Veritatis Splendor

Falling in Love

2008-06-06T08:45:00.003-05:00

Today, my parents are coming to the Cities. Tomorrow morning, we'll load up the stuff that my family is storing or wants to take and head back to Wisconsin for the weekend. Monday, we'll start the journey down to Kansas City, by way of Ames, Iowa (where my nephew is living). Wednesday morning, at 10:00 am Central Time, during the celebration of Holy Mass according to the Extrodinary Form, I will enter the community of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.

I am not going to delete the blog, perhaps after years of inaction Blogger will delete it for me but I hope it, and Roamin' Roman, will remain available for more people to discover - especially about roaming in Rome!

It is possible that this blog will continue under the care of a friend of mine, but whether it does or does not, know that all of you whom I have gotten to know through these years of keeping the blogs will be ever in my daily prayers.

Please keep me and the community in your prayers, and if you ever get to Norcia, Italy (scroll to bottom of the page), please pray about sending your Sisters some of that famous monastery milk chocolate from the monks' store! :)

Prayer requests (and chocolate ;) can be sent to me and the community at:

Mary Gibson
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus
1400 NE 42nd Terrace
Kansas City, MO 64116

I leave you with this beautiful piece of prayerful advice, which the Lord has placed before me in multiple places and in surprising ways of late, so I am taking it to heart! It sums up exactly what it means for all of us to discover and embrace our vocation, which is truly an embrace of Him, our Beloved, and the fulfillment of our meaning:

Falling in Love

"Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything."
~ Servant of God Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

I pray that you, too, will fall in love with Love, and stay in Love eternally! Dio ti benedica!

~Mary Gibson

Our Lady, Queen of Apostles - My Entrance Holy Card!

2008-06-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Behold, a beautiful image of Our Lady as Queen of Apostles, drawn by Matthew Alderman of the Shrine of the Holy Whapping blog, per my request!

For a larger version of the image, go to Matthew's original post, here.

I wanted to post this gorgeous image earlier, but decided to wait and only do so if Matthew did first - we must respect our artists! As he has now posted it, I will let him describe the image himself (and be sure to check out his other works, many available on the Shrine's blog):

Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, with an Attendant Angel (version I). Commissioned for the announcement of the entry of a young lady into the convent of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. 4" x 6", Ink on Vellum, pieced together in Photoshop. April-May 2008. Artist's Collection.

There is not much of a fixed iconography built up around the Virgin as Queen of Apostles, besides an association with Pentecost. One seventeenth-century treatise cataloging her various titles and emblems shows a curious image in which she is shown twice--first on clouds, above, encircled by an enormous hoop marked with the signs of the Zodiac, and accompanied by an angel bearing a crown, and below, with the apostles at Pentecost. Another, more modern emblem consisted of a large closed royal crown surrounded by twelve tongues of flame.

Originally, I had intended to show Our Lady richly dressed, and crowned with an enormous diadem, surrounded by the twelve shields of the Apostles. It then occurred to me that while in images of her as Queen of Heaven and Empress of the Universe she should be shown dressed as splendidly as possible, the beatific poverty of the Apostles suggested she should be far more simply dressed, with the elaborate falling folds of drapery being all she needed to manifest her simple beauty in this particular instance.

Her hair modestly covered by her plain hood, and the only touches of ornament at her throat and wrists. The Virgin's hair is not, as it might appear at first glance, bobbed, but pinned up behind her head in the manner of Abbot Thayer's numerous allegorical females. Likewise, she does not wear her crown, but is accompanied by an angel bearing it; the diadem is topped by a cross holding a very small image of Christ enthroned in its center, and one of the four plaques on the rim contains one of the four zoomorphic emblems of the Evangelists. The flame of the Holy Ghost, her eternal spouse, hovers over her head, and appears again enclosed within her brooch. The arrangement of the Apostles' emblems is in itself symbolic, with Peter and Paul--who frequently replaces Matthias--on Our Lady's right, and the other ten on the other side, with John singled out as the only non-martyr. The "P" in APOSTOLORUM below also does double-duty as a Chi-Rho, the combined monogram of the first two letters of "Christ" in Greek.

This drawing was pieced together on Photoshop from two other drawings, after I discovered the dark reddish-brown backdrop for the Apostles' shields did not register very well in a JPG; but all the drawing is done by hand, and is original.

FYI - per Matthew, the "key" for the Apostles' shields is as follows:

(columns from left to right, from the top down)

Keys - Peter
Scripture & Sword - Paul
Cockleshells - James the Greater
Cross - Philip
Ship - Simon
Face of Christ - Jude
Moneybags - Matthew
Flaying Knives - Bartholomew
X Cross - Andrew
Carpenter's Square & Spear - Thomas
Chalice & Serpent - John
Saw - James the Lesser

Justice and Charity

2008-05-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

From "The Pursuit of Happiness - God's Way: Living the Beatitudes" by Servais Pinckaers, O.P.; pages 102-104:

Justice and charity

This way of viewing justice has direct consequences upon its relation to charity. The relationship becomes difficult because the first movements of justice and charity are now contrary. Being a form of love, charity implies an openness to the other and a readiness to give more than is strictly required. Justice, if it is primarily a claim to our rights, will be basically an insistence on receiving, and even a struggle to gain what is due us. According to this latter concept, charity will have to be satisfied with what is left over after justice has been done. It will be nothing more than a remnant, a form of optional generosity which may be exercised after the rights of the law are satisfied. This is why in current parlance charity is associated with alms. Its meaning has become impoverished.

On the other hand, if the virtue of justice is understood as the generous and spontaneous will to render to each his due, and is thus oriented to the other, it finds a place within the concept of love. It is already a form of charity and the very foundation of this virtue. The first law of charity will be that we practice this kind of justice, whose circle can then be extended beyond the strict precepts of the external law. Authentic justice inclines us, for example, to give to our parents, children, and neighbors, beyond what is legally required for their subsistence, the kindness and affection they have a right to expect from us, and that not in niggardly fashion, but with generosity. In regard to others, justice inclines us to carry out our allotted tasks conscientiously, especially those connected with our profession, for this may benefit many other people and lead us eventually to assume public functions which, beyond our legitimate concern for our own particular interests, we will perform with an eye to the common good. This kind of justice is not rigid but very supple and adaptable to individual needs and situations.

We see from this how the ancients could say that the object and principal effect of justice was to create friendship among men, in their individual relationships and in the setting of political life. It is precisely this idea of friendship that St. Thomas [Aquinas] uses to define charity - the love which unites us to God and neighbor. Justice, even when simply human, works toward the same goal as charity, bu the latter carries us farther. Justice is a certain will to give. It includes uprightness, rectitude in judgment regarding what is due to each person, and proper human relations.

The justice of God and His mercy

If we turn to Scriptures once more, we understand why it refers to God's justice as a supreme quality and invites us to love, hunger, and thirst for it. When Scripture speaks of justice it has obviously risen above the plane of purely human relationships and is considering it as that divine quality which is the source of all justice, notably man's. In God justice is one of the aspects of His mercy and liberality, that generosity with which He distributes freely to every creature whatever it needs, and gives to man, in particular, the gift of justice, which is the will inclining him to give God and neighbor their due with a glad heart.

The justice of God is distinguished from His mercy because it stresses the idea of rectitude, uprightness, and the harmonious ordering of those things which are fitting, while love and mercy point more directly to spontaneity, generosity, and abundance in the gift. But Scripture never sets these virtues in opposition. It often mentions them together to show us that they are two aspects of the one same quality whose richness surpasses our words and ideas.

My Entrance Mass at the Cathedral

2008-05-28T17:34:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are in the area, there will be a simple Entrance Mass for me this Friday, May 30th, at 5:15 pm at the Cathedral of St. Paul (during the time for the regular daily Mass). It will be held in the Sacred Heart chapel, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart - fittingly enough!

As many of you know, devotion to the Sacred Heart and that particular chapel in the Cathedral is very dear to my heart and soul. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Two weeks from today, on June 11th, the Feast of St. Barnabas, my actual Mass of Entrance into the cloister will be celebrated at 10:00 am at the Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus in Kansas City, MO. If thought of it arises in your mind, please say a prayer for me and my family during that time!

Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Take me, O Heart of Christ!

Take me, O Heart of Christ, in all that I am,
take me in all that I have and that I do,
in all that I think and all that I love!

Take me in my spirit, that it may cling to Thee;
take me in my willing, that it will but Thee;
take the depth of my heart, that it love only Thee!

Take me, O Heart of Christ, in my secret desires
so that you be my dream and only goal,
my one affection and my complete happiness!

Take me for the work of Thy great mission,
for a complete gift toward my neighbor's salvation,
and for every sacrifice in service of your people!

Take me, O Heart of Christ, without limits, without end;
take even what I've failed to offer Thee;
and never give back to me what you have taken in hand!

Take for eternity all that is in me,
that one day I may, O Heart, possess Thee,
in the embrace of Heaven take Thee and keep Thee!

-by Fr. Jean Galot, S.J.

Praying for Holy Priests

2008-05-28T17:24:00.000-05:00

Fr. Mark has a great post up today dealing with the need for all of us to pray for our priests, those who stand at the altar of God in persona Christi and are thus used by God to offer us absolution for our sins and the possibility of literally being in communion with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. What a tremendous gift they are to us all!

We who pray often for vocations are typically praying for new vocations, for the hearts of many young men and women to hear the voice of God calling them to the consecrated life. But do not ever forget to pray for those priests and religous who are already in their vocation, for their perseverence in following Christ and for their sanctification.

I would like to call attention to the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, observed this Friday, May 30th (the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a feast near and dear to my heart!). Visit World Day of Prayer for Priests to find out more!

Fr. Mark also proposes considering making any of the following resolutions to pray for our priests:

...a hour of Eucharistic adoration every Thursday in thanksgiving, reparation, and supplication for priests. — the Litany of the Sacred Heart or the Litany of the Precious Blood for priests every Friday. — the Rosary offered for priests every Saturday. — consecration and entrustment of priests to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. — the acceptance of illness or pain, the offering of fasting or other prudent mortifications for the deliverance of priests locked in spiritual combat. — silence when tempted to speak ill of priests. — readiness to offer priests a simple word of encouragement and gratitude. Avoid sentimental gushing and fawning, but be affirming of your priest's efforts to serve Christ, preach His Word, and dispense His Holy Mysteries. — frequent prayer in reparation for the sins of priests.

I recommend the following chaplet prayed on ordinary rosary beads: At the beginning of each decade: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18), in reparation for my sins and for the sins of all priests. On the decades: By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus, purify and sanctify Thy priests. At the conclusion of each decade: O Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named (Ephesians 3:14), have mercy on all priests, and wash them in the Blood of the Lamb.

Urgent prayer request!

2008-05-28T15:51:00.000-05:00

UPDATE

I just got this e-mail update:

Hello all.

I have an urgent prayer request for some excellent youth ministers like yourselves!

Yesterday our friends Brad & Libby Dupont rushed their 2.5 month old baby to the hospital. We don’t know a lot of details.

Not to long ago Brad and Libby had a baby boy (Peter) pass away unexpectedly, and it's possible that the same genetic complications may be happening with their baby girl- Gianna.

Could all of you take a moment right now to storm the heavens with intercessory prayer? Remember Gianna in your daily prayers and specifically when you go to Mass, offer her up.

It is our ability to stand in the gap through prayer that changes the world! Please Please Please pray for the Dupont family, for healing and strength during these difficult and unclear times.

Friends of the DuPonts will be fasting tomorrow for their intentions. Please join us! If you cannot fast from food, maybe think of something else you could offer up for the day.

Also we will end the fast with an hour of prayer at the NET Alumni chapel from 9pm to 10pm.

Thanks so much, we all have hope, God is good!
Please pass this on to whoever will pray!

~Joe Roueche & Julie Carleton~

A young couple who work as youth ministers at a parish in the metro area is in need of all of your prayers - their new baby is in the hospital, with high acid levels and the liver is not functioning properly. A few years ago, they lost another baby and it began in the same way. I cannot imagine the suffering and worry that they are experiencing right now, and implore you and everyone to pray for this family. They are a joyful, faithful and devout family who trust in the Lord, and in His holy will, but we are reminded of Mary's confidence in prayer and the result of her intercession at Cana - and we too dare to implore Him, through her!

Please spread the word, we need to storm heaven - there has been enough sorrow and grief of late. We must beg the Lord for this ray of hope and life, while asking for the grace to accept His will, and to stand besides this family faithfully!

Father, for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!

St. Gianna, you who know what it is like to have a daughter in danger of death, pray for her.

Mother Mary, intercede for us in this dark hour:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins our mother. To thee we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen.

Now I've Gone and Done It...

2008-05-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

Today my name was one of the 1,010 names called off at the University of St. Thomas to come forward, shake Archbishop Flynn's hand (or in the case of a few of us, kiss his ring!), and receive a form letter "certificate" in a nice folder that says basically: "we don't care what your parents think, you're not getting a diploma until we verify you've met all requirements. When we do that, we'll mail you your diploma in a plain brown envelope just like all those other people who were smarter than you and didn't bother to sit out in the blazing sun for three hours to get this lousy piece of paper"

By the way, Archbishop Flynn was dashingly dressed in episcopal cassock, complete with biretta and whatever that Superman cape is called! (Alas, no photos seem to be online yet.) Is it any wonder that I couldn't resist doing a quickie kneel to kiss that ring? Even though it's sure to have screwed up the photographer's shot of the "event"... sorry, Mom.

Also, I'm proud to say that of everyone in that arena, I was the most American. If having three majors, hence a three tasseled cap, with tassel colors corresponding to the good ole' Stars and Stripes, counts as making one more patriotic that is. (For the record: I had white for Catholic Studies, which seems fitting; scarlet red for Theology, for the martyrdom endured I suppose; and blue for Philosophy, which I haven't really been able to rationalize yet...)

Photos to follow, perhaps. If Mom can figure out how to get them off her camera and e-mail them to me!

The Lasts of Life

2008-05-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

We all know that Scripture verse where our Lord warns us to be always ready, for we know not the day or the hour. But not many of us really live our life like each moment could be our last. Lately, as I've realized that my entrance into the Benedictines of Mary is less than a month away, I've been struck anew by the power of possibility of "last". Last dinner with a friend, last time driving a certain route, last time eating at a favorite restaurant, last, last, last.

Oh yeah, last final exam tomorrow - I just realized that again.

And yet, amidst all these supposed lasts, it is this story that inspired this post, and has helped me put everything in perspective once more.

Those people were going about their business at 2:30pm - how many of them were living that moment like it could be their last? How many of us are right now?

Prayer for Final Perseverance
O sovereign and eternal God, I thank You for having created me; for having redeemed me by means of Jesus Christ; for having made me a Christian by calling me to the true faith, and giving me time to repent after the many sins I have committed. O Infinite Goodness, I love You above all things; and I repent with all my heart of all my offences against You. I hope You hast already pardoned me; but I am continually in danger of again offending You. For the love of Jesus Christ, I beg of You holy perseverance till death. You know my weakness; help me, then, and permit me never again to separate myself from You. Rather let me die a thousand times, than ever again to lose Your grace. O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me holy perseverance! Amen.

An Italian tongue-twister

2008-05-07T15:32:00.002-05:00

So I'm currently in the midst of studying furiously for my Italian finals, so I'm being pretty quiet online... but I thought I'd share this Italian alternative to "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck..." that was presented in our online workbook:

Trentatré Trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando su trentatré trattori trainati da treni.

Try saying that three times fast!

A (very) rough translation:
Thirty-three Trentini all entered Trento (a town) and thirty-thirty waddling (?) on thirty-three tractors towed by trains.

Hmmm... Well it must make sense in Italian. :)

Speaking of Fr. Carola... another homily!

2008-05-05T05:28:00.000-05:00

A. M. D. G.

The Res of Diaconal Ministry at the Altar: The μαρτυρι,α [Martyrdom] of Saint Stephen
Father Joseph Carola, S.J.
The Pontifical North American College, Vatican City
31 March 2008, the Solemnity of the Annunciation

Acts 6:1 – 8:1

At his ordination to the diaconate, the candidate declares his resolution to shape his way of life always according to the example of Christ, whose Body and Blood he will give to the people. Through the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the laying on of the bishop’s hands, the deacon is ordered to Christ the Servant, who, though He was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at, but rather emptied Himself taking on the form of a slave serving obediently unto death on a cross. In the words of this Christological hymn found in St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, we recognize the example of Christ according to which the deacon solemnly promises to conform his way of living. He commits himself to a life of selfless service unto death. Thus serving he promises, moreover, to give not himself, but rather Christ to others. Serving at the altar he enters intimately into the mystery of Christ’s redemptive suffering. In the martyrdom of the Deacon Saint Stephen, we behold most clearly the res or sacramental reality of this diaconal ministry at the altar. On this account, I have chosen this evening to meditate with you upon the saintly Deacon’s holy death in order to grasp what diaconal ministry at the altar truly means. But before we consider the martyrdom account from Acts, let us first recall the intimate bound which Our Lord establishes between humble service and the Eucharistic Sacrifice. His final discourse at the Last Supper will provide us with a most helpful hermeneutical key.

After Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet, he asked them: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master” (John 13:12b-16). Later that same evening, Jesus continued: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecute me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). Concluding His final discourse, Jesus explained: “I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Since no servant is greater than his master, the deacon should realize that his ministry at the altar of Our Crucified Lord will entail suffering. His ministerial suffering, however, is not some oppressive burden ultimately leading to despair. Rather, it is a share in the redemptive suffering of Christ which the deacon joyfully bears in the sure hope of the Resurrection. By pouring himself out in ordained service of others, the deacon makes up in himself what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Indeed, the deacon’s ministry of self-sacrifice in conformity with Christ the Suffering Servant furthers the cause of our salvation. It becomes a source and channel of saving grace for others. In order to see more clearly the redemptive mystery at the heart of diaconal ministry, let us turn now to the martyrdom of Saint Stephen.

Through prayer and the laying on of hands, the Apostles ordained seven deacons for service at table. These seven cared especially for widows in the daily distribution. Their diaconal ministry was above all a ministry of charity which freed the Apostles to devote themselves to the more contemplative duties of prayer and the ministry of the word. First among the seven men chosen was “Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). He “did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). But regarding the nature of these marvellous deeds, the Scriptures remain silent. Nor do they recount even a single episode of Stephen’s service at table. Rather they record at length the saintly Deacon’s final testimony and heroic witness when like his Lord he stood falsely accused before the council. Stephen’s martyrdom providentially parallels in great detail the passion and death of Our Lord. Indeed, the same men who had persecuted Jesus persecuted Stephen as well. It is in his death that we behold Stephen serving in imitation of his Divine Master who Himself served obediently unto death on a cross. Of Saint Stephen Jesus most truly said: no servant is greater than his master. We find in Saint Stephen what the deacon’s resolution to shape his way of life always according to the example of Christ ultimately means.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the unique Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. Christ the High Priest “entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption….he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9;12, 26). At each celebration of Holy Mass, the priest, deacon, ministers and faithful gathered at the altar sacramentally transcend both time and space and stand at the foot of Christ’s Cross on Calvary. Through the ministry of the priest, Christ’s unique Sacrifice is re-presented, that is, made truly present. Closer to the altar than all others save the priest himself, the deacon kneels in adoration before the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Thus his ordained service intimately unites him to his crucified and risen Lord. The Deacon Saint Stephen’s angelic face (cf. Acts 6:15) reminds us as well that the deacon minsters alongside angels at the Altar of Sacrifice. For “[a]t that moment,” Saint John Chrysostom instructs, “angels attend the priest, and the whole dais and the sanctuary are thronged with heavenly powers in honor of Him who lies there” (Six Books on the the Priesthood, IV.4).

In the Eucharist we encounter the Risen Jesus Crucified. It is His resurrected Body which the deacon ministers to the faithful. Saint Stephen witnessed to this truth. For at the moment of his own self-offering in strict conformity with the Sacrifice of Christ, Stephen, “full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). Despite the severe trial, which he was undergoing, he witnessed joyfully to the Resurrection. He was of good cheer, acknowledging that Jesus had indeed overcome the world. But Stephen’s joy was met with rage. They “rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him” (Acts 7:57b-58a).

No servant is greater than his master. Just as the Roman soldiers had led Christ outside the city walls to the place called Golgotha where they crucified Him, the outraged crowd led Stephen outside the walls and stoned him to death. “As they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’” (Acts 7:59). From the day of his ordination until the day of his death, the deacon similarly prayers each night before falling asleep—that is, before entering into a death-like slumber: “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.” He echoes Stephen who echoed Jesus who from the Cross had cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). From the cathedra of His Cross Christ likewise taught Stephen to love his enemies and to pray for his persecutors. “Father, forgive them;” Jesus had prayed, “for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). With his dying breath Stephen similarly interceded, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Saint Stephen’s prayer did not go unheeded. His diaconal ministry at the altar—the reality which his martyrdom reveals—proved a powerful instrument of the Lord’s saving grace. For through it the persecutor Saul became the preacher Paul.

Saint Stephen’s example teaches us that the deacon’s ministry at the altar intimately conforms him to the Sacred Mysteries which the Church celebrates in Her Eucharist. In answering the call to serve at the altar, the deacon willingly acknowledges that no servant is greater than his master. The Master of the Altar at which the deacon serves is the Risen Lord Jesus Crucified who by His Cross redeemed the world. I would argue, then, that we can rightly apply to the diaconal vocation the summons which our Father Ignatius places upon Christ’s lips in the Kingdom Meditation found in the Spiritual Exercises. “It is my will,” Christ declares, “to conquer the whole world and all my enemies, and thus to enter into the glory of my Father. Therefore, whoever wishes to join me in this enterprise must be willing to labor with me, that by following me in suffering, he may follow me in glory” (Spiritual Exercises # 95). To serve at the altar means nothing other than to serve under the Banner of Christ, that is, under the Banner of the Cross. In imitation of Christ Crucified, the deacon conquers by love, pardon and prayer. His ministry calls him to serve in the highest spiritual poverty, and should it please the Divine Majesty, our Father Ignatius would also counsel, and should He deign to choose His servant for it, even in actual poverty. A servant no greater than his master, the deacon gladly bears insults and contempt with Christ who suffered them before him. Such intimate union with the Suffering Christ assures the humility of his diaconal service by which he should never give himself but only and always Christ to others.

