January 1998
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Co-editors: |
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Gael Stahl (Ernest-1960 "Zeke") |
Jack Brennan (Ternan-1960) |
(In this issue the editorial comments of GS and JB refer to Gael Stahl and Jack Brennan respectively because, as you know, qui bene distinguit, bene cognoscit. - JB)
A full 1998 to y'all in the diaspora, or in cinctures. If I seem slack in
getting out this issue, blame it on mindset. One, responses were slow to come
after the summer edition went out. My mind said they want to go back to no more
than two issues a year. But after a month the ripple cascaded. Mindset stayed
the same. I kept thinking folks like two issues. Suddenly I realized I have
more material than usual. Almost all of it it will appear electronically in
JB's edition on our Diaspora homepage:
www.quincy.edu/~hardeja/digest/.
Thanks to Jack Hardesty. GB
DD22 of July '97 ended in the middle of a 30 May 97 letter by Tarsicius Fischer in which he said Dacian Bienek died May 28, the 19th in his class to die. It continues: I say 19 because Fr. Daniel John O'Connell, Fr. Kenneth Schlesser, and Fr. Joseph Barry left us. Fr. J. Barry left our novitiate. Then he became a military chaplain from Davenport, then a pastor in the Davenport Diocese. I attended his funeral at St. Catherine of Siena in Oak Park. All three deceased classmates were close to me. As for Fr. Dacian, his uncle Fr. Engelbert was called the mayor of Madison. He was pastor there for many years. Madison is at the end of the Springfield diocese. I liked his mother Leokadia who was housekeeper for Fr. Engelbert. Her name clings to me.
I am reading past issues of Diaspora. We have only one ordination this year, namely, Salvador Valdez. I believe he is from Mexico. I remember him when he could barely speak English. He is a fine addition to our province. He was helping out at Hales.
I will hear the last of the symphony season tonight. The orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler's 5th. - Fondly and always warmly.
1 June 97 Luis Runde (1958) wrote about his missionary work. He was fresh out of T shirts to give to special folks like catechumens. Send gifts to FMU, 3140 Meramec St., St. Louis MO 63118-4399. Mail to Luis at: Apdo Postal 48, Rivas, Nicaragua, Centro America.
28 Jun 97 Jack Brennan sent our class an ordination and profession anniversary thought about prayer of the heart: "I am now persuaded that speaking to God from your heart is the only real religious issue there is. Learn to pray, and all else follows. It is not the content of the heart that matters, only the ability to speak from it. We sometimes think that a heart full of hatred, or envy, or a heart drained of passion, disqualifies itself for authentic prayer. The task, however, is not preparing your heart for prayer, but speaking from your heart as it is. We can easily get this backward in the religious life, assuming that our primary spiritual assignment is to make ourselves presentable to God instead of presenting ourselves to God as we are ...
"What is truly spoken from the heart is prayer. The meaning of the verb, to pray, is to ask, or even to beg. The heart is a beggar. Petition and supplication are its natural modes. Begging comes from need. Only the poor can be beggars whether their poverty be in goods or in spirit. If you know your need, if you do not shut your eyes to the truest longings of your heart, you will know where to take your petitions. ... Only your heart will lead you to God. ...
"The essential insight here is that in an encounter with divine reality we do not hear a voice but acquire a voice; and the voice we acquire is our own." -James P. Carse The Silence of God
2 Jul 1997 Brennan: Not that I'm against philosophy, but I've come to believe that philosophy needs to be intermingled with emotion and experience. Otherwise, there is not much true learning for me.
I have this analogy in my back pocket that I use now and then. It goes something like this: We know how a sunset works physically. The earth turns, we create pollution, nature adds its stuff and we get a bunch of colors. If that's all there is to a sunset, if there is no experience or feeling about the marvelous colors that transform us into awe-struck kids when we see the sunset, then I won't really KNOW about sunsets.
... My 15 year old daughter, Rachel, just finished 5 days of electronic monitoring for truancy. She had to go to Juvenile Court morning school and community service in the afternoon. She was not allowed to have friends over. I experienced the pain of being "found out" when I ran into a friend in the Juvenile Court parking lot. I cried every morning that week when I dropped her off. She was put into a group with all males, some of whom were there for real crimes. She seems very subdued this week and is voluntarily staying close to home.
I think that what I have really learned is that, because of my own insecurities in relationships, I am afraid to be firm. I am waking up to the fact that firmness with my kids is part of loving them. I have cheated them in that respect. I am working on it, but it is difficult for me to distinguish between firm love and arbitrary cruelty. Life is like that for me; I always learn the hard way.
Long story short: parenting is the hardest job I have ever had. Midnight choir, cross prayers, discipline, arbitrary cruelties and Grand Silence were a piece of cake by comparison. I will soon be 62 and I have Rachel, Michael (12) and Sarah (9) to raise. I shudder to think what an ass hole of a parent I would have been if I had kids before I understood something about myself. But being an older parent has its obvious drawbacks.
