Society of Saint Edmund - Weekly News

Palm Sunday Mass 2020

4/5/2020

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I am happy to let you know that we have recorded the celebration of the Eucharist for Palm Sunday. Special thanks to our talented musicians and student liturgical ministers who helped us celebrate this important liturgy as we begin Holy Week. It is our intention to provide a recording for Easter Sunday as well. Thanks also to Fr. Lino Oropeza, S.S.E. who is the one behind the scenes making this possible. You may find the video on the Society of St. Edmund YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/VxDgaCDmHdE

As we progress through this pandemic, we are reminded in a harsh way how little control we really have over life’s circumstances. This week may we increasingly rely on our faith as our country and world suffers the impact of the spreading disease. We celebrate always with great hope that death is transformed to new life. May this Holy Week strengthen our belief in the Resurrection.

~Fr. Brian Cummings, S.S.E.
Colchester, Vermont

Worship Online with The Edmundites

4/2/2020

Let us pray together for an end to the crisis that is facing our world which is causing anxiety and illness in our communities. God bless you and stay safe! -Fr. Brian

Below are a few ways in which the Edmundites are reaching out online:

Due to the executive order issued by the Governor of Vermont to stay home and stay safe during the COVID-19 crisis, the Edmundite Community at Saint Michael’s College records the Liturgy each weekend. We invite you to celebrate with us. Please subscribe to this YouTube channel.

Fr. Tom Hoar, SSE, president of St. Edmund's Retreat, invites you to a spiritual online retreat beginning Friday, April 4, 2020 designed for the entire 12-Step Community. The focus of the retreat will be the 11th Step: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." We hope this will be an opportunity for you or your loved one to break out of the prevailing sense of isolation and to foster that spiritual awakening that allows us to live a joyful, peaceful, sober life—even in times such as these. Fr. Tom has chosen to provide this retreat without cost to reach as many as possible. All conferences will be publicly broadcast on YouTube Live. Two AA meetings will be available over Zoom to the first 100 participants that sign on. There is also an opportunity for 16 folks to sign up for 1-on-1 Spiritual Direction with Fr. Tom Hoar, SSE or Br. David M. who will be co-leading this retreat. When you register through our website, all the links will be immediately emailed to your inbox. To register, visit: www.endersisland.org/events/11th-step-on-the-rock

Facebook LIVE with Fr. Stan

Also please CLICK HERE for daily Lenten Reflections.

Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020 - Celebration of the Eucharist

3/28/2020

Father Tom Hoar, S.S.E. offers comfort in a difficult time

3/28/2020

Fr. Tom Hoar, SSE, president of St. Edmund's Retreat, reflects on Mary's response at the Wedding Feast at Cana when she told the servant: "Do whatever He tells you." As we grapple with the mounting cultural anxiety, Father encourages us to meditate on Christ's Way of the Cross and Peter's stepping out of the boat in faith.

Fr. Tom Hoar, SSE, president of St. Edmund's Retreat, reflects on the relic of St. Edmund of Canterbury housed in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel on Enders Island in Mystic, CT—the severed arm of an incorrupt saint, one of the largest relics in North America. This same relic which has brought healing to so many is a powerful witness to the courage and trust we need in this current crisis.

Fr. Tom Hoar, SSE, president of St. Edmund's Retreat, invites us to respond to the current crisis as a true community of Faith. Even as we comply with Federal and State guidelines requiring us to maintain social distancing—even as we refrain from gathering for Mass—we do so with an inner peace and trust that God's faithfulness will never disappoint.

Mass celebration for the Fourth Sunday of Lent

3/22/2020

Mass celebration for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Recorded on 03/21/2020 at 2:00 pm.

Edmundite Prayers during the Pandemic

3/18/2020

Right now, we are all doing our part to safeguard the health and well-being of the larger community by helping prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are keeping up with advice from the CDC as scientists discover more about this pandemic. Please know the Edmundite Community is praying for you and your loved ones.

Edmundite Prayers during the Pandemic
A “Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary” was published in 1992. I have modified and adapted some of the prayers of that collection as prayers which might be offered during the pandemic that currently afflicts us. ~ Rev.Richard Myhalyk, S.S.E.

“Lord, we ask for an end to this pandemic that prevents us from receiving Christ in the Eucharist. Allow us to celebrate again with deep faith the mysteries of our redemption. Amen.”

