Farewell To Jerusalem

The month has flown by and it’s time to bid farewell to this “holy land” where Jesus and the Prophets walked, where God chose a people, where miracles were performed, where we were redeemed by the God of love. God has visited us, His people.

Our group has been saying good bye now for a number of days. Some leave on the 29th, I leave on the 30th for a 12 hour flight to Newark then on to Nova Scotia. I arrive about midnight. It’ll be a long day.

The Israel leg of my journey has been another good one. The people of Tantur that I’ve met and prayed with have formed strong bonds based on our common roots as people of Jesus. There have been many faiths and lots of experiences that will affect not only our prayer and our homilies, but also our lives. I’m grateful as well for this leg of my journey.

One highlight of the last week was meeting Samah Qumsieh. Samah is the local coordinator for Blest Art Co. that sells the Olive Wood products in our church. I had the joy of meeting her family and a number of the craftsmen who produce the olive wood statues and the mother of pearl items that are on sale.

Some of Samah’s family now live in Beloit and sell products in many of the parishes in the state of Wisconsin and beyond. I’ll post a picture of some of my experiences on the blog. The Blest Art People will be at Holy Family in September so be prepared for another real treat.

Ordinary Life in Jerusalem

I'm a bit speechless as I rode my bike around Jerusalem, Notice the "temple mound" with the "Dome of the Rock" Mosque in the background.

I rode my bike, Jesus walked it; rode a mule at times. Ordinary things done two thousand years apart in the same land. For me, it puts new perspective and meaning to the Gospels, The human part of Jesus really comes alive like it never has before. The challenge is to keep this whole expereince in the forefront of my mind when I get home.

In The Hands (and Heart) of the Artist

A "Mother of Pearl" Cross in the hands of the artist.

Mother of Pearl

I watched as they took a whole shell, cut it apart and carve from the shell. It takes quite a bit of time and detail work.

The Olive Wood Worker

The worker (or should I say "artist?") needs the best and sharpest of tools. He also needs regular eye exams and the best of eye protection.

Olive Wood Art

One of Blest Art's Woodworkers using "TLC" on the face of one of the statues

St. Peter on Site at Capernaum

We are so fortunate to have a church in our Holy Family Parish named St. Peter. It was he who was given the "keys" of leadership to take care of the sheep and feed the flock. It's our challenge as a Catholic Community here in the Fond du Lac area to do just that. We take that very seriously as a "Holy Family" and we seek new ways to do that even more effectively. As a parish we've had numerous opportunities to lead and be of service. Again, this parish is doing a great job; like St. Peter did in his day.

There are flaws and imperfections. St. Peter knew them and had them like we all do. It didn't stop him from doing what he needed to do. It won't stop us either. We've much to do. St. Peter, Pray For Us!!

Fr. Pat

Fond du Lac From a Distance

I've had the opportunity to check out the Fond du Lac Reporter occasionally, get notices of those who have died and kept up with those who are sick, need anointing and of course the tragedies associated with the rains and flooding. You have been in my thoughts and prayers quite a bit especially over the past weeks. The flooding has been a tragic occurance and even from Israel you have been in the prayers of my sabbaatical group.

I'm so pleased to see how Holy Family has taken leadership with food and other help. Parish members have generously donated time and talent and food and other gifts....It's been an inspiration to us here in the Middle East. Thank You!!!

Before I left Fond du Lac we kicked off the conclusion of the "Building with Living Stones" campaign. Many thanks to those who have paid their pledge early or have added a little something extra. I know it's not been easy, but the sooner we can get the debt paid the less we have to worry about and the sooner we can better focus on other areas of ministry, especially Christian Formation and the Catholic Education of our youngsters (and "oldsters" as well) in Fond du Lac.

Thanks for doing what you can!!

Fr. Pat

The Holy Land: The "Fifth" Gospel

The Picture is taken near the place Jesus is beleived to have given St. Peter the "keys." Notice he is handing Peter the shepherd's staff and the challenge to take care of and feed the sheep.

