(295) Many Catholic Priests and Knights of Columbus Among First Responders on 9/11

AMDG

This photo records the scene moments after one of the two terrorist captured planes crashed into one of the two 110 story towers of the World Trade Center about 9 am on a clear sunny Tuesday morning, September 11 as summer was drawing to a close.  The terrorists actually believed that as martyrs for their cause, they would go straight to heaven and have multiple virgins at their disposal.  My family of six went to the top of one of the towers a year earlier and had a magnificent view of the city, the Bay, and the Statue of Liberty.  Our nine year old daughter, Stephanie actually got lost on the large observation deck.  Probably, everyone over the age of ten at the time can recall where they were on that fateful day.  I arrived at the University of Rio Grande and the staff was watching the events on television.  The students were so afraid of a full scale attack that we had to cancel classes that day.

    The fire departments of New York City, including the boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn immediately responded to rescue as many of the people trapped in the twin towers as they could, despite blinding and suffocating smoke, probably in the hundreds.  It was horrific.  In desperation a number of people jumped out of windows to their deaths before the flames could consume them.  Of the 9,000 or so in each tower a total of about 2,150 people perished in the disaster.  Most on the floors below the impacts were able to escape, thanks in great part to the first responders.  Those in the second tower had a better chance during the sixteen minutes before the second plane hit.

The first responders included not only fire fighters and medical personnel, but also Catholic priests, who counseled and gave absolution.  Many of the first responders belonged to the Knights of Columbus, who followed their ideals of charity and patriotism.  They served with heroism and at least 45 of them sacrificed their very lives in serving.

    Not many know that the Church was right there, helping people of all faiths.  Let us read the account of brother knight, Msgr. Thomas Machalski, from his interview by Knightline and Columbia Magazine.  He was actively involved.  Born in the Queens Borough, Msgr. Machalski was ordained for the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1985 and now serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bayside, where he is a member of Ridgewood Council 1814. 

United States flag is posted in the rubble of the World Trade Center at Ground Zero on Sept. 13, 2001.  As during the Cuban Missile in 1962, there was a sudden and substantial increase in church attendance all over the Country.  People were scared and prayed.  Sadly, that return to God did not last.  A monument now stands at the site to honor the over three thousand people who died there.  It can happen again; we must be vigilant.

In 2001, then-Father Machalski was among the priests who ministered to first responders at ground zero in the days after the attack on the World Trade Center.

“Shortly after the attacks, a call went out from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.  They wanted to make sure there were two Catholic priests at ground zero at all times.  So there was never a moment, from the very beginning until the last day of cleanup, that there were not two Catholic priests on duty, 24/7.”

“About 400 of us priests volunteered, and we took six-hour shifts. During the first of four shifts I took — I always had the 12-6 a.m. shift — I was standing right on that smoldering pile that you see in photos and videos, as they were literally pulling buckets filled with pieces of people from that rubble. They would take them into a makeshift morgue, where we would have a small prayer service and bless the body parts, and then go back onto the pile again.

“We were there, really, to provide emotional and spiritual support to the police officers, the firefighters and those who volunteered. They would say things like, ‘We know that you don’t have an answer to this, Father. Nobody does. But we just know God is here when we see you.’  They saw the collar, and that was a sign that God was there with them.”  

“I think our presence also gave a great deal of solace to people who lost family members — to know that if their loved ones’ remains were found, there was a priest who prayed over and blessed them."

    “When I went home and thought about it later, it would bother me that such evil could exist in the world and be perpetrated by one human being against another. But Christ’s example of redemptive suffering allowed me to make sense of what had happened and minister better, I think, to those who were left behind.”

“On Sept. 21, the [New York] Mets played their first game since the attacks, and I had a ticket to the game. It was against Atlanta, our biggest rival, and we were losing in the eighth inning.  But then [Hall of Fame catcher and lifelong Catholic] Mike Piazza got up, and he whacked a home run like you wouldn’t believe. Once he hit that ball, I knew it was gone.”

“That place just — I’m getting emotional just thinking about it — it just exploded. And we won that game. I still look at that moment and think that was God saying, ‘You guys need this’ — not the Mets, but the people of New York.”  Brother knight Msgr. Machalski would go on to become the New York Mets’ Catholic chaplain since 2007.  Read more about Msgr. Machalski’s life and work in this May 2024 Columbia feature on Knights who serve as Major League Baseball chaplains.

Three brother knights who are Catholic Major League Baseball Chaplains.  From left to right are Msgr. Thomas Machalski of the New York Mets, who is described in this article, followed by Fr. Burke Masters of the Chicago Cubs and Fr. Pedro Rivera of the San Diego Padres.

Watch the video produced by the Knights of Columbus, “Service and Sacrifice: Remembering 9/11”at 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isd4pUNRGK0 or search for that title at www.youtube.com.   It gives a glimpse of what the first responders went through.  This short film commemorates the heroic work of first responders and priests as well as the K of C Life Insurance Field Agents’ efforts to bring financial assistance to grieving families of First Responders who lost their lives.  The Knights of Columbus raised $1.5 million for the Heroes Fund to help many of the families of over 400 fallen first responders….police, firefighters, medical personnel, etc. regardless of religious affiliation.  At least 45 of the fallen first responders were knights.  Surely, some of the other 2000 victims were also knights.

Having breathed so much toxic fumes and smoke, many of the surviving first responders suffered from chronic ailments for years…..respiratory, cancer, etc. 

Fr. Mychal Judge, a 68 year old Franciscan friar and chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, accompanied his men and was killed when the south tower collapsed. He was the first certified fatality of the attacks. Other priests also put their lives at risk.

It should be mentioned that one of the large financial companies that had many offices in the World Trade Center took care of the families of the personnel it lost in the disaster. 