The Visitation
Lord our God, Savior of the human family, you brought salvation and joy to the home of Elizabeth through the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the ark of the New Covenant. We ask that, in obedience to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the pandemic that afflicts us may end so that we too may bring Christ to others and proclaim your greatness by the praise of our lips and the holiness of our lives.

The Nativity
Lord our God, you sent your Son from heaven into the womb of the Blessed Virgin to be your saving Word and our Bread of Life. End the pandemic that prevents us from receiving Christ in the Eucharist by treasuring his words in our hearts and by receiving his precious Body and Blood. Allow us to celebrate again with deep faith the mysteries of our redemption. Protect the lives of the unborn and all mothers from harm.

The Presentation in the Temple
Lord, your broken and afflicted people turn to you as the pandemic weighs heavily upon us and prevents us from entering your sacred temple. Grant that the Church, the chaste Bride of Christ, may keep unbroken the New Covenant of love and, like your humble handmaid, Mary, who presented to you in the temple the author of the New Law, may the Church keep its faith unspotted, grow in hope of heaven, and deepen its heartfelt love for you.

The Foot of the Cross (1)
Lord our God, in your mysterious wisdom you fill out the passion of Christ through the suffering that his members endure in the many trials of life. As you chose to have the mournful mother stand by your Son in his agony on the cross, grant that all who care for those afflicted by the pandemic may bring healing, comfort and love to our brothers and sisters in distress.

The Foot of the Cross (2)
Lord our God, you placed at the side of your suffering Son his mother to suffer with him, so that the human race, deceived by the wiles of the devil, might become a new and resplendent creation. Grant that your people may put aside their inheritance of sin and divisions and put on the newness of life won by Christ the Redeemer so that unselfish love and united efforts may end the pandemic and advance more and more the great work of redemption.

Fountain of Light and Life
Lord, from the chaste womb of the baptismal font the Church, our mother, has given to the children of this earth a new birth as children of heaven. As you cleansed us spiritually in the waters of baptism, cleanse us physically of the pandemic. Grant that through the life-giving Gospel and your grace-filled sacraments the Church may form its daughters and sons in the likeness of Christ, its founder, who was born of a Virgin Mother as the firstborn of many brothers and sisters and the Savior of the human race.

The Holy Name of Mary
Lord our God, when your Son was dying on the altar of the cross, he gave us as our mother the one he had chosen to be his own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary; grant that during the pandemic we who call upon the holy name of Mary, our mother, with confidence in her protection may receive strength and comfort in all our needs.

The Handmaid of the Lord
Lord our God, in your loving plan of redemption you chose the Blessed Virgin, your lowly handmaid, to be the mother and companion of Christ your Son; grant that by constantly looking up to her we may give you wholehearted service in untiring care for the salvation of the world. Guide, protect, and strengthen all caregivers whose wholehearted service provide untiring care for those afflicted by the pandemic.

The Seat of Wisdom
All-holy Father, eternal God, in your goodness you prepared a royal throne for your Wisdom in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; bathe your Church in the radiance of your life-giving Word, that, pressing forward on its pilgrim way in the light of your truth, it may come to the joy of a perfect knowledge of your love. Fill with wisdom and understanding those who search for remedies and cures for the pandemic that assails us.

The Immaculate Heart
Lord our God, you made the immaculate heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary the home of your eternal Word and the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Give us a heart that is free from sin and attentive to your will, that, faithful to your commandments, we may love you above all things and seek to help others in their need. Strengthen the hearts, lungs, and vital organs of those who suffer from the pandemic so that healed of their illness they may praise and thank you with all their heart, mind and strength.

The Mother of Good Counsel
Lord, you know that our thoughts on earth are full of fear and uncertainty; through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from whom your Son took flesh and blood, send us the gift of counsel to teach us how to discern your will and to guide us in all we do. Fill with abundant grace and blessings those who teach and those who counsel so that guided by truth and directed by experience this pandemic may be ended.

The Pillar of Faith
Almighty and eternal God, you gave the Blessed Virgin Mary, glorious mother of your Son, as a pillar of strength to all who call upon her aid; grant through her intercession that we may be strong in faith, unwavering in hope, and steadfast in love during this time of trial and suffering.

The Mother of Hope
Lord God, you have given the Blessed Virgin Mary to your Church as a beacon of unfailing hope. In your goodness grant that those who are burdened by life’s cares and those who despair of salvation may find their hearts warmed and uplifted as they turn to her in their need.

