4/5/24 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption:

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

It had been a long time since I had attended an Easter Vigil Mass when I arrived at Our Lady of Peace last Saturday evening. I am not exaggerating when I say it was a profound experience.

Make no mistake about it — it is a long service. It began at 8pm and the final recession from the altar with Fathers Dooley and Blubaugh, Deacon Fortkamp and Deacon candidate Griffin, as well as servers Jack and Ben Curtis, happened around 10:30. Some (but not many!) people in the congregation did not make it through the full service. I was particularly impressed with the young couple with three small children, in both their behavior and fortitude that night for sitting quietly throughout the evening.

There are Catholics who are “cultural Catholics.” They are the ones who identify as Catholic, but don’t go to Mass or participate in the sacraments at all. Then there are the “twofer Catholics” who go a step further and fill the pews on Easter and Christmas. The vast majority of Catholics, and I put myself in this category, attend Mass faithfully, but, truth be told, squeeze our Sunday obligation among the many obligations that obliterate the concept that Sunday should be a day of rest. The typical 60-minute Mass is fine for us, but 150 minutes is a challenge. And yet for many communities, even in Columbus, the Ghanian and the Eritrean Catholic communities, for instance, their services run longer every week. Going to the Easter Vigil Mass is atypical for me. “I’m sooo busy,” I complain.

The opening of the Vigil was outside, and the rain cooperatively left us alone while we watched the new Pascal Candle lighted from a Boy Scout-created fire pit. The lights in the church were dim and, twice during the liturgy all of us in the congregation held candles with flickering flames.

The sanctuary looked resplendent with the candles of the High Mass and the Easter lilies. Incense, that ancient smoky ritual that has been used to purify for millennia, was present.

The readings, according to Hallow.com, “trace the story of the world from God’s creation through Jesus’ Resurrection.” As a lover of good stories, the literary arc from the beginning of the world to the new beginning of Christ’s defeating death for all of us, was a powerful boost to my faith. A big Thank You to the many lectors who proclaimed the Word of God.

The choir, under the leadership of Julie Cottrill, was magnificent in leading us in song. Collectively, they were powerful, and the individual cantors who sang the Responsorial Psalms had me hanging on every verse.

There was a baptism that evening of a young baby whose behavior was also exemplary, and the welcoming into the Church through RCIA of a half dozen new parishioners for whom we clapped enthusiastically.

The congregation got to renew our own Baptismal promises, and all were blessed with Holy Water sprinkled throughout each pew.

It would take much more space to go through all that happens during this Mass, but the highlight for me was Father Dooley’s homily. Before Mass, he acknowledged to me that this was his last Easter Vigil at Our Lady of Peace. He began by saying that his homily would be brief. Honestly, I don’t know that he stuck to that, but even more honestly, I didn’t care. Among the many symbols of fire that night, the brightest were Father Dooley’s words, which were certainly on fire as he was inspired by the God to whom he has dedicated his life. His remarks were both educational and inspirational and ended with the exhortation to take this moment and become better people. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are able to be forgiven for our sins and take each new day as an opportunity to be better than the day before. I heard the voice of Jesus in the passionate words of our Pastor.

Like a rich and full Easter meal, which was hosted at our house on Easter Sunday by my wife for all the relatives in town, I don’t know that I could attend an Easter Vigil service every Saturday evening. But this past Saturday was a recharge of my battery and deepened my understanding of, and appreciation for the enduring rituals that heighten the richness of the Catholic faith and tradition. It even made missing the Crew game on television that night, well worth it!

Bishop Watterson Honor Roll Third Quarter:

Congratulations to the Our Lady of Peace alumni: Maggie Adkins, Elsa Allen, Lila Allen, Marie Bakle, Emma Benadum, David Bloomberg, Maria Casey, Parker Graney, Angelina Ferguson, Audrey Harsh, Sophia Koah, Lily Kuypers, Jack Leonard, Kate Libby, Lucia Lordo, Stella Magee, Camilla Maynard, Diana Ochoa, Emma Pawlik, Sarah Renshaw, Alex Schirack, Sarah Thomas, Caterina Turton, Ilse Williams, Ian Williams, Joe Zeyen.

Jim Silcott