Author: Mike

Palm Sunday, 2013

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The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
–Isaiah 50:4

Palm Sunday mass is complicated for a lector. Not only is there an initial entrance into the church with blessed palms, but the Gospel is read like a play, with parts played by the priest, various deacons and lectors, sometimes people selected from the congregation, and even the congregation itself (roaring “Crucify him! Crucify him!”).

When I was first learning to be a lector as a teen, Palm Sunday was my trial by fire. Fr. Ed Bell gave constant feedback in the form of smiles and dirty looks. He always presided over a great mass, and I think his priority was never individual excellence or self-expression, but universal competence. If the details are attended to, the mass will be not only worshipful but nourishing to the heart.

I was a lector tonight at St. Peter’s, and it went great. I appreciated that Deacon Reisinger, in his homily, drew out one of the lessons of Easter, that “hope springs forth,” and connected it to the wonderful event of the election of Pope Francis.

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508 #215: We’re #1!

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan talks about how Worcester is “the snowiest city this winter in the United States”, and talks about his concerns over a possible slot machine casino and hotel in the city. Mike tries to avoid ranting by reading a brief statement on panhandling, then rants about how the city should encourage competition by easing restrictions on food carts.

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Holy Cross Magazine, Spring 2003

I was out of town in 2003, so I never saw this before. Thanks to a friend for bringing it to my attention.

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Front Cover/Back Cover

Andrew Sullivan has been linking to some of the arguments made for war in 2002/2003, as well as the thoughts of those folks 10 years later. I opposed the war at the time (wrote letters, demonstrated), but I don’t take any credit for that. I don’t have superior skills at foreign policy analysis, just a cautious eye when reading the news and a mild bias against violent solutions.

Worcester panhandlers arrested over weekend

Two arrests this weekend, a couple of others earlier last week. Three men begging while standing in traffic, another begging from people entering or leaving a store. One of these also involves a trespassing charge, two others a disorderly conduct charge. (The fourth is a little confusing on that point.) I’m not sure if there would always be a “disorderly conduct” thrown in for arrests like these, or whether standing in traffic is itself disorderly conduct.

Telegram & Gazette: Police start arresting panhandlers

Robert A. Mele, 34, who lists his address as 701 Main St., the homeless shelter, was arraigned Monday in Central District Court for trespassing and violating the aggressive panhandling ordinance after he was found standing on the off-ramp to Interstate 290 eastbound in the Belmont Street area Saturday.

[…]

Michael P. Gorham, 51, of 11 Ellsworth St., Apt. 4, was arrested Sunday — which happened to be his birthday — for disorderly conduct and violating the aggressive panhandling ordinance.

Police said he was aggressively panhandling on Chandler Street and at first was told to leave. Officers saw him again walking in and out of traffic and arrested him. He was arraigned Monday and ordered held on $500 cash bail.

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508 #214: The Future of Journalism

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, we talk about local journalism, past, present, and future, with participants in the Worcester Institute for Senior Education at Assumption College. Special thanks to Tracy Novick and Karl Hakkarainen.

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Mass to celebrate the election of Pope Francis, Worcester

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Today Bishop McManus said mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester to celebrate the election of Pope Francis.

In his homily, the bishop said:

It seems to be true, very true, that God gives the Church what the Church needs at this time.

The bishop highlighted the new pope’s South American origins and his asking for the people’s blessing before blessing them at the announcement of his election.

I believe what the Church needs desperately at this moment is another Francis Xavier . . . a man who knows first-hand what it is to be a missionary.

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These were very appropriate remarks for a celebration. I appreciated the recognition that “this moment” is a crucial one. Maybe it’s a sign of my pessimism and anxiety about the hierarchy that my own thoughts kept drifting to unresolved questions about Pope Francis’s past actions under the Argentine dictatorship, and whether he will be willing and able to take bold action on the child sex abuse crisis.

Update: The Catholic Free Press has non-cellphone pix of the mass and lots of local reaction.

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508 #213: Guns and Walmart

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy and Brendan Melican discuss and debate an upcoming anti-gun protest at the local Walmart.

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Panhandling protest: the negative reactions

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City Councilor Konnie Lukes, in Worcester Magazine:

It was clearly a publicity stunt geared to embarrass police and the city. I’ll leave it to [the police department’s] judgment as to how they handle it.

Police Chief Gemme:

We were made aware that there would be a peaceful protest focusing on poverty and the panhandling ordinance. Based on the communication that we received from Saint Francis & Therese Catholic Worker, we know that the protesters are well aware of the ordinance and we gave them latitude to peacefully conduct their protest.

Our approach to panhandling has been stated publicly. Our focus has been on education and gaining voluntary compliance. If enforcement action is necessary, we will take it . . . But we will not make arrests for the sake of making arrests.

Today, between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM there were 21 calls for service throughout the city. None of these calls were regarding panhandling. During this time period, we directed our limited resources where they were most needed. We used discretion to monitor the protest, and our decisions were made in the best interest of the entire community.

As much as I’d like to quibble with these words, I’m not going to do that, because the upshot of the city’s actions is so interesting.
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No arrests in Worcester panhandling civil disobedience

In an act of civil disobedience against Worcester’s new anti-panhandling ordinances, three Worcester residents today begged for money on the median in Lincoln Square, directly across from police headquarters. The event was held on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which Christians mark with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

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Gordon Davis, a blind anti-discrimination advocate, held a bucket reading BLIND and represented the disabled. Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, a Catholic Worker who has housed the homeless in Worcester for decades, was dressed as St. Francis, himself a beggar. Robert Peters, a long-time Buddhist meditator, dressed in the robes he wears as a lay Buddhist.

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At least four people called the police to complain. According to the supporters demonstrating legally on the nearby sidewalk, the only police response was one officer giving the thumbs-up when he drove by.

In a statement, Chief Gemme said that “Today, between 1 and 2 p.m. there were 21 calls for service throughout the city. None of these calls were regarding panhandling.” (I’m not sure what the difference is between a call for service and these calls. Maybe there were 21 911 issues?)

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None of the beggars was arrested, cited, or warned. “This is a victory for Worcester,” said Schaeffer-Duffy.

Womag has more pix. The T&G reports “$14.68 collected,” all of which will go directly to those in need.

What did we give up before Facebook?

Facebook is a great thing to “give up” for Lent. It’s not the worst thing I can do with my time, but the line between “connecting with friends” and “spending an hour clicking aimlessly” is easily crossed.

Back when I was a big TV watcher, giving up TV for Lent always seemed like a good idea, but not a very practical one. Even if the time I spent with my family in front of the tube was not “quality time,” it was still a social activity and a shared experience.

Both TV watching and Facebook are strange in that from one angle they’re very solitary, and from another communal. At its worst, watching TV lets strangers program my brain as I sit staring; Facebook, at its worst, is an exercise in narcissism.

So since I always feel like “I should spend less time on Facebook,” and since I have no lack of other ways of catching up with folks, I’m giving up Facebook again this year, and replacing some of that newly-freed time with morning and evening prayer. I’ll be on the road a lot of Lent, so I’m putting off deciding what to give up on Fridays in lieu of meat—I’ll try various dietary experiments and see how they go.

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