Pastor's Corner, September 29, 2013

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

This afternoon the Red Mass will be celebrated in the Cathedral. We are privileged to have as our guest homilist Archbishop William Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore and chairman of the ad hoc Committee for Religious Liberty of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. All are welcome to attend.

The first Red Mass for the Bench and Bar took place in 1245. In England the Mass was celebrated at the opening of each term of Court, a custom which continues in the United States. In England the celebrant of the Mass wore red vestments, and the judges of the High Court at the time of King Edward I, who were all doctors of the law, wore red robes, thus giving rise to the name “Red Mass.” Liturgically, the celebration is a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit.

It seems ever more important these days to celebrate the Red Mass. Those in the legal profession gather in prayer and worship so as to be a living sign of the importance of not just the freedom of worship but for the much wider and more fundamental right of the freedom of religion.

Each of us has the right and duty to live our faith in the world around us. Also, all Americans and the Church need advocates in the legal profession to defend and promote religious freedom and freedom of conscience precisely at a time in which these fundamental human rights are being questioned.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker

End with Our Lady

The last evening in Fatima and the last day of our pilgrimage was spent participating in a special rosary and procession at the chapel of the apparitions. Bob and Sue Bartos prayed in English 5 Hail Marys of the fourth glorious mystery of the rosary. At the end of the rosary they carried a statue of Mary around the plaza and then returned to the chapel. It was a magnificent ending to our pilgrimage. 

Popes of Fatima

Fatima has received such high approbation by the visit of several popes. Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have visited the shrine. The pope with the closest connection with Our Lady of Fatima is Pope John Paul II. On May 13, 1981 an attempt was made on his life. A bullet passed near his heart which doctors said should have struck his aorta and killed him. The Pope said that Our Lady guided the bullet which made an unexplained deviation and barely missed the aorta. The bullet was given to the Shrine by Pope John Paul II and it is now in the crown of the statue of Our Lady. 

Old friend

This afternoon I visited an old friend here in Fatima. I met Armando Mendes on a previous visit to Fatima in the early 90's and stayed in his hotel. It was built on his family property which is only a block from the Shrine. He has a great love for Our Lady and he knows all about the apparitions. He continues to run the hotel and he is now married with 7 children. 

The sanctuary in Fatima

The first chapel in Fatima was built near the site of apparition. We will have Mass there today. Then they built another, larger church and them finally, just a few year ago, they completed a modern basilica which hold over 8,000 people. Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto as well as Sr. Lucia are buried in the old basilica. 

The three shepherd children

The three children who saw Our Lady in 1917 first were visited three times by the Angel of Peace in 1916, teaching them how to pray and offer sacrifices for sinners. The last visit culminated with the angel giving them Holy Communion. This morning we visited the homes of the children and the sites of the apparitions of the angel. 

Our Lady of Fatima

We have arrived in Fatima a bit tired but excited to see the site where Our Lady appeared to 3 shepherd children in 1917. A small outdoor chapel marks the spot of the apparition. We will have Mass this evening in the chapel of the angel of peace. Tomorrow we will have a formal tour of the sanctuary and the place where the children lived.