CCCATHEDRALATHEDRALATHEDRAL N N NEWSEWSEWS March 2011 Volume 16 Issue 7 Tulsa, Oklahoma

Holy Family

Photo: Cathy Nelson

Dear Parishioners of Holy Family Cathedral:

Lent is upon us and we are commissioned by the Lord to look closely at our lives and seek ways to improve our

response to God. We are called to deeper prayer, serious fasting and generous alms giving. Hopefully all are possi-

ble right here at Holy Family Cathedral.

Our Mass and confession schedule encourage us to deeper prayer. We are adding a third Mass on the Fridays of

Lent so that we can continue our practice of Mass, Adoration, Benediction and Stations of the Cross. In order to do

this our school has graciously moved the weekly all school Mass to Wednesday so that Fr. Van and I only have

three Masses to cover on Friday instead of four. Certainly the Stations of the Cross are a very proper and traditional

way to pray during the Lenten Season.

Fasting is of course very personal and should not in any way endanger your health. However a little less to eat for

the sake of an awareness of the needs of others is certainly in order. Our Lenten dinners are a great symbol of this

Lenten practice.

Alms giving can be accomplished by contributing to our Holy Family Cathedral Outreach, our Adopt a Student

Program for our school, or even finding that “Over the Hump” Envelope someplace on the desk. I am sure Catholic

Charities would not turn down and extra payment on your annual pledge as well. Looking beyond ourselves to the

needs of others heightens our awareness of the generosity of God that we celebrate during Holy Week.

Pray, fast and give alms, our most traditional means of deepening our spiritual lives.

Identification Statement The Cathedral News is published ten times per year by Holy Family Cathedral located at 122 West Eighth Street, Tulsa, OK 74119. This is Volume 16 Issue 7. Periodicals Postage Permit 022-729 is Paid in Tulsa, Oklahoma. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to: Holy Family Cathedral, P.O. Box 3204, Tulsa, OK 74101-3204.

Let us Pray, Fast and Give Alms,

Msgr. Gregory A. Gier

Rector

From the Rector

Three-Year Renovation Pledges update:

$69,146.00 is currently outstanding on the

pledges for the Renovation Fund.

Thank you for your continued generosity.

Fasting and Abstinence: Catholics, age 14 and older abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics - age 18-59 - abstain from meat and limit them-selves to one full meal each day. Prayer: Catholics are encouraged to pray more during Lent, especially with Scripture. Lent is also an ideal time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Holy�Family�

Cathedral���Tomato�Soup�and�Grilled�Cheese�Sandwiches�� � Mar.�11�

Gourmet�cheeses�melted�inside�delicately�toasted�bread�complemented�by�tomato�soup�makes�this�a�Lenten�classic.�

�Soup�and�Vegetable�Lasagna�� � � � � � � � Mar.�18�

�Soup�of�the�Day�is�Chef’s�Choice.��Potato�Soup� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Mar.�25�

This�simple�and�delicious�meal�is�served�on�the�Solemnity�of�the�Annunciation�of�the�Lord.��Macaroni�&�Cheese� � � � � � � � � � � � Apr.�1�

Tender�pasta�meets�rich�creams�and�cheeses�in�this�variation�of�grandma’s�old�fashioned�recipe.�Served�with�warm,�toasted�bread.��

Pizza�� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � Apr.�8�No�Lenten�fast�is�complete�without�Cheese�Pizza.�Choose�from�a�variety�of�meatless�pizza�pies.��

Pasta�with�Marinara�or�Alfredo�Sauce�� � � � � Apr.�15�Classic�Italian�pasta�cooked�al�dente�topped�with�your�choice�of�red�marinara�or�creamy�white�Alfredo�sauce.�

Holy�Family�

Cathedral�����

Lenten�Fridays��

5:05�Mass�5:35�Adoration�6:00�Dinner�

6:45�Benediction�7:00�Stations�of�the�Cross��

�

By�Reservation�only!��Make�reservations�by�Wednesday�for�each�week’s�dinner.�Call�Monika,�582-6247�ext.�18,�with�the�number�of�people�in�your�party.�

Lent at Holy Family

BY THE RCIA MINISTRY TEAM

On March 6th at the 10 AM Mass

our parish celebrated the Rite of

Sending in preparation for the Rite of

Election on March 20th. The group

has been hearing about Lent and

how we use that time to prepare for

Easter. With this Easter

Vigil being such an im-

portant event for those

entering the Church, this

Lent is also one of the

more dramatic times of

their lives. They’ve

come to realize why it

takes months to become

Catholic. It is more than

learning the tenets of the faith, or

even believing what the Church

teaches. It is an internal conversion

of life that can only happen over

time…and it continues for a lifetime.

Catechumens & Candidates Focus on Essentials of Being Catholic

Then on March 20th, catechumens,

candidates and their sponsors from

each parish in the diocese come to

Holy Family to be introduced to the

Bishop who welcomes them as they

continue their studies. The Bishop

accepts and signs the book of the

elect from each parish’s representa-

tive and speaks with encouragement

to those who’ve spent the last few

months experiencing the personal

conversion through prayer and study.

Upcoming classes will concentrate

on the sacraments of Penance and

Eucharist. The first of this series of

lessons, Last Things: Heaven, Hell

and Purgatory, is pre-

sented by Monsignor

Gier on Ash Wednes-

day, and is an appropri-

ate lead-in to Lent.

Those entering the Faith

will be invited to partici-

pate in the important

rituals of Holy Week, in-

cluding carrying the oils

to be blessed at the Chrism Mass,

the washing of the feet on Holy

Thursday, and the dressing of the al-

tar on Good Friday.

“It is more than learning the tenets of the faith, or even believing what the Church teaches. It is an internal conversion of life that can only happen over time…and it continues for a lifetime.”

Catechumens and candidates will

be individually interviewed by a

member of our clergy to assure that

the basics are understood and any

concerns can be addressed. We

can be assured that each new

Catholic will be fully prepared to

join our community. They will

know more about the faith than

many of us who’ve been Catho-

lic for years, but have not kept

studying about it, and thus have

lapsed into some misconcep-

tions. Especially in this part of

the country, it would be benefi-

cial for all of us to study some

apologetics so we can know the

common ground and differences be-

tween Catholic and Protestant teach-

ings.

The hospitality branch of the RCIA

team changes our refreshment fare

in keeping with the penitential em-

phasis during Lent. Refreshments

served are now likely bread,

pretzels, or crackers with herbed

olive oil, perhaps some cheese

or vegetable trays rather than

cookies and cakes. Our class on

Ash Wednesday had no food,

just some liquid refreshments,

as it was a day of fast and absti-

nence. We encourage our class

to enter the Catholic way of life

with an understanding of why we

fast and how it benefits our spiri-

tual life.

FOR LENT, REFRESHMENTS SERVED ARE NOW MORE LIKELY BREAD, PRETZELS OR CRACKERS...OR VEGETABLE TRAYS.

Holy Family School continues to thrive The Cathedral School may be Tulsa’s

oldest Catholic school, but it doesn’t act

a day over twenty.

The school’s leadership has found a

healthy balance between maintaining

more than eleven decades of traditions

and leading the school in new directions

as it continues to evolve.

Earlier this month, the students took

part in a Walk-A-Thon, a fundraiser for

the Home and School association which

in turn funds field trips and other student

activities. Parents sponsored students

who walked around a quarter-mile track

in the parking lot. This fun, outside activ-

ity gave the students an kinetic outlet

following a week of learning and testing.

Maintaining an aging building is one of

the inconvenient realities of running a

school with a long history. The school’s

roof has four large flat spaces where

water pools and penetrates into the

classroom ceilings. Principal Jay Luetke-

meyer challenged the students to save

coins towards repairs. If the students

donated more than $5,000, Mr. Luetke-

meyer promised to spend 24 hours on

the roof. The students donated

$5,586.30. The principal kept his prom-

ise, posting nighttime photos of the Ca-

thedral on the school’s facebook page.

