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EVENING OF GRATITUDE CELEBRATION WE WERE CHECKING IN TO THE HOTEL IN PARIS.
I WAS STANDING AT THE REGISTRATION DESK ORGANIZING THE ROOM KEYS FOR ALL OF THE TEENAGERS WHO WERE TRAVELLING WITH ME AND I HEAR THE TELEPHONE RING.
I WENT ON ABOUT MY BUSINESS BUT SOMETHING WAS TELLING ME THAT THE CALL WAS FOR ME.
I NOTICED OUR TOUR GUIDE SPEAKING WITH THE CLERK, TAKING THE PHONE IN HAND AND AFTER A SHORT CONVERSATION LOOKING AROUND FOR SOMEONE.
WHEN HE FINALLY CAUGHT MY ATTENTION …. “THE CALL IS FOR YOU.”
THE VOICE ON THE OTHER END ASKED IF I WAS FR. JAN SCHMIDT AND IMMEDIATELY ASKED ME TO HOLD FOR BISHOP MOEDDEL…
WHEN HE CAME ON THE LINE, AFTER THE USUAL PLATITUDES, HE INFORMED ME THAT I HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY THE ARCHBISHOP AS THE PASTOR OF IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY PARISH AND ASKED ME IF I ACCEPTED.
AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE MANY MINUTES OF SILENCE I ASKED HIM IF I COULD THINK ABOUT IT….
I THINK HE WAS A BIT INCREDULOUS AT MY AUDACITY AND HE QUICKLY ANSWERED…NO!
I ACCEPTED, AND WAS ASKED TO KEEP IT QUIET UNTIL I COULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT BACK HOME.
BY THE TIME I HAD FINISHED THE CALL EVERYONE EXCEPT BRIAN BERNING HAD GONE TO THEIR ROOMS.
BRIAN ASKED ME IF EVERYTHING WAS OK.
I ASKED HIM WHY HE WAS ASKING THAT AND HE COMMENTED ABOUT MY FACE BEING AS “WHITE AS A GHOST.”
AND WITH THAT CALL OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER BEGAN.
LITTLE DID I KNOW WHAT IT WOULD LEAD TO.
IN ALL OF MY CORPORATE LIFE I WAS NEVER IN A POSITION FOR LONGER THAN 9 MONTHS ON AVERAGE.
SO I FIGURED THIS WASN’T GOING TO BE A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP.
IT BECAME APPARENT RATHER EARLY THAT FOLKS WERE YEARNING FOR SOMETHING LONGER THAN WHAT THEY HAD EXPERIENCED IN THE PREVIOUS TWO PASTORATES….AND HERE WE ARE NOW, NEARLY 13 YEARS TOGETHER….IHM’S LONGEST SERVING PASTOR.
IN MY DRAFT I ACTUALLY USED THE WORDS LONGEST REIGNING PASTOR!
THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER ON A DAILY BASIS HAS BEEN THE CELEBRATION OF EUCHARIST, THE THANKSGIVING EVENT….THE ACTION OF GRATITUDE IN OUR LIVES.
TONIGHT AS WE GATHER IT IS TO REMEMBER, PERHAPS TO BE REMINDED, OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR YEARS TOGETHER…THAT FOR WHICH WE ARE GRATEFUL.
I AM FEARFUL HOWEVER, SINCE THE LIST IS SO EXHAUSTIVE, THAT WE WILL BE HERE FOR MANY HOURS.
SO PLEASE ALLOW ME, IF YOU WILL, TO TAKE US DOWN A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT PATH FOR A MOMENT TO LOOK AT WHAT I BELIEVE HAS BEEN MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFE TOGETHER.
THAT WHICH I BELIEVE HAS MADE ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE IS A PARTICULAR THEOLOGICAL VIRTUE THAT IS ON THE FRONT BURNER OF DISCUSSION THESE DAYS.
YOU SEE I BELIEVE THAT WHAT HAS MADE US SO SPECIAL TOGETHER HAS ALL BEEN ABOUT HOPE…IF YOU REALLY LOOK CLOSELY AT WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT OUR PARISH THAT IS WHAT YOU FIND.
“IN HOPE WE ARE SAVED” POPE BENEDICT STARTS HIS SECOND ENCYCLICAL.
