Remembering and praying for the dead
"If you're going to die, die a Dominican."
Good morning and happy Saturday. Today is the feast of Saints Simon and Jude. Not a ton is known about either of these saints other than they were sent to evangelize together and it is believed that they were martyred together on one of these missions; hence they share a feast day.
St. Jude is also the author of one of the shortest books in Scripture. It is so short in fact that it has no chapter numbers, just verses. If you have five or ten minutes this morning, perhaps read and reflect upon it.
St. Simon, on the other hand, is Simon the Zealot and is not to be confused with Simon Peter. The Zealots were a political movement in the time of Christ that had great zeal for Jewish law sought to overthrow the Romans. In fact, in 66AD they did lead a rebellion against the Romans in Jerusalem which was then followed by destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD. While Scripture doesn’t tell us whether or not Simon was actually a member of this political party or simply a devout and faithful Jew, the popular TV series The Chosen has decided to depict him as a member ready to assassinate Roman leaders.
Side note: If you need something a little more wholesome to watch than the news as of late, The Chosen is currently airing on the CW on Sunday nights at 8pm or is streaming for free here.
This week:
This week we are entering the thirtieth week in Ordinary Time. The readings at Mass tomorrow are Exodus 22:20-26, Psalm 18, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10, and Matthew 22:34:40.
We do have a holy day this week for which we are obligated to honor as equal to a Sunday in the United States (this means go to Mass). Wednesday is the Solemnity of All Saints. Check with your local parish for Mass times.
Here is a calendar for this week:
Wednesday, November 1 – Solemnity of All Saints
Thursday, November 2 – Commemoration of All Souls*
Friday, November 3 – Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, OP (optional)
Saturday, November 4 – Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo
In the Office of Readings we will be reading from the book of Wisdom except for Wednesday and Thursday. On the Solemnity of All Saints, we will be reading about the elders, “countless in number, thousands and tens of thousands,” singing God’s praises in the book of Revelation. For the Commemoration of All Souls, you can pick one of the readings from St. Paul’s first or second letter to the Corinthians from the Office of the Dead about our future resurrection.
*Use the Office of the Dead for the Memorial of All Souls for all hours except for what is in the proper.
In the news:
The United States
For those who need some blue: Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley urges Catholics to contribute to humanitarian need for migrants from the southern border - America Magazine
Religious persection is a threat to national security - Catholic News Agency
The Vatican
Pope Francis channels Pope St. Paul VI by taking Synod issues of the table - John Allen, Jr. in Crux'
Synod urgest more synodality - The Pillar
The World
Two nuns remain in Gaza to care for those in need - ChurchPop
For those who need some red: “Your politics, your historical grievances, your religion—none of it—justifies killing innocent women and children” - John Gondelski, Ph.D. in Catholic World Report
Number of Catholics declines in Europe but increases in Africa - Catholic News Agency
Militia fighting increases in Ethiopia; bishops warn of war - Crux
One of the last priests to witness Vatican II first hand talks to Al Kresta - Kresta in the Afternoon on Ave Maria Radio
Remembering the dead
This week we celebrate the commemoration of All Souls and I wanted to share a few thoughts on two priests who have since passed on that had a major impact on my life and undoubtly the lives of others.
My work in Catholic media began when I was in high school when I was invited to help work on a weekly radio program for the local Catholic radio station. The program was intended to be geared towards high schoolers and discuss the challenges that young people face day to day. One of the requirements set by the radio station is that we needed to have a spiritual director.
I cannot tell you how many priests we talked to that were not interested in working with us on this program. At some point, we ended up talking to Fr. Phillip Tighe, the young pastor of St. Catherine of Siena parish in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Fr. Tighe was eager to be involved and unlike so many other area priests wanted to see the show succeed.
Fr. Tighe understood the importance of radio and media when it comes to evangelization and wanted to see it used well in his community.
At some point, the eagerness to work on the radio program dried up among some of the participants and the project fizzled out. It ended after about a year or so.
Fr. Tighe was later named the vocations director for the Diocese of Raleigh and helped grow the outreach and information campaign for local vocations. He was diagnosed with esophagal cancer in 2018 and passed on to his eternal reward in August 2020.
Even though the original program went away, the project that Fr. Tighe was so eager to help out with lives on. A few of us who formerly worked on the radio program were offered our own opportunity to take over the Catholic radio station that offered the chance to run the program and we took it. Today that program is a fully fledged nonprofit and that station is still on the air today, broadcasting Catholic evangelization to the community that hosts the Southeaster Baptist Theological Seminary.
That station wouldn’t be there now had Fr. Tighe not been willing to help out early on. We pray for his soul at the station and I’m sure he prays for us.
This summer, I was saddened to hear the news that Fr. Stan Drongowski, OP, the chaplain I had become friends with at Aquinas College, had passed away suddenly while on retreat in Illinois.
Fr. Stan lead a very interesting life. He grew up in Ohio and was a witness in college to the Kent State shootings. He told me once that it had helped form his vocation to the priesthood and his decision to join the Dominicans.
Fr. Stan was someone who struck me that he knew his vocation in life; he knew how to listen and follow the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. He was a very apt college chaplain and was a talented preacher.
My experience at Aquinas College was that much of the faculty and administration, like on many college campuses, were very progressive. While, at its core this isn’t a problem, but there was a frustrating toleration for particularly anti-Catholic values, namely abortion or same-sex romantic relationships.
Fr. Stan was a bridge builder. He was ready to aid anyone spiritually whether they were gay or straight, Christian or not, Catholic or not. He was friends with nearly everyone and had a saintly level of patience.
That is why I was so disappointed that there were not more members of the faculty at his funeral in Chicago this summer. There were a few who worked in administrative roles, his Dominican brothers, and the new director of Campus Ministry. The Bishop of Grand Rapids and his Vicar General were also there as well as roughtly thirty former students.
Here is someone who was a bridge builder in a divided world, who sought to help anyone he could, and was committed to the Dominican traditions of education and preaching yet the school could barely muster a handful of employees to attend his funeral.
When we die and if we die faithful and end up in purgatory, we need others’ prayers. We will need the prayers of those alive and those already in Heaven so that we too can achieve that ultimate goal of life with our Lord.
For that reason, the Church makes a point of praying for the dead and we should too. We can do that by going to Mass on November 2nd, adding the souls in purgatory to our daily intentions, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and attending funerals. We’re all apart of a family in our Catholic Church; we all need eachothers prayers both in this life and the next.
At Fr. Stan’s funeral, I had the opportunity to talk to one of Fr. Stan’s Dominican brothers who is now the lead chaplain at Aquinas College: Fr. Bob Keller. Fr. Bob and I had a conversation about the Dominican tradition, something I’ve felt a strong calling to as a married lay person as of late.
After the Dominicans friars present had processed around the church and sung the Dominican version of Salve Regina, Fr. Bob said something to me that is funny, memorable, and a thought that I will leave you with to ponder this week.
He said to me, “If you’re going to die, die a Dominican. Good things happen.”
Fr. Stan and Fr. Tighe, requiescat in pace.
If you need some help pondering Fr. Bob’s last comment to me, check out this article from the Dominican Province of St. Joseph. The author explains that Dominicans constantly pray for the members of their order that have gone on before them and because St. Dominic assured them that he (and presumably those who are in the order now) are of more use to the order in Heaven than on earth.
Have a good week,
Matthew