Where Are The Just Judges?

Perfect art theft: Where is 'Ghent Altarpiece'?

"GHENT, Belgium — The main suspect in the legendary art heist is said to have whispered with his dying breath: "Only I know where the 'Adoration' is ..."

More than seven decades later, the whereabouts of a panel belonging to one of Western art's defining works, the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," also known as the "Ghent Altarpiece," remains a mystery.

If the stunning heist of Picasso, Monet and Matisse paintings in Rotterdam, Netherlands, last month focused attention on the murky world of art theft, the gothic Saint Bavo cathedral in Ghent has been at the center of a crime that has bedeviled the art world for decades.

"The Just Judges" panel of the Van Eyck brothers' multi-panel Gothic masterpiece hasn't been seen since 1934, when chief suspect Arsene Goedertier suffered a stroke at a political rally and died after murmuring those fateful words to a confidant.

The theft has kept the country enthralled ever since, with its heady mix of priceless art and scintillating detective story.

Ghent was hit by two thefts on the night of April 10, 1934: "One was a wheel of cheese," said detective Jan De Kesel. "The other was the panel."

That slowed up the investigation of the art theft, in which a minor panel of the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" representing St. John the Baptist, was also lifted.


Click the link above for the rest of the story. 

Pope Benedict XVI’s “First Convert”

From the Catholic World Report:

The story of how a New York Jew wrestled with Christ and became Catholic

"On April 2, 2005, there came the news of the death of Pope John Paul II. I’d always admired the pope for his courage in confronting the horrors of communism, and for aligning with President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher in a united front that led to the downfall of the Soviet Union. Yet as a spiritual leader he meant nothing to me. 

Nevertheless, Barbara and I found ourselves becoming involved in the events and the funeral as they unfolded on television. Even the typically skewed commercial coverage couldn’t disguise the tributes from all corners of the globe, and the love for the pope and grief at losing him from Catholics and people of every faith. At some point in the two weeks following, Barbara—a long-lapsed Protestant who’d never lost her regard for Christianity—turned to me and said, “You’ve got to get religion, Roger. You’ve been drifting way too long.” 

Read the whole story here.

Rose Hawthorne’s Cause For Sainthood Moves to Rome

From Catholic New York:

"The journey that led Rose Hawthorne, born into a cultured Protestant New England literary family—through the devastating loss of her only child and a failed marriage—to the squalid, teeming streets of New York City’s Lower East Side at the end of the 19th century as a single Catholic woman caring for impoverished, terminal cancer patients, is essentially a faith journey.


On April 9 at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan, documents and artifacts illustrating the incredible life of Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, who became Mother Alphonsa, foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, were sealed for shipment to Rome to commence the final leg of her incredible journey that could see her canonized for sainthood."


Rose was the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlett Letter.  She had an interesting path to sainthood:

"Born in 1851, one year after “The Scarlet Letter” was published, she had the rare opportunity at that time to travel to and live in Europe because of her father’s literary and diplomatic careers. She was first exposed to Catholicism in Europe.


Her early life was marked by “an urgent sense of purpose,” wrote Father O’Donnell in a letter to members of the Rose Hawthorne Guild. “She was always impulsive about serious matters and yet was always searching out the deeper meaning of things.”

She met her husband, George Lathrop, in Germany and they were married in 1871. George would soon become assistant editor of the Atlantic Monthly. They moved to New York in 1891 and there they converted to Catholicism, scandalizing Protestant America. Anti-Catholicism was still virulent in those days, even among cultured classes. Their only son died at age 5, and George turned to alcohol for solace. Meanwhile, Rose became more devout as the marriage disintegrated.

With their separation, she embarked on a life of service to the poorest."

Genocide survivor, new citizen has message of hope

Congratulations to a wonderful Catholic Long Islander - Immaculee Ilibagiza just became a US citizen!

"NEW YORK (AP) — A Rwandan genocide survivor who has just become a U.S. citizen has a message of hope for other new Americans.

Immaculee Ilibagiza (ih-MAK'-yoo-lee ee-luh-bag-EE'-zuh) became a naturalized American with 50 other immigrants at a Manhattan ceremony on Wednesday.

She is the author of the best-seller "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust."

Ilibagiza told fellow immigrants how she survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed more than a half-million lives. She says her Tutsi father sent her to a Hutu neighbor who hid her and seven other women and girls in a tiny bathroom for three months."

The 43-year-old mother of two says her life now is about forgiving enemies who are emotionally lost."

Here is Immaculee's website.

'Letter From Birmingham Jail' 50 Years Later

From NPR  a look at this important piece of American history-

 'Letter From Birmingham Jail'  50 Years Later

"Today marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s letter from Birmingham jail. Dr. King penned this letter as a response to white clergymen who called his campaign of non-violent protests, quote, "unwise and untimely," unquote, and had urged him not to intervene in Alabama's segregationist policies."



You can read the full text of the letter here.

Here is a bit of it:

"My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms."

...

"You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I it" relationship for an "I thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man's tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong."

...


"There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators."' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests. Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent--and often even vocal--sanction of things as they are.
But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century."

As Washington mulls reform, Bishop DiMarzio honors immigrants

From the great old Brooklyn Daily Eagle -

"On April, 14, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated mass in honor of immigrants at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint James in downtown Brooklyn. Called a Catholic Migration Mass, the event took place as lawmakers in Washington DC were considering comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

US Senator Charles Schumer, one of the so-called “gang of eight” senators working on a compromise bill to address the situation of undocumented immigrants, attended the migration mass. “America is a nation of immigrants and nowhere is this more true than here in the great Diocese of Brooklyn, under the leadership of immigration advocate second-to none, Bishop DiMarzio,” Schumer said."

