Fearless Stanley Cup Predictions

Expectations are always troublesome.  Expect that something will happen, that some team will win, and it usually doesn't end up that way.  As my spiritual director taught me on the long retreat, "Expectations are the seedbed of resentment."

Ask the Las Vegas bookies, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to win the Stanley Cup.  They have the two best players in the world (Crosby and Malkin), a deep and talented team, a Cup winner in goalie Fleury and coach "Disco" Dan Bylsma, great end-of-season additions in Iginla and Jokinen and Murrow, and 22 wins out of 26 games played going into the playoffs. 

Yet most writers I've seen like the Chicago Blackhawks, the #1 team in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League, and the winner of the President's Trophy for most points in the season, to win it all. 

I hate when our hometown teams are expected to win.  The pressure bends the players, inflates egos, and usually brings about a big fall.  (See, the Pittsburgh Penguins, one year ago.)

But...going against the grain, and my usual pessimistic nature, I am predicting that our flightless birds will win the 2013 Stanley Cup. 

Here's the details:

In the Eastern Conference

Penguins (1) over Islanders (8)
Canadiens (2) over Senators (7)
Capitals (3) over Rangers (6)
Maple Leafs (5) over Bruins (4)

Penguins over Maple Leafs
Capitals over Canadians

Penguins over Capitals

In the Western Conference

Blackhawks (1) over Wild (8)
Ducks (2) over Red Wings (7)
Sharks (6) over Canucks (3)
Kings (5) over Blues (4)

Blackhawks over Sharks
Ducks over Kings

Ducks over Black Hawks

Stanley Cup finals

Pittsburgh Penguins over Anaheim Ducks

Go Pens!!!

Diocesan Connections

Two of the parishes I pastor, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Vitus, are pioneer parishes in the diocesan-wide "Our Campaign for the Church Alive!"  This is the $125 million initiative which our bishop began a year ago. We are two of 11 parishes which are in the first group to approach parishioners and aim for a diocesan-set target.  I'll mention more about this effort after our intensive four-month push ends for these two parishes at the end of the month.

Tonight I was addressing a small group of parishioners we invited about the campaign.  (Well, actually we invited a very large group of parishioners, by letter and robocall, to hear how they could make a pledge to the campaign, but only six came).  One of the perennial issues in anything "diocesan" is the feeling in New Castle, and throughout Lawrence County generally, "The bishop doesn't know anything about us.  The diocese has forgotten us."  

It gets a little tiresome answering this irritating whine.  Especially in my case, since for nine years of my priesthood, I "was" the diocese.  That is, I was one of the "honorable guild of diocesan bureaucrats," in the words of my late friend and racquet ball opponent, Father George Newmeyer.  I was one of the "them" in the oft-repeated conflict between "us" parishes and "them" diocesan idiots.

So in response to a question tonight, I offered this response to the claim, the diocese doesn't know anything about us or doesn't care about us:

I wish that anyone who moaned that the Diocese of Pittsburgh does not know about St. Vitus Parish, or the other parishes in New Castle, would have been with me over the past 24 hours.  

• Yesterday, I received a letter from Dr. Robert Pacerba, the diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education.  He informed me that for the third year in a row the Bishop's Education Fund would make a grant to St. Vitus  School in the amount of $115,000, the same as the past two years.  That's $345,000, more than a third of a million dollars, given to our school in the past three years.
• Today I talked with the chief financial officer of the diocese, Fred O'Brien, about an issue with the church roof for another of my parishes, St. Joseph the Worker.  He was very supportive of a proposal my finance councils and I have proposed to the diocese to fund and repair the leaks and improve the building.
• I also talk with one of the diocesan attorneys, Chris Pontecello, about Mary Mother of Hope Parish selling a piece of land, and the practicalities of the transaction.  Because of the Parish Share Program, I don't hesitate to talk with any of the diocesan lawyers, since unlike usual practice in the secular legal world, the parish is not billed for the phone calls or advice of the attorneys, or their preparation of contracts.
• Last night I taught the third in a four-week series on Catholic social teaching, for the diocese's adult education program, at St. Joseph the Worker Parish.  This program gives certification to Catholic school teachers, volunteer CCD catechists, and solid formation in the faith to parishioners.  I have been a master catechist in this program since my third year of priesthood.  Thousands of Catholics learn more about our faith each year through its many courses.
• I got another email from our regional vicar, Father Phil Farrell, about an upcoming free lecture for members of pastoral councils, finance councils, and parish staff, on the issue of collaboration among parishes and consultative processes.  Father Phil is a big supporter of our unique arrangement of parishes here in New Castle.
• This afternoon I received a call from Father Joe Mele, the rector of St. Paul Seminary and director of the pre-ordination formation of our candidates for the priesthood.  Last year two parishes, St. Vitus and St. Vincent de Paul, received the help of a first-year seminarian intern, Chris Mannerino.  With the support of my two associates, I "pushed the envelop" and requested of the diocese two seminarians to help in our four parishes this summer.  I hoped to get Chris back for a second year, and another one to boot.  Father indicated that it is likely we'll be granted our request, which has to be approved by the bishop.  

