Blue and Gold Banquet

Last night my parish hosted the annual Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet during which all the young cub scouts get their awards.  It was a fun time so I thought I might share some pictures of it:

Here is one of me and one of the Cub Scouts who incidentally also plans on one day becoming Pope:

And  here is one of me and my pastor.  By the look on his face he could use a little rest and relaxation:

South Dakota To Ban Abortion

South Dakota became the first U.S. state to pass a law banning abortion in virtually all cases, with the intention of forcing the Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 decision legalizing the procedure.

The law, which would punish doctors who perform the operation with a five-year prison term and a $5,000 fine, awaits the signature of Republican Gov. Michael Rounds and people on both sides of the issue say he is unlikely to veto it.

That's what the Washington Post said about it in an article that clearly leans one way...evident in the fact that the only person quoted is from Planned Parenthood.  They didn't even have the sense to present both sides of the issue.

Here is another article from the Local Sioux Falls paper that is a little better in their presentation of the facts. 

Given the fact that the Governor has made it clear that he is all for the reduction of Abortions in South Dakota and that he considers himself to be pro-life it seems likely that he will sign it into law.  But we still need to support him with our prayers and sacrifices.  I also think it would be good to write, e-mail or call him to let him know that you are praying that he will truly live out his Catholic faith by upholding the right to life.

His contact info is:

The Honorable Michael Rounds

Office of the Governor
500 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
605.773.3212

Click here to e-mail Governor Rounds

Are You a Heritic?

According to Bishop Robert Vasa, Bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon if you are pro-abortion you just might be.  He explains it this way:

"There is some question, for instance, about whether those who openly profess to be “pro-choice” are, in fact, holding to a heretical position. The teaching of the Church in the area of life is clear and unequivocal. Human life must be respected and protected from conception to natural death. Those who maintain that any and all decisions about the disposition of pre-born human beings are exclusively the right of the mother or the parents, at least implicitly, reject the clear and consistent teaching of the Church. The truth is that God charges each of us with the duty to protect and defend innocent human life. This is clearly stated in the Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill. In our society, this attempt to protect innocent human life is done through legal legislative processes and is accomplished, or fails to be accomplished, by those whom we elect. It would not be proper to imply that anyone who votes for an anti-life politician is denying some truth of divine and Catholic faith. Yet, if that candidate receives the vote precisely because he maintains that he has no duty to protect or defend innocent human life in the womb, then a vote cast for him is a type of declaration that the teaching of the Church, indeed the validity of the Fifth Commandment itself, is rejected.

One brave soul has termed this present rejection of responsibility for one’s pre-born brother or sister the right-to-murder heresy. When our Lord said it was time for Him to go to Jerusalem, there to suffer and die, Peter contended with Him quite strongly and rejected this intention of his Lord. For this Peter incurred the blunt and definitive, “Get behind me, you Satan. You are thinking as man thinks and not as God thinks.” Our kind and gentle Lord will certainly receive us and help us when we cry out to Him for He is “meek and humble of heart,” but I suspect he will likewise not mince words with those who reject His Way and His Truth."

I think he makes a good point.  Maybe we should all start refering to it as the "right to murder heresy."

Biretta tip to Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia for the story.

Requiescat in Pace

John McEneaney was born on December 17, 1917, in Lawrence, MA. He was educated at Holy Cross University and St. John’s Seminary before being ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1943. He came to South Dakota on an 18-month loan in 1946, and stayed. He was formally incardinated in the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1949. He served at parishes in Aberdeen, Clark, Garretson, Hartford, Huntimer, Brookings, and Huron. He served as rector of St. Joseph Cathedral for 10 years, and as pastor of Christ the King, Sioux Falls for another 10.

He was named Vicar General of the diocese in 1976, a position he held for three bishops until 1994. He was named a prelate in 1965, and in 1995, a Protonotary Apostolic. Over the years he served as a member of the priest council, finance council, Priest Retirement Committee and currently was a member of the board of the Catholic Foundation for Eastern South Dakota. He served as president of the National Liturgical Conference from 1965-1967. He conducted Liturgy and Worship workshops for several dioceses around the country and for military chaplains. He was active in ecumenical affairs, including a long running local television program with other ecumenical-minded leaders called “The Open Door.” He received a variety of honors and awards in his lifetime, and was a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

His “retirement” came in 1994 but his days were filled with more personal ministry including his daily hospital visits, substantial correspondence and weekend parish coverage. As recently as 2003 he served as sacramental minister for St. Edward, Worthing for several months. His entire ministry was rooted in his love of God. At his Golden Jubilee homily he said, “What a joy and privilege is has been for me to be ordained to the priesthood. For a priest is empowered by the Sacrament of Holy Orders to proclaim the infinite riches of Christ, in word, in sacrament and in loving deed.”

