Thursday, October 12, 2023

On the Recent Escalation of Conflict in the Holy Land

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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        CCCB President the Most Reverend Bishop William T. McGrattan has just published a very reasoned statement on behalf of the Roman Catholic Bishops and faithful of Canada on the recent escalation of conflict in the Holy Land. You can read the short statement here.

        Sadly, what usually remains unsaid or concealed in the shadows is the behaviour of the successive Israeli governments towards their Palestinian inhabitants since 1948, when there was a transfer of authority from the British protectorate to self-governing Jewish bodies.

        It is well documented that the new State of Israel proceeded methodically and without relenting to the removal of Palestinian inhabitants, turning their homes, vineyards, and gardens over to Jewish settlers. This policy continues to this day unabated. Those who were displaced and not killed were resettled in one of the 68 refugee camps in various places - in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip - which became rather like gettoes. This is because Israeli military and security have kept them hemmed in, so as to prevent them from returning to their former homes. 

        When I led two pilgrimage groups to the Holy Land in September 2000 and September 2013, our pilgrims met many Palestinians who are actually Israeli citizens. However, they shared with us the ways in which they are treated by the State of Israel as second class citizens. They are deprived of normal government services: no street repairs or maintenance, and many other services we take for granted are simply not provided; even though they pay their full share of taxes like their Jewish neighbours. 

        It is this unrelenting and ever encroaching Israeli policy over the past 75 years of taking over Palestinian land to create new Jewish settlements that makes it impossible for peace to ever be realized between these two peoples. This is no doubt a factor in the extreme policy of groups like Hamas, which is dedicated to the elimination of the State of Israel. 

        So, where does that leave us, the rest of the world? We share the same helplessness of the just and righteous people on both sides: just and humane Jewish people in Israel who lament their country's harsh and merciless policy towards their Palestinian neighbours, and just and longsuffering Palestinian people - both Christian and Muslim - who are held hostage by violent groups like Hamas who take it upon themselves to champion the Palestinian cause; even though those they claim to represent abhor their violent policies and terrorist acts. 

        This is a riddle which will only ever be resolved by our Creator God, who hears the prayers of all his children, whether they be Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, or Christian.

        Sadly, to sum up, there is the tragic violence of military campaigns and terrorist actions. However, there is also the equally tragic violence of government policies intentionally designed for displacing people, seizing their land, and establishing in their place new settlements. True, at the time of the Exodus, God Almighty led his people into an occupation of Canaan, defeating and displacing people, but they were not entirely driven out or exterminated. The proof is that time and again God had to call on his people to repent of imitating those other people in their practices of idolatry.

        In our time, the State of Israel seems to have adopted a policy of systematically displacing people from their homes, apparently inspired by the original occupation after the Exodus. We believe this to be an erroneous interpretation of God's will for his people in our day. We are all children of Abraham, which makes us brothers and sisters of one father, and it is high time to find ways to live together in peace, which will require abandoning any number of ambitions.

                                "Lord, have mercy on all your children."

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Our Roman Catholic Church has become poor, sometimes living among the poor, other times not, but still poor and a minority in society. We are often unable to defend ourselves or the truth against those who promote or pass on myths and misconceptions.

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Slide of our church in l'Épiphanie, QC, I took in 1965 when our family moved to a dairy farm there when I was 16. It burned down almost 30 years ago and they built a smaller, more modern one inside some of the remaining walls. At present, we are small, lively faith communities, much like in the early Church at the time of the Apostles. 

What is your understanding of God? Of Jesus Christ? Of his Church? Of the Roman Catholic Church in particular?

Dear Friend who are willing to read me here, please allow me to "vent" a little of these thoughts regarding the "state of the Church" today....

We are the Church of Jesus, all of us who believe in Him as the Son of God, and the only Saviour of the world. We are all in this together, in trying to live together on Planet Earth. Pope Francis since his election in 2013 has pleaded with all of humanity to work together as brothers and sisters sharing this planet as "our common home". Unlike the doomsayers, Pope Francis is hopeful that we can work together to prevent the worst from happening to our world which we will be leaving to our children and grandchildren. 

