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“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 ADVENTCAzT 2024 – 24 – Vigil of Christmas – Inside: “God bless you, Father Z.!!! Thank you very much for your blog and these AdventcaZts. Merry Christmas to you!”
- on PRAYERCAzT: Singing the 2024 Christmas Proclamation or Kalendas in Latin (audio), – and a hard ASK FATHER question: “Quite right, Patrick-K. It is also linked with a misunderstanding of what is meant by ‘science’. In modern times, science…”
- on PRAYERCAzT: Singing the 2024 Christmas Proclamation or Kalendas in Latin (audio), – and a hard ASK FATHER question: “According to the calendar of the (perfidious) Jews, we are in the year 5,785, which perhaps accounts for the c.…”
- on Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 4th Sunday of Advent: “Saturday vigil— the importance and wonders of confession Sunday morning-Seeing Jesus in all we meet”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1206 – Fishwrap’s spittle-flecked nutty: “I wonder how many dozens of readers and their ages the writings of Mr. Winters reach?”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1206 – Fishwrap’s spittle-flecked nutty: “From NCR: ….Kathleen O’Brien, who works in ministry in northern California, said the election results have her questioning her vocation.…”
- on PRAYERCAzT: Singing the 2024 Christmas Proclamation or Kalendas in Latin (audio), – and a hard ASK FATHER question: “I’m not sure about the date differences, but if anyone thinks that science has disproven young earth creationism, keep in…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1206 – Fishwrap’s spittle-flecked nutty: “RE: Fr. Nix We must remember that God is not legalistic while the devil is. Consecration isn’t a magic spell…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1206 – Fishwrap’s spittle-flecked nutty: “White to move and mate in 4. [NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1204 – What … is THAT?: “The robots vestments are better than that of the real priests. It’s something.”
- on ASK FATHER: Book about Mary in the Old Testament: “Deacon John! ZedNet participant! Wonderful to hear from you. I want to get Zednet going again, but I need WB0YLE…”
- on ASK FATHER: Book about Mary in the Old Testament: “Thanks for this tip. I just ordered this book from Amazon via the link you posted and it’s on sale…”
- on WDTPRS: Collect 4th Sunday of Advent (Vetus Ordo) – “What our sins are obstructing”.: “Thank you very much. I did not know the meaning of “praepediunt”, but I just thought it was something in…”
- on Daily Rome Shot 1206 –: “I believe Our Lady is revealing the dark corners and foundations of our societies and cultures. The plight of the…”
- on ASK FATHER: Book about Mary in the Old Testament: “The Pitre book is probably more thorough and comprehensive. I have not read it, but have heard many great reviews…”
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My five year old had an outstanding Sunday. At Mass, she got to see the image of Our Lady of Zopopan, visiting from Guadalajara, Mexico. After church, we went to the Lyon Air Museum in Orange County California and she got to meet WWII Purple Heart medalist, and German POW camp survivor, gunner George Emerson, who was captured after surviving a collision involving his B17 “Flying Fortress” over Germany in Feb. 1945 (he was the sole survivor of his 9 man crew).
My oldest son will be attending a Newman Guide faithful Catholic college this fall studying theology! God is good!
Met the new Vicar this weekend, looking forward to working with him. Four New Priests for our diocese to be ordained 4 June.
My first child (4-month-old Elias) is healthy! He was baptized in the EF a week after his nativity (after I walked the good, holy priest through the Latin word-by-word).
My wife received a promotion, and I may earn one soon as well. We may soon be able to live near our family.
God has blessed our family beyond what we deserve.
Tomorrow… May 17, 2016… My beautiful wife and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary!
There isn’t a day that I don’t thank Our Lord for the wonderful blessing of our lives together as husband and wife.
In my neighborhood students are moving out because the UW Madison semester ended, and although the best time for dumpster diving for their throw away stuff is in mid-August when the leases end, I am getting some good stuff now. This evening while strolling around the neighborhood after Mass I found: frozen Alaskan Cod from Trader Joe’s (still truly frozen), a can of corn kernels, a can of green beans, Trader Joe’s unopened Kale Chips, unopened package of oatmeal packets, 2 Lindor Balls chocolates that look like they would be fresh, a pretty large amount of Oriental Trading Company type pencils with a message about succeeding in school, some aluminum wire for making sculpting armatures (this is something I can use), a plastic 3 drawer storage unit for organizing stuff.
I’m joyful that the Little Sisters of the Poor had a reasonably good result from SCOTUS today.
One of my priest friends has tasked me with not only creating new coverings for the bottom of the tabernacle, but repairing his vestments and making a new covering for Mary’s altar. I am thrilled beyond words.
