FRIDAY PORPOURRI: THE CROSS OF REJUVENATION

The Maltese Cross should start looking familiar to those who have been following this series. It s base is the Greek Cross and since the arms of the cross flair out it reminds us a bit of the Cross Pattee from last week. The difference here is that the center of the ends of the arms point back toward the center forming eight points.

This cross was first used by Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and is roughly based on the cross used by the Crusaders. The eight points stand for loyalty, generosity, piety, bravery, glory and honor, contempt of death, care for the poor and sick, respect for the Church. They can also represent the Beatitudes. Eight is also the symbolic number for baptism since after eight days after entering into Jerusalem Christ ascended into heaven. This is why so many baptismal fonts or rooms have eight sides. Hence this cross is also known as the Rejuvenation Cross because of its eight sides.

Next: St. Florian’s Cross

WORTH SHAKING A SPEAR AT

This week I am in Stratford for the Shakespeare Festival. There is something uplifting about Shakespeare that you don’t get watching television reruns. On the other hand there is nothing deadlier than Shakespeare done poorly. Shakespeare is not the stuff for children. Yet if we did not have our children see it or perform it, there would rarely be an adult who appreciates it or is able to perform it.

Actually that might be to the liking of some who, as adults, find Shakespeare daunting or even boring. Like symphonies at first they must often be endured until the ear, the eye, and the mind understand what it is they are perceiving. It is like a foreign language that is at first painful to listen to for so much effort is needed to try to understand what is being said. But once mastery begins there is so much joy in understanding the language, in unlocking the joys of Shakespeare, of hearing what tuned ears have come to appreciate in concerts. The more one listens, the more one understands. The more one understands, the more that is gained from listening. The more one ascends, less appreciated are the more rudimentary joys of one’s baser self and there is no going back. It would be turning in your steak for Nerds.

Mass is not too far from this. It is not meant for children’s enjoyment. At first it is endured. To the attendee that desires to train his soul to hear the depths of the Mass one’s appreciation soars. To the one who throws heart and soul into the Eucharist the more there is to gain. The deeper one studies the all that is contained in this great work of God and man, the more one’s soul finds joy in receiving Him so and will find no other comfort like it in this world.

Thus do great things grow within a man, becoming part of him, elevating him, and in the end ruining him for lesser things.

GUEST BLOGGER: Ke$ha

Just in time for me to get away for a couple of days Fr. D. sent this post in! Thanks D! Your timing is impeccable (and your writing, as always, is fantastic.)

Rock stars have always intrigued me. In third grade I read my first book about Bruce Springsteen. Two years later I wrote a book about him. In eighth grade I dressed up as Axl Rose and sang a song I composed about Earth Day in front of the entire student body at Incarnate Word Academy. My sophomore year of high school the topic of my informative speech was: “Guns N’ Roses; The Men Behind the Music.” When my mom and dad weren’t around, I’d tune in to Mtv, and Mtv News was always my favorite segment. I wanted to know about the man behind the guitar, the woman behind the microphone, the story behind the band. Some things never change.

I bought a subscription to Rolling Stone magazine when I entered the seminary after high school graduation, and seven years into priesthood, I still look forward to my issue every other week. I’m not as hip on the music scene as I once was, but I am charged with teaching seminarians philosophy and assisting in their human formation, so I figure it’s pretty important to keep my finger on the pulse of the culture, especially considering the major role that music plays in forming young minds and hearts in our millennial world.

Recently I came across an article by Austin Scaggs about a 23 year-old pop star named Ke$ha, who is a big hit with the kids. She’s a tall woman with dirty blond hair who parties like a rock star, because she is one. When I mention her name to a seventh grade daughter of a close friend, she squints her eyes and sings to me, “before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack.” Why twelve year olds know the lyrics to every song on the radio but fail to know the cardinal virtues, the corporal works of mercy, or the ten commandments is really a shame, but it presents a invaluable lesson: pop culture matters. And like it or not, Ke$ha matters too.

