Cistercian abbots offering their churches to the Virgin (12 cent.)
FROM: http://www.paradoxplace.com/Insights/Cistercians/Cistercians.htm
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Our Lady of Seven Sorrows
17th century engraving from Cologne in Germany of Mary as the Mother of Sorrows.
FROM: http://allaboutmary.tumblr.com/post/4520181748/mater-dolorosa-17th-century-engraving-from-cologne
CARMEL: Theotokos and hermits
FROM: http://desertsongs-electa.blogspot.ca/2009/06/icon-of-our-lady-of-mt.html
MISSION: \A Perspective on Gospel Inculturation in Japan
The Breath of God
To the Zen Center of Soan, Japan
Fr. Amaldas, OSB Cam.
from Bulletin 10, February 1981
This excerpted article has been translated by Sr. Sarah Schwartzberg, OSB.
Soan, located in the mountainous region northwest of Tokyo and near Takamori, is a small community directed by a Japanese Dominican, Shigeto Oshida. The chief characteristic of this community is its effort to live an integral Christianity in a purely Japanese lifestyle. Its members combine an intensely active life with a no less intense contemplative life, where all strive simply to 'live', in the strong sense of the word, beyond the distinction between active and contemplative life. The permanent core is formed by a dozen persons, all Japanese, without distinction of sex, age, or civil status. Long-term guests become one with this core.
The community is open to all who are welcomed equally: Christians of various denominations, members of other religions, those who are searching spiritually or those seeking help with personal problems. The same respect and deference for the "mystery of the divine presence that dwells in each human heart" is shown to all.
Properly speaking, there is neither a "rule" nor rules! The community life is based solely on four principles:
Openness to all, which creates a climate wherein each tries to be genuine, without a mask, simply being oneself.
Members renounce all personal property and the community, as much as possible, possesses nothing outside of what is absolutely necessary for daily life and what is required to face difficulties, sickness, accidents, etc. The living standard is that of most modest villagers: a low table, a cushion for sitting on the ground and a shelf. For sleeping, one unrolls a thin mattress, sheets and covers on the ground of the hermitage.
"Whoever fails to rise at 5:30 am, at the sound of the bell, is not part of Soan." It is left to each one's sense of responsibility to put oneself at the disposal of the community, to work to the best of one's needs of the moment.
The community does not make long-term plans; they live in the present, leaving it to God to determine the next day. "It is in the present that one must face life."
Once a month a sesshin takes place, a 3-day retreat of silence and of long hours dedicated to zazen ("za" in Japanese means sitting and "zen", meditation.) "Zazen practice is to let yourself be seduced by the Breath of God, by the Holy Spirit. If you do not undergo this seduction, pray that it will be granted to you, it is a gift; prayer has no other end than to beg the Lord to make himself irresistible."
Fr. Oshida describes Soan as "Life itself, like a breath that deepens each day, seeking to approach its divine source. . . . Life that flows like a river always descending without any part ever stopping, never stopping anything for oneself." To grasp the subtlety of such phrases, one must understand the fundamental traits of traditional Japanese culture. On one hand, a great love of nature and a need to live in communion with it stems from the most ancient religion: Shintoism. On the other hand, there is the "Zen spirit," arising from the second ancestral religion, Buddhism. Fr. Oshida defines Zen in this way: "It is a state — or rather a road towards a state—in which all that exists is perceived from the viewpoint of the Beyond, in the divine light. Zen strives to deepen interior silence; it is to train oneself to die to oneself in the Word of God, to let oneself be moved by the breath of God." The Zen spirit insists on the impermanent character of all things here below and on the necessity of searching beyond concepts for the solution to the enigma of the origin of our existence. It is upon such elements that Christianity grafted itself.
Buddhist by birth, Fr. Oshida practiced Zen until the day, when, meeting a genuine Christian, he experienced the presence of Christ in this man. Following this spiritual shock, he became a Christian and entered the Dominicans. He has said, "I have never tried to integrate Zen in my Christianity. Zen is a constituent part of my soul and my body since my birth. If there has been integration in me, it is Christ himself who did it, without warning me."
Returning from the Dominican novitiate in Canada, Fr. Oshida suffered a recurrence of tuberculosis which carried him to the doors of death several times: "Sickness has been my guru, my spiritual master; it is then that I have begun to become supple in the hands of God." This was the moment above all that proved the need "to search out my identity as a man born in a country having a well-defined history, civilization and tradition."
It was in the early 60's that Fr. Oshida began to build the foundation of the Center of Soan. He was then staying at the hospital of Fujimi. Very soon, companions in suffering in the hospital joined with him in searching for a new life style. In 1963, with the help of some friends, he bought the land of Soan and built there a hermitage and a chapel. Time and again, people of every background came to join him, asking to live there permanently. The center at Soan was definitely created.
