Merry Christmas!!

Back Home

I'm back in St. Louis, everyone, after a wonderful sabbatical. I left Rome on Thanksgiving Day for a long weekend in Cambridge, where I got to see one of the famous Lessons and Carols services. I returned to St. Louis on December 1st. What a blessing these last four months have been: Lourdes, Meuse-Argonne, Switzerland, Italy, the Holy Land, England. I am so grateful to God for the opportunity.

I ask your prayers for two intentions. Dad will be having surgery on January 4th, to repair a fracture in his neck that is not healing quickly enough. The surgeon is very optimistic---says there is a 70 to 90% success rate for the procedure---but still it is serious surgery. Second intention: I will be leaving for Colorado on December 28th to begin my new assignment, also on January 4th. I will be living in a parish I have been visiting for years, and I will be working at the Catholic Center in Colorado Springs as director of permanent deacon formation, as director of continuing formation for priests and deacons, and as theological consultant for the diocese. I am very excited about all of this but it is a big change and I would appreciate your prayers.

Finally let me offer Christmas greetings to everyone. The image I would like to use is copyright, so let me provide a Christmas link in place of a Christmas card:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sandro-botticelli-mystic-nativity

I pray that your celebrations are prayerful and joyful. This is the central mystery of our faith. The invisible God made himself visible to save us, and we need that salvation. May we all enjoy it together. Merry Christmas.

The Holy Land

I haven’t posted in a while, but hello everyone. I am back in Rome for the last month of my sabbatical, after a one-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The schedule was a little too ambitious and I got sick the second-last night we were there, but I am feeling better now. All that said, the pilgrimage was a memorable experience. We spent four days in Galilee and four days in Jerusalem. I have a much better sense of the geography of the Bible now, especially of the Jerusalem area.

Highlights of the visit would be: Nazareth, Capernaum, Tabor, Qumran, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, and the Old City of Jerusalem. Most of the Jerusalem sites were overcrowded, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the strangest church building I have ever seen. I got away from my group to visit the Western Wall (the only remainder of the ancient Temple) in the Jewish Quarter, and I found that a touching experience. What was most touching, though, was the Via Dolorosa, the street from Pilate’s Palace to Golgotha that is the basis for the Stations of the Cross in Catholic Churches today. We stopped at each of the outdoor stations (one through nine) on the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but the Via itself is basically a shopping bazaar like something straight out of Indiana Jones.

Picture this: I am climbing up the Via Dolorosa trying to imagine Jesus and his Cross and remembering each of you again by name; I am looking out for dog poop and loose paving stones and ducking under racks of hanging scarves, souvenir shirts, and carpets; a private Jewish property owner has placed an enormous one-storey menorah at the top of the street; a muezzin is calling the Muslims to prayer over loudspeakers in a long, minor-keyed and haunting chant; the shopkeepers are pushing to ask if we want to come in; several of the other priests are trying to bargain from shop to shop on a kiddush cup that they see as a chalice; from time to time, we file into one of the tiny chapels dedicated to the station and say our prayers; one time we have to say our prayers out in the middle of the street; and suddenly we are on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre, where there is a whole community of Ethiopian monks.

We clamber down a staircase to get to the only entrance to the Church, and once inside, we climb up again on a narrow spiral starcase to get to Golgotha. Everywhere there is simply a crush of humanity, and the air is heavy with the fragrance of incense and rose oil. The building is dark. Candles hang in decorated holders at every key shrine in the Church. Different sections of the building are controlled by different ancient Christian traditions, and they do not get along---although today they are on their good behavior. The eleventh station is in a Franciscan chapel and the twelfth is in a Greek Orthodox chapel, side by side. We finish the stations, and after wading through the crowd, we get to venerate the place where the Cross stood---the rock is covered in a massive glass case with an altar on top of it. (It is actually very likely that this is the exact place, since the Emperor Hadrian built a temple over it in an attempt to obliterate the Christian cult. The Emperor Constantine later tore the temple down to build the antecedent of the present Church.)

