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About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on ROME 24/4– Day 34 (-7): The burial place of… PLATO?!?: “My baptismal anniversary. I’m mostly Scottish/Irish Catholic, birthed and educated by the Mercy Sisters during the height of the Troubles.…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 35 (-6): adventures in symmetry: “Father, it was perfect symmetry for two people. One cup handle facing one way and the other the other way.”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 35 (-6): adventures in symmetry: “From a reader: “What are in the frames between the vestments?” Those are the priest’s vesting prayers. I’ll show more…”
- on WDTPRS: 4th Sunday of Easter (Novus Ordo) – Mighty humble Shepherd, humble mighty flock: “Fr Z you are an inspiration in your knowledge about and love for the things of God and the church.…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 32 (-9): Happy Birthday Rome!: “Holy cow that pasta. I wish we had smell-o-vision and taste-o-vision.”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “The German grind continues. It is in their nature.”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Scary about the women. What I mean is this: it would be disheartening enough just to find out that a…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “I wonder what’s going on with these women. Don’t they know that the greatest example of womanhood is Our Blessed…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Fr.Z sez: It is really sad that some people still push this rock up the hill. Reminds one of Sisyphus,…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Alas, those men pushing for ordaining women. STILL trying to get women to do all the work. My mother warned…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Dear Dcn PB, I don’t see how the reality can be described differently than by saying that the one sacrament…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “Most people, whether pro or con, misunderstand the history and practice of the female diaconate. The deaconess was a separate…”
- on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Easter (N.O. 4th of Easter) 2024: “I remember only the joke at the beginning of the homily: Priests get four weeks of vacation per year. Some…”
- on “you must not remember your forefathers…” Wherein Fr. Z rants.: “My children at one of the solid Chesterton Academies have been taught science and theology by an amazing young Catholic…”
- on Three items of interest: a conversion, a connection, and a con job: “What is it that changed about the Catholic Herald? Interesting interview by George Farmer. (If only the faithful could be…”
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Well, I’m going through the process of converting to Catholicism, and as messy as that has been for me, today was a big leap forward. I went to my first Mass, of the Ordinary Form “say the black and do the red” type, well celebrated by a conscientious Priest who preached a fairly good homily with references to Roman Catholic Saints and approved Mystics as well as a challenge to allow Jesus into every area of our lives as opposed to relegating Him and His Words to a certain little tiny piece of it. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it; it was an opportunity for me to move from the theoretical and academic acceptance of Catholicism to the actual living out of it. I fell like today was truly the beginning of my life as a Catholic, and I’d say that’s pretty good news coming from this former Evangelical Lutheran.
Jonathan, Hooray!
I am taking Fr. Columba Kelly’s courses in Gregorian chant and have learned how to read those strange markings in the Graduale Triplex. This is great. There are lots of very kind people here and lots of good food. My health is not of the best and the guest house people go out of their way to make sure everything is okay. My room even has a handicapped adapted bathroom. I am so happy.
Now when I get home I will be able to understand better how chant is done at my parish. It was very mysterious before. Now I know that the notes on the page are only a tiny bit of it.
Praise God, JonathanCatholic. That is good news for me as well as you.
3 Dominicans ordained on Saturday (2 deacons and 1 priest).
4 Lay Dominicans admitted as novices yesterday.
I was there to witness and celebrate with both parties. Hurrah!
The kids, pets and I have been camping out in our home for the past two weeks. My husband has been living and working in our new home, getting everything ready. Today we fly out and are reunited. Please, in your kindness, remember me in you prayers at about 1pm PST. I am responsible for 3 large dogs, 2 cats and 4 teenagers. My guardian angel will be busy today.
I recently returned from the Church Music Association of America’s Sacred Music Colloquium in Salt Lake City. (See http://musicasacra.com/colloquium/ for details.)
In addition to first rate instruction by an outstanding faculty, we celebrated sung mass every day in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, using the OF and EF on alternating days. It was a unique opportunity to experience both forms of the liturgy performed at high levels of execution.
In addition to Gregorian chant and appropriate polyphonic pieces, all masses were celebrated ad orientem. Communion was received kneeling and on the tongue.
The FSSP General Chapter is currently meeting at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska. Yesterday, we were honored to have Fraternity Priests from all over the world, including some of the founders of the order, serve and attend a Solemn High Mass in our parish. Mass was followed by a parish reception, and last evening all of the delegates to the Chapter held Solemn Vespers in our church. It was a truly remarkable and blessed day for our parish.
My wife and I recently found out that we are expecting our second child! The little one should be here in early February. As recent Catholic converts (just this past Easter Vigil), we’re excited that this one will be baptized in the Church and that we will be raising our family in the faith.
Tessa, we must go to the same parish! My son was thrilled to be one of the four torchbearers for the Mass–all the other serving positions were filled by the FSSP priests. We also attended Solemn Vespers. Even though these priests all speak different languages, they were able to pray together in Latin. Just beautiful!
Attended Mass Again in the Mall after Missing Three Sundays,I Already Posted the Priest’s Comment in a Previous Post. LAVS DEO!!!
My ‘good news’ might sound a little trivial, but….my new apartment is finally ‘taking shape’!
I finally got my dresser moved to the spot where I wanted it last week, courtesy of the husband of the TLM chapel organist, and a young man who is one of my new neighbors (he lives two floors down from me). The husband also brought some new slats for my bed, so now I can sleep ‘normal’ on it (sleeping straight at the head instead of at an angle at the foot). He also took away a useless metal shelving that got damaged in the process of moving.
So after the two guys left, I was able to put up my three wall calendars (two traditional Catholic ones and one of ‘puppies and friends’) and some of my crucifixes and holy pictures. I also unpacked and put on a smaller dresser in my walk-in closet several of my statues.
I still have to get a new bookshelf and one for the kitchen, and eventually I’m going to get rid of the bed (too big for a studio apartment) and get either a daybed or a futon.
Oh, and I also got from the organist’s husband a TV set with a stand and storage area for tapes and DVDs. And I think he and his wife are offering to pay for three months of basic cable service; so I can watch the London Olympics later this month! But for now at least, I can watch videos instead of overstraining my eyes with reading!
I was able to spend Sunday with one of my very dear sisters in Christ and my Spiritual Father of whom I dont get to see more than every couple of months, what a gift! Started the day by receiving Jesus from the very hands of my Spiritual Father and then spent the rest of the day praying, talking, and eating ice cream – doesnt get much better than that! Praise God!
After weeks and weeks of enduring an unstable employment situation (3 of my paychecks bounced), I have a fantastic new job. Thank you God, and thank you St. Joseph for the prayers!
We might possibly, if all of the various ducks line up in a row, sell our house this week. I never want to move again.
My wife and I found out last week that the baby we were expecting in February is actually twins! The doctor suspects they are going to be identical twins. Prayers for a healthy pregnancy, delivery and babies are appreciated.
After 7 weeks of rehearsal and intense drills in the British dialect, the play opened this weekend to a very good reception by the audience. British serio-comedy can be tricky performed before American audiences who are used to a more situation comedy format for garnering laughs. All and all I am grateful to God to be able to use and grow my talents; to stretch as an actress and work with a great bunch of people.
To celebrate, the day after opening I treated myself to a copy of Father Sirico’s new book, DEFENDING FREE MARKETS. Hard to put it down. I have heard him speak on EWTN and been present 3 times for his speeches here in Chicago. I was happy to find that his book has the same engaging style.
Brand new grandaughter born this past weekend! She is a beauty!
Joanna- congratulations! My son is dealing with non payment of wages earned so I have personal experience with your suffering. Happy for you!
After my request for prayers last week regarding employment, I had 2 job interviews today! Plus I found out about an opportunity to work for a Catholic company! Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for me that these opportunities work out.
My (3rd) son graduated from Officer Candidates School in Quantico on Saturday!
A family member recently went in for what was expected to be a routine angiogram, but which turned into an angioplasty of a 90% blocked artery. The doctor said it would have almost certainly brought about a fatal heart attack within two or three months if it hadn’t been caught and repaired. Thanks be to God.
I have been in my new home on the west coast for one week and one day. I am blessed to be nine miles away from a wonderful parish that has a weekly EF. Sunday it was foggy early in the morning and I didn’t want to drive to church in the fog in unfamiliar territory. I went to a later Novus Ordo Mass at the same parish and it was exceptional in every way. God has been so good to me, all my anxiety and stress were for nothing. Hopefully I have learned to trust Him more. I am here and I am happy in my new home.
Margaret says:
A family member recently went in for what was expected to be a routine angiogram, but which turned into an angioplasty of a 90% blocked artery.
If they did an angiogram, didn’t they already know there was blockage?
@Robtbrown– the tests leading up to the angio were ambiguous. Family member was convinced it was really just a stomach issue flaring up again. Also, if I understand correctly, you do encounter a certain number of traditional angiograms that are just “we’re not quite sure what’s going on so we have to go look” procedures that don’t reveal any blockages and therefore don’t require angioplasty…
My son doesn’t have lyme’s disease. The tick had it but he doesn’t. He still has to be checked for a year to make sure it doesn’t come on.
Tessa
I think I know you. We may have met in Denton and then at your parish church in 2008.
I hear they have recently renovated the altar and stations of the cross there. I hear it’s beautiful.
I haven’t been back since 2008, so I haven’t seen it.
Margaret,
I understand that they hadn’t been sure before the angiogram, but I would think they weren’t surprised by finding blockage.
With my mother it was the opposite: A stress echo indicated she had blockage in two or three arteries. The angiogram, however, showed almost none, which was, in the words of the cardiologist, amazing for a woman her age (82 or 83 at the time).
Thank you Ann! I am fortunate in that my former employer did make good on the bounced checks and also reimbursed my NSF and wire transfer fees. Prayers for your son; it’s an awful situation to endure.