CCATHEDRALATHEDRAL N NEWSEWS November 2012 Volume 18 Issue 4 Tulsa, Oklahoma

Holy Family

Walk-a-Thon raises

$5,000+ for School

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Identification Statement: The Cathedral News Issue 4 November 2012 (USPS 022-729) is published 10 x per year (monthly, except for June and July) by Holy Family Cathedral at 122 W 8th St., Tulsa OK 74119-1402. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CATHEDRAL NEWS, PO BOX 3204, Tulsa, OK 74101-3204.

Dear Parishioners of Holy Family Cathedral,

Included in this month’s Cathedral News are the results from our financial appeal in last May.

I have been asked by the Parish Council to give three month updates as to the condition of our

finances.

As you may remember, in the August Cathedral News, I gave you the stats for May, June and

July 2011 and 2012 as to the giving level of the parish. I was very pleased with the result of the

request made in May. I realized that everyone would not be able to increase their donations and I

asked for a 20% raise. The math would indicate that the result was actually an 18% raise and it

truly made a huge difference during the summer months. For this cooperation and dedication I

sincerely thank all of you.

This month we are going to provide the income against the expenses so that you can see

where we are presently. I must caution all of you as you read this because October has for some

reason or another always been a very lean month for income and not so for expenses.

So please view the material on the next page and pray for a very good Christmas with no great

snow or ice. We are on the cutting edge and may have to make some very difficult decisions

come the New Year.

Thank you again for your cooperation and generosity, please continue to keep us in your

prayers.

Sincerely in the Holy Family,

Msgr. Gregory A. Gier

The The

Rector’s Rector’s

ReportReport

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Cathedral News deadlines: Please submit articles and announcements to the Cathedral News by the 15th of the preceding month.

Email mikemalcom@gmail.com or send your article to Mike Malcom at the parish office.

August, September, and October parish revenue increased slightly

each month. At the same time, expenses exceeded parish income by

an average of about $7,500 per month.

Aug-12Sep-12

Oct-12

$62,000

$64,000

$66,000

$68,000

$70,000

$72,000

$74,000

$76,000

$78,000

$80,000

$82,000

Revenue Expenses Difference

Aug-12 $69,011 $74,103 -$5,092

Sep-12 $70,473 $80,939 -$10,466

Oct-12 $72,097 $78,996 -$6,899

August to October 2012August to October 2012

August

Revenue

Septe

mber

Revenue

Octo

ber

Revenue

August

Expenses

Septe

mber

Expenses

Octo

ber

Expenses

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Well, it's turkey time again

hope you will bring one in

and give it to Tom the Deacon

as he's doin’ the seekin’!

Yes, indeed, it is turkey time again!

Once again the Council is collecting tur-

keys and hams for Catholic Charities in

order that CC can pass them on to their

respective needy clients. Hams? Well, yes!

Not everyone can (1) cook a turkey for

various reasons hanging from a restric-

tive living accommodation to the ability to

bake one, and (2) a turkey is, or can be, an

enormous amount of meat to consume

for a one or two person family, especially

were they to be elderly. Can't make up

your mind which you want to purchase?

Well, why not buy one of each as I doubt

that CC will have any difficulty giving

away either a turkey or a ham. Now, NOTE

BENE!!! were you to say to yourself, "Why

not just write a check and let (Deacon)

Tom buy the tom!" Well, that is just fine

BUT were you to take this route it is ex-

tremely important that the check be made

payable to: Knights of Columus and note

that it is for a turkey donation. Why not

Holy Family Cathedral? Because we - the

Council - cannot cash checks made out

to the Cathedral. Now there are two ways

to remit the check: One way is to give it to

me when you see me. The second way is

to drop it into the Sunday collection and

Joanne in Accounting will see that the

Council receives your check. Lastly-the

ABSOLUTE CUT-OFF DATE FOR CHECKS

IS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AS THANKS-

GIVING IS ON THE 22nd! THE LAST DAY

TO BRING A TURKEY OR HAM TO HFC IS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19 as Deacon Tom

and the youth group will deliver the

“collection” to Catholic Charities on Tues-

day, November 20 in order that CC can

give out the turkeys/ham on Wednesday,

November 21st.! Once again those who

give will receive: A Mass will be read at a

date to be determined in the Cathedral as

we have done in years past.