Mom and I are closing on the perfect house next Tuesday. It is near two Catholic churches, one with an adoration chapel and daily mass at a good time for me!
Andia, That is a great thing for a yes from you (I remember the other post). I am waiting for mine, which may not come and that’s okay. But for now I wave a flag which says on it Go, Andia, Go. And the crowd does a “wave,” chanting, Sew, Andia, Sew.
My son will be ordained June 4! So very grateful for God’s blessings!
My wife is pregnant with our 3rd child (A boy!), and I recently started a new blog to help me on the path to heaven – Becomingasaint.blogspot.com
Thank you for for that—your yes will come. I have you in prayer.
My news is tragic, but I am hopeful something good may come of it. A friend of mine has a sister who was over 6 months pregnant. She found out she had a fast growing melanoma. The doctors (and her partner) pressured her into a late term abortion. The baby was born alive and they killed it. The mother’s outlook is not good at all and she has been rejected by the father of her child. However, when my super pro-choice boss heard about this, she burst into tears and said, “I’m pro-choice, but this is just wrong”! Maybe a seed has been planted and she will change. As for my friend’s sister – may St. Gianna pray for her. I can’t help but think she was pressured and coerced into this.
My eldest son had lunch with me last week. My oldest daughter and youngest grandchild did their first 5K. My middle daughter finished up kindergarden and I’ve already purchased some first grade curriculum for her. The youngest two are growing and energetic. My older grandchild seems to be outgrowing at least one of her food sensitivities.
I put together a cubby unit for my office and now have some of the books I needed out of bins out on shelves where I can get to them. I have another to put together and a place for it, and an idea of what could go in a third place to make possible my books, at least the ones on history, to be available. This should go a long way to unsticking my projects.
Need prayers for my darling son-in-law who may need surgery to stabilize his neck vertibre– he managed to give himself whiplash and a possible shifted disk hitting his head on the trunk lid. He is wonderful but not the healthiest bodied person– so I am glad he isn’t dead, and asking for prayers so he can get healthier–or at least a bit less prone to getting worse. On the up side, my son-in-law is doing well with his studies and has had job offers for when he gets finished with the degree. I pray and ask for prayers, he is hard working, and wants to support his family well. In spite of being in pain he continues to work hard on his studies.
I actually managed to finish a 10 day devotional to the Holy Spirit and did a consecration to Mary complete with confession and mass the same day! I do lots of these but rarely actually manage to do the whole thing without being forgetful, or not managing to get to confession, or…. it felt wonderful to make my confession, followed by time to pray a rosary, then mass, which being a weekday was not hurried but went really fast, and then I prayed the consecration prayers right after, lit candles for friends who need prayers, and headed home. I really want to do more of the many prayers and devotionals of our Catholic heritage. They are cool!!
And it looks like by the end of the summer my house will have an entirely new AC system. If all goes well, it might be done sooner. Prayers for hubby who is doing all the work himself. The man is amazing.
After 14 months of unemployment, over a thousand online applications, and so much prayer, my husband has a job! He’s going to be underpaid to start, but the pay should go up as he proves his abilities. In exchange, the job comes without the horrific business politics he has had to deal with, is low stress, and we don’t have to move. God is good!
At Elizabeth D,
I chuckled all the way through your post. You remind me so much of my husband. When ever people move out of our apartment building, he’s out there, sorting through their stuff. We found a table, a huge, unopened can of oatmeal and an unopened box of gallon sized tea bags last Summer. Oh… the Sweet Tea he made, the wine of the South. As he says often, “Use it, use it, where it out. Make it do, or do without.” My good news is him. Do we have our challenges? You had better believe it, but oh, God is so good. My twin sister, whom I am very close to, moved to Texas last Fall and I miss her very much. My Love has made it easier, just by responding to his vocation as my husband. He takes me to Mass, to confession when I need to go. He encourages me to pray for things I feel are too trivial to ask God for and he’s teaching me prayers in Latin. With everything that is falling apart in our world, I know, for now, I have this little life, a refuge from the ever increasing madness of today, and it is good.
I’ve been walking a lot better lately and yesterday I went up a flight of stairs.
Months ago, while praying outside the local PP, my wife counseled a young woman to not have an abortion. The local pro-life community banded together to provide material support. My wife even threw her a baby shower a few weeks ago to provide her some of the big ticket items that parents need. The baby was born today and is healthy and happy to be alive! I know Heaven rejoiced when they heard that baby’s first cries! God is good.
