Cardinal Egan: Thank You for the Wake Up Call, Part I

Death Knell for Parish Brings Many Gifts That I Will Fight to Preserve

Thank you for:

• The premature curtailment of liturgies at Saint Stanislaus Kostka - It gave me the opportunity to visit Our Lady of Vilnius more frequently.


• The Threat to Our Lady of Vilnius Church and Parish - It shook me out of complacency and strenghtened my love, appreciation and enjoyment of its unique gifts:
  
  
  • Father Eugene's simple, direct and encouraging elucidation of the gospel
  
  
  • The opportunity to pray in the same church where my father, aunts, cousins and grandparents prayed in their youth
  
  
  • The beautiful, sacred and inspiring image of Our Lady of Vilnius that looks down from above the altar
  
  
  • A spiritual community of village-like scale that promotes an experience of discipleship and makes the priest more available for formal and informal spiritual direction
  
  
  • The funky basement where a tradition of hospitality thrives amidst memorabilia that form a living landscape of enjoyment.
  
  
  • A diverse community with whom I am simpatico and united in dedication.
  
  
  • The opportunity to meet and spend time with the members of NMS who have added to the aesthetics of the church, the basement, the liturgies and have added their personalities to the community
  
  
  • The series of cultural events that are a springboard to the Lithuanian culture that my forebears jettisoned in the service of assimilation and upward mobility
  
  
  • The opportunity to absorb the Lithuanian language by hearing it and singing it during Mass
  
  
  • The opportunity to absorb the Lithuanian culture and ethos by being among Lithuanians
  
  
• The skills, focus, and knowledge that I have acquired in the process of blogging. I am now more involved in the wider world through print and electronic media. I would not be blogging were it not for your desire to close this parish.