November is also the month of the

Feast of St. Martin of Tours (316/17-397).

Mostly forgotten in this modern age Mar-

tin was the most venerated and popular

saint of the early, middle, and late medie-

val period from the time of his death, if

not before, until the onset of the modern

era circa 1600/1700. There were more

churches and religious sites named for

Martin than any other saint and his shrine

at Tours was the fourth most popular

visitation destination after Jerusalem,

Rome, and St. James Compostela in

Spain. Martin was born in what is today

Hungary, raised in Pavia outside Milan,

and is anchored by reputation in France.

Thus the adjectivial appendage “of

Tours.” His parents were not Christian

and paid homage to the Roman emperor

and other Roman deities as expected of

them. Christianity was now an estab-

lished religion but not yet the force it was

to become after the fall of Rome in 410.

His father was career military, the Praeto-

rian Guard, and Martin followed in his

footsteps - again, as expected of him.

Martin's conversion occurred in his late

teens when so allowed. His father never

accepted Martin’s conversion though his

mother did and later converted. Martin

enlisted at the expected age of 15 and

served 25 years in the Praetorian Guard,

circa 332-356, and it was while stationed

at Amiens that he is reputed to have

halved his cloak to share with a freezing

beggar. It was that night that Christ came

to him in a dream now as that resplen-

Notes from the Knightstand BY MA RT I N REI D Y

dent beggar.

Following his required 25 years of ser-

vice Martin followed his dream of becom-

ing a hermit and constructed a rudimen-

tary hut near Tours in order to lead a life

of prayer and subsisting on nuts and ber-

ries. (an earlier attempt on an island off

Italy nearly did him in as he over ate a

herb called hellebore which was used to

treat madness but lethal in large inges-

tions.) His holiness became renowned

and his cures and miracles legendary. So

it was that the local populace sought him

out to be their bishop in 370 at about 53

years of age. The area bishops refused to

sanction his election - he looked like a

beggar, dressed like a beggar, and

smelled like a beggar - but the locals had

their way for they wanted a "saint" and

not a sanitized satrap!

So it was that Martin became the

Bishop of Tours though he continued to

live a penurious life. Martin is noted for

numerous accomplishments which af-

fected the direction of the church even

down to this day. Time and space does

not allow for a full discussion but allow

me to touch upon a couple of them. In

372 Martin established the Abbey of Mar-

moutier outside Tours and to which he

also belonged. The uniqueness of Mar-

moutier, and a first, was that the Abbot

had the power to ordain—thereby remov-

ing the monastery from the control of a

bishop and be able to maintain their inde-

pendence to follow a life of prayer and

penance free of other secular entangle-

ments. This “pattern” of organization

holds true into our time today.

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T H E T OM B OF SA IN T MA RT IN OF T OURS

Martin began the custom of sending

his priests to an outlying church to

reach the populace more effectively

and to Christianize the rural areas.

Heretofore, Christianity was an urban-

centered rite where the local bishop

was served by a body of priests in the

town. Martin, in effect, began the parish

system of governance in the church - a

system familiar to him from his military

experience - which is the church or-

ganization today. Martin insisted that

upon his death he be buried in a pauper‘s

grave but ended up in a shrine, by popular

demand in Tours. The veneration of his

cloak, his “capella” became so popular

that it – the cloak - became the name of

its location for from capella comes the

word chapelle and our word chapel for a

little church. During the Middle Ages the

cloak was kept at Marmoutier Abbey but

was carried everywhere the king traveled

- even into war and upon the sea. The

military caretaker of the cloak was called

a capellani - a name which eventually

was given to all military priests from

which comes our office of - you guessed

it! -chaplain. This common cloak of a

saint became the first flag of France.