Side Note - the Brooklyn Daily Eagle has one of the best archive search engines anywhere on the internet - I have learned much about my family's history there.  My family were German immigrants in the 1860's and they lived in Williamsburgh over a hundred years ago.

New Parish: Blessed Pope John Paul II

Here in the Northeast we often see stories of parish closings - Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, etc...  so it is refreshing to see new parishes being established where we are growing:

New Catholic Church opening in Cedar Springs

"Cedar Springs, Mich. (WZZM) The Diocese of Grand Rapids is opening a new parish in northern Kent County.

Bishop Walter Hurley announced plans for a new Catholic parish today. It will be called Blessed John Paul II in Cedar Springs. The diocese has purchased land from the former home of Pioneer Christian Reformed Church, which consists of a church, church hall and rectory on about 2.9 acres.

The diocese also purchased approximately eight acres of adjacent vacant land that is part of a nearby industrial park located at 13911 Northern Springs Drive. Once the new parish community has grown, the diocese says there will be sufficient land for the construction of a new and larger church."

Statement issued on Coppola petitions

The Diocese of Rockville Centre has released a statement regarding the petitions that request Nicholas Coppola be reinstated as an Extraordinary Minister and CCD teacher.

"Today, April 11, 2013, the Diocese of Rockville Centre was presented with pages of petitions “telling the bishop to let Nicholas resume volunteering . . .” The 350 pages of petitions (one ream of paper is 500 sheets) dropped off at the Diocesan Pastoral Center at approximately 9:33 AM did not, as it would appear, fill the three large boxes that were received. In fact, two of the boxes were empty.

The Catholic Church recognizes that all persons share equally in the dignity of being human and are entitled to have that human dignity protected. This does not, however, justify the creation of a new definition for marriage, a term whose traditional meaning is of critical importance to the furtherance of fundamental societal interests.

Well settled Church teaching recognizes marriage to be the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, holy and loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves. Regardless of civil pronouncements, this definition does not, and indeed cannot, change in the eyes of the Church because it is rooted in biological teleology and natural law. Others may disagree but they have no justification to prevent the Church from living according to her teaching and protecting that teaching and the lives of faithful Catholics from those who would disregard it. Regardless of contrary opinion or even civil legislation, the Church must be faithful to her teaching and consistent and coherent living out that teaching.

As Bishop Murphy has said: Church teaching “is not discrimination against homosexual men and women. No one has a right to discriminate against persons because of sexual orientation.” It is, however, the case that all Church institutions and teachers of the faith are bound to support this teaching, particularly by their public action.

The Diocese respects those who may have signed a petition but in turn expects others to respect the Church, which will remain clear in her teaching and faithful in living that teaching for the good of one and all.

Also, the Long Island Catholic (now a monthly magazine) has an editorial about this issue:


"Any Catholic who chooses to live in open contradiction of a fundamental moral teaching of the Church – a heterosexual couple living intimately outside of marriage, or a divorced person who remarries, without an annulment, outside the Church; someone working in the abortion industry or belonging to an overtly racist organization, to cite just a few examples – should understand that by continuing to do so, in open, willful rejection of Catholic teaching, they exclude themselves from leadership roles in the Church’s ministries.


This is not to say that one has to be a saint to serve in Church ministry. If that were the case, we would all be excluded. There is a major difference, however, between accepting the teachings of the Church and striving —- however much we may continually fall short — to live according to those teachings; and openly, willfully rejecting Church teachings, and giving testimony by one’s public example that those teachings need not be followed.

Click to read the whole thing:  EDITORIAL: Upholding the integrity of Church teaching

St. John's University in Queens and scandals

This article from Crisis Magazine was interesting to me as a graduate of St. John's University:

Scandal at St. John’s University: Corruption, Apostasy, and Death


First, I did not know or forgot that Dr. Cecilia Chang, the former Dean of the Institute of Asian Studies and the Vice President for International Relations, had committed suicide.  I read all about her arrest and trial in the New York papers -

"The dean’s suicide occurred a day after testifying in her own defense in a trial for embezzling more than $1 million from the university, stealing $250,000 from a Saudi prince to organize academic conferences that never occurred, using university credit cards to cover gambling losses at Connecticut casinos, and using international students as her personal servants in her home in exchange for tuition grants."


The Crisis magazine article refers to another article published in New York magazine that claims Dr. Chang had lavished expensive gifts and travel to the University President Fr. Donald Harrington and his chief of staff Rob Wile.  The scandal of Dr. Chang, which was tabloid fodder in New York for awhile, also expose the wider scandals so familiar to us Catholics, as well as anyone who has been following the situation in higher education.  Again, from the Crisis article:  

"Beyond the cash gifts, Fishman reported that Chang also treated Fr. Harrington to expensive trips to Asia every year or two. She would book the St. John’s contingent including Harrington and his young chief of staff at the very best hotels—the Peninsula or the Regent, reserving the presidential suite for Harrington. Harrington said he “protested the luxury—I just wasn’t real comfortable being who I am and how I am dressed going out of hotel like that.”