Upon announcing the annual World Day of Prayer for Peace at the Supreme Convention in Dallas in 2004 and calling people of all faiths to annually observe September 11 as a day of prayer for worldwide peace, former Supreme Knight Carl Anderson made the following statement: "TERRORISM AND THE TERRIBLE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, PRODUCE MANY EMOTIONS, RANGING FROM ANGER TO PROFOUND SORROW. BUT AS WE RECALL THE LOSSES OF THAT AWFUL DAY AND HONOR THOSE WHO DIED, WE SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THAT PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING, NOT REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION, MUST BE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL. WE CAN BEST ACHIEVE THAT GOAL BY RAISING OUR VOICES TO GOD, REMINDING HIM THAT WE SHARE HIS DEEP AND ABIDING DESIRE FOR PEACE ON EARTH, AND ASKING HIS DIVINE GUIDANCE AND HELP."

(294) The Significance of Each of the Four Degrees of the Knights of Columbus

 AMDG

Sir Michael Merry and Sir Michael Dressel, New 4th Degree Knights

      Our St. Louis Council 3335 has had a shortage of 4^th Degree knights and two of our most active knights filled the bill on April 6.  They demonstrated their interest in learning more about the history of the Knights of Columbus and what the 4^th Degree is all about by sacrificing much of a busy Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Marietta, Ohio.  In the ceremony the over 40 candidates were urged to be always faithful to God and His Church and to continue being active in their local councils.  The key is to desire being a 4^th Degree knight and to participate at a higher level.  In Knights of Columbus circles these two faithful Catholic men may now be addressed as Sir Michael Merry and Sir Michael Dressel as with the knights of old and in Great Britain today.  Both men considered it all an enjoyable experience.    

       Mike Merry has been a knight for 31 years (it’s about time for the 4^th Degree).  Besides his obvious spirit of service, what attracted him to the knights was that it is Catholic and worldwide.  He was Grand Knight for three years and has served as deputy and secretary.  Mike was in charge of the parish youth group for ten years and continues as President of Gallia For Life for the last 22 years.  While raising four lovely daughters, Merry worked for S&J Lumber in operations and maintenance.  After 22 years with S&J, this entrepreneur started his own logging business.   

       Mike Dressel joined the Knights 23 years ago because he enjoys helping people and being part of a team.  He followed in the footsteps of his father, who also was a knight.  After serving as Deputy, Mike succeeded Matt Bokovitz as our current Grand Knight.  Previously, Dressel was an altar server at the Knights of Columbus Masses for several years, but now he will process as part of the honor guard.  Until his retirement, Mike kept our lights on as a team leader in operations at American Electric Power’s Gavin Plant.   

The Mission. The Knights of Columbus was established in 1882 by the Blessed Michael J. McGivney to provide a means by which Catholic men could support the Catholic Church, provide financial protection to protect their families, and engage in works of charity to benefit the less fortunate.

       Four Degrees and Four Principles.  The 4^th Degree is the highest degree of the order.  The 1^st Degree is the initiation step of a new knight.  It focuses on the first principle of the Knights of Columbus…..CHARITY.  The motto of the knights is: “In Service to one, in service to all”.  To join the knights and strictly speaking to remain one, is to be a practicing Catholic.  Regular Sunday Mass attendance is a bare minimum.

    The 2^nd Degree focuses on the second principle of the Knights of Columbus…..UNITY.  We are united in helping our parish in need of constant renewal and the surrounding community in need of its best citizens.  We are united with the Church and its mission of saving souls and in its fight for life, for peace, for the integrity and welfare of families.  We are united for God and Country in the fight against the evils that plague our society and do our part in the battle against them as we can.

The 3^rd Degree focuses on the third principle of the Knights of Columbus……FRATERNITY.  We are brothers; we care about each other; we help each other as necessary in any way we can by prayer, encouragement, sympathy, friendship, etc. 

The 4^th Degree focuses on the fourth principle…..PATRIOTISM.  We loyally love our country and perform our civic duties for a better community and country.  We are willing to fight for our country if called upon to defend it in a just war. Many knights died rescuing people trapped in the two World Trade Center Towers of New York City on 9/11, not to mention the numerous wars America has had to fight in the 20^th & 21^st Centuries against aggressive foes.

 The honor of the 4^th Degree brings certain privileges…..the privilege of wearing the regalia and processing at special Masses, devotions, and other functions.   Upon death the deceased 4^th Degree knight receives an honor guard of other 4^th Degree knights if that is the previous wish of him and his family. 

Invitation to Be a Knight and Eventually a 4^th Degree Knight.  The 4^th Degree Knights in our Council 3335 include Keith Elliott, Bruce Davison, Matt Bokovitz, Michael Haas, Paul Sebastian, Dr. Mel Simon, and more recently Michael Edelmann three or four years ago.  Mike Merry and Mike Dressel increase this number to 9.   Two of those have moved away.  If you are an active knight please consider adding yourself to the group of elite knights by making yourself available to become a 4^th Degree Knight.

At the same time all practicing Catholic men 18 or over are cordially invited to join the Knights of Columbus, which has councils all over the world, including Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, among others.  There’s great fellowship with a meal at each meeting and opportunities to serve the parish and community as your time permits.  

Furthermore, any knight may choose the Knights of Columbus life insurance, which gives security to his family.  It has a savings feature and other financial services.  Any surplus goes to charity and not to the stockholders of a conventional insurance company.  Knights of Columbus Insurance is rated among the very top insurance companies in the United States in financial stability. Contact our Grand Knight, Mike Dressel at 740-853-1842 to join.  

(293) A Forty Hours Eucharistic Meditation: The Greatest Love Story of All Time and True

 AMDG

The Last Supper is brought to us in the Mass, transcending time.  Thus the Eucharist is a sacred meal for us.  The 40 Hours Devotion of Eucharistic Adoration gives us the opportunity to be with the Lord Himself as the apostles were in Christ's public life. 

