Prayer Vigils Expand

A small witticism of punish humour i enjoy, is that March 4th can be pronounced, 'march forth'. March Forth, then, is the only day of the year that is a command. It is also Saint Casimir's Day. This July Fourth will be the thirtieth, consecutive, Sunday prayer vigil in front of Saint Casimir's. It has been an unbroken chain. The links of faith in this parish are of strong enduring temper.

And, marching forth from Saint Casimir's the prayer vigils are growing. This Sunday, Saint Patrick's, West Park, will have their third Sunday vigil in synchronicity with Saint Casimir's. The time is 11.30 a.m. St. James, Lakewood, will have their first.

Now, a quickening is beginning to stir at Saint Wendelin. In Akron through the leadership of Nancy McGrath of Code Purple, and others there is a plan of rotating parishes to host a prayer vigil, perhaps involving Saint John the Baptist, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Mary.

Joseph Feckanin, who has become an ambassador of Cleveland's Catholic Polonia, will be talking to Lorain's latin-rite slavs and others to also have a rotating prayer vigil. There had been great spirit at the near co-adjacent Saint Stanislaus, and Holy Trinity.

These committed christians sing, pray and have communal fellowship, and in doing so, have found a greater unity than they had before. This they do in front of the parish churches wrested forcefully, illicitly and ruthlessly from them. Their presence is a christian witness of constancy and steadfastness.

ubi enim sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo ibi sum in medio eorum
For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.—Matthew xviii.20.

Why are they there? They are loyal to Jesus, and cast off by Richard Lennon. Bishop Lennon is like the bad shepherds (pastors) mentioned by Ezechiel in chapter xxxiv; and most unlike the Good Shepherd of the Gospels.
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Postscriptum 8.52 p.m.: In the last hour I have received communiqués from Nancy, and from Joseph.
Nancy says it is slightly in ovo at Akron, with the germ at Saint John the Baptist, and that the latin mass goers of St. Mary's are visiting several parishes as a group.
Joseph replies with this statement:

As we stand in the streets and pray, the power of prayer will overtake the one who has cast us out onto the streets, taken away our houses of God, fenced our artifacts, and counts on devouring our bank accounts. To him we are not vibrant, we are just easy pickings. We don't count, he says we are only a 'handful'; but too much of a handful for him to squash, but handy to plunder. However, we are chosen to represent the tens of thousands, and probably hundreds of thousands who oppose his program. He tries to censor the media. After St. Casimir the media was not allowed in the churches, 'too disruptive', he says. The truth is they are witnesses and he does not want other Catholics to see the truth. Now St. Emeric has brought the media back into the church. And now the vigils will grow and grow. We, Catholics, have had many suffer under the communist yoke. We know the tactics. History repeats itself, and he who wants us to bow before him will repeat like those whom came before him. Our devotion, the Divine Mercy of Jesus, we trust. It is not over yet. — Joe

Postscriptum II, 12.45 p.m. 3 July 2010: Events have flared at St. Emeric's. A heavy "security" presence has descended there. Lennon has called for a game of hardball. The priest of twenty-five years has not been allowed to collect his bible from the church. In partial response there will be a prayer vigil there Sunday at 9.45 a.m., the regular time for the hungarian Liturgy (Mass). It is a question whether they will be on W. 22nd, in front of the church, or in the West Side Market parking lot.