Post #71

Topics: The Pope's Worst Enemies: Are Catholics.... Museum Finds Relics of 39 Saints: German Portable Altar Opened For The First Time....The Baltimore Catechism: On The Holy Eucharist....Thomas A'Kempis: For the Greater Glory of God and the Honor of The Blessed Virgin Mary....SSPX and German Bishops Exchange Blows: Cathcon.blogspot....Old St. Patrick Oratory,KC, MO.: We Truly Have a Beautiful Church....St. Anthony, Wichita: We Also Have a Beautiful Church! Come Visit!

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The Pope's Worst Enemies Are Catholics

By Damian Thompson

Courtesy: Telegraph.co.uk http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2009/03/20/the_popes_worst_enemies_are_catholics

It's payback time for Pope Benedict XVI's most dedicated enemies, who are not militant secularists, hate-crazed Muslims, diehard Protestants or the liberal media. The people who most dislike the Pope are Catholics, or people who have the nerve to describe themselves as such.

We learned this morning that "Vatican insiders" consider Benedict XVI "a disaster". It's true. They do think that. He's a disaster for them, and their determination to turn the Catholic Church into a touchy-feely forum in which uncomfortable teachings and traditions are "modernised" to impress non-Catholics. Until the Williamson affair, the media weren't sufficiently interested in attacking Benedict XVI to be useful. But now, after that own goal... YES!!!

Take the furore over condoms. I don't think the Pope should have strayed into the topic of condoms and Aids, but what he said didn't represent a hardening of the Church's line on this subject. Post-Williamson, however, the liberal media have slipped back into anti-papal default mode, which suits certain "Catholics" just fine. Consider this piece by a creep called Robert S McElvaine, Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. "Impeach the Pope," he screeched in the Washington Post Online.

The Church's opposition to birth control is largely an outgrowth of its all-male composition and those males' attempts to degrade women's physical powers by asserting that women and the intercourse into which they supposedly tempt men are necessary evils ("It is well for a man not to touch a woman," Paul instructed the Christians of Corinth), the only purpose of which is procreation ... Let's start a movement within the Catholic Church to impeach Pope Benedict XVI and remove him from office. While we're at it, let's replace him with a woman.

Rant, rant, rant. But this is the most preposterous bit: "I am a Catholic and the idea that such a man is God's spokesperson [yes, 'spokesperson'] on earth is absurd to me." Actually, Professor, if you're a Catholic you should know that Benedict can be God's spokesman and hold views unaccaptable to the religion page of the Washington Post... but there's no point in arguing.

The point is that Benedict's most relentless critics, the ones who are determined to extract every last ounce of rhetorical advantage from his predicament, are liberal Catholics. These days, for example, I can hardly bear to visit Andrew Sullivan's brilliant website because he has constructed a caricature of a gay-bashing fundamentalist Pope that collapses as soon as you read what Joseph Ratzinger has actually written. And as for the Tablet crowd, they will be just quivering with Schadenfreude right now.

All of which makes it even more urgent that the Vatican press office is completely reconstructed. In allowing a question about condoms to be asked aboard the papal plane, Fr Lombardi screwed up spectacularly. He should go. The Pope needs a far more subtle and ingenious media spokesman - if only to protect him from his fellow Catholics.

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British Museum finds Relics of 39 Saints After 100 Years

Discovery made by curator when 12th-century German portable

altar was opened for the first time...

By Maev Kennedy

The Guardian, Tuesday 24 March 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/mar/24/british-museum-relics-discovery

The new medieval gallery at the British Museum is full of beautiful images of saints in ivory, stone, gold and wood - but invisible to visitors, it also holds the bones of 39 real saints, whose discovery came as a shock to their curator.

The relics, packed in tiny bundles of cloth including one scrap of fabric over 1,000 years old, were found when a 12th-century German portable altar was opened for the first time since it came into the British Museum collection in 1902.

It was in for a condition check and cleaning, before going on display in the gallery that opens tomorrow - but to the amazement of James Robinson, curator of medieval antiquities, when it was opened a linen cloth was revealed, and inside it dozens of tiny bundles of cloth, each neatly labelled on little pieces of vellum.

The most precious was the relic of St Benedict, an Italian who in the early 6th century was credited as the father of the western monastic tradition, founding monasteries and establishing guiding principles still followed at many monasteries. The relic was wrapped in cloth that was itself an extraordinary object, a piece of silk from 8th or 9th century Byzantium.
Each Roman Catholic altar-stone is supposed to contain at least one relic of a saint, usually in the form of minute flakes of bone. There was a clue on the back of the museum's altar in a list of names beginning slightly implausibly with John the Baptist, and including saints James, John and Mary Magdalene.

There are many reliquaries in the gallery, in the form of crosses, pendants and rings, including one owned by a saint, the Georgian queen Kethevan who was executed by Shah Abbas in 1624 for refusing to convert to Islam. Almost all have long since lost their contents in the centuries of religious and political upheaval which scattered them from palaces and monasteries and eventually brought them to the British Museum. A relic of bone fragments was discovered almost 30 years ago in a spectacular lifesize head of St Eustace, but the relic was sent back to Basle cathedral in Switzerland which was forced to sell the golden reliquary in 1830.

The newly discovered saints will remain in Bloomsbury. Robinson said they were cared for and rearranged into the 19th century, the date of the most recent piece of fabric, but at some point one was lost as there are 40 engraved names but only 39 saintly bundles.

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The Baltimore Catechism

Lesson Twenty-Second: On The Holy Eucharist

238. Q. What is the Holy Eucharist?

A. The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which contains the body and blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

239. Q. When did Christ institute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

240. Q. Who were present when our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist?

A. When our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist the twelve Apostles were present.

241. Q. How did our Lord institute the Holy Eucharist?

A. Our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist by taking bread, blessing, breaking, and giving to His Apostles, saying: Take ye and eat. This is My body; and then by taking the cup of wine, blessing and giving it, saying to them: Drink ye all of this. This is My blood which shall be shed for the remission of Sins. Do this for a commemoration of Me.

242. Q. What happened when our Lord said, This is My body; this is My blood?

A. When our Lord said, This is My body, the substance of the bread was changed into the substance of His body; when He said, This is My blood, the substance of the wine was changed into the substance of His blood.

243. Q. Is Jesus Christ whole and entire both under the form of bread and under the form of wine?

A. Jesus Christ is whole and entire both under the form of bread and Under the form of wine.

244. Q. Did anything remain of the bread and wine after their substance had been changed into the substance of the body and blood of our Lord?