What makes this experience unique is that the programs are in the context of “the fifth Gospel.” That’s the “place” where Jesus and the Scriptures are based. When a person reads the stories of Israel, Jesus, and the early Christians while “standing” and “living” in the place where it all started (The Holy Land) we get a new and deeper understanding. That’s what I’ve come to appreciate more and more each day. I see how complex is our tradition and how rich are the words of scripture; rich in ways I’ve never understood.

We’ve taken many guided excursions including a trip to the Galilee area to get to know the land. We looked at archaeological remains of buildings and churches to understand how it began and developed over the centuries.

We’ve gotten to know Jerusalem and the area where Jesus walked, preached suffered and died. We’ve been educated in Jewish tradition and understanding of the scriptures. We’ve learned about Islam and the common roots that originate back to Abraham.

We visited Nazareth and it’s churches; each could be a semester or longer of religious education. Nazareth is a city of churches that commemorate many aspects of Jesus’ early life. The home of Mary, the home of Joseph, The Sea of Galilee, where Jesus preached the Beatitudes and Peter was given the keys. We went by boat from Capernaum to Tiberius; as Jesus would have done many times. We read the scriptures that pertain to the event that is commemorated there. It’s been another month of “retreat.”

When I speak of “place” where it happens there are some questions. This happened 2000 years ago and the specific location is not always available. We look to a process of historical and archaeological study to determine or make an educated guess as to location, but the important aspect is that id did happen and this place helps us to understand and put it into a place. It’s a process of making it part of a person’s spirituality.

The last week we’ll visit the Dead Sea, Massada, located nearby, the Negev, and Ein Kerem. More on that will be coming.

June 30th I leave about Noon for the trip to Nova Scotia (New Scotland) where I’ll continue to explore more on “Celtic Roots and Spirituality.)

Miracle of the Loaves and Fish

This mosaic is beneath the altar on the floor of the church near where the miracle of the loaves and fish is believed to have taken place.

Notice there are only "four" loaves in the basket. The fifth is Jesus, the bread of life who is present on the altar.

The Sea of Galilee

Picture of the Hill of the Beatitudes taken from our boat trip on the Sea of Galilee

Four Weeks in Israel

It’s difficult to believe that I’ve been here in Jerusalem for almost a month. The time has flown by! Our group has blended together very well and we’ve enjoyed our time of travel, learning and prayer.

There are people here from all over the world, from many faiths and varied occupations, though many of us are priests, ministers, teachers or principals of schools. Our teachers have been Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Jewish and Muslim. There has been an atmosphere of respect and learning from each other that has developed from the first day.

It’s been sunny and hot the entire time. Galilee is hotter due to its southern location, but it’s a bit more relaxed and less busy than Jerusalem.

My Day at Tantur in Israel

Left: Archaeological dig South of Bethlehem showing the Herodian; King Herod's summer palace and government site.

Right: In the Cisterns beneath the "archaeological dig" showing the water supply tunnels and strategic planning by the builders.

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I shared my day’s schedule in Ireland, what’s happening here? The day in Israel begins with breakfast ending at 8:30 followed by class, lecture or a tour that concludes about 11:30. Today we celebrated Eucharist at 11:45am with lunch at 12:30. The remainder of the afternoon is free for personal reading, reflection, field trips or other projects. (Today we visited the excavations of the summer palace of King Herod in the first century. See pictures above.)

Evening prayer is at 5:30pm followed by supper, and talk time with the sabbatical group and leaders. After this time I keep up with e-mails and this blog. It’s been a great experience and It’s going to be an adjustment getting back into the parish schedule again. Not having the pressures has been terrific, but I do miss you all!!.

Pictures: The Tomb Entrance and Altar Above Calvary

The Call

Picture: Church of The Resurrection (Includes Calvary and the empty tomb)



Our evening prayer tonight focused on the call. We read about the call of Samuel at Mass today and had time to reflect on particular call as individuals. My call to be here at Tantur was a good start for me today. I haven’t thought of sabbatical as a “call” until today.

