'Divine Sparks' The primary responsibility of a Catholic priest is to proclaim the Word of God. This is a formidable task. First, he must study and understand sacred texts that were composed thousands of years ago, in a foreign language and for a vastly different social order. Then he must present selected passages to the people in a way that transcends time, language and culture. In a few well chosen words, he must enable his listeners to apply ancient biblical wisdom to modern daily living. According to past and present parishioners, the Reverend Ted Auble has succeeded admirably in this task. Since July 2000, Auble has served as Sacramental Minister at Saint Vincent de Paul Church in the village of Churchville. Auble's preaching is "exciting," according to parishioner John DiPasquale. "Father Auble puts a whole new light on everything," DiPasquale said. "His homilies are flooring." Auble has a unique style of preaching. He proclaims the gospel from memory, often shunning the lectern. "When the gospel happens to be a story," Auble said, "I proclaim it from the aisle. That way people hear the gospel story as a story - the way it was meant to be heard." He prefers to deliver his homily from the aisle as well. "This is something I developed from the very beginning of my ministry," Auble said. "I feel it is more personal and I connect with people better that way." Auble admits that his style of preaching presents more challenges than the traditional approach. However, he notes, "I consider that part of the discipline of preparation for preaching, which takes no small number of hours each week, although the people never see that part." The groundwork may be unseen but the results are transparent to his listeners. As DiPasquale said, "He breaks down the readings so that they are very easy to understand." Parishioners see additional gifts in their spiritual leader besides preaching. "Father Auble has a gift with words and with people,' said DiPasquale's wife, Susan DiPasquale. "He always calls us by name when he greets us and when we come forward to receive Eucharist," she said. Auble, who seems uncomfortable talking about himself, is quick to discuss the virtues of his parishioners. "There are many strengths in our parish community," Auble said, "among them are warmth and hospitality, a generous outreach to the poor, active participation in community projects and a responsiveness to emergency needs." For example, the community manifested biblical precepts in Operation Underwear, which collected and shipped more than 600 pounds of new underwear to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. A food shelf provides food to any Churchville resident in need. The Angel Bear Tree collects and distributes Christmas gifts for village residents who would not otherwise have gifts to open. "Saint Vincent de Paul is the patron of the poor," Auble said, "and our parish tries to live up to his legacy." Auble grew up in Saint Margaret Mary parish in Irondequoit. He attended Saint Andrew's Seminary and Saint Bernard's Seminary before studying theology at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Prior to serving at Saint Vincent, Auble served as a campus minister at the Newman Center in Brockport. Bob Gilliam, a librarian at the Drake Memorial Library, was a parishioner at the Newman Center during Auble's tenure. "Ted is a very gifted preacher and liturgist," Gilliam said. "He is a conscientious celebrant." Gilliam said that Auble is also a successful gardener and an accomplished artist. Additionally, Auble enjoys the company of his Afghan hounds, whom he talks about in his homilies. "He is very bright and genuinely prayerful," Gilliam said. "He has a rich and active spiritual life and this shows." Auble has collected some of his homilies into a book. Divine Sparks: Gospel Stories Discovered in Everyday Life, was published in September, the 30th anniversary of his ordination. "I was encouraged by a number of friends to put some of my homilies into print," Auble said, "but I resisted for a long time. After all, there have been a lot of deeper thinkers and better writers who have covered the same territory. But these are my stories and they are unique." The Gospels depict Jesus as the consummate storyteller. He frequently taught the crowds in parables. Auble uses a similar approach. Each of the 30 reflections in his book begins with the title and the relevant Scripture citations. Then there is a short story culled from Auble's personal life. This is developed to illuminate the presence of God within the mundane happenings of life. The theme of light pervades the book because, "light is a dominant theme in all the Scriptures," Auble said. He notes that the stories in his book are true. "I thought they served as good examples of how we can really discover the gospel in the stuff of everyday life." The book is his "attempt to get people to see how they are light themselves." In the introduction, Auble describes a dew covered field at sunrise. He writes, "When we let our gifts shine, we become like the droplets struck by the sun and shimmering in its light." Auble has allowed his light to shine as he reflects on the presence of God's life and light within our world. In the words of John DiPasquale, "Father Auble has so much to say and he says it so well." Saint Vincent de Paul Church is located at 11 North Main Street in Churchville. Mass is celebrated on Saturday (Sunday Vigil) at 5 p.m.; Sunday: 8 and 10:30 a.m. For information call the parish office: (585) 392-2710. The book is available at Lift Bridge Book Shop, 45 Main Street, Brockport. December 4, 2005 |