Fishman reported that Chang also provided President Harrington with suits from Modestos Limited and Sam’s Tailor, two of Hong Kong’s best tailors. Rob Wile, who was described by Fishman as having “expensive tastes,” purchased three suits on one trip—$900 for one and two for $950. He also purchased three shirts for $375—all of it paid for by Chang, who then passed the expense for the vacations and the clothing on to the university. Chang also purchased expensive watches for the two. During a June, 2008 trip, Fr. Harrington chose an Omega platinum Case Gent’s watch. This, on top of the $5,000 Patek Philippe watch Chang had already bought for him. Wile received a stainless steel Rolex Submariner."


Of course, very high expenses and questionable charges are normal for Universities that take in millions in tuition, as well as federal and state grants.  With Catholic schools, there is the additional scandal of a priest and his business dealings:

"Fishman reported that Wile solicited—and received—a $100,000 loan from the former chairman of the St. John’s Board of Trustees, and an $80,000 loan from a contractor who did work for the university. Fishman also claims that Wile did not disclose these loans to university officials.

Fishman claims that Wile used the loan from the former board chairman to help fund a real estate venture he had engaged in with university president Fr. Harrington. In 2006, GRH Group LLC, a partnership of Wile and Fr. Harrington, bought a property in the Jersey shore town of Rumson. The home was torn down, rebuilt using the funds from the loan he received, and sold for a profit of $200,000. According to Fishman, the partnership was not disclosed.

"It is difficult for most of us to understand why Wile needed all of these loans. According to Guidestar.com, in 2008, he was already making more than $360,000 a year. And, by 2010, Wile was the second highest paid individual at the university—with a salary of more than $500,000—second only to the basketball coach. According to St. John’s IRS reports in 2010—the last year Guidestar lists on its site—Wile earned a base salary of $325,960, a bonus of $25,000, as well as $150,000 in “other” compensation, deferred compensation of $7,000, and non-taxable benefits of $41,131 for a total yearly compensation package of $549,368. This salary reflected a raise of almost $200,000 over his compensation package of $362,638 in 2008."

In the 20 years since I graduated I have not given a dime to this University and reading this article makes me very glad I did not waste any money.  St. John's, like so many other 'Catholic' institutions needs to get its house in order and determine whether the Catholic faith is its true center and its guiding force.  If even some of the allegations in this article are true, then Fr. Harrington also has to determine if the Catholic faith is his guiding force or not.

Related:  the archives of the student newspaper The Torch involving Chang and Harrington

This Daily News article on Chang indicates she was a suspect in her husband's homicide

Boston Marathon Bombing

Prayers go out to the victims & their families.  I hope they catch whoever did this.  There is nothing else to say right now.

Mob Burns Christian Slum in Pakistan

From the National Catholic Register (which is still good after EWTN brought it from the Legion of Christ) comes this article on the continuing persecution of Christians in Pakistan:

Mob Burns Christian Slum in Pakistan

"LAHORE, Pakistan — Like so many tragic incidents, it started with two alcohol-soaked young men getting into an argument. It ended with 250 homeless families.

On March 6, in a northern suburb of Lahore, Pakistan, 28-year-old Christian sanitation worker Sawan Masih visited Muslim childhood friend Shahid Imran’s barbershop.

Although Pakistan is officially a dry country, one can easily procure spirits there, and it was liquor that fueled the squabble. It ended with Imran accusing Masih of blasphemy against Islam.

This is a particularly loaded charge in a nation where no proof is needed to bring charges, where a guilty verdict brings a death sentence, and where mere accusations typically lead to egregious violence against the republic’s Christians, who account for just 1.6% of Pakistan’s population.

And so it was that three days later, on March 9, the local mosque’s loudspeakers announced Masih had blasphemed Muhammad. This provoked an evidently coordinated mob of 3,000 Muslims to march on the Christian ghetto of Joseph Colony, even though Masih was already in jail.

As the throng grew, police urged residents to leave the slum at once. Those who could went to relatives’ homes. None who escaped realized they would never again see their homes or their few personal possessions — some of which provided their livelihood — for these were either first looted or burned in the ensuing inferno."

CNN reports:

Pope Francis tasks cardinals with studying reform of Catholic Church

My reaction:  Meh, we'll see.  I think it will take a lot more than some Cardinals to reform the Church but it is a start.

" Rome (CNN) -- Pope Francis has appointed a group of eight cardinals from around the world to look into ways of reforming the Catholic Church, the Vatican said Saturday.

The group, which includes U.S. Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston, will examine ways to revise the Vatican constitution, Pastor Bonus, which sets the rules for running the Roman Curia, or church hierarchy.

The cardinals -- who come from North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe -- will first meet in October, the Vatican said.

The move follows on from suggestions made during the General Congregations, a series of meetings that brought together all the cardinals last month before they elected Francis as pope, the Vatican said.

The other seven cardinals are: Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Vatican City State governorate; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa from Chile; Oswald Gracias from India; Reinhard Marx from Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; George Pell from Australia; and Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga from Honduras.

An Italian bishop, Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, will act as secretary for the group."

Catholic Culture

I have always enjoyed the blog by JP Sonnen - orbis catholicus secundus.  The blog always has great pictures of Catholic culture from around the world especially Italy.  This post introduced me to a great priest who just died at the age of 100:

HERO: One of the Greatest Living Legends in the Face of Modern Evil - Fr. Leon Stepnia (RIP 1913-2013)

The post links to this article on the priest's death:

Polish priest who was oldest surviving prisoner at Dachau concentration camp dies aged 100

"The oldest surviving inmate of the Dachau concentration camp has died at the age of 100.
Leon Stepniak, a Polish priest, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1940 in the village of Klebowiec.
He spent the next five years in Dachau, a site in south-east Germany which was the first concentration camp to be opened by the Nazi goverment.
After being released at the end of the Second World War, he returned to Poznan in Poland, where he died over the weekend.
The clergyman was well-known for a speech he made at a commemoration to mark the liberation of Dachau.
He told the audience that the camp's legacy should not be as a demand for revenge or recrimination, but as a sign of reconciliation."