... We are all in this together and the more I can be open about my trials and my dark side, the more vulnerable I am. And the more I am vulnerable, the more I can experience and really KNOW.
As to prayer, I was put off by the way I was taught to pray. For me, praying never went anywhere because I tried to present my best side to the Great Spirit. There was confession and the examination of conscience, true, but that was about trying to succeed at being saintly and not about presenting myself to Grandfather the way I really was. I felt phoney with that approach, as if I were pretending to be someone I was not. And yet I professed to believe that God knows me; the problem was that I did not know myself.
When I first went into therapy, I was blown away by my therapist's interpretation that I was not present to myself. On my way out the door that first day, I was literally stunned by the only word I uttered by myself on ordination day: "Adsum." "I am present." But I wasn't there, I was somewhere else. I was wrapped in the pomp and circumstance of the occasion. It's OK to celebrate, but I was celebrating outside of myself and outside of God.
July/August issue of Minor Matters: Medard Buvala OFM wrote of his decision to close the grade school at St. John's in Joliet after its 138 years. It began with a kindergarten educating German-speaking immigrants. He said, "I am saddened at the demise of a Catholic school comprised of an equal percentage of Anglos, Hispanics, and African-Americans, even from diverse faith communities. ... Whereas we had only 104 students registered for next year, we will be accommodating 300 students in the future on a 12-month basis. We have rented out all the available space in our school building to Headstart. ... Now, rather than doing less, we will be doing more for children with the greatest need. The new ministry fits in admirably with our Franciscan charism." The school had been operating at a $200,000 deficit per year.
7 Jul 1997 John Miller: We will be gone from July 8-21. Visiting Montana and Wyoming, and we'll see an old classmate, James "Hank" Pfeifer at his cabin in Anaconda. I have no idea of distances and am always amazed at how large this country is. We are flying to Bozeman and renting a car. We'll spend time in Wyoming and Montana. We were in Montana last year, and I drove over 2,000 miles in 2 weeks. I used to enjoy driving for hours. No more. Give me a chauffeur anytime. I get tired and cranky after 3-4 hours, and like a kid, wonder why we're not there yet.
10 Jul 1997 Chris Reuter: Just a short note to thank you,Jack, for sending "Prayer of the Heart." It does, indeed, capture an essential truth that we struggle to learn. And all these years I thought real meditation entailed thinking about "Whence" and "Whither" ala St. Peter of Alcantara! They probably meant well, but it's amazing how little theology and spirituality was ever taught in those long years of formation. A less kind interpretation would be that they really didn't have much to pass along and were operating out of a serious bankruptcy. The more I read non-bourgeois Christian writers, especially the contemporary Africans, the more I discover treasures that were never packaged with the mainline "depositum fidei." As evangelizers and missionaries, we are humbled to be thus reminded of our own spiritual poverty.
I always say that God will probably give me a long life because I'm in the slow group. I finally finished chairing the Province Long-Range Planning project (which took nearly three years), and now I have a little free time to pursue reading and personal interests. Pastoring Corpus Christi for the past nine years has also been more than a notion, and I hope I can hang on until we celebrate our centennial in 2001. I'll also try to do a better job of reading and writing e-mail. At least it's a good intention on my part. Thanks again for the good meditation. Et alibi aliorum plurimorum sanctorum.
12 Jul 1997 Keith Eckrich: My modem is not broken, but I guess I have drifted away from the email for a while due to too many things going on: like too much work and stress at work, moving mom from her apartment to a retirement center to a nursing home and now probably to another assisted-living retirement home. But, we're healthy. Helene and Kristen are enjoying the woods and mountains tonight at Girl Scout camp, and I listen to classical music. I wish I didn't have to sleep so I could listen all day. I can't get enough of it.
I cleaned my desk today to ready for a week off. Helene and Kristen are at Girl Scout camp last night and tonight and arrive home tomorrow afternoon. We then pack for a week in San Diego. Over the past two years Helene has gotten on the speaking and learning circuit and has been on many trips somehow related to her work. This time she is attending a 3-4 day seminar to learn a new machine called something like "Pixis" which is a mobile ATM machine to dispense prescription medicine in hospital units. When she announced she was going, I simply got into the act and announced that Kristen and I would be going too. We get to use Helene's paid for hotel room for three days, and so we get a discount of sorts for the trip. Sunday and Monday Helene is free, so the three of us will do something. While she is in class, Kristen and I will spend quality time at the huge San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park which is up the slab an hour or so. Last time we went there, we only had an hour or two before rushing to L.A. to catch our plane. This time will be slow time, picture-taking opportunities of soon-to-be extinct animals and Kristen soaking up her first love, animals, or as she used to say as a tot, "aminals". Schmoozing with the whales at Sea World is probably a de rigeur visit. I look forward to it; work has been stressful, moving my mother a real grind, and so I intend to soak it in for a week. We will also revisit the beach at the famous Coronado Hotel where King Edward VIII fell for his lady and had to relinquish the throne. The beach is interesting: off shore there is a large sand bar made up of fool's gold, and so the beach looks like it is paved with gold. When you try to pick it up, however, it just looks like dirty sand. Some optical tomfoolery. This beach was the first time Kristen ever saw the ocean and I think it was truly the happiest moment of her life: she just delighted in screaming, running into the surf and chasing the sea gulls. Unfortunately that day there had been an oil spill off shore 24 hours earlier, and the lifeguards were instructed to keep chasing people out of the water because of the oil. We will revisit and really get wet this time. That was a good memory.
Mom is in a nursing home. The scenario went like this: we put her into a retirement home on Mother's Day due to her increasing weakness and confusion. But it was a constant falling down, going to the emergency room etc. After spending a whole night on the floor when she couldn't get up and wasn't found, we moved her to the nursing home where she is. But she is too mentally alert for the place and we want to remove her. She has regained her strength to a degree and seems to be walking better. We think in her original apartment she simply wasn't eating properly and after ten years of not doing any significant exercise she simply was starving and fading away. We thought she was dying at the time, but now it appears she wasn't. We have found an assisted-living place, a private home in one of Albuquerque's prettiest neighborhoods which houses eight ladies with 24-hour coverage by caretaker, laundry person and cook. It appears good and has good recommendations from people who should know. We hope she will enjoy it there for a while and get away from the screams and stroke victims of the nursing home. Some old codger is constantly trying to walk in her room and she gets mad at him and screams at him to get out. Not enough help, the same old story of nursing homes. We will try to move her either the 19th or the 26th if the plans work out.
Tonight I plopped on the sofa to sort out a rat's nest of a corner full of papers, mail and other debris and found a December, 1995 brochure from the US Post Office to order new issues for my stamp collection. I had lost interest in it for the past two years, so I called the 800 number tonight and placed an order to catch up. It turned out to be a $104 catch-up bill, but I have a good collection: a complete mint collection back to about 1930 and I have quite a few of the older ones, albeit most of them are filler type stamps with damage on them. One of my prizes is stamp # 1 which is in good shape, which has a catalog value of about $500 and which I picked up at a local dealer who was hungry for a sale and who offered it to me for $25. It is in good shape and only has a pin hole in the middle of it which is not noticeable. The pin hole in old U.S. stamps is a common phenomenon from the early this century practice of pinning stamps for sale on a cork bulletin board with pins. # 2 stamp is much more expensive and rare and will probably never be exhibited in my collection. We have one more trip in mid-August: to Philadelphia for a 50-wedding anniversary shindig and while there we will take Kristen to New York for her first trip there. She will dig it. We enjoy New York: the usual things, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and the like. We get to stay at Helene's cousin's apartment which is in Manhattan at about 79th street, two buildings down the street from the Ansonia Apartments where many famous musicians lived, including Toscanini. Lincoln Center is walking distance. The subway is minutes away and in ten minutes we are whisked to Wall Street and lower Manhattan. We found Ellis Island touching: we sat on the same benches that our ancestors used on their entry, and we meditated much on Helene's grandma who emigrated from Ireland at the age 17 and didn't get to return home for 50 years. She married here, and she and her husband kept body and soul together by employment as butler, handyman and maid. We got it easy, bro.
17 Jul 1997 Tarsicius Fischer: I received the new DIASPORA five minutes ago. I am on duty at the present time. I hope I am not called away. Then comes a session of confessions. Despite the heat in Chicago, our confessions are non-stop. I won't dare go outside in this heat. My outside experience is several yards from the front door to the mail box. I promised to attend a Grant Park symphony concert tomorrow. The heat continues, so I won't go. I don't want to die on the street. The concert consists of selections from Lucia Di Lammermoor and from an unknown Russian opera.
I wonder whether any of our readers have met Brother Innocent. I doubt it. He has been a cook for most of his years. He worked as cook for many years at the Oak Forest friary of St. Roch, across from the county hospital. He decided to retire at 81. He asked to retire at St. Peter's. When he was at St. Roch, he came every week to St. Peter's on his day-off. He is presently in the hospital. He put some intentions on the altar. On returning, he slipped on the last step of the sanctuary stairs. It was a trifle painful and then the pain increased. It was decided to have an examination at the hospital. There it was learned that he broke a hip. He had surgery the next day. He is improving. While in the hospital, he caught pneumonia. As I said, I doubt whether you ever met him. Br. Innocent is 83 years of age and was from in Australia. I suppose he came to America when he was a young man.
Oh, yes, Fr. Jerome Baum had a lovely golden jubilee on June 24. He celebrated at a noon-day Mass. He had a large congregation. His brother, Fr. Boniface, and I concelebrated with him together with other concelebrants.
17 Jul 97 Joseph Smith: Another great copy of DD! I need to clarify a few things for the brethren, so as to elucidate some of my abbreviated (& not infallible) opinions or perspectives.
