Non Tasarmi, Fratello!

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!” Hillaire Belloc

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Bill Murray - Theological Ghostbuster

From Catholic Vote:

 As if Bill Murray fans needed another reason to love Bill Murray, the actor muses candidly about missing the Latin Mass, saints, and the power of sacred music during an interview with The Guardian.  Murray’s unselfconscious candor in interviews is a great example of his unique appeal.  He charges straight into conversational minefields like religion and politics in the same bafflingly graceful way he navigates celebrity.

 From the interview:

 His parents were Irish Catholics; one of his sisters is a nun. This conspicuous religion adds to his broad church appeal. You don’t need to ask if his faith is important to him. He talks about how 19th-century candidates risk not getting canonized because the church is keen to push ahead with the likes of John Paul II and Mother Teresa. “I think they’re just trying to get current and hot,” he smiles.  One new saint he does approve of is Pope John XXIII (who died in 1963). “I’ll buy that one, he’s my guy; an extraordinary joyous Florentine who changed the order. I’m not sure all those changes were right. I tend to disagree with what they call the new mass. I think we lost something by losing the Latin. Now if you go to a Catholic mass even just in Harlem it can be in Spanish, it can be in Ethiopian, it can be in any number of languages. The shape of it, the pictures, are the same but the words aren’t the same.”

And to top it all off, his sister is a Sister!

Nancy Murray, OP is a Catholic nun, a member of the Adrian Dominicans.  Like her more famous brother, Sister Nancy finds beauty in the Catholic Church–and like her brother, she is comfortable on the stage.

Sister Nancy Murray is making her mark on audiences across the country and throughout the world, bringing to life the Dominican saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church.  With simple props and a fertile imagination, Sister Nancy portrays Catherine as the colorful, strong, passionate and enthusiastic personality that she was. Thanks to Sister Nancy’s gift of transforming herself into this 14th century saint and patroness of the Dominican Order, numerous churches, schools and organizations have become acquainted with Catherine’s fierce devotion to and love for God.

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Eastbound and Down

Father Z reports:

His Excellency Most Reverend James Conley has determined that Holy Mass in the Cathedral of Lincoln will be ad orientem (Latin for "to the east").

Bishop Conley


" Since ancient times, Christians have faced the east during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to remember to keep watch for Christ. Together, the priest and the people faced the east, waiting and watching for Christ. Even in Churches that did not face the east, the priest and people stood together in the Mass, gazing at Christ on the crucifix, on the altar, and in the tabernacle, to recall the importance of watching for his return. The symbolism of the priest and people facing ad orientem—to the east—is an ancient reminder of the coming of Christ.

 During the Sundays of Advent, the priests in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ will celebrate the Mass ad orientem. With the People of God, the priest will stand facing the altar, and facing the crucifix. When I celebrate midnight Mass on Christmas, I will celebrate ad orientem as well. This may take place in other parishes across the Diocese of Lincoln as well."

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

The Gay Army Mobilizes!

Be forewarned!

General Gadabout plans to go after ISIS after he's done with the bishops
 A leading gay-rights group is targeting several Catholic bishops, hoping to influence the results of the 2015 Synod of Bishops, the National Catholic Register reports.
The Human Rights Campaign has prepared a pamphlet encouraging activists to plan public events and distribute literature in order to put pressure on eight bishops, identified by the organization as the prelates “most outspoken in their rejection of LGBT Catholics, their civil rights and their rightful place in the Church.”
The pamphlet—which contains several factual errors, and claims that Pope Francis will announce “new doctrine” after the October 2015 meeting of the Synod-- urges gay activists to make “the voice of the people” heard, demanding support for homosexual Catholics.

Go ahead - see if you can guess....

Here's a hint. No current or former Bishop of Belleville is mentioned.


The bishops targeted by the Human Rights Campaign are: 

The Holy Goalie, Bishop Paprocki, dons protective head gear.
 
The bishops targeted by the Human Rights Campaign are:
  1. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who will host the World Meeting of Families in September 2015;
  2. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who chairs the US bishops’ committee on marriage;
  3. Cardinal Francis George, the recently retired Archbishop of Chicago;
  4. Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the president of the US bishops’ conference;
  5. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, who chairs the bishops’ committee on religious freedom;
  6. Archbishop John Nienstadt of St. Paul-Minneapolis;
  7. Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois; and
  8. Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati.

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Monday, November 24, 2014

The Trouble With Jesuits, Part 23


 From the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE):

Marquette University, a Jesuit institution, is in hot water with both Catholic conservatives and free speech advocates for a philosophy instructor’s alleged discrimination against a student for privately disagreeing with gay marriage.

 Philosophy instructor Cheryl Abbate’s “Theory of Ethics” class took an awkward turn a few weeks ago when Abbate, a graduate student at Marquette, declared to the class that “everyone agrees on” gay marriage, so “there is no need to discuss it,” unlike other modern issues such as immigration, civil rights and the death penalty, the anonymous student told The Fix in a phone interview.
 
The student said he raised the issue with Abbate after class and questioned her apparent dismissal of one set of views, which could make some students feel like they cannot share their opinion.
The student said he told Abbate he disagrees with gay marriage. Abbate suggested that gay students could be offended if he shared his view, and told him that he did not have the right to make “homophobic comments or racist comments” in class.

 The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education said the academics’ alleged behavior toward the student not only violates Marquette’s stated commitment to free expression in its student handbook, but their “hostility towards Catholic viewpoints is just bizarre.”

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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

A Short Article That Raises More Questions Than it Answers

From Catholic Culture:



The body of Father John Ssenyondo, a Ugandan missionary priest who served in the southwestern Mexican state of Guerrero, has been found in a mass grave.
On April 30, Father Ssenyondo was allegedly abducted by armed men after refusing to baptize a girl who was suspected of being the daughter of a local gangster,” the Reuters news agency reported. 

Why in the world is an African priest doing missionary work in Mexico? And why not baptize the baby? I mean, I can see  vetoing a godparent, but the baby didn't do anything wrong.

Weird.

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Just One More Reason Our Religion is Cooler Than Yours

 Oh, those wacky Benedictines!

From Statesman Journal:

Six years ago, Mount Angel Abbey's serene hilltop campus shook, as leather-clad Bobby Love rolled in on his motorcycle. Love removed his helmet revealing pierced ears and a mop of dreadlocks. With tattoos on his hands, arms and neck, he looked like an extra on "Sons of Anarchy" not a someone attending a retreat for those who might become Catholic monks....



Six years later, Love's lean frame sports a black tunic and scapular. His brown hair is trimmed close to the scalp. As he stands in his choir stall praying Noon Prayer with nearly 50 monks, John Lennon glasses and a 3-inch goatee distinguish him from the others. So do his tattoos.
Above the neckline of his black hood, his neck tattoos remain. His hands are marked with a spiderweb, women's faces, an alpha and omega, and "HOLD FAST" on his knuckles. A red heart marks his palm. His name is Love after all.
His first name is no longer Bobby. He's "Brother Andre," named after an uneducated man who wanted to join the highly-educated Order of the Holy Cross. They didn't know what to do with him so they made him the church's doorman. Andre prayed with visitors. His prayers were answered, and he's remembered now as a saint.

 In 2010, Mount Angel's monastic leadership made Love assistant to the curator of the abbey's museum.


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Monday, November 17, 2014

The Panera Bread Company Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, November 17





Born in 1207, married in 1221 at the age of 14, widowed at 20 years old, and dead in 2031, age 24. In between she built a hospital where she tended the sick, gave away state treasures to the poor, took a vow of celibacy,  was chased out of town by her brother-in-law, and received a letter of blessing from St. Francis of Assisi.

Did I mention her husband died on the way to fight in the 6th Crusade?

Her patronages are : hospitals, nurses, bakers, brides, countesses, dying children, exiles, homeless people, lace-makers, widows and the Third Order of St. Francis.

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It's Worse Than I Thought

The newspapers are full of the "conflict" between Cardinal Burke and Pope Francis. Originally, Cardinal Burke was reported to have been "demoted " from "Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostalic Signatura" to patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta." But Eye of the Tiber reports it's even worse than I thought:

Akron, OH–Pope Francis has reportedly planned to remove Cardinal Raymond Burke from head of the Apostolic Signatura, demoting him to the largely ceremonial role as Head Chaplain for the Akron RubberDucks minor league baseball team.
Although his removal from the Roman Curia (the body of Vatican-based Cardinals who are close advisers to the Pope,) appears to be a slight to many conservative Catholics, some Akron-based Catholic  RubberDucks fans believe Burke’s new role as chaplain and adviser to the minor league team will help revitalize the beloved Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
President of the Akron RubberDucks Jacob Wallace told EOTT this morning that the team has been playing liberally in the past few years, and that it was time for a change. “We need to begin playing a lot more conservative…the way we used to play when were winning,” Wallace said. “We believe that his spiritual impact on the team will help us reduce errors. I have personally spoken to Cardinal Burke and he has assured me that there will no longer be anymore stealing bases. Anyone caught stealing will be removed from the team immediately. If we’re going to win, we’re going to win with integrity.”
Burke, who is not only a liturgical conservative, but also a baseball conservative, is also expected to change the RubberDucks jersey back to the old-fashioned retro jerseys the team wore when it was founded in 1997.

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Islamic Outreach, Part LIV

From an earlier post on this blog:

Pope Francis spoke to the diplomatic corps and amongst other things, said, "Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam."


Meanwhile..... 
 
Muslims made an official declaration that they will invade the Vatican. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, made the statement, saying:
So take up arms, take up arms, O soldiers of the Islamic State! And fight, fight… So raise your ambitions, O soldiers of the Islamic State! For your brothers all over the world are waiting for your rescue, and are anticipating your brigades. …The time has come for you to free yourself from the shackles of weakness, and stand in the face of tyranny, against the treacherous rulers – the agents of the crusaders and the atheists, and the guards of the Jews … Rush O Muslims to your state. Yes, it is your state. Rush, because Syria is not for the Syrians, and Iraq is not for the Iraqis. The earth is Allah’s… This is my advice to you. If you hold to it, you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills"
OOOOOO! I AM SO SCARED! We will be all right....





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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Hispanic Ministry in Catholic Parishes

 Interesting study from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry....



How Integrated Would You Say The Following Hispanic/Latino(a) Subgroups Are to the Larger Life of the Parish (e.g. Leadership Collaboration with Non-Hispanic/Latino(a) Groups, Participating in Common Social Projects, Liturgical Life)?

                                                                               Visibly, Not
                                                                 Fully             Fully                Minimally  Not at All


Hispanic Immigrants                                9%              37%                      34%             20%

Children of Immigrants                            6%               30%                     39%             25%

Born and raised in US under age 18         6%              28%                      41%             25%  

Born and Raised in US over age 18          9%              33%                      35%             23%

I recently attended a seminar to learn the "Rite of Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest". There were 54 people in attendance - no Hispanics that I could tell.


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Thursday, November 06, 2014

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy....GUST!


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