Edmundites Celebrate 50 Years of Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue

3/4/2020

Back in the day, during National Fire Week, when the red, kid-sized fire hats were handed out, Father Stephen Hornat, S.S.E. was first in line at his local firehouse in Hartford, CT. As a child, he was fascinated with the entire operation. Little did he know then, he would grow to be one of the first members of Saint Michael’s College Fire & Rescue.

As a college sophomore, Hornat quickly discovered the harsh realities of being a firefighter under Chief Don Sutton’s wing. Training to save lives in dense smoke was the most frightening experience he had up to that point in his life. “I really thought I was going to die,” Hornat said.

This year marks the 50th Annual Saint Michael’s College Fire & Rescue Banquet to happen on March 28. Edmundite Father Ray Doherty is a member of Fire & Rescue’s Board of Directors. He will be speaking at the prayer service before the banquet. He said he appreciates the selfless devotion of the student members who willingly make big sacrifices to serve people in need. “Fire & Rescue students, past and present, are the best, and are well-deserving of our admiration and gratitude,” he said.

Father Tom Hoar, S.S.E. was also on the first crew. He was most significantly involved with rescue as a Vermont state and nationally registered EMT. It was at a critical time in the state’s history when emergency medicine was just getting off the ground, he said. He was part of Saint Michael’s rescue work with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Transport Team for Vermont Children’s Hospital. He baptized his first baby in the back of an ambulance. Saint Michael’s supported Vermont Children’s Hospital in this capacity from 1974 to 2009.

“I was so proud of our work with neonatal transport,” Sutton said. “We did it at great expense to us. We did a lot of begging and borrowing. We made it happen.”

Hoar said Edmundite Brother Frank Hagerty was a real powerhouse and had a significant role with the transport team. “He is an unsung hero,” he said.

Hagerty was highly involved with rescue early on. He took a first aid course in the second semester of his freshman year at Saint Michael’s College. He worked as a nursing assistant in Selma, AL, during the summertime and was on the rescue crew during the school year. He went on to obtain a BS in nursing from The University of Vermont. He served on rescue from 1971 to 1976 and after five years in Venezuela, he was back on rescue again from 1981 to 1989.

“Right from the beginning it was student run and it was so impactful,” Hagerty said. “Not only with on-the-job training and emergency medical care, but also with our leadership skills.” He served as training officer for two years and captain of the rescue unit for one year.

Hagerty said the department came out of the 60s and 70s movement of volunteerism and altruism. “This was very important to people,” he said. “There was a need. We were busy.”

Sutton remembers the military draft and turmoil on campus when he and a few others started a safety committee that led to the birth of Fire & Rescue. “It was a divisive time,” Sutton said. “There was a need to have something for students to get involved in. There was a need to try to create a better atmosphere on campus, which we have done at Saint Mike’s through the help of the Church and their work. The Edmundites are important for the college. I have seen what they do. They reach out where it is needed most and make the world a better place.”

Hoar remembers the era when Saint Michael’s Fire & Rescue began as well. “Those were the days of rage,” he said. “It was a transitional time in our history. At Saint Mike’s, Don helped many of us make that transition through his innate ability to relate to people.”

The Austin Hall blaze was their first big fire call. This building in the center of Saint Michael’s campus served as the theater, radio station, ROTC and the dining hall. It was a total loss that winter night of 1971 in the freezing cold, Hornat said. He remembers it was the first time he ever managed a fire hose. “I got a quick lesson and started spraying water on the building and the hose broke. It was flopping around all over the place. There was ice everywhere and we were slipping.”

Edmundite Father Richard VanderWeel was in charge of the seminarians and lived on campus. “I had the perfect view of Austin Hall as it was burning,” he said. “I let the firefighters know that if they were hungry I was making popcorn with my brand new popcorn maker. I remember it well.”

Sutton found Hornat another hose. This time there was another problem. “Don came over and told me I had to bring the hose down because I had arched it to such a point that the Winooski firefighters on the other side of the building were getting all of the water,” Hornat chuckled. “We were all inexperienced.”

It was an exciting time, VanderWeel remembered. “Those kids were really dedicated. Sometimes a little too dedicated. I had to remind them they were here to go to college. They were a good bunch. They were good kids.”

VanderWeel also knows Sutton well. “He is really good with students,” he said. “He’s strict, but very good. He is such a great guy.”

