Wanderings – Page 4 – Wandering's Wanderings

And When You Pray; Use Your Heart

July 5, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

We know the words so well that whenever we recite them we race through them as if we are in some imaginary competition to finish first. Each time the race begins, I am bothered deep within my soul. You see, for me as the Mass is deeply personal. It is an opportunity to commune wholly and completely with our Christ in a spiritual moment of Creation – a time when we can finally still our hearts, minds, and soul so that we are refreshed and renewed through the “Holy and Living sacrifice.” The prayers we recite become mantras that help …

Tag; +You’re It!

July 4, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

My reading list is, at the very least, eclectic. I often find inspiration in theological dissertations, scientific journals, science fiction (and fact), and even the occasional build-it magazine. There are a few, though, that transport me back to my own sacred wandering – to those times I looked away from the Divine and into the world around me to find comfort and some sort of path to the Creator – fool that I was. But I would change nothing. Those moments of running away from the very thing I sought helped me to understand the intricacies of life and to …

I Am, In and Through You, Restored

July 2, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

Thursday, June 24, 2021 – Last Day of SynodReflection from our Celebration Mass Responsorial Psalm:I praise +You, for I am wonderfully made. Ps 139: 1b-3, 13-14a, 14b-15 “+You know me, my God. +You know me, and I am just beginning my journey of knowing +You+You know my heart and soul, my pain and Joy, my heartache and wonderment.My wandering brings me closer to +You and yet I feel the farthest I ever have been, but I know +You are there! +You hold me and I am restored.” Those were the first words I wrote for that day – words inspired …

Doing Isn’t Enough

June 28, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

For me, it’s very real. I don’t care what others think anymore, because for me, the presence is my daily call. It is what moves my entire being into service. But experiencing a thing is so much different than doing a thing – and trust me, it is such with the Eucharist. Each time I celebrate there is a moment – no matter how brief – where… Sorry. My mind must have wandered off. I have experienced the two forms of “doing” mass and “celebrating” mass at various times in my ordained life. In “doing”, I get up to the …

Prone to Wander No Longer – Healing

June 28, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

I’ve struggled with the concept of hostels versus homes for many years – 27 long years to be precise but I think that has finally changed because I will no longer let others determine my path. Only the Creator has that ability and even then self-determination is a big part of the package. One small morning celebration where pen met paper and paper was placed into the capable hands of one of my Sisters or Brothers, and it’s gone. Written on the paper – “False Prophets”. There was a lot of meaning chosen in those two words. Throughout my time …

Exclusive Inclusionism: Inclusive Exclusionism

June 19, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

A movement has been underfoot in the Independent Catholic Movement for as long as I can remember, but in more recent years it has become an anathema – exclusion in the name of inclusion. This phenomenon was born from individuals who were excluded from other religious groups for what ever reason, and were either removed or denied the ability to become part of the normative group. These excluded individuals banded together to form what is now a much more inclusive umbrella of faith expression, but is itself still severely limiting in that it, too, excludes individuals who think or act …

Imposing Views: A More Subtle Form of Racism

June 15, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

“All they want is good jobs and a better way of life…” “They come here because their country is…” “Brown people don’t know how to talk about mental health…” I’ve seen and heard statements like this strewn all over the internet and in coffee shop conversations. Some are well intentioned while others are rife with discrimination and ill-intent. But no matter the reason or intent, these statements are impositions of other people’s views – educated or not – onto a people barely understood even by those who claim to have researched for years. During the years I was studying for …

Change Something, Yes, But It Better Be Me I Change.

June 14, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

In a recent conversation with some new dear friends and fellow priests, I was asked what I would do to change or fix the independent catholic movement. I immediately began salivating at the opportunity to – what… wait… I wasn’t so much ready to talk about change as I was ready to expound on my over 20 years of experience just within the Independent Catholic Movement. I was ready to engage in an all out blame-fest where I wanted to engage, once again, in the hell I’ve been through. You see, much of what I would change in the independent …

The Desert Blooms in Vibrant Hues

June 14, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

I had planned to write on another subject, one dealing with professionalism and ethics in the church, but maybe I’ll write on that another day. While thinking about the subject of ethics, I remembered something that happened at my internship site years ago – something few people in my industry allow themselves to embrace, let alone experience. My internship was at a site where I gave back to my community, as was once given to me in my own youth. I worked with kids who were thrown away by their parents for whatever reason or else sold into a very …

Cafeteria-ism in Catholic Leadership: Saving only the Safe.

June 14, 2021 by Fr. Kenn Nelan

My Dearest Sisters and Brothers; It is through our Blessed+ Redeemer and Creator that I sing with joy in all that life offers each and everyone one of us, and it is through our most precious Christ that we are able to grow beyond our limitations into the graces offered through the Sacraments; for a movement started long ago continues to breathe new life and infuse inspiration. But is also with some sadness that we, as a Body faithful, seem to be headed down the same path as those who have long come before us. Let us, then, take heed …