Do you run a Catholic blog, or is it more like a Catholic blahhhhg? Do you wish you had more readers? Is your Sitemeter daily count smaller than Kate Middleton’s waist size, and you wish it would expand (the daily count, not KM’s waist)? Does your combox have more robo-generated spam comments selling shoes and junk than comments left by actual people?
From the reports I have read it looks like the first CatholicCon is a great success. So congratulations to the crew of Catholic Underground and all those involved in pulling it off. I already really wanted to attend and reports from Father Z only made this more so.
Last night they announced the winners of the 2011 Catholic Media Awards and you can find the well-deserved winners here. While I was already fans of the winners, some of the nominees provide me with blogs to add to my RSS Reader and follow. It has been great watching the Catholic blogosphere grow over the years. Plus of course other new media efforts like Catholic podcasting.
Though in other Catholic awards news the 2011 CANNONBALL CATHOLIC BLOG AWARDS™© are still accepting votes and this year I am quite happy to be nominated in the category of Best Potpourri of Popery. Being that part of the criteria is that the blog must not be as good as the Crescat’s own blog this is still quite the honor. My plan to get shut out of the Catholic New Media Awards and somebody taking pity on me worked!
As most Catholics know there are apparently four levels of Holy Orders. Bishop, Priest, Deacon and of course Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Or at least that is the conclusion some Catholics might come to from experience at Mass. I went to a parish I had not gone to before where these four levels of Holy Orders seemed to be in practice. When the priest, altar boys and girl processed down the aisle at the start of Mass they were followed by eight other adults. These eight men and women were all dressed in albs and as the priest approached the altar they all stood just outside the sanctuary. It took a minute for me to realize that these must all be EMHCs. Now I don’t mind EMHCs wearing albs as this is a perfectly licit option and something that I would like to see more of.
I suspect that there is a liturgist/choreographer somehow involved in this parish as the Mass involved a lot of EMHC choreography along with some involving the Cross-Bearer involving the processional Cross. Though I appreciated the nice touch of the Cross-Bearer wearing white gloves, but they moved the cross around during the Mass with a ceremonial flourish. The altar boys and girl were also part of some extra choreography. After Communion the EMHCs then formed around the priest as he purified the sacred vessels and then were part of the final procession.
All of this was not really surprising to me as EMHCs have become more about involving laity directly in a physical aspect of the Mass than about assisting the distribution of Holy Communion. I say this based on a couple of things. The number of EMHCs assisting at Mass seems to bear no relationship to the number of people at Mass. For example if a specific Mass is more sparsely attended than normally they will never decide to reduce the number of EMHCs for that Mass. This can become so comical that in some cases that the ratio of EMHCs and attendees at Mass can approach a ratio of 1:1. There also never seems to be an ordinary situation since every situation seems to not only require Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, but a large number of them. Could you imagine if more than 30/35% of Catholics actually attended Mass? We would have platoons of EMHCs. You just have to wonder how the Church contended before EMHCs when a much larger part of the Catholic population attended Mass?
It must be remembered though the that Church allows for EMHCs, but the question is are they be prudently used? By my own personal experience I would say no. The example of the parish I registered in is the exception is that sometimes there are no EMHCs if for example a Deacon is present and when not they might have but one EMHC. Yet Mass is not significantly longer there due to this. For major feasts such as Easter Christmas and other occasions when Mass attendance is much heavier they do use more EMHCs and this seems to me to be a prudent reaction. In other parishes Mass attendance seems to bear no relationship to the number of EMHCs. It is worth noting that my preference would be for the return of the altar rail for receiving Holy Communion for multiple reasons. I would just like to see that when they are used that the usage of EMHCs be much more restrained than is currently the norm. Besides to me it has the feel of “processing” people for Communion to perhaps to shave off a little time from Mass. That those minutes as we prepare ourselves for receiving the Lord in the Eucharist and that time for reflection afterwards are something that need to be dealt with in the manner an efficacy expert might recommend.
So what have your experiences been and have you seen the use of EMHCs in the procession and elsewhere as I did today?
There is the recent news story about the Sacramento priest who showed up a a baptism drunk.
He was subsequently suspended while the diocese looks into what happened. I think it was all a terrible misunderstanding. I imagine this is what really happened.
Church Secretary: Father, will you be available Saturday to come in to dunk.
Father: Well, okay.
Just a simple misunderstanding and maybe time for a hearing test.
Welcome fellow papist jester. That is the new blog “On with the Motley” – a Catholic discernment blog by the licensed fool. Gee I didn’t even now I needed a license. [Hat tip: Mulier Fortis]
Also welcome Gray Matters a smart and promising new blog.