In those first years, the young crew met on a regular basis and trained every week. They would even enter competitions called firefighters’ musters with local firehouses. Regional fire training schools were put on by the state. “It was a great experience,” Hornat said. “Don was like a drill sergeant. He kept us very disciplined.”

Hornat came back in the 1980s for a time and served as a Chaplin for Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue. Today, Edmundite Father Brian Cummings serves in that capacity. As for celebrating a half century of service with Saint Michael’s College Fire and Rescue at their banquet, Hornat said, “I am very excited for Don. He is the figurehead. We are all living for this moment to reconnect people who have been a part of the department all of this time. This event is bringing us all together.”

Sutton, also known as Pappy, said, “I am looking forward to seeing all of my kids.”

Even the original fire engine will be present at the banquet. Through a fundraising drive and gracious alumni donors, Fire & Rescue was able to complete the restoration of Engine 409 a few weeks ago. Rescue Chief John Keating said 409 is a 1957 Ward LaFrance, purchased used from Hazlett, NJ in February of 1970. “As Pappy recalls, it was a very cold drive from New Jersey to Vermont in the middle of winter,” Keating said.

About 10 years ago, Fire & Rescue located the old engine, reacquired it and began the restoration process, which started in Williston, and then had it moved to Pfahl’s Mack & Antique Truck Restorations in Bethlehem, CT.

“As an organization, we are so immensely grateful to all those who have come before us in the early days who laid the foundation for such an amazing organization,” Keating said. “We are thankful for the original members and the support that both the College and the Edmundites have graciously given us over our fifty years of existence.”

Living out the Greatest Commandment with Brother Frank Hagerty, SSE

2/25/2020

In 2014, Brother Frank Hagerty, S.S.E., contacted Deacon Gerry Scilla, who coordinates prison ministry for Vermont Catholic Charities, about wanting to implement a family literacy program inside prison. This is something Brother Frank had been thinking about since his days ministering to the illiterate in Selma, Al. Deacon Gerry said he was in luck! There was a communion service opening. Brother Frank has served a few times a month ever since. He also leads Lectio Divina (Latin for "Divine Reading") and group discussions.

Prison ministry and Restorative Justice work are close to Brother Frank’s heart. Prison ministry is about being welcoming, accepting and non-judgmental, he said. It is the same for his work with Restorative Justice, which is about helping others to heal the hurt and harm. He says the job is not for everybody, but his life has led him to this call. “It is about embracing the mystery that God loves us so much,” he said. “I never condemn them for why they are where they are.”

Brother Frank volunteers regularly with the Essex Community Justice Center on their Restorative Justice Panel. It's all about the greatest commandment Brother Frank said. “Jesus declared, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

With the Essex Community Justice Center, folks are referred by authorities to Restorative Justice Panels rather than going to court. The panel of volunteers represents the community, because the harm affects the whole community. An agreement is drawn up. If all of the conditions are met, the case is resolved without a record. “They have to take responsibility for their actions to qualify,” Brother Frank said. “The Criminal Justice System focuses on crime and punishment. Restorative Justice focuses on the hurt or harm that was done and finds solutions on how to heal it.”

The model is similar to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “We attempt to get the parties involved to reconcile,” Brother Frank said. “Instead of throwing blame around, we find the underlying cause of the issue and attempt to make it better. Apologies are involved, restitution, perhaps community service. It’s done on a case-by-case basis. If everything is fulfilled, they don’t get a record and don’t go to jail.”

Brother Frank has a message of hope. “God loves you, no matter what, and there isn’t a darn thing you can do about that,” he tells everyone to which he ministers. “God sends his Word to do something: to us, in us, or through us to help others. So, if God loves the folks no matter what, I must do the same; I have to be non-judgmental.”

From a career in nursing, to music ministry, and spiritual direction, Brother Frank has dedicated himself to helping his hurting neighbors find peace. He has tutored at Mercy Connections, works with new Americans, helps folks with developmental disabilities, and heads up Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing for disabled vets.

Studies have shown that prison ministry helps change the culture in prisons, and it reduces recidivism. Brother Frank brings the Sacrament of the Eucharist to the prisons. “But I am also going to meet Jesus there, present in the people,” he said. He also offers spiritual direction and faith instruction on the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.

