ACTION ITEM! Fr. Z CALLS FOR AN END TO DISCRIMINATION!

Posted on 27 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At WaPo, disgraced ex-priest and expert whiner Roy Bourgeois has an op-ed piece. Roy’s fundamental problem is that he sees ordination as a question of power and “policy”.

Here is a sample paragraph:

I saw the exclusion of women from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I could not remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality was severe – I was thrown out of the community that I love.

The typical dissenter’s refrain: “Me, me, me…it’s all about ME!”

Going on, Bourgeois tries to co-opt Pope Francis and his new style:

Perhaps the biggest change demonstrated by the pope’s comments is the sense of liberation among Catholics to freely discuss the many issues facing the church. The fear that led so many to keep their doubts about current policy to themselves under the previous two popes seems to have been lifted. However, Pope Francis’s pastoral tone should not be mistaken for pastoral action. We need mechanisms and forums for the official church to hear the voices of the laity, especially women & LGBT Catholics. The people of the church are talking but we need the hierarchy to listen to groups like the Women’s Ordination Conference, DignityUSA, and the majority of Catholics who support a church based on justice. We cannot allow for the inconsistencies of justice in Pope Francis’s comments to stand without speaking out.

I have questions for Roy.

First, what about a Transgendered Ordination Conference?  Roy is being exclusivist.  What about the Ungendered Ordination Conference?  After all, people should be able to choose what they are without Roy’s prejudices against them.

Next, what about all the Traditionalist LBGT Catholics who follow, say, the SSPX? Don’t they have a right to be ordained too?

What we need is a big summit. We need a … a… conference!

We need a Traditionalist Ordination Conference! TOC!

This Conference will help prevent bishops from discriminating against Traditional Catholics who are convinced that they are called to the priesthood.

We need a color for our ribbons. I think the WOC (spell it backwards) uses pink, … for lots of reasons, I suspect.

Maybe TOC could use… scarlet? White and gold?

We need to get this going.

I see the exclusion of traditionalists from the priesthood as a grave injustice and, in good conscience, I cannot remain silent. The punishment for raising the question of equality has been severe – I was thrown out of the seminary and diocese that I love.

The discrimination MUST STOP!

Posted in Liberals, Lighter fare, Mail from priests, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood | Tagged ,
29 Comments

A new book from J.R.R. Tolkien (+ 1973)

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For all you fans of The Professor, J.R.R. Tolkien, … he has a new book!

The Fall of Arthur

US link HERE
US Kindle HERE
UK link HERE
UK Kindle HERE 

Here is the blurb from amazon:

The Fall of Arthur, the only venture by J.R.R. Tolkien into the legends of Arthur, king of Britain, may well be regarded as his finest and most skillful achievement in the use of Old English alliterative meter, in which he brought to his transforming perceptions of the old narratives a pervasive sense of the grave and fateful nature of all that is told: of Arthur’s expedition overseas into distant heathen lands, of Guinevere’s flight from Camelot, of the great sea battle on Arthur’s return to Britain, in the portrait of the traitor Mordred, in the tormented doubts of Lancelot in his French castle.

Unhappily, The Fall of Arthur was one of several long narrative poems that Tolkien abandoned. He evidently began it in the 1930s, and it was sufficiently advanced for him to send it to a very perceptive friend who read it with great enthusiasm at the end of 1934 and urgently pressed him, “You simply must finish it!” But in vain: he abandoned it at some unknown date, though there is evidence that it may have been in 1937, the year of publication of The Hobbit and the first stirrings of The Lord of the Rings. Years later, in a letter of 1955, he said that he “hoped to finish a long poem on The Fall of Arthur,” but that day never came.

Associated with the text of the poem, however, are many manuscript pages: a great quantity of drafting and experimentation in verse, in which the strange evolution of the poem’s structure is revealed, together with narrative synopses and significant tantalizing notes. In these notes can be discerned clear if mysterious associations of the Arthurian conclusion with The Silmarillion, and the bitter ending of the love of Lancelot and Guinevere, which was never written.

Posted in Just Too Cool, The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged ,
14 Comments

QUAERITUR: Women should cover their heads, not just in church, but all the time?