Many if not most people today no longer believe in God, let alone worship Him

One of our realities and burdens for Church workers in recent years is the reality of so few people regularly going to Church, which translates into few Sunday offerings, which results in churches being unable to have full time employees but only part time, and in many cases, not even part time but relying in part or completely on volunteers. Our Church may look impressive in its buildings, but they were erected at a time when the majority of the population was Catholic and attending Church every Sunday. Now, most of them are almost resembling ghost towns in fact. Some French parishes only have a volunteer secretary for under ten hours of office time a week. That's all.

Demographics have radically changed in 75 years

One of my first parishes was St. Aloysius, where I served from 1985 to 1994, which was founded in 1908. At the time, it was the 8th English parish because there were only 7 others; whereas today, there are 35 parishes and one worship center (Newman at McGill). Nine parishes or missions have been closed. Two or three of those original 7 parishes no longer exist because some of their churches were expropriated for the building of the Ville-Marie Expressway and the CBC complex downtown. 

The people living in the new St. Aloysius Parish had lots of young families and built a church, hall, and rectory between 1908 and 1910. The population shifted to the north and west and east ends of Montreal and then to the West Island suburbs. By 1970, the parish could no longer afford to maintain its buildings and let them be expropriated by the City of Montreal in 1969 or 1970. Parishioners stripped the church of valuable items like stained glass windows. The Diocese put some church furnishings in storage to be used in new churches being built. Stained glass windows were auctioned off to parishioners to allow the Sunday Assembly to keep going in rented premises like Protestant churches.

There was a terrific expansion of English parishes as families with lots of children all became adults, married, and had children of their own from the 1930's to 1960's. Over two dozen new English parishes were founded and new churches built during those decades, during which time 75 to 85% of the population were going to Church every Sunday. Those parishes saw 5,000 to 15,000 people at 7 to 10 Sunday Masses every Sunday, including children, teenagers, and young adults. Even when they gave small offerings between $0.10 and $2.00 - in today's money that would be $2 to $15 - the sheer number of people provided parishes with proper operating budgets and allowed them to hire staff, pay operating expenses, and maintain and repair their buildings, and pay down their mortgages.

Attendance dropped off dramatically between the 1960's and 1990's until today, where barely 5% of the population participates in Sunday worship regularly. People went to Church because they believed in God. They knew they were much blessed by God and, despite life's challenges and sufferings, they were grateful to God and went to Church to express their gratitude and worship the living God. Now, many people have doubts. It's only human to have doubts. 

God chooses to remain silent before his accusers

Sadly, many people who have power and influence promote their doubts or skepticism about God or about the Church in order to arouse contempt for God. Reduced in numbers, the Church can no longer defend herself, or the truth, with the exception of people like Pope Francis, who is still covered and quoted in many places, both the mass media and social media. Apart from Pope Francis' success with media coverage of his words and actions, these critics are quite successful; consider the "absence" of God in the mass media, in government, in economics and business. It's "the law of the jungle" without God. They often pass on misinformation or even bare faced lies, and our Church now, reduced in numbers of loyal members as well as reduced in young, bright, enthusiastic clergy and lay workers, no longer enjoys "holding the microphone" which addresses the general public. 

The scientific revolution was initiated mostly by Christians and Catholics

As Jesus chose to remain silent before his accusers 2,000 years ago; so too now, does God choose to remain silent before those who proclaim that He does not exist. Many "myths" are being passed on in both mass and social media today, such as faith is opposed to reason, the Bible is opposed to science, and the Church is opposed to justice and progress. It makes no sense to blame people who believe these things - they have simply been misinformed; choosing not to go to Church, they have little access to the truth. However, it is wrong to pass on information if we have not investigated it ourselves to verify whether what we are passing on is true or not. The truth is that the majority of scientists leading up to and making up the "scientific revolution" of the 1500's to the 1800's were in fact Christians, most of them were devout Catholics, and deep believers in God, and many were even priests.

It is because they believed in God and that the universe was his Creation manifesting his beauty and wisdom that they engaged in scientific study and experiments. They were in awe of the ways in which nature reflects the qualities of the Creator, just as art reflects the qualities of the artist. Most if not all of the first universities in Europe were started and developed by the Church so that more people could have access to learning. Missionaries all over the world brought education to the impoverished people to whom they went to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Missionaries in Canada and the far north worked to construct dictionaries in order to preserve indigenous languages, knowledge, wisdom, and history, and in many cases, even invented written languages for those peoples.