Re "Dignity," according to an extensive Reader article recently (about "Rick" et al), the Catholic Gay Community was shattered by getting evicted from RC premisses by Ratzinger's draconian edict & Bernardin's compliance. Of the membership, 300 left completely, 300 stayed, & 300 went to non-Roman premisses for liturgies. (And that's not "negative?!") [Depends on whether or not there is salvation outside of the RC Church, not? JB] How those who stayed, under the "official line" & split psychologically between the line & private comportment is a story--barely "positive"--of "schizoid accommodation," acc. to the READER. I know some of these guys, while serving as music minister recently at an RC Church. They were a most unhappy group, I can tell you! I was raised in a theology where people spoke out and stood up, like Paul to Peter, and J. C. himself to bureaucrats, both religious & political! (We Irish also didn't let people walk all over us & still keep a happy face!) Personally, how an individual adopts various tactics & strategies to survive is one thing. I, for one, wouldn't want to live under the dark shadows cast by prejudiced Vatican opinions, were I in their shoes as a "gay." Stand up & speak out, now!! (Big Mama can't really do anything to you anymore!) There's good N.T. precedent for speaking out, I believe.!
As to my views on ecumenical Catholicism (of the creeds!), I cherish our R.C. traditions, esp. in the arts & music. In fact, to Jim Ryan, I've dedicated my extensive Cantus Songs (organ & choir), that are based in chant themes and cover the entire liturgical year. It seems to me this "witness" ought to count for something! Meantime, I've also witnessed the official Church backtrack almost systematically on Vatican II & become all but "reactionary" & even "sectarian" in terms of its own best universal outreach & ecumenism. My ecumenical experience started with family & continues as musician in many ecumenical churches as music director. They all recite the same creeds & believe in the "Catholic Church," understood as the whole church (KA'TH'HOLON"), one that has healed from its divisiveness, hostilities, & become whole, is again healthy. The RCC, in which we were raised & owe a lot--to say the least--can join & energize this broader movement, but only in terms of a metanoia that accepts both achievements & failures in our tradition. Even the RCC spoke of an "ecclesia semper reformanda!" Preserve our authentic values & the arts, certainly! But nurturing and real d'jurnamento has yet to take place. Alas, I am no saintly model of anything, nor do I have a direct line to the deity. But I have learned something from a broad ecumenical experience, I think! (Fortunately, I am not infallible!!) My paternal grandfolks were church leaders at First Presbyterian at home in WI.
My wife is from a rich Judaic faith. I was raised RCC by a wonderful Irish mother and I -- with Jim Ryan -- am proud of that heritage, make no mistake! Meantime, Tony (Lutz), get Dershowitz's book and read the footnotes yourself! It's not a pretty tale. (I don't know about Buchanan et al!) I didn't make it up, Tony. And Dershowitz is hardly a "hagiographer" he wouldn't know what to make of such a Catholic epithet--but he is a respected Harvard professor and author. His remarks in Chutzpah on Luther made the ELCA issue a renunciation of Luther's own antisemitism! As to anti-Judaic texts in the liturgies, refer to Franklin Sherman's detailed & available theological bibliography on esp. the N.T. Also read E. Rappaport's "Psycho-History of Anti-Judaism." (There's lots more & plenty of detailed available data.) Have fun!
Gael, I'd appreciate your printing this in full, to avoid misunderstandings of abbreviated forms! (Just this once!) [Fiat.] Anyone wanting a "dialogue" can easily reach me. Meantime, I myself ride a roller coaster on myself, between "Good Joe" & "Bad Joe." Hopefully, a synthesis can be achieved. But let's speak up & be open & up-front about this crazy stuff! [Joe, I can't promise anyone extended space to argue. Jack Brennan will publish all you write on the home page. Letters about the brethren like yours last time, personal exchanges among classmates and friends, are always welcome. My eyes glaze over when anyone sends professional diatribes. I like humor. GS]
17 July 97 Joe Smith: A footnote: I hope not too many readers got too offended by me scurrilous "flypaper" remark in the last DD issue. That was "Bad Joe" sounding off! I hope that can be taken with a grain of salt. The RCC has seemed to me for a long time as a "self-sealing system," a "golden-cage" (trap?). It's only my opinion, as I struggle to get a fix on this multi-faceted ecumenical animal. The Reformers, esp. Luther, came out with worse than the "flypaper" remark in his Table Talks. But I spare you (& me!). Maybe he had too much beer those times; or maybe this "crude peasant" also had an insight or two but couldn't find a politer vehicle of expression for it. (Has anyone searched for N.T. remarks like "brood of vipers" as models for such badmouthing?!)
Without jeopardizing the basic beautiful brotherly bonds we all cherish, we still have to have courage to face honest differences & perspective & help keep the language cool at the same time. I have to ride herd on the Irish temper! It's not easy; & both J.C. & Luther et al "let go" from time to time, not providing us with exactly polite examples. We need to accept extant differences (as far apart as Lutz/Smith?!) without prejudice to the friendship. (Tony & I are still good buddies, salvos & all! Prost!!) [Immer lustig, immer durstig! says John Miller who transcribed letters for DD this issue. GS] At very least, we lean "to agree to disagree," as we quaff our brewskies in fraternal community.
