I chose this photo because this Sunday, May 19, 2013 the worldwide Catholic Church celebrates the annual Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Twelve Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31. Baptisms, as these catechumens in the photo prepare for, are often celebrated as part of this Feastday. Some commentators have identified this as the “birthday of Church.” This has always made sense to me. In fact, I remember one Pentecost when I gave balloons to all who attended the Sunday liturgy. At the conclusion of the Mass all joined together in singing “Happy Birthday to the Church.”

Greater reflection on the link between the photo and caption prompted me to wonder about the instructional catechism being read by these boys. Like so many Catholics, did they have to learn the basic seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? They are wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the Lord), counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence).

The above attributes can be identified with principles of Confucian thought and long-standing Buddhist tradition. I wanted to go back and consult the many missionary letters, available in the Passionist China Collection to learn how the local Chinese catechist teachers and or the priests and Sisters taught the principles of the Catholic faith in the context of Chinese culture. Were the social rituals related to Confucius considered taboo? Was their catechism written in Chinese?

The boys who were gathered together at this classroom on the steps of the church seemed in deep concentration but they also appear serene. I wondered how they prepared for their exam. Were they reading their lessons out loud? Were they studying in silence?  I wondered how their faith made sense in 1930s China. Yuanling, West Hunan locals had survived the bandit infested 1920s. Beginning in 1937 the region would face repeated bombing by the Japanese.

In the end, this photo brings up questions about the delicate introduction of Christian thought into a new culture. How was it taught and how did the boys themselves feel as they came to know Christ in context of their own culture? Today, our world struggles with the differences of religion and cultures, maybe there are lessons to be learned as we study the missionaries approach to teaching in another culture. Read their letters and find out!

Ask the Historian a Question

To support this project, Fr. Rob and Passionists must undertake fundraising for $15,000 per year to cover part of his living expenses.

If you like this photo please consider supporting this effort by making a gift of $25 or $50-the cost of a meal at a Chinese restaurant. But please know that no gift is too small. Make your make out your check toPassionist History Ministries. Mail it to:

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
Christian Brothers
1075 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Thank you,

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.

Visit our website every Friday to see a new China photo. Click here to see previous China photos.

Related articles

• The Sign Magazine: West Hunan Faces
• West Hunan: Death in 1929 to Teach a Life Time of History
• West Hunan: Chinese Boys at Play

The post Yuanling, West Hunan: The Steps of Faith appeared first on The Passionists.

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The post John Paul George – “Heart of a Lion” appeared first on The Passionists.

The Passionist priests assigned to West Hunan employed mass servers, mission workers, and catechists. However, “mission boys” and “street Christians” were unfamiliar terms to me. Basic research on the sources in the Passionist China Collection indicated that both adults and young people who wanted to become Catholics were called catechumens.  These catechumens received prolonged instruction that could last up to several months. Priests, sisters, and catechists paid special attention to devotional prayers and practices. According to need, each of the local Passionist mission sites adapted an overall evangelization plan. Some mission sites developed a residency program whereby the male and female candidates lived at the mission during their time of instruction. Thus a special bond was created in faith. This had economic consequences as well. In some cases, Chinese Catholics supported each other in their quest for local goods and services.  More study is needed on the details surrounding this effort.

Sometimes the missionaries coined their own terms to explain their life and ministry in West Hunan to people back home. At other times, the same categories were employed by all who participated in missionary venture.  In any case, I am puzzled by difference between the “mission boys” and “street Christians.”

In the end this is one of the photos in the Passionist China Collection that is both visually appealing and leaves me with some unanswered questions:  Were they part of the catechumenate process? Were they orphans? Did they go to schools operated by the missionaries? How does the rest of their family fit into the story? Why do the mission boys wear white shirts? Finally, what is the special event that led to these four Passionist priests and boys to come together for the photo?

