The Gospel according to Laugh-In

In honor of Sunday's Gospel, here's a somewhat more light-hearted translation (HT to the NPM user-group e-mail broadcast):

Updated 9/19 with correct title and College for author Timothy Fulop - Thanks, Genie Addleton

Prodigal Son in Key of F

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his fond father to fork over his farthings. He flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends.
Finally facing famine and fleeced by his fellows-in-folly, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famished, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments. "Fooey, my father's flunkies fare far fancier," the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, frankly facing facts.
Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he floundered forlornly, "Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor." But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast.
The fugitive's fraternal faultfinder frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former folderol. His fury flashed, but fussing was futile. The farsighted father figured, "Such filial fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivity for the fugitive is found. Unfurl the flags with flaring, let fun and frolic freely flow. Former failure is forgotten, folly forsaken. Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortune."

Author: Timothy E. Fulop is Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean, Lakeland College

Mother Teresa's 'Dark Night' in Context

Whether you read the new biography or not, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, who has made a study of psychology and the faith, and was a friend of Mother Teresa's, does everyone a favor by putting her writings in their proper context at First Things (HT Fr. Schnippel).

First Things is also front-paging Carol Zaleski's 2003 article 'The Dark Night of Mother Teresa' that the media ignored because it didn't bash this saint-to-be or scandalize the church.

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles - #4

This is the fourth part of a series of bulletin articles on the March, 2007 apostolic exhortation from Pope Benedict the XVI entitled ‘Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love)’. For further study, refer to paragraphs 7 through 10 of SC.

Links to previous parts can be found here.
Thanks, Fr. Martin Fox.

Pope Benedict writes, ‘The first element of eucharistic faith is the mystery of God himself, Trinitarian love… In the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a "thing," but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of his life and reveals the ultimate origin of this love.’ (SC ¶ 7)
Jesus, the Son and Redeemer, was sent by God, the Father and Creator, and conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete and Sanctifier. God willed that we might be saved by one like ourselves. Jesus revealed the purpose of His mission in the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. The Holy Spirit, whom the Father sends in Jesus’ name, reminds us of all that Jesus taught us, and will be with us always (cf. John 14).
The new and eternal covenant of Jesus’ Body and Blood delivers us from evil and death. In addition to the Last Supper, consider how the Cross (Jesus’ Passion and Death) is also about the Eucharist. The ‘First Mass’ didn’t end with the end of the Holy Thursday meal, but continued through the entire Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection. As the Holy Father writes, ‘In instituting the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes present the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection. At the same time, He reveals that He Himself is the true sacrificial lamb… The institution of the Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus' death, for all its violence and absurdity, became in Him a supreme act of love and mankind's definitive deliverance from evil.’ (SC ¶ 10)

adapted from presentations written by Rev. Martin Fox, published at http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com/; alt. GPW

Ministry Night at St. Jude

Tonight, the parish lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, and Mass coordinators attended Vespers and a brief training session together in church. In spite of being scheduled at the same time as the Bengals game, attendance was great. Evening Prayer was beautiful, and presentations for all the lay ministers were concise and meaningful.
What a blessing to see returning familiar faces along with fresh, new faces coming together to offer our service for the glory of God.

Anglican Update

I haven't posted a link to an 'Anglican-communion-teetering-on-the-brink-of-oblivion' article recently, so here you go (courtesy of First Things, of course). Article author Jordan Hylden suggests:

The solution to the current crisis in Anglicanism, as more and more have been
coming to realize, is clear—walking together under the authority of the one Lord
Christ Jesus as revealed to us in Scripture.

That doesn't seem too difficult, does it? Quoting from the article again, pray that "mutual trust, promise-keeping, selflessness and community" prevail instead of "pridefulness and autonomy", and that all Christian churches may be one.

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles - #3

Click here for part 2 & link to part 1:

For St. Jude's 9/2/2007 bulletin - Thanks, Fr. Fox!

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS - Part 3
This is the third part of a series of bulletin articles on the March, 2007 apostolic exhortation from Pope Benedict the XVI entitled ‘Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love)’. For further study, refer to the 1st 6 paragraphs of SC.
The three sections of Sacramentum Caritatis are all titled after the ‘Mystery’ of the Eucharist. Each part is named ‘The Eucharist: a Mystery to be…(…Believed’, part 1) (…Celebrated’, part 2) (…Lived’, part 3). A quick scan of SC shows that Pope Benedict uses this term throughout the exhortation at least 70 times. This emphasis is an important insight in and of itself, but it requires us to understand the meaning of the word ‘mystery’ in the context of our faith.
The mysteries of our faith are realities that extend beyond our knowledge and comprehension. Our understanding of these mysteries is limited by our human nature, but made real to us by God’s revelation. In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word for ‘mystery’ (musterion) appears 27 times. When that same term is translated to Latin, the term that is often used is sacramentum, which is also from where the Church’s term ‘sacrament’ is derived.
Consider other common Church usage of the term ‘mystery’: to Eastern Rite Christians, what we know as the 7 Sacraments are referred to as Mysteries; the Paschal Mystery, where we refer to the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of God in human form; at Mass, when we may be invited to prepare to ‘celebrate the sacred Mysteries’, or during the Memorial Acclamation of the Eucharistic Prayer where the priest invites all to ‘proclaim the Mystery of faith’.
When Pope Benedict writes, ‘[t]he Eucharist is a "mystery of faith" par excellence: "the sum and summary of our faith."’ (SC ¶6), he focuses us on the mysteries we believe. This belief invites us to encounter and know Jesus Christ, the Divine Son who became man, suffered and died and rose to make atonement for our sins and to unite us to God. This encounter and knowledge is given to us in the breaking of the bread - the real and substantial presence of Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist.

adapted from presentations written by Rev. Martin Fox, published at http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com; alt. GPW

Grill-out with Seminarians

After the 11:00 Mass at St. Jude this past Sunday, the Cincinnati Serra Club hosted a grill-out for the seminarians who begin classes at Mt. St. Mary's of the West this week. The Mass was beautiful, and the grill-out was awesome. It was beautiful to meet and see the new and returning seminarians (including St. Jude's own Marty Bachman, Rev. Mr. Jason Bedel from St. Martin of Tours, Shawn Landenwitsch from Visitation, and Will Egan from St. Catharine of Siena).

