Stella Borealis Catholic Roundtable

Friday, February 22, 2008

NCRegister Unveils Welcome Pope 2008 Page. Bookmark it!

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In Anticipation of the Pope's April Visit to the U.S,

but not to Minnesota, the National Catholic Register

Unveils their new Pope Benny 2008 Home Page.

It can be found Here! Bookmark it!

Pope 2008 Sponsors

Benedict in America

Reports from Sydney

Benedict in Rome

US Papal Visit Links

WYD Links

Official World Youth Day 2008 Site

February 22, 2008

Catholic University to Close an Additional Day

Catholic University of America's The Tower reports that the University will not only be closed Thursday, April 17 for the Pope's visit, but also Wednesday, April 16 at the request of the U.S. Secret Service. President O'Connell notified the university of the change in a letter on Tuesday.

The university also announced that it is holding an essay contest for students in order to compete for a chance of admittance to the Pope's CUA speech. The first-place winner will be one among ten people who get to personally greet the Pope prior to the speech.

O'Connell said that a viewing area will be set up with a jumbotron on the Law School lawn for students to watch the Mass at Nationals Park. 4,000 tickets will be distributed among University students, faculty, and staff for the viewing area. O'Connell said that he hopes that the University community might be able to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Pope. He celebrates his birthday on April 16.

Posted at 01:52 PM in Washington, DC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Cardinal Egan on Pope's Visit

New York 1 has remarks from Cardinal Edward Egan regarding the Pope's April visit. Among the quotes, the article states that the pope's trip was prompted by an invitation from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The article says that the pope is expected to discuss among other things, the war in Iraq.

"And if that's the Holy Father's intention, which I suspect it is, to speak in favor of peace, then I would have to say it is worth the trip," said Cardinal Egan.

The article also states that the visit to the World Trade Center site on the morning of April 20 was made by request of the Holy Father.

Posted at 01:39 PM in New York | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The Pope and the U.S.

The Tidings has a nice story previewing the pope's trip. In it, commentators such as Fr. Joseph Fessio talk about how Pope Benedict has his finger on the pulse of Catholicism in the country. Among the interesting tidbits in the story is the fact that Cardinal Ratzinger has visited the U.S. at least five times. According to the article:

"In February 1984 he traveled to Dallas, where he gave two talks, including one to bishops of the Americas, and in January 1988 he traveled to New York City for a public lecture.

He visited Washington in January 1990 to give a talk at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. In February 1991, he spoke at a bishops' workshop in Dallas, where he delivered an address on "Conscience and Truth."

He went to San Francisco in February 1999 for a meeting of Vatican doctrinal congregation officials and doctrinal officials from bishops' conferences of North America and Oceania. He also gave an address at St. Patrick's Seminary and visited his publishers at Ignatius Press."

Posted at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Young Catholics Look Forward to Pope's Visit

In the months leading up to WYD in Cologne, many media were reporting that attendance wouldn't be as high because Pope John Paul II wouldn't be there. In reality, Pope Benedict XVI drew even larger crowds than WYD in Toronto. The Washington Times gets it right in this story about the eagerness and excitement among the young for the Pope's American visit.

"These are young people who really do have great questions: How shall I live? What's the meaning of life? What's the purpose of life? ... I think they see in the pope answers to those questions because the pope reflects the voice of Christ," Archbishop Wuerl said.

Posted at 01:25 PM in Washington, DC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The News from Nationals Park

Heather Westrom, director of ballpark enterprises with Nationals Park in Washington, DC provided me with some information on preparations for the papal Mass to be held there. Several reports have inaccurately stated that the Mass will be the first non-baseball event held in the new stadium. Westrom told me otherwise. The stadium is scheduled to be completed March 28th, but is being used for other private events prior to the papal Mass.

Westrom told me that the usual cost for renting the stadium is $50,000, but she could not elaborate on what kind of deal might have been reached with the archdiocese. The seating capacity of the stadium is 41,222, but since the altar will be located center field, that will allow for additional seating capacity on the field.

Tom Stehle told me that orchestra members already have their seat assignments.

"Something like this is 85% different than preparing for a ball game," said Westrom. Asked about extraordinary preparations, Westrom cited the placement of a stage in center field, the building of media platforms (one behind home plate), creatively coming up with additional space for the hundreds of satellite broadcast trucks that will be on-site, and because the pope is a visiting head-of-state, the Secret Service will be installing metal detectors at every park entrance. The stadium will open at 5:30 a.m. and remain open until 2 p.m. Mass is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and conclude around noon.

Posted at 10:00 AM in Washington, DC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

DC's "Music Man"

Yesterday, I spoke with Tom Stehle, the pastoral associate for liturgy and music at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Potomac, MD. Stehle is serving as the director of music for the Papal Mass in Washington, DC. Stehle's been involved in selecting the music and assembling the choirs for the Mass.

"My advice was sought back in November, and it's continued to be sought," Stehle said of his role. "Even though the visit wasn't official until January 13 or 14th, it's consumed all of my spare time since November 17. It hasn't stopped since. I don't think I've had a day when I haven't been working on this."

The Alleluia is from the ninth century chant, "O Filii et Filiae," with a vibrant brass accompaniment. The Gloria will be from the old Mass of the Angels, without accompaniment except for handbells.

He told me that there will be four choirs: a 250-voice auditioned choir, a 75-voice intercultural choir, a 85-voice Gospel choir, and a 175-voice children's choir, plus an orchestra, organ, piano, and hand bells. He said that the choirs will sing some songs together, and alternate for different numbers. He said that many of the hymns will be familiar. The opening hymn is to the tune of "All Creatures of Our God and King," but the text speaks of the Holy Spirit, since the Mass is a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit. The closing song will be the tune of "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus," but again the text will be about the Holy Spirit and being Christ's presence in the world.

Posted at 09:38 AM in Washington, DC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Photo of Monsignor Marini at WDTPRS?

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf has a photo on his blog of Monsignor Marini and some New York priests and seminarians.

Posted at 09:24 AM in New York | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 21, 2008

Pope Desires a Reform of Outdoor Masses

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf has a fascinating look at comments made by Pope Benedict to clergy in Rome. The essence of his comments appear to be that the pope desires some reform of the way outdoor Masses, such as those that will be held in the U.S. and Australia this year, are handled. At issue is the idea of hundreds of priests concelebrating and distributing the Eucharist. The pope doesn't want to do away with outdoor Masses entirely, but desires to "preserve the dignity that is always necessary for the Eucharist." To that end, Monsignor Guido Marini, the papal Master of Ceremonies, is in the U.S. visiting the sites to study how they might be used in keeping with Pope Benedict's liturgical desires.

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Expectations for the Pope's Catholic University Visit

The majority of the pope's events while he's here in the U.S. are private. Among those is his April 17 meeting with Catholic college and university presidents, and diocesan education officials at Catholic University of America. Catholic Online carried a Catholic News Service story on this talk. Thomas Peters of the AmericanPapist blog told me that they'll be clearing the campus of students, aside from outside the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center, where the pope will be speaking.

I recently spoke with Catholic University president Fr. David O'Connell about the event at Catholic University. He told me that the Pryzbyla Center can accommodate about 800 people. They are expecting about 550. In December, Fr. O'Connell sent out invites to all Catholic university and college presidents, as well as invitations for one representative from each diocese that has some responsibility for Catholic education at the primary and secondary level. Depending upon the diocese that could be secretariats, vicars, or superintendents. Fr. O'Connell said that they heard back from all dioceses but about 20. In addition, as a host, Catholic University has invited its board of trustees, deans, and some students to attend. They also expect approximately 50 media.

Some have wondered what the pope might talk about at Catholic University. Fr. O'Connell had some thoughts about this.

"When the pope travels, the place that hosts him is frequently asked to suggest bullet points for the Holy Father so that they can be incorporated into his speech," explained Fr. O'Connell. With the help of Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Fr. O'Connell created several pages of ideas which were sent through the Papal Nuncio to brief the Holy Father on the situation locally. Among the ideas on that list, were: "the concern about moral relativism and its adverse impact on our society and culture, and the importance of Catholic colleges and universities providing for students the tools necessary to confront moral relativism," said Fr. O'Connell. He also stressed the, "need for Catholic campuses to be strong not only in Catholic teaching and doctrine, but also the development of faith through vibrant Catholic ministry, and coherent residence and student life."

Among those in attendance will be Thomas Dillon, president of Thomas Aquinas College.

"I expect that the Pope will be conciliatory yet instructive, lauding Catholic higher education in this country for its historical achievement but reminding its leaders of the importance of the Catholic university's ordination, finally to the truth of Christ," Dillon told me. "I would not be surprised if he took up again some of the themes in his Regensburg address and in his undelivered but published address to La Sapienza Universita di Roma: for example, the birth of the university from within the Church; the nature and mission of the Catholic university; the futility of relativism and skepticism; the complementarity of faith and reason (and the importance of each) in our search for wisdom."

Posted at 01:35 PM in Washington, DC | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Papal Visit's Poignant Moment?

According to The Journal News, Mark Ackermann, executive director of the New York Archdiocese's Office of the Papal Visit, believes that Pope Benedict's morning stop at Ground Zero, on the morning of April 20, promises to be the most poignant part of the papal visit.

"The Holy Father will actually go down and touch bedrock, spend a period of private prayer, bless the area and then visit with 24 individuals, some of whom lost loved ones in the attacks on our country," Ackermann said. Ackermann was hand-picked by Cardinal Edward Egan to lead the 50-person Papal Visit Task Force.

Posted at 06:53 AM in New York | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

About

Pope Benedict XVI is coming to America and Australia. The National Catholic Register wants to make sure you don’t miss out.
Tim Drake, our Senior Writer, will provide you with up-to-the-minute reports on news and preparations, and will blog directly from papal events, right here. To reach the author email: tdrake(at)tdrake.clearwire.net. Stay tuned for announcements of new special features. The site is still under construction.

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Sydney - 2007

Photos taken during a September, 2007 Media visit to Sydney, Wollongong, and Cairns, Australia in preparation for World Youth Day 2008.
Minneapolis American Idle Finalist

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Rats, here's another thing from Fr. Tim Finigan in the UK to get upset about

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The GIRM must be the most violated law in the universe. Fr. Tim Finigan, a pal of Fr. Z, serving well in the UK, brings to our attention another liturgical abuse:

Just sing a little "Amen"

Jeffrey Tucker has an excellent post entitled "Ditch the Great Amen". I must confess that this has been a subliminal annoyance to which I have not paid all that much attention. He quotes Gavin at Musica Sacra who says:

Nothing in the GIRM, rubrics, or tradition (that I know of) requires the congregation to sing "Amen" more than once at any point in the Mass. Yet today every Catholic pewsitter knows that the IMPORTANT part of the Mass ISN'T the words "This is My Body" but when you have four chords and sing "A-A-MEN, A-A-MEN, A-A-A-MENNNN" and then repeat it. I've even heard catechists say that THAT is the point where the bread becomes the Body. Oh, and the scores for these "Great Amens" always have FFF as the closing dynamic. This HORRIBLY imbalances the Mass!

So when your priest sings "Through him, with him, in him" to the simple tone, just respond on the same note he used as the reciting tone: "Amen." If he uses the solemn tone (with the slurs on some syllables), respond according to the pitch he ends on "A-me-" and then move up a whole tone "-en." It's all so simple, no one can object to it if it's done routinely, and it makes SUCH a difference in how the Mass is perceived by the congregation.

Sorry to be corny, but I just have to say "Amen" to that. It is true - the "Great Amen" is not de fide definita, it's prominence in many modern sung Masses is entirely due to the particular views of some liturgists. It is perfectly OK to ditch it and just sing a little "Amen".

Archbishop Harry Flynn: Women's Retreat titled "Pray With Heart", Holy Spirit, St Paul, February 23

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A Women’s Retreat titled, “Pray With Heart” will be presented February 23 by Archbishop Harry Flynn at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 515 South Albert in St. Paul from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

The event includes Mass at 8:30 am followed by a talk by the Archbishop on “Getting To Know The Heart Of Our Mother.” The 10:30 am talk will be on “The Heart and Soul of Prayer: Rediscover Fasting” and at 11:00 Quiet Reflection/Confessions, followed by “Walking The Stations With Mary.”

The event concludes at noon. The cost is $10 per person. For information call: 651-291-4488.

No tasty salad-less menu to be provided.

Jeff Cavins and Father Richard Hogan: "Teaching the Objective Benefit of Marriage" for Teens and Adults, April 8

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Totus Tuus is sponsoring a conference on April 8 for teens and adults with Keynote speaker Jeff Cavins lecturing on “Getting Out Of The Boat.” Father Richard Hogan who will speak on, “Restoring The Dream” and also, “Teaching The Objective Benefit Of Marriage.” The event is being held at St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in New Brighton, Mn. For information or to register, call: 651-748-1744.

Rosalind Moss to Speak at All Saints in Lakeville on April 5

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Rosalind Moss will be speaking on April 5 for “Women’s Day” at All Saints Parish in Lakeville. The event is open to the public. Information will be added as it is received.

"Sister" Rosalind, an apologist for Catholic Answers in San Diego and a program host with EWTN radio and TV, a Jewish convert to Catholicism for ten years or so, just announced a week ago that she is starting a new community of sisters in the Archdiocese of St. Louis with the permission of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke. The new group will be called the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope.

This is so new that they have no web page yet, nor a design for their habit. But perhaps they will be unveiled (or veiled, perhaps) by April 5.

Maybe it's not too late for Adoro to change her plans. KCMO is not that far from St Louis!

22nd Annual Marian Congress, Guardian Angels, Oakdale, March 1

The day-long 22^nd Annual Marian Congress hosted by the World Apostolate of Fatima will be held at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 8260-4^th Street North in Oakdale, Mn.

Father Donald DeGrood who will be talking on “The Immaculate Heart of Mary as Model of Our Interior Life.” emphasizing spiritual qualities in the life of Mary and offer ways to allow these same spiritual qualities to flourish in our interior lives, particularly through the devotions she requested at Fatima and through consecration to Her Immaculate Heart.

The pre-registration fee prior to February 23^rd is $25 or $30 at the door. The fee includes lunch and an information packet. Checks can be made to: Marian Congress-Marian Deilke, 8445 Goodview Avenue South in Cottage Grove, Mn 55016.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Lay Catholics Launch The Chesterton Academy

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Last November, a 32- year- old attorney with the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps at Fort Drum in New York packed up his wife Annie and their five children and their belongings and headed west to St. Paul to take on a daunting new challenge: founding headmaster of The Chesterton Academy, a private, independent high school inspired by the thought of G. K. Chesterton.

" This is ridiculous," said the new headmaster's five- year- old daughter in true Chestertonian fashion.

The new headmaster is John DeJak, a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where he was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, and a 2004 graduate of the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor. He was an easy pick for the school's founding board of Catholic parents, led by Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society and an internationally recognized authority on Chesterton's life and work.

DeJak has taught Latin, theology, Church history and ecclesiology at Catholic high schools in Chicago and Cleveland, worked as a legal intern for the St. Thomas More Society, and is an active pro-lifer, fully committed to The Chesterton Academy's goal of building a "culture of life."

And he is a passionate devotee of Chesterton and Chesterton's mentor, Hilaire Belloc.

Also leading the effort for the new school is Thomas Bengtson, publisher of the North- Western Financial Review and a member of the board of the Couple to Couple League and publisher of its Family Foundations magazine.

The founders of the school are in the process of settling on a permanent location for the school in the southwest Minneapolis area, and a closing date is forthcoming, DeJak told The Wanderer in a recent telephone interview. [There was some talk last Summer at the annual Chesterton Gathering at UST that if this effort is successful, the possibility of other Chesterton Academies opening in other cities is possible. One wonders with the current state of the real estate market and the national economy if they will be able to pull this off. The scene was much brighter last Summer.]

"This is a wonderful effort by parents here in the Twin Cities," DeJak said.

"As parents are the primary educators of their children, this new academy is truly an effort that comes from the heart of the Church's teachings and what better model than G. K. Chesterton in terms of intellectual giant and culture warrior.

" Chesterton is someone who appreciated everything. He took an interest in everything and he was excited about everything and through that love of learning and the world he came to a profound love of God; through God's creation, he also came to understood how all truth is connected to The Truth, who is Jesus Christ.

" What we seek to do at the Chesterton Academy," he continued, "is to provide an integrated education and to teach our students that there is a whole truth of things, and in knowing that we are happy." The project to establish the academy, he said, began some two years ago when a group of parents started discussing secondary schools and saw the need for a high school that not only taught the faith, but taught all subjects through the lens of the faith, and how they are all interconnected.

"From my experience as a theology teacher in various Catholic schools," DeJak said, "there are too often elements in place that have the effect of undermining the faith, and this new endeavor is a chance to build up the faith and introduce it in a holistic way to our students.

"Parents in the Twin Cities are looking for a school that will be academically rigorous and will offer spiritual formation through daily Mass, frequent Confession, and an emphasis on articulating great ideas through the arts."

The board is currently recruiting students by word of mouth, giving presentations at parishes in the area, and visiting with interested families. "We're especially reaching out to the various home- schooling groups, which is quite a large enterprise out here," he added.

Strong Academics

The academic program at The Chesterton Academy is a solid, traditional, liberal arts program that, over four years, will educate students in the story of civilization, as well as provide them a solid foundation in math, music, art, science, and literature.

Freshman year will cover ancient history, from the Egyptian through the Greek and Roman civilizations. Students will learn the background against which the Old Testament was written and how classical philosophy, with attention to Plato and Aristotle, developed. Sophomore year will cover early Church history through the High Middle Ages, which, said DeJak, is probably one of the most important periods in world history and yet most neglected in other schools.

Junior year will cover the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, and show students how the renaissance in art and literature was accompanied by the rise of the Church Militant.

Senior year will cover the Modern "Revolutionary" Era: the American and French Revolutions, the In dustrial Revolution, the Communist Revolution, and the Sexual Revolution (which led to the acceptance of contraception and abortion). The Catholic Church lost its temporal power but developed its religious and moral authority on a universal scale.

The study of literature will be tied closely to the study of history and the rest of the humanities.

During freshman year, students will be introduced to the classic epics of Homer and Virgil. As sophomores, they will be exposed to early English classics such as The Canterbury Tales, as well as modern literary renderings of medieval history. During the junior year, students will get healthy servings of Shakespeare. As seniors, they will read American literature, Dickens, Dostoyevski, and Hugo. And Chesterton.

Also in their senior year, students will be introduced to modern economic thought by reading Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, Karl Marx's Das Kapital, Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum, Hilaire Belloc's
The Servile State, G.K. Chesterton's The Outline of Sanity, and Joseph Pearce's Small Is Still Beautiful.

Art education will also be a major component of the academy's curriculum over four years. As the founders of The Chesterton Academy explain: "A complete education must include the development of the child's creative nature and must provide him with the tools and the technique with which to express his ideas, his feelings, and his love. It must also include the analytical skills with which to judge a work of art and therefore must provide the continuous exposure to great art. Most importantly, the mechanical skills and the aesthetic aptitude must be put into the proper context of eternal Truth. A good artist is a complete thinker and vice- versa. Chesterton says that in order to be a good artist, one must be a good philosopher: 'A man cannot have the energy to produce good art without having the energy to wish to pass beyond it. A small artist is content with art; a great artist is content with nothing except everything'."

There will also be an equal emphasis on music. Over four years, students will learn music fundamentals (theory, performance, ear training, music analysis and appreciation) but also music history, where they will see music in the context of the times and philosophy of the period in which it was created, with special attention to the role of music throughout Church history and specifically its role in the Catholic Mass.

In science studies, freshmen will study astronomy and geology; sophomores biology; juniors chemistry; and seniors physics.

Thanks to a donor in Chicago, DeJak told The Wanderer, the new academy's library is off to a good start.

The academy is also forming a lay board of advisers, and has already attracted three big names in Catholic circles: Notre Dame law professor emeritus Dr. Charles E. Rice, Chicago's pro-life activist Joe Scheidler, and Minnesota pro-life activist Mary Ann Kuharski.

For more information about The Chesterton Academy, Wanderer readers can contact Dr. DeJak by telephone: 952-831-3096; or by email: academy@chesterton.org.Also, visit the academy's web site:www.chestertonacademy.org.

Tip O' the Hat to Georgette and Some Have Hats!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Do I Hear More Latin: St Charles in Bayport and St Joseph in West St Paul?

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The Inimitable Father John Zuhlsdorf, "Father Z", somewhere on travels in Merrie Olde England, I believe, caught the fact that the StarTribune in Minneapolis has an article on Father John Paul Echert, Pastor of St Augustine's and Holy Trinity in South St Paul who had been celebrating the Indult Latin Mass on Sundays and some other occasions and who now celebrates it seven days a week under the authority of the Pope's recent Summorum Pontificum decree giving priests the right to say the Extraordinary Form of the 1962 Latin Mass of Pope John XXII.

The Saturday "Faith and Values" edition of the Strib has only an article on Zen meditation at a retreat center down Iowa way. Father Echert's article will be in Sunday's editiion.

Father Echert, Commander in Chief of the Argument of the Month Club, a Men Only Group, that dines and argues on the second Tuesday of most months of the year at St Augustine's (and who is also a Lieutenant Colonel chaplain in the Air Force Reserves), is also training other priests from the archdiocese in the celebrating of the Mass in Latin. The Strib article below, with Father Z's incisive comments, mentions that Father Randall Kasel of St Charles' in Bayport and Father John Gallas of St Joseph's in West St Paul will soon be doing that in their own parishes.

The communities of Corcoran, Rogers, Waverly and St Michael in West Hennepin and Wright Counties are also in the process of setting up a regular Latin Mass schedule.

Emphasis and Comments by Father Z!

As he prepared to celebrate the traditional Latin mass at Holy Trinity church in South St. Paul, the Rev. John Echert predicted that it would last 35 minutes. Not "about" 35 minutes; 35 minutes. And it did. Exactly. [Yah, that is about right. That is just about what I get, except when there is, like today, an Ember Day.]

He wasn’t just guessing. Every genuflection, every wave of incense, every ringing of the signal bells is spelled out in intricate detail in the instructions for the mass. Except for a half-stifled sneeze (Echert was trying to ward off a cold), the parishioners knew that the mass that day was going to be exactly the same as every other day’s, down to the smallest detail.

"The people who come to this mass like that it is so fixed," he said. "They like the ritual, the stability and the predictability. There are no surprises." [In other words it is liturgy.]

Echert, whose parish also includes St. Augustine church, is waging virtually a one-man campaign in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to revive [Well.. not sure about that. But I will say it here openly: I’ll help any time. Just call.] what many Roman Catholics had considered nearly a lost rite: the Tridentine, or the traditional Latin mass.

When Pope Benedict issued a decree in July clearing a way for a revival of the mass, which had not been practiced regularly for 40 years, many church insiders predicted that it would appeal only to nostalgic senior citizens. But Echert has seen evidence to the contrary.

"I have more crying babies at the Tridentine mass than the English one," he said. [Of course! They are having children!]

Indeed, among the worshippers on a recent Friday was Ann Swanson, 28, [Born after the reforms began.] who was there with her children. "I’ve noticed a lot of people my age here," she said, going on to explain that the mass "appeals to me because it is so centered on God. Some elements of the modern mass distract from that, but this is entirely focused on the Eucharist, which is the center of our faith."

A few pews away from her sat Henry Jandrich, 30.[Born after the reforms began.] "This mass celebrates more reverently than many other liturgies I’ve attended," he said. "It’s a transcendent liturgy that brings me closer to prayer."

Echert, 50, has been fascinated with the mass since he was a youngster. "That mass is the reason I became a priest," he said. "I was inspired by its beauty and intricacy."

In addition to leading a daily Latin mass, which alternates between his two churches, he has become the archdiocese’s tutor on it, working with a half dozen priests and seminarians who want to learn it. "I guess, by default, we sort of became the mother church for the Tridentine mass," he said. Two priests, the Rev. Randall Kasel of St. Charles in Bayport and the Rev. John Gallas of St. Joseph’s in West St. Paul, are about ready to "solo."

Ancient language, modern times

The term Tridentine comes from the Latin tridentinus, a reference to the 1570 Council of Trent, which convinced Pope Pius V to make the mass mandatory throughout the church. It fell out of favor in the 1970s following the Vatican II directive allowing mass in the local languages.

A splinter group that refused to make the change, the Society of St. Pius V, split from the Vatican and has several churches in Minnesota. They are not considered Roman Catholic, although there have been tentative discussions about them rejoining. The major stumbling block is the Vatican’s insistence that they also offer rites in English, which they refuse to do.

There also are Roman Catholic churches that offer Latin translations of the contemporary mass, but that’s not the Tridentine mass.

There is a contemplative aspect to the mass.

"It’s very quiet, Echert said. "And it’s very ritualistic. For instance, I genuflect more. A lot more, like 30 times compared with three" in a contemporary mass.

Even though it’s shorter than many other masses, it can be mentally exhausting for the priest because it requires an intense focus.

"It’s very detailed," he said. "Everything is very specific and demanding. Every step has to be done exactly the same way every time. There is very little in the way of options."

When the pope issued the decree about the Latin mass, church insiders predicted that, at most, it would generate only a ripple of interest among rank-and-file Catholics. And, so far at least, that has turned out to be the case.

"There’s a whole generation of people who are used to the English mass," said Dennis McGrath, director of communications for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. "I doubt that a lot of them have ever even heard a Latin mass. Yes, the language [of the Tridentine mass] is beautiful, but most people don’t want to go to a mass in a language they’ve never heard before." [Why is it that nearly every "director of communications"... who makes a statement… for nearly every diocese in the world seems to shun or diminish as much as they can something which is quite obviously a growing movement?]

And they might not be hearing a lot about it now. The initiative for the Latin mass must start with the parishioners, who have to petition the priest to offer the Latin mass. This has created something of a Catch-22: Priests can’t offer the mass until their congregations hear it, decide that they like it and then ask for it. But that means they would have to ask for it before they’ve heard it. [Actually, there is a lot of debate about that. I think we have to remember that priests have rights too. Furthermore, the Motu Proprio does not fix a minimum number of people who can must make a request. This will be clarified in the Pope’s upcoming document for sure.]

"The pope set it up to be a grass-roots movement led by the faithful," Echert said.

In 1984 the Vatican opened the door to periodic celebrations of the mass. Echert was teaching at the University of St. Thomas at the time, but when he made the transition to parish priest six years ago, he volunteered to revive the mass. Having majored in Latin in college, it seemed like a natural fit.

"When I was in college, I used to ask myself, ‘What am I going to do with a degree in Latin?’" he said with a laugh.

A lost cause?

Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., said that Echert might be swimming upstream in his attempt to build widespread support for the Latin mass.

"For those who are fundamentally disposed toward the Tridentine mass, the pope’s decree is very encouraging," Irwin said. "But for the 99.9 percent of the rest of us, I don’t see wholesale changes." [Then get outta the way of the train that will be coming through!]

While Echert isn’t predicting that the Latin mass will replace the contemporary one, he is confident that it will find its fans. [Fans? What is this? "Fans" make them sound like, say, hapless Cubs fans.]

"It’s only been a few months [since the pope’s edict]. Give it time," he said. "I think that a year from now, there will be half a dozen parishes in the archdiocese offering it. Two years from now, there will be twice that many."

The Vatican established the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter specifically to train priests in the Latin mass. [Nooo… that is not why the Fraternity was established.] The North American school is in Nebraska, but so far its crash courses haven’t generated widespread interest among Twin Cities priests. [That is because they have an alternative.] Echert has had better luck with a more measured approach that stretches the training over several months.

"We watch a lot of videotapes" of the mass, he said. "And we do a lot of practicing."

Echert sees interest in the Tridentine mass as more than just nostalgia. After several years of growth in more-relaxed worship styles, he thinks that the pendulum is starting to swing back toward so-called "high" church with more emphasis on rituals, decorum and formality.

There’s a sense of propriety among those at the mass, he said, starting with the way people dress. "I’ve never seen any cut-offs. And many of the women wear veils, although that’s not a requirement," Echert said.

The way mass has been celebrated over the past 40 years doesn’t fully resonate with the worshippers who are drawn to the Tridentine mass.

"I think the mass is filling a void that people feel."

All in all a good article. I am all for Fr. Echert in his efforts. If he ever needs a hand, all he has to do is wave my direction and I will come.

StarTribune

What Does The Prayer Really Say - Father Z

Friday, February 15, 2008

Pro-Abort Squabbles: New Republic Whines Because NYT Newsroom's Getting Squeamish About Abortion

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The New Republic: What is The New York Times' problem with abortion? The editorial page consistently supports sex education, birth control, and the right to legally end unwanted pregnancy. The rest of the Times, however, often seems uncomfortable with concrete applications of these principles. Not a season goes by that a news item or magazine feature doesn't imply that women who get abortions are acting with egotism, unhealthiness, and cruelty.

The most recent instance of this is Annie Murphy Paul's "The First Ache," in last Sunday's Magazine. "When does the experience of pain begin?" the subtitle asks. "Anti-abortion activists aren't the only ones to argue that it may be in the womb."

Paul's article, which runs over 5,000 words, begins with a doctor in Arkansas claiming that fetuses as immature as 20 weeks after gestation suffer agonies when prodded and cut during, say, prenatal surgery. And--the point of the piece--when they're aborted.

But then other doctors start discussing the Arkansas physician's claim, and their opinions are all over the map. One insists that fetuses feel no pain until at least 29 weeks. Another pushes the pain date all the way forward to 18 weeks. Someone else says that even born babies can't feel pain until they're one year old. Clearly, there's no consensus on the issue. But the lack of agreement is lost amid the article's looming intimation that women who end their pregnancies are hurting their fetuses. Paul never specifies that the vast majority of abortions--more than 96 percent--are performed before 18 weeks' gestation, the earliest date being claimed for the beginning of fetal pain. Nor does she mention that American women are getting abortions earlier and earlier in their pregnancies: The rate occurring in the first eight weeks has increased sharply in recent years, with many now done in the sixth week of pregnancy or earlier. Without these statistics, the article's main effect is to make female readers feel guilty and confused about abortion.

Paul's is not the only problem piece to run in the Sunday Magazine. Another, by Slate senior editor Emily Bazelon, appeared last January and looked at "post-abortion syndrome" (PAS). A takeoff on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), PAS is not recognized by the psychiatric or psychotherapy establishment because there's no scientific evidence it exists. But moral conservatives out to overturn Roe v. Wade have popularized the purported malady among women who've had abortions. And last year, the Supreme Court cited affidavits submitted by people claiming they've suffered from PAS. The court said the risk to women of contracting the risk of "severe depression and loss of esteem" was one reason to ban "dilation and extraction"--better known as "partial birth" abortion. If for no other reason than this politicking, PAS is well worth exploring.

Problem is, Bazelon skips lightly over politics, focusing instead on fuzzy profiles of self-described PAS sufferers. One is Rhonda Arias, an evangelical minister who runs PAS-support groups in Texas women's prisons. Bazelon follows Arias as she holds forth in one facility, reading from the New Testament, playing gospel music, and handing dolls to inmates who weep as they mourn their aborted offspring. Then Arias asks these prisoners to send her testimonies about their PAS to her so she can submit them to places like the Supreme Court.

To be fair, Bazelon spends a long time discussing the piled-up scientific evidence showing that PAS doesn't exist, with many interviews from respected researchers illustrating the consensus that it's just a right-wing talking-point. Still, Bazelon writes that Arias's audience members "drink in [her] preaching," and about how Arias "ministers from the heart" with her face "alight." We read that Arias conducted a study with data culled from prisoner reports of psychological trauma from abortion (which she later sent to the Supreme Court). But Bazelon does not remind us that prison inmates are considered a terrible source of data for psychology studies. They are a captive population at great risk of saying whatever they think people in authority--including researchers--want to hear. Nor are we told that one facility where Arias does her PAS data collection has been cited by inmates as lacking access to work and substance abuse programs. Another prison houses all nine women on Texas's death row and is among the state's ten most violent prisons. No wonder inmates might exchange PAS testimonials for hugs and music.

And Bazelon only glances over the Justice Foundation, a Texas group that funded the collection of those PAS affidavits for delivery to the Supreme Court. The article calls the foundation "a conservative law center," but doesn't say that it was founded by, and gets its money from, James Leininger, a Christian right winger and one of the richest people in Texas. Leininger has used the Justice Foundation and other groups, also funded by him, to pack the Texas school board with members who oppose sex education and favor censoring textbooks. He has bankrolled political campaigns in which candidates who don't toe his line have been smeared with charges that they promote illegal drug use and homsexuality to school children. And he is staunchly anti-choice: Using the Justice Foundation, he almost single-handedly has enabled the gathering of PAS affidavits to erode Roe v. Wade. Rhonda Arias would be a nobody without this man's fortune and political designs. He's as important as she is--if not more so--to understand the PAS push.

Magazine articles aren't the Times's only problem. News stories also sometimes issue strange and conflicting messages about abortion. Last spring, for instance, a long piece appeared on the front page: "Today's Face of Abortion in China is a Young, Unmarried Woman," by Jim Yardley with Lin Yang contributing. The article's point seemed to be that, back when China coerced married women to have only one child, it wasn't their fault they had to get abortions--but now, single young women are obtaining them voluntarily. And this is bad.

Why bad? The article reeks with veiled references to selfishness and irresponsibility. The first paragraph says, "it was her second abortion in 18 months." Indeed, most patients sitting at a clinic with this woman have already had an abortion; one is on her sixth! And how did they find the clinic? The article notes that private abortion clinics proliferate in China now, and newspapers there run "sensational" ads promising "Painless Abortions." (The reporters seem unaware that ethnic papers in New York City, such as El Diario, are stuffed with identical ads, and that most abortions in this country are done at private facilities.)

Again, numbers are used out of context. The Times cites the number of abortions per year in China, and the number in this country: 7.1 million there, 1.29 million here--an alarming differential until you recall that China's population is over four times that of the US. The article never mentions this basic data.

A headline was the problem in another front page story, which ran on January 31. The article reported that Shanghai Hualian, a big pharmaceuticals manufacturer in China, made a contaminated leukemia drug that sickened patients in that country. The same firm produces all the RU-486 distributed in the U.S. (the drug is used to induce non-surgical abortions). But the FDA said the company's RU-486 factory had passed many inspections and is safe. The Times reported this at length. So why was the articled titled "Tainted Drugs Linked to Maker of Abortion Pill"?

To be sure, Times stories are not always pursed-lipped about abortion. Spring 2006 saw a national scare about a deadly bacterial infection associated with RU-486 abortions. In a follow-up article in May, reporter Gardiner Harris pointed out that infection with the same bacteria might be a risk for pregnant women who intend to have their babies. Harris even quoted two New York woman who'd had multiple abortions, some done surgically and some with RU-486. They discussed the pros and cons of each procedure, and one woman allowed publication of her name: Anne Hawkins. The whole thing was refreshingly matter of fact and devoid of cryptic moralizing. But the article was buried near the back of the A section.

Then there was the disturbing flap at the Magazine two years ago, after a cover piece about illegal abortion in Latin America reported on a woman in El Salvador who supposedly was criminally convicted for aborting her 18-week fetus. Post publication, it turned out the woman was actually judged guilty of murdering her newborn, full-term baby. The reporter had never bothered to read the court records, and the Magazine's factcheckers hadn't either. In its eagerness to champion abortion rights in a country that has none, the paper had gotten sloppy. And on its own national turf, where long-established rights are being chipped at, sloppiness runs in the other direction.

So, what's going on at the Times? Maybe only what's happening in the whole culture. Liberals and even feminists have bought into the reasoning that abortion is basically immoral, and if women could just be educated and dosed with birth control, we wouldn't have to terminate any pregnancies. Bill Clinton's famous formulation, that abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare," has become conventional wisdom.

It's the line on the Times editorial page. In other sections, awkward reality intrudes, making reporters and editors skittish. Women--particularly young and poor women--don't take their contraceptives, and when they get pregnant many wait to go to the abortion clinic. Then they get pregnant again. Their behavior seems mysterious and threatening. They become scapegoats, not just for the Right, but for older and more educated liberals, too. That's the demographic who work at the Times, and a good percentage of its readership. But the Gray Lady is powerful way beyond New York liberal circles. And by making anti-woman moral judgments and obsessing over "problems" with no good evidence they exist, she's abusing her nation and the world.

Debbie Nathan is a New York City-based journalist. Her latest book, Pornography (Groundwood Press), explains the subject to teenagers and young adults.

The title of Ms. Nathan's "latest" pretty much tells you of her perspective on life.

Finally: Top Homosexual Organization Comes Clean: "HIV is a gay disease."

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(LifeSiteNews.com) - In a public statement last Friday, Matt Foreman, outgoing Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, rattled the homosexual activist community by joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pro-family organizations and a growing number of homosexual activists willing to admit that homosexual behavior is both extremely high-risk and primarily responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

Addressing the topic of AIDS, Foreman drastically deviated from the "gay" lobby's party line by admitting, "Internally, when these numbers come out, the 'established' gay community seems to have a collective shrug as if this isn't our problem. Folks, with 70 percent of the people in this country living with HIV being gay or bi, we cannot deny that HIV is a gay disease. We have to own that and face up to that."

A little over a year ago, Lorri Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles-based Gay and Lesbian Center, similarly shocked the "gay" community by stating that, "HIV is a Gay Disease. Own it. End it."

Foreman's admission comes on the heels of a letter from Matt Barber, Concerned Women for America's (CWA) Policy Director for Cultural Issues, inviting Foreman and other homosexual activists to work together in discouraging homosexuals from engaging in the high-risk behaviors researchers recently determined are responsible for the epidemic spread of a potentially deadly strain of staph infection among certain segments of the "gay" community. The CDC has acknowledged that many of those same high-risk behaviors, such as male-male anal sex, are chiefly responsible for spreading HIV/AIDS.

Matt Barber addressed Foreman's admission: "It's extremely encouraging to see Matt Foreman, a homosexual activist who has for so long been in denial about the dangers of the lifestyle he has promoted, publicly coming to terms with the undeniable perils of that lifestyle.

"I only hope he will now stop promoting homosexual conduct and push for other liberal elites, especially those running our public schools, to do the same. Educators must truthfully address the 'gay' lifestyle's potentially deadly consequences.

"It's criminally reckless for the National Education Association and liberal educators to put political correctness and a deceptive political agenda above the lives, health and well-being of America's children. The evidence is there for all to see. 'Gayness' is not about 'who you are,' it's about 'what you do.' The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has now, in effect, acknowledged that reality. Their honesty is refreshing and unexpected," concluded Barber.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

In defense of Catholic teaching on homosexuality

In concluding her Jan. 30 column about homosexuality and the Catholic Church ("It's not a mortal sin to work for justice"), Mary Jean Smith writes: "The archbishop and others are wrong on this issue. I am not guilty of mortal sin. It is not a sin to love my daughter and work for justice on her behalf."

Here is what Archbishop John Nienstedt actually said:

"Those who actively encourage or promote homosexual acts or such activity within a homosexual lifestyle formally cooperate in a grave evil and, if they do so knowingly and willingly, are guilty of mortal sin," he wrote. "They have broken communion with the church and are prohibited from receiving Holy Communion until they have had a conversion of heart, expressed sorrow for their action and received sacramental absolution from a priest."

What Smith fails to see (or at least acknowledge) is that we can, we may and we must judge actions. It's not the person who is attracted to the same sex whom the church says is bad. The church, in fact, demands that all persons love and respect all other persons as reflections of God himself. It's the surrender to the impulse to act, sexually, on that attraction. That surrender is what the church judges to be wrong. We must love our children and others, but not the sins they commit. Any form of sexual action between two people of the same sex is inherently wrong. It obviates the purpose for which that faculty is intended, procreation.

The author finds "it strange that any reference to persons of homosexual orientation is always reduced to sexual acts." That's because it's not being attracted to the same sex that is wrong, but homosexual acts.

The author's story touches the heart, truly. However, it would be no less touching to hear of a son or daughter who had some other condition. The affliction does not justify taking actions that are inherently wrong. At the same time, we (everyone who responds to Christ's call to love and respect all people) are saddened at the injustice and persecution of people, particularly children, who have same-sex attraction. It is not easy to tell them that they must remain chaste, but as Nienstedt said in a further article:

"As a priest and bishop, I have the responsibility before God and in the name of Jesus Christ to call all men and women to conversion, the first step of which is recognizing sinful activity for what it is. Sometimes that is not a comfortable thing to do, but it is always the compassionate thing to do."

Smith has her facts wrong about priests. Only a very small percentage of Catholic priests, about 4 percent, abused children. And 80 percent to 90 percent of the priestly abuse attacks of minors were committed by priests (males) on post-pubescent males. See the report from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice titled "The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States."

There are good priests, of course, who are afflicted with same-sex attraction, probably some of the most caring and concerned. The vast majority do not give in to the desire for sex with another male, let alone a minor.

Nienstedt, in admonishing those who advocate and condone homosexual activity, either for their children or others, does not act on his authority alone. He is conveying the teaching of the church's magisterium, its teaching authority, as that teaching has existed since the church's inception. We are thankful for him and his insight into and readiness to take on those who, while calling themselves Catholic, misrepresent this important teaching of the church. Pioneer Press

Pat Phillips of Roseville is president of the Catholic Defense League.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Sanctuary O' The Day: St Mary's, Salem, South Dakota

Church of St Mary

Salem, South Dakota

How come the Vatican doesn't have a Pontifical Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice? The Saudis do!

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So England wants Sharia Law to be enforced! No Roses For You, England!

Saudi Arabia's religious police have banned the sale of red roses ahead of Valentine's Day. Crimson items - from roses to wrapping paper - have been banned from the shelves of florists and gift shops in Riyadh until Friday by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.


	Look out Cupid: No roses in Riyadh

Every year officials visit florists a few days before Feb 14 to issue warnings on red items, which are widely seen as symbols of love, according to local newspapers.

The Commission raids shops on the eve of Valentine's Day, which it sees as an encouragement of relations outside of wedlock, to ensure that the ban is being carried out.

According to the Saudi Gazette, the ban has resulted in a blossoming black market for red roses. One man, who claimed to run an underground flower shop out of his flat, said he could make as much as SAR20-30 (£2.70- £4) per rose, when the normal price is SAR5-7 (68p - £1).

He told the paper that he sometimes delivers bouquets in the middle of the night to avoid prying eyes, and that his loyal customers place orders weeks before the Feb 14 holiday.

Relationships outside marriage are strictly prohibited in the conservative Muslim state and are punishable by law.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women," Sheikh Khaled al-Dossari , a scholar in Islamic Studies and sharia law, told the paper.

However, there is some hope for hopeless romantics. This year Valentine's Day coincides with mid-term break, so many Saudis have already left the kingdom on holiday.

The ban came into force in Riyadh on Sunday and red items remain forbidden until after February 14. The Telegraph

St Joseph Cathedral, Sioux Falls, Renovation Could Take Three Years and $15 Million

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Sioux Falls Diocese Bishop Paul Swain wants to restore the beauty of St. Joseph Cathedral through a $15 million renovation project that could begin this year. Swain laid out preliminary plans for the project before members and nuns Monday night in the cathedral's church hall.

The renovation would do more than put paint on the walls, he said. It would create an atmosphere that would bring more people to the church and help spread the word of God. "We'll have some opportunities to invite others in," he said. "I'm not going to be satisfied if all we do is restore a beautiful place. ... I'm hopeful that we also enliven this place in a new way."

Swain said the project could take three years. He emphasized being respectful of what members have inherited and doing the project right. "We need to do it well so what we do will last for the next 90 years," he said.

He envisions restoring the side altars, repainting the walls and ceiling and refurbished pews, among other tasks. There also is electrical and air-conditioning work to be done, he said. Swain said the church will need to raise money for the project. He said the cathedral must do what it can afford and avoid heavy debt.

Church member Tony Bour asked whether the project would conflict with O'Gorman High School's building project by asking the Catholic community for more donations. Swain said some are willing to give to both causes. Historic preservation funds are not available for churches, he said.

Church member Ken Schulte of Renner asked whether the cathedral would be closed during the work. "In the '70s, I remember the church being closed for a while," he said. "The scaffolding was huge."

Swain said some dioceses have closed cathedrals for two years, but he isn't inclined to do so. The church might be closed briefly for safety, and scaffolding will be up for Mass at times.

Sister Donna Brown of Sioux Falls asked whether the sound system would be replaced. "If you can't hear the Word, then people miss the boat," she said. Swain agreed the sound system is a problem. He mentioned new technology that puts a speaker in every pew.

Bour said afterward that the maintenance tasks are needed. "There's a lot of major peeling going on - on the walls, around the windows and up the sides," he said. "It's been many, many, many years since it was painted."

His wife, Lorraine, pointed out water damage on the basement's south wall. "We do need some improvements made," she said. "This is such a gorgeous building. I would hate to see it in disrepair."

Swain said renderings will be created in two to three months. Argus-Leader

Vandals strike cemeteries in Winona diocese with malice over a ten year period. Bishop Harrington hints at satanism!

. Vandalism at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester last month seems more than just a prank and was a hostile act that showed "perhaps even a satanical attitude toward our Catholic religion," said Winona Diocese Bishop Bernard Harrington, who noted a series of destructive acts at Catholic cemeteries in southern Minnesota.

In January, intruders beheaded a statue of the Virgin Mary at Calvary Cemetery and tried to chisel the head off a statue of Jesus. The incident is the most recent in a 10-year string of vandalism at diocesan cemeteries, said Harrington.

In a statement released this month on the Rochester incident, Harrington listed cemeteries where vandals have desecrated statues, headstones and graves. The list includes Calvary Cemetery in Austin (2003 and 2006), St. Columba Cemetery in Iona (2005), St. Aloysius Cemetery in Elba (2002), St. Charles Cemetery in St. Charles (1999) and Holy Trinity Cemetery in Rollingstone (1996).

Damage also was caused by reckless or drunken drivers at cemeteries in Austin (1995, 1999 and 2006), Hammond (2000), Owatonna (2003) and Iona (2005).

Harrington said he's sure police are pursuing all reasonable leads, but "at the same time, I wonder how much a sense of loss and true compassion is present in our local Catholic and church communities."

Statewide, vandalism in recent years appears to be on par with what it's always been, said Ron Gjerde, director of the Minnesota Association of Cemeteries.

The Rochester Franciscan Congregation owns the damaged statues at Calvary Cemetery in Rochester and likely won't decide until spring whether to replace them, said Sister Ramona Miller. Rochester Post-Bulletin

Saturday, February 9, 2008

I bring you tidings of great joy: Can I say Alleluia in Lent? I will anyway! Alleluia! We Have a Nun!

Our very own blogger, the Roamin' Roman, Ms. Veritatis Splendor herself, Mary Gibson, native born cheesehead, UST Grad (just about), stalwart of the Cathedral Young Adults, etc. will be entering the Convent of the Order of Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles (Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus ((where the Blessed Mother probably was assumed into Heaven)) ) in Kansas City, Missouri, on this coming June 11. The Feast Day of St Barnabas, an early convert and aide to St Paul in his conversion work among the gentiles.

Of course this was not to be doubted, but from the photo it is obvious that Mary won't have to worry about color coordinating her outfits in the future as "black and white" seems to be the norm for those Missouri Benedictines, as evidenced by the 75 pounds of garments enshrouding each of them.

That gives us plenty of time to party after Lent, folks.

Other than St Paul-Minneapolis, she couldn't have picked a finer diocese which is under the wonderful shepherding of Bishop Robert Finn, who is a member of Opus Dei.

See Mary's web page, Veritatis Splendor! Go visit there and give her your prayers and God Speeds and best wishes.

A couple or years ago, Mary spent her final year at UST at their Rome campus and took 172 kazillion pictures of every church and shrine within 1,000 miles of the Vatican. Check out her "Roamin' Roman" blog for those pictures and wonderful descriptions that are still posted.

We need a committee to start planning a big send-off. Does anybody know if there is a list of bloggers who became nuns. I know that there are some Nuns who became bloggers, including Sister Edith, a member of the Benedictine Monastery of St Scholastica in Duluth.

God Bless You, Mary. We're going to miss you. And pray for me and the rest of us.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Haven't made a Lentan Resolution Yet? It's Not Too Late!

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The English bishops (what would we do without merrie olde Englande?) of Liverpool and London have declared this year to be a "Carbon-Free Lent."

As the non plus ultra of Lenten self-denial, participants in the Carbon Fast are to remove one prominent light bulb and live without it for 40 excruciating days. On Easter, they will screw in a low-energy bulb, thus saving 60kg of carbon (1). . . .

Instead of fasting for Lent, the bishops are urging their faithful to reduce their carbon footprint a fraction each day. Instead of giving up snacking on chocolates, they are told to avoid using plastic bags. Instead of giving up lolly-gobbling, they are told to unplug their mobile phone charger. Instead of giving up alcohol, they are told to check the house for draughts (2). . . .

Chesterton is reported to have said that those who stop believing in Christianity don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything. This is not an epigram which the readers of spiked, a generally godless publication, are likely to assent to. But it does seem to apply to certain clerics. Having abandoned traditional practices of Christian piety in a desperate search for relevance and fuller pews, the bishops have resorted to touting an activities list which treats the environment with the respect they once paid to God. . . .

Above all, the privations of Lent were supposed to be an imitation of the 40 days Christ spent in the desert fasting before beginning his ministry. Fasting and penance are essential to Christianity because its founder commanded them: ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ It is a strange sales pitch in the Penguin’s godless world, but at least it is a distinctive one - unlike the bishops’ commonsense message of thrift, which appears to have been cribbed from a list of handy household hints by Tesco’s public relations department.

However, one of the bishops’ suggestions is more demanding than anything the Penguin would ever have recommended to us. On the thirty-ninth day of Lent, Good Friday, the day when Christendom contemplates the betrayal, the scourging, the crucifixion and agonising death of Christ, they want their flock to talk to church leaders about making their churches greener.

Only a saint could possibly do that. Give me a hairshirt any day. Spiked

The Generally atheist writers for Spiked seem to have a much better idea of what Lent is about than do some English bishops.

The full list of pledges for the carbon fast:

Day one
(Ash Wednesday.) Remove one light bulb and live without it for the next 40 days.

Day two
Check your house for draughts with a ribbon or feather. If it flutters, buy a draught excluder.

Day three
Tread lightly – whether that's by foot, by bike, on to a bus or on the gas as you drive. Find a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions when you travel today.

Day four
Are you recycling everything possible? Really – everything? Look into it today.

Day five
Can you talk about your Carbon Fast at church today? Encourage others to join in.

Day six
Turn your central heating thermostat down by one degree.

Day seven
Say au revoir to standby. Check that all electrical equipment is switched off when not in use. The TV alone will save a hefty 20kg of carbon dioxide per year.

Day eight
Unplug your mobile phone charger: it uses electricity even when it's not charging.

Day nine
Climate change isn't a distant threat – it's affecting poor communities now. Pray for Tearfund's work to help vulnerable communities adapt to the changing weather.

Day 10
Give your dishwasher a day off or promote it to a Grade A energy efficient appliance.

Day 11
Use local shops or farmers' markets (farmersmarkets.net) instead of driving to out-of-town shopping parks. They will thank you; supermarkets won't notice your absence.

Day 12
Tell politicians to take action on climate change today. Check out Tearfund's campaign work at tearfund.org/climate.

Day 13
Put the heat on your electricity or gas suppliers and ask them if they have a green plan. Make the switch and feel cosy.

Day 14
Take a shower instead of a bath: you'll heat less water.

Day 15
Snub plastic bags. Get into the habit of taking your rucksack to the supermarket or go retro with a trolley. Ask your supermarket to remove unnecessary packaging.

Day 16
Switch off lights as you leave the room.

Day 17
Only fill your kettle with as much water as you need.

Day 18
Cut the air miles. Don't consume any food that you know has been imported by plane (apart from Fairtrade products).

Day 19
Grace Maglasey and her husband Andrew struggle to grow enough food because their village in Malawi is caught in a cycle of floods and droughts. Join in with Grace's prayer today: "We pray that those of us who farm should harvest a lot of food so that this year we will not have hunger. In the name of Jesus, Amen."

Day 20
Compost. Put the nutrients from food waste back into the soil – not into a methane-emitting landfill.

Day 21
Only run your washing machine when you have a full load.

Day 22
Find one way to save paper today: re-use an old envelope or print double-sided.

Day 23
Turn the taps off. In one day a hot, dripping tap could fill a bath.

Day 24
Counsel your local council. Thank them for their recycling facilities but ask them if they could provide any more.

Day 25
Who works hardest in the house? Mum? Dad? No, the fridge. It's churning away 24/7. Treat it to a good de-icing to make sure it's running efficiently.

Day 26
"Love does no harm to its neighbour" Romans 13:10. But while our lifestyles consume more and more energy, our poorer neighbours are suffering. Reflect on ways to love our neighbours in our increasingly connected world.

Day 27
Pressure a car owner to check their tyre pressures. Low tyre pressure means high fuel consumption.

Day 28
Do a home energy check at energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0800 512 012 for a paper copy. You could save up to £250 a year on bills.

Day 29
Run your washing machine at 30 degrees. This uses 40% less electricity than running at 40 degrees.

Day 30
Find out a new fact about the impact of climate change today. Amaze your friends.

Day 31
Fit aluminium foil behind your radiator – allowing you to turn the radiator down and save £10 a year per radiator.

Day 32
Any old iron? If they're on their last legs replace old electrical appliances with energy-efficient models. They could save a third of the energy.

Day 33
Have an embrace-the-silence Sunday. Turn off everything. No TV, no radio, no ringtones, no cars. It'll be good for the soul.

Day 34
Tell the Mailing Preference Service that you want to stop junk mail. Call 0845 7034599 or visit mpsonline.org.uk. Sign up to Tearfund's e-newsletter Twelve at tearfund.org/twelve

Day 35
Put an insulation jacket on your hot-water tank. If everyone does, we'll cut enough carbon dioxide to fill 148,000 hot-air balloons.

Day 36
Re-use an item you would have thrown away – such as a jam jar, an envelope or an ice-cream container.

Day 37
Put a lid on it. That's pans when cooking; and use a kettle to boil water.

Day 38
Draw the curtains to keep the heat in.

Day 39
Could your church be greener? Talk to your church leaders. Tearfund can help – visit the site.

Day 40
Replace your missing bulb with an energy-saving lightbulb. Over its lifetime, you will save 60kg of carbon dioxide per year and up to £60. Make a personal pledge to serve others by pursuing a more sustainable way of life. The Guardian

Archbishop of Canterbury Proposes Dividing Great Britain in Two, Giving Muslims Their Own Laws

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The Archbishop of Canterbury drew criticism from across the political spectrum last night after he backed the introduction of sharia law in Britain and argued that adopting some aspects of it seemed "unavoidable". Rowan Williams, the most senior figure in the Church of England, said that giving Islamic law official status in the UK would help to achieve social cohesion because some Muslims did not relate to the British legal system. The Guardian

My, yes, social cohesion in "England's Green and Pleasant Land."

England used to have the death penalty for poachers, trespassing on royal property and hundreds of other offenses and wisely effectively dropped all capital punishments in 1965. I wonder what it will be like when muslim sharia magistrates will be chopping off the heads and hands of criminals and Muslim radtrads will be advocating the number of permitted wives to be increased from 4 to 40 based on their reading of the Koran. And of course, the divorce courts will be devoid of lawyers who will all have to retrain as accountants to figure out how to create interest free loans.

What will it be like when the long desired Muslim Caliphate, an institution that will again govern all Muslim religious, civil law and secular activities, is resurrected?

While I do acknowledge that Jesus created one Church and wants everybody to be fully in that one Roman Catholic Church, I regularly wonder about those who press obsessively for ecumenical unions.

Some church leadership just aren't at all interested in union. The Russian Orthodox church barely allows Catholic churches to operate in Russia. The Greek Orthodox aren't much better in Greece and still complain about the the sacking of Constantinople. But they never seem to complain about the subsequent capture of Constantinople, now Istanbul, by the Muslim Turks. Some of the tiny Orthodox Churches do seem to be interested

The Catholic Church as desired by protestants would be unrecognizable.

The Church of England led the charge towards allowing contraception at the 1930 Lambeth Conference, one of their versions of regular Church wide councils. That, divorce and remarriage soon followed in virtually all protestant churches and abortion is also permitted or ignored these days. The number of sacraments has dropped from seven down to two in most of them.

It seems to me that virtually all churches most likely to be targets of an ecumenical movement are abandoning the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church as fast as they can. Only a few of their no doubt powerless prelates remain with nothing else to do but attend meetings and write about how wonderful union would be.

From my limited knowledge, I sense that while many churches talk about union, we Catholics are the only Church that has made any movements towards it. We have added Protestant prayers to the Mass ("For thine is the kingdom. . . ."), We've retranslated the perfectly fine Douay-Rheims bible based on the work of St Jerome and the words of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into a simplistic brain-dead translation that consciously mis-translates words to make them easy to understand and avoid conflict. "Hail favored one!" The Pope has just changed a Good Friday prayer to avoid offending Jewish radical Abraham Foxman who is still offended. No surprise there.

We look to be nothing but a bunch of appeasers who just think they possess the fullness of Jesus' teaching and instructions. The protestants are waiting. They are confident that someday we will come over to their beliefs.

And now the Archbishop of Canterbury, of all people, wants to abandon the Magna Carta and the other wonderful documents that created the greatness that has been England.