From the blog For God, For Country, and For Yale, I discovered the website The Art of Manliness. One of the articles there "Rediscovering the Barbershop" describes my exact situation. Snip:
"Every time I go to the barber shop I just feel manlier. I don’t know what it is. Perhaps it’s the combination of the smell of hair tonics and the all-man atmosphere. But more so, it’s the awareness of the tradition of barbershops. Barbershops are places of continuity; they don’t change with the shifts in culture. The places and barbers look the same as they did when your dad got his hair cut. It’s a straightforward experience with none of the foofoo accouterments of the modern age. There are no waxings, facials, highlights, or appointments. Just great haircuts and great conversation."
I went to a barbershop with my Dad when I was a kid. I am not sure why but at some point I started going to a chain unisex salon and was usually unhappy with my cut. There was always a long wait, usually with few choices in reading material to pass the time -most of the magazines were for women, and the haircuts ranged from bad to ok, depending on what woman cut my hair, all for a high price. A couple of times I got my hair washed in a sink by a woman who had "European Style" armpits. Finally, I looked around and settled on a barbershop that turned out to be right down the block from where my grandparents used to live. What a difference! The magazines were for men, the guys doing the cutting were manly men, all from some indeterminate country where men are still men (I still can't figure out what country it is and don't really care). They shave my neck with a straight razor, trim my eyebrows so I can see, and slap a hot towel on my face which is awesome. Someday I will get up the nerve to have a real shave with a straight razor, which is a specialty of theirs. At Christmas time there was a small table set up with some complementary cookies, wine, and vodka! I will never go back to a salon.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The Long Island Catholic has a special section on the 9 men who will be ordained for the Diocese of Rockville Centre this June 14th.
Worst Book By a Catholic Priest. Ever.
God Underneath by Edward Beck
A few weeks ago, I had managed to lock both my wife's car keys, as well as her spare car key in her car. This meant we had to wait for my father in law to come home from Mass since he also has a key, so we had some time to kill. I picked up this book and started reading and it was just sad. Fr. Beck is a Passionist Priest and his book made me wonder if he wished he had done something else with his life. He tells of the ordination Mass for two of his classmates and him and how he really wanted to have a friend of his who sings and plays guitar to sing at this Mass and insisted this be allowed. His classmates did not really want this and when they tell him their opinion and remind him that the Mass is not just for him it makes Fr. Beck burst into tears. For his first Mass he invites a female friend to both read the Gospel and give the homily. He somehow "forgets" to mention this to the pastor of the parish and when she comes forward to receive the pastor's blessing before reading the Gospel the pastor, totally caught off guard, correctly says oh no and does the Gospel reading himself. The woman then gives the homily, in violation of Church teaching that lay people do not give homilies. Fr. Beck frames this story as rudeness on the part of the pastor, who he says later apologizes. Fr. Beck does not seem to think asking a lay person to proclaim the Gospel and give a homily without telling anyone what he is doing is not rude. These two stories pretty much sum up the book, all the world is filled with people who are not kind and considerate enough to allow Fr. Beck to do his thing. Liturgy, retreats, music should not be about worshiping God, but about Fr. Beck, friend of Carly Simon, showing the world how compassionate Fr. Beck is. He presents himself as a knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of those poor Catholics oppressed by the rigid orthodox clergy. This is a silly, sad book.
God Underneath by Edward Beck
A few weeks ago, I had managed to lock both my wife's car keys, as well as her spare car key in her car. This meant we had to wait for my father in law to come home from Mass since he also has a key, so we had some time to kill. I picked up this book and started reading and it was just sad. Fr. Beck is a Passionist Priest and his book made me wonder if he wished he had done something else with his life. He tells of the ordination Mass for two of his classmates and him and how he really wanted to have a friend of his who sings and plays guitar to sing at this Mass and insisted this be allowed. His classmates did not really want this and when they tell him their opinion and remind him that the Mass is not just for him it makes Fr. Beck burst into tears. For his first Mass he invites a female friend to both read the Gospel and give the homily. He somehow "forgets" to mention this to the pastor of the parish and when she comes forward to receive the pastor's blessing before reading the Gospel the pastor, totally caught off guard, correctly says oh no and does the Gospel reading himself. The woman then gives the homily, in violation of Church teaching that lay people do not give homilies. Fr. Beck frames this story as rudeness on the part of the pastor, who he says later apologizes. Fr. Beck does not seem to think asking a lay person to proclaim the Gospel and give a homily without telling anyone what he is doing is not rude. These two stories pretty much sum up the book, all the world is filled with people who are not kind and considerate enough to allow Fr. Beck to do his thing. Liturgy, retreats, music should not be about worshiping God, but about Fr. Beck, friend of Carly Simon, showing the world how compassionate Fr. Beck is. He presents himself as a knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of those poor Catholics oppressed by the rigid orthodox clergy. This is a silly, sad book.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
BustedHalo.com interviews Bob Sheppard, longtime Yankee announcer who has been sidelined this year due to illness. He was my speech teacher at St. John's University and one of my favorite teachers. He comes across as a Catholic gentleman in class and in this interview.
