Holy Family
CATHEDRAL NEWS April 2011
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Volume 16 Issue 7
From the Rector
Dear People of Holy Family: Lent is in full swing and Holy Week is fast upon us. This is THE WEEK of the year for practicing Catholics. We come together to remember and celebrate the depth and joy of our redemption and God’s most generous and gracious gift of our salvation. Truly we do this in a most beautiful and meaningful fashion. On Holy Thursday we call to our memory and memorialize the great gift of the Eucharist. This is the gift which enables us, here on earth, to be ever present to the one perfect act of our salvation, the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this great gift Jesus has made available to us His final act of obedience to the Father. We gather together in our Cathedral in this most solemn moment to be one with the angels and saints as they join with Christ in the worship of God the Father. When we say that earth joins with Heaven, we truly mean just that. Good Friday brings us face to face with the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. We pray the Stations of the Cross and we gather to call to mind the passion and death of Jesus. Here we humble ourselves and come forward to kiss the cross of Christ and realize how deeply we should appreciate this total giving of Himself for us. Here we are allowed to receive this same Christ in the Eucharist. Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday are days of great joy and exaltation as we join Christ in His victory over sin and death. If we have been touched by Christ in His Eucharist and remembered His great gift of suffering, then our Easter joy can truly be complete as we remember Jesus is truly Risen. He is truly Risen as He said. Please make every effort to be present for the events of Holy Week so that Easter may be a time of profound joy and true communion with Christ. Prayerfully,
Msgr. Gregory A. Gier Rector Identification Statement The Cathedral News is published ten times per year by Holy Family Cathedral located at 122 West Eighth Street, Tulsa, OK 74119. This is Volume 16 Issue 8. Periodicals Postage Permit 022-729 is Paid in Tulsa, Oklahoma. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Holy Family Cathedral, P.O. Box 3204, Tulsa, OK 741013204.
Three-Year Renovation Pledges update: $65,517.69 is currently outstanding on the pledges for the Renovation Fund. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Photo: Cathy Nelson
Lent at Holy Family
Holy Week Schedule Monday, April 18 12:05 Mass Tuesday, April 19 7:00 Mass 12:05 Mass 5:30 Chrism Mass Wednesday, April 20 7:00 Mass 12:05 Mass Thursday, April 21—Holy Thursday 3:00-5:00 Confessions 5:30 Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00-12:00Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Friday, April 22—Good Friday 1:00-3:00 Confessions 3:00 Stations of the Cross 5:30 Good Friday Liturgy Saturday, April 23—Holy Saturday 3:00-5:00 Confessions 8:30 Easter Vigil Sunday, April 24—Easter Sunday 8:00, 10:00, Noon, 5:00 Masses
Holy Family
Holy Family
Cathedral
Cathedral
Lenten Fridays 5:05 Mass 5:35 Adoration 6:00 Dinner 6:45 Benediction 7:00 Stations of the Cross By Reservation only! Make reservations by Wednesday for each week’s dinner. Call Monika, 582-6247 ext. 18, with the number of people in your party.
Macaroni & Cheese Apr. 1 Tender pasta meets rich creams and cheeses in this variation of grandma’s old fashioned recipe. Served with warm, toasted bread.
Pizza Apr. 8 No Lenten fast is complete without Cheese Pizza. Choose from a variety of meatless pizza pies.
Pasta with Marinara or Alfredo Sauce Apr. 15 Classic Italian pasta cooked al dente topped with your choice of red marinara or creamy white Alfredo sauce.
THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN DURING THE FIRST SCRUTINY AS THE ELECT AND CANDIDATES LISTENED TO THE EXORCISM BY THE BISHOP.
Easter Joy for the Catechumens and Candidates BY THE
RCIA MINISTRY TEAM
At 10:00 a.m. Mass on the three
From these rites, they receive new
perform valid baptisms do not pro-
Sundays leading up to Holy Week,
strength in the midst of their spiritual
vide a record, or do not keep files on
the RCIA elect and candidates
journey and open their hearts to re-
their members. While some of our
gather for the “Scrutinies” within
ceive the gifts of the Spirit.
