Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

2 Feb Live Stream of Pontifical Mass from Miami

Posted on 2 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

You might want to mark your calendars:

Pontifical Mass in Miami
To stream LIVE on LiveMass.net and iMass
Thursday Feb 2nd, 2012 – 7:30 PM EST

On Thursday February 2nd, at 7:30 PM EST His Grace Archbishop Thomas Wenski will celebrate a Pontifical Solemn High Mass for the feast of Candlemas at the Church of the Epiphany, Miami, Florida.

The Liturgy will include the distribution of candles for the Feast, as well as a procession of the clerics around the interior of the church.

The Pontifical Mass will broadcast on www.LiveMass.net, and also on iMass (app for iOS devices) LIVE, starting at 7:30 PM EST.
Rev. Fr. C. Goodwin FSSP will be joining us as commentator for this Liturgy.

Posted in Brick by Brick, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The Campus Telephone Pole |
14 Comments

Starbucks endorses unnatural “marriage”. Buy Mystic Monk Coffee, not Starbucks.

Posted on 2 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Need another reason to buy Mystic Monk Coffee? As if my requests weren’t enough? As if helping Wyoming Carmelites wasn’t enough?

From LifeSiteNews.com:

In news that will come as a heavy blow to many coffee lovers, Starbucks has officially backed homosexual ‘marriage.’

[…]

Blech.

You don’t need them.

If Starbucks wants to tear at the bonds of society and promote mortal sin, the Carmelites want to build a place to give glory to the God who made us in His image in two sexes.

If you haven’t tried it yet, here are a few suggestions.

First, always use my link.

Second, start out with a Sampler.

Mystic Monk Coffee!

It’s swell… and it’s not tainted.

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, The future and our choices | Tagged Carmelites, coffee, homosexuality, Mystic Monk Coffee, Starbucks, Wyoming
86 Comments

Knox News

Posted on 2 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Occasionally and for pastoral reasons I like to spot read in my trusty copy of Pastoral and Occasional Sermons by the late Msgr. Ronald Knox.

On that note, it seems that a website dedicated to Ronald Knox has been revamped.

I’ll bet you would enjoy both of the above with a nice cup of Mystic Monk TEA.

Posted in The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged Msgr. .Ronald Knox
6 Comments

Head of SNAP suggested that Card. Bevilacqua was faking it to avoid testifying

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I just an interesting item on the site The Media Report. Apparently the head of SNAP, Mr. David Clohessy, was suggesting that Card. Bevilacqua was faking an illness to avoid testifying.

Less than 36 hours before Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua passed away from lengthy battles with cancer and dementia (he was 88 years old), David Clohessy, the national president of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), suggested that the former archbishop of Philadelphia was faking his illnesses.

On Monday afternoon (1/30/12), Clohessy issued a media statement saluting Philadelphia Judge M. Teresa Sarmina for ruling that the frail and ailing cleric was “competent” to appear and testify at the upcoming clergy abuse trials in March. (More on that here.)

Clohessy wrote:

“We are grateful this judge is standing by her conviction that Bevilacqua will have to testify. For far too long, too many Catholic officials have feigned illnesses and memory lapses’ (sic) to avoid facing tough questions, in open court, under oath, about their role …”

[…]

The Media Report goes on to say some pretty scathing things, but what I excerpted seems to convey the basic facts of the matter. That site also has something to say about the judge mentioned in the excerpt, above.

Posted in Clerical Sexual Abuse, Our Catholic Identity, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged Archd. Philadelphia, Card. Bevilacqua, David Clohessy, SNAP
14 Comments

Priest receives severed pig’s head as a threat

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the Daily Mail comes this.

I have some sympathy for this fellow.

Severed pig’s head dumped on doorstep of crime fighting Italian priest after he condemned Mafia

Mobsters have dumped the severed head of a pig on the doorstep of a brave crime fighting priest, it emerged yesterday.
Father Ennio Stamile made the grim discovery as he left his house for morning Mass and it was the second time he had been targeted after his car was vandalised last week.
Detectives are convinced he is being singled out after he started to regularly condemn the criminal activities of the local mafia known as the ‘Ndrangheta during his weekly parish sermons.

The bloodied animal head was found with a piece of cloth stuffed in its mouth outside Father Stamile’s home in Cetraro near Cosenza in southern Italy and it is the mob’s trademark way of intimidation and convincing people to stop talking.