Catholic Church is Leading the Way on Ethical Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine

Deacon Keith Fournier discusses adult stem cell research at Catholic.org:

"VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - On Thursday April 11, 2013 an extraordinarily important conference began with the enthusiastic approval of the Vatican. The topic is stem cell research and regenerative medicine. In fact, the conference is entitled Regenerative medicine: A Fundamental Shift in Science and Culture and you can read much more about it here. The conference continues through Saturday, April 13, 2013 and is hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture, STOQ International, NeoStem and the Stem for Life Foundation. The conference brings together medical researchers, politicians, Church leaders, scholars, scientists and students to educate the world and promote ongoing work in the use of adult stem cells."


He lists some of the many examples of stem cell breakthroughs, which he correctly points out are often mentioned in the press in a way that does not clarify they are adult stem cells:


"Back in May of 2011 Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts announced the they used stem cells which they derived from ADULT skin to re-grow areas of the retina and improve vision. Chinese researchers announced they have taken stem cells derived from ADULT skin and prompted them to become liver cells, thereby restoring a liver in a laboratory animal. That same month and year, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that scientists discovered that adults have stem cells within their lungs which are capable of being used to regenerate damaged lungs. They found "undifferentiated human lung stem cells nested in niches in the distal airways. These cells are self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent in vitro."

...

"In 2011 the first of these conferences supporting, promoting and endorsing was held in Vatican City. It was entitled  Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture It was sponsored by the same alliance including the Vatican. When it concluded Pope Benedict XVI made this observation: "the potential benefits of adult stem cell research are very considerable, since it opens up possibilities for healing chronic degenerative illnesses by repairing damaged tissue and restoring its capacity for regeneration. The improvement that such therapies promise would constitute a significant step forward in medical science, bringing fresh hope to sufferers and their families alike. For this reason, the Church naturally offers her encouragement to those who are engaged in conducting and supporting research of this kind, always with the proviso that it be carried out with due regard for the integral good of the human person and the common good of society."

Friday, April 3, 0033 @ 3 PM

Is this the exact date of Jesus' death?  See Jimmy Akin's explanation here.

10 Years Blogging!

I really have not blogged much lately except for pointing out some worthwhile events of interest to Catholics.  However, January 18, 2013 was my 10 year blogiversary.  I am going to try to blog more often and have done some housecleaning by eliminating defunct blogs and sites on the right.  I have also added a donation button for the first time (gotta start the kid's college fund sometime!). 

Catholic man removed from volunteer post at Oceanside parish

From PIX11:

Catholic church removes gay married man from his activities

"Nicholas Coppola’s faith means everything to him. His Long Island home  is full of religious books, pictures of cardinal timothy Dolan even the word, faith.

“Father Nick said I have to remove you from any public ministry, he said I have no choice,” said Coppola.

Coppola was teaching religious instruction, he was a Eucharistic minister and also a lector then in January, he got word from his church in oceanside he couldn’t do any of it anymore. He never thought marrying the love of his life a man would cost him that.

“What was pointed out, you made a very public statement getting married, I think the question was asked why, I said I got married like any other loving couple,” said Coppola.

The pastor of Saint Anthony’s Church in Oceanside told us “He’s always welcome to come to the church and receive the sacraments as far as I’m concerned.”

Pastor Nicholas Lombardi says the decision came from the Diocese of Rockville Center.

The Diocese received an anonymous letter complaining of Coppola’s marital status and sent a letter the parish. He showed us copies.

The Diocese of Rockville Center told us in a statement:

“Gay married people cannot be on staff in the position that he held, however the church is welcoming of all persuasions.”

Coppola just wants to get back to doing what he loved so much."

St. Anthony is a parish that is staffed by Jesuits. 

The Mystery of Matter and the Hunt for the God Particle

 This is an event of the Crossroads Cultural Center which was founded by members of Communion and Liberation.  They host many worthwhile presentations.

 

 A look at the fascinating discovery of the "God Particle" with Dr. Lucio ROSSI, physicist an High Luminosity LHC Project Leader at CERN and an introduction by Dr. Allan J. JACOBSON, Robert A. Welch Chair of Science and Director of the Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston

Presented by Crossroads Cultural Center

The recent announcement of the discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, has generated enormous shockwaves in the press. Some people call it The God Particle.
Why such an awesome name? Can it really be the key for unlocking some of the mysteries of the universe? Can it help us understand the origin of mass, for instance? Can it tell us anything about ourselves and our place in the universe?
In this talk, Prof. Lucio Rossi, a leading scientist from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), will address the fundamental questions scientists are facing in the pursuit of the most fascinating scientific discovery of the century.

About this Event

Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: University of Houston - Athletics/Alumni Facility - Carl Lewis Auditorium
3100 Cullen Blvd. Houston, TX 77204
UH Entrance 15 off Cullen Blvd.
Open parking in Lots 16F, 16B and 16C.