This is just one day, albeit an unusual one.  Most parishioners do not interact with the bishop, or members of diocesan central administration.  Priests do.  I do, often.  I wish that parishioners understood how the diocese often (but not always!) helps us in the parishes, and particularly me in New Castle.  

Only with healthy relationships with the diocese can we in the parishes (priests, staff, council members, parishioners) do our job of being church well.  Only by telling stories like this might I gradually break down the false statement that "the bishop and the diocese forgot about us long ago."

Back at the Computer

It's been a while since I posted a blog (well, actually, 26 days, but who's counting except the accountants?).    I have many excuses--Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Great Three Days of Easter, our parishes's participation in the diocesan-wide capital campaign (more on that to come), getting my taxes done.  But most of all... well, I have no excuse.  

So back to the computer.

New Castle News

While the world watches the actions, symbolic and substantive, of Pope Francis, life goes on at home.  A week ago the New Castle News, our local daily, published the following column on its editorial page.  It was a syndicated column from Scripps Howard News Service, by Dan Thomasson.

The rock of St. Peter's has some fissures in it, as we are reminded almost daily by the Catholic Church's sexual and financial scandals.

In the interest of transparency  I must confess I am not a Catholic.  I am a lifelong Methodist who has stayed away from from writing on the issues of another person's religion.  If someone wants to maintain his or her beliefs in a church whose edicts have led to wholesale criminal and moral misbehavior, that is his or her choice.  

I will say that I am tired of being bombarded by the onslaught of attention given to Catholic news, while  Christian news outside the Roman brand is practically ignored.

A significant amount of the attention comes from pedophilia in the priesthood, generating sensational coverage that other denominations wouldn't want.  But when you don't make news, maybe it's because you have done all those bad things.

Of course, now and then there are instances where aberrant activities by some offshoot Protestant fundamentalist sect or official reaches proportions that merit journalistic notice -- a 20-second spot on television or an inside blurb in the local paper.  But that's generally when a snake handler gets bitten or a TV evangelist runs afoul of the law or a spouse.

I suppose that it would be correct here to note that Protestantism was revived news wise by the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, a Mormon -- and not always flatteringly.  But mainly, Protestant activities are just too dull to report.

Then there are the movie stars like Tom Cruise who have put their bankrolls and prestige behind such institutions as Scientology, whatever that is.  I'm not certain it qualifies as a church in the usual sense of the word; it's more like a theology of Buck Rogers space travel.

Certainly nothing matches the controversy over Catholic clergy whose indefensible activities, if not sanctioned, were tolerated and hidden by the church's hierarchy all the way to the Vatican.

Just when it seemed the pope's reinforcement of dogma that defies human nature -- on celibacy and contraception, for example -- threatened revolution in some church quarters, he up and quit for "health reasons."

The resignation did come after it was revealed that the former archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic diocese in America, had ignored or covered p a horrific number of morally and criminally reprehensible acts by priests against young parishioners.  Even then, Cardinal Roger Mahoney [sic] was asked by the Vatican to attend the conclave from which a new pope  will be chosen.

So when the smoke rises from the basilica announcing the selection of a new pontiff, let's hope that the church can being to repair the fissures -- and that my colleagues can give it a rest.

Well.  As Forrest Gump said, "Stupid is as stupid does."

The number of inaccuracies in this "thumbsucker" is only exceeded by the missed targets in the blame game.  I called the New Castle News on Monday, and talked with a nice editor.  I said that I thought that the article was blatant anti-Catholicism, and wanted to reply.  He said, you can write a letter to the editor.  I replied, no, I wanted a column.  He said he had to ask the head editor.

An hour later, I got my column.  500 words.  So this appeared in Thursday's paper, on the editorial page, providentially on the same day when the election of Pope Francis was the lead story on the front page, with an above the fold photo of him.

There are days when I think the saying of Jesus which his followers carry out the most is, "Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing" (Matthew 6:3).

The Catholic Church is especially skilled at hiding its good news.

How often have you heard that one out of every six patient admissions in the U.S. is into a Catholic hospital?  Or that the network of Catholic Charities across our nation has more than 2,000 agencies, serving more than nine million unduplicated persons annually?  Or that the Catholic Church educates more than two million students in grade schools and highs schools, with no tax dollars?

Our scandals and sins have been well covered by the media, for all the world to see.  In response, since 2002, the U.S. Catholic community has become a world leader in educating clergy, paid staff and volunteers in preventing sexual abuse of children.

In the Diocese of Pittsburgh alone, more than 30,000 people who serve in our parishes, schools and ministries have attended the three-hour workshop "Protecting  God's Children" and received state and FBI clearances.  Every American diocese and eparchy is audited annually by an outside firm to keep us honest.  "Zero tolerance" is the standard for all church workers and volunteers.

This past week the world's media descended on Rome and the Vatican to observe the conclave of cardinals which will  elect the new pope.  The media know a good story when they see one. We are a worldwide communion of 1.2 billion souls, with every language and race represented.

