A l﻿ittle piece of heaven

A little piece of heaven

12/26/2015

Christmas was a fabulous event in Norwalk, CT. The Mozart Mass was brilliant, and David Hughes pulled it off spectacularly. The whole experience was a little piece of heaven. You may glance through the pictures here.

Merry Christmas to all!

4 Comments

Tes

12/28/2015 05:38:57 am

It has been a while Fr. Jeff, and I cannot let this time of the year pass by without commenting on this blog especially with this latest post.

As you know, I used to be a parishioner of “St. Edward Catholic Church” in Newark, CA, from 2006 up to July 2015.

On Christmas Eve, I watched the Midnight Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC in which the celebrant was the Papal Nuncio. Then I saw the photos of the Christmas Midnight Mass at St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, CT celebrated by the Rev. R. Cipolla. How wonderful!

I can’t help but remember the many dignified, prayerful, and truly artistic celebrations of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (whether EF or OF) you celebrated at your former parish, St. Edward Catholic Church in Newark, CA. In those years, you made sure that musical selections have text based on solid theology, which had slowly brought back the dignity of the sacred there at that time.

I can’t help but repeat myself: One can tell a priest who treats the Eucharist with due respect by the way he worships, with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. And, just as well, one can tell when a priest has forgotten all he ever learned about the “REAL PRESENCE”.

The care and extra effort that you have personally put in all the preparation for each celebration, was commendable. St. Thomas Aquinas taught — agere sequitur esse – “action follows being”…What we do springs from who we are.

I have emphasized the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but there are other important things, which were all your work in those eleven years, to bring back the important elements inside the Church, the sacred edifice in its entirety. You have raised the level of quality to serve as inspiration for all things liturgical. You have been there with us, to lead us all those years in our daily morning and evening Eucharistic adoration, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.

This past advent and Christmas time reminded me of the many things you have taught us, such as making our “Simbang Gabi” more reverent, in celebration and in song; taught and lead us in the singing of the “O Antiphons”, which are the “Greater Antiphons” at Vespers during the Octave before Christmas Eve, chanting the “Proclamation of the Birth of Christ”, among other things.

I have seen comments from some of those whom you have instructed in your weekly “Adult Faith Formation”. How they learned so much from you.

But I and some friends and other former parishioners sacrifice to travel a little farther away in four corners, oh what little sacrifice is this that we do, to be able to find these faithful priests who, like you, also celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with great reverence and dignity (No liturgical abuses).

I realized that, among the reasons a parishioner leaves a parish, there are two I would describe:
1) One leaves because he or she gets offended when a pastor tries to “correct” them. When a pastor tries to imbue to the people to avoid profane greetings and actions but instead to learn the value of maintaining a holy silence and learn to be recollected in the Church and to respect the sacred edifice in general. Then there is pride, when hurt, strike back.

2) Or, one leaves to find another parish, where there is a priest who would offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as it deserves, evocative of the transcendent, as God deserves and as the people deserve.

Sometimes these things are caused by the tension between the soul ordered to God, and one who, without grace, was ordered towards himself.

‘The world collapses around us, because faithful priests are lacking who would draw it out of the abyss in which it finds itself; priests of light who would illuminate the paths of goodness…” (K. Beckman). We are dealing with the battle between good and evil. It remains only for us to choose which side to stand on.

"Finally, prudence enlightens us concerning the snares of the enemy, counseling us, in the words of the Apostles, "to try spirits if they be of God," "for Satan transformeth himself into an angel of light." (1Jn. 4:1 and 2Cor. 11:14). There is no temptation more to be feared than one which presents itself under the mask of virtue, and there is none which the devil more frequently employs to deceive pious souls." — Louis of Granada

Pope Benedict XVI, on Nov. 12, 2012, said, “…St, Paul does not seek himself, he does not want to make a fan club for himself... he is not self-seeking…”

...This is the terrible and inescapable glory of the priesthood: that it cannot be laid aside, even for a moment...It remains a terrible glory: a mysterious reality that marks the priest in this life and in the next, either for his eternal beatitude or his eternal torment. (Dom Mark, Nov

Maria F. Silmaro

12/28/2015 10:59:52 am

Thank you, Tes for expressing in FULL, exactly, what we feel like telling Fr. Jeff. Thank you, Fr. Jeff, for the LOVE you bear for GOD as shown by your great reverence in celebrating the HOLY SACRIFICE OF OUR LORD JESUS. We miss you so much but as Tes said, God has blessed us with Traditional Priests who show by example (Adoring, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, etc. WITH US, GOD'S PEOPLE) how to WORSHIP GOD with all our hearts, mind, soul and strength (Deuteronomy;& synoptic Gospels).

All 8 of us will be there at the GET TOGETHER LUNCH with you,
Jan 22, Friday, HTB, New Park Mall.

Please give us your Priestly Blessing,

The SILMARO FAMILY (Mary Joy is leaving by Jan 9th; she feels sad that she will miss this event)

Joseph and Maria, 8 children

tes

12/28/2015 05:48:33 am

Cont'd

Thank you, Fr. Jeff. Blessings to you this Christmas season and, may God continue to be with you always.

12/29/2015 12:53:56 pm

We did have a little piece of heaven in Newark CA. For your ministry --my family and I are eternally grateful. That ONE hour every Sunday from 10am-11am was sacred to each member of our family when our attention belonged to Him and no other. When each of our hearts and souls where only focused on Him. This wouldn't have been possible without a priest whose entire being was also focused on Him. Thank you. Merry Christmas.