One cannot but give thanks to the "Breath of God" who inspired it, for Soan brings unsuspected riches to whoever arrives there without preconceived ideas.
CHURCH: Bad Popes and the Gates of Hell
JUNE 28, 2012
Let's Raise a Glass to the Bad Popes!
by Donald Prudlo
It may seem odd, on the feast day of the Roman Fact, to discuss the less-than-stellar occupants of the Chair of Peter. I would propose that it is precisely these weak and sometimes sordid men who offer one of the most startling historical and apologetical claims for the indefectibility of the church. Catholics ought not to be reticent or ashamed about such men. A frank analysis of their weaknesses shows that often the Church survives in spite of the papacy, while the office endures as a witness to the seamless garment of Church tradition.
The demerits of some of the popes can be broken down into three categories: the inept, the imprudent, and the immoral. It is astonishing among the 265 holders of the office that so few can be charged with any of these (indeed around a third of all popes are recognized as saints). Nonetheless they are to be found; weaklings who refused to teach when teaching was necessary, spectacularly imprudent miscalculators, and downright seedy and Augean characters.
The last category has been one of the most popular sticks with which to beat the Church. Alexander VI (1492-1503) is quite well known, more so now because of recent television adaptations –though it must be admitted there are few families more tailor-made for HBO than the house of Borgia. What can be said of Alexander? He did it. Almost every single immoral thing of which he is accused. In fairness, he did not do one thing his enemies alleged: commit incest with his daughter Lucrezia. . .What a moral superhero.
Like the Borgia pope, others too had illegitimate children, Alexander's predecessor Innocent VII (1484-1492) set the stage in that respect. Sometimes other vices came into play, such as the brutal anger of Pope Urban VI (1378-1389), who verbally and sometimes physically assaulted his own cardinals, so much that they started the Great Western Schism. Want worse than that? The only thing that saves the papacy of the tenth century from the HBO treatment is its remoteness and lack of much historical material (it is sometimes charitably called the saecula obscura). This is the period of the "Pornocracy" (can one think of a worse name?). In it we see popes complicit in the murders of their predecessors, all under the ruthless tyranny of the Theophylact family of Rome. Some of the charges against John XII (955-964)—elected at 18 years old—are not fit for digital print.
Abbot Desiderius of Cassino, later himself elected Pope as Victor III (1086-1087) wrote the following about Benedict IX (1032-1044; 1045; 1047-1048…yes you read that correctly, he claimed the papacy on three different occasions):
There was a certain one, blessed in name (Benedict IX), but certainly not in deeds, a son of the consul Alberic, but more the progeny of Simon Magus rather than a follower in the footsteps of Simon Peter, since he bought the papacy for himself by freely spending his father's money. Indeed, after his assumption of the priesthood, how dishonest, how loathsome, how foul, and how execrable has been his life, I shudder to relate . . . . After robberies, murders, and other abominable acts, the Roman people, unable to bear his iniquity any longer, caused him to be cast out of the city, and drove him from the episcopal chair of Rome.
Few nations or corporations can hit a 200 year "rough patch" of bad leadership and survive. The Church has done it several times over.
The Popes above are the headline grabbers. In spite of their personal immorality Church business went on. Under John XII, the Order of Cluny grew and Otto I was crowned, bringing religious and secular stability back to Europe. Under Alexander the Treaty of Tordesillas meant the continued age of Exploration, without a world war between Spain and Portugal. Far more damaging to the Church were Popes who were outright inept and corrupt. The papacy is the inventor of nepotism and the powerful position of "Cardinal-nephew" spanned hundreds of years, occasionally producing a St. Charles Borromeo, but more usually it resulted in people like the dishonest nephew of Paul IV (1555-1559), Carlo Cardinal Carafa. Particularly detrimental were those who failed to teach at critical times. A Pope like Honorius (625-638) squandered all of the significant papal achievements since Gelasius (492-494) in the Christian east, by sending a non-committal letter regarding the heresy of Monothelitism, a magisterial misstep (not however, a doctrinal error) that was to have long lasting effect.
The history of the papacy is also rife with notoriously bad prudential decisions. Clement VII's papacy (1523-1534) was a string of colossally irresponsible determinations. He was the fiddler while the Church of Rome burned. His response to the Reformation was tepid and his dogged opposition to the Catholic emperor Charles V is historically inexplicable. His fast-dealings resulted in the defection of some of Charles' troops, placing the blame for the disastrous sack of Rome in 1527 squarely on the pope's own shoulders. His terror at the chimera of conciliarism prevented the early assembly of the Council of Trent. The one principled decision he made—to maintain the validity of Henry and Catherine of Aragon's marriage—lost almost the whole English-speaking world to the Catholic Church (not that it was an incorrect decision, but for the hapless Clement even correct actions had terrible consequences). His namesake, Clement XIV (1769-1774) suppressed the Jesuit order in 1773, in the midst of the Enlightenment and on the cusp of revolution. Clement did not just shoot the Church in the foot by this declaration, indeed by destroying this elite intellectual order, Clement shot the Church in the head.
