The Real Explanation … A Year Later:  A few minutes before the start of our Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, Fr. John, Fr. Bob, Deacon Tom and I were chatting in the sacristy.  We were getting our tasks down and making sure everyone knew what each person was expected to do.  One aspect of this liturgy that you might recall is that the priests and deacons prostrate themselves (literally lay face down) on the sanctuary floor at the start of the liturgy.  This gesture is one of worship of the Crucified Christ but also an expression of unworthiness before Him who gave up His life for us and our salvation.  I always find this moment to be very powerful and prayerful.
 
Two of the more common and practical questions that priests and deacons often ask each other before this liturgy are: 1) how long will we be on the ground, and 2) will someone help me back up!  Knowing how long we will be on the ground is helpful because then we can be somewhat prepared for how much reflecting we can actually accomplish.  We know that the answer to the second question is always a “Yes,” but it’s just funny to talk about how hard it is to get back up gracefully while everyone watches (but as I learned a few weeks ago, people don’t actually pay that close attention to our movements).  This is stuff they don’t write about in the “priesthood manual.”
 
The four of us then got into a lengthy discussion about how long we would be on the ground.  Fr. Bob reminded us we were on the ground for a LONG time last year.  The general consensus was that we were on the ground for 7 to 10 minutes. That is a LONG time for us clerics but also for the congregation as they also try to figure out if we fell asleep!  We then asked Fr. John why he had us on the ground for so long.  He was quiet at first but then the real explanation arrived.  With a chuckle, he said to me, “Well, I was actually waiting on you to get up.”  “Oh,” I said, “and I, in turn, was doing my absolute best to avoid ‘taking over’ and stepping on your toes given this was the first time you were presiding at a Good Friday liturgy.  I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how you were able to be so still for so long.  I started to worry you fell asleep.”  So, he was waiting for me, and I was waiting for him.  Fr. Bob then piped up and said, “Great.  You guys were trying to figure out who was going to get up first while Deacon Tom and I were left to deal with the very practical:  do we or do we not use any deodorizers on the carpets.  You have to admit, ten minutes is a long time to be smelling the carpet!”
 
Welcome to Festival Weekend!  Can you believe it?  We’re in the midst of the 50th annual SJA Spring Festival!  It’s hard to believe that our festival got its start in 1969.  At that time it was mostly homemade games and homemade food.  I’ve also enjoyed looking back at some of the original bulletin articles about the festival.  Two items caught my attention as I thumbed through those articles.  The first was that some of the telephone numbers were still in the format of using the phone exchange (Eureka 6-1234) and the second was that they actually netted around $65,000 back then!  That’s pretty impressive.
 
As you can imagine, a lot of work goes into making the Festival a fantastic annual event.  As you enjoy the weekend, please remember to thank those many people who volunteer their time and talent to make everything go so smoothly.  Many of our area chair people will be wearing red or white SJA Festival shirts.  Also, please do what you can to thank the NAME (North American Midway Entertainment) staff.  They have been with us for several decades, and we are grateful for the great team they have assembled.
 
For the sixth year in a row, we hosted a Thanksgiving Day style meal on Wednesday for all of the NAME staff.  Realizing they rarely get a home cooked meal during their seven months on the road, we decided a few years ago to host a luncheon for them.  The luncheon was our way of thanking the NAME staff for what they do to make our festival such an outstanding family event.
 
It all comes to a close on Sunday at 6:00 p.m.:  Please remember that the festival closes with the raffle drawings at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.  The drawing will take place in the Entertainment Tent.  Then, if you have an hour or two to spare after we close, we could use your help with the massive tear down that takes place.  By midnight or so the only remnants of the entire festival will be the tent and a few rides.  By Monday afternoon, it will all be gone!
 
Raffle Tickets:  If you haven’t turned in your raffle tickets yet, please do so during the festival.  As I have said on many occasions, raffle ticket sales are an essential aspect of the festival.  In the end, we count on netting around $125,000 annually on the festival.  A good portion of this comes from strong raffle ticket sales.  If you need extra tickets or need to turn in your tickets, please stop by the ticket booth located directly across from Ray’s Big Pineapple.  Ray may not be guessing anymore, but he certainly is still schmoozing people as they walk through our version of Main Street!
 
Working Together:  If you see trash on the grounds or on a neighbor’s lawn, please pick it up and dispose of it in a trash can.  If you see anything suspicious or unusual, please alert the police or our security team. Working together we can keep the place safe and our neighborhood free of “wandering” garbage.  If you have any concerns, please call the festival office at 586.773.1602.
 
Thank you for your support:  Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank you for the overwhelming support you have shown the festival chairs, Patty, Dina, and Emily, as well as our entire festival team.  Most of our festival team has been doing what they do for decades.  I’m grateful for their willingness to keep at it year after year.  It takes a lot of effort and a lot of volunteers to make it all happen!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
 
See you at the festival!  Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
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