Question of Faith
A weekly question of faith answered by Cleveland Catholics. Fr. Damian Ference, Vicar of Evangelization and Deacon Mike Hayes Director of Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Cleveland co-host with frequent guests from the Diocesan Office who join in the conversation. Sponsored by Briefcase Marketing--check them out at https://www.Briefcase.marketing
Question of Faith
What is the National Eucharistic Congress?
What happens when the Catholic Church calls for a rekindled devotion to the Eucharist amidst the challenges of a post-pandemic world? Join Deacon Mike Hayes, Fr. Damian Ference, and special guest Christy Cabaniss as they explore this profound question by diving into the National Eucharistic Congress and the past few years of the National Eucharistic Revival. Christy takes us through the origins and the three-year journey of the Revival, emphasizing its crucial role in renewing faith at the diocesan and parish levels. As we look forward to the Congress in Indianapolis, you'll gain fresh insights into the meticulous preparations for the Diocese of Cleveland's delegation, all while balancing efficiency and the "Ruthless Elimination of Hurry."
We talk about our goals for the diocese after the Congress and suggest ways to live a Eucharistic life in today's fast-paced world, integrating faith into everyday actions. Inspired by the Eucharist's call to extend mercy we reflect on Pope Francis' teachings on Mercy and explore the balance of personal salvation and the call of Christ to others on the margins, encouraging listeners to embrace a holistic Catholic mission.
Get ready for our fun game, "Scripture or Swift?" Plus, don't miss out on the latest church softball league updates and Church Search highlights an upcoming event at St. Albert the Great parish.
Scripture for this Sunday can be found here.
On today's Question of Faith. What is the National Eucharistic Congress? Hey everybody, this is Question of Faith. I'm Deacon Mike Hayes. I am the Director of Young Adult Ministry here in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Fr Damian Ference:I'm Fr Damian Ference, Vicar for Evangelization.
Christy Cabaniss:And I'm Christy Cabaniss, Director for Missionary Discipleship.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I'm forgetting to put our little logo up on our little screen here, but that's okay. We can do that while we talk. Cool, Welcome back Christy.
Christy Cabaniss:Thanks for having me. It's fun always to be here with you guys.
Fr Damian Ference:Good to have you and you are a part of the Eucharistic Revival team and basically the one who's helping lead us to Indianapolis in a few weeks for the National Congress. So tell us about what the National Eucharistic Revival is and then what the National Eucharistic Congress is, because they're related but they're two different things, right.
Christy Cabaniss:Absolutely, and thanks for asking. I just actually was answering this question with my family over the weekend at parties. So, I think I'm all primed up for the conversation.
Deacon Mike Hayes:It must be really fun at cocktail parties when you tell people what you do and what things that you're doing, and they have no idea, right?
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, they either run from you like you're an accountant, or they're very interested. There's not really too much in the middle.
Deacon Mike Hayes:For the accountants out there. I don't run away from you. I'm so sorry, guys, the person who said that's name was Christy C-a-b.
Christy Cabaniss:Send all your emails directly to me. Stop that. Anyway, the National Eucharistic Revival is a movement within the Catholic Church that started in, I think, 2021. It was kind of a response from a survey that had gone out where it seemed that Catholics maybe didn't understand the real presence. And there was this sense and I think, following the pandemic, there was a sense that we really needed to come back together as church and look at what that is the pinnacle of our faith the Eucharist, the central truth of who we are, that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, made manifest in the liturgical mass in the Catholic Church. So there have been some efforts.
Christy Cabaniss:The first year was a year of diocesan renewal for diocesan staffs and teams and clergy to all really dive deep into what this reality is in our faith and how we can make our lives more Eucharistic in nature. And then the second year, which is the year that we're technically in right now, was the parish year of renewal. So, within parishes, how is that happening and how is this reality being made manifest in the life of the everyday parishioner? And now, when we finish with this Eucharistic Congress that'll happen at the end of July we'll move into a year of mission. So how does Jesus in the Eucharist then send us forth to serve our brothers and sisters in the world at large? So all of that is around. Then we're coming together for this Congress, which is a moment for people from across the United States to come together to celebrate Mass, have their confessions heard, engage in adoration and prayer and learning. That all help infuse us with the wonder and awe of the beauty and amazing love that God has for us that's made manifest in the Eucharist. Very nice.
