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Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
September 2003

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ST. THERESE, DEL CERRO

Where Navajo Road, Waring Road, and College Avenue meet, you'll find St. Therese parish. It draws members from San Carlos, Del Cerro, and Allied Gardens. The neo-Spanish style basilica is situated on hillside property overlooking the upper end of Mission Valley.

In front of the church a twice-life-size statue of St. Therese, standing in a circular bed of roses, greets you with arms extended. A garden courtyard separates the church and rectory, leading to a Lourdes grotto. Adjoining the church is a Blessed Sacrament chapel dedicated to perpetual adoration. Inside, the Stations of the Cross are depicted on stained glass windows. Carved wood statues of the Holy Family stand to the right of the sanctuary. On the left, a hanging red lamp signals the presence of Our Lord in a tabernacle built into the wall.

The altar and chancel furnishings are utilitarian blocks of granite. The presider's chair occupies the central place behind the altar. Above it is a crucifix lacking the superscription INRI. Throughout the sanctuary, green predominates. The carpeting, seat cushions, altar cloths, and wall hangings are all dark green. Artificial palms and ferns flanking the altar help to create an indoor jungle atmosphere.

I attended the 9:00 a.m. Mass on July 20th, the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The celebrant was the associate pastor, Father Jack Cuddigan, S.J. An organist and cantor provided liturgical music. The processional hymn caught the theme of the day: "The King of love my Shepherd is / whose goodness faileth never / I nothing lack if I am his / and he is mine forever." During this the sanctuary party entered: Two altar girls in albs with wooden pectoral crosses, the leader acting as crucifer, a white haired lector in brown suit bearing a red lectionary, and Fr. Cuddigan vested in a chasuble of kelly green.

After the sign of the Cross and greeting, Father led a trope Kyrie that began, "Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd who seeks after the lost, Lord have mercy." The musical setting of the Gloria tried hard to be rousing but remained pedestrian. The lector gave the first reading from Jeremiah; a woe upon pastors who mislead God's people, and a promise that He will gather his flock. The Cantor intoned, "The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want." A blue-suited lector took the second reading from Ephesians, telling how God made Jew and Gentile one in the body of Christ. Following the Alleluia Fr. Cuddigan read the Gospel, Mark 6:30-34, which speaks of Christ's pity for the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Despite the direction in which the songs and readings were leading, Father's homily took off on the words of the Gospel, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile." He spoke of the frantic pace of modern life and the constant refrain, "There's never enough time!" The answer, he asserted, is to set aside time to be entirely alone. This will bring about a life-transforming encounter with oneself, nature, and God. During the offertory the cantor sang an unaccompanied solo about coming to a quiet place with God and being blessed.

Fr. Cuddigan recited a Preface that alluded to the Gospel theme of Christ as the Shepherd of his people. The Sanctus from Marty Haugen's "Mass of Creation" was sung. Father used Eucharistic Prayer II. At the showing of the Host, Father raised the Host in his right hand to eye level, with the paten beneath it in his left. This took barely enough time to gasp "My Lord and my God!" Similarly with the Chalice: One hand, eye level, and quick. We chanted the Our Father to the simplified Gregorian mode one setting, while the organist supported softly. The "handshakes of peace" having been exchanged, during the Agnus Dei nine Eucharistic ministers appeared and ranged themselves behind the altar; five men and four women. Glass goblets were used for the distribution of the Precious Blood. After receiving the Host from Fr. Cuddigan, the ministers communed one another from the goblets. The congregation received Communion in silence.

The post-communion prayer and the blessing being given, the sanctuary party recessed to the singing of "Now Thank We All Our God." After this hymn, those who had not already departed observed the nouveau tradition of applause for the liturgical performers.

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