We go back down the narrow spiral staircase, and find ourselves at the Stone of the Anointing. We are not far from the nearby rotunda and the Chapel of the Anastasis (Resurrection), but there is such a long line to get into the shrine over the tomb that we are not able to get in. Finally we pass back outside into daylight and fresh air, and I try unsuccessfully to get a photo of this strange Church.

The whole time I was in the Holy Land, I kept thinking of Ogden Nash's smart-aleck couplet, "How odd of God / To choose the Jews." The whole place was odd. I am still thinking this through. God chose a desert to be the Promised Land? He chose a People and then dispossessed them for two-thirds of their history? In the unforgettable words of the Psalmist, “It’s a hell of a way to run a railroad.”

The Masses at Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulchre were prayerful, but on the whole this was not exactly an inspiring experience. My predominant memory is how crowded everything is. If I have taken one thing away from the experience, it is a deeper appreciation of what Jesus meant when he said, "It is better for you that I go" (Jn 16:7). What we have in the Church and the sacraments is much more intimate than what we could have if he were still preaching and attracting crowds in the Holy Land. It is so much more accessible and personal.

Uncle Rod's Funeral

I received the following email from Aunt Ellen:


Here is the info, Denny...........and a couple others..........send it to anyone who may be able to attend. There will be no Wake, he has been cremated. His remains will be transported with Mike Snider and Mimi on Wednesday. of this week........Mimi will return home the following Tuesday.

Friday, October 2, 10:00 AM

St. Walter Catholic Church
130 W. Pine St
Roselle Illionois 60172

Interment at Mount Emblem Cemetery
Elmhurst Il


Love and prayers, Ellen

Rest in Peace

From Rick Dwyer:

Sadly, I just got a call from my mom that Rod passed this morning [the 23rd]. Mimi got a call at 2 this morning that he was struggling to breathe on his own. It's possible he's had another stroke, heart attack or both as well. They gave him a breathing tube and he lasted until mid morning.

Even considering the situation, we're surprised; he even had a good day yesterday. Luckily, Rod's son Mike got here this morning and was present when he died.

So, more prayers.

Greetings from Rome

The Pontifical North American College

On the Janiculum Hill, Just South of the Vatican

Site of My Sabbatical Program

Friendly Local Castle

Church Down the Street

More Photos From France

Cheppy, Missouri Monument (Rainy Day)

Cheppy, Missouri Monument, Close-up of Inscription

ERIGé par l’ETAT de MISSOURI E.U.A.
a la MEMOIRE de ses FILS MORTS
en FRANCE pour l’HUMANITé pendant
la GRANDE GUERRE 1917-1918

Erected by the State of Missouri U.S.A.
to the memory of its sons killed
in France for humanity during
the Great War 1917-1918

Douaumont, French Military Cemetery, Chapel Window

The Meuse-Argonne American Military Cemetery

September 1, 2009

Hello, Uncle Jim. I’m Larry Jr., Margaret’s grandson. I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that she married Tom Brennan, her childhood sweetheart. They had 12 children and 50 grandchildren. I don’t even know how many great- and great-great grandchildren they have—but as Grandma would say, they’re all good-looking. Your sister Nellie entered the convent, and so did two of your nieces. I became a priest, and so did a great-grandson of your brother Bill, four generations of religious vocation in the family.

I’ve come a long way today to pay my respects and to thank you for the sacrifice you made on that cold rainy day 91 years ago. The war to end all wars, as President Wilson called it, didn’t end the wars. There was another war just 21 years after you died, even worse than the Great War. But since then there has been peace among the great powers in Europe. America is now the most eminent nation on the planet. Can you believe that we have even sent men to the moon?

Anyway I’m going to bless your grave now. Your family loves you and is proud of you. You are our link to an important part of history. God grant you eternal peace.

Speaking of Birthdays....

I think that it is important to note that Terry and Barbara Anne are 62 now!

Birthday

Today is Dad's birthday! 86! We will be sitting in the left field bleachers at Busch Stadium!
Go Cards!
Tom

Light the Night

Hello Family,

As I have done the last two years, I will be participating in the Light the Night Walk in Forest Park, to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Gateway Chapter. I will be joined by friends from my parish. My dad fought multiple myeloma for a year before he died, as did Uncle Richard. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raises money for research of this disease and many others, and gives help and hope to families dealing with their effects.

