Back to Work

Sorry I haven't posted in SO long. I went from retreat to a really really bad flu, and I've taken my time recuperating. The 40 year old body -- oy vey!

I'm going to spend the rest of this week posting about the eucharistic prayer in translation, as I promised. But I wanted today to just tell you about a really neat liturgical moment I witnessed yesterday. I live next door to St. Francis Xavier parish, which the Jesuits have run since 1847. It's a very interesting church, lots of great statues and paintings; but until the last couple years it's been in serious need of repair. Dark, dingy, paint peeling, front falling off -- a real mess.

Yesterday was the rededication -- the unveiling, if you will, of the renovated church, which is mind-blowingly different. In fact throughout the Mass you could see people, including the Archbishop, craning their necks up to look at all of the details that had been so totally obscured, hidden really by dirt and darkness before the renovation. If you have ever visited our church, you have to come back now. It really will rock your world.

So, as part of the renovations, the parish decided to build a new altar, made out of the wood from the old kneelers of the parish -- a remarkable symbol in and of itself. And so within the rededication, the archbishop had to bless this new altar. And this is what he did: first, he took off his chasuble, and put on a sort of apron. Then, he was handed a full container of chrism -- not as big as a decanter, more like 2 or 2 1/2 times as big as a beaker. Which is a lot of chrism. (Chrism, again, is the sweet-smelling blessed oil the church uses at baptism, confirmation and ordination to the priesthood.)

The archbishop took this oil and poured it all -- all of it -- over the top of the altar, back and forth. Then, using his own hands, he rubbed it in. While music played in the background we simply watched as he slowly, quietly worked the oil into the new altar. It was so basic and fundamental, not about smells and bells, frilly prayers or garments, as like watching a carpenter go about his work. It somehow made the moment very physical for us watching, and very personal.

If you ever get a chance to go to the dedication of a church, or to see an altar blessed (at least by Archbishop Tim Dolan), I highly recommend it.

Back on track tomorrow.