@Contra Mundum@ Volume XX, Issue 2 September 2017 The Congregation of St. Athanasius A Parish of the Archdiocese of Boston Serving the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter https://congregationstathanasius.com NOTES FROM THE CHAPLAIN: HOW IT ALL BEGAN HE CONGREGatioN of Saint knew, since he himself had found on weekends would say Mass in TAthanasius will observe its out only that morning. I laughed. my parish. We hit it off. Over the twentieth anniversary on September On the previous evening our course of the next few years I did a 29, 2017. And in all the pleasant younger daughter and I had dined week-long mission in his Kingston, discussions and arrangements at a Chinese restaurant in Quincy. Jamaica, parish, and he was guest which led to the erection of the That restaurant is still there. After preacher twice for me in Boston. Fr. Anglican Use congregation in the dinner came the check with the Aarons became Catholic in 2006, Archdiocese of Boston was an fortune cookie. When I broke was ordained in Jamaica, and served event that took place on a lovely open my fortune cookie open the in just about every capacity in the summer day in 1996. prediction was YOU ARE ABOUT Diocese of Mandeville except as My telephone rang. It was TO EMBARK ON A MOST bishop. He joined the Franciscans, Fr. William Stetson, Cardinal ENJOYABLE JOURNEY. When I came to the United States, and Law’s secretary for the Pastoral told Fr. Stetson, this time we both is in demand as a retreat leader, Provision, and with whom I had laughed. And The Congregation conducting parish missions, and in begun conversations during the of Saint Athanasius is likely to be spiritual direction. He is chaplain of previous fall. Could we have lunch the only organization within the Bishop Moore Catholic High School today? I said yes, and since it was Archdiocese of Boston that has in in Orlando. And on Ash Wednesday, indeed a lovely day I arranged to its archives a little piece of paper 2016, he received the mandate of pick Fr. Stetson up at Arnold Hall found inside a Chinese fortune Pope Francis to be a Missionary of in Pembroke, and took him to a cookie! Mercy for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, restaurant in Plymouth right on one of 126 Americans so named. TWENTIETH the water. I think the place is no ANNIVERSARY EVENTS Fr. Aarons will be our preacher at longer there. But we settled into our Sunday Mass on September 24th and booth and ordered a drink. Then Fr. Two great and good priests will preacher at Evensong at Stonehill Stetson announced “I have good join us for this happy occasion. College, Easton at 4:00 P.M. that news.” Before he could tell me what The first is Fr. Anthony Aarons, day. it was I told him I already knew. TOR. We first met as Anglicans Then came the news. Cardinal Law in Northern Indiana. I had the And then comes the anniversary had accepted both my petition for parish in Goshen, and Fr. Aarons day itself, which we observe on ordination and that the Anglican Use was taking summer courses in Saint Michael’s Day every year. congregation would be put in place liturgics at nearby Notre Dame. September 29th is a Friday this year in the archdiocese. So we drank to He came yearly from his own and the Mass is at 7:30 P.M. Our that! Then Fr. Stetson asked how I parish in Jamaica to do this, and preacher is Fr. Joseph F. Wilson, Page 10 Contra Mundum a friend of our congregation SURRENDER since the months when we LABOR DAY is a holiday were preparing to be received. EVERYTHING which recognizes the right of He is a native New Yorker BUT YOUR FAITH the laborer to a proper return. and canonically resident in the It also sets our work within the Diocese of Brooklyn for 31 years. S LONG AS we are sheep, context of the common good He has preached many retreats Awe overcome and, though and the rightful aspirations of and parish missions throughout surrounded by countless wolves, other workers. In economic the country in both Catholic we emerge victorious; but if we turn hard times this “day off” ought and Anglican churches and has into wolves, we are overcome, for also to arouse our concern for written for Fidelity magazine, we lose the shepherd’s help. He, those who are out of work. The Wanderer and The Christian after all, feeds the sheep not wolves, Always a Monday, this year’s Challenge. and will abandon you if you do not Labor Day is September 4th. let him show his power in you. Fr. Wilson called me up one fine day in the spring of 1996 and said What he says is this: “Do not be he would be coming to Boston upset that, as I send you out among to join us for Sunday Mass. At the wolves, I bid you be as sheep and that time we were offering the doves. I could have managed things Episcopal mass in the dining quite differently and sent you, not room of my rectory in Ashmont. to suffer evil nor to yield like sheep We were still Episcopalians, but to the wolves, but to be fiercer than that didn’t stop Fr. Wilson, who lions. But the way I have chosen is was right there the next Sunday. right. It will bring you greater praise Later he inquired if we needed and at the same time manifest my vestments and when I said I didn’t power.” That is what he told Paul: wolves—so many wolves!— have a green set, he promptly My grace is enough for you, for in what can it accomplish? However ordered a set from the Almy weakness my power is made perfect. great the innocence of the dove, company. And one fine summer “I intend,” he says, “to deal in the what good does it do him, with so day several cartons of steaks same way with you.” For, when many hawks swooping upon him? packed in dry ice arrived with Fr. he says, I am send ing you out like To all this I say: Cleverness and Wilson’ s note instructing us to sheep, he implies: “But do not innocence admittedly do these have a Parish cookout! therefore lose heart, for I know and irrational creatures no good, but am certain that no one will be able they can help you greatly. Fr. Wilson will also be our to overcome you.” preacher at Sunday Mass, Oct What cleverness is the Lord 1st and be our keynote speaker The Lord, however, does want requiring here? The cleverness of at a catered luncheon following them to contribute something, lest a snake. A snake will surrender Mass. everything seem to be the work everything and will put up no of grace, and they seem to win great reistance even if its body We are grateful to these two their reward without deserving it. is being cut in pieces, provided wonderful priests who are so Therefore he adds: You must be it can save its head. So you, the much a part of our story and who clever as snakes and innocent as Lord is saying, must surrender are visiting Boston to help us with doves. But, they may object, what everything but your faith: money, our anniversary observance. And good is our cleverness amid so many body, even life itself. For faith is I know you will want to join me dangers? How can we be clever when the head and the root; keep that, in welcoming their visits in late tossed about by so many waves? and though you lose all else, you September. However great the cleverness of will get it back in abundance. Father Bradford the sheep as he stands among the The Lord therefore counseled the Contra Mundum Page 11 disciples to be not simply clever seventy missionaries, and the other or innocent; rather he joined the half say the number was seventy- two qualities so that they become two. The difference is in the ancient a genuine virtue. He insisted on manuscripts of the text, which are the cleverness of the snake so that equally divided. Some say 70 and deadly wounds might he avoided, others 72. and he insisted on the innocence of These numbers are significant the dove so that revenge might not because they call to mind the seventy be taken on those who injure or lay elders whom God commanded traps for you. Cleverness is useless Moses to help bear the burden without innocence. of governing and instructing the Do not believe that this precept of any necessity, whether of essence people. You can read about that in is beyond your power. More than or of knowledge or of will, but out the Book of Numbers. of a sheer freedom which is not anyone else, the Lord knows the And when you read that Old moved—much less constrained—by true natures of created things; he Testament story, you learn about anything external.’ In creation God knows that moderation, not a fierce two ancient Israelites named Eldad is determined only by himself. God defense, beats back a fierce attack. and Medad, and who didn’t show creates solely out of his goodness. Saint John Chrysostom The idea of the world has its basis ¶ This excerpt is taken from a homily on not in the essence but in the will HOLY CROSS St.