Polonia Semper Fidelis!

The other day, a package arrived with this book inside.

Yes, John Paul II for Dummies has been translated into Polish, and is now on sale in bookstores throughout Poland.

Does this mean I can add "international author" to my resumé?

The other "George W." in my life

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Bishop George W. Ahr, who was the Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey, from 1950 until 1979.

George William Ahr was born on June 23, 1904, in Newark, New Jersey, to George and Mary Ahr.  The elder Ahr was a mortician by trade, and all his life critics would jokingly blame his son's seemed "coldness" on the fact that he had formaldehyde running through his veins.  A graduate of Seton Hall University, he was sent to the North American College for his theology studies.  He was ordained to the Priesthood in 1928, and returned from Rome in 1929, having earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology.  Most of his Priesthood was spent teaching, either in Seton Hall Preparatory School or Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he served as Rector from 1947 until his appointment as Bishop of Trenton in 1950.  His resignation as Bishop was accepted on June 23, 1979, his 75th birthday.

I got to know "George W." when I needed a topic for my Master's thesis in Church history, about 1995.  At the time, the only biography that existed of Bishop Ahr was part of a larger book on the history of the Trenton Diocese called "Upon This Rock".  Fr. Michael Roach, one of the Church History professors at the Mount and a great teacher and parish Priest, gave me the advice to pick a topic that piqued my curiosity, and not just a topic to "get the paper over with", otherwise the research and writing would get real boring really fast.  Bishop Ahr was bishop of my diocese, back when we were all the Diocese of Trenton.  He had been a Bishop during an amazing time in Church History: 12 years before the Second Vatican Council, and 14 years afterwards.  Plus, the little snippets I had heard for years as a seminarian about his demeanor and the fear he instilled in clergy and laity alike.  How could I not be interested?  Many contemporaries of the bishop agreed to be interviewed: Trenton Bishop John Reiss (an auxiliary bishop under Ahr and later his successor), Bp. Edward Kmiec (longtime secretary to Bp. Ahr), Priests who knew him well, such as Msgrs. William Fields, George Ardos and William Fitzgerald, Dr. Peter Ahr (the bishop's nephew), Retired Archbishop Peter Gerety of Newark, and even two Filippini sisters who often made the jaunt across the Delaware River to visit Bp. Ahr in his retirement in his home in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.  Msgr. Joe Shenrock even did the unthinkable:  knowing how seminarians love to get their grubby paws on relics of the Church's past, he allowed me time alone with storage bin after storage bin of Bp. Ahr's papers, photographs, and even a miter (and since you're dying to know, it was too small for both Msgr. Shenrock and me).  It became a labor of love trying to put together different pieces of the puzzle of George Ahr's life.  What was supposed to be about a 40 page work stretched over 100 pages, but I enjoyed every bit of it.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.  May he rest in peace.

What the heck is an "intriguer"?

Yesterday's second reading, from the first letter of St. Peter, had this line:

"But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer."

O.K., I'm good with the first three, but what is an "intriguer"?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

Rather than the 1998 Lectionary For Mass use of the term, "intriguer", The 1970 New American Bible translation uses "destroyer of another's rights".  The 1946 Revised Standard Version uses "mischief maker".  Why the discrepancy?

William Barclay's commentary on the passage explains it:

"A Christian, Peter says, is not to suffer as an allotriepiskopos.  The trouble is that there is no other instance of this word in Greek, and Peter may well have invented it.  It can have three possible meanings, all of which would be relevant.  It comes from two words, allotrios, 'belonging to another' and episkopos, 'looking upon' or 'looking into'.  Therefore, it literally means 'looking upon, or into, that which belongs to another.'

1. To look upon that which is someone else's might well be to cast covetous eyes upon it.  That is how both the Latin Bible and Calvin take this word - to mean that the Christian must not be covetous.
2. To look upon that which belongs to another might well mean to be too interested in other people's affairs and to be a meddling busybody.  That is by far the most probable meaning.  There are Christians who do an infinite deal of harm with misguided interference and criticism.  This would mean that the Christian must never be an interfering busybody.
3. There is a third possibility.  Allotrios means 'that which belong to someone else'; that is to say, 'that which is foreign to oneself.'  Along that line 'allotriepiskopos' will mean 'looking upon that which is foreign to oneself.'  That would mean, of a Christian, entering upon undertakings which would not befit the Christian life.  This would mean that a Christian must never interest himself in things which are alien to the life that a Christian should lead.

While all three meanings are possible, we think that the third is the right one."

From the Catholic News Agency

Fiancée of British royal abandons Catholicism to preserve succession

May 2, 2008 / 02:16 am (CNA).- A woman engaged to a member of the British royal family has renounced her Catholic faith to maintain her fiancée’s position in the line of succession.

The Times Online reports that Autumn Kelly, 31, was received into the Church of England.  She is to be married to Peter Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandson, on May 17.

British monarchs and their heirs are barred from becoming or marrying Catholics according to the 1701 Act of Settlement.  Phillips, who is currently eleventh in line to the throne, would have had to renounce his claim had she not converted. (So Peter's at the ready in case his grandmother, three uncles, six cousins, and his mother should all go home to God.  You think someone's a little miffed that his parents didn't want him to have a royal title?)

Kelly was reportedly advised for several months before deciding to convert.  “She was not asked to do this; she did it of her own accord,” a source told the Daily Telegraph.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed the conversion had taken place and said that, "She was welcomed into the Church of England some time ago."

Kelly, a management consultant from Canada, met Phillips at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in 2003.  She moved to the United Kingdom to be with him shortly thereafter.

Her parents are said to be enthusiastic about their daughter’s engagement (well, c'mon, how many weddings involve Buckingham Palace?  It's gotta beat a wedding reception at the local VFW hall!).  I’ve met him a few times and he’s a great guy, a really nice person,” her mother, Kathleen, told the Times Online (Your future son-in-law, the man marrying your little girl, and the best you can say is that he's "really nice"?).

She said that she did not think that there would be a problem with her daughter being a “foreigner”.

“I think attitudes to things like that have changed,” she said. “Autumn is a very serious and intelligent young woman. She may be young, but she knows the world. And he’s a great guy. Isn’t that what counts?” (Well actually, no.)

It is not known whether Kelly was a practicing Catholic, though she was educated at Catholic schools. (NEWSFLASH: and I could spend 9 years in a zoo and it wouldn't make me into a practicing giraffe!)

Philip, James, and First Communions

Today's feast day brings back a few memories.

First, it reminds me of the trip to Rome I took last January with a mixed pilgrimage group of current and former parishioners.  On one of our "walking tours" (they called them "death marches", but my term sounds friendlier), we stopped at the "Dodici", a.k.a. the "Church of the Holy Apostles".  In the lower church lies the relics of Sts. Philip and James, in a marble sarcophagus behind a grate.  Here's a photo one of the pilgrims took.

