...12 times!"

I approached the font thinking of my parents and my Godparents. My parents are such strong reminders of what it means to stay faithful to God as they have lived married life for nearly 60 years together. My Godmother I can barely remember but I do remember her being very dedicated to me and to my education. She was always encouraging me to read and to learn and to most importantly, stay out of trouble. My Godfather was another story. A World War II veteran, my mother's brother, Patrick, who every one called Bubby, returned from war changed. The big worry of my baptism day was whether or not he'd show up sober. My mother, always the encouraging one, said that she wasn't worried and that he was going to be the godfather and that's that. She believed in him and I think that was all that mattered to him. With his sister's trust, he came and held me over the font and everything worked out just fine. He became someone I looked forward to visiting and who cared for my mother and my family more than most. I even read the second reading at his funeral which I think was one of the first times I was really representing my entire family at a formal event.

Nothing was ever the same.

As I took water from the font, I did so with much gratitude for that changing day. That day when I became part of the church and where indeed, nothing would ever be the same again. I scooped up a large quantity of that water, more than ever mindful, that my life has been blessed with great people, great churches, great pastors and great colleagues in ministry.

And because of my little head being dipped in the font of new life, I have been baptized into new life and need to recall that changing moment again and again.

Millennial Milestones

I'm speaking today at the Diocese of Buffalo's Millennial Milestones conference, an all-out effort to appeal to the needs of the young adults of the diocese. Rumor has it that there's a big crowd coming--so pray for me today. If I bomb these, folks know where I live!

Seriously, Buffalo is a struggling city and lots of young people have been moving out of Buffalo in recent years. So the diocese is hoping to do lots with the young people who are here and choosing to stay in the city.

Most especially, we need to pay attention to our University Communities. At UB alone there are about 13,000 Catholics on both the North and South Campus. Canisius College, a fine Jesuit institution, Buff State, D'Youville, and Daemon College are also in town--so we have no dearth of University students.

Many people did great ministry to Gen Xers, focusing on community, social justice and perhaps even not focusing as much on items like catechesis or devotions. Today as the millennials come to us with a different set of religious longings, we perhaps need a different approach. Community and Social Justice are still important but tradition, devotion, and a knowledge of what the church stands for is also important as well. We need (and perhaps we always did, but there may not have been signs of this as an obvious longing at the time) a mix of contemplation and community. Extroversion and introversion, are balanced a bit more today, if you will. The world has turned even further towards the self and we as people of faith need to accept people where they are but also, turn them towards relationship with a wider world that takes them beyond their own self-centered concerns.

So today, pray for Buffalo, for their leaders and for the diocese. Pray for our Bishop, Edward Kmiec and his staff, especially Greg Coogan who has put much of this day together. May we inspire the lives of young people and bring them into a closer relationship with Jesus. Amen.

Reflection - Wedding at Cana: The Turning Power of Jesus

So I’ve got a story about a wedding...

Three days before my wedding...I went down to the restaurant where we were holding our reception to check on some items that I had brought down there for safe keeping just a few days ago. Some picture frames of family weddings that we were going to place around the room. A pair of bride and groom stuffed animals--elephants to be precise. And of course no wedding is complete without favors--and so Mike and Marion had M&M’s wrapped in tewel bags as our wedding favors.

All the plans were in place. Things were moving nicely...except when we got to the restaurant the manager asked to speak to Marion and I “in the back.” Anytime someone asks to speak to you “in the back” that’s never a good sign.

And this was no different. Somebody stole our stuffed animals and an expensive picture frame. And the piece-de-resistance the restaurant had stored our M&M’s n a cabinet and that cabinet had been infested by ANTS who found their way into our chocolate treats! And therefore now the restaurant was crawling with ants as well.

What a mess...

My wedding was a mess - Here’s another mess,

Isaiah has been saying that it’s going to be sunshine and rainbows in Jerusalem--but when the people return back from the exile--it’s a mess.

But Isaiah is not going to budge.. and he predicts now that it will be even better than they imagined. He even says that he won’t shut up until the day that Jerusalem will be the crown jewel of God’s kingdom. That God will rejoice over Jerusalem like a groom rejoices in a bride.