A. After the substance of the bread and wine had been changed into the substance of the body and blood of our Lord there remained only the appearances of bread and wine.

245. Q. What do you mean by the appearances of bread and wine?

A. By the appearances of bread and wine I mean the figure, the color, the taste, and whatever appears to the senses.

246. Q. What is this change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord called?

A. This change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord is called Transubstantiation.

247. Q. How was the substance of the bread and wine changed into the substance of the body and blood of Christ?

A. The substance of the bread and wine was changed into the substance of the body and blood of Christ by His almighty power.

248. Q. Does this change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ continue to be made in the Church?

A. This change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ continues to be made in the Church by Jesus Christ through the ministry of His priests.

249. Q. When did Christ give His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood?

A. Christ gave His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood when He said to the Apostles, Do this in commemoration of Me.

250. Q. How do the priests exercise this power of changing broad and wine into the body and blood of Christ?

A. The priests exercise this power of changing bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ through the words of consecration in the Mass, which are the words of Christ: This is My body; this is My blood.

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Thomas A'Kempis:

A.M.D.G. et B.V.M.H.

"The whole life of Christ was a cross and a martyrdom; and dost thou seek for thyself rest and joy? Thou errest, thou errest, if thou seekest aught else than to suffer tribulation; for this whole mortal life is full of miseries and everywhere marked with crosses. And the higher a person is advanced in spirit, the heavier crosses shall he often meet with, because pain of his banishment increaseth in proportion to his love." (This is part 7 of 14 from Book II, Chapter 12, "The Royal Road of the Holy Cross," from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A'Kempis.)

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"Yet such a one thus many ways afflicted, is not without some relief of consolation, because he is sensible of the very great profit he reaps by bearing the cross. For whilst he willingly resigns himself to it, all the burden of tribulation is converted into an assured hope of comfort from God. And the more the flesh is brought down by affliction, the more is the spirit strengthened by interior grace. And sometimes he gaineth such strength through affection for tribulation and adversity, by his love of conforming to the cross of Christ, as not to be willing to be without suffering and affliction, because such a one believeth himself to be so much the more acceptable to God the more and more grievous things he shall have endured for His sake. This is not man's power, but the grace of Christ, which doth and can effect such great things in frail flesh, and that what it naturally abhors and flies, even this, through fervor of spirit, it now embraces and loves." (This is part 8 of 14 from Book II, Chapter 12, "The Royal Road of the Holy Cross," from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A/Kempis.)

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SSPX and German Bishops Exchange Blows

Courtesy: Catholic Church Conservation

http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2009/03/sspx-and-german-bishops-exchange-blows.html

Torn tablecloth? Battle between SSPX and German bishops.

The traditionalist SSPX has frontally attacked the German Bishops' Conference. "We are particularly disgusted by the attitude of the German Episcopacy, which has not ceased to show uncharitable hostility and with its continious imputations, treating us with 'hatred, without fear or reserve'," reads a statement published on the Internet by the Superior General Bernard Fellay of Tuesday. Some episcopal conferences have been using the controversy surrounding the SSPX to lead "open rebellion" against the Pope. The German Bishops' Conference rejected the accusations.

The Superior General with his statement had shown his real attitude said spokesman Matthias Kopp said on Tuesday in Bonn. This was "marked by an unfortunate one-sidedness". The Regensburg Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller asked the SSPX to undertake self-criticism. He described Fellay’s communiqué as "attempting to drive a wedge between thePope and the German bishops." In this "however they will not succeed," said Muller to the Catholic News Agency (KNA) in Regensburg.

Ordinations now in Switzerland

The occasion for Fellay’s declaration is the relocation of SSPX subdiaconal ordinations originally planned in Bavaria. The Rector stated that the ordinations planned for Saturday of sub-deacons in Zaitzkofen will be moved to the motherhouse of Econe in the Swiss Valais. The SSPX understand this as a "a peacemaking gesture." The change of location corresponds to the wish of Rome. A cancellation was not considered at any stage. All other ordinations, including those of priests planned for the end of June were unaffected.

The latest SSPX statements were met with indignation by the German Bishops' Conference. Their spokesman Kopp refused to tolerate the statement that the bishops are in open rebellion against the Pope. Bishop Muller said that all the German bishops were appointed by the Pope and were in full communion with him. The SSPX bishops, however, had been illegally consecrated, and therefore should be "clearly be restrained in their remarks." He urged the
SSPX to consider "how their conduct has harmed the Pope and the Catholic Church."Mueller called again on the SSPX, "to renounce ordinations until its ecclesiological status is clarified." At the same time, the Regensburg bishop did not rate as too important the subdiaconal ordinations. This was not yet a sacramental action. Crucial is whether at the end of June the planned ordinations to the priesthood proceed.

The question whether the SSPX plan the ordinations is of great importance within the Church. The Regens of the SSPX seminary had initially declared that the ordinations to be part of the normal life of the seminary. Also, the Vatican in no way requires suspension of its activities or to refrain from ordinations.

The Bishop of Sitten, Norbert Brunner in whose Diocese Econe lies, said through the Swiss Bishops' Conference that regarding the SSPX ordinations nothing had changed with the lifting of the excommunications of the four bishops. The dispensing of sacraments was further unlawful. The SSPX must wait for clarification of their status by the Catholic Church before further ordinations, said Brunner.

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We Truly Have A Beautiful Church!

Old St. Patrick Oratory, Kansas City, MO.
From the website Our Parish News Blog at http://ourparishtoo.blogspot.com/

Old St. Patrick is an apostolate of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

“Let the earth also rejoice, illumined with such resplendent rays; and enlightened with the brightness of the eternal King, let it feel that the darkness of the whole world is dispersed."
...from prayers of the Easter Vigil

Reader, Kevin Koster, sent this image shot on his cellphone right before 8:00 a.m. Mass this morning. What is so remarkable is how the rising sun shoots in from the various stained glass windows and lights up the altar and entire sanctuary in a splendid manner. As the sun moves higher in the east, its light illuminates new parts of the church. At about 8:10 a.m., the sun lingers like a spotlight on the tabernacle and the crucifix above it. It is a remarkable experience on a bright clear morning. It is not only beautiful but also inspirational. Most surprising is the fact that one usually associates the downtown urban canyons as dark, windy and turbulent. Not so at Old St. Patrick. The morning sun is visually bright and calm. No surburban church could compete in setting and effect.

If you're a reader that hasn't visited our church yet, please make a point to try it soon.

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San Secondo d'Asti Catholic Church, Guasti, CA.

From the blogsite Lost Lambs

http://www.lostlambs.net/

Christopher, from the K.C. area, over at Lost Lambs has posted these great pictures of San Secondo d'Asti church in California. The picture that really grabbed my attention was the picture of the sign....take a look and tell me if all churches don't need this sign out front!

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St. Anthony, Wichita

We Also Have a Beautiful Church! Come Visit!

Post#70

Topics:Thomas A'Kempis: For the Greater Glory of God and the Honor of The Blessed Virgin Mary....Father Bethel's Visit: Pictures....Ite Ad Joseph: Picture and Preface....Vatican Clamps Down: Any Priest Can Say Latin Mass Without Bishop's Approval...The Way Jesuits Used to Be: New Oxford Review...His Holiness The Pope: Future of the Church Depends on Priests....Boosting Pupil's Self Esteem: A Generation of Narcissists....Protest: Over New Catholic Mass Translation

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Thomas A'Kempis

A.M.D.G. et B.V.M.H.

Submitted by James Spencer

"Dost thou think to escape that which no mortal ever could avoid? What Saint was ever in the world without his cross and tribulation? For even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was not for one hour of His life without the anguish of His Passion. 'It behooved,' said He, 'that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead and so enter into His glory.' And how dost thou seek another way than this royal way, which is the way of the holy cross?"

(This is part 6 of 14 from Book II, Chapter 12, "The Royal Road of the Holy Cross," of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A'Kempis.)

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Father Bethel's Visit

There are several pictures of Fr. Bethel's visit to St. Anthony, Wichita. father Bethel is a monk from Clear Creek Monastery in Oklahoma. Follow this link to view my public gallery.

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Ite Ad Joseph

Picture and Preface

Preface of St. Joseph

It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should magnify with due praises, bless and proclaim Thee on the Feast of blessed Joseph; who, being a just amn, was given by Thee as a Spouse to the Virgin Mother of God, and, as a faithful and prudent servant was set over Thy Family, that, with fatherly care, he might guard Thine only-begotten Son, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, and the Powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say with lowly praise:

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Vatican Clamps Down on Killala Latin Mass Move
"...any Catholic priest can celebrate the traditional Latin Mass without first seeking the permission of his bishop...."
courtesy Clerical Whispers, blogspot
http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2009/03/vatican-clamps-down-on-killala-latin.html

A high-profile Vatican office has ordered Bishop John Fleming to make provision for the traditional Latin Mass in his Killala diocese.

The move, from the powerful 'Ecclesia Dei' Commission comes after the Killala Council of Priests decided that no provision should be made for the celebration of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form.

In July 2007, Pope Benedict's letter, Summorum Pontificum, eased restrictions on the pre-Vatican II Mass, the so-called Tridentine Rite and established that any Catholic priest can celebrate the traditional Latin Mass without first seeking the permission of his bishop.

Continue to full article

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The Way Jesuits Used to Be
New Oxford Review Archives, 1995

By P.M. Aliazzi

P.M. Aliazzi is the Director of the Wean Research Library, at University School, a prep school in suburban Cleveland.

What do you say to a white-haired old man in a black "bathrobe" toting a matching briefcase? "Court's in session in the cabana, Your Honor"? It was the first time I had ever seen a Jesuit, and I was both spooked and fascinated. I was used to kindly, comfortable parish priests in suits, but this guy -- these guys -- were something different: brisk, no-nonsense, "in-your-face" drill sergeants in insignia-free uniforms and far from slow to say that they had been given charge of some terribly unpromising raw recruits. Soon there'd be much more to worry about than how that wrap-around, buttonless, zipperless cassock stayed put; there was no time for idleness -- or student wisecracks -- in the Latin class of Arthur Walter, S.J.

From the second day until the end of the year, you began by passing forward your homework, in ink with no scratch-outs, never in pencil or without the obligatory heading of name, date, and A.M.D.G. (ad maiorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God). Into the aged briefcase it went, exercises in Latin to English, English to Latin. From the third day on, and without fail, you came to class and found the previous night's work waiting for you face down on the desk every error (down to vowel length marks) corrected in a meticulous hand, and a percentage grade written at the top. He did that every day, for five classes of 35 to 40 students each, for I never learned how many years, in a demonstration of dedication hard to match apart from Inspector Javert in Les Miserables.

There was one escape, however. It was called an "exemption," and you earned one by besting the kids in your row in the sudden oral quizzes that were more like a cross between a gladiatorial show and a police line-up, with Father as Emperor Joe Friday seeking "just the facts" and determined to get them. After he chose a timekeeper from among the (temporary) spectators, the first group of combatants slunk forward, each to be participially probed, declensionally decimated, and generally found wanting -- within 10 seconds:

"That they may have been praised," came the pitch.

"Huh?" And down went Casey at the bat.

"Was that 'praised'?" stalled another.

"Sit down," intoned Father, ignoring his timekeeper and briskly throwing his change-up to the next batter. "Bob Feller pitched...the camp."

"Ut laudati sint," chirped Chaffee, answering not that question but the previous question out of some time-warp delay, clearly a victim of what today would be diagnosed as post-conjugational stress disorder.

On it went. To be left standing in what everyone knew was a smart row gained one a stature comparable to surviving the Bataan Death March. And the reward? Not a medal, but something even more coveted: the right to skip a single homework assignment of one's choice.

If it sounds mean, if he sounds mean, nothing, not even Casey, could be more wrong. It was just that Father had the seriousness, the weightiness, the dignity prized by the Romans he taught about. Here was someone who, you sensed from the very start, had no time for trivialities, and who wanted you to have no time for them either. Accordingly, his remarkably comprehensive written tests always had exactly 50 questions -- one per minute -- which he somehow always managed to cram onto a single side of one mimeographed sheet. Invariably smudged, the things came out of the machine looking rather like a 50-lobed purple Rohrschach. But they revealed in short order whether you knew the stuff or not. There was (literally) no room for fakery.

Nor for hiding from Roman history and culture, which we learned, somewhat like ancient kids must have done, through stories. Mucius "Lefty" Scaevola, Manlius & the Gauls, and the Horatii & Curiatii all made their appearance in Latin, and before the term was out, became the subject of oral questions and answers in Latin as well. And of course, there was always "Explication de texte meets Groucho":

"Anseres clamabant...," read the anthology of stories.

"The geese [pause] were shouting," construed the hapless Casey.

At that, Father's white eyebrows arched so high over his rimless spectacles that his usually impassive, even granite, face took on the look of an affronted Colosseum.

"Cackled," shouted Father.

"Shouted?" cackled the class.

The overmatched linguist, desperate to change the topic, looked up in mingled exasperation and wonder, and spluttered, "Father, who taught you Latin?"

"Caesar," boomed the reply, uttered with such finality that for a moment we thought the old guy and Julius had been budds.

In that instant, I knew what it was to be initiated into a tradition; not just the classics (which were automatically assumed to include the Vulgate, St. Augustine, Prudentius, and St. Gregory), but into what I can only call the tradition of Christian humanism: It was from Fr. Walter that I learned neither to fear nor to idolize intellect; to take responsibility for my own education; to link self-respect to objective achievement, not to sugary compliment; to respect persons but not necessarily the ideas they hold; to expect to have what one says taken seriously and, as need be, seriously taken apart; to see that human dignity is grounded in the gift of an immortal soul, not the growth of an inflated self, and, above all, to understand that the doing of however humble a task can truly be A.M.D.G.

Self-esteem panderers might cringe at all this. Let them! A quarter century later, I shudder to think at the whiny, undisciplined, anarchic creature I could have become but for that gruff old priest. Turns out he was as good at construing boys as sentences. Requiescas in pace, Pater et magister.

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Pope: Future of the Church Depends on Priests,
Not Erroneous Promotion of Bossy Lay People

Telegrapah.co.uk

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2009/03/17/pope_future_of_the_church_depends_on_priests_not_erroneous_promotion_of_bossy_lay_people

Pope Benedict XVI has dealt a well-aimed blow to the Futurechurch model of Catholicism, in which power is wielded by finger-wagging lay people instead of priests.

Tabletistas are terrified of orthodox seminarians

Father Z has translated parts of the Holy Father's address to the Congregation for Clergy yesterday, in which he attacks the idea of "new structures" that replace the ordained ministry. Magic Circle bishops and their lay sycophants will be livid, because they actually like the idea of running out of orthodox priests who might impede the development of Futurechurch. Here is the relevant passage from the Pope's speech:

As a Church and as priests we proclaim Jesus of Nazareth is Lord and Christ, crucifed and risen, King of time and history, in the happy certainty that such a truth coincides with the deepest desires of man's heart. In the ministry of the incarnation of the Word, in that fact that God became man like us, there is situated both the content and the method of the Christian message. The mission has here its true driving core: namely, in Jesus Christ. The centrality of Christ brings with itself the proper evaluation of the priestly ministry, without which there would be no Eucharist, nor, much less, the mission of the same Church. In this sense it is necessary to be vigilant that "new structures" or pastoral organizations are not considered for a time which one must "do without" ordained ministry, starting from the erroneous interpretation of a right promotion of the laity, for in such a case presuppositions would be advanced for the further dilution of the priestly ministry and the eventual presumed "solutions" would come dramatically to coincide with the real causes of the present challenges bound up with ministry.

"The erroneous interpretation of a right promotion of the laity." That is pretty much the mission statement of The Tablet: I'll never forget Elena Dis-Curti-ous telling Cardinal Castrillon last year that "we are priests, prophets and kings", to which the answer of any decent PP ought to be: "Not in my parish, you aren't."

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I can't help noticing that certain dioceses produce virtually no vocations. These tend to be the same dioceses in which there is a cult of the bishop and a cult of parish "ministers", which join together to bypass any inconveniently traditional priests.

Some bishops have nightmares about the shortage of vocations - that is, they have nightmares that the shortage of vocations might be coming to an end. There they are, blathering away about how "the Holy Spirit is calling us towards a new model of being Church", when they're suddenly confronted by the sight of young seminarians in soutanes, learning to say Mass in both forms of the Roman Rite. Aaaargh!!!

One of the reasons we desperately need a good leader of the Church in England and Wales is that we could be on the verge of a growth in vocations. Just imagine the horror of local Tabletistas if they learn that an orthodox curate has been appointed to help their tamed and terrified old parish priest. It makes me think that ... hahahaha... they'll have to ... hahahahaha ... I'm sorry, I can't go on.

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Boosting Pupil's Self Esteem
A Generation of Narcissists

The BBC online

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7943906.stm

Warning over narcissistic pupils By Katherine Sellgren BBC News, at the ASCL conference
The growing expectation placed on schools and parents to boost pupils' self-esteem is breeding a generation of narcissists, an expert has warned.
Dr Carol Craig said children were being over-praised and were developing an "all about me" mentality.

She said teachers increasingly faced complaints from parents if their child failed a spelling test or did not get a good part in the school pantomime.

Schools needed to reclaim their role as educators, not psychologists, she said.
Dr Craig, who is chief executive of the centre for confidence and well-being in Scotland, was speaking at the Association of School and College Leaders conference in Birmingham.

Negative Characteristic

She told head teachers the self-esteem agenda, imported from the United States, was a "a big fashionable idea" that had gone too far.
She said an obsession with boosting children's self-esteem was encouraging a narcissistic generation who focussed on themselves and felt "entitled".
“ They (schools) are not surrogate psychologists or mental health professionals ” Dr Carol Craig
"Narcissists make terrible relationship partners, parents and employees. It's not a positive characteristic. We are in danger of encouraging this," she said.
"And we are kidding ourselves if we think that we aren't going to undermine learning if we restrict criticism.

"Parents no longer want to hear if their children have done anything wrong. This is the downside of the self-esteem agenda. "I'm not saying it's of no value… but you get unintentional consequences."

Parental Responsibility

Since 2007, there has been a statutory responsibility on schools in England to improve pupils' well-being and primary and secondary schools are increasingly teaching social and emotional skills.

Indeed it is possible that Ofsted inspectors will soon appraise schools' performance in this area; and well-being could be one of the measures used in the school report card system that the government wants to introduce.

But Dr Craig told head teachers that this was not the role of schools.
"Schools have to hold out that they are educational establishments," she said.
"They are not surrogate psychologists or mental health professionals."

Learning about feelings from a professional in a classroom did not send out a positive message, she added. And she warned there was a danger the more schools taught emotional well-being, the less parents would take responsibility.