Ask the Historian a Question

To support this project, Fr. Rob and Passionists must undertake fundraising for $15,000 per year to cover part of his living expenses.

If you like this photo please consider supporting this effort by making a gift of $25 or $50-the cost of a meal at a Chinese restaurant. But please know that no gift is too small. Make your make out your check toPassionist History Ministries. Mail it to:

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
Christian Brothers
1075 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Thank you,

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.

Visit our website every Friday to see a new China photo. Click here to see previous China photos.

Related articles

• West Hunan: Chinese Boys at Play
• The Sign Magazine: West Hunan Faces
• Clothes and Feminine Faces in West Hunan

The post West Hunan: Mission Boys and Street Christians appeared first on The Passionists.

When Pope Benedict stepped into the helicopter at 5:00 pm on February 28^th, the bells of Rome began to peal.  As I observed the scene on television, I felt my eyes water and I choked back a sob.  It was a poignant moment.  Within minutes, Shepherd I flew out over the Coliseum and the gardens of Saints John and Paul.  For me personally, memories, long forgotten, came flying back.

As Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger had visited the Passionist Motherhouse several times.  He often was the guest celebrant for major feasts, including those of Saint Paul of the Cross.  His homilies were clear, precise and short.  Sometimes the members of the Passionist Community would observe him walking slowly through the garden while he made his preparation for Holy Mass.  It was an impressive sight.

One of the happiest of his visits was an occasion celebrating the canonization of a Passionist saint.  In those days, the sisters made outstanding cuisine.  As always, the Passionist students concluded the meal by bringing out the dessert and shaking bottles of champagne before popping the corks.  One student was too close to the Cardinal.  The top of the bottle flew to the ceiling and bounced off one of the chandeliers before aiming itself at the Cardinal’s head.  As the cork flew by, it took off his red zucchetto.  The Cardinal grabbed the cork and his little red beanie.  The entire refectory was on its feet applauding the man whom they considered to be a stiff and reserved curial Cardinal.  He did not hesitate to take bows and wave his red hat to every corner of the room.  Joseph Ratzinger was a man of character and humor.  This was one time when the entire Community experienced his Bavarian Lebensfreude (joie de vivre).

I had one memorable experience with him.  I was waiting for a taxi in front of Saint Peter’s Basilica.  The rain was a veritable deluge.  I did not see him come up behind me, but he recognized me from my habit.  He placed his oversized umbrella above my head and said in perfect English, “Do you mind if I keep you company while you wait for your taxi?”  I had other encounters with him, most of them over a cup of tea while reviewing the results of the several ecumenical dialogues.  One would have to describe him as gentle, polite and humble.  He manifested the same attitude at post-prandial coffee at Saints John and Paul gaudemaus meals, greeting each Religious warmly.

Perhaps the closest Passionist to him is Father Martin Bialas, a Czech who twice was Provincial of the German Vice-Province.  He prepared his doctrinal dissertation under Professor Ratzinger at Regensburg.  The two became close friends and from Father Martin’s original research the latter received new and profound insight into the Paschal Mystery.  The title of Bialas’ dissertation was “The Mysticism of the Passion in Saint Paul of the Cross.”  The evidence of their theological exchange is found in Benedict’s first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.

Father Martin introduced the future Pope to our doctrine of the Sacro Costato  (The Holy Side of Jesus).  This devotion of Saint Paul of the Cross (1693-1775), founder of the Passionists, is a part of his tender spirituality.  It is found primarily in his correspondence with Bishop Thomas Struzzi, C.P. (one of the first companions);  a layman, Thomas Fossi and Agnes Calabrazzi, one of his first directees.  It is believed that Paul derived his personal devotion from the insights of Margaret Mary Alacoque and Claude de la Colombiere, saints of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who lived a century before.  Saint Paul was aware of Claude de la Colombiere because of their mutual interest in ecclesiastical affairs in England.