As Catholics, "disallowed" to discuss much in public & openly, we have precious little ecumenical practice in giving viable expression to honest dissent. Let's learn--together--to do so! Let's learn to handle divergences of perspective(s) of experience(s) in more "positive" manners, without faking each other out or denying actual negativities, shoot down a few rapids together, get soaked & splashed, maybe even somewhat battered in the process, but ending up in quiet pools of peacefulness & fulfillment. Pax et Bonum!? ("Bad") Joe S.
19 July 97 Dan Mazar (Cowboy) sent his first email via John Miller (Humble Hans). He used Jim Fischer's email (whose address is jfschr of carol.net): Hans, Cowboy is in South Carolina water skiing and having martinis. Hope you are enjoying Montana. Give my best to Jim Pfeifer. This is my first attempt at e mail. How am I doing? Cowboy
20 July 97 Ray Steffen (Jim/Sabinus-1953) called from Brookfield, Conn., wanting the phone number of Nick Baxter in Texas, who was three years behind Ray. Ray told of Edward Lutz as subrector, who grilled suspects with: "What have you done wrong?" The trick was that you might dish him up something new if you didn't know what he had on you, said Ray. "At least the Gestapo would start off accusing you of something."
Ray told stories, good memories, like hitting four homers in his life, two of them in one game -- sweet when a classmate remembered and reminded him of it. Or making a splendid saving catch in another game. I jotted these notes in case he doesn't write up some of his story for us. And he didn't.
21 July 97 John Miller responds: Cowboy, I'm glad you're finally coming into the computer age. South Carolina sounds too hot and humid this time of the year, but do wish you luck fishing. We just got home a few hours ago, after a horrendous flight from Bozeman. Bad weather and mechanical idiots got our 4 p.m. flight to Minneapolis about 11:45. So, of course, we missed our connection, and there were no more flights out of the airport. Northwest would take no responsibility, so we "slept" at the airport for a 6 a.m. flight to Chicago. I had a limo last night to take us home, since it was so late, and no one could pick me up this a.m., so I rented another car. To say we are a bit frazzled and tired would be putting it mildly.
We should have stayed another night with Hank, Lee, Angel and Emily at the cabin at the lake. It was great to see him and meet the family, after 30 years. We got the royal treatment, and he wouldn't even let me take the family out to dinner. Of course, around there, I don't know how many places there are to go. It was rainy and cold while we stayed with him. The trip was great! On the first of three whitewater trips, we all got dumped in Yankee Jim Canyon. We had an experienced guide and group, but the river is very high, and we got hit and capsized. No harm done, but the water was cold, at around the mid-40's. Sandy and I didn't even lose our hats, and they kept kidding me that mine looked better now anyway, with all the beer stains off. We were back in the raft in a very short time. Montana is beautiful, and eventually we will probably go to live there. Saw Jackson (a "strip mall for the rich") for a few hours, which was all we could stand. The Tetons are impressive. Saw lots of animals, and even had a bison try to "race" my car. Many of the visitors do crazy, dangerous things, trying to take pictures, not realizing the power of some of this animals. Bought a few things to take back, but tried to stay within the budget.
Hope your time in the Carolinas is great. Let us hear from you when you get back. I don't like gin martini's, but have a vodka on me.
21 July 97 Cowboy responds: Dear Hans: got the e mail and am on the way to the airport today - Monday. Am happy that you stayed with Hank. He and Lee are wonderful. Georgetown is OK. Will call later. Pax et bonum.
21 July 97 Bill Cardy ofm: Just a small donation to help with postage. Thanks for all the energy you put into DD. My new box # is 308. Pax et bonum. The rest of his address is Aniak, ALASKA 99557-0014.
23 July 97: Barb Pfeifer wrote: "Please DO NOT send us this letter anymore. We DID NOT request it so stop sending it. I do not know who put our name on this. Barb Pfeifer." [I don't know either. The listing is: James/Barbara 616/698-1256, 2033 Palace Ave, St. Paul MN 55106, not to be confused with: Pfeifer, Jim/LeeAnn (Hank-1967) 1400 Platinum Ave., Butte MT 59701. I encourage y'all to let me know if you'd like to be removed from the mailing list. GS]
23 Jul 1997 John Miller: I received DD22 by mail yesterday. Several times, some mention is made of donations to DD. Tell me more about that, and how this works at present. It seems to me that most of the brethren would be happy to contribute, or have a yearly "voluntary," subscription fee. I have no idea how much this must cost you to put it out, much less all the time you spend gratis. I know how long and tedious this must get, in spite of it "being a labor of love." (Contributions are not requested nor required. But DD thanks John for a sizable one to the commonweal. GS)
23 Jul 1997 Gael Stahl: Yes, the brethren occasionally defray some of the expenses by sending in a stipend for work they appreciate. That extra pat on the back.