Like so many pop stars, Ke$ha (born Kesha Rose Sebert) grew up in a less than ideal home. Her mother wanted a baby, and she wanted her baby to be a Pisces, so she “went through the necessary ways of having a child,” and Kesha came to be. She has never met her father, and probably never will. Concerning the situation she states, “I don’t obsess about it. Maybe I’m in denial. Maybe I need a therapist. But I had a complete childhood. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything.” Today Ke$ha considers her mother to be her best friend, but the way she describes her relationship with her mom makes me think she’s really never had a mother either.

A major tragedy of our post-modern world is that folks like Ke$ha have become our models and heroes, exemplars for young people to imitate. Philosophers from Aristotle to Max Scheler have argued that a key element to the virtuous life is to have living breathing models of virtue, good examples of what it means to be human, so that by acting like them, we too can become virtuous. (Of course, this is precisely the role of saints in the Catholic tradition.) But what happens when the only models our culture elevates are those of vice? What do we do when Ke$ha has more influence on young minds than our faith tradition?

Near the end of the Rolling Stone article, Ke$ha confesses, “My last boyfriend smashed my heart into a million pieces.” Everyone knows what it’s like to have a broken heart, and it’s never a pleasant experience. At some level, each and every human being desires healing, wholeness, restoration, and redemption – Ke$ha included. This is what makes her following admission so telling: “I’ve had no father figure, and I had finally trusted a man. If I were to get involved with another guy, he’d have to be pretty much the Second Coming.”

I doubt that Ke$ha realizes the depth of her theological insight, but it didn’t get past me. Like Augustine, somewhere in the deep recesses of her heart she knows what it is that her heart longs for; she wants the love of Christ. We all do.

Catholic journals and websites are places where you would expect to find deep theological reflections, but sometimes it’s even more fun to find them in the pages of a Rolling Stone.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXIX

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "More offence is brought into the world by people taking it than by it actually being offered." Sorry, I lost the reference for this.

QUOTE II: "Is this an outrage or a bummer? It's up to you. Think carefully before you settle into your choice." from Carolyn Hax's column, "Tell Me About It" in the Washington Post.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter made available the USCCB statement on Labor Day.

M. brought this to my attention. I thought it was great considering the new Missal is coming down the pike!

Try to win a car and support quality Catholic education. All proceeds go directly to St. Sebastian Parish School. Order tickets here.

For a virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica go here!

Here is a 1:50 prolife video. Get ready for September.

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

May the only work you do today be work that you want to do!

God bless,

Fr. V

I am going away for a couple of days and so post may be scattered this week.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PAUSE BEFORE THE PAWS

Another cross often constructed along the same lines as the Greek cross but not necessarily so is the cross pattee - as it is known in heraldic circles though when connected with Christianity if usually referred to as the Maltese Cross, Crusader’s Cross or Cross of Saint John. In essence this cross simply means that the arms of the cross are thicker at the end than they are at the center and that can be accomplished in many different ways. “Pattee” is from the French meaning “paw,” the paws or ends of the cross splaying outward like a paw.

The cross is often associated with the Crusades usually appearing red on a white background though it was never named as the official cross, any number of crosses being employed by the Crusaders.

If you want to know if a book, such as a book on theology or a Bible, is consistent with Catholic teaching, you might turn to one of the title pages to see if it has been granted in imprimatur (let it be printed). This cross precedes the bishop’s name that has the book reviewed and given permission for it to be printed with the Church’s official approval. This cross is also often employed to mark Christian sites on a map.

Next time: The Maltese Cross.

SOUNDS FISHY

There is another word that I have found VERY useful to have people define. It is the world “traditional.” It is another one of those words that everyone thinks everyone else is on the same page about but rarely is this true.

Here is an example: A family comes in the plan the funeral Mass for a relative. When we get to the music they say, “We don’t care. Just make it traditional.” Now, I had a whole list of songs in my head that I was thinking of suggesting to our music director to have ready for this funeral all of which were written long before my great grandparents were even thought of. But then they said something that did not seem to quite correspond with what I was thinking and so I asked, “Can you give me at least one song that you would like to hear so that I can build around it?”

“On Eagles Wings.”

“Okay. Got it!”

Now I was in grade school when the 1970s were around and take some umbrage that anything as young and vital as me can be labeled “traditional” as if “On Eagles Wings” were sung by the Church Fathers over the graves of the early martyrs down in the catacombs.

