Ask Deacon Mike

If I were to give my words here a title I think it would be “St. Philip Neri and Me”. That is because I want to share with you something remarkable that happened to me at our 90^th Anniversary Mass and dedication of the 1^st Class Relic Shrine this past Tuesday. We had been preparing for this great event for the past eight months. Many people gave many hours and dollars so that we could come together as a parish to thank God for the many blessings that He has showered upon our parish. Of course the force behind all of this was Fr. Roncase. His vision and determination along with the generosity of so many people made this a reality.

When I arrived at the rectory about 12:30 PM on the day of the big event I found Fr. Roncase and our friend, Fr. Innocence, washing and drying dishes in preparation for the arrival of Bishop Thomas and the other concelebrating priests. The rectory was abuzz with all of the normal activities along with the extra preparations for what would be happening that evening. Fr. Roncase, Fr. Innocence and I went down to the church to go over the ceremonies and make one last check of everything. We then went over to the social hall to check on things there. The big hall was absolutely beautiful. Doris Decker, Dawn Ellis and their helpers had transformed the hall into a gorgeous banquet center. Just to add a little confusion to everything the carnival rides began to arrive around 3:00 PM. We were zigzagging in and out of their paths as we went from rectory to church to social hall and back and forth several more times.

The rest of the afternoon stayed busy right up until the reception for the bishop and priests at the rectory. Mass was scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM. At 6:00 PM I met with the altar servers to go over their assignments for the Mass. As always, the servers did a great job.

About 6:10 PM the other priests and the bishop began coming into the sacristy to vest. I had many people asking last minute questions and needing direction. Fr. Roncase was just as busy at the other end of the sacristy. Suddenly I looked around and everyone was heading to the back of church for the start of Mass. By the time I arrived in the vestibule the procession had formed and we were ready to go. I did not even have time to take a deep breath. Off we went up the center isle. All I remember was seeing a lot of smiling faces as I walked by with the book of the Gospels. Mass proceeded as usual. After communion I sat down at my chair next to the bishop and for the first time I started to really reflect upon what was about to happen.

When the bishop finished the post-Communion prayer we formed a procession to escort the relic of St. Philip Neri to the shrine. The relic is actually a piece of bone from his arm. The authenticity has been confirmed by the Vatican. You can read the formal letter we received (in Latin and translated by Fr. Smart who is the only one of us old enough to have taken Latin beyond high school).

Now here is where my remarkable experience occurred. As deacon of the Mass, it fell to me to carry the relic of St. Philip Neri in the procession. So much had been happening all day. Now suddenly it was Philip and I walking down the isle. I realized that in my hands were some of the remains of one of the greatest saints of our church. Through the grace of God I was allowed to carry an actual piece of his body in procession. I had two thoughts: 1) I have a few things in common with St. Philip. We both like humor. Philip loved the people entrusted to him and I love those entrusted to me. We were both called to serve God’s people. We both found profound joy in our calling. 2) I did not want the procession to end. The walk down the center isle took less than a minute but for me it could have lasted for hours.

I had not anticipated feeling this way. Even when Fr. Roncase told me that I would carry the relic I did not think much about it. But here I was and there Philip was in my hands. As we walked I also knew that none of this was really about Philip and especially not about me. It was about our loving God who calls us all to holiness. It was about Jesus for whom our saints led their lives and to whom they committed their very being. It was about the Holy Spirit who inspired Philip Neri as a young man to give his life to the service of God’s people.

As I handed the relic to Bishop Thomas to place on the marble shrine I felt truly humbled to have had this honor. We walked only a few steps together. But now I can pray with Philip anytime at his shrine and ask God to give me the strength and courage to do His will. Philip is there to remind all of us that holiness is something we all can experience, it is something to which we are all called. St. Philip Neri, pray for us.

God bless you and I love you all. Deacon Mike Franks