“CHRIST OUR HOPE” IS THE THEME OF THIS WEEK’S PAPAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES.
BENEDICT SAYS IN HIS ENCYCLICAL, “THE PRESENT, EVEN IF IT IS ARDUOUS, CAN BE LIVED AND ACCEPTED IF IT LEADS TOWARDS A GOAL, IF WE CAN BE SURE OF THIS GOAL, AND IF THIS GOAL IS GREAT ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY THE EFFORT OF THE JOURNEY”.
IN SHORT, OUR HOPE, GIVEN TO US BY GOD, IS KEY TO OUR CHRISTIANITY.
THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY IS THE DISTINCT SENSE OF HOPE THAT PERVADES ITS MINISTRY AND MISSION.
OUR PARISH HAS GROWN IN MY TIME HERE FROM 2600 TO NEARLY 3300 FAMILIES.
STATISTICALLY WE ARE A MEGA-CHURCH BUT WITH A SENSE OF COMMUNITY THAT IS UNIQUE FOR OUR SIZE.
HOW OFTEN I HEAR NEWCOMERS QUIP ABOUT THE SENSE THEY FEEL HERE OF WELCOME AND HOSPITALITY AND OPENNESS….THEY FIND HOPE IN THIS COMMUNION OF PEOPLE, IN THE WAY WE CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENTS AND IN THE WAY WE CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER THROUGH MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT MINISTRIES.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SEEN THE TEARS SHED OF THOSE LEAVING OUR PARISH.
THEY GO OFF TO SEARCH FOR A NEW HOME, A NEW PARISH, A NEW SCHOOL AND THEY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING ANYTHING LIKE WHAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED AMONGST US.
AND IF THEY ARE BLESSED TO TRANSFER BACK TO CINCINNATI….THEY DON’T MOVE BACK TO ANDERSON TOWNSHIP….THEY MOVE BACK TO IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY….
HEARTS HAVE A YEARNING FOR WHAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED HERE….IT IS ABOUT HOPE.
HOPE IS ONE OF THE GREAT THEMES OF SCRIPTURE.
THERE IS A DEEP LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND HOPE, SO MUCH SO THAT, IN SOME PASSAGES, THEY ARE ALMOST “INTERCHANGEABLE.”
POPE BENEDICT IN PAUL’S LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS OBSERVES, “TO COME TO KNOW GOD ─ THE TRUE GOD ─ MEANS TO HAVE HOPE.”
THE EPHESIANS WERE WITHOUT GOD AND CONSEQUENTLY FOUND THEMSELVES IN A DARK WORLD, FACING A DARK FUTURE.
HOPE, OF COURSE, IN AND THROUGH CHRIST, IS A DIFFERENT STORY.
IN THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS THERE IS ALSO A STRONG LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND HOPE.
“FAITH IS THE REALIZATION OF WHAT IS HOPED FOR AND EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN.”
TRUE HOPE BEGINS, ENDS AND ABIDES IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST.
TO HOPE MEANS TO KNOW CHRIST.
IT MEANS TO KNOW THAT I AM DEFINITIVELY LOVED, AND WHATEVER HAPPENS TO ME, I AM AWAITED BY THIS LOVE.
AND SO MY LIFE IS GOOD.
AND SO OUR LIFE HERE TOGETHER HAS BEEN GOOD…..SO GOOD IN FACT THAT IT HAS ATTRACTED MANY….IT HAS BEEN AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY…IT HAS TRULY BEEN ABOUT FAITH AND ABOUT HOPE AND ABOUT LOVE.
AS MAGNIFICENTLY AS THIS BUILDING HAS TURNED OUT AND HAS BECOME THE SIGN AND SYMBOL OF WHO WE ARE….NOTHING WILL EVER RESIDE MORE IN MY HEART THAN THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THOSE WHO OCCUPY IT…YOU WHO HAVE TRULY BEEN THE CHURCH, YOU WHO HAVE TRULY COME TO BE MY FRIENDS.
LET US REMEMBER THAT OUR HOPE IS ALWAYS ESSENTIALLY FOR OTHERS….IN GRATITUDE, MY HOPE WILL ALWAYS BE FOR YOU!
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This page was last updated on 04/29/08. |
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Fr. Jan's Remarks