So there are 1970’s traditionalists, there are traditionalist who refer to the 40’s and 50’s, there are traditionalists that think of Gregorian Chant and traditions in the Church that extend back hundreds of years, and as we learned in an earlier post this year, there are pre-traditionalists – or perhaps a better term would be “traditionalists in waiting,” – those who are already calling for the use of the current Missal over the one that will be used in the Church in English speaking countries begin in advent of 2011. So be careful that you do not assume that you know what someone is thinking when such a term is employed.

I don’t know why we are so poor at making sure we are all on the same page when using such words. It is much different in the food world. We define things with a fine tooth comb there. I say I don’t like fish. Someone will invariably ask, “What about shrimp?”

“I don’t like anything that comes out of the water.”

“I bet you haven’t had it the way that I make it though. You can’t even tell that it is fish!”

“If my cow fell into the pool before it was turned into hamburger I won’t eat it.”

“How about crab cakes.”

“Let’s just say I’m allergic and I’ll die.”

“So . . . Nothing that comes out of the water?”

“That would be correct.”

We should be so clear when we are discussing matters of faith.

PROGRESS ITSELF CANNOT PROGRESS - CHESTERTON

If you are going to send your kid to a private school that boasts of itself as “forward thinking” and “progressive,” you would stop the conversation and ask, “What does that mean?” These terms and terms like “modern” and “contemporary” are often bandied about as if they carry any meaning on their own. Really than can mean just about anything as long as someone has written a book on or even thought of it recently – even if the thought has been around for thousands of years.

In ecclesial circles these words are often thrown in as justification for any kind of actions. After all, what IS a progressive parish? Is it one with a 1970’s spirit? Is it one that embraces all of what it is to be Catholic? Does it mean we only do what only the most cutting edge (again – what on earth does that mean?) parishes do and think? Does it mean thinking with the ever elusive “Spirit of Vatican II?” Even if it means any of these things – then what do THESE terms mean?

Yet terms like modern and progressive tossed about as if they have meaning of their own. In their worst usage they boarder on Gnosticism; the idea that NOW we have some secret knowledge that has been dormant in the Church/world since Adam and Eve and NOW we and our children know the path to heaven.

Using the word “progressive” and “modern” as a justified word in and of itself presupposes the progression and modern views have always been for the better, a randomness of actions and forces that have conspired to always make every moment an improvement, a concept that G. K. Chesterton referred to as more miraculous than a miracle.

Do not be afraid to call someone on their terms. What does “progressive” mean? Does the faith value “progressive” as an absolute good? Rather does she not carry a large trunk with every good thing she can find in it? “He who cannot live on three thousand years,” said Goethe, “is living hand to mouth.” We take the best of today and mix it with the rich history handed down to us. We are not only what we are becoming but also what we were. We are a people of every age – or better yet – a people of no age in particular – just the best of every age that is loyal to Christ and always building on foundations laid down for us since time began.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXVIII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Though Americans today are more highly educated than ever before, they are not necessarily better educated.” Lisa Twui

QUOTE II “To science I say this . . .We ask you not why you will not govern yourselves, but how can you? Your world moves so fast that if you stop even for an instant to consider the implications of your actions, someone more efficient will whip past you in a blur. So you move one. You proliferate weapons of mass destruction, but it is the Pope who travels the world beseeching leaders to use restraint. You clone living creatures, but it is the church reminding us to consider the moral implications of our actions. You encourage people to interact on phones, video screens, and computers, but it is the church who opens its doors and reminds us to commune in person as we were meant to do. You even murder unborn babies in the name of research that will save lives. Again, it is the church who points out the fallacy of this reasoning and all the while, you proclaim the church is ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power?” from Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” h/t to Trevor

IN OTHER NEWS:

Our organist sent this video in:


The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter asks, "Did you know, the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada offers all who work in the Catholic media field the opportunity to be part of something bigger than their own communication vehicle?" Read more here.

From the same source - a friendly reminder: "Catholics in the United States will begin using the long-awaited English translation of the Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent in 2011, Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago said Aug. 20." Read the press release here.

I think this was posted once before but it is so cool I'll do it again. T.G. sent this site to have a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel.