Benedict’s recognition of Passionist mysticism is highlighted in paragraph 12 of Deus Caritas Est.

“His [Jesus’] death on the Cross is the culmination of the turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him.  This is love in its most radical form.  By contemplating the pierced side of Christ, we can understand the starting point of this encyclical letter: ‘God is love.’  It is there that this truth can be contemplated.  It is from there that our definition of love must begin.  In this contemplation, the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move.”

Both Benedict and Paul of the Cross use the Latin word canto which simultaneously means sing and contemplate.  Having observed Cardinal Ratzinger praying alone before the tomb of Saint Paul of the Cross, the memory of those words returns to me now that he has resigned.  Saint Paul of the Cross encouraged his spiritual children to rest quietly in Jesus’ open side.  Father Jude Mead, C.P. described the open side of Jesus as the essential vocation of the Passionist Nuns.  Father Jude’s book was essentially about the first Passionist Nun, Mother Mary Crucified (in secular life, Faustina Gertrude Constantini).  Educated by the Filippini  Sisters, she later became a Benedictine Nun, taking the name Candida.  As a result of the direction of Saint Paul of the Cross, she left her Abbey to establish a Passionist cloister retreat.  One of her blood sisters joined her there.  They sought to associate themselves with the reparation for sin symbolized by the Crucified Body of Christ.

Saint Paul of the Cross advised her to wait for a propitious moment to enter the “cleft,” i.e. the open wound at the side of the Redeemer from which flow blood and the bodily fluids of the human Jesus.  Physically speaking, this was recognized by the Church of the Patristic Era to be the exact moment of Jesus’ death, for there was nothing left to sustain his life.  Medieval mystics saw this as the exact second of Jesus’ reparation to the Father for the sins of humankind.  Mother Candida prepared herself for her new and unique Passionist vocation by a lifetime of learning patience and donning a habit of politeness, tenderness and affability.  Her expectation was to become united specifically to the death of Jesus, but with the attitude which Jesus displayed to the good thief, the women he encountered on the road to Calvary and even his executioners.  It was a life of contradictions and suffering.  Father Jude portrays it thus in his book, Dove in the Cleft.  This is what Saint Paul of the Cross expected of his daughters in religion.    He also highlighted this sentence from their primitive Rule.

“… they (the Nuns) shall fulfill (their vow to promote  devotion to Jesus’ Passion) in their own souls and by diligently applying themselves to meditating on this mystery in holy prayer, especially since meditation on the Passion is most useful in all three ways of the spiritual life…”  (p.191).

Thus the vocation to become a Dove in the Cleft is associated with daily prayer at the foot of the Cross and is the exemplification of the sacred side of Jesus.

In his academic work with Professor Ratzinger, Martin Bialas united the concept of the traditional “reparative side”  of Jesus to the Paschal Mystery, which includes the Resurrection and Ascension.  Bialas wrote:

“Saint Paul of the Cross lived in deep interior union with the suffering Christ (Christus Patiens) and took as his own the responsibility to preach Christus Crucifixus   Because of this, it is not surprising that the Paschal Mystery, especially the passion and death of Jesus, was the mystery of faith that, more than any other, had a lasting influence upon the thought and spiritual doctrine.”

Bialas then went on to quote Saint Vincent Strambi, Paul’s companion and first biographer:  “Somebody would have to have (Paul’s) heart and his tongue to be able to express well the affection with which he meditated upon the Lord’s passion and the fruit he obtained.”  Most of all, Paul had a sense of drama which he used to great effect while conducting missions.  He always pointed with his finger to the open side of Christ on his preacher’s cross.