I had the great honor and privilege to be at the bedside of Msgr. Mac reciting the prayers for the dying as he entered eternity.  He is a man who will be missed by all the priests of the Diocese.  In alot of ways he was the grandfather of the presbyterate.  May he rest in peace. 

A Courageous Bishop

And no...it's not because he ordained me, it's because of this:

"In recent weeks, Carlson admits he has ruffled feathers by enforcing church guidelines set by the Vatican forbidding lay ministers from preaching at Mass celebrations.

The preaching "controversy" is one of a number of protocol issues Carlson is bringing back in line with Rome dictates. Other areas of concern include how Communion bread is prepared and when parishioners will kneel and stand during worship services.

"It's the most controversial thing I've done, according to what I'm hearing, because it impacts women," the bishop said.

"The thing is, Rome has clearly said that the only people who can preach the homily at the Eucharist are priests, deacons or bishops -- (ordained) people who can consecrate the elements. I don't have the authority to allow a lay minister, whether that person is a male or female, to preach. "

Even protestants see his courage.  For instance  the Rev. Hurley Coleman Jr., pastor of Coleman Temple Church Of God In Christ said "I've been disappointed in a lot of other pastors who have turned away and had a blind eye to what's going on... Bishop Carlson is not just a talker; he's a doer, and a courageous one at that. He's prepared to go to work, and it takes people who are willing to go ahead and do some things to really make a difference. For the first time in a long time, I really feel there is some hope."

You can read the whole article here.

The Debate Continues

It seems as though the topic of choice around here lately is liturgy and liturgical music so I thought I would continue the topic.

Recently I posted about the topic of liturgical music, and recieved a comment that I thought was worth a reply, so here it is.   You may want to read the origional post by clicking here before reading Dunny's comments and then my response. 

Here are his comments with my responses inserted:

Win A Turkey!!!!

From Cardinal Arinze:  "Suppose a priest comes at the beginning of Mass and says: 'Good morning, everybody, did your team win last night?' That's not a liturgical greeting. If you can find it in any liturgical book, I'll give you a turkey,"

Given the fact that I love turkey I might have to take Cardinal Arinze up on this...but I don't think it's possible for obvious reasons.

From Shrine of the Holy Whapping via The New Liturgical Movement.

Birdgate

I must admit I found this amusing:

But come on folks, haven't we heard enough about this?  As easy as it is to make fun of, the reality of the whole situation is that this is not exactly huge news.  I am from South Dakota and even though I don't do alot of hunting myself, more than a few people around here and many of them have told me that a stray bee bee here or there is a somewhat common occurence.  Correct me if I am wrong, but this is really not a big deal...but even so, I guess we can use the incedent for a little entertainment.

Besides, we should all remember, as Dom Bettinelli points out, "Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than Dick Cheney's rifle."

Biretta tip to Fr. Tucker for finding the picture.

Catholic Blog Awards

Well, the nominations for the 2006 Catholic Blog Awards are in and lo and behold I have been nominated for the award for the best blog by a priest or religious.  You can vote for me (or someone else, but I wouldn't recommed it) here.

Homily: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Do everything for the Glory of God.”

One of my favorite saints is St. Josemaria Escriva, and one day he had the opportunity to see an eagle which was confined in a small iron cage.  He noticed that the cage was rather dirty and that the bird was missing half its feathers, and in it’s claws was a rotting piece of meat.  He later recalled how sorry he felt for that lonely, chained up bird that was born to soar to the heavens and gaze at the sun, but would never have that opportunity because it was tied down to the earth.  Pondering on this, St. Josemaria said that “We too can scale the humble heights of love for God, of service to all men. However, in order to do this, we must make sure that our souls have no nooks or crannies into which the light of Jesus Christ cannot shine.” And when we have let that light shine into every part of our lives, “then Christ will be in your mind, on your lips, in your heart, stamped on your deeds. All of your life will be full of God — in its sentiments, its works, its thoughts and its words.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Paul in our second reading reminds us that we must do everything for the Glory of God.  Everything…not just our Mass attendance on Sunday, not just a few prayers here or there, but everything.  He reminds us along with St. Josemaria that the Light of Christ and the Light of our Catholic faith should shine on each and every aspect of our lives, not just those areas that have to do with religion.  We as Christians are called to live all of the various parts of our life in the light of God, offering to Him everything we do, everything we think, and everything we feel.