T. K. sent this virtual tour of Walsh University. Here is their prayer garden.

R. A. sent this video to me through F. S. It's good for a chuckle.

MONDAY DIARY: DONKEY UPGRADE

So, I was sitting in our lunch room enjoying a midday repast and reading the news when Ed, one of our ever vigilant and talented staff members, came in and said, "Jesus is here."

"Oh?" I responded in a droll manner.

"Yep."

"Pray tell."

"He just pulled up in the back of a truck."

"HE DID?" This was great news! We were expecting Him! He is the new statue being installed in the new plaza at Saint Sebastian. The statue comes from St. Procop Parish, which was part of the closings that took place in the Diocese of Cleveland.

The funny part was seeing the statue inside the truck. It looked a bit more like Jesus was being kidnapped. As you can see here from a picture taken from on top of Zwilser Hall, the seating wall for the plaza has been under construction for the past week and we have been anxiously awaiting the image of Jesus as the centerpiece of this area.

As we came around the corner we saw this scaffolding set up which the workers used to gently place the statue where in needed to be.

As the image of Jesus lifted up into the air I said, "Can you guys come back and do this on (the Sunday closest to) Ascention Thursday? We can have a reenactment and have a festival. The men politely laughed and said, "Yeah, you're a real side splitter Father." Hardy ha ha. . .

It is the last six feet of the journey and it is the most difficult. Houston, we have lift off.

The Eagle has landed! There He is to stay - the Sacred Heart! May He continue to inspire the people of West Akron as he did the Bohemian people of Saint Procop.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: WHEN PEOPLE A THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW READ OUR TEXT MESSAGES, WILL THEY HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WE WERE SAYING?

At my first assignment we had a weekend associate who helped us with the busy Mass schedule by the name of Fr. Gary Hoover OSB from the Benedictine Abby of St. Andrew (home of champions.) One day somebody brought in a Benedictine medal to be blessed, which they wanted blessed by a Benedictine priest (though any priest is permitted to give the blessing.)

The whole medal is used as a prayer to ward off the temptations of the devil. If you would like a full description and history of the medal you might want to look here or here.

On the back side of the medal is the Benedictine cross (Benedict means blessed and the medal as well as the people in this order are named after Saint Benedict) or Fleurie Cross. Once again we see the use of the Greek cross as its base. Like the Conqueror’s Cross from last week we find letters in the four quadrants of the cross, “C S P B.” These four letters stand for, “Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti” or “the Cross of our holy father Benedict.”

There is an interesting story about the rest of the letters. On the cross itself we see the letters, “C S S M L” and “N D M S D.” Surrounding the cross are the letters, “V R S N S M V S M Q L I V B.” As it turns out the meaning of these letters had been forgotten for hundreds of years! But in 1415 an old (old even in that day) manuscript was found giving us the key to what these letters meant. (Can you imagine being that monk that discovered the secret to the mystery? I bet he got extra grog that night!) Anyway, the letters on the cross stand for, “Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux” or "May the Holy Cross be my light,” and “Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux” or “Let not the dragon be my guide.” The rest of the letters are a prayer used while making the sign of the cross while making a petition to be protected from temptation, “Vade Retro Satana, Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana - Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas” or “Begone, Satan! Do not suggest to me your vanities - evil are the things you propose, drink your own poison.”

CHEERIO TO CHEERIOS

A new ground breaking study shows that Cheerios at Mass has a link to attention deficit syndrome in adults. Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth of the Perfidia Institute of the Pseudosciences spoke recently at the annual convention of Church Ladies Engaging All to Neatness (or CLEAN for short.) “Zer ees no doubt about it,” he spoke emphatically, “Zer ist a direct link between feeding Cheerios to kids at Mass and the need for comfort food among adults at za Mass later in life.”

The topic for this year’s theme, “The Growing Problem of Cheerios and Their Ramifications in This World and the World to Come,” came about because of the growing concern among CLEAN members that an epidemic was beginning that boarded on a new religion. “They’re leaving their prayer books at home,” said Matilda Mercywild, “in order to have enough room for survival packs to help them make it through the Mass!”