When put together, the components of a spiritual biography of Saint Paul of the Cross might include:

1. the directive given to Mother Mary Crucified – patiens – a word that in both Italian and Latin means pain, patience and long-suffering;
2. the Sign worn by the Passionists, which in its own way symbolizes, not only the contemplation of the Cross, but also  the open side of Jesus;
3. the invitation to enter the entire Paschal Mystery through the open side of Christ. a concept aligned with the “Mystical Body” as described by Saint Paul the Apostle in Ephesians 1: 23. While formulating his spirituality under the direction of the Holy Spirit,  “(Paul) remained in an intimate union of prayer with the suffering and crucified Lord”   (Bialas, p.197).  The late Father Augustine Paul Hennessey, C.P. delivered an annual lecture to the students at Holy Cross Prep on the importance of this point for future Passionists.  This new note added to the treatise seemingly comes from Joseph Ratzinger, who did not hesitate to direct his student toward attention to the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.

If we have been invited into the glorified body of Jesus, especially through the display of his open side to the Apostle Thomas, and Paul of the Cross invited his first female Religious to assume that role,  and the Passionist Congregation named one of its first Provinces Sacro Costato, (The Holy Chest) it is important for us to realize that as Jesus ascended into heaven through his holy side, because of the Doctrine of the Mystical Body, we are assured that on the Ascension, we are in heaven now!

Our own Father Bennet Kelley, C.P. made the point clear for us in his marvelous Spiritual Direction According to Saint Paul of the Cross.  He placed it under the title Let God Work.

“Paul of the Cross’ whole approach to prayer was the traditional approach of the Church’s great mystics, but directly contrary to the do-it-yourself mentality so common to most today.  He believed that the Lord (of the Ascension) is the author of prayer.  As his great namesake, Paul the apostle put it,  ‘We don’t know how to pray as we should; instead, the Spirit himself pleads for us’  (Rm 8:26).  Paul of the Cross was a faithful follower of this teaching both for himself and those he directed”  (Kelley, p. 67).

Conclusion

It is obvious that Pope Benedict XVI was familiar with the writing and spirituality of Saint Paul of the Cross.  Because he was so theologically gifted, he was able to peer into the mysticism which Paul of the Cross intended to convey.  We know this because of the numerous years he spent working with Father Martin Bialas.  On more than one occasion he informed the Community at Saints John and Paul that he carefully worked through the Paulacrucian spirituality, even while he was under the pressures of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  He said bluntly:  “It inspires me.  It motivates me.  I am always privileged to come here to your Motherhouse to celebrate your Passionist feasts in the presence of the body of your Holy Mystical Founder.”

It was only later into his pontificate that Pope John Paul II came to know Saint Paul of the Cross and the special insights he possessed regarding the Passion of Jesus .  Shortly after the election of Father Ottaviano d’Egidio as General of the Passionists in 2001, John Paul II surprised everyone by arriving at the first Foundation of the Congregation at Monte Argentario.  He informed the Community that he was just beginning to read the letters and diaries of Saint Paul of the Cross.

On the other hand, Joseph Ratzinger came to the Chair of Peter thoroughly imbued with the charism of Saint Paul of the Cross.  When I saw his helicopter fly for the last time over our Motherhouse and its gardens,  I could not help but reflect that the Passionists, men and women alike, were always close to his heart.  He will be missed!

- Father Jerome Vereb, C.P.

The post Pope Benedict XVI and the Passionists appeared first on The Passionists.

Dear Friends:

I am writing to let you know about a special Speakers Series that will be sponsored by the Passionist Community in the Fall of 2013. This series will be held in conjunction with our celebration of the 160^th Anniversary of Passionist presence and ministry in the United States.

During the years 2012-15, the Church is marking the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. This series of lectures is focused on Vatican II and its meaning for Catholics today. It is titled: “Vatican II: Then and Now.”

We will be very blessed to have three internationally known theologians as presenters for this series – Stephen Bevans, SVD, Louis J. Luzbetak Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union; Donald Senior, CP, President of Catholic Theological Union; and  Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University. The dates and titles of their lectures are as follows:

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 – Stephen Bevans, SVD – “Vatican II: A Council Like None Other”
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 -  Donald Senior, CP – “Vatican II and Scripture”
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 – Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ – “Joys, Hopes, Griefs, Anxieties: The Church in the Modern World”

All of these lectures will take place at Bishop Molloy Passionist Retreat House in Jamaica Estates, New York.

