Priest's death stuns church community

Fr. Samuel Aririatu, RIP

Most Holy Trinity - St. Mary Church, Brooklyn, NY

On Sunday afternoon I drove to Brooklyn to take the tour of Most Holy Trinity run by Urban Oyster. This parish was my family's parish from at least 1880 to around 1930. It was where my grandfather was baptized and where he married my grandmother. The parish merged with a nearby parish St. Marys some years ago. I was happy to see two things:

1. The parish is still an active parish serving Catholics in the area and not just a relic of 'time gone by'.
   
2. The parish Church was renovated but not ruined with many original parts of the Church refurbished rather than tossed away.
   

I recommend this tour highly - tour guides Cindy and Fr. Timothy do an excellent job giving the background of the parish and its importance in the community. MHT was a German national parish and Williamsburg was a heavily German area. The tour explored the whole Church, from the beautiful sanctuary to the bell tower (scary) to the crypt below. Cindy and Fr. Dore also went into some of the Christmas customs and the history behind some of the statues in the Church. The tour ended in the cozy rathskellar in the rectory. I hope to take the Brewed in Brooklyn tour that delves into the history of the German brewers in the neighborhood. (My family sold liquor wholesale so they did business with the local brewers). Below are some pictures from MHT - click to enlarge.

The facade - I did not even get the giant towers in so check out the extensive parish website for photos of them. The tops are covered in copper which was coated with brown material to match the rest of the towers. This was due to the towers literally falling apart.



The sanctuary with high altar - the top of the table altar is just visible.



Closer view of the high altar (where my grandparents wedding Mass was offered!)




The pulpit -
More pictures will be posted later. For more information on this great Church, check out the Tour of the Church page on the MHT website, which has to be one of the best parish websites I have seen.

More pictures from Most Holy Trinity -

This one shows the Sanctuary from the triforium level (a cool hallway that goes around the upper part of the Church just underneath the high stained glass windows.



You can see the triforium level in this shot, it is where the spotlights are:



No Church is complete without gory statues - these are of St. Lucy (with eyes on a plate) and St. Rocco and they came from St. Mary's.



This is Fr. Dore in the Rathskellar, notice the beer steins and barrels in the wall above the fireplace -

Holiday Tour of Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn

Urban Oysters is offering a Holiday Tour of this historic Church with the profits going to Trinity Human Service Center. I have my ticket already and can't wait to see the beautiful high altar and the authentic German rathskeller in the Rectory. This Church was a big part of my family's history a century ago and I am very happy that it is still a very active parish. The parish's excellent website includes a long history section with this description from a priest who visited Most Holy Trinity in 1843:

"The forenoon and afternoon service as here established by the custom and piety of the people, I must confess, is most edifying, The High Mass is a choral mass, all in Latin, sung in quartet by beautiful and youthful voices, lasting fully an hour. People here seem to be accustomed to long sermons; one can hardly be long enough. [ed. LOL] Vespers are sung beautifully in Roman Choral Chant by the whole congregation, who also sing the Ora Pro Nobis when the Litany is chanted. Benediction is given only once according to French custom, the people singing the responses in Latin, For this purpose they have special Vesper booklets with a German translation. Chanting is quite a favorite service with the people and adds not a little to the attraction and edification of the service.

Actuosa Participatio

One of the most discussed liturgical principles is that of Actuosa Participatio - translated commonly as 'Active Participation' but which is more accurately translated as 'Actual Participation'. Vatican II called for actual participation at Mass but so did Popes and writers decades before the Council. I will never forget my shock at seeing the very first words of my father's 1943 Missal written in bold letters: Pray The Mass. I also noticed that I had to pray a lot harder at the traditional latin Mass than I did at the normal parish Mass. There are still some who wrongly believe Catholics at the traditional latin Mass are somehow not actually participating because there is more silence at this Mass. The fact is people actually participate when they listen attentively, pray the prayers and say the responses at Mass, whichever form of Mass they are attending. Michael P. Foley wrote about "Getting Active Participation Right" at InsideCatholic and ends with this insight:

"The bottom line, then, is that we should stop counting articulated syllables and ritual gesticulations and instead acknowledge that a true and actual participation in the august mysteries of the Eucharistic cult, regardless of the form of the rite, has more to do with a soul in devotion than a body in motion."