Cheerians, as CLEAM members have come to refer to them, leave small piles of gooey Cheerios in pews between Masses, crushed into carpets, swept back under pews, not to mention the slimy residue left on one’s hand after the Sign of Peace having shaken hands with someone handling the substance around drooling babies. “It’s just a shame,” said Mercywild, “last year the Church spent thousands of dollars purchasing special vacuums in order to suck all of the muck from hidden corners of the church. I mean, my goodness, most of these people are volunteers!”

“But zat ees not za vorst of it,” according to Professor Farnsworth. Admitting that the Mass was a very adult activity and not easily accessible for youngsters, he none-the-less warns of later in life difficulties that may occur as a direct result of bribing children to be good by the use of Cheerios and sippy cups at Mass.

While it is perfectly understandable that young children may have difficulty behaving for forty five to sixty minutes once a week, the age old practice of expecting it of them and encouraging them to try without artificial stimulants such as sugar made it easier for them to focus during Mass as an adult.

“Without the discipline learned as a child,” Psycobabalist Thomas Cruisester said in a break out session, “adults find it much more difficult to focus for more than nine minutes, the average span of time Mad Men is on before the next commercial break. Because of this we see people coming to Mass with Survival Kits. In addition to Cheerios, sippy cups, and toys to entertain and distract their children, we see adult versions of these items now too.”

Cruisester reports that, although it may not be evident to most people, it is more than apparent to psycobablists that otherwise innocent looking items brought to Mass carry with them the baggage of a long history of distractions being used in someone’s upbringing to help them not to have to pray and pay attention for longer than nine minute spans at Mass. “Cough drops, breath mints, and the like are just adult versions of Cheerios. Cell phones, ipads, and all of these modern electronic devices are just different versions of crayons and Tonka Trucks.”

Protestors outside the CLEAN Convention protested that CLEAN people have gone too far. “Next thing you know they will be taking away our coffee and water!” one impassioned protestor shouted who declined to be identified for fear of CLEAN reprisals. And indeed it was on the agenda.

“Studies have shown,” said Farnsworth, “that the human person can indeed go for sixty minutes and even more without needing water. In fact, there is evidence from the early Church Fathers that Mass used to go longer than sixty minutes and all that the people had to quench their thirst was the Blood of Christ at Communion.” This news made even the most diehard CLEAN people a little nervous.

“I mean,” said one member, “We are not radicals! We don’t want people to suffer.” But even with cracks in the ranks such as this, a resolution was passed to recommend the suspension of all none-Eucharistic beverages from the Mass which Cruister identified as adult sippy cups. Pastors are encouraged to place signs outside of their doors with pictures of water bottles and coffee cups with a red line through it next to signs banning smoking, halter tops, short-shorts, cell phones, and guns. Coffee is a more serious threat since it breaks the Eucharistic fast .

“We’re hopeful,” said Martha Stewardess, president of CLEAN. Others are not so confident. “I fear it may be too late,” says another CLEAN lady who declined to give her name, “We’ve lost two generations to Cheerios. It’s time to start providing milk.”

ONE IS (not) THE LONLIEST NUMBER THAT YOU'LL EVER DO

It would be interesting to know if the possible schismatic parish in the Diocese of Cleveland is news outside of our Ohio. Anybody hearing about it out there?

In a nutshell, Historic Saint Peter was one of about 50 parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland that were closed as part of the diocesan downsizing. The pastor and many/most of the people of this parish decided to rent space and start their own parish with the expressed disapproval of our bishop. Negotiations are supposed to take place to see what can be done to heal this rift between the Church and this parish before a formal schism takes place.

In the morning the paper tells the latest chapter in this drama. There is no shortage of people with strong opinions on the matter. It puts me in mind of what it must be like to be related to someone famous who, for one reason or another, is stealing all the headlines at the moment. As you read the article it becomes abundantly clear that many people with very strong opinions do not really understand what is going on. Few know what is happening behind closed doors, almost none are versed in Catholicity but only in their version of being “fair,” or “nice.”