This year's walk will take place on Friday, September 11. As I did last year, I will be walking with "Team Boehm & Buds", but I will also be walking in memory of my dad and Uncle Richard. I am asking that you support me by making a donation.

To make an online donation, simply click on the below secure link. You will receive a confirmation by email detailing your donation.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/gat/StLouis09/PKuehner

To donate by mail, send your check to the address below, indicating that your donation is forteam "Boehm & Buds"/participant Peggy Kuehner.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Gateway Chapter
Suite 101

77 Westport Plaza

St. Louis, MO 63146-3111

When you donate, you will be helping to fund lifesaving research and provide help and hope to thousands of families. Know that I sincerely appreciate your support.

Love,

Peggy

A Little More About Lourdes

Some of us old-timers may remember this song by Andy Williams. Someone has posted a Lourdes slide show to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psFbwuT2ONk

Here is the official website of the shrine:

http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&id=405

Note the webcams. You can watch the candlelight rosary procession live, 9:00 P.M. Lourdes time, 2:00 P.M. St. Louis time. The last two nights it has been massive.

In the many times I have marched in the candlelight procession here, I have often thought of the last scene from Walt Disney's Fantasia. You may recall that the scene begins with a terrifying interpretation of Moussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, and then fades into a candlelight Ave Maria. Minus Moussorgsky, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2ckBb_KqlU

Lourdes is far more chaotic, but the inspiration is the same.

An Overcast View of the Shrine at Lourdes

The famous Grotto of Massabielle is barely visible in this view. At the bottom right of the church, on the plaza by the river, the crowd is standing in front of the Grotto. The white object you can see among the trees looks something like a Christmas tree made out of candles. To the left of it, under the church, is the hollow (not visible) in which Bernadette Soubirous saw the Blessed Mother in 1858. I will try to get a better photo when the sun comes out.

Let me say a little more about the procession. This past weekend was the French National Pilgrimage, and there were 30,000 people in this tiny town. It was electric. The Rosary Procession begins at dusk (about 9:00 PM here), and takes about an hour. The pilgrims march around a long elliptical esplanade, carrying candles with a white paper wind guard.

After the first decade of the Rosary, a large multinational choir leads the singing of the Lourdes Hymn, which the English-speaking world knows as "Immaculate Mary." Each language group takes a verse, and everyone sings "Ave, ave, ave Maria!" together. The most touching thing is that they all elevate their candles when they do so. It is such a simple gesture, but so powerful when so many people do it. After the other decades, other Marian hymns are sung, and there is an incredible spiritual warmth to the whole spectacle.

The older of the grandchildren may remember the Block Rosary from our childhood. During the Marian months of May and October, the people of the neighborhood would gather at someone's house after dinner, kneel down in the living room, and say the Rosary together. I can't explain how, but the candlelight procession has that same, homey, living-room feel to it, thousands of people and all.

And here comes everybody! Each decade is lead by turns by different language groups, often by children. The official Western European languages of Lourdes, then Eastern European languages, then Asian, then African languages. It is a powerful expression of the Church's universality. And what keeps the homey feel to it is that all of this is done in honor of the Blessed Mother, whose presence is palpable here.

I hope at least some of you get to see this some day, but I have prayed for all of you. Sunday I carried a candle in procession for you, and I left it to burn through the night at the Grotto.

Greetings from Lourdes

Here's a quick note to say hello from Lourdes, France. Right now I am having quite a time with the French keyboard, and the French spell-check is having quite a time with this message. I can't figure out how to post photos either. Anyway, I just wanted to let all of you know that I have been praying for each of you by name. If you have particular intentions you want me to remember, please add a comment below or contact me by email. James Joyce once said of the Catholic Church, "Here comes everybody"--and you can sure see it at Lourdes. Thousands of people and dozens of languages. Weather has been hot during the day and cool in the evening. The candlelight processions have been very touching to see. I hope to post more in a short while, but it is time for a French dinner. A trés bientot!