Nor are good and holy popes immune from imprudent decisions. St. Pius V's promulgation of Regnans in excelsis (excommunicating Elizabeth I and authorizing her overthrow) attempted to resurrect a doctrine of papal power encrusted with desuetude, and in so doing, immeasurably increased the difficulties of the small Catholic remnant of England. Even the prudence of Pius XII we have seen questioned aggressively in our own day.
Sometimes papacies are so disastrous that they change the course of history. Martin IV (1281-1285) was one of these. In four short years he squandered the signal achievements of the great medieval pontiffs stretching back to Sts. Leo IX and Gregory VII. Instead of being a Pope for Christendom, he decided to favor France (a predilection that continued, inexplicably and sometimes catastrophically, in the papacy for the next several hundred years). He compromised a carefully worked out solution to the Eastern schism, solely for the short term advantage of the Angevin monarchy, by maliciously excommunicating the Byzantine emperor and giving French lords permission to attack him. When Sicilian rebels overthrew the French crown, Martin issued Crusading bulls to put down the rebellion—Catholics "crusading" against other Catholics, the final nail in the coffin of the crusading ideal. His papacy led to a short term reaction which resulted in the tragedy of Anagni and finally to the Avignon papacy. Martin IV was a bad pope.
Historical interpretations can certainly vary, but examples could be multiplied. In the end however it was to such men as Martin IV that Christ entrusted His Church. Of all of the Apostles Christ chose the impulsive, malleable, and sanguine Peter. Chesterton puts it best in Heretics:
When Christ at a symbolic moment was establishing His great society, He chose for its corner-stone neither the brilliant Paul nor the mystic John, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward—in a word, a man. And upon this rock He has built His Church, and the gates of Hell have not prevailed against it. All the empires and the kingdoms have failed, because of this inherent and continual weakness, that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men. But this one thing, the historic Christian Church, was founded on a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. For no chain is stronger than its weakest link.
Just as God exalts the humble and the weak and raises up saints, so the power of God shines through the weakness of these men. Could there be a more signal proof of the Divine assistance and the indefectibility of the Church? This great feast marks the Apostles who poured out into that See, as Tertullian said, "not only their blood, but their whole doctrine." Today we should raise our glasses (and some much needed prayers) to and for these weak, corrupt, and sometimes downright bad men. They too are weak links in the chain that did not and cannot break.
Tagged as: Papacy, Popes
The views expressed by the authors and editorial staff are not necessarily the views of
Sophia Institute, Holy Spirit College, or the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts.
Friday, June 29, 2012
FAITH: What Twenty-something Catholic 'millennials' believe
What millennials believe
A recent report suggests millennials are losing touch with the Faith. Meet six dedicated young Catholics who are bucking the trend
By Emily Stimpson - OSV Newsweekly, 6/17/2012
Young Catholics are losing their religion.
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| Brooke Summers with her husband and son. Courtesy of Brooke Summers |
That, in a nutshell, is the conclusion of a study released in April by the Public Research Institute and Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
According to the study, nearly a quarter of millennial Catholics raised in the Faith have left the Church by the time they are 24. A majority also support abortion rights and same-sex marriages. They see Christianity as "judgmental" and have no qualms with the state requiring religious institutions to provide free contraceptive coverage regardless of conscience objections.
The picture the PRI/Berkley Center study paints is a grim one. But it's not the whole picture. It's a bird's-eye view of a generation. Which means a lot of the details, good and bad, get missed.
And there are good details.
While the majority of the millennial generation may be headed in one direction, many young Catholics are not only embracing the Faith, but dedicating their lives to spreading it. They're entering religious orders, blogging on the Internet, doing mission work and helping form other young Catholics. They're also doing that with passion, conviction and success.
Recently, Our Sunday Visitor asked six of those millennial Catholics — faithful between the ages of 18 and 27 — to share their stories with us. We asked them what they were doing, how they were doing it and, most importantly, why.
Here's what they had to say.
Sister Evangeline (Mary Kate) Suprenant
Novice with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Age: 19
I was about 4 or 5 when I first started talking about becoming a religious sister. Apparently, I told my dad, "I'm going to live with you forever. Until I'm 8. Then, I'm going to be a nun."
