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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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