I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Opinion: In the long arc of human history, 2019 has been the best year ever
Nicholas Kristof: I fear that the news media focuses so relentlessly on bad news that we leave the public believing that every trend is going in the wrong direction
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-in-the-long-arc-of-human-history-2019-has-been-the-best-year-ever
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Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Monday, December 30, 2019
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Re: The Huron Carol
Nice repeating root and fifth interval in the background.
V
On Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 10:52 AM John Charles Schmidt <jc3schmi@hotmail.com> wrote:
https://youtu.be/D6IG6F6E5Ac
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Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
National Post: Rex Murphy: Our not-so-brave new world has gone bananas
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Rex Murphy: Our not-so-brave new world has gone bananas
What a magical world we have when, if someone wants something to be a something else, all he or she has to do is simply say so
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-our-not-so-brave-new-world-has-gone-bananas
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Rex Murphy: Our not-so-brave new world has gone bananas
What a magical world we have when, if someone wants something to be a something else, all he or she has to do is simply say so
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-our-not-so-brave-new-world-has-gone-bananas
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Monday, December 23, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Friday, December 20, 2019
CDF Abuse cases on rise
https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEMJegPyo4Ma4Lcbq9Rd4G-8qGQgEKhAIACoHCAow6f-ICzDjj4gDMNC_nwY?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen
Begin forwarded message:
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Begin forwarded message:
From: John Charles Schmidt <jc3schmi@hotmail.com>
Date: December 5, 2019 at 12:52:06 PM MST
To: "jc3schmi@hotmail.com" <jc3schmi@hotmail.com>
Subject: Immersion francais d'ete
PROGRAMS:
FUNDING:
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
National Post: Rex Murphy: A political travesty is unfolding south of the border
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Rex Murphy: A political travesty is unfolding south of the border
This sleazy attempt to get Trump out of office illustrates what happens when one side refuses to accept the voice of the people in an election
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-a-political-travesty-is-unfolding-south-of-the-border
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Rex Murphy: A political travesty is unfolding south of the border
This sleazy attempt to get Trump out of office illustrates what happens when one side refuses to accept the voice of the people in an election
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-a-political-travesty-is-unfolding-south-of-the-border
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Monday, December 16, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Friday, December 13, 2019
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
National Post: Court sides with bank staffer who says he was denied promotion because he’s not gay
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Court sides with bank staffer who says he was denied promotion because he's not gay
The Canadian Human Rights Commission improperly dismissed Aaren Jagadeesh's discrimination complaint based on sexual orientation, the Federal Court of Canada has ruled
https://nationalpost.com/news/human-rights-probe-underway-after-former-canadian-bank-employee-says-he-was-told-only-gay-men-are-promoted-and-he-should-join
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Court sides with bank staffer who says he was denied promotion because he's not gay
The Canadian Human Rights Commission improperly dismissed Aaren Jagadeesh's discrimination complaint based on sexual orientation, the Federal Court of Canada has ruled
https://nationalpost.com/news/human-rights-probe-underway-after-former-canadian-bank-employee-says-he-was-told-only-gay-men-are-promoted-and-he-should-join
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Monday, December 9, 2019
Thursday, December 5, 2019
National Post: 'A precious object': Ottawa synagogue delivers Torah scroll to beleaguered African congregation
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
'A precious object': Ottawa synagogue delivers Torah scroll to beleaguered African congregation
'This is the most valuable and uplifting gift we've ever been given,' said the leader of the community who's previous scroll was destroyed in the 1970s
https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/ottawa-congregation-delivers-torah-scroll-to-beleaguered-tanzanian-jewish-community/wcm/c8295bba-6f00-40f9-8956-ec7f596d79da
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'A precious object': Ottawa synagogue delivers Torah scroll to beleaguered African congregation
'This is the most valuable and uplifting gift we've ever been given,' said the leader of the community who's previous scroll was destroyed in the 1970s
https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/ottawa-congregation-delivers-torah-scroll-to-beleaguered-tanzanian-jewish-community/wcm/c8295bba-6f00-40f9-8956-ec7f596d79da
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Sister Emmanuelle : French nun lived among Cairo's poor - Los Angeles Times
French nun lived among Cairo's poor - Los Angeles Times
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-22-me-passings22.S1-story.htm
Saint John Damascene, Priest, Doctor
Saint John Damascene, priest, Doctor
He was born of a Christian family in Damascus in the second half of the seventh century, where his father was a high official under the Umayyad caliph; a post which he inherited. When the Iconoclast movement (seeking to prohibit the veneration of icons) gained acceptance in the Byzantine court, John, being under Muslim rather than Byzantine rule, was able to write effective treatises attacking Iconoclasm and attacking the emperor for supporting it. At about this time he retired to the monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, where he became a monk and was ordained. He died in the middle of the eighth century.