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| Sister Evangeline Suprenant. Courtesy of Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist |
I'm not sure where the idea came from. I grew up knowing that Christ and his Church were beautiful, and there was always this sense of mystery that I found so appealing whenever I would encounter anything holy. We also read a lot of saint books, and I can remember looking at the pictures of the saints and thinking how much I wanted to please God. I knew that the religious life pleased him, so somehow that all came together in my mind.
I didn't think much about religious life in middle school, but when I was 14, my mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and almost without hesitation I said, "A religious sister." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I felt such peace.
After that, the call was so clear. That's why I entered as soon as I finished high school. When you know God is calling you to do something, it's hard to do other things first. Just finishing high school was difficult. It's like falling in love and wanting to get married. Waiting is difficult, and you don't want to put it off.
I entered on Aug. 28, 2010. I spent a year as an aspirant and postulant. Now I'm in my first novice year — the canonical year. It's more contemplative and you spend time learning about vows and taking classes. The second novice year is your apostolic year, where you get experience in the apostolic life of the community.
| Survey |
Do you know any young Catholics living their Faith with passion and conviction?Tell us in the comments below. |
Right now I'm learning to live in a totally different way. Religious life is not just a list of things you do. It's an actual identity. And you're not just taking on a new schedule or a new name. You're taking on a mission, being sent out by Christ. To do that you have to know how he wants you to live in this community. That's why it's called formation and not just education.
There are so many little things in life that prevent us from being who we are. And so a lot of the formation process is working on your own personality, not to change it but to better use it. It's also about learning to not rely on what you do but on being used by Christ, being a spouse to him and being faithful to him in each moment. That really is key. You plan on entering religious life to do great things for God, but you quickly learn that it's being faithful in the little things that pleases him the most.
For women discerning a call to religious life, I recommend cultivating a spirit of silence. Go to daily Mass as often as possible and sit in the presence of the Eucharist. Get to know Christ. Develop a friendship with him. Also make sure you know your Faith, who you are, and the truth about the world around you.
In the end, it comes down to what Blessed John Paul II said: "Be not afraid." When you're looking in a perfectly open way, with no fear, to fall in love with God and enter whatever vocation he calls you to, he'll lead you to it. He's already placed the call on your heart. You just have to listen for it. It really is that simple.
Elizabeth McClung
Sidewalk training consultant, founder of Austin Coalition for Life
Austin, Texas
Age: 25
I grew up in a very pro-life family, where our dinner table conversations tended to focus on questions of abortion, politics, euthanasia or war. So, when I was young I got a heady dose of Catholic moral and social teaching. In junior high I gave my first pro-life speech, and in high school I became even more involved. I'd call into radio stations and send letters to the editor. I also wrote a column for my high school paper.
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| Elizabeth McClung Courtesy of Elizabeth McClung |
It wasn't until I was a freshman at Texas A&M, however, that I actually went to pray at an abortion clinic. A group of us were hanging out at the Catholic Student Center late one night, and a friend suggested we go. It was two in the morning, but there was a round-the-clock prayer vigil (actually the very first 40 Days for Life campaign in the country), so we went.
I remember walking up that first time. It was pitch black, and the parking lot was empty, but there were a few Knights of Columbus there. The whole experience was like being hit by a 2x4. This thing I had spoken out against for so long suddenly became very real. Before, it was just an idea. I didn't know anyone who'd had an abortion or worked in the abortion industry. But now I was standing just feet away from where babies were sucked out of wombs, where women were sold the lie that they weren't capable of being mothers. I just wept. And I knew I needed to keep going back. That's where I was needed.
| Missionaries of Joy |
"Be missionaries of joy. We cannot be happy if others are not. Joy has to be shared. Go and tell other young people about your joy at finding the precious treasure, which is Jesus himself … "Christianity is sometimes depicted as a way of life that stifles our freedom and goes against our desires for happiness and joy. But this is far from the truth. Christians are men and women who are truly happy because they know that they are not alone. They know that God is always holding them in his hands. It is up to you, young followers of Christ, to show the world that faith brings happiness and a joy, which is true, full and enduring. If the way Christians live at times appears dull and boring, you should be the first to show the joyful and happy side of faith. The Gospel is the 'good news' that God loves us and that each of us is important to him. Show the world that this is true!" Pope Benedict XVI in his March 15"Message for the 27th World Youth Day" |
After that, I started volunteering for the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life — recruiting, coordinating and eventually training our thousand plus volunteers. In the fall of 2007, during the first nationally coordinated 40 Days for LifeCampaign, I was on the sidewalk every morning from 7 to 9, which is when all the workers at the clinic would arrive. After a few weeks, it seemed silly not to introduce myself. That's when I met the clinic's director, Abby Johnson. We started talking and became friends through the fence. Two years later, I got an email from her that said something big had happened and she wanted to talk. That's when she left Planned Parenthood and started working with the Coalition for Life. The whole experience was a strong testament to the fact that continued prayer works.