I'm more interested whether or not friars in the diaspora want to receive the newsletter. Some let me know by not telling me when they have an address change. But I usually send it to the address provided by the postal service when their issues are returned. Some request me not to send DD, which I appreciate. Probably more just junk unwanted mailings. I love sending DD to those who want it. But I hate the idea of wasted photocopying, postage, folding, labeling, and licking envelopes or stapling sheets.
24 Jul 1997 Jack Brennan and Gael Stahl [Saintly dialogue via email.]
Jack: Isn't that a coincidence? We are also leaving for a 10 day vacation on Wednesday next. We are going to Vancouver Island where Gayle's mom and step father have a trailer right on Puget Sound. We will take in the sand castle festival on the weekend, Gramma and Papa will take our kids and then Gayle and I will have the trailer and the beach and the Buchart Gardens to ourselves. I am looking forward to that. I don't think Gayle and I have had a vacation alone in many years.
Gael: Lord, but you need to get away together more often. Easier said than finding willing grandparents, I suppose.
Jack: Not sure when you sent the snail mail [articles from Commonweal.] I did read it all today and enjoyed the debate. Carroll can sure turn a word. (Speaking of Carroll, do we know Bill Carroll? I enjoyed his letter to the DD.)
Gael: I take it you are referring to J. Carroll and his papal hangup first, and Bill Carroll ofm second. Bill was just out of our class' era. I met him once at a reunion at St. Paschals. He dropped in from Chicago, very neat, slick, and cool looking on a hot day. But I'd heard about him now and then for years.
Jack: I think Jim Carroll does have an axe to grind with his dad. Conflicts with authority and all that Freudian stuff. I also think he and Kung have a good point re the infallibility thing.
Gael: Amen on both.
Jack: To a large extent the anti Semitism argument is an excellent point. I grew up with it and heard it constantly from clergy and lay adults. I'm sure that I would be very prejudiced were it not for my mother. She was uniquely accepting of non-whites and her best friend was a black woman, Mrs. Lumley. Mrs. Lumley was a lovely woman, I recall she and mom would have tea often. When we challenged the propriety of one of mom's orders, she would tell us that "Mrs. Lumley said that this was the way to do it." Mom also sang us a song when we were little about the little black boy who was rejected by the whites and told to "go and play in your own backyard." And then we had a great department store in Chicago called "O'Connor and Goldberg." But then there were the phrases about "Jewing him down;" "the Jews control all the money;" "he's a kike," you know the scene. I digress...
Gael: But it springs from the heart and memory right on the bulls eye and reverberates in my heart. And didn't Peter of Alcantara say that distractions in meditation were also part of prayer? Ergo, in correspondence.
Jack: The thing about Pius XII was not new to me; it had always been a source of shame to me. (My father didn't like the Church's inaction either.) While we are throwing rocks, I think FDR was slow to move on the Nazis too.
Gael: It's such a rehashed topic in the literature for the last 30 years that it surprises me the new generation keeps getting it -- for the first time -- so late.
Jack: To tell you the truth, I can live with infallibility easier than I can live with the incredible wealth of the Church. That effects me more than crumb theology. Gael: I read yesterday that Steffi Graf the great German tennis starlet left the church because she was so far behind in paying her taxes to the Catholic church. I did NOT realize Germans had to pay a 9 percent tax to their professed church. You have to put your money where you mouth and heart is. I can see why Europe would be edging away from professing its faith.
Jack: (Do you remember that phrase? ["crumb theology"] Worrying about the crumbs that fall from the altar and other trivial issues?) I liked what Carroll said about how that kind of certitude leads to arrogance. I remember fighting with Bishop Topel about no salvation outside of the Church. I got in trouble with him one time when he asked me how I liked his sermon on the topic. He was with whom I thought was one of his priests, and I asked if he really wanted to know what I thought then and there. He consented. I told him that I didn't like it and that it was not in keeping with Vatican II. Later that night at home, he reamed me out for embarrassing him in front of Bishop Hunthausen. I didn't know who the other guy was and I have since come to admire Hunthausen for his stances on our Defense Department and homosexuality. JP II has censured him and he is now semi retired and mere auxiliary in Seattle after being Archbishop there.
As I read those articles, I had a bottom line with me. I felt that Carroll and the others were pretty narcissistic about their opinions. I tuned into that especially when Carroll said that he left the priesthood after Vietnam was over. The mark of the narcissist is to move on to yet another success in order to avoid confronting his/her own inadequacies.
Gael: I think I follow you but don't have much to say. I also left after the Vietnam War was over (I left in 1973) but I didn't know it had anything to do with going on to a new success. I didn't feel very successful. I thought I'd won the battle against Vietnam by about the time of the Tet Offensive in 1968 or so. That's when my followers woke up and joined me. Except that devil in self-serving nostalgia Bob McNamara. Don't remember Carroll helping me win that one-person fight against the universe. See - there are OTHER than narcissistic motives.
