I keep forgetting that as a Catholic Christian, I now am a member of a parish, which is part of a diocese, which is part of a larger territory, which is part of a continent, which is part of the universal (catholic) Church.  So, when it was announced that Luis Rafael Zarama would be ordained Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, I marked my calendar to attend and made a mental note to myself- get there early; it will be like Christmas Eve midnight mass or the Easter vigil.

Thankfully, I had only mentioned this to one other person, which saved me lots of embarrassment when I read in the parish bulletin that only ticket holders would be permitted inside the Cathedral where the ordination would take place.  Overflow guests could watch on a big screen set up across the street at a Baptist church, and the rest of us could watch on local cable Channel 5, Atlanta’s inter-faith broadcasting network.  Turns out that the “ticket holders” included the Zarama family and close friends, bishops from all over the country, priests from the archdiocese, and other distinguished guests.  Thank goodness for Channel 5.

The day of the ceremony, I got a call from school saying that one of my children had a sore throat and wanted to come home.  I feel certain that she had her hopes set on watching a little of the Disney Channel while recuperating.  I, however, had another idea in mind:

Mother: “Since you’re at home, I’d like you to come down and watch this once-in-a-lifetime event that is happening today, the ordination of an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese.  It will be fascinating.”   I then try to explain apostolic succession to a mildly sick middle-schooler.

Daughter: “Do I have to?”

Mother: “Yes, you do.  It won’t be so bad.  Then you can go back upstairs and crawl into your bed.”

She made it through the Liturgy of the Word, and then I couldn’t take the grumbling and complaining any longer.  After sending her back upstairs, I tried to engage my husband, who was home early from work that day,  in a discussion about Holy Orders and what was taking place in the ordination.  He preferred to watch a business program on tv, although he told me later that he had watched most of the ordination on his own and  found it fascinating.  What helped viewers, I decided, was the commentary that was provided throughout the broadcast by an exceptionally articulate priest.  Listening to his remarks, you learned that everything taking place was full of symbolism, tradition, and biblical meaning.  It was a glorious 2 hours for Bishop Zarama and the rest of the Church, and I said a special prayer of thanks that night for Channel 5.

Chick B