This is certainly contrary to what many in our society believe.  It seems as though many in our world think that Christians ought to leave their Christianity at Church.  It’s as if they want us to take off our Catholic hat when we leave Mass on Sunday and not put it on again until the next Sunday.  But my friends, our faith is not something that we can take off like a pair of clothes – it is who we are, it is part of the very fiber of our being.  Our Catholic faith and our lives of prayer should be part of everything we do – no matter what it is that we are doing, and if what we are doing at any given moment is not compatible with our faith, then we should have enough sense to stop doing it. 

For instance, the other day I was reading about a number of Catholic doctors and pharmacists who take their faith very seriously and strive to involve their faith in every aspect of their life, even their work.  For them being Catholic is indeed part of the very fiber of their being.  But many of them work in hospitals, clinics or pharmacies that require them to dispense the morning after pill which you might already be aware causes abortions.  Now those men and women had a choice to make, and since they are Catholic the only acceptable choice is to do something about the situation.

If I were in this same situation I might start by talking to my superior to try to convince them that it isn’t good for anyone to sell the morning after pill, or to tell him about the harmful effects that it has on those who use it, maybe I have to go to the board of directors or owner of the company and try to convince them, and if none of that works, I would probably have to find another job because abortion and Catholicism don’t mix – I can change my job, but I cannot change my Catholicism without the risk of losing my salvation and ending up in hell.  I cannot take my Catholic hat off when I go to work, and put it back on when I leave, because in reality I don’t have a Catholic hat – there is no such thing. I have, like every baptized Catholic, a Catholic heart, and to take it off would mean death.  And that is exactly what happens when we compromise our faith for work, politics, or anything else.  It means spiritual death – it cuts us off from the source of our life – Jesus.

Jesus calls us to a unity of life so that our religious, social, political,  professional, and recreational lives are one.  Pope John Paul The Great said in a letter to the laity that “There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence: on the one hand, the so-called "spiritual" life, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called "secular" life, that is, life in a family, at work, in social relationships, in the responsibilities of public life and in culture… every area of the lay faithful's lives, as different as they are, enters into the plan of God, who desires that these very areas be the "places in time" where the love of Christ is revealed and realized for both the glory of the Father and service of others.”   The pope goes on to say that “every activity, every situation, every precise responsibility…are the occasions ordained by Providence for a "continuous exercise of faith, hope and charity."”

Now thats a tall order – it’s hard to keep every aspect of our lives united by faith and our relationship with Jesus because there are so many distractions that lead us to take our eyes off of Him.  So here are a few suggestions: if we want to remember that Jesus is with us in our work maybe we should keep some holy reminders around us.  Maybe it’s a little crucifix on our desk or in our pocket.  Maybe it’s a picture of our Blessed Lady.  Maybe it’s a little one minute stop in the chapel every day to say hello to Jesus living in the tabernacle.  There is a story about a milkman in France who every day would stop his truck in front of the Church, run up, open the door, and yell, “Jesus, It’s me, Fred the Milkman.”  That was it, that’s all he did, but it reminded him that in the midst of his work he must not forget Jesus, he must not forget that he is Catholic. 

In today’s second reading St. Paul challenges us to do just that, and so as we gather here, around this altar to celebrate the dying and rising of Christ let us pray that we, like Fred the milkman will have the grace to keep Jesus constantly before our eyes no matter what we may be doing.

More on Liturgical Music

I recently was given a copy of an interview with Fr. Robert C. Pasley, KHS that appeared in the January 2006 edition of The Catholic World report.  Fr. Pasley is on the board of Directors of the Music Association of America and is an expert on music in the Liturgy.  I thought it might be of interest to some of the visitors to this blog to pass along some of the excellent information that he provides about music in the Sacred Liturgy.