Seattle's new bishop: No room for clerical error

The above link is to one of the most arrogant, small minded, ignorant articles regarding a Bishop I have read in awhile. I guess I should be thankful it is regarding a Diocese on the other end of the country. Here is a snip:

"He'll need to adapt to our way of doing business here: Everybody gets consulted about everything. Barriers get bypassed. St. James Cathedral has hosted burial services for an Episcopalian congresswoman (Jennifer Dunn) and a gay state senator (Cal Anderson)."

...

"But as many of us came here from someplace else, traditions were left behind. In his current posting as Bishop of Joliet, Bishop Sartain comes from one of the places we've left behind. "

The Long Island Catholic confirms that The Canons Regular of St. Augustine will staff both St. Patrick's and St. Rocco's in Glen Cove. The 3 priests coming to the Diocese from Austria are American and the new pastor of St. Patrick's is a fellow Chaminade graduate.

"GLEN COVE — The Canons Regular of St. Augustine, a religious order of priests from Austria, will soon establish its first American house with three priests who will staff the parishes of St. Patrick’s and St. Rocco’s here starting next June.

Although the Canons are from Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, the priests who will live here are all Americans, two of them originally from the Rockville Centre Diocese."

New Liturgical Movement blog reports:


"The Provost of the famous Augustinian Canonry of Klosterneuburg, Abbot General of the Austrian Congregation of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and Abbot Primate of the Confederation of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, Rt. Rev. Bernhard Backovsky announced this Monday, Feast of St. Leopold, founder of Klosterneuburg, the happy news that the Augustinian Canons of Klosterneuburg are going to make a foundation in the United States of America. Three of the canons are going to take up residence in the diocese of Rockville Centre (NY) next summer and to be in charge of two parishes. "

I do not see any notice of this on the DRVC website but this note from the pastor at St. Patrick Church in Glen Cove talks about the Canons. St. Patrick is the oldest Church in the Diocese of Rockville Centre and happens to be the Church where my Irish ancestors were married in 1867.

The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches: Restoration of Full Communion? A Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Exchange of Views

Friday evening, November 5,2010 @ 7:30 PM

Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studies

Lecture by Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Responses: Christopher Poulios, Ph.D. & Rev. Robert George Stephanopoulos, Ph.D.

Catholic Bloggers Aim to Purge Dissenters


This NY Times article headline made me laugh, but overall it is not a bad article. My comments are in red:

"Pressure is on to change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it's not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new breed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube to say the church isn't Catholic enough."

The NY Times is really up to date, this paragraph could have been written 4 or 5 years ago.

"John Allen, Vatican analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, has dubbed this trend "Taliban Catholicism." But he says it's not a strictly conservative phenomenon — liberals can fit the mindset, too, Allen says. Some left-leaning Catholics are outraged by any exercise of church authority."

Allen as usual is a fair liberal - this is a good point that many liberals fail to admit.

"The work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is another frequent target."

Is should be - there have been some things within the USCCB that were rightly criticized.

"The rise in lay conservative fervor comes at a time when the need for activism would seem less urgent. The U.S. hierarchy has seen a wave of retirements in recent years that has swept out leading liberals. The men taking their place are generally more traditional and willing to take a harder line against disobedient Catholics, from politicians to parishioners. "

This is true and a good thing. It also makes me wonder why some are still so negative - things ARE better today than just 5 years ago!

"Critics of the bloggers contend the activists are motivated mostly by politics, not theology. The blogs feature nearly as many attacks on President Barack Obama as church leaders. "

Another good point and one that I have made before. The President may not be another Reagan, but he also is not dumb, nor a terrorist, nor another Hitler/Lenin/Castro as I have read on Catholic blogs. I like Mark Shea's commentary on politics that best - he criticizes all groups when needed. He points out when people put their conservative or liberal ideology above Christian principles.


