RIP Fr. Daniel Odinakachi Ochiabuto

A previous post about the death of Fr. Daniel Ochiabuto was removed by request.

The notice below was posted on the website of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy Congregation:

With sorrows, and yet with steadfast trust in God's will; we announce the passing unto glory of our beloved brother and priest, Rev. Fr. Daniel Odinakachi Ochiabuto, SMMM. This sad event occurred today at about noon. [I do not know what day is referred to here.]

Late Father Daniel, who was ordained a Catholic priest on the 28th day of July, 2007, is the third son out of the seven children of Sir and Lady James Ochiabuto Nwagwu of Umuobia Olokoro, in Umuahia South L.G .A of Abia State, Nigeria.

The burial arrangements will be given later.

Do pray for the happy repose of the priest of God, Fr. Daniel Odinakachi Ochiabuto, SMMM. May his gentle soul rest in peace. Amen.

There will be a “memorial” Mass for Fr. Daniel at Our Lady of the Valley in La Grande, Oregon, on June 14 at 7pm.

There will also be a “memorial” Mass for Fr. Daniel at St. Bridget of Kildare Church in Nyssa, Oregon on June 29 at 11am Mountain Time (10am Pacific Time). That Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Cary. There will be a potluck afterwards.

Other priests serving in the Diocese of Baker who are from the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy include:

Fr. Christopher Agoha, Our Lady of the Valley, La Grande

Fr. Gabriel Ezeh, St. Bridget of Kildare, Nyssa

Fr. Jude Nwachukwu

Fr. Francis Obijekwu, St. Katherine Church, Enterprise

The Holy Eucharist: John Chrysostom

Below is the ending section of a sermon on the Holy Eucharist by St. John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople and doctor of the Church. I’d hoped to post something along these lines on Sunday, since most parishes were celebrating Corpus Christi on that day, but…well…a sermon on the Holy Eucharist is always timely!

In this section of the sermon, St. John Chrysostom gives some pointed counsel to his priests and deacons on the question of administering Holy Communion to those who are obviously unworthy of it. Today's prelates might do well sit up and take notice.

Except for the italicized Scripture verses, the italics are mine, added for emphasis.

The Eucharist: The Memorial of Christ’s Passion

… Think how strong is your own anger against His betrayer, against those who crucified Him. Take care lest you yourself should become guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ. They put that Sacred Body to death; but you, and this after so many kindnesses received from Him, receive this Body into an evil soul. It was not enough that He became man, that He was struck in the face, that He was slaughtered, but He also commingles Himself with us; and this not alone through faith. He has in very deed made us His own Body. Who should be more free from sin than one who partakes of such a sacrifice? As spotless as the sunbeam should be the hand that breaks that Body, the mouth that is to be filled with this spiritual Fire, the tongue that is stained by this awesome Blood! Consider with what honor you have been honored; at what Table you feast. That which the Angels tremble to behold, and dare not gaze upon because of Its flashing brightness. It is with This we are nourished, to This we are joined; made one Body and One Flesh with Christ.

…

Let us then not hold this honor lightly: we who have been held worthy of such honor. You see how eager infants are for the maternal breast, how thirstily they drink from it? Let us with a like eagerness approach this Table, and to the breast of the Spiritual Chalice. Let us with even more eagerness drink deep, like infants at the breast, of the love of the Spirit; and let it be our one grief that we should be deprived of this Food. These gifts set before us do not come from human power. He Who then made them at that Supper, the Same now makes what is here before us. We who minister, hold but the place of servants; it is He who consecrates, He who changes them.

Therefore let there be no Judas present; no lover of silver. If there be any one who is not a disciple, let him withdraw; the Table does not receive such as these. For He says: I make the Pasch with my disciples. And This is the same Table, and upon it there is no less than there was upon That. It is not as though Christ had wrought at that Table, and man at This. It is He has prepared this Table also. This church is that Upper Room where they then were; it was from here they went forth to the Mount of Olives. Let us go forth, to the hands of the poor; for there is the Mount of Olives: the multitude of the poor are as olive trees planted in the House of God, from which drops the oil that is profitable to us Above; which five virgins had, and the five others who had it not perished for want of it. Having it, we too may enter in, so that with our lamps burning brightly we may draw near to the Bridegroom. Receiving it let us go forth from here. Let no one who is inhuman be present, no one who is cruel and without mercy, no one at all that is unclean.

What I am saying, I say to you also who minister, as well as to those who are ministered to. For it is necessary that I also address myself to you; that you may distribute the sacred gifts with great caution. For your punishment is not light should you, knowingly, admit anyone to the Communion of this Table whom you know to be unworthy of it. His blood will be required at thy hand (Ezech. 33:8). And even though he were a general, or a governor, or even he who wears the crown, should he draw near unworthy, forbid him: for higher is your authority than his. For if a spring of pure water were placed in your care for your flock, and you saw a sheep coming, with its mouth smeared with mud, you would not let it put down its mouth to dirty the well. Now you have been given charge of a well, not of water, but of Blood and the Spirit; and should you see someone draw near who is soiled with sin, a more grievous thing than clay or mud, and you are not moved to wrath, and you do not drive him away, how do you deserve to be forgiven? It was for this God honored you with this dignity: that you might exercise judgment in these things. This is your office; this is your own security; this is your whole crown: not that you may go about clothed in a shining white habit.

And how, you may ask me, can I know about this person or that person? I am not speaking of those you do not know, but of those you do know. And shall I say something more serious? it is not as dreadful to be possessed by evil Spirits, such as those of whom Paul speaks, as to tread Christ under foot, and to hold the blood of the testament unclean, and offer an affront to the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29). He who has sinned, and comes to Holy Communion, is lower than one possessed by a demon. For those who are afflicted by an evil spirit are not on that account punished. But these others, should they come, unworthy, to the altar, they are handed over to everlasting punishment.

Let us drive away not these only, but all without exception whom we see draw near who are unworthy. Let no Judas receive, lest he suffer as Judas did. This Gathering is also the Body of Christ. Watch therefore, you who fulfill the office of deacon in these Sacred Mysteries, that you do not provoke the anger of the Lord by not purifying His Body: that you do not give a sword in place of food. And though such a one should approach the altar out of ignorance, exclude him, and be unafraid. Be in fear of God, not of man. For if you fear a man, you will be laughed at, even by him. But if you fear God, you will have the respect of men. Yet, if you do not dare to do this, then bring them to me. I shall not suffer that this be even attempted. I would lay down my life first, before I would present the Lord’s Blood to one who was unworthy of It; and pour out my own blood rather than give this Fearful Blood contrary to what is fitting.

But if you do not know who is unworthy, though exercising much care, then there is no fault on your part. For what I am saying is about those who are well known. If we correct those, God will soon disclose those we do not know. But if we do not disturb those who are known to be unworthy, why should God make the others known to us? I say these things to you, not to drive these away, not simply to cut them off, but that we may lead them to do what is right, that we may take care of them. For by doing this God will be gracious to us, and we shall find many who will then receive worthily. And for our own zeal, and because of our care for the souls of others, our reward shall be very great.

And to this may we all attain, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Bishop Cary Visits Our Lady of the Valley in La Grande

Bishop Liam Cary presided at Sunday morning Mass in La Grande, Oregon, at Our Lady of the Valley today (June 10, Feast of Corpus Christi). He administered the sacrament of Confirmation to a large group of young people, and a similarly large number of children received their first Holy Communion. This was his first visit to the parish.

The music, sung by the main choir joined by some of the outlying mission musicians, included a Gregorian chant ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei). There were a couple of traditional hymns which sounded nice, although if the piano could be transformed into an organ, it would’ve been much better!

Our Lady of the Valley does not have a deacon, but there is an ordained permanent deacon at one of the missions, and he served today. OLV’s instituted acolyte – a very capable and reverent server – was on hand as well, joined by one of the diocese’s seminarians who lives in La Grande.

Bishop Cary had a wonderful episcopal presence! His homily was geared somewhat to the young confirmands and first communicants, but it was certainly not juvenile. He was gracious and pastoral throughout.

And Bishop Cary can sing the Mass! How amazing, in Eastern Oregon, to have a correctly and beautifully chanted Preface followed by a fitting Sanctus!

The First Communicants were all given First Holy Communion on the tongue (and by intinction as well). The Confirmands were given the choice as to how to receive, and I only noticed one young person receiving on the tongue.

After Mass, Bishop Cary stood on the steps of the church and greeted every single person who presented himself to be greeted. He did that with patience and attention, without seeming hurried or tired or overwhelmed. He exuded grace, confidence, gentleness, and interest in each person.

Here are some photos (mostly by a wonderful photographer from La Grande):

The church was packed.

Really, it is NOT required that we have banners!!!

Bishop Cary prays over the Confirmands.

A number of children and adults asked the bishop to bless an item.

Fr. Christopher with Bishop Cary

Corpus Christi Procession

Here are a few photos from last year's Corpus Christi procession at Our Lady of the Valley in La Grande:

St. Thomas on Corpus Christi

This selection below comprises lessons 4,5, and 6 of the Divine Office of Matins for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

From the Sermons of St Thomas of Aquinas

17th or 57th of his Opuscula, or Lesser Works.

The immeasurable benefits, which the goodness of God hath bestowed on Christian people, have conferred on them also a dignity beyond all price. "For what nation is there so great, who hath gods so nigh unto them, as the Lord, our God, is" unto us?”(Deut. iv. 7) The Only-begotten Son of God, being pleased to make us  “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Pet. i. 4), took our nature upon Him, being Himself made Man that He might make men gods. And all, as much of ours as He took, He applied to our salvation. On the Altar of the Cross He offered up His Body to God the Father as a sacrifice for our reconciliation. He shed His Blood as the price whereby He redeemeth us from wretchedness and bondage, and the washing whereby He cleanseth us from all sin. And for a noble and abiding memorial of that so great work of His goodness, He hath left unto His faithful ones the Same His very Body for Meat, and the Same His very Blood for Drink, to be fed upon under the appearance of bread and wine.

How precious a thing then, how marvelous, how health-giving, how furnished with all dainties, is the Supper [of the Lord]! Than His Supper can anything be more precious? Therein there is put before us for meat, not, as of old time, the flesh of bulls and of goats, but Christ Himself, our very God. Than this Sacrament can anything be more marvelous? Therein it cometh to pass that bread and wine are bread and wine no more, but in the stead thereof there is the Body and there is the Blood of Christ; that is to say, Christ Himself, Perfect God and Perfect Man, Christ Himself is there, under the appearance of a little bread and wine. His faithful ones eat Him, but He is not mangled; nay, when [the veil which shroudeth Him in] this Sacrament is broken, in each broken piece thereof remaineth whole Christ Himself, Perfect God and Perfect Man. All that the senses can reach in this Sacrament [look, taste, feel, smell, and the like, all these] abide of bread and wine, but the Thing is not bread and wine. And thus room is left for faith; Christ Who hath a Form That can be seen, is here taken and received not only unseen, but seeming to be bread and wine, and the senses, which judge by the wonted look, are warranted against error.

Than this Sacrament can anything be more health-giving? Thereby are sins purged away, strength renewed, and the soul fed upon the fatness of spiritual gifts. This Supper is offered up in the Church both for the quick and dead it was ordained to the health of all, all get the good of it. Than this Sacrament can anything be more furnished with dainties? The glorious sweetness thereof is of a truth such that no man can fully tell it. Therein ghostly comfort is sucked from its very well-head. Therein a memorial is made of that exceeding great love which Christ showed in time of His sufferings. It was in order that the boundless goodness of His great love might be driven home into the hearts of His faithful ones, that when He had celebrated the Passover with His disciples, and the last Supper was ended, the Lord "Jesus, knowing that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John xiii. 1), and instituted this Sacrament; this Sacrament, the everlasting forth-"showing of His death until He come "(again, 1 Cor. xi. 26); this Sacrament, the embodied fulfillment of all the ancient types and figures; this Sacrament, the greatest miracle which He ever wrought, and the one mighty joy of them that now have sorrow, till He shall come again, and their heart shall rejoice, and their joy no man take from them.

Building a Choral Program with Wendi

Wendi has a “basic bare bones blueprint for building a choral program at your parish” that sounds ambitious, but do-able. I think it will also take a lot of patience and perseverance and vision.  You can read the whole thing at her blog; I’ve put the bare bones of her bare bones here, and she has plenty more details to share with you.

I'm making the assumption that you are starting from scratch. If you have some elements in place and can skip ahead...GREAT. Start wherever you are in the process.

I am also making the assumption that the Director of Music (DM) and the Pastor are on the same page in terms of the direction they want to take the parish. [And that’s an important point. If they’re not, you’ve got an uphill battle.]

Year One:

1. Set up a training program for your cantors…

2. Assess the music currently being used in your parish. If what you use every week is all GIA, OCP stuff...recognize that it's going to take some time to change, and that people will complain.

Decide what music you would like to use and start introducing it a little at a time…And please for the love of Saint Cecelia, rehearse it well. People are FAR more receptive to something new that sounds nice, as opposed to something new that sounds bad.

3. Assess your choir. Do you have one voice or thirty?...Is it a recruiting issue? …Is it a time commitment issue? …Is it a rehearsal issue?

4. For year one, everyone is starting at the beginning. Recognize at the outset that this is a years-long process. The idea the first year is to get your choir to listen to each other.

For the first month, have them rehearse singing unison hymns and concentrate on listening to each other.

Make sure you tell your choir that you'll be singing in unison for just the first few weeks, and why. If they know what you are trying to accomplish they'll concentrate on listening to each other and it may not take a month.

As soon as is practicable, start rehearsing hymns in parts…

Try very hard to foster a spirit of cooperation.

That starts with YOU. Be pleasant and helpful and welcoming, no matter how bad your day is going. Praise every little improvement in how they sound. Positive reinforcement works wonders.

You can also start in September, teaching them the basics of Gregorian chant. There are a number of written resources that you can use…There is a nice selection here...
Books on Chant

Consider asking your parish
 to invest in this.

Shoot for rehearsing the chants for the Christmas season and introduce them then.

That will give your singers time to learn how to do chant WELL. Badly done chant will turn people off, so don't be in a rush to actually sing it at Mass.

A major feast is a great time to introduce the congregation to something new, it fits the idea that it's a major feast so we have something special.

If this sounds really slow...it is. "Slow and steady wins the race" as the tortoise said to the hare.

Plan some really nice pieces for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

…Have a Christmas party for the choir members and their families...after midnight Mass has gone splendidly.

If at ALL possible the pastor should be there to thank and praise the choir.

He is the "father of the family" so to speak and if he expresses his appreciation and approval it's very likely to motivate the choir to try even harder for holy week and Easter.

Try it and see if I'm not right.

Ok, we're halfway through year one. I'll post tomorrow about what to start working on after Christmas.

Read Wendi’s entire post here.

The Athanasian Creed and the Holy Trinity

On the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, in the Divine Office of Prime, the Athanasian Creed is said.  And it leaves no doubt as to the unity of the Holy Trinity!  It has been used by Christian churches since the sixth century, and is the first creed in which the equality of the three persons of the Trinity is explicitly stated. There’s an interesting article at Wikipedia.

Canticum Quicumque (Athanasian Creed)

Whosoever willeth to be saved, * before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith.

Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, * without doubt he shall perish eternally.
 

Now the Catholic faith is this, * that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.
 

Neither confounding the Persons, * nor dividing the substance.
 

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, * and another of the Holy Ghost.
 

But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, * the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal.
 

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, * and such is the Holy Ghost.
 

 The Father Uncreated, the Son Uncreated, * and the Holy Ghost Uncreated.

The Father Infinite, the Son Infinite, * and the Holy Ghost Infinite. * The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, * and the Holy Ghost Eternal.

And yet they are not three Eternals, * but one Eternal.
 

As also they are not three Uncreated, nor three Infinites, * but One Uncreated, and One Infinite.
 

So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, * and the Holy Ghost Almighty.
 

And yet they are not three Almighties, * but One Almighty.
 

So the Father is God, the Son God, * and the Holy Ghost God.
 

And yet they are not three Gods, * but One God.
 

So the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, * and the Holy Ghost Lord.
 

And yet they are not three Lords, * but One Lord.
 

For, like as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, * so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be three Gods or three Lords.
 

The Father is made of none, * neither created, nor begotten.
 

The Son is of the Father alone: * not made, nor created, but begotten.
 

The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and the Son: * not made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
 

So there is One Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; * one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.
 

And in this Trinity is nothing afore or after, nothing is greater or less; * but the whole three Persons are Co-Eternal together, and Co-Equal.
 

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, * the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
 

He therefore that willeth to be safe, * let him thus think of the Trinity.
 

But it is necessary to eternal salvation, * that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 

The right Faith therefore is, that we believe and confess, * that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
 

God, of the Substance of the Father, Begotten before the worlds: * and Man, of the substance of His mother, born in the world.
 

Perfect God, Perfect Man, * of a reasoning soul and human flesh subsisting.
 

Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, * inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood.
 

Who, although He be God and Man, * yet He is not two, but One Christ.
 

One, however, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, * but by taking of the Manhood into God.
 

One altogether, not by confusion of Substance, * but by Unity of Person.
 

For as the reasoning soul and flesh is one man, * so God and man is One Christ.
 

Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, * rose again the third day from the dead.
 

He ascended into heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, * from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
 

At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, * and shall give account for their own works.
 

And they that have done good shall go into life eternal, * but they that have done evil into eternal fire.
 

This is the Catholic Faith, * which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be safe.
 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Ant. Glory be to thee, O equal Trinity * one Deity, from before all ages, so now and for evermore.