| A Pilgrim People |
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| Tuesday, 01 November 2005 07:21 | |||
 Archbishop Henry J. Mansell We are a pilgrim people, and November will not let us forget it. The feast of Thanksgiving secures that theme as bedrock in our nation’s history. We know the story. The Puritans, English separatists who withdrew from the Anglican Church, went to Leiden, Holland, in 1608 and accomplished significant development there for 12 years. More had to be done to live in freedom, however, so on Sept. 16, 1620, they set sail from Holland on the Mayflower, intending to reach Virginia in the New World. Poor weather conditions prevented the accomplishment of that objective, and they disembarked on Plymouth Rock on Dec. 26, 1620. One hundred and three Pilgrims landed. The winter was severe. Only 54 survived. Nonetheless, they refused an opportunity to return on the Mayflower in the spring with the same Captain Christopher Jones. Summer was favorable with a good crop and the harvest in the fall was plentiful. As a result, under the leadership of Governor William Bradford, they consciously arranged a three-day celebration of thanksgiving and unwittingly set an example for centuries of Americans to follow. To enhance the lesson, they invited Chief Massasoit and 90 members of the Wampanoag Tribe to share the feast with them. Later generations would develop the tradition of thanksgiving and prayer to God. The Continental Congress in the 1770’s proclaimed several days of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving to God. President George Washington was quick to declare a day of prayer and thanksgiving under the new Constitution in 1789. President Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the dark days of the Civil War in 1863. He did so at the urging of Sarah Josepha Hale, composer of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." With all the trappings and trimmings, simplicity remains the compelling feature of thanksgiving before God. As a pilgrim people, Americans enjoy recalling roots, particularly as they highlight victory through adversity. Witness the success of 1776, by David McCullough, narrating events of the American Revolution from the spring of 1775 to the early days of 1777. Though it reads like a novel, it has been high on the nonfiction best-seller lists for months. The story of a so-called "rabble in arms," it brings home the seemingly insurmountable difficulties at the beginning of a struggle to an incredible victory. As McCullough writes at the end, recognizing ". . . what a close call it was at the beginning . . . the outcome seemed little short of a miracle." General George Washington was prompt in calling for days of prayer and fasting during those heady years, and for thanksgiving later when the outcome was clear. Prayer before God confirms that we are pilgrims in a more profound way, pilgrims to the roots of our roots. All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1 celebrates the heroes and heroines of the fundamental pilgrimage on earth. From our baptism we are all called to be holy, in our devotion to the glory of God and the service of our neighbors. With All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2, and indeed through the entire month, which is dedicated to All Souls, we pray with special fervor for those who have gone before us. Those prayers stir up poignant memories. Is it not true that when we recall those who have been near and dear to us, it is the good things of their lives, the sacrifices and love that they exercised, which come to mind? Those experiences teach us something about our roots, something about our destiny. They stamp the passports of our souls as pilgrim people. To help us on our way as pilgrim people we need education, religious education. Without it we are all sail and no rudder. The dioceses and archdioceses of New England mark November as Religious Education Month. It is an opportunity to thank the more than fifty-one hundred catechists who serve more than sixty-five thousand eight hundred youngsters in high school and elementary school religious education programs throughout the Archdiocese. (This does not include the Catholic elementary and secondary schools, of which I have written in earlier columns.) I express profound gratitude also to all who serve these programs from our Office of Religious Education, directed by Msgr. Michael J. Motta. It is also time to recognize that religious education is an ongoing effort, the work of a lifetime. It is accomplished through works and prayer, the Sacraments, study, and reflection. Yes, as a pilgrim people, we are called to hold fast, to maintain, to be rooted, to dig deep wells. The old Gospel song is appropriate for Thanksgiving in November and every month: "Count your blessings, Name them one by one. It will surprise you what the Lord has done." ."." That exercise, and our response, energize us in God’s grace as a pilgrim people to our roots
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