When I entered the seminary in 2006, I was stepping away from a career as an IT consultant, which afforded me some good financial stability as I went from a very comfortable salary to a $100/month stipend.  I used to joke with my former coworkers that I was on the salary reduction plan in my life!  But with just about everything being provided for in the seminary, I had very little need for much.  I am grateful that as I entered into a new financial reality, I was able to reflect on the notion of stewardship in a new way.  Initially, I began to think: “Times are going to be a little leaner financially for the next few years.  I better be careful about how I use my savings.”  But then I received something in the mail from the diocese, it was information about contributing to the Annual Catholic Services Appeal, better known as ACSA.  Before I tossed it aside in the interest of playing it conservative with the limited funds I had, I thought a little more about it.  Although I don’t recall exactly what my prayer was, I decided to contribute, and to accept the challenge of a larger donation.  Although I did not know exactly what all the funds supported, I did know that seminarian education was a part of it.  So as a beneficiary of the generosity of so many throughout the diocese, I figured it was worth my making a sacrifice as well.

Over the years, I have encouraged people to see the importance of contributing to ACSA, for whether we are aware of it or not, every parish is a recipient of the services that our diocesan offices provide, not the least of which is the formation of our seminarians.  These men then become the priests who serve our parishes and bring us the sacraments.  If we value God’s grace (which we better if we call ourselves Catholic), then we have to acknowledge that we are all beneficiaries of what the diocese offers to us.

Fast forward to the present day, and ACSA is no longer an appeal that the diocese asks the faithful to contribute to.  When that was first announced, some people breathed a sigh of relief.  Perhaps they thought: “I don’t have to give money to the diocese any more”…as if “diocese” is a bad word.  I am in my 10^th year of working at our Diocesan Curia, working every day with the people we sometimes just clump together as “the diocese”, questioning their usefulness.  May I, in all humility and with frankness, offer a fatherly correction to anybody who thinks this way.  You may have your ideas of “the diocese”, often formed through less-than-informed views of others.  Perhaps you do not even know a single person who works for “the diocese” (except me of course), but I do, and I can attest to the great quality of our people and the very, very  generous service they provide to me personally, to our Cathedral parish, and to the parishes throughout the diocese, to which we all belong.  We all are the diocese.  Period.  We are not just Cathedral parishioners, we belong to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and we should be very proud of that.

Sorry for the digression – back to ACSA.  So if ACSA is no longer a thing, how do the diocesan offices support themselves?  Each parish now tithes 10% of our monthly income to our diocesan offices so that these services can continue to be offered.  Therefore, when you support our local parish, you are also supporting the work of the whole diocese, which is really important to our understanding of what it means to be members of the Catholic Church.  

Perhaps you had contributed to ACSA in the past, and now that it’s no longer here, you see that as one less contribution.  But may I humbly ask you to direct the funds you would have donated to ACSA to now go to our parish?  And if you were not contributing to ACSA, would you prayerfully consider increasing your weekly gift of treasure to our parish, and by extension, to our diocese?  

Father Alford

Feast Day: November 10^th | Confessor and Doctor of the Church | Patron of Confessors, Popes, Moral Theology, and Vocations

Historians tell us that in the year 452, the 50-something year old pope, who had been the first to take the Papal name Leo [“The Lion”!], made his way to the North of Italy to stop Attila the Hun. Honorious, the roman emperor at that time, faced catechism on all sides and had no armies with which to turn back the ravaging horsemen led by the Hun. Prosper, a Christian chronicler, tells us what happened in his record from just a few years after:

“Now Attila, having once more collected his forces which had been scattered in Gaul [at the battle of Chalons], took his way through Pannonia into Italy. . . To the emperor and the senate and Roman people none of all the proposed plans to oppose the enemy seemed so practicable as to send legates to the most savage king and beg for peace. Our most blessed Pope Leo -trusting in the help of God, who never fails the righteous in their trials – undertook the task, accompanied by Avienus, a man of consular rank, and the prefect Trygetius. And the outcome was what his faith had foreseen; for when the king had received the embassy, he was so impressed by the presence of the high priest that he ordered his army to give up warfare and, after he had promised peace, he departed beyond the Danube.”

What happened in that most famous encounter of one of our most famous Popes? Loved for his courageous leadership over a weakened Rome. Known for his calling the largest ecumenical council, at Chalcedon, where our faith in Christ’s human and divine natures was finally clarified – “Peter has spoken through Leo” they chanted. And treasured for his legendary sermons and writings that continue to shine like gems amidst the mountain of reflections down through the Christian centuries on so many feasts of Our Lord and His saints. … Yet why did Attila turn his armies back north, abandoning hopes of conquering Europe? How did the wizened pope in vestments defend the Christian world from the onslaught of the Huns, who would themselves be conquered by Christ once they settled on the fringes of Christendom in the decades after?