My brothers, when you serve at the altar and kneel in adoration before the Eucharistic Sacrifice, remember that no servant is greater than his master. Recall the martyrdom of the Deacon Saint Stephen. Pray that your own ministry will likewise bear such salvific fruit. For Stephen’s death gained us Paul. May your own humble service at the altar likewise win many souls for Christ Our Lord.

Some Have Hats!

2008-05-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

Um, this completely doesn't have anything to do with almost anything that pretty much anyone who is reading this blog cares about... but I can't help it.

The heading banner image up at the always-wonderful blog Some Have Hats includes... a photo of Fr. Carola that I took when he was in Norcia, Italy - wearing that trademark hat of his! And what company he keeps - right between his spirtiual father, St. Ignatius, and his Holy Father, Pope Benedict.

Hey, Karen... tip of the hat to you for your taste in headwear (and the heads wearing it)!

Boy am I glad I got to see that before entering the convent. :)

Welcome to our new ordinary!

2008-05-02T08:12:00.004-05:00

Congratulations, Your Excellency, and WELCOME from all of us!

It's official - Archbishop John Nienstedt is the ordinary of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Am I really the first of the local blogs to post this?

From the Vatican's daily Bollettino:

RINUNCIA E SUCCESSIONE DELL’ARCIVESCOVO DI ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS (U.S.A.)

Il Santo Padre ha accettato la rinuncia al governo pastorale dell’arcidiocesi di St. Paul and Minneapolis (U.S.A.), presentata da S.E. Mons. Harry Flynn, in conformità al can. 401 § 1 del Codice di Diritto Canonico.

Gli succede il Coadiutore S.E. Mons. John C. Neinstedt.

My quick translation:

Resignation and Succession of the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis (USA)

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis presented by His Excellency Harry Flynn, in conformity with canon 401 §1 of the Code of Canon Law [A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances.].

He is succeeded by the Coadjutor, His Excellency John C. Neinstedt.

Quiet Strength - Avery Cardinal Dulles

2008-05-01T11:46:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, Cardinal Dulles gave his last McGinley Lecture, which he wrote but had to be read for him. Entitled “A Life in Theology,” the lecture reflected this latest phase of his long life — he will be 90 this August.

“Suffering and diminishment are not the greatest of evils, but are normal ingredients in life, especially in old age. They are to be accepted as elements of a full human existence,” he said. “As I become increasingly paralyzed and unable to speak, I can identify with the many paralytics and mute persons in the Gospels, grateful for the loving and skillful care I receive and for the hope of everlasting life in Christ. If the Lord now calls me to a period of weakness, I know well that his power can be made perfect in infirmity. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

I have long been a reader of the sensible and yet elegant insights offered by Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. - but I had no idea that his health had taken such a turn for worse. What a marvelous witness to the reality and meaning of our life and the suffering that we are offered, be it from illness or simply the passage of time. The good Cardinal is 90 years old and suffers from post-polio symptoms, leaving him unable to walk or speak any longer, yet still he lives his life to fullest, keeping his "eyes fixed upon Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Do read the whole article over at the National Catholic Register.

Sandals & Fiddlebacks

2008-04-29T20:55:00.001-05:00

...a perfect combination if I do say so myself.

Ecco, behold, a wonderful video produced by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate of the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass:

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. Oh, and no - that wasn't Latin you were hearing, the singing was in Italian! (The community's order of Sisters in Italy recorded the "soundtrack")

They are singing a setting of St. Francis of Assisi's "Prayer in Praise of Mary".

Here is the Italian, and then the most common of the English translations:

Ave, Signora, santa regina, santa Madre di Dio, Maria, che sei vergine fatta Chiesa ed eletta dal santissimo Padre celeste, che ti ha consacrata insieme col santissimo suo Figlio diletto e con lo Spirito Santo Paraclito; tu in cui fu ed è ogni pienezza di grazia e ogni bene.

Ave, suo palazzo,
Ave suo tabernacolo.
Ave, sua casa.
Ave, suo vestimento, ave, sua ancella.
Ave, sua Madre.
E saluto voi tutte, sante virtù,
che per grazia e illuminazione dello Spirito Santo
venite infuse nei cuori dei fedeli,
perché da infedeli,
fedeli a Dio li rendiate.

Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,
Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.
You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,
consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son
and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace.
Hail His Tabernacle.
Hail His Robe.
Hail His Handmaid.
Hail, His Mother.
and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
are poured into the hearts of the faithful
so that from their faithless state,
they may be made faithful servants of God through you.

Bellissima, eh?

Capital punishment revisited

2008-04-28T10:37:00.003-05:00

Found on today's (always insightful) FIRST THINGS blog, On the Square, an interesting look at capital punishment and the difference between formal right of the state to allow it, and our modern day practical duty to abstain from using it.

Personally, I agree with this article's outline. It would seem to me that there is a fundamental right of the State to have the option of capital punishment inherent in the right of the people to be protected by the State. However, in the modern age, where we do indeed have the luxury of imprisonment rather than death, I also believe that we are practically speaking morally obligated to utilize this option - for "compassionate" reasons of course, but ultimately because I believe that for every moment that we are alive there is another chance for us to turn to God and be converted. To kill someone when it is not necessary to do so, even if they have committed heinous crimes, is to potentially deny them this possibility of salvation and for a Christian to ignore this is to be utterly inconsistent with the Christian life and witness.

At the same time, we cannot simply make capital punishment equal to abortion or euthanasia, because to do that is patently unfair to the innocent, being that it takes away all sense of moral right and wrong, particularly with respect to the victim. There is a fundamental difference between a pre-born baby and a murderer - the baby is innocent. Those two lives have the same inherent value, yes, however one is innocent, the other has willfully chosen to consider other life as less valuable. Justice demands that the innocent not be identified with their killers, it is only after justice is realized that mercy becomes a possibility - or even a duty, for the Christian.

Returning to the article, of particular note to me, as all things that examine the relationship and differences between European and American sensibilities are of interest to me, was the following section:

"Perhaps because we inherited an Anglo-Saxon system for constraining governmental power, America has seen many unjust social policies, some with lethal consequences, but never political prisoners marched to the gallows for mass execution. This goes a long way, I think, toward explaining our singularity. Europeans view our loyalty to capital punishment as barbaric, but, in truth, we retain the death penalty in large part because we have no rich history of barbarism to give us a sober sense of the need to remove the sacred power of the sword from the hands of the secular state."

Very interesting - the family I stayed with in France hinted at this idea to some degree in one of our conversations, as they talked about the effects of war on Europe that America has never had to deal with. However, we did not discuss the philosophical and political steps that Europe took to GET to the point where it became possible for Hitler to gas millions, and how America has or has not taken those same steps. Those philosophical underpinnings are something that I would love to consider more closely... but I doubt if Mother Superior will see such an interest as being complementary to the life of prayer in the convent :)

Read the rest of the editorial here.

UST - Online Petition for TLM at UST

2008-04-28T10:15:00.002-05:00

So, the petition to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul for considering the start of the TLM on campus has over 80 signatures thus far - considering that it hasn't really been very well advertised, that's pretty dang good I'd say!

Now, according to the Aquin (student newspaper, linked above), the petition has been moved online. Of course the article's author didn't give a link to it, nor could I find a link to it anywhere on the UST website... But Google came through again - Click here for the Online Petition for current UST students (I'd say alumni too, who are in the area and would go!) and faculty. Honestly, I'd even say if you are a resident of the area who would attend, sign it too. UST is always talking about "community relations", so say something in the comments about how this would improve the relationship with UST's neighbors and would "celebrate diversity" between the students and their surrounding community.

Sign today!

Woof!

2008-04-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

You Would Be a Pet Dog

You're friendly, loyal, and an all around good sport. People love to be near you.

You are very open with your feelings, and you're quite vocal in expressing them.

You are sincere and kind. You love many people - without any sort of agenda.

Why you would make a great pet: You're content to chill out with your friends

Why you would make a bad pet: You always find yourself getting into trouble

What you would love about being a dog: Running around and playing

What you would hate about being a dog: Being left home alone while everyone else is out having fun

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

The Complete Guide to the Apostolic Journey of Pope Benedict XVI

2008-04-27T07:46:00.000-05:00

Clayton has done us all a marvelous favor - he's put together, in one file, ALL of the Pope's addresses and homilies to the American people.

He hopes to eventually offer it as a study guide to parishes and individuals - help him out by offering your suggestions and ideas for questions!

Padre Pio: Now you can go see him again!

2008-04-24T21:35:00.000-05:00

In 2003, I was blessed to be able to go to San Giovanni Rotondo, the city of St. Padre Pio. I have to admit that I was not particularly overwhelmed at this good fortune at the time, I had just returned to the Church, was on a pilgrimage through Italy, and didn't really know all that much about Padre Pio.

Even today I have to say that I have not really developed an enormous devotion to him, though I know of many who have!

Today in San Giovanni Rotondo, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Grace, Padre Pio's incorrupt body was placed in a glass coffin for the public veneration of the faithful and there was a huge Mass in the square outside.

The exposition of Padre Pio's body

Some interviews (in Italian) and footage from the outdoor Mass

And, for comparison (?), here's Video of Padre Pio's last (public) Mass!

Take Action - Save Caring & Sharing Hands!

2008-04-22T18:11:00.000-05:00

Mary Jo Copeland needs YOUR help, NOW.

I'm late to the game on this one, I kept meaning to post something on it - no excuse. So now that I'm here, I gotta make this good - TAKE ACTION on this issue, whether you live in the Twin Cities area or not. We need to speak out before April 25th - that's this Friday people!

I've been to Mary Jo Copeland's apostolic outreach Sharing and Caring Hands a few times and I can tell you that it is an AMAZING place. People find hope here - they find Christ here. The organization feeds, clothes, shelters, and provides innumerable forms of assistance to any and all who come here in need. They are the true hands and feet of Christ, who put their money where their mouth is and roll up their sleeves, while never losing sight of the reason for their being - Christ.

I also know personally that the city of Minneapolis, especially the police force, has at many times maligned and obstructed the work of Mary Jo. The city kicked her out of the downtown some years ago, arguing that her presence was feeding drug dealers. Now, at the location where she and other sacrificing citizens have built Caring and Sharing Hands' campus (including transitional housing at Mary's Place for women and children nearby), the site for the new stadium is going to be right across the street. And there's the matter of the Republican National Convention coming up later this summer - guess it's time to hide the uglies, according to City Hall. So what do they do? Try to weasel out of it by threatening to revoke Mary Jo's restaurant license, so that she would no longer be able to provide the hundreds of meals a day to the homeless. Their logic is, stop feeding people and they'll just "disappear", I guess. Of course, as a priest said to me just recently - the only thing worse than a drug dealer is a starving drug dealer.

Minneapolis wants to hide the fact that it is a city of poverty, a city with a high crime rate, a city with a large proportion of homeless or people threatened with homelessness. Instead of encouraging people who actually want to work towards solving the problem, the city wants to hide it.

Make your voice heard - save Sharing and Caring Hands! Tell the city of Minneapolis that you want them to leave Caring and Sharing Hands alone, and work to support the work of Mary Jo Copeland instead of obstructing her.

If you can and want to help, you need to contact Mayor R.T. Rybak's policy aide: Erica Prosser 612-673-2133 or erica.prosser@ci.minneapolis.mn.us BEFORE April 25th!!!

Go over to Cathy's blog for more details!

Spread the word!

Ben Stein's "Expelled"

2008-04-20T15:23:00.004-05:00

So I paid $7.00 yesterday at the movie theater to see... a documentary. A documentary that opened in more theaters than "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "An Inconvenient Truth" did, combined. You might have heard about it - Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." If you haven't yet, go see it!

"Expelled" was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a debate between Sten & ID proponents against atheistic Darwinists, and a nailed shut case of ID folks getting slammed by PC universities because of ideological intolerance.

What we get is a film that spends a great deal of its time just trying to crack open the door of the Darwinists that they will be intellectually honest enough to allow that Darwin's theories of the "origin of the species" doesn't in fact explain what the actual origin of any species is - evolution from... what? Ergo, it truthfully isn't either "atheistic" or "theistic" at all because it really simply begs the question of the origin of life itself.

And astonishingly, Stein succeeds in cracking this egg - getting none other than atheism's poster boy Dawkins to acknowledge in one breath that there cannot possibly be any kind of "god", that there is a definite link between (athiestic) Darwinism and atheisim. Then, in the very next breath (in an uncut shot I might add), he is saying that maybe originally the first cell of life here was "seeded" by aliens, and, one step removed from intelligent human life, he goes so far as to admit that there is then still the unknown of how THOSE hypothesised intelligent lifeforms came to be living. So, asks Ben, there might be a "god" of a sort after all - we don't know? Checkmate. No wonder Dawkins is complaining now about being mistreated.

(by the way, check out this story about how Dawkins and Meyers, a UofM biologist, tried to sneak into a pre-screening in Bloomington - Dawkins signing his name as "Clinton Dawkins"! Too funny!)

The other big theme of the film aims at helping us to connect the dots in regards to the real implications of holding either a form of Intelligent Design or a form of atheistic Darwinism - as previously pointed out, both of these arguments are, ultimately, philosophical, even metaphysical, ones. Within a framework of Dachau and one of the notorious Nazi "death" hospitals, Stein and others lead us through thoughtful philosophical analysis on the logical consequences of atheistic Darwinism: the devaluation of human life, eugenics, and ultimately a form of the Holocaust, whether it happens in a concentration camp or a sterile lab. Following the lead of atheistic Darwinism, Stein and others propose that Hitler was perfectly sane. The Nazi understanding of eugenics is what logically follows, ultimately, from the atheistic Darwinist views, because if man is just an animal, and there are no rights given to man by anything greater than another man's legal system, then it would seem that eugenics is just self-guided evolution - our next stage in evolution, if you will.

Now, Stein doesn't blame Darwinism for Nazism - nor is he is really out to debunk Darwinism scientifically, rather his goal is merely to show that the theory of evolution is itself incomplete, and, like all areas of science, needs to be further tested. But he does very much want us to realize that there are implications here, stemming from our motivations behind believing what we believe - our philosophy, or worldview.

"Expelled" is by no means perfect. For one thing, there are so many different flavors of "Intelligent Design" that there is the same problem defining it as there is defining "evolution". As a matter of fact, to this point there is no single coherent "theory of ID", as there are too many factions involved. The basic point, that the universe is a Creation (not necessarily created in 6 days!) is the only thing uniting the defenders of ID. There is a real inability to argue it substantially due to ignorant equivocation - on both sides.

Secondly, honestly the "smacked down" interviews of ID scientists and the corresponding defenses by the pro-Darwinists is the weakest part. There is a limited number of "witnesses" to academic censure, and even more limited ways to know exactly what happens behind tenure board doors. The variety of censured individuals that Stein gets together are, taken together, impressive for their range of fields, but individually I think each of their cases falls short. Their own arguments for ID are, noticeably, absent for the most part. There is enough circumstantial evidence, and probably some actual evidence out there, to say that there is a climate of hostility in academia towards anything smacking of dissent from the evolutionary creed... but no body is going to change their mind on that by watching this film, I'd reckon.

Really, however, I don't think the point of this film was to showcase individual "bad boys" like these ID-entified scientists or even to "prove" once and for all that any reference to ID will be automatically quashed in America's higher institutions. The real point of the film was to be a warning to us to take seriously our beliefs and ideas, that ideas are not "harmless" and abstract but that they, like it or not, have real consequences on how you live - or determine how others live. It was not these incidents, or any individual incidents, but the very foundation of the atheistic Darwinist worldview - and what it implies for the future if those in power hold these views - that Ben Stein has put on trial.

Brent Bozell had this to say about the film:

...But when [Ben] Stein suggests to Dawkins that he’s been critical of the Old Testament God, Dawkins protests – not that Stein is wrong, but that he’s being too mild. He then reads from this jaw-dropping paragraph of his book:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, blood-thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

Dawkins has a website. Its slogan is “A clear-thinking oasis.”

It’s understood that God had nothing to do with the origins of life on Earth. What, then, is the alternate explanation? Stein asks these experts, and their very serious answers are priceless. One theorizes that life began somehow on the backs of crystals. Another states electric sparks from a lightning storm created organic matter (out of nothing). Another declares that life was brought to Earth by aliens. Anything but God.

The most controversial part of the film follows Stein to the Dachau concentration camp, underlining how Darwin’s theories of natural selection led to the eugenics movement, embraced by Adolf Hitler. If there is no God, but only a planetary lab waiting for scientists to perfect the human race, where can Darwinism lead? Stein insists that he isn’t accusing today’s Darwinists of Nazism. He points out, however, that Hitler’s mad science was inspired by Darwinism.

Now that the film is complete, the evolutionist prophets featured in the film are on the warpath inveighing against it, and the alleged idiots who would lower themselves to watching it. Richard Dawkins laments how the film will solicit “cheap laughs that could only be raised in an audience of scientific ignoramuses.” Minnesota professor and blogger P.Z. Myers predicts the movie is “going to appeal strongly to the religious, the paranoid, the conspiracy theorists, and the ignorant –– which means they're going to draw in about 90% of the American market.” Myers and Dawkins now both complain they were “duped” into appearing in the movie (for pay).

Everyone should take the opportunity to see “Expelled” – if nothing else, as a bracing antidote to the atheism-friendly culture of PC liberalism. But it’s far more than that. It’s a spotlight on the arrogance of this movement and its leaders, a spotlight on the choking intolerance of academia, and a spotlight on the ignorance of so many who say so much, yet know so very little.

Read the rest here.

Communicating Joy!

2008-04-19T10:27:00.000-05:00

Today, Pope Benedict celebrated Mass for the priests, deacons and religious of the United States in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. His homily, however, speaks to all of us, no matter what vocation we are living out in the life of the Church. My favorite excerpt is:

For true life – our salvation – can only be found in the reconciliation, freedom and love which are God’s gracious gift.

This is the message of hope we are called to proclaim and embody in a world where self-centeredness, greed, violence, and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people’s hearts. Saint Irenaeus, with great insight, understood that the command which Moses enjoined upon the people of Israel: “Choose life!” (Dt 30:19) was the ultimate reason for our obedience to all God’s commandments (cf. Adv. Haer. IV, 16, 2-5). Perhaps we have lost sight of this: in a society where the Church seems legalistic and “institutional” to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God’s love.

I am particularly happy that we have gathered in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Perhaps more than any other church in the United States, this place is known and loved as “a house of prayer for all peoples” (cf. Is 56:7; Mk 11:17). Each day thousands of men, women and children enter its doors and find peace within its walls. Archbishop John Hughes, who – as Cardinal Egan has reminded us – was responsible for building this venerable edifice, wished it to rise in pure Gothic style. He wanted this cathedral to remind the young Church in America of the great spiritual tradition to which it was heir, and to inspire it to bring the best of that heritage to the building up of Christ’s body in this land. I would like to draw your attention to a few aspects of this beautiful structure which I think can serve as a starting point for a reflection on our particular vocations within the unity of the Mystical Body.

The first has to do with the stained glass windows, which flood the interior with mystic light. From the outside, those windows are dark, heavy, even dreary. But once one enters the church, they suddenly come alive; reflecting the light passing through them, they reveal all their splendor. Many writers – here in America we can think of Nathaniel Hawthorne – have used the image of stained glass to illustrate the mystery of the Church herself. It is only from the inside, from the experience of faith and ecclesial life, that we see the Church as she truly is: flooded with grace, resplendent in beauty, adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit. It follows that we, who live the life of grace within the Church’s communion, are called to draw all people into this mystery of light.

What a beautiful and understandable way to express our faith and our joy to others - through the image of stained glass windows! Later on he uses the form of Gothic architecture itself to help us to see the integrity and continuity that our faith gives to us, the universality of the faith that corresponds to all areas of earthly existence.

The entire homily is itself a model of this integrity, with each piece building upon and complementing the others, a piece that yet has the character of "wholeness", and that is in turn part of a larger whole and ultimately is meant to be united in the One that is the Triune Godhead, Himself a communion of absolute wholeness.

What a marvelous and gentle nudge by our Holy Father to reclaim our Catholic heritage of beauty and integrity, in everything - from architecture to music to art to the very prayer of the Church, her liturgy!

Fr. Z has the rest, including his typically insightful unpacking of the major themes and high notes.

"Like a strong father"

2008-04-18T16:32:00.000-05:00

One thing that has been wonderful these past few days, apart from the Pope himself being here, has been the delighfuly unexpected quality of a lot of the public commentary on the Pope, the Church and faith itself. (Granted there's also been some real doozies too, but they were here before the Pope came)

This recent post from Kathleen Parker over at NRO is particulary enjoyable to read, perhaps more so because it comes from a non-Catholic's observations:

..."The question is how we reconcile what is true with what is merely convenient? That we might choose a path other than the pope’s is the prerogative of a free people — and no one recognizes that freedom with greater consistency than this pope. No one has to be Catholic.

But to ask Benedict to change the church’s rules to suit modern appetites and lifestyles is to ask that he forsake the sanctity of human life for the benefit of earthly delights. Those are not his concerns.

