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Monsignor Gier comments on the new translation of Mass. Martin Reidy explores the traditions behind mistletoe and holly wreaths.
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Holy Family
December 2011 Volume 17 Issue 4 Tulsa, Oklahoma CCATHEDRALATHEDRAL N NEWSEWS
DETAIL FROM A WINDOW IN THE CATHEDRAL’S CHAPEL OF PEACE
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Identification Statement: The Cathedral News Issue 1 December 2011 (USPS 022-729) is published 10 x per year (monthly, except for June
and July) by Holy Family Cathedral at 122 W 8th St., Tulsa OK 74119-1402. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CATHEDRAL NEWS, PO BOX 3204, Tulsa, OK 74101-3204.
CHRISTMAS EVE:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Confessions
5:00 p.m. Children’s Mass
7:30 p.m. Vigil Mass with Motet Choir
11:00 p.m. Christmas Carols
12:00 Midnight Mass with Full Choir
CHRISTMAS DAY:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
8:00 a.m. Mass
10:00 a.m. Mass with Motet Choir
12:00 p.m. Mass with Motet Choir
[No 5:00 p.m. Mass]
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31
5:00 p.m. Mass
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1
8:00 a.m. Mass
10:00 a.m. Mass
12:00 p.m. Mass
5:00 p.m. Mass
The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus,
Mary, and Joseph is the patronal feast of
both Holy Family parish and the Diocese of
Tulsa. This year it is celebrated on Friday,
December 30.
3
Dear Parishioners of Holy Family Cathedral:
The coming of Advent brings us a new Liturgical Year and
a new Roman Missal for our prayer. Last Sunday, the First
Sunday of Advent, we introduced the new translation and
survived very well I think. No matter how long you practice
something like this, the actually praying of it brings sur-
prises and unexpected moments. I certainly was caught off
guard a few times during the weekend Masses. Actually my
bifocals ended up being my biggest problem. Thank you for
your great effort in making this as comfortable as possible.
In a few weeks we will all be adjusted and flowing as com-
fortably as before. Like anything else in life, some of the new
approaches I find really very beautiful and some not so much
so. All in all however, I do think it is an improvement and
certainly a higher form of literature. The Lord be with you.
Advent is also one of our most active seasons. Our annual clothing drive for the needy is
one of the most successful ventures of our year. It is a great way to bring the year to a close.
If we have found ourselves preoccupied with self and a little narrow in our generosity, this
clothing drive gives us a great opportunity to be generous as our God is generous to us.
Christmas will be here before we publish again so I take this opportunity to wish all of
you a joyous and holy Christmas Season. As you know by now, I love Christmas and all that
it entails. You will notice this year that we will not have the great Christmas trees in the
sanctuary. The collections for these last few months simply do not justify their cost.
May you have a Blessed and Holy Advent and truly be prepared to welcome the great and
wondrous Incarnate Word of God.
Sincerely in the Holy Family,
Msgr. Gregory A. Gier
Rector
Cathedral News deadlines: Please submit articles and announcements to the Cathedral News by the 15th of the month. Email mikemalcom@gmail.com or send your article to Mike Malcom at the parish office.
Photo: Cathy Nelson
4
RCIA inquirers attended the Rite
of Acceptance on November 20 at
the 10 a.m. Mass when they be-
came part of our Christian commu-
nity as catechumens or candidates
(those already baptized.) These peo-
ple are taking the first steps to be-
coming Catholic and are eager to get
to know us and find their place in
our congregation.
We have begun reserving several
The Catechumenate Begins for RCIA Inquirers BY THE RCIA MINISTRY TEAM
rows each Sunday at the 10:00 Mass
for these catechumens, candidates
and their families and sponsors.
They are visible to the congregation,
and have a clear view of the pro-
ceedings at Mass so they can be-
come familiar with it. We will con-
tinue this each Sunday at the 10 am
Mass until they enter the Church at
Easter. Not all of them attend at 10,
but we expect as many as possible to
do so. Our example will give them
direction in their behavior, and our
prayers will ensure their success in
their studies.
We are planning an RCIA potluck
dinner on December 14 which will
be a great opportunity for them to
share their lives with each other
and with the sponsors, clergy and
RCIA lay team. We are looking for-
ward to a beautiful celebration of
Advent and Christmas.