The residential schools issue

Residential schools were a tragedy enforced by the Canadian government, which was copying policies of the American government. The American government was carrying on a systematic genocide of indigenous peoples because of the wars caused by whites not respecting treaties made with the indigenous as well as some indigenous rebellious braves warring on innocent whites. Our Canadian government was ignorant or prejudiced in enforcing residential school policies to subdue the indigenous population and force them to assimilate into Canadian society. It was wrong also for the government to force religious and missionaries to implement this government policy. Today, the Church and Pope Francis have apologized, the Canadian government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the rest of us need to catch up on taking interest in indigenous peoples and being willing to meet, listen, and talk with them. Many "calls to action" have been put together and published like this one. We have a long way to go yet.

What about the graves?

We moderns, with all our modern medicine publicly funded, have no idea of all the trouble and suffering endured by our grandparents and great grandparents going way back. They had no medicare. If they were able to have medical care at all it was thanks to armies of religious women, for the most part, who dedicated their lives and labours of love - with no salaries or pension plans - for the love of God and their neighbour. Moreover, we think that Covid-19 has been horrible, and it has for many who suffered it. The Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was far worse. Of the total world population of 1.5 billion, one out of three were infected - that's 500 million people, and of those, 17 to 50 million, possibly as many as 100 million died... that's between 4 and 20% of all those infected. The stats are not exact because national governments were so overwhelmed that they had trouble keeping count, and many of the victims were buried in mass graves.

There were many other "waves" of epidemics in the 19th and 20th centuries, and there were many mass graves. Just a few years ago, the authorities had to conduct archaeological digs in Confederation Park next to the Cathedral Marie-Reine-du-monde before being able to reconstruct Rue de la Cathédrale. The reason: in the early 1800's, when the city was down the hill and this was nothing but fields, the city had to make an emergency cemetery to bury the fever victims who came off the boats from Ireland. Many were buried on Grosse Isle in the St. Laurence River, but many more died here. Later, the graves were moved to Mount Royal, but they found a few more here who had been overlooked. The point is that the mortality rate was not necessarily any higher in residential schools than it was everywhere else. It is only since World War II, with the great advances in medical technology, that the death rate has been drastically reduced. We all have to die, but most now die in old age rather than in infancy or childhood. In summary, those mass graves were not a conspiracy to conceal the identity of those who died, but simply the fact that public authorities were often overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of sudden deaths. 

Jesus and early Christians actually promoted women's dignity and freedom

If Saint Paul in some of his letters insisted on women covering their heads in the Sunday assembly (there were no church buildings yet or for another few centuries), it was not a put down of women. The truth is that in the Roman Empire, woman were only safe in their father's house or their husband's house. If women lived anywhere else, it was because they had no choice but to be slaves or prostitutes, where they were exploited and forced to expose their hair for the enjoyment and exploitation by everyone. After their hair was seen and enjoyed, it was other parts of them that were often exploited. St. Paul was saying that when women came to the worshipping Assembly of Christians, they would not be exploited and did not have to expose their hair or be seen or used for the pleasure of others. In the Christian Assembly, they would be left alone and could keep their hair covered, because they would be safe and respected, whether they were living in their father's house, or their husband's house, or their own house, or in one of the new Christian communities even if they were still single.

That is only one among hundreds of examples of how people today misunderstand the conditions of societies in the past and misjudge the Catholic Church for her teachings and practices and also misread the Bible, not understanding the actual conditions in which the Church existed and developed over the past 20 centuries, or the conditions under which each of the books in the Bible were inspired by God and written between roughly 2,200 B.C. and 99 A.D.

Jesus predicted that his followers and disciples would receive no better treatment than he himself would receive, and that they would be persecuted, accused, falsely condemned, unfairly jailed, and even executed for his sake. This is now happening in dozens of countries around the world. It is partly happening here, and it may very well get worse soon. In the meantime, those who still work for the Church are courageous and generous, and extremely devoted, even if they are only able to work part time, and even when they have to volunteer because their parish is unable to afford paying them.

