Guest celebrant draws on Gospel parable of new wines, wineskins at household life Mass

BY KAREN BISGES
STAFF WRITER

The Rev. David Tickerhoof, TOR encouraged household members to be evangelizers and to show mercy in remembrance of Christ on the cross during Franciscan University’s household life Mass held Friday in Finnegan Fieldhouse.

The Mass also celebrated the return of families and friends and the 40th year of household life.

The Rev. Gregory Plow, TOR, director of household life, invited Tickerhoof from the Queen of Peace Friary in Pittsburg to preside over the Mass because he was a student at Franciscan when the Rev. Michael Scanlan, TOR introduced households to the school.

“One of Father’s great intentions in inviting me to share in the homily was to encourage the growth and development of the households’ enthusiasm,” said Tickerhoof.

Franciscan University was on the verge of bankruptcy, said Tickerhoof, and there were few students and no cultivation of community within the student body. Scanlan decided to form households to fix the problem, continued Tickerhoof.

In the opening prayer, Tickerhoof mentioned the new wine and wineskins from the Gospel. Jesus’ parable of the wine and wineskins was the Gospel selection and was used to represent the growth in community and faith of the households.

“Here at Franciscan University, there is an opportunity to belong to a small community that unites people all over the country, that supports one another,” said Rev. Tickerhoof. “You put the new wine into the new wineskins, they have to change and it’s not always easy; sometimes it’s emotionally and spiritually challenging,”

The Rev. Tickerhoof said, as new people commit and establish themselves in their faith-filled communities, just like the new wine in the gospel, the households flourish, so they continue to grow closer to God and each other, just like the new wine skins.

Conversation, communication and communion are what happen in household life, said Tickerhoff. Through grace, the households transform to develop spiritual and human maturity in the members, he said.

“The household system is a wonderful opportunity to mature, to participate in sports, to have fun,” said Tickerhoof, “because our goal is the development of happiness”.

The household life Mass ended with the blessing of new household banners for Spirit and Truth women’s household and the Apprentices of St. Joseph men’s household. These banners were a part of the household banner procession out of Finnegan Fieldhouse.