About the Speakers

Lucio Rossi, PhD
High Luminosity LHC Project Leader, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland

  Allan J. Jacobson, PhD
Robert A. Welch Chair of Science and Director of Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, TX

Sports and the Culture

This opinion piece by former NBA player John Amaechi on the firing of Rutgers coach Mike Rice is a good take on the culture of coaching:

Rutgers coach and sports bully culture


"(CNN) -- Too often, it's tempting to view sports through rose-tinted glasses. We believe that coaches always have the best interests of our young people at heart and that everything they do on the side of that court, field, pool or track is for the long-term, holistic benefit of young people.

We even rationalize that coach-player interaction and athlete management behavior that makes us wince and avert our gaze somehow makes our children -- and even society -- stronger and our future elite athlete role models more humble and worthy.

Sadly, "it's character-building" is the rallying cry for dysfunction and another damaged generation. Even when we believe that a young person's sports experience is on the wrong track, we convince ourselves it can't have that much of an impact. I wish that were true, but medieval coaches, like the recently fired Mike Rice at Rutgers University, are a detriment to society, not just sport.

As a former basketball player at college and in the NBA, I know this coaching style firsthand."


Coaches can be a huge influence on athletes and what is considered acceptable behavior is way below what is expected of teachers.  Athletes and sports have a huge influence on the culture at large and vice versa. Catholics should have a good influence on both sports and culture especially since there are so many Catholic colleges, universities, high schools and elementary schools.

At The Deacons Bench there is an article linked that shows that people often choose sports for their children above going to Church on Sunday.  Chaminade High School has a good practice - an entire sports team attends Mass together on Sunday at each teammate's parish.

Reform of the Reform in the Diocese of Rockville Centre

 (This is an old post that I apparently saved as a draft and never posted)

I was checking Mass times for Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst when this note on the front page of their website struck me:

"Thanks be to God, the Blessed Sacrament is now back in the sanctuary "front and center". The focus is now where it ought to be... on Christ in the Eucharist and in our lives. - Father Anthony"

Right below are some pictures of their new altar and rearranged sanctuary.

As Fr. Z. says, Brick by Brick......

There was an idea pushed in the 1970's and 1980's within the Church: The tabernacle should be moved to a place set apart from the sanctuary. This, combined with a Church design that would allow people to sit closer to the altar and even face one another, would make Catholics focus on the Liturgical action taking place. It would emphasize the presence of Christ in fellow parishioners. It would end the assumed widespread problem of Catholics focusing on the Real Presence in the Eucharist during Mass. This idea, like the pet rock and bell bottom pants, was not so good and in many places is now falling out of favor. The results of these moves may not have been what was intended: people now feel free to talk loudly in Church - before, during and after Mass, the worst offenders are the elderly and the ushers. (Ironically another idea in the 70's and 80's was to expand or create large spaces in front of the main section of the Church to create a 'gathering space'. This was to encourage community and was a good idea and is where the meet and greets should be taking place.) There is very little to no prayer before or after Mass. Catholics have less of a belief in the Real Presence today and very little belief in the value of piety. Many people are returning the tabernacle to the traditional location and are pleased with the results.

Faith On Tap

I have not been to a Faith on Tap in quite awhile (which makes sense since I am no longer of the age group for this event), but hopefully I will stop by sometime because they were always interesting and fun.


"Being A Young Catholic in the 21st Century"

All Young Adults
You are invited to join us on
Monday, April 22 for our Next Faith on Tap

Join us on Monday, April 22, as Paul Morisi discusses the challenges that face young adults in the church.  Why do young adults leave the Catholic Church ... and why do others stay? What does the Church offer young adults in the 21st Century?  Come out and join us as we discuss these issues!


Faith on Tap will be held at the Wantagh Inn
3264 Railroad Avenue 
Across from the RR Station
Doors will open at7:00
Come out early ~ have dinner ~ meet new friends ~
re-connect with old friends
Talk begins at 7:30

Christian-Jewish Relations In the Middle Ages According to Primary Sources

At Seton Hall University in New Jersey:

The Department of Catholic Studies is pleased to present a lecture in its Medieval Catholicism Lecture Series, entitled "Christian-Jewish Relations in the Middle Ages according to Primary Sources: Nicolas Donin and the Paris Talmud Trial of 1240." The lecture will be presented by Piero Cappelli, Ph.D., Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, Italy, and Visiting Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, April 11 at 4 p.m. in The Walsh Library’s Beck Rooms A and B. This event is free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments to follow.

About the Lecture

The thirteenth century marked a turning point in the relationship between Christians and Jews. In a single decade, from 1230-1240, the status of the Jews and Judaism in the Holy Roman Empire and in the other Christian kingdoms of Europe was transformed and defined for several centuries to come. These events can be viewed and understood through the prism of one man: Nicolas Donin, the convert from Judaism who acted as the prosecutor in the first public trial against the Talmud in Paris in 1240. This lecture will explain how and why Nicolas Donin stood at the crossroads of religious and political developments in his lifetime, according to primary sources. The lecture will expand the analysis from the intellectual discourse to its application in the 13th century politics.

About the Lecturer

Piero Capelli is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University, Venice, Italy, and a Visiting Associate Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the Primo Levi Fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Capelli's research interests are focused in the history of texts and ideas in late antiquity and medieval Judaism, especially in the Greek pseudepigrapha, in Hebrew and Aramaic rabbinic literature, and in medieval Jewish-Christian intellectual polemics. His most recent book is a history of the conceptual field of evil in Judaism from the Bible to early Qabbalah (Il male, Florence 2013). He is currently working on the first critical edition of the Hebrew account of the public trial held against the Talmud in Paris in 1240, which results he will share with us in this lecture.
 