After college, I became director of communications for the coalition and coordinated the 40 Days for Life campaign. I also started traveling to train people how to be sidewalk counselors.
Then, in 2008, I saw the need for an organized pro-life movement in Austin. They had four clinics, and abortions were happening every day of the week, but they hadn't yet been able to pull off a continuous 40 day prayer vigil. So, I left College Station, took a job with a state senator in Austin, and started putting together a leadership team for an Austin Coalition for Life. We had a great response, and at our last 40 Days for Life campaign we had more than 1,000 volunteers from 72 churches.
This past January, I stepped down from leadership there and have begun conducting sidewalk counseling training sessions around the country. I've been to Spokane, Fargo, Corpus Christi, Washington, D.C., pretty much anywhere people have asked me to go.
A lot of people want to be sidewalk counselors, but they don't know where to begin. They're worried they might say something that will actually push the woman into having an abortion. I want to give them the confidence to begin talking, educate them about where these women are coming from and help them put themselves in the women's shoes. That's really the key. As soon as we stop empathizing, the women perceive that we're being judgmental. We have to remember that abortion doesn't happen because of freedom of choice. It happens because women feel like they have no choice.
Jenn Baugh
founder and director of Young Catholic Professionals
Dallas, Texas
Age: 26
Growing up, I didn't have a strong foundation in the Faith. It wasn't until after college, when I went to get my MBA, that I started doing some soul searching. I found myself asking, "What does being Catholic really mean to me?"
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| Baugh |
After I graduated, I was hired by FTI Consulting in Dallas, but they didn't want me to start for eight months. I moved to Dallas anyhow, and used the time to get to know God and learn about my faith. For the first time in my life, I didn't have an excuse to not learn more. Then, there came a day when I was simply overwhelmed by God's mercy and decided that if I was going to be Catholic I was going to be all in. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. So much freedom came from making that decision.
After that, I read every encyclical I could, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the lives of saints, Scripture, really everything. I also found myself wanting to talk to everyone about my faith. But, although I was attending young adult events in the diocese, I wasn't finding an avenue where I could talk to other young professionals. I thought, "There have to be people out there like me, young adults embarking on an intense career and wanting the support of a Catholic community."
| What Millennials Believe |
According to a recent study, conducted by the Public Research Institute and Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, among members of the millennial generation born between 1988 and 1994: 46% of millennials believe the Bible is the Word of God; 25% have no religious affiliation; 45% believe the American Dream is dead; 54% believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 59% support allowing same-sex couples to marry; 64% say the words "anti-gay" describe modern-day Christianity; 62% say present-day Christianity is judgmental. |
That's when I put together a focus group of a few others in similar situations. We decided we would start a speaker series — inviting successful Catholic executives and leaders to come and talk to us about their work and faith. We had our first event in August 2010. One hundred young professionals were in attendance. We've had one every month since then, and our numbers have continued to grow. We had more than 200 at our event with Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell.
Other speakers have included the CEO of American Airlines, the former No. 2 at Exxon Mobile, more high-profile executives, plus some younger entrepreneurial types. All are committed to the Catholic faith and have shown dedication to excellence in the workplace. Topics have ranged from ways we can live our faith at work, to how to live a more integrated life, what it means to offer our work to God as a form of prayer and sacrifice, and why it's important to do your job well.
Essentially, the speakers address in relevant ways the struggles most Catholic young professionals face — struggles with balance and prioritizing time; meeting the demands of your boss but still making time for prayer, community and service; and learning to be "unplugged" (getting off your Blackberry and Facebook).
Over the past few months, we've grown beyond the speaker series because attendees want more. We launched a membership program that gives people access to mentors, spiritual directors, retreats and other events. We've also had people who have attended our events and then moved away ask about starting chapters in other cities. We think there's potential for growth, but first we need to raise funds for a full-time director and develop a training manual to help other chapters succeed.
There really is a need out there to reach Catholic young adults where they are. After all, we're the future of our faith.
Joseph Olson
co-founder of Heart of the Matter
St. Paul, Minn.
Age: 27
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| Joseph Olson Courtesy of Joseph Olson |
Two years ago, my friend Terrence Sweeney and I went to a talk given by John Allen about the future of the Church. One thing that really struck us was how our generation seems to be exiting the Church so quickly in the United States. That kick-started a conversation about what our role is in stopping that. The conversation picked up steam and as a result Terrence and I, along with my wife Shea and our friend Zita Larson, decided to launch The Heart of the Matter.
The Heart of the Matter is a paper of sorts that hits on topics we think are relevant to young Catholics — issues that are often misunderstood and contribute to why some people are leaving. So: love, sex, suffering, sacrifice, work, prayer, the whole bit. It's designed to reach our age group and more of the hippie, grunge, trendy folk that might hang out at coffee shops. We've got about 10 people who write regularly for the paper, then about 40 or so more who write occasionally and help us deliver it once a month to more than 50 coffee shops in the St. Paul area. We also have a blog (www.theheartofthematterblog.wordpress.com), where people can come and discuss the articles or give feedback.
The other part of what we're doing is trying to engage our generation of Catholics through group events and service projects. During Lent we started up a corporal works of mercy series, where we pooled cash to buy food and make meals for families in need. We also went out one day and cleaned up along the river, and sponsored a clothing drive. Then there are more social aspects, like having happy hours after events or after a Holy Hour or Mass. Happy hours are a great way to invite people into the group and the corporal works of mercy show we have a heart.
So far, the feedback has been great. We just put out our 11th issue, and we've even had some of the baristas from the coffee shops where we drop off the papers come to our events. It helps that our writers stay positive, not negative. We want to show people that we're a Church of "yes" not "no."
Brooke Summers
Vice president, Family Missions Company (FMC)
Abbeville, La.
Age: 25
I went on my first international mission in 2009. It was a gift from my parents. We were driving in the car and they asked if I wanted to go on a missions trip. I said "Yes," and their reply was, "You leave Saturday at 6:30. You're going to Mexico."
The trip changed my life … completely. Even though I'd gone to a Catholic school and had received the sacraments, I wasn't really practicing. I think I'd seen too many people not living what they said they believed and that left a bad taste in my mouth. So, for a long time, I did my own thing, living in the world and doing whatever I wanted. About six months before the trip, however, I had a conversion. At that point, I started going with my dad to a Baptist church. I had a hard time though, letting go of my past. I'd begged God for forgiveness and knew I was forgiven, but I still felt so guilty.
That's when my boss, an awesome, holy woman, started nudging me to go to confession. For a long time, I told her there was no way I was going to tell some priest I didn't know all that I'd done. But eventually, I stopped fighting it and went. He was so humble and gentle. When I left I couldn't deny how different I felt. I was happy and free. A week later, my parents told me about the missions trip.
When I left for Mexico, I didn't know what to expect. FMC's missions have three different aspects: home visits to the elderly, evangelization teams and work projects. I was assigned to the home visits team. I can remember walking up to the first home. It was in terrible shape — a broken roof, crumbling walls. I knew the woman who lived there was 115. Her 80-year-old son took care of her. I was sure she would be so sad. But when we got inside, there she was, in a wheelchair, cooking food and smiling.
I asked her how she was doing, and she said, "I am so blessed. Look at everything Jesus has given me." At that point, I lost it. That simple woman obviously loved Jesus way more than I did. In that moment, I knew I wanted to spend my life doing missions work. I wanted to serve people like her.
When I got home I went to a mission formation meeting with FMC. They announced that they had a trip to Ecuador in two weeks. I asked if I could go, and they decided to send me. It was on that trip that I met my husband. He was leading the trip. Six months later, we got engaged. Six months after that we were married. A year later, our son was born. In 2011, the first year of his life, he went to nine different countries with us on various mission trips, including Spain, Italy, Mexico, India and St. Lucia.
Last year, my husband and I became the president and vice president of FMC. Previously, the job was done by his parents. We have 82 different missionaries in three countries right now and lead several trips a year with volunteers. Although there definitely are times when things feel overwhelming, I try to keep in mind that the little sacrifices we need to make are all for building up the Kingdom of God. There's nothing else I can imagine doing right now. I feel right in the center of God's will.
Marc Barnes
Blogger at Patheos.com (Bad Catholic) and student at Franciscan University
Steubenville, Ohio
Age: 19
I started blogging two years ago, during my senior year in high school and got picked up by Patheos at the beginning of my freshman year at Franciscan. That was the fall of 2011. I was largely anonymous at first, and had no intention of being anything else. I was already writing things, and just thought a blog would be a cool way to keep doing that. But then I sent a link to my blog to Mark Shea, and he posted it. Then I picked up another 20 or so readers, and from there it just spread. Now I'm getting about half a million page views a month.
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| Marc Barnes. Courtesy of Marc Barnes |
As for whom I write, well, as much as I love the Church, my heart is with the godless and that culture. Blogging is a way to reach those people. It's where the culture is, for better or for worse. And while a lot of people would never visit a Catholic website, they'll read a Catholic blog. I think that's because a blog is more of a voice. You can engage a voice. You can't engage a website.
Regardless, when I write, I think of two people reading, one Christian and one atheist. I want it to be something they can both read, so that's why I write more in the language of the modern Internet culture. The idea is to go where the world is and try to lift it up.