      The Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion is a special exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with prayers and adoration continuing for an approximate total of 40 hours over a period of three days.  The beginning and culmination of the 40 Hours is the solemn Mass, a Eucharistic sacrifice that we consume as a sacred meal in unity with Christ and neighbor.  It concludes with a Eucharistic procession and benediction. 

The devotion is a tradition that began in Milan, Italy about 1527.  The 40 hours of prayer represent the time between Jesus' burial and resurrection and the number 40 has significant meaning in the Bible, often representing trials and suffering.  Examples are the great 40 days if rain and flood that destroyed the earth, 40 years that the Jews wondered in the desert after being freed from Egyptian slavery, and Christ’s 40 days of prayer and fasting in the desert in preparation for His active ministry.  It was initially celebrated as a way to atone for the community's sins and to pray for God's protection during wartime. 

The 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion spread quickly in the West through such great leaders of the Counter Reformation as St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, and others.  Popes Clement VIII and Clement XII further promoted it.  In America, St. John Neumann was the first church leader to practice the devotion. 

At our own St. Louis Church we are celebrating it on Friday August 30, Saturday August 31, and Sunday September 1 as part of our community’s participation in the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival.

     What do we do during these 40 Hours of intense prayer and adoration?  Some members of the parish sign up for specific hours of prayer and adoration to assure the presence of one of us during every hour while everyone else is strongly encouraged to participate at the time of his/her choice. 

We can be at peace as we gaze upon the Blessed Sacrament, simply meditating upon Christ’s great love for each one of us and we love Him in return, praising Him, adoring Him, and giving thanks for all that He has done for us.  As a natural consequence, we will have a greater love for those around us and everyone in the community as we grow in charity and kindness.  We ask for the Lord’s mercy and the ability to have mercy and compassion for others.  To help in our meditation on God’s love we have below a summary of the greatest love story of all time.  The story spans milleniums.

There is much we can do during this time of being one on one with God Himself.  Simply converse in your own words with the most faithful and closest friend you could possibly imagine.  Our Lord really wants a personal relationship with you and the best way to build that up is through Eucharistic Adoration.  One cannot go wrong in life by seeking the will of God, following it, and trusting in Him no matter the circumstances.  There is no better setting than Eucharistic Adoration to discern God’s will for your life.  Be willing to do and to go wherever  He sends you …..offering to Him the crosses (suffering) that come your way and you will be on your way to holiness and sanctity.

Share your problems, hurts, trials, decisions to be made, etc.  Ask the Lord for His help and listen.  He may give you an inspiration and will certainly give you the strength to get through your current trial, but we must trust Him and His will, which is for the best in the long run.  He allows us to enlist and mobilize the power of prayer and draw upon the reservoir of His grace.  Review your life and be sorry for past sins, especially the more recent ones and ask for His help to do better in the quest for holiness.

Bishop Fulton Sheen was the greatest Catholic communicator of the 20^th Century.  He was a prolific author and gave entertaining and deep talks first on radio and then on national television with top audience ratings.  A tremendous source of energy and creativity for him was daily Eucharistic Adoration and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament for one hour no matter where he was.  In fact, he would prepare his talks for national television in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  St. Mother Teresa depended upon it for herself and her nuns for their very fruitful apostolate.   

Ask the Lord to bless and help your loved ones by name as well as the sick, unfortunate, and needy.  Prayer for those who are drifting away from the Church is crucial.  Ask Him to grant world peace.  Pray for the sanctification of priests and families, for the Church, for the poor souls in Purgatory, for our Country.  And of course there are the traditional prayers…..the Rosary, the Chaplet, Stations of the Cross, prayer books, the Bible, spiritual reading, meditation, etc.

The monstrance containing the miracle of the Eucharist (the Body and Blood Soul and Divinity of Christ Himself) that the faithful adore during adoration.  Some parishes have periodic Eucharistic Adoration for the faithful, while the larger ones have a special chapel for perpetual adoration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Thus the faithful can visit at any time.  Perpetual adoration only works if there are enough people in the parish to commit at least one specific hour a week with a backup to assure that there is always a person responsible in prayer.  The red rays symbolize the blood Christ shed for us and the blue (white) rays the cleansing water.  A mixture of blood and water came from the side of the crucified savior when the Roman centurion pierced His heart of the savior with his lance to assure His death. 

During an apparition Jesus Christ asked St. Faustina in the 1930s to commission a painting of what she saw to help the people realize that He is not only a God of judgment, but also a God of mercy, who loves them beyond their imagination.  Our Lord told her that if the Divine Chaplet is recited in the presence of a dying person, He would come to him/her.  The Lord also asked her to write down everything that He told her.  That became the classic book, “The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul”.  

The Great Love Story, a Subject of One of the Talks at the National Eucharistic Congress. 

God is love personified.  His greatest act of love was creating us, His most magnificent creation, to share Heaven with us for eternity.  Adam and Eve yielded to a temptation they knew was wrong (they wanted to be their own god) but didn't care.  Aren't we the same?  As a consequence of committing the original sin, God the Father closed the gates of heaven to humanity, but in His Divine Mercy promised a Redeemer.

God chose the Jewish people to be the vehicle for the Redeemer (Mesiah) to enter the world.  He made a series of covenants with them, all explicitly saying “I am your God and you are my people”.  He taught them how to live righteous lives faithful to Him, but they were a fickle people.  The Jewish race began with Abraham, his son Isaac, and grandson Jacob.  From the latter came his 12 sons who bore the 12 tribes of Israel.

The Exodus. God raised Moses as a prophet and leader, His instrument to free the Israelites from the yoke of the Egyptians and lead them to the Promised Land with many miracles to help them, including the parting of the Red Sea as a pathway to escape from the pursuit by the Egyptian soldiers.  However, instead of trusting God, the Jews drifted into complaining, disbelief, and idolatry.  Therefore, God extended the rather short journey for nearly 40 years to purify them.

