I begin this with three images because they all share the same feast day: 1) Deacon Tom Semlak; 2) Father Pat Griffin; and, 3) the Immaculate Conception of Mary. While it may sound a wee bit sacrilegious to say this, all three feasts are of equal importance to me. Why? Because each of these persons in their own particular way carried the presence of God and made God’s presence immanent in their own special way.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
For Catholics, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception highlights the Catholic doctrine that Mary was conceived without original sin. Granted, this doctrine is only about 120 years old and bitter battles between opposing theologians argued both for and against this doctrine for close to 2,000 years. Because Jesus died for ALL humanity which is born in sin, those against the doctrine argued that Mary could not be conceived without sin, something held by Protestant theologians and religious traditions. Those who argued for the doctrine stated that though Mary was conceived without original sin, it was only through the intercession of Jesus that Mary did not sin like for instance, Adam and Eve, who also were conceived without original sin. The argument that decided this basically stated that if God wanted Mary to be sinless, God could do it. Oddly enough, because the gospel reading for the feast is the conception of Jesus, many Catholics think the feast is about Jesus’ conception, not Mary’s. Hence, to this day, many Catholics remain confused as to what the feast is all about. As a kid going to Catholic school back in the 50’s and 60’s, what the feast meant to me was that even though I had to go to church on this feast, I had a day off from school.
DEACON TOM SEMLAK
Tom and Marge Semlak were classmates of Ruthie and I when we were in diaconal formation. Tom and I were ordained deacons at the Cathedral of St Paul on September 24, 1994. Deacons in the Catholic Church are meant to carry on the original charism of deacons from the time of the Acts of the Apostles, namely, to serve the needs of the poor, the disenfranchised, the powerless, and those who are abandoned. Along with this primary mission, we are also given the “faculties” to preach at Mass and other liturgies, to baptize, witness marriages, and preside at funerals and other liturgical services. Each and every one of the deacon couples in my class have been involved in some ministry to others. Though the Archbishop gave us the ability to wear clerics (clerical collars), the normal attire of a deacon is not to stand out from the people he serves, but to blend and be one with the people he serves. As such, the uniform of the deacon is often that of those he serves. Tom brought Jesus into many places in which priests are not usually welcome, and did so in his own unique and special way. Tom suffered from diabetes all of his life. This eventually contributed to his death on this day.
FATHER PATRICK GRIFFIN
Father Patrick Griffin was the pastor of St Stephen’s in South Minneapolis. He served the folks of St Stephen’s and those in the Whittaker neighborhood of Minneapolis for many years. Carrying on the great work of outreach to the poor started by Father Ed Flavin, St Stephen’s served many those who were disenfranchised both in society and in the Catholic Church. The outreach to the poor established St Stephen’s as the first parish to provide a homeless shelter to 44 men every night. Loaves and Fishes were a big part of St Stephen’s ministry to the poor. Under Patrick, St Stephen Human Services was created to help the poor find housing, jobs, provide assistance to those who were ex-offenders, provide services to many who live on the streets of St Paul and Minneapolis. As a parish, under both Ed Flavin and Patrick Griffin, all people found a place in which they were welcomed whether they were from the LGBTQ community, former Catholics, Catholics on the way out of the Church, former Catholic clergy and religious, and many from other religious traditions who felt disenfranchised. The parish took the teachings of Vatican II which empowered the laity and the baptismal call to priesthood to its fullest. I had the honor of following Patrick at St Stephen’s when he was reassigned to a parish in North Minneapolis. Filling the shoes of Patrick was both daunting, a great challenge and a great honor. What I experienced at St Stephen’s changed me and my faith forever. The vision and mission of both Ed Flavin and Patrick Griffin is carried on the work of Agate Housing and Services.
Whether one honors Mary, Mother of Jesus, Deacon Tom Semlak, or Father Patrick Griffin on this feast day, one will honor the memory and life of a person who brought the presence of Jesus to the world.