Even for non-Catholics like me, there’s something comforting about a stubborn pope in a world of moral relativity. Like a strong father, he ignores his children’s pleas for leniency knowing that his rules, though tough, serve a higher purpose.

If Benedict were to relent and compromise the value of human life, what would be left to debate? Perhaps only one’s own time to die. And then ...

Who decides?"

Read the rest at: Kathleen Parker on Benedict XVI in America on National Review Online

The End of an Era... Let Us Pray.

2008-04-17T16:55:00.000-05:00

When the community of faith, the world-wide unity of the Church and her history, and the mystery of the living Christ are no longer visible in the liturgy, where else, then, is the Church to become visible in her spiritual essence? Then the community is celebrating only itself, an activity that is utterly fruitless. And, because the ecclesial community cannot have its origin from itself but emerges as a unity only from the Lord, through faith, such circumstances will inexorably result in a disintegration into sectarian parties of all kinds - partisan opposition within a Church tearing herself apart. This is why we need a new Liturgical Movement, which will call to life the real heritage of the Second Vatican Council.
~ Pope Benedict XVI

Well, after experiencing via the wonders of the web this morning some of the, well, event that playacted at being a Mass of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church but was instead a forum for self-promotion and showmanship at how special, different, and diverse we all are here in AmChurch... I turned it off. I turned off the Pope's Mass. Work was more condusive to prayer.

Jeffrey Tucker manages to put into words exactly what I thought as I watched the Mass this morning:

Let us talk about principles.

In the name of "multiculturalism," the Pope was subjected to music more suitable to dingy dance halls than Churches. The Psalms of David were distorted to the point of ear-splitting dissonance. The congos, pan flutes, meringue rhythms, the jazz and blues and rock, the swaggering vocals, the puffed-up soloing, went beyond even the most pessimistic predictions.

Indeed, when Marty Haugen's Mass of Creation finally came on at the Sanctus, it was a moment of dignity—so much so that I want to take back all my negative comments back when I thought that this Mass setting was unsuitable for a Papal Mass. I don't think anyone knew before this what the phrase "unsuitable" could really mean.

I personally feel the greatest hurt toward American Catholics of diverse races and ethnicities, who have been quite viciously caricatured here. How wounded they must personally feel by this presentation done in their name.

Blues and jazz – intended to appeal to African Americans? What about those African Americans who sing in chant scholas, are accomplished singers, are working to actually compose excellent sacred music?

Meringue and samba for Hispanic Americans? Please. Does this include the Hispanic scholar who wrote me about an hour ago with heartbreak at what saw and heard? He is an expert in the polyphonic music tradition of Latin America, and has done extremely important work in showing how the themes from chant strongly informed the construction of 16th century mass settings.

And were all those wacky instruments somehow supposed to appeal to Asians? I really can't go on here. There is grave insult at the heart of all these attempts to construct styles that appeal to all people, pigeonholing their tastes the same way a racialist writing in the 1930s might do. This is not unity but dangerous division.

I know that none of this was intended, but let us remember that we are united in Christ, united in our Catholicism. The Pope has written in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy that the issue of multicultural was confronted and dealt with early in the Christian history, as the Roman Rite developed to deal with intense diversity of early converts from many regions and language groups. The result was the Latin language in liturgy, and Gregorian Chant and its timeless and universal sound, together with the text of the Psalms that speak to universal impulses in the human person. True multiculturalism is achieved in the Roman Rite itself, a point which is still emphasized in Church teaching.

Read all of Jeffrey's insights, including his very positive spin on what may come of this in the end, over at The New Liturgical Movement: Music for the D.C. Mass: The End of an Era, and the Beginning of Something New

Benedict on vocations

2008-04-16T19:29:00.000-05:00

I have been, of course, following with great interest the words of our Holy Father during these days in America. In particular, I appreciate these words he gave to the US Bishops and to all of us this evening at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the topic of vocation:

3. [Asked by Bishop Losten] The Holy Father is asked to comment on the decline in vocations despite the growing numbers of the Catholic population, and on the reasons for hope offered by the personal qualities and the thirst for holiness which characterize the candidates who do come forward.

Let us be quite frank: the ability to cultivate vocations to the priesthood and the religious life is a sure sign of the health of a local Church. There is no room for complacency in this regard. God continues to call young people; it is up to all of us to to encourage a generous and free response to that call. On the other hand, none of us can take this grace for granted.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send workers. Only the Lord can give the workers, and we always have to pray that He gives us the workers. He even admits that the workers are few in comparison with the abundance of the harvest (cf. Mt 9:37-38). Strange to say, I often think that prayer - the unum necessarium - is the one aspect of vocations work which we tend to forget sometimes or to undervalue!

Nor am I speaking only of prayer for vocations. Prayer itself, born in Catholic families, nurtured by programs of Christian formation, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments -- prayer is the first means by which we come to know the Lord's will for our lives. To the extent that we teach young people to pray, and to pray well, we will be cooperating with God's call. So I think learning prayer, being prayerful people, is an essential point for the living church. Programs, plans, projects are necessary and have their place; but the discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples. Young people, if they know how to pray, can be trusted to know what to do with God's call.

I think there is a growing thirst for holiness in many young people, and that those who come forward show great idealism and much promise. It is important to listen to them, to understand their experiences, and to encourage them to help their peers to see the need for committed priests and religious, as well as the beauty of a life of sacrificial service to the Lord and his Church -- this is beautiful, to have a sacrificial service for the Lord and the Church. To my mind, much is demanded of vocation directors and formators: candidates today, as much as ever, need to be given a sound intellectual and human formation which will enable them not only to respond to the real questions and needs of their contemporaries, but also to mature in their own conversion and to persevere in life-long commitment to their vocation. As Bishops, you are conscious of the sacrifice demanded when you are asked to release one of your finest priests for seminary work. But I urge you to respond with generosity, for the good of the whole Church.

And finally, I think you know from experience that most of your brother priests are happy in their vocation. What I said in my address about the importance of unity and cooperation within the presbyterate applies here too. There is a need for all of us to move beyond sterile divisions, disagreements and preconceptions, and to listen together to the voice of the Spirit who is guiding the Church into a future of hope. Each of us knows how important priestly fraternity has been in our lives. That fraternity is not only a precious possession, but also an immense resource for the renewal of the priesthood and the raising up of new vocations. I would close by encouraging you to foster opportunities for ever greater dialogue and fraternal encounter among your priests, and especially the younger priests. I am convinced that this will bear great fruit for their own enrichment, for the increase of their love for the priesthood and the Church, and for the effectiveness of their apostolate. Thank you very much!

Read the rest at Rocco's, of course.

Keep in mind that these were the prepared comments - the Pope is known to diverge from the prepared version frequently, so I'd keep an eye on Rocco or Amy for any updated versions of his speeches this week.

Earth-rise!

2008-04-14T21:59:00.000-05:00

Gorgeous images of our beautiful home world, rising over the lunar horizon, taken on April 5th:

See the full Earth-rise video online!

The love of Christ impels us

2008-04-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

The "Help Send Mary to the Convent by Donating to Pay Off Student Loans" fundraising drive continues this week, in the Cathedral of St. Paul bulletin - see my testimony/vocation story on page 6... after you check out the rockin' image of then-Cardinal Ratzinger when he last visited St. Paul on the cover!

Or, I guess I can just post it here too:

THE LOVE OF CHRIST IMPELS US
2 COR. 5:14

Over these past five years, much of it spent here in the Cathedral, I have grown more deeply aware of the depth of Christ's love for each of us. Out of that realization has come an openness to learning from the Lord what vocation He has created me to fulfill in my life. Gradually, I began to understand that the Lord is calling me to be His own, and to be His own in that most mysterious of vocations, the contemplative life of a nun. On June 11, God-willing, I will enter the convent of the Benedictines of Mary in Kansas City, Missouri. Me, Mary, the girl who loves talking, traveling, eating, and spending time with friends (and a stranger is only a friend that I haven't met yet)—living, working, and praying every day in a "spirit of silence" in a Midwest monastery? Yes!

How can this be? All I can say is that every vocation from the Lord is, ultimately, a marriage—a call to give everything out of love for another. Whether our vocation is to marriage or to the consecrated life, we are called to love, to be loved, and out of that love to "be fruitful and multiply." To enter the convent does not mean that I am giving up anything, it means that I am giving everything! For many years, I have been about Jesus: learning about my faith, talking about Him and teaching others, organizing events and doing many things for Him in this Cathedral. But now I realize that to be about Him is not enough, what I truly desire is to be with Jesus. I have found my beloved. I have seen His face and I want only to run to Him!

In order to enter in June, however, I face an obstacle—that of my educational loan debt. Due to the unique life of a consecrated person it is not possible to enter with any outstanding debt. I am working with the Laboure Society, a local non-profit organization, to work toward clearing my debt through the generous donations of people like you. Perhaps you have been praying for vocations for a long time. Perhaps you have only recently become aware of the different ways that the Lord calls His people to serve. Or maybe this is your first encounter with the idea of different vocations. Whatever your situation, I ask you to please consider supporting my vocation, both through your prayers and though financial support. Donations can be made out to the Laboure Society, with the memo "Cathedral bulletin 4/2008", and mailed to 1620 Johnny Cake Ridge Lane, Eagan MN, 55122. Or go online to www.labouresociety.org.

The Lord, in His goodness, has given the Church and the world all kinds of vocations: marriage and family life, the priesthood and deaconate, and the consecrated life. Each vocation is special, each one is necessary for the health and life of the Church and the world. The Holy Spirit in every age calls people to be open to the will of God, most to marriage, as the family is the heart and origin of society. But there are many, like me, whom God is calling and challenging to be His own. As I move forward to become a Sister, my heart belongs to Christ, but I will never be far from you, my parish family. Daily, I will be praying for the Cathedral and all who worship here. This has been my spiritual home, and united in Christ this bond and love will be strengthened, not destroyed. I invite you all to always send me and the community any prayer intentions that you may have. More information about my community can be found at www.benedictinesofmary.org.

God bless you! -Mary Gibson

(Cathedral of St. Paul bulletin, 4/13/08)

You are what you eat?

2008-04-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

You Are A Peanut

You are popular, even with people who tend to have picky taste.

Kids love you, as do dogs. From rednecks to snobs, most people have a place for you in their hearts.

As popular as you are, there are some people who can't be near you.

Don't take it too personally. There's just a few people you rub the wrong way.

What Nut Are You?

Maybe I shouldn't have eaten all those pounds of salted-in-the-shell peanuts. Or maybe this is why I eat them.

TLM petition at UST

2008-04-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Calling all Tommies!

From today's Bulletin:

Petition drive launched to have Latin Mass celebrated on campus

A petition drive has been started to ask that the traditional Latin Mass (called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) be celebrated at the University of St. Thomas.

The petition is located in Sitzmann Hall, home of the Center for Catholic Studies. The hall is located on the northeast corner of Summit and Cleveland avenues.

Students, staff and faculty are invited to sign the petition, which will be submitted to Campus Ministry.

Contemplative prayer is "fundamental" to Papal visit

2008-04-02T17:57:00.000-05:00

From Fr. Stephanos comes word that the US Apostolic Nuncio (Pietro Sambi) has sent a letter addressed to contemplative religious communities (I assume that includes the Benedictines of Mary, whom I most eagerly await joining this June!) in which he urges them to prayer for the fruitfulness of the Holy Father's upcoming visit to the USA. È fantastico!

The letter concludes: I am deeply convinced that my request is fundamental to the real success of the pastoral journey of the Pope as well as to the spiritual renewal of our beloved Catholic Church in the United States.

Go to Fr. Stephanos' post for the rest!

Need prayer? Send intentions to the Pope.

2008-04-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

Via Vincenzo, grazie!:

Faithful Offered Chance to Have Pope Pray for Their Intentions

Washington DC, Apr 2, 2008 / 04:54 pm (CNA).- With less than two weeks left to go before Pope Benedict arrives in the United States, the rector of the National Shrine, Msgr. Walter Rossi, is offering people the opportunity to participate in evening prayer with the Pope by sending him their prayer intentions.

During his visit to Washington D.C., Pope Benedict XVI will tour the Great Upper Church and celebrate a private Evening Prayer with the United States’ bishops on Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30 p.m. (EST).

The event is closed to the public, but Msgr. Rossi is offering people the chance to have their prayer intentions to be remembered at the Solemn Vespers by the Holy Father.

Anyone who wishes to have their prayer intentions included at the celebration of Vespers, can do so by emailing them to webdevelopment@bnsic.org no later than Friday, April 11, 2008.

As the visit of the Pope approaches, Msgr. Rossi asked that the faithful keep the priests and staff of the Shrine in their prayers as they finish their preparations for the Pontiff’s arrival.

The website for the National Shrine can be found at http://www.nationalshrine.com.

(Original article at CNA.)

Actor answers God's call on stage

2008-03-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this fantastic article about Jeremy Stanbary, a friend of mine who has founded Epiphany Studio Productions, with a home base here in the Twin Cities.

If your parish would like to host one of Jeremy's fantastic one-man plays, or his awesome Scrutiny Passion for next Lent, give him a ring! I particularly recommend his Alessandro, a powerful telling of the story of Maria Goretti through the eyes of her killer, who later repented and was present at her canonization. Great one for teens and young adults to see!

Another chance to love some people

2008-03-29T23:09:00.000-05:00

Dom over at Bettnet beat me to the punch and posted up
this novena to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati on behalf of a friend of mine, Peter Braam, and three of his friends who are all suffering, or likely suffering, from cancer.

Peter just found out that a lump on his neck is likely to be lymphoma, but is waiting to hear final biopsy results. Peter has a huge devotion to Bl. Pier Giorgio, in fact it is in large part thanks to Peter's efforts that Frassati Societies have sprung up in Denver and, through his sister, here in the Cities). Therefore, it is fitting that he has asked for us to pray a novena to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati for healing and strength for these four people, in accord with God's will for them. Please join us - if you can still do it today (or "catch up" with us) we will end on April 6th, which happens to be Bl. Pier Giorgio's birthday, fittingly!

Opening the Guitar Case

2008-03-28T18:11:00.001-05:00

As most of you know, I have discerned a call with the Benedictines of Mary and hope to enter the convent on June 11th of this year. (My full story is here)

Day in and day out, in parishes and homes across the world we pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Many of us do so without ever imagining that we ourselves might be part of God's answer to that prayer, or that our children might be. Well, speaking as one of those answers, to hear the call and accept it eagerly is one of the most marvelous things that can happen in one's life! I strain forward towards that day when I can join my monastic family at the foot of the Cross, and though in many ways it is fast approaching, can an engaged person ever say that their wedding day is not coming quickly enough?

Unlike an engaged couple, however, I and others seeking our vocation in the cloister have a major difference in our preparations - what to do about our educational debt load. Engaged couples worry about money, certainly, but they are not prevented from their marriage due to outstanding debt. Aspiring Sisters like myself, on the other hand, are.

I am now working with the Laboure Society with the goal of clearing my educational loans. To plan and run the usual means of fundraising is difficult for me, as I am working full time at a parish plus taking 10 credits of university language courses in order to be able to graduate before entering. June 11 is fast approaching however, and so I am making this online plea to YOU.

I am not worried - I trust in God's Providence and in the Holy Spirit that if this is His will, all will be well. However, as Catholics we also realize that our cooperation is essential - we must each say yes to God and our actions towards one another matter, we make a difference by God's grace in others' lives. Hence, while I have constant trust, I am also not going to leave any rocks unturned! :)

Please, if you have prayed for vocations with an open heart and have not yet contributed financially to assist someone's vocation directly (or even if you have!), consider making a (tax-deductible!) contribution that will assist me in offsetting my loans through the Laboure Society. If you choose to give, please tag your donation to the Laboure Society with the memo "VS blog 2/8".

Thank you!!

Prayers for a family's tragedy

2008-03-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

I've always argued for the goodness of the Internet, but perhaps this is the best defense of all - the web forges new links between us as a community, helping us to know of others so that we can love them, and as believers helping us to fulfill our responsibility to pray and intercede for one another.

Whenever you think you're having a rough day, the Lord just wants to show you that there are others who He is calling you to pray for.

Steve Walker, I don't know you, but God does - and I pray for your eternal rest and for the comfort of your family.

Meet Nathan, one of thousands...

2008-03-27T11:37:00.000-05:00

...who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church this spring.

...This highlighted for me one very important fact that my RCIA program never even alluded to: that to be a Catholic, you are taking a very firm stand in a very distinct way. The fullness of truth does not come without its costs. Our faith is not something that should work to make us comfortable where we are, rather, it is something that that should make us bitterly uncomfortable where we are whenever we are not fully in God's presence. There is no salvation without the cross.

Over at Genesis and Eschaton, Nathan Kennedy bares his soul for us and reminds us once again that the road to Christ is not wide and easy but one that requires our full cooperation and dedication. Oftentimes, as Christ promised us, this means that in the eyes of the world, particularly in the eyes of those who are closest to us, we are deemed insane, fools, fanatics. For many converts like Nathan, there are immense struggles attached to committing to Christ in the Church - but the same goes for anyone who takes their faith seriously. We can all learn and gain from reading Nathan's story, whether we are converts, reverts, or still unsure of what we really believe and how far we are really willing to go for God.

Go read all of Nathan's Early Reflections on the Challenge of my Confirmation

"I" define a person as ________.

2008-03-26T18:09:00.000-05:00

Via Zadok comes this frightening report from Belgium:

Mr Tommelein, whose party is a key member of Belgium's coalition government, has pledged to bring forward new legislative proposals extending euthanasia to children and old people suffering from such severe dementia that they are unable to choose for themselves.

And perhaps even more frightening:

There are more than 39 cases of euthanasia declared by doctors in Belgium every month, but the true figure is thought to be double that.
Euthanasia is currently permitted on infants and more than half of the Belgian babies who die before they are 12 months old have been killed by deliberate medical intervention.
In 16 per cent of cases parental consent was not considered.

Wow. So... when faced with a population crisis because of not having enough people being born to sustain the amount of federal social welfare programs, apparently Belgium's solution is to just kill off the people that they promised that those programs would protect, by trying to convince us that they aren't people at all (no, they don't say that outright - but that's effectively what their actions mean. Persons are those who live a "worthwhile" life. Humans who are too young, old or incapicated or who just have a "life unworthy of life" are not persons and should be killed to make way for those who are persons.)

Who's next to be determined useless, person-less, and marked for death - poor people who aren't pulling their weight in the Brave New World? Children who are slow learners and falling behind in class? People with a cleft lip (wait - that's already happening: Over 30 babies aborted in England alone)? Me? You?

As that old adage goes, referring to Nazi Germany:

They came for the Jews and I did nothing.
They came for the foreigners and I did nothing.
They came for the religious and I did nothing.
They came for the homosexuals and I did nothing.
They came for the children and I did nothing.
They came for the old and sick and I did nothing.
They came for my neighbors and I did nothing.
They came for me.

Buona Pasquetta!

2008-03-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

Since I missed out on wishing you all a Buona Pasqua, I'll wish you a Buona Pasquetta instead - Happy Little Easter!

Today, Easter Monday, is celebrated as a quasi-national holiday in Italy, where it is dubbed "La Pasquetta", or "little Easter". Here in the States, the only remnent of this tradition is found in some Catholic schools, where Easter break extends through today.

Take some time today to celebrate Easter all over again - and don't forget, there is a whole OCTAVE (8 days) of Easter, so even after the "Little Easter" there are still 6 more little Easters to go! Time to go stock up on gelato!! :)

Speaking of celebrating, this post from Ian called Nothing Is Too Cheap For God seems to be a relevant observataion today. A snip:

...I believe that an actual love of God must be cultivated among all the Faithful. Most people would be aghast if it was suggested that they give the music or the art in their parishes to someone they love as a gift. They would probably choose something of higher quality as a gift. And yet, this lack of quality is what is offered to God each day at Mass. To achieve the goal of love of God will require a lot of patient education. This education may offend people who have come to believe that liturgy is all about community instead of worship and that mediocrity (though they wouldn’t put it in that term) is the best that can be expected. A true love of anything will always naturally bring about an improvement in the quality of attention given to the beloved. We need to abandon the idea that nothing is too cheap for God and return to the notion that nothing is too good for God.

Case in point.

Abbastanza buono per San Giuseppe?

2008-03-16T20:36:00.012-05:00

How do you know when it's time to celebrate the sanctity of St. Joseph, foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ and most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

When le zeppole appears in Italian pastry shop windows of course!

This year the feast of St. Joseph crept up on me and caught me unprepared - I could use the transference of his feast day to the 15th (instead of the 19th) as an excuse, but I won't. Instead, I'll blame it on the fact that fate has left me thousands of miles away from any Italian pastry shops and their windows. :)

So, yesterday, at Mass I suddenly realized that la festa di San Giuseppe was upon us... and that I was craving le zeppole! What's a girl in the wrong latitude and longitude to do? Make some!

The first question was what to make - there are lots of different varieties, from the fried donut kind to the cream puff kind that I saw a lot in Rome. An added problem is that most of the recipes are in italiano and are geared for centigrade stove temperatures... I didn't have the energy to translate a whole recipe or to try to do a proper conversion. That limited my choices significantly. And, while I guess the most traditional and common type of le zeppole is the fried donut, I am without a deep fryer and had no desire to deep fry in a skillet today. Thus, in the end I opted to go for the cream puff kind (with raspberries, because the typical cherry on top is out of season in Minnesota in March, for some reason!).

