Ordinary Time in Christmastime: two of our servers kneeling before a green tabernacle among a sea of red Christmas flowers. In my parish we have the best of both worlds! Because we offer Masses in both forms of the Roman Rite (Ordinary and Extraordinary), we are already back to simple green (Ordinary Time) but still in festive white (Octave of the Epiphany). The sanctuary remains decorated for Christmas (actually because our altar guild will not have the time to remove poinsettias and Christmas trees until Saturday), but the green veil on our tabernacle indicates a return to Ordinary Time in the Ordinary Calendar. I like simple green but also enjoy celebrating Christmas a bit longer!
So we enjoy the Feast of Epiphany for eight days (I do love all the Octaves in the older calendar), hearing those delicious readings about the Three Kings and the verses proper to this mystery: ecce advenit dominator Dominus: et regnum in manu eius, et potestas, et imperium. “Behold the Lord ruler comes: and in his hand the kingdom, power, and empire.” Even as we see disintegration in the social order, Holy Mother Church assures us that our Sovereign comes with authority “in his hand” to rule all things rightly. We human beings may be losing our ability to live peaceably together in the current social decline, but the Savior of Mankind yet guides human history. As President Lincoln wrote in his Thanksgiving Address of 1863, “in the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity,” let us trust in “the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”
Speaking of right order and God’s ever watchful providence, I want to thank our current Operations Manager, Martin Ford, for serving our parish. Three years ago he said to me “I can give you one to two years” but then will want to move on with my career in web development. Martin will be leaving the parish Operations Manager position in March to do just that, and I need to find a new person to manage the business dimensions of our community.
If you know of anyone who may be interested in managing the operations of our parish, give me a shout. Here is what we are posting on job sites:
Full-time Operations Manager
Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco is seeking a full-time Operations Manager. This position oversees parish finances, facilities maintenance, site development, and technology. Applicant should be an active Roman Catholic dedicated to the sacramental life and charitable work of the Church. Position requires a minimum five years of management level experience with comparable responsibilities. Applicant needs strong communication and interpersonal skills, and facility in Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce platform. Competitive salary and benefits package. Please e-mail resume to Fr. Joseph Illo, at [email protected].
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