[…]

I have received some pretty ugly and threatening things over the past years. Nothing this ugly, of course! But this is the sort of thing, kicked up a few notches, that the left and liberals do. They might not send severed pig heads or horse heads or dead fish wrapped in newsprint, but their tactics are much the same. And you what and whom I am talking about.

We cannot give ground to bullies.

In any event, pray for this priest, and all priests and bishops to have strength in the time to come, and for our guardian angels to work on the spiritual plane.

Posted in The future and our choices | Tagged bullying, intimidation
16 Comments

UK bishops to distribute cards designed to help Catholics identify themselves as Catholics

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I found this on the site of the UK’s best Catholic weekly, The Catholic Herald.

A card communicating that its carrier is a baptised Catholic will be distributed nationally on behalf of the bishops of England and Wales.

The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales are distributing one million cards to 24 dioceses including the Bishopric of the Forces and the ordinariate in order to cultivate evangelisation among Catholics.

The credit-card-size resource features on one side a clear statement that the carrier is a Catholic and a list of six things that Catholics are called to do.

There is also a sentence that reads: “In the event of an emergency, please call a Catholic priest.”

The other side of the card has a quote from Blessed John Henry Newman, focusing on the call to serve and affirming that everyone has a mission.

Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton, chairman of the bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, said: “We all carry a variety of cards in our purses and wallets which reflect something of our identity and the things that are important to us. The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points, but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more.”

The bishop added: “The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter. This is something that Pope Benedict reminded the Catholic community in his recent letter announcing a Year of Faith, beginning in October 2012. Carrying a faith card takes courage, it signals to others, every time you use your wallet or purse, that you believe in God, that your life has a purpose, that you are trying to love and serve your neighbour. We hope that Catholics will use it to witness to their faith. If someone asks a question about Catholicism, a starting point could be to show the card and to take it from there.”

The resource is free and will be distributed to diocesan offices during February and March 2012 for local circulation.

I would add a note.

There can be no renewal of any aspect of our Catholic lives and identity without first a revitalization of our liturgical worship.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice |
21 Comments

Catholic Latino group raises its voice to protest Pres. Obama’s attacks

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Pres. Obama and his administration have declared war on the Catholic Church. I think their cynical attacks will be overturned, but they will be on record for the sake of their liberal and secularist supporters long before the general election is underway. Nevertheless, every American should be concerned about what is happening. We cannot take these attacks on the 1st Amendment lightly. Surely another wave of attacks will come in the form of challenges to the Church’s tax exemptions as well as yellow journalism about the bishops (and priests) who are the most forthright in their protests against the White House’s erosion of our religious liberty. The ad hominem wave will probably start pretty soon.

I am therefore glad to see that CNA is reporting about a group which is upset by what is going on.

From CNA comes this:

HHS mandate a ‘slap in the face,’ Catholic Latino group says
By Kevin J. Jones

San Antonio, Texas, Feb 1, 2012 / 06:15 am (CNA).- The HHS contraception mandate is an insult to the Catholic community and shows that President Obama needs prayer, according to a national group of Latino leaders.

“President Barack Obama has not just given the Catholic community a slap in the face, he is telling Hispanic Catholics to limit our families and forget our religious beliefs,” Robert Aguirre, president of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, said Jan. 31.

He cited President Obama’s May 2009 speech at the University of Notre Dame [the gift that keeps on giving] in which the president said “Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause.”

The HHS mandate, Aguirre said, showed “the president’s promise was nothing more than a shell game.”

[…]

You can read the rest there.

Posted in New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, Pres. Obama
3 Comments

OLDIE: Litany for the Conversion of Internet Thugs 2.0

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Under another entry a reader reminded me of my own Litany for the Conversion of Internet Thugs. Here it is again, animi caussa.

A wry work in progress.

Litany for the conversion of internet thugs (2.0).
(For private use only, when truly irritated and when the alternative is foul language.)

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the World, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Lest internet thugs be eternally tormented by all the fiends of hell, convert them, O Lord.
Lest they pass eternity in utter despair, convert them, O Lord.
Lest they come to be damned for the harm they cause, convert them, O Lord.
Lest they roast forever in the deepest cinders of hell, convert them, O Lord.
Lest they suffer the unceasing pain of loss, convert them, O Lord.

Lest devils endlessly increase their physical agony, convert them, O Lord.
Lest devils twist their bowels and boil their blood in hell, convert them, O Lord.
Lest devils use them as toys and tools, convert them, O Lord.
Lest devils forever gnaw upon their skulls, convert them, O Lord.

Lest the innocent be harmed by the sins of thugs, convert them, O Lord.
Lest the innocent yield to thugs in weakness, convert them, O Lord.
Lest the innocent be drawn into thuggish traps, convert them, O Lord.

From faceless Facebook admin drones, spare us O Lord.
From tweeting Twitter idiots, spare us O Lord.
From loony Wikipedia liars, spare us O Lord.
From from heart-hardened spammers, spare us O Lord.
From liberal nut-case smear-blogging hacks, spare us O Lord.
From thread-dominating combox trolls, spare us, O Lord.
From sophomoric drive-by commentators, spare us, O Lord.

From server memory resource difficulties, spare us O Lord.
From rss feed problems, spare us O Lord.
From DOS attacks, spare us O Lord.
From power outages and surges, spare us O Lord.
From viruses, trojan horses, and all manner of snares, Lord save us.
From wasting our time, Lord save us.
From our own stupidity, Lord save us.

St. Michael, defend us.
St. Gabriel, defend us.
Holy Guardian Angels, defend us.
St. Isidore of Seville, defend us.
St. Francis de Sales, defend us.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, defend us.
All ye angels and saints….. GRRRRR.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. Christ, Jesus who died for our sins.
R. Please return, and return swiftly.

Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God,
who according to Thy ineffable plan
hast called us into existence to do Thy will
amid the vicissitudes and contagion of this world
grant, we beseech Thee,
both protection for Thy servants who use the tools of this digital age
and confusion for evil-doers who abuse their neighbors and Thy gifts.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Lighter fare | Tagged Litany for the Conversion of Internet Thugs, spam, spammers, trolls
10 Comments

True marriage is for life

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I enjoyed this story from CNA:

Winners of 2012 Longest Married Couple contest announced

San Bernardino, Calif., Feb 1, 2012 / 03:39 am (CNA).- The faith-based marriage enrichment program Worldwide Marriage Encounter has announced the 2012 state winners of its Longest Married Couple contest: a Nevada couple who married in 1933.

“The number of years many of these couples are married is just awesome,” Scott and Karen Seaborn, the U.S. leadership team for Worldwide Marriage Encounter, said of the contest entrants.

“There are four couples married 78 years, many couples married 70 plus years and quite a few couples with 60 plus years of marriage. What a testament to having a commitment to a long marriage!”

The project received 256 nominations from 47 states.

The longest-married couple to be nominated is Wilbur and Theresa Faiss of Las Vegas, Nevada, who have been married for 78 years. They were married on April 14, 1933.

The Faiss couple will be honored by the Seaborns in a special Feb. 11 ceremony in their hometown.

Couples involved in Worldwide Marriage Encounter will recognize and honor individual state winners across the U.S. over the week of Valentine’s Day.

Last year, the longest-married couple contest honored Marshall and Winnie Kuykendall of Lordsburg, New Mexico, who were married for 82 years after their 1929 wedding. Three other couples who had been married 80 years won their state contests.

Winners of last year’s contest became members of the contest’s alumni group. Couples cannot succeed themselves each year as national or state winners so that other long-married couples can be honored.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter, based in San Bernardino, Calif., has a presence in more than 90 countries and is the world’s largest pro-marriage movement.

Posted in Just Too Cool, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, The future and our choices | Tagged DOMA, marriage
11 Comments

Email scams and viruses and other ominous stuff

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It seems that half the people I talk to of – excuse me – a certain age have computers infected with viruses.

Scammers and identity thieves – may they roast in the deepest cinders of hell – are becoming more clever in enticing people to open emails and attachments to emails with viruses.

BE CAREFUL! If there is anything about an email that seems strange to you, don’t open it right away. You might do a web search using the subject line to see if there is something going on. People pass along and forward around infected stuff all the time.

This morning, for example, I got one claiming to be from FedEx. I wind up using FedEx quite a bit, so it had my attention. However, it didn’t look right. I did a search and sure enough there was something malevolent within. Check HERE for more on the fake FedEx thing.

Again, be careful! Exercise a healthy suspicion.

Also, back up your files and do some basic maintenance on your computer. One day your hard drive will fail or you will have some other problem. You will lose things you don’t want to lose and headaches will multiply. I dedicate a little time on Saturday mornings to tidy things up. I defrag the drive if necessary and check the registry and make sure to check my back ups.

One way to back things up, if you are not using a service such as Carbonite, is to have an external hard drive, a big one. I suspect most people initially don’t need one bigger than 1 TB. HERE is one that is pretty affordable.