The next two millenniums consisted of a series of cycles.  When the people were faithful, God helped them to victory over their aggressive neighbors and they were blessed with prosperity as a powerful nation as under King David and most of the reign of King Solomon.  The Jews would drift into idolatry, corruption, and sin.  Aren’t we the same?  The Lord’s prophets (His spokesmen) tried to lead them on the right path and warned them of the consequences of their sins.  Thus the Lord allowed them to be oppressed or conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans to bring His people back to Him.  Each time the Jews would return to God contrite and the nation again became prosperous.  Even when forced to be slaves in Egypt and Babylon, God did not abandon His people and preserved them as a nation. 

Although the Jews were scattered all over the world,  God remained faithful with His love and never abandoned His chosen people.   Talented and gifted, the Jews maintained their culture over the centuries and prospered in business and the professions, arousing envy which led to intense persecution. After the Holocaust, God brought them back to Palestine in 1948 to form the modern nation of Israel, which prevailed over the intense opposition of its Arab inhabitants and neighboring countries.  

Both Jews and Christians believe in the Old Testament of the Bible, which reiterates the promise of the Redeemer (Mesiah).  The Old Testament, a chronicle of the battle of the ages between good and evil is really a history of salvation and preparation for the Redeemer.  One cannot understand the New Testament --which is the fulfillment of the promise-- without understanding the Old Testament.  The Holy Family was Jewish and Christ was raised as a Jew.  Thus it can be said that salvation came through the Jews.

Four thousand years after the fall of Adam and Eve, God kept His promise and sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, humbling Himself to become one of us with many of the same difficulties of living, first as a helpless infant and later to teach us how to live and save us from our sins.  He loved us so much that He wanted to become just like us, fully human and fully divine, in every way except sin from the womb to the tomb. 

In anticipation of His Ascension into Heaven Christ instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday......"This is my Body" and "This is my Blood", the transubstantiation of ordinary bread and wine into His body and blood, soul and divinity......the Lamb of God which the apostles consumed as we do today in Holy Communion.  He then ordained the apostles and their successors to do the same today in His name with the words: “Do this in memory of me”.

That evening Christ went out to the Garden of Gethsemanes to pray.  He knew that one of his beloved apostles betrayed Him.  He knew that His epic passion would be the next day.  Being human as well as Divine, our Lord was so afraid that He sweat blood.  He prayed for strength.  He asked His father to relieve Him of it all: please let this cup pass, but not my will, but your will be done.  He loved us too much to abandon His great mission to save us from our sins.  The next day He could have come down from the cross, but He loved us too much.          

The very next day, Good Friday Jesus gave us His own Mother from the cross at Calvary; and offered Himself and His immense, perhaps infinite suffering physical, mental, and spiritual as a sacrifice in reparation for all the sins of the world…..past, present, and future…. thus opening the gates of Heaven and unimaginable happiness for us if we follow Him and His teaching that He left with the Church that He Himself founded for us.

Our Lord continues to sacrifice Himself for us in an unbloody way through the priest (persona Cristi) at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 24/7 all over the world as Calvary is brought to us in a mysterious way that transcends time (time collapses).  And we have the opportunity to participate in that awesome sacrifice every time we assist at Mass. 

The moment of sacrifice begins when the priests raises the Eucharist under both species and says the prayer, "Through Him, with Him, and in Him is to Thee Almighty Father all honor and glory.....".  The sacrifice is complete when we consume the Lamb of God as the Jews of the Old Testament did after their sacrifice of an unblemished lamb.  The Romans also consumed their pagan sacrifices.  Thus the early Christians accepted  death rather than eat of the pagan sacrifice which would mean active participation in a pagan ritual.

When we receive the Eucharist, we are for a few precious moments in intimate communion with the almighty God, the creator of the Universe, Christ the King of the Universe.  How awesome is that?  He manifests His infinite love for us in the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. 

Christ departed from us when He ascended into Heaven, but yet remains with us in a very real way in the Eucharist.  He welcomes us with open arms to receive Him in the Eucharist and spend time with Him in prayer .....one on one. 

Jesus further manifests His infinite love for us in His mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation and when we ask for it with sincere sorrow and repentance.  His great love for us is further manifested in His instituting the Church to help us on the journey to eternity and the sacraments as tremendous sources of grace. 

In His love He sent us His Holy Spirit as a sanctifier, a counselor to teach us, to guide us, and to sanctify us.  He constantly shows His love in answered prayer. 

He even sends His own earthly mother Mary, the Queen Mother to perform miraculous cures of ailments and to deliver messages of peace and repentance as a modern day prophet in her apparitions to selected people around the world as the greatest missionary ever over the centuries. …..Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, and many more.

In times of greatest crisis He has raised up the greatest saints and Popes as leaders, as models for living, as messengers (modern day prophets).  By all logic our Church, the Body of Christ, should not have survived through 2000 years due to periods of intense persecution, laxity, corruption, scandals, secularism, and materialism.  Today the Church still stands under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom He sent to preserve it. The gates of hell shall never prevail against it.

Completing certain devotions as the First Fridays of the month, the First Saturdays, reciting the Divine Chaplet in the presence of a dying person are great aids to salvation as He revealed to St. Faustina.  The power of God’s grace has changed many a life headed toward perdition. 

Our Lord allows us to participate in His work of on-going redemption.  That is through redemptive suffering by prayer and offering up of one's crosses (suffering due to illness, accident, hurts, setbacks, failures, misfortunes, bad days, etc.) as dynamic prayers for the conversion of sinners as Mary requested at Fatima, for world peace, for the Church, for our country, for our loved ones.  In that way suffering becomes productive with purpose instead of misery.

Each one of us is essential to the life of the Church and He gives us the opportunity to have a role in the mission of the Church which is to steer souls to Heaven.  That role may be prayer, word, and/or deed…..all an expression of virtue, especially charity.