Found via Whispers in the Loggia
Found via Whispers in the Loggia
Monday, May 26, 2008
I found another Long Island Catholic Blog!
The Family Denn
The author is apparently a former copy editor of my favorite Catholic newspaper: National Catholic Register.
The Family Denn
The author is apparently a former copy editor of my favorite Catholic newspaper: National Catholic Register.
Friday, May 16, 2008
My wife and I attended the reception for the opening of the "Catholics in New York 1808-1946" exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York last night. It was enjoyable with perfect weather to enjoy some wine and Brooklyn Lager outside under a tent. The Museum is right across the street from the northern part of Central Park. I spotted Fr. James Martin, Fr. George Rutler, and Bill Donohue among the crowd. My wife and I, after enjoying some wine and cheese, went into the exhibit while most of the crowd was coming out to hear Cardinal Egan's talk. This enabled us to browse the exhibit with plenty of room to check out all the objects. The exhibit itself was a bit small but interesting. There was a great vestment on loan from St. Patrick's Cathedral, pictures of First Communions and a very intricate chalice. A ceramic dish featured an Irish priest who preached temperence (insert own joke here). Interestingly, this small dish was exhumed from the part of lower Manhattan made famous in the movie Gangs of New York and was the only remaining artifact from that exhumation as the rest were all stored at the World Trade Center and were destroyed on 9/11. Another section featured the Catholic orphanages, Catholic social groups, and of course, the Catholic politicians of the "old days". The exhibit, which runs until Dec. 31st., is worth a visit and there are upcoming events related to it at the link above.
China's 1-child policy causes extra pain
"In Wufu, a farming village two hours north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, most of the dead students were a couple's only child -- born under a policy launched in the late 1970s to limit many families to one offspring. The policy was meant to rein in China's exploding population and ensure better education and health care."
"In Wufu, a farming village two hours north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, most of the dead students were a couple's only child -- born under a policy launched in the late 1970s to limit many families to one offspring. The policy was meant to rein in China's exploding population and ensure better education and health care."
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Cablevision to buy Newsday
Cablevision is somewhat of a monopoly on Long Island although Direct TV, Dish Network, and Verizon have begun to cut into their share. Newsday is a monopoly with no real competition. For the past few years Newsday has been gutted following their inflated circulation scandal, with most columnists gone and the paper a bit more thin. Even with Newsday's (past) virulent anti-Catholic bias I have always enjoyed reading the paper. The Daily News and NY Post is for pictures and sports and gossip, but for real reading, Newsday is the paper. It is a shame how much is missing these days so hopefully this new ownership will pump new life into the paper, without changing its focus on real news.
Cablevision is somewhat of a monopoly on Long Island although Direct TV, Dish Network, and Verizon have begun to cut into their share. Newsday is a monopoly with no real competition. For the past few years Newsday has been gutted following their inflated circulation scandal, with most columnists gone and the paper a bit more thin. Even with Newsday's (past) virulent anti-Catholic bias I have always enjoyed reading the paper. The Daily News and NY Post is for pictures and sports and gossip, but for real reading, Newsday is the paper. It is a shame how much is missing these days so hopefully this new ownership will pump new life into the paper, without changing its focus on real news.
Catholic League: Hagee Apologizes, Controversy Ends
“The tone of Hagee’s letter is sincere. He wants reconciliation and he has achieved it. Indeed, the Catholic League welcomes his apology.
What Hagee has done takes courage and quite frankly I never expected him to demonstrate such sensitivity to our concerns. But he has done just that. "
This is nice - although I actually enjoy when rural 'bible Christians' rail against the 'Whore of Babylon'. It is so Flannery O'Connor.
“The tone of Hagee’s letter is sincere. He wants reconciliation and he has achieved it. Indeed, the Catholic League welcomes his apology.
What Hagee has done takes courage and quite frankly I never expected him to demonstrate such sensitivity to our concerns. But he has done just that. "
This is nice - although I actually enjoy when rural 'bible Christians' rail against the 'Whore of Babylon'. It is so Flannery O'Connor.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Bishop Murphy has issued a Pastoral Letter - DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME (Warning: PDF File)
PASTORAL LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE TO
THE PRIESTS OF THE DIOCESE REGARDING THE PROPER
CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF
HOLY COMMUNION
I first read about this in Newsday on Friday (Grrrrr....can't a blogger in this Diocese get a sneak peak once in awhile?). The pastoral letter essentially eliminates weekday communion services. St. Blog's has had some interesting reactions - most have been positive. The interesting thing is that I read about this letter in the Newsday article and then on several Catholic blogs, but only now when I read the actual letter did I realize it referred to weekday communion services held in place of Mass. Basically, Bishop Murphy's point boils down to:
"The reception of Holy Communion is never just passively “getting” or “receiving” Holy Communion. Instead, the reception of Holy Communion is the culmination of participating in the celebration (offering of the sacrifice). There is an inherent interconnection between sacrifice, Real Presence, and Communion. We should never sever the connection between receiving the Sacrament and celebrating the sacrifice; the
two go hand-in-hand. Receiving the Sacrament is the culmination of participating in the sacrifice. In this sense, “receiving it” is a reciprocal reality: we receive Christ and in so doing, Christ receives us and presents us to the Father in the Spirit."
"In the popular mind, all too often the purpose of Mass is still seen as an action simply to consecrate hosts; some people think their participation in the Eucharistic Prayer is all about watching the priest and then receiving Holy Communion. They do not understand the need to offer themselves with Christ to the Father in the Spirit during the Prayer, nor
do they understand that their parts in the Prayer (Introductory Dialogue, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Great Amen) are the outward signs of their participation in the entire Prayer."
"In light of this clear instruction, after having heard the advice and counsel of the Advisory Committee on Canonical Affairs and brought this matter to the Diocesan Presbyteral Council for their discussion, counsel and advice, I, as Bishop, am declaring that no weekday Celebrations of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion will be allowed in this Diocese thereby bringing our Diocese into conformity with the liturgical norms of the Church."
PASTORAL LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE TO
THE PRIESTS OF THE DIOCESE REGARDING THE PROPER
CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF
HOLY COMMUNION
I first read about this in Newsday on Friday (Grrrrr....can't a blogger in this Diocese get a sneak peak once in awhile?). The pastoral letter essentially eliminates weekday communion services. St. Blog's has had some interesting reactions - most have been positive. The interesting thing is that I read about this letter in the Newsday article and then on several Catholic blogs, but only now when I read the actual letter did I realize it referred to weekday communion services held in place of Mass. Basically, Bishop Murphy's point boils down to:
"The reception of Holy Communion is never just passively “getting” or “receiving” Holy Communion. Instead, the reception of Holy Communion is the culmination of participating in the celebration (offering of the sacrifice). There is an inherent interconnection between sacrifice, Real Presence, and Communion. We should never sever the connection between receiving the Sacrament and celebrating the sacrifice; the
two go hand-in-hand. Receiving the Sacrament is the culmination of participating in the sacrifice. In this sense, “receiving it” is a reciprocal reality: we receive Christ and in so doing, Christ receives us and presents us to the Father in the Spirit."
"In the popular mind, all too often the purpose of Mass is still seen as an action simply to consecrate hosts; some people think their participation in the Eucharistic Prayer is all about watching the priest and then receiving Holy Communion. They do not understand the need to offer themselves with Christ to the Father in the Spirit during the Prayer, nor
do they understand that their parts in the Prayer (Introductory Dialogue, Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Great Amen) are the outward signs of their participation in the entire Prayer."
"In light of this clear instruction, after having heard the advice and counsel of the Advisory Committee on Canonical Affairs and brought this matter to the Diocesan Presbyteral Council for their discussion, counsel and advice, I, as Bishop, am declaring that no weekday Celebrations of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion will be allowed in this Diocese thereby bringing our Diocese into conformity with the liturgical norms of the Church."
Bishop Murphy then encourages the Liturgy of the Word in parishes where daily Mass is not able to be offered due to lack of a priest. He also encourages parishes without daily Mass to publish the daily Masses offered in surrounding parishes. Both of these are very welcome suggestions. I have always thought of the Liturgy of the Hours as one of our best kept secrets.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Shoutouts
I thought it would be good to give some shoutouts to good things I have recently seen within the Church:
The Long Island Catholic - this paper of the Diocese of Rockville Centre has improved greatly over the past year. I find the overall feel of the paper to be a bit more proudly Catholic and more interesting even inspiring, with none of the timid feel of the past. Also, the new columnists (who are also bloggers) such as Mary Ellen Barrett and Alice O'Brien Gunther are refreshing voices.