The first question that he addresses is whether or not the Church has allowed for “‘folk Masses’ with acoustical guitars, ‘polka Masses’ with accordion, and ‘Life Teen Masses’ accompanied by amateur rock bands.”  This is quite an inflammatory question to begin with, but like me, he must not be afraid of inflammatory questions. 

Those who frequently read this blog will know that the topic of “Life Teen Masses” is one that gets people all up in arms, but not being afraid of that, I will give Fr. Pasley’s answer.  He said “The documents talk about allowing new compositions in the vernacular.  Even before they say that, however, they declare that Gregorian chant has pride of place in the liturgy.  They also approve of other works of our heritage, polyphonic choral music especially, which is closest to chant.  Even compositions for choir and orchestra are permitted, as long as they don’t detract from the Mass and become a performance in themselves.  The most recent official Vatican document on church musica was in 1967, Musicam sacram, and that never mentions anything about rock bands or guitar Masses.”

In my limited experience I have found that the biggest problem in allowing more modern music into the Sacred Liturgy is that it does indeed detract from the Mass and runs the risk of becoming a performance.  This is seen most especially in places where the choir loft has been abandoned so that the “band” can be front and center.  This has led to a “performance mentality” among the choir/band members as well as an “audience mentality” among the congregation.  This is clearly not the intention of the Church.  The liturgy is not for our entertainment and enjoyment, but to give praise and glory to God.  The Sacred Liturgy is not a place where we come to give ourselves a pat on the back for playing nice music which is why a liturgy after or during which there is applause for the choir/band is clearly one where Jesus has not been the focus.

Fr. Pasley goes on to say “It (the Document) actually sets down priorities as to what parts of the Mass are to be sung.  First of all, if anything is sung at the Mass, it should be the opening Sign of the Cross, the priest’s orations and the people’s responses, the Gospel acclamation, the Sanctus with the preceding dialogue and preface, the Lord’s Prayer, and the dismissal.  The second degree of singing is then added, which includes the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Agnus Dei, and the Creed and the prayer of the faithful.  Finally, the third degree of singing can be added, consisting of the Scripture readings and the verses at the entrance, offertory, and communion procession of the Novus Ordo Mass.   The document says that if all these things have been accomplished, then hymns may be admitted.”

Now it seems to me that the way it works in most parishes is just the opposite of what the Church desires.  It seems to me that the first priority is the hymns and rarely is the sign of the cross, the dialogue and preface or the Creed sung.  I think priests have their work cut out for them if they truly want to do what the Church asks of them in things liturgical.  I know from experience that it would not be easy to implement these things without a lot of education and even then it might take a fair amount of convincing.  Even though that may be the case we have a sacred responsibility to do what the Church asks of us, and speaking for myself, I won’t back down from the challenge.

Well, if that doesn’t get all of the amateur liturgist who read this blog in a tizzy I don’t know what will.  Fr. Pasley had a lot more to say about active participation and Latin in the Liturgy, I hope to post his thoughts on those topics as well as mine later.  Until then, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

The Last Acceptable Prejudice

They won't print the cartoons of Mohammed but they will print a dung covered image of the Blessed Mother.  It's amazing how anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice.

Would The Real Silas Please Stand Up?

When "The Da Vinci Code" became a publishing sensation, leaders of the Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei realized they had an image problem on their hands.

The assassin in the best-selling thriller is an albino Opus Dei monk named Silas, and the group is depicted as a powerful but secretive cult whose members practice ritualistic self-torture. In a preface titled "Fact," the author, Dan Brown, said his book was more than mere fiction.

With the film starring Tom Hanks now set for release on May 19, Opus Dei is trying to sate public interest and cast the group in a very different light than the religious home of a fictional assassin.

The group is promoting a blog by an Opus Dei priest in Rome, revamping its Web site and even arranging interviews with a member said to be the only "real Silas" in Opus Dei — a Nigerian-born stockbroker who lives in Brooklyn.

Silas Agbim, the stockbroker, said that Opus Dei taught its members to hold themselves to the highest standards. "If you do your work well, it's pleasing to God," said Mr. Agbim, a graying father of three grown children who is married to a professor emeritus of library science. "And if you think you will get holy by reciting 10 rosaries a day and doing your work sloppily, that is wrong."

Read the whole article here.

Slow Blogging

Sorry things have been slow around here but it has been a busy week.  We had confirmation two Sunday's in a row as well as a plethora of other parish and ministerial activities.  Things should pick up soon.