The generosity and support of the Serra Club and the hospitality of several St. Jude families and vocations-friends (including 6 of my favorite blondes) made for a very joyful atmosphere. See all the pictures here.

'We Watched the Conception...'

When 8 yo Audrey told me what she did at the party with Claire tonight, I wondered if we might need to supervise her activities a little more closely...thankfully, that's not the case:

Vive el Concepcion!!!

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles - #2

From St. Jude's 8/26 bulletin (click here for Part 1):

Sacramentum Caritatis is organized into three parts, all titled ‘The Eucharist: a Mystery to be…(…Believed’, part 1) (…Celebrated’, part 2) (…Lived’, part 3). In the Introduction, Pope Benedict writes of the Eucharist as the ‘food of truth’, and connects the ‘innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth’ that we all have to ‘[t]he Lord Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), [who] speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth.’ (SC, ¶2)
This introduction immediately establishes the real and uncompromising tone the Church uses in its teachings about the Eucharist. Christ is truly, really, and substantially present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist. The truth of the ‘Mystery to be Believed’ is eternal and unchanging, not relative or symbolic.
When the Holy Father writes about the Eucharist throughout Sacramentum Caritatis, he teaches us that the sacrament itself and the celebration of the sacrament (the Mass) are one reality. To preserve our faith in the truth of the sacrament, it’s important to be faithful to the instructions the Church gives about the ‘Mystery to be Celebrated’.
The third part (‘A Mystery to be Celebrated’) follows naturally from our faith in and nourishment from the food of truth. Our encounter with God Himself in the Eucharist must continue to change us, and from that should flow a life lived in truth.

adapted from presentations written by Rev. Martin Fox, published at http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com; alt. GPW

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles

With Fr. Martin Fox's inspiration and help, I'm going to attempt to write a very concise and simple bulletin review of Sacramentum Caritatis over the next several weeks. I wouldn't recommend it before Fr. Fox's insight and depth, but perhaps a 'Cliff's Notes' introduction in a church bulletin may lead others to dig a little deeper, and heaven knows how deep the Holy Father can take us.
If you haven't, read the exhortation along with the talks Fr. Fox has posted, beginning here (part 1) and continuing on his blog.
This introduction to the series for St. Jude's bulletin began last weekend:

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
Last March, the Vatican published an apostolic exhortation from Pope Benedict the XVI entitled Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love). Sacramentum Caritatis (SC) was the final document of a Synodal Assembly from October, 2005, which Pope John Paul II had convened to conclude the Year of the Eucharist.
The purpose of the Synod to end the Year of the Eucharist was to promote the reality, joy, and value of the Eucharist to the Catholics of today’s world. Forty years after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Synod evaluated the reception of Vatican II’s liturgical renewal, and found that, “[t]he difficulties and even the occasional abuses which were noted, it was affirmed, cannot overshadow the benefits and the validity of the liturgical renewal, whose riches are yet to be fully explored.”
(SC, ¶3)
SC is organized in 3 different parts: The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Believed; The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Celebrated; and The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Lived. Over the next several weeks, this space in the bulletin will summarize different parts of SC, and attempt to shed some light on what this important document means to our local and universal church. If you’d like to read the document for yourself, it’s available on the Vatican’s web site, the US Bishops’ web site, or from EWTN (http://www.ewtn.com/). The parish has a limited number of copies available through our lending library, too. Please contact the parish office if you’d like to reserve a copy to borrow.

Have You Prayed for Vocations Today?

Vocations article by Benedict Groeschel for First Things magazine. My money one-liner:

We have only to look at the offerings of retreat houses run by some religious congregations to discover how silly people intending to be serious can sometimes become.

The Cliff's Notes quote:

Corruptio optimi pessimum, the old Latin proverb runs: Corruption of the best becomes the worst. We have seen it for forty years. The generation formed since John Paul II became pope is clamoring for something better.

(HT: Roman Catholic Blog and new bookmark Roman Catholic Vocations blog)

Vacation - Leg 2

We drove from Naples to Ft. Myers earlier this afternoon, and will be staying at Mia's sister & brother-in-law's home for the rest of vacation. Sharon and Noel Pooler have the nicest home I've ever been in. We'll get some pictures posted soon on the family page. It's unbelievable how fortunate I/we are to go from the Cranley's beachfront Naples home to the Pooler's...
Vacation reading is going well, but slow. I'm only 100 pages into the syrupy Southwell life story, but I've appreciated having the time to pray morning & evening prayer. Kids are having fun...we're getting new pictures & entries to the family blog almost every day.

Vacation Reading

I'm finally getting to read my wonderful Christmas present from Mia - The Life of Robert Southwell Poet and Martyr by Christopher Devlin. It was published in England in 1956 and is so well-written that it's frustrating, because I can't parse all its historical and cultural references. For example:

It was well known that [Queen] Elizabeth never forgot her old friends, and this was soon proved in Thomas [Copley]'s case; for being affianced in youth to a sister of the elderly Lord Chamberlain, Howard of Effingham, he met a girl more of his own age, Catherine Luttrell, who 'liked him better for her beauty', and he jilted the Chamberlain's sister. The enmity of so powerful a person might well have proved fatal (and later did); but the Queen smiled on his new marriage, and stood godmother to the eldest son, Henry, who was born in 1560.

Feel free to explain that to one me, Elizabethans-for-Dummies. Thankfully, there is much that isn't sailing above my head, though it's so rich that the reading is slow. The book cites this unpublished Southwell poem as a pathos-laden expression of love for his own mother within Our Lady's 'lament for the loss of her Child in the Temple':

And art thou slain, sweet Lord, with cruel death
Through wretched spite and bloody tyrant's hand?
Or dost thou live, dear child, and draw thy breath
Yet haply hid in unacquainted land?
If thou be dead, then farewell life for me,
And if thou live, why live I not with thee?