I hope that you will be able to join us for these presentations. All of us will be enriched and inspired by the wisdom of these important thinkers.

Peace,

Fr. Robin Ryan, C.P.

For reservations and more information contact the Bishop Molloy Retreat House office at 718-739-1229 or e-mail bmehtab@cpprov.org.

The post Passionist Speakers Series appeared first on The Passionists.

In 1926 an addition was added doubling the capacity to 800. This was followed by a basement Church where the first Mass celebrated was the Christmas midnight Mass of 1929. In 1962 the present upper Church was opened.

As the years went by many cultural changes took place. Today the challenge, being faced by the parish, is to build a parish community from the present multicultural population of Jamaica and Jamaica Estates.

Today the Immaculate Conception parish consists of registered members from 71 different countries and the average Sunday attendance is 1,778 worshipers who are served by three Passionist priests. Masses are conducted primarily in English and Spanish and once each month in French.

Immaculate Conception School is a Catholic parochial co-educational elementary school, providing a quality education for its 507 students from 36 countries. The students develop intercultural appreciation and friendships.

The Aquinas Honor Society, a school program under the umbrella of the Brooklyn diocese, offers engaging learning experiences for academically gifted Catholic schoolchildren in Brooklyn and Queens. It has received many awards for its achievements.

The parish also effectively meets the demands of a multicultural parish so that all members interact with each other and find unity in their Catholic faith while at the same time allowing the different cultures to have some of their own social events.

The present pastor, Fr. William Murphy, C.P, assisted by Fr. Theophane Cooney, C.P. and Fr. Jack Douglas, C.P., has worked diligently to have               all the major ministries of the parish represented by people from different cultures. These efforts have resulted in lasting b onds of friendship across cultural lines.

Members of this parish reach out to non-practicing baptized Catholics inviting them to actively share in the beauty and richness of an intercultural parish. All are welcome here!

- Fr. Stephen Haslach, C.P.

The post Immaculate Conception: A Passionist Multicultural Parish appeared first on The Passionists.

Three things intrigued me when I first saw this photo. First, these boys were not working in the fields. They had time on their hands and were playing. Second, at first glance I came to the conclusion that these boys were not orphans. This is because of their engaging presence. They exhibited concentration, excitement, competition, relaxation, and companionship. Chances are they lived in local housing nearby the Passionist mission church. I think a photo of orphans might have been a bit more structured in style and content. Third, the Passionist priest who took the photo probably knew the boys by sight. Perhaps he even knew their names. In fact, letters of missionaries’ assigned to the West Hunan area in the first decade often comment on how they often took the opportunity to speak and listen to boys on the street when they it came to their learning Chinese. Through these conversations they slowly began to build their confidence as missionaries. Of course, many times the youngsters laughed because the missionaries used the wrong tones. On the other hand, this was a better option than speaking with street vendors. They didn’t have time to converse because they had the more serious goal: to sell their wares and make money. You might say that while the boys played Chinese chess and the missionary played with the Chinese language. The street could easily be a place of cross cultural exchange.

During the 1920s and 1930s The Sign Magazine, the national U.S. Catholic monthly magazine published by Passionists, offered readers back in the U.S. a way to learn about the changes that were taking place in Chinese society. Missionaries wrote about how they witnessed famine, faced bandits, took care of orphans, tried to convert pagans and live their everyday life in the a local village such as Yuanzhou or in Catholic out missions in the rural countryside.

This 1920s photo from the Passionist China Collection reminds us that these young boys had time to enjoy life and games. They also played with sticks, went swimming and just enjoyed investigating the local alleys of the village. As time went on perhaps some of these boys did get an education. In time, the turmoil of war might have led one boy to join the military as a Nationalist while another might have opted to be a Communist. Because they were local it is also true that the best opportunity might have been to become a street vendor and raise a family. After all, security revolved around time honored Chinese social relationships. In the end, this photo of Chinese young boys at play captures a moment in time that reflects the social process of growing up in 1920s China.

Ask the Historian a Question

To support this project, Fr. Rob and Passionists must undertake fundraising for $15,000 per year to cover part of his living expenses.

If you like this photo please consider supporting this effort by making a gift of $25 or $50-the cost of a meal at a Chinese restaurant. But please know that no gift is too small. Make your make out your check toPassionist History Ministries. Mail it to:

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
Christian Brothers
1075 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Thank you,

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.

Visit our website every Friday to see a new China photo. Click here to see previous China photos.

Related articles

• West Hunan: Street Life and Social Entertainment
• The Sign Magazine: West Hunan Faces
• The Sisters of Saint Joseph in West Hunan

The post West Hunan: Chinese Boys at Play appeared first on The Passionists.

We celebrate today with his brother Ronald and his wife Maureen, his Sister Maria and her husband Peter, with Sister Assumpta, and with his brother Joseph who is not with us today. We also celebrate Anselm’s life and new life with his friends who’ve gathered because they loved him.

To give just a bit of history, we know that Anselm grew up on Hungry Hill in Springfield Massachusetts in a family where the promise of faith was formed around a family with a strong handed father who’d emigrated from Italy and his mother Mary from Springfield.

You may not know, however, that the part of Springfield referred to as Hungry Hill was, and perhaps still is, stronghold of the Irish. When I talked about this with Sister Assumpta last night she mentioned that there were probably only two Italian families on Hungry Hill at the time.

If you’ve ever wondered why Anselm became a chef just remember that he grew upon on HUNGRY HILL. He was a young man hungry to serve, to make a difference, and yes, even to get God’s attention.

It was in the mix of his Italian family and this Irish brew that Anselm grew in faith and eventually met the Passionists at Our Lady of Sorrows Monastery on the other side of the river. He was a young man

It was there, in the Chapel and Dining Room of the Passionist Retreat House, where Anselm learned about a young man named Paul Danei who lived from 1694 to 1775, a young man who hoped to live a simple hermit like life while preaching the message of the Passion. Eventually Paul’s simple vision and message attracted others and even more others until they and the Church began to imagine and build a foundation and Congregation guided by one mission;

 “PROMOTE IN EVERYONE’S HEART THE MEMORY

OF THE PASSION OF JESUS”

It was the spirit of Paul Daneo, St. Paul of the Cross that captured the heart and soul of Anselm calling him to join the brotherhood of the Passion and like all other Passsionists, promote in word and deed the message of the Cross, as best described today through the perspective of our first reading from the Book of Genesis, call to promote;

• The message that God so loved the earth and world that he would call it Good and send his Son to remind us of its goodness, so much so that we can celebrate the Eucharist everyday with the wheat and grapes the earth provides for us.
• The message that Jesus died on the Cross to remind us that all men and women are created good and equal and that we are called to encourage that goodness especially by sharing the goods of the earth with the poor who have too little.
• The message that Jesus died that we might in all honesty confess our sharp differences, tribalism, failures, sins, and faults, while never forgetting that we too were created Good in the eyes of God, and are called to forgive, forgive, forgive.

My first question when I was graciously given the opportunity to preach today was “how on God’s good earth will I ever catch such a colorful personality and the life of a man like Brother Anselm Catalucchi in a few or even in too many words?”

My only answer was that I won’t because no one can. Only God can do that. Only God knows the heart and intent of Anselm’s soul story. Only God and can give him eternal rest by offering a chair at the sacred banquet prepared for him.