Fr Damian Ference:Thanks, and we are bringing around 300 delegates from our diocese.
Christy Cabaniss:So our particular, we did a special group of folks that are 250. There are several other groups from the Diocese of Cleveland that'll be going, so I'm sure that there will be well over 300 folks from the Diocese of Cleveland present, but I'm only managing about 250.
Fr Damian Ference:Okay, but Francine's taking another 50. No, no, no, that's within our. That's with us. Oh, that's with us. Okay. So 250 official delegates that are under your charge, our charge, and then other families and people who are attending. That's still pretty good, and both of our bishops are coming and most of our Eucharistic revival team will be in attendance.
Deacon Mike Hayes:The three of us in this room. Yeah, it should be fun.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, I think we're all on different buses.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I think that's right, yeah, yeah that actually is correct.
Christy Cabaniss:We have five buses going from the diocese. 250 people is a lot of people.
Fr Damian Ference:I was put on the cool bus, go figure.
Christy Cabaniss:And here I thought my bus was definitely the cool bus. Oh there you go.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I got to tell you. I guess, Christy, you are definitely the person to manage this.
Christy Cabaniss:Oh gosh, thank you so much.
Deacon Mike Hayes:No, I really mean it. Christy is allergic to two things penicillin and inefficiency.
Christy Cabaniss:Oh, inefficiency is definitely a big concern of mine.
Christy Cabaniss:I learned it from I don't know. My grandma read some kind of a book when she was younger. Some guy wrote this thing about like the most efficient way to live your life. And I even do stuff like guys. This is so silly, but when I'm going to go out and run my errands I think about the order I'm going to go to them in so that I'm only making right turns or as much as possible Same While you're driving there.
Deacon Mike Hayes:you mean.
Fr Damian Ference:Before I leave the house, I think about what order I'm going to the stores in, so that I'm making right turns into them. I see I got you. Yeah, I used to work for a lawn care company and we were so efficient that every turn you made counted, so that you never wasted a swipe across the line without cutting some grass good deal.
Fr Damian Ference:I just While we're on the topic, I might as well mention this too, just because I love to read and I just finished this book and it really went against my tendency for efficiency.
Fr Damian Ference:It's by John Mark Comer, called the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, and he says Americans are so focused on hurrying, getting things done effectively and efficiently that we don't take enough time for leisure. So we don't want to encourage lack of leisure. We want to encourage that too. But we also want to be efficient. And guess what? If you're joining a diocesan delegate, you want people who are in charge, who know what they're doing, who aren't like I don't know what we're doing yet. Wait, no, you got someone who's in charge and you're getting things done. Okay, so that's Christy.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Got our app ready. We've got all kinds of things going on.
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, communications are all out, yep, so it's the 17th to the 21st correct. Of July, yes, of July.
Fr Damian Ference:And we're heading out on that Wednesday and every day there's a Mass, there are conferences for different aged people or different people in different ministries and different ways of life, and we all had to sign up for some workshops.
Christy Cabaniss:So there are going to be some grueling days, though they are going to be some really long days. That's one of my only big concern, I think, for the folks is for everybody. I mean it is. I want you to think about it as a pilgrimage, because that's what pilgrimage is. It's going to require some strong effort on our part, some fortitude and sacrifice is all going to be part of that, but the fruit that we'll receive from those sacrifices is going to be really amazing for people.
Fr Damian Ference:And one of the things that we asked in helping to select these delegates. We were looking for people who were willing to be formed at this Congress for the sake of not just saying hey, I did this, but coming back to the diocese and then being major players as Eucharistic missionaries in their deaneries, in their parishes, in their homes and taking on leadership roles, moving forward as Eucharistic missionaries right.
Christy Cabaniss:Absolutely 100%. So we've done some things with the folks in advance of this Congress to try to prepare their hearts and minds for what they're about to receive. And then some of the the people that were specifically selected from across the diocese to serve in this, that everybody's coming and is going to be on mission when they come back, but there are a couple of folks that have agreed to this trip that when they get back they'll be activating kind of things that are going on in their regions.