And don't forget the word of God, the Bible through which our Lord continues to teach us.  He gave the four evangelists, the mission of recording Christ's teachings in the four Gospels.  St. Matthew wrote one specifically for the Jews and their culture; St. Mark wrote one for the Romans; and St. Luke wrote one for the Greeks.  St. John's Gospel explains it all theologically in much greater depth.  In addition St. Paul and some of the other apostles explained the Gospels in their Epistles to the different peoples they evangelized.         

       Awesome, but true.  For more evidence just look at Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John.  Jesus Christ explicitly said: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day”.  Only a symbol?  If so, Christ would have made a clarification when many of his disciples and most of the people who heard Him walked away.  Is it beyond the power of our omnipotent God to change the bread and wine into his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity through the priest, another Christ during the Mass?

    Ask Mary to help you to love her son profoundly.  Loving God above all things leads to love of neighbor.    The Two Great Commandments say it all and summarize the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai!  God loves us more than we could ever love Him.  

 

  

(292) Fr. Burke Masters: From Baseball Star to Catholic Priest Helping the Church Provide For the Spiritual Needs of Its Professional Athletes

 AMDG

Fr. Burke Masters, Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs

      It is very easy for a Catholic to drift as a professional athlete.  A major league baseball player has to be at the ballpark early for games on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.  Thus 27 teams have chaplains to say Mass at their respective stadiums and council the players, coaches, and employees with their spiritual problems.  At least three of them belong to the Knights of Columbus.  They include Fr. Burke Masters of the Chicago Cubs, Fr. Pedro Rivera (Padre of the Padres) of the San Diego Padres, and Msgr. Thomas Machalski of the New York Mets.  See their interviews and stories at In the Big Inning | Knights of Columbus (kofc.org).  

    All of them bring God’s grace into the clubhouse, help the players grow in the faith, and keep them close to the sacraments during the ups and downs of a 162 game regular season plus playoffs.  Since my brother John is one of Fr. Burke’s deacons and has told me the exciting story of his journey into the Catholic Church and the priesthood, we shall focus on him.  

       Burke Masters played baseball since he was a boy.  Although his parents raised their children as a Protestant Christians, they sent him to a Catholic high school because it had the best baseball program in the area.  This young baseball star was impressed by the beauty of the Catholic Church in his high school studies.  He attended his junior year retreat and joined the Communion line, not knowing that non-Catholics are supposed to put their arms across their chests and only receive a blessing.  Before he could say “I’m not Catholic” the visiting priest gave him his First Communion.  “At that moment, I felt the power of God in such a way that I went home and told my parents I had to become Catholic.”  He entered the Church a week before his high school graduation. 

   The young convert received a baseball scholarship at Mississippi State University where he majored in Math and was one of its starters in the infield.  Mississippi State is a member of the very competitive and prestigious Southeastern Conference.  His career highlight came in 1990 when his team, ranked among the top major college teams nationally, won the SEC Conference Championship with a record of 20 - 5 and qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament.  The winner would go to the very prestigious College World Series.  

    Mississippi State had taken the first two games against Brigham Young and Illinois as Masters went 4 for 5 and 2 for 3, putting his team in the winners bracket to play Florida State, ranked one and two in the Country throughout the season.  It was the top of the ninth inning; Mississippi State was behind by one run and Burke Masters, 5 for 5 that day, came up to bat against Florida State's best pitcher.  It was one out, bases loaded, and the count at three balls and a strike.  A double play would end the game and Masters would be the goat of his team.  The pitch was right down the middle and Burke Masters clubbed it for a grand slam home run. That was clutch.  For a video and a radio play by play of the grand slam click on A Grand Slam for Masters - YouTube  and Burke Masters' Grand Slam (youtube.com).

    In the last half of the nineth inning, Masters, the second baseman had all three assists to win the game.  He was named MVP of the Tournament and Academic" All-American Player of the Year in 1990.  

    Burke Masters reflected: “That moment, I believe, was something God gave me as if saying, ‘Enjoy this. This is your major leagues. I’ve got other plans for you.’ No MLB team drafted me after that year, but I signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent.”  He did not impress anybody in the White Sox organization and was released at the end of that season.  “I finally had to realize that my baseball dream was over”….playing in the Major Leagues.  He tried to break into baseball as a front office executive, but that didn’t work out either.  God had other plans. 

Thoughts of becoming a priest did enter his mind, but did not give it much thought.  What solidified the call was the time his girl friend took him to Eucharistic Adoration.  “That’s when I heard this inner voice tell me, ‘I want you to be a priest’”. He asked his steady girl friend, Stephanie to wait because he wanted to enter the seminary to discern his vocation at the age of 30 in 1997.  He gave up a wonderful woman to heed God’s call and they remain good friends today.  Fr. Burke Masters was ordained five years later in 2002 for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois over which our former Bishop Conlin served as its head.

Fr. Burke Masters rounding the bases at Spring Training and getting in shape with his team.  His flock is not only the people he pastors at St. Isaac Jogues Church in Hinsdale, Illinois, but also the Catholic players of his Chicago Cubs.  Rounding the bases is nothing new for Fr. Masters, having been once a star baseball player for Mississippi State University.  The highlight of his baseball days was the walk off grand slam home run he hit against Florida State that catapulted his team to the College World Series.

Guess what?  Fr. Burke Masters made the major leagues after all!  In 2013 Catholic Athletes For Christ asked if he would be willing to be the Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs.  That was a great fit, having played major college and minor league baseball in the White Sox organization.  The players could identify with him and he with them.

 “But by the time the Cubs made their World Series run in 2016, I had started to bleed ‘Cubbie blue’.  In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, Miguel Montero, the catcher, hit a grand slam to help win the game. That was a Saturday, so when I celebrated Mass the next morning, a lot of media were there to get a photo of Miguel receiving the Eucharist. When the Cubs made it to the World Series, ESPN wanted to interview me before the final two games and asked me to give the team a blessing. I just prayed that the Cubs would play to the best of their abilities, stay free of injuries and that the best team would win.  I was so excited for the guys when, after 108 years, we finally won!”

