What is your good news these days… these busy days? I am sure that some good things are going on out there.
I, for one, am in the midst of preparing another Supper for the Promotion of Clericalism.
I have ten clerics tonight, for a classic French line up of the 7 courses, which I am doing with a hotplate and a toaster oven. I have two hot plates, actually.
Because of the number of guests, I had to rebuild an old table that belonged to one of the former bishops of the diocese.
Also, I reached out for some help outside my clerical circles. I have some cloths and flatware coming (I have enough for about 4 that matches) and stemware.
My entree is now completed: butternut and apple soup with ginger, thyme and Cayenne pepper.
Now to start on the “plat principal”.
Last night two gals at the grocery did me a good turn by helping me to assemble some of my ingredients. I have found that grocery staff will happily help with special projects when you describe what you need and when.
As I type this, I find that my hands aren’t working so well after dealing with the squash. I have had to retype and retype, so I am stopping here.
And ten apples.
I also have squash hands. 
So, this is good news: more clericalism!
What’s up with you?
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Traditional liturgy (Holy Mass and Divine Office), and authentic spirituality proceeding therefrom — not just rubrical accuracy — is flourishing in my neck of the woods.
Talking of rubrical accuracy, I have not kicked any bells lately serving the altar. This may be because Father has me giving the responses from the front pew until I get them word perfect. Lego(tm) block by Lego block.
The number of local consecrated Oratorians grew by one this year, and the lay tertiaries of the Little Oratory continue to grow in number. The Littlest Brothers of the Oratory — boys 8-12 years of age or so — are clamoring for formation and may get it.
Roof over our heads, decent job for the husband, and six healthy kids. Plenty to eat and warm . . . we’re doing better than most on this Earth!
Two healthy grandchildren born recently and moms also doing well.
I am availing of an opportunity to participate in another monumental work of music.
What fun! What a coincidence! I’m giving a seven-course dinner party on New Year’s Eve. By chance, two of the courses are similar to yours:
Smoked Salmon Mousse and crackers with Aperitifs
Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Crab Maison (using recipe from Galatoire’s, New Orleans–my favorite place to dine in these U.S. of A.)
Boeuf Bourguignon, with a Tomato and Zuccini Tian
Salade Vert and Cheese
Ina Garten’s Chocolate Torte
Coffee and Digestifs
I’m using Julia’s recipe, too–with slight modifications.
Bon Appetit!
[Wonderful. I was going to have Boeuf, but with a guest list of 10, I just couldn’t do it with the “kitchen” I (don’t) have.]
Went to a Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival last night which was an amazing experience. It was at a Methodist chapel, but it all seemed so very Catholic.
In good (eating) news, we had roast duck last evening, on of the non-egg laying males. And the girls have given us some 70 eggs in December. (Welsh harlequins and buff orpingtons.)
Experienced and observed some much needed spiritual healing. Pray it is sustained!
Now, Father, you have me completely enticed by the squash and apple soup. I trust you will give us full particulars (complete recipes) after the event, which I hope is a grand clerical success. Mostly, I want to know what you did to the squash.
Our daughter gave us a beautiful, white, 20-inch statute of Our Lady of Fatima to put in our front yard once all our renovations are done and we can move into our new house. Our Lady has been the one directing all this selling and buying. She found us the house. It is right that we honor her thus.
This Christmas good news was bountiful. Deo gratias.
My Seventh-Day Adventist relative admitted that “JPII” did some good work during the Cold War against those “godless Commies.” My agnostic relative sent Christmas cards that actually used the words “Merry Christmas.”
There was also a patient sigh and eye-roll from my feminist relative after I joked that I was considering gifting next Christmas a Star Wars E-Z Bake Oven to the young daughter of a work colleague. Previously at these moments I received from my feminist relative a look of haughty derision. So I’m chalking that one up to progress.
A buddy who worked as a hunting guide after leaving the Marines is married and has a cattle ranch that is going from strength to strength.
To wrap this up, it is also good news that Fr. Z has firmly rejected my recipe from last week’s combox for Desert Beef Bourgignon using MREs, and instead is putting his culinary skills to good use.
All is well here, Father (grace a dieu). And be at peace – those are CONSECRATED squash hands!
Our young priest who offers reverent OF and EF Masses will be teaching at the seminary in the archdiocese while still keeping up his parish duties. Perhaps teaching will mean less time in the parish, but to think that he will be forming our future priests is very good news!
Please pray for him!
After repairing some damage from a lightning strike that had us down for far too long, our parish FM radio station was back on the air in time to broadcast Christmas Eve Mass.
Can’t wait to hear (and see) more about your big dinner. The soup sounds delish! Happy New Year Father!
Looking back (with more serenity now than I had as some events occurred) on a another year in which the Almighty gave me what I could handle and He arranged to take care of I couldn’t. Good news, indeed!
Even though I only have a part time job, so far I have been able to live on it. I have also gained a lit of energy, had my sinus problems improve, and both lost weight and gained muscle. God is very good.