Christy Cabaniss:So some of the preparation that we opened up with an online orientation to try to accommodate everybody, but we prayed together with the Bread of Life discourse, was the first step and then we came together for an evening of prayer where Bishop Wust, who's our auxiliary bishop but also has recently chaired the Office for Divine Worship and is also a teacher at the seminary in all liturgical worship in Sacramento Matters. He led us in an evening of adoration and prayer. We shared dinner together and then entered into prayer and then we just had this really, really exciting event. Maybe it was that a week ago, two weeks ago, that was a ballpark mass down in Akron and we yeah, we did that as a bilingual mass. We brought in Father Raphael Capo from the Archdiocese of Miami to preach and it was I think we had over 800. I know we had over 800. We might've had over 900 people at that event.
Fr Damian Ference:It was around 900. I thought that was the estimate.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Amazing.
Fr Damian Ference:It was wonderful. It wasn't hot, but the sun was shining right on us, at least for the first part of Mass. Yeah.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Well, actually in your case, yes, because your face was facing the sun.
Fr Damian Ference:It was glowing.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I was the deacon of the Eucharist.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, the back of your head was glowing.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, isn't it always.
Fr Damian Ference:No.
Deacon Mike Hayes:That would be a busted halo.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Oh See what I did there. Two for two.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, no, the sun was kind of at the first part of Mass and it was kind of baking down on us a little bit. I was looking at the bishop, he was looking at me and he was like it's getting a little hot up here, yeah.
Fr Damian Ference:And there were many delegates who will be attending in Indianapolis who were at that Mass, who were commissioned or received a blessing after the petitions or after the homily, whatever it was, but there was a blessing at that mass too, which was really cool.
Deacon Mike Hayes:So yeah, it was fun. So we're all going to go in Indianapolis as one group and then we have different kinds of workshops. Like, what kind of workshops are people going to be in?
Christy Cabaniss:So the folks that we asked to be specific missionaries when they come back are going to be doing a mission training, but there's also an encounter seminar that's really about how do you engage with the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. There are sessions for priests specifically, there are sessions for deacons, there are sessions for families and the morning time. I think my understanding is that the morning time is going to be these breakout sort of educational training sessions and and the morning time. I think my understanding is that the morning time is going to be these breakout sort of educational training sessions and then in the afternoons there's just a plethora of things that are happening. One of the things I'm kind of excited about is there's a Shroud of Turin tour that's going to be present, that everybody that goes can go and do the tour around in one of the spaces with that, so I think that's really exciting.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I did not know that. Yeah, it's wild weird stuff.
Fr Damian Ference:Right now they're doing four Eucharistic processions from the four corners of the country and they're all meeting at the same time in Indianapolis. Unfortunately they didn't come through Cleveland, but I think they came through Columbus and a little bit of the. Ohio River or something.
Christy Cabaniss:They were in Steubenville, yeah, yeah, and I have friends that were from down in Maryland that were part of some of the gatherings that happened as they came across the northern part of Maryland as well.
Fr Damian Ference:That's pretty cool.
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, yeah, and they're all going too, so our group will all be in. Lucas Oil Stadium is where this event is actually happening Lucas Oil and the Indianapolis Convention Center. Our group will be there when these four processions kind of come into Lucas Oil to kick the whole entire thing off.
Fr Damian Ference:Is that the opening mass? Is that Wednesday night? Yeah, that's Wednesday night. Okay, I haven't looked too carefully at the schedule. I just trust someone's in charge and I'll just. I've signed up, I've done my work and I'll be there. I don't want to have to worry about things that aren't worth worrying about.
Christy Cabaniss:That's what I'm here for.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, exactly.
Deacon Mike Hayes:School of management by Father Damian Ference.
Fr Damian Ference:that's it.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Hey, it's hard to make him laugh. That's the first time, I think.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I've done that in a while
Fr Damian Ference:. Well, I mean, get people who work really well and let them do their job. I am not a micromanager at all, and I don't like to be micromanaged. I don't either, and neither do I yeah but give people the freedom to work, and if they can't, then why are they here?
Deacon Mike Hayes:That's why we all work here,
Fr Damian Ference:yeah right
Deacon Mike Hayes:.
Fr Damian Ference:Definitely it's true though it's true, I'll accept that.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I'll accept it. That's great. And then, what are our hopes for people coming back from this Like what do we? You know, I have some ideas.
Christy Cabaniss:Personally, I hope that people are reengaged with the Lord in a really special way. I think there's something really amazing about big church experiences as a whole, when you get to see that the church is bigger than your parish or even your diocese. I think there's something really powerful in that and I'm hoping that when they come back people are on fire and fired up and have new ways to share the faith with others. Cool.
Fr Damian Ference:I'm hoping that when people make their way home, they have a particular mission in mind, because during this third year, this mission year, one of the things we want people to do is say, okay, now I've been formed Eucharistically, I need to live Eucharistically. Where am I called in my life to bring Christ's presence in a particular way that only I can do so? Your workplace, where you play your home. But have a particular mission. I know at your home, parish, my first parish assignment, st Mary's in Hudson. They're doing that Reach More program and the folks involved in it are they call it more traditionally their apostolate. Like, what is your apostolate? So we should be able to identify that.
Fr Damian Ference:I remember maybe 2010 or 2013. It was our 10-year anniversary. I think I was down in El Salvador and my classmate, father Mike Stahl, was a pastor down there and he was introducing us to some of the young people in the parish, and the young people, like teenagers or preteens, wanted to know what our missions were as priests. They didn't say where did you work? They said, what's your mission? And I like that. That's part of the lexicon, that's part of the lingo. So what's your mission? We should be able to ask each other, as a Catholic, what is your mission? So, yes, you go to receive and you go to be sanctified and to receive your own personal healing, but it's never for you to keep to yourself. Where are you taking that? And I think getting to that point is major progress.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, that's where I am too, I think for me. I often think and I think this about myself, not just about others. I think a lot of folks have always thought about the Eucharist in terms of their own personal salvation. Right, the Eucharist is what gives us eternal life. I hope to be connected to the Eucharist, so that I'm always connected to Jesus, etc. Etc. All true things, right, sure, but I also think that the Eucharist is about mercy right and.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Pope Francis has been talking about this forever now, and so I'm hoping that I come back and I hope others come back with an idea that the Eucharist is what engages us with mercy and therefore we're called to go to the margins to give that mercy to others. And I think that's what becoming the Eucharist is really about, and I think that's what Pope Francis is talking about when he talks about mercy all the time, and I think he gets resistance from that because some people are also just like no, no, personal salvation.
Fr Damian Ference:And you need both hands right.
Deacon Mike Hayes:It's always a both hand, so we forget and salvation, and you need both hands right. It's always a both hand, and I mean the other way too.
Christy Cabaniss:I think people who are really focused on mercy sometimes can have a lack of focus on personal salvation, but I also think you're talking about the mercy, and to me it connects over into communion as well.
Christy Cabaniss:So, this connection that we have to one another, becoming the body of Christ as a whole, and like understanding that we are committing to one another as well, like it's again the both and it's, yes, with Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit together, but with also our brothers and sisters here. So, like I think that's also a tendency, like we either will focus on the vertical or the lateral, instead of remembering that it's a circle, guys Like it's not lines.
Christy Cabaniss:Or it's the cross, or it's the cross, yeah, exactly, and Christ at the center of the cross, bringing both together.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, that's right, that's where it is Cool.
Deacon Mike Hayes:So are you excited? I mean, you're starting to see all this work come to fruition.
Christy Cabaniss:Now it's like we say every day in my office, it's happening. A while ago it felt like, oh yeah, that's far away and distant and you're just making decisions about things that aren't going to happen. But now we're like here it comes.
Deacon Mike Hayes:My roommate for the week will be the esteemed deacon Christopher DePente, who was my deacon mentor, who I also found out snores.
Fr Damian Ference:Oh Yay.
Deacon Mike Hayes:So thanks Christy, I do, but I have a CPAP machine so I'll be taking care of it.
Christy Cabaniss:Turn on some rain sounds. You guys will be good to go Exactly, I'll be bringing earplugs, like you're a wretch or something.
Deacon Mike Hayes:He did warn me, though. He said hey, I hear we're roomies for the weekend. He goes yeah about that. Yeah, as as a celibate.
Fr Damian Ference:I've really gotten comfortable with one bed, one body. No, not that you're sharing a bed, but you're sharing a room and I'm used to being by myself and quiet, so anything is yeah. Even when I vacation with my priest friends, I'm like we should just get our own rooms. It's fine, yeah. Anyways but that's good, that's good.
Deacon Mike Hayes:You got a good deacon friend too. Yes, exactly, and we'll have a. You know, our dog sleeps in our bed with us as well, and so I'm kind of looking forward to sleeping alone in one bed by myself. Oh, all right, without a dog waking me up in the morning saying, hey, feed me, feed me. You know that's funny, but yeah, so it'll be fun for the week, and Indianapolis is a great city if you've never been.
Fr Damian Ference:I've never explored it. I think I've driven through it.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, and they've centered themselves on becoming like a conference city, so this is something they know how to do really well, that's cool, so that'll be cool. Yeah, yeah, nice, awesome. All right, a couple things here. So at Father Damien's request, we're going to bring back Scripture.
Fr Damian Ference:Swifty, it's not my request. It's my Swifty friend's request and I'm honoring them Great. You know who you are.
Deacon Mike Hayes:All right, here's number one. So, christy, the way this works, in case you don't know, we read a couple of lines of something. You have to decide whether it is from Scripture, oh Jesus, or if it's a Taylor Swift song. All right, here we go Go. Dark, am I yet, lovely daughters of Jerusalem? Dark like the tents of Cater, like the tent curtains.
Christy Cabaniss:Really.
Deacon Mike Hayes:That's scripture. Yeah, it is Very good, it gets more progressively harder as we go along. Okay, wise men once said one bad seed kills the garden. One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen locked me up in your towers, but I'd visit in your dreams
Fr Damian Ference:that
Deacon Mike Hayes:sounds like that sounds like taylor swift, especially the last part of.
Fr Damian Ference:I'll visit you in your dreams.
Deacon Mike Hayes:You are correct, that is from her new song, the albatross. So two for two very, very good.
Christy Cabaniss:And then I'm not a Swifty, I'm definitely not. Let me find the last one.
Fr Damian Ference:But I enjoy cultural research very much.
Deacon Mike Hayes:I have these all on my phone, so I apologize.
Fr Damian Ference:I'm looking here, it's okay, looking, looking looking, looking, here we go.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Tell me whom I'm sorry, tell me you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. That's scripture.
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, 100%.
Fr Damian Ference:Taylor wouldn't want to know about where you graze your flock. Song of songs.
Christy Cabaniss:Even though didn't she grow up in the country in a little bit farm trail.
Fr Damian Ference:In a Christmas tree farm, but she would be worried about Christmas trees, not flocks.
Christy Cabaniss:Show me where you raise your Christmas trees. Okay, here's one.
Deacon Mike Hayes:My perfume spread its fragrance. My beloved to me is a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.
Fr Damian Ference:Oh, that's from Song of Songs.
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, I was going to say that's scripture as well. You're correct. Four for four, very good.
Fr Damian Ference:Yes, awesome. My Byzantine nuns at the Bridegroom Monastery would be proud of me for knowing that. Every night at the end of night prayer, their Byzantine night prayer, they chant the chapter of the Song of Songs.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Oh, not good.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, it's really awesome.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Nice. All right, hey, if you're not doing anything on Sunday, come on out Watch us play softball. At St John Bosco Parish. We had a big week this week four big games, and so it's time for this week's softball update. All right, this week's softball update brought to you by our uniform providers, archangel Outfitters great Catholic t-shirts, rosaries and they make our cool uniforms, so check them out at archangeloutfittersnet.
