From the Pastor…
     On Stewardship Sunday I mentioned that I like being a Catholic and a Catholic priest.  The other day I was browsing in a bookstore and came across a new book entitled, "I Like Being Catholic."  Why do you, dear reader, like being Catholic?  Let's make a list:  send me one or two reasons why you just love being Catholic.  We'll publish the list in the bulletin.  Could be fun.
     It's really difficult  to pick one or two reasons why we like being Catholic… maybe that says a lot… there are so many reasons!  Catholics are the largest group of believers in the United States.  The second group, believe it or not, are "former" Catholics… people who have dropped out but still have a "Catholic" identity.  Most have dropped out because of divorce and remarriage.  If you know anyone in this situation, tell them to give me a call (after Christmas) and we'll see how we can help them feel at home again.
     Isn't it interesting how we pack the church on Christmas and Easter!  People love to attend Masses on those two days, even if they miss every weekend, all year long.  People really love the Catholic tradition and liturgy on these two feasts of the Lord's birth and resurrection. 
     There is no such thing as your "average" Catholic.  We are home to the "conservative" William F. Buckley and the "liberal" Mario Cuomo.  Of course, there are the Kennedy's and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa are also Catholics, along with Martin Scorsese, Aaron Neville, Bob Newhart, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Springsteen, Mary Higgins Clark, Annie Dillard, Cokie Roberts, William Bennett, Martin Sheen, Louis Freeh, Mother Angelica, Sr. Wendy Becket and Fr. Andrew Greeley.  The list goes on and on.
     We have a liturgy that is second to none; great music in our tradition from Gregorian chant to the music of Fr. J. Michael Joncas and David Haas.  You could spend years viewing the art and architecture of the Catholic Church around the world.  We have great writers who have written about being Catholic, like J.F. Powers and John Hassler, both from Collegeville.  James Joyce said, being Catholic means "Here comes everybody!"  Don't forget Flannery O'Conner.
     Our seven sacraments touch our lives from birth to death.  Even when someone has been absent from the community for forty years, when the end of life approaches they want the sacraments.  It is always a joy to bring the Eucharist (Viaticum) to the dying.  It is food for the final spiritual journey.
     We have a great devotion to the Mother of God, the one we call our Blessed Mother.  We journey to her shrines at Lourdes, Guadalupe, Knock and LaSallette.  We pray the Rosary and have statues and icons for her in our homes and churches.  We celebrate her feast days and begin each calendar year, January 1, by celebrating her with her oldest title in the Church, the Mother of God. 
     Our churches have tabernacles where we keep the Eucharist for the sick and dying.  We gather in the Lenten season for the Stations/Way of the Cross.  Our great Three Days, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, are liturgies full of symbol and mysticism.  We smudge our foreheads on Ash Wednesday after living it up on Mardi Gras.
     We have our saints, our role models.  We were the first to open homes in the Twin Cities for people living with AIDS.  One of our locals C.S.J. sisters, Rita Steinhagen, started the Dorothy Day Center for street people, as well as The Free Store.  We have great religious orders like the Benedictines, Jesuits, Franciscans and Sisters of St. Joseph.  It is said that the one thing God doesn't know is how many Franciscan Sisters there are in the world.
     The list goes on and on.  And your favorite reasons for being Catholic?  There is something for everyone.  Even incense for our sense of smell!  Talk about a controversial subject!

Fr. Bill