As a result, errors happen. We are no longer anything resembling a "big corporation". We are little, poor, often aging, like myself, often brilliant, at times smart enough but far from brilliant. But God loves the poor, the misunderstood, the persecuted, widows and orphans. You who may be "young professionals" have become accustomed to a very high level of competence and performance in the public sector and business world. Even so, many errors of judgement and accidents of information continue to happen, despite all our technology. So, please be understanding and kind when dealing with those who still, for the love of God and their neighbour, serve you and the Church. 

Thank you for reading my "vent"... (smile). I hope to meet you or have an exchange by email or phone, or even to see you soon. Thank you for reading me. Peace to you and your family, to your colleagues and friends, and all their families.

Christ is risen, alleluia!


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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Sunday, January 22, 2023

2023 - 40th Anniversary Year of Marriage, Religious Life, and Priesthood

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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1980-1981

This was the year a certain seminarian intern was assigned to St. Kevin Parish, where he was welcomed by the Filippino Choir... a bunch of young people who were part of the "great immigration" of children of the Philippines to all parts of the world. Some of them were "live-in" maids living during the work week in the homes of their employers and sharing a small apartment on the weekend. One such apartment was the location where the Choir met after Sunday 5:00 p.m. Mass for a "pot luck" supper. The atmosphere was very warm, fraternal, and convivial, a loving community which was a glimpse of Heaven.

In fact, many of these young people, women and men, were in their 20's or 30's and were, in effect, in a period of preparation and discernment regarding their vocation in life. The seminarian was on his way towards ordination, first as a deacon, and later as a priest. Others were discovering the "love of their life" and taking steps towards marriage. One in particular was taking steps towards religious life as a sister with the "Little Sisters of the Poor". 

1983 to 2023

Teresita "Tessie" David and Willie Allonar married early in 1983 and are celebrating this year, in 2023, their 40th Anniversary. Your celebration last night was a joyful glimpse of "the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb of God" in Heaven. Jesus is in Himself the "Marriage between God and humanity", because He is both the Son of God and the son of Mary, wife of Joseph of Nazareth. 

We join you in celebrating the reality that your personal sacrifices willingly made out of love for one another, your family, and for others, have allowed the Most Holy Trinity to pour out life, love, and blessing on many people. We understand that God has not finished with you yet - as He has not finished with each of us - and we rejoice in this wonderful mystery. We also remember that Jesus, during his short time in public life on this Earth, enjoyed fellowship at table with all those willing to sit and share with Him, and He calls us to do the same. 

"We thank You, Lord Jesus, for continuing to grace our table fellowship and family celebrations. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, may we always make room at our tables to the stranger, the lonely, the "excluded ones", and those who feel unwanted for whatever reason. Open our eyes to notice them and our hearts to reach out to them. In this way, may You be pleased to make of us your missionary disciples for our day. Come, Lord Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You." 

Alice Yao - Sister Rosemarie Thomas of the Little Sisters of the Poor - is also celebrating her 40th Anniversary in religious life. The seminarian, now Fr. Gilles Surprenant, is celebrating as well his 40th Anniversary in the priesthood in Montreal. All those young people who came together as the original St. Kevin Filippino Choir have also found their way in life: many to marry and have children and, in time, grandchildren; others to remain single "for the Lord" and serve the community and the Church through their dedicated presence and generous service. Some, I believe, have already found their way to "the Father's House" to enjoy, by God's infinite mercy, the rewards of their labours in this life. 

We are joined in spirit and prayer by the Holy Spirit - the Lord and Giver of life - to the Heart of Jesus, the Divine Mercy, who ever brings us to his Father, who has brought us into being through the love and union of our parents. We give thanks to God for our parents, wherever they may be, who, despite their personal failings and human limitations, still received the grace to serve as instruments of the Most High, the Most Holy Trinity, in giving us life and nurturing us until we could find our own way in life, by the Grace of God.

"Come, Holy Spirit, and fill us anew with your divine life, love, and power, and make of us useful and effective instruments of your saving work in the world. Fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the FIRE of your Love."