Martin's shrine was heavily damaged

and/or destroyed first by the Huguenots

in 1562, and later by the Republicans in

the French Revolution in 1793. His basil-

ica, when built in 470, was the largest reli-

gious structure outside S. Sophia in

Constantinople. The Republicans not

only obliterated the shrine but built a

street through its former location so

it could never be rebuilt - but it was

in 1865 to 1925 and so it exists to-

day in Tours. His feast was a Holy

Day of Obligation down to modern

time and it initiated the beginning of

the Christmas season, Advent, and

signaled the end of the Court of As-

sizes in England in the Middle Ages. No-

vember 11 was also the beginning of the

Liturgical Year for the Church. In respec-

tive of that older tradition we say the Joy-

ful Mysteries on Sunday prior to the 8

a.m. Mass until the end of January. Mar-

tin is the patron of many callings, among

them being the U.S. Army Quartermaster

Corps, beggars, tailors, hoteliers, geese,

alcoholics, all horsemen/women, and the

Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Martin is the patron of many callings, among them being the U.S. Army Quartermaster

Corps, beggars, tailors, hoteliers, geese, alcoholics, all horsemen/women, and the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

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Jason, what made you reach out for

Catholic teaching?

God comes to us. I think that I was

drawn in my early years attending

school and Mass at Monte Casino. As

a child I enjoyed Mass and developed

respect for the devotion that the Nuns

and Priests have. My parents and en-

tire family at that time were Protestant.

While attending their services I never

really felt at home. As I grew older, I

became materialistic, but even then

always felt there was a void in my life.

When I lived in South Central Louisiana

the utter destruction of Hurricane

Katrina brought so much horror and

misery to my attention I began to ask

myself serious questions about the

meaning of life.

Later on, my wife and I moved to a

high-rise apartment with a splendid

view of Holy Family Cathedral. Then I

began to seek God in earnest. My

mother converted to Catholicism a few

years previously. She gave me some

Catholic literature that I began to read.

Growing Faith is an Exciting Adventure BY T H E RCIA MI N I ST RY T EAM

I began to attend Catholic services in

2010. Soon after, I began attending

Deacon Mattox’s Bible Study in the

spring. My questions about life were

beginning to be resolved as I read vari-

ous classic books, began to say the

rosary and make mental prayer. What

is most astounding is my discovery

that Msgr. Halpine was the priest while

I was attending Monte Casino.

How has being Catholic changed your

daily life?

Mainly, I have learned that Jesus is my

friend with whom I have trust and

complete confidence in life’s events,

both the good and the bad. This brings

peace of mind and certainty of God’s

support.

How did the Mass and the RCIA sessions

impact your daily life?

They made me appreciate life more

and inspired me to live life as a Chris-

tian on a daily basis. Going to R.C.I.A,

Dcn. Mattox’s Bible study and watch-

ing various programming on E.W.T.N

taught me how to read the Bible and

understand the fulfillment of the scrip-

tures. It also made me learn how to

understand the Mass, how to practice

the Sacraments and how to prepare

myself for Mass. Not enough thanks

and gratitude can be given to the dedi-

cated staff of R.C.I.A.

Did you feel support from other parish

members?

I feel as if I have a new family. No pres-

sure and no one was overbearing to

join the church. To witness the devo-

tion of the R.C.I.A staff and other Pa-

rishioners was instrumental in my con-

version process. I had wonderful peo-

ple step up and answer questions. Our

Parish has the most diverse congrega-

tion I know of which provides an excel-

lent environment for learning and guid-

ing on one’s spiritual path. I recom-

mend our Parish to anyone who is in-

quiring about the Catholic faith.

How did being baptized, confirmed, and

receiving the Eucharist for the first time

make you feel?

Wonderful! I am now a member of

God’s Household, one of his family.

Lenora Bliss responds now with her

experiences:

Lenora, what made you reach out for

Catholic teaching?

I was raised Southern Baptist. At the

age of 15 I had the opportunity to take

a neighbor of ours to Mass every week.

Jason and Lenora Bliss have spent the last few years engaging with our parish

as they have been called to the Catholic faith and have pursued its value in their

life. Here are their responses to questions about that journey.

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Current News & Upcoming Events

Holy Family Cathedral School students raised a little over $5,000 during the

annual Walk-A-Thon. Relatives and friends sponsored students who walked

laps around the parking lot. The event happened on the morning of Halloween

so the teachers dressed up in costumes. The photo at the top of this page

shows teachers Chrstina Coughlin, Dorothy Wire, and Sister Theresita Hearon.

The 55+ Lunch on Wednesday, November 14 is at a special time: 12:00 p.m. at

Foundations Restaurant at Platt College, 3801 South Sheridan. Platt College is a

sandstone colored building facing west. Foundations is in a separate building

with a black awning facing south. RSVP to Nancy Mullikin, 918-508-9800.

The Holy Family Cathedral Women’s Club is collecting toiletries for abused

woman residing at the Day Spring Villa. Donation boxes will be at the South and

East Cathedral entrances until November 11.

The Second Quarterly meeting of the Council of Catholic Women will take place

at Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Church at 4001 E. 101st Street S., Tulsa, 918-299-

9406, on November 15. The program will be Wilma Lively, director of the Day

Spring Villa who will speak on human trafficking. The members are asked to

bring a donation of toiletries to this meeting. Work of Human Hands crafts will

be available for purchase. Mass is at 11:45. Cost for the day is $10. Registration

9:30 to 10:00. Make your reservations to Gloria Baker, 918-446-0611 by No-

vember 11.

The National Adoption Day Celebration will be at Catholic Charities campus,

2450 North Harvard, on Nov. 17, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more

info contact 918-508-7131 or CLee@CCTulsa.org or CatholicCharitiesTulsa.org.

Catholic Charities and the Department of Human Services Swift Adoption Unit

will celebrate National Adoption Day. This special event will celebrate the gift of

adoption and is to raise awareness of the need to find permanent, loving homes

for the thousands of children in foster care currently available for adoption. Our

celebration will include reading a National Adoption Day decree signed by the

Governor, prayer offered by Bishop Edward Slattery, music, games and activi-

ties.

I paid attention to the Mass and began to

feel it was “right”. I’m sure I was lifted up

in prayer by that sweet elderly lady and

several more Catholic people that I had

come in contact with. So the seed was

planted early on. Sadly I fell away from

God for years. My husband began R.C.I.A

classes two years ago. When my husband

was watching the Fr. Robert Barron series

on Catholicism I was secretly listening.

Much to my husband’s surprise I started

attending R.C.I.A. sessions last year. I

have recently been received into Full Com-

munion with the church and feel so

blessed!

How has being Catholic changed your daily

life?

Performing daily Prayer, both mental

prayer and the Rosary. I feel a stronger

desire to help others.

How did the Mass and the RCIA sessions

impact your daily life?

They gave me a better understanding of

the scriptures and of Catholicism itself.

Did you feel support from other parish mem-

bers?

Yes. I met a lot of wonderful people in

R.C.I.A and I feel the entire staff do a great

job.

How did being baptized, confirmed, and re-

ceiving the Eucharist for the first time make

you feel?

Truly mere words cannot express but if I

had to use one word that word would be

PEACE.

CH RI ST IN E COUGH LIN , DOROTH Y WI RE, AN D SI ST ER T H ERESI TA HEA RON H A V E FUN D URING T H E WA LK- A- T H ON .

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Holy Family Cathedral

P.O. Box 3204

Tulsa, OK 74101-3204

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