"Many of the conservatives most active online had spent years raising the alarm about dissent on their own in their local dioceses without much effect. Now, they feel they are finally being heard online. "

Another good point that is often left out of the criticism of Catholic blogs. Blogs were and are a platform where faithful Catholics can be heard, which was and is often not the case in parishes and dioceses. Then again, we need to be careful not to become 'sour faced saints', simply criticizing everything around us like the two old men in the balcony on the Muppet Show.

Speaking of Catholic blogs - the Catholic Blog Directory I created has been maintained by Andrea since I was engaged to be married. It has been around 5 years now and the directory has grown to over 2,200 Catholic blogs. I am glad Andrea has done such a great job and that the directory includes all types of Catholic blogs.

Mildred Jefferson, 84, Anti-Abortion Activist, Is Dead

"Dr. Mildred Jefferson, a prominent, outspoken opponent of abortion and the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School, died Friday at her home in Cambridge, Mass. She was 84. "

..."In a 2003 profile in The American Feminist, an anti-abortion magazine, Dr. Jefferson said, “I am at once a physician, a citizen and a woman, and I am not willing to stand aside and allow this concept of expendable human lives to turn this great land of ours into just another exclusive reservation where only the perfect, the privileged and the planned have the right to live.”

The Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches: Restoration of Full Communion? A Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Exchange of Views

Friday evening, November 5,2010 @ 7:30 PM

Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studies

Lecture by Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Responses: Christopher Poulios, Ph.D. & Rev. Robert George Stephanopoulos, Ph.D.

From Newsday:

Nuns see orders diminishing on LI

"Sister Mary Loyola Engel is 102 years old and has been a nun for 80 years. She remembers when healthy numbers of young women entered her congregation, which founded the Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre.

But no one has entered the Congregation of the Infant Jesus in 40 years. The youngest member today is 61."

The story is not really news and of course the communities that wear habits, are faithful to the Church and do apostolic work together as communities continue to grow.

Syro-Malankara Church welcomes new bishop

"UNIONDALE — Amid the blare of horns and the clanging of cymbals, Syro-Malankara Catholics from around the country rejoiced as they welcomed a new shepherd for their flock. At a ceremony at Bishop Kellenberg Memorial High School here, Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius was installed as the first leader of the newly-formed Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States. "


The above snip is from The Long Island Catholic where Bishop Murphy's column also focuses on this good news. Relations with the Eastern Churches has improved over the past 50 years and hopefully this trend will continue. Here is the link to the website of the Syro-Malankara Church and Here is a quick clip of the Bishop being lifted up in a chair by priests - I wonder if more video of the Mass is available?

From Bishop Murphy's column:

"If on Sunday afternoon October 3, you had been at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale you would have witnessed a remarkable event. Our Holy Father Pope Benedict, responding to a request from the leadership of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, established a new exarchate or diocese for the Syro-Malankara faithful who live here and throughout the United States. At the suggestion of the Major Archbishop or Catholicos, His Beatitude Moran Mor Cleemis, the pope appointed a new bishop, Thomas Mar Eusebius, as the first Exarch or bishop for this Church who was given additional duties as official visitator of the Catholicos for members of the Church in Canada and Europe."

"Indian Christian tradition has long held that the Apostle Thomas evangelized India before being martyred. Thus India claims true apostolic foundation from Thomas as Rome does from Peter and Paul. The “Thomas tradition” has been carried through the centuries with a liturgy that is the same Mass as we have in the Latin Church. Yet the liturgy has its own forms of prayer and ritual that reflect the Thomas tradition and the Indian context that these Churches have lived for as long as there has been Christianity in that country. Through the centuries, theological differences brought about some divisions. Both the Syro-Malabar and the Syro-Malankara exist side by side. Both are eastern Syrian, similar in theological tradition to the Maronites of Lebanon, but each maintains certain particular characteristics. A great and holy Bishop, Mar Ivanios, brought the small group of Syro-Malankara back into communion with the pope in 1930 and thus we have today the flourishing Syro-Malankara Church in South India with this new branch of the vine of Christ established here on Long Island for all the United States."

Photo - MARY IAPALUCCI | TLIC

RIP - Fr. Francis Keenan, S.M.

"Father Francis Keenan died of a brain hemorrhage Sept. 20. The Marianist priest, who had taught at Kellenberg High School since 1987, had a special place in his heart for the comic strip character "Ziggy," a nationally syndicated cartoon by Tom Wilson."


The above quote is from a News12 report on the students at Kellenberg High School who got Tom Wilson to send a Ziggy sketch in memory of the beloved priest. Before he went to Kellenberg, Fr. Keenan was at Chaminade for many years and was my Senior Religion teacher. After he moved to Kellenberg I enjoyed seeing him explain to people in a homily how he had to adjust to female students after all those years of teaching only boys. When a female student went to his office distraught over a bad grade she started to cry, and Fr. said he just sat there really scared, not having any idea what to do. Of course, he soothed her mind as he often did with all students. Students also created a Facebook appreciation page and there are some really nice comments about him. The official Marianist obit is here. He was a gentle soul and good Christian priest.

Denis Dillon, A Pioneer in the Fight Against Organized Crime

From Jerry Capeci, the Gang Land expert:

"Dillon's appointment, however, came before the powerful racketeering statutes had been signed into law and was a full decade before the federal government formulated any semblance of a cohesive strategy against the Mafia.

"Denis was an effective, professional leader, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime," said Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis, who oversaw the federal government's organized crime section from 1969 to 1990 and is currently the highest ranking career attorney in the Justice Department.

In fiscal year 1971, the only year for which Gang Land could obtain data, Dillon's team of seven lawyers and 13 investigators convicted 116 mob-connected defendants of various crimes, more than any of the other 17 strike forces around the country back then."

Amityville Dominican Sister named president of leadership conference

Here is a snip from this article:

"Richard Gaillardetz, “a Vatican II scholar,” spoke about “the creative tension (sisters might be experiencing) and staying in creative fidelity with Vatican II. He also spoke about the doctrines of the Church which, depending on where they hit us, can be very difficult. The challenge is not to be subservient and just do it because they said it, nor do we have the ability to just dismiss it because it doesn’t make sense to us. We grapple with the doctrine, we wrestle with it and we stay with it till we can answer, ‘What is it really saying to me?’”


Sister Mary Hughes will be president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the organization that encompasses most of the women religious. The other group of women religious, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, is smaller but the members are younger and their communities are growing due to their fidelity to Church teachings and religious discipline.

Denis Dillon exemplified the faithful Catholic public servant

The above link takes you to a great column by Rick Hinshaw in The Long Island Catholic.

Kellenberg alumnus takes final vows as Marianist brother

"UNIONDALE—Marianist Brother Daniel Griffin made his perpetual vows as a member of the Society of Mary at Bishop Kellenberg Memorial High School here on Sunday, August 8. A teacher at the school, the 26-year-old is also a member of the class of 2002."

Brother Griffin is now in the seminary preparing to become a priest. This is good news for the Marianists and for the DRVC. In other local vocation news, my wife told me someone we knew from Faith on Tap here on Long Island was interviewed on Oprah. At the time she would help out with FOT she was managing car dealerships but now she is a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor.

Former Nassau DA Dillon remembered as man of conviction

"Days before former Nassau District Attorney Denis Dillon would stand for re-election one year, Dillon's longtime friend Arthur Diamond offered him some unsolicited advice.

Stop hitting so hard on the anti-abortion issue, Diamond remembered telling Dillon, a devout Catholic. It's hurting you politically, he recalled saying.

Dillon paused, then said, "I love you, Artie, but I can't worry about this election. I have to worry about what happens to me long after this election," Diamond, now a state Supreme Court justice, recalled at Dillon's funeral Mass Thursday morning. "He was our great servant, but he was God's first."

The above article is from Newsday, here is the obit from the NY Times.

Bob Sheppard, RIP

Bob Sheppard was my speech teacher in St. John's University and he was terrific. A real gentleman and good teacher. He was also a lector at St. Christopher's in Baldwin and a devout Catholic. He is most known for being the voice of that team in the Bronx - The Yankees, but I would never hold that against him. He died at the age of 99.

Via The Deacon's Bench

Most Holy Trinity Church - Brooklyn, NY

I have recently begun to dig into my family's history and am actively working on researching my father's side. Most Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn plays a big role in the history. The parish was merged with another local parish St. Mary but it still looks like a large active parish. Today the parishioners are latino and polish but in my family's time it was a German parish. My grandfather was baptized in this Church in the same year as the author of the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The extensive website shows that much of the interior of the Church has been preserved - the high altar is the same as is pictured in the parish anniversary book I have from 1966. I hope to visit this Church someday and take some pictures, as well as the cemetery nearby where I imagine my ancestors are buried.

Lawrence Taylor Charged with Third-Degree Rape in Rockland County

This should be interesting to see how the media covers this story. This writer points out the past behavior of LT and says his 'recklessness' has caught up with him.

Pittsburgh Pictures

(Click to enlarge)

Here is a bad picture of the inside of St. Paul Cathedral -

And one of the outside:

And a statue of St. Joan of Arc in a back chapel:




Here is a picture from the Romanian room in the Cathedral of Learning -



The mosaic is of Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, who refused to recant the Christian faith and lost his own life and the lives of the male members of his family. Can you imagine having class here? The chairs are all hand carved - that beats cheap manufactured ones with gum stuck to the bottom.

And finally, this picture shows the brand new tire I bought at Firestone in Pittsburgh which lasted exactly 76 miles on the Pennsylvania Turnpike -

Pittsburgh

My nephew had his First Communion this past weekend so I got to visit with family in Pittsburgh. Besides playing Wii with nieces and nephews I also got to see St. Paul Cathedral, which is beautiful. If you ever go to Catholic Churches and wonder where all the great high altars are - they are all in this Cathedral. The only site with some pictures I have found is here. I saw a bit of the nearby Heinz Chapel - there was a wedding going on but I managed to walk down the side aisle and glance at the stunning 73 foot tall stained glass windows. Like the Heinz Chapel, the Cathedral of Learning is part of the University of Pittsburgh. I toured several of the Nationality Rooms in this building. These are museum like rooms that are used as classrooms - you peek through peepholes to ensure there are no classes being held and then go in to examine the artifacts.

It wasn't all high culture though, I also sat in a bar and discussed Ben Roethlisberger with locals and watched someone who bit into a ghost pepper on a dare and then proceeded to freak out. Good times.

Elderly Woman, 92, Become Nun

"Greek-born Chrystalla Petropoulou, of Long Island, NY has fulfilled a lifelong dream. At the age of 92, the Mattituck resident has become a nun in the Greek Orthodox Church.

The April 18, 2010 edition of Newsday reports that Petropoulou, seated in her wheelchair, officially became a nun on April 17, 2010 at the new All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Calverton, Long Island. Along with Elizabeth Brandenburg, aged 28, and Maria Kallis, aged 27, Petropoulou received a new religious name and a new black habit.The three women each had hair in the shape of a cross ceremonially snipped from their heads."

ABC News Investigation: USA Swimming Coaches Molested, Secretly Taped Dozens of Teen Swimmers

"In a sex abuse scandal that some victims compare to what happened in the Catholic Church, at least 36 swimming coaches have been banned for life by the USA Swimming organization over the last 10 years because of sexual misconduct with teenagers they coached. "

Keep in mind this abuse occurred over the past 10 years while the majority of the abuse in the Church occurred decades ago. The leaders of the Church have apologized over and over again, while the USA Swimming executive director says:

"Asked if he had apologized to any of the young teen victims, Wielgus responded, "You feel I need to apologize to them?"
He added, "I think it's unfair for you to ask me whether individually or me as the representative of an organization to apologize for something when all we are trying to do is everything we possibly can to create a safe and healthy environment for kids who are participating in our particular activity."

