Saturday, 31 October 2009, All Hallows’ Eve:
The Eve of the Feast of All Saints: the festival of
the return of the ghouls, our Ancient pagan Irish
Samhain (“Summer’s End”) was “baptized;” then,
on Hallowe’en, 1517, Martin Luther launched
the Reformation by nailing 95 Theses to the door of
All Saints Church; finally, after 1848, Irish immigrants
brought Hallowe’en to America — & the world!
Dear Abdullah,
At last, we may be able to reciprocate your hospitality at the Yūsuf Mosque!
As you may know, our graduate course, “Toward an Abrahamic Family Reunion,” is the first of its kind in America. And a visit to the Yūsuf Mosque or the Roxbury Mosque, or to Temple Beth Zion, or to St. Paul’s, should have a place of honor in the book that we are contemplating for the course.
Accordingly, I should like very much to invite you to join us on Sunday morning, the 22nd of November, for the final class visit. That will be at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church — the flagship of the Archdiocese (we even have the Archdiocesan Boys Choir). As you may know, St. Paul’s is located at the corner of Bow Street and Arrow Street, just four blocks east of the traffic island at Harvard Square: from the International News Kiosk, just walk eastbound down Massachusetts Avenue, past Au Bon Pain and the Harvard Book Store until you come to Grafton Street Irish Pub & Restaurant, and look to your right: there, set in from Mass.Ave., is the tall, dark redbrick church.
As you may also know, we hope to be continuing the theme of the Sermon from the jumu’ah at the Roxbury Mosque on Fri., 13 Nov, namely, the Last Judgment, Time & Eternity. This is a natural theme for the 22nd, for it is the final Feast of the Church Year: the Feast of Christus Rex: Christ the King, seated in glory at the Last Judgment. (For many Americans, esp. Irish Catholic Democrats, it is also a somber date: the 46th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — and our sense of how different American history could otherwise have been!)
Your friends, especially our conversation partners from that memorable Iftar at your Mosque, are definitely welcome!
Logistics for Christus Rex are very simple:
10:35 Parking in the Courtyard of St. Paul’s (if arranged by NLT Fri., 13 Nov)*
10:40 Seating up front in the Upper Church of St. Paul’s
11:00 Procession to start the Mass of the Feast
12:15 Recession marking the end of the Mass
12:20 Reception in the Harvard Catholic Student Center (next door on Arrow Street)
At the Reception, QUESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH ENCOURAGED! There will be plenty of coffee, tea, and desserts to fortify the discussion! “Everything you always wanted to know about Catholicism but were afraid to ask!”
One important detail. Please let me know, here, by NLT Fri., 13 Nov, if you plan to join us for the Mass & Reception. We’ll plan the church seating and the Reception goodies accordingly — even as I head back down to DC for the interim!
Hoping to host you and to field your questions right afterward,
Jerome
