December 2004

Today is Christmas eve. The parish is gearing up for the onslaught of visitors. We have so many tonight that we need to have 6 masses. Boy am I glad that Fr. Gilles is back, and that Fr. Mike Shaw will be assisting us. As for myself, I’ve been taking the day easy, preparing my homily and meditating on the mystery before us.

My pastor arrived back from his sabbatical today, having driven all the way from Chicago. Boy am I glad to have him back! I mean, it *has* been fun being the parochial administrator in his absence (as well as a great learning experience), but I’ve missed the company of a good friend and mentor. As well, as some may have noticed, this parish is a very busy place! Having one more priest at their service can only be a good thing for the people.

For the last several weeks we’ve been had a small committee going here at the parish to review the Vatican document Redemptionis Sacramentum, which outlines things to do and not do regarding the Eucharist. We’ve simply taken one chapter per meeting, read it out loud together, occasionally had some additional explanation, and finally done an honest assessment to see where we are in line versus where we need to improve.

I got a call this afternoon, around 4pm, to go and visit a parishioner who has entered into the terminal phase of a long-running cancer. We don’t expect her to live much longer, although she has surprised us before.

Today our parish DRE generously invited me over for supper, and as I got the tour of the house I couldn’t help but notice the network of computers in the basement. One of her sons started to tell me about the games installed, and when I discovered one of them was Red Alert 2 (n.b. this link uses IE-specific features) I asked him, “Wanna go head-to-head?” Next thing I know the German army (me) is up against the Libyans (him) in a fight for survival.

Today I had a very special opportunity: the chance to preside the First Communion of one of our parish children. You may be wondering, “What’s so special about that? Don’t you do lots of those as a priest?” Well, yes, but this young man is in a bit of a special situation due to his autism. The family approached the parish and asked if something special could be done for him, as he might not handle the large crowds well as a regular First Communion situation, and we were happy to oblige.

Tonight was the annual Christmas party hosted by the Cardinal for the English-speaking sector of the diocese. Unfortunately I missed half of it: on my way into town, as traffic was moving slowly along the highway, my car was rear-ended.

Again.

Today I visited a woman in an elder-care residence. The family had asked her if she wanted to receive the Anointing of the Sick, she is very old and sickly, and she had said yes. They then invited me to go see her and offer her the sacrament, so off I went.

When I arrived she was sleeping, bundled up under her covers. She did not look well at all. I called out her name, and she woke with a puzzled look on her face. “I’m a Catholic priest,” I said to her, pointing to my collar. “Would you like to receive the Anointing?” She nodded yes.

I was supposed to go visit a family last week in order to bless their house, but because I was sick I had to cancel. We made up for it today, and I had the pleasure to pray with them and scatter some holy water.

The infant daughter of one of our parish families is in the hospital with meningitis. Please pray for them.

The mail today brought my complementary copy of the 5th edition rules for Ars Magica, as well as the Calebais adventure. If you look real hard you’ll find my name in the credits for each book, as I helped review the rules, and even contributed a game design suggestion.

So not only am I a priest with a blog, I am also a priest who helps design role-playing games. Just call me “Father Übergeek”.

One of my colleagues, Fr. Fred Kirouac, is off to Rome next February for 8 weeks, as part of a diocesan program called the “stage de Rome”. It will give him a chance to live Lent and Holy Week with the Pope, as well as encounter the members of the various Roman congregations and, in a sense, live the “catholicity” of the Church.

I presented a report this morning to propose the restructuring of the West Island Pastoral Council. The council, which groups together 11 parishes of the West Island, had been drifting a bit. A sub-committee was appointed last May to look into how this might become more effective, and I got the job of presenting the plan.