The new pope will be expected to carry on the centuries-long tradition of his predecessors in upholding the human rights, the God-given dignity, and the religious freedom of every human person.

Pope John Paul II was a leading figure in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the demise of the Soviet Union.  Pope Benedict XVI proposed a world-wide fiscal body to ensure that companies protect the rights of workers and given them a living, family wage.  Both called for careful environmental stewardship of this planet called Earth, and peaceful collaborative relations with other Christians, the Jewish community, and all faiths.

But national or global numbers are not nearly as touching as the ordinary faith-filled activities of the four New Castle parishes my brother priests and I serve.  Eucharistic ministers bring Holy Communion and smiles to elderly, home bound parishioners. Two food pantries, at St. Vitus and St. Joseph the Worker parishes, supplement the meals of 600 families each month.

We console the grieving, rejoice with brides and grooms who make lifelong commitments in marriage, and hold squirming babies after their baptisms.  Our children hear the good news of Jesus in Sunday school sessions and in St. Vitus school, and see it lived out day-by-day by their caring parents and grandparents.

I'd love less media attention on the religious scandals, and more on the everyday saints n our Lawrence County neighborhoods.  Maybe we Catholic can stop hiding our love under bushel baskets.

As you can see, I decided not to bring attention to Thomasson's piece, nor to rebut his accusations and mistakes.  I figured a positive picture would do more good.  At the very least, hearing from parishioners the past two days, I made Catholics feel better about their religion.

Habamus papam Franciscum

"We have a pope, Francis!"

What wonderful words heard by the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Wednesday, March 13.  In only five ballots, the 115 cardinal electors were able to exceed (reportedly over 90 votes) the 77 votes needed for the election of a new pope.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 76 year old archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the 266th successor of St. Peter the Apostle.  His election brings many firsts to the papacy:  first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, first member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), first Argentine, first from the Americas, first religious order priest in over a thousand years, first non-European in over 1,200 years, first to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi for his papal name.

Wow!

I believe that not only the Roman Catholic Church will be blessed by the ministry of Pope Francis, but also the Christian church, and the entire world.

Fasting for Feasting

While we are waiting for the cardinals to elect the 266th Bishop of Rome, I thought this Lenten message was worthwhile.  I found it in the bulletin of Holy Redeemer Parish, Kissimmee, Florida.  


Lent can be more than a time of fasting; it can be a season of feasting.  We can use Lent to fast from certain things and to feast on others.  Lent is a season in which we can:

Fast from judging others;  feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences;  feast on the unity of life.
Fast from thoughts of illness;  feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute;  feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent;  feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger;  feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism;  feast on optimism.
Fast from worry;  feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining;  feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives;  feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressure;  feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from bitterness;  feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern;  feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety;  feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragements;  feast on hope.
Fast from idle gossip;  feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm;  feast on prayer that strengthens.
Fast from apparent darkness;  feast on the reality of light.

A Pope Resigns, X (The Prediction)

Predictions are useless, yet fun.  As one cardinal said on Sunday, it is the cardinals who vote in the conclave, not the media (or us bloggers).

Yet why go to all this effort, without making myself look foolish.

The basics:  Like the rest of the 1,200,000,000 Catholics worldwide, I have absolutely no inside information on which candidates are "gaining traction" and which have lost attention, over these days of the General Congregations.  I've looked over the "Papabili of the Day" by John Allen ( www.ncronline.org ), and other media sources to get at least a passing familiarity with the bios of cardinals who have attracted media attention.  I've not placed a bet on my candidates.  These are nothing more than slightly informed guesses.

My bottom line:  It is my hope and prayer that the cardinals look beyond Italy and Europe for the 266th Bishop of Rome.  In particular, I hope for a brown face or a black face to appear at the window after the white smoke.  We are a world-wide church (we don't call ourselves catholic for nothing) and it's about time that the leadership of the church make the jump to someone from where the church is growing.

The three candidates I wish would become pope:

Peter Turkson, the 64 year old Ghanaian who is the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

Diarmuid Martin, the 67 year old archbishop (not a cardinal) of Dublin.

Sean O'Malley, the 68 year old archbishop of Boston.

The three candidates I think are the most likely to be elected pope in 2013:

Peter Erdo, the 60 year old archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest.

Christoph Schonborn, the 68 year old archbishop of Vienna.

Marc Ouellet, the 68 year old Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops. from Quebec, Canada.

Length of conclave:  It took a reputed eight rounds of voting to elect Karol Wojtyla in the second election of 1978.  I believe that it will take at least that long for the election of 2013.  This would bring white smoke on Thursday, March 14.  

That said, if we do not see white smoke on Wednesday or Thursday, I believe all bets are off, and my hope for a brown face or black face from Asia, Africa, Central America or South America decidedly goes up.

Our prayer:  May the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church, and the world be the winner with a healthy, holy, and happy pope.