Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Those of us of a certain age will remember watching Guy Lombardo and his orchestra serenading a sea of revelers at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on New Year’s Eve. At the stroke of midnight, the orchestra would launch into its unique rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” with a chorus of saxophones warbling out the tune.
The words of the song come a poem by the Scottish author, Robert Burns (1759-96), who based it on an earlier Scottish poem. These are the words we usually sing today:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Surely, the song evokes wistful feelings about the passing of the old year, as well as hopeful feelings about the one just starting. Some years leave us with memories that we would rather forget (or never bring to mind). For me, 2023 leaves me with a mixture of both happy as well as sad memories.
I will remember 2023 as the year I came down with Covid back in February. It was a relatively mild case, fortunately, but I still had to remain isolated for about ten days until I tested negative. I remember saying that getting Covid was a moment to be more patient and understanding of others who had struggled through it. And that was a good thing.
The past year also saw the end of Holy Name Province and the beginning of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, a moment that we friars had been preparing for over the course of several years. But it was still a wistful moment when it finally came to pass. The future of our lives as friars in the United States will be stronger because now there are more of us living out the Franciscan vision of the Gospel life together. And that’s a good thing.
Looking around the world, 2023 will be remembered as a year of ongoing conflict between nations, resulting in more suffering on the part of countless numbers of innocent people, especially children. The war between Russia and Ukraine still grinds on, as another conflict between Israel and Hamas takes more civilian lives. Haiti continues to suffer under the onslaught of dangerous gang activity. But our parishioners have made concerted efforts to advocate on their behalf, and we can be very grateful for their efforts, which we hope will some day bring some positive results. And that is a good thing.
Most recently, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document giving permission for priests to bless persons in irregular marriages or same-sex marriages. This is a big moment in the Church’s pastoral approach to those who have felt excluded from the ecclesial community. As one commentator put it: “What the declaration does is say that the church will not treat people in ‘irregular’ situations — like being in a LGBTQ relationship or being divorced and remarried — as if they are beyond the pale. We welcome them into the church. Full stop. We cannot perform a marriage for a relationship that our Catholic tradition does not recognize as a marriage, but that should not be any bar to our welcoming people.” And that is a good thing.
As we come to the end of 2023 and look forward to 2024, I am grateful for all that has happened, both good and bad, because we can learn so much from the difficulties and struggles we experience throughout our lives. When we learn to be more patient, more accepting and understanding, more respectful and loving – that’s a very good thing!
I want to close with sincere thanks for all of you who make this parish such a wonderful community. The celebrations of Christmas, especially the 800th anniversary of St. Francis at Greccio, were extraordinary events that will live long in our memories. I am grateful to the friars and our lay staff who work very hard to serve you in so many ways. The past few weeks have had their joys and sorrows, but we have been gathered together by our faith in a loving God who is with us all our days. And that’s the best thing!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor
