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Monthly Archives: July 2017
Aparecida 104-105: The Good News of Human Dignity
“Good news” abounds in the next several sections of the Aparecida document. Remember to catch an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference if you want the whole piece. Meanwhile, let’s look at a basic principle, human … Continue reading
Aparecida 101-103: Missionary Discipleship
Part Two of the Aparecida Document is titled, “The Life of Jesus Christ In Missionary Disciples.” Numbered sections 101 through 346: the largest “Part” of the document is before us. For the next 28 numbered sections, we’ll examine “The Joy … Continue reading
VNO 5: For a Council or a Synod
The fifth listed Mass For Various Needs And Occasions is “For a Council or a Synod.” Every now and the Church convenes a synod. It may be a collaboration of bishops, as described and legislated here. It may occur within a diocese, … Continue reading
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Aparecida 100h: Catholics Who Stray And Those Who Lead Them
It’s a reality: not everybody raised in the Church stays in the Church. That may convict the strays, but leaders do not escape scrutiny: h) We recognize that some Catholics have occasionally strayed from the Gospel, which requires a way … Continue reading
Of Sharks And Spectacle
I noticed that the Discovery Channel doubles down on its Michael Phelps vs Great White Shark race. All the promotion, interviews and the program itself made clear that the challenge wasn’t a side-by-side race. In Phelps vs. Shark, we enlisted … Continue reading
Posted in Science, television
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Aparecida 100fg: Losses Within Catholicism
Our experience with nones is not exclusively a North American lament: f) In recent decades we are concerned to see that on the one hand, many people are losing the transcendent sense of their lives and are giving up religious … Continue reading
Of Personal Liturgical Calendars
My wife and I have always observed an augmented liturgical calendar. We make a point of attending Mass together whenever possible on our sacramental anniversaries: our wedding, her reception into full communion, my baptism. We also observe our name saints–mine … Continue reading
Posted in spirituality
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On Social Media
I was slow to tackle blogging. The same is true for other presently popular social media. I began on facebook in 2008 when the pastor who hired me at the student center informed me I “had” to have a fb … Continue reading
Posted in technology, The Blogosphere
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Aparecida 100e: Vocations
Let’s separate this fifth concern for its own post: e) The insufficient number of priests and their inequitable distribution mean that many communities cannot participate regularly in the celebration of the Eucharist. Recalling that the Eucharist makes the church, we … Continue reading
Awaken, Transform, But Not Nurse
A facebook friend linked Marina McCoy’s post on “negative emotions.” Her first one has long been a bother for me. I remember many years ago a colleague unjustly (I thought) forced into early retirement. The ugly matter surfaced at a … Continue reading
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VNO 4: For the Election of a Pope or Bishop
This morsel from 1 Samuel 2:35 gives this Mass its entrance antiphon: I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart and mind; I will establish a lasting house for him and he shall walk before … Continue reading
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Aparecida 100cd: Shadows in Evangelization, Catechesis, Pastoral Ministry
Evangelization problems run through these two sections. The Latin American bishops could well be speaking to us in North America. Or Europe. Or maybe just about anywhere in Catholicism. We have yet to grasp we’ve moved into a new era … Continue reading
VNO 3: For The Bishop
Another “top four” VNO Mass is “For The Bishop.” The rubric at the top of the page reads as follows, very similar to VNO #2: This Mass is said on the anniversary of the Ordination of the Bishop wherever special celebrations … Continue reading
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Aparecida 100ab: Shadows In Demographics and Ecclesial Health
Section 100 outlines “Shadows,” and they mention eight, in contrast to the seven of Aparecida #99. Let’s start with basic demographics, starting with the observation that 3 out of 7 Catholics in the world are Latin American: a) Latin America … Continue reading
Catholic Sensibility 
The Long Game
When word came out of a liturgical institute in San Francisco, I noticed the same Samuel Weber, OSB attached to it. I don’t know the man, but name-recognition is there: his work arranging plainchant accompaniments for the Hymnal For The … Continue reading →