Reunion Photos

Uncle Jim at Soldiers' Memorial

Soldiers' Memorial

Saint Louis, Missouri

Cenotaph

Cenotaph, Roll of Honor

James F. Brennan, Roll of Honor

(with my flash and reflection)

Photographs of men named on Roll of Honor

(Uncle Jim is second row, second from left)

Great Uncle Jim

A few ph0t0s from Saturday. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day!

Reunion

Hello All!
The reunion was great again. It is a great blessing to belong to such a great family.
Love,
Bob

Oh goodie I think I did it too!

Hi All,
This Blog is a great idea. I have photos to share and will post soon. I'm just happy I am able to subscribe now. Thank you to Carol and Missey for the assist. Josh (my 17 yr old) may attend the reunion (from St. Peters MO) but the Loew family (Shawnee KS) will be attending Grant's (my 8yr old) baseball tournament. Here's a BIG hug and smooch to all of you OOOOOOXXXXX!
Love, Mary Elizabeth Brennan Loew

Reunion Reminder

Just a reminder to everyone that the Brennan family reunion will be held at the Seminary on Saturday July 25th, as previously announced. The lifeguard will be on duty at the pool from 2:00 to 6:00 P.M. Bring your own food and drinks. We can make any of the food available to everyone by pot luck. Barbecue grills are available. As usual, for those who are interested, I will have Mass at 4:00 P.M. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion.

Finally!

Yes, I did get around to signing on. I at least beat Sheila!
Tom

Another generation

Just wanted to share some picture of the Jack Brennan "boys". the really young ones are Mike's - Ryan in front and Connor on the far left. Then Jack, Marty, Mike, Tim and Matt. I'm looking for a photo of Mom the "girls" to share, too.

More Family History

Here are some materials that Cousin Ray Brennan (Great Uncle Bill's youngest son) sent me last week. Very, very interesting.

_____________________________________________________

Great Uncle Jim's Unit, World War I

(Jim is front row, furthest right)

Great Uncle Jim (close-up)

Great Uncle Jim
(photo with handwritten inscription)

Gold Star Pilgrimage ID

for Great Grandma

Great Grandma (passport photo, 1930)

Newspaper clipping with passport:

IN ARGONNE FIELDS

Dedicated to the heroic dead of the Thirty-fifth Division

In Argonne fields the crosses stand

Uplifted by our comrades' hands,

To mark the places where we died,

The soil our blood has sanctified.

Around us now peaceful breezes blow,

We rest serenely---now we know

That peace has come and all our pain

And suffering have not been in vain.

And we who blazed the conqueror's trail

That Right and Liberty prevail

Shall sleep untroubled till the call

Of Him---Commander of us all.

---Denis O'Rourke, ex-A.E.F.

[American Expeditionary Force]

Granny's Family:

Bert, Sr. Anna Cecilia (Nellie), Great Grandma, Uncle Bill,

Granny (Margaret), Marie

(photo taken at Bert's house; mantel photo is Bert Jr. from the Navy)

Greetings from Scenic South St. Louis, MO

Hello, Family!

Like Dan, I am a "rookie blogger", too --  it only took me two months to get hooked up!!

BELATED 60TH BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO FR. LARRY!!  Madeleine heard it broadcast on KMOX radio last week -- it was big news here in South St. Louis!!

Hey, cousin Jeff -- you still following the Cardinals?  I think they're going back to the Series this fall!!

I was with Joan and Maureen this weekend in Omaha -- Maureen's son Jack graduated from high school.  Joan and Maureen will both be at the Reunion in July.

L8R, G8Rs!

Peggy

Greetings from Colorful Colorado!

Just wanted to let everyone know (I also put out an email), on the Science Channel a documentary is being aired call Radiocative Paradise. It's about research being done at Bikini Atoll. The scientists involved are trying to see how much, and to what extent the area is still radioactive. They have footage of dives to the ships as well as archival footage of the tests, ships and sailors.

cousin Sheila

Sheila wants you to know that she will join the blog just as soon as she can figure it out. She also wanted to warn you, er, let you know, that she will be at the reunion in July.