The school’s mission has remained

the same: to educate Tulsa’s children.

The mission’s emphasis has changed

several times over the years. Saint

Katharine Drexel, the school’s early fin-

ancier, insisted that the school was

named “The Saint Therese Institute for

Creek Indian Girls.” The school’s focus

changed when it opened its doors to both

girls and boys and to children of every

ethnic background. It changed again

when the current building was built, pro-

viding much needed space for a lively

high school.

In the 1960s, Bishop Kelley High

School opened. Our school agreed to

close its high school to bolster the enroll-

ment of BKHS. Closing the high school

brought our student population from over

300 students down to less than 100.

The most recent decades have chal-

lenged the school’s mission again. A

changing downtown Tulsa provides new

opportunities for growth. Principal Jay

Luetkemeyer is working with enthusiastic

parents and supporters - perhaps the

most involved in the school’s history.

They are exploring the school commu-

nity’s needs and desires. The leadership

recently created of a three-year-old pre-

school, scheduled to open this Fall.

Continuing growth. There’s something

about Holy Family.

STUDENTS COMPLETE LAPS AROUND THE PARKING LOT IN THE WALK-A-THON.

STUDENTS DROP CHANGE INTO COUNTERS TO BENEFIT THE ROOF REPAIRS.

Notes from the Knightstand

Lent! It finally arrived!

Aah, March! You have arrived -

more like a lamb and let us hope that

your exit is not like the lion! Poor

March! Originally the first of ten

months (later twelve) it was rele-

gated to third place by jolly King

Numa Ponpilius circa 700 B.C. Along

with its demotion it also lost the New

Year Day celebration as New Year's

Day has always been the prerogative

of First Month. That honor now went,

as I am sure that you are aware, to

January. So March sort of lan-

guished as a cipher month - a wait-

ing room for Spring so to speak. That

is - until the Christian era when Lent

made its appearance which made

March a month to be respected, to

say the least, for its preview of

Easter.

I recall the dread with which I

would look forward to March for Lent

meant the draconian sacrifices of no

movies, no comics, and restricted

Holy Family Council 10388

radio for six weeks! Nothing moved

slower than the 40 days of Lent!

The only reprieve was that ap-

proximately mid-way there was St.

Patrick's Day which was not only not

a day of Lent but also no school -

which meant a movie at 1 p.m. and

radio programs until Early Evening.

Had it not been for St. Patrick I doubt

that I would have survived childhood!

And then there is Lent itself: if it is

40 days why are there actually 46

days? Nell, the Church never consid-

ered Sunday as a Lenten day so 46

days less 6 Sundays gives one 40

days. Except in our household: there

were 45 days of Lent. Period! 45

days? Well, there was St. Patrick's

Day and to mother, being Irish, that

day was sacrosanct and thereby

ends the tale.

Jumping ahead now to the current

comings and goings found a coterie

of Knights along with sundry kith and

kin at Clear Creek Monastery on the

5th. for the annual cut, clear, and

cast into the fire centuries of brush

and bush. Backs ached, hands cal-

loused, but spirits never waned. The

pay was meager-a free lunch-but

they all said it was great!

Meanwhile, the truck is gassed,

storage rented, and the phones are

open for collection of your garage

sale donations. Certain restrictions

apply: no appliances, mattresses,

clothing, or construction material for

various legitimate reasons. Heavier

items may require a later scheduled

pick-up. Look for a mendicant meal

prior to Stations each Friday circa

5:30-6:30 p.m. It is free but dona-

tions always accepted - and pan-

cakes & sausage on the 20th. It ain't

free but is really cheap! So, allow me

to say, "Slan agus beannacht

leat!” (Goodbye and Blessings with

you!) Síocháin! (Peace!)

BY MARTIN REIDY

While others shoveled cleared and raked

at Holy Keep for God-ness sake

I awaited the phone to ring

to come by and get those things

That you so searched both high and low

for that "junque" that's gotta go!

Holy Family Cathedral

P.O. Box 3204

Tulsa, OK 74101-3204