Happy Easter!

It has been 22 months since I became a father and there has been little time for blogging.  I am going to try to do it more often now, as long as my son will allow me.  Happy Easter!

Seinfeld, Baldwins and the Orthodox

I grew up in Massapequa just like Jerry Seinfeld and those Baldwin guys.  I think within this classic American suburb you can see the 'signs of the times' regarding Christianity -

The Christian Science Reading Room that had been on Merrick Rd. for decades is now St. Peter's & St. Paul's Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.

What was once an Episcopal Church is now St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church.  (OK, technically this is Seaford but it still shows the Orthodox and Liturgically rich Churches are expanding)

Domus Porta Fidei

An interesting new community is being formed at the seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington that is open to young lay people. 

Check it out at http://domusportafidei.org/community/

Another Long Islander becomes a Bishop:

"ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – February 11, 2013 – Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Coyle, 48, to be an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of the Military.  Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement public earlier today in Washington, DC.  Bishop-Elect Coyle is a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and currently serves as pastor of Corpus Christi parish, Mineola, New York.
Bishop-Elect Coyle will be ordained a bishop by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2013."

Pope Resigns

"Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of cardinals Feb. 11 that he no longer has the strength to carry out ministry and will resign on Feb. 28.

“I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church.

“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” Pope Benedict said."

Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=6998#ixzz2KeADOdVf

For a completely stupid analysis see Bob Keeler's editorial in Newsday, which is not worth a link.   My own thoughts are as follows:

Pope John Paul II was a great man, a Pope who absolutely  was 'made' to be Pope.  He was an athletic and fit man before his assassination so he could handle the rigorous job, until he became very old and sick.  He was outgoing and thrived before crowds.  His personal history and personality fit the job as a great man on the world stage.  John Paul II will be known as JP the Great because his papacy had a profound mark on the world.  Pope Benedict XVI was introspective, a scholar, a humble and quiet man more suited to an office job or a library, as he himself would have preferred.    Benedict did some huge things within the Church but they did not affect the wider world much.  His was more of an 'inside baseball' Papacy and this was just as important and necessary to us Catholics as Pope JP II's was to the world.

I Am Still Here

I am just not able to spend anytime blogging or being as involved in the Catholic blog community as I used to be.  I recently came across a blog by several young contributors who, as it turns out, are mostly Long Islanders.  Check out Gaudium Dei.

Society of Catholic Social Scientists

 

Friday, October 26 & Saturday, October 27, 2012

at Kellenberg Memorial High School

1400 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard

Uniondale, New York 11553

(516)-292-0200  ext. 200 

Click here for more information

 

Votive Mass for Blessed Karl I of the House of Austria

I was alerted to this Mass by a reader:

Glen Cove (Long Island), New York

St. Patrick's Church
235 Glen Street
October 22,2012
6:30 p.m. Solemn Votive Mass of Blessed Karl of Austria

In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite with music by Our Lady of the Angels Young Womens' Chorus. Canonry of Saint Leopold (Canons Regular of Saint Augustine)

The Very Rev'd Dom Daniel Stephen Nash, Can. Reg. Prior

For more information regarding Blessed Karl of Austria see the Beatification and Canonization Site.

East End church installed as basilica

 "Bishop Murphy said he asked that Pope Benedict grant this honor to Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary because of its beauty and significance as a center of worship for more than 100 years. Established for immigrant domestic workers who refused to come east to work for wealthy Protestant estate owners at the turn of the 20th century unless they had a place to worship, the parish has continued to grow with the community.

With the diocesan cathedral located in Rockville Centre, “some in Suffolk and especially the East End have felt distant from the diocese,” the bishop said in December, when he announced the pope’s decision to name Sacred Hearts a basilica. “I thought it would be a mark of recognition to the Catholics of the East End to have a parish with a distinguished history and a church building of remarkable beauty, well supported by a congregation of faith, receive this title.”

During the inauguration, Bishop Murphy blessed the traditional symbolic items granted use in a basilica – the “ombrellina,” an umbrella made in the papal colors of red and gold, and the “tintinnabulum” a miniature bell on a pole."

 

Murphy seeking Vatican OK for Latino auxiliary bishop

"Bishop William Murphy said Friday he is seeking Vatican approval for the first Latino auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre to help serve the needs of Long Island's growing Hispanic population. Murphy said he made the request about two months ago, and that he could get an answer before the start of summer, though more likely it will come in the fall. He has submitted the names of three candidates, all from outside the diocese, whom he did not identify. "I would like that very much as a way to solidify the commitment of the church to the Hispanic population and give them at the highest level of our life as church a voice and presence that will confirm them and encourage them," Murphy said in an interview."


This makes a lot of sense considering how many Latinos are on Long Island.   Another Newsday article discusses the growing Latino population the Diocese:

Latino Catholics bring faith, fervor to Church

Canons Regular of Saint Augustine

Click the above link to check out the website of the canons in Glen Cove.  There are some great pictures - this looks like a great addition to our Diocese.

Latin High Mass (Missa Cantata)

St John the Evangelist in Center Moriches

Dec. 27 & Feb. 2 (candlemas).

Starts 7:30pm

Good Things in the DRVC

I am just not able to keep up with blogging - my wife and I had a baby! It would be hard to keep up with all the positive things going on right now in the Diocese of Rockville Centre even without feeding and diapering, etc.... Here are just a few:

Canonry of St. Leopold

It has now been four months since the Canons Regular of St. Augustine have come to DRVC. Check out this page to see what they have up to - please note they celebrate both forms of the Sacred Liturgy.

