299/365 Deacon

We have a new transitional deacon--meaning he's transitioning to the priesthood, as opposed to a permanent deacon, who would be a man from the parish who is not moving towards the priesthood (often he is married, for instance). This is our third in a row, all Dominicans. They do things at the parish and have some homilies and basically, do their student teaching/internship kind of deal here at the parish.

Our current deacon, George, is exuberant. I haven't had a chance to sit down and really talk with him or find out what he's all about, but he makes me smile in a way that the previous two did not. As my mom said after mass a few weeks back when he said a homily that was good, but too long, "this one has potential." And I think he does. He has decent preaching skills (but has been too long winded, that is for sure). Today's homily was better paced than previously, and had one phrase that caught me, that conversion is not a private affair (the gospel was Zacchaeus, the tax collector who climbs the sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus). That stayed with me, because it would be a lot easier if conversion was simply a private affair. Easier, but not complete or successful.

Anyway, it's just to say that George has potential, just as an average person in the pews kind of statement. He certainly doesn't come off as Totally Impressed With Himself Because He's Becoming a Dominican. Like the last two did. The smarmy elitist feel isn't there. So I'm hopeful.

347/365 Homilies, Dominicans, etc.

There have been some excellent homilies for me this past month. I wish I could say more. I am useless these days. I just know that I've left church thinking.

We have a deacon, a Dominican moving towards priesthood. He's the best we've had so far in this position, in my mind. I think he'll do fine. I'm getting the impression, though, with these guys and with my experiences with occasional Dominicans at SLU (they have a divinity school there), that I'm just not a fan. Isn't it fascinating how different orders truly do attract different folks? Jesuits, of course, make me want to become a Buddhist. I have never been impressed with Vincentians, either. Dominicans don't make me want to run away and hold my ears shut with the palms of my hands, but there's just something about their style that doesn't hit my heart the way a Benedictine or some Franciscans or the Redemptorists of my childhood do. We don't vibrate on the same wavelength or something.

But I think this deacon will do fine. I wonder where he'll go and what he'll do. I wonder if he'll be far away and think about our little urban parish and all those crazy people. I wonder if he'll remember us fondly when he goes. Probably so.