In a rather un-Godly call for vengeance, the Franciscan priests at the church in Florence are praying that a dose of “the runs” will convince the unidentified pilferer of the error of his ways.
“We pray that the Good Lord will visit a strong bout of the trots on this thief and that this will help to convince him not to commit any more thefts,” reads a sign put up by clergy at the Basilica of San Salvatore al Monte, a hilltop church which commands views of the Renaissance city.
The notice said that in addition to praying for a sudden loosening of the bowels, the priests were also hoping that the thief will repent of his crime and return the stolen holy books.
Well this is not without Biblical precedence:
When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they carried it from Ebene’zer to Ashdod; then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off upon the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. The hand of the LORD was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god.” So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. But after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out upon them. — Samuel 1 5:1-7:2
The word tumor is what the RSV translates the Hebrew word טחוריםd (tĕchor). The KJV translates it as “emerods” which means hemorrhoids which seems to be the more precise meaning. Now there is also a question of relative punishment. Hemorrhoids for offenses against the Ark of the Covenant is the Biblical example. So is diarrhea for stealing a Bible appropriate?
Personally I think asking for St. Dismas intercession to be more appropriate.
[Via Acts of the Apostasy]
This piano does not have the tone and action of the German Chocolate Cake Piano I have at home.
So how does chopsticks go?
[Via Whispers in the Loggia] which also has video.
Pope Benedict has announced he will proclaim St. John of Avila Doctor of the Universal church. His announcement came on Saturday at a Mass for young seminarians in the cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena in Madrid. Emer McCarthy reports from the Spanish capital:
On Saturday, to the joy of Spaniards, priests and Catholics around the world Pope Benedict XVI declared he would make St John of Avila a Doctor of the Universal Church.
Madrid’s neo-gothic cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena filled with the voices of young men raised in prayer Saturday morning, the future pastors of the Spanish Church. “Looking at you”, – Pope Benedict told them, – “I again see proof of how Christ continues to call young disciples and to make them his apostles, thus keeping alive the mission of the Church and the offer of the Gospel to the world”.
The Mass with the young seminarians, was the Pope’s second appointment of the day. Earlier in the morning, as the sun rose over the city, he had travelled to the vast park in the very heart of the capital, the Jardines del Buen Retiro. There since midweek priests – from all over the world – have been on hand to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to pilgrims. 200 open-air white wooden confessionals line the park, and there on Saturday morning – for the first time ever during WYD events – Pope Benedict joined the confessors to administer the Sacrament to four young pilgrims- two French speaking, one German speaking and one Spanish speaking.
Later, in his homily in Almudena cathedral, he returned to the role of the priest as minister of God’s forgiveness: “Ask him to let you imitate him in his perfect charity towards all, so that you do not shun the excluded and sinners, but help them convert and return to the right path. Ask him to teach you how to be close to the sick and the poor in simplicity and generosity. Face this challenge without anxiety or mediocrity, but rather as a beautiful way of living our human life in gratuitousness and service, as witnesses of God made man, messengers of the supreme dignity of the human person and therefore its unconditional defenders”.Pope Benedict XVI also gave words of advice to the over 6,000 young men many of whom assisted in the celebration from the courtyard outside the Cathedral. He said their years in the seminary “should be years of interior silence, of unceasing prayer, of constant study and of gradual insertion into the pastoral activity and structures of the Church”.
He told them to model themselves on Christ, supreme pastor: “ Relying on his love, do not be intimidated by surroundings that would exclude God and in which power, wealth and pleasure are frequently the main criteria ruling people’s lives. You may be shunned along with others who propose higher goals or who unmask the false gods before whom many now bow down. That will be the moment when a life deeply rooted in Christ will clearly be seen as something new and it will powerfully attract those who truly search for God, truth and justice”.
“Approach the priesthood – Pope Benedict said – only if you are firmly convinced that God is calling you to be his ministers, and if you are completely determined to exercise it in obedience to the Church’s precepts”.Then to the joy of the young men before him and the priests and lay faithful around the world, Pope Benedict XVI announced he would shortly declare the great XVIth century preacher,St. John of Avila , doctor of the universal Church
There are currently 33 doctors of the Church, including St. Augustine, St. Francis de Sales and St. Teresa of Avila. St. Therese of Lisieux was the last to be proclaimed doctor of the Church in by Blessed John Paul II in 1997.
This makes me want to revise part of my Saintly Planning post since this is something I forgot to consider.
We are all called to be saints, but hey why not plan also to be a Doctor of the Church since this is so obviously way cool. So I am thinking of moving to Avila since apparently you have a much better chance of being named a Doctor of the Church if you are from there. Besides it has a much cooler ring to it. St. Jeff of Jacksonville not-so-much. St. Jeff of Avila – bingo.