And if that isn’t enough we’ve got another mess...They run out of wine at a wedding. It may not be ants in the chocolate--but it’s still a mess. And we all know what kind of messes weddings can turn out to be. Your aunt says something stupid, your uncle gets drunk, your sister is jealous and can’t stand the bridesmaid dress you picked out and is snotty all day.

So in this case...the wine runs out and when the wine runs out...it’s a big problem because the whole wedding is now at risk. One of the families didn’t take care of things. So the whole thing just might be called off. Imagine a broken hearted bride and a family embarrassed. A fight could break out between the two families, an aunt might say something stupid, an uncle might get drunk and a sister might just get fed up because she’s been in that ugly dress for 3 days day and she’s the one who deserves to be getting married anyway. Ugh, what a mess, what a mess, what a mess.

So Mary sees all this and asks Jesus to intervene as she knows that he could. She looks to Jesus and interestingly asks him to perform his first sign not for her, but to help out someone else.

And Jesus’ response “My hour has not yet come” may very well mean “oh so you think you have problems?” Because let’s face it...Jesus knows that this little family squabble is the least of his problems and the least of this couple’s problems. Life is often a mess. Marriage is often a mess. Human experience indeed is messy.

But because Mary asks and more importantly, because Mary has faith in her son, Jesus changes the ordinary water into choice wine. In fact, there is more than enough--at least 120 gallons--the scripture tells us.

So what does this mean for us? Well... life is no less messy today and we need to turn to Jesus and have the faith that He can indeed turn it around. In fact, when you think about it we do this all the time, even unconsciously, because we’re so confident that our lives will be messy that we turn to this church each week and turn not only wine but bread into God’s body and blood so that we might become what it is that we receive. So that when we leave this building, we might experience Jesus working within us--giving us the strength to turn the mess into joy. When we believe that the turning power of Jesus can indeed change the world--well, that’s when the party can start.

Anyone who’s done a mission trip knows exactly what I’m talking about. Because when we are willing to sweat drops of water for others--we become drunk with passion for those we serve. We help others to turn it all around, to be in the mess of their lives, even if for a moment and then become enraptured with concern for those we serve.

And when we experience the “turning power” of God working in the world, we always have more than enough. And we all have more than enough gifts--St Paul tells today that all of our gifts are important--no matter how different they are from one another.

Our gifts are all good enough for God. But we often don’t believe that. And I’m here to tell you that even when you think that you are a mess...that you’re a sinner, or a bad Catholic, or not good enough--that God is telling you that you are choice wine--the overflowing gift of Jesus to the world. You are more than enough. You are more than gifted.

This semester I’d like you to not only believe that you are gifted but also to share that gift with the world--to heal the world of its own mess.

How? One easy way: Haiti.
This week we have heard a lot about Haiti and the earthquake that destroyed an already poor country--in fact, the poorest in the Western hemisphere where 80% of the people live on less than $1/day.

We don’t take up a collection at this mass, but I want to ask if we can be enough for the people of Haiti. Just $1/day, $365/year is often what people live on in this poor country. We usually have more than that to spare. People lived in the garbage dump before the quake hit their country and I shudder to think what a mess their country is in today. Our leaders both political and religious have asked that we take up a special collection for the needs of Haiti tonight. If you have your cell phone and perhaps you’ve already done this --take them out right now and text HAITI to 90999 that will send $10 to the Red Cross disaster relief fund or if you’d prefer, drop some money in the basket. And if you really can’t afford a $1 or $10--pray for the people of Haiti tonight because that’s a gift too--and it is no less important than giving your dollars.

Secondly. I’d like to ask you to do one more thing: Ask yourself what is your gift? What do you have to offer this church and this campus ministry? We need your gifts and talents and while we’re all busy and tied up with our own studies and activities--can we think of just one thing that we can be involved in here? It might be reading or being a eucharistic minister. It might be going on our retreat or our alternative spring break. It might be working on one of our service initiatives or simply taking an interest in learning more about your faith. We’re not just running a Newman Center but we are thinking about what ways can you turn an ordinary semester of water into a party-filled semester of wine.