I offer Holy Mass in thanksgiving to God - all this week January 22nd to 28th, which is also the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - in gratitude to God for all of us brought together by the Lord all those years ago, and also all those who have been added to our number during the course of these 43 years.... 

"Father in Heaven, may You be pleased to continue to bless us, our children and grandchildren, our parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended families, our brothers and sisters in religious life and in Holy Orders, and continue to make our lives fruitful in the saving work and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through the working and power of the Holy Spirit." "Our Lady of Ville-Marie and of the Philippines, pray for us." "St. Joseph and St. Brother André, pray for us." "St. Kevin, pray for us." "Sainte Marguerite Bourgeois and Sainte Marguerite d'Youville, pray for us." "Saint Kateri, pray for us."


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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Wednesday, December 21, 2022

The blizzard that met us on coming out of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 1965. Blessed final Advent Days and Joyful entry into Christmas 2022!

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Yes, yes, yes... it was Christmas Eve 1965... I remember because it was our very first Christmas on my parents new (old) dairy farm at 45 Rang de la Cabane Ronde, L'Épiphanie QC... around 40 km from Pius via highway 25. 

It had been a mild, brown and gray December in 1965, and like many, we went to midnight Mass in our shoes. We participated joyfully in the fairly lengthy Midnight Mass and stayed for the additional two Masses while most of the assembly departed.

There were at the time 4 Christmas Masses: the first Mass was the Mass of Christmas Eve; then came the Mass at Midnight, which is now the Mass during the night, followed by the Mass at dawn, which we still have; followed in turn by what is still the Mass during the day. We no longer have 4 but only 3 Christmas Masses.

So, we participated in 3 of the 4 Masses at Midnight, which was fully musical and magnificent, prayerful and inspiring, so joyful.... and probably lasted over an hour. Most of the assembly left then. We stayed, along with a good number of people for the second Mass, the Mass at Dawn, which went for about 35 minutes. After a few minute interval, a priest offered the third Mass, the Mass during the Day, which lasted only 20 minutes or so. We received Holy Communion 3 times! 

Then, we visited the magnificent Manger scene and "soaked up the atmosphere" as it were, admiring and allowing ourselves to be moved by the huge and magnificent central fresco of the Epiphany with the 3 Wise Men at the Manger in Bethlehem dominating the center of the Sanctuary... it must have been 6 meters wide and 8 to 9 meters high.... 

On either side of the sanctuary in what were balconies, there were two more magnificent frescoes, which if I remember correctly, depicted Jesus' Baptism and the Wedding Feast at Cana. These three Gospel moments comprise what id called the "Épiphany Mysteries" which are celebrated together in the Liturgy of the Hours and most dramatically by Christians of the Eastern Rites - Catholics and Orthodox.

Finally, we turned around to leave. So, on emerging from the Church, content to have participated in 3 of the 4 Christmas Masses, were we ever shocked to open the outer door of the church only to find ourselves in a blizzard, with a foot of snow and thick falling snow driven by a strong wind.

Most of the two miles / 3 kilometers from the church to our farm house was along Rivière Achigan, which is narrow but deep. Very quickly Papa was terrified he could no longer see the road; so, I asked him to stop the car so I could go out and sit on the hood and indicate to him when he should go more to the left by holding out that arm or to the right by holding out that arm and with no arms to keep going straight. He must have driven at10 or 15 mph and the cold and snow were fierce sitting out there on the hood, but we made it. Better to be a little cold than to land in the river! Man, what a vivid memory!

Blessed final Advent days, everybody, and peaceful, joyful, restful entry into the Season of Christmas until the Baptism of the Lord, which this year because of Christmas landing on Sunday, falls on Monday, January 9th. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2022!   PDF CARD 

HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND HOLY NEW YEAR 2023!

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Russia - Ukraine war... how ignorant and arrogant of us "westerners" to comment, draw conclusions, or go so far as to judge, without understanding Cossack history going back a millennium. Who are we to judge?

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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No doubt what is happening in Ukraine with the invasion by the Russian Federation cannot be understood without reference to the enormous and constant pressure from the U.S.A. through NATO pushing right up to the borders of Russia since the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. between 1989 and 1991. I still recall in the years preceding the "end of the Soviet regime" 
the genuine good will of Mikhail Gorbachev, at the time President of the Soviet Union. He boldly and courageously led a "new revolution" by trying to coax his diverse people into openness towards the rest of the world.