The second memory is also about a trip to Rome with my friend, Fr. Guy Selvester.  At the time of the trip, he was Parochial Vicar of the parish of Sts. Philip & James in Phillipsburg (the parish currently next door to me now, though I wasn't here yet).  While we were in Rome on that trip, he was able to obtain relics of Philip & James for his parish.  I'm guessing they have them out for public veneration today.

Finally, that Church of the Holy Apostles is the place where, on top of the relics of Philip & James, Bishop Vincent Breen was ordained to the Priesthood, while a student at the North American College in Rome.  Bp. Breen was the Bishop that ordained me a Priest, so I've always had a soft spot for that church.  Also, this church is the titular of Giovanni Batista Cardinal Re, and I've been a "Re fan" since his days as Sostituto under Cardinal Sodano, at the time the Vatican Secretary of State.  Today, Cardinal Re heads the Congregation for Bishops, largely responsible for the vetting of candidates for the episcopacy.  So if there's anyone who needs some prayers, it's Cardinal Re.

That all being said, today is the first of our "First Holy Communions" in our little corner of God's vineyard.  I'll be honest, I dread First Communions.  They've become so much about everything else EXCEPT the fact that the children are receiving the Eucharist for the first time.  The church is downright noisy and far from a place of prayer, as parents, relatives, etc. chit chat to each other, eagerly awaiting the "show to begin".  The children have to process into the church with military precision.  The flashing lights of the cameras from adults make the center aisle of the church feel more like the red carpet of Oscar night.  They have to do all the readings, because somehow hearing the Word of God proclaimed with a cute lisp makes it more meaningful.  They have to sing a cutesy, obligatory song which cannot help but provoke applause for a "job well done".  I mean, did they sing a song at their baptisms?  Do we make newly married couples sing something at the end of the wedding (I mean before the reception, when the liquor has kicked in)?  Do new priests have to sing a song for the congregation after they've been ordained?  Then there's the flowers to their parents (some of whom haven't brought them to church in 5 years).  Now, tell me:  in the midst of everything else we've piggybacked onto the liturgical celebration of First Holy Communion in most parishes, do you think these kids have ANY time to reflect and ponder the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ which they are taking into them for the very first time?  I feel for Religious Ed Directors who would dare to begin to omit these things from the Mass.  It would truly be touching the third rail, as parents would complain that they've somehow taken the "special-ness" out of the day.

Now, lest you think I'm going to go over to church with a machete, let me give you the "rest of the story".  Yes, I dread First Communions.  But once we get into the Mass, and I see the looks of wonder on the faces of these children, I leave feeling optimistic.  I end up praying that their enthusiasm passes on to the grown-ups.

Good News, Good News!

Yes, my friends of the "Dukes of Hazzard" generation, those words of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (complete with the voice) rang through my head as I saw the headline in the Newark Star-Ledger this morning: "Vatican clears East Hanover priest of abuse charge."

The article tells the story of Monsignor William McCarthy of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, and how Rome has ratified the decision of canonical trial exonerating him of the charges made against him.

Frankly, I was shocked.  A positive headline in the Star Ledger?  I mean, I kept reading the article looking for the obligatory quotes from David Clossey of SNAP, et al.  Where was it?  Did I miss it?  Well pickle me tink (thank you, Ned Flanders), there is no quote!

More importantly, the article gives insight into something else:  Because the criminal statute of limitations had passed between the time the accusers said the abuse took place and when they approached law enforcement authorities, there was no possibility for criminal charges to be filed.  Essentially, the civil government said there was nothing they could do.  But in Catholic Canon Law, there is no "statute of limitations" in such cases, and so it was the Church that conducted a trial on behalf of both sides.  A Tribunal made up of judges from places other than the Paterson Diocese was assembled, and testimony was heard, representing both sides.  In the end, a decision was made, and that decision (along with the transcripts of the trial) was sent to Rome for confirmation that all was done properly.  Rome returned their approval to the local Bishop, who issued a public statement announcing Msgr. McCarthy's innocence.

Years ago, New Jersey native Ray Donovan, Secretary of Labor in the Reagan Administration, was accused of corruption, and later found innocent of the charges after a lengthy trial.  When asked how he felt to have his name cleared, he responded, "Great. Now where do I go to get my reputation back?"  Having his name cleared must be a tremendous load off the back of Msgr. McCarthy, but in this "Age of Google" we live in, where can Priests who are accused of heinous acts and who are later vindicated go to "un-Google" their name?

Oops, I almost forgot.  Here's the article.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria

Today is the Feast of St. Athanasius.  Depending on whom you read, he was born in 295, 297, or 300, and died on this day in 373.  After his death, he was buried in his native Alexandria, Egypt.  But his relics were transferred to Venice.  In 1973, the Coptic Pope Shenouda III arranged for the return of his relics to Egypt, and there they remain in the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo.  In fact, here's a photo I found on Wikipedia of the shrine where the relics of St. Athanasius are kept:

Last June, Pope Benedict dedicated a Wednesday Audience catechesis to Athanasius' life and contributions to the Church.  Rather than "cut & paste" the address here on the blog, here is the link.  You're all big boys and girls; Go click.

Pope St. Pius V (1504-1572)

Antonio Ghislieri: shepherd, Dominican (who took the name Michele in religious life), Cardinal, Pope.

The one we can thank for Popes wearing white, though all he was doing was continuing to wear the white habit of the Order of Friar Preachers, even as Pontiff.  In that case, I suppose we have Gregory XIII (Pope from 1572-1585) to thank for continuing the tradition.

But Papa Ghislieri can also be thanked for so many other things:

• His determination to put into effect the decrees of the Council of Trent (dare we say, he lived "in the spirit of Trent"?).
• Following the Council's decrees, he saw to the publication of the Roman Catechism (1566), the Roman Breviary (1568), and the Roman Missal, a.k.a. the "Sacramentary" here in the United States (1570).
• Declared St. Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church on April 11, 1567.
• After the victory at Lepanto of a coalition of ships from Spain, Venice, and the Papal States over the Ottomans was attributed by Pius to Our Lady's intercession, he instituted the Feast of "Our Lady of Victories" on October 7 (the date of the battle).  The name of the feast was later changed by his successor to "Our Lady of the Rosary".

Pope St. Pius' tomb is there for the world to see in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.  His tomb is located in the "Sistine Chapel" (named so because it was built to house the tomb of Pope Sixtus V, who was the successor to Gregory XIII following Pius V; got that?).  It's appropriate that Pius rests here, since it was Pius who named Felice Peretti (the future Sixtus V) a Cardinal in 1570.  Though it is kind of amusing that the Dominican Pius V spends eternity in a chapel built for the Franciscan Sixtus V.  You can learn more about the chapel by visiting the website for Santa Maria Maggiore.

"deinen Diener, unseren Papst, mein Bruder"

No, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger probably doesn't say that when he uses Eucharistic Prayer III at Mass.  But can you imagine what it would be like to have your little brother become Pope?

The National Catholic Register recently published the first part of an interview recently done with Msgr. Ratzinger.  In it, he talks about their parents, his experience in a McDonald's, and what happens when he goes to visit his brother.

Check it out by clicking here.