He wrote many theological treatises in a dangerously clear and accessible style which made the issues understandable even by non-experts. His name was reviled and execrated by the imperial Iconoclast party even after his death. Sometimes known as "the last of the Church Fathers," he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Friday, November 29, 2019
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Lloydminster teen's social experiment shows power of a compliment
Lloydminster teen's social experiment shows power of a compliment
https://cisnfm.com/news/6220588/lloydminster-teen-social-experiment-compliments/
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https://cisnfm.com/news/6220588/lloydminster-teen-social-experiment-compliments/
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National Post: Media coverage about Andrew Scheer's faith hurt him with voters: Angus Reid poll
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Media coverage about Andrew Scheer's faith hurt him with voters: Angus Reid poll
51% said Scheer's personal faith had a negative impact on their opinion of him, while 24% said the same about Singh, who is a practising Sikh
https://nationalpost.com/news/media-coverage-about-andrew-scheers-faith-hurt-him-with-voters-angus-reid-poll
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Media coverage about Andrew Scheer's faith hurt him with voters: Angus Reid poll
51% said Scheer's personal faith had a negative impact on their opinion of him, while 24% said the same about Singh, who is a practising Sikh
https://nationalpost.com/news/media-coverage-about-andrew-scheers-faith-hurt-him-with-voters-angus-reid-poll
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Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
National Post: 'We don't hide anything': Director Mereilles used real-life dialogue to bring The Two Popes to screen
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
'We don't hide anything': Director Mereilles used real-life dialogue to bring The Two Popes to screen
Chris Knight interviews Fernando Meirelles about his new film The Two Popes, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce
https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/we-dont-hide-anything-director-mereilles-used-real-life-dialogue-in-his-movie-script-for-the-two-popes
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'We don't hide anything': Director Mereilles used real-life dialogue to bring The Two Popes to screen
Chris Knight interviews Fernando Meirelles about his new film The Two Popes, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce
https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/we-dont-hide-anything-director-mereilles-used-real-life-dialogue-in-his-movie-script-for-the-two-popes
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National Post: A Lebanese millionaire bought Hitler's top hat — to make sure neo-Nazis didn't
A Lebanese millionaire bought Hitler's top hat — to make sure neo-Nazis didn't
'My approach is totally apolitical and neutral,' said Abdallah Chatila
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/a-lebanese-millionaire-bought-hitlers-top-hat-to-make-sure-neo-nazis-didnt
'My approach is totally apolitical and neutral,' said Abdallah Chatila
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/a-lebanese-millionaire-bought-hitlers-top-hat-to-make-sure-neo-nazis-didnt
Monday, November 25, 2019
The Times of Israel: Odd 13th-century Bulgarian worship hall may be country’s sole medieval synagogue
I found this on The Times of Israel and thought it might interest you: https://www.timesofisrael.com/odd-13th-century-bulgarian-worship-hall-may-be-countrys-sole-medieval-synagogue/
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Saturday, November 23, 2019
Opinion: The Roman Catholic priesthood needs a new role model
From the Globe and Mail: The Roman Catholic priesthood needs a new role model - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-roman-catholic-priesthood-needs-a-new-role-model/?utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=E-mail:+Newsletters+/+E-Blasts+/+etc.&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links
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Friday, November 22, 2019
Regina Leader-Post: Scientists catch glimpse of a fifth force of nature
I wanted to share a story with you from Regina Leader-Post:
Scientists catch glimpse of a fifth force of nature
The fifth force could also potentially help researchers explain and spot black matter, which is theorized to account for 85 per cent of the universe
https://leaderpost.com/news/scientists-catch-glimpse-of-a-fifth-force-of-nature/wcm/f7b01149-b1d2-4457-9aeb-8b5088eb3403/
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Scientists catch glimpse of a fifth force of nature
The fifth force could also potentially help researchers explain and spot black matter, which is theorized to account for 85 per cent of the universe
https://leaderpost.com/news/scientists-catch-glimpse-of-a-fifth-force-of-nature/wcm/f7b01149-b1d2-4457-9aeb-8b5088eb3403/
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Thursday, November 21, 2019
National Post: Tuvalu rejects China’s offer to build artificial islands to hold back the sea
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Tuvalu rejects China's offer to build artificial islands to hold back the sea
Tuvalu's stance comes two months after fellow Pacific island nations Kiribati and Solomon Islands switched their diplomatic recognition to China
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/tuvalu-rejects-china-offer-to-build-islands-and-retains-ties-with-taiwan
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Tuvalu rejects China's offer to build artificial islands to hold back the sea
Tuvalu's stance comes two months after fellow Pacific island nations Kiribati and Solomon Islands switched their diplomatic recognition to China
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/tuvalu-rejects-china-offer-to-build-islands-and-retains-ties-with-taiwan
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Tuesday, November 19, 2019
National Post: Barbara Kay: Douglas Murray is a writer who says what the rest of us would like to
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Barbara Kay: Douglas Murray is a writer who says what the rest of us would like to
In The Madness of Crowds, the U.K.'s Murray cuts through the doubt-sowing incoherence of social-justice babble
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-the-writer-who-says-what-the-rest-of-us-would-like-to/
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Barbara Kay: Douglas Murray is a writer who says what the rest of us would like to
In The Madness of Crowds, the U.K.'s Murray cuts through the doubt-sowing incoherence of social-justice babble
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-the-writer-who-says-what-the-rest-of-us-would-like-to/
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Monday, November 18, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Saturday, November 16, 2019
St. Bernardine of Siena, OFM
The Complicated History and the Popular Preaching of St. Bernardine of Siena
As we near May 20, the feast of St. Bernardine of Siena, Daniel Horan, OFM, describes the life of the patron saint of advertising and communications and the preaching for which he is best remembered and "which stands as a model for Franciscans today." The following reflection is a joint publication of HNP Today and DatingGod.org and is available to be read and shared at both websites.
Saints, like all people, are complex figures. Their personal histories, transmitted as they are by popular and traditional hagiography, are oftentimes presented in simplistic or formulaic ways. This is perfectly understandable because in presenting a canonized saint to the Christian faithful the Church wishes to highlight those aspects of Gospel life that this or that person exemplified. Yet, there usually remains more to the picture than initially meets the eye, much of which is good and some of it understandably left behind.
Such is the case with St. Bernardine of Siena (Bernardino degli Albizzeschi), the 15th-century Franciscan saint and namesake of our own Siena College near Albany, N.Y. Bernardine's life (1380-1444) is one of exemplary sanctity and commitment to the Christian faith and Order of Friars Minor, but it is also a life very much shaped by its historical context. Perhaps best known in Holy Name Province for his strong devotion to the "Holy Name of Jesus," his popular preaching is what made him famous during his own lifetime.
Cynthia Polecritti, in her doctoral dissertation Preaching Peace in Renaissance Italy: San Bernardino of Siena and His Audience (UC Berkeley, 1988), notes that the texts of Bernardine's sermons "are acknowledged masterpieces of colloquial Italian." He was an elegant and captivating preacher. His use of popular imagery and creative language drew large crowds to hear his reflections. And, as Polecritti also notes, the subject matter of his sermons reveals much about the contemporary context of 15th-century Italy.
A Complicated History
We get a glimpse into the historical context of Bernardine's world when we look at three of the most popular, albeit seemingly scandalous, subjects of his sermons: witchcraft, sodomy and Judaism. Franco Mormando, author of The Preacher's Demons: Bernardino of Siena and the Social Underworld of Early Renaissance Italy (University of Chicago Press, 1999), has dedicated a book-length study to these themes in the Franciscan saint's preaching. I think it's important to name these topics because they represent two aspects of the history of pastoral ministry worth considering.The first aspect to recall is that we are products of our time. Today, the things that Bernardine said about Jews or "sodomites" (as Mormando explains well in his book — see chapter three — the concept of sexual orientation did not exist in Bernardine's time. He spoke only in terms of "acts," (both in the case of males and females) that would likely strike the contemporary hearer as abhorrent. His sermons were riddled with ostensible anti-Semitism and homophobia. Yet, the second aspect to keep in mind is that he was responding to the issues of his age based on the pastoral and theological knowledge available to him. Though we, several centuries later, look back and see the concerns of his audiences, the subjects of his sermons and the tenor of the text to be terribly regrettable, Bernardine was motivated by a love for God's people and a desire to address the needs of the Body of Christ in the 1400s.
Mormando sets Bernardine's ministerial stage well: "The world of 1427 was a confusing, frightening place: as Bernardino and his audience firmly believed, the Devil was omnipresent and frequently had the upper hand; humankind was still largely at the mercy of the mysterious and capricious forces of Mother Nature, and, to add insult to injury, death by famine, plague, war marauders, unjust lords, or absurd accident threatened to carry one off at any given moment." Bernardine's preaching, amid the darkness and fear of the age, brought forth hope and light in the form of Gospel life in an explicitly Franciscan tenor.
Bernardine was well-versed in his own Franciscan heritage. One might say that he was a true son of St. Francis, committed as he was to the Observant branch of the Franciscan Order (today known as the Order of Friars Minor). It is said that as he died on the night of May 20, 1444, outside the city of Aquila, he requested to be placed on the bare earth as Francis had at his own death.
He had a complicated relationship with the Church's leadership. In 1426, Bernardine was summoned to Rome to defend himself against charges of heresy for his promotion of the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, something of a novel devotion. He was eventually acquitted, but Bernardine's innovative efforts in the realm of pastoral ministry reflect the ongoing struggle that members of religious orders often face, while balancing the needs of the people and what is often viewed as immutable tradition.
Popular Preaching: Inspiration for Franciscans Today
That for which Bernardine is best remembered stands as a model for Franciscans today. Popular preaching is perhaps one of the greatest needs the Church has in our own age. How often do you hear a terrible homily? Sure, preaching within the context of the Mass is one area that Bernardine's example could be followed in responding to the concerns of the day in light of Christian faith. But what also set Bernardine apart was the way in which he lived what he preached and spoke about faith in a variety of settings.Preaching in the 15th century wasn't quite the same as it is today, both in its style and in its relationship with the celebration of the Eucharist. There was oftentimes a distinction between the two. Preaching was at times more of a public civil event than a liturgical one. Nevertheless, responding to the concerns of the day in a way that connects to people in an intelligent and faithful way continues to be something that Franciscans are known for today (I think of Holy Name Province's own Ministry of the Word, for example) and remains our challenge to carry on. I have heard from many women and men around our Province that they travel many miles, past many other churches to worship at our urban ministry centers, parishes and college chapels, in part because of the preaching and welcome.
On a more personal note, I find Bernardine's example in balancing academic study and popular preaching to be a model for those friars in education ministry. Mormando writes, "Bernardino's speech is at once both learned and colloquial, constantly oscillating in its syntax and idiom between the language of the marketplace and that of the medieval classroom." In my own ministry as a Friar Minor, I strive to strike this balance, too. Through my writing, I try to reach both popular and academic audiences, albeit in different ways. On one hand, my first book, scheduled to come out next spring, is published by a popular press and is aimed at providing a contemporary look at Franciscan spirituality for a broad audience in a manner not unlike some of my articles that have appeared in magazines like America or St. Anthony Messenger. On the other hand, I have published several peer-reviewed and very technical scholarly papers in top theological journals like The Heythrop Journal and Worship. While I work hard on research that is presented at academic conferences, I have also given retreats and public lectures to general audiences.
Bernardine was in a sense an innovator who, while well-versed in the even then slightly antiquated form of medieval preaching, drew on contemporary images, metaphors and examples to make his sermons relevant and understandable. I believe that Franciscans, following in Bernardine's footprints, need to look for and embrace new forms of communicating the Gospel message to all people.
As the Pope and the United States bishops have in recent months cautiously encouraged, the new social media are becoming increasingly more vital in communicating in today's world. In order for the next generation to hear the Franciscan voice, Franciscans must meet people where they are — which is the very definition of popular preaching. I have experienced this firsthand in the increasingly popularity of my blog, DatingGod, which started with several hundred readers a day and has increased to, at times, several thousand a day.
I am firmly committed to the belief that Franciscan preaching — in its varied forms, both liturgical and otherwise — must be done in both the academy of professional theologians and in the public squares of everyday life. Franciscan theology and spirituality, that particular take on the Gospel life as first modeled by St. Francis and St. Clare, offers the Church and world an always timely renewal of Christian living. We, like St. Bernardine of Siena, must rise to the vocational challenge to preach the Gospel in all manner of life, ministry and word.
— Br. Dan is currently completing a year of teaching at Siena College near Albany, N.Y., and will profess his solemn vows in August. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Dating God: Franciscan Spirituality for the Next Generation (Cincinnati, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2012), and is currently working on his third book, an edition and scholarly study of the correspondence between Thomas Merton and Naomi Burton Stone. He writes daily atDatingGod.org.
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Monday, November 11, 2019
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Monday, November 4, 2019
National Post: Canadian holocaust survivor reunited with the baby he saved from Nazis when he was just a child
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Canadian holocaust survivor reunited with the baby he saved from Nazis when he was just a child
All he knew for sure until the filming of this documentary was that his effort to save a baby girl from certain death cost the life of his dearest friend
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-holocaust-survivor-reunited-with-the-baby-he-saved-from-nazis-when-he-was-just-a-child
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Canadian holocaust survivor reunited with the baby he saved from Nazis when he was just a child
All he knew for sure until the filming of this documentary was that his effort to save a baby girl from certain death cost the life of his dearest friend
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-holocaust-survivor-reunited-with-the-baby-he-saved-from-nazis-when-he-was-just-a-child
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