In Appreciation....
by Phil Girard
This year's Parish Appreciation Supper was held on Saturday, April 3rd, in St. Paula Hall. Approximately 80 people attended. Dinner was a little more relaxed this year - Caesar salad, pizza, and hot fudge sundaes.
The entertainment was provided by North Shore Acappella. This five man group  kept the atmosphere up with their renditions of tunes by popular singers including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys. Everyone in the hall could be seen singing along, dancing or tapping their feet. And who would have known we had so many hams in the parish! There was no coercion necessary to get several women and men up to join the group for a song.
The evening was, as usual, capped off with the presentation of the Appreciation Award. As Father Wyndham is still recuperating from his last surgery, Father Martocchio filled in. The text of the award is:
In Appreciation
Since it is impossible to THANK all of our parishioners, we have selected one couple to represent all of you. To all of you through them we sincerely express our gratitude, thanks, and admiration.
On this occasion of the annual ST. JEROME PARISH APPRECIATION EVENING, April 3, 2004, our award is presented to
Barbara and Tim Donovan
For their extraordinary dedication and commitment to
St. Jerome Ministries
WE THE PEOPLE OF GOD AT ST. JEROME PARISH SAY:
"WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANTS"
I spoke with Tim briefly after the award was presented. He said he was caught off-guard at being named this year. He confessed that he figured it out while Father Martocchio was listing some of the ministries Barbara and Tim have contributed to. Several people at my table guessed correctly at about the same time.
St. Jerome's Good Friday Evening Service
by Richard Ruel
Holy Week is always a special time to come to church. It seems that the Church always manages to raise the level of celebration up a few notches with processions on Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday, the reading of the Passion, the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, and the themes of purification and Baptismal cleansing at the Easter Vigil. During the past few years at St. Jerome, my favorite has been Good Friday.
Good Friday is very unique in that there is no Mass celebrated. It is quite different from Mass, so one has to pay attention to what is going on. Some of you may remember the days when the priest used to wear black vestments when black was worn for funerals. These days, the priest is dressed in violet/purple vestments, colors worn through Lent (and Advent as well). The altar is stripped of all linens. An of course, there are no flowers anywhere in sight. This year, the chief celebrant on Good Friday was Father Jones, accompanied by Father Peter and Father Wyndham (welcome back, Father!). The Good Friday Liturgy is divided into four parts: 1. The Liturgy of the Word, including St. John's account of the Passion; 2. Prayers. (for the Pope, world leaders, the Jewish people, etc.). Father Jones emphasized that these prayers are prayed in churches all over the world. 3. The veneration of the Cross. The faithful in the congregation stand in line to individually venerate the cross. 4. The Eucharist. Holy Communion is distributed.
If there is any music at all on Good Friday, is has to be especially low keyed and reverent. The quartet of Tim Maynard, Peg Gillis, John Peruzzi Sr. and Ginny Marsh harmonized perfectly, at times choosing to sing a capella. The only musical accompaniment (if any) was Tim Maynard's softly and masterfully played acoustic guitar. The song selection, neither sad nor upbeat, was perfect and just right for the occasion. And Peg Gillis was as good as ever as lead singer with her angelic voice quality and range. Her vocals were backed up by Tim and also by John and Ginny who all blended nicely with her voice.
Following the Good Friday Liturgy, there was a presentation on the Paschal Mystery, featuring power point slides, readings and music. This was the brainchild of parishioner Tim Donovan, who began work on it last Fall (2003). Tim did say that a lot of hard work went into it, including a number of rehearsals. In the near future, we will have some of the slides and the script up on the website for your viewing and reading pleasure. Please watch for it! Father Wyndham noted that most of the congregation stayed for the presentation despite having been in Church for an hour or so for the Good Friday Services.
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Review of the Movie "The Passion of the Christ"
(Editor's note) Several weeks ago following Sunday Mass, Parishioner Maureen Libby told me that she had just viewed Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ and was very moved by it. Asked if I intended on seeing it, I told her "probably not", at least not in the immediate future. I explained that I applaud Mel Gibson and his determination and courage to make this film along with its phenomenal success at the box office, and I especially liked the fact that it irked the Hollywood establishment who thought that a film about Christ would bomb. My reluctance to seeing the film is very simple: From what I've heard, all the violence in the film is directed at one person, and I don't know if I could handle watching someone (Jesus or anyone else for that matter) getting physically beaten to a bloody pulp for two hours. Maureen acknowledged there was graphic violence that is difficult to watch at times, but said that there is a lot more to the film than that. I asked her write about it in our online newsletter. Here is Maureen's review:
What had moved all of us (of various ages and cultures) to pack the theater to see The Passion of the Christ? Was it the promptings of grace we so often ignore? I was amazed at the full theater. As for the film itself, the contrast of darkness and light and the use of the Aramaic language lent an authenticity to the film I had not experienced in other passion films.
In the Garden when Jesus struggled to be obedient to his Father, the camouflaged white smoke of tempting evil was clear to me. Throughout the entire film, evil was portrayed as comely and attractive. My son and his friend asked who the person was they often saw with a pretty face and hood lurking in the crowd near Jesus and Judas. Was it a man or a woman? I told them it was evil which is neither male nor female, but presents itself in attractive allurements when tempting us to offend Our Lord through sin.
I was struck by the clear, deeply spiritual and psychological struggle Judas experienced before completely losing hope and despairing to suicide.
The flashback scenes depicting Jesus' life and love versus cruelty man shows to man as depicted throughout scenes from the scourging to the crucifixion were artistic juxtapositions used very effectively. Jesus' deep relationship with his Mother, Mary, was very clear during these flashbacks versus the present deep suffering she felt as he experienced the painful journey to His death.
What we can learn from Jesus and Mary's relationship would, I believe, shed light on how our spiritual relationship should/could be with Jesus.
I felt the violence of the Passion was quite graphic and unsettling. However, I made myself think of my failings toward others and at times my separation from my God through my sins. Through this brutal passion and crucifixion, Jesus paid for mine and the sins of mankind. When the film ended and people were leaving the theater, no sound could be heard. What and impact this well produced film had on us! Now if we would reflect on this more often, perhaps we could deepen our spiritual lives and love one another more actively.
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