B16 ordination homily

Yesterday's homily by Pope Benedict at the Mass at St. Peter's, during which he ordained 29 men to the Priesthood, can be found here (thanks to Vatican Radio).

Lots of great lines in the homily.  Among them...

"My dear Ordinants, in the future, you must frequently return to this moment, to this gesture which while not magic is rich in mystery, because this is the origin of your new mission. In that silent prayer two freedoms meet: the freedom of God, through the Holy Spirit and the freedom of man. The imposition of the hands expresses the specific nature of this meeting: the Church, represented by the Bishop who stands tall with his hands outstretched, who prays that the Holy Spirit consecrate the candidate; the deacon, who kneels, receiving the imposition of the hands and who entrusts himself to the mediation. The union of these gestures is important, but the invisible movement of the Spirit which it expresses is infinitely more important; a movement that is perfectly evoked by sacred silence, which embraces all, internally and externally."

Where the old and new blend nicely

One of the blogs I read daily is Fr. Zuhlsdorf's "What Does The Prayer Really Say?".  Imagine my surprise when I saw a friend from seminary days being praised by Fr. Z.

Click here to read the entry about Fr. Greg Markey of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Priestly Pre-Ascension Press

From the AP:

Brazil Priest Vanishes on Balloon Flight

Aramaic? anyone? anyone?

Today's New York Times has an article about the shrinking use of Aramaic in the Middle East.  Interesting article, considering it was the language of Christ (when he wasn't speaking Latin, of course).

His Holy-honor-ness

Since journalists can't write the "Pope stories" they had hoped for: that the crowds are pitifully small, or that he wasn't well received, or that his visits with Catholics, Christians, and non-Christians have been mediocre, today's newspaper articles are making sure we know that pro-Abortion John Kerry and multiply-married (and equally pro-abortion) Rudy Giuliani both received Holy Communion at Masses celebrated by Pope Benedict in DC and Manhattan.

Hey, The Church has never held up these two as the poster-boys for what it means to be good Catholics.  Have we ever elected them Pope?  Nope.  We've done our part.

The way things have gone in the Big Apple, Pope Benedict seems like he could run for Rudy's old seat.  But would New Yorkers accept someone just moving in and running for elected office?  Can you say, "Hillary"?

Pope at St. Pats

The Mass is about to begin.  He gave a "golden rose" to the National Shrine; any chance he makes St. Patrick's Cathedral a Minor Basilica?

Also, Cardinal Egan is as much a classical music buff as the Holy Father.  I'd bet against bongos at this Mass.

OK, Mass has begun.

Geez Louise, if I see one more Priest or Deacon snapping pictures during the procession...     So much for the procession signaling that Mass has begun.  I suppose we've been reduced to Mass beginning when the "performer" hits the "stage" that the "show" starts.  I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.  Let's hope no one in the crowd leaves after Communion, since that's become commonplace, too.

Nope, no Minor Basilica, no golden rose, just a chalice & paten.  Now, don't get me wrong.  The Pope wants to give my parish a chalice and paten, I'd gladly take it.  I just thought there'd be more.  Of course, there is the apocryphal story that Pope John Paul II named Newark's Sacred Heart Cathedral a Basilica only as he and Archbishop McCarrick drove around it in the Popemobile during his 1995 visit.  So anything is still possible, though we all know that the Holy Father is much less likely to be "spontaneous" than his predecessor.

Friday night blogging

The Rangers are beating the Devils ... third period ... Madden just missed a penalty shot ... I go back and forth in my thinking that watching an intense hockey game is easier than playing in an intense hockey game.

The theme of tonight's activity is "photographs".  I just finished going through a box of photo negatives, uploading pictures on photo CDs to my computer, and going through old photo albums to make sure I already have copies of the stuff that I'm about to throw out.

Obviously the big story this week has been Pope Benedict's visit.  You've got to love our technological age.  From my rectory, I can watch the events taking place on live television.  If (and this time it's been more like "when") I get tired of the commentators, I can switch to Vatican Television's live streaming on the Internet.  Finally, thanks to other websites like the Vatican and the USCCB, I can get copies of the Holy father's talks.

Why am I not giving you up to date commentary and photos on the events?  Please, there's plenty of people out there doing this (heck, I read many of them myself).  Some bloggers, like Thomas Peters at American Papist, was "on the ground" in the District of Columbia, taking photos and making videos, giving us the "eye-witness" view.  Others, like the indomitable Fr. Zuhlsdorf at What Does The Prayer Really Say?, maintained his "command post" while posting commentary on the events (both his own and the comments of other bloggers).  This may also be the first papal event in which I got the bulk of my information from the Internet rather than the mainstream media.  Peggy Noonan has a great column on the Wall Street Journal website: saying something like, "If Pope John Paul II was the 'Pope of images' (remember, when his pontificate began in '78, television stations still signed off for the night), then Pope Benedict can be called the 'Pope of the Internet' (having the kind of events that make you want to download his words to ponder).

There's still some events left, culminating in Sunday's Mass at Yankee Stadium.  

By the way- the Devils lost.  In a way, I'm glad.  I can now watch the rest of the playoffs without the emotional attachment I have to the team I've followed since they arrived in 1982.  Emotions get in the way sometimes.

Hymnus Pontificius

Those of you who watched the welcome ceremony at the White House heard the national anthem of the Vatican City-State.

Composed by Charles Gounod as a "march" for the 50th anniversary of the Priestly ordination of Pope Pius IX, it was played for the first time on April 11, 1869, by a combination of seven military bands.  It was played in the presence of Pope Pius XII in a Christmas ceremony marking the start of the 1950 Holy Year, and it was Pius who then decided that Gounod's work should be adopted as the Papal Hymn (anthem) of the Vatican City-State.

While we heard the tune on the South Lawn today, here are the words:

O happy Rome, O noble Rome:

Seat of Peter, whose blood was shed in Rome,

Peter, to whom the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given.

Pontiff, You are the successor of Peter;

Pontiff, You are the teacher that confirms your brothers;

Pontiff, You who are the Servant of the servants of God, fisher of men, shepherd of the flock, You link heaven and earth.

Pontiff, You are the vicar of Christ on earth, a harbor amidst the waves, You are a beacon in the darkness; You are the defender of peace, You are the guardian of unity, watchful defender of liberty; in You is the authority.

You Pontiff, you are the unshakable rock, and on this rock was built the Church of God.

O happy Rome, O noble Rome.

On board the plane

"If you are in an exit row, please read ze pamphlet in ze pocket in front of you.  Alzo, your seat cushions are floatation devices in ze event of a wasser landing.  In a moment, I'll be around with ze beverage cart and a snack.  In ze meantime, sit back and enjoy your flight."

(thank you, Reuters, for the photo)

Wasn't it the iceberg?

"In Weak Rivets, A Possible Key to Titanic's Doom"

My Pre-Pontifical Pilgrimage Ponderings

In a few hours, the Holy Father lands in the United States.  The mainstream media, whose "pre-papal visit" stories last week were non-controversial and actually somewhat interesting, have now jumped to stories with headlines like, "Restless Flock Awaits the Pope", and, "Facing Decline, An Effort to Market the Priesthood".  Let me give you a sampling of the articles (with my comments).

