St. Clement Parish Cincinnati, Ohio

      Where will Father E.J. be July 25-29? That’s a good question: I will be 600 miles away at the Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. During that week, Monday to Friday, I will be with St. Clement Friars Tom Gerchak, John Neuffer, Matt Ryan and Phil McCarter. Joining us will be Roger Bacon Friars Mark Hudak, Chris Cahill and Roger Lopez. We will come together with 150 other friars from the six Provinces in the United States, Provinces that are creating one new Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe by October 2023. This new Province, we now know, will be headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We 150 friars are all 65-years-old and younger. We are gathering to discern together what the “young friars” of the country want to contribute to the national Franciscan conversation regarding our overall uniting. We have three specific goals for our gathering: (1) to provide an experience of fraternity with brothers from multiple provinces – especially friars we have never met before; (2) to initiate the synod method of discernment on which ministries will be the priorities for our new province; and (3) to gather input on what fraternal leadership and governance structures might look like in our new province – especially in renewing the role of the local Guardian. To me, this agenda feels overwhelming to handle in five days. It will be good for me to remember the words attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero, “Even if you can’t do everything, you can still do something.”

 

     Will Father E.J.’s being gone affect morning Masses? The 7:30 a.m. Masses will be scheduled as usual. I usually preside at two of these Masses each week. My hope is that the other friar-priests at St. Clement can help with those two Masses the week I am gone.

     

      What happens if a funeral Mass is needed? There is a good chance I will not be able to be back at St. Clement on Saturday, July 30 early enough to have a morning funeral Mass. Maybe the funeral can wait until Monday, August 1. Alternatively, you could ask one of the priests here at St. Clement if he could preside at the funeral Mass. I’m not sure what Deacon Dave’s work schedule is, but he might be able to help with planning a funeral with the family and connecting with Richard, our organist/pianist/cantor about the music choices. He might also be able to celebrate the Funeral Liturgy Outside of Mass. Deacon John will be out-of-town.

 

       What happens if the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is needed? If you anticipate needing the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick during the week I am gone, I would be happy to help with that this coming week before I leave town. Otherwise, maybe a priest from the friary here can administer this sacrament. It is my understanding that every hospital in the Archdiocese has assigned to it a priest-chaplain or a chaplain with access to a priest. The hospital should know how to reach those priests.

       

       Brothers and Sisters, as the friars pray for all of you in the parish and the Archdiocese during the Beacons of Light process, please pray for us friars as we move toward national unification. May we all listen with faith and trust for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

 

Peace to all!  Fr. EJ