The last quarter of this year has been full of challenges for our family; one granddaughter attempted suicide after a car wreck; one son’s marriage on the rocks; one great grandson born at 24 weeks, but he is gaining weight (still not out of NICU at 38 weeks); one grand son just out of the hospital; our car broke down; the septic tank and drain field flooded (now using a portable toilet); job has ground to a snails pace; BUT we have our own FSSP parish and priest. Our Solemn High Rorate Mass on 12/12 was beautiful; both the wife and I are healthy, as far as we know. And our seminarian is here for the Christmas season. Guess things aren’t that bad after all.
I have ten clerics tonight, for a classic French line up of the 7 courses, which I am doing with a hotplate and a toaster oven. I have two hot plates, actually.
Throw in squash hands.
Paging Monty Python.
Kidding aside, I trust things went rather well for your dinner, Father Z.
I had a phone interview that went well — I am trying to trust in God to find me the job He wants me to have.
So……… half a food story, a teaser. reminds me of a priest who received a complaint about the length of his sermons. The next week in the pulpit he told an enthralling story. Just short of the climax he looked at the clock and said “time to stop 15 minutes is up and the complainers here don’t like long sermons! (sarcastically). Maybe you werejust running short of time to take more photos along the way?
whats the recipe for the soup father?
hoorah for clericalism…
I had an operation on the left eye and can see now! After having shingles inside my left eye (shingles of the cornea…three years ago) a growth formed behind the lens as a result of the trauma and I could not see well. Now I can see! Thanks to God for the healing through my fabulous doctor!
Good news at The Laboure Society of Minnesota. We are helping an increasing number of men and women enter into religious formation by teaching them biblically based fund raising principles to help mitigate or eliminate their student loan debt. Their debt blocks them from entering formation. There are upwards of four to five thousand men and women in the country discerning a vocation but their debt is an obstacle to formation. The Laboure program works. Since its inception in 2003 it has helped 270 men and women enter formation across the country and we continue to help an ever increasing number of men and women pursue their vocation as our future priests, sisters and brothers! Thanks be to God. Please pray for vocations and please pray for The Laboure Society headquartered in Minnesota.
Do you have a simian crease?
My good news is that yesterday my 84-year-old mother was well enough to come home from hospital after being in there for a fortnight following a minor stroke. She is much better now, much to the relief of my 88-year-old father, my three brothers and me. There’s a prayer answered with a definite “Yes”.
I’m grateful for some wonderful ministry opportunities. And for 365 days of possibilities ahead of us! Happy New Year!
The midnight Extraordinary Form mass (at midnight) at St. Barnabas Parish in O’Fallon, MO, USA, was live-streamed by a local television station on one of their cable affiliates. They also had a very positive news report on the mass on their 6:00 p.m. news broadcast on Christmas Day. St. Barnabas which has been having a 10:00 a.m. Sunday TLM for the past year has seen an increase of 40 families and, as would be expected, a significant increase in contributions. And, most interestingly, a few weeks ago, a Methodist catechist brought his confirmation class to experience the Extraordinary Form mass. Father Hager answered questions afterward and informational sheets were made available. It went very well and the catechist is planning on doing it again with next year’s class.
I’m told that a young man who left the seminary is now returning.
There are many parishes within a few miles of home so if I hadn’t made it to noon Mass yesterday, there was a parish with 7pm Mass! There was a pack of altar servers, about 6 of them, appearing to range from about 10 which is the youngest the priest permits, to teens.
Three seminarians served Mass for a favorite priests mothers funeral. Two are from the parish and I don’t know the third so while I’m grateful for his presence, I don’t know of a particular connection to the parish, Father or his family . The fourth server was a young man with a family connection.
I had my first bag of Zapp’s Voodoo flavored potato chips in four months.
Father, working with raw squash to make soup is so gruelling–all that difficult peeling and chopping. Can you modify your recipe to using roasted squash, (and perhaps even baked apples?). Scoop out the soft, baked flesh, mash it or blenderize with your broth and herbs. Even adding baked, carmelized onions (and using a hand held blender) might suit your fancy. Hate to see your hands looking so beat up and jaundiced wrestling with that raw squash.
Good news is we are warm and well fed and employed.
But Father! But Father!! Surely you aren’t using a potato peeler to skin those butternut squashes! You must hate Vatican II!!
Honestly, now, seriously, I’ll suggest what works for me — you take a nice sharp heavy knife and whack those butternuts off right under the stem and right above the wide part [make sure the latter cut is level and perpendicular to the long axis of the squash], upend the long piece on your cutting board, hold it down, and skin it top to bottom. (Think something along the lines of peeling the bark off a section of tree trunk by using a hatchet to chop it off. Or picture peeling a banana.)
Use the same principle with the end with the seeds in it. Remove the seeds last.
“Trust me with this one”, because sometimes laziness accidentally becomes the mother of invention.