In retrospect, clearly we westerners, led by the Americans - who have never suffered from any lack of conviction about what is in their own interests - took advantage of that Russian good will in order to claw their way to the very borders of the former Soviet Union; just in case they ever became aggressive again... so the thinking goes....

From a strictly impartial viewpoint, it could well be said that it was to be expected that the Russians would wake up - sooner or later - to the truth that American-led NATO was taking advantage of their openness and abusing it to expand NATO to their very borders. Russia extended an open hand in openness and friendship to offer a new period in world history of collaboration for the common good and the betterment of humanity. I'm ashamed to have to admit, that in following the leadership of the U.S.A., we have rejected that open hand of friendship, in effect also rejecting this offer of a new period in world history of working together in collaboration for the common good and the betterment of humanity. 

So, with that offer apparently gone, no longer valid, what are we left with? We can only understand that by looking back at the history of the region. Check it out on Wikipedia and you will find a history of the Cossack peoples going back a millennium. The Cossacks, from our point of view, are very difficult to clearly define, or for that matter, to even begin to understand. They have been a collection of peoples with common culture known for their skill with horses and navigation, as well as military might and boldness characterized by fearlessness of personal injury or even death. They were even better organized and better educated than many of their surrounding neighbors. They were highly prized as mercenaries and allies and, understandably, feared as foes or enemies. It is reported that their total population ran over 3 million people, with 3 to 4 hundred capable men capable and ready for military service. Even this was highly developed and organized by age.

The ravages of history - the empires originating in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Turkey, and others used and abused the Cossack peoples, and more dramatically, the Russian Revolution of 1917 pitted them against each other, depending on which side of the dividing lines they fell. World War II did the same thing, as did the aggressive policies of Stalin to relocate entire populations. Whenever Cossack peoples were pitted against each other, they murdered ruthlessly then just as they would previously do when pitted against foreigners or outsiders; it was all the same.

This culture of the Cossack peoples is really quite "foreign" to our western sensibilities and ways of thinking, but there's no avoiding that history if we are to have any hope to begin to understand what is going on in Ukraine and why those actions looks as horrible as they do.

This is a time for us to humbly admit our own failings, which are so many, before we even think of picking up a stone to throw at anyone. We need to trust in those diverse peoples and to let them "work it out". Would we not want others to allow us to do the same? 

Mikhail Gorbachev's open hand may no longer be there, but other Russian hands may very well be open. One thing is certain, and that is that Jesus open mind, open heart, and open hand will ever be extended towards us and all "people of good will" intent on pursuing together the common good and willing to make allowances for each other's failings and human weaknesses. Looking back is useful for understanding from where we come, but is we are to make progress, we need to look ahead, and to do it together.

"Father and Creator of us all, open our spirits once again to your Son Jesus." "Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, Son of God - and as the man from Nazareth - the One Risen from the dead, have mercy on us, and fill us anew with your Holy Spirit, that by your grace we may become better versions of ourselves and once again open our minds, hearts, souls, and hands to one another." 

"Our Lady of Fatima, Myriam, Mother of the Son of God as the Mother of Jesus, woman of peace, pray for us all your children." 


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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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Monday, April 4, 2022

The strange case of banished Mass wines now effectively outlawed in the Province of Québec since Spring of 2021

Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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    It is an interesting challenge to practice and live one's faith in a secular society and culture. The availability of Mass wine is a case in point. By common opinion, until World War II or, say, 1950, western societies were commonly seen and felt to be "Christian societies", the "descendants" of what was once called "Christendom", or the "merging" of the "City of God" with the "City of man", to employ St. Augustine's categories. 

        In much of the Province of Québec, until recently, and for many decades, Mass wines employed by parish churches, shrines, and other chapels were primarily obtained, sold, and distributed by "church supply" stores such as Desmarais & Robitaille or Bertrand, Foucher, Bélanger in Montreal. The former closed its doors a decade ago. In Québec City and the eastern portions of the province it has probably been La Procure Eddlésiastique, established since 1945. There were other locally grown "shops" in other large cities in the province.

