f Spring - Chaminade High School

Sharing the Bread of Life
Chaminade Commissions
Forty-two Eucharistic Ministers
by Patrick Scotti ‘06
Merciful Father, creator and guide of
your family, bless our brothers.
May they faithfully give the Bread
of Life to your people,” prayed CHS president
Fr. James Williams as he invoked
God’s blessings on over three-dozen juniors
who had gathered in the front of
Darby Auditorium. After this short
prayer, Fr. James presented each of these
juniors with a pin depicting Jesus’ feeding
of the five thousand – a symbol of their
new role in the Church. At the Marian
Mass held on Thursday, May 19, Fr. James
commissioned these juniors as extraordinary
ministers of Holy Communion. In
all, forty-two new extraordinary ministers
were commissioned – the most in
Chaminade’s history.
Handling what has been called “the
source and summit of the Christian life” is
not a task that one can undertake without
some preparation. For this reason, the
would-be Eucharistic ministers left for
Founder’s Hollow on Sunday, May 15, for
a three-day “crash course” in the spiritual
and practical elements regarding their new
role. Over the course of the three-day re-
CHS CELEBRATES MARY’S MONTH
Prayer Service Honors the Blessed Mother
by Matt Wierzel ‘07
A
packed courtyard, full of students
reciting prayers and singing
hymns in honor of Mary on a
beautiful May morning. The Salve Regina,
acclaiming the Blessed Mother as “mater
misericordiae” and “advocata nostra.”
These images are part of the collective
memory of thousands of Chaminade alumni,
and the same is true for the current crop of
Flyers. In recent years, Chaminade’s devotion
to Mary in May, the month especially
dedicated to her, has taken the form of the
Marian Prayer Service, held this year on
Wednesday, May 18.
As Chaminade’s club dedicated especially
to Mary, the Sodality of Our Lady of the Pillar
appropriately took the lead in the Marian
Prayer Service. Sophomore and junior
sodalists gathered in the courtyard, while the
remainder of the student body took part via
the school’s closed-circuit television system.
CHS president Fr. James Williams presided
over the service, which included songs, readings,
and a variety of prayers.
The service culminated in the recitation
of the traditional Litany to Mary, otherwise
Tarmac • July 2005
treat, Fr. James, sophomore religion
teacher Bro. Patrick Sarsfield,
and CHS chaplain Fr. Garrett
Long stressed the Eucharistic
principles of receiving God’s
grace, giving thanks, breaking
oneself for others, and sharing
oneself with the community of the
Church. The soon-to-be Eucharistic
ministers also discussed their
goals and values, as well as the
unique gifts that each brought to
the service of the Lord. These topics
became the basis for much contemplation
as the trainees roamed
the 175 acres of Marianist property
in Ulster County, upstate New York.
Like all other ministries of the Church, the
Flyers’ new task also required some practical
training. On their final night at
Founder’s Hollow, using water and unconsecrated
hosts, the ministers-in-training
practiced how to distribute Communion.
“This marked the end of our preparation,”
commented junior Brian Allen. “Now we
just couldn’t wait to put all that we had
learned into practice!”
They wouldn’t have to wait long: that
Mike DiDonato ‘06 leads the
procession into the Courtyard of
Our Lady of Good Counsel for the
Marian Prayer Service.
“The Blood of Christ”: Eucharistic
minister Alex Diorio ‘06 hands Rich
Comuniello ‘06 the chalice of salvation.
opportunity came at the Mass held only
two days later. Shortly after they had received
their pins, the newly commissioned
ministers distributed the Eucharist to the
student body. “The magnitude of the task
made us all a bit nervous at first,” recalled
junior Joe Gambino. “More than anything
else, we were in awe at the privilege of distributing
the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ. I can now look forward to every
Mass as a way not only to receive Jesus,
but to bring Him to others as well.”
known as the Litany of Loretto. Sodalists
and faculty members led the litany, naming
Mary under such familiar titles as “Mother
of God” and “Blessed Mother,” as well as
lesser known but equally time-honored titles
such as “Queen of Angels” and “Our Lady
of the Pillar,” the title to which Chaminade’s
sodalities are particularly consecrated. As
Fr. James noted, “This traditional litany reminds
students of the many aspects of the
life and mystery of Mary, and in so doing,
helps them to grow in their devotion to Jesus
through Mary, which was Blessed
Chaminade’s ideal.”
The service ended with the singing of the
Salve Regina, a traditional Latin hymn to
Mary which implores her help for mankind,
described as “poor banished children of Eve.”
Similarly, the Marian Prayer Service on the
whole served as a rededication of the
Chaminade students and faculty to Our
Lady, who serves as their ideal. According
to freshman Garrett Campbell, who helped
lead the litany, “The prayer service reminded
me of how important Mary really is and how
much she helps me in my everyday life as a
Chaminade student.”
THE THE SPIRTUAL SPIRTUAL LIFE
LIFE
7