Whatever it is--pick at least one thing to get involved in this year and I promise to help you use your gifts for the good of this community and for your own spiritual enrichment. Because that’s my gift--ministering to the needs of students. You’ll get a listing of events tonight that our student leaders who have recognized their gifts have put together for you to get involved in as well.

For when we turn water into wine--we experience God in our life just as he experiences us. It is our gifts that we share with the world that allow us to be a sign to the world that we believe that with God’s help we can indeed change the world. That while disasters strike all around us on many different levels. Ants in the chocolate, a crazy aunt, no wine at the wedding, an earthquake...our God can turn it all around.

And when we let ourselves be turned--when our water of our sweat makes us drunk with passion...we can rebuild the city that will be a crown jewel once again--be it Haiti, Jerusalem or Buffalo. When we are turned, we realize our gifts are more important than our sins. When we are turned we are like a groom and a bride who realize that their wedding day is not the stuff of ant ridden chocolate candy but is only about an overflowing commitment to one another.

When we are turned ...We become Jesus...and that is more than enough for all of us.

Driving and Snowing and Praying

So I've been in Buffalo now for nearly 3 months and it's beginning to feel like home. Don't worry New York City friends, we still miss you, but people here are so hospitable that we are able to enjoy the thrill of returning to the big city and yet still long to be back in Buffalo. Here's what home looks like when it's not covered in snow.

I've put nearly 400 miles of daily commute miles on my car and driving is seemless for me most of the time. I did sideswipe our business manager's bumper in the parking lot about a week ago (I just turned into the space a bit too quickly) but it was just a tiny tap, not enough to cause any damage and he was understanding about it. (I'm sure he'll make fun of me for the next oh, year or so). The funny thing is on the open road I feel very comfortable, but when I head into a parking lot I get very uneasy for some reason. I think people lose all their sense when they head into a parking lot. They dart out from between cars with no regard for cars or pedestrians. I have taken to finding the closest space as soon as I turn in and not caring how far I have to walk.

Everyone warned me about the snow. We had an easy month of December with very little snow (I missed the only really heavy snowfall while I was in Milwaukee) but January has been rough. It never seems to stop and because it is rather cold here and there is less foot traffic the snow just seems to pile up for days. Now, it IS a nice white color and gives the place a serene look so that's a major plus over New York City slush. So to my NYC and Washington, DC friends who claim that I have jinxed myself for making fun of y'all when you had your gigantic snowstorm, I have only one thing to say:

Buffalo laughs at the snow. We're well able to handle it.

My major complaint about the snow is the constant cleaning of the car windshields. I forget to factor into my morning commute the time it will take to clean the snow off of the car and that turns an 8 minute commute into more like a half hour depending on the amount of snow that has fallen.

So today let us pray for those who have no home in the winter months. For those who we find freezing without coats and gloves. We pray for those who are unable to heat their homes and who can't make ends meet in this still harsh economy. We pray that the cold and gray winter months that keep some people depressed who suffer from mental illness will soon lift their spirits with the joy of spring.

And we pray for your prayers...whatever they might be today.

Feels Like Home To Me

The Atlantic Monthly's Daily Dish has this to say about my new hometown.

Buffalo" (NY) and "beauty" do not normally occur in the same sentence. We're talking about a city 'belted' with derelict factories that's been losing population for a generation. It's struggling to demolish thousands of abandoned houses. It's been known to get snowed on for 100 days in a row (I was there -- with a long driveway and no snow-blower).
But Buffalo has elements of beauty dear to a few doughty hearts (e.g., my wife's - she's a native). These include Olmsted-designed boulevards radiating from an Olmsted central park (Delaware Park); a number of early twentieth-century architectural icons; lots of big, boxy beautiful Victorian houses that can be had for a relative song; a handful of long, graceful commercial and residential avenues that make a vital urban enclave; a surprisingly vibrant arts community; and prices that make it almost like living in another country.
In recent years, too, Buffalo has become a site of the triumph of imagination over physical reality in two ways that have caught my heart.