        Back in the 1960's there is evidence that these stores were licensed to sell Mass wine by the then Régie des Alcools du Québec. However, mysteriously (exact information is hard to find) some time in the past half century, these stores ceased to have or maintain licenses for their distribution of Mass wines; or else the governmental agencies ceased to be interested in providing them for whatever reason. 

        Then sometime in or before the Spring of 2021 there was report of an abuse in this "commerce" of wines for "religious purposes", and there was a raid by the Sureté du Québec somewhere outside of the large city centres. Here are links to coverage in French April 4, 2021 by La Presse and April 20th, 2021 by Présence Information Religieuse

        Some 8000 bottles of Mass wine were seized, while other church good stores were not touched; these apparently returned their stocks to their suppliers either in Canada or the U.S.A. or elsewhere. This number of bottles seems huge, but considering that in Québec at present there are still some 1,782 parishes, not to mention shrines and other chapels; it's no big deal. There really is not any obvious cause of scandal here.

        So, why then, this sudden police action coming down so hard on church goods stores? Were there people purchasing "Mass wine" or "altar wine" for other uses? We know that in some religions or religious cultures, it is not the "priest" who consumes a mouthful of wine once a day at a religious service, but it may be a whole family or entire community that will consume this wine at a "family meal" or "community meal" deemed to be a religious act. It is conceivable that one or more cases of wine would be needed in such an instance, all depending on the number of participants. As a weekly occurrence, this could amount to a rather large transaction in "religious wine" annually, no doubt. I am only speculating here, but is this what actually happened to trigger the police raid on the main church shops?

        However, in my 40 years of experience as a Roman Catholic priest, even in a busy parish where there are two celebrations of the Holy Mass during the week and up to four on Sunday, it is highly unlikely that a whole bottle of Mass wine would be used up each week. So, we're not talking about a huge wine bill here, and not much room for abuse either. 

        There were a few years some 20 years or more ago when in one parish we did offer the assembly Holy Communion under "both kinds", that is, to receive the wafer of bread - the Body of Christ - and a sip of the wine - the Blood of Christ. Very few parishes have ever done this, in the R. C. Church, and none that I know of still do it. However, even under these conditions, not more than a bottle and a half of wine, or at the very most two bottles, was used per week with an attendance of 100 people on weekdays and 1,500 on weekends. Most people passed by the chalice or would hold out their host for the Eucharisti Minister to dip it in the Blood of Christ and then deposit it on their tongue. People are content to receive Jesus in the Host alone. Jesus comes to them "whole and undivided" in his Risen Body and Blood. He is sufficient. 

        Eastern Rite and Orthodox Churches do give Holy Communion under both kinds, but the priests usually dip the consecrated bread in the consecrated wine before depositing it in the open mouth of the communicant. So, yes, they probably use a little more wine, but still, we're not talking about industrial quantities here. Nothing to cause scandal of any kind. 

        What about employing those wines for private use? One priest as spokesman for the Québec bishops was quoted in one of the above articles as saying that at his ordination some relatives teased him, saying that now he was going to paid to drink wine. So, one day, he brought home a bottle of Mass wine for them to taste. They never bothered him that way ever again. The point is that Mass wine does not draw attention to itself. A true Mass wine is quite forgettable as a table wine, but it eminently serves its purpose to refer one to Christ. 

        The question remains unanswered, then, why the Québec government unleashed the police services to seize the stocks of Mass wine in a number of church goods stores without publishing then or later any proof that these good will suppliers sold wine intended solely for religious purposes to individuals or groups who were not authorized to purchase them. In other words, where is the proof that huge quantities of Mass wine were sold to people who only intended to purchase them for "secular" or "private" consumption?

        If there was and is proof of such abuse or abuses, then why have the culprits not been published or brought to court or fined? All that seems to hang in the air is that on the basis apparently of some unknown complaint, the authorities have seized Mass wine stocks from honest (until proven otherwise) church supply shop keepers, who for the most part are probably just managing to survive. One such shop which enjoyed an excellent reputation for decades, Desmarais & Robitaille, closed up shop a decade or so ago. These shops aren't able to make anyone wealthy; especially not now with most churches being poorly attended.