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Help Fr Z get to 20K!

From a reader:

I am a traditional Catholic woman (attend an ICKSP oratory) and always cover my hair when in a church. I was taught that 1 Corinthians 11 is referring to women covering their hair in church only, which makes sense to me; however, I recently learned that many of the early Church fathers taught that women should have their hair covered at ALL times.
I’ve read much of what they wrote on the topic, and it concerns me, because I wonder if they taught that due to cultural norms of modesty or if this is something that was needlessly thrown out over the years (because as we both know, it’s hard enough to get Catholic women to wear veils to mass, let alone outside of mass as well). Please enlighten me on this subject of full-time head coverings for Catholic women. Thanks in advance!

Wow.

I have written several times about head covering for women while in church (in short: it is not obligatory, but it is a darn good thing and the custom should be revived).

I wonder who will say/write the Magic Word first! I may have to send a prize.

Now, I am just going to back out of the room very carefully.

Posted in ASK FATHER Question Box, Our Catholic Identity | Tagged ,
142 Comments

QUAERITUR: The GIRM is silent about a couple things. Fr. Z says “So what?!”

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

#1: Some persons make the Sign of the Cross when the priest closes the Act of Penitence (‘May Almighty God have mercy on us . . . ‘), but this is not mentioned in the GIRM. Is it inadvisable to do so, or is it permissible piety, or is this one of those instances of ‘this is done in the TLM and the silence of the GIRM on this matter therefore does not exclude it’?

I think it is a great thing to do, advisable indeed.  So what if it is not mentioned in the GIRM? The GIRM is silent about all sorts of things.  Making the Sign of the Cross is a good, pious thing to do.

It makes sense to do it there.  It has always been done there.  And, with the “gravitational pull” exerted again by the Usus Antiquior, let it always be done there.

Reason #2478 for Summorum Pontificum.

#2: Some persons bow profoundly when the Final Blessing is given; again, the GIRM is silent on the matter. Is this appropriate? It would make sense if it is appropriate, as we are sometimes asked to ‘bow down’ for blessings – but this is not prescribed.

Sure.  Go ahead and bow.  As a matter of fact, I’d say go ahead and kneel for the blessing.

Moreover, people are supposed to bow during the Creed, but how many do? It’s right there in the GIRM, right? I say, start kneeling again at “et homo factus est”!

Furthermore, I think it would be great were women to start using chapel veils again and were everyone to come to church in their “Sunday Best”.

And another thing!

Fathers! Just…

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged , , , ,
44 Comments

Woman drinks water from a Muslim’s cup … death sentence.

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In the New York Post I saw an article about a Christian woman who was sentenced to death for drinking water from a cup owned by a practitioner of the Religion of Peace.

Sentenced to death for a sip of water
As her religion faces persecution across the Middle East, a Christian woman explains why she faces hanging in Pakistan for the crime of ‘blasphemy’

By ASIA BIBI

To her neighbors, Aasiya Noreen “Asia” Bibi, a poor mother of five in the tiny village of Ittan Wali in central Pakistan, was guilty — guilty of being Christian in a nation that is 97% Muslim. For four years she has languished in a prison cell for this, facing death by hanging. Her new memoir, “Blasphemy,” was dictated to her husband from jail, who relayed it to French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet. Fifty percent of the proceeds the book will go to support Bibi and her family. Tollet says the situation is dire. Embarrassed by Bibi’s case but still refusing to release her because of angry protests by extremists, the Pakistan government has transferred her to a more remote prison, hoping the 42-year-old dies quietly behind bars, perhaps poisoned by another inmate. Already two government officials who have spoken out on her behalf have been murdered, including Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, who was killed by the Taliban. In this excerpt, Bibi explains the simple “transgression” that led to her plight.

[…]

Read the rest there.

Sts. Nunilo and Alodia, pray for us.

Posted in The Coming Storm, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, The Religion of Peace | Tagged , , ,
6 Comments

ALERT PHOENIX! 26-27 August – Two talks you do NOT want to miss!