Bishop Peter Libasci - with Bishop Murphy healing from some health problems, Bishop Libasci has seemingly taken on extra roles. He has been doing a lot lately and by all accounts has made quite an impression.
Telecare - I have criticized some of its programming and "Catholic lite" style as opposed to say, EWTN, but Telecare has done a good job with Pope Benedict's visit. Msgr. Vlaun, Sr. Mary Alice Piil and Joe Perrone were interesting as they hosted much of the coverage. I did not get to see much of the coverage however since I left for Pittsburgh from JFK just a few hours after Pope Benedict arrived there, but from what I saw, it was good. Also, I see Telecare is showing the videos from CatholicsComeHome.com that I have posted about - great to see.
EWTN - what can I say, Raymond Arroyo and Fr. Neuhaus are the perfect tag-team Church events.
The Center for Catholic Studies at Nassau Community College - I have neglected to mention so many of the great events hosted by the Center that I am truly ashamed. Next up is June 21, 2008 - Saturday afternoon Lecture/Panel Discussion /Luncheon: "Communicating the Truth About the Perils and Promises of the Contemporary Bio-Tech Revolution: A Crucial Task for the Catholic Community".
St. Anthony's High School - from the choir that sang at the Traditional Latin Mass at which Fr. Pereda was honored as a Msgr. to the great new chapel they are building this school is truly showing what it means to be Catholic.
I am sure there are many others that could be mentioned but these were just off the top of my tired head.
I thought it would be good to give some shoutouts to good things I have recently seen within the Church:
The Long Island Catholic - this paper of the Diocese of Rockville Centre has improved greatly over the past year. I find the overall feel of the paper to be a bit more proudly Catholic and more interesting even inspiring, with none of the timid feel of the past. Also, the new columnists (who are also bloggers) such as Mary Ellen Barrett and Alice O'Brien Gunther are refreshing voices.
Bishop Peter Libasci - with Bishop Murphy healing from some health problems, Bishop Libasci has seemingly taken on extra roles. He has been doing a lot lately and by all accounts has made quite an impression.
Telecare - I have criticized some of its programming and "Catholic lite" style as opposed to say, EWTN, but Telecare has done a good job with Pope Benedict's visit. Msgr. Vlaun, Sr. Mary Alice Piil and Joe Perrone were interesting as they hosted much of the coverage. I did not get to see much of the coverage however since I left for Pittsburgh from JFK just a few hours after Pope Benedict arrived there, but from what I saw, it was good. Also, I see Telecare is showing the videos from CatholicsComeHome.com that I have posted about - great to see.
EWTN - what can I say, Raymond Arroyo and Fr. Neuhaus are the perfect tag-team Church events.
The Center for Catholic Studies at Nassau Community College - I have neglected to mention so many of the great events hosted by the Center that I am truly ashamed. Next up is June 21, 2008 - Saturday afternoon Lecture/Panel Discussion /Luncheon: "Communicating the Truth About the Perils and Promises of the Contemporary Bio-Tech Revolution: A Crucial Task for the Catholic Community".
St. Anthony's High School - from the choir that sang at the Traditional Latin Mass at which Fr. Pereda was honored as a Msgr. to the great new chapel they are building this school is truly showing what it means to be Catholic.
I am sure there are many others that could be mentioned but these were just off the top of my tired head.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
It seemed the Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral was pretty reverent with good music. Did anyone else see the Secret Service guy push Mother Theresa's nuns away from the Holy Father during the recessional?? It looks like our country is being kept safe from enthusiastic nuns! Anyway, I look forward to Pope Benedict's visit to Ground Zero tomorrow.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Speaking of the Pope's visit, it looks like there will be protests (Zzzzzz) -
THE POPE IS COMING TO AMERICA...
And We’ll be Ready to Protest the Vatican’s Oppressive and Theocratic Agenda for Our Country and the Rest of the World!
THE POPE IS COMING TO AMERICA...
And We’ll be Ready to Protest the Vatican’s Oppressive and Theocratic Agenda for Our Country and the Rest of the World!
Newsday commissioned a poll regarding the Pope's visit that provided results that sound awfully like the exact stance of the liberal editorial board of Newsday. Amazing.
The article on the survey quotes an ex-priest. Amazing.
The survey says Catholics do not agree with the Church on stuff. Amazing.
Haven't we heard this before?
Half of those responding to the poll are Catholic and half are non-Catholic. Of the Catholics:
"Some 69 percent think priests should be allowed to marry, 71 percent think women should be allowed to be priests and 77 percent think laypeople should play a greater role in the church."