RCIA candidates have an official form, many have records that fami-
Mass. The Bishop prays over them and includes a minor exorcism that
In order to receive any other sac-
lies kept, or simply letters from wit-
frees them from the ef-
nesses. If those are not
fects of sin and the influ-
found, candidates are
ence of the devil. The
treated as catechumens
three events draw their source from the scriptures of the Mass. First is the Gospel of the Samaritan woman, where
This joyful celebration of their first Easter as Catholics will remain a significant transition point in their lives.
and will be baptized at the Vigil in a “conditional baptism.” This creates a permanent record stored in the church. This same
Christ, the Living Water
record is amended each
is given. Second, “The
time a sacrament is
Light of the World” is drawn from the
raments in the Catholic Church, one
added, so after the Vigil, they will
Gospel of the man born blind. The
must be baptized. Our candidates
have a record of their baptism, first
third scrutiny is about the Resurrec-
have already been baptized, but
tion and the Life from the Gospel.
many Christian denominations that
(Continued on page 5)
(Continued from page 4)
communion, confirmation and in some cases, marriage. Many married candidates have their marriages blessed in the church immediately following the Vigil rite. The Celebration of the Easter Vigil at Holy Family includes those who will be baptized plus those who are received into full communion with us. The sequence of events during the Vigil begins with the baptism of catechumens (the Elect), followed by renewal of the entire congregation’s baptismal promises, then celebration of the acceptance into full communion of the candidates. Those newly baptized and received into communion are then confirmed. Now they are prepared to receive their first Eucharist along with the rest of the congregation. This joyful celebration of their first Easter as Catholics will remain a significant transition point in their lives. After the initiation at the Easter Vigil, our newly baptized are “Neophytes” literally “New Branches,” beginning their first year as new Catholics. They still have much to learn about being Catholic in a community setting, and need to be invited into the various ministries and groups within Holy Family. Please make them feel welcome and needed here so they can continue to enrich our parish life. Encourage them by your example and reverence, as the Faith becomes a way of life for them.
Students Pray, Learn, and Have Fun Holy Family Cathedral School 8th students recently took a trip to Clear Creek Monastery with Mrs. Spoerl, Monsignor Gier, and Mr. Malcom. Students toured the grounds and talked to the Monks about their work. Over 50 Holy Family students “slimed” their principal recently as a prize for successfully completing the Walk-A-Thon Fundraiser. The first annual Walk-A-Thon was a huge success bringing in over $6,000. The Home and School Association did a fantastic job and deserve credit for bringing in money that goes towards funding field trips and other worthwhile endeavors in our school. In fact, over the past three years each and every field trip taken by Holy Family Cathedral School has been funded 100% by our Home and School Asso-
STUDENTS SLIME THEIR PRINCIPAL
ciation. Early this semester we held our Annual Geography Bee and Connor Winn was our school winner. Connor then took a qualifying test which was submitted to the National Geographic Society. Conner scored in the top 100 qualifiers in the State of Oklahoma! As a result Connor will represent Holy Family at the State competition on April 1st in Edmond, Oklahoma. If Connor wins he will compete for the National title! Congratulations to Conner and his great accomplishments.
Helga Gorman is the Cathedral’s Woman of Achievement Helga Gorman is the 2011 Woman
Elizabeth and Ariana.
to immigrate to the United States.
of Achievement from Holy Family
One of the first tasks was to learn
Cathedral. Mrs. Gorman was hon-
English, especially all of the prayers,
ored with fourteen women from other
while attending the Catholic school of
parishes at a recent meeting of the
St. Mary's in Michigan
Council of Catholic Women. The fol-
City, Indiana. She
lowing is Mrs. Gorman’s biography
graduated in 1964,
as printed in the Women of Achieve-
and began working in
ment commemorative program:
a finance company,
In 1972 Tom‘s job brought the (Continued on page 7)
where she met Tom Helga was born in Elsass, Muehl-
Gorman. They were
bach. Germany was nearing the end
married and started a
of World War II. When she was just
family. Helga and Tom
one her father was killed in the war.
have two daughters,
Consequently, she and her mother
Helga and Monika,
returned to their hometown, Krefeld,
and six grand children,
to live with her grandfather. She was
Bobby, Candace,
raised in a very devout Catholic
Blaine, Alex, Caleb
home. In November 1957 she and
and Maddy, and two
her mother received the opportunity
great grand children
HELGA GORMAN AND BISHOP SLATTERY IMAGE COURTESY OF EOC, DIOCESE OF TULSA
(Continued from page 6)
family to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her hus-
Holy Family
band traveled while she was a stay at home mom. She busied herself with PTA, brownies, Girl Scouts, bowling, soccer, softball, swimming,
Council 10388
Notes from the Knightstand BY
MARTIN REIDY
handball, skiing, and skating. An Easter lily, an Easter bonnet In 1991 the family became parish-
an Easter garland, There upon it!
