42nd Rendez-vous

foto from an earlier gathering
This is the forty-second rendez-vous the Casimiri have kept. They have prayed and sang (St. Jerome counts that as praying twice), and depended and expanded their camaraderie. They have welcomed new parishioners, some of whom, have never entered their cathredalesque church. Now their ceiling and roof is God's sky alone.

This parish-in-exile began their rendez-vous the Sunday after the parish endured a Mass of Eviction. They almost had a revolt. The Mass, immediately before, was very well attended and was in the language of the old country. They had an outdoor Eucharistic procession, that was seen by supporters of the parish, and by protesters against the bishop's parochial suppression.

The 8th of November was warm and sunny. Monsignor Telesz had been ordered to participate in the bishop's Mass. A 96 year old acolyte and concentration camp survivor pulled the power to Richard Lennon's microphone. What caused Lennon's jaw to drop was the singing of the polish national anthem (refer to the movie Casablanca), and Marian hymns. The parish had demonstrated to him, in no uncertain terms, and in tune in polish, their refusal to consent to his pogrom ...eh programme... Of course he did not understand a word, but he readily recognised defiance. Even with police presence and episcopal planning (he had already renamed another parish St. Casimir), this was dumb founding.

During these street sessions, two dozen individuals are sure to be there. These began in polish, but soon became bi-lingual with english. Visitors have occasionally come--the local councilman, press, alumni, old parishioners currently in town, people from other victimised parishes. All are welcome. Their constancy and steadfastness continues. Rain, wind and snow were not deterrents. They receive no recognition from the chancery.
To-day there was joy that a member of the parish, who was there last week, came back after being hospitalised with a heart attack. He, along with the Adamczewski family, created a miniature of the Gdansk Solidarność Memorial Monument, that, debuted to-day. St. Casimir had a replica of the original (it is now at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cleveland). It joins the canvas of the high altar that is part of the portable parish's art.

The parish has an appeal pending in the papal court. The signer of the appeal does not come to the convening parish. Recently, some parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston, which Lennon had left a shambles, have received a roman letter that allows for their demise. The sanhedrin hierarchy that makes up the Apostolic Signatura, and it's prefect, the extremist Raymond Burke, is wont to protect, most jealously their prerogatives. Plebeian parishioners are of little consequence other than as income sources.