After a spiritually rotten few weeks, with numerous falls to familiar vices and temptations to new ones, God has seen fit not only to preserve me but to bathe me in His Love and Mercy. I am going to Confession this evening.
A rollercoaster few days bad, good, and remains-to-be-seen.
Mom was at a parish in a nearby town for a funeral on Saturday. Fell on a staircase landing while looking for the restroom, hurt her hip, couldn’t cry out loud enough to be heard, and her cousins in the assembled congregation had already turned their phone ringers off for Mass!
Fortunately, Pastor came through that stair and found her. Ambulance squad was called. They brought her to one of the better ER & hospitals in the area.
Examination determined broken femur.
Surgery to set/reinforce it on Sunday went well. She came out of the anesthetic well enough.
I’ve got a job with supportive bosses & coworkers (& FMLA backup) that will allow me to take the time I need to deal with her support.
She’s already been cleared to move to acute rehab* and a bed is available in our first-choice location.
* The “already” is the “remains to be seen”. I’d love for her to have a couple more days of recuperation/convalescing/whateveryoucallit (it’s painful), but I can see the other side of the coin in not letting her lose ground overall in mobility, etc…. (and this rehab place really knows their business)
I forgot to sày that the chaplain (a priest at a nearby Parish) came to annoint her. While he was here, he blessed the Saint Pio statue a visitor had brought. Pio is now supervising from the tray table
In 2010, after a 40 year absence, I returned to the Church. (That’s not the news).
My civilly married wife observed some changes and asked “what chu got goin’ on over there?”
She attended RCIA over the last year, & was brought into the Church at Easter Vigil this year.
On April 30, we had our civil marriage blessed in the Church in a small ceremony.
Good news fer sure!
[Excellent.]
I am the pampered poodle. I impulsively gave notice on my apartment because of the squirrel and the stairs and hadn’t quite figured out where I need to be when a friend invited me to stay with her family for the short term. After several years of dealing with many stressful things, it’s nice to have a structure where I don’t have a lot to think about. She packs my lunch for me, keeping in mind my quirky meatless days. I expect peanut butter because it’s there, but the grocery fairy buys other things a simply because of my meatless days.
un-ionized, congrats on the stairs!
Charivari Rob, praise God for your mom’s fall taking place where she was found and padre Pios supervision of her rehab. Sooner is better than later.
un-ionized– congratulations!! That is great news!
I attended an excellent panel on religious liberty on the weekend where even secular panelists acknowleged it’s importance.
I also found a lovely card to send you for your jubilee and am sending it today – here’s hoping postage from Australia to Wisconsin doesn’t take too long!
We finally decided to homeschool our children. With God’s grace, we know we can do it. The world is too crazy, and hell can’t have any of my kids.
Just back from a successful Chartres pilgrimage. Perfect weather throughout and no sprains or strains. Not having done any serious walking since 2014, when I got an ankle strain, I was worried about whether I’d be able to complete it but, although very weary, I was able to. Deo gratias. And sooo many young people on it! Deo iterum gratias.
I don’t know the proper way to measure such things, but we have picked around 100 cups of strawberries so far and it appears that we will have much more. I am excited about some of the other fruit too. Gardens go so well with large families. We are so blessed.
The neo-gothic parish church where I grew up and was married has always been stunning. In the 70’s the pastor covered most of the murals with paisley, velveteen wallpaper, and added a formica fake marble table altar. The traditional marble pillar ambo and altar rails and gate were never removed. In the late 80’s, all of the wallpaper was removed and the murals were restored, and the ambo was put back in use for the readings and the homily. Now in 2016, for the parish’s 100th anniversary, the whole place was given an exceptional interior renovation/restoration/upgrade. It looks as if the parish has gone all out to welcome the One True God to dwell into their midst and to provide inspiration to the people. IMHO this sort of thing deserves all manner of affirmation and congratulations. It would be an excellent place to visit. There is still a table altar, but the original gothic altar and 2 matching side altars are all intact and could be used for a high Mass…
Enjoy the photos – hard to believe – you will be stunned: http://www.wojphotography.com/p298081765
Thriving off of the high of completing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius this evening. Received the closing blessing today and feel so happy to be a Catholic. I can’t wait to keep living the faith! God bless Fr. W. for conducting them – 1 on 1! What a blessing.
We have a parochial Vicar!! For the past four months my parish has had only one priest. Sunday the pastor made the announcement that a new one has been appointed. We have been blessed – I have met this priest a number of times, he is a wonderful confessor and we will all benefit from his joy and dedication.
Please continue to pray for him –Fr Suresh and for our pastor Fr Steve as tehy enter a new phase of their ministries.