Holiday Cheer

"For reasons that require no elucidation, anti-Christian animus rises to its peak at two times of year: Christmas and Holy Week. The world's evangelical atheists, most of whom are insincere about their real target -- they rarely say a word against Islam -- begin to froth at the mouth around December 18 and Palm Sunday, and don't subside until a couple of weeks later. From their tirades, you'd think that millions of Christians had taken to the streets with whips, flogging everyone who wouldn't fall to his knees at the sight of a Nativity scene or a crucifix. To be maximally gentle about it, that isn't so. "

That is the beginning of an excellent Rumination by Francis Porretto at Eternity Road. Go read the entire thing. The Sunday Ruminations are my favorite part of this blog.

Empty Tabernacle on Holy Thursday

When I attended Mass on Holy Thursday at St. Joseph's in Babylon, I was very surprised to see the tabernacle was empty, doors wide open, and the sanctuary lamp out. This was apparently correct. I believe this is the first time I have ever seen the tabernacle empty before Holy Thursday Mass - I have always seen it done after the Mass. Speaking of Liturgical stuff, I have yet to see veiled statues, does anyone know of any parish on Long Island that veils its statues for Holy Week?

2010 Men's Conference - April 24th, 2010

at Holy Trinity High School, Hicksville, NY


The 2nd Men's Conference will be held with "Catholic Guy" Host Lino Rulli as the emcee. This year the cost of the ticket does not include lunch, which is a shame because the lunch last year was delicious.

Triduum

Holy Thursday - I attended the Holy Thursday Mass at St. Joseph's in Babylon last night. Overall it would a good Liturgy in both Spanish and English. I like the way they alternated the two languages, first reading read in English but printed in Spanish in the booklet, second reading was the opposite. The priest gave his homily in both languages and the opening and post communion prayers were read in both. Their Good Friday service will also be bilingual, but I think it is unfortunate that they will have two separate Easter Vigils - 1 in the Church in English and 1 in a parish hall in Spanish. I think the Vigil should be the 1 Liturgy for all parishioners, however they can work that out.

Good Friday - Today I was unable to attend Good Friday service but I just tuned into it on Telecare. This is about the third time recently that I have turned on Telecare and heard beautiful chant from St. Agnes .

Easter Vigil - I am unsure what parish to attend this year, I would like to go to a parish I have not been to yet.

New Long Island Blogs!

Ad Rem Salva Veritate

Faith, Fiction, and Flannery

Why Do We Bother?

RosemarieDRE writes about complaints:

"In the last month, I have had complaints about catechists teaching that abortion is murder; complaints that we expect the children AND their families to actually attend mass; complaints that we are rigid (WHAT does that even mean?)...."

Click here to read the rest, and please pray for all DRE's and CCD teachers on Long Island.

Our Lady of Lourdes School in Massapequa Park is closing in June due to very low enrollment.

This follows the closing of Corpus Christi school in Mineola. I am a big fan of Catholic schools, but it is simply too expensive to run as many schools as the Diocese currently has. The remaining schools need to be financially secure and thoroughly Catholic, or they should be closed as well. I do not like the idea of Catholic schools existing only for the wealthy but that has been the case for awhile now. If the schools are financially secure, then the schools can be available for all Catholics, especially with the Tommorrow's Hope Foundation helping out. There are three ways Catholics can focus on Catholic education:

1) Educating their children in the faith at home - obviously parents are the primary teachers of the faith.

2) Concentrating on Religious Education in the parishes. The overwhelming majority of young Catholics are educated in CCD programs - not Catholic schools. CCD needs to be more professional, more orthodox and more widely used especially at the high school level.

3) The remaining schools need to focus on passing on the faith to the young, rather than just providing an option for private schooling to wealthy Long Islanders. Lay Catholics on Long Island might start an orthodox Catholic school, perhaps using the Montessori model, in order to foster a truly Catholic environment.

