Fr. Gabriel was the deacon. The subdeacon has helped out at Holy Rosary and is usually at OLF in Pequannock.
Fr. Gabriel was one of the founders of the Servants Minor of St. Francis in Scranton, PA. It was a traditional Franciscan order that has been supressed. Fr. Gabriel is now a diocesan priest.
At first glance it might seem strange. In Catholic Europe of the Middle Ages every Church would toll its bells on Christmas Eve. From 11:00pm till 11:59pm Church bells tolled as though for a funeral. On Christmas Eve? Think for a minute and its makes perfect sense. Mother Church was announcing the end, the "death", of Satan's reign. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity dazzles the universe as He shines forth through the flesh given Him by the Virgin. From that moment on, the Word made flesh would be the Light that no Darkness could conquer.
Sometimes, though not often, the rich joy of the supernatural wonder of Christmas is matched by the natural joys of God's bounty. Christmas 2004 is one of those times. I see it so very clearly in my arrival here on December 1st. I see it in the exceptional Catholics that I have found at St. Anthony since I have come. All of these unique Christmas joys can only have one cause.
This year God allowed us to bear the burden of the passing of a great priest. Father Wickens generously accepted the kind of death God deigned to send him. Each torment that came with his awful disease he transformed into petitions to Our Lord for his beloved St. Anthony. Because he was a priest's priest, he realized this would be the finest gift he could leave his Catholic flock. This is the reason for our special cheer.
Lesser men might think a pastor's legacy is in the treasure left to his parish. Some might believe it to be the buildings he constructed. Still others the happy times they would always remember. All these are good, but not the best. A priest, after the heart of Christ, desires for his parish not just something merely good, but the best. Any priest worthy of being called Father knows that is his suffering. It was Christ's finest gift to us. The priest is alter Christus, so it must similarly be his. The suffering of a simple priest joined to that of the Sovereign High Priest guarantees avalanches of blessings. Be prepared.
Father Wickens closed his eyes in death secure that he had bequeathed his parish the finest he could give. His priestly oblation will always surround St. Anthony's like a high wall. Though some may try to sally forth against it, that high wall will repel them. St. Anthony of Padua is a parish richly endowed. No one need ever fear that the endowment might be exhausted, because it sits invincibly upon the very heart of God.
You must never forget these profound Catholic mysteries. Especially be mindful of them when the occasional cloud comes our way. That will be the time to remember that we are marked by a signal grace, won by a singular priest. No cloud can ever compete with that. How grateful to God I am, that He has chosen me to lead you more deeply into that victory.
Thank you to all of you for making my Christmas this year so merry. Thank you, Father Wickens, for providing all of us with future Christmas after Christmas, year after year, farther can our eyes can see. Now we know why priests are called our Fathers. For they never settle in giving us anything but the best.
Why is it that wherever tradition is found in the church you'll find our supposed leadership making every effort to stomp it out?