And if thou live, how couldst thou leave in woe
Thy mother dear that brought thee first to light?
How couldst thou leave thy mournful parent so,
That for thy weale takes care both day and night?
How couldst thou go some other where to dwell,
And make no stay to bid her once farewell?

I first read Southwell in a collection of Advent & Christmas meditations by Rev. Benedict Groeschel, Behold He Comes. Fr. Groeschel included this poem in an appendix of beautiful Advent & Christmas prose, poetry, & lyrics (tip luminarium.org).

FROM St. Peter's Complaint, 1595

THE BURNING BABE.
By Robert Southwell

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear;
Who, scorchëd with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed
As though his floods should quench his flames which with his tears were fed.
Alas, quoth he, but newly born in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire but I!
My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns,
Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns;
The fuel justice layeth on, and mercy blows the coals,
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defilëd souls,
For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good,
So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood.
With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away,
And straight I callëd unto mind that it was Christmas day.

Source:Poetry of the English Renaissance 1509-1660.
J. William Hebel and Hoyt H. Hudson, Eds.New York: F. S. Crofts & Co, 1941. 238.

Wish You Were Here...

This is the view from the beach-front home we're visiting in Naples, FL this week:

Sometimes, it's hard to be me...

UPDATE - More vacation pictures and kids blogging at our new family web page:

Benedict XVI & Music

Beautiful (and apparently spontaneous) words about choral singing from the Holy Father:

"Training in singing, in singing in choir, is not only an exercise of the
external hearing and voice; it is also an education of interior hearing, the
hearing of the heart, an exercise and a education in life and peace," the Holy
Father said in his improvised remarks."Singing together in choir and with other
choirs together, demands attention to the other, attention to the composer,
attention to the conductor, attention to this totality that we call music and
culture. And," he added, "in this way singing in choir is a training in life, a
training in peace, a walking together." (Zenit News Agency, HT NPM listserv)

The Pope has taken a lot of flak from the same NPM user-group that called my attention to this article. It's nice to see that some positive opinions are out there, too.

Heading for vacation

Thanks be to God, my wife, and my employers for enabling me to vacation with our wonderful family from 7/29-8/9. Besides enjoying Ft. Myers and Naples, FL, I hope and resolve to improve my prayer routine (especially Lauds & Vespers), and to do more original blogging. For the most part since I began this blog, all I've been doing is linking to what I've been reading on the web...hopefully, I can develop a few original thoughts and insights of my own, and contribute something to the great conversations happening in our churches and world.
Please feed the fish for me, somebody...anybody...Bueller?

Bulletin Blurb #3

for St. Jude's July 29 bulletin

How Can I Keep from Singing?
The song during the Preparation of the Gifts this weekend was written by Robert Wadsworth Lowry (1826-1899). Lowry was a 19th Century Baptist preacher who ministered at churches in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and served as chancellor of the University of Lewisburg (now Bucknell University).
He wrote hundreds of Gospel hymns, including “How Can I Keep from Singing” and “Shall We Gather at the River”. Ironically, he’s still renowned today for his music, though he would have preferred to be remembered as a preacher, having once said, “Music, with me has been a side issue... I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative audience than write a hymn. I have always looked upon myself as a preacher and felt a sort of depreciation when I began to be known more as a composer."

Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadsworth_Lowry

Church of England Bishops Keeping Secrets?

I haven't linked to an Anglican-update in a while, but if this commentary from CMR is any indicator, it doesn't look like Bishop Gene Robinson wants any sort of communion with views and agendas contrary to his own.

Church Sign Apologetics

(HT Amy Welborn)
It seems as if talking church signs can figure out "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church", that it shouldn't be too difficult for the rest of us.

Preaching the Message of the Motu

Fr. Martin Fox, from his homily this weekend:

This is why we aren’t supposed to be too “creative” with the liturgy. We believe the Holy Spirit governs the Church. But people are hard to work with—it takes time. Centuries—even thousands of years. Tradition is the accumulated effect of the Holy Spirit teaching us, sorted through all our human frailties. With great humility, we embrace our Tradition, rather than casting it aside because it’s “old,” or, “we don’t understand it.”

Whether you agree or disagree, you'll be enlightened if you read it all.

"Catholics recovering their heritage will make a huge difference in the world."

Great closing to a great article about the impact of Summorum Pontificum that goes a little deeper than trads v. rads or reform2 v. progressives (HT: RealClearPolitics). Read the whole thing. I don't know who David Warren is, but he seems interesting.

The Wrong Guy Sighting

It was awesome to see Bob Kurzhals with his lovely bride in church this weekend. We happened to pass the tabernacle at the same time, and both genuflected. May I never complain should my physical condition ever make such piety a challenge. See his thewrong guy page for details on his inspiring struggle, and send the Kurzhals family all the love and prayers you can.

My name is Greg & I'm a recovering NPM member...

I didn't miss the NPM National Convention in Indianapolis last week...I guess I'm showing my age. I had intended to go to a Choir Director's Institute to try and develop some choral leading and conducting skills, but it was canceled, so now there's really no excuse for getting all the filing and clean-up done this summer.
Amy Welborn cites 2 bloggers whose observations about the NPM convention resonate with me like a classic 'Before' and 'After' study.
Before: 'Overall the convention was great. I got to personally meet and talk to David Haas, Fr. John Foley, SJ, Fr. Roc O'Connor, SJ, Fr. Bob Dufford, SJ, Steve Angrisano, and Tom Booth! Totally awesome to get to discuss liturgy and music with the guys that are composing our church's music...Yes I know... I am Ben Story and I'm a Catholic music junkie.' Ben...you're not alone.
'As for the sessions themselves, they were generally good although most of mine turned into marketing seminars of sorts for the artists involved.' Methinks young Ben is on to something here.
After: 'Steven Warner’s opening address. Ok, much of it was good, but at one point he glorified the guitar Mass (enh...), talked about how we need a full implementation of Vatican II (yes...), and then turned and stated, “We do not need a reform of the reform!” (Applause ensued.) Whoa there, Wilbur! Many of us were feeling a mite uncomfortable, even unwelcome, after that - and this at a convention whose theme ostensibly was, “that all may be one”...Ricky Manalo’s plenum, all about multicultural issues, failed to mention even once the single most unifying element of our liturgy: the Latin language.' The Steven Warner remark about reform is a little scary, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the lack of context. In case you're unsure, I'd recommend you to what the Holy Father has written on the subject, or to what the servant of God John Paul II had to say about the same.

UPDATE - Here's the missing context (and it does soften the statement a bit) with a link to the entire Warner address (that also has some other provocative observations), courtesy of Todd Flowerday.

Bulletin Blurb #2

This week's music background from the St. Jude Bulletin:

‘BICENTENNIAL’ Hymn
The Communion song this weekend is ‘You Satisfy the Hungry Heart’ (Gather #815). This song, which is notable for its quirky, uneven rhythms, is also known by the tune name BICENTENNIAL. The music was composed by Robert Kreutz (1922-1996), and the text was penned by Omer Westendorf (1916-1997).
The name of the tune comes from the year of its composition, 1976. This hymn was the winning entry of a hymn competition the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sponsored in connection with the 41st International Eucharistic Congress. Cincinnati native Omer Westendorf founded the World Library of Sacred Music, which published the first English language collection of Catholic liturgical hymns and texts, the People’s Mass Book. For years, Omer was the choir director and organist at St. Bonaventure in South Fairmount.

Biographical information adapted from http://www.canticanova.com/articles/liturgy/art9x2.htm

Bulletin Blurbs

I usually submit several different paragraphs for our parish bulletin each week. Often, I'll take some of the music we're singing and provide background, history, and/or context that might help parishioners understand why we sing what we sing. I'm going to start cross-posting these articles here, both for anyone who's interested, and for anyone who can add additional information or necessary corrections. This week's article was intended to help people understand what the General Instruction says about Gregorian chant, and to encourage parishioners to sing our communion chant in the spirit of Church teaching.

‘Taste and See’ plainchant
During Communion this weekend, we’re singing a Gregorian chant setting of Psalm 34. The simple antiphon (‘Taste and see the goodness of the Lord’) is repeated by the congregation in between chanted psalm verses. Singing Gregorian chant often begs the question, ‘Why?’, especially in cases where we know (and perhaps even prefer) other versions of ‘Taste and See’, like the setting by James Moore at Gather #814; or the refrain from ‘All Who Hunger’ (#820), which we sang last weekend.

Here are some reasons the Church gives for singing Gregorian chant, especially during the Communion procession (from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal):
“All other things being equal , Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy.” (¶ 41)
“While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun. Its purpose is to express the communicants' union in spirit by means of the unity of their voices, to show joy of heart, and to highlight more clearly the ‘communitarian’ nature of the procession to receive Communion.” (¶ 86)
“In the dioceses of the United States of America there are four options for the Communion chant: (1) the antiphon from the Roman Missal or the Psalm from the Roman Gradual…; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons…; (4) a suitable liturgical song…” (¶ 87)

It’s worth noting that, consistent with the ‘pride of place’ mentioned in paragraph 41, the 1st option the General Instruction provides for singing during Communion is the chant from the Roman Missal or Gradual. If you still find yourself resisting plainchant, consider participating (by praying, listening, and singing) in the spirit of the General Instruction, and see if that participation may unite our spirits and voices, and express the joy in your heart.

Est Verus

It's official - many a blogger will be looking for something else to fill his free time now that B16 has issued the Motu Proprio approving more widespread use of the 1962 Missal. I'm sure I'm echoing many when I remind you not to believe what is reported about this...read the Holy Father's letter yourself. I can't add much light to the conversation, but if you want to read what my favorite blogs are saying about it, see Jimmy Akin, Fr. Martin Fox, Patrick Archbold's straight summary, Patrick Archbold channelling C.S. Lewis, and Catholic World News' coverage.

Happy Independence Day

Fireworks at home tonight...we'll see a larger display at a friend's beautiful home in Lawrenceburg tomorrow night. For the 4th, I offer an Independence Day prayer from St. Martin's bulletin (via today's Catholic Telegraph E-pistle):

God our Creator, your gifts are countless and your goodness infinite. As we celebrate Independence Day, we come before you with hearts filled with gratitude. We thank you in particular for the gifts of liberty and independence and a country that is filled with natural beauty.
We pray that the boundaries of nations will not set limits to our love and the challenge of the gospel to respond to the needs of our suffering sisters and brothers. Give us the courage to continue to build a nation that deeply respects the gift of life and the dignity of all people. Help us to play our part in the life of our country that its thoughts may be directed toward peace, justice, and the loving service of all God's people.
Amen.

If you prefer something more 'old school', enjoy this prayer by Archbishop Carroll from 1791.

Motu Mania

Yes, Virginia, there IS a motu proprio...(HT Jimmy Akin).
Fr. Martin Fox summarizes and puts in 'real-parish' context here.
Creative Minority Report laughs about it here, and takes care of the folk-Mass hangover, too.

Welcome Rev. Eric Bowman

This weekend, St. Jude welcomed only its 4th Pastor in its 50+ year history. Rev. Eric Bowman prayed his first Mass for our parish at 8:30 am, Saturday, June 30. He's everything I heard about him (which has been all good), and more. Mass attendance increased noticeably (another thought about this in a moment). Also of note to me were several things I heard during his Sunday Mass homily that probably hadn't been heard from the pulpit recently:

• I am excited to be here...


• I will make mistakes...


• Who-dey!


• I usually preach 6-10 minutes...


• I will love you with every ounce of my being...and that's a lot of ounces...

Laughter and applause marked all 3 Masses. At both meetings I've attended with Fr. Bowman (staff and worship commission), he's stressed the need for clergy and staff to earn and maintain the people's trust by being faithful to Church teaching and above scandal. I hope people continue to appreciate and respect Fr. Bowman if and when he preaches that which we don't want (but need) to hear.

I'm using the occasion to pray for vocations and priests, especially those changing parishes, like Fr. Rick and Rev. Paul Ruwe who is the new Pastor at Rich Leonardi's parish; and especially for Fr. Bowman's ordination classmates Rev. Edward Burns, Rev. Geoffrey Drew, Rev. Peter Helmlinger, Rev. Joseph Kindel, Rev. James Reutter, Rev. Kyle Schnippel, and Rev. Jamie Weber. What an incredible seminary class...may all our prayers for vocations result in more enthusiastic, holy priests like these men.

I mentioned Mass attendance in the 1st paragraph. I'm grateful to see more people in our pews. St. Jude, like most other parishes, has seen its 'October count' steadily decline in recent years, though the population is increasing within our parish boundaries. I have a lot of respect and gratitude for our former Pastor, Fr. Rick Dressman. I don't intend any of my praise for Fr. Eric to demean Fr. Rick. They're totally different people and priests. Fr. Rick is insightful, challenging, generous, kind, tolerant, patient, and (believe it or not) funny. I think it's a shame that a noticeable number of people couldn't see these qualities beyond the perception they had of Fr. Rick - a perception he wouldn't/couldn't do anything to change. Beyond that, I have a renewed appreciation for all who continued giving and sacrificing to contribute to parish life at St. Jude. May this kind of loyalty and selflessness inspire us all to holier lives.

Pray along with Bishop Trautman

My favorite blogs have much to say about Bishop Donald W. Trautman (Diocese of Erie, PA) and his opinions about and influence upon the translations in the forthcoming 3rd edition of the Roman Missal. This Missal was published in Latin in 2002, but is languishing in an alphabet soup of Bishops' Committees. Bishop Trautman doesn't seem to put much stock in the guidelines of Liturgiam Authenticam that call for literal exactness and fidelity in translations. His article for America Magazine almost reads like a populist appeal to the laity.

Rant alert:
Never mind (as Amy Welborn tips Happy Catholic for pointing out) that His Excellency uses sentences like this to lament these liturgical principles:

In fact, however, much of liturgical language is inaccessible not just to youth but also to the average Catholic, and there is a danger that some parts of the forthcoming translations of the Missale Romanum - particularly the use of obscure and archaic words and sentences with two or three clauses in nine and ten lines - will make our prayer texts even less accessible. (Prayer and Song for the People of God, Pastoral Music June-July, 2007, pub. by NPM)

Perhaps the Erie Ordinary is just using irony to make his point, but which is easier for you to understand? The argument above, or this prayer, which worries the Bishop:

“Accept, O Lord, these gifts,
and by your power change them
into the sacrament of salvation,
in which the prefiguring sacrifices of the Fathers
have an end
and the true Lamb is offered,
he who was born ineffably of the inviolate Virgin.”
(Prayer over the Offerings, Season of Advent)

And, with all due respect to the 'average Catholic', do you: pay major league ticket prices for 'average ball-players'? trust an 'average doctor' for open-heart surgery? accept 'average' speed and performance for your top-of-the-line wi-fi? I would think that average Catholics would do well to try and form themselves to the liturgical/linguistic ideals of the magisterium, rather than seeking liturgy that dumbs itself down to the lowest common denomination-ator.

Rant over.

This exchange of ideas has led to some amusing creative writing. Witness, from the comments at Amy Welborn's blog, the Lord's Prayer:

Dad in the happy place,
What a great name you have!
Have it your way here, like at your place.
Give us food, and forget our bads like we do.
And don't scare us, but keep us safe.
OK?

and the Hail Mary:

Greetings Mary, jam-packed with grace.
The big Guy is with you.
You are really a stand-out compared to other women.
And awesome is the product of your uterus. Jesus.
Really good person, Mary, God's mommy, Ask God to look the other way at our goof-ups.
Now, and when a doctor decides my quality of life is not worth living. Okay.

Translate those back into the mother-tongue, and everybody's happy, right?

Taking a Stand[-up] against Guiliani

Bishop Tobin of Providence, R.I. has a tongue-in-cheek-lashing for Mayor Guiliani. (HT: Fr. Larry Gearhart)

Who was the genius on Guiliani's staff who thought sending a fund-raiser invitation to the Bishop would end well?

St. William/St. Teresa Corpus Christi Procession

I attended the Corpus Christi procession from St. Teresa to St. William this afternoon with Calvin and Audrey...beautiful, well-attended service. If I counted correctly, the procession included 4 priests (Revs. Bolte, Umberg, Reutter, & Rehling); 4 deacons (Davenport, new deacon Rose, Bruce, & Faeth); plus other clergy in attendance (I saw Frs. Ed Gearhart & Ted Ross).

It was lengthy...but most of the time was the hour it took to walk down Overlook & St. Lawrence Aves. with 2 stops for Benediction at temporary altars. And we walked with many other beautiful families on a wonderful summer afternoon. There couldn't be 2 more breathtaking neighboring churches to begin and end a procession, either. If you've never walked the Corpus Christi procession, I couldn't recommend this annual tradition with any more enthusiasm.

Back on the Blog

I've missed posting and staying current with my favorite blogs. It was quite a busy finish to St. Jude's school year, lots of preparations for Fr. Rick's 'farewell' Mass and the arrival of Fr. Eric Bowman, busy at Trinity, and most significantly, we've been mourning the passing of Mia's father, James Bauer. More on some of these topics in the coming days...until then, it's just good to be back.

Extra Credit for Creativity?

Funny (and very wrong) answers to test questions. This is why I always liked multiple-guess questions...If I didn't know an answer, I didn't have the creativity or the guts to make something up. (HT: Jonah Goldberg in the Corner).

Ascension Prayer

Thanks to Dr. Paul Ford for this beautiful Ascension imagery and prayer:

The Ascension of the Lord
“. . . since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, let us approach . . . in absolute trust . . . “
John 13:34

Reflection

Across altars all over the world—stones scarred with five crosses for His nailed hands and feet and lanced side, washed with baptismal water, stained with chrism, and set alight with candle wax, charcoal, and incense—Christ’s very Body and Blood makes a way for us, for me, into the heart of God.

Yes, the Bridegroom is now absent, but, oh, when he returns!

Prayer

Ascended Christ, I ascend to your/my/our Father through
the wounds in your hands, your feet, and your side.

HT: NPM 'Sunday's Word for Pastoral Musicians' 5/14/2007

Happy Mother's Day !!!

Loving God,
as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children,
so you watch over your Church.
Bless these women,
that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

from the Book of Blessings

Chant 101

Why chant? What should be chanted? What settings are most effective?

Jeffrey Tucker at The New Liturgical Movement starts what looks to be an awesome series of posts that teaches about chant in terms that even an old rocker like me can understand.

Not that he needs them, but he also gets bonus points for the accuracy of his description of Catholic musician conversations and discussion boards.

From the Sports Desk

Given my current lack of knowledge, I should limit my posting on sports even more than my ventures into political discourse. This year, though, the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons have renewed a playoff rivalry that made me remember when I could name the starting 5 of the better NBA teams. Though the Pistons are humiliating the Bulls this year, I'm enjoying the Bill Laimbeer-Scottie Pippen-Zeek Thomas-John Paxson-Joe Dumars-Bill Cartwright-Vinnie Johnson short shorts-wearing memories.

Church and State

Topic warning - politics style.

Two successive posts from First Things examine the selective vision of some Catholic leaders.

Michael Novak sheds some light upon progressive (even imperialist?) domination of Catholic social and political action where conservative thought is excluded from the arena of ideas. The Cliff's Notes version:

In short, there is more than one way of grasping the principles, working out the middle axioms, and examining with accuracy and through open, respectful debate the concrete realities addressed by Catholic social thought [SNIP] Catholic social thought has more than one wing. It needs at least two to fly.
Alas, the imperialist Catholics try to foist off their monolithic, myopic vision of Catholic social thought as though it were the whole of that beautiful, long-lived, and many-colored intellectual tradition. Theirs is only a splinter, not the whole beam.
If Mr. Brennan were content to present his own views, and those of his allies, as one option among many, I would have no quarrel with them. We could then have many useful arguments about the concrete realities, as well as about the policy options most likely ofsuccess.

James Kerian notes how selectively the USCCB chooses to apply church teaching in this article. He concludes:
It seems far more likely that after over three decades of succumbing to cultural pressure, our clergy are simply eager to show their courage in the face of the law on the first safe issue that has presented itself. [SNIP] If one is going to stand up to the law, it may as well be a law that many people already ignore.

Role-Reversal

The abundant writing and speculation about relaxing the permissions required to pray the traditional Latin Mass as it was in the 1962 Missal have provided an interesting insight for me courtesy of a caller to last Friday's 'Catholic Answers' radio show. The caller (from 47 minutes into the podcast) relates that she 'lived through' the change from Latin to the vernacular, and believes she'll have to 'live through' the 'reversal' from the vernacular back to Latin.
Notwithstanding the merits of (or lack thereof) the caller's concerns, it did cause me to consider the upheaval many of the faithful must have experienced with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. That awareness goes a long way to explain why this is taking longer than some expect, and why the Vatican is proceeding carefully.

Bob Kurzhals fund-raiser

St. Jude 6th grade girl scouts will be washing cars at Buster's Creamy Whip, 6581 Glenway Rd. (next to Rally's near Glenway/Bridgetown/Race intersection) to raise money for the Kurzhals family. Buster's will also be donating 20% of sales to the Kurzhals when customers mention Bob's name with their order.

Bring Flowers of the Rarest...

Two May Crownings in 2 days (and I get paid to be there - lucky me). Very different celebrations, though...St. Jude the Apostle (May 1 afternoon) celebrated May Crowning within the format of Evening Prayer, while St. Lawrence (May 2 evening) followed the outline from World Library's Missalette (Liturgy of the Word plus Litany & Act of Consecration).

I was very impressed with St. Lawrence's children's choir. There were 20-plus middle-schoolers, and their tone was clear and bright. Music for both celebrations was traditional and similar, but playing the Mighty Schaedle-tzer at St. Lawrence was nice. I'd like St. Jude's children's choir to hear what Becky Rogers does with the kids from St. Lawrence. I hope it would encourage the current 4th & 5th graders to sing through 6th, 7th, & 8th grades...if they do, I think they'll be something special in a couple years, too.

Rev. Eric Bowman

I don't know much about St. Jude's new Pastor besides the fact that he was a seminary classmate of the world-famous Rev. Geoffrey Drew (scroll down after you click to see the face made for EWTN Radio), but I did find two interesting articles featuring Fr. Bowman. This one from 2002 highlights his involvement with pro-life ministry as a seminarian. This other more recent article is from the also-world-famous Rev. Kyle Schnippel's Cincinnati Vocations web page).

Fr. Bowman is the Associate Pastor at St. Charles Borromeo, Kettering, and also a theology teacher and football team chaplain at Kettering-Alter High School. May God bless Fr. Bowman, Fr. Rick, and all Pastors and priests. Pray for vocations.

CarePages updates

Great news from the Daniel's (keepdaninyourprayers) and Kurzhals' family (TheWrongGuy) Care Pages. Both Daniel and Bob are home, though still facing intense continuing treatments.

News from Daniel's mom (updated 4/29):
We are home and doing fine! No hospital visits last night. Dan had a lot of energy this weekend, which is good to see!

Great Bobby Brady reset from the same post:

His voice is also changing a little bit. It is higher pitched than usual. I tease him and call him Bobby Brady. Of course, he has no clue who I am talking about.

Daniel and his family continue to inspire and share their faith:

We have had mostly positive things to say about what is happening with Dan. I think we have done this, because he has actually been dealing with this in a very positive way. We really have not had to deal with all the bad side effects that could be happening when he has his treatments. I think we have our moments where we can't believe this is happening, but we have to be strong for him. It is quite stressful at times when you sit back and take everything in. It's also a thing where you learn a lot of patience, because things take time and you have
no control over what is going on. Thanks for the continued support and prayers!!!!!!!!!

If you're still having trouble counting your own blessings, read Bob Kurzhal's most recent post (from 4/25):

I do not mean to minimize the experience, but we really haven’t loss anything that is truly meaningful, as some of you have. In fact, I know our family has gained a stronger deeper faith, which, isn’t that what the Christian life is/should be all about.
Please allow me to pontificate. God answers all prayers, He just doesn’t always answer prayers in the way we want. If he did it would, we would all be running around like overly-indulged, spoiled little Christian (or maybe non Christian) brats. If needs or requests are delayed in a balanced manner, the individual becomes stronger, and develops, patience, faithfulness, and self-control.
God sent a bunch of angels to the aid of our family. Don’t take this the wrong way, but part of the problem is that many of you do not exactly look like angels (ie., wings), but nevertheless in my/our eyes you are.

The feast of St. Peregrine is May 4 - Pray, pray, pray!
Graciously hear the prayers for Daniel and Bob which we present O God, to you in honor of St. Peregrine, your beloved servant and patron of those suffering from cancer or other life-threatening disease. Grant that we may receive help in our needs through the intercession of him whose life was so pleasing to you. Hear us in the name of Christ, our Lord. Amen.

4/30 Update

Bob has had a setback and returned to the James a little early. Keep praying, and keep the faith for Bob, Kamela, and their girls.

Young Adult Catholic Fellowship

This festival sounds ambitious and awesome. St. Gertrude seems to be renowned for conservatism and contemporary music. God bless Theology on Tap, the St. Gertrude young adult ministry, JTM, and other sponsors for putting up the resources for a regional celebration. If you go, let me know how it turns out.

Gonzales vs. Carhart - Catholic angles

Of course, the Supreme Court's decision last week upholding the federal ban on partial-birth abortions has Catholic angles, especially since the majority opinion consists of the 5 Catholic justices, and it may represent some form of conversion for Justice Anthony Kennedy. If you're interested:

This article (HT The Corner) covers and refutes biased claims that the majority justices "have failed to respect the fundamental difference between religious belief and morality” (as described by University of Chicago former dean and provost Geoffrey Stone). At the end of this article, I learned that Justice Thomas had converted from Episcopalism to Catholicism since his selection to the Court.

This First Things recap and Fr. Neuhaus' reflections make me wish I was smart. For now, I'll settle for seeing the truths of the Church revealed as the consequences of following Roe v. Wade to its logical conclusions unfold before us. All life is sacred...always has been, always will be.

Audrey's First Communion

Eating,

Drinking,

and being merry at the Table of the Lord.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Congratulations to the 70-something First Communicants from St. Jude Parish. May our tribes increase, and may we live our faith so those who need the Gospel will want the love, joy, and peace Jesus gives us.

The longest-running joke that no one's ever heard of...

...seems to be the 'Motu Proprio' that many expect will relax the permissions necessary to use the 1962 Missal. I got caught up in the excitement last month and took the bait (and posted ignorantly about this here) - many (myself included) were looking for the MP when B16 gave us Sacramentum Caritatis.

Amy Welborn gets in on the act, and makes some interesting side points in the process. I was unaware of potential concerns about inter-religious relations because of the 1962 language.

I don't envy the task the Vatican appears to have to anticipate the concerns of other faiths, traditionalists, liberals, liturgists, and anyone else waiting to be offended by an optional change to a 400-year old tradition. Given the apparent hitches, the Vatican appears to be proceeding cautiously, indeed.

It's a Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad World

So sad it can make one sick. Prayers for the souls of those who lost their lives, families and friends who lost loved ones, and the entire Virginia Tech community as it tries to move beyond the shock and fear of such carnage.

Amidst the tragedy:

Heroes young and old (HT Powerline).

Irony (this editorial was published in the Roanoake (VA) Times last summer - HT RCP).

Hope (HT Hugh Hewitt).

and, as always, the LORD.

Did you know the Pope is depressed?

According to this article, anyway.

Evidently, preaching about '"darkness" threatening the world in the form of war, oppression and hate. ' makes one 'downbeat'. I couldn't spot the 'gloom and doom' the headline promises, but I did see some typical media spin here:

The conservative Benedict, though less warm and spontaneous than his predecessor, has drawn similar-sized crowds so far in his young papacy, according to Vatican figures, though the numbers are falling.

No need to worry about any facts here - just ominous warnings about what being less warm and spontaneous than JPII (as well as conservative) will get you.

Happy birthday, Holy Father!

Upon Further Review...

...or as Emily Litella might have said, "Never mind" about the Lost Tomb of Jesus.

Christ Is Risen! Alleluia!

Happy Easter to all. Now that I've survived Holy Week, I hope to resume more frequent posting (after several weeks of posting less than Fr. Kyle Schnippel).

At St. Jude, it's a privilege to have a wonderful children's choir, a beautiful adult choir, several talented musicians, and the resources to hire a brass quartet for Easter Masses. I pray that all we have to be grateful for leads us to be more aware of how much God loves us, and helps us love each other as selflessly as Jesus did.

Anglican update

Here's a comprehensive update from First Things about a topic I'm not hearing much about elsewhere, though I blogged another First Things post here.

It's a sad, fascinating story. Are we witnessing the end of the religion of Presidents George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Chester Arthur, FDR, Gerald Ford, and George Bush 41?

Happy St. Joseph's Day

It was a blessing to play Mass with Mia this morning at our 'parish-of-record' (1 wedding, 4 baptisms, and several years of music ministry), Annunciation. Fr. Grogan preached to the school children about the faith of St. Joseph overcoming the fears of holy foster-fatherhood. It was nice to see the church's St. Joseph altar decorated for the occasion, and to watch Fr. Grogan explain this to the Kindergarten and 1st grade students after Mass.

The parish bulletin even promoted a 'first annual Annunciation St. Joseph table gathering' yesterday (Sunday) afternoon/evening for the community. Here's hoping that tradition will continue. What better way to keep a struggling parish school open than active, orthodox faith? If you're interested in helping, there is more information here (scroll down to Continue Annunciation School's Tradition (CAST) Campaign article).

What Would [John Edwards' version of] Jesus Do?

I don't intend to post a lot of political content, but I couldn't pass on this short, on-the-money insight into the spirituality of John Edwards from Stephen Barr at First Things.

Shame on anyone, left or right, who would cite the Gospel to promote an ideological agenda.

Sacramentum Caritatis

I've spent more time reading analyses & reviews of B16's Moto Proprio than I've spent reading the document itself, but the buzz seems mostly positive. Some blog commenters are disappointed that it didn't reform enough of the reforms, but most bloggers I read had kept their own expectations in check, and seem to be taking a longer-term, more patient view. Those who wanted more reform would do well to remember that there are explicit instructions from Redemptionis Sacramentum that aren't being observed or implemented in our own Archdiocese...since when did making a rule or passing a law (in and of itself) accomplish anything?

I like the outline-oriented layout. The Parts are divided into 'chapters', and then arranged by paragraphs. Each paragraph has a heading of its own. It seems like this organization will lend itself very well to future development. The three parts are each titled: "The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be...Believed (Part 1)...Celebrated (Part 2)...Lived (Part 3)" Granted, the Holy Father had almost a year-and-a-half to work on this, but I appreciate that continuity, and the sense of purpose to the structure.

Daniel's Care Page has been set up

For more information about Daniel's treatment and recovery, visit www.carepages.com, page name 'keepdaninyourprayers'.

Thanks to Uncle Mike and Aunt Ruthie for sending the information to me.

What's a Motu Proprio?

Pope Benedict XVI will be issuing an apostolic letter entitled Sacramentum Caritatis (Sacrament of Charity) Tuesday morning (3/13/2007) at 7 a.m. The title continues B16's focus on love; his first papal encyclical was Deus Caritas (God Is Love). This appears to be a very carefully written letter, as it has been in the works since the end of the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops, a Synod on the Eucharist that took place in October, 2005.

This apostolic letter is in the form of a 'Motu Proprio'. Condensing from the Catholic Encyclopedia entry, a motu proprio is a papal letter written 'of [the Holy Father's] own accord', without seal or counter-signature, allowing the Pope to to instruct in his own words, without consulting the advice of cardinals or others.

Evidently, the Vatican has successfully embargoed this text to prevent early publication or leaks. This, perhaps, explains the lack of coverage in the mainstream press. Interested web sites are buzzing with speculation about reforms the Holy Father may encourage, or the possibility that use of the Mass from the (pre-Vatican II) 1962 Missale Romanum (the 'Tridentine Mass') may be liberalized or even encouraged.

Whatever the letter contains, Pope Benedict's preferences for liturgy and music are already well-documented. I hope the same love he's selected as the theme for his encyclical and apostolic letter is applied by the Church and used by the faithful to encourage appreciation for all things holy, beautiful, and true. Veni, Sancte Spiritus.

UPDATE - Here is the Motu Proprio.

Praying to St. Peregrine for Daniel

Daniel B., a young 2nd grader in the St. Jude Parish family, has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and is currently beginning treatment at Children's Hospital. Join Daniel's friends and parish family in praying to St. Peregrine that he and his family continue to be blessed with faith, grace, peace, and hope.

Prayer to St. Peregrine
O God, in St. Peregrine
You gave us an outstanding example of faith and patience.
We humbly ask You that,
by imitating him and by the help of his prayers,
we believe more fully in Your healing help,
bear the suffering of this life without wavering,
and come with joy to the peace of heaven.
(Pause here and silently recall the names
of the sick for whom you are praying.)
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory be...
St. Peregrine, pray
for me and for all who invoke your aid.
Amen.

Novena prayers adapted from EWTN and the John Brandi Co. #6216 holy card

Beautiful Words You Wouldn't Expect to Hear from a Cable Broadcaster

"It's not necessarily about making money, or making ratings, or shouting from the highest office building. Sometimes having some maturity and perspective is more important than getting picked up in all the ratings highlights."

With respectful skepticism, I do salute the Discovery Channel and its Executive VP of corporate communications, David Leavy for acknowledging their shark-jump.

Not to quibble with the tvweek.com article, but it's not accurate to report that Christian groups "criticized it for conflicting with the New Testament." Like all the critical coverage, Christian groups pointed out concerns about the documentarians' methodology. The methods that were criticized were (as Jay Cost wrote), essentially, "Evidence that favors the theory is included. The rest is excluded."

He Is Not Here (cf. Luke 24:6)

UPDATE 2 - Jimmy Akin does the same with Catholic details.
UPDATE - outstanding, just-the-facts analysis from Jay Cost at RealClearPolitics.

I'm grateful that the coverage (promotion) of James Cameron's 'discovery' of the tomb of Jesus seems to be fizzling. There is as much coverage of this as a non-story as there is hype. I like Fr. Larry Gearhart's (perhaps tongue-in-cheek) theory, though.

Does it seem like the standards of science and evidence that the mass media uses are proportional to the agenda they're selling reporting? Did the 'Da Vinci Code' teach us anything about learning faith and history from novelists and blockbuster-moviemakers?

Junk science and phony religion might make good entertainment, and may not influence the faith of practicing believers, but it could very well affect those with weak, little, or no faith.

Anglican Schism?

I think this story is interesting, and becoming a bigger and bigger deal. (HT: Pajamas Media)

Would this be the unintended (albeit logical) consequence of 'progressive' ideas like women's ordination and married clergy in the Roman Catholic church?

Oh, that they all may be one.

What's a Hymnprovisation?

A hymnprovisation is a term I've used (unoriginal, i'll admit) to refer to simple, spontaneous piano or organ improvisations upon a hymn tune. The simplicity and spontaneity will certainly apply to my efforts at blogging.

The driving force of this blog is being able to share information and resources, mostly for my friends in music and liturgy at St. Jude the Apostle Parish. I hope it might be possible to share some different insights, perspectives, and opinions as well.