ROAMIN'
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ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
October 2004
SAINT KIERAN'S, EL CAJON
Saint Kieran's parish, at 1510 Greenfield Drive, is tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the northeast side of El Cajon. The church is named for a convert whom Saint Patrick ordained as the first Bishop of Ossory, Ireland. Saint Kieran founded the monastery of Clonmacnoise, and is called "Firstborn of the Saints of Ireland."
From the outside the church building appears not unusual; long and moderately wide. Since the roof peaks over the front door I expected to be facing toward the sanctuary when I entered, but -- surprise! -- the altar of sacrifice is on the center right with pews surrounding it on three sides. At the opposite end of the building, where I had thought the altar would be, a large traditional crucifix hung over the entrance to the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. After making a visit to Our Lord, I asked an elderly gent about this arrangement. "Was this the result of a renovation," I asked? "No," he explained, "This was meant to be the parish hall, and a bigger church was to have been built later. Then the plans changed and the altar was placed where it is, on the east side of the building."
The Stations of the Cross, of carved oak, extend from the right of the sanctuary around the back of the church. A statue of Saint Kieran adorns the wall to the left of the Blessed Sacrament chapel, while carved oak images of Saint Joseph and Our Lady hang on the wall to the right of the altar.
I attended the Vigil Mass at 5:30 on September 11, eve of the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The celebrant was the Reverend Manuel Ediza, associate pastor and parish administrator for Bishop Cordileone, who is the pastor. Two women provided music; one serving as cantor, the other alternating on organ and piano.
Before Mass began, the cantor, a sixty-something woman in floral skirt and blouse, asked us all, "in the spirit of community," to "reach out and greet our neighbor." A display of friendliness ensued.
During the entrance procession we sang "Praise My Soul the King of Heaven." Based on Psalm 103, it well expressed the theme of the day: "Praise my soul the King of Heaven / To his feet thy tribute bring / Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven / Evermore his praises sing / Alleluia! Alleluia! / Praise the everlasting King."
While we sang, the sanctuary party approached the altar: a young girl as crucifer, a teenage altar boy, an elderly male lector in charcoal suit, a young woman lector in black slacks and white blouse, and finally Father Manuel vested in green.
Following the Sign of the Cross and greeting, Father Manuel led us in the Confiteor. Then, though there were able musicians on hand, both the Kyrie and Gloria were said, not sung.
The charcoal-suited gentleman rose to take the first reading, from Exodus, in which God relented of his anger and showed mercy to the idolatrous Israelites, for the sake of Moses' intercession. The cantor then led us in Psalm 51 with the refrain, "Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned." The young lady then took the second reading, from I Timothy, in which Saint Paul extols the King of heaven for his mercy to him, a former blasphemer and persecutor, declaring that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. After the Alleluia, Father Manuel read the Gospel, the whole 15th chapter of Saint Luke, containing Our Lord's parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son.
In his sermon Father reiterated the theme of each reading, and then made application to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the tribunal in which we encounter God's great mercy.
Following the Creed the young lady led the intercessory prayers, pausing a moment after each petition for silent prayer before saying, "Let us pray to the Lord."
At the offertory we sang "Amazing Grace," frequently heard in Catholic parishes today, though it expresses the classic Protestant doctrine of salvation.
Father Manuel recited Eucharistic Prayer III with no idiosyncratic variations. At the consecration he reverently raised the Holy Gifts overhead in both hands for several seconds.
During the Agnus Dei, six "extraordinary" Eucharistic ministers, three men and three women, assembled on either side of the altar. After Father's communion, he gave each minister the host, and they then passed the chalice among themselves.
The norms on eucharistic ministers approved by XXXXXXX on ZZZZZ state: "These ministers should not approach the altar before the priest has received Communion, and they are always to receive from the hands of the priest celebrant the vessel containing either species of the Most Holy Eucharist for distribution to the faithful."
In parish announcements after Mass, Father noted that as the bishop requested, all servers were well dressed. He also said the bishop would soon require other changes. Perhaps this will include faithful observance of the Church's regulations for Eucharistic ministers.