Deacon Mike Hayes:In the open of the Westside Whitecaps hold on to defeat the St Vitus Lions 5-4. The Whitecaps scored their first two runs without the virtue of a hit, a walk. Two sacrifice flies Gave them their first run. Emily Ahlin came around to score in a nifty fielder's choice off the bat of Megan Lowes Bolin. So nice job there. Vitus came right back with two at the top of the fourth. To tie things up, kelsey Arman with a single to drive in too. The White Caps got back on top with three in the lower frame. Tyler Meader, a rope in the right field, such a beast an RBI single. Followed by Bobby Bolin, new to the league, with a huge RBI double, and Alex DiMichele drove him in with an RBI single. That put them up five to two. But the White Caps almost gave it back at the bottom of the sixth. A couple of errors by Captain Logan Feldkamp narrowed the lead to 5-4, but he kept his cool on the mound, got Alexandra Miller to ground out, right back to the mound to end the game. The Whitecaps hold on 5-4. They move to 2-0, top of the charts. Vite is still on the donut. Three hard luck losses 0-3 now for them.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Game two was shortened to fair because of the time limit rule. Big League Chew prevails 15-10 in a slugfest over Grapes of Wrath. Jim Kopmeyer with a league-leading third home run, a solo shot in the third, franklin Popic, matt Liberatore and Kat Linville, all with two RBIs each Two hits for Tom Kraintz, Aaron Linville and Michelle Nin. A balanced attack by Big League Chew all day long. The score was tied 9-all after 3, but an error-plagued first inning led to five Grapes of Wrath runs, followed by four runs. In the second. An RBI single for Andrew Schneid. A towering sacrifice fly by Captain Tony Mencini led the way there. Grapes of Wrath would only garner one more run before it was over as the Chew settled things down. A thrown bat in the fourth killed a wrath rally as well 15-10 in five innings. The two evens things up at 1-1. Grapes of Wrath, now 0-2.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Catching Flamingos made easy work of Chosen Ones 6-3. It wasn't really that close. They were up 6-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the Chosen Ones came back with three runs a little too late. Angela Bonvissuto two hits and an RBI, and a run scored. Mj Riddell with a pair of runs scored, a hit and an RBI. Flamingos at the top of the charts with the Whitecaps at 2-0.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Chosen Ones now 2-1, their first loss, a wild one in the nightcap is the newcomer, st Joe's, strongsville, the Vikings. They walk it off with an 11-10 win over the Ite Mighty Doves. Ite jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the top of the first on only two hits, four walks and an error. And everything got in trouble early for the Strongville Vikings. But then Ite added two more in the second. Three straight walks from pitcher Father Ian Kelly Set the stage for Andrew Kukla who plated two runs with a big single. But bad news, kukla popped a hammy on the play he's likely done for the season.
Deacon Mike Hayes:But the Vikings wouldn't go away. Three runs in the second, phil Wancata with an RBI double, and then a host of errors made it 7-3. Itay Three more in the third, a Ben Pollock, homer and Father Ian had a fielder's choice to cut the lead to 7-6. Phil Wancata again added a triple in the fourth and later scored a tie at 7. Ite came right back in the fifth A run scores on a two-out error off the bat of Jordan Zambach. That gave Ite the 8-7 lead. But bottom of the fifth inning, a huge bend Pollock triple scored. Luke Brown. Pollock would later score in an error. They take a 10-8 lead, but Ite whoos wouldn't go away. They tied it again in the sixth. A walk and a fielder's choice knotted things up at 10,. But four straight hits in the bottom of the sixth, capped by Maria Wancata's walk-off single that gave the Vikings their first win, 11-10. So we'll see you all again next Sunday, starting at 12.30 out at St John Bosco Field. I'm Deacon Mike Hayes and this is your Softball Update, all right.
Fr Damian Ference:Church search.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, you want to go into church search. So Albert the Great is going to be our church search this week, and the reason for that is that we had, speaking of the Eucharistic Congress, we had this Eucharistic Revival art contest among young men. So we've picked our winners. We're going to keep those a secret for a little while. Shh, don't tell anyone, don't tell anybody, don't tell everybody.
Fr Damian Ference:Tell one person. You've told everybody.
Deacon Mike Hayes:On August 15th, out at Albert the Great, on the Feast of the Assumption, we're going to gather for Mass, then after Mass we're going to have a little art opening.
Fr Damian Ference:Nice.
Deacon Mike Hayes:And so we'll feature all of our artworks, all of our poetry works as well, and then we have a poetry winner and an art winner, and those will be revealed on the 15th.