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In the Catholic Sun, issued by the Diocese of Phoenix, I see advertised something that you do NOT want to miss if you are anywhere in the vicinity.

Priest with Vatican, Phoenix ties to share Church’s wisdom in Scottsdale

Fr. Robert Dodaro, OSA, president of the Patristic Institute and Professor of Patristic Theology at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is vacationing in the Valley and agreed to give two separate talks open to the public. His talks are 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26-27 at St. Daniel the Prophet Parish, 1030 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale (map).

The first night will cover “The Year of Two Popes.” Fr. Dodaro, an Augustinian priest who was once a parishioner at St. Theresa in Phoenix, will examine the transition from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis and the difference between the two popes.

The president of the Patristic Institute and consultor for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will present “The Church: Who’s in it and who’s not? Who’s saved and who’s not” Aug. 27. His talk will examine the relation between membership in the Church and salvation from the perspective of St. Augustine of Hippo and current Roman Catholic teaching. Fr. Dodaro is a specialist in the theology of St. Augustine.

A Q-and-A follows each talk.

I wish I were in Phoenix.  I would go.  I hope the talks are being recorded.  Brilliant speaker.  Hard-identity Catholicism.

Fr. Dodaro is also the author of one of the best books on St. Augustine out there. It is a hard book, however, and not for the average reader.

Christ and the Just Society in the Thought of Augustine

Please go.  And tell him Fr. Z sent you!

Posted in New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged ,
11 Comments

FIRST THINGS: The Elite Project of Gay Marriage

Posted on 26 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At First Things there is a good article by R.R. Reno.  Here’s the first part.

The Elite Project of Gay Marriage
August 26, 2013
R.R. Reno

Same sex marriage has become the issue of our time. Michael Kinsley summed the situation nicely: “You may be in favor of raising taxes on the rich, increasing support for the poor, nurturing the planet, and repealing Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, but if you don’t support gay marriage, you’re out of the club.” [Blech.]

How did this come to pass? There’s no easy answer, which is not surprising. Same sex marriage is the issue because lots of different interests, concerns, and trends converge on it.

The first thing to say is that the gay rights movement has been largely an upper middle class project. Thurgood Marshall attended Lincoln University, an all-black college in southeastern Pennsylvania, and then Howard University Law School. Gay activist Larry Kramer went to Yale. Judge Vaughn Walker went to Stanford Law School. I have little doubt that the first gay Supreme Court Justice will be a graduate of either Yale or Harvard Law Schools.

There are many reasons why the gay rights movement is so upscale. When I was active in the national politics of the Episcopal Church, I came to see that homosexuality in general plays an important symbolic role in upper middle class culture. It’s an image of transgression, and to affirm it relieves moral pressure, giving room for our own transgressive desires. If two men can have sex, then surely there are no traditional limits on what men and women can do.

Against this background of transgression same-sex marriage reassures. It provides a bourgeois context, domesticating homosexuality and folding it back into ordinary patterns of bourgeois discipline. [More like “forcing” or even “jamming”.] As so, for the typical bourgeois Episcopalian, supporting gay rights was a way of reinforcing his conviction that expanded sexual freedom can be made entirely consistent with the modes of social control that predominate among successful Americans.

[…]

The next step in the strategy of social re-engineering will be polygamy and then, the brass ring on the carousel, will be the elimination of the age of consent.

Read the rest of the article over there.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liberals, One Man & One Woman, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged ,
44 Comments

“¡Qué intervención papal, Hombre Murciélago!”

Posted on 25 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

You have probably heard that Pope Francis recently made a direct personal phone call to someone.

This is in from the jocose Eye of the Tiber:

Pope Francis Calls Zack Snyder To Complain About Choice Of Ben Affleck For Batman

Hollywood, CA––”Hello, it’s Pope Francis,” were the first words spoken during a conversation in which His Holiness telephoned Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming film “Man of Steel 2.” “Hello Your Holiness,” answered a dazed Snyder, no stranger to celebrities but still star struck to be speaking to the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ on earth. “Listen, I’ll get to the point,” said Pope Francis, “I thought 300 was awesome, and Man of Steel was pretty great too. But I don’t know about Ben Affleck as Batman in your next movie.” Snyder reportedly stuttered at this point, unsure what to answer His Holiness. “I mean, I trust you as a director and all that, and I’m sure it won’t be that bad, but there really weren’t any better choices? I mean this is the guy that played Daredevil. Did you even see that movie?” Snyder then reportedly answered that he had not. “Exactly,” answered the Pope, before concluding, “My son, I’m not saying this is an enormous mistake or anything, and I’m certainly not speaking ex cathedra here. I’m just asking you to reflect a little more when you make decisions like this.”