First, from "Restless Flock":

Some experts say the Vatican's views against divorce, contraception, abortion, homosexuality and stem cell research have driven away some Catholics, especially younger ones (does that make them "Young & Restless"?  Sorry, had to do it.  But seriously, if this were the case, shouldn't statistics show a jump in the membership of faith communities that allow these practices?  Anyone reading this have a Presbyterian, Unitarian, or Episcopalian community in their neighborhood that needs to build a bigger church because of all the new members they're getting?). But many other Catholics remain despite their differences with church leaders. Increasingly, those Catholics espouse a more democratic, even secular, faith that is far less dependent on a religious patriarchy and papal doctrine for instruction, according to both theologians and academics (...who want you to transfer your obedience on all matters of faith and morals from the Magisterium to, oh, I dunno, themselves?  Seriously, the majority of these theologians and academics don't spend any time in the average Catholic parish, except for - if we're lucky - a Saturday night or Sunday morning.  How can they possibly know what the faith life of a parish is, and, with all their academic degrees, what have they done in parishes to remedy it?). At the same time, the importance of their faith is based more on how to live their religion on their own moral grounds than on how church leaders say they should live (Ah, welcome to relativism.  Population: 1 AND ONLY 1!  You accept my way of living my life, and I'll accept your way of living your life - unless your way makes me feel guilty or selfish, then I have the right to call you a right-wing religious nut).

Now, from "Facing Decline":

The Rev. Luke Sweeney, director of vocations for the archdiocese — which covers the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and seven counties west and north of the city — says the church must make its case if it hopes to reinvigorate a priesthood that is increasingly elderly. “How do we get the ‘cool’ factor back into the priesthood?” Father Sweeney said. “If we don’t sell the priesthood, we can’t legitimately ask a young man to consider the priesthood as a vocation.”  (fancy videos are nice, and catch the attention of "Generation PlayStation", but in the end, Priests sell the Priesthood!  You can create a thousand 5 minute videos on YouTube to sell the Priesthood, but if these young men then go to Mass on the weekend and Father gives the impression by his preaching and his body language that he'd rather be anywhere else in the world except that altar, then it's all for naught.)

(Now, ready for some good news?) What the seminary lacks in numbers, it may make up for in intensity and eagerness. The seminarians speak of finding a joy and purpose that eluded them in secular careers.  “We live in a very confusing world, a world where there is a lot of evil in it, and good men need to step forward,” said Brian Graebe, a former high school teacher who is finishing his first year. “You can stick your head in the sand, or you can do something to change it. What more heroic life is there than to touch these eternal mysteries?”  (Amen, preach it!)

The biggest change, however, is in the age and backgrounds of seminarians. Decades ago, young men entered the seminary in their teens (...and, decades ago, young men also got married in their teens, and some went to war in their teens, and many got jobs in their teens that they intended to keep until the day they would retire from it.  The root of the Church's vocations shortage is grafted onto the bigger crisis of our culture's phobia towards any  decision that involves a permanent commitment.  Colleges allow students to be "undecided".  I can sign a contract committing myself to some business deal, and some lawyer can get me out of it.  I can make the promise to love someone for the rest of my life, and a divorce gets me out of that.  Should we be that shocked that, when we ask young men to make a decision that will affect them forever, they're a little bit hesitant?  NEWSFLASH: THEY'RE NOT USED TO IT!).

Pope Benedict's Style

My pal, Fr. Guy Selvester, is featured in a photo essay on Pope Benedict's vestments on the Time Magazine website.  Check it out by clicking here.

Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Today is the 143rd anniversary of the assassination of President Lincoln, who was killed at Ford's Theater back in 1865.

The Presidency and Presidential history have always been of interest to me.  I've always had an interest in Abraham Lincoln, going back to a paperback book that came out when I was young called "The Lincoln Conspiracy" (which questioned whether US government officials had anything to do with Lincoln's death).

In recent years, though, thanks to a friend whose parish is in southern Maryland, I've been able to visit some of the sites which were part of the history of the Lincoln assassination.

The first thing I've come to learn was that most of the people associated with the events were Catholics.  Dr. Mudd, Mrs. Surratt and her son John, David Herold, etc.  Not that their Catholicity had anything to do with it, it was just something I noticed.  John Surratt, in fact, in his escape from prosecution in the United States, actually spent time in service to the Papal Zouaves (infantrymen who defended the Papal States).  Later on, after his discovery and extradition to the United States, and after a trial jury deadlock gained him freedom, he became a schoolteacher where?  St. Joseph's School in Emmitsburg, Maryland (the town is also home to a great seminary).

A picture I took of Dr. Mudd's house

where Booth's broken leg was treated.

The site where Booth was discovered and killed,

a barn owned by Richard Garrett, is now an

empty clearing on the median for VA route 301.

(I came across the site returning from North Carolina,

and I should probably take this opportunity to apologize

 to the car behind me for stopping so suddenly.  Whoops, sorry)

Finally, since this is a blog with religious overtones, I'll leave you with a link to an interesting article called, Lincoln and the Will of God, which was published in First Things back in March.  The author, Andrew Ferguson, explores the faith and religious beliefs of Abraham Lincoln.

Back in Black

Sorry for disappearing from the blogosphere for a few days.  A few things have gone on that have kept me from posting.

First of all, I was gone for a few days down to Orlando, Florida, for an annual get-together with some Priest friends.  This is the 4th year that I've spent the 2nd week of Easter down there, and every time is a blast full of warmer weather and lots of laughs.  For the second time, we took a tour offered by Walt Disney World called the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour.  It's a four hour tour of the park which gives you great insider factoids that will appease the "inner-nerd" in you (including a visit inside the utilidor underneath the park).  Besides the food and fun, we also made a few stops into the Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine (which has all-day adoration and always has a Priest on-duty for Confession).

When I got back, we surprised my step-mother with a 70th birthday party.  I was the "bait" to get her to the restaurant for dinner, as she thought she was going out with me and her pastor for an early celebration of my birthday.  Little did she know that the dinner was for her (mwah-hah-hah).

Since October, I've been playing in a recreational hockey league, called the Geezer Hockey League, over at the Steel Ice Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  We finished in second place overall, and last Sunday we won the league championship game in the second period of sudden-death overtime.  Hockey-life, unlike real life, has no "eternal life" after death.

Finally, since my mother was away on business for my birthday, I spent an overnight with her so we could have dinner and some "bonding time", as she calls it.  Though she insists that it's my day, I always remind her that she did all the work; I just "showed up".

So, folks, I'm back.  I still have a bunch of things to do this week.  Uncle Sam expects my income tax return by next week.  I have to send out invitations to my 10th anniversary Mass (which means I first have to make the invitations).  Plus, there's adult education, a parish flea market, a junior youth group lock-in, AND the Pope is coming (to the U.S., I mean, not to Alpha).