Of course, with the catechetics, liberal leadership, and seminary teaching the way it was for most of the 70's and 80's and 90's this is not surprising. I would bet if you surveyed 1,000 Catholics most would not be able to give the theological reasoning behind the discipline of celibacy, the male priesthood, or the roles of lay people in the Church. This just means the Church has still more work to do undoing the damage done of the past 30 years.
This survey is just a local example of the typically shoddy work reporters will do for the Pope's visit. The standard treatment over the past 20 years has been the Pope is popular but Catholics do not agree on X, Y, and Z. Still, I would imagine it is not easy for journalists to cover another Papal visit, especially since Pope Benedict is not the "popular" world figure Pope JP II was. This visit especially might prove to be more "inside baseball" for Catholics. For the best coverage of the visit, check out Pope2008.com, a blog by Tim Drake at the National Catholic Register online.
The article on the survey quotes an ex-priest. Amazing.
The survey says Catholics do not agree with the Church on stuff. Amazing.
Haven't we heard this before?
Half of those responding to the poll are Catholic and half are non-Catholic. Of the Catholics:
"Some 69 percent think priests should be allowed to marry, 71 percent think women should be allowed to be priests and 77 percent think laypeople should play a greater role in the church."
Of course, with the catechetics, liberal leadership, and seminary teaching the way it was for most of the 70's and 80's and 90's this is not surprising. I would bet if you surveyed 1,000 Catholics most would not be able to give the theological reasoning behind the discipline of celibacy, the male priesthood, or the roles of lay people in the Church. This just means the Church has still more work to do undoing the damage done of the past 30 years.
This survey is just a local example of the typically shoddy work reporters will do for the Pope's visit. The standard treatment over the past 20 years has been the Pope is popular but Catholics do not agree on X, Y, and Z. Still, I would imagine it is not easy for journalists to cover another Papal visit, especially since Pope Benedict is not the "popular" world figure Pope JP II was. This visit especially might prove to be more "inside baseball" for Catholics. For the best coverage of the visit, check out Pope2008.com, a blog by Tim Drake at the National Catholic Register online.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
They caught the man who torched Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Wyandanch, the parish with the largest outreach program on Long Island. Every parish has an outreach program, one of the good things to come along in the Church since the 1970's, and OLMM's program was devastated by this act of arson. Bishop Murphy authorized a collection to be taken up in all parishes to help rebuild. One of the men who received assistance from the parish was behind the arson. The pastor of OLMM was quoted in Newsday:
"I don't know what would ever have driven him to do a thing like that," Brisotti said yesterday at the church, where black scars are visible outside the rectory."
It is called evil Fr. Brisotti, and you do a good job fighting it, but it is always going to be there.
"I don't know what would ever have driven him to do a thing like that," Brisotti said yesterday at the church, where black scars are visible outside the rectory."
It is called evil Fr. Brisotti, and you do a good job fighting it, but it is always going to be there.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
In lieu of actually burying St. Joseph upside down:
St. Joseph please help my wife and me as we attempt the sale of our co-op and the purchase of a house. Let us do all this without driving each other crazy, Amen.
St. Joseph please help my wife and me as we attempt the sale of our co-op and the purchase of a house. Let us do all this without driving each other crazy, Amen.Monday, March 31, 2008
Deacon Don Zirkel was arrested at the Smithtown Mall, he says for only wearing an anti-Iraq war tee-shirt. There are currently 331 comments on the Newsday story from all different points of view.
"On Saturday, Zirkel, 80, was at an anti-war rally outside the mall in Lake Grove, wearing a white T-shirt splotched with red and emblazoned with a simple message about the fatalities of the Iraq war: "4,000 troops, 1 million Iraqis dead. Enough."
Zirkel said he was at the rally to support the anti-war protesters. "I was an encourager. I was an affirmer," he said.
During the rally, Zirkel and his wife went into the mall's food court for coffee and French fries. After he declined mall security's request to either turn the T-shirt inside out or leave, he said police put him in a wheelchair and escorted him from the mall. Suffolk police charged him with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest."
"On Saturday, Zirkel, 80, was at an anti-war rally outside the mall in Lake Grove, wearing a white T-shirt splotched with red and emblazoned with a simple message about the fatalities of the Iraq war: "4,000 troops, 1 million Iraqis dead. Enough."
Zirkel said he was at the rally to support the anti-war protesters. "I was an encourager. I was an affirmer," he said.
During the rally, Zirkel and his wife went into the mall's food court for coffee and French fries. After he declined mall security's request to either turn the T-shirt inside out or leave, he said police put him in a wheelchair and escorted him from the mall. Suffolk police charged him with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest."
Sunday, March 30, 2008
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