There is on the one hand Jesus’ mission: “That they may all be one.” In the Catholic Church this has very specific meaning. In our theology/ecclesiology it is one of the four marks of the True Church. We say it every weekend, “We believe in ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and APOSTOLIC church. Other ecclesial communities say the same thing but mean something different by it when they say it. In part at least, what we mean when we say that we are one is that we are one in leadership, united to a pastor, who is united to a bishop, who is united to the pope,. The Catholic Church never claimed to be a democracy. Indeed it most certainly is not (though I would argue that true democracy takes place best within her doors.) There is a lot of “top down” governing. When you have a great pastor, a bishop whom you love, a pope that you admire, it is great. When you do not, it is not so great. One of favorite quotes is from Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow.” “It’s hard to be obedient when you suspect your superiors are asses.”

Be that as it may, it is in our unity that we find our very definition – our call from Christ. So somebody writes the editor and complains that the Church is being rather unfair because they won’t allow people to pray when and where they want without permission from the bishop. To begin with, this is a straw man. You can do as you please for the most part. I can have a house mass without the bishop’s permission. What is happening here though is that a new parish is being set up with its own board, its own building, celebrating sacraments, detaching itself from the bishop and the rest of the diocese. That is what is of concern. Unity is being ruptured and that cannot be left unaddressed. It strikes to the heart of what it is to be Catholic. We would have to redefine ourselves. One simply cannot say, “I am not a part of this diocese, but I am still Catholic.” It would be like saying, “This shape is round, but it is still a square!”

On the other hand I do feel for the people of the parish. They may feel that they have been unfairly treated. They may see the actions of the diocese as sinful and counterproductive to the mission of Christ. They may have felt a need to act now since, once destroyed, the reconstruction of the parish could never take place and their mission lost forever. There is certainly passion here and a desire for good. What does one do if one feels that what is taking place in the Church is sinful? Lie down and be run over? No! You act! One cannot be excommunicated from the Church if one is standing up against sin and tyranny anymore than one can be forgiven if one is not penitent.

So how does one weigh what is going on here? Which side is not acting in the best interest of Christ’s mission? Let us place first principles first. Would those from the parish still be able to receive the Eucharist if the parish closed? Well, yes – most of them drive past many parishes before arriving at St. Peter. Putting anger, hurt, distrust, egos, and desires aside, is unity in Christ better preserved by breaking away from the diocese or in the sacrificing of one parish, even if you feel it patently wrong, for the greater good of the Church?

This is not the first time this has happened in this diocese actually. One of the parishes closed in this latest round of closing was a tiny, little parish that popped up out of nowhere. It was supposed to be a cultural center and shrine that all of a sudden became a parish. The bishop at the time allowed it to continue.

There is of course some Traditionalists Churches in these parts – those who never accepted the reforms of Vatican II. They also broke off and began their own parishes with their own priests who left the Catholic Church. Now their priests are getting old. Where will they be in a few more years? There will be no priests from the diocese to fill the role. They may advertise nationally and find an unhappy priest who left the Church and wants to celebrate what we call the extraordinary form – or who might come from some independent, schismatic seminary – if the minister is willing to move to Ohio to take care of a small congregation – and hope that the ordination and the subsequent sacraments are valid. Or they may be left homeless with no one and no sacraments – one of the risks one takes when one no longer defines one the way Catholics traditionally define it.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CLXXXVII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “It is considered more withering to accuse a man of bad taste than of bad ethics.” G. K. Chesterton

QUOTE II: "She’d learned that courtesy meant the most to those with no right to demand it.” from Sharon Kay Penman’s, “Devil’s Brood”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Have you ever heard of a site called The Vortex? A couple of you sent this video in from that site. The information in it is very interesting but I find his approach not as helpful as it could be. I think he is preaching to the choir (maybe that is his intent) but if you were not already in his camp you might be more inclined not to listen to what he has to say. In any event I found it at least interesting and provide it here for you to see if you choose. Thanks for sending it in!

I don't know if it made it into the national news or not but there is a parish here in the Diocese of Cleveland that is verging on becoming a schismatic parish should things not turn favorable between the bishop, the priest of said parish, and the people who attend there. Here is Bishop Lennon's latest statement provided by the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter.

Russ sent this link in for a funny cartoon.

