Christian Initiation of Children - Season of Priestly Ordinations - A Bishop's Non-Magisterial Teaching (about the Stanley Cup Finals)

HOLY REDEEMER "ALLELUIA" MASS

On Wednesday evening, I travelled to Kanata for the annual "Alleluia" Mass, celebrated with the children of Holy Redeemer Parish who this spring celebrated their First Reconciliation (confession) and, during the Easter Season, received their First Holy Communion.

While it was a few days beyond the Easter Season's close (to accommodate my schedule), this Eucharist gives all the families whose members took part in the Christian Initiation of Children to come together with fellow parishioners and other families for this joyful occasion.

We had joyful music, an honour guard provided by the Knights of Columbus, photos for those who wanted such, souvenir cards of the archbishop (some of which got autographed--I felt briefly like a celebrity) and, wouldn't you know it, fruit juices, cake and other sweets (even some fresh fruits and veggies). Herewith some photos taken following Mass:



A couple of children join me in cutting the celebratory cake

Father Pierre Champoux and the C.I.C. team at Holy Redeemer

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ORDINATIONS TODAY AND NEXT SATURDAY

Lots of our priests are celebrating the anniversary of their priestly ordination in late May or early June (my 38th anniversary is on June 10th). So presiding at priestly ordinations is always a joyous occasion for me (or any bishop).

Today at 10 am in Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, I will ordain David Bergeron of the Companions of the Cross a priest. A native of Granby, Quebec (in the St. Hyacinthe Diocese), he was ordained a deacon there by Mgr Francois Lapierre last September. His first Mass will be celebrated on Sunday in his home parish. The ordination ceremony today will be bilingual.

David Bergeron prepares the chalice at Mass shortly after his diaconal ordination

Left: John Meehan, SJ
Right: Teofilo [Teo] Ugaban, S.J.

Next Saturday at 10am in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Toronto, I will ordain two Jesuit confreres to the priesthood:

John Meehan from Antigonish, Nova Scotia (a professional historian, whose book entitled, The Dominion and the Rising Sun, was awarded the Prime Minister's Award when it was published in Japanese) and Teofilo Ugaban who was born in the Philippines and immigrated with his family to Vancouver (and who possesses a striking gift as a painter).

Please pray for these men (and others being ordained these days) and for the fruitfulness of the ministry, which they will devote to God's people in the coming years.

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THE HOLY GOALIE

Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki, when Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago kept up his pick-up hockey skill playing in nets; he has even skated with the Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators.

When named Bishop of Springfield in Illinois (he will be installed on June 22--well after the Stanley Cup is awarded), he made the following comments at his first press conference:

"My favorite sport is hockey; I still play hockey. I am a goalie. My nickname is, the 'Holy Goalie.'

"If you’re trying to figure out how my mind works, you should know that most hockey players say that goalies are different. I get enjoyment from standing in front of a hockey net and having people shoot pucks at me at 100 miles per hour. I am used to taking shots. With that in mind, I will now take your questions."

Not only that he has produced his very own GUIDE TO THE 2010 STANLEY CUP FINALS BETWEEN THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS AND THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS; naturally this presentation does not constitute magisterial teaching; take it all with a grain of salt, says another hockey fan who has been through the wringer with the series that took us to the finals. Herewith the Holy Goalie's guide:

Here are a few points to keep in mind as the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers face off against each other in the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Final Series:

● The Blackhawk Indian head logo has been called by many as the best logo in professional sports. It is a respectful and dignified depiction of a real person, Chief Black Hawk, who headed an Indian tribe that roamed the plains of the Midwest.

● The Philadelphia Flyers logo is officially described as “a black P-Wing with an orange circle in the middle.” On April 4, 1966, co-owner Bill Putnam announced there would be a name-the-team contest and that orange, black and white would be the team colors. Wanting what he referred to as "hot" colors, Putnam's choice was influenced by the orange and white of his alma mater, the University of Texas, and the orange and black of Philadelphia's previous NHL team, the Quakers. Also announced on April 4 was the hiring of a Chicago firm to design the team's arena.

● It was co-owner Ed Snider's sister Phyllis who ended up naming the team when she suggested Flyers on a return trip from a Broadway play. Ed knew immediately it would be the winning name, since it captured the speed of the game and went well phonetically with Philadelphia. On August 3, 1966, the team name was announced. Of the 11,000 ballots received, more than 100 selected Flyers as the team name and were entered into a drawing to select a winner. 9-year-old boy Alec Stockard from Narberth, Pennsylvania, who had spelled it "Fliers" on his entry, won the drawing and was declared the winner.

● The Blackhawks were called the Portland Rose Buds before a coffee baron in Chicago, named Frederick McLaughlin purchased the team in the mid 1920's. McLaughlin moved the team to Chicago and was awarded a NHL franchise on September 25, 1926. The team name came from its first owner, Major Fredrick McLaughlin. As a commander of the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the U.S. Army's World War I Expeditionary Force, the Major belonged to the 86th Blackhawk Division and felt a great affection for the name. He also was aware of the history of Chief Black Hawk. After McLaughlin named the team, his wife Irene, designed the unique Black, Red, and White striped uniforms with the head of Chief Black Hawk on the logo.

● The grit and determination of the Chicago Blackhawks is epitomized by defenseman Duncan Keith, who lost seven teeth when he was hit in the face by a puck in last Sunday’s game that clinched the semi-final series against the San Jose Sharks. He only missed four shifts and ended up playing a game-high 29 minutes, 2 seconds and assisted on the tying goal. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said, "He's a warrior." His defense partner said, "Seeing him suck on some gauze there really gave us a lift.”

● Flyers goalie Michael Leighton came up through the Chicago Blackhawks organization. After the Hawks drafted him 165th overall in 1999, he played for them sparingly in 2002 and started 33 games for the struggling squad the next season. But a lockout and an injury in the minor leagues derailed him. After being traded, he played with several other teams before being claimed off waivers by the Flyers on January 11, 2007. On May 22nd, Leighton became the first Flyer to record three shutout wins in the Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens.

● Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi was born on August 29, 1983 in Vantaa, Finland. Niemi played junior hockey for Kiekko-Vantaa from 2000 until 2005, when he turned pro with the Pelicans of the Finnish hockey league. He played three seasons with the Pelicans before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent in 2008. After playing in the minors, he made the Blackhawks roster last Fall. Niemi won the starting goaltender job for the Blackhawks near the close of the 2009-2010 NHL regular season.

● The Flyers made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth by beating the New York Rangers in a shootout in the last game of the regular season. They were on the brink of elimination against the Boston Bruins, down 3 games to 0 before coming back to tie the series, then were down 3 goals to 0 in game seven before rallying to win. This is a tough team that doesn’t give up, but the Blackhawks are loaded with talent and they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1961, so they are hungry.

● The Holy Goalie’s pick: Blackhawks in 5.