Tantur is translated “little hilltop” in Arabic. It’s listed as a reflective oasis in the broken and blessed Holy Land. Am I called to be here in this place? Yes, I am. It’s becoming more clear each day. My call at this sabbatical time in my life is a call to follow Jesus more closely. I choose to do this by stepping out of my land into the land where He stepped. What an opportunity this has become! If I want to know Jesus better and understand his word, I need to step into the place where Jesus stepped and try to understand where He lived and life at that time in history. I’ve tried to do this with open eyes and open heart.

We’ve participated in all sorts of “tours” and have had numerous presentations and lectures about the time and situation of this land then and now. It’s been most interesting and informative. Yesterday (as we’ve done numerous times) a number of my group stayed on in Jerusalem to be in the places of Jesus that we’ve learned about. We spent time at the sepulcher of Jesus reading the appropriated passages from scripture. We spent time at Calvary (located in the same church) reading about the death and Jesus. We spent time in the church remembering the denial of St. Peter and the rooster’s crow. We’ve reflected on his life in the hopes to get to know him better and hopefully be better Christians; not to mention better preachers and examples of his word. That’s how I’m answering the call at this point in my life.

I’ve been here before but each time it’s different with unique insights to “my call” at this time …what a gift!

David's City - Jerusalem (June 5th, 2008)

Although I’ve been here before, Jerusalem continues to have ever-new religious meaning for me. I’m convinced that you just can’t see it once and be done. It’s always a place that touches my faith. This is my fourth time here.

Our group has been going strong for four days now. Classes, tours and lectures are informative and it’s hard to remember all this and take it in and digest it. They told us that it’s impossible. Just live here and enjoy it and take in what you can and that’ll be enough. They tell us to take time to think and reflect. I’m trying to do this.

The Western Wall of the Temple (above) is where the Jewish Community goes to pray especially on sabbath. I, too prayed there this week.

We drove and walked through areas today where King David lived and ruled. We saw how water kept the city alive and this water spring was the basis for Jerusalem’s founding…1,800 years before the birth of Jesus! We saw the temple area and how it developed. We walked through stones and excavations where Jesus would have walked upon entering the temple…one never can read scripture the same again after walking this walk!!

We drove through the valley around Jerusalem where Isaiah walked and wrote his prophecy. He picked up on the surroundings that were included in this prophecy. It’s alive like I’ve never experience it before!!

There are 30 of us from around the world in my group. There is also a group form the University of Notre Dame here for two weeks as well as a resident group of scholars writing and taking classes. Five of us began a small group that meets each night to process the day. It takes a small group to make sure you don’t miss anything important.

On another note:
I just finished my second load of laundry here in Israel. I don’t think I can call these washing machines; they’re laundry pulverizers!!!

There are few dryers here. Each room has a rack so you can leave your laundry to dry outside; which doesn’t take long…It’s dry and in the 90’s here today. This is more domestic than I want to experience!!!

The Holy Land -- Where Jesus Planted His Footsteps

I arrived in Israel at 5:30am local time May 31st after a trip from Dublin to London and London to Tel Aviv. What a beautiful city and airport. Jerusalem is sunny and warm. The airport lobby has a stone motif that matches the old buildings and streets of Jerusalem where Jesus walked and King David and King Solomon ruled. Just going back and walking this old city which probably has not changed too much over the years is a holy and humbling experience.

The picture showss the Temple in the background with the "Dome of the Rock" visible on the top.

The Final Days in Ireland

I wanted to get a short video in this spot, but I couldn't get it downloaded properly. So I'll include a few pictures....

