Sacred Heart T shirts at Old Navy

If you have a teenager who wouldn't be caught dead shopping at a Catholic gift shop, check out what Old Navy has for sale for the Christm--, I mean, "Holiday" season.

It is part of their collection of "Men's Heraldic Graphic Tees", and item number #734840 if you want to order it online. The shirt is $15.00.

Archbishop Sheen once said that it seemed that everything Catholics "drop" as irrelevant in today's society, the world picks up and uses themselves. How right he was! I wonder if this shirt would be identified in a public school as conveying a religious message?

UPDATE: I went to a local Old Navy yesterday to buy the shirt, and they're on sale for only $8 each! Buy a bunch of them and sell them for $10 each as a fundraiser! Imagine what their corporate bigwigs would think if they saw this particular design sell like crazy? Might it get them to put out other designs that get the attention of Catholics?

Italian laundry symbols

Attention Young Fogey clergy and sacristans:

If you're like me, you've bought vestments in Rome, some of which can be laundered in the washing machine. I found a LINK which explains what the symbols on the inside tags mean.

"I'm Catholic, though there are some issues I disagree with the Church about."

How many of us have heard the statement? We sometimes treat the Church's teachings like we treat traffic laws: "I'm all for stopping at red lights and staying on the right side of the yellow line, but I don't think the 65 mph speed limit is something I have to follow."

A friend of mine, Fr. Greg Shaffer, is the Catholic chaplain of George Washington University in Washington, DC. On his blog recently, he gave the basics on the corner you paint yourself into once you think that disagreeing with Church teachings is perfectly acceptable:

1) The teachings of the Catholic Church are from the Holy Spirit.
Neither student knew the answer to this question: "when did the Catholic Church begin?" The answer is 33 A.D. The Church began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles. The Lord promised to send the Spirit, "the Spirit of truth" who "will guide you to all truth" (Jn 16:13). The Spirit of truth has been guiding the Church for 2000 years. This guarantees us that what the Church teaches us is Truth. All of her teachings in faith and morals are free from error. They are the Truth!

2) The teachings of the Church are the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Our Lord gives the authority to the Apostles to continue his teachings...to teach in his name and in the name of Heaven. He does this first with Peter (the first pope): "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt 16:19). He gives the same authority to the other Apostles (the first bishops) in Matthew 18:18. They have passed down this authority to their successors (popes and bishops) for 2000 years...this is know as Apostolic Tradition. This unbroken tradition guarantees us that what the current pope and bishops teach is from Christ himself.

3) Christ and the Church are one.
Jesus makes this clear in the Gospel (e.g., "I am the vine, you are branches" - Jn 15:5). This point is also made by St Paul throughout his letters (e.g., "Christ is the head of the body, the church" - Col 1:18). Christ is the head, the Church is the body. Because Christ and the Church are one, what we say about the Church is what we say about Christ. If we disagree with the Church, we disagree with Christ. But, the more we are with the Church in mind and heart, the more we are in union with Christ.

Finally, a spiritual point about the Church and Christ that is also practical in our modern world. Think about what got Christ killed. Why was he crucified? What did he do wrong? He didn't do anything wrong. All he did was speak the truth. People either weren't ready for it or they didn't want to hear it. So, they killed him for it. He was hated and crucified by the world because he spoke Truth. The same has happened to his body, the Church. The Church is hated and crucified every day by the world because she speaks the truth. Many people still don't want to hear the truth even though "the truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32). Knowing that this would bring about his death, Jesus spoke the truth in love. The Church continues to do this in the modern world.

Sorry that I've "gone silent" for a week. It was a bit of a tough one, with the death of a friend of mine. Ben Wickes was first my Scoutmaster, then a fellow adult leader when I was active in Boy Scouts. In those years he also became a "another father" and a friend. A week ago today he suffered a series of heart attacks (on his birthday, how's that?) and died on Tuesday morning. I celebrated his funeral Mass yesterday, following a wake that had become a reunion of Boy Scout Troop 31 of Port Reading. Others, now living a distance away, made their feelings known through things like Facebook. It was good to see everyone again, even in sad circumstances; it's exactly what Ben would've wanted: laughter, old stories, etc.

So now that week is over, and tonight was supposed to be the start of the Metuchen Diocese's Priest Convocation. Unfortunately it was cancelled, because the scheduled speaker, Fr. Tom Acklin, OSB, had some health concerns. Like many of my brothers, we'd already found coverage for our parish's Masses in anticipation of being away, so I'm still taking the days for a little "mini retreat" down at my alma mater, Mount St. Mary's Seminary. Be back mid-week.

"I LOVE your tailor!"

31 years ago today

Al Smith Dinner - and I was there!

Well, no, not really. But now that I have your attention, click on the link below for a video clip from WCBS-NY on last night's premier fundraiser for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New York.

Archbishop Dolan Hosts Al Smith Dinner

Ezekiel 36:26

Please remember in your prayers Fr. Richard Lyons, Judicial Vicar of my diocese (and retired Pastor of St. John's in Dunellen), who will be undergoing heart transplant surgery today at 3pm.

UPDATE - Weds., 10/14: After making it through the surgery, he's doing well in the IC Unit.

ANOTHER UPDATE - Thurs., 10/15: He's been talking to visitors and is already being scheduled for physical therapy.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians!

Columbus Day

Click HERE for my entry last year on interesting Catholic facts about Christopher Columbus.