Let Fr. Masters himself talk about his work as Chaplain of the Chicago Cubs: “The ballpark Mass begins at 9:30 a.m. and is celebrated before every Sunday home game, which occurs about twice a month. For the first year, we had Mass in the Cubs’ family lounge. But then they did some big stadium renovations, and we had to move.  So we have Mass in Section 209 of Wrigley Field, along the left-field line.  Some people call it Mass at the ‘Cathedral’”.

 “It’s a 30-minute liturgy because there will be players, management and stadium staff attending who need to get to work. It’s so powerful to see a big-time ballplayer sitting next to a popcorn vendor. I think it’s really important for the players and everyone else to see that in God’s eyes, the playing field — pun intended — is even.  Afterward, I go to the clubhouse and make myself available to anyone who wants to go to confession or talk. I walk around talking to the guys, getting prayer intentions. When they hear that I played a little bit of minor league baseball, they are more open to talking with me. In fact, I got to work out with the team during spring training in 2016. I was worried I’d make a fool of myself, that I’d lose any credibility as a former ballplayer if it backfired. But I managed to hold my own, and guys were able to see me in a different light.”

Fr. Burke has been a faithful knight.  “I’ve been a member of the Knights since seminary. When I was vocations director for the diocese, I couldn’t go to many local council meetings, but I worked closely with the Knights to promote and support vocations. As a pastor, I see the Knights as such an integral part of a parish and diocese. They’re willing to do anything to help the pastor and the spiritual needs of the parish, which is what Blessed Father McGivney envisioned they’d be — critical support for our priests and bishops.  Look at what Jesus did — strengthening, teaching and then sending forth — and that’s what the Knights of Columbus does with its men for fraternity, faith and charitable works.”

Fr. Masters wrote a fascinating book: “A Grand Slam For God……a Journey From Baseball Star to Catholic Priest” published by Word on Fire; Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007 founded by Bishop Robert Barron.  Mike Sweeney, member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, wrote the Forward.  

Beautiful is the commentary on the inside cover: “Burke Masters had the perfect game plan for his life: he was going to become a Major League Baseball player.  As a star infielder for Mississippi State with a game winning grand slam to help his team reach the College World Series he was well on his way to the career of his dreams.  But little did he know that his life-changing call would not be from a recruiter to join the Major Leagues…..it would be from God to become a priest.  In this page-turning memoir, Fr. Burke takes readers on an intimate personal journey…..from his childhood outside of Chicago, to his success in baseball, to his conversion to Catholicism, and finally to his acceptance of his vocation.  Amid severe doubt and personal loss, he learned to embrace his fundamental identity……not as an athlete, but as a beloved son of God and a spiritual father to God’s people.  Fr. Burke’s story is a powerful reminder that God’s plan for us is so much greater than our own; that it fulfills our dreams in ways greater than we could have imagined; and that if we only have the courage to say yes, every moment is an opportunity for a grand slam for God.  

Furthermore, Fr. Masters gives talks all over the country, including the 2023 Columbus Diocesan Men’s Conference.  You may watch some of his talks on www.youtube.com and search for Fr. Burke Masters.  Don't miss the fascinating video put out by the Knights of Columbus, narrated by Fr. Burke Masters himself on his journey of faith, his baseball days as a player, and his mission as chaplain of the Chicago Cubs.  Click on Incredible Story of the Cubs’ Catholic Chaplain (youtube.com).    

  

(291) It's Over But You Can Still Attend the National Eucharistic Congress Via EWTN On Demand and Youtube: Be a Eucharistic Missionary and/or Knight of the Eucharist

 AMDG

;

        Note: After the Eucharistic Congress was over

on July 21, EWTN On Demand is offering videos

of the entire event.  Click on National Eucharistic Congress (ewtn.com). I also accumulated some of the youtube.com entries for different aspects of this momentous event.  In this way the reader can still access the Eucharistic Congress after the event via youtube.com.  Click on the link below that corresponds to the talk of interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81RlX-NQzm4 - National Eucharistic Congress Opening Night July 17, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Q2kgvA31k - Full Speach of Msgr. James Shea, President of the University of Mary, at the National Eucharistic Congress July 18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWlgLLmHgkc - Sister Josephine Garrett's Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWAxXDYNr38&t=70s - Gloria Purvis' Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQJCZh5A8Y - Sister Bethany Madonna's Full Speech at the Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQwx6Ph3cQs - Paula Umaña's Full Speech at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2WbArhnI34 - Tim Glemkowski's Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejuMYWQ9b8A - National Eucharistic Congress Exhibit Hall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CoHsQ6_yYU - This Priest Was Brought to Tears Hearing Confessions at the National Eucharistic Congress

Drew Mariani's Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress - YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ1EmAdrhg0 - Astronaut Mike Hopkins' Full Speech at the 2024 Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7iZEOxAWoE -  Actor Jonathan Roumie's Full Speech at the National Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QtWaEFq3E - Dynamic Fr. Mike Schmitz's full speech at the Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wwO9JxiMCM - Bishop Robert Barron's Full Speech at Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LccklgQU8SA - Chris Stefanick's Full Speech at the 2024 Eucharistic Congress

2:03 / 19:28

 NEC 2024 Procession - Walking behind Jesus - YouTube,

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gru9p- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gru9p-BzdOY - National  Eucharistic Congress Procession of Thousands Downtown Indianapolis

 Thousands Process on the Streets of Indianapolis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WyxM6MWQjY - Mass in the Syro-Malabar Rite of India at the Eucharistic Congress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44_YQ3wd5-c  Closing Mass of National Eucharistic Congress - July 21, 2024

For more great talks go to www.youtube.com and search for "2024 National Eucharistic Congress".

    DON’T MISS the momentous and historic 10^th National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 that dates back to 1895, the first since 1941.  Philadelphia did host the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in 1976 that dates back to 1881 in Lille, France.  