St. Thomas' finger

"Then [Jesus] said to Thomas,

'Put your finger here and see my hands,

and bring your hand and put it into my side,

and do not be unbelieving, but believe.'"

Above is the relic of the finger of St. Thomas, part of the collection of relics kept at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Rome.  This past January, I took my tour group there to see this, and a few other great relics of the Lord's Passion.

For more on the basilica and the relics it contains, click here.

“Were not our hearts burning within us ... when he opened the scriptures to us?"

Sandro Magister at the Chiesa website has an article entitled, "Holy Week: The Hidden Homilies of Pope Benedict", which also has English translations of the Pope's homiles from Palm Sunday to his Easter Urbi et Orbi. Check it out.

Since we're in the Easter Octave, I have a clear conscience posting a comic strip that appeared in newspapers around the country on Easter Sunday.

To see a larger size (or for you Young Fogeys who would like a copy of this autographed by the comic's author), click here.

Easter Links

The blog, Singing in the Reign, has a great entry entitled, "Five Reasons the Resurrection Was Necessary", according to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Steve Ray's blog has a link to an interactive Google Map which points out the holy shrines of Jerusalem, many of which we just got done hearing at the Triduum.

My pal Fr. Guy Selvester points out another "resurrection", this time of the sartorial style. Check it out at Shouts in the Piazza.

The Zenit news service has the Good Friday Homily of Father Cantalamessa.

The Vatican website's collection of Holy Week's photos, music, and texts of the Holy father's homilies can be found here.

Finally, click here for a link with the words to my favorite Easter hymn.

Holy Saturday

There's a beautiful reading today in the breviary's Office of Readings for this morning (Holy Saturday).  It's not attributed to anyone; it's simply called "an ancient homily on Holy Saturday".  For those who don't have the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours, I was able to find it online.  As I sit here this morning drinking my coffee on one of the few days that the rectory is uncharacteristically quiet, I hope you enjoy it.

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all”. Christ answered him: “And with your spirit”. He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”.

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

Casula Romana

I'm watching the Holy Father process into St. Peter's for the Good Friday liturgy, and he's wearing a red chasuble cut in the Roman style (rather than the gothic style, which most people are used to seeing).

You just know this is bringing a sourpuss to the faces of a bunch of people, and, even if he gave out the cure for cancer, THIS will be the story today in the blogosphere and around the world.

In other words, hope you've got plenty of Lysol and paper towels for what's about to hit the fan.

UPDATE - for great pictures of the Liturgy, check out the pictures posted on the New Liturgical Movement blogsite.

O'Byrne, Oh Brother (or is it "father"?)

Today's Metro section of the New York Times has an article about Charles O'Byrne, one of new-New York Governor David Paterson's closest aides. In the article, we find out he is a Kennedy family confidant, a former speechwriter for Howard Dean, openly gay, and, oh yeah, until 2002, a Roman Catholic Priest in the Society of Jesus.

Click here to read it.

Good for another year!

Last night I was in beautiful, downtown Metuchen, New Jersey, for my diocese's Chrism Mass.

The priests have a dinner first, which gives us a chance for "the family" to get together. Like any family gathering, there were lots of laughs, a little needling, and that feeling that "we should do this more often" (though in reality we know it won't happen). We even "met" the new member of the family - the man to be ordained a priest for our diocese next May, as the Bishop "called him to Orders" (formally announced his intention to ordain him to the Priesthood).

During the Chrism Mass, the Priests recommit themselves to the promises they made on their ordination days, whether it was recently (like my diocese's Fr. Bede Kim, who was ordained last year) or decades ago (like Msgr. John Torney of my diocese, ordained in 1939).

A while back on this blog, I reflected on my ninth anniversary of ordination. As I approach my tenth year (certainly acknowledging there are plenty of guys who have been ordained longer than I) I was surprised how that moment of Mass hit me last night. Being there in the cathedral in which I was ordained, standing about 10 yards from where I stood on that day, I couldn't help but go back to that day in 1998. I looked at the face of the man who'll be ordained a Priest in a few months; he had a smile on his face throughout Mass and even his voice in proclaiming the Gospel (he was Deacon of the Word last night) had joy and happiness in it. I saw the seminarians of our diocese. For the first time in a while, we actually have more seminarians than jobs for servers at Mass, so the extras sat together on the side of the sanctuary. I used to be one of them, full of zeal and energy, simply enjoying being there at the Chrism Mass. I'd bet none of them moaned about going.

It's a wise thing the Church does, having Priests come together once a year to remember their ordination. It's wise because every Priest is human, and every human being has memories that get triggered by senses. So, bring us back to the place, and we'll remember the joy, hope, and zeal we had on the day we said "yes" to God. Yes, my diocese has lost a bit of that opportunity by making the Chrism Mass as much about the lay people accepting the Holy Oils and promising to bring them back to the parishes on Holy Thursday (I think having the bishop question the parish representatives on their willingness to do that, in the same context as he questions us on our fidelity to our vocation, either exalts the task of bringing bottles home, or waters down the promises we made on ordination day). But, in spite of that, the moment was still there. I know because I experienced it. I also believe that that only way my brethren could not have experienced it was by deliberately choosing not to take in the memories that were being released by our brains into our consciousness.

We kid around with each other about the renewal of the commitment, questioning whether, if we said "no", we would stop being a priest? Afterwards, with the commitment remade like an auto registration, we're all good for another year. Bring on Holy Thursday!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Forgive me, Church, for not posting for a few days.  This is the busy time for Priests, and I've been getting adjusted to a new computer as well.

Today is the transferred Feast of St. Joseph, moved to the first available day before Palm Sunday (that is, today).  Preaching at Mass this morning, I mentioned how there was an abundance of color in the sanctuary: the purple still covering statues, red on the altar for this weekend's Palm Sunday celebration, and me dressed in white for the Patron of the Universal Church.

Normally I decorate the St. Joseph altar in our church (for those of you who attend liturgy workshops, that would be our "worship space"), but a few things got in my way: a lot going on in my life, the fact that, being a Saturday, the decorations would be lost by the evening's vigil Mass for Palm Sunday, and the fact that, since last weekend, the statue has been unseen.

But, as I told this morning's Mass attendees, what a great metaphor for St. Joseph: unseen, veiled, but present nonetheless.  Rarely mentioned in the Scriptures, we have nothing from his mouth directly.  We know St. Joseph had his share of dreams in which God made His will known (whether it be taking Mary as his wife or bugging out to Egypt).  We know he and Mary were going crazy looking for the 12 year old Jesus after they realized he wasn't in the Nazareth-bound caravan.  I think the best compliment paid to Joey in the scriptures comes from the people of the town of Nazareth.  Years later, they still remembered Joseph when Jesus spoke. "Is this not the carpenter's son?"  Would that people recognized Christ in us the way that they recognized Joseph in Jesus.

St. Josemaria Escriva had a great love for St. Joseph.  In the mammoth 3-volume biography by Andres Vazquez de Prada, we hear of the start of Escriva's often used advice, "Ite ad Ioseph" ("Go to Joseph", which more accurately refers to the Joseph of the Old Testament).  But still, what great advice for us, to go to St. Joseph with our concerns, especially today on his feast day.

A Spiritual Thought

The first reading from Numbers at Mass this morning...

THE WAY MY MIND WORKS: Just once, it would be a laugh to have a Lector come up to the ambo and say, "A reading from the Book of Numbers: four, twelve, thirty-six, one hundred and twenty, nineteen, eighty-eight, ..."  But I digress.  Back to our show.

... has the Israelites complaining to Moses:  "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the desert, where there is no food or water?"  They're mad at Moses for gaining them freedom!  In Egypt, they got "fleshpots and bread" (Ex 16:3), fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic (Num 11:5).  Slavery had become "safe" and "easy", with an abundant supply of food available.  So much so that they'd come to resent freedom.

For us, too, changing our lives, living in freedom, is harder than staying the way we're used to. We're more content remaining in slavery to our sins, rather than living in the freedom God calls us to and which our Baptism allows us to live.  Remember the scene in Shawshank Redemption in which Brooks, an old man released from prison after decades behind bars, commits suicide because he can't handle a life in which decisions are not made for him?

In slavery, the decisions are made for us; freedom requires decision-making and responsibility.  Our culture had glorified the status of "victimhood"; we crave having someone else to blame for the way our life has turned out (either remotely - "My parents never bought me the DVD player I wanted" - or proximately - "That jerk ahead of me is driving too slow and now I'm going to be late!").  

Through the Eyes of a Child

Chances are really good that no one reading this will ever be named a United States Ambassador to the Holy See (though I'd love to be proven wrong).

This past February 29, U.S. Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon presented her credentials to the Holy Father, and her and her family participated in a beautiful ceremony in the Apostolic Palace and St. Peter's Basilica. Luckily, Ambassador Glendon's daughter, Elizabeth Lev, a contributor to the Zenit News Service, wrote an article describing just what happens moment-by-moment during the ceremony.

You can read the article by clicking here.

Photo: AP/L'Osservatore Romano

Star Ledger: McGreevey on Marriage

For those outside of New Jersey, the saga continues between ex-Governor, ex-Catholic, ex-husband, and ex-heterosexual Jim McGreevey, and his ex-wife. This is an op-ed by the Newark Star Ledger's Kathleen O'Brien:

Marriage redefined by McGreevey
Thursday, March 06, 2008

IS THAT the kind of marriage Jim McGreevey would want for his daughters?

McGreevey, through his lawyers, is trying a new approach in his messy divorce case: He's lowering the very definition of marriage.

"Our contention is that the purpose of marriage -- living together, having a child, having companionship -- were all fulfilled," he claims in a court filing. Neither the misrepresentation nor the concealment of his sexual preference showed any fraud, he claims.

Imagine this stripped-down McGreevey revision of the nuptial vows:

McGreevey: "I, Jim, promise to live with you, have a child, and provide companionship. End of story."

The bride: "How about two kids? I always wanted two kids."

McGreevey: "Don't push it."

Clergyperson: "For better, for worse?"

McGreevey: "Um, yeah, sure, I guess."

Clergyperson: "From this day forward?

McGreevey: "My attorneys advise me that is implied."

Clergyperson: "In sickness or in health?"

McGreevey: "Yes, but if I'm thrown out of office, she has to get her own health insurance."

Clergyperson: "For richer, for poorer?"

McGreevey: "I'll have to talk to my campaign donors and get back to you on that one."

Clergyperson: "To love and to cherish?"

McGreevey: "Ehh, not so much. It depends on whether I'm up for re-election. Or the Legislature's in session. Or Golan's in town."

Clergyperson: "I now pronounce you a marriage of convenience. You may kiss the bride. Or ignore her completely."

Cue the antiphonal trumpets! Release the doves!

Again we ask: Is this the kind of marriage he'd want for either of his daughters?

How deliciously appalling to watch Mr. Gay American, Mr. Authentic Self, Mr. Tortured Soul, now claim that sexual orientation in a relationship doesn't matter.

So...other gay men who find themselves in loveless marriages should just, what, stick it out? If McGreevey's marriage was one that fulfilled the very purpose of marriage, why is he not contesting the divorce in its entirety?

Well, it's not even worth a moment's serious thought.

(One weird side point is that this line of reasoning pokes a hole in the argument for gay marriage. McGreevey seems to be saying the very definition of marriage includes producing a child together. That would close marriage to all gays, including himself.)

You have to wonder what kind of advice McGreevey is getting -- or receiving -- these days. Every time his side files a court brief, he says something preposterous and loses ground in the court of public opinion.

Dina Matos McGreevey fares only slightly better, particularly when she addresses the topic of money. She did get the financial shaft from him. She lost her marital home (that would be Drumthwacket), her transportation (N.J. State Troopers) and her health insurance.

Yet she is acting like money will make her whole. Her accountants claim he should be making nearly $1.5 million a year, not the $50,000 he claims.

About the last thing the taxpayers of New Jersey need is for Jim McGreevey to be earning $1.5 million. Because you know the only way he could pull that off? By good old-fashioned influence-peddling, banking on his political connections to the public trough.

In his memoirs, McGreevey tells of imagining his future in the days after his resignation: "I fantasized about being in love, really in love -- ordinary, boring, romantic love, the kind that takes you into old age, the kind my parents still have."

Funny, that is never mentioned in his attorney's description of a "fulfilled" marriage.

Honey, where'd I leave my leotards?

From an obituary in my local newspaper:

A funeral service will be held on Monday beginning at 1 p.m. in the funeral home. Burial will be at ____ Cemetery. The family has asked that all attendees please wear Eagles, Phillies or pro wrestling attire. If not possible please come dressed in Eagles green or Phillies red.

Feeling Intelligent?

If those of you who are of my generation didn't think that we're getting old, this is a clue from no less than today's New York Times crossword puzzle:

52 Across (10 letters)- 1990 #1 rap hit that starts, "Yo, V.I.P., let's kick it."

C'mon, you know this one. No fair using Google.

UPDATE - Yes, many of you got "Ice, Ice, Baby". See how this stuff has been burned into our memory? Well, for those of you who want some closure, YouTube has the video, so click here for a trip back to the 90s.

Sixteen foot Python 1 - Chihuahua 0

This is exactly why I'm not fond of blessing animals on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. From the Associated Press:

BRISBANE, Australia - A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday.

The boy and girl, ages 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrier-Chihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

Stuart Douglas, owner of the Australian Venom Zoo in Kuranda, said scrub pythons typically eat wild animals such as wallabies, a smaller relative of the kangaroo, but sometimes turn to pets in urban areas.

"It actively stalked the dog for a number of days," Douglas said.

"The family that owned the dog had actually seen it in the dog's bed, which was a sign it was out to get it," he added.

"They should have called me then, but (the snake) got away and three or four days later, I was called and went around and removed it" after the dog had been killed, Douglas said.

By the time Douglas arrived, all that could be seen of the dog was its hind legs and tail.

The zoo manager, Todd Rose, said pythons squeeze their prey to death before swallowing it whole. The 5-year-old dog would have been suffocated within minutes.

"The lady who was there threw some plastic chairs at the snake, but you've got to remember that this is about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of aggressive muscle," Rose said.

Removing the half-swallowed dog could have harmed or even killed the python, Rose said, because dogs have sharp teeth and claws that could do the snake internal damage if it were wrenched out.

The snake was still digesting the dog at the zoo Wednesday. It will soon be relocated to the bush, Douglas said.

Reflections on Penance Services

Last night, I helped out at a local parish's Lenten Penance Service. These communal penance services with individual confessions (along with a matching one during Advent) seem practically obligatory in the world of parish life today.

From the point of view of the clergy, these communal penance services (from now on, I'll call them CPSs) are opportunities for interaction with brother Priests, and in that regard they fill in the space previously occupied by "40 Hour devotions" in the parishes, which used to be more plentiful and gave Priests a chance to eat dinner, play cards, and solve all the problems of the universal Church. Today's penance services usually have a dinner involved, and it's always a good thing when parish Priests (the majority of whom live alone) can enjoy each other's company.

So what's the "down side" to these CPSs? Here's what I've thought of:

1. CPSs have largely replaced Saturday morning confessions as the time when people receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Most of the penitents I heard from last night told me their last time going to Confession was last Christmas. Yes, they're going twice a year, which I suppose is better than the bare minimum on once per year required from all Catholics. But what seems to be happening is that people are hanging on to mortal sins until the next CPS, rather than feeling the need to confess these sins immediately.
2. The faithful, particularly those under 30, are so conditioned to only going to Confession at CPSs, that they do not know how to begin an individual confession (i.e. - "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been ___ since my last confession."). Also, since most of these CPSs include the recitation of an Act of Contrition communally, most younger Catholics have neither an Act of Contrition memorized, nor know that it is called "An Act of Contrition" (and so I have come to say to them, "You know, that prayer that starts with, 'O my God...'").
3. Children in religious education classes are usually herded into CPSs like cattle and forced to go to Confession. Here the teaching moment has gone out of the window, with the lame (but comforting) rationalization of, "If we don't make sure they go to Confession, they won't go. Their parents sure aren't going to take them!" But are they really learning anything about their future obligation to go to confession on their own? In my opinion, what needs to be instilled in young minds is, yes, the need for the sacrament of Reconciliation, but also the need to understand that this is something you should do on your own. I don't know how to get that into their minds (especially if they don't see it lived in their family life) but I think that's the goal.
4. CPSs have practically eliminated the opportunity (and the right of a penitent) for anonymous confession. We've all seen the layouts of CPSs: sets of two chairs facing each other, spread throughout a church. I think the quality of individual confessions would rise if people were assured of some degree of anonymity. A friend of mine, a high school chaplain, made lightweight confession screens, first by making the frames out of plastic PVC pipes and joints he bought at a local home improvement store, then stringing some material over the top of the frame. He noted that, once his students felt "safe", their confessions went beyond the benign and, to borrow from JP2, "put out into the depth" of their souls.
5. Now, lest I be accused of only bashing CPSs, let me say this: Individual confessions are not always so well done, either. I'd wager that every Priest who reads this has had the experience of having a penitent come to confession without having made an examination of conscience (or knowing they were supposed to do so), only to get in there and give you a bunch of "ums" and "ers" since they hadn't really thought about what they would say in confession. CPSs can be beautiful; certainly having people hear Scripture passages read about God's mercy and forgiveness can only benefit our spiritual lives. And, if they are done well, an public recitation of an examination of conscience can enlighten people as to just what is considered sinful.
6. If it were up to me, I'd ban the word "impatient" in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Impatience is to confession what songs like "Fame" and "My Heart Will Go On" were to radio station playlists in their respective eras: overused. From now on, "I was impatient" is like the letters R,S,T,L,N, and E on Wheel of Fortune: I'm going to give you that sin from now on and presume you've done it before you even open your mouth. For many, impatience a "safe" sin. It sounds serious enough to say, but is, in reality, pretty common (and venial). It's the "popover" of Confession: looking serious on the outside yet hollow on the inside. OK, enough metaphors; you get my drift.
7. If CPSs are the way that people are now conditioned to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the 21st century, then let's abandon scheduled Saturday morning confessions. BUT, let those pastors who do so have CPSs once each month, rather than only during Advent and Lent.

"Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level. Do you copy?"

My friend and classmate, Fr. Jim Weldon, maintains a blog for his parish, St. Patrick's in Kingman, Kansas. The other day his blog entry caught my eye, because the same situation has happened at one time or another to most Priests I know. Here's what he wrote:

One person comes to me and says, "Keep it simple. Nobody out here has a degree in theology. We don't need 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. After 5th grade you have about as much religion as your going to get. If you don't have it by then you probably never will."

The next person comes to me and says, "I don't go to church anymore because you (all priests) always say the same thing over and over. You never go into the deeper meaning of the scripture. We are not children. We need more in depth teaching. I had to go to another church in order to receive real teaching."

I am not kidding. I had these two conversations a couple of days apart.

[Thanks, Fr. Jim. Now back to me] How many times that's happened in the life of a Parish priest! People tell you they want your homily to touch upon the Sacred Scriptures and how they relate to everyday life, how they relate to world events, and how it all is tied into global warming and big oil and Bill Gates and Brittney Spears' rehab.... oh, and by the way, keep it all under 10 minutes, and if you can begin with a joke or some comment about this weekend's big sporting event, that'd be great, too!

Anyway, along with his lament, Fr. Weldon found this great graphic which showed how he felt:


I'd have chosen something more "pop culture-ish":


But if either picture gives you the message, then that's a good thing.

Schönborn video now online

A follow-up to my post about Cardinal Schönborn's appearance on C-Span:

I was wrong (I know, you're shocked, but it's Lent). This was not an interview with the Cardinal, but a lecture he recently delivered at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California. C-Span now has the video of the 90 minute lecture on their website, available for anyone to watch. After being introduced, His Eminence speaks at the very beginning and at the very end of the video.

Click on this link and then look for the red button on the right that says, "Watch".

Feast of the Chair of Peter

Two links for you on today's feast:

1. The text of Pope Benedict's Feb 22, 2006 Wednesday Audience Catechesis on today's feast. I happened to be in Rome and at that audience, and the big surprise was that he announced his intention to name new Cardinals at the end. Sadly, what this meant was that everyone forgot the great teaching he gave on the feast.
2. Through the magic of the internet, this is a link to the blog of an English seminarian who took photos of the decorations at St. Peter's Basilica on the feast day last year. You can see how they decorate the pilgrim statue of St. Peter, as well as the Altar of the Chair.

Schönborn on C-Span

A heads-up: An interview with Cardinal Schönborn will air on C-Span this coming Sunday and Monday. In it he'll discuss his book, Chance or Purpose: Creation, Evolution, and a Rational Faith. It airs twice on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 10:30am and 10:30pm, and on Monday, Feb. 25 at 4am (set your VCRs or Tivos or DVRs). I'm guessing it's a 30 minute interview, but for more information, check out the C-Span webpage.

Things I learned in North Carolina

In no particular order of importance:

1. Some words that are one syllable everywhere else are two syllables in North Carolina. For instance, "in" is pronounced, "eeeeeee - nnn".
2. There's such a thing as "atomic tofu", thanks to adding barbecue sauce to it. You can get it on pizzas.
3. The first Krispy Kreme donut shop was in North Carolina.
4. Zdeno Chara is freakin' huge, but Eric Staal is no slouch, either (yes, I went to a Hurricanes game).

More to come.

In my mind, I'm goin' to Carolina

Well, not just in my mind, but in my body, too. I'm heading out today to visit my sister, so I may be away from the blogosphere for a few days.

A question to ponder

This one hit me during Stations of the Cross tonight: Why do we abstain from meat during the Fridays of Lent?

This one is perhaps my favorite anti-Catholic rant: I heard this on a secular radio station a few years ago on an Ash Wednesday. According to the host of the radio show, the reason why Catholics had the Friday abstinance was because, back in Italy during the middle ages, the Pope owned a fleet of fishing boats, and no one was buying fish from them. So he ordered abstinance from meat for every Catholic so that his boats would make money off of hungry people with nothing to eat but fish (because we all know that Italians know nothing about things like pizza or pasta).

So, back to my question: Why the Friday abstinance? Is it because Christ gave up his flesh on Good Friday, and so we abstain from any meat products? Or is it for the very act of denying ourselves during this penitential season? In short, is it for the "thing" itself, or in order to "do a thing"? Is it for the cause or the effect?

I ask this because I was thinking about vegetarians. To ask them to give up meat is no sacrifice; it would be like asking me to give up eating liver for the rest of my life. I mean, in the case of vegetarians, wouldn't a deliberate penitential act be to deliberately eat a meat product on a Friday of Lent? So if the abstinance is for the thing itself, then vegetarians are just lucky. But if it's to produce an act of penance, then you'd have to say they should have a burger.

Isn't that wierd?

Step away from the Pork Roll!

It almost happened! I had to run a few errands this morning: get a haircut, pick up an alb at the cleaners. My last stop was to cash in two winning scratch-off lottery tickets I had bought at a local convenience store (the grand prize? 2 dollars). While I was there I thought I'd buy my lunch early, and had the man make me a porkroll and cheese on a hard roll. I came back to the rectory, put my stuff down, and figured I'd check my e-mails before sitting down to lunch. So here I was, when all of a sudden it hit me:

TODAY IS A FRIDAY OF LENT!!!!!!!!!

So here's the situation: I'm in my office writing this blog entry, and in my room, sitting next to my chair, is a perfectly fine porkroll and cheese on a hard roll.

Now I can't go to my room. Why? Because even down the hall and around the corner from my room, I can hear that sandwich calling me, teasing me, tempting me to rationalize that it would be a bigger sin to waste the food.

So what to do? Put it in the fridge and wait for tomorrow.

Don't you just love Lent? Anyone for pizza?

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

Poor Saints Cyril & Methodius, and while we're at it, we may as well include St. Elizabeth of Portugal and St. Martin of Tours.

On the Church's calendar, their feast days fall, respectively, on February 14, July 4, and November 11. In the United States, these dates on the calendar are already "occupied" by Valentine's Day, Independence Day, and Veteran's Day. Add to these three the Saints on the calendar whose feast days fall in late May (perhaps to be 'eaten up' by Memorial Day), early September (Labor Day), and mid-November (Thanksgiving), and you have more than a few of our Church's Hagios who get ignored (either occasionally or annually) when their feast days comes up in the Church's liturgical calendar.

"How good it is when brothers live in unity."

I found this on YouTube. The moment everyone was dying to witness: the first conversation between Peyton Manning (MVP of SB41) and little brother Eli Manning (MVP of SB42).

PS - No one has yet been able to find Archie Manning, who exploded in joy and still hasn't come down!

Dziwisz Book

Just a "heads up".

The english translation of the memoirs of Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, A Life with Karol: My Forty-Year Friendship with the Man Who Became Pope, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It's due out on March 4.

Your attention, please. There has been a change in the roster. Now battingbattingbatting...

The Church's calendar is actually made up of two independent calendars, one being the "sanctoral cycle" (which commemorates specific dates of the calendar - eg. St. Elizabeth Seton on January 4, or the Assumption of Mary on August 15), and the other being the "seasonal cycle" (going from Advent to Christmas to Ordinary Time to Lent to the Triduum to Easter to Ordinary Time). Like the tectonic plates of the San Andreas fault out in California, occasionally, these two calendars "rub up" against each other, producing a bit of liturgical tremor.

2008 is one of those neat years that some of the Church's feast days will fall on a Sunday, thus "bumping" the normal celebration of a Sunday of Ordinary Time and taking us out of green and into some other liturgical color. Here's when they'll occur (I feel like an astronomer telling you when you'll be able to see Saturn, or something):

1. Sun., June 29. What would normally be the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time will be replaced by the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
2. Sun., September 14. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will replace the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
3. Sun., November 2. The Commemoration of All Souls will bump the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time.
4. Sun., November 9. The 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time will be replaced by the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. (If you can't see it well, drag your mouse over the words.)

This leads to another question. Fr. Ed McNamara answers liturgical questions on the Zenit News Service website, and, along the lines of what I've been saying, this morning I read this:

The original question about the feasts also brought to mind another query from a Pennsylvania priest regarding this year's calendar. The priest asked: "In 2008, All Saints' Day is a Saturday. In the United States, it is not a holy day of obligation that year. All Souls' is Sunday. The All Souls' commemoration replaces the regular Sunday Mass. What Mass is then celebrated on Saturday evening, November 1, 2008, the vigil Mass for Sunday? There is no vigil Mass for All Souls."

While All Saints' may not be a holy day of obligation, it is still a solemnity listed in the general calendar. It thus has precedence over the commemoration of the Faithful Departed, which is a celebration in a class of its own.

The Liturgy of the Hours is taken from All Saints', although where the custom exists of celebrating public vespers for the dead after the vespers of All Saints', this custom may be maintained. Likewise, when Nov. 2 falls on a Sunday, the Liturgy of the Hours is that of the current Sunday although it may be substituted by the office for the dead in public recitation.

If we may be guided by the indications offered in Rome's liturgical calendar, then all Masses offered on Nov. 1 would be those of All Saints'. The usual indication of the
Saturday evening Mass is missing, and the celebration of the commemoration of the Faithful Departed is celebrated only on Sunday, Nov. 2.

The calendar also suggests that even though this commemoration falls on a Sunday, in virtue of its unique character, the Glory and Creed are omitted.

Since All Saints' is not a day of obligation, and has all the characteristics of a Sunday, I believe that a diocese could decide that those who attend evening Mass on Saturday, Nov. 1, have fulfilled their Sunday obligation even though the Mass formulas are those of All Saints'.