Seminaries Merging

The seminary program for the 3 dioceses of Brooklyn, NYC and Rockville Centre is merging together with the seminarians all training together at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers (called Dunwoodie for the neighborhood). Immaculate Conception seminary in Huntington will remain open for retreats, masters programs, and educating permanent deacons. This move was entirely expected and has mostly to do with practicality. With the number of seminarians in NYC, Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, there is no need for 2 or 3 individual seminaries. Of course, Dunwoodie has always had an orthodox reputation while Huntington did not. Overall, this will be a very positive move for seminarians, who will now study together with much larger groups at Dunwoodie and also in Douglaston, where pre-theology and undergraduate men will study. As reported all over the place, the number of seminarians is up right now so these kinds of moves are part of some very good trends within the Church.

Peter Kreeft

On the topic of Immaculate Seminary in Huntington - Peter Kreeft will be speaking there next Sunday:

"A Refutation of Moral Relativism"Lecture by Peter Kreeft

Sunday December 11, 2011 at 3 PM in the Seminary Auditorium

Pre-Registration is Requested

Please contact Beverly Malone in the Development Office

Phone: 631-423-0483 x102

E-mail: bmalone@icseminary.edu

Bishop Murphy plans to reshape diocese

The above link is to a good article in Newsday on Bishop Murphy but does not include many details on how he will reshape the Diocese. I have said before I think Bishop Murphy has been a great Bishop and his 10 years have pushed or pulled the Diocese of Rockville Centre in the right direction:

• Pushing Telecare to have more Catholic programming
• Starting the Tommorrow's Hope Foundation for Catholic schools
• Insisting parishes balance their budgets
• Being much more generous towards the Traditional Latin Mass
• Reforming the Pastoral Formation Institute
• Encouraging faithful and orthodox programs
• Overseeing some changes in the seminary

The DRVC did not at all welcome Murphy openly and many have been trying to block his efforts at leading us forward so it is amazing that Murphy has been able to get as much done as he has. The truth is so much more could have been done over these past 10 years but the Diocese had many entrenched people with very different ideas than Murphy and this has made reform tough. This Newsday article has a couple of revelations:

• "Murphy said with satisfaction that the number of parishes running deficits is down to 24 from 83 two years ago." I wish the Diocese would publish this info somewhere, I think it is good to know the financial health of the parishes. Murphy was quoted once as saying the Church sometimes takes on too much and I totally agree. We have to be fiscally prudent and that often means cutting back and cutting out many things. We simply do not have the numbers of people and the money that was around in previous decades.

• "The bishop also is weighing a shift at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. Starting next year, seminarians could be sent to St. Joseph's Seminary, also known as Dunwoodie, in Yonkers, leaving the Huntington facility as a pastoral training center for ordained priests and lay people." While it has been public knowledge for some time that the seminaries would form some sort of collaboration, this is the first time I have seen it mentioned that the seminarians would be sent to Dunwoodie. Overall, I think this is good. Immaculate Conception has never had a great reputation compared to other seminaries as far as orthodoxy was concerned and this might be just what is needed.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel in Amityville

He will be at the StarFish CoffeeHouse & Kitchen

Join us for a meet & greet

Sat., October 1st @ 1pm

with Father Benedict Groeschel

author of

I Am With You Always

Pope Names Bishop Peter A. Libasci as New Bishop of Manchester

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – September 19, 2011 – Pope Benedict XVI today named the Most Reverend Peter Anthony Libasci, 59, to be the new Bishop of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire. The appointment was announced in Washington, DC today by Rev. Msgr. Jean-Francis Lantheaume, Chargé d’Affaires at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States. Bishop-designate Libasci will succeed Bishop John Brendan McCormack.

Bishop-designate Libasci will be installed as the tenth bishop of Manchester at Saint Joseph Cathedral on December 8, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Since his ordination as bishop on June 1, 2007, Bishop-designate Libasci has served as the Episcopal Vicar for the Eastern Vicariate of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Bishop-designate Libasci is also bi-ritual and celebrates the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church.

This is great news for New Hampshire and sad news for Long Island. He is now the second bishop sent out from Rockville Centre in the 10 years Bishop Murphy has been our shepherd, the first being Msgr. Robert Guglielmone who is now Bishop of South Carolina. Which reminds me to congratulate Bishop Murphy on his 10th Anniversary as Bishop of Rockville Centre. He was installed just days before 400 of his flock was murdered and has done a wonderful job leading the Diocese.

From Eternity Road - please read this post:

Ten Years After

"I've received a fair amount of email this past week, inquiring about whether I planned to write something on the tenth anniversary of Black Tuesday: September 11, 2001, when Islam openly declared war on the United States. Yes, I said Islam, not "terrorists," "extremists," or "fundamentalists." We have it on the authority of a head of state -- Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey -- that there is no "moderate Islam;" there is only Islam. Any number of imams, mullahs, ayatollahs and so forth have said the same -- and have proceeded to justify the atrocities of Black Tuesday as a response to the "humiliation" Muslims have endured at America's hands.

What humiliation? Daring to rise and progress out of the seventh century. Proclaiming a doctrine of individual rights beyond what their scriptures allow. Treating persons of all races, sexes, and faiths as possessing a perfect right to be as they are and believe as they do. Letting women read, drive, and go about in attractive clothing, unaccompanied by a male chaperone.

We "humiliate" Muslims and Islam by being Americans: believers in freedom, a secular state, and an objective rule of law and justice."

