Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko

This remarkable and courageous priest was murdered by the Communist totalitarian regime in Poland in 1984.
I remember the surreal circumstances of his death, occurring just after he said Mass for the Solidarity union movement in Poland. He was tortured and his body was found wrapped in chains at the bottom of a reservoir. Amazingly, the three police officers who killed him, and their supervisor, were placed on trial and FOUND GUILTY! However, they were released under an amnesty process, that no doubt hastened the fall of Communism in Poland and in the entire world. It was clear from that trial that the government had set out to torture and persecute a man of conscience who became a victim for the Polish people, like that of St. Maximillian Kolbe during WWII.
This past June, Fr. Jerzy was declared a Blessed, which is the last stage before canonization in the Church. He is seen as a modern Saint Stanislaus, and a hero for our modern world.

St. Peter Claver

I have the honor of being a Knight of St. Peter Claver, a fraternal Catholic organization named after the missionary to African slaves brought to South America in the 1500s.
Slavery was a horrific and shameful occurrence, especially in the Americas. But St. Peter Claver ministered to hundreds of thousands of these tortured individuals.
At our annual Mass for the feast of St. Peter Claver yesterday, the presiding priest spoke of the utter dehumanity of this practice. I could not help but reflect on the continuing dehumanizing that occurs through abortion and genocide.
St. Peter Claver, Pray for us!

Adopted Goldfish

I'm so glad that Sam and Sophie Silva have taken good care of my goldfish since we moved many of our belongings from our house in Kansas City to Mountain View, Hawai'i.
I had a chance to see a few of my old fish this week. Sam and Sophie (mostly Sophie) have given them all names. The big one in the picture is Finn, short for Finnegan. Sophie researched fish names on the internet, and came up with this cute gem.

Apostolic Cooking!

Sister Mary Mediatrix and Sister Mary Heather did the cooking at a recent picnic at the convent. I brought some Coke Zero and a CD by my favorite Hawaiian musician, IZ. It was a nice time.

Mobile Office

The DeLaSalle Mobile Office is a 1993 Jeep Cherokee donated to DeLaSalle by Brian Sanders. The car is parked in this picture in front of the house where I room with Fr. Carlos and George Kendzora while I am in KC. -

Apostolic Farming

Rich Sauer is a scientist, a beekeeper and a good family man who once served at Madonna House with Catherine de Hueck Doherty. While at Madonna House, Rich learned about apostolic farming from Doherty, who wrote that she was "...engaged in the occupation of farming because we want to spread the Good News by living the Gospel, and there is no better place to live the Gospel than on a farm.";
Doherty believed that farming was a ministry or a form of worship, versus a source of employment. Rich views his honey collection in the same fashion.
Catherine de Hueck Doherty's cause for canonization as a saint is now under consideration by the Catholic Church.
By the way, Catherine de Hueck Doherty is no relation to me, but in faith, she is my sister!

A Slave of Love to Mary and Jesus

Total Consecration involves a vow of love so complete that the term "slave" is used. Some very distinguished Catholic writers have been "completely turned off" by this phrasing and approach, considering it to be distasteful and offensive. Interestingly, today's second reading at Mass was from Paul's letter to Philemon and concerned the matter of a slave (Onesimus) that was imprisoned with Paul and who had converted to Christianity. I happened to proclaim this reading to St. Louis Church at the 10:00 am Mass this morning myself, and I had to wonder how this reading impacted the mostly African-American congregation.
I should note, though, that as a white person, I felt uncomfortable presenting this reading. The American history of slavery has been horrifically ugly and violent, especially in its after-effects like continuing segregation and racism.
I just read a review of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration and found myself unnerved by the continuing legacy of slavery through Jim Crow laws, and the harsh and terrible discrimination not only in the southern US, but also after the great migration, in the north US.
So there is definitely a lot of punch and bite in using a term like "slave of love to Mary and Jesus" in being consecrated totally, as I am now doing (for the ninth consecutive year). It is a total abasement and oblation of self to God, something so deep and profound that I can barely grasp it. Sin is ugly, and requires warfare to address it and conquer it, and total abandonment to Jesus and Mary.

The Trinity

What a mystery!
El Greco's painting of the Most Holy Trinity is one way to consider this essential Catholic doctrine.
Another is to look at each of the Persons of the Trinity and reflect on their existence. In that respect, God the Father is our Abba, or Daddy. El Greco and others possibly do Him a disservice to have us envision Him as an old man. Abba is our Father but not necessarily an old man. He is the vibrant, eternal Being who wants us to know and share His innermost Being. He sent His Son to lead us to Him, and He desires us to know both Him and the Son.
One of my goals during the next 33 days of preparation for my total consecration to Jesus through Mary is to also have Jesus and Mary show me the Father. I want to know the innermost Being of the Father who has adopted me into His eternal family, into the Trinity.
I think it is so providential that I have been able to make such a fundamental transition in my life in order to plunge into service as an aspirant to the diaconate, unencumbered by the role I used to have as a public figure running a school. Being in a subsidiary role allows me to express more fully this dynamic development towards service and love of God than I have ever been able to do.
I can minister to more people in this fashion, and to offer deeper relationships to those I serve, even those individuals to whom I request money for DeLaSalle.
I believe that God is using my recent life changes to allow me to be more open to His grace, and to embrace that grace and to live it more openly, and to witness to His love for us, for me. What a blessing!
The Trinity brought this to mind for me, and so I wanted to share it with you. I know this is jumbled, but it is heartfelt!

Annual and Total Consecration

Today I begin my 33 day preparation for my annual total consecration to Jesus through the Blessed Mother.
That's a mouthful, isn't it?!
But it means so much to me, especially this year, as I have changed my life so dramatically to follow the Lord more deeply.
This total consecration was a practice revealed many years ago to a French priest, St. Louis Marie de Montford (pictured).
Some call it an archaic and outdated practice.
But it has had miraculous affects in my life, and has led me consistently deeper into the mystery of God's love for me and for all of us.

St. Gregory and the Perils of Administration

Today is the feast of St. Gregory the Great, an administrator in the Roman Empire, monk and then pope. While in the monastery, he was known for codifying monastic prayer and developing Gregorian chant.
But most interestingly, he was a prolific and engaging writer. He wrote of his frustrations with himself, and the problems he faced upon leaving monastic life for the papacy. He observed that he was consumed with the matters of administration. His mind was "divided and torn to pieces" by problems, he found that he let his "tongue run" and was drawn into "idle conversation" and talking "freely about matters which once I would have avoided. What once I found tedious I now enjoy."
Since leaving my administrative responsibilities, I resonate with these thoughtful observations of such an honest and holy man. I hope I did not lead too many people astray by my chatter and droning on about things when I ran DeLaSalle. It's been good for me to step back from what I once thought was so essential to my life, and to try to do things differently and with more love and purpose. I pray that God can lead me more deeply into loving service without focusing too much on myself.

Office Blessing

I was honored today that my pastor and KC housemate came down to Eleventh Street this morning to bless my office. Father Carlos Saligumba prayed that my work in my office would reflect God's glory and bring about much good. Amen!

Dogs, Chickens and Cats, Oh My!

Here are two of our four dogs, two of our twenty chickens, and none of our five cats. Yes, it's quite a menagerie in Mountain View, Hawaii!