My Story
The Young Catholic Musicians are a group of young people from the Archdiocese of St. Louis who perform liturgical music at a different parish each month. The members range in age from ten to eighteen years old. Each summer the group goes on a one week tour to another diocese.
Before they go, they celebrate a mass of thanksgiving and prayer for a safe journey. I was asked to speak at this year's mass. Following is what I said.
For a long time I wasn't much of a Catholic. I didn't go to mass very often. I'd stay home on Sunday morning and watch television while my wife took our four kids to Church. Every Sunday she'd get them all dressed and put them in the car while I sat around the house in my PJ's drinking coffee.
It wasn't always that way, but somebody made me mad. A priest did something that I thought wasn't right and so I quit going to church, even though I drove right past two other churches to get to our church. But there are two reasons why people do things. One is the reason that sounds good and the other one is the real reason. Sometimes there the same, but usually they're not. I thought it sounded better to say I was mad at Father than to admit that I was just too lazy and too selfish to go to mass.
But then a funny thing happened. When my second oldest son, Tim was about twelve, he joined the Young Catholic Musicians. He's twenty-eight now, so that was about sixteen years ago. When our kids were growing up, one thing I always did was go to their stuff. I went to all the ball games, and all the plays, and all the Scout things that I possibly could. So when Tim joined the YCM, I started going to mass again, even if it was only once a month.
Of course, since Tim was only twelve, that meant somebody had to drive him to practice, and get up in the middle of the night to take him to Soulard to go on tour and pick him up again when he came home. Then another funny thing happened. I started to realize how much of a sacrifice it was for Tim to go to all those practices, and all those masses. I saw how many parents were really dedicated to getting their kids to the right place at the right time. A light started to come on.
Then, one Saturday night, the group was singing at a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. Of course Tim had to be there a half hour early, so my wife and I decided to wait in the chapel under the big outdoor alter where mass was going to be held. As we sat there my eyes adjusted to the dark and I noticed that people were going to confession. I got in line and I got back into the Church.
As you can see, I didn't stop with just going back to mass. It took a while, actually until about ten years ago, for me to realize that God was calling me to something more. In 1997 I applied and was accepted into formation for the permanent diaconate. I was ordained in June of 2002. In fact, my fifth anniversary will be next week.
By the time I entered formation, our third son, Patrick had joined the YCM. He graduated from high school the same year I was ordained, 2002. Unfortunately, his last mass with the group in St. Louis was the week before I was ordained so I didn't get to be deacon for that tour mass. But Father did let me serve on the altar that night and he's been kind enough to let me come back every year since to help him celebrate this special mass. It means a lot to me.
Kids, the point of the story is this. God has given you a very special gift, the gift of song and He wants you to use it because you never know who's listening. You never know who's life you might change. This group certainly changed my life.
Before they go, they celebrate a mass of thanksgiving and prayer for a safe journey. I was asked to speak at this year's mass. Following is what I said.
For a long time I wasn't much of a Catholic. I didn't go to mass very often. I'd stay home on Sunday morning and watch television while my wife took our four kids to Church. Every Sunday she'd get them all dressed and put them in the car while I sat around the house in my PJ's drinking coffee.
It wasn't always that way, but somebody made me mad. A priest did something that I thought wasn't right and so I quit going to church, even though I drove right past two other churches to get to our church. But there are two reasons why people do things. One is the reason that sounds good and the other one is the real reason. Sometimes there the same, but usually they're not. I thought it sounded better to say I was mad at Father than to admit that I was just too lazy and too selfish to go to mass.
But then a funny thing happened. When my second oldest son, Tim was about twelve, he joined the Young Catholic Musicians. He's twenty-eight now, so that was about sixteen years ago. When our kids were growing up, one thing I always did was go to their stuff. I went to all the ball games, and all the plays, and all the Scout things that I possibly could. So when Tim joined the YCM, I started going to mass again, even if it was only once a month.
Of course, since Tim was only twelve, that meant somebody had to drive him to practice, and get up in the middle of the night to take him to Soulard to go on tour and pick him up again when he came home. Then another funny thing happened. I started to realize how much of a sacrifice it was for Tim to go to all those practices, and all those masses. I saw how many parents were really dedicated to getting their kids to the right place at the right time. A light started to come on.
Then, one Saturday night, the group was singing at a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. Of course Tim had to be there a half hour early, so my wife and I decided to wait in the chapel under the big outdoor alter where mass was going to be held. As we sat there my eyes adjusted to the dark and I noticed that people were going to confession. I got in line and I got back into the Church.
As you can see, I didn't stop with just going back to mass. It took a while, actually until about ten years ago, for me to realize that God was calling me to something more. In 1997 I applied and was accepted into formation for the permanent diaconate. I was ordained in June of 2002. In fact, my fifth anniversary will be next week.
By the time I entered formation, our third son, Patrick had joined the YCM. He graduated from high school the same year I was ordained, 2002. Unfortunately, his last mass with the group in St. Louis was the week before I was ordained so I didn't get to be deacon for that tour mass. But Father did let me serve on the altar that night and he's been kind enough to let me come back every year since to help him celebrate this special mass. It means a lot to me.
Kids, the point of the story is this. God has given you a very special gift, the gift of song and He wants you to use it because you never know who's listening. You never know who's life you might change. This group certainly changed my life.
posted by Mike at 8:39 PM
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