Ten Year Celebration of the N.C.C. Center for Catholic Studies

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

12:15 PM Luncheon
1:30 PM Introductions, Commentaries and Awards (Msgr. Robert Batule, Immaculate Conception Seminary)

2:00 PM "Sports in Contemporary American Civilization: A Catholic Critique" (William Thierfelder, Ph.D. President, Belmont Abbey College

3:00 PM "The Importance of a Center for Catholic Studies at a Public Institution of Higher Education" (William Donohue, Ph.D., President, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights)

3:45 PM Concluding Remarks

I added blogs to the "Long Island Blogs" section:

Into The Deep - this is the vocation blog for the Marianist Province of Meribah

Burning the Candle At Both Ends - blog by a local Catholic

The Seminarian Sent Forth - a blog by a DRVC seminarian who describes various aspects of seminary life

Nuns on Oprah

"Ann Arbor, Mich., Feb 8, 2010 / 02:52 am (CNA).- The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have made waves across the nation for their rapid growth and their devout orthodoxy. Now, they are once again in the national spotlight, being featured on the popular Oprah Winfrey Show.

“They phoned us and asked if they could do a program on us with Oprah. That's all we know!” Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP, vocations director for the community, told CNA in an email.

The show featuring the sisters will air on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. The same day happens to be the congregation’s 13th anniversary. The coincidence is “amazing, as they did not know this when they chose the date -- but God did!” exclaimed the vocations director. "

Grant Desme, Body and Soul

The above link takes you to a Diocese of Rockville Centre 'blog' by Fr. Robert Ketcham who writes of the minor league baseball player who recently entered a seminary. In this post, Fr. Ketcham mentions how important EWTN was to his vocation. It is good to see that while those priests who bashed Mother Angelica and EWTN fade away, they are replaced by those priests who appreciate the nun and her network.

Sacramental Gatekeeping

There is an excellent post and discussion on Sacramental Gatekeeping over at Creative Minority Report by a guest blogger - Erin of And Sometimes Tea. Basic summary - The hoops that Catholics need to jump through before they or their children receive the sacraments keep multiplying and it can be silly and challenging for good, solid Catholics. For example, parents of 6 children should not have to attend Baptism classes 6 times. These hoops are a result of the failure of Catholics to preserve, protect and pass on the faith over these past 40 years so it is understandable that parishes and dioceses are requiring something from Catholics instead of simply dispensing the sacraments like a divine pez dispenser. The post and comments are good and it is a worthy discussion - there really are many angles to this - so go read the whole thing.

Stony Brook tests stem cells on heart patient


"Doctors at Stony Brook University Medical Center are testing a notion that only a few years ago was nothing more than a tantalizing question: Can stem cells zero in on cardiac muscle damaged in a heart attack and force it to regenerate?

"These cells have the ability to protect the tissues and to regenerate tissue, and that's what is needed after a heart attack," said Dr. Luis Gruberg, director of Stony Brook's catheterization laboratories, and principal investigator of the project."

It will be interesting to see if anything comes from this experiment - the story is from Newsday and the money quote is:

"Stem cells are blank slates capable of morphing into specialized cells.

Kenney was infused with a type of stem cell known as mesenchymal cells, those drawn from an adult donor, and capable of transforming into muscle. Once infused through an intravenous line, the cells, Gruberg said, seek out inflammation and home in. Inflammation is abundant at the site of blockage."

1,500 Workers in L.I. Diocese Will Receive Buyout Offers

"The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre plans to offer buyouts to 1,500 of its 6,000 employees next month as part of a cost-cutting plan to save its schools and parishes amid stagnant revenue and rising demand for charitable services, church officials said Tuesday."

This is a sad thing for all involved, especially given the job market today. I hope that those who will lose their job will recover.

Haiti

The Long Island Catholic has some stories on how help is getting to Haiti during this horrible tragedy.

Blogging DRVC Seminarians

The Seminarian Sent Forth - this blog is by a first year seminarian from the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Seminarians in the Holy Land - this blog is by two seminarians who are going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.