Fr. Harry Winter

June 21, 2024

Many thanks to those who commented on the May 20 Five Ways. First, let us continue with Christian Joy, remembering that the Holy Spirit is the source of joy. Dad was listening to his child say his prayer “Dear Harold.” Dad interrupted and asked “How come you call God “Harold”? The little boy replied “We say Our Father who art in Heaven, Harold be Thy Name.” Another child prayed “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets” (from the late Fr. Gil Boucher, O.M.I.).

Secondly, it is important to pass on to our young people what happened 80 years ago June 6, 1944, D-Day, when 9,837 American soldiers died on the beaches of Normandy, France. Bishop Jacques Habert of Bayeux-Lisieux, whose diocese includes Normandy, said “The church is keen to pass on the duty of remembrance we owe to those who gave their lives at the time of the D-Day landings, especially to young people.” He spent all of June 6, 2024 with young people, listening to speakers.

On the evening of June 5, Bishop Habert welcomed a British delegation to the Bayeux Cathedral, including Princess Anne, sister of the British monarch, for an ecumenical liturgy with representatives of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Communion. Let us not hesitate to share with our young people what occurred on June 6, 1944.

And finally, we have an ecumenist, Nathan Ammon Smith, declaring that the ecumenical winter is over, an ecumenical spring is developing, bonded with evangelization. Each of the Christian Churches possesses features which the other does not have, and needs. All are on a pilgrimage of hope, led by the Holy Spirit. Smith sees the ecumenical spring because the Christian Churches are now more eager to receive and be transformed by their sister Christian Churches, for the sake of bringing the complete Jesus to our troubled world.

You may find Nathan Ammon Smith’s article “Receptive Ecumenism as Evangelization” on pages 14/70 – 19/75 in the current issue of Ecumenical Trends linked here – https://ecutrends.geii.org/members/Issues_PDF/May_Jun_24/Trends_May_Jun_2024.pdf

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Harry Winter, O.M.I.

May 20, 2024

Please note my e-mail has changed. It seems the old one still works.

On Sunday, May 19, Sixty Minutes interviewed Pope Francis in a very intriguing 20-minute section. If you google “60 Minutes Overtime, Interviewing Pope Francis,” you will find some very important insights about his papacy. I welcome hearing from you about it.

The Gospel for May 19, Pentecost Sunday, explains Jesus breathing on the apostles to give them the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Please notice that God breathed on the first human beings and the entire Garden of Eden at the beginning of creation (Gn. 2:7). So, as we repair the harm we have done to our planet, we need the breath of the Holy Spirit to help us ensure a healthy creation all around us.

May 21 is the feast day of St. Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. May the entire de Mazenodian Family rejoice.

Two humorous items from the late Father Gil Boucher, O.M.I., to continue Easter joy. 1) I had been teaching my three-year-old daughter the Lord’s Prayer. For several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer. Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end of the prayer: “Lead us not into temptation,” she prayed, “but deliver us some E-mail. Amen.” 2) Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to get into their pews or their favorite church parking spot.

Many thanks to all who commented on the April 16 e-letter.

Fr. Winter

April 16, 2024

Although the column below “Five Hundred Years of Misunderstanding” was originally written by Fr. Ron Rolheiser on April 17, 2017, it was republished on our OMI USA website on April 10 (below). It is still very, very relevant, especially during the Easter season when the joy of the Risen Christ unites all Christians and urges us to work for unity among Christians–unity for the sake of evangelization. Fr. Rolheiser’s website on spirituality has many other very interesting columns.

And speaking of Easter joy, here is an item from the May-June Joyful Noiseletter that may bring a smile to your face:  “Three Animals Go to Heaven. A horse, a dog, and a cat die and go to heaven.  St. Peter greets them at the pearly gates and takes them to see God, seated on His throne.

  God asks the horse ‘Why do you think we should let you into heaven?’ ‘I worked hard all my life,’ the horse replied. ‘I broke my back tilling the earth and bringing in the harvest, year after year.’

‘Fine,’ God said.  ‘Come on in.’

‘And you?’ God addressed the dog.

‘I was loyal to my master,’ the dog replied. ‘I hunted with him, protected his family, and lay by his side every day when he was sick.’

‘Good,’ God said. ‘You are welcome to enter.’

God then looked at the cat and asked, ‘And what about you/’

‘You’re sitting in my chair,’ the cat replied.” 

Search for the website of The Joyful Noiseletter for the Fellowship of Merry Christians and more joyful spirituality.

Many thanks to those who responded to the March 20 Five Ways e-letter. May the Forty Days of Easter bring us all closer together.

Fr. Winter

Five Hundred Years of Misunderstanding by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI

Mar 20, 2024

The Muslim article below is a bit long. At least take a look at the beginning and end, to see that moderate Muslims are very interested in working with other religions to protect our planet.  Fr. Jack Lau, O.M.I., who sent this to me, calls it a sibling to Pope Francis’ Lodato Si, which also begs us to better protect our environment.