Sometimes that works. I got this email a couple weeks ago from a guy — an atheist. He said, "I want you to know I've been reading your blog for a while, and I didn't take the Catholic Church seriously until I came across your writing."
That was heartbreakingly flattering. At the same time, I know I annoy a lot of atheists. I'm OK with that, though. No matter what I'm writing, one of the main struggles is figuring out how to engage an atheist who views Christianity as this idiotic thing, as almost incomprehensibly dumb, to the point that they read the whole post. So, given that, any reaction is a good reaction. It means I held their attention long enough to get a reaction.
As for being a "young voice," I have to admit, I don't think "young Catholic voices" simply as "young Catholic voices" add much to the conversation about faith and culture. The world assigns a lot of value to being young. There's a whole cult of youth in our culture. And in the Catholic blogging world — or really the Catholic world in general — there's the same idea, that if you can get a young face on something, then it's destined for greatness. But value doesn't come from being young or relevant. What matters is the content. If your content is good, people will come.
I guess there is some value if you have great content and a young face, but that's because of the value the world places on youth. But still, content is what matters. The truth of the Faith is what matters. If a young person just happens to be the vehicle for conveying that truth to the world, that's great, but it's not the most important thing.
Emily Stimpson is an OSV contributing editor.
St. Claude La Colombière, S.J.
Claude La Colombière, S.J. (1641-1682) CLAUDE LA COLOMBIÈRE, third child of the notary Bertrand La Colombière and Margaret Coindat, was born on 2nd February 1641 at St. Symphorien d'Ozon in the Dauphine, southeastern France. After the family moved to Vienne Claude began his early education there, completing his studies in rhetoric and philosophy in Lyon. It was during this period that Claude first sensed his vocation to the religious life in the Society of Jesus. We know nothing of the motives which led to this decision. We do know, however, from one of his early notations, that he "had a terrible aversion for the life embraced". This affirmation is not hard to understand by any who are familiar with the life of Claude, for he was very close to his family and friends and much inclined to the arts and literature and an active social life. On the other hand, he was not a person to be led primarily by his sentiments. At 17 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Avignon. In 1660 he moved from the Novitiate to the College, also in Avignon, where he pronounced his first vows and completed his studies in philosophy. Afterwards he was professor of grammar and literature in the same school for another five years. In 1666 he went to the College of Clermont in Paris for his studies in theology. Already noted for his tact, poise and dedication to the humanities, Claude was assigned by superiors in Paris the additional responsibility of tutoring the children of Louis XIV's Munster of Finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert. His theological studies concluded and now a priest, Claude returned to Lyon. For a time he was teacher in the College, then full-time preacher and moderator of several Marian congregations. Claude became noted for solid and serious sermons. They were ably directed at specific audiences and, faithful to their inspiration from the gospel, communicated to his listeners serenity and confidence in God. His published sermons produced and still produce significant spiritual fruits. Given the place and the short duration of his ministry, his sermons are surprisingly fresh in comparison with those of better-known orators. The year 1674 was a decisive one for Claude, the year of his Third Probation at Maison Saint-Joseph in Lyon. During the customary month of the Exercises the Lord prepared him for the mission for which he had been chosen. His spiritual notes from this period allow one to follow step-by-step the battles and triumphs of the spirit, so extraordinarily attracted to everything human, yet so generous with God. He took a vow to observe all the constitutions and rules of the Society of Jesus, a vow whose scope was not so much to bind him to a series of minute observances as to reproduce the sharp ideal of an apostle so richly described by St. Ignatius. So magnificent did this ideal seem to Claude that he adopted it as his program of sanctity. That it was indeed an invitation from Christ himself is evidenced by the subsequent feeling of interior liberation Claude experienced, along with the broadened horizons of the apostolate he witnesses to in his spiritual diary. On 2nd February 1675 he pronounced his solemn profession and was named rector of the College at Paray-le-Monial. Not a few people wondered at this assignment of a talented young Jesuit to such an out-of the-way place as Paray. The explanation seems to be in the superiors' knowledge that there was in Paray an unpretentious religious of the Monastery of the Visitation, Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Lord was revealing the treasures of his Heart, but who was overcome by anguish and uncertainty. She was waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promise and send her "my faithful servant and perfect friend" to help her realize the mission for which he had destined her: that of revealing to the world the unfathomable riches of his love. After Father Colombière's arrival and her first conversations with him, Margaret Mary opened her spirit to him and told him of the many communications she believed she had received from the Lord. He assured her he accepted their authenticity and urged her to put in writing everything in their regard, and did all he could to orient and support her in carrying out the mission received. When, thanks to prayer and discernment, he became convinced that Christ wanted the spread of the devotion to his Heart, it is clear from Claude's spiritual notes that he pledged