So, after finding my recipe this afternoon I: looked at the ingredient list, gasped at the amount of calories involved, went grocery shopping, made the check-out clerk gasp at the amount of calories involved, came home, used three different pans which made three different consistencies of pastry puffs (oops), whipped up heavy cream for the first time (and got cream spots on everything in a three mile radius), made my roommates gasp at the amount of calories involved, folded heavy cream into instant pudding for the first time, spilled folded cream & pudding mix all over the kitchen floor, improvised a ziplock baggie into a frosting squeezer for the first time (a lot of firsts today!), realized I still need practice at getting whipped cream the right thickness as I watched it ooze over everything without leaving a lot on the actual pastries, got powdered sugar EVERYWHERE, realized once again just how spectactular fresh raspberries are (Mmmmmmmmm!), had problems getting the pesky little pastries to look "right", made our guest gasp at the amount of calories involved, and finally... ate one. And it was very good.

Ta-da! I present to you, Le Zeppole di San Giuseppe (alà Mary :)

There's definitely room for improvement... the consistency and flavor of the filling isn't QUITE right. The instant pudding part is going to have to go, though I shudder to think of the effort involved in making real crema (or whatever you call what goes into the real thing). And I really need to learn what exactly "stiff peaks" means when whipping up heavy cream, I think that could be a bit thicker. But all in all, a good start I'd say and quite tasty in itself.

Next problem: I need to figure out what to do with a ton of leftover crema! For the amount of puffs that this recipe made, the amount of crema produced seems to be overkill! So if you try this recipe, just keep that in mind... and maybe reduce the ingredients for the filling (unless it's only a matter of knowing how to properly whip cream, in which case... do let me in on the secret!)

Now, I really want to try the more traditional kind. Even if it does mean risking my fingers from having hot oil popping in a frying pan. Perhaps I'll try it on San Giuseppe's "real" day, March 19th, this Wednesday, if I can find a decent recipe. Stay tuned!

Recipe I used for this version of Le Zeppole di San Giuseppe:

Le Zeppole:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour
4 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in all of the flour. Beat vigorously with a spoon until thoroughly blended. Stir over heat 1-3 minutes until mixture comes away from the pan to form a ball. Remove from heat and beat eggs in one at a time. After each addition, beat until batter is well blended and smooth.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool puffs, cut in half and fill with filling.

Almond Cream Filling:
1 package instant French vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 pint whipping cream
1 pint raspberries
powdered sugar for dusting

Follow directions on package of pudding, substituting almond extract for some of the milk. Let pudding set for 1 hour. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the pudding.

Slice cream puffs in half and fill. Top with some raspberries. Put the top back on and dust with powdered sugar and garnish with raspberries.

Words to live by

2008-03-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

From a friend:

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.”

Mice eyeing cats.

2008-03-15T17:08:00.001-05:00

You just never know what you're going to find at Goodwill... Today I was on my way home from Sam's Club and popped in to browse through the books, as I am wont to do when given an opportunity. An old hardcover with a tattered dust jacket entitled "We Ate Gooseberries" caught my eye for some reason; when I pulled it down I was quite intrigued to find that it is by a Fr. Vernon J. Schaefer and subtitled "Growing Up on a Minnesota Farm During the Depression". Bonus: the inside cover seems to be signed by the author. And at only $1.00, I figured, perchè no? and added it to my pile of books - Dad, it's yours when you get here next weekend. :)

Anyway. My point, and I do have one, is that I just now started reading a few pages and really like Fr.'s witty and casual style of telling his tales. While it may not be the next classic in the sense of F. Scott Fitzgerald, I'm actually glad it's not. Instead, it's a very friendly and down-to-earth collection of personal stories. Most of all, I love the impression of his own habit of speaking that comes across - I've never heard or seen the man, but I can almost believe he is speaking these words to me as I read them. Take, for example, this little gem of an observation (remember, the good Father published this book in 1974):

..."While we were still residing on the Schumacher Place another member of the Schaefer tribe arrived. This was Marjorie Ursaline born on March 11, 1921. So it was evident that Ma wasn't practicing birth control, the big "virtue" of the sixties, and it looks like it's going to be worse in the seventies for a new human being to sneak into the world. But poor Ma, she never spaced her children but let the Lord do it and had five in a row. According to the modern experts she should have collapsed physically and mentally. Approaching eighty now, she is as healthy as a horse. On the other hand, some of our modern mothers are killing themselves with drugs, gadgets, and worry lest they give birth to another child and are about as happy as a mouse eyeing an oncoming cat."

"A mouse eyeing an oncoming cat." Yup, that about sizes it up I'd say, and sadly it didn't get any easier for new humans to "sneak into the world" in the eighties, nineties, or now in the oughts either...

Another gem:

..."Back beyond the trees clustering about the house and yard area was a small barn which could accommodate six cows and two horses. Above it was a small haymow into which was pitched a load of hay by hand on occasion. Although the Sisters in school put out a rather vivid account of what hell was like, it was in that haymow one day that we experienced hell first hand as we were ordered to pull the hay back when it was pitched in through that small door on a hot July day. With no semblance of a breeze, the heat-charged air was filled with choking dust to the point of almost suffocating this freely perspiring little saint in overalls. The suffering son of Adam could think of only one thing - hell - and he vowed he would never commit a mortal sin and take a chance of having to endure this for eternity. Rural life in the old days had moments admirably geared to inculcating real sanctity."

And another:

..."Also in the grove beyond the woodshed was a narrow tile structure of dull orange color like the hen house. This was the smoke house. Besides using it for flavoring the protein, we often used it as a pulpit. The hollow tile was open at the corners, and it was easy to mount to the gently arching cement roof. On this we stood and preached eloquently, or so we thought, to the sparrows, woodpeckers, squirrels or whatever wildlife happened to be occupying the area at the moment. Despite these efforts, which made Demosthenes a famous orator, we're told, we gained nothing from the practice, apparently. In fact, we became one of the world's worst pulpit orators in the Church."

With many more pages to go, I think I'm going to find a nice spot to curl up for a few hours once I post this!

After doing a bit of a search online, I discovered that Fr. Vernon Schaefer, of the Diocese of Winona, died on November 16, 2000. I pray for him today, may he be at peace with our Lord eternally, and I ask for his prayers for all of us!

Quote of the Day

2008-03-13T13:20:00.000-05:00

"The world is not a 'prison house,' but a kind of spiritual kindergarten where millions of bewildered infants are trying to spell God with the wrong blocks."
~ Edwin Arlington Robinson (H/T to Artur!)

A Quickie Prayer for the World

2008-03-12T18:54:00.000-05:00

There's a beautiful ejaculation, a quickie prayer that Our Lord gave to Sister Maria Consolate Betrone. It says, "Jesus and Mary, I love you. Save souls." It's very simple but, oh, it carries a lot of weight. So intercede for the whole world.

~ From Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality

"Someone's beloved never got to be born"

2008-03-12T15:24:00.001-05:00

One of the most powerful blog posts I have ever had the honor of reading can be found today over here at Adam's Ale. In it, a woman shares with us her face-to-face encounter with both the reality of our sins and their consequences, and the hope that we have in Christ's mercy. Read it, share it, meditate on it. And "Go and sin no more."

Several months ago this blog [Adam's Ale] featured the priest’s frustration at dealing with young couples preparing for marriage who roll their eyes and sigh as he explains the Church’s teaching on premarital sex and birth control. Thirty-two years ago, I was one of those young people. I am still married and have 4 wonderful children, but I recently realized that even after going to Confession and being forgiven by God, I had not forgiven myself for these sins.

So I went to Adoration and in front of the Blessed Sacrament, bared my soul to God. The first day I talked to Him about birth control. Not only did my husband and I use artificial contraception, but I took oral contraceptives. I knew birth control pills were abortifacient, but I chose to pretend that it didn’t really count. Of all the things I have ever done in my 54 years on earth, this is the one I regret the most.

Catherine Grace and Benjamin Douglas
And how many more
Poor souls conceived and then destroyed
By my selfishness.

And yet my selfishness is my loss.
What could be more intimate than nursing a baby,
Giving of myself to one who is helpless without me
Giving what only I can give,
Holding that gift from God
Looking into its tiny eyes
Counting its tiny fingers
Comforting a new creation
Not quite comfortable in this world

I’ll never be able to do that again.
Yes, I will have the chance to hold a baby
But not flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone.
I will have a chance to feed a baby
But never suckle it at my breast.

More than a sexual union
I think that this is the intimacy of the Eucharist…
God, reaching down
Looking us tenderly in the eye
And feeding us from his body and blood.

I had a chance to share in that mystery four times,
But how many more could there have been?

And even that is selfish, Lord.
What about the poor innocent souls
Who never got to live out their purpose in life.

I’m sorry

One might have found a cure for cancer.
One might have been Pope.
One might have been a sport hero worthy of being looked up to.

I’m sorry, Lord.

I have taken innocent lives.
I have had abortions
I have murdered.

What have I done???

Oh, God, save me from the snare of the fowler
The snare that says I know better
The snare that says I’m OK because everyone does it.

Every sin is communal
Someone’s beloved never got to be born.
Someone’s best friend never took his first breath.
Someone’s favorite teacher never got to preschool.
Someone’s spiritual director was never even baptized.

I
AM
SO
SORRY.

Please don’t be like my friend who says that sorry doesn’t help. I can’t go backwards. Believe me, I wish I could.

How do I make amends?
How do I go to those saints in heaven and repay my debt?
How do I contact all of those people between the ages of 10 and 30 and say that I’m sorry that because of my selfishness and fear, someone important in their life won’t be there when they need them?

I cannot even look at You. I am so ashamed.

Look at me.

I pounded those nails. Worse than that, I jeered at you with the crowds. I was caught up in the fever of the day.

Look at me.

Can this be healed, Lord, it is so big?

You’re already forgiven. Come to me and be healed.

I cannot even look at you. How could I approach you?

Come. My mercy shall wash you clean.

Here is your God,
He comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
He comes to save you.
- Isaiah 35:4 -

(Not quite) Leaving the world behind

2008-03-06T10:57:00.001-06:00

Welcome to any new readers from today's Catholic Spirit archdiocesan newspaper!

Please click here to see my previous post about my decision to enter the Benedictines of Mary!

My blog has been fairly quiet lately, as I prepare to enter the convent, however many people have wondered, "just how do you prepare to be a nun anyway?"

Thus, I am planning on posting a bit more frequently now about these preparations. Please check back again and do let me know if you have any particular prayer intentions for me and the community to pray for.

Dio ti benedica!

The habit of being

2008-02-20T22:06:00.000-06:00

H/T to the blog Roman Catholic Vocations for this fantastic article that I never would have found otherwise (being as it's from one of those "blah" Catholic magazines).

Excerpt:

Like it or not, religious garb and clerical dress are making a comeback. This phenomenon can be hard to swallow for a generation of priests, religious, and laity.

It may seem that younger Catholics are attempting to undo all their hard work and are intentionally heading backward into a church that placed a greater emphasis on distinctions between the clergy and the laity, rather than celebrating the common priesthood of the baptized. Some have even accused wearers of religious garb of being insecure, out-of-touch, and intellectually second-rate. But today I find the youngest, brightest, healthiest, and most joyful consecrated religious and clergy seem perfectly at home in religious garb. What happened?

When asked how she reconciled her Catholicism with using violent, grotesque imagery, the great fiction writer Flannery O'Connor, herself a young Catholic who was often misunderstood, said: "To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large startling figures." It seems that the same philosophy is at work in the minds of young Catholics who are drawn to religious garb; they desire to communicate the gospel through sign and symbol to a world whose senses have been dulled. And if their clothing can help people to hear and see Christ, then it's a no-brainer.

...Today's youth live in a culture that forces them to say something about who they are and what they believe. The tattoo and body-piercing craze gives perfect witness to this condition. It's even hard to find a young person wearing a T-shirt that doesn't have words, numbers, or images on it. This is why more Catholic youth are wearing crosses, medals, and devotional bracelets. It should come as no surprise that younger Catholics would rather see priests in clerics than clothes from J. Crew and would rather see sisters in a habit than a pantsuit with a lapel pin. They want priests and religious to be recognizable, just as police officers and firefighters are recognizable by their uniforms.

...The John Paul II and Benedict XVI generations have been accused of wanting to wear religious garb in order to bring attention to themselves. I am sure that in a few situations this is true. Unfortunately, in every way of life there are folks who love attention, honor, and power. For the majority of young Catholics, however, this simply isn't the case.

They desire to bring attention to Christ with their whole lives, including their wardrobe. These young people want to be part of something greater than themselves. And they are willing to give up their lives to do so. They want to imitate saints like Anthony, Francis, and Teresa in their love of Jesus and service of the community. And yes, even in their dress. They want their habits to manifest their being.

Read the whole article!

"Sadness, no - sacrifice, yes"

2008-02-12T10:59:00.000-06:00

In other vocation news, my dear friend Molly entered the Nashville Dominicans a couple of years ago - and she was recently interviewed as part of a PBS special! Sr. Amelia Hueller's smiling face and testimony can be read here!!

My News of Great Joy!

2008-02-08T22:27:00.000-06:00

Pax!

Dear friends and visitors,

I know I have been pretty quiet online for some time, do forgive me, I think I have good reason for it! After many months of discernment, and much consideration in prayer, if God so wills it I will be entering the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 11th of this year!

The Benedictines of Mary is the same beautiful community that I went down to visit and make a retreat with last Thanksgiving, as some of you may recall. During that wonderful time of seclusion and reflection, I can now say that I know why no one could ever "explain" to me what it means to know what a vocation is before. Now I am the one who is unable to fully "explain" it to anyone else! Suffice it to say that from the first moment I arrived at the Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus, I felt completely at peace. "Felt" is actually a misnomer, because it was more than just a feeling - it is that inexplicable sense of belonging, or perhaps of fitting-ness. Like a glove. And now I, the bubbly, zealous, active, organizing, networking and globetrotting Mary, desire nothing more than to follow my Lord, at the side of Our Lady, into a quiet, cloistered, sewing, farming community in Missouri for the rest of my days, if He so wills it. God is so good!

Pretty much everyone I have spoken to about this discernment has asked "How do you know?" All I can say is, during my time there, I truly heard the call of Christ to come before Him, asking me to return all that I am, and all that I have been given, to Him as a free gift and loving sacrifice, or to choose to return to the blessed life I have been leading. My heart leapt, and with both solemnity and joy I said "yes!" More than that, I now realize that while I have spent my life seeking Christ, and being "about" Him in most of what I have done these past few years, there, in the cloistered life, is where I am to live with Christ; to know Him and love Him, by learning how to love through my community life with my Sisters (the convent is, as Mother said to me, a true "school of charity"!) and thus to be united with Him in a unique way and to bear fruit for the whole Church. I have to admit that as of now I've had a lot more time to truly consider the "consequences", you might say, of a fiat to Christ in a cloistered life -- but with that further discernment, the knowing and certitude has not diminished, but has been kept strongly in my heart and mind. I know not what the future holds, or the way the path will turn or slope, but I do know that I must heed the call now, without delay!

As you might imagine, the months since my Thanksgiving retreat and my acceptance into the community have been incredibly busy, but by the grace of God things seem to be falling into place. There is, however, one major obstacle remaining to my planned entrance on June 11th -- my educational debt. No aspirant can enter religious life with any outstanding debt, and so I am working with the Laboure Society (located right here in Eagan MN!) to resolve the remainder of my student loan debt. If you are able to assist me in this, follow the link to the Laboure Society for more information, and if you decide you would like to help me financially please send it to them, referencing "VS blog 2/8" for tracking purposes. And, thank you!

Your prayers are even more important to me, however - I am asking the Lord for the special intention that in this continuing discernment both I and the community, in particular Mother Prioress, will be given the grace of understanding of the Lord's will, and the courage to follow it wholeheartedly. Your prayers for this are gratefully appreciated as well, and thank you with all my heart for all of your support in so many ways that we cannot even know in this life!

A further note for any clergy, including seminarians, reading this: in keeping with our name, our charism is to live our life of sacrifice intentionally for the sanctification of the priesthood. Our primary means of supporting ourselves is through the sewing of vestments, and in keeping with the Benedictine tradition of hospitality, we offer a place of retreat for the clergy. Feel free to send me your ordination card, or name via e-mail perhaps, if you would like me to pray for your vocation.

Dio vi benedicite!

Il Carnevale in Italia!

2008-02-05T22:58:00.000-06:00

Those Italians, now THEY know how to have a good time on Mardi Gras (well, "Carnevale season" lasts a lot longer than just one day, for starters!)

la battaglia delle arance (The Battle of the Oranges)

I just hope none of my beloved blood oranges were killed in the fight.

UPDATE: Link fixed (for now?) A fantastic (and musical!) video of the Ivrea fights can be seen here!

Today's Chesterton Thought

2008-01-16T21:06:00.000-06:00

When Christ at a symbolic moment was establishing His great society, He chose for its corner-stone neither the brilliant Paul nor the mystic John, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward--in a word, a man. And upon this rock He built His Church, and the gates of Hell have not prevailed against it. All the empires and the kingdoms have failed, because of this inherent and continual weakness, that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men. But this one thing, the historic Christian Church, was founded on a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. For no chain is stronger than its weakest link.
~ G.K. Chesterton, "Heretics" pg 32

Photos: North Shore Youth Trip

2008-01-14T20:31:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I was once again on the beautiful shoreline of Lake Superior, as a chaperone on the annual St. Charles Youth Group "Winter Adventure Weekend" (aka, ski retreat!). 5 parishes were represented, and I must say it was about the most stellar group of youth and chaperones you could ask for - thanks guys!

Click for Photos from the North Shore Youth Trip 2008!

Destination: Heaven

2008-01-14T19:17:00.000-06:00

What really IS heaven, and even though we say we want to go there, why don't we really want to? Here, DeStefano makes an attempt to tackle this most fundamental question - why do we keep saying "rest in peace" to be consoling when we don't really think we want to be "resting" or at "peace" for eternity? What's really boring - heaven, or our understanding (or lack thereof) of heaven?

When I first saw this book, A Travel Guide to Heaven" by Anthony DeStefano, I thought that this would be merely happy "fluff" reading with maybe even some questionable theology thrown in for kicks. Well, it is definitely happy reading, but I wouldn't call it "fluff", and while there is some imaginative speculation (ok, a lot), it is really in the realm of good, solid, "mere Christianity" - with respect for our Jewish and Muslim brethern as well. I highly recommend this book to everyone, absolutely everyone! You too!

Whenever we are on a long journey, it always helps to get a reminder about the destination that we are heading for - and that it really is worth the time of our life. This book makes perfect "cheer up" reading for all of us struggling on the way to heaven, while not overlooking the fact that heaven is not for just "anyone" no matter what, while not making the mistake of making life itself and our choices (sins or sacrifices) pointless wastes of time. Life itself is a life or death matter - but the rewards of heaven are not something to be made into vague platitudes and things that we "think" we want while really simply desperately trying to ignore for the time being so we can "eat, drink and be merry". The reward of heaven is that we will be able to eat, drink and be merry like never before in the presence of our loving God and creator forever!

DeStefano is a humorous and gentle author that is able to be both witty and simple, much like G.K. Chesterton or C.S. Lewis in a way. In fact, the whole thing reminded me a lot of Lewis' "The Great Divorce" in it's style and handling of this most delicate topic, where our gift of free will and God's tremendous omnipotent goodness can cause us much confusion. Indeed, I suppose I do quibble a bit with a few statements the author makes, especially concerning his conviction that "nothing good will ever be lost, nothing good can be lost to us in heaven" - I am a student both of Chesteron's "doctrine of conditional joy" (that we don't really love anything, or have any joy about it, unless there is a risk of losing it), and of Aquinas' teaching on how, somehow, the justice of hell will also bring us joy, even thought it is an eternal "loss" for heaven of something that was fundamentally created good. But then again... the author might be more right than I realize.

Give this book to ANYONE you know who needs some serious reason to hope for joy.

Now I guess I'm going to have to go get DeStefano's other book, "Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To". I suspect that, while that one also sounds at first like a "fluff" book, it's probably not!

Catholic readers - note that DeStefano seems to be a solid Catholic (he is CEO of Priests for Life after all!), and claims in the endnotes to have an imprimatur for the book from the bishop of Rockville Center, however this imprimatur is not printed in the front of the book itself. Not sure what's going on with that, however, I still confidently recommend the book. It might especially be a great book to give to teenagers or young adults, as it deals a lot with the questions that they have about heaven (and how "boring" the traditional images of heaven make it out to be!).

Prayers requested

2008-01-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

I just got a call from my parents to tell me that my mom's brother Jeff passed away last night, after a long struggle with cancer.

Over a year ago, through the prayers of the family and others of you, we believe a miracle happened that allowed him to improve without reason, and to be able to be at his daughter's wedding, and, perhaps most important, return to his Catholic faith. I have every reason to hope for his soul, but I ask for your prayers for him, and for his family. A Mass or two would be wonderful, if you can.

I do not think it a coincidence that last night, for no particular reason, I pulled Newman's "Dream of Gerontius" off the shelf and stayed up way past my bedtime reading it.

R. Subveníte, Sancti Dei, occúrrite, Angeli Dómini, Suscipiéntes ániman ejus, Offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altíssimi. Suscípiat te Christus, qui vocávit te, et in sinum Abrahae Angeli dedúcant te. Suscipiéntes ánimam ejus, Offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altíssimi.

V. Réquiem aetérnam dona ei, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altìssimi.

R. Come to his assistance, all you Saints of God: meet him, all you Angels of God: receiving his soul, offering it in the sight of the Most High. May Christ receive you, who hath called you, and may the Angels conduct you to Abraham's bosom. Receiving his soul and offering it in the sight of the Most High.

V. Eternal rest give to him, Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon him. Offering it in the sight of the Most High.

Grant, O God, that while we lament the departure of this Thy servant, we may always remember that we are most certainly to follow him. And give us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good life, that we may not be surprised by a sudden and unprovided death, but be ever watching, that, when Thou callest, we may, with the Bridegroom, enter into eternal glory: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Boomerang Culture

2008-01-06T18:32:00.000-06:00

The Anchoress once again gives us the best in cultural dissection:

The worst thing about the Baby Boom generation - besides their delusional belief that everything that came before them needed changing because it was all wrong or lacking in sufficient meaning, is that they keep wanting to re-create those “seminal” moments of their adolescence and young adulthood. That’s why in the late 80’s our entertainment was stuck on “The Wonder Years,” “Thirtysomething” and “The Big Chill,” and it’s why the war in Iraq was never going to be narrated as anything but “The Vietnam Quagmire.”

...The baby boomers have been a generation all-too-comfortable living their lives and working out their issues in public, and public “events” from The Kennedy Assassination/Funeral to the Chicago Convention to the Challenger Explosion to 9/11 have served as cathartic catalysts or backdrops to their never-ending, frolicking subterranean explorations of themselves and their psyches. First they wanted to dismantle “the establishment” and the dominant culture. Then they wanted to re-create moments of deep impact. I don’t know what it means. A few years ago, in a late-night ramble, I wrote:

I think of these baby boomers - in truth I am one of them, on the tail end: The children of The Greatest Generation – “the children of their sacrifice,” as Bill Clinton called them. A generation so in love with itself that it was able to turn to the generation before, the one that saved the world from Fascism and Communism, and sneer at them, rejecting their traditions as vapid, their faith as naive and their sense of honor and duty as mere mechanisms triggered by guilt.

I think with their kids, The Greatest Generation dropped the ball. They came out of a depression and a war so eager to give their children everything – to rebuild the world around their children - that they threw things out of balance. The children who had never suffered or “done without” retorted with a wiseass, “Oh yeah? Don’t tell us we cannot have what we want; don’t tell us there must be consequences for our actions; don’t dare to define the truth to us. Everything that came before us is suspect and probably wrong.”

Not everything that came out of the boomer generation was bad, of course, but - as Bill Kristol has noted, the civil rights advances of the 1950’s were mostly accomplished by the tail-enders of The Greatest Generation.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe the boomers look to re-creation because they deconstructed everything that came before. Their parents had those old bourgeois “illusions” of family, faith and community to guide their lives and give them meaning, security and a clear sense of themselves. Having cast all of that aside, all the boomers have to cling to are themselves, their media, and the “greatests hits” of the soundtracks of their lives.

Not being a Boomer myself, but being in the unique situation of being a late-to-the-party Gen X/Millenial myself, with older siblings who hail from the 60s, and parents who are on the tail end of The Greatest Generation, all I can say is... yes. My family experience is very different, with nary a trace of Boomer Disease - but in a sense, that proves the point.

My parents didn't "give their children everything", because they didn't have "everything" to give; of all of us children I am the one who got the highest amount of "freebies", coming later in my father's professional life as I did. But with all of us, our parents expected a lot, they had high standards of both accomplishment and morality. At the same time, there was an openness to their parental approach that allowed us the breathing room to "screw up" if we had to in order to learn something. My older siblings, unlike the Boomers that the Anchoress referred to above, are not today clinging to themselves and "the 'greatest hits' of the soundtracks of their lives." And, neither, I hope, am I.

Because of this perspective, as I have grown up and entered into adult life and work, I have been able to see with fresh eyes the truth that the Anchoress observes about the Boomers - in essence, all of us are trapped in their Boomerang Culture. I say "Boomerang" because with the Boomers, they just won't let anything go! Every time society tries to move away from some "moment" that "changed us forever" and get over it, the Boomers just pick it up again and fling it back into our faces, our TV sets and our movie theaters. My family doesn't live like that, and so none of us children or grandchildren cling to these moments either. Tragedies happen to us, "moments" happen to us, but... we live through it, we learn from it and we keep going. The Boomerang Culture refuses to do this, because to learn from something means to change your life in some way. They don't want to give up the benefits of being victims, therefore let's keep dredging up the "reasons" why we are the way we are, the excuses for our free love behavior. It's like the kid who is sitting down with dad, and dad's trying to tell him something he doesn't want to hear - but something that he needs to know if he will ever be happy in his adult life, but the kid isn't listening, instead he's looking around in every direction, ready to shout, "hey, look, a distraction!"

It's a good thing boomerangs don't last forever.

A supreme virtue: Obedience

2008-01-05T14:17:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wonder why God values obedience more than sacrifice? ... Because obedience is someone else’s idea of what you should sacrifice.
~David Manuel (H/T to the Happy Catholic's quote book)

It's very interesting that the two issues where I often diverge from the average committed and orthodox Catholic today have always been LifeTeen and Medjugorje. In both cases, later examination has shown me a red flag in the "discernment of spirits" that is present in their central figures and proponents - disobedience.

Medj has for years been a source of controversy, but this rampant disobedience by the so-called shrine's leaders is usually overlooked or ignored by many good, solid Catholics. LifeTeen's charismatic founder is now proven to have similar obedience problems, which must now be taken into account in any discussion of the program he created and marketed:

The Diocese of Phoenix is urging Catholics not to attend a suspended priest's non-denominational services, but Dale Fushek's magnetism keeps filling the Mesa Convention Center while he awaits trial on misdemeanor sex charges.

The former longtime pastor of St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Mesa, Fushek's latest service at the Praise and Worship Center is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Mesa Convention Center. His last service on Dec. 23 drew an estimated 700 people and his first service on Thanksgiving drew about 500.

“We're actually encouraging Catholics to refrain from attending. We would hope that they don't,'' said Jim Dwyer, a spokesman for the diocese. “I think most leaders in the church would say your devotion should be to Christ, not an individual leader.”

In my experience, orthodox Catholics who are very attached to either Medj or LifeTeen have a very knee-jerk reaction of defensiveness at the slightest questioning about them. Often by saying that such things don't matter, as they have had a great personal conversion there, or their friends have, or their family has, or their co-worker's neighbor's nephew's cousin has. "By their fruits you shall know them" they quote at you, quick as a whip. True. But simply because there is conversion that is taking place doesn't mean that the origin and existence of Medj, or of LifeTeen, is authentic. In logic the rule goes something like this - "if P, then Q. P, therefore Q." It doesn't work the other way around - you can't say that "if P, then Q. Q, therefore P." It's possible that if there is Q there might also be P, but the fact of Q being present does not mean that P must also be present. This is why we've been given the Church by God, to give us a living interpreter of the signs - and the number one clue the Church uses is obedience, to God and to His Church. And our Lord has already told us that He prizes obedience even beyond sacrifice - in that sense, even Christ's sacrifice on the Cross was only worthy of our redemption because of His obedience to the Father first.

Look, conversion takes place anywhere that there is a strong witness of people who are going to Mass, going to Confession, telling others about their faith and the wonders of God, praying the Rosary -- that's the power of prayer and sociologically the way that seekers often become open to having a relationship with Christ. Individual parishes, whether they use LifeTeen or not, are places where God wants to work conversion. I'm not talking here against any individual conversion experiences - God works where He wills. I'm not talking against you or your Aunt who went to Medj and had an amazing experience and now go to daily Mass, etc. I'm not talking against your parish's particular program which uses elements of LifeTeen and has been a source for revival and vocations across the diocese.

What I'm talking about is the central foundation and motivations from which the phenomena of LifeTeen and Medj and other things like them flow. If the foundation is on sand, it is still a problem, even if other builders come and build the house itself out of rock.

Obedience can be possible without love, but love cannot exist without obedience. Obedience is the foundation from which all other virtues are built."
~ Br. Ignatius Mary

In any case, it seems that in every instance where God's faithful have obeyed their bishop and Pope, to the point of allowing their devotions, ministries, or apostolates to be suppressed or suspended, great fruit has been later seen, at a time that the Lord wills. Look to the story of St. Faustina and the devotion to the Divine Mercy for one stunning example of this.

The minute you disobey, you are saying that you don't trust God, and that you don't trust that what you are doing is really His work and His will. And if that's the case, then what is it that you are really doing? What was it's true inspiration? What (or who) are you really serving? In too many of the "LifeTeen" parishes I've experienced, things like this story make me wonder how much of this fruit is really going to stay on the Tree long enough to be added to the Picker's bushel basket. And who's really going to be happy about that?

Saving baby Mariam

2008-01-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

Sheila just reminded me about this story from last year, perhaps the most fitting story I can think of for this feast of our Lady, our Blessed Mother - a child is saved in Iraq, with the help of a heroic Navy medic, some incredibly dedicated Marines who continued his fight for life, and the power of God manifested by prayer through the intercession of Our Lady, Mother of God.

An excerpt:

...The last week of September, with Mariam's case still bogged down in bureaucracy, Captain [Dr. Sean] Donovan stopped by Father Bishop's office. The battalion was "ripping," as Marines call the process of packing up to leave Iraq. Donovan was despairing, feeling they had let Walsh and the others down by failing to get the baby out.

"Have you prayed about it?" the priest asked Donovan.

"What?" Donovan asked.

"Have you prayed?" Father Bishop said.

Donovan sheepishly admitted he had not. Bishop suggested Donovan go to the small chapel next door and say the Memorare, a prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus, which in part reads, "Never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided."

Sean Donovan knelt down and said a Christian prayer for a Muslim girl whose Anglicized name is Mary.

The next day, Donovan opened an e-mail notifying him that Mariam had been cleared for medical evacuation to Boston.

Read the whole thing at "Saving baby Mariam" - The Boston Globe, December 4, 2006 and a follow-up story Honoring their fallen" - The Boston Globe, September 3, 2007. Reader's Digest also did a full story on The Baby and the Battalion last May that adds some additional details.

Hail Mary, Theotokos

2008-01-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

Today, January 1st, 2008, is the eighth and final day of the octave celebration of Christmas, and it is fitting that today the Church celebrates the reality that Mary was honored to be Theotokos, which is translated into English usually as "Mother of God", but literally meaning "God-Bearer"! We too, are thus reminded that while we cannot bear Christ physically as Mary did, we are indeed called to imitate Mary in bearing Him to others spiritually. Most profoundly, when we receive Him in His Body and Blood at Holy Communion, and thus strengthened, bring Him to those who need to learn of His presence. As Mary points the way for us, so are we to point the way for others, and to bring Christ to His people throughout our daily lives. Now there's a New Year's resolution for you!

What's special about the eighth day? In the Jewish/Christian tradition, everyone is familiar with the words of Genesis, that God worked for six days and on the seventh He rested. Even today we (hey, wow!) still mark our calendars into weeks of seven days - typically using Sunday, the day of rest, as the last day of the week. Where does the eighth day come in? There are, as always, a few layers of meaning here. First, the idea of an octave celebration (which we do for Easter too, so stay tuned!) comes from the understanding that Christ's resurrection, our redemption, is the "eighth day" of Creation, the fulfillment of all promises. Secondly, historically Jesus would have been circumcised and given His name on the eighth day after His birth, as part of the Jews' religious and societial traditions - the "completion" if you will of His birth. Even so - for Christmas we don't just stop at eight days of celebration, we've still got four more to go before we complete the twelfth and final day of Christmas (so don't you dare go taking down that tree yet!).

As it happens, today's solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is also the first calendar day of the civil year - fitting, for as the birth of the Savior is how all peoples now mark the passing of years (whether you admit to it or not, I don't care if you use AD or CE, you're still using Christ's birth as your starting point!) so to does the world now continue to see each year renewed as the birth of Christ is completed on the eighth day of Christmas.

In honor of the occasion, I give you one of my favorite poems, which highlights our Blessed Mother as the Mother of God, and uses many of the traditional titles of our Lady found in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The perspective of the poem is of an onlooker, seeing Mother and Child together: first with Him in her womb, then upon her lap gazing at His reflection in her eyes, then being raised up in her arms, then playing at her feet, then climbing up to give His mother a kiss.

A Little Litany

"When God turned back eternity and was young,
Ancient of Days, grown little for your mirth
(As under the low arch the land is bright)
Peered through you, gate of heaven--and saw the earth.

Or shutting out his shining skies awhile
Built you about him for a house of gold
To see in pictured walls his storied world
Return upon him as a tale is told.

Or found his mirror there; the only glass
That would not break with that unbearable light
Till in a corner of the high dark house
God looked on God, as ghosts meet in the night.

Star of his morning; that unfallen star
In that strange starry overturn of space
When earth and sky changed places for an hour
And heaven looked upwards in a human face.

Or young on your strong knees and lifted up
Wisdom cried out, whose voice is in the street,
And more than twilight of twiformed cherubim
Made of his throne indeed a mercy-seat.

Or risen from play at your pale raiment's hem
God, grown adventurous from all time's repose,
Or your tall body climed the ivory tower
And kissed upon your mouth the mystic rose."
~ G.K. Chesterton

(H/T to The Poor Blogger for posting the poem)

The Emperor Has No Clothes

2008-01-01T19:45:00.000-06:00

Sing with me! "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just isn't the same..."

Exhibit A:

Or

Exhibit B:

Or

Now, head over toThe Recovering Dissident Catholic and read Kathy's latest post to add to the "groovy dude" pile!

A Day in Pompeii

2007-12-30T23:54:00.000-06:00

We all know the story - Mount Vesuvius blows its top, an Italian village is covered in the flow of ash and debris, and 1800 years later some archeologists uncover a perfectly preserved city including the eerie "shadows" of people who were caught in the eruption and couldn't escape, ending up covered by the ash themselves.

But there's a lot more too it than just that I've discovered. Through this upcoming Sunday, Epiphany Sunday of all days, the Science Museum here in St. Paul is hosting the A Day in Pompeii Exhibit. I put off going because, well, it is a little expensive ($24 I think for non-museum members, including the Omnitheater movie "Greece", which is also worth your time) and I thought I knew all about Pompeii anyway. But, I had an opportunity to go last weekend with a few friends and wow, it's worth your time too.

For starters, for Christians this is an intriguing exhibit, because it helps us to see the historical context and timeframe of the eruption - beginning on August 24, AD 79. That's only c.40 years from the time of Christ's death and resurrection, and within the estimated range of dates of the Gospels being written - meaning that at least John may have still been alive. Christianity has not yet "taken off" in Italy, apparently, as there didn't appear to be any trace of Christian influence. Yet, you can tell from the artifacts and frescoes that survived that there was indeed a culture that, though pagan, was at the least, striving to be "noble" pagan. You could tell that, given some time and a few good preachers like Paul, the people may very well have become Christian. Of course, they weren't given time, but a lot of other Italian towns like Pompeii were -- and we all know what happened to them! Pompeii, I would argue, gives us as modern Christians a very unique glimpse into the pagan Italian culture immediately (historically speaking) prior to the advent of Christianity, and therefore provides us with a marvelous bridge between the Roman/Greek philosophies and religions and our own understanding of the fulfillment of these "precursors" to God's fullness of Revelation.

On a more human, emotional, level this exhibit is worth our time because it is truly capable of touching us, and placing us in relationship, with more of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. They never, perhaps, were able to hear of the saving message of Christ, but they were also created in the image of God with an immortal soul, like us. In seeing the eight "bodies" that are presented to us, I found myself praying for their salvation, and for all those who perished in the eruptions. The top image of this post shows the one that I was most touched by - a young boy, huddled in what they believe to be a "gymnasium". There are others too, of a man lying next to a woman, attempting to shelter her head with his hands. A prisioner, with the shackles still on his ankles. Another man, who seemed to have fell on his face and attempted to shield his head. Even a dog, which had been chained by its master and died curled around the picket post. These were real people, and one wonders who would have prayed for them, if not us.

It was very interesting for me to note that if you track the scientists' timeline, the eruption happened at around 1pm on August 24th, AD 79. Yet, the first pyroclastic flows, at least the ones that hit Pompeii the hardest, didn't come down the mountain until the next morning, sometime before or around 8am. The exhibit said that this is when most of the deaths occurred, the earlier deaths were from the chunks of flaming debris that fell from the eruption. But the pyroclastic flows of superheated gas, ash and steam is always the greatest killer of a volcano. That is a huge span of time, far greater than I ever realized. I, like most people I think, always thought that the covering of Pompeii was a sudden, completely unexpected thing. It wasn't quite, there was at least some time to get out, and even when the ships became impossible there was even still a possibility of some people to get out on foot if they were quick enough and were able to understand the magnitude of what was happening. In a town of 20,000 people, it is believed that most of them did indeed get out. Who remained? Those who could not move themselves, and loved ones who would not leave them behind - the sick, the slave, the children, the injured. Perhaps that woman was injured by rock, and the man stayed with her to the end. Perhaps the young boy lost his family and, frightened, took shelter in the gymnasium for hours until at last the flow covered him. The slave they found in the middle of the road, as if he had gotten free at last and was trying to make his way to the water.

The exhibit is very well done, with a lot of amazing artifacts and frescoes, and the display is tastefully done of the "bodies" (They are actually plaster casts, when the covered bodies decomposed they left behind exact shapes, hollow spaces, in the hardened ashes. Some brilliant archeologist figured out what this strange hollows were that they kept finding, and poured liquid plaster into them. After it hardened, they chipped away the ashes and found... them.). The room with the "bodies" is kept very quiet and dark, and it inspires a hushed tone out of reverence for the dead.

This is a wonderful and rare opportunity for us to encounter our past, and I would encourage everyone who can go to this exhibit before it ends (last day this Sunday, Jan. 6th) to go, including families with children old enough to appreciate the experience.

An interesting online tour of Pompeii and the "relics" it contains, from a Christian's perspective, can be found at the Pompeii Virtual Tour.

As a side note, it was also interesting to note that in the museum's area dedicated to human anatomy and diseases, there was a rather large and impressive display up for the latest developments in ADULT stem cell research at the UofM. It was good to see this kind of promotion, even though they of course had older exhibits that were obviously biased towards promoting embryonic stem cell research - one was a "debate" station where you could hear "all sides" - except the only one we could fid who was against ESC research, out of five or six people, was one of our local Catholic Studies/moral theology professors, Dr. Wojda (and I hate to say it, but his argument was a little over the average person's head and didn't really answer the question directly. Dr. Degnan would be a better choice, if anyone's listening over there at CS!). Even the token Republican representative was pro-ESC -- argh. Anyway, I can only hope that this newer exhibit on adult stem cells is a sign of a trend... And if you go to the museum, be sure to pop over into that section and add your own "opnion" on ESC research to the handy-dandy "what do you think?" box.

And Season's Greetings

2007-12-21T11:04:00.000-06:00

Just received via e-mail... had to share (slightly edited)!

To My Liberal Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To My Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Who's really the enemy?

2007-12-20T23:23:00.000-06:00

This is it, THIS is why I've become progressively more and more turned off to US politics. The Anchoress speaks for me, and for a lot of other people out there, I'm sure.

Now, don't get me wrong - I care about US politics, I care about who is president and who is in the Congress and who gets elected. But, year after year, it just seems that both sides (let's face it, there's really still only two sides) forget what's really at stake, what they are really fighting for. The venom that they spew at their fellow man, the hatred, and for what end? They don't even know anymore, all they're after is the short-term success of their attacks on each other, thinking that each attack brings them closer to the chance to be King (or Queen) of the Hill. Both sides. They try to hid their attacks under feigned unahppiness at having to resort to such tactics, but nowadays we all know better - we see the derision they have for one another, we see how much they hate their opponents, who happen to be American citizens just like the rest of us, and we wonder... perhaps subconsciously, if we really want a person like that "leading" us, speaking for us, when they seem to enjoy treating another person like dirt. Both sides.

Why do you think the young are "abandoning" their country, refusing to "care" about politics? I think that is because the young people today see that the people who want to run the country want to treat her, and her citizens, the same way that a workaholic or a socialite treats their family. They don't respect the family, they want to have it, to "own" it, in order to convince others (or themself) that they are "good", and then use it as an excuse to continue being selfish ("I work for the family..." "After all I do for this family, I have to go out SOMETIMES..."). Either way, what happens is that the family becomes the enemy to be stragetized against and worked around. Likewise, in the current American electoral process, it always seems that the candidates wind up treating the family, the American family, and their family members who happen to be disagreeing with them, as the enemy. And we young people don't like that - our family lives are hard enough these days without us seeking out, encouraging, these kinds of personal attacks by our would-be leaders. So... until a truly GOOD man steps forward and proves himself worthy of respect, by fighting cleanly, and treating those who don't agree with him with dignity, a good percentage of the roughly 110 million young adult Americans are just going to continue to tune out all the garbage. I pray that God sends us a good man!

There is only one Enemy, and when we forget that - there is no logical alternative but to see other people as our enemies. There is only One that is Good, and when we forget that - there is no logical alternative but to create ourselves as the benchmark for what is good, by which we judge others.

Dec. 20th - The Missa Aurea

2007-12-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

From Fr. Mark at Vultus Christi:

A glowing radiance surrounds the Mass of December 20th. During the Middle Ages, the Mass of the Missus Est — the first words of the Gospel of the Annunciation — on the Ember Wednesday of Advent was celebrated very solemnly as a kind of festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The stational church in Rome is the Basilica of Saint Mary Major; this choice signifies that today’s Mass is equal to that of the greatest feasts of the Mother God. It was called the Missa Aurea, the “Golden Mass.” In manuscripts of the Middle Ages, the capital letters of the text of the Annunciation Gospel were written in gold. The letters of gold were but a sign of the secret grace hidden within the words of the Angel Gabriel and within the response of the Virgin Mary.

Then too there is the tradition of celebrating today’s Mass in the glow of candlelight. The “Golden Mass” was especially popular throughout Europe where the faithful hastened to their churches before dawn, bearing lanterns, confident of obtaining on this day whatever special grace they asked through the intercession of the Virgin of the Annunciation.

The Gospel is sung today to a particular melody: the same ancient melody used to sing the Gospel of Pentecost. The Annunciation is the Proto-Pentecost. The Virgin Mother, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, is the living image of the Church overshadowed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Wow. You know, tonight for the first time in a long time I was seriously contemplating taking the opportunity to sleep in tomorrow and miss daily Mass... Not anymore! Thanks Padre!

"Messiah" - The Gospel wrapped with a bow!

2007-12-16T19:42:00.000-06:00

Happy Gaudete Sunday! :)

Thanks to the generosity of some parishioners at the parish I work at (who also happen to have a daughter that I studied and lived with in Rome... unknowing that I was going to come home and get hired by her home parish!) I was blessed today to go with them on the annual Catholic Studies "pilgrimage" to experience Handel's masterpiece "Messiah"! Ah.... this is the third time I've gone to it, but the other two times were in the magnificent Cathedral in St. Paul, this time we went to Orchestra Hall. I have to say, I was a little surprised that the acoustics weren't better in the Hall - personally I think overall it sounded better in the Cathedral. In their favor this year, however, I think their soloists were much better! And, of course, I couldn't beat the company I was with to enjoy it :)

Handel's "Messiah", contrary to popular belief, wasn't meant to be a Christmas tradition. He wrote it with the idea that it was more of an Easter season piece. However, I think that "Messiah" is truly ideal as a Christmas tradition and I'm very happy that the buying public apparently thought it belonged at Christmas instead. You see, especially today when CHRISTmas is under attack by the culture, and even devout Christians are constantly in danger of losing sight of the Reason for the season under the presents of the tree, to suddenly be confronted with the beauty and awe of the entire LIFE of Christ before we celebrate His birth is a very timely thing.

Just as Dante managed to lead us on a journey to Christ, through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, Handel too leads us on a journey to Christ - from Prophecy, to Incarnation, to Public Ministry, to Death, to Resurrection, to the Last Judgment. In doing so, both he and Dante manage to accomplish this Gospel reading without even using much of the writings of the Gospels themselves! I noticed this keenly tonight, that apart from the section of Christ's Nativity, all the rest of the movements are Scripture verses from the Old Testament (mostly Isiaih and Psalms I think), and later on, verses from St. Paul's epistles and Revelation! (I would love to find a commentary on "Messiah" that actually cites all the Scripture so I could study this further...) Basically, Handel is giving us a course in nothing less than typology, or how the Messianic promise is foreshadowed in the Old and fulfilled in the New. Now that's what I call Christian apologetics wrapped up with a bow!

And what's my favorite movement of "Messiah"? Sing it with me!...

If anyone out there is wondering, "What would Mary like for Christmas??", well....this would be nice. :)

2 Presidents, 6,852 priests, and 24 million women

2007-12-14T21:57:00.000-06:00

This issue of HLI's e-newsletter Spirit & Life has the astonising tale of "who's missing" from society, including a statistical breakdown of just who the 1/3 of Americans who have been aborted since 1973 might have been now doing for the betterment of our nation and of our world - if they'd lived. Remember, only a tiny fraction of abortions are done on infants that are "terminal" and can't live on their own outside the womb...meaning, like in society, the majority of these people would have indeed grown up, gone to school, got a job, got married, had kids of their own, etc. (Now THERE'S something to think about - on top of the numbers of actual abortions, how do you even begin to factor in the number of descendents that were snuffed out at the same time? Let's not even go there...)

Speaking as a statistic myself, it's scary to think of who I should be dealing with at the grocery store, or who should be sitting next to me at church, or who should be graduating with me this spring... but can't, because they weren't allowed to live and I was.

THIS reality is why my generation, the post-1973 generation, looks at life a little differently from the rest of you. The rest of you don't wonder about whether or not you never met your best friend because they were aborted. Or will never get married because your life's partner was deemed to be not worth the inconvenience. So many what ifs... is it any wonder why my generation is now making movies like "Bella" or the new indie "Juno" that Barb Nicolosi blogged about.

One of Barb's comments on Juno caught my eye with regards to the Spirit & Life article I've linked to above:

Juno is also pro-life, in the way that just about every Gen-X movie about pregnancy is pro-life, and more so. (I would say Juno is a cultural message movie without being a political one. Certainly, that will be an inscrutable nuance in contemporary Christendom in which almost everything is politics. What I think is interesting is that Gen Xers and Millenials are pro-life without necessarily being Culture of Life. They don't put together all the pieces in the puzzle....not yet anyway.) The movie is also anti-divorce in the way that just about every Gen-X movie about family is anti-divorce.

Yes, that's about right. I can say with confidence that my generation is very different from previous ones, and is more conscious of human life as a valued gift. But Barb's right, unconsciously we are as a generation far more "pro-life", while consciously we are not getting the whole picture; we are not grasping the necessity for a Culture of Life that will support the need we feel to affirm life (perhaps sociologically and psychologically stemming from, as I said, the ever-present background reality that we could each have easily "not been"). Too many of my generation are living a hypocrisy - and being very judgmental to boot. You see, I hear it all the time (remember, I'm in classes with freshmen through seniors...), young adults decrying the selfishness of their elders, complaining about their parents (usually divorced one or two times over) and/or "the people in charge" who use people to get ahead etc. They rightly condemn this behavior, and say that they should be "nice" and think of other people too, not just themselves. Right. But then these same kids demand that they should be able to sleep with whatever guy they want with no consequences - to use other people for sex. And then they complain because OTHER people won't let THEM be selfish. And they don't see the disconnect! Our youth are so mixed up, they know that the extreme selfishness and "me" attitude of their parents is wrong, they see it, they see the consequences. They see the value of life that their elders have spent a lifetime trying to toss aside in favor of getting ahead. But at the same time, they've learned selfishness from those same elders, and they've also fallen to its allure. No wonder we're all so messed up - you see what we have to deal with that you haven't?

Sorry, a bit of a tangent on my part. In any case, you really should read the whole article, "How Many Heisman Winners Has Abortion Killed?"

It's a must-read story, especially during this Advent - H/T to Terry for the alert!

To be a techie once more...

2007-12-13T19:14:00.000-06:00

If you know what "subnet mask", "DNS", and "router" mean, this quote's for you:

"If you can handle swapping a router out at -100 degrees here then you can handle it anywhere."

-From a very cool interview at Computer World called The Big Chill: Ch-Ch-Chatting with the IT manager at the South Pole.

Loome's First (and Last?) Ad

2007-12-13T18:30:00.000-06:00

Noooooooooooo!!! Don't do it! I'm coming!

<

I have GOT to get me out to Loome's! Anybody else comin' with me?

(H/T to the Ironic Catholic!)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

2007-12-12T12:19:00.000-06:00

Today, December 12th, is the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "Our Lady of Guadalupe", and the anniversary of her apparition to the peasant Juan Diego 476 years ago. Up until this point in history, the Christian missionaries had made little headway in bringing the Gospel message to the native peoples of Central and South America. But within a decade of the apparition, seven million Mexicans had become Christian, the largest mass conversion in the history of Christianity! The native religions of the Aztecs and Mayans soon began to fade away, as love for the Virgin and the God that she presented to the people grew across the land. Pope Pius XII went so far as to name Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as the "Empress of the Americas", the patroness of all of us here in North and South America.

This morning at Mass, Fr. Wilson recounted a humorous story from another priest friend of his. I'd heard it before, but it's just a great tale to tell! His friend was raised Lutheran, and so did not grow up with any kind of Marian piety in the home. When he entered Catholic seminary and became a priest, he did so acknowledging Mary but not really feeling any affinity towards Mary or personal devotion to her. It just "was", but not a part of his life. Well, those essential elements of all parish life, the "little old church ladies", wanted to go on pilgrimage to Mexico City, for Our Lady of Guadalupe. And they wanted a priest to come with. So they persistently asked the good Fr. to come (ok, nagged him). Persistence pays off - at last, Fr., who did truly want to do what was best for his people, went to Mexico City with them. During Mass, as he was concelebrating with dozens of other priests, he heard in his ear, very distinctly: "If I choose to have My mother lead seven million people to Me - what business is it of yours?" Needless to say, his life changed forever. Of course, the deeper meaning behind all of the appearances of Mary is not only to demonstrate the love of God and His willingness to use many means to rescue the lost, but also to inspire us to allow Him to use us, following the example of Mary. We too must be "reeds of God", and following the model of Mary's discipleship and of her constant leadership to her Son, we too may be instruments of grace in the life of others. What a beautiful meditation for this Advent!

This website has a brief description of the apparition and miracles associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe, including this fascinating interpretation of the image on the tilma, Juan Diego's "apron":

The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph which was read and understood quickly by the Aztec Indians.

1. THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN
She was greater than the dreaded Huitzilopochtli, their sun-god of war.

2. HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT MOON
She had clearly crushed Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon-god.

3. THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE
She was greater than the stars of heaven which they worshipped. She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head. She appeared on December 12, 1531 and the stars that she wore are the constellations of the stars that appeared in the sky that day!

4. THE BLUE‑GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE
She was a Queen because she wears the color of royalty.

5. THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK
Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son who died
on the cross for all mankind.

6. THE BLACK BELT
She was with child because she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.

7. THE FOUR PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB
She was the Mother of God because the flower was a special symbol of life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.

8. HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER
She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.

9. THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT
She is the Queen of the Earth because she is wearing a contour map of Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

As always, Rocco has the scoop on the myriad celebrations that are taking place in honor of the "birthday" of the Patroness of the Americas - including this great video clip:

Must-See: Merry Tossmas

2007-12-11T09:53:00.000-06:00

Too funny - because it's too true!

You want to laugh? Watch this: Merry Tossmas! Click the graphic once to activate the control, then click it again to play the clip.

Forward this one to all your relatives and friends working for those "happy holiday" companies out there!

Online Advent Calendar

2007-12-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

Here's a fabulous online Advent Calendar done by my friend Clayton!! Check it out!

Retreat! Retreat!

2007-11-20T22:56:00.000-06:00

No, not that kind of retreat!

This kind of retreat!

I am heading out tomorrow for a long discernment retreat with a beautiful order of nuns until the end of November - yes, over Thanksgiving!

Please pray for me and the community, that we may discern rightly what God has willed, and be assured that I am keeping you all in my prayers as well!

St. Benedict, ora pro nobis!

Stem cell developments a sign of hope!

2007-11-20T13:00:00.000-06:00

A very good summary of the exciting goings-on of late regarding stem cell research, and how there is now hope that one day soon the horrors of embryonic stem cell research may just fade away and no longer even be defended as "necessary" by some:

Returning to President Bush’s stem-cell funding policy; even though it was politically unpopular, the President believed wholeheartedly that the raw talent, intelligence, and creativity of the science sector would find a way to obtain pluripotent stem cells (the ability to become any cell type) through ethical means. In speeches and news conference answers about the stem-cell issue, Bush repeatedly supported existing ethical areas of research, and called upon researchers to find “alternative” methods of developing stem-cell medicine without treating nascent human life “as an experiment.” Toward this end, earlier this year Bush signed an executive order requiring the NIH to identify all sources of human pluripotent stem cells, and invited “scientists to work with the NIH, so we can add new ethically derived stem-cell lines to the list of those eligible for federal funding.”

The Science Establishment pouted and the New York Times castigated the president’s call. But other scientists had already taken up the president’s challenge, and their work was paying off. Experiments in mice by Rudolf Jaenisch at Harvard demonstrated proof of principle for “altered nuclear transfer” (ANT), a theoretical method of deriving pluripotent stem cells without creating and destroying embryos. Don Landry, Professor at Columbia University Department of Medicine, developed a way to identify dead embryos for potential use in stem-cell research — which would be no more unethical than researching on cadavers. Perhaps most excitingly, Kyoto University’s Shinya Yamanaka reprogrammed skin cells from the tails of mice, and reverted them back to an embryonic-like stem-cell state — offering tremendous hope that every therapeutic benefit scientists believed could be derived from therapeutic cloning, could instead be achieved by regressing a patient’s own tissues.

Then, last week very big news: Ian Wilmut — who opened the Pandora’s Box of human cloning with the creation of Dolly the sheep, and who two years ago obtained a license from the United Kingdom’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority to create cloned human embryos from the cells of Lou Gehrig’s disease patients — stunned the scientific world with the sudden and unexpected announcement that he had rejected human cloning research, in favor of pursuing cell reprogramming as an ethical and uncontroversial means of obtaining pluripotent cells. Wilmut told the Telegraph:

The odds are that by the time we make nuclear transfer work in humans, direct reprogramming will work too.

I am anticipating that before too long we will be able to use the Yamanaka approach to achieve the same, without making human embryos. I have no doubt that in the long term, direct reprogramming will be more productive, though we can't be sure exactly when, next year or five years into the future.

Finally, today came the Krakatau of stem-cell announcements: Reprogramming has been achieved using human cells. As reported by the journal Science, researchers reverted human connective tissue cells back to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state — and then differentiated them into all three of the body’s major tissue types. If this work pans out, there will be no need to create human cloned embryos for use in embryonic-stem-cell therapies.

I believe that many of these exciting “alternative” methods would not have been achieved but for President Bush’s stalwart stand promoting ethical stem-cell research. Indeed, had the president followed the crowd instead of leading it, most research efforts would have been devoted to trying to perfect ESCR and human-cloning research — which, despite copious funding, have not worked out yet as scientists originally hoped.

Do read the full article at National Review

(H/T to Gerald)

The prophetic voice of UST

2007-11-18T15:23:00.001-06:00

Now THIS is interesting. As part of an e-mail I received today was attached this fascinating paper by a former University of St. Thomas faculty member, written back in 1996. I know of no other place where this is available online, so I copy it in full here (emphasis mine, and note the red part--remember, this was 1996!):

The Secularization of the University of St. Thomas?
by Francis G. Mach Department of Health and Human Performance

In 1985 the College of St. Thomas celebrated its centennial year. What had tenuously begun as a combination seminary and high school/college with a student body of sixty-two and a faculty of six priests had evolved into a well established Catholic liberal arts college.l On the eve of that centennial in a September 28, 1984, report to the college’s board of trustees, the then-president, Msgr. Terrence J. Murphy, declared, "Catholicism is the strongest element that binds our college community together."2 Reflecting upon the topic of the 1996 Summer Seminar, "The Role of Faculty—Catholic and Non-Catholic—in a Catholic University," I found myself musing about whether such a topic might not be moot in the institution’s bi-centennial year of 2085. More explicitly, would the president at that time be able to reiterate Msgr. Murphy’s 1984 statement so unequivocally, or even wish to do so? As one who very deliberately sought a Catholic education at St. Thomas in the 1950’s, and who later left a tenured position in the California State University System to live and work in the environment of a Catholic liberal arts college1 I would surely hope so. However, there is clear evidence that the tides of change are flowing against it. If history repeats itself, and if current trends continue, the year 2085 will likely find St. Thomas known by another name. "Thomas University" or something more pretentious like "The University of the Twin Cities," are possibilities. The diocese will probably have a seminary, independent of a university, to educate its clergy—possibly both men and women. If there remains a link at all between the university in 2085 and its Catholic roots, it is likely to be vague and mostly symbolic. The archbishop or another Catholic clergy person might serve on the board of trustees, but the chief executive officer will almost certainly be a layperson.

Any thoughts of the secularization of St. Thomas may be written off as absurd by the current university community. Yet, that is exactly what has happened to most of America’s prestigious colleges and universities which were founded as Protestant denominational institutions when they came to perceive that their religious affiliations were more of a burden than a blessing and that secularization was conducive, even essential, to their aspirations of greatness. Catholic universities generally, and St. Thomas in particular may well be headed for a similar fate. A cursory examination of the history of the disestablishment of Protestant universities; the increasing difficulty clarifying the nature of a Catholic university in modern society; and certain indicators that the furtive seeds of secularization may already be planted at St. Thomas should give cause for concern about the future of St. Thomas as a Catholic university.

The Disestablishment of Protestant Universities

The history of higher education in America is replete with examples of former church-related colleges and universities, originally founded to promote the development of Christian wisdom according to various denominational tenets, which no longer retain religious identity. Who wouldn’t be hard pressed to name the religious founding groups of such institutions as the University of Chicago (Baptist), the University of Southern California (Methodist), or, more locally, Carleton College (Congregationalist) or Macalester College (Presbyterian)? In the decades between 1880 and World War I, Protestant universities, according to Marsden, "rapidly distanced themselves from most substantive connections with their church or religious heritages, dropping courses with explicit theological or biblical reference and laicizing their boards, faculties, and administrations."3 Volumes have been written on this phenomenon and the multiplicity of factors which produced it. One summarization, especially poignant for St. Thomas, is offered by Marsden in response to why Protestant denominations so willingly abandoned their vast educational empires. He concludes that: The answer is that they were confronted in the first place with vast cultural trends such as technological advance, professionalization, and secularism that they could not easily control; and their problem was made worse by pressures of cultural pluralism and Christian ethical principles that made it awkward if not impossible for them to take any decisive stand against the trends.4

In the same treatise, Marsden identifies three broad categories which he claims have been the ideological contenders for the soul of Protestant universities: First there was traditionalist Protestantism which was dominant at the beginning of the era, but easily routed by liberal Protestantism, sometimes aided by some version of secularist ideology. Then, from about the 1870’s until the 1960’s, we have the dominance of a broadly liberal Protestantism which allied itself with an ideological secularism to form a prevailing cultural consensus. Since the 1960’s, we see the growing of a more pluralistic secularism which provides no check at all to the tendencies of the university to fragment into technical specialties.5

Are similar factors, peculiar to the Catholic Church, now vying for the souls of Catholic universities? Catholic colleges came onto the American higher education scene later than their Protestant counterparts. The first, Georgetown, founded in 1789, trailed the first Protestant college, Congregationalist Harvard, by 153 years.

Georgetown and its early successors had a clear Catholic identity and purpose. Expressly, they sought to prepare immigrant Catholics to assume a place of equality and even leadership in a Protestant dominated culture while concurrently strengthening their knowledge of and commitment to their Catholic faith. That they adhered to their mission and did their jobs well is evidenced by the many Catholics who have come to hold positions of prominence in all segments of American society. Irish Americans, predominantly Catholic, are even acknowledged as the second most affluent ethnic group in the country.6 Catholic universities may never again find a sustaining purpose so vital to their existence. Indeed, given the growing divisiveness within the
American Catholic Church and the increasingly pluralistic make-up of the faculties and student bodies of Catholic colleges and universities, it is not much of a stretch to visualize a latter Twenty-First Century historian recounting the secularization of American Catholic universities in a manner only slightly paraphrasing Marsden’s earlier summarization of the secularization of Protestant universities. It might read something like this:

First there was traditionalist Catholicism which was dominant at the beginning, but was eventually routed by liberal Catholicism, sometimes aided by some version of secularist ideology. Then, from the mid 1960s until early into the Twenty-First Century we have a broadly liberal Catholicism which allied itself with prevailing ideological secularism to form a dominant cultural consensus within the American Catholic Church. Since then, we see the growing of a more aggressive pluralistic secularism which provides no check at all to the tendencies of the Catholic universities to fragment into technical specialties.

The Catholic Identity Problem

"The tides of secularism are deep and strong in a changing world and in a changing Church within a secular culture...."7 This quote is from the aforementioned report of Msgr. Murphy to the board of trustees in 1984. It was uttered in the context of his expressed concern that the greatest challenge faced by any Catholic college president at that time was to maintain the Catholic nature of the institution, an issue he saw as more pressing than either financial or administrative problems.

Maintaining the Catholic nature and identity of a college or university requires, first, a clear understanding of the essential characteristics of a Catholic institution of higher education. This is an elusive requirement. Pope John Paul II, clearly concerned about the changing nature of Catholic universities, attempted to provide some clarification in his 1990 apostolic constitution on Catholic universities, "Ex Corde Ecclesiae." In this document, he delineated what he considered to be four essential characteristics of a Catholic university:

1. A Christian inspiration not only of individuals, but of the university community as such.
2. A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own research.
3. Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the church.
4. An institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaning to life.8

Given the increasingly pluralistic make-up of Catholic universities in the United States, these conditions, alone, will provide grist for contentious debate within Catholic university communities. Even more so, perhaps, will some aspects of Pope John Paul II’s "General Norms" which he states must be followed in order to assure that an institution of higher education is and remains Catholic. Two in particular are certain to cause consternation among American Catholic university faculties:

1. The identity of a Catholic university is essentially linked to the quality of its teachers and to respect for Catholic doctrine.
2. In order not to endanger the Catholic identity of the university or institute of higher studies, the number of non-Catholic teachers should not be allowed to constitute a majority within the institution which is and must remain Catholic.9

Some will argue that the former sets up a conflict between two sometimes mutually exclusive entities. Still others will dispute the critical mass of Catholic faculty essential to the assurance that a university is indeed Catholic. This issue will be further complicated by non-Catholic faculty reasonably questioning whether they are more hurtful to the Catholic identity of a university than are proclaimed Catholics who by their words and examples appear to be at odds with the tenets of Catholicism.

Clearly, then, identifying and maintaining the Catholic nature of a university will be a formidable challenge for any Catholic college or university in the coming century. It may be most difficult for those institutions which are not steeped in the tradition of a viable religious order. One such institution, the University of St. Thomas, is clearly struggling to maintain its Catholic identity, and there are indications that the battle might be lost well before the university arrives at its bicentennial.

Seeds of Secularization at St. Thomas

St. Thomas was founded as a Catholic institution by the Diocese of St. Paul in the person of Bishop John Ireland. Its first rector (now called president) was a priest, Father Thomas O’Gorman, as were the additional five members of the original faculty.10 Not much doubt about Catholic identity there. Although Ireland had assumed that the faculty would forever be predominantly priests of the diocese, that ideal soon gave way to the greater need for priests to serve the diocese in duties more pressing than teaching. Yet, by my own recollection, as late as the mid-1950’s, nearly all major administrators were priests, while virtually all academic departments had at least one priest member. The religion department, the precursor of today’s theology department, was staffed entirely by priests.

From its founding in 1885 until late into the Twentieth Century, the relationship between St. Thomas and its religious founding group, the Catholic Diocese of St. Paul, was clearly evident, even in the matter of financial support. As late as 1947, then-Archbishop Gregory Murray helped pay for the construction of Albertus Magnus Hall by setting quotas for parishes to meet in raising a total of $1,275,244.11

Today, the relationship between St. Thomas and the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis is steadily growing more tenuous. The president is still a priest of the diocese and the Archbishop continues to chair the board of trustees. A vote of the trustees and a subsequent stroke of the pen could, however, make these dictates of the institutional charter vestiges of the past. A new process for the selection of the university’s president was initiated only a few years ago with the appointment of Father Dennis Dease. He was the first to be appointed following a national search conducted by a university committee. All of his predecessors were hand-picked by their bishop and were unilaterally appointed by him. Additionally, the presence of priests within the faculty and administration is strikingly sparse. Even in the theology department less than fifteen percent of the full-time faculty of over twenty are members of the clergy, giving rise to the possibility that more non-Catholics teach theology than do priest-theologians of the Archdiocese. Finally, and perhaps most indicative of the diminished relationship between St. Thomas and its religious founding group, is the Archdiocese’s abandonment of any financial responsibility for the viability of the university.

We have already seen that the relationship between Protestant universities and their religious founding groups had become quite murky by the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Similarly, a little over a hundred years after its founding, the relationship between St. Thomas and its founding group has likewise become obscured.

Lack of clarity in its relationship with the Archdiocese is not the only factor moving St. Thomas down the path toward secularization. For instance, the acceptance of federal loans and grants, as essential as they may be, has reduced the university’s autonomy as Catholic. Affirmative Action dictates and the Education Amendments Act of 1972, along with stipulations attached to construction loans and grants, have had significant impact on staffing and admissions policies as well as the ways in which the institution may use some of its facilities.

The exigencies of the marketplace have had their effect on the Catholic identity of St. Thomas. In order to maintain a viable "client base," student demands, regardless of how discordant with Catholic teaching they may be, are often actualized. Only a few years ago, when students insisted that meat should be served in student dining rooms on traditional days of abstinence in the Catholic church, they got meat. More recently, when they claimed the right to organize university-sponsored clubs which might manifest beliefs or behaviors contrary to Church teaching, they got a hearing. Although the jury is still out on this issue, the fact that it would even be considered is an undeniable sign of the changing times. As trivial as these examples may seem, there are numerous others like them and, collectively, they have a substantial role in the secular quest for the soul of St. Thomas.

As earlier noted, Pope John Paul II said that one of the four essential characteristics of a Catholic university has to do with its commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family. In a 1986 address at St. Ambrose University Sister Allice Gallin, O.S.U., stated, "The Catholic college or university must seek to be just in all its own activities and decisions before it can hope to bring about justice in the larger community or, at least it must try to do both at the same time."12 Both the Pope and Sister Gallin appear to be implying that the manner in which an institution serves its human resources has much to say about its Catholic nature. Although St. Thomas appears to fare quite well in this regard, one does not have to scratch very far beneath its surface to find a few egregious examples to the contrary. There are instances in which faculty and staff have been speciously dismissed (denial of tenure is too frequently specious), and occasions in which others have been hired with seemingly scant regard for either the moral or legal implications of affirmative action guidelines. Such practices, even when infrequent, take their toll on the Catholic nature of St. Thomas and belie its role as an advocate for social justice.

There are, then, a number of indicators that St. Thomas has taken some substantial strides down the road toward secularization. There is its changing relationship with the archdiocese which founded it. External pressures, especially from the federal government, and internal stressors emanating from an increasingly pluralistic university community are obfuscating its Catholic identity. Instances of dubious ethical practices in interpersonal relations have blighted its Catholic nature. Yet, none of these is as unsettling, or perhaps as prophetic, as a most recent major development. The extensive advertising campaign launched by the university this fall, 1996, is an incredible testament to just how far
St. Thomas has moved in the direction of secularization. According to the September 3, 1996, Bulletin, published by the university, the advertising campaign emphasizes six key image development themes: academic quality, practical orientation, values-based curriculum, location, affordability, and a resource for lifelong learning.13 Glaringly absent from these themes is the word "Catholic" or even the word, "Christian." "Values-based" is a weak euphemism at best, and values-based curricula are certainly not the sole province of Catholic universities. Although "come prepared to learn and leave prepared to serve" would seem to be an apt slogan for a Catholic university, St. Thomas has chosen the more indulgent, "come prepared to learn, leave prepared to succeed," which smacks more than a little bit of unadulterated secularism. In lauding the new campaign and its slogan, President Dease affirms: "Our mission is to provide a strong liberal arts education and to prepare students for careers."14 Might not the presidents of several hundred universities, public as well as private, be justified in making similar declarations? Where, then, is the distinction between Catholic and secular? The binding element of Catholicism that Msgr. Murphy declared, a mere twelve years ago, was holding the St. Thomas community together appears to be losing its adhesive qualities. Catholicism seems to be yielding to pragmatism as St. Thomas pursues wider acclaim and the funding to support it. Could it be that its Catholic identity has already come to be perceived as more of a burden then a blessing? If so, is a secular "University of the Twin Cities" very far in the offing?

References
1. Connors, p. 36.
2. Connors, p. 402.
3. Marsden, p. 41.
4. Marsden, p. 41-42.
5. Marsden, p. 39.
6. Greeley, p. 118.
7. Connors, p. 402.
8. Pope John Paul II, p. 269.
9. Pope John Paul II, p. 274.
10. Connors, p. 46-47.
11. Connors, p. 322.
12. Gallin, p. 29.
13. Bulletin, p. 2.
14. Bulletin, p. l.

Bibliography
Bulletin, University of St. Thomas, September 3, 1996.
Connors, Joseph B. Journey to Fulfillment, Minnesota: College of St. Thomas, 1986.
Gallin, Alice O.S.U., "American Pluralism and Catholic Identity in Higher Education" from Readings on Catholicism and Higher Education, prepared for the faculty of the University of St. Thomas, 1992.
Greeley, Andrew M. The Irish Americans: The Rise to Money and Power: New York: Harper and Row, 1981.
Marsden, George B. "The Soul of the American University," First Things, January, 1991.
Pope John Paul II, "Ex Corde Ecclesiae," Origins, October 4, 1990.

Affectiveness in liturgy

2007-11-17T15:41:00.000-06:00

As usual, the blog Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex gives us some great commentary.

Check out his post, Two Cents Worth, in response to a letter on Zenit which was itself a response to a recent article on liturgical music (whew). His main argument is that if we see liturgical music in the way the letter writer does, as making us feel transformed etc, we are in danger of missing the point. Music in this vein is, he considers, an "affectation" (Merriam-Webster defines "affectation" as: 1 a: the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt b: speech or conduct not natural to oneself : artificiality).

To "affect" the liturgy this way, by this mentality of needing affectation (particularly in the area of liturgical music) to really be worshipping, is to, ironically, decrease the liturgy's real effect on us, to decrease the effectiveness of liturgy! That's a pretty strong statement, but one that I think merits our attention.

Some snips (with my emphasis):

...The affectivities were created to be subordinated to reason and to follow its direction, this now is a challenge because they often do not do so readily. This presents us with the problem of concupiscence. We are drawn most compellingly to the affectively good. With this background, we can see how the admonition from the Church that sacred music is meant to adorn the words and not drown them out follows from this. The words in the liturgy should first move our minds to God. The music should then have the capacity to draw our whole selves from this earth up to God. In this way, the structure of the music and word relationship allows our affectivities [to] follow the intellect. The liturgy can actually help us train them. When we start with our affectivities, which is the effect of praise and worship music, we reverse this action. In other words, we do not subordinate the affectivities to the intellect, but interpret the intellect in terms of our emotions. This is why so many who acclimate themselves to praise and worship mistake the lack of affective experience for the lack of the “anointing” of the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, the heightened affectivities inhibit the silent contemplation of God in His Word and in the Word’s Eucharistic action. Ironically, we are drawn away from active participation in the liturgy and we don’t realize it because the affective experience is masquerading as active involvement when it is really passive reception of the experience. Praise and worship music is antithetical to the liturgical grammar because it works at cross purposes with fallen human nature. Thus a good musical form (I have said before that I do listen to praise and worship…though I will admit that I have been told by those better musically formed that I have no musical taste) can become an evil in the wrong context. Therefore, we must not allow the “consumer” mentality to drive our liturgy. We must give people what they need, not what they think they want.

Full text of UST Bulletin on board changes

2007-11-14T12:09:00.000-06:00

Here is the full text of the board announcement made to UST students (only via the "UST Bulletin" e-mail which practically no students actually read). I've emphasized and [commented] the parts that pertain directly to my previous post

Father Dennis Dease reports on fall Board of Trustees meeting

Amid all of the excitement on campus last month with the announcement of our Opening Doors capital campaign, the University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees held its fall meetings and took action on a number of important issues.

The board met Oct. 24-25 on the St. Paul campus, and I want to take this occasion to report to you on the highlights of committee meetings on the first day and the board's plenary session on the second day.

Several committees heard reports about the progress of the $500 million campaign and several building projects, including the Anderson Student Center, improvements to athletic and recreational facilities, and a parking ramp on the south campus. The board is enthusiastic about those projects, made possible by the extraordinary gift from trustee Lee Anderson and his wife, Penny, of $60 million.

Trustees are deeply committed to the campaign's largest priority: to raise $130 million in endowed funds for financial aid to make a St. Thomas education more accessible to future generations of students. Other campaign priorities, including endowed chairs and named deanships, also are generating a positive response.

The trustees complimented the professionalism and the beauty of the campaign kickoff events. Unanimously, the board passed a resolution thanking all the students, staff and faculty who contributed to this success.

The board made a difficult decision about a proposed medical school with Allina Hospitals & Clinics. As compelling as the need is to train more primary-care physicians, the board agreed that St. Thomas has higher priorities at this time with the Opening Doors campaign and should devote all its energies to raising funds for those needs. [Allina does abortions. Would a medical school co-run by Allina be forced to train doctors in doing abortions? Might this be a problem for a Catholic school to be involved in...?]

St. Thomas and Allina agreed to continue their dialogue on an informal basis and did not rule out future collaboration in the creation of a medical school should sufficient resources becomes available. I expect we will work together through the National Institute of Health Policy, which is based at St. Thomas, and other venues to examine ways to broaden the accessibility and quality of medical care in Minnesota. The institute is ideally suited to participate in this effort because it offers a neutral forum for stakeholder collaboration in the examination of health-care policy issues.

One very upbeat moment during the plenary session came when the board saluted Archbishop Harry Flynn for his leadership as chairman since 1995. The board presented him with a framed certificate of appreciation that said: "Champion of Catholic higher education and model of servant leadership, intellectual and moral courage, you exemplify caritas, the greatest of all Christian virtues. You do us honor, and we thank you."

Implementing a process the Board Affairs Committee began last February [Interesting - it would be good to know more about what was begun then...], the
board also elected Archbishop Flynn to a five-year term as chairman of the board after making appropriate changes to the university's bylaws which heretofore had stipulated that the ordinary (head) of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis serve ex officio as chairman. [We just love you Archbishop Flynn and oh, look at that, by doing this we might not have to deal with the new guy and we can plausibly distance ourselves even further from the local Church that founded us]

The changes were made to recognize the increasingly important role that Archbishop Flynn has at St. Thomas. He has been a very active chairman, meeting regularly with faculty, staff and students, attending campus events and serving on committees such as the one that wrote our new mission statement. [uh. ok. That's nice. And we couldn't just create a new position for him?] More recently, he has agreed to serve as an honorary co-chair of the Opening Doors campaign. After he retires as ordinary next year, he will move into the late Monsignor Terrence Murphy's office in the O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center.

The board also removed ex officio references from two other board positions.
Father Kevin McDonough, vicar general of the archdiocese, will continue to serve as vice chairman and was elected to a five-year term. The board elected me to five-year terms both as a trustee and as president of St. Thomas. [sounds to me like they are in a mode to safeguard the status quo... now what event is coming up that could have upset the status quo...?]

These changes as well as others made previously reflect recommendations made to us five years ago by the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities when it reviewed with our board best governance practices. One AGB recommendation was to conform our bylaws to what is now the common practice among Catholic colleges and universities: to elect the board's chairman and vice chairman. [the question is... are they basing this on the common practice of other successful AND still Catholic schools - or just on successful schools who have abandoned their Catholic identity for the most part? Why do I suspect the latter?]

Bottom line - it seems that the battle still rages at UST for whether or not the university will be Catholic or secularized. And this battle is about to come to a head. I sure hope Flynn knows what he's doing and can bring his flock back - he's in a good position to do so, since they CHOSE him apparently. We need to pray for him and for UST. In Flynn's defense, he's already proven that he plays a mean chess game, by his long-term tactics in cleaning up the Archdiocesean seminaries and forming the laity and younger generations of priests and religious. I want to trust that he has a plan with this too.

Sadly, either way, and whether this is made public or not, as usual in this life the oppositional forces of faith appear to have the advantage - if this issue draws public interest many will side with the secularization of the school, because they don't understand or agree with the mission of the Church in education. If it doesn't get the public's attention then the secularists still succeed, by being given yet more slack to extend their agendas even further.

What it all boils down to is to whether the secular forces are more committed to pulling away from the school's foundational relationship with the Church that nurtured it and gave it life, or if the Church and her shepherds are able to step in and, gently or otherwise, restore the right order of faith and reason in a publicly-declared Catholic educational institution.

One thing is certain, the vast majority of students and alumni of UST do NOT know what has happened. The best thing we can do now besides prayer and fasting is to continue to spred the word about this issue and what it means for the future of UST.

To begin, for students, alumni and supporters of UST to write letters to Fr. Dease would be good. Keep them short and charitable of course, but express sorrow over this decision and perhaps request further explanation of the motivation of this decision and what is foreseen to be the long-term result of it by Fr. Dease.

The loss of this wonderful school's Catholic identity would be a blow to the Church as a whole, as well as affecting a very large number of Catholics here in this Archdiocese, including both seminaries. FAST AND PRAY FOR UST!

Religious Education: Another infiltration attempt

2007-11-13T10:25:00.000-06:00

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

I just had a very interesting "cold call" to my office phone - some lady from A&E/History Channel, peddling a "fabulous set of 8 DVDs complete with adult and youth study guides specificially designed for use in the Catholic Church and Catholic Schools on topics like 'Mary Magdalene: The Hidden Apostle' and 'Holy Secrets: Electing a Pope'" Have to admit that this was a new one in my book, typically I get telemarketers from the big publishing houses or local Christian entertainers.

When I said that to be honest I had not thought very highly of the programming that I had seen on her network channels and how it dealt with the sacred teachings of the Church, her response was, "it's approved by the USCCB - does that help?" To which I responded, "maybe." And she laughed. Well, I suppose, it is funny - that the person who just expressed a qualm regarding how the videos portray the Church now shows hesitation about whether it matters if the conference of bishops approves of it or not. Sad state of affairs that we're in here in AmChurch, huh? At the same time, I have no proof that it is really "approved" by the USCCB, or what exactly "approved" even means to A&E/History Channel.

Anyway, she gave me the website to check out the individual titles (apparently they aren't marketing this "special package" to the public). Here's the video of Mary Magdalene: The Hidden Apostle - take a look. And when you do a search on other religion titles... 'Nuff said. Yikes. Suspicion confirmed.

You know a lot of churches are going to get the same call I did - please do them a favor and send this to them. Spread the word to your fellow DREs, teachers, pastors and anyone else who might need to know about this new tactic.

Bella: I'm in love

2007-11-11T20:28:00.000-06:00

I saw the movie "Bella" on Friday night, to a packed house, and can I just say - sorry, Barb. I love what you're doing out there in la-la-land, and I agree with you 95% of the time, but not this time. At least not regarding the movie itself, on its own merits. I suppose it remains to be seen what's up with the marketing/distribution issues.

For me to explain this movie and why I like it is difficult.

It's not that it gave me "warm fuzzies" like Barb insinuated would happen (it didn't really, though I did leave the theater happier than when I came).

It's not that the actors were "amazing...astonishing...magnificent" (though they were really really good).

It's not that the script was the "best ever" or that it had a lot of quotable "wow" lines (it was good, don't get me wrong, but as a whole - not a lot of zingers).

It's not that it was a "pro-life" movie, because it wasn't. At least, not in the way that some may think pro-life could or should be (rather, I'd say that it is a LIFE movie, one that challenges you to make your own conclusion that life, all life, is bella - beautiful).

It's not that it was a Christian movie, heck, God was only mentioned by His name once - in writing (though there was other "touches" around, like a crucifix pendent, and Catholic art in the parents' home).

It's not because Eduardo is so incredibly handsome to us ladies (but, well, he is - I consider it a bonus!).

So... why do I love "Bella"?

Oddly, I think the best way to describe my love is to appeal to another movie you might have seen: "Crash". Those of you who have seen "Crash" may be thinking, "huh?" right now. Stay with me. What's "Crash" about? How every action in each of our lives connects us to each other and impacts all of us. More implicitly, "Crash" also splendidly shows us how Providence is at work in all things, to help us and guide us and, above all, SAVE us. From ourselves and our own petty selfishness and sinful behavior. At the heart of "Crash" is a tale of relationship, love, sin and culminating in redemption. All wrapped up in a package that leads you step by step to this realization, not all at once. Like life.

Where "Crash" uses a variety of different people, and a variety of different mini-stories, even vignettes, to weave its vision of the unity of our existence, "Bella" uses just a few people and one story composed of many underlying facets. But it has the same result - it demonstrates to you how life, all life, is both precious and important. Every life. It demonstrates the real actions of our lives, and the unity of the global and historical community that we are a part of, whether we know it or not, want it or not. Best of all, it guides us to this realization, as "Crash" did, without forcing us or dragging us into some sort of ideological agenda. It respects our intelligence.

Sidenote: One of Barb's major criticisms of "Bella", if I remember correctly, was that she thought it was choppy and badly edited. It is true, it is a choppy film compared to most, and likely some of this is due to bad editing. There are a few parts especially that I think are unclear and remain unclear - the clinic "vision" and the time transition at the end of the film in particular - though perhaps these do not need to be "resolved" and tidily wrapped up with a bow to be any more effective. However, I would ask Barb and others to consider more the correspondence that I've noticed between "Bella" and "Crash", and see if that doesn't help to explain a little more the fittingness behind the piece-by-piece presentation of information... I think it does.

Bottom line: See "Bella"! If you go to "Bella", you will come out a better person, with a deeper respect for the gift of all of our lives. Not many movies do that!

(Families - I would say that this film is appropriate for most children 13 or over, and in fact I would say that it would be a VERY GOOD thing for all our teens to see this film - to see how "true love goes beyond romance")

What we take for granted

2007-11-11T19:48:00.000-06:00

Too often, those of us who are committed to our Catholic faith just sail through without really considering the bountiful feast that we have before our eyes. I know I am guilty of "existing" through a Mass, being preoccupied when blessing myself with holy water, chattering before Mass, complaining about the homeless panhandlers outside the church doors, etc. And yet, through it all, underneath it all, I hope and pray each day to appreciate and give thanks for the many blessings Christ has given me as a Catholic.

Last year I wrote a review of the book "May Crowning, Mass and Merton: 50 Reasons I love being Catholic.

Now I've come across a new blog, Growing Up, by Karen, a woman who is now in the "final stretch" of converting to the Catholic Church. As such, she has a fresh and beautiful faith and appreciation of the depths and reality that is before her - what a treat to read her posts and journey with her! And now she has posted a lovely post entitled What I love (or will love) about being Catholic. Go check it out, and pray for her and all the others who are coming home soon!

UST, Flynn, Nienstedt... the saga continues

2007-11-09T06:18:00.000-06:00

This came up in the past couple of days but I've been too busy to post on it. However, a fairly full account is up at †Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam†: Shock therapy for freshmen at St. Thomas shockingly trite.

Suffice it to say that this is very bad news for the future of my "Catholic" university.

Additionally, I've defended Flynn many times when I didn't agree with him, but this, this just looks bad.

And just what does UST think it's going to accomplish by this little shell game? That's what I can't figure out - what do they REALLY think they're going to gain by all this, other than draw a lot of attention to themselves? Is that it, do they just want a lot of attention? Or, are they the spoiled child who tries to sneak around so as to both rebel against his parents, and yet continue to reap the benefits of mooching off of their parents' good name and the perks being their kid provides? You know how THOSE stories always end, right?

Please pray and fast for us here at UST and for our Archbishop and his successor!

Future Geography Major

2007-11-08T14:48:00.000-06:00

Smart kid, eh?

Great online vocation videos resource

2007-11-08T11:49:00.000-06:00

Check out Sarah Bauer :: Online Video Magazine for an amazingly well done series of videos on the various vocational callings that God has made.

Check them out, and consider using them for your youth group/faith formation classes this year!

Prayers needed for a little girl

2007-11-07T16:55:00.000-06:00

Update: News has not improved, the tumor is malignent and is spreading rapidly. They cannot operate because the tumor is so large and she is so small so they are trying to combat it with medication and some radiation in an effort to reduce the tumor's size so they can operate. Say a prayer for this family, not only for healing but also that their faith may be increased.

Prayer warriors - please add a little girl named Flavia to your prayer lists. She is 3 years old, and the daughter of my Italian language professor from when I studied in Rome a couple of years ago (at that time she was just born and he couldn't stop talking about her - definitely daddy's girl!). Word has come from Rome that doctors have found a tumor on her hip that they believe to be cancerous.

Please keep little Flavia and her family in your prayers this week! Perhaps by praying a novena to God through the intercession of St. Peregrine?

'Great Mass, Father!'

2007-11-07T12:22:00.000-06:00

Out of the mouths of babes comes this great report over at Fr. Fox's blog: 'Great Mass, Father!'

Reminds me of that quote from over at the Stella Borealis blog: [6-yr-old speaking] "Daddy, why in the English Mass does the priest have his back to Jesus the whole time?" (I use this line now everytime I hear someone say that back in the "nasty old pre-Vatican II days" Fr. turned his back on us)

Kids. Don't sell them short, they're more apt to pick up on blatent contradictions between what we say we believe and how we prove what we really believe by what we do. Give them a chance and they just might surprise you with their objectivity - after all, THEY aren't coming to Mass with all that "nasty pre-Vatican II" baggage that some of you have. They are able to experience it completely innocently, and therefore draw a lot more out of it than the older generations can. It's just like when you're preparing a kid for first Confession - if you act like Confession is not a big deal and isn't scary (and for heaven's sake, don't go off telling stories of your own "horrible" Confession experiences) then guess what? The kids aren't scared of it. They love it. They ask to go back again. "Let the little children come to me and DO NOT HINDER THEM [with your own baggage and presumptions]" says the Lord.

And in other news, blogdom has been abuzz over this humble witness to the power of obedience (because in the end, that's what just about all of this hubbub over liturgy is about) by Bishop Robert Morlino of the diocese of Madison WI:

Pope Benedict just wrote to us bishops a letter not too long ago about the permission for the traditional Latin mass. He said, ‘I know some of you bishops have agonized year after year about whether or not to permit this,’ and I’ve been one of those. I was the only bishop in Wisconsin who did not permit the traditional Latin mass for what I thought were good reasons. And the Pope wrote and said, ‘I want to relieve you of the responsibility of all of that prudential pondering, so I’m making the decision.’ He saw that as a service, and I accepted it as a service. I was the only bishop in Wisconsin not to permit the traditional Latin mass, and now, in obedience, I will be the first bishop in Wisconsin to celebrate the traditional Latin mass.

Get the rest of the scoop over at Fr. Z's blog of course!

Asceticism in America

2007-11-07T05:54:00.000-06:00

From Fr. Longenecker's blog: Standing on My Head: Asceticism in America

Excerpt:

This is not to mention the athletes in sports-crazy America. They put themselves on strict diets, do physical training to get into shape, establish practice regimes that test their limits of endurance and regularly risk their careers, family lives and serious physical injury for what? A few moments of glory and a plastic trophy? And they think religious people are insane?

The idea that one should make any sacrifice at all for one's religion is almost dead within American Christianity. Religion is there, isn't it, to make you happy, to make you feel better about yourself, to provide warm fellowship for you and your Christian chums, to reassure you that after a pain free victorious life in Jesus you will be on the express train to heaven and even more unimaginable happiness. Yes, American Christians do expect to make financial sacrifices as they tithe, but even then it is often seen as a form of investment. After all, "You can't out give God. If you tithe regularly you will receive much more back in return and be even more prosperous." Right?"

Read the whole post!

Bella - NOT another "chick flick"

2007-11-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

UPDATE - Yes, it is sad to say but it appears that they are pushing out the release date for Bella here in the Twin Cities for another week. It will be opening at the Eagan Regal Cinema NEXT weekend, November 9th. There are already plans being made to go on Friday, November 9th, during the "7:00 hour" show (we don't know yet exactly what time it will be). Come one come all!

A very interesting review of the new movie Bella is up over at the First Things blog - A Decidedly Unsappy Bella.

It doesn't try to defend the movie, it just tries to explain a few points about the underlying point of the film that may have, shall we say, confused, a few of the media critics.

For those of you in the Twin Cities area, there is a group of us planning to attend Bella this Saturday afternoon in Eagan, at the Regal Cinema 6. Showtime is 4:30pm, bring the family and come with us! Afterwards, some of us are going to the Barn Dance at the Cathedral (yes, you heard right), others may just head out for dinner.

A "clear voice" will cry out in the wilderness

2007-10-31T06:13:00.000-05:00

From The New Liturgical Movement: Vox Clara report on the new missal translation (my emphasis):

"...it is the hope of the Vox Clara Committee that the approval and confirmation of the new Roman Missal will be completed by the end of 2009."

"...various initiatives to assure the effective reception and implementation of the new Roman Missal were also discussed by the Vox Clara Committee."

"Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments... stressed the need for the accurate translation of “words that have deep doctrinal meaning”

The second point is of particular interest of course, because as we know only too well in the light of our experience -- a light recently confirmed as well in the recent comments by Archbishop Ranjith -- that there can be a significant problem as regards obedience within the Church today. Finishing the translation is only one aspect of the task at hand. Seeing it through to faithful implementation down to the parish level will be a significant hurdle to overcome -- one thinks of Redemptionis Sacramentum which, while quite clear in its directives, is certainly not always followed. "Old" habits die hard.

But it is more than just habit of course. This is also very much a part of the fruits of a false sense of mastery over the liturgy (not to mention the overly-democratized view that many a modern Catholic takes of their Church) that is so systemic at this time. After all, if we see the liturgy as "ours" (again, not to mention seeing the Church, not as a teacher, but rather as a giver of mere suggestions and opinions), or if we see it as the expression of a particular community rather than the voice and the prayer of the Church herself, then it takes little to justify ignoring her decrees - or at least only partially implementing them. Suddenly those decrees are not entirely "relevant" to a particular community, or they are contrary to that community's "custom" and therefore they are not deemed pastoral.

It is a liturgical problem that is, fundamentally, an ecclesiological problem and it is one that will not be easily overcome. It is one of our great challenges today.

So true.

St. Aloysius Church, Olivia, MN

2007-10-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

What can a parish of 480 families do? $1,000,000 restoration - video of this amazing church here!

It's yet more proof of what I always have thought - if you dream big, have a clear vision, and keep the ideal of beauty at the forefront... people will be willing to dream with you, and soon it will no longer be a dream.

Give people a vision of splendor, and they will sacrifice to bring it to life. Give people a vision of mediocrity and they... won't.

Pope Quote of the Day

2007-10-24T15:14:00.000-05:00

I want to invite you to 'dare to love'. Do not desire anything less for your life than a love that is strong and beautiful and that is capable of making the whole of your existance a joyful undertaking of giving yourselves to God and your brothers and sisters.

-Pope Benedict XVI

Love for the TLM = mental illness??

2007-10-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

From What Does The Prayer Really Say? comes this report of goings-on at Franciscan U in Steubenville. I find it shocking, if true, considering how solid and orthodox the university is in terms of theology. At the same time... we all know that orthodoxy doesn't always mean orthopraxy. And intolerance comes from both sides of the fence.

I got this by e-mail:

A well-substantiated rumor has it that a petition for the implementation of Summorum Pontificum bearing 155 names of students and faculty has been denied by the plenary council of T.O.R friars on the grounds that the motu proprio does not apply to Catholic universities. You can certainly see what the implications are. Keep this one on your radar; it’s going to be huge.

UPDATE: 1308 GMT 23 Oct 07

I received another bit of information about what is going on. Slightly edited:

In response to your blog post on FUS denying the TLM—-it is more than just a rumor. I am a student at FUS and personally know the people organizing this petition drive. They truly were told "no" after submitting the signatures. As a matter of fact, the person organizing this petition was told by a priest in the chapel to seek professional counseling (evidently a love for the TLM is a mental illness).

What is strange in all of this is that a couple of years ago the folks running
the chapel bent over backwards to bring a French Novus Ordo Mass on campus in order to accommodate roughly 15 French-language students. Ten times that amount request a TLM and we are told to seek counseling.

Pray for us father,

All I can say is... yikes. I hope it ain't so and that those in leadership at Franciscan U publishes a clarification soon for the sake of the Church in union with the Holy Father's wishes. And I hope that the team in Rome who is working on the document that will set straight some mis-interpretations regarding Summorum Pontificum's implementation sees this and adds a bit in about the responsibiility of Catholic universities.

Isn't it ironic that it seems that Notre Dame is more open to the desires of the Holy Father to make the extrodinary form available than FRANCISCAN U, the bastion of orthodoxy and love for the Holy Father??

CityPages' backhanded compliment

2007-10-23T09:33:00.000-05:00

Warning: Snarkiness ahead. Also, I have a bias towards Holy Family, seeing that I go to daily Mass there frequently and even Sunday Mass once in awhile.

Thanks to Ray over at Stella Borealis I found out about the latest CityPages article slamming the Church.... or is it? After reading it, I have to laugh, becuase while it is almost certainly unintentionally so, the article as a whole only reaffirms A) that the Church CAN grow and contain many young, growing families, and B) that strong, orthodox pastors who are uncompromising on principles, "sly as serpents and peaceful as doves" are the key to this door to thriving parish life.

The crux of the article is that, well, Holy Family parish is GROWING, fast. It has run out of space. There are houses alongside the church, two of which have been put up for sale in recent years and that the church has either bought or has the promise of getting due to a benefactor buying them. The other homes on the block, apparently, contain people who have it in for the church in a big way and absolutely refuse to sell to it, even though they were offered a MORE than fair price for their homes. I can totally understand if someone loves their home and doesn't want to leave, no problem. Happens all the time. I also understand that if someone wants to buy a house, even if it is not on the market, it is totally fair and proper for them to make an offer on the house anyway. If ANYONE else would do this, no one would care. But, it seems that Fr. Dufner has infuriated the people by being both orthodox AND gaining families. You get the idea that if he would have just been orthodox but wasn't growing these people would be satisfied and self-rightous that he "lost" somehow. Instead, while they left, MANY more people came and are still coming - as the article itself takes pains to point out to us (as if they want to "prove" to us that there are so many stupid people in the world that need to be converted to the liberal fundamentalist progressive gospel). Boy, ain't that doubly annoying, ladies and gentlemen? Too much for your sense of tolerance to bear I guess. They even put up signs saying "Though shalt not covet they neighbor's house" - gee, so I guess that whole "judge not lest you be judged" only applies to other people. (I have often thought that it would be fun to post signs up on the church side that go through the other nine commandments... in proper order, ending with their rendition of #10. But I suppose that wouldn't be offering the other cheek, would it)

I find it hilarious that though the article is pulling out ALL the stops to blast Fr. Dufner... it really can't. It tries hard, but it can't seem to find anything really bad to say about him other than hyperbole and paraphrasing what the hostile neighbors SAY he said (no direct quotes anywhere in sight!). It's main slam seems to be that Fr. Dufner teaches "down the line" on Church teaching (oh my), but of course, that's the point, right? The point of Church is to help guide me to my home in heaven, not just to make me feel good and affirmed until I die. If a church does that, then they really aren't even a church anymore, since they exist solely to make this life more comfortable. Not much good that's going to do you when your life is demanded of you.

Oh, and WOW is it amazing how a person can be spat upon and shunned by the world merely for saying that women are so good and awesome and perfect at mothering that their motherhood cannot and should not be undermined by men, that children deserve a mother. Or that women should ideally be able to stay at home with their children, and men to be the providers and protectors, so as to form a stable family and a strong home. This is because woman, deep down, should WANT this for herself and her children, what mother doesn't want to be with her children? A selfish mother, that's who. In our totally self-centered society, I guess it's not really amazing then how "threatening" this notion is, of there being real and unique differences between men and women, particularly to CityPages, a secular hot-bed of "I do what I want and if you say I'm wrong you're intolerant!"

AMEN Fr. Dufner, God bless you and stay the course! And, I will continue to pray for those people with the ridiculous rooster crowing and all the others who seem to have it in for you and the fine people of Holy Family.

New Fr. Carola homily up

2007-10-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

At my other blog: The Roamin' Roman: Fr. Carola - Homily for a First Mass

Enjoy!

What's REALLY going on in Iraq?

2007-10-22T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hear how Iraq is really starting to improve as a nation (contrary to the doom and gloom that the mass media keeps throwing up all over us every day), from an independent journalist who's both really there, and really committed to telling the full truth about the situation in Iraq. I give you, Michael Yon.

Chesterton... Academy?!

2007-10-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

Uhhhhh.... COOL.

At first I thought this was a joke, but, maybe, just maybe, it's not? It sounds too good to be real, but... ok, let's say that it is.

Live in the West Metro area? Sick of wimpy Catholic high schools? Sick of paying a fortune and having to drive so far to get your kid to the one or two good Catholic high schools?

Consider: Chesterton Academy!

Info session (so it would seem) is on November 15th at Holy Family Academy (5925 W. Lake St. in St. Louis Park) at 7:00pm.

I tell you, if I had a kid going into high school in the next few years, I'd be there. Heck, I just might be there anyway - this is one meeting that's bound to be worth anyone's time who cares about our children's education. If it's real of course.

Bella opening here Nov. 2nd!

2007-10-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

Just found out via the "Bella" website that the movie will be opening in only one theater in the Twin Cities area, and not until Nov. 2nd. Sad! But, it is one theater and this is our chance to make it count there! Get EVERYONE you can to go to Bella, showing at

Regal Eagan 16
2055 Cliff Rd.
Eagan, MN 55122
651-452-8329

Online showtimes and ticket purchasing here

Map to the theater:

View Larger Map

If more theaters in the area are added to the list, you can find out at the official movie website's Minneapolis showtimes.

What's going on in the Church?

2007-10-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Click for a great talk that Fr. Martin Fox has posted!

Are the laity more involved now?

2007-10-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

The Second Vatican Council raised important points for the life of the Church in the modern world, and we've been hearing about people's interprations and exegesis about what the Council "really" meant or intended for almost 50 years now. At the heart of most of these discussion is the laity's role in the Church, with debates raging about a wide variety of perceived "goals" of the Council. Really:

We have been obsessed with liturgy, with lay-involvement in parish structures, parish councils, the role of women within the Church, ecumenism, catechesis. All these are important but only of people who are already "churched", and not directly concerned with revealing the face of Christ.

So, if the Vatian Council was all about the laity and our role in the mission of the Church, then... what? Check out this insightful post by Fr. Blake which deals with that essential question: Are more people involved in Church now than fifty years ago?

WWIII was closer than I ever imagined!

2007-10-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

Without knowing on the cold Moscow night back in 1983, a badly paid 44 year old military officer saved the world, and made himself one of the most influential persons of the century in the process, saving more lives than anyone ever did.

Most of today's people don't know it, but today's world as we know it, is like it is because of Stanislav Petrov.

-From a must read article: 24 years on - the man who saved millions of lives

Us: The other nine

2007-10-15T05:47:00.000-05:00

On yesterday's Gospel of the healing of the 10 lepers, with only one returning to express gratitude to Christ:

I recognize myself among them. For me, gratitude to God is a real challenge. I don't much care for my life as it is. Indeed, it is an ongoing struggle for me to extirpate the wish that my gifts and my very self were radically different from what they are. So instead of thanking Jesus for his inestimable gift of salvation and leaving myself at his loving disposal, I often go off wondering how long before I'm let out on parole. I'd much prefer to be part of his company, part of the Twelve. It would seem so much more meaningful, so much more exciting. I'd rather not be told "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." I want to stay, but I can't; consequently, I'm ungrateful. And my ingratitude destroys the intimacy I need and seek. Having been given the miracle I need, I become part of the other nine simply so as not to be told what I don't want to hear—even though I've already been told all I need to hear, which I didn't deserve to begin with.

The only solution is the spirit of self-offering exemplified, and made possible, by Jesus on the Cross. Amid all our own problems, which are intertwined with those of the Church, let us remember to be grateful for whatever in our lives is not, itself, sin. It all comes from God and is part of the miracle of healing that is our salvation. Let us offer it all to the cosmic Christ to do with as he wills.

Read it all at Michael Liccone's Sacramentum Vitae: The other nine

Gore beats Holocaust Hero!

2007-10-13T06:13:00.000-05:00

Go check this out: Roman Catholic by Choice » Blog Archive » Gore beats Holocaust Hero!

Let's see... who has done more for PEACE. An elderly Polish Catholic who saved 2500 Jewish children from death during the Holocaust. Or Al "inventor of the internet" Gore who has saved the world from peace and quiet due to his harping on global warming which they claim will "cause war".

No wonder all the news outlets seem to be dropping that whole "Peace" part of the Nobel Peace Prize. It really is just a Nobel (and NOT a "noble") Prize, and Alfred Nobel would be spinning in his grave to see all the psychos who have gotten the award he hoped would encourage science and humanity. Instead we get the gory details of Gore's crusade against... being forgotten in history? Never mind the global cycles of temperature, never mind the Times article of the early 1970s freaking out over "global cooling", never mind the fact that in the Middle Ages Europe was pratically tropical and no one drowned from melted ice (in fact, it gave birth to the Renanassiance of art and... oh yeah, science!)

Growl. Of course. Ironic, ain't it? Gore, who wants to be the eco-Hitler of the world, beats out a real hero for peace during Hitler's regime to gain the famed "Peace" prize.

Oh well. The only real prize is heaven... where each one's true actions and accomplishments in the light of eternity will be revealed. May the Lord decide!

This is a museum... this is a museum on crack.

2007-10-11T18:21:00.000-05:00

I say it again... "Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere" (G.K. Chesterton).

Case in point:

Three women have been hurt by falling into Tate Modern's latest installation - a crack in the floor.

At 548 feet long, up to three feet deep and 10inches wide, it zigzags the length of the Turbine Hall and has been described as a highly original work of art.

But visitors have already paid the price for failing to heed warning signs. And a builder said if he had been responsible for the crack he would be sued for health and safety breaches.

...The installation cost about £300,000 and took more than six months to complete.

Creator Salcedo said it involved delicate and intricate sculpting which took place on two continents.

Of DREs and the parish

2007-10-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

“It is the task of a pastor to preserve the faith of God’s people”
– Pope Benedict XVI

Likewise, it is the task of a Director of Faith Formation/Religious Education to assist the pastor in this task of preserving the faith within the parish community. My own work as a DFF (or DRE if you prefer) is therefore always directed toward one ultimate goal: that everyone in the parish may be equipped and prepared to “run the race” and to “win the fight”, so as to come one day – when our time on earth is concluded – to eternal joy as a saint!

Great. But how? Some DREs have been given free rein over their programs, others are kept on a short leash by their pastor. In either case, the dynamics of a parish these days are tough for anyone to follow or deal with adequately, particularly those of parishes that also have a school and the whole parish school "culture” that develops as a consequence. And if the DRE doesn’t have a job description that deals with the spiritual life of both the school and parish faith formation programs…. Oh boy. Any kind of unifying formation, especially Sacramental preparation (Confession, Holy Communion, Confirmation) that should involve the participation of both parish school kids and public school kids in a single parish-based program, is then a nightmare to introduce, develop and run.

I am beginning to realize that the Church survived for a very long time before DREs came to “help” the pastors. And with that realization has come The Question – why am I here? Why are any DREs here now? Are we really necessary… or even desirable… for the mission of Mother Church? If so, what is our role, what are the temptations that we encounter that threaten our fulfillment of this role, and how can we avoid falling for them or get out of the pit if we have fallen already? If not, what then are the authentic ways that we as laity can assist Mother Church?

Not that I’m trying to convince you that my job is unnecessary… but rather to say that I have been considering lately that, back in the day, when it was typically the sole responsibility of the pastor to teach the faith to the parish (aided by teachers, not administrating, organizing, decision-making, responsibility-bearing “directors”) it may have been hard at times to balance it all, but at least the priest has two things that no lay person can have: the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, first and foremost, and secondly the authority to lead his parish (under the bishop, of course). Those are some pretty big things to be lacking now in today’s typical parish religious education decision-making model, led by a lay person or even a religious sister/brother. It seems like this task, which, as the Pope observes, belongs properly to the bishops and priests, may not be the most appropriate choice for us laity to (practically speaking anyway) take over.

You know, a couple of years ago, I had never heard of a parish that did NOT have a “DRE” or “Director of Faith Formation” on staff. Then I met some folks from the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. They told me that there are no parish “DREs” in Lincoln, but instead a priest who is a diocesan DRE and within the parishes themselves lay and religious (ie, “nun”) catechists working with the pastor. I haven’t been able to find any more information about this online, but I admit it intrigues me. Does the diocesan DRE set the program to be used across the diocese? Do they use the same programs for parish faith formation and Catholic schools? What happens when the diocese “changes hands” and another bishop isn’t quite as on top of things as Bishop Bruskewitz is? What do the priests and parishioners of the diocese think? How can this existence of such a radically different model of religious education help us to re-examine our own assumptions of what parish religious education “must” entail?

Another thought along a different line - I just remembered that someone told me once that St. Agnes parish in St. Paul didn't have a DRE, but that everything catechetical/youth group in nature was coordinated directly through the pastor and with the school (haven't confirmed this though, there's no info on it on their website). Hmmmmmm. So, when there is a parish school... why HASN'T it commonly developed that all faith formation be done in conjunction with the school instead of creating a parallel track? Why have one person at the church for the "parish" and then have a whole other person or group of persons for the "school"? Doesn't this just help to spread that attitude of church vs. school and make things more difficult than they need to be? Dunno, just wondering alound.

Anyone else care to comment on this whole parish/school/faith formation/DRE topic?