    You can’t make it to Indianapolis, Indiana?  No problem!  You can participate and watch on EWTN cable, satellite, or internet at www.ewtn.com as four walking Eucharistic pilgrimages with the Blessed Sacrament in view with many stops to meet the faithful on the way, originating in Minneapolis (the Marian Group), Brownsville-Texas (the St. Juan Diego Group), New Haven-CT (the St. Elizabeth Seton Group) with a few miles on our own Ohio River near Steubenville, and the fourth walking pilgrimage from San Francisco (the St. Junipero Serra Grou) that moved through the Rocky Mountains……all converging on the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianopolis.

    Alarming polls conclude that most Catholics do not believe in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, the core belief of the Catholic Church.  This is the main reason that so many Catholics are drifting away from the Church.  To confront this crisis of unbelief the Bishops of the United States have organized a three year Eucharistic Revival at the diocesan, parish, and national level.  The revival culminates with the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.  PRAY FOR ITS SUCCESS!

    The National Eucharistic Congress features the best Catholic speakers in the country, lay and religious.  The National Eucharistic Congress will help you to become effective Eucharistic missionaries. Tell your relatives and friends about the awesomeness of the Eucharist…the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ himself, the Son of God!  DON’T JUST KEEP THE FAITH; SPREAD IT!

10^th National Eucharistic Congress Program on EWTN cable, satellite, and internet at www.ewtn.com.  

Wednesday July 17 at 6 pm – Opening Ceremony with a welcome for the pilgrims that have walked with the Eucharist over a thousand miles from the North, South, East & West.

Thursday July 18 at 8 am – Mass; 10:30 am – Impact Session: “Empower”; 1:30 pm – Breakout Session: “Cultivate the Family Experience”; 6:30 pm – Revival Session: “The Greatest Love Story (II)”, Adoration, & Eucharistic Procession..

Saturday July 20 at 8 am - Mass in the Syro-Malabar Rite; 10:30 am – Impact Session: “The Youth Experience”; 1:30 pm – Breakout Session: “Beautiful Revelation” and “Breaking Free From Post Christian Influence”; 6:30 pm – Revival Session: Keynote Speaker Bishop Robert Barron on “This is My Body” and Adoration.

Sunday July 21 at 8 am -  Revival: “To the Ends of the Earth” and Adoration; 10 am – Closing Mass presided by Papal Delegate Cardinal Luis Tagle with music by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly Urges All Knights of Columbus 

to Become Knights of the Eucharist

Many people all over the United States 

 have drifted away from the Church.  People have become very lax in full-filling their very serious Sunday obligation, thus putting their salvation in danger.  Mass attendance is much lower than 25 years ago when it often was standing room only. 

    Most, even those who do assist at Mass regularly on Sundays do not take seriously the Eucharist, God’s greatest gift on this side of eternity, His very self……Body and Blood, soul and divinity.  

Even though Church law stipulates Confession at least once a year, most have not taken advantage of the graces of the sacrament since childhood as though mortal sin has gone out of style, as if people don’t sin anymore.  Monthly confession is recommended to grow in virtue and holiness.  Thus the Eucharist becomes routine, some even going to Communion and then quickly exiting the church without spending a few precious moments with the Lord in thanksgiving, in intimate prayer, and communion with the infinite awesome God.  Shocking, are surveys indicating that most Catholics do not believe in the true presence.   

    Being aware of this alarming situation, the Bishops of  the United States have initiated a three year program of national Eucharistic revival.  It is a movement to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery….. by helping us renew our worship of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist” (see www.eucharisticrevival.org). 

The Supreme Knight sees it as “a call to renew – or perhaps even spark for the first time – each Catholic’s understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist.  As knights, we should be at the forefront of responding to this call.”  The first year focuses on the parish level, the second year at the diocesan level, and the third year will be climaxed by a national Eucharistic revival in Indianapolis IN July 17-21 2024.   Every Catholic has an important role in the revival.

At the national, state, and council level, the Knights of Columbus are actively engaged in the Eucharistic Revival.  According to Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, “As Catholics and as Knights, the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life (Vatican II)’– in all that we do, the root of our strength. When we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, we are fed, then sent forth to be Christ’s emissaries to those we encounter — in our homes and neighborhoods, at work and in our greater communities.”

In fact Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly is urging each member to become a “KNIGHT OF THE EUCHARIST”.  That implies a willingness to promote an awesome respect for the Eucharist and to defend it from desecration even with his life. 

“The more we devote ourselves to the Eucharist, the more we will understand what it means to be a Knight.  I personally challenge you to find ways to participate in this revival individually, as well as in community with your local council or state council.   I ask that you prayerfully consider what you can undertake. For those of you with families, how can you lead them on this journey as well?   We must “nurture a deeper love of Our Lord in the Eucharist among every member of the Church, beginning in our own hearts.”

    The Greatest Love Story of All Time And True.  God is love personified and His first act of love was to create us, his most magnificent creation, to share Heaven with us for eternity.  Adam and Eve yielded to temptation they knew was wrong, but didn't care.  Aren't we the same?  As a consequence of committing the original sin, God the Father closed the gates of heaven to humanity, but in His Divine Mercy promised a Redeemer.  

    Four thousand years later He kept that promise and sent his only begotten Son,  Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, humbling Himself to become one of us with many of the same difficulties of living, first as a helpless infant and later to teach us how to live and save us from our sins. 

  In anticipation of His Ascension into Heaven Christ instituted the sacrament, the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday......"This is my Body" and "This is my Blood", the transubstantiation of ordinary bread and wine into His body and blood, soul and divinity....the Lamb of God which the apostles consumed.  He then ordained the apostles and their successors to do the same today with the words:  “Do this in memory of me”.  

    The very next day, Good Friday He gave us His own Mother from the Cross of Calvary; and offered Himself and His immense suffering as a sacrifice in reparation for all the sins of the world…..past, present, and future….thus opening the gates of Heaven and unimaginable happiness for us if we follow Him and His teaching through the Church.  