Read more here to see what else is endearing to the author. I would say in the short time I've been here what I love about Buffalo thus far is this:

1) The people: Everyone is seriously friendly here and it doesn't take much to connect with people. Everyone is willing to help and there is a real community feel to just about every place that I've venutred.

2) Dogs: Buffalo is a dog city. Dogs are welcomed just about anywhere and people are shall we say, "neat" about their pets and understanding when your pet has issues (as mine does) with other dogs.

3) Traffic: Or rather, the lack of traffic. I enjoy driving in Buffalo as opposed to NYC where I am always on high alert when behind the wheel.

4) Great food: Wings, naturally are what they are known for but beef on weck, Friday fish fry (not a Catholic city at all he said sarcastically) and all kinds of ethnic food (Polish, Greek, Indian, Chinese, etc). You won't go hungry here.

5) Best...choir...ever: At St Joseph University Parish the 11:30 mass has a choir that boarders on a Pentecostal style, quite vibrant and fully alive is the best way to describe them. The quality of the music here is simply astounding. I hope that I can help to bring a similar spirit to the student's 8PM mass--perhaps a slightly different vibe--but in terms of quality, just as good.

Needless to say, I am enjoying my new home. Wife and dog are loving it here too.

Milwaukee Bound and Updates in My World

Weather permitting I will be at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, the land of my wife's sister and her family. Looking forward to speaking over the next few days and being near family. We just took part in the grand family Christmas party (pictured here) last weekend which gathers most of my wife's large Italian family together. Always a fun time.

So I will attempt to do some blogging from the road, time permitting. Some updates from my new work:

Student leaders are poised for next semester and that makes me happy. We've done a lot of thinking about next semester and now I feel a bit more confident for the following semester on UB South.

My colleagues on UB North are looking forward to the opening of their newly built Newman Center next semester as well. So that's exciting also.

I should start pod and videocasting next semester as well. So stay tuned for that. Toying with some names. I own BuffaloCatholic.com and have a small website tied to it for brief updates from our ministry but it needs more work, thinkest I. Am really considering "Catholics in the Buff" for its provocative name. "Buff Catholics" or simply "U in the Buff" also sounds good to me.

Most of the students are in graduate school so time is of the essence for many of them, so I am grateful to all of those who dedicate just a bit of their time to the ministry and hope that this will grow over time.

Investing in UB's Campus Ministry

We had a great fund raising evening last night at St Joseph's University parish for the UB South Campus Ministry. The evening was a tasting event that included wine, beer, food, desserts, cider and a whole lot more. Many items were up for auction as well. I even scored a pair of prime Buffalo Sabres seats for a not-so hefty sum.

It's impressive that the "regular parishioners" have made such a huge commitment to Campus Ministry. They bring in a lot of donors and the entire parish comes to the event to support students that many of them don't even know. They've also entrusted that money to me, in a way, to do programming that would be worth the investment that they have made. It's humbling and a huge challenge.

In 1991, the diocese asked the parish to become a University Parish and it would have been very easy for the parish to balk at that prospect. But they didn't. They took on the challenge of that merge extremely well and made a commitment to be part of something bigger.

Their commitment shows. Now my job begins with the search for new and better student leadership and further engagement with different programming for the students.

Special thanks goes to Marianna Moffitt and her family for not merely taking the lead in putting this fund raiser together but for making it an elegant event and doing all of the work to pull it off. She is a dynamo and we are thankful to have someone so generous with her time and resources working for the needs of the students.

Today let us pray for all of those benefactors who serve the needs of ministry and often go unseen. We need you. We need your talent and your time and yes, we need your dollars too.

Think about donating to your favorite ministry today...

And then go do it.

Words I Never Thought I'd Say: I Can't Wait to Get a Car...

So the majority of my life in NYC I have not needed a car. The NYC transit system is so good that a car is actually a hindrance in NYC rather than a necessity. I have friends who can't imagine not having a car, loving the freedom of getting into their car and being able to travel anywhere at a moments notice.

Up until now...I have not been one of those types of people.

I hate driving. Or at least I think I do. To be fair I haven't done it enough to say that I really hate it. I've NEVER owned a vehicle, never driven for an extended period of time and never driven a long distance. So who's to know if I'd hate it or if I just have convinced myself that I do.

