Richard Chonak: April 2004 Archives

Fr. Gee is asking for help in funding the start of a school at the Banica mission where he serves. Can you pitch in?

Since the permalinks for his blog are broken, I'll quote the post here...

The Australian media has obtained what appears to be a copy of ICEL's draft for the new English Mass translation.

(Thanks to AAE and Fr. Keyes for the news.)

I was out of town over the weekend at a conference, and attended Sunday Mass at a seminary near the place. Later that day I went to visit a friend some miles away; he's in a religious order and currently serving as a transitional deacon. We talked over pizza:

RC: Well, here's the latest liturgical war story.
Bro: Oh, boy. What happened now?
RC: [pauses:] What's the worst liturgical accident possible?

If you didn't get to contribute to the Peter's Pence Collection this year, it's not too late.

Our pal Steve Schultz is hard at work at St. Charles Seminary, so do remember to pray for him and his studies. On Sunday, he and another seminarian were invited to serve at an Armenian Catