Here at St. Augustine Catholic Church (Oakland) it has been close to one month since Fr. Brendan Carr left our parish, to return to order house in Ireland and subsequent new mission assignment in Africa.  It has been a little over two months since the location of our parish weekday celebration of mass or communion service was moved from the Elizabeth House Chapel, into the main sanctuary of the church. Fr. Brendan was temporarily in residence in our Rectory as he was a student at the Graduate Theological Union, nearby in the Berkeley hills.  He was on scholarly sabbatical from his duties as a missionary.  I found him to be a jovial, verbally prolix, spirit-filled soul.  As a priest, he was an exceptional resource to our parish.  His homilies were expansive and he was equally expansive (yet incisively conscientious) as a confessor.  He had a marvelously European & African sensibility toward chronology that was a needed antidote to American Northern California anxiety regarding time spent in church.  I deeply miss him, and pray for his safety and fruitful work in Africa.

The two facts of Daily Mass moving and Fr. Brendan leaving came together in his final weekday mass homily prior to his leaving us, the Thursday morning, January 15, 2009.  Fr. Brendan's voice caught with a little emotional as he looked at the devoted band of communicants and reminded us that Daily Mass is an important part of every parish.  He particularly noted that at St. Augustine, the devoted community of regular weekday mass celebrants are "the engine of the place."  He noted that it should not be a matter of importance or worry how small the number of regular morning mass goers are, just that people come (including the drop-in visitors from the neighborhood).  It does the parish, and by extension the celebrating priests, good to see regular devotion to Jesus present in the Holy Eucharist.  The witness to Christ, and the perseverance to continue to share in community the Lord's Supper (in all kinds of weather or physical/emotional/spiritual states) should be an inspiration to us, as it would be to him.  As he traveled far away in the coming days, it was devoted group who witnessed to the importance of Christ's presence in the Eucharist (and carrying him into the world through partaking of the Bread and Wine of Life) at daily mass that he would take with him and keep in his heart as he traveled to Ireland and Africa.  

I admit my eyes got a bit moist at the end of the mass.  His words have stuck with me, as much as any homily or sermon I have heard in the past year.

In keeping with Fr. Brendan's thought of not worrying about the number of people, but to the quality of witness to Jesus I invite all Christians, Catholic or not, to attend your local weekday mass soon.  Especially during the upcoming season of Lent.  If you live in or near the environs of Berkeley/Oakland, weekday Mass/Communion Service at St. Augustine's is at 8:30 AM, Monday through Friday, at 400 Alcatraz Avenue (in the Rockridge District, between College and Telegraph Avenues).

Pax Christi.

February 10th: St. Scholastica, by your example and intercession keep us devoted to Christ and growing in faith.