When I first heard that Brother Anselm died I couldn’t help but remember myself as a teenager working behind the stainless steel counter washing the dishes in the Kitchen of Holy Family Monastery as Brother Anselm cooked away with pots and pans banging.

I also recalled helping Brother Victor in the large Laundry at Holy Family on Saturdays wash, dry and fold the hundreds of sheets from the previous weekends Retreats and talking about the vocation of the Passionist Brothers.

It was through the influence of the many Passionist Brothers I met that I decided to enter our Passionist Seminary Residence to study and discern whether I too would live and work as a Passionist Brother. I studied during these collage years, went to Novitiate and there decided that I would live the rest of my life as a Passionist, to preach in word and deed the message of a loving God, crucified that we might live.

It was only in the Novitiate that I felt called and then chose to live as a Passionist Brother and to minister as a Priest.

My early memories of when I first met and worked with Brother Anselm as a boy, then jumped into the last few years of living here in our Immaculate Conception Monastery where Anselm continued, as best he could, to serve, pray, and share the wildly imaginative stories of his life and journey.

I heard stories from Father Dunstan of how hard Brother Anselm worked to filled out form after form so that the elder-wise and ill in our community could receive all the health benefits due them.

I repeatedly saw Sister Assumpta, Anselm’s sister visit and care for tenderly whether he was calm or ready to strike out with frustration. I, like many of you, saw other family members gather as best they could to visit with the man they loved, to laugh and cry with him.

I saw Anselm leaning on the arm of Fr. James Gillette who showed such tender care for his fellow brother. And when I asked Fr. Gillette the other day if he could preach today what he would want to say, he said in response, “Anselm was nailed to the Cross but then – God wants it all, gets it all, and asks us to willingly give it all. That is the response of a Passionist.

With all of these memories swirling around in my heart and after realizing that today we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a feast second only for those of the Italian Heritage, to the Solemn Feast of St. Joseph, on March 19^th I sought out the homily that our new Pope Francis gave on that day in St. Peter Square, the very day of his installation as Pope.

Here, in part, is a small portion of how the Pope described the vocation of St. Joseph the worker, “Saint Joseph,” he preached, “appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”

We come together today, blood family, heart family, and as the Passionist Family to gather around this altar to celebrate the Eucharist, to celebrate the goodness of our Brother Anselm, the work of this man, the brotherhood we shared for so many years, and to forgive him for whatever may have divided him from the God he so willingly promised to follow.

We come together in all goodness to remember how tenderly Anselm, beneath all his bravado, fed those he met along the way.

He fed us, his brothers in community, as a talented Chef. In fact, if you ask someone in the community about Anselm’ cooking they would probably say, “He was a great cook.” Of course, Anselm would probably say the same about himself.

Anselm also fed by example, reminding us just how sacred the vocation of being a Passionist Brother is, and how uniquely our Brothers preach in deed and word:

• some as artists whose paintings hang on the walls of our Monasteries,
• some who share in the Missionary spirit in foreign lands,
• some sharing as speakers and preachers when invited to give Parish Missions or Presentations in Retreat House’s,
• some who respond with gratitude by writing letters to those who make donations to our community,
• some, who serve at Monastery receptionists or Retreat House hosts and administrators,
• some who have been elected to serve in the Congregations decision making in Rome,
• some by caring for the elderly and sick before we had the services of the good Aides that help us now, some of whom are in this room.

And some serving for years in the ministry of caring for these huge buildings and grounds around them so that we could turn on a faucet and actually find water flowing, or turn a switch and find light.

Brother Anselm also fed us with encouragement when he wandered away for a time and then was brave enough to return to us again.

He fed us when he stepped up and reached out to tenderly minister to those in the Springfield area who were living with AIDS.

Let me then end with a story that is true but never happened, but one that just may describe the kind of Religious Brother Anselm hoped to become.

Once upon a Kingdom, a King, lonely and tired of sitting around alone in his castle decided to take a ride alone out into the country side. He mounted his horse, pushed away his guards and set out alone.

