by Fred Moleck
Hope in South Carolina
I love making a presentation on liturgical ministries to a parish or community, especially if it’s a community I do not know.Such a joy was realized three weeks ago when I visited Christ Our King Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
Apparently, the parish sponsors a study weekend on parish liturgical leadership entitled “All Ministries Weekend.” I was the dude from out of town to keynote it.
It was a joy that surpassed all my expectations. Here are the reasons why.
Months ago I was approached by William Becknell, the church’s music minister, to be the kickoff speaker at the event. I agreed.
(Of course, he had no idea what a “handful” I become when I’m far away from home. His cause for sainthood is well under way.)
I asked one thing, however: that it would be warm, since the event would be occurring in January—January, the time of ice-encrusted life in the tundra, a.k.a. Pittsburgh and Chicago.
He assured me that it would be warmer, since Mt. Pleasant is part of Charleston. When I landed on the Friday of the ministry weekend, the temperature was in the mid 60s. There were palm trees. Real ones.
The ocean was one mile away. Yes!
In fact, the church was near the Isle of Pines, which falls within the Hilton Head kingdom—not too shabby.
The geography and warm weather, however, are not the reasons for hope. The dynamic liturgical life the parish exhibited was among the best I’ve ever experienced in my various speaking and playing gigs throughout the year.
The event kicks off on Friday night with a visiting speaker. The next morning (Saturday) provides workshops for the musicians, lectors, and the other liturgical ministers.
As part of the planning process, I asked about how many people would be in attendance. It’s been my speaking experience that my mode of presentation is a little different depending on the size of the group.
Speaking to twenty people is different than speaking to a hundred people. It’s not that much different, but it is a consideration for me.
My host responded that the Friday night event attracts a lot of people. I was curious about the “a lot of people.”
As he was running off the handout, he set the number counter at 300. I thought, Now, that’s optimism—just the quality a musician should have to maintain sanity.The Friday event was to start at 7:30. At 7:25, we ran out of handouts—over three hundred people had gathered in the church.
I was overwhelmed. Most diocesan leaders would be thrilled if they had 150 attendees let alone 300 at a diocesan liturgical ministry day.
Here in a parish are over three hundred people so strongly committed to improving their liturgical skills and deepening their liturgical spirituality that they were willing to give up their Friday evening.
That type of zeal doesn’t happen overnight. It takes planning and enlightened leadership, which was evident as the pastor, Msgr. Carter, introduced me.
For years now, he has placed a high value on continuing education in liturgical formation. It works.
I witnessed that factor in the next morning’s liturgy, which was prayerful, dynamic, inclusive, and completely orthodox in liturgical practice.
I was hope-filled.
I was still hope-filled when I returned to Pittsburgh with its 12-degree temperature, my ice-encrusted car in the airport parking lot, and the forecast for 5–10-degree temperatures for the rest of the week.
Hope springs eternal. Thank you, South Carolina.
You can reach Fred Moleck via email at fmoleck@comcast.net