The Week Between

I had an unscheduled week between my programs in Dublin and Jerusalem and I invited my friend Al to come over and spend some time traveling. He ditched the wife and kids and we went touring the island. This week turned out to be another important addition to understanding Celtic life and cultural heritage. We visited Dublin’s highlights and then on to Cork and Cobh where we visited the Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone…I just know my homilies will improve because of it. We went to Cork harbor where those that found it necessary to leave Ireland sailed from. There’s a special museum there that pays tribute to those that left due to the famine and it details the peril of their journeys to the US and Australia in particular. This was most interesting. Cobh for a small town has a very large Cathedral that serves the community; we also spent some time there. The Titanic’s last port before sailing off was from Cobh. This is mentioned in the heritage museum, but the only visible expression of the Titanic today is the “Titanic Bar.” This place is one of Ireland’s hidden treasures. My ordination anniversary was May 28th. It was a beautiful day for a number of reasons. I visited the Shrine of Mary in Knock where Mary Joseph and John appeared to 15 witnesses in the mid 1800’s. I’d been here before and found it a prayerful and holy site. I was glad to be there. On the 28th I also climbed the 2,500 foot mountain outside Westport just north of Galway called “Croagh Patrick.” Check out the web site on it: http://www.croagh-patrick.com/. Google also has a lot of other interesting sites if you want to know more. St. Patrick was said to have climbed it for retreat and times of reflection. It was a rather tedious climb; more difficult than I expected, but it was a great spiritual experience just the same. If St. Patrick did it and found it brought him closer to God, Fr. Patrick can do the same with similar results…and it was! We spent the week exploring the various cities with some heritage and religious implications like Ballintubber near Knock. It’s the home of a monastery and retreat center that’s been in continuous operation with daily mass for 800 years. It’s an old monastery and parish church and cemetery and from the people that just “dropped in” it’s obvious that it’s a real source of prayer and support for the local folks. We also tried the B&B circuit. People would make their spare rooms available for travelers and that’s where we stayed. For 35 Euros per person, you can have a nice room with shower and an Irish breakfast in the morning before you leave. The typical Irish breakfast consists of your choice of fruits, juices, and cereals, plus puddings (these are “port patties” on of which is made of blood.) bacon, eggs, beans, fried tomatos, and oatmeal (porridge). Not bad for and Irish breakfast. In the evenings we usually had supper at a local bub and checked out the Irish music. I’ve got a video that shows some of my sabbatical partners at a pub. Check out the picture. It’s a video if you click on it.

Phase One Comes To An End

My program at All Hallow’s College is over. It was a terrific experience for all of us. Yes, my diploma is signed and I did go to class! The highlights included a terrific group of people to reflect with, but the content of the Celtic Spirituality and the spirituality in art, music and literature were areas I had never explored before. What a gift to be able to do this!! To see God’s hand and hear God’s message in art and literature. These are pretty new areas for me.

The sections on Pastoral Care and Ministry were also excellent. Actually I can’t think of an area I really didn’t like.

If anyone’s interested I think I’d like to get a program going where a local artist would spend a class or two pulling out the spirituality in some art for members of the parish. If you’d attend something like that, please let me know when I return.

In reflection I can say that this first month was like a personal retreat and a true encounter with God. It’s been a spiritual boost for me and being in a distant land with new friends and strangers that I don’t know has challenged me to look within. Again, what a gift.

Celtic Spirituality

I just completed two days of Celtic Spirituality Classes. What a gift!! It began with a trip to Glendalough. St. Kevin developed this as a monastery in the mid 600’s. The Celtic people were country folk not accustomed or inclined to “city” life. They did eventually gather in small communities which the early Celtic saints like Patrick and Kevin developed quite successfully into types of monastic communities. The monks and the lay folks worked together and these became the basis of what we would term as “parish” or even “diocese” today. The Abbot (not the bishop) was the leader and head of the monastery. The gospel and basic tenants of Christianity were studied and learned and applied to everyday life.

The early Irish were very creation centered people. They saw God in all of creation around them. When St. Patrick used the shamrock to enlighten them on the trinity, they understood and accepted that. The Celtic cross has a circle around the center. This circle represents all creation or the “sun.” They saw the connection between Jesus’ redemption and the God of creation. This was indeed learning based on the culture of the time. Patrick and the early missionaries were experts at evangelization. I think we have a lot to learn and need to work on understanding our current culture and bring the Gospel message. It’s called a process of “enculturation.”

One of my goals when I return is to do a process of evaluation and enculturation to see if we can be more effective in transmitting the gospel message to the people we work with in Fond du Lac.