Jack: So what can I say? I liked the debate, but I didn't care for the underlying feeling that some of the writers were intolerant of ideas that didn't agree with theirs. I thought Carroll used Kung and Rahner to mirror his own notions about what the Church ought to be.
On the other hand (and this is my final waffle) narcissists know how to get the good ideas out there. If it were up to us schizoids, we'd still be hiding from the Romans.
Gael: Ah, another motive. By the way, the reaction to Carroll and Baumann in later Commonweals has been intensive and not over yet. And guess what? A lot of them agree with you. I do too, but am not narcissistic enough to put my thoughts in words like you schizoids.
Jack: I'm outa here.
Gael: No response to speak of yet from DD22. The emailers have had it for several weeks and the snail mailers got theirs last week. Joe Smith wrote twice defending himself on all fronts. In Washington, in mid-July, I got to see the Early Picasso exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. About 110 paintings done between ages 15-25. The dude started early and lasted forever. He floated to more styles faster than I could try out fresh personalities during philosophy. And he pretty well mastered them all. He had the advantage of moving into a new period every time he got a new mistress. And he didn't keep some of them very long.
24 Jul 97 Joe Smith: A final detail regarding N.T. anti-Judaism. According to a Princeton Study (Prof. Gager), the N.T. is the major source of Christian antisemitism, even today!
Meantime, a Lutheran scholar, Sherman Franklin, takes the N.T. texts, phrase by phrase, in an attempt to excise anti-Judaic animus, esp. as in the liturgy. Cardinal Bernadin himself, in a lecture, outlines the need to excise antisemitism from all such sources, beginning with the N.T.
There's growing literature on this & articles in, e.g., Today's Liturgy. (I'm compiling the rather extensive bibliography & am in touch with Martin Marty (U.C. et al). High time for us all to "get real" on this & stop idealizing & rationalizing. It's hard; but we have to get over (with JPI & Bernadin!) the classic and contentious "displacement theology!" Pax et Bonum (with effort!)
25 Jul 97 John Miller to DD: Please accept this small token for DD. [Not so small. GS]
28 Jul 97 Joe Smith sent a card: I owe Rup Lutz a detail, a book title for him, sent me by Lutheran inter-faith theologian, Franklin Sherman: Mature Christianity in the 21st Century: The Recognition and Repudiation of the Anti-Jewish Polemic in the New Testament by Norman A. Beck. N.Y. Crossroads Publ. Co. 1994. - Have fun. (Good) Joe
2 Aug 1997 Jerry Etzkorn: It has been over 30 years since John Joe Lakers' book has been in the making and he has been teased mercilessly about it. The topic and the contents have probably changed umpteen times in the interval, but the book is now out and well worth the wait. It's published by the Franciscan Press, 1800 College Ave. Quincy, IL 62301, entitled: Christian Ethics: An Ethics of Intimacy. It has proved a challenge to my intellectual capacities, even on a second reading. Some of the insights I have gleaned: once the literary tradition replaced the oral tradition, the tendency has been to favor the metaphor of power and judgment (doctrine and dogma) over questions of morality (and intimacy/love). You can't dialog with a book. The literary tradition tends to blacken and whiten what in reality is often gray. The priestly tradition prefers to defend the status quo with power and judgment, [witness the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Holy(?) Office] but in so doing dons the robes of secularism, and tends to stifle the voices of the prophets. [Notice that we have a feast of Christ the King and much talk about Christ the priest, but no feast of Christ the Prophet, which is what he did for most of his life!].
J.J. returns frequently to "naked pronouns in search of metaphors", contrasted with the "fictive voice of reason" [Come again?!] and he has some interesting things to say about the polemics which developed between Catholics and Protestants, and perhaps how the Jewish tradition - particularly the voices of the prophets - has been badly distorted by Christian exegetes. He gives credit where it is due - in my opinion - to Scotus, particularly regarding the Incarnation's "non-dependence" on sin and God's freedom regarding the bonum diffusivum sui and the primacy of love. Even old salty Ockham is favorably viewed. But don't take my word for it: "Take and read."
On a personal note: our community here is materially affluent, but - in my apparently biased opinion - spiritually undernourished. In my naivete, I volunteered to preach like once a month, thinking I might provide some badly needed intellectual, moral, spiritual nourishment. Need I tell you of the response from those invested with the "metaphors of power and judgment"? I would indeed be a very minor prophet, but it is painful (I'm sure for you as well) to be stifled before even being heard!
04 Aug 1997 Jack Brennan: We've returned from what Gayle calls "the vacation from hell." We were camping on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and had great plans to visit Victoria and environs, but alas. I had a small heart attack. (The medical title for it. The pain was not as great as my attack in 1983, but it was very painful, nonetheless.) So I spent 5 days in the Nanaimo General Hospital recovering. I was there from Sunday to Thursday.
In order to be released from the hospital, I had to pass a treadmill stress test and the doctor said that I couldn't have done any better. I was only uptight the night before that test, otherwise, I was calm throughout. I got great medical care in Canada.