On Feb. 29, I was able to take part in a Faith Leaders Conference at the Christian evangelical Gordon College, in nearby Wenham, MA.  This college is to the east coast what Fuller Theological, Pasadena, CA is to the west coast, and reminds us to pay more attention to the missionary efforts of Protestant evangelicals and Catholic charismatics right here.

On Easter Sunday, please notice those who attend, after being absent since at least Christmas.  Gently invite them back for Divine Mercy Sunday April 7.

If Muslims invite you to join them in breaking their fast during Ramadan (until April 9) consider accepting.  If a Jewish friend invites you to their Seder Meal for Passover (about April 23-30), consider accepting.  And if an evangelical Protestant invites you to join them for the Easter Sunrise service, March 31,  consider accepting.

Many thanks to those who commented on the February 21 Five Ways.  And may each of us have a very joyful Triduum and Easter Sunday!

Fr. Harry Winter O.M.I.

Al-Mizan, A Covenant for the Earth

February 21, 2024

Many thanks to those who commented on the January 12 Five Ways e-letter.

Although the attached article from the national Jesuit edited journal America is long, I think you will find it very readable.  The Episcopal Church in the USA (Anglican in other countries) and the Roman Catholic Church were very close following the Second Vatican Council, in 1965.  Then the decision by the Episcopal Church to ordain women priests and bishops, and their approval of certain moral questions seemed to put a roadblock towards further union.

As the America article explains, the symbolic actions by Pope St. Paul VI and Pope Francis, along with the twinning of Episcopalian and Roman Catholic Bishops, indicates that progress is not dead, but still continuing.

I hope to hear from the Oblate bishop in Sri Lanka who is twinned to an Anglican bishop there.

My thanks to former regional counsellor for the USA and Canada, Father Warren Brown, O.M.I., for sending me this article.

As we continue in the first week of Lent, is there an urgent dimension of evangelical ecumenism in Lent? On Ash Wednesday, our churches saw many people come for ashes who do not attend Sunday Mass. And it is more and more evident that many Catholics are no longer marrying Catholics, but members of other Christian Churches. Can we invite these spouses, sometimes non-practicing Eastern Orthodox or Protestants, to join us for Sunday Mass and/or Stations of the Cross during Lent?

The hymns during Lent, the emphasis on our baptism and what it means for spiritual growth, and above all the Cross of Jesus joined to our daily cross, do attract people.  Let us share our experience with those around us, of Jesus carrying our cross.

May our observance of Lent bring us closer to Jesus and each other.

In His love,

Father Harry Winter, O.M.I.

America Magazine – A short history of Catholic-Anglican relations—and the last roadblocks to unity

January 12, 2024

Many thanks to those who replied to the December 22 Five Ways e-letter.  I hope Christmas and the New Year brought joy to you and your loved ones.

As we approach the 2024 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25, there are several special features for this year.

First to consider is that the Vatican and the World Council of Churches each year choose different local Churches to prepare the materials.  This year they chose the Christian Churches of Burkina Faso, and the rapidly growing ecumenical community Chemin Neuf, headquartered in France, and spreading all over the world.  The Wikipedia article on Chemin Neuf is very extensive.

The material this year centers on St. Luke’s response in the Parable of the Good Samaritan:  “You shall love the Lord your God . . . and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk. 10:27). These materials are still available from the Graymoor Ecumenical Institute:  http://www.geii.org.

Secondly, we are challenged by the fact that over 50% of Catholic marriages today involve a non-Catholic Christian. We do not seem prepared to help these families face the special difficulties this poses, especially when the children want to learn about the religions of both parents. More and more parishes want to help these families, but specialists and materials are lacking.

Thirdly, when the October 2023 Synod closed, its final document urged more participation from Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants in the October 2024 Synod.  Which means more participation on the parish level too.

Finally, we need our evangelical Protestants as allies confronting abortion. We need our liberal Protestants as allies in confronting discrimination, especially as we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 15.

The Holy Spirit is very eager to help all Christians grow closer, so Jesus will become clearer to all. I welcome your insights about doing this.

In His love,

Fr. Harry Winter, O.M.I.

Evangelization and Christmas

December 18, 2023

Yesterday, Sunday, Dec. 17, our 11 am Mass was full for the first time since before covid. The attraction was the annual children’s Christmas Pageant, presented by the Faith Formation Director and the Music Director. It struck me how many of those attending were not practicing Catholics and perhaps not even Christian, the aunts and uncles and grandparents and close friends of the children. (We used Louise Egan’s “The First Christmas,” available on the internet).

Christmas is an ideal time for evangelization. May we go out of our way to welcome those who are sniffing around for hope. With the wars between Israel and Hamas, and between Russia and the Ukraine, people do look for strength. Let us pray for these people especially as they attend Christmas Mass.
As the Christmas dinner winds down, when coffee and dessert are being served, it is a special time to ask the oldest person there “What was the best Christmas you ever had?” I am sure Jesus will enter into the conversation.

I welcome hearing about your attempts to witness to Jesus at Christmas. And many, many thanks to those who commented on the Nov. 20 Five Ways.

May you have the best of Christmases and New Years.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Harry Winter, O.M.I.