It wasn’t long before the King started to find himself a bit lost. Eventually as evening fell he found himself even more lost.

After wandering for hours into the night, growing more tired and dirty by the minute he saw a light off in the distance.

It didn’t take long for the King to arrive at the door over which the little light was shining. It was the back door of a Monastery.

The King knocked and knocked until a Brother dressed in a Black robe and wearing the sign of a heart on his chest opened the door and welcomed the stranger in.

It wasn’t long before the King was sitting at the Monastery kitchen table being offered a bit of wine and bread.

The King devoured what was offered and thanked the Brother for his goodness. Finally, the king, without revealing who he was, asked the Brother if he could have the recipe for the bread saying, “that was the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten. Can I not only have the recipe but can you then point the way toward the castle of this Kingdom.

Once back in the Castle, the King, woke his royal baker, and demanded he immediately make a loaf of bread using the exact recipe the Brother had given him.

The Baker did as he was ordered.

The King then sat at his royal table alone and tested the bread spitting out the first bite.

“This tastes nothing like the bread the Brother baked. Try again he told the Baker.”

Time and time again the Baker tried to duplicate the precise taste of the bread that the King had eaten at the Brother’s table but none of it tasted as good as the Brothers.

Finally realizing that the Brother must have left out some secret ingredient in the recipe he went back to the Monastery to get the full recipe.

Upon his arrival the King was again met by the Brother.

“You may not have recognized me when I was lost and wandered into your Monastery Kitchen but I am the King of this Kingdom and although you gave me the recipe for the bread you fed me that night, my baker cannot duplicate it. You must, he demanded left out some secret ingredient.

“I did not,” the Brother answered.

But you must have because my royal baker tried time after time to bake the bread and never could. Hour after hour I sat alone testing each and every loaf my baker made. So tell me, what did you leave out he asked.”

“It is not what I left out of the recipe but rather what you left out mighty King. If you wanted the bread to taste as it did when you came to our Monastery so lost and tired, you should have shared it with someone who’d been as lost as you were.”

We can be sure today as we celebrate this Eucharist of Life for our Brother that he now shares in the Banquet of the Kingdom.

But, I would imagine, having known this rambunctious man that he would probably not sit long at the kingdom banquet table before wandering into the kitchen to offer the cook a recipe.

The recipe would be as follows.

3 cups of unbleached flour —- 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast

1 tablespoon of honey —- 2/3 cup hot water —- 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of butter — 3 tablespoons of anise — 1/3 cup golden raisins — and 1 tablespoon of cornmeal

This is the recipe for St. Joseph’s Bread.

Only now, however, is the full story known of Anselm’s life and loves, hurts and fears, pains and gains, sorrow and sin, joy and hopes, and that story is known only by God. Let it be so.

- Fr. John Powers, C.P.

Related articles

• Brother Anselm Catalucci, C.P. (1932-2013)

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A compassionate and kind man, Brother Anselm Catalucci ministered to persons living with AIDS and to their families in Worcester, Massachusetts. He coordinated health care programs for Passionist Brothers and priests in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Jamaica, New York, and West Hartford, Connecticut. He held memberships in the National Association of Religious Brothers and the National Catholic AIDS Network. He retired to Holy Family Monastery, West Hartford, Connecticut in 2001 and later moved to Immaculate Conception Monastery in Jamaica, NY.

Funeral Arrangements:

Wake: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Immaculate Conception Monastery Chapel
3:00 p.m. Reception of the Body
7:00 p.m. Prayer Service

Funeral: Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Immaculate Conception Monastery Choir
9:00 a.m. Funeral Mass
(Burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Springfield, MA)

Please consider making a donation in Br. Anselm Catalucci’s  memory to the Passionist Retirement Fund.

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The post Brother Anselm Catalucci, C.P. (1932-2013) appeared first on The Passionists.