Good News from Annie's Doug

Hey there everyone,
Just wanted to let you all know we got good news today. I saw one of my surgeons and the pathology report was clear---no cancer in my lymph nodes. He said it looked like the cancer was just in that one spot on my leg. They are going to do a couple more tests just to make sure but he said they were just being over-cautious at this point---and what the hell why not? I also wanted to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks. They were much appreciated. I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend and hope to see you soon.
Love,
Doug

Prayers, Please

This is a message from Annie:

I just wanted to let all you guys know what's going on with Doug. He had a mole biopsied a while ago and it came back as malignant melanoma skin cancer. It is on his leg and it is coming off in surgery at St. Johns this Thursday. We are being positive and hopeful that we caught it in time and there will be good news to follow. I just wanted to ask you all to have Doug in your thoughts and prayers this Thursday.

He's having a plastic surgeon do the removal of the area where the mole is. It's on the side of his left leg just above his knee. It's a tight area and the surgeon felt that a plastic surgeon would be a good idea. The plastic surgeons name is John Pollock-he looks like he's 12, but he reminds me of my brother Marty so it's okay. They are also doing a biopsy of the "centinel lymph node", which will be done by Dr. Altapeter. (Some of you work in the medical field so I included the names of the docs).

We saw Dr. Steven Allen today, he's an oncologist, and we feel very relieved by his feeling that he thinks Doug will be fine, that we caught this in time.

So, please say a prayer, have a good thought, for Mr. Doug!!

Thanks!
Love, Anne

Rookie blogger

Hi all,

Just thought I would give this a try. Larry, I like your photo with JPII. Did you have to get your Auntie Ellen to pull some strings?!

Where's my brother, Bob?

Carol, thanks for renewing my invitation.

Little Angel?

After extensive research, I was able to identify the "little angel" in a previous post. Hobbies include camping, electronics, and the study of technical advances throughout history.

Here's the Jolly Good Fellow

I think this photo is from Uncle Richard's retirement party.

And Who Is This Little Angel?

Family Reunion

The Rector has graciously agreed to allow the Thomas and Margaret Brennan family once again to have its reunion at the Seminary, this year on Saturday July 25th. Information forthcoming.

Look at These Adorable Children!

When Granny took this photo on that old Brownie camera of hers,

she could not even imagine that one day it would be on the Internet,

where MILLIONS of people could see it.

Sunday Greetings

Buona Domenica!--as the Italians would say. Have a good Sunday, everyone. I said Mass at St. Anthony's Church in Sullivan, Missouri, this morning. That was Aunt Marie's parish. The only other time I was there was for her funeral. Aunt Marie was the last member of our family with living memories of World War I. The morning of her funeral I remember standing at her casket before it was closed and I had a fantasy, as if the end of the casket behind her head opened into another dimension and I could see all the lights of the 20th century as she had seen them: the wars, the Depression, the Titanic, the Hindenberg, the abdication of Edward VIII, radio, television, Wonder Bread, the space shots, Americans on the moon, the rise and fall of European Communism, hula hoops, the turbulence of the 60's, and on and on. It was like looking down a tunnel full of stars. She lost a brother in World War I, and she lost her husband and at least two of her sons before her own death. How painful that must have been. After the funeral Mass, while I was standing next her casket waiting for the funeral directors to organize the pall-bearers, I found myself suddenly grieving the loss of that generation, of all the people (our forebears) who loved us, and I felt her hand on my shoulder reassuring me. Remember how she was so tall, and what beautiful blue eyes she had?

Welcome to all of you who have been joining the blog. Please do not be bashful about posting a message. We would all love to hear from you. Photos are purely optional.

World's Sweetest Granny

Photo taken at her Cross Keys apartment,

in front of her indoor garden, in the late 1970's.

(Focus is somewhat soft.)

Neil Patrick Brennan

Neil Patrick Brennan

February 17, 1951 - August 9, 1998

Date of photo unknown

Baby Boom Visits Davison Avenue

Granny's handwriting, probably early 1950. Granny is holding Tim and Steve. The unidentified bundle in Grandpa's left arm is probably Sheila, doing her best to look uninterested. Any guidance from our esteemed elders?