St. Monica, Hear our prayerful cries to heaven

2/4/2020

Saint Michael’s College Alumnus, and friend to the Edmundites, Joseph Blanchette, gave a talk at Father David Cray’s Parish, St. Jude in Hinesburg, this past weekend addressing what Blanchette called a Christian Faith Crisis. The second part of this two-part series will be held on Sunday, March 8 from 10:45 a.m. to noon.

Blanchette spoke from the heart of his own plight to keep his two adult sons believing in Christ. To no avail, after being raised in the Church, they left just after high school, claiming to be atheists. And they are not alone, according to a 2016 PEW report, about 79% of Catholics leave the Church before the age of 23.

As parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, we all need to understand why so many young people are abandoning their faith, Blanchette urged the crowd. He is on a campaign to find better ways to prepare teens and young adults to withstand the faith challenges they will encounter in the world around them.

As this talk was called “Doubt” and focused on the barrage of readily available anti-Christian literature and lack of a faithful culture surrounding today’s young people, his next talk called “The Resurrection” will focus on the factual truth behind The Passion and Resurrection and why it is more than theological assumption. Blanchette’s premise is on moving beyond the pure emotion so many have relied on and into the evidence behind Christianity to keep kids believing.

He offered up some literature to help folks start to develop dialog to better explain their faith to their children:

The Case for the Risen Jesus, Gary Habermas
Handbook of Christian/Catholic Apologetics, Peter Kreeft and Fr. Ronald Tacelli S.J.
The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel

Let us remember St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, who prayed with great gusto in the years he rejected Christ. Of course, he eventually came around in a big way and became one of the greatest Doctors of the Church! Never underestimate the power of prayer!

Please Pray with Us:
Dear St. Monica, exemplary mother of the Great St. Augustine,
You perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Please intercede for all parents in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. May the Holy Spirit open their ears and hearts so they may hear this invitation to come home.
Amen

Candlemas: Each of us has a role in the Church

1/30/2020

By Father Lino Oropeza, S.S.E.

Last summer, when I gave a talk to a curious Theology on Tap group in Burlington, Vermont, I decided to delve into the subject of religious life. My intention was to speak from the heart of my own journey as an Edmundite priest, and to open the room up for candid discussion about what I do, and about the role of consecrated people in the Church. One question caught me off guard; I was asked if I was happy. I replied, “What is the point of living a life that does not bring you joy?”

Which illustrates the important celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life on Feb. 2! It is also Candlemas Day. In 1997, Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day for consecrated Life on Candlemas for a special reason, his message connects Jesus’ consecration to the father and the consecration that all of us in consecrated life make to God. It is a day for all of us to celebrate our consecration to God and the gospel.

What we learn about Jesus in Luke Chapter 2 is why we celebrate Candlemas Day. It is a Holy Day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple:

"When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him." (Luke 2:39-40)

I assume the question about my happiness from the Theology on Tap crew came out of my explanation of the requirements of religious life. We, following the example of Jesus, who is the epitome of the one that is poor, chaste, and obedient, leave our homes, families, and jobs behind to dedicate our life to bring the Good News wherever we go through the example of our lives. Through our vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, we not only imitate Christ, but also free ourselves to dedicate our lives to the service of God and others.

These vows that can seem as a sacrifice are intrinsically part of our lives and are woven into the fabric of what we do. As religious, we are our vows. We free ourselves from any distraction to be available, as Pope Francis mentioned in his homily on 2016, to encounter the other.

“Consecrated men and women are called first and foremost to be men and women of encounter. Indeed, the vocation does not originate from a plan we have designed ‘on the drawing board,’ but from a grace of the Lord, which touches us, through a life-changing encounter." ~Pope Francis, 2016

Our vocation comes out of the encounter with Jesus. After meeting Jesus, our lives are transformed. As the Pope affirms, after meeting Jesus, our lives cannot continue to be the same. Once we have that encounter with Jesus, we are ready to encounter others to be witnesses of Jesus.

Traditionally, on Candlemas, candles are blessed at Mass to symbolize the Light Jesus brought to the world. Consecrated people are called to reflect the light Jesus gave us to all the world. So, as you quiet your mind and reflect on Candlemas this year, especially if you are discerning your vocation, remember that each of us has a role in the Church.

As you celebrate with us this day, it is a great opportunity to discern your role in the Church. It can be an opportunity to discover ways to bring the Light of Christ to the world. It can be an opportunity to encounter and discover your brothers and sisters.

For more information, please visit SSE.org.