Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

The beginning of the Ministry Year at Saint Mary gives all of us a chance to draw near, roll up our sleeves and get to know our God who is immediate to us, and our neighbor whose needs are also immediate.

The word immediate could have two senses: right at this moment, as in immediately, or right in the same place. Most people live their lives with God at least at arms’ length (it is easier that way) but God isn’t limited by location. It is a human concept which we need to grasp being. To us, to be requires a place to be, but with God, he is always here, just as he is always now. For the person who is considering God, he is never “there.” He is always here.

The founding fathers of our republic were largely Deists. Some had become absolute advocates of the Enlightenment religion of nature and reason, a belief that there is some kind of God who made the machine and pushed the start button, then just sits back and watches it succeed or fail. Some were Christians, but most were a combination of the two, who believed in little or none of the miracles or supernaturalism found in the Judeo-Christian tradition, but retained Christian loyalties of faith. On the conservative side was Washington and Adams; the liberal, Franklin and Monroe.

This impersonality of God, however, has permeated our atmosphere of religious freedom
with a spirit of “freedom from religion,” even for believers. It would seem quite possible to believe and not live belief. So there is this lingering doubt in the mind of people since the Enlightenment, that perhaps all we really can know is empirical knowledge, that which is seen and heard, touched and tasted.

But is it possible to see and hear, touch and taste things that are beyond physical reality? Just because one person doubts the possibility or has never delved enough into the mysteries of God and has had no experience—well, that doesn’t mean these things don’t exist. Our tradition, on the contrary, is filled with accounts of saints and entire communities of people who have known the supernatural event of God in their lives in a quite tangible, documentable way. We do it, for example, every time we enter into God at Mass and result in Communion together. It isn’t a contest of wills or subjugation, it is a free and humble submission that God is greater and can move in our lives in ways that are immediate. Here and now.

Mass on TV can’t take the place of being in church on Sunday, any more than having feelings of compassion for the poor and homeless can substitute working together to provide solutions to end hunger and isolation. Or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those who are considered the stranger by some, discovering common dreams and spiritual hopes. We have to be together for it to happen.

Friendship doesn’t happen between computer monitors. There is no substitute for face-to face. Lately there have been more and more people asking for counseling in the confessional… I try to explain that it is not possible to have a real first conversation about anything with a person who stays on the other side of a screen. What kind of arrogance would I have if I were to pretend that I had answers for someone whom I have never met? You might as well read a blog. We have to be real and immediate to one another, here and now.

By the way, so does God. It takes a Son to be a Father, a Father to have a Son, a relationship for there to be a love that lives and moves and brings others—all others—into its life of community. A we that invites a you to join, and become one in the image and likeness of God. We discover who we are when we are immediate and involved with God and with each other.

I do believe that there is a special charism of unity and I would like to call it forth from all those of you who have it, to help our parish come together to life this Ministry Year. These gifts—all our gifts—are given in love so that we might respond in love, and they will only be fulfilled in our action.

May God bless you,

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

We’ve had a family (a man and two small children) visiting us at weekend Masses begging
outside the church for months, now. Over this time, I’ve been approached by many people, some who have said they shouldn’t be there, some who have told me they actually borrowed money from others to give to them because, even though they have a nice car and don’t look that desperate, the children shouldn’t be on the street. Of course, compassionate people feel bad for them. We have repeatedly told them that if they stay on the property that we will call the police. As soon as I am told they are outside they take off faster than I can get out there to run them off.

My alarm went off when two things happened: 1) they began to tell people that “Father said it was okay that we stand out here and beg,” and 2) “No cash? That’s okay, we take checks.” We have looked into these people – there are quite a number of them – and discovered that they have been going to churches all over the diocese for months. They are actually Romanian (real gypsies) who work for companies (the mob) in Romania who have now saturated Europe, and who have now bought them plane tickets to come to get money from parishes in the United States. One pastor in northern Virginia said that these companies in Eastern Europe actually look on line for the parishes in the US with the biggest collections, then send people here to take advantage of them. If you’ve ever been robbed by gypsies outside of churches in Europe (Rome, in particular),
you will know whom we’re talking about.

Please do not be taken advantage of, and do not let them take advantage of your charity that should be directed to legitimate need. Here is how “Father” would like you to respond. Just call the police. Don’t tell them you are going to call the police, because they will be gone before the police arrive, and then will be back next week. It is never a good idea to give anyone cash, anyway, but especially not a check to someone you don’t know. Their bosses will have your name, address, maybe phone number and bank account number.

This is probably a good time to talk about how we can best address the issue of begging and homelessness. And scams. Saint Mary is very deeply committed to supporting local agencies who address issues of hunger and homelessness. With community dinners, and the spectrum of Micah ministries, Saint Mary and area churches provide daily meals, shelter from the cold, visitors’ services in the form of food, clothing, facilities, a program for respite care following medical procedures, job assistance, rapid re-housing and career counseling. Anything people need is available through these agencies and all people need to do is ask. The homeless shelter is far less helpful due to strict eligibility requirements, but that is also a community resource. No one should need to beg, please, tell them of our parish commitment and invite them to look into what is offered. By providing these agencies with our resources, we know that our generosity is getting to the people for whom it is intended, where help is really needed.

We are happy to say that over the past decade Saint Mary has been a tithing parish, that is to say, that between 12 and 15% of the collections that pass through Saint Mary have gone to the poor and those in need. Your generosity to the parish automatically assures that 12 to 15% of your charitable donations provide for the poor and other legitimate charities and local agencies. We regularly support all of them.

The Micah Welcome Center is on Princess Anne Street next to the Baptist Church and
is there to provide care for people in difficult situations. The parish office can let you know where the daily breakfasts and dinners are prepared for anyone who doesn’t have a meal today. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask our staff. Let people know where they can really find help, and stop those who would take advantage of your kindness.

May God bless you,