On Thursday, the day of my release, we drove to Seattle and spent the night with Gayle's sister and then home to Spokane on Friday. My doctor said I could go back to work on the Monday following and so far, I am doing OK. I get a bit more tired than I usually do, but I am walking for about half an hour each day. My doc says that I have great recuperative powers. Fortunately, my work schedule has been slow because of the summer months with vacations and everything.
Today I had an echo cardiogram and I won't know the results for a few days. The technician said it went well, but that's unofficial until the cardiologist reads the results. [All is well as the DD goes to press. JB]
Gayle and the children were pretty upset with all of this and I guess that it must be worse for them in some ways. They were in the dark about my condition, especially in the beginning, and that made it more difficult for them. Like the saying goes, I hate it when that happens. My family of origin has been in touch with me and has been very supportive.
5 Aug 97: Congratulation to Julian Woods who has married Winifred Tina Turner, a native of Sierre Leone, Africa and the mother of a 2 « year old girl, Wincy. Julian had met her at the apartment complex he lives in and had provided baby-sitting for Wincy. Julian also reports that his son, Charlie, on July 3 completed his jail sentence in conjunction with his drunk driving and manslaughter conviction. Julian visited him daily during his confinement. Julian continues to walk a radical gospel journey consistent with his Franciscan roots.
On Aug. 5, 1997, Julian wrote: Dear Gael, Many thanks for sending your last newsletter. I deeply appreciate this chance to keep in touch with our brothers. It would be great to enjoy a personal visit with you to explain some of the things I've been through lately. Meanwhile, at your leisure, you can look through the enclosed.
Pat Callahan of Seattle (where I was part of his group) had called me on the phone. I sent him copies of these two letters I wrote to Father Breen. It was the quickest way to explain my current situation. I followed up and entered a simple, civil marriage ceremony before a Judge in Circuit Court on July 7th. It so happened that Charlie just got out of jail and his girl friend, Jennifer, was here. Along with Winifred's brother from Michigan, they were the only witnesses.
At present, Charlie had to go back to Seattle to serve a jail term until Oct. 14th. Then he plans to move to Maryland (Annapolis) to reside near his girl friend and get a job there.
At present, I am going through the vast red-tape to help my new wife obtain citizenship. I plan to write an article about the procedures required by Immigration and Naturalization Service. The general public has no awareness of the way immigrants are treated. You would be horrified at the gross injustice.
Yes, I haven't given up my plans to write articles about subjects that the "media" purposely omits. Of course, I wonder if any publisher would dare to print my revelations.
I'm enclosing a copy of Pat Callahan's latest newsletter. Maybe you get it. He does for our Seattle group what you do for us Franciscans.
Notice one of the main things that made me consider getting married again, at this "extra" time the Good Lord is giving me -- the decision of our local bishop to refuse to answer my request for a discussion. Of course, the real reason is the mutual conviction that Tina and I have that we are in love. There really is no other valid reason for getting married, as you well know.
The interesting aspect of our union is the multiplicity of differences between us. Patient adaptation is our daily menu. A constant sense of humor is a necessity.
Besides the daily Tennessean, I regularly read Our Sunday Visitor, and its opposite, National Catholic Reporter. The latest NCR has that article on the $150 million suit against the Dallas diocese over pedophile priests - especially "Fr. Kos." Even this won't make John Paul II realize what a horrible evil is the "law of celibacy." It is so sad to witness the failure of the leadership of the Catholic Church to help the children of God to practice sensible morality. In all my life, I have never seen the incompetence of a pope (and his inner circle) to be so blatantly evident. More than ever, each of us must find courage in our faith in the infinite love and care of our eternal God Himself.
As I write, I noticed the two big items of news:
1) Jeanne Calment of Arles, France died at age 122. She quit smoking at age 121 because she was blind and couldn't "light up." She didn't want to bother others.
2) The anniversary of the apparent suicide of Marilyn Monroe, age 36, in 1962. What a contrast in the way a woman is treated!! My best to Susan. Julian
P.S. Victor Frankl died when Mother Theresa did, at his home in Vienna. (Dear, dear Julian, thanks for all the news and your refreshing comments. Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" is one of the more powerful books I've ever read. If I don't see you over the 12 days of Christmas and meet your wife, may my brain turn to turnip splatter. GS)
Julian's letters:
2570 Murfreesboro Pike, Apt. E8,
Nashville, TN 37217
Dear Father Breen, If you read Marty Hegarty's recent WEORC, you noticed that I was aiming to be reinstated in active priesthood. I have completely given up on that aim. Before my sister or son, or any other soul, I am speaking to you about my resolve to get married. A lot of prayer has gone into this. It seems to fit into God's plan for this extra time of precious life that He is giving me.
I came here yesterday, taking a chance that I could see you. I left a bit of a note. I realize there is no limit to the number of persons who would love to visit with you. Your loving spirit draws us.
That's why I'm writing this brief note. Then I will await a call from you. Like you, for many a year, I insisted that there can be only one good reason for getting married: being in love with the person. That is why Pa