Resurrection Magazine Christmas 2022 Vol 3:3

Located in the heart of the city of Lansing, the Church of the Resurrection exists to help everyone in our parish family live in the light and hope of the resurrection.

ON THE COVER

EDITOR

AMerry Christmas to all of our readers! This Christmas is the 100th time we as a parish have celebrated the coming of the Christ child into our midst. But, as Mary Gates reminds us in her meditation on page 15, we are not just remembering a historical event, but welcoming Jesus into our own hearts in a new way every year.

Our pastor, Fr. Steve, in his article on page 4, counters the prevailing disintegration of modern culture with his call to us to remain steady in our witness to the God of love and His encouragement, that we may shine ever more brightly as a light in the surrounding darkness. This issue of the magazine features several ways in which members are enhancing the life of the parish through the pursuit of culture. On page 11, Katherine Mattson explains the development of Irish Dance through successive generations of performers. On page 14, Joseph Mathias reveals how some of the men of the parish are keeping alive the writing and reading of their own original poetry. And beginning on page 6, Liz Hansen gives an account of the talent show that made its debut at this year’s Ox Roast festival. All of these and more are ways in which our parish life doesn't just encompass attendance at the sacraments but also feeds the whole person.

And yet what draws us together as a community is not simply our social events or our cultural offerings, but our life together in the faith. Both Dominic Iocco, on page 12 and 13, and Mary Ellen Small, on page 5, give testimony of their own walk with the Lord and how He used a book on the one hand and a course on the other to awaken them to new depths in their relationship with Him.

Don Radke, on page 10, relates how relics, such as those presented by Fr. Carlos Martins in his tour of the “Treasures of the Church,” forge a link between us and the former witnesses to the faith lived out by the saints of old. And on pages 8 and 9, Kathryn Reed explains the work she and a dedicated group of helpers have been undertaking to assemble from the archives a representation of the 100-year history of the parish.

The birth of our Savior in Bethlehem reminds us of the wonderful reality that God is love. This Christmas, let us celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus, by striving to yield ever more deeply to the love of the God, so that we might give back to Him the love He deserves and, in turn, love each other as we ourselves have been loved.

Gerard David's Nativity (early 1480s), oil on wood. For a meditation on the painting, see page 15.

FROM THE

FR. STEVE MATTSON

OUR SECOND CENTURY

FR. STEVE REFLECTS ON OUR PARISH’S “TURN OF THE CENTURY”

For a hundred years, we and our forebears have served as witnesses of the resurrection here in the heart of the City of Lansing. The work they began seems even more vital today.

It is sadly becoming clearer that our culture has in many respects moved beyond (or left behind) our Christian heritage. Some might be tempted to try to “take back” the culture, but our charge is the same as that of the first believers, to live as witnesses. As we do, we will form a distinctively Christian culture. As was the case in the first centuries, the Church grew by attraction. Our hope today is that others will be drawn to Christ and the Church because our life comports with reality and God’s laws.

Despite the darkness of our time, we choose to kindle the light rather than to curse the darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” we remind ourselves after every Mass…“and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus, the Son of God, was born of Mary. And he chose to die for us. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. That’s our faith. Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus commanded the apostles to “Go and make disciples.” And, by fits and starts, the Church has done so. And we play our part today.

This Christmas, as we celebrate Christ’s birth for the hundredth time as a parish, may we each welcome the newborn King into our hearts. As we do so, we will stand as witnesses in our world, first of all to our families and parish. The truth is that children become disciples by watching others live the life. The faith is more “caught” than “taught.” Let us be “contagious”

in our Christianity. Be clear about this: your witness to your children is more important than words I might offer homily upon homily. Thank you for your commitment to living out the faith, come what may. Come, whatever may.

As we begin our second century, let us commit to living as disciples, oriented to the good, the true, and the beautiful. If we do that, and if we love our neighbors well, we will shine as lights in our dark time. We will be “a sign of contradiction” in our world, just as Jesus and the first believers were two thousand years ago. And now, as then, those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will respond, drawn to our life in Christ.

With a hundred years behind us, let us embrace the call to bear witness in word and deed to the life of Christ. If we do so, if we live in the Spirit, our second century will bear much fruit. Thanks be to God.

"As we celebrate Christ’s birth for the hundredth time as a parish, may we each welcome the newborn King into our hearts."

MARY ELLEN SMALL

EXPLORING RESURRECTION LIFE

A PARISHIONER EXPERIENCES THE RESURRECTION LIFE COURSE

One of the advantages of being a member at Church of the Resurrection is having numerous opportunities for further developing and enriching my faith life. There are many programs and events to assist a person in reaching that goal. I have been blessed to participate in several, one of which is the Resurrection Life Course.

Resurrection Life is designed to allow participants to review the contents of the Apostles Creed and begin to grasp the idea of God, His unwavering love for us and His desire for us to be in relationship with Him. A quote from St. Augustine that is mentioned during the course is so appropriate to meditate on: "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” I believe I must have been a restless soul in years past because this is just so relevant in my life today.  The time together offers a sense of community with other attendees and forges friendships and relationships with like-minded people who are on the same journey. The course assists individuals to be open to God's unfathomable mercy, to seek forgiveness and healing, and to restore a fractured friendship with God. In John 15:15 Jesus says, "I no longer call you servants...I have called you friends.” And from the cross, Jesus exclaimed, "I thirst,” inviting each of us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Participants sit with the same folks each week, about six to eight to a table, and begin with a meal and social time. Then they listen to a speaker on topics ranging from God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and healing and forgiveness, which are presented in a dynamic and understandable way. You don't have to be a Bible

scholar or church apologist to glean information and make it part of who you are and who you hope to be one day, namely, a saint! The evening concludes with a time of small group sharing.

A bonus for this year’s course was going offsite to a retreat center for a full 20 hours, which consisted of Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship music, Mass and very powerful sessions invoking the Holy Spirit to come and abide with us! Of course, we had time to socialize as well.

Some years ago, a young Catholic priest told me to "be bold" in professing my faith. More recently, I chose the word "EXPLORE" to live by during the year 2022. I have pretty much removed the word "coincidental" from my vocabulary and instead, replaced it with "providential!"  I am on a quest to learn more and be an active member of my beautiful and treasured Catholic faith. Resurrection Life has allowed me and many others to do just that.

"The course assists individuals to be open to God's unfathomable mercy, to seek forgiveness and healing, and to restore a fractured friendship with God."

OX ROAST TALENT SHOW

A NEW CELEBRATION OF TALENT AND COMMUNAL LIFE

Iam pretty sure I had never been to an event that included hundreds of children and adults under a tent, whooping, clapping, and chanting a third-grader’s name with increasing fervor as the boy, inverted, wobbled across the ground, trying to break his personal record of longest handstand. I do not remember Calvin Potter’s final time before his arms gave out and the Ox Roast tent erupted in a roar. I do remember his legs swinging precariously close to the speakers and the crowd’s collective gasps each time he nearly lost his balance. I remember the pack of Calvin’s classmates, giddily jumping up and down for their friend. And I remember when he finally came upright, face flushed with pride and satisfaction as his school and parish community celebrated his accomplishment like he had won a gold medal.

It was exactly why, when the Ox Roast committee asked for an event that would appeal to families, Guine Norman and I ran with our idea of a talent show. On paper, it ticked all the boxes— keep children’s attention, draw extra attendees as performers invited their loved ones to watch the show, and create a definite time when young families in particular could come to the Ox Roast and know they’d find good company.

We had Irish dancing, piano serenades, poetry, family bands, a Sound of Music singalong led by the Dominican sisters, and more. Guine and I (and our inestimable sound guy, Jim Owens) learned a lot about what acts work best under the tent, how future logistics could be even smoother, and what songs the Dominicans might be enticed to sing next year. I heard multiple “complaints” that the show (which

ran about 1.5 hours) was not long enough!

I loved that people entering the Ox Roast had to walk first through our loud, joyful, music-filled gathering. Because here is the thing: I believe that moments like this talent show tap into and meet a deep need in a way that’s not quantifiable like roast beef sandwich sales. When a family opens their hearts and shares their gift of music, and we give our delighted attention to a dance troupe of the parish’s littlest girls, we are forming bonds of love and community. In celebrating our brothers’ and sisters’ creativity, we make something of our own: a home. A place to purely delight and rest in the good gifts that God has given us.

I am convinced that our parish community is at its best and most winsome when we do simply that. Sometimes it comes in the form of patiently wandering the back of the church with toddlers whose entire Mass experience consists of turning the electric candles on and off. And sometimes it looks and sounds like foot-stomping, rollicking renditions of Irish folk songs that bring down the roof, the overabundance of joy overflowing our doors.

"In celebrating our brothers’ and sisters’ creativity, we make something of our own: a home."

KATHRYN MAUREEN REED

A HISTORY OF FAITH

PRESERVING TANGIBLE SIGNS OF FAITH IN THE HEART OF LANSING

Our parish archive is a documentation of the faith development and journey of the Church of the Resurrection and its parishioners. Unofficially, our archives began in 1922 when Bishop Michael J. Gallagher of Detroit sent Fr. John A. Gabriels to Lansing’s east side to start a new parish. Parish folklore says that Fr. Gabriels named his new parish Church of the Resurrection so that it would be first in the list of parishes in the Diocese. Our archive enjoys numerous photos and documents beginning from 1922 and continues to grow with every day, every event, and the celebration of every Sacrament.

After the parish’s founding, Fr. Gabriels would send annual reports to Detroit and, beginning in 1938, to Bishop Joseph A. Albers, the first Bishop of Lansing. These, along with the first two letters sent from Bishop Albers to Fr. Gabriels, can be found in our parish archives. The archives also contain a report from our parish’s 1939 Canonical Visitation, which was held following the foundation of the Diocese of Lansing, and details everything from lights to acolytes. The archives are also home to annual reports from our religious sisters dating from 1926 to 1971.

Not everything in our archives has come from official Church documentation. In fact, many of its treasures come from Mary Bennett, a longtime parishioner and early computer teacher in our school. In 2019 she generously donated fifteen Meijer reusable grocery bags with hundreds of photos dating from 1922, as well as other significant papers about our parish, its priest, and parish life.

Imagine the surprise of finding the receipt of the first purchase of land for our parish. Or, a ticket from our first Parish Festival in 1922. With the help of St. Mary’s Parish in downtown Lansing, they raffled off a $400 1922 Durant Star Car. What a treasure! Many of the items donated by Mary were not in the Diocesan Archives. Mary's diligence in

saving and protecting these items is unparalleled in my experience working with the diocesan archives.

Officially, our parish archive began in May 2017. Monsignor George Michalek, Director of the archives of the Diocese of Lansing, related several ideas through me to Fr. Steve for our upcoming 100th Anniversary. Fr. Steve thought I could help because of my five years assisting at the diocesan archives. Parishioners Paula Panetta, Margaret Costigan, Kate Kent, and Beth Gordon, who also assisted me with the writing of this article, came forward to help.

With new supplies and archival pens, we identified priests and parishioners, determined dates of events including Weddings, Baptisms, First Communions and Confirmations, and catalogued the day-to-day activities of the parish. We discovered twelve “sons of the parish” (priests) and twenty-nine “daughters of the parish” (religious sisters). We were also able to sort and stamp special artifacts and donations, saving them for posterity.

Our parish has received God's blessings in wonderful ways since its inception 100 years ago. May God continue His blessings on our parish and each other as we strive to serve Him through the next 100 years.

"Imagine the surprise of finding the receipt of the first purchase of land for our parish. Or, a ticket from our first Parish Festival in 1922."

4 (1) Resurrection Choir; (2) May Crowning, 1960; (3) Fr. Gabriels at Resurrection School; (4) Fr. Francis Martin with Parishioners, 1966.

TREASURES OF THE CHURCH

DRAWING CLOSE TO THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT

Iwas intrigued by the opportunity to learn more about relics at a talk and exposition hosted by our parish in September. The introduction given by the host, Fr. Carlos Martins, awakened me to the significance of the role of relics in the reality and scope of the ministry of the “Saints Triumphant.” There was a buzz that grew throughout the evening among the 150+ people present, as the grace of relics was unpacked by Fr. Carlos. The shared excitement reminded me of a big family opening gifts together on Christmas Day.

or blessed and a brief account of their heroic life.

The engagement of the faithful with the holy relics was reverent and touching. Quietly, many people were kneeling and praying in veneration. Many were holding the reliquary in contact with a rosary, catholic medal, or other holy object, as Fr. Carlos had informed us that the object would thus become a third-class relic.

In the Church, Fr. Carlos prepared us to experience a special time with God’s saints by removing obstacles of sin, especially unforgiveness, and encouraging us to be open to a holy encounter with these champions of our faith. These were not distant statues in the heavenly “hall of fame,” but real and active brothers and sisters in Christ who advance the work and love of Jesus in our lives. After a time of prayer in response to Father Carlos’ talk, we were invited to go to Mercy Hall where about 150 relics were displayed on tables. Each had a reliquary along with a card identifying the saint

Fr. Carlos also told us to be open to a common occurrence where at some point during our engagement with the relics we would become aware that a saint was “tapping us” to let us know that we were meant to have an ongoing, friendly connection with them. I sensed this happening for me and St. Joseph with whom I have since rekindled a growing mentorship. I have heard of other connections made during this event. One, a brother beset with a sin, was delivered and a long period of freedom from that sin was sustained. Also, the children of the school were challenged by the extreme exploits of the saints. In particular, a group of young boys were fascinated by the story of St. Lawrence who, while bound on a grate over a scorching fire, had asked his torturers to turn him over because “he was done on that side”—wow!

My takeaway from this encounter is that God has chosen to use relics as tangible points of contact for us with the saints. These Holy Ones have been uniquely gifted by God to dispense His graces to us and to embrace and engage us in a familial relationship, like a wise uncle or aunt intimately helping us along life’s way. I am very eager to encounter the saints again the next time Fr. Carlos is around with the Treasures of the Church.

For more information about Fr. Carlos’ ministry, please visit www.treasuresofthechurch.com

"These were not distant statues in the heavenly 'hall of fame,' but real and active brothers and sisters in Christ..."

KATHERINE MATTSON

IRISH DANCE

AN ART FORM OF FAITH, HISTORY, AND IDENTITY

When asked to write about how Irish Dance correlates to the Catholic Faith, I realized just how little history has been written on the subject. There is not much evidence that shows a written language among the ancient Celts. Irish Dance, however is deeply rooted in history, regardless of what has been written about it. Most of the history of the dance style has been passed down from generation to generation, keeping the traditions very much alive, even today.

When I was a young girl, my first lesson in Irish Dance was given in the form of a history lesson. I was taught a traditional Céilí (folk dance) called The Walls of Limerick. Located in Limerick, Ireland, the Walls of Limerick were built to keep enemies out and were constantly being torn down and then rebuilt. The dance is what is called a “progressive dance” with two columns of dancers representing the Walls of Limerick. The columns break up and rejoin multiple times, mimicking the Limerick Walls being torn down and rebuilt throughout history. Much of Irish history has been kept through speech, song, and dance due to the lack of writing within the Irish Celtic culture.

Before Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Patrick in the fifth century, the Celts were a pagan culture in Ireland, and much of their worship of false gods included ritual dancing. But after St. Patrick brought the faith to the island, the dance style took a turn. Catholics have a beautiful way of embracing the good in any culture and Christianizing it. Many

of these ritual dances were wonderfully transformed from pagan to Christian. The dances were incorporated into the celebration of Christian feast days, such as Christmas. In later years, there are stories of Catholic priests recruiting Irish dancers to perform at various parish events—a practice that is still very much at work today.

Because of its focus on celebration, Irish Dance can also have a ministerial quality. Much of my own life while performing Irish Dance has involved visiting nursing homes, special-needs schools, and fundraising events. As a Catholic, I have used these opportunities to bring Christ to the residents, some of whom hardly ever see family members and greatly look forward to the next celebration.

Although Irish Dance later advanced to competition, it has still kept its rich tradition and history and continues to be handed down from generation to generation. Irish Dance is old and not much is written about it, but it still communicates much about the history of the Irish people and the joy of the Gospel.

Fritz Von Uhde | Road to Emmaus | 1891 | pastel on paper

"Much of Irish history has been kept through speech, song, and dance."

DOMINIC IOCCO

CALLING GOD "ABBA"

A TESTIMONY OF THE PATIENT, FATHERLY LOVE OF GOD

It was one of those gray, cold early winter Michigan mornings in 2003. I was driving to work in my brand new BMW and all of a sudden it hit me. I was living “The American Dream,” thanks to the astounding success of our business we had been building for four years. This was it. From being born to parents living in a trailer park to now having a successful business, plenty of money, being recently married, and expecting our first child. This was truly it! And I was miserable.

Though miserable is not quite the right word. I loved my wife - she is truly the greatest gift God has ever given me - and I was excited to become a father. I was proud of the company we had built but despite all of the success I felt a giant void. In a moment of grace, while driving in my new BMW, I realized that the void was because I did not know God. I always believed in God. I grew up as a Catholic, going to Catholic elementary school, but it was something we did, not part of how I lived my life outside of most Sunday mornings. That day it hit me that if I actually believed in God, then my life should reflect that belief.

That was the beginning of my reversion. If you know me, you know that if I am going to do something I go all in. I began reading books on how to actually grow in the spiritual life. I started driving from St. Johns to attend daily Mass in Lansing before commuting

to Ithaca for my job. (Thank God gas prices were not what they are today!) I spent the next several years of my life trying to do more things for God. I was trying to check the boxes of what good Catholics were supposed to do. I even decided that I needed to work for God. So when we sold our company, we moved to San Diego and I began helping a brand new Catholic university get off the ground.

Our life in San Diego was amazing. We would welcome four more children to our family, bringing our total to seven before we moved again. We slowly became part of an incredible Catholic community. We were able to attend daily Mass as a family and even developed a routine of going to weekly adoration at a private chapel in Little Italy, followed by some incredible gelato. Life was good but there was still something missing.

"I was trying to check the boxes of what good Catholics were supposed to do."

There were two events that helped me to realize what God actually wanted from me. The first was the experience of going through a Life in the Spirit seminar. Encountering the Holy Spirit in a new way opened my eyes to what God was really

wanted, was to be in a relationship with me; to be my Father, to walk with me through life, to guide me and to help me become the son He created me to be. Fr. Ed’s book lays out some practical tips on how to grow in that relationship and so began my journey

JOSEPH MATHIAS

KOLBITARS

FRATERNAL

COMPANY

AND THE TIMELESS ART OF POETRY

In January 2018 my fellow parishioner Sean O’Neill invited me to “an evening of versification, lubricated by judicious quantities of alcohol.” Men only, I was told. Bring your own drink and your own poetry. Come alone.

That was the beginning of an occasional (I hesitate to call it regular) poetical convocation which later became known as Kolbitars. While the attendees, refreshments, and poetic offerings varied widely from one meeting to the next, the key elements were always the same: a roaring fire, original poetry, and a stiff (but judicious) drink. Literary samplings ranged from sonnet to epic, strict meter to free verse, sober to whimsical. Criticism was sympathetic, but not coddling.

We eventually settled on the name Kolbitars, from a reading group started by Lewis and Tolkien in their early days at Oxford. The etymology is Icelandic, referring to those who drew so close to the fire, while they listened to sagas on a winter evening, that they were said to be “biting the coals.” Though our group was devoted to original work, rather than the centuries-old sagas which occupied Lewis and Tolkien’s coterie, we felt the image of fireside reading fit us well.

In that first invitation, Sean described his hope of “reviving a cultural activity that has fallen into disuse since electronic devices invaded our lives.” Some might say poetry has fallen into disuse because it has lost the competition with more engaging forms of entertainment,

especially electronic entertainment. A movie irresistibly commands the attention of the senses, rather than making difficult demands on the attention of the mind.

Yet it is precisely the active involvement of the imagination, rather than the passive reception of what has been imagined by others, that makes poetry so engaging. Rarely do I find my mind so engaged as when I close my eyes to take in a set of lines never before heard; still more, when the reader is a brother in Christ of whose joys and struggles I have some idea.

The proliferation of electronic media has paradoxically inaugurated a period of tremendous creativity and a simultaneous dark age of the human attention span. In the face of cultural decline, fireside performances of music and poetry are just one way today’s Christians, like the patient Benedictine scribes of the early Middle Ages, can preserve in the heart of the church those arts and virtues which the world has cast into the street.

"It is precisely the active involvement of the imagination... that makes poetry so engaging."

MARY GATES

MAKING ROOM

A MEDITATION ON GERARD DAVID’S NATIVITY

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. Outside is a world weary and sinful, and so the baby comes. Light to the darkness, He comes. To end division, to heal every wound, to open the gates. He is justice and mercy and love. He comes to the manger, little and weak—the mighty One, to heal and rule.

My heart, too, is weary and sinful—and so the baby comes. Is there room for this One there? This One to whom the Virgin kneels and the angels sing? Is there room for the Prince of Peace? He is gentle, this King who sleeps in a manger; He is mighty, this Savior who dies on a cross. His Kingdom grows with the “yes” of each heart and His reign lasts forever.

May I make room for the King of Kings, the Word made flesh, the child. For He comes to the manger. And He comes to my heart. May I kneel beside the Virgin. May I sing praise

with every angel. May I go with the wise men and bring gifts for the One who has come.

For this baby comes for me. The God who is love comes to the manger and comes to my heart. There He shows me His face, whispers His word, feeds me with His flesh. There He reveals Himself as the answer to every question, the fulfillment of every longing. There He makes what is broken healed and what is weary whole. There He comes—mighty Savior, God-Hero, Prince of Peace.

"He is gentle, this King who sleeps in a manger; He is mighty, this Savior who dies on a cross."

CHRISTMAS CAROL

Ring out, ye bells! All Nature swells With gladness at the wondrous story,— The world was lorn, But Christ is born To change our sadness into glory.

Sing, earthlings, sing! To-night a King Hath come from heaven's high throne to bless us. The outstretched hand O'er all the land Is raised in pity to caress us.

Come at his call; Be joyful all; Away with mourning and with sadness! The heavenly choir With holy fire Their voices raise in songs of gladness.

The darkness breaks And Dawn awakes, Her cheeks suffused with youthful blushes. The rocks and stones In holy tones Are singing sweeter than the thrushes.

Then why should we In silence be, When Nature lends her voice to praises; When heaven and earth Proclaim the truth Of Him for whom that lone star blazes?

No, be not still, But with a will Strike all your harps and set them ringing; On hill and heath Let every breath Throw all its power into singing!

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR