Quiz Question

 

What would Mass be like if the Last Supper had been held at Panera Bread? Discuss.

Eucharistic Adoration

 


There will be Eucharistic Adoration held at St. Joseph's tomorrow.

"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering."

Pope Benedict XVI on Eucharistic Adoration
- from his meeting with members of the Roman clergy
March 2, 2006

Feast of St. Saturninus

 

St. Saturninus was the Bishop Toulouse and martyr, circa 276 A.D. As he was passing a pagan temple, the "priests" of the cult grabbed him and told him he had to sacrifice a bull to their god before he would be released. Saturninus said, "I adore one only God, and to him I am ready to offer a sacrifice of praise. Your gods are devils, and are more delighted with the sacrifice of your souls than with those of your bullocks. How can I fear them who, as you acknowledge, tremble before a Christian?"

So they tied him to a wild bull, which dragged Saturninus through the streets.

This in NOT a photo.

300!

 


I started this blog November 10, 2006. This post is the 300th on this site! That's 300 posts in 381 days...

Have you learned anything yet?

Ready...Aim...

 

Pope Benedict XVI elevated 23 clerics to the position of Cardinal yesterday. Normally he meets with new Cardinals in his apartment and hands them their zuchetta, and later places the biretta on their heads at a service in St. Peter's Basilica.

In a break from tradition, Pope Benedict decided to have some fun and THROW the zuchetta at the new Cardinals from the balcony in St. Peter's Square.

Nashville Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia - ROCK STARS!

 


Well, that what the Washington Post calls them. The good sisters are opening a new, $60 million high school in northern Virginia. I love the name - Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School.

Learn more about these fantastic women here.

It's TIme for CLERICUS CUP 2008!

Here's last year's winners, Redemptoris Mater.

Riot at the Cathedral

 

I hope you weren't planning on attending Mass at the cathedral in Mexico City...because you can't.

It seems that Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the Presidential election back in 2006, doesn't believe he really lost and is calling himself the "legitimate president" of Mexico. He's kind of like a Spanish-speaking Al Gore.

Anyway, Mr. Obrador was giving a speech in the plaza outside the cathedral when the church's bells began to ring, drowning him out. His supporters took offense and ran inside the cathedral during last Sunday's mass, chanting and turning over pews.

A spokesman for the diocese has said masses will not resume until local and federal police can guarantee security.

Read about it here.

Feast of St. Cecilia, Patron Saint of Musicians

Heaven Considered

 

We have talked about whether animals get into heaven. I say no; some of you were disappointed with my explanation. So I have a question for YOU:

If animals DO get into heaven, do birds get an extra set of wings?

Be ready to explain your answer.

Feast of the Presentation of Mary

 


The story goes that Mary's parents (Anna and Joachim) "presented" the three year old Mary at the temple to be educated, carrying out a promise to God they made when they thought that they would remain childless. The only mention of this is in some "apocryphal" writings - that is, holy books (not the Bible).

Whether it happened or not is secondary to the emphasis it places on Mary's holiness from her conception.

The painting is by Vellio Tiziano (1539).

The Pope and Father Fed

Pope Benedict XVI agrees with Father Fed's sermon of yesterday. Or is it the other way around?

Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

 

They're partying down at the Vatican in celebration of the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, patron saint of bakers!

St. Albert the Great and me

Today is the feast day of St. Albert the Great, patron saint of scientists. St. Albert and I have something in common - the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg. We both went to Mass there, although he was there 700 years before me. But hey, it's something!

Feast of Peter O'Toole

 

Peter O'Toole is an Irish actor who has been nominated for EIGHT Academy Awards, but never won. Not even for "Lawrence of Arabia", for cryin' out loud! Nor for "Becket", nor "Lion in Winter"! It's ridiculous, but he patiently and graciously continues to make movies.

Wait a second - he's still alive! How'd he get a Feast Day?

Oops. It's St. Lawrence O'Toole. But he was Irish too, and his first name is Lawrence just like in the title of the movie Peter DIDN'T get an Oscar for.

Feast of Leo the Great, Doctor of the Church

 

St. Leo was Pope from 440 AD until 461 AD. Attila the Hun and his Mongol horde surrounded Rome when Leo was Pope. The smooth talking Leo met Attila at the gate and convinced him to go away.

The painting is on the ceiling of the Vatican, and was painted by Raphael (not the archangel, the painter). For a better look, just click on the picture.

Organ Hero

 

From Curt Jester:

"Were you once a gamer or just always wanted to give it a try, but you thought that your reflexes were just not up to it? You have seen cool music related games that while they look like fun - just aren't your style?

Have you ever wanted to pretend to be a church organist and just never had the time or musical ability to pursue this skill? That it would be so cool to put your fingers to the keyboard and produce awesome church filling organ music?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions than the company behind Grand Theft Theology and other fine games has the game made just for you.

Organ Hero I is the ultimate in rhythm video games where you are not limited to just a few frets like in other games but row after row of keyboards.

During game play a scrolling flow of colored notes appear one by one along with the music. After you see the note quickly press the proper note on the keyboard that is related to the color code.

Sure this game is much more challenging than others in this genre, but you are an adult now ready for a real challenge. After just a few short months or years you will be ready to play the game beyond just the beginners level."

"God Bless You, Child...

 

...andd I pray that some day your parents can afford a hat so you don't have to wear pants on your head."

Basilica of St. John Lateran - Quiz Question

 

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral Church of Rome. It is the oldest of the four major Basilicas of Rome and is the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome. The seat itself is called the Cathedra Romana.

Your quiz question - who is the Bishop of Rome?

Guy Fawkes Day!

 


Guy Fawkes was a Catholic who, tired of being pushed around by King James I, decided to take matters into his own hands. He intended to do this by blowing up the British Parliament and the King with it.

He failed, was hung, and beheaded.

From Wikipedia:

The practice of referring to people as "guy" or "guys" began shortly after Fawkes was made famous by the Gunpowder Plot.In 18th-century England, the term was originally used to refer to an effigy of Fawkes, which would be paraded around town by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy. It is traditional for children to go door-to-door with their creation asking for a small donation using the term "Penny For The Guy".In recent years this has attracted controversy as some regard it as nothing more than begging. Whilst it was traditional for children to spend the money raised on fireworks, this is now illegal, as persons under 18 cannot buy fireworks or even be in possession of them in a public place.

And this is interesting, too (from Rick Brookhiser, via NRO):
"November 5 was celebrated in New England as Pope Day (that is, Anti-Pope Day). The neighborhoods of Boston would make images of the Pope, the Jacobite Pretender, and Guy Fawkes, and burn them; there were also fun-filled brawls in which one neighborhood's gang would try to steal the images of another.
Washington banned these festivities in his General Orders, November 5, 1775 (see the George Washington Papers website at the Library of Congress to read the original). He calls it "a ridiculous and childish custom," especially at a time when we are "solliciting, and have readily obtain'd, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada." We were hoping to drive the British out of Canada; our effort would fail before the walls of Quebec on New Year's Eve.

That was realpolitik; more interesting, and admirable, was the decision of Washington, and many other founders, to attend mass during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. George Mason didn't like the ringing of the bell, which he compared to the signal for raising the curtain at a puppet show. But he, and the others, went to show that these were good Americans too."

All Saints' Day