bliss, Vincent was confused. He knew from Church law that they were not married in the eyes of that same Church. But … living in sin? He wondered.
Louise steered straight for her sister and brother-in-law. “Vinnie wants to take you to see—what was it you were going to show them, baby?”
“The … uh … the crypt chapels.”
“I’ll just take Tony outside so we can be with Lucy,” Louise said. “You can find us there after your little tour.”
Martha smiled conspiratorially. “Come on, Frank …”
All the three needed was to turn a corner from the parlor to the prayer hall, which, besides being a place for morning, noon, and evening prayer, tripled as a classroom and an entertainment center.
They entered a series of five impressive small chapels, all portioned off from one large room and separated from one another by nothing more than a small space.
“Each of five faculty members has one of these chapels as his own. And all five celebrate Mass daily and all at the same time.”
“Isn’t that a little confusing?” Frank asked.
“You’d be surprised, Uncle Frank. Everybody whispers … in fact, they’re called ‘Whisper Masses.’”
Vincent showed them each chapel, though there was little difference among any of them. Finally, he pointed out the large plaque embedded in the floor at the room’s center. Beneath this plaque, one day, Cardinal Edward Mooney would be buried. For whatever reason, visitors were most impressed by the future tomb of the Cardinal archbishop of Detroit.
“And now,” Martha said as they had quite obviously completed their tour, “what does your mother want you to tell us?”
“What?”
Martha smiled banteringly. “We’ve been sisters too long not to know what’s going on with each other.”
Vincent was relieved: He’d had no idea how he would introduce the mission his mother had given him. Somebody had to bring up the subject. His prayer was answered when Martha popped the question. “Come on, Vinnie,” she urged, “out with it.”
“Well …” Vincent did not feel entirely comfortable. “… Mother is concerned about your standing in the Church.”
Martha reddened. “She shouldn’t have involved you. There’s nothing you can do. We saw a priest before we got married. He said there wasn’t any way we could be married in the Church. I don’t think it was her place to involve you—”
“Wait a minute, Marty,” Frank broke in. “You never know. Vinnie is smart … and he’s young. The things he learns here probably are the most up-to-date developments there are in the Church. I know how bad you want to go to Communion. Maybe Vinnie can help. We don’t want to turn down an offer like this.”
Martha fell silent. Half of her saw the logic of Frank’s statement. The other half was upset that Louise had brought the matter up again. Martha went through life trying not to think about it. It was too painful, even after all these years.
“Well,” she said at length, “what did you have in mind, Vinnie?”
Vincent thought as intensely as he ever had. Then, an inspiration.
“Look, Aunt Martha, as I explained to Mother, I won’t even be studying the Church’s marriage laws until I’m in my fourth year here. And by that time I’ll be on the verge of ordination and my first Mass—which seems a target date for Ma: She wants to be sure that you’ll be able to receive Communion from me …” He hesitated.
“So? So what happens now?” Martha demanded.
Vincent brightened markedly. It was as if the Holy Spirit Himself had visited. “I know that you saw a priest before you got married. But maybe the priest you talked to wasn’t up on everything. Things in the Church generally don’t change very fast … but they do change.
“What I’m suggesting is that you see a friend of mine—Father Robert Koesler. As luck would have it, he was assigned to our parish, St. William’s, right after his ordination.”
Martha recollected. “Yes …
Louise steered straight for her sister and brother-in-law. “Vinnie wants to take you to see—what was it you were going to show them, baby?”
“The … uh … the crypt chapels.”
“I’ll just take Tony outside so we can be with Lucy,” Louise said. “You can find us there after your little tour.”
Martha smiled conspiratorially. “Come on, Frank …”
All the three needed was to turn a corner from the parlor to the prayer hall, which, besides being a place for morning, noon, and evening prayer, tripled as a classroom and an entertainment center.
They entered a series of five impressive small chapels, all portioned off from one large room and separated from one another by nothing more than a small space.
“Each of five faculty members has one of these chapels as his own. And all five celebrate Mass daily and all at the same time.”
“Isn’t that a little confusing?” Frank asked.
“You’d be surprised, Uncle Frank. Everybody whispers … in fact, they’re called ‘Whisper Masses.’”
Vincent showed them each chapel, though there was little difference among any of them. Finally, he pointed out the large plaque embedded in the floor at the room’s center. Beneath this plaque, one day, Cardinal Edward Mooney would be buried. For whatever reason, visitors were most impressed by the future tomb of the Cardinal archbishop of Detroit.
“And now,” Martha said as they had quite obviously completed their tour, “what does your mother want you to tell us?”
“What?”
Martha smiled banteringly. “We’ve been sisters too long not to know what’s going on with each other.”
Vincent was relieved: He’d had no idea how he would introduce the mission his mother had given him. Somebody had to bring up the subject. His prayer was answered when Martha popped the question. “Come on, Vinnie,” she urged, “out with it.”
“Well …” Vincent did not feel entirely comfortable. “… Mother is concerned about your standing in the Church.”
Martha reddened. “She shouldn’t have involved you. There’s nothing you can do. We saw a priest before we got married. He said there wasn’t any way we could be married in the Church. I don’t think it was her place to involve you—”
“Wait a minute, Marty,” Frank broke in. “You never know. Vinnie is smart … and he’s young. The things he learns here probably are the most up-to-date developments there are in the Church. I know how bad you want to go to Communion. Maybe Vinnie can help. We don’t want to turn down an offer like this.”
Martha fell silent. Half of her saw the logic of Frank’s statement. The other half was upset that Louise had brought the matter up again. Martha went through life trying not to think about it. It was too painful, even after all these years.
“Well,” she said at length, “what did you have in mind, Vinnie?”
Vincent thought as intensely as he ever had. Then, an inspiration.
“Look, Aunt Martha, as I explained to Mother, I won’t even be studying the Church’s marriage laws until I’m in my fourth year here. And by that time I’ll be on the verge of ordination and my first Mass—which seems a target date for Ma: She wants to be sure that you’ll be able to receive Communion from me …” He hesitated.
“So? So what happens now?” Martha demanded.
Vincent brightened markedly. It was as if the Holy Spirit Himself had visited. “I know that you saw a priest before you got married. But maybe the priest you talked to wasn’t up on everything. Things in the Church generally don’t change very fast … but they do change.
“What I’m suggesting is that you see a friend of mine—Father Robert Koesler. As luck would have it, he was assigned to our parish, St. William’s, right after his ordination.”
Martha recollected. “Yes …
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