Passionist Father Edward Beck and Chris Cuomo discuss the passionate and often furious viewer feedback they have received on their coverage of the proposed mosque at Ground Zero.
Brother Andre Mathieu, C.P.
A Passionist pastoral ministry to the aged and the sick, to the dying and those who grieve
- Brother Andre Mathieu C.P.
Ministry to the bereaved and their loved ones is deeply rooted in the charism of the Passionist Community. We are called to walk with those crucified. We know that we cannot do so unless we are willing to take up our own personal crosses and follow Jesus. We cannot be companions to those who are bereaved unless we are willing to walk our own journey of grief in healing ways.
“The love of God is very ingenious and is proved, not so much by word’), but by the deeds and actions of lovers ” (Saint Paul of the Cross). These words have motivated me in my life as a Passionist Brother in changing times and have helped me explore new ways of being Passionist. During my forty-eight years as a Passionist, our community has generously presented me with opportunities to obtain advanced degrees in the fields of aging, death and dying (Gerontology and Thanatology) as well as a variety of ministerial experiences. For the past 14 years, I have been assigned to our preaching ministry directing a variety of programs especially with older women/men Religious. My talks and my one-on-one counseling with others find their roots in our Passionist tradition and in the teachings of our Founder.
One of my favorite paintings is that of “Estasi di S. Paolo Croce” in SS. John and Paul, Rome. Paul embraces Jesus Crucified; Jesus reaches down from the cross and embraces Paul. This speaks to me of God’s absolute unconditional love. God so loved us that He entered the messiness of human experience in the person of His Son. This Jesus invites us to address the Almighty as Father and invites us into a personal love relationship with Him. The proof of the Father’s love is Jesus’ total self-giving on the cross. God’s love is an ever present reality in our lives. God’s presence is often mediated through human hands. I believe that a compassionate, non-judgmental, listening presence is at the heart of ministry to those suffering loss.
Saint Paul of the Cross laid great emphasis on the practice of the Presence of God. He urged men and women to begin their day by consciously choosing to place themselves in the Presence of God by making acts of faith and hope and remaining focused in the moment. For Paul, God was alive and at work in the present moment, and it was vitally important to maintain conscious contact with God throughout the day. Life can be overwhelming for those bereaved especially when projecting into an unknown or unsettling future. I believe that it is crucial to live focused in the present moment entrusting one’s self to a God named Love.
I seek to put my ministry in the context of our Fourth Vow, the Memoria Passionis. I increasingly draw insight and personal strength from the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and incorporate these insights in my retreats. The human Jesus struggles with acceptance of the Father’s Will. He is bereaved of human consolation. His disciples are asleep. From this moment onward, He is plunged into His Sacred Passion and suffers the loss of everything: His freedom; His companions; His dignity; His life. All women and men wrestle with the mystery of suffering in their lives and in our world (Haiti).
Kenosis the letting go -is at the heart of Christian spirituality and certainly at the heart of Passionist spirituality. Jesus is our mode1. Jesus invites us to go up to Jerusalem with Him to be betrayed, condemned to death and to die on the cross each one in his/her own unique way. The invitation is universal and to the point: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)
This is our story. If we die with the Lord, we will rise with the Lord. Ministry to the bereaved consists in being a companion to those who experience multiple losses, helping them walk their journey of Gethsemane, Calvary, Golgotha. I believe that I cannot be a worthy companion to those bereaved unless I am immersed in my own passion experience united to that of Jesus Crucified. Jesus dies on the cross but the story did not end there. On the third day, in and through the power of God, His Father, Jesus rose from the dead. This, too, is our faith. In healthy grieving, we gradually die, letting go of all in the hope that with Jesus, we will have a new experience of life. Our goal is not the tomb but the fullness of life: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10: 10).
For Paul, it was imperative to connect with the Passion of Jesus: “the greatest and most overwhelming work of God:, love” (Constitutions, Chapter 1, No.1).
In this way, we come to know and experience in mind and heart -Love itself! For Paul, suffering has no meaning apart from the choice we make to unite our sufferings with His and by extension to the crucified of our day. Pastoral ministry to the aged and the sick, to the dying and to those who grieve is integral to our charism. “In this way! all may come to knave Christ and the power of His resurrection, may share in His sufferings and, becoming like Him in His death, may be united with Him in glory” (Constitutions, Chapter 1, No.3).
More about Brother Andre at: http://www.thepassionists.org/Andre_Mathieu.html
Father Cajetan Bendernagel, a Passionist priest, died after a brief illness at Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford, CT, on September 12, 2010 He was 85 years of age. He was the son of the late Charles Bendernagel and the late Anna Kleinschmidt Bendernagel. He is survived by a brother, Gerard Bendernagel, of East Moriches, NY, and three sisters, Lizette Mazza, of Lexington, MA, Alice Gormley, of Jamaica, NY, and Edna Turner, of Port Washington, NY. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Father Bendernagel attended Saint Augustine High School in Brooklyn, New York and Holy Cross Prep Seminary in Dunkirk, New York. He entered the Passionist novitiate in 1945 and professed vows in 1946 at Saint Paul of the Cross Monastery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After completing his studies in philosophy and theology at various Passionist monasteries, Father Bendernagel received an MA in theology in 1952. Bishop James McNulty ordained him to the priesthood on 28 February 1952 at Saint Michael Monastery, Union City, New Jersey.
After a year of study in preaching at Our Mother of Sorrows Monastery, West Springfield, Massachusetts, Father Bendernagel was assigned to Saint Gabriel Monastery in Brighton, Massachusetts in 1958. He was vocation director and director of the Confraternity of the Passion from 1958-1970. During these years he was involved with the Crusaders of Fatima and assisted them in creating the shrine to Our Lady of Fatima on the property of Saint Gabriel church in Brighton. A compassionate and kind Religious, people sought him out as a confessor and spiritual guide. He was assistant retreat director at Saint Gabriel Retreat Center, Brighton, Massachusetts from 1962-1974 and then retreat director from 1974-1977.
Father Bendernagel was assigned to Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, North Palm Beach, Florida in 1978 and ministered for ten years as a beloved parochial vicar at Saint Paul of the Cross parish. He also was a parochial vicar at Saint Joseph Monastery Parish, Baltimore, Maryland from 1988-1991. During his years in Baltimore he served as spiritual director for Catholics who were widowed or divorced. Father Bendernagel was assigned to Holy Family Monastery, West Hartford, Connecticut in 1992. He worked as a volunteer chaplain at Hartford Hospital in Hartford and resided at the monastery until his death.
The Funeral Mass for Fr. Cajetan Bendernagel will be celebrated in the Monastery Choir in Jamaica, NY on Thursday, September 16 at 11 AM. His body will be received on Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM. There will be a viewing from 3 PM to 9 PM, with Evening Prayer at 5:15, Rosary at 7 PM and the Wake (Vigil) Service at 7:30 PM.
Love of God and love of neighbor are the hallmark of all three Abrahamic religions; Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Today, as the Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Muslims end their observance of Ramadan and break the fast with celebration and we all commemorate the 9th Anniversary of the attacks of 9/11, is a perfect time to put this Golden Rule into practice.
Father Edward Beck, C.P. leads a round table discussion with Lisa Miller, senior editor at Newsweek, actor and born again Christian, Stephen Baldwin and Rabbi Gewirtz.
