Away from the Parish for a Little While

Dear Parishioners,

When I first started writing these letters each week over a decade ago for my parish bulletin, my intention was to communicate directly with you my parishioners and to let know you what I was thinking.  I generally enjoy writing, and I saw this as an additional way to communicate my thoughts and sometimes my feelings.  (Go on a Marriage Encounter Weekend to have this distinction--thoughts vs. feelings--clarified more fully!)  The homily each week was not always the means by which I could convey everything that I wanted to say.  Nor was it always the appropriate forum for some of the matters that needed to be addressed.

With time, and a transfer to various parish assignments, I began posting my letters on my blog (www.fr-ed-namiotka.com) for anyone to see.  Hence, my "parishioners" took on an ever greater context.  I now have people who do not physically reside in my parish but look for some spiritual guidance or insight, or just try to see what I am up to these days.  I hope that whoever reads my brief messages somehow benefits spiritually from what I have to say.  I put time, energy, prayer and love into my weekly message with the hope that it can somehow touch souls.  I pray that God use these words in whatever way He sees fit.

I just returned from a Caribbean cruise.  While it may seem a strange thing to do during Lent, sometimes the circumstances of life do not fit into exact categories.  For years, I was able to take my mom (now 85) with me and this was a way that we could be together for a week (or so) and where we could warm up from the chill of the winter.  Unfortunately, for the past two years she has declined to go with me for various reasons (usually health and mobility related).  Nonetheless, I was able to offer Mass and to preach each day for some of the cruise passengers and they seemed very appreciative that I could be there for them.  Daily Mass usually saw approximately 20-30 people while the Sunday Masses were attended by about 125 travelers.

Currently, I am a participant at the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey being held in Atlantic City.  Bishop Sullivan is the driving force behind this three-and-a-half day event.  He has required each parish to send 10 delegates with their pastor.  The hope is that the approximately 800 attendees will be able to return to their respective parishes filled with Gospel joy and zeal, and to be effective leaders.  We have Mass and pray together each day, attend various conferences and workshops, and find ourselves getting to know the chosen delegates better.  For me it has been something of a Diocesan/Catholic Who's Who, as I have run into so many former parishioners and friends.  When you are a priest for over thirty years, you do get to know quite a few people!

The convocation began on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25).  This day, dedicated to Our Lady and her acceptance of God's will in her life, has been a special day for me for quite some time.  One of my close priest-friends generally sends out Annunciation Day cards rather than Christmas cards.  He does this to remind us all that the Word became flesh--the Incarnation of Jesus the Christ--with Mary's "yes" to the angel Gabriel (see Luke 1: 26-38).  The sacredness of the life of every child in the womb is accentuated by the presence of Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The words of the Hail Mary and the Angelus should be daily prayer-reminders of the events of this day.

When I return to the parish with my fellow attendees this weekend,  pray that we be filled with the Joy of the Gospel!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

A Couple Clarifications

Dear Parishioners,

Recently the office staff and I have received various questions about some directives coming recently from Pope Francis.  One area concerned the forgiveness of the sin of abortion and the other concerned annulments.  I will attempt to shed some light on both of these matters.

Bishop Sullivan tried to clarify what a priest is able to do in the confessional by having a letter read at all the Masses a few weeks ago.  The essence of the letter was the following:

A misunderstanding on the part of some was that local priests had not been given [the permission to absolve the sin of abortion] until now.  Thus, some Catholics may wonder whether they were properly absolved in the past.  They were indeed.  There is no need at all to worry about the past.  Sins that have been confessed and absolved are absolved.  In the Diocese of Camden, permission to absolve from the sin of abortion was granted by Bishop McHugh to our priests in 1990.  Pope Francis is now universally extending that permission to priests in other parts of the world who previously did not have it.  This is just one more way that the Holy Father is emphasizing the Lord’s abundant mercy which he has done since the first days of his pontificate.

The sin of abortion is considered a grave sin as it involves the taking of an innocent human life.  All priests now have the permission to absolve this sin in the confessional.  In the past, this sin had been considered a sin reserved to the bishop for absolution because of its seriousness.

Next, an annulment is a declaration by a Church tribunal (a Catholic church court) that a marriage thought to be valid according to Church law actually fell short of at least one of the essential elements required for a binding union.  Bishop Sullivan released a statement on Pope Francis’ instruction on this issue.  Its essence is below:

The Holy Father made it clear that the Church’s law and pastoral life are ordered to the practice of charity and mercy and ultimately the salvation of souls.  In fact, Pope Francis made it clear that he is “not promoting the nullity of marriage, but the quickness of the processes, as well as a correct simplicity” of annulment procedures.  These changes have resulted from the world-wide consultation for last year’s Extraordinary Synod and the recommendations of a commission of canonists impaneled by the Holy Father to review annulment procedures and the Church’s law.

An annulment is not a “Catholic divorce” but rather a declaration that something essential was absent in a marriage that a couple attempted.  Sometimes people may not seek an annulment of an unsuccessful marriage because of the anticipated length of the procedure, the perceived cost, the possible misconception of illegitimacy of any children from that bond and other reasons.  Some do not want to revisit the pain that resulted from an ugly divorce.

 

Pope Francis’ emphasis on the Mercy of God has led him (and us) to find ways to extend this mercy to people who experience these and other difficult life situations.  

Please take the time to investigate more about these matters.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor