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Monthly Archives: September 2009
A Different Direction, And Your Indulgence
A favor to ask of my readers, but first, some background … Much to my pleasant surprise, my new parish, when I arrived last summer, was involved with the Catherine of Siena Institute, and their effort to assist parishes and … Continue reading
Posted in spirituality
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Land of Rest
My wife has been avidly following the new Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Have you been watching? I keep hearing one of my favorite hymn tunes, Land of Rest, in various arrangements. The producers explain discernment … Continue reading
Posted in Music
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Apollo 11’s TV Camera
Amazing. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged Buzz and Neil’s camera (among other stuff) at the Apollo 11 landing site. See the thin gray line out to Little West crater marked by the vertical arrow? Neil made a dash out … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy
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Fact-Fudging From The Vatican
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi didn’t exactly lie, but he did pad his statistics in an attempt to blame homosexuals for the abuse of minors. Naturally the new media, in this case LifeSiteNews, is curiously incurious. A “secularist group” is putting on … Continue reading
Posted in Church News
10 Comments
Archbishop Chaput Was Right
Every so often, I lurk and occasionally post on left wing blogs, just for the perspective. Regarding the commentariat discussing abortion protesters as terrorists, see for yourself if Archbishop Chaput hasn’t nailed the qualities of liberal and conservative critics in … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, The Blogosphere
7 Comments
Archangel Raphael
A few years ago, I began a litany to Archangel Raphael, whose feast is today, and shared by Michael and Gabriel. I was trying to pull out themes from the book of Tobit, in which he figures prominently. Raphael, messenger … Continue reading
Posted in Scripture, spirituality
9 Comments
USCCB Asked To Fund Religious Visitation
Amid the constant calls from the Catholic Right to disband the USCCB, I wonder how this funding request from Rome will fly in those circles. I expect most bishops will be good soldiers and pass the request on to the … Continue reading
Posted in Church News
4 Comments
Kids In The Liturgical Crosshairs
In twenty-plus years as a parish liturgist, I’ve shepherded young people through any number of special events. Often, a family requests a teen or even a child sing at a wedding or funeral. That’s usually a challenging situation. A friend … Continue reading
Posted in Liturgy, Ministry
6 Comments
The Hermeneutic of Subtraction
Meredith enjoyed the expression “Hermeneutic of Subtraction.” I don’t know if it’s original with me, but I do observe it quite a bit. To be fair, it’s not just a characteristic of conservatives, but of many aspects of our society. … Continue reading
Posted in Hermeneutic of Subtraction
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First Day of School Pix
My wife is big into family traditions, especially inventing, building, and maintaining them. When I retrieved the church pic from this morning, I found the First Day of School image my wife took on my cell phone last month. Compare … Continue reading
Posted in My Family
4 Comments
The Armchair Liturgist: Handling Overflow
I can’t say I’ve been a fan of handling overflow crowds at Mass by stuffing them into the vestibule, or setting up a tv in the parish hall. That said, we have a decent situation at my new parish. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Parish Life, The Armchair Liturgist
5 Comments
Control and Circumspection in the Age of Blog
An interesting discussion on the wisdom of Rep. Baron Hill getting slightly testy on his no-record request at a meeting with constituents. Naturally, someone recorded his insistence, despite boos, of a “my meeting” stance. Oopsie. Now, according to the hopeful … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
4 Comments
RCIA 160-163: Creed, Prayer, Dismissal, Eucharist
Let’s put together the rest of the Presentation of the Creed. The elect are called forward after the homily–remember: only the unbaptized, okay? The celebrant instructs in “these or similar words.” My dear friends, listen carefully to the words of … Continue reading
Posted in post-conciliar liturgy documents, RCIA, Rites
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NFL 2009
Dale asked about my NFL prognostication for the upcoming season in progress. I’m not really excited about football this fall. I think the 49ers are for real but the Jets aren’t. I have doubts on the Cowboys and Patriots and … Continue reading
Posted in Sports
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Catholic Sensibility 