Always a fan of father Pfleger of St. Sabina's. Do believe he does Gods work. Lots of people don't like him, but maybe they just have a little more to go. He's the top priest @ St. Sabina's catholic parish near 79th and Racine. St. Sabina's is a little different from yr normal Catholic parish in Chicago - for one thing, it's mainly an African American community. It's also a very very activist parish - over the years they've taken on guns, gangs, violence, stores selling stuff that enables drugs, etc etc etc. One of my favourite stories was several months ago Father Mike lead all the men in mass that morning on a walk over to the headquarters of the Gangster disciples to protest the shootings that had take no part in that 'hood earlier in the week. Some say he's a publicity hound - but I see it as away to garner publicity to a greater cause (meaning: guns, gangs, violence, etc...)Of course, it was brilliant. Long as hell - 3 and a half hours! Full of songs - the band and the choir made it one of the best 'concerts' i'd ever been to. Cornell West brilliant. Special feeling inside the church - what's that word? Spiritual? Apt. It was a curious mix of Catholic mass and what I saw on the telly - the black mass. It started off w. 45m of 'Praising Jesus' music rock out. (when I was telling some black folk about 'they started off w. a 45m concert, they told me of the 'praising Jesus' thing that happens generally in black services). The music shifted, sometimes pounding, sometimes soft. All great. There were the readings - the normal Catholic three. The sermon - delivered by Cornell, was brilliant.
But then something very different happened. In my church, when it comes time to give the cash, dudes go around w. a basket. Here, however, envelopes were passed out and everybody walked to the front of the church to drop their offering in a box. They then went back to their seat. When everyone was seated, and a bit more of a pause, there came to -by the rote' Catholic stuff - the Creed, Holy Communion, etc. The getting people to walk up out of their seats for the offering was a smart was of allowing people who were not Catholic to leave before the obligatory Catholic stuff was celebrated: walk up, drop in the offering, easily walk out of the church. It nicely allowed non catholics to celebrate w. the 'faith community' of St. Sabina's w/out forcing them to do the Catholic stuff that we all love. And, noticeably, there were less people after the offering than before. Very interesting and accommodating.
Last time I went to St. Sabina's was on Good Friday. The best of all Catholic days for me - even though, yes, I can kinda see that Easter does take precedent over it. (Quick memory from 20y.a. == we'd been broke'd up for many months, my First Love and I - Q, d'accord - when she called me (i'd just called her and hung up) and said d'accord we should talk - it's Easter and the time for forgiveness, yes? I always use that - including a few weeks ago - around Easter. Do love asserting religion, sometimes. Or @ least bringing lite to the gentiles) . Picked up Jakov from the 79th street El and tried to get into St. Sabinas - but the place was packed. The church itself was overflowing, so we had to go intot he basement - giant space, also over flowing. We was lucky - people coming after had to sit in the street and listen to the loudspeakers they set up outsside - that packed!! The reason it was so packed was they were doing a rendition of The Last Seven words of Christ - from the little I know, it is a big deal to go over these things Jesus said from the Cross and many similar services and books and ruminations go on about them - it was my first exposure. What St. Sabina did was assemble a huge list of famous Protestent preachers - two women, five men, all black - to preach on this theme. Now, to me, except for Jerimiah Wright, I'd never heard of any of them (see the list= Last Seven Words service from St. Sabina's on Good Friday) - but everyone in the church knew who they were. So, it was fun to be in the presence of famous people- maybe I didn't know who they were, but the place was packed w. people knowing). Not a mass, it was a series of sermons - each about 30m long - w. one of the sayings as a base.
The Sayings:
Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
I thirst (John 19:28).
It is finished (John 19:30).
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).
And it was just magic. Packed, hot, uncomfortable - but seven different masters one after another just lighting the place up. Each one was fantastic in their way. Some attacked the way our society treats the downcast. One of the women preachers took "Woman, behold your son: behold your mother" and preached on 'you may not get what you want, but you will get what you need'. It was all very kool, and beyond moving. Some started out quiet, and moved into the loud as hell preaching style. Then last preacher was like James Brown*, kept on comin back a la "Please Please,Please" when all though all though he was finished, but back back he'd come to the podium. Fricking rock show. Biggest star? Reverend Wright. I was more moved by others (he was fantastic!!), but the movement, the murmourings, when it came his time to preach. Presence of royalty. Another kool aspect - and i'm sure this was a part of the black preaching style - was when one of the preachers was preaching and they were making a huge point, one or several of the other preachers would get up out of their seat behind him and approach - but never reach - the present preacher, lending great emphesis to what the one preaching was saying. Veddy veddy kool. Jakov, the next day, joked that he'd like to go to Sabinas again when he needed "...what ... nine swaety black men screaming - wait - eleven - no, thirteen? - fifteen black men screaming @ me?" Incredible quote.
It was a special time. Lent for me is a big deal, and I enjoy trying to do it. This Lent has been good - so good that I decided to double my Lent. I'm still observing it, of course continuing my Lenten sacrifice. To mark how special that Good Friday service was, I used that day as the "Ash Wednesday" beginning of my second Lent. I'm going on still.
So, Sabinas for me is a wonderful place. I go to a lot of different masses -used to be addicted to Loyola University's back in the day, and now enjoy St. Xaviers sunday nite mass. Mom shames my by insisting that I should go to St. Christina, since it is my parish - so, I make sure I go there often - but... However, I am disheartened by the fact that Father Mike is presently suspended from St. Sabinas. The Catholic church IN CHICAGO allows pastors only 12 years @ a church before they must go - and Father Mike has been there for what - 30 years? I believe that he has done such a great job and Sabinas would really suffer w.out him, that he should be allowed to stay. I mean, what do you expect me to write? He's earned it, and St. Sabina's a special and Holy place.
And, as a selfish reason for me wantig him to stay is that I've gone to St. Sabina's generally during special times - I have yet to go when he has done the sermon. So - is this another thing I really want to experience, but have waited too long?
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*= from wikipedia
Cape routine
A trademark feature of Brown's stage shows, usually during the song "Please, Please, Please", involved Brown dropping to his knees while clutching the microphone stand in his hands, prompting the show's MC to come out, drape a cape over Brown's shoulders and escort him off the stage after he had worked himself to exhaustion during his performance. As Brown was escorted off the stage by the MC, Brown's vocal group, The Famous Flames, continued singing the background vocals "Please, please don't go-oh-oh".[47] Brown would then shake off the cape and stagger back to the microphone to perform an encore. Brown's routine was inspired by a similar one used by the professional wrestler Gorgeous George.[45][48]
Brown performs a version of the cape routine over the closing credits of the film Blues Brothers 2000.
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