himself to this cause without reserve. In these notes it is also clear that, even before he became Margaret Mary's confessor, Claude's fidelity to the directives of St. Ignatius in the Exercises had brought him to the contemplation of the Heart of Christ as symbol of his love. After a year and half in Paray, in 1676 Father La Colombière left for London. He had been appointed preacher to the Duchess of York - a very difficult and delicate assignment because of the conditions prevailing in England at the time. He took up residence in St. James Palace in October. In addition to sermons in the palace chapel and unremitting spiritual direction both oral and written, Claude dedicated his time to giving thorough instruction to the many who sought reconciliation with the Church they had abandoned. And even if there were great dangers, he had the consolation of seeing many reconciled to it, so that after a year he said: "I could write a book about the mercy of God I've seen Him exercise since I arrived here!" The intense pace of his work and the poor climate combined to undermine his health, and evidence of a serious pulmonary disease began to appear. Claude, however, made no changes in his work or life style. Of a sudden, at the end of 1678, he was calumniously accused and arrested in connection with the Titus Oates "papist plot". After two days he was transferred to the severe King's Bench Prison where he remained for three weeks in extremely poor conditions until his expulsion from England by royal decree. This suffering further weakened Claude's health which, with ups and downs, deteriorated rapidly on his return to France. During the summer of 1681 he returned to Paray, in very poor condition. On 15th February 1682, the first Sunday of Lent, towards evening Claude suffered the severe hemorrhage which ended his life. On the 16th of June 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified Claude La Colombière, whose charism, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was that of bringing souls to God along the gospel way of love and mercy which Christ revealed to us.  |
St. PHILOMENA
In 1802, the bones of a female between the ages of 13 and 15 were discovered in the catacomb of St. Priscilia. An inscription near her tomb read "Peace be with thee, Philomena", along with drawings of 2 anchors, 3 arrows and a palm. Near her bones was discovered a small glass vial, containing the remains of blood. Because it was a popular custom of the early martyrs to leave symbols and signs such as these, it was easily determined that St. Philomena was a virgin and a martyr. Her popularity soon became widespread, with her most memorable devotees being St. John Vianney, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Peter Eymard, and St. Peter Chanel. After being miraculously cured, Ven. Pauline Jaricot insisted that Pope Gregory XVI begin an examination for the beatification of St. Philomena, who was to become known as the "wonder worker". After hundreds of other miraculous cures, she was beatified in 1837. St. Philomena, who the pope named as the Patroness of the Living Rosary and the Patroness of the Childrenof Mary, is the only person recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, although pertinent revelations regarding her life have been recorded. Her relics are now preserved in Mugnano, Italy.
SSPX leader sees impasse in talks with Vatican
SSPX leader acknowledges difficulties in talks with Vatican
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CWN - June 29, 2012
The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) said that the traditionalist group has reached "the point of departure" in negotiations toward reconciliation with the Holy See.
In a homily during an ordination ceremony at the SSPX base in Écone, Switzerland, Bishop Bernard Fellay seemed to confirm reports that he would not accept the latest offer from the Vatican, speaking on "not being able to sign." Nevertheless he indicated a continuing hope for an agreement, and asked the faithful of the SSPX to continue praying for a satisfactory outcome. "We are Roman!" he said. "And this we cannot put behind us!"
Bishop Fellay alluded to the pressures involved in the negotiations with the Vatican, and the internal tensions within the SSPX. He said that "we, in the middle, have become like a ping-pong ball, that everyone hits."
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ORDINARIATE / U.K. : Another Ordination :)
Fr Hunwicke's First Mass in the Old Rite
Fr Hunwicke celebrated his First Mass in the Old Rite at Brompton Oratory. Br. Martin was highly honoured to be able to serve Father at the altar.
Fr. Ray Blake greets Father before the First Mass.
Dealba me, Domine, et munda cor meum; ut, in sanguine Agni dealbatus, gaudiis perfruar sempiternis.
Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward
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Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae...
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Behold the Precious Blood of Jesus, shed for the forgiveness of our sins!
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Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.
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May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.
Priesting of Rev. Fr John Hunwicke
It was our great privilege to be able to attend the priesting of Fr. John Hunwicke on Wednesday 27th June, Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour at the Oxford Oratory. Father has waited long for this great day!
The ordinand lies prostrate whilst the Litany of the Saints is sung.
The laying-on of hands. After the ordaining bishop, all the priests present lay their hands upon the head of the ordinand. Above, the Rt Revd Monsignor Keith Newton, Fr. Hunwicke's superior in the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham lays hands; and below, Fr. Michael Mary, F.SS.R.
Anointing the hands of the priest.
First Blessings.
Speaking with Msgr Kieth Newton.
Three generations. Father and Mrs Hunwicke with the eldest of their five daughters and the eldest of their five grandchildren.