Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: June 05, 2018
Dearest Parishioners and Friends,
In a couple of weeks Bishop Robert Muench is going to observe a milestone: in a special 3 pm Sunday Mass here on June 24 he will celebrate his Golden Jubilee as a priest. He has spent 50 years in service to the Lord and His holy Church as a priest (28 of these as a bishop), and he rightly merits not only our congratulations but also our many prayers of thanksgiving for his dedication and zeal for souls. Everyone is invited: why not plan now to join him both at the Mass and in the reception afterwards in the Parish Hall?
Beyond our planning for this important milestone in the bishop’s life, things are – wonderfully! – slow right now around the Cathedral. The structural and electrical contractors assure me that they are working as fast as possible to finish the long-delayed “side chapel ceiling repair” project in the church. The end of the fiscal year is coming up, but we’ve been keeping an eye on things and it looks like we’re doing all right. We’re still trying to find a new maintenance man to replace Mr. Willie Rhines, who continues to battle the cancer that was discovered just last month. Our calendar for the coming year is filling up nicely, but the biggest “hole” on it is the unknown date when our new bishop will be installed – I hope Pope Francis has a chance to give some thought to this soon!
So maybe this is a good time to put in an early plug for one of our Parish’s “ongoing” programs, this coming year’s R.C.I.A. process. Those crazy initials stand for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults; it’s the way by which persons who are not Catholic may learn about our Faith, begin practicing our religion, and in time join the Church. As I hope you know, the R.C.I.A. is not primarily an educational program, but instead a lifestyle and ritual process: the participants familiarize themselves with Catholic life, and immediately begin to live it and celebrate it in prayer. Most of it is devoted to prayer and sharing and questions. I also am always quick to add that “there are no tests or term papers!” What is most important is meeting the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer, in charity, in study and in practice.
Both unbaptized inquirers, known as catechumens, and those already-baptized as Christians learn the truths of Catholicism and how to live this out. Our two main resources are the Bible – of course – and also the 1997 revised Catechism of the Catholic Church. The reception of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) most typically occurs at Easter, but can be scheduled at any appropriate time.
Our part-time pastoral associate, Mr. Chris Redden, coordinates our parochial R.C.I.A. for us. He does a great job with it, not only from the point of view of input (“teaching” the right stuff) but also from the point of view of personal sensitivity (“encountering people where they are, with a view toward bringing them farther along”).
In this vein, each group of R.C.I.A. “explorers” typically become friends whose prayers and presence with him add a great deal to their common exploration of the Church and possible membership in it. If you know of someone who might be interested in the R.C.I.A., or think you’d like to be part of it as a sponsor, catechist or other team member, please let us know! You can call 225-387-5928 or email office@cathedralbr.org.
In the Lord,
Fr. Paul Counce
