Sunday, January 31, 2010

Afternoon on the East Side

 

Today I went with my friend Jane to Corpus Christi Church to catch the last Mass of the priest there, Father Anzelm Chalupka, aka Father What-A-Waste. Note to non-Catholic Leonard Pennario fans: That is an old Catholic joke, Father What-A-Waste. Every time it is applied it is new again!

Father Anzelm is being sent to Yonkers.

Yikes!

The church was packed which was the objective. The Facebook group hyping the event was called "Father Anzelm's Last Mass: Let's Pack The Church." Here is a picture of the interior of Corpus Christi.

 

All the news media were there. TV cameras were following Father Anzelm's every move and he took advantage of that situation to give the greatest sermon. The first part was about how Darwin was not necessarily right and the jury is still out. Father Anzelm pronounced Darwin's name "Darvin." He is from Poland! He said that history may well prove Darwin wrong. He said that back before we knew the world was round, everyone thought the world was flat and there were very wise people who professed that.

You have to admit, he has a point!

I personally enjoy throwing rocks at Darwin...


... even though I grew up just two streets away from Darwin Drive in Snyder, how about that? And I drove down Darwin just the other day. Well, after that the sermon moved on to how even if what we believe what Darwin says, it gives us no reason to behave like animals and subscribe to this survival-of-the-fittest theory. Meaning, the strong should not kill the weak, i.e., the aged and the unborn.

Tell 'em, Father!

You go!

Jane and I got to hug and kiss Father Anzelm on the way out. Father Anzelm thanked us because both of us have interviewed him for the paper during his time here. Our friend Airborne Eddy was with us. Eddy was hoping we would be able to get Father Anzelm to go out for a beer. I said, "Eddy, I don't think we will be able to get him today."

The line went on forever! Plus the TV news people were in our way.

So, an exciting day. And before that I went to my usual Latin Mass. That reminds me, it is Septuagesima Sunday! That means pre-Lent. I remember when I was in California, that was my first Septuagesima Sunday. Pennario and I discussed it. Today it was funny because I went to two Masses and they were different. At Corpus Christi it was just a normal Sunday with green vestments. But at St. Anthony the vestments are purple and there is no Gloria or Alleluia and boom, for all intents and purposes it is Lent.

I am leading a double life!

6 comments:

C. Byrd said...

Father was spot on with his homily...last week he talked about how we don't have to kill people with guns or bombs, but we kill people everyday with our words.

I will really miss him...when I decided to join a church in my old neighborhood, I was deciding between Adalbert's and CC...after a trip to the Market one day 4-5 years ago, I saw Father A helping a neighbor of the the church with some yard work...that sold me on CC.

The picture of CC at the top of your post is one my personal faves I have taken of the church. I hate to equate these buildings with my faith, but I call places like CC faith enhancers...because when you see them and experience their beauty, you can't help but feeling closer to God.

PANOS FOURTOUNIS said...

Studying the DNA of different organisms, leaves no doubt about the correctness of the premise of evolutionary theory. Besides, we can see evolution in action with viruses. Biology would not make sense at all without Evolution. The fact that the theory is incomplete, does not make it less valid. It is like saying what we know about Gravity is just a :theory" because there are huge gaps in unifying this force with electromagnetism and weak and strong nucleiar forces (the famous problem of finding a "Unfied Theory" of the Universe) We know every time we turn on the switch light comes in from the nuclear plant, and apples keep falling from the trees, although we are not sure why these forces cannot be reconciled in a thoretical framework. By the same token, we know by DNA comparison and observation that all living things share a common origin, although we do not have 100% of the details, that does not make it "just another theory".
I find it amusing that the good Father subverts the flat earth argument (many "wise people" thought it was flat!! but it was the Catholic Church that resisted the idea of a non sun centered Universe!)
I do not think, by the way, that Evolution or Plate Tectonics are contrary to the idea of God (for example, the Hawaiian islands are being created and destroyed as we speak), I would actually argue the opposite (God would not have created the World in such an unsophisticated manner as the Church proposes...)
In defense of the infinite Beauty and Complexity of the Creation
Panos

Panos said...

Mary! You are sooo good, I fell for it and got carried away with trying to seriously argue your tongue in cheek posting. I was had!You should write for The Onion!

Prof. G said...

I'm still with Mark Twain, who wrote in his autobiography about meeting an old Scotchman while he (Twain) stayed briefly in a boardinghouse. They discussed Darwin, and the old codger opined that he agreed with the idea of evolution until it came to man, where, he said, things went horribly wrong. Maybe that was the genus of MT's later remark that perhaps God made man because he was disappointed with the monkey.

yourstilniagarafalls said...

Don't forget to get your throat blessed for St. Blaise day tomorrow!

Larry said...

My bible says 'the wisdom of man is as foolishness to God' so, I am not very concerned about any of it.