"We run the risk of undermining the family as the principal agent of sociability," she said.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/7943906.stmPublished: 2009/03/14 16:56:31 GMT© BBC MMIX

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South Africa Protest Over New Catholic Mass Translation
By Michelle Faul

Associated Press Hosted by Google
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5izGBXjejSklazOAV28OEwt9ELS2AD96VLU5G0

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A new translation of the Roman Catholic Mass that is to be introduced worldwide in a few years is getting an accidental trial run in South Africa, where some parishioners are complaining it's too hard to understand.

The controversy comes as Pope Benedict XVI travels Tuesday to Cameroon on his first papal pilgrimage to the continent that has the fastest growing congregation of Catholics.

Critics say the new, more literal word-for-word translation is part of an attempt to roll back the progress made decades ago when the church halted its insistence on Latin.

Before Communion, for example, the prayer "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you" becomes "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof." "One in being with the Father" becomes "consubstantial with the Father" in the Nicene creed.

And the congregation's response to the greeting that opens Mass with the priest saying "The Lord be with you," changes from "And also with you" to "And with your spirit."

In a misunderstanding, some South African church leaders started using the new version prematurely in some parishes, even though the English-language prayers won't be approved for global use for at least a couple of years. But instead of pulling back in the face of their mistake, they are continuing to use the liturgy.

Distribution of the prayers has fueled debate over whether the new translation — meant to more closely follow the original Latin text — will help deepen parishioners' prayer life or alienate them from the church.

"I think the church has been very lucky that the South Africans jumped the gun because it's showing the Vatican that there is going to be a worldwide problem when these new translations are put into effect," said Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

"Once again the Vatican isn't listening to the critics, and we're going to have another major embarrassment to the pope when these translations are put into effect and are forced on the people in the pews," he said.

Vatican II, the 1962-1965 meetings that inspired liberalizing reforms of the Roman Catholic Church, led to changes such as Mass being celebrated in local languages. Reese said prior to that, Mass was said in Latin and parishioners followed along in a missal that had an English translation.

The new Mass translation now is being used in some parishes of the Southern African Church, which also includes Botswana and Swaziland and serves some 3.2 million Catholics. The premature use, which began in late November, is being blamed on a misplaced letter advising that the texts weren't to be used immediately.

Bishop Edward Risi, in charge of the local bishops' liturgical department, said the new translation is "a more faithful rendering ... an echo of the scriptures. What the original Latin has done uses the scriptures and English must also reflect that."

The debate over translating the latest edition of the Roman Missal, the ritual text for celebrating Mass, began years ago.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II issued a third edition of the "Missale Romanum," followed by a Vatican document a year later that insisted translations should stay close to the Latin and adhere to church doctrine. An international panel representing English-speaking bishops began tackling the job of translating the new liturgy.

But Clement Armstrong of Bryanston, South Africa, said some of the changes in wording are "simply nonsense." While his home parish has not yet adopted the changes, a church where he attended Mass over the holidays has.

"I am resistant to change and I think the older community in my parish will feel the same," he said. "I can accept change when there is a good reason but I cannot see one."

His daughter-in-law, Anne Armstrong agrees: "We are all familiar with the liturgy we have used since we were children. Why is there the need to say Mass differently?"

The Rev. Efrem Tresoldi warned in The Southern Cross, a regional Catholic weekly: "I've heard it said that younger people are leaving the Church because, among other things, the language used in our liturgy sounds foreign to them. I think this new version of the order of the Mass is even more alienating."

Lay leader Paddy Kearney also points to the theological implications in the "mea culpa." The new translation reverts to repeated pronunciations of guilt emphasized by beatings on the breast reflected in the Latin Mass: "Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

Under Vatican II, the breast-beating was abandoned and people pronounced only once on grievous sinning.

"I think this is because some feel we need to have more emphasis on our guiltiness and sinfulness, because the feeling is that we have lost our sense of guilt," Kearney said.

There's a feeling, Kearney said, "that Vatican II was a mistake, that a lot has gone wrong as a result of its decrees and that we need to get back in line, get knocked into shape, that we need to inch back to where we were before."

In an article in The Southern Cross, Bishop Kevin Dowling agreed.

"I am concerned that this latest decision from the Vatican may be interpreted as another example of what is perceived to be a systematic and well-managed dismantling of the vision, theology and ecclesiology of Vatican II."

The Rev. Russell Pollitt also questioned whether nonnative English speakers in South Africa, where there are 11 official languages, would understand the more abstract concepts.

"The new text seems almost to imply that there is something inherently holy about Latin and inherently unholy about proper English," English Professor Colin Gardner said.

Post #69

Topics:St Joseph: Ora Pro Nobis...Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Bishops: Re: Remission of Excommunication of SSPX Bishops...Clear Creek Work Day: Pictures...Old St. Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory Bulletin: Institute of Christ the King....Thomas A'Kempis: For the Greater Glory of God and the Honor of The Blessed Virgin Mary...Dwindling Numbers of Religious Order: Civil War Generation Convent Closes...The Coming Evangelical Collapse: Christian Science Monitor....Catholic Images: Just Pics...More Catholics Embrace Traditions: The Detroit News...Catholic Images: For emails and Documents

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St Joseph
March 19th Feast Day
by Larry Bethel

March 19th is the feast day of St Joseph, in one of his titles, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

At St Anthony Church above the statue of St Joseph is the Latin, Ite ad Joseph in Omnibus.

Meaning, "In everything go to Joseph". I had been told once this was referring to the Joseph in the Old Testament and definitely not St Joseph. I said "Bah" to this, but under my breath.

So, recently I went digging around and found an Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries, "On Devotion to Joseph", given August 15, 1889.

The whole encyclical makes wonderful reading and can be found on the Ewtn or Vatican website. Here are a couple of pertinent quotes, " You well understand Venerable Brethren, that these considerations are confirmed by the opinion held by a large number of the Fathers, to which the sacred liturgy gives its sanction, that the Joseph of ancient times, son of the patriarch Jacob, was the type of St Joseph, and the former by his glory prefigured the greatness of the future guardian of the Holy Family. And, in truth, beyond the fact that the same name was given to each, you well know the points of likeness that exist between them.

.... And as the first caused the prosperity of his master's domestic interests and at the same time rendered great services to the whole kingdom, so the second, destined to be the guardian of the Christian religion, should be regarded as the protector and defender of the Church, which is truly the house of the Lord and the kingdom of God on earth. These are the reasons why men of every rank and country should fly to the trust and guard of the blessed Joseph."

I have also found many Churches, such as St Joseph Shrine in St Louis with "Ite ad Joseph" usually above the St Joseph altar. I even found a local brass band, which plays marches and stage concerts during the period of St Joseph feast days, in Gozo/Malta named, you guessed it, Ite ad Joseph.

There is also this great recommendation to Go to St Joseph from the Doctor of the Church St Teresa, "I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favors which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which he has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth.... just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks."

St Joseph, ora pro nobis.

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Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the Bishops of the Catholic Church
Concerning the Remission of the Excommunication of the Four Bishops Consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre
The Vatican

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20090310_remissione-scomunica_en.html

Dear Brothers in the Episcopal Ministry!

The remission of the excommunication of the four Bishops consecrated in 1988 by Archbishop Lefebvre without a mandate of the Holy See has for many reasons caused, both within and beyond the Catholic Church, a discussion more heated than any we have seen for a long time. Many Bishops felt perplexed by an event which came about unexpectedly and was difficult to view positively in the light of the issues and tasks facing the Church today. Even though many Bishops and members of the faithful were disposed in principle to take a positive view of the Pope’s concern for reconciliation, the question remained whether such a gesture was fitting in view of the genuinely urgent demands of the life of faith in our time. Some groups, on the other hand, openly accused the Pope of wanting to turn back the clock to before the Council: as a result, an avalanche of protests was unleashed, whose bitterness laid bare wounds deeper than those of the present moment. I therefore feel obliged to offer you, dear Brothers, a word of clarification, which ought to help you understand the concerns which led me and the competent offices of the Holy See to take this step. In this way I hope to contribute to peace in the Church. continue to full article

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Seventh Annual Clear Creek Monastery Workday and Pig Roast

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7821638@N07/

On Saturday, March 7, 2009, Clear Creek Monastery hosted it's Seventh Annual Workday and Pig Roast. Click on link above to see pictures of the day.

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Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
w w w. I n s t i t u t e - C h r i s t - K i n g . o r g
Old St. Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory Bulletin
806 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Second Sunday of Lent
March 8 - March 15, 2009
http://www.institute-christ-king.org/uploads/kansascity/bulletins/2009-03-08.pdf

Dear Faithful,

There are many important feastdays and events during Lent and Holy Week. So as to
make you aware of them, I have included this calendar of events for March up until
Easter. http://www.institute-christ-king.org/uploads/kansascity/bulletins/2009-03-08.pdf

In Christo Rege et Maria,

Canon William Avis
Rector of Old Saint Patrick Oratory

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Thomas A'Kempis

A.M.D.G. et B.V.M.H.

Submitted by James Spencer

"Sometimes thou shalt be deserted by God; at other times shalt be afflicted by thy neighbor; and what is more, thou shalt often be a trouble to thyself. Neither can thou be delivered by any remedy, but as long as it shall please God, thou must bear it. For God willeth that thou learn to suffer tribulation without comfort, and wholly submit thyself to Him, and become more humble by tribulation. No man has so heartfelt a sense of the Passion of Christ as he whose lot it hath been to suffer like things. The cross, therefore, is always ready, and everywhere awaiteth thee. Thou canst not escape it, whithersoever thou runnest; for wheresoever thou goest, thou carriest thyself with thee, and shalt always find thyself. Turn thyself upwards or turn thyself downwards; turn thyself inward or turn thyself outward; everywhere thou shalt find the cross. And everywhere thou must of necessity hold fast patience, if thou desirest inward peace and would merit an eternal crown."

(This is part 4 of 14 from Book II, Chapter 12, "The Royal Road of the Holy Cross," of The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A'Kenpis.)

When Henry David Thoreau wrote, "Most people live in a state of quiet deperation," he identified himself as an astute but shallow observer of the human condition. Astute because he recognized that suffering is the universal lot of mankind; shallow because he apparently never suspected that suffering has, or at least can have, supernatural dimensions. Conversely, Thomas A'Kempis focused mostly on those supernatural dimensions. Thus, his treatment of suffering is positive, even joyous, whereas Thereau's was negative and discouraging.

Nota bene: In the last sentence, the use of "is" for Thomas A'Kempis' treatment and "was" for Thereau's was unconsious, but perhaps subconscously motivated, because it does seem to attest to the relative vitality and longevity of the works of these two men.

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Civil War Generation Brooklyn Convent Closes
Published: February 05, 2009
Courtesy: Cathnews USA
http://www.cathnewsusa.com/article.aspx?aeid=11592

The historic Brooklyn Convent of Mercy which rose during the Civil War, twenty years before the Brooklyn Bridge opened, is closing after nearly 150 years of service to orphans, disabled and poor. And more than four decades passed before the Empire State Building appeared on the Manhattan skyline seen from the windows of the Brooklyn convent.

Newsday reports that since 1862, the fortress-like complex has sheltered, educated and nurtured people in need, from Irish orphans to developmentally disabled adults and poor Hispanic children.

But suddenly, some months ago, the convent's elderly residents faced shattering news: They learned they'd be forced to leave the "mother house" of the Sisters of Mercy in Brooklyn, a Catholic order whose aim is "to help people to overcome the obstacles that keep them from living full and dignified lives," according to their mission statement.

The reason for the convent closure in mid-February: money. Engineers said it would cost more than $20 million to fix structural and safety problems discovered in the building in the Fort Greene neighborhood.

Preservationists fear that the property - a collection of buildings that covers almost a city block - could be targeted by developers and demolished, like other religious institutions across the country that have vanished for lack of money or members.

To many, the convent transcends its walls. "It represents the spirit of wanting to do things for the right reason," said 91-year-old Sr Olivia Clifford. "I can look at a person - a poor person, or even a very rich person who needs help, and say, 'I'm doing this because Jesus lives in him as well as he lives in me.' And therefore you reach out to that person and do good."

In the spacious chapel, sunlight streams through German-made stained-glass windows - one of them a gift from former orphans. "This chapel means more to me than any spot on earth and I cannot bear the thought of losing it," said Sr Camille D'Arienzo, 76, a past president of the Brooklyn Sisters of Mercy who worked from convent offices, while living elsewhere. D'Arienzo would once have been called the mother superior, cloaked in a long black-and-white habit. These days, she wears civilian clothing, sometimes with elegant earrings.

The 29 nuns who still lived at the convent recently were all moving to Catholic-run homes in the New York area.

"Sept. 28 - I'll never forget it," said Clifford. "That's the day they broke the news to us that the house was slipping."

A decision on the future of the complex has yet to be made by leaders of the order's Mid-Atlantic Community, in Merion, Pa., who oversee 1,100 sisters in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts and New York.

The Mercy order could use the money from selling the property, worth millions, to bolster the mission of the dwindling number of sisters - about 8,000 worldwide, down from 10,000 a decade ago.

"At this point, every option has to be considered, and anything is possible," said Sr Christine McCann, president of the Mid-Atlantic Community that's part of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in Silver Spring, Md.

The institute is an umbrella group for 4,078 sisters in the Americas, the Caribbean, Guam and the Philippines.

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Excerpts from the Article
The Coming Evangelical Collapse
by Michael Spencer
The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html?page=1

Blogger's note" this is aninteresting read on the future of evangelicals in the USA as seen by an evangelical. Michael Spencer is a writer living and working in Kentucky. He describes himself as "a postevangelical reformation Christian in search of a Jesus-shaped spirituality." This essay blogger's note: these excerpts are) is adapted from a series on his blog, InternetMonk.com .

"...We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West."

"...Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close."

"...Two of the beneficiaries will be the Roman Catholic and Orthodox communions. Evangelicals have been entering these churches in recent decades and that trend will continue, with more efforts aimed at the "conversion" of Evangelicals to the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. " follow this link for full article

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Random Catholic Images

...off the net...

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More Catholics Embrace Traditions
Faithful say they find comfort in time-honored rituals such as Latin Masses, indulgences.
Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090313/LIFESTYLE04/903130400/1041

When the Sussmans of Brighton visit upstate New York or Quebec, they make sure to bring back some indulgences -- the kind that, they and other Catholics believe, spares them from some of the suffering for their sins.

"When we visited the Martyr's Shrine in Fultonville, N.Y., there are certain devotions you can say, and if you receive Holy Communion and go to confession within seven days, I believe it is an indulgence," said Amy Sussman, 46. "When we go on a trip, we always take advantage of those opportunities. Every little bit helps."

Many Catholics say they have never heard of indulgences, except for perhaps Martin Luther's complaint during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century that clerics were corruptly selling them.

But more Catholics are embracing traditional forms of worship that had fallen into obscurity, including the version of the Mass said in Latin, frequent use of the ritual known as the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and some priests and seminarians are wearing cassocks, the close-fitting, body-length, black vestment that largely fell out of favor among American Catholic priests by the 1960s.

While some critics see a challenge to the modernity and openness forged by the epochal Second Vatican Council, which concluded 45 years ago, the Catholics who seek the time-honored practices say it is largely a matter of appeal and aesthetics -- they say they simply experience a better, more vigorous practice of the faith in the more traditional rituals.

At a time of declining church attendance and surveys showing fewer Americans participating in organized religion, some Catholics say they may hold a key to a deepening of faith. While experts say no other denominations or faiths seem to be experiencing such a vigorous return to older rituals, the Catholic experience mirrors to some degree the dramatic growth of evangelical practices.

Stan Bloch, 60, says he remembers the practices of indulgences from his youth.

"They were something we spoke about when I was going to grade school, about 55 years ago, 60 years ago," Bloch said as he prepared a bingo game for seniors in the parish hall at Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Hamtramck. "And, actually, for the last 20 or 25 years or so, you never heard anything about indulgences at all.

"I think some Catholics are starting to bring back some of the older traditions. There has been sort of a tendency for people to become a little lax about the practice of their faith. A lot of people don't go to church on a regular basis. Perhaps it is the tenor of the times, and I think maybe, too, with the soft economy, the two wars, Pakistan becoming a hot spot, people are looking for a little bit of strength."

Indulgences are a means of mitigating worldly suffering one may experience after sin, even if it has been forgiven by a priest in the sacrament of confession. The practice was expanded among Catholics recently by Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Adam Maida as part of the celebration of the birth of St. Paul 2,000 years ago.

More evidence of the embrace of traditional Catholic practices is the Latin Mass, which the Archdiocese of Detroit has allowed to expand in recent years. There are now at least 14 churches in Metro Detroit, up from just a few several years ago, that offer that type of service.

While ecclesiastic policy and issues of church and perhaps even secular politics are all implicated by the Latin Mass, many Catholics who attend say they enjoy it for aesthetic reasons and how it makes them feel about experiencing their faith.

"It just entered my mind that I was tired about the Mass being so much about me," Matthew Hill of Ferndale, who attends Latin Masses at St. Josaphat, near the Detroit Medical Center. "There is a real sense that with the priest facing the people and with the need to be always responding to something or doing something that it's very much thinking about myself and about us being here.

"And in the traditional Mass, as the priest faces the altar with his back to the congregation, that is all about God, not me. This is about worshiping God. This isn't about navel gazing."

Several churches hosting Latin Masses say attendance is rising. Some 150 people now attend the Masses at St. Josaphat, and about half of the congregation consists of young families and adults in their 30s and 40s.

Some Catholics who attend the more traditional rituals say they are quite progressive in outlook, willing to at least discuss issues like married and women priests and are more accepting of homosexuality than the Vatican, for example. They say their choice of forms of worship is not at all about the politics of the church. They simply find the traditional Mass aesthetically pleasing, with its Gregorian chants, use of the old term "Holy Ghost" instead of "Holy Spirit," burning of incense, frequent ringing of bells to mark important junctures of the service and the formal procession of 10 altar boys, deacons and priests dressed in traditional cassocks and lace-embroidered surplices at the beginning and end of the Mass.

The Mass also includes the ritual of the Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, which is not often seen in many parishes. In the ceremony, a priest removes a large Communion host -- which Catholics believe is the body of Christ -- from a tabernacle and places it in the display case of a large, ornate, gold-leaf monstrance. The monstrance is then displayed on the altar of the church, while priests burn incense, chant prayers and the congregation prays in worship of Jesus Christ.

"For me, it started with an interest in traditional music, the Latin music, organ and choral tradition I first experienced when I was in college in Boston," said Alex Begin of Bloomfield Hills. "That led me to the precision of the prayers and the rubrics of the Mass in this traditional form.

"The new version of the Mass is almost an abridged form," Begin said. "But, the music -- we are looking at a tradition of hundreds and hundreds of years of the world's greatest composers who wrote for the Mass."

You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.

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Catholic Images for emails and Documents
submitted by Stella Gruenbacher

Mrs. Stella Gruenbacher has been kind enough to send these great images for us to enjoy!

Thank you Mrs. Gruenbacher for your contribution.

Post 68

Topics: Excerpt:Thomas A'Kempis....Blast from the Past...Pic....World War II Era: Catholic Pictures...Immaculate Conception:Omaha Nebraska...Catholic Demographics: By County Graphic....The Baltimore Catechism:On Our Lord's Passion,
Death, Resurrection, and Ascension...How Seminary Forms Priests:Eduard

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Blogger's note: This week has been hectic for me so this week's post is a little light in subject matter but interesting to the eye. Enjoy the pictures while I take a rest from class over spring break.

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Excerpt: The Royal Road of the Holy Cross
from The Imitation of Christ
by Thomas A'Kempis

"Behold in the cross all doth consist, and lieth in our dying; and there is no other way to life and to true interior peace, but the way of the holy cross, and of daily mortification. Go where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, and thou shalt not find a higher way above, nor a safer way below, than the way of the holy cross. Dispose and order all things according as thou wilt, and as seems best to thee, and thou shalt still find something to suffer, either willingly or unwillingly; and so thou shalt always find the cross. For either thou shalt find pain in the body, or sustain in thy soul tribulation of spirit."


(This is the third of fourteen parts of Book II, Chapter 12, "The Royal Road of the Holy Cross," from The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A'Kempis.)

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Blast from the Past

Here is a lovely image of the Blessed Virgin with the Christ child. I bought this at a junk store (or antique shop...your choice) years ago. It is a very old print but what I love is that the black "frame" around the image is actually painted on the glass. Click on image for larger view.

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World War II Era Catholic Pictures

Here are some random pictures I have found on the net. I was reading a book on American culture around the WWII era and how Catholicism shaped America and popular culture. At one point there were four blockbuster movies out at the same time all with Catholic underlying themes, one of those being the Bell's of St. Mary's, one of my favorites.

I love this period of history so here are some pics!..........Click on images for larger views.

Courtesy: The History Place
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/pacificwar/index.html

Using a canvas tarpaulin for a church and packing cases for an altar, a Catholic Navy chaplain holds mass for Marines at Saipan in memory of those who lost their lives during the initial landings. June 1944. Click on image for larger view.

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Courtesy: The Official site of the Medal of Honor
http://www.medalofhonor.com/JosephOCallahanPhotos.htm

Commander Joseph T. O'Callahan, USNR(ChC) , Catholic Chaplain of USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) Celebrates military Mass at the high altar of the Candaleria Cathedral, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while Franklin D. Roosevelt was visiting that city during her shakedown cruise, February 1946. Members of the ship's crew are assisting Commander O'Callahan.

Note Marines at left, one holding an M1 Rifle.
Photograph was released for publication on 18 March 1946. Click on image for larger view.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.


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Courtesy: The National Archives
http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.aspx?CID=isg&mediauid={35882571-FA52-4ECD-874A-029C079CBA58}

Thankful Prayer on V-J Day
Americans kneel in thankful prayer in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, after the announcement of Japan's unconditional surrender. Click on image for larger view.

Courtesy: The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/research/ww2/photos/

Bombed out church.

Courtesy: The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/research/ww2/photos/

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Catholic Demographics by County in The U.S.
Click on image for larger view.



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The Baltimore Catechism
Lesson Seventh: On Our Lord's Passion,
Death, Resurrection, and Ascension

78. Q. What did Jesus Christ Suffer?
A. Jesus Christ suffered a bloody sweat, a cruel scourging, was crowned with thorns, and was
crucified.
79. Q. On what day did Christ die?
A. Christ died on Good Friday.

83. Q. Why did Christ suffer and die?
A. Christ suffered and died for our sins

89. Q. On what day did Christ rise from the dead?
A. Christ rose from the dead, glorious and immortal, on Easter Sunday, the third day after His
death.

91. Q. After Christ had remained forty days on earth, whither did He go?
A. After forty days Christ ascended into heaven, and the day on which He ascended into heaven is called Ascension day.

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How Seminary Forms Priests
By Eric Huard
The Catholic Advance
http://cdowk.org/advanceonline/2009/03/05/how-seminary-forms-priests/#more-992

Blogger's note: This article is in the recent addition of The Catholic Advance. Mr. Huard has served as Master of Ceremonies the past two summers at St. Anthony's Traditional Latin Mass (EFLR).

It has been a challenging journey these past three and a half years. However, it has been a fruitful and wonderful discovery of myself. It is this discovery that pinpoints a fundamental understanding of the human formation program at Conception Seminary. Our handbook reminds us that to be a credible and an acceptable bridge to others in our ministry as priests, it is necessary to follow the example of Christ Jesus and understand “depths of a heart,” “to perceive difficulty,” and to create an environment that is “trustworthy and cooperative.”
In the development of our character and the aligning our wills to that of Christ, many aspects of our lives as individuals and as a community are examined. “How can I be an effective communicator…active member of my community?” “How am I able to express my many emotions positively…am I a sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate person?” “Do I make friends easily…am I loyal and always available?” These are many of the core questions that are raised in a seminarian’s life here at Conception.

This examination happens in varied ways. The most direct - and often most challenging exploration - is that of community living. We are nestled in the farms of northwest Missouri - far from civilization (this means 20 minutes from the nearest WalMart) - and this provides a unique opportunity for my seminarian brothers and myself to create lasting friendships and to practice fraternal correction. In fraternal correction, one seminarian challenges another to grow in a positive way to help build up community. Many of us are accustomed to authority challenging us to change, but when it comes from a brother, it is a more difficult message, but can result in a more meaningful and lasting change.

Each class has a chaplain. In this capacity Father Dan, like all the chaplains, helps to monitor our progress in either corrective or supportive manners. Every two weeks we meet with him to discuss our improvement goals for the year, our struggles and successes, our failings and joys that pertain specifically to human formation. We hope to discover a more intimate expression of others and ourselves.

The other major exploration opportunities that we, as students, have to grow in are our weekly formation conferences. A myriad of topics are covered: “How to develop a deeper prayer life,” “What it means to be pastoral,” “Ways to keep the community in good spirits,” etc. Each week we are given tools and re?ections necessary for us to continue this work effectively.

An important distinction must be understood: human formation, spiritual formation, and academic formation all intricately interact with each other to form a whole person. Not a single one can be understood without the other. All are taken into consideration.

For my experience, it has been an important step in discovering my vocation to the priesthood and to God’s holy will. I have been able to quiet frustrations, become a more active member of my community and to see and help others through the same difficulties that I have experienced. In this process, I must be able to ask, “Am I able and willing to grow to help others through the minister of ordained priesthood?”

Eric Huard is a seminarian studying for the Diocese of Wichita at Conception Seminary.