Russ also sent this link to Young Fogeys. It really has nothing to do with this site except that I found it funny. The first part of the video is the funniest if you don't want to watch the whole thing. Thanks Russ.

This is a picture of the front garden of Saint Sebastian from the bell tower. Nice job guys!A doctor friend of mine sent in this article blurb: "Catholic hospitals provide best care, according to rankings: Catholic and other church-owned health systems tended to have the highest quality outcomes and deliver "significantly better, more efficient care" than for-profit health systems, according to a study from Thomson Reuters." More

Did you know that the Catholic Church owns approximately 237,000 acres of the Unites States. This and other fun facts can be found here.

Servant and Stewart has this post of the Pope's message to altar servers.

In case you did not catch it Friday, head over to Sancte Pater to see how Vincent responded to last week's post on the priestmobile.

I stole this joke from Fish Eaters:

Two men considering a religious vocation were having a conversation. "What is similar about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders? " the one asked.

The second replied, "Well, they were both founded by Spaniards -- St. Dominic for the Dominicans, and St. Ignatius of Loyola for the Jesuits. They were also both founded to combat heresy -- the Dominicans to fight the Albigensians, and the Jesuits to fight the Protestants."

"What is different about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders?"

"Met any Albigensians lately?"

MONDAY DIARY - FROM AKRON AND PROUD OF IT

It rained on Saturday! It was a glorious, soaking rain that went on for a couple of hours. I took all the inside plants outside to be watered (it does amazing things) and decided – what the heck – Sebastian and I will go for walk. It has been so long since we had an honest to goodness rain it seemed rather a treat to get wet! I was clad in a T-shirt and shorts and no shoes as we went sloshing around the parish. Off in the distance we saw someone else and their dog doing the same thing. I was a little put out that we would have to change directions. “What moron walks his dog in the rain?” I thought – the irony escaping me at the moment.

Instead of going up into the chapel to pray evening prayer I stayed out on the porch to pray listening to His gift of rain as I prayed from the breviary. Fr. Pfeiffer and I were supposed to watch a movie but I suggested that it was the first time in a while that it was actually survivable outside and it was such a great, rainy night that we should go on the loggia.

When my family from Slovenia was in town, they told us that Pfeiffer meant, “one who smokes a pipe” or some such thing in the Slovenian language. So we had gone out and bought Father a pipe and we sat out and smoked a small bowl and listened to the rain. It was wonderfully soothing.

I would like to do a little bragging for a moment. I mentioned above my family from Slovenia. They were in town recently for two weeks and for a spell I got to see this parish, Akron, and northeast Ohio through their eyes. It seems that people from Akron always admit being from here with a little bit of an apology like being at a Browns game and admitting that you live in Pittsburg – with a little wince and hoping those who hear don’t mind. We really do need to get over that however, this is a fantastic place to live.

So I was on the canal path tow trail (part of the fantastic park system that surrounds us) riding bikes with my family from Slovenia through some very interesting, beautiful, and historic areas. We parked our bikes at the Stanford Youth Hostel in Boston and hiked out to Brandywine Falls which were just gorgeous despite our lack of rain. On our way back on the bikes they stopped and asked, “Why is everyone saying hello to us?” “That’s just the Midwest,” I tell them.

My sister and I did some research in order to provide the family with a list of things to do for 14 days. Besides the parks, there are all kinds for free concerts and an incredible amount of fairs, there are ample chances to see theater, go to concerts (we went to Blossom for the Cleveland Orchestra) sports venues, museums, and a giant list of things to see and do.

There was a missionary from India here this weekend and he commented on how lively the faith is here in the United States and in this area in particular. “In much of Europe the faith seems dead in comparison to here,” he said. Another priest visiting from overseas made mention that Americans seem to build our houses “in the woods!” And indeed if you climb the bell tower of Saint Sebastian – except for a couple of sky scrapers punching through it does look as though we are in the woods. The priest from Barcelona mentioned that, “there is just so much space here!” This is a great place to live. The biggest draw backs are that you have to know where to look in order to know what is going on and you must have your own car. Public transportation is not very convenient at all. Every place has its warts and it would be easy to point out all of them out (including the lack of jobs.) But overall, this is one great place to live and worship and I am glad to be a part of it.