9/11 - we will NEVER forget

And muslims continue to act like muslims:

4 terror suspects arrested in Sweden

"The head of the Swedish Security Service, Anders Danielsson, warned last week that "Islamic terrorism is still the biggest threat against Sweden."
...

"Stockholm was hit by a suicide bombing in December. The attack on the capital, Sweden's first suicide bombing, wounded two people in a district full of Christmas shoppers."
...

After the Stockholm bombing, Swedish Security Police said the country had almost 200 Islamic extremists who advocate violence, but said there was no indication their number is growing."

...

Swedish authorities are investigating involvement in radicalism by Taimour Abdulwahab, the weekend's suicide bomber.

His emails before the bombings said that one reason for the attack was Sweden's tolerance of Lars Vilks' newspaper cartoon of the prophet Mohammed as a dog, authorities said. Abdulwahab, 28 -- who had lived in Iraq, Sweden and the English town of Luton -- also cited the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan.

That cartoon of Mohammed, published in 2007, was also cited in the new report as an example "of local events that may fuel radicalism globally."

This does not surprise me at all -

"A New Jersey mom still grieving the death of her beloved teenage daughter says she was ordered by callous bosses to quit discussing the child after co-workers complained -- and was even forced to yank the girl's ballet slippers and photos from her cubicle."
.....

"Two years earlier, Ingraham's daughter, Tatiana, 17, had died of leukemia, and shortly after, the devastated mom began decorating her desk with pictures of the child. She also kept on hand a pair of the girl's ballet slippers as a touching reminder. But Ingraham's co-workers whined that over the next two years, the married, inconsolable mom became an office pest with her tears and depressing attitude and that -- gasp -- it interfered with their work.

Ingraham's boss allegedly told her that he had received complaints about her conduct and her "uncomfortable" interaction with other workers.

One co-worker had even griped: "What else can we say [to her] that we have not said already?"

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/office_tear_jerks_ou0fsRmnOrxYB3HXNV9bDM#ixzz1XEDkH5Ko

Solemn High Mass

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

235 Glen Street

Glen Cove, N

On the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, September 12, 2011, at 7:30 pm, the Canonry of Saint Leopold will offer a Solemn High Mass to honor Our Lady and to commemorate the 328th anniversary of the victory of the Austrian Imperial forces over the Ottomans at the Battle of Vienna on the slopes of the Kahlenberg.

The Kahlenberg (Bald Mountain) and its environs are the home to parishes and vineyards belonging to Stift Klosterneubur...g. During the Siege of Vienna in 1683, two Canons of Klosterneuburg played important roles: a Laybrother (Chorfrater) named Marzellin Ortner rallied the townsfolk to defend the Abbey and the town of Klosterneuburg; a priest, Dom Wilhelm Lebshaft, served as chaplain to the town’s militia. Keeping Klosterneuburg free aided in the Liberation of Vienna, which was made possible to a large extent thanks to the troops of the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski, hailed by the Pope as the Savior of Christendom in Europe.

The Solemn High Mass will be celebrated in the Extraordinary Form. The Prior, the Very Rev'd Dom Daniel Nash, will serve as priest, the Rev'd Fr. Matthew Kauth, as deacon, and the Very Rev'd Dom Elias Carr, as subdeacon. With appropriate ceremonies and fitting music, the liturgy should offer worthy worship to Holy Trinity.

Canons Regular of St. Augustine

Amy Bonaccorso interviews the 3 priests who now oversee St. Patrick and St. Rocco in Glen Cove.

Part One

Part Two

Incoming Missal!

The new Missal to be used at the beginning of Advent will be an improved translation for the most part. Although I prefer the current version in certain places, i.e. by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man, the 'cut and paste' job done after the Council is in great need of revision. Fr. Z at WDTPRS has hit the nail on the head with his continuing column looking in depth at the prayers of the Mass in their original latin, the literal translation, the current translation and in the new translation. He has shown clearly all that was taken out and all that was dumbed down and how much we are missing in these prayers. Overall, this is a giant leap forward for the 'reform of the reform'. I often think Fr. Z's column should be published in parish bulletins because these prayers are very important but probably very overlooked parts of the Mass.

Chant Cafe has a post: "Five Changes to Expect with the new missal"

11 New Deacons for the Diocese of Rockville Centre

Dissent and the Catholic press

The above column by The Long Island Catholic editor Rick Hinshaw is excellent and reminds me how much I have enjoyed the Diocesan paper over the past year or so. The paper is no longer the milquetoast paper it once was but instead has slowly become more outwardly Catholic and orthodox, even proudly so. Here is a snip from the column:

"TLIC has always made room for letters expressing a wide array of opinions — on social and public policy issues, as well as on internal Church matters and worship — as long as they are not in direct conflict with the fundamental teachings of the Church.

There, it is true that we must make a distinction — because, as a diocesan newspaper, we are, first and foremost, a teaching instrument of the Church. Obviously, we cannot force — and would not want to force — anyone to believe what the Church teaches. But we do have a responsibility to offer our readers — whether they ultimately accept or reject what the Church teaches — a clear understanding of what it is they are accepting or rejecting. "

Potential Hepatitis A Exposure at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Massapequa Park

"Today , the Nassau County Department of Health has notified the Diocese of Rockville Centre that those who received Holy Communion on December 25, 2010 during the 10:30 AM and Noon Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, 855 Carmen Avenue, Massapequa Park were potentially exposed to the hepatitis A virus."

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.