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INTO
THE LIGHT
Bob Kaintz of VOTF St. Louis writes of Christmas Eve Mass at
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church where six board members and the
new parish priest were excommunicated by Archbishop Burke.
Christmas Day 2005, St. Louis, Missouri –
On a rainy Christmas Eve in St. Louis the people spoke.
They came and came and came from all directions – hundreds
and hundreds of people. They filled the church. They
stood in the church. They filled the Polish Cultural
Center and then stood in the Cultural Center attending
Mass by closed circuit television. Fr. Marek’s
homily was the story of a Russian prince who was respected,
honored, admired and feared by his people but was unloved
and lonely. This prince went out into his kingdom among
his subjects on a beautiful horse with the sun shining
on his gold and silver clothes looking for their love
and they kissed his ring and honored and respected him.
But he returned as he left – unloved and lonely.
There was also a poor doctor in the kingdom who lived
among the people, ate with the people, and cared for
the people with little recompense. But the doctor was
loved by the people. It turned out that the doctor had
also once been a prince, lonely and unloved. Our God
was respected, honored, admired and feared until one
day he loved us so that he came to us as a baby in a
manger to be loved by all.
The homily was delivered,
part by part, in Polish and English. Communion went on
and on and on for at least 25 minutes. It was like the
loaves and the fishes. Fr. Marek thanked the congregation
for their support and applause but said he did not come
to St. Stan’s for applause. He came to live among
us, eat with us, laugh with us and cry with us. He told
us that rules and regulations were not the Church but
that we were the Church. He told the non-parishioners
that they were welcome. He told the non-Catholics that
they were welcome, despite what they might have been
told elsewhere. He said if we were told we were too
short or too tall or too fat or too thin or too far this
way
or too far that way, we too were welcome. Finally he
prayed for Archbishop Burke. He prayed that one day
our leaders would come back to us and shepherd us like
they
should have been doing all along. Peace on earth and
good will to all. Bob Kaintz
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