Parish Waypoints

You may notice that this picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe is much more vibrant and colorful than most images you have seen.  The photo was taken with special permission by David Ritterman in 2008 with a film (not digital) camera.  There was no special lighting or editing of the photo afterward.  The brilliance of the colors defies scientific explanation, much like the tilma itself.  The photographer’s explanation is that Our Lady wants to attract people to come close and interact directly with her, much like the first hundred years of the tilma’s existence when it was not protected by glass but simply available for people to touch.   

Our Lady of Guadalupe is called “The Star of the New Evangelization” because she is the most effective evangelist of all time. In 1532, in response to the bishop’s request for a sign from Our Lady, this image miraculously appeared on the worker’s garment (tilma) of an indigenous man, St. Juan Diego.  While before this event the Church was largely ineffective in evangelizing the Aztecs and indigenous peoples, afterwards this image singlehandedly converted Mexico in 10 years.  It was the largest mass conversion event in the history of the world!  Over 8 million people became Catholic in 10 years, before the advent of mass communication.  Throngs of people came each day, looked at the image, and requested to be baptized without any instruction from the priests.  This occurred as the image was a codex, containing the gospel message in native language and symbolism.  The image taught them the faith.  Perhaps because it was so convincing, the first people to convert were the pagan priests!  

The miracle of the image is manifold.  It is possibly the greatest ongoing visible miracle in the world today, along with the shroud of Turin.  Modern science can’t replicate it or explain how it is still in existence 500 years later.  There are no other surviving cactus fiber textiles from the 16th century, since they typically decompose in 50 years or less.  

If you are not familiar with the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, please click the links below to listen to the Mass homily for December 12, 2024 as well as the Guadalupe Night of Hope and Healing talk on December 12, 2024.

 OLOG Night of Hope & HealingFeast of OLOG Homily

Our patroness was a remarkable Saint.  Princess of Burgundy, she married at a young age, but only after about three years, her husband died of mysterious circumstances (presumably murder by political rivals).  At one point, St. Alice was imprisoned and tortured, but she escaped by Divine Providence and the assistance of a priest.  She later married Otto I, and they were subsequently crowned holy Roman emperor and empress.  They had a son, Otto II.  After her husband died, she remained unmarried for the rest of her life.    

When Otto II came of age, he married a Greek princess.  Disliking St. Alice, she turned him against his mother and had her exiled from the kingdom.  St. Alice bore this injustice with patience.  Eventually, her son recognized the error of his ways.  They reconciled in Pavia, where he was forgiven of all his offenses.  Otto II and his wife died soon after, leaving St. Alice to rule and raise her grandson Otto III until he was of age.   

St. Alice eventually retired to an abbey.  She used her wealth to serve the poor and to build monasteries and chapels, including large gifts to the abbey of Cluny (which she is depicted holding in her hands).  She is a patron saint of widows, in-law problems, victims of abuse, and family reconciliation.    

This statue of St. Alice is a one-of-a-kind creation, commissioned by a widow of our parish and crafted in Spain. It arrived at St. Alice in February of 2023. It became a 3rd class relic when it was touched by the bones of St. Alice (1st class relic).  

For more information, listen to Fr. Mark Bentz's homily on the Feast of St. Alice (December 16, 2024).

Dracaena fragransOn the night of February 28th, 2021, this corn plant began to bloom.  Corn plants are common in office buildings, but they are native to tropical Africa, live up to 40 years, and might bloom only once in their lifetime.  However, according to horticulturists, they typically bloom only in tropical climates or in greenhouses—certainly not during Oregon winters in a cold parish lobby!    

The fragrance of the blossoms was first noticed by our youth group as we finished our gathering Sunday evening which included adoration.  The air was thick with a powerful floral scent that filled the whole lobby.  We looked for the source of the smell but couldn’t find it. Since we didn’t know it was possible for this plant to bloom, it was not a candidate for close examination.  A parishioner, John Truax, experienced a physical healing of his back while we prayed in that atmosphere.  Fr. Mark interpreted this to be a possible apparition of our Lady, since the source of the smell had not yet been identified.  An announcement was made inviting people to come check it out if they were awake.  This was at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night.  

What happened next was extraordinary.  Within minutes, hundreds of people including families with children in pjs, all poured into the lobby and began praying the rosary in English and Spanish.  Many stayed all night into the early morning!  Several people experienced physical healings, including healing of sense of smell, burn wounds, chronic pain, and emotional trauma.  While the room was thick with the smell of flowers, one particular spot (far away from the plant) was a conical pillar of concentrated smell, more powerful than the general atmosphere.  When people prayed in this space, almost every person received physical healing when they prayed.  This cone would evaporate, then appear in another place in the room—not moving linearly through the room.  It was as if the fragrance was coming up from the floor.  In the morning, the scent disappeared, only to reappear around 6:30 p.m. at night.  This continued for four nights.  

Around the third night, someone familiar with corn plants noticed it was blooming and posited that the source of the smell was the corn plant.  After confirmation, an announcement went out to the parish informing everyone about the source of the smell.   

While one mystery was solved, many thought that it wasn’t a miracle because the smell wasn’t supernatural in origin.  Still, we must remember that God uses the material world to communicate grace.  Sacraments and sacramentals are ordinary things transformed by God’s blessing for particular times and places.  The timing of the event was significant as it was at the beginning of March, the month of St. Joseph, and also during the Year of St. Joseph. It was a time of great fear during the COVID lockdown.  Some people came who hadn’t left their homes since the beginning of the pandemic restrictions!  It was also the beginning of our parish becoming more integrated between Anglos and Latino, united in praying the rosary in many languages.  Since then, our parish has been a tremendous source of grace and union for those who come.  I pray that our Lord will bless you during your visit to our parish!  

Fr. Mark Bentz, Pastor