8/16/24 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott

Photo Caption: Faculty Day of Service at Seeds of Caring

Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,

I am a cradle-to-not-yet-grave Catholic. I was baptized in St. Bernard’s Church in Baltimore, Mayland, just across the street from Memorial Stadium, home of the Orioles and Colts. 

I did not go to kindergarten because there were no Catholic kindergartens at the time. 

I attended First Grade and part of Second Grade at Immaculate Heart of Mary. I can say with some pride that I learned — more accurately, memorized — the Baltimore Catechism in the city of Baltimore. When we moved to Northport, New York in November 1963, there was no room for me at St. Philip Neri so I went to Ocean Avenue School. In February 1964, the day after someone left the Second Grade at St. Philip, 

I was in his desk there and my coat was on his hook in the cloakroom. 

I started training as an altar boy at St. Philip when the Mass was still being said in Latin. But the Church transitioned to Masses in English, so our training shifted dramatically. I had a teacher in Fifth Grade there who left at the end of the year to become a Sister. 

By the time I had graduated from Eighth Grade in 1970, the world had changed a lot, and the Church with it. 

By that time, I was at Our Lady of Victory here in Columbus. The Sisters of Charity who were on the faculty did not wear habits. The Baltimore Catechism had been abandoned in favor of Simon and Garfunkel songs. 

Guitar Masses were the norm. 

At St. Charles we had many priests on the faculty. Our principal, Father Ralph Huntzinger, taught me Freshman Religion. Father Dunn was my Latin teacher, Father Bennett taught us World History, Father Roger Emmert, English. If we went to Mass, we got to go to lunch earlier than those who chose Study Hall instead. 

When I started teaching at Bishop Watterson in 1979, there was still a large convent there and about one dozen Dominican Sisters were on the faculty. We had a six-period day and John Durant, our principal, had the students taking Theology classes only three days a week. It was called Theology so that colleges would accept those credits. When Durant was forced to offer Religion class daily, we expanded to seven periods. 

Now I embark on my 68th year as a Catholic and 47th year in Catholic education. There are few sisters in education, and instead of multiple priests to every parish, many times there is one clergy for multiple places of worship. The Catholic Church has, like our world, changed much since my earliest memories of attending Midnight Mass at actual Midnight while still a young toddler.

Yes, the prayers have changed mostly from Latin to English. We no longer say, “And also with you,” as a response to the priest. We don’t use the term “Holy Ghost,” anymore. There are altar girls as well as boys, and the laity assist at Communion. 

One thing, however, has not changed: Transubstantiation, when the priest changes ordinary hosts and table wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether we kneel or stand, open our mouth or stretch out our hands, we still believe that we are receiving the actual Risen Christ. We still believe that the host and wine have been transformed and that we are fulfilling Christ’s message to the Apostles at the Last Supper. And that is profound and awesome and wonderful. 

And yet they tell me that many Catholics no longer believe that Transubstantiation is real. I know that many Catholics don’t feel the need to regularly attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days to witness this miracle and participate in it. 

I will let others decide why. As we start a new school year in a Catholic school, my wish is that our families come to Our Lady of Peace not just for the community feel, and the excellent educational opportunities but because everything we do should be immersed in Jesus Christ, His Church, and His Gospel Message. Everything we do should be helping to build His Kingdom. 

We will continue to attend Friday Mass at 8:15am during the school year. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come. But our weekly obligation to attend Mass at Saturday vigil or on Sundays is not mitigated by the Friday Mass. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our pews were overflowing for all three weekend liturgies by all our Catholic families attending faithfully? And wouldn’t it be even more wonderful if our non-Catholic families, struck by what they witness on Fridays, begin to flock to Our Lady of Peace on Sundays? This would be a great foundation for His Kingdom. 

“Why did God make you? God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven,” to quote the Baltimore Catechism. It still holds true. Let’s have a great school year. Pray for one another. 

Jim Silcott