Fr Damian Ference:And it's Albert the Great because Father D Giddy is the parochial vicar there who's very active in Catholic creatives of Cleveland right.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yes, Father, Dominic Gideon and D Giddy. I like that.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah, that's his street name. That's one of the largest parishes in the diocese. It's either that or St Ambrose, and they have a very large and good school there too. I know Father Ed Estok's, the pastor.
Christy Cabaniss:His team is fantastic out there. We love them.
Fr Damian Ference:And they have a wonderful party center parish center.
Christy Cabaniss:whatever, it's a new parish center that they built.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah, it's great. Yeah, we thought it would be big enough to have this opening and we could display everything around, so it would be nice.
Christy Cabaniss:Yeah, so it'll be fun. Yeah, they're a bus stop for us too, on the way to the trip.
Fr Damian Ference:Oh, that's right. Yes, albertus Magnus.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Nice, yeah, all right Readings for this Sunday, the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our Gospel is from Mark Hmm, who do you think you are? Hmm, you know that's what people seem to be saying to Jesus. Isn't this guy the carpenter's son? How did he get all this wisdom?
Fr Damian Ference:Any thoughts Christy on that?
Christy Cabaniss:I mean, I think that this is real life, I think this happens. I know Catholic speakers and people that give retreats that are terrific, that in their hometowns are not well-respected Because, yeah, I think that everybody does that. You know what I mean in your own families too. On one hand of it, for us regular people it keeps us grounded from getting our heads too big or whatever. But I just think that it's a 100% example of human nature that people would do this also to our Lord.
Fr Damian Ference:Yeah Well, I was going with the second reading, which is Paul's really struggling with this thorn in his flesh and he wants it gone so bad. And then the Lord says to him my grace is sufficient for you. This is Matt Marr's song your grace is enough is based on this, and for power is made perfect in weakness, and one of the great and surprising principles of Christian spirituality is that when you're weak you're actually strong, because when you're actually weak, then you realize you are entirely dependent upon God, and when you realize that, that's where you find your strength. So this is why the haughty are driven down in the—what is the line from the Magnificat?
Deacon Mike Hayes:Cast down the mighty from their thrones,
Fr Damian Ference:yeah yeah, because when you're confident in your own gifts and your own intelligence, and everything's about you, it doesn't work. You actually have to find your weakness and it's through your weakness that you'll find your strength and your grace. So I like that I think it's important, and the world won't tell us that. So the scriptures have to Exactly.
Fr Damian Ference:Very nice. Or Leonard Cohen will, yeah he will Hold on.
Fr Damian Ference:I'm going to sing it. You're going to cancel me, but Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There's a crack. There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in. That's how the light gets in. That's how the light gets in. That's how. Leonard says it. Anyway, sorry I got carried away, that's okay.
Deacon Mike Hayes:We like it when you get carried away, okay.
Christy Cabaniss:About six years ago, whenever I was first in diocesan ministry, this reading came up and I wrote a prayer slash poem about it, because it was a time whenever I definitely needed the lesson.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Yeah.
Christy Cabaniss:Forgot to say that my strength is enough.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Absolutely yeah.
Fr Damian Ference:I need the lesson daily, no comment.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Don't we all? At least I can admit it. I was going to suscipe the that Ignatius wrote. That's kind of based on that tune. Your Grace is Enough, you know it could be.
Fr Damian Ference:You know Ignatian prayer that Ignatius wrote. That's kind of based on that tune your Grace is Enough. You know, give me that, take, lord, receive all my yeah. That one, yeah. If I don't know the words, I just do like a guitar solo song. It's a good choice, yeah exactly Anyways.
Deacon Mike Hayes:Anyway, Christy, nice having you here.
Christy Cabaniss:Thanks for having me, guys. It was great. Yeah, of course, always fun.
Deacon Mike Hayes:If you'd like to follow us along the Eucharistic Congress, I'm sure we'll have stuff that we'll be putting out there all the week long, so we'll probably do a couple things on this podcast from out there and figure that out while we're there. Yeah, so this has been Question of Faith. I am Deacon Mike Hayes, Father Damien Ference and Christy Cabaniss. We'll see you all again next time.
