It wasn’t in THE “Manual:” Often times, when I sit down with parents and they talk about some of the issues they are confronted with, I’ll eventually make some comment like: “You mean that wasn’t covered in THE “Manual?” Of course, everyone laughs. Many parents wish there was this mega parents’ manual offering advice on family life or advice on how to raise children. At the same time, could you imagine if you were handed a “manual” explaining all the things about a house or condo when you first move in? Such information when passed on from one homeowner to the next would be priceless. But such information is often the last thing on anyone’s mind during the hectic days surrounding a move. I remember when I first arrived as pastor in May 2004; I left Washington, DC, early that Friday morning and arrived at my new parish home in Saint Clair Shores shortly after dinnertime. Being that I was tired from driving throughout the day, I unpacked a few things and went to bed; I figured I would just get up whenever the good Lord stirred me to embrace the new day. Around 7:00 a.m. the following day, a Saturday morning, I heard pounding at my side door. I worked my way downstairs and was greeted by a parishioner who wanted to know why I hadn’t opened the church yet. “Well, no one told me I had to open the Church,” I said. “I’ll know better next Saturday.” Then I thought to myself, “Well THAT important fact wasn’t covered in THE ‘Manual.’ Good going Michael, it’s your first day on the job and you already messed up!” Well, this past week, Father John and I discovered another item that absolutely needed to be in THE “Manual!”
The setting was a week ago this past Thursday. The Parish Center was closed because of the extreme wind chill temperatures; but that didn’t stop a few of us from working that day. By 4:30 p.m. or so, everyone had left except Fr. John and me. Father John walked back to the kitchen but returned quickly saying he was getting his boots because the kitchen was filling up with water; he said water was everywhere including the basement. Now, I’ve dealt with enough frozen pipes over the years to know that water ALWAYS wins. I spring into action and slid into my snow boots and joined Father John on the hunt to determine what was going on. The kitchen was filling up with water … and quickly. We ventured downstairs and saw that water was cascading from the ceiling and was spraying the main electrical panels. Water was everywhere! We tried to figure out what was happening but my brain was on absolute overload because I didn’t know what to do or what valve to turn off downstairs. The PC basement is filled with pipes and valves! Was it boiler related? Was it a domestic water pipe break? So being the good DIY (Do It Yourself) homeowner knowing he didn’t have time to research this one on YouTube or his Family Handyman Magazine videos or blogs, decided to just start turning off valves in the basement. Now it’s important to point out that I had absolutely NO clue what I was doing; I figured if I turned off enough valves the water might stop. Both Father John and I were both getting drenched. I was also keeping an eye on the area where we keep some Christmas decorations because it too was starting to flood. Of course, we have no cell phone service downstairs so I ran upstairs and started to make some call to get help. My main objective at this point was to turn off the main water supply. Neither Father John nor I could find the main shut off valve. And, considering I was turning off just random valves, I wasn’t helping matters either. I felt somewhat paralyzed and kept trying to think of what I had to do. Of course, the obvious was to figure out where to turn the water off! Eventually, I made the right call when I phoned David Roach, one of our retired maintenance people. He directed me to the main water shut off. There it sat in the far corner of the Parish Center basement. By this time, water was everywhere! I was worried about shorting out the entire electrical service and getting electrocuted considering how all that water was passing over those wires and through the panels. This was a royal mess! Eventually, I turned off the right valve and Father John yelled that the water had stopped. Thank goodness. As the troops arrived and holes were made in walls and ceilings, we discovered two broken pipes. Oh, the life of a “homeowner.” As Father John, the Angst twins and I were taking a break and eating dinner (while our electricians and boiler people were doing their thing in the basement and in the kitchen), Father John commented “Knowing where to turn off the water supply should be one of the first things a pastor should know upon arrival at a parish!” “Yeah,” I thought to myself, “that along with where the tabernacle key is located and when to open the church on your first day on the job need to be part of THE “Manual.” This is stuff they just don’t teach you in the seminary!
Holy Communion and Celiac Sprue Disease: Several years ago, a few people with Celiac disease approached me asking if the Church had any low/no gluten hosts that could be consecrated for them. Celiac Sprue Disease is a condition whereby the digestive system is considerably compromised by the consumption of gluten, one of the major ingredients in wheat flour. My experience is that many people with Celiac disease are unaware that low gluten hosts exist. The host is virtually gluten free as it contains only 0.01% gluten.
While every parish does it differently, we worked out a system whereby people with Celiac disease purchase their own pyx (a small container for holding a host) and we provide the low gluten hosts. Parishioners then come to mass with their pyx containing the special host and place it in the large plates (ciboria) containing the unconsecrated hosts on the offertory table. The person then approaches the main celebrant for communion as he will be the one who has pyxs with the low gluten hosts.
If you are gluten intolerant and want more information about these low gluten hosts, please see any of the priests or Deacon Tom; we’ll be happy to explain the whole matter for you and provide you with the gluten free hosts. It’s pretty simple.