5
many mince meat pies topped with
the figurine of the Christ Child on a
table laden with spices and fruits
awaiting the Christmas pilgrim
seeking their Bethlehem. Yes, it is
Christmas and the Round Table in-
vites all who wish to come to the
Feast celebrating the Birth of Christ
Who is come to redeem the world!
Once again
the bells to ring
as Christmas carols
the children sing!
As we wait
a Child to lay
in His crib
come Christmas Day
The Christmastide will soon be
upon us - that wondrous fortnight
'twixt Christmas Eve and Epiphany
when we welcome once again Christ
into the world! Meanwhile, prepara-
tions of great urgency and fanfare
are afoot making ready soul and
sanctuary to receive their Lord come
Christmas Day. Advent, that in-
terim of expectation between honor-
ing God on Thanksgiving Day to re-
ceiving God in Christ on Christmas
Day, sends the messenger to inform
us: “He is coming! He is coming! So,
be of good cheer for He is coming!”
And so it is that Christ is come!
Yes, the Christmastide will soon
be upon us- - that most joyous of
times. Meanwhile, holly wreaths
adorn the gates of castle and keep
with mistletoe over every lintel and
portal. Carols echo down the musty
halls as embers of a charring Yule
Log glow in the open hearth. Steam-
ing tankards of wassail crowd the
The Council extends to each of
you a sincere desire that you have a
blessed and happy Christmas and
our gift to you, should you so wish to
attend, is the violinist at the 8 a.m.
Mass come Christmas Day. PAX!
Notes from the Knightstand BY MARTIN REIDY
6
three for your further appreciation of
these Christmas customs and enjoyment
of the Christmas season.
So let me begin with the holly. Holly is
dioecious meaning that it is male and fe-
male. The female produces the berries but
will only become red from milky white in
the near presence of the male – which can
occasionally be found on the same bush.
Holly tea is an ancient folk remedy for
ailments such as gout, dizziness, kidney
and urinary conditions. Oddly, though it
is medicinal, the berries are poisonous to
humans. Holly branches were given as
gifts by the Romans to one another during
the Saturnalia and was also shaped into a
wreath to protect the domicile from light-
ning, evil curses, and witchcraft. Thus it
was hung at the entry as well as inside the
home. Another oddity is that Nordic cul-
tures employed it for the same reasons
though there is no ready evidence of cul-
tural interaction by which one would have
taken the custom from the other. The
Church got into the act during the Middle
Ages by advocating its display over that
of mistletoe for its unsavory reputation
associated with both Mediterranean and
Celtic/Nordic fertility cults. The Church
promoted the holly wreath as symbolic of
the crown of thorns due to its prickly
leaves and red berries symbolic of the
blood of Christ. Not the least was its cir-
cular shape reflective of the perfect sym-
bol as a circle has no beginning or end –
which the Church did not originate but
used to good purpose. So, deck your hall
with boughs of holly and hang a wreath
upon your door but when it comes to mis-
tletoe, leave it forever more!
Alas! Alas! Poor mistletoe! What
brought you to this lowly state turned and
spurned by holy fate? Mistletoe is a semi-
parasitical shrub common to many trees -
mainly the oak - and is considered sacred
in the Germanic cultures which contrib-
uted to its mythical legends on high and
its eventual downfall from grace. It was
considered by such cultures to be a result
(Continued on page 7)
Christmas Customs: What We Do and Why We Do It BY MARTIN REIDY
Have you ever wondered as to why you
hang a holly wreath on your front door,
suspend mistletoe over a portal, or cele-
brate Christmas in December? Well, these
are just a few of the Christmas holiday
traditions that have their roots deep in our
collective past. Our primary holidays of
Christmas and Easter, and to an extent
Halloween, are comprised of a syncretism
of myths and legends which originated
with our unsophisticated ancestors to ex-
plain the world as they knew it, the mean-
ing of life – sort of a Deus ex mundi ap-
proach to rationalizing their world. As
these ancient peoples interacted with one
another in wars and migrations a homog-
enization of cultures occurred which in-
cluded without saying their truths which
are our myths and legends. Thus it is that
one tradition may have several or at least
various explanation as to why we do it
today. It is not possible to discuss the
myriad customs or even the many legends
and reasons reflective of a few in this
short essay. However, it is possible to “hit
the highlights,” if you please, of two or
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Upcoming Events
The Cathedral Women’s Club
Christmas meeting is December 1
at Escargot’s following the 12:05
Mass. Bring your appetite and a
small unwrapped toy for the Chil-
dren’s Shelter.. Contact Ann Owen,
918-748-9419. Catered lunch is $10
per person.