    Our Lord continues to sacrifice Himself for us in an unbloody way through the priest at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass 24/7 all over the world as Calvary is brought to us in a mysterious way that transcends time (time collapses).  And we have the opportunity to participate in that awesome sacrifice every time we assist at Mass.

      The moment of sacrifice begins when the priests raises the Eucharist under both species and says the prayer, "Through Him, with Him, and in Him is to Thee Almighty Father all honor and glory.....".  The sacrifice is complete when we consume the Lamb of God as the Jews of the Old Testament did with their sacrifice of an unblemished lamb.  The Romans also consumed their pagan sacrifices.  Thus the early Christians preferred death than to eat of the pagan sacrifice which would mean active participation in a pagan ritual.

When we receive the Eucharist, we are for a few precious moments in intimate communion with the almighty God, the creator of the Universe, Christ the King of the Universe.  How awesome is that?  Our Lord loves us so much that he desires an intimate relationship with each one of us.  He manifests His infinite love for us in the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.  He departed from us when He ascended into Heaven, but yet remains with us in a real way in the Eucharist.  

He welcomes us with open arms to receive Him in the Eucharist and spend time with Him in prayer during Adoration.....one on one.  Jesus further manifests His infinite love for us in His divine mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation and when we ask for it with sincere sorrow and repentance.  His great love for us is further manifested in His instituting the Church and the sacraments.  

In His love He sent us His Holy Spirit to teach us, to guide us, and to sanctify us.  He constantly shows His love in answered prayer.  He even sends His own earthly mother Mary to perform miraculous cures of ailments and to deliver messages of peace and repentance as a modern day prophet in her apparitions to selected people as the greatest missionary ever over the centuries.

In times of greatest crisis He has raised up the greatest saints and Popes as leaders, as models for living, as messengers (modern day prophets).  By all logic should not have survived through 2000 years due to periods of intense persecution, laxity, corruption, secularism, and materialism.  Today the Church still stands under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom He sent.  The gates of hell shall never prevail against it.

Completing certain devotions as the First Fridays of the month, tje First Saturdays, reciting the Diving Chaplet in the presence of a dying person are great aids to salvation.  The power of His grace has changed many a life headed toward perdition.  

Our Lord allows us to participate in His work of on-going redemption.  That is through redemptive suffering by prayer and offering up of one's crosses (suffering due to illness, accident, hurts, misfortunes, etc.) as dynamic prayers for the conversion of sinners as Mary requested at Fatima, for world peace, for the Church, for our country, for our loved ones.  In that way suffering becomes productive instead of misery.

And don't forget the word of God the Bible through which our Lord continues to teach us.  He  gave the four evangelists, the mission of recording Christ's teachings in the four Gospels.  St. Matthew wrote one specifically for the Jews and their culture; St. Mark wrote one for the Romans; and St. Luke wrote one for the Greeks.  St. John's Gospel explains it all theologically in much greater depth.  In addition St. Paul and some of the other apostles explained the Gospels in their Epistles to the different peoples they converted.         

       Awesome, but true.  Just look at Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. CHRIST explicitly said: “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you”.  Only a symbol?  If so, Christ would have made a clarification when most of the people who heard Him walked away.  Is it beyond the power of our omnipotent God to change the bread and wine into his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity through the priest, another Christ during the Mass? 

        Need more evidence?  Look at the numerous miracles of the Eucharist over the centuries, the most notable being the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano in Italy.  There the bread was transformed into flesh (heart muscle by analysis) and the wine into blood (Type AB), still preserved after a millennium.  The rather rare Type AB blood is common to Eucharistic Miracles and the Shroud of Turin as well.  All of the Eucharistic miracles are similar.  Go to www.therealpresence.org and the book, "The Eucharistic Miracles of the World" by the Institute of St. Clement I published by Eternal Life, Bardstown, KY.         

    The Knights of Columbus published a pamphlet with recommendations for the knights as individuals, his local council, and at the state level.   Each knight is asked to make sacrifices for the Revival (including offering daily crosses and setbacks; abstaining from meat on Fridays as a form of penance; prayer; devotions such as praying the Rosary at least on the 12th of each month (in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the order, for the success of the Revival and an increase in devotion to Christ in the Eucharist.  

    Prepare your heart: arrive 10-15 minutes early to each Mass to contemplate Jesus’ gift of himself. Give thanks: offer 5 minutes of prayerful praise after each Mass.  Be with Our Lord: Spend 30 extra minutes every week outside of Mass sitting or kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. Attend Daily Mass: On days you cannot, make an act of Spiritual Communion.  

Pray for the gift of the Spirit during the National Eucharistic Procession.  Starting May 10, 2024, pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for Pentecost and start of National Eucharistic Procession (May 17th) Learn more about the National Eucharistic Procession at www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org.  Unite with fellow Catholics: Register for the National Eucharistic Congress and encourage others to join you! (July 17 – 21, 2024, Indianapolis, Indiana.)  Knights of Columbus members are eligible for a discounted registration by visiting www.eucharisticcongress.org and using the discount code: knights.

      Local Councils are asked to pray together:  Each month invite members to pray the Rosary together on the 12th of the month for the success of the Revival and an increase in devotion to Christ in the Eucharist.  Adore and reconcile with Our Lord: Organize the Holy Hour Program with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Encourage parish participation: Share the Knights of Columbus Eucharistic Revival & Eucharistic Procession materials with your pastor/chaplain and offer to assist him in promoting Adoration and coordinating a Eucharistic Procession (www.kofc.org/eucharist). Unite at the Congress:

    Find out if your parish was represented at the National Eucharistic Congress July 17 - 21. in Indianapolis, Indiana.   If so, invite him or her to speak at a council meeting.  Ask your council lector or another speaker to speak on topics related to the Eucharist.