We turn from the historians and the chronicles to receive from ordinary Christians the amazing story. This legend, passed from town to town, of course has been embellished over the ages, yet perhaps it is a bit closer to what actually happened that famous day, for physics and phalanxes did not turn back Attila, but faith. Leo – to tell the tale as a Christian father back then might have told his children –  stepped before the barbarian … and fell to his knees. He did not adore the invader, for he only gave worship to Christ, but he did beseech him: 

“The people of Rome, once conquerors of the world, now kneel conquered. We pray for mercy and deliverance. O Attila, you could have no greater glory than to see suppliant at your feet this people before whom once all peoples and kings lay suppliant. You have subdued, O Attila, the whole circle of the lands granted to the Romans. Now we pray that you, who have conquered others, should conquer yourself. The people have felt your scourge. Now they would feel your mercy.”

Astonished by the meekness of the aged pontiff, Attila stared at the sight of the robed man, alone between his armies and the riches and fame of Rome. And then his gaze was forced aloft. There, on either side of this ambassador of Christ, stood the giant figures of Peter and Paul, each holding flaming swords in defense of the Kingdom of Christ. As Attila watched, he saw row upon row, rank upon rank, host upon host of heavenly defenders, gleaming and glorious against the darkened sky. The Pope kneeling could not be ignored, his humility shook the tyrant, a greater power rested in the aged heart of that lion than that in the might of all the Huns at Attilla’s command. Attila swore to an enduring truce, turned his armies north, and left Italy and all that could have been conquered there to the authority, and leadership, of Leo, and Christ.

Though we are not certain of Leo’s exact words that evening to Attila, perhaps this quotation of his reminds us that the same power that was at work through him on that occasion is that which God desires all of us to wield in our own battles: “If indeed we are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts…we must work with much vigilance to make the chamber of our heart not unworthy of so great a guest.

– Fr. Dominic Rankin simply takes for his prayer this week an ancient hymn of praise to God for this Great pope Leo. Perhaps pray it as you look upon this pope as displayed in one of the windows of our Cathedral! “You were the Church’s instrument / in strengthening the teaching of true doctrine; / you shone forth from the West like a sun dispelling the errors of the heretics. / Righteous Leo, entreat Christ God to grant us His great mercy. // O Champion of Orthodoxy, and teacher of holiness, / The enlightenment of the universe and the inspired glory of true believers. / O most wise Father Leo, your teachings are as music of the Holy Spirit for us! / Pray that Christ our God may save our souls! // Seated upon the throne of the priesthood, glorious Leo, / you shut the mouths of the spiritual lions. / With divinely inspired teachings of the honored Trinity, / you shed the light of the knowledge of God up-on your flock. / Therefore, you are glorified as a divine initiate of the grace of God.”

If you have not already, you will soon be receiving a letter in the mail from me regarding our annual Season of Stewardship, of which I wrote in last week’s bulletin.  With that said, those who read this bulletin article may not be receiving a letter, either because you are just visiting or because you are not officially registered at the Cathedral.  So if you do not receive a letter, you are not off the hook!

One of the themes that I have presented to the parish over my time here is the notion that we are a family of faith.  Although this is the title of our catechetical program for our grade school and high school students and their families, it is more than just a program, more than just a title.  From time to time, I have people asking me where home is.  I always struggle to answer this – I grew up in Troy, IL (southern part of our diocese), my family moved to Wisconsin when I was in college, my parents now live part time in Wisconsin and part time in Texas, and pretty much all of my family lives outside of the diocese, with the exception of a few distant relatives.  A common reaction to my trying to explain this is empathy for how difficult that must be, not being able to see family very often, not being able to spend holidays with them.  Can it be difficult? Absolutely!  But am I sad?  Not a bit.  For my entire priesthood, home has always been where I have been assigned, and I believe that has been a great grace that has enabled me to be more attached to a parish family than if I had the presence of my own family close by.  Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have my family closer, but I do not feel disappointed at all with the situation that I have.  Each parish has welcomed me into their family, and I have done my very best to be a good member of that family, such that I have tried to be generous with my time, the gifts God has given me, and yes, even my money.  And I have been very joyful in being able to give of these because when they are given for those we love, the cost it not really an issue.

Why do I share this with you?  Because I want you to know how thankful I am to be a part of our Cathedral Parish family.  I love it when I get to celebrate Mass and see all of you, sharing the one person I love more than anything else, Jesus Christ!  It’s why I do my best to be around to distribute Holy Communion at masses that I am not celebrating and greeting you after as many masses as possible.  It is because I love being around you, and I love being able to serve you.

My great prayer for this parish is that we see one another as a family.  It is my prayer that you love being around this family we have here.  You all have your own families, and I know you want what is best for them.  As your spiritual father, you are my family, and I want what is best for you, to have a sense of belonging, an awareness of being loved by Jesus, and a desire to be more fully invested in this family.  Many of you are indeed invested in this parish family, and that brings my heart so much joy.  But I want more for our family.  When I appeal for us to pray about our stewardship, my prayer is for you to be here, to make that commitment to pray with your parish family, and to pray for your parish family.  If all that came from this appeal for the Season of Stewardship was having more of you here to celebrate each Sunday as a family, I would be a very pleased spiritual father.  And just by showing up, realizing what a gift it is to be a part of this family, I have no doubt you will authentically desire  to share yourselves more generously with your family whom you love and who loves you, for we are all united together as brothers and sisters in the one love of God Himself for us as His beloved sons and daughters.

Father Alford