Deacon Jerry Mattox’s weekly Bible
Study is focusing on Exodus and
Church History. It is open to all pa-
rishioners and meets at 7:00 p.m.
every Thursday in the Halpine
Room.
The Diocesan Catholic Youth
Conference is December 10, 2011,
10am-9pm, at Cascia Hall School.
Cost is $35. Scholarships available
through the parish. Pick up registra-
tion forms at the Cathedral’s south
entrance bulletin board. Contact
Mike Malcom at 918-810-0652 or the
Diocesan Youth Office at 918-307-
4940, 918-307-4939 or
youth.office@dioceseoftulsa.org
Solemn Vespers: On the last Sunday
of each month, Bishop Slattery gath-
ers the people of the diocese together
to celebrate solemn Vespers at the
Cathedral. With psalms, readings and
prayers taken from the Scriptures,
solemn Vespers are sung in the con-
text of Eucharistic Adoration. Benedic-
tion closes the service. Booklets are
provided. Update: The Vespers ser-
vice that would have taken place
on Christmas Day has been moved
to January 1.
The Council of Catholic Women
and the Cathedral Women’s Club is
of the interaction of the gods via lightning
with the earth via a sacred tree. As the
shrub exhibited no visible means of life –
no soil or root system – it was deemed to
be a divine gift to mankind as a talisman
to avert lightning, evil, and disease. It was
also considered to be a symbol of peace
beneath which truces were obtained,
agreements honored, and betrothals sol-
emnized. It was the Romans who often
sealed such with a cheeky kiss and from
which our custom of kissing under the
mistletoe is believed to be derived. Unfor-
tunately, it also had a nefarious associa-
tion with the bacchanalian orgies of Rome
– all of which caused the Church to cast a
caustic eye as to its use. So, out it went
from the Church but old habits die hard
(Continued from page 6) and the common folk retained its use.
Let’s wrap this up with a dance. What
could be more innocent? Well, a lot or so
it seems. Carols were once just that: cir-
cular dances originating from the lore of
the common folk. They predate the
Church but were performed in the
churches until, again, the Church sensed
that this dancing led not toward but away
from the Lord! So out they went into the
streets! Folk songs were gradually added.
A leader would sing a stanza and the oth-
ers responded with a chorus. It was the
“waits” of watchmen of later Middle
Ages who would call out the hour and
“all’s well” and add a line or two of song
during the Christmas season that caroling
developed as we know it today. The
Church was always uncomfortable with
any dance as folk dances recalled ancient
times when dancing was a natural expres-
sion of the earth-time-season cycle and
entailed movements deemed seemingly, if
not outright lewd, by a culture looking
now more to heaven than to the earth for
answers to eternal questions of existence.
So, worry not that you are enjoining
heathen or pagan practices and customs
this Christmas when you hang that wreath
or steal a kiss beneath the mistletoe. Re-
member the words of Pope Saint Gregory
who wrote in 597, “Adopt practices to the
praise of God!” Just remember: modera-
tion in all things!
Merry Christmas!
selling two-year calendar/planners.
They are wallet size: 4” x 7” and cost
$2. Contact Gloria, 918-446-0611.
The Catholic Business & Professional
Women welcomes guests to their Mon-
day, December 5 meeting at Michael
Fusco’s restaurant, 9912 Riverside
Parkway. Gather at 6:00; seating at
6:30. Deacon Joe Guzman will present
Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. Cost is
$22.00. RSVP to Cheryl LaFortune
prior to the date at lafortu-
nate@mac.com or 918-645-6090.
The Cathedral Women’s Club is col-
lecting items for our annual Garage
Sale. It will be held in March of
2012. Contact Ann Owen, 918-748-
9419, or Helga Gorman, 918–636-
0860 to arrange pickup.
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Holy Family Cathedral
P.O. Box 3204
Tulsa, OK 74101-3204
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