        I've been shown a document that indicates these shops used to have licenses from the Régie des Alcools du Québec half a century or more ago. What happened since then to cause them to no longer have such a licence? 

        Local Church authorities have done their best to cooperate with the government to find a workable solution. What has that solution been? They have published a list of 7 organic wines recommended to pass the canonical requirements of the Church for Mass wine. All of the Mass wines previously distributed from Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, or California or anywhere else have all been banned. The SAQ apparently has no intention or interest to import, warehouse, or distribute those wines specifically grown, bottled, and distributed for the celebration of Holy Mass. Nor does the government seem inclined to renew licences for the sale of Mass wines to the church goods shops. 

        What a strange situation. Who can understand it? You can find both wines and beers in the grungiest "dépanneur" store, no problem; even wines that are barely palatable. Even gas stations with convenience stores attached can sell both wines and beers, not to mention those toxic "caffein" drinks that have reportedly caused accidents and deaths. But can we have access once again to our familiar and well appreciated Mass wines? No way!

        Perhaps priests with a "more refined palate" than I have may actually prefer one or more of those 7 wines on the new "Mass wine list" distributed on behalf of the SAQ. I have tried 4 of the 7 and I am very disappointed. They are no doubt fine wines for the table, to accompany foods of various kinds for various occasions, but they have far "too much character" to be appropriate for the altar in my view. When I celebrate Holy Mass, the proper Mass wine does not attract attention to itself, but is rather subtle and refers itself rather to the One who makes use of it to convey Himself to us, namely, Jesus Christ.

        The wines we now have no choice but to use draw far too much attention to themselves, causing thoughts to arise such as "Where is the cheese to go with this?" or "Where is the main course called for by this wine?" Perhaps the priests who will only know these wines won't mind, because they won't know that they are missing. Those of us who were befriended by the "Mont des Oliviers" from Portugal or the various Cribari offerings from California, or the La Salle Vineyards know what we had, what we lost, and what we regret to think we will never be able to use again. 

        I understand full well that today, when the world and we in it continue to suffer in solidarity with the devastated people of Ukraine and the people of Russia who may be as troubled as we are; that in this world, the question I raise here about Mass wines is such a small and apparently insignificant matter, perhaps some might even think it scandalous to raise it. However, when the dust of war settles, life must go on. Is it not one of our rights in societies where the citizens enjoy fundamental human rights, that we can express our thoughts and feelings about not only the great but also the little concerns of life? 

        Since the SAQ prides itself on importing good wines from all over the world, what then could this sudden police action be really about? Could it be the latest nail in the coffin being designed by a secular state for any remaining vestiges of faith in the society and culture it so obsessively wants to be entirely and only secular? First, religious school commissions had to be dismantled - requiring nothing less than an amendment to the BNA (British North America) Act of the British Parliament, which founded Canada March 29, 1867. Then, crucifixes had to be removed from institutions under the responsibility of the government. A year ago, the elimination of all "Mass / altar / sacramental wines" from the province, treating the shop keepers as borderline criminals by seizing their stocks instead of requiring them to return them and get reimbursed. 

        What will be next, I wonder? If our civil state goes so far as to imitate the way of the U.S.A., we may not learn from their mistakes. Once they eliminated God and the Bible from the public school system, the vacuum they created was filled by guns, knives, drugs, and mass shootings. They still haven't learned their lesson from this. Is it likely that we will? 

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In this JOURNAL I will share once in a while a glimpse of my life as a Catholic Christian and priest to connect with other people who desire to contribute to the common good and to enable personal openness to God who gives life to all of humanity and watches over us. G.S.

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Dans ce JOURNAL je partage de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui désirent contribuer au bien commun et pour faire avancer l'ouverture personnelle à Dieu qui fait vivre toute l'humanité et veille sur nous. G.S.

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© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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What is the current state of English Catholic parishes in Montreal? Where have we come from? Where are we going? Where are we now?

Dans ce JOURNAL je  partage   de temps en temps un aperçu de ma vie de chrétien catholique et de prêtre pour rejoindre d'autres qui dési...