ioners of Holy Family Cathedral. Shortly thereafter Sister Eugenia
An Easter basket, an egg there in
Brown spotted Tom and Helga. Ini-
all celebrating, the death of sin!
tially they became Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers and members of
Come soon, come late!. Easter will
the parish council. Helga joined the
soon come upon us. Now, if you
Woman's Club and was Vice Presi-
were to have surely thought that
dent for a term and is currently the
Easter could come no later than it is
secretary. She has been a sacristan
coming this year — think again! And
since 1994 taking care of all linens,
what do lilies, garlands, and colored
laundering, ironing, and mending.
eggs have to do with Easter? Well,
Willingly she also took on the job of
Easter can actually come on any
maintaining all candles in the cathe-
Sunday between March 21st. and
dral. Repeatedly she has been a
April 25th - a variable date related to
sponsor for catechumens in the
and associated with the perambula-
R.C.I.A. classes. However, her favor-
tions of the sun and moon. we owe
ite job is sewing and cross-stitching
our ( respect to this occurrence to
baptismal collars for every baby who
the deliberations of the Council of
is baptized at Holy Family.
Nicea in 325 and the Alexandrians, star gazers extraordinaire, to whom
Helga is also pleased to be an
the task was given to ascertain an
active participant in the perpetual
agreeable annual date for Easter so
adoration program at St. John‘s Hos-
that all Christendom would be on the
pital. She has always helped at the
same wave-length. Now, this did not
cathedral with receptions, funeral
happen as to plan as the Orthodox
lunches, meals-on-wheels and any-
and certain others went their sepa-
thing else the parish needed.
rate way regarding Easter but for the most of Christendom Easter was set
The most rewarding and humbling
to occur on the first Sunday following
time she recalls was participating
the first full moon occurring after the
with her husband Tom in the deacon-
vernal · equinox - which happens to
ate program. In 2007 he was or-
be April 18th this year for the moon
dained a permanent deacon. This life
and, thus, Easter on the following
changing experience has altered her
Sunday - April 24th! This, in turn,
daily walk with Our Lord.
means that Palm Sunday occurs on the 17th which, by coincidence, is
the scheduled date for our world famous pancake breakfast which is also a movable feast and which will be moved to the 10th of April - so mark your calendars accordingly. Now, Easter is replete with myths and legends as to the "whys and wherefores “of our various customs but none is so colorful as the colored egg. One such myth is that upon the Resurrection Mary Magdalene went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ is risen!" - to which the Emperor duly replied "Christ is no more risen than that egg is red", pointing to an egg on his table. Immediately, the egg turned blood red· Thus the legend: the "red" represented the Blood (death) of Christ from which Life would spring forth. Various appropriate colors soon followed: purple (royalty), blue (heaven), and so on. Flowers carried the same connotation: a new life springing forth from a seemingly dead branch and were woven through the hair as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection. And the Easter lily? well, when Christ walked the earth all the flowers bowed in reverence before Him - all except the proud lily. However following the Crucifixion the lily, overcome with remorse, bowed its head in sorrow and shame and grows that way today! Happy Easter to one and all! Pax.
Holy Family Cathedral P.O. Box 3204 Tulsa, OK 74101-3204
The relics of St. Damien, the Leper Priest of Moloka'i, The Council of Catholic Women’s Family Concerns Commission along with the Holy Family Women’s Club are asking for help from the women of the parish. We are collecting hygiene products, hairbrushes, lotions, soaps, toothbrushes, etc. These items will be given to the Day Spring Villa in Tulsa. Collection boxes will be placed at the main entrance and the south side door. Donations will be accepted until May 15.
will be visiting Tulsa this Tuesday through Friday (April 5 through April 8). You can come and venerate these relics at the Cathedral Tuesday night, April 5, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Wednesday after the 7:00 a.m. Mass til noon Mass; and again from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. Actor Casey Groves will be presenting a one—man play on the life of St. Damien at 7:00 p.m. Thursday night, April 7, at Bishop Kelley's PAC. (Suggested donation is $10.00.) Priests will be available to hear Confessions during the time the relics are venerated at the Cathedral. The Anointing of the Sick will be conferred on those with serious and chronic illnesses during a special 5:30 Mass at the Cathedral on Wednesday night. For more information or to register to receive the Sacrament, e-mail Martha Chambless at martha.chambless@dioceseoftulsa.org