On Sunday, Sept. 4th, Fr. Paul Bringleson was installed at the Sunday Eucharist as pastor of St. Anne parish in Flin Flon, Canadian Martyrs in Cranberry Portage, and Our Lady of the Snows in Snow Lake. The readings on forgiveness fit the occassion well, as central to the life of the church, and the ministry of a priest.
At the end of the ritual, which included mention of Fr. Paul's dog Kismet as the parish mascot, Fr. Paul received a standing ovation. The church was quite full for this occasion, and brother Knight Normand Leclerc presented a donation of over $5,000 to the archdiocese for the seminarian fund, from a fund-raising effort that he spearheaded.
The celebration was followed by a reception, and later on a catered supper for about 100 invited parishioners and guests. Fr. Paul spoke briefly at the end of the supper about the warm reception he had received, and how he hoped his present theme of serving God and loving people would help everyone to work for the common good in an inclusive way. Incidently, Fr. Paul managed to keep track of the score of the Labour Day classic, and let out the not so secret fact that he was a fan of the green and white (made a little easier now that he lives on the border).
Fr. Bill Stang OMI was unable to attend as he was doing weekend ministry in Cumberland House, but Fr. Susai Jesus OMI from Pelican Narrows managed to get to the supper. Sr. Mary Assenmacher, OP, pastoral assistant in The Pas, traveled with me to Flin Flon for the occasion.
Fr. Paul's parents, Fred and Laura Bringleson, travelled from Hamilton to spend a few weeks with Fr. Paul at this time. Paul's mother in particular has made an amazing recovery from serious health problems last year, and both are very much enjoying their stay in the West.
Fr. Paul Fachet OMI, replaced Fr. Ron Rolheiser OMI who was scheduled to come but could not for health reasons. Fr. Paul used two paintings by the German artist Sieger Koder to draw out the deeper, more profound meaning of the two scriptural events of the washing of the feet and the meeting of Jesus with the woman at the well.
The washing of the feet art work by Sieger Koder, a retired priest in Germany, that kept us very attentive as Fr. Paul drew out of us the layers of meaning contained in this picture, especially the acceptance and resistance of Peter, the figure of Jesus collapsed unto the lap of Peter, the fresh water in the bowl, the face of Jesus looking up at Peter, and the link between the foot washing act and the bread and wine, to name a few. This was a very rewarding prayerful experience.
The sescond work of art that Fr. Paul presented to us, which also captivated us as he pointed out the intriguing details such as how her face is transformed in the water, and how the face of Jesus has taken on her features, a mark of his compasstion and totally empathetic listening.
Here, Fr. Bill Burke, Director of the National Liturgy Office for the CCCB, presents on the General Instruction for the Roman Missal (GIRM). He put this new reality into the context of the espectation of a more careful extensive version that was promised right after Vat II. He also streseed that this whole process is actually a completion of Vatican II, not a throwback to a pre-Vatican II stance. We will be studying all this material over the next few weeks and eventually putting out directives on the implementation of the BIRM in our archdiocese.
