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The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is an honor to have this opportunity to share what St James means to me with all of you. In a very real sense, my participation in ministries here at St James has brought about the greatest blessings in my life. First, some history for you. I am a cradle Catholic. My family attended Mass regularly, I received an outstanding education at Catholic elementary and high schools, and many of my favorite childhood memories revolve around celebrations of the Sacraments (baptisms, confirmations, weddings, etc.). I cannot recall a ‘dark’ time in my life, a time when I really questioned my faith or whether or not Catholicism was right for me. But, I was complacent. Perhaps the fact that I did not have a ‘dark’ time made it too easy for me. As an adult, practicing my faith became more intentional. I was responsible for getting myself to Mass. I decided how involved I wanted to be. And, to be completely honest with you, I did very little for several years. I was a frequent – but not every Sunday – Mass attender. And that was about it. In that stage of my life, I became a St James parishioner. I enjoyed attending Mass here – Father Ryan’s outstanding homilies; the spectacular music from the choirs, soloists, and organists; the artistic and beautiful surroundings of this sacred space. I smiled graciously during the sign of peace, but did little else to ‘reach out’ to my fellow parishioners. About 11 years ago, I came to mass with the intention of getting more involved. By no small coincidence, that was the Ministries Fair and Sacrificial Giving weekend. I learned about a few interesting ministries that Sunday, and decided to try St Vincent de Paul. Ultimately, that one seemingly small decision would completely change the course of my life (more about that in a moment). But initially, it changed my heart. The mission of St Vincent de Paul is to visit in their homes people who make a request for financial assistance. From the funds collected here once a month, we give vouchers to those we visit for rent, food, utilities. But these personal visits are the one thing that really distinguishes St Vincent de Paul from other sources of ‘funds for the needy’. I was touched by this work, and learned what a ‘ministry of presence’ really means. Another ministry that I have been blessed to participate in is the St James Music Program. On a ‘life-changing’ Sunday approximately 6 years ago, another seed was planted as I read the bulletin. There was a notice about Choir auditions. I had long been an admirer of the Cathedral Choir and Dr Savage’s charismatic and passionate contribution to the celebration of the liturgy. I got up the courage to audition and, lo & behold, I became a member of two Choirs – the Cathedral Choir and the Women of St James Schola. The impact this made on my life was immeasurable – in ways I expected, and ways I did not. I expected to be awed by the beautiful music and amazing talent all around me, I expected to be challenged (much of the sacred music is not easy to learn, and requires focus and practice, practice, practice), I expected to make several wonderful friends who would become like family to me. What I did not expect was that this ministry would enhance my prayer life so deeply. Singing these glorious hymns and psalms is praying. And I believe that singing – either in the congregation or as a member of one of the choirs – is a powerful form of prayer. There have been other ministries along the way – the Winter Shelter, a trip to the Mississippi Gulf coast for Hurricane Katrina clean-up, the Pastoral Vision Council. All have deepened my interpersonal connections here at the Cathedral, and have illustrated so clearly that it is in giving that we receive. What has all this done for me? Little by little, Christ has become a part of my daily life. Prayer has become more of an organic, comfortable conversation with Christ - not a memorized collection of words that I’d say before a meal or going to sleep at night. As the blessings continued to pour out, it became impossible to deny how God was working in my life. I am complacent about my faith no longer. I mentioned earlier that my involvement in ministries has brought about the greatest blessings in my life. Now I can elaborate on what I mean by that. When I became involved in the ministries I’ve mentioned, I was single. Happily single, mind you, but still searching for a relationship with someone who shared my values and with whom I’d find a natural fit. I prayed regularly about this too – and received an answer to my prayers. I met the man who is now my husband making home visits for St Vincent de Paul. I remember our first outing…I showed up at the St Vincent de Paul office to meet the “new guy”, and part-way through our day of home visits I’d wished that I put on a little lipstick that morning. Robert and I were married here at the Cathedral almost 2 years ago, and 3 months ago God gave us the ultimate blessing – the birth of our little son. On that day, and every day since, the word miracle has taken on a new meaning for me. Our son will soon be baptized right here – in what Rob and I view as our Cathedral home, surrounded by our Cathedral family. And… You’ll be happy to know that we named him Vincent! I feel so blessed to be part of this Cathedral family, and I know you do, too. Thank you. Angela
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