As of today there are only 33 named Doctors of the Church out of so many thousands and thousands of saints. Certain saints have been named thus because of the great advantage the whole Church has derived from their doctrine. So first you need to plan to come up with some doctrine which will have “great advantage” for the whole Church. For example I believe Blessed John Paul II’s Theology of the Body will lead to him one day being proclaimed a Doctor of the Church after he is canonized. Though you don’t have to go all fancy-smancy doctrine-wise. Consider the fact that the Little Flower is a Doctor of the Church and the impact she made.
Now if you do decide to hope to be named a Doctor of the Church someday then you should also know that so far no martyr has been named a Doctor of the Church. The Church takes martyrdom seriously and dying for your faith is a pretty high calling and a witness to the Church. So martyrdom in some ways trumps being named a Doctor of the Church. This is not a hard and fast rule though and the situation could change. For example many consider Saint Teresia Benedicta of the Cross a perfect candidate for being named a Doctor of the Church. Her writings certainly fit the classification.
That reminds me of another consideration if you want to plan to be a Doctor of the Church. Consider becoming a Carmelite. Out of 33 named Doctors of the Church, three are Carmelites. Sure the other orders are well represented, but not to that extent. So becoming a Carmelite and moving to Avila really should be seriously considered in your Doctor of the Church planning. Just expect a long wait. The latest Doctor of the Church St. John of Avila died in 1569. By the way congratulations St. John of Avila, you did it! By the way it is rather awesome that in his preaching he not only preached to other future saints, but to a fellow future Doctor of the Church St. Teresa of Avila.
A recent story about “selective reduction” illustrates the wisdom of the Church’s teaching on technologies like IVF. Many people do not realize that abortion and IVF go hand in hand. To boost success rates, IVF practitioners implant more embryos than the couple wants babies in the hopes that at least one will take. When more embryos than are desired implant, doctors “reduce” the pregnancy down to the desired number of fetuses. “Reduce” is a euphemism for killing the unlucky fetuses with a shot of potassium chloride. It used to be that doctors would only “reduce” triplets or above, but now have taken to “reducing” twins down to a single fetus. One such story of reduction was recently in the New York Times. Jenny discusses why she is killing one of her IVF twins:
“If I had conceived these twins naturally, I wouldn’t have reduced this pregnancy, because you feel like if there’s a natural order, then you don’t want to disturb it. But we created this child in such an artificial manner — in a test tube, choosing an egg donor, having the embryo placed in me — and somehow, making a decision about how many to carry seemed to be just another choice. The pregnancy was all so consumerish to begin with, and this became yet another thing we could control.”
Jenny has articulated Church teaching on procreation and she doesn’t even know it. There is a natural order to things and when that is bypassed and life is created in an artificial manner, it is easy to rationalize the killing of an innocent life down to a simple matter of “control.” Just like William E. May (and the Church) said it would. [Source]
Though in some ways you have to wonder why this story on the murder (“reduction”) of one twin is such a news story in the first place. After all IVF almost always results in the death of siblings. Multiple implantations so that one survives is normal procedure and of course freezing embryos also results in death at some point.
This doesn’t happen very often, so when it does it needs to be applauded and pointed out. Today USA Today has an article on concerning World Youth Day and the generation of Millennials.
At first glance, studies such as Pew’s 2010 report “Religion Among the Millennials” seem to indicate that young Catholics (age 18-29) exemplify their generation’s tendency toward religious indifference. To wit, they are less likely to attend Mass weekly, less likely to pray daily, and less likely to consider religion “very important” than Catholics 30 and older. Yet the millennial Catholics whodo practice and value their faith are doing something odd: They are spearheading a resurgence of traditional Catholic liturgy and disciplines that their parents and grandparents had largely abandoned.
Anna Williams the author of the article diagnoses why she believes this to be true and her conclusions seem to me quite sound. There is a lot to pick out from this article so best to just read it. But I liked this:
More intellectually coherent than relativism, orthodoxy is also more demanding. It makes us place others above ourselves, the truth above what we’d like to be true, the fight for virtue above the pursuit of pleasure. In a word, it preaches sacrifice.
Dissent is usually easy since often it places no demands upon you. You don’t have to repent or reevaluate your opinion and what is almost always the case you flow with the tide of secular society. As much as they talk about “prophetic voices” usually they are preaching to the secular choir.
Anna Williams is an editorial page intern at USA TODAY and a recent graduate of Hillsdale College in Michigan. She has attended World Youth Day twice: in Cologne, Germany, in 2005 and Sydney, Australia, in 2008.
USA Today more from her please.
Thanks to the reader who sent this in.