¡Papa Francisco acude en auxilio! Santo Padre, por favor, ayuda a los pobres admiradores de Batman!

And, yes, I know that Batman in Spanish is “Batman”.

Posted in Francis, Lighter fare | Tagged ,
8 Comments

Note to parents, etc: back packs and bags with built in alarms

Posted on 25 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Click the "iSafe" link at the end of this entry.

I saw a commercial for a type of back-pack which may be of interest to parents with children in school and even for some of you ladies and gentlemen out there.

The pack, made by iSafe, has a built in loud alarm which sounds when you pull a cord.

There are back packs for children, like school bags, and also full-sized adult packs, messenger bags, fanny packs, slings, etc. There are lots of styles.

For adults with the right skills and temperament, there is the CCW option. Some of you eschew that option and it is, of course, out of the question for children. It is not for everyone.

Having at least some sort of loud alarm, already built into a pack you are going to use anyway in your daily routine, could be a good personal safety option.

I’d hate to read about something awful that happened in your lives.

There is no harm in taking a look. It might make a difference in a moment of need.

Being prepared gives you or your kids an advantage when that moment of need arrives.

iSafe Packs

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Global Killer Asteroid Questions, Semper Paratus | Tagged , , , , ,
5 Comments

Poll shows that 85% of American think photographers, bakers, etc., can refuse blatantly homosexual clients without fear of attacks

Posted on 24 August 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

There are going to be challenges, costly challenges, to every business and industry… challenges that are actually systematic campaigns of bullying and intimidation.

I saw this on the site of the National Organization for Marriage:

85% of Americans Say Christian Photographer Has Right to Refuse Same-Sex Ceremony

We’ve heard a lot of stories recently about people of faith being forced to compromise their religious beliefs over same-sex marriage (bakery owners in Oregon, a florist in Washington state, innkeepers in Vermont…). But a new Rasmussen poll shows the vast majority of Americans are highly opposed to business owners being penalized or sued for running their business according to their own personal beliefs and values.

In fact, just 8% of the population answered “no” when asked the question “Suppose a Christian wedding photographer has deeply held religious beliefs opposing same-sex marriage. If asked to work a same-sex wedding ceremony, should that wedding photographer have the right to say no?”

More Republicans (96 percent) than Democrats (77 percent) [Of course… but 77% is still huge.] agreed with the photographer’s right to deny a gay wedding request. Ninety-seven percent of evangelical Christians and 92 percent of weekly churchgoers said the same. But even 88 percent of atheists agreed that the photographer has the right to say no.

This comes four months after the latest development in the famous Willock v. Elane Photography case, where Vanessa Willock and her partner, Misti Collinsworth, sued Christian couple Elaine and Jon Huguenin for this very denial in 2006. In 2008, the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the Huguenins guilty of sexual discrimination, and the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld this ruling last May.  [Do not let anyone fool you into accepting that the same-sex marriage thing is a civil rights issue.  This is not like the racial civil rights movement.]

The Alliance Defense Fund, which defended the Huguenins and their company, Elane Photography LLC, has taken their case to the New Mexico Supreme Court. The court heard ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence’s oral arguments on March 11. On Wednesday, an ADF spokesman told CP that “ADF attorneys are still waiting for the decision from the New Mexico Supreme Court.” -Christian Post

Business owners and employees should never be threatened with legal action for abiding by the tenets of their faith. If you or anyone you know has been threatened, harassed, or intimidated because you believe in the truth about marriage, we want to hear your story. You are not alone.

Posted in Our Catholic Identity, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged , , , ,
58 Comments