My friends who know me well are laughing at this post right now because they know I avoid driving at all costs. And I've taken my share of kidding about it.

But isn't public transit supposed to be better for the environment? Shouldn't we do what we can to make it available far and wide?

Well that might play well in NYC, but let's just say that the Buffalo transit system is not the equivalent of NYC's behemoth.

The light rail system goes from the University to the heart of downtown. Straight down Main Street. Where else does it go?

Nowhere.

It's also practically the honor system. They only occasionally come and check your ticket.

My comment to city offiicials: "And that's why your subway only goes down Main Street. It's called a turnstile...and that's what makes money for your transit system along with advertising."

The bus system however, takes dollar bills on it which is something that NYC didn't have. But the buses certainly don't run very frequently, especially at night. Let's just say it's still mild in Buffalo right now, but snow is always on the horizon and waiting a long time for a bus in the freezing cold with 6 feet of snow on the ground is not my idea of a well-spent evening...

Which was exactly what I did last night, sans the cold and the snow, providing me with a lot of time for... spiritual enrichment shall we say?

Prayers included: Lord, if I see one more bus that is not mine, I am going to scream. Please help me be patient today.

Lord, help me with my confidence that I can be able to drive soon stress-free.

Lord, help me rent that albatross of an apartment in Queens.

Lord, thank you for sending me to this wonderful place to work with students here. But can you please help the politicians learn that buses should run more frequently. After all it's a social justice issue. The poor need public transit.

Lord, I'm getting cold...where is this bus? I think I might be getting the swine flu.

Lord, help me resist the temptation from crossing the street and going to the Tim Horton's for a donut. Because we all know how that ends. I get fat first of all, and then I just know I'll watch the bus I've been waiting for pass me buy as I'm getting my change.

Lord, please help me forgive my wife for telling me the wrong bus number and thank you for making me smart enough to realize that I was headed in the wrong direction after just one block.

Lord, why didn't I get a schedule this morning? I guess you didn't make me a smart as I thought!

Our Lady of the Highways pray for me today as I commute into work. Remind me that I need to keep the poor who don't have the means for transportation at their fingertips. Let me pray for single mothers who struggle to get to work to support their children. And let us pray for those who are transit workers who are responsible for the lives of so many each day that travel via public transit. And in thanksgiving I pray with great gratitude for Fr Jack and Sr Jeremy and Patty --my co-workers --who have all given me a ride during my car-less time here in Buffalo. They are great servants of your work and have built you quite a great community.

St Joseph, the patron of our parish, please help Marion and I rent our apartment as we virtually bury your statue in the ground today (or is that just for a home sale? We need a patron saint of renters!).

Today is a light day for me, as the students have a simple rosary group prayer at lunchtime, which provides a nice break in the day.

On a Wing and A Prayer

So I made it through my first day at the new office. I organized bookshelves and generally got things situated. I will be speaking over on the North Campus on Wednesday (tomorrow night) on discernment and we had a staff meeting today, which was loads of fun. Basically it's an opportunity to let others know what we're doing and to reflect on the upcoming Sunday gospel together.



We've moved into our new digs. Haze the dog especially likes the new place and has found plenty of places to curl up in a ball and snooze. God bless my wife who is unpacking boxes faster than the flash. Only 20 more to go, she tells me!

Prayer for me this week has been interesting as I have been reflecting on Sunday's scripture readings in advance of a reflection on them I've been asked to give. It's also World Youth Day Sunday, so I'm trying to tie the readings into that theme. Bartimaeus, the blind man is the central figure (besides Jesus of course) in this week's gospel, so I'm thinking about themes of blindness in my own life. In some ways I've gone into this job "flying blind" not knowing what to expect, not expecting much of anything in fact, except to be present to Christ and to students in new and some old ways.

So we have plenty of places to reflect. I'm going to spend some time in prayer this evening with the gospel and see what imaginative places God might lead me. Might you join me? Here are the readings. Enjoy.

I Could Tell That Buffalo Had These Kinds of Great People