Dear St. Raphael community,

Lots to talk about this week!  Below are some thoughts and announcements I want to share with you.

Getting Through the Tunnel

Pope Francis and I have had something similar happen to us recently: Speaking with others who are really struggling with the present reality of so many having to go without receiving the sacraments of the Church, and being moved to say something more about that.

I’m glad that at St. Raphael so many of our leaders and ministers have done a tremendous job adapting creatively in this COVID time to provide alternate resources for us to pray and connect and deepen. Things like our livestreaming Mass and other liturgies and times of prayer.  Things like resources for how we can pray at home in what the Church calls our “domestic church” - like reading the Bible, praying the rosary, doing the daily Examen of St. Ignatius, and many others. I still think, as I’ve said, that in the midst of these difficulties, we have the opportunity to stretch and grow as disciples of Jesus in these ways like never before.  And that growth can stay with us in the post-COVID time.

But after speaking with a number of struggling fellow Catholics and other leaders in the Church, I’m moved this week to point out more clearly that not being able to celebrate the sacraments is a huge loss and should not be seen in any way as normal for the Church.  I say that as someone who, as a young adult coming back to faith after a time of drifting away, had a choice to make about which church I would go to.  Far and away what most drew me back to the Catholic Church of my upbringing were the sacraments of the church: “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1131)  In not being able to come together for the sacraments, even for the good reason of preventing the spread of a pandemic, we are missing a great deal.  Though we’re not clear how long different restrictions will need to last, this is an extraordinary, an emergency situation.  And we should come back to the sacraments as soon as they are able to to be offered again.

Pope Francis was also moved to speak along these lines in the past week, through a conversation he had with a fellow bishop.  He spoke about it in one of his daily homilies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVeFJCPn7R0).  The Holy Father said, “This is the Church in a difficult situation that the Lord is allowing, but the ideal of the Church is always with the people and with the sacraments - always.”  The pope quoted what his fellow bishop had said to him in terms of making sure we know participating in a livestreamed Mass, while a good way to stay connected in faith when needed, is not the same as actually going to Mass in person:  “He said [to me], ‘Be careful not to ‘virtualize’ the Church, not to ‘virtualize’ the sacraments, not to ‘virtualize’ the people of God.’”  Then Pope Francis went on to say: “The Church, the Sacraments, the People of God are concrete.  It’s true that right now, we should build this familiarity with the Lord in this way... but in order to get through the tunnel, not to stay here.” 

We’re getting through a dark tunnel together.  Being in it is hard.  We share what light we have with each other as we go.  But we know that there’s light on the other end.  And we can grow in ways now that will make us stronger on the other side.  I want to assure you that I share Pope Francis’ conviction about the vital importance of the sacraments, and I will continue to work within St. Raphael and together with Bishop Luis and our diocese to help us encounter Jesus in the sacraments as much as we can as we make our way through and out of this tunnel.
 
The choices about what sacraments can be offered, to how many people, when and where, in the ever-shifting circumstances of this pandemic, are neither easy nor crystal clear.  Good Catholic disciples and even leaders will come to different conclusions and decisions.  What I’m finding is that it’s important for me to listen to and converse with others, even when we disagree, with respect and with love - and to be open to learn from others and perhaps see things in a different way. (I certainly don’t do this perfectly!) It seems Pope Francis is experiencing much of the same during this crucial time.  Maybe we all are.

News about Jesuits at St. Raphael

As I announced when he joined us last June, Fr. Adam Rosinski, SJ was assigned to St. Raphael for a one-year assignment, a “pastoral year” for his first year as a priest.. It’s with much gratitude to Fr. Adam that I share the news that his year of dedicated service to St. Raphael will conclude on May 31. He’ll be moving to NY to begin his new assignment as the Assistant Director of Vocations for the newly formed USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. The Maryland and the Northeast Provinces will merge on July 31, 2020 to become the USA East Province of Jesuits. I know Fr. Adam will do great work in this new mission!

During his assignment at St. Raphael for his first year as a priest, Fr. Adam has been a key member of our Priest Team, celebrating the sacraments, preaching, and shepherding. His presiding and preaching at weekend and other Masses has helped many to pray more profoundly and deepen deliberately as disciples of Jesus. His love for and expertise in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius has enriched many different groups and the parish as a whole. He’s been a great help in providing Ignatian formation for our school's leaders and students and assisting in the assessment and long range planning work of the Pastoral Council. And, his adaptability in ministry (and technological prowess!) are serving the parish well in this time of COVID restrictions.

I’m sad to see Fr. Adam go, but I’m so very grateful to have been able to serve alongside him this year at St. Raphael. 

I’m also very pleased to announce that Fr. Vinny Marchionni, SJ has been assigned to St. Raphael as a Parochial Vicar effective June 20. Some of you may remember Fr. Vinny, as he spent 7 weeks at St. Raphael in 2012. He was ordained a priest with Fr. Adam in June 2019, and spent the first three months of a “pastoral year” at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Staten Island and the next nine months at Parroquia Santa María in Parras, Coahuila in Mexico.  

I’d like to introduce you to Fr. Vinny. He and his sister grew up in Lower Merion, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia (yes, another Philly boy!). He first met the Jesuits at St. Joseph’s Prep and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. His Jesuit formation began in Syracuse, NY in 2008 and has taken him to St. Louis to study philosophy, Baltimore to teach history and coach lacrosse, and Berkley, CA to study theology, in addition to St. Raphael. 

Fr. Vinny is an avid sports fan and his family has had season tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles for almost 20 years. His favorite teams are, of course, the Eagles - and Juventus Football Club (or soccer for us from the United States). A little known fact about Fr. Vinny is that he collects sports jerseys and has some from around the world, both from places where he’s visited and from friends in their home countries.

I have worked personally in ministry with Fr. Vinny before and I’m so happy to have him joining the team at St. Raphael! 

During this time of uncertainty and social distancing, the exact dates of Fr. Adam's departure and Fr. Vinny's arrival might need to be adjusted because of COVID restrictions. I’ll  keep you updated should anything change. 

Thank you to all of you at St. Raphael who have welcomed Fr. Adam and helped him in this year to learn what it means to work as a priest for and with the people of God. Please join me in wishing Fr. Adam well in his new assignment and in warmly welcoming Fr. Vinny back to the St. Raphael community! 

See below for messages from Fr. Adam and Fr. Vinny.

Please also see below other news and resources this week from St. Raphael to help us all get through the tunnel, together.

St. Raphael the Healer... pray for us!

Fr. Phil Hurley, S.J.
Pastor