On Friday, November 22, 1963 I was sick and had to stay home from school; nothing serious, just a day at home with a slight temperature. Around 12:30 I was laying on the couch in the small TV room in the back of our small Cape Cod house in Cincinnati, Ohio. The room was so small that my mom had to put the ironing board between the couch where I was laying and the TV, which was showing a very boring soap opera. What happened next was far from boring. “We interrupt this program……. President John F. Kennedy has been shot in Dallas.” About a half hour later they interrupted again to announce that he had died. For a couple of generations of Americans, that moment elicits and solidifies memories of exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. It was similar to recounting exactly what you were doing at the time of the terror attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 9/11/01.
The horrible news about President Kennedy was shocking and sad. As my mom heard that he had died, she put the iron down, sat at the end of the couch, gently rubbed my feet over the blanket that covered me, and began to cry – not sniffle or tear up, but a full blown cry. As a 7 year old, I have to admit that I was a bit more affected by my mom’s reaction than the actual news of our president’s death. As the years have gone by, and especially with my mom’s recent passing, I look back on that moment as one of the treasures of my life. I remember how she explained some things about the assassination that I didn’t understand. Through her own tears she was a great comfort to me. The whole thing was such an intimate moment, and all these years later I can’t separate my mom’s loving presence at an unbelievably confusing and sad moment. I felt sad, I KNEW she was sad, and I shared that with her. We grieved together and I can’t think of anyone better to be with at that moment than my mom.
What unfolded was one of the most bizarre and news-filled weekends as alleged assassin Lee Oswald was then shot and killed, and the first and only Catholic president had a very public wake and funeral Mass. An entire nation was saddened, mourned, prayed, and, again, there are a couple of generations of us that will never forget those series of events. The mourning was so public. It was national. It was world-wide, it was Catholic, it was shocking and remains somewhat confusing.
I believe that grief is a lot like that. I believe all of those things are part of grief and we all grieve the loss of our loved ones in our own unique way. However, during this month of November we have a couple of opportunities to grieve together. First, please write the name of any loved one who has passed away in the past year in our Book of the Dead and, secondly, please bring a picture of them to display in our church. The book and the photos are not just for people whose funerals were held her at Holy Family. They are for anyone who has passed away in the past year. The fact that their pictures and names will be displayed here says that we, as a community, are holding you and your family in prayer. It is part of the larger grief that we all hold, and it says that you are not alone in your grief. The passing away of any of our loved ones may not be as public as President Kennedy’s, but the communal aspect of our prayers and support for those who mourn are exactly the same.
We also mark Veterans Day this week, and in doing so acknowledge those in our midst who have served our country in the military and those who died during that service. Both the living and the deceased have served to protect our democracy and our freedom. Let us go out of our way to thank the living veterans in our midst. They are all heroes.
At this writing our Holy Family Catholic Academy Principal, Kate O’Brien and one of our dedicated faculty members, Cattie Tenzillo, are in Washington, DC accepting the Blue Ribbon Award on behalf of all of us. This special acknowledgement comes directly from the Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Congratulations again to Kate, our faculty, staff, parents and students for making HFCA such a unique place to become thinkers and leaders grounded in faith!!
A couple of weeks ago I asked all of you to give a cup more every weekend in support of our very ambitious mission here at Holy Family. That equates roughly to a Starbucks Coffee (or 2 Dunkin’ Donuts Coffees).Many of you have commented that you have already given more, and many of you have responded by giving an increase that is a lot more than $5. THANK YOU! We have been beginning Mass by stating that we are in this together. If we are indeed in this together, and you believe in the countless good things being done in ministry and service here at Holy Family, please increase your weekly giving by $5 so that we can continue to grow and serve even more.
Throughout the history of Holy Family Catholic Community we have tried to emphasize our own desire to be a holy family, as well as the inspiration of THE Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Families are holy in many ways, and families continue to grow and change and become more diverse. We invite you and your family, whoever you share family with and however uniquely you live family life, to a special Mass next Sunday, November 19 at 4 pm to “Celebrate the Diversity of Families.” This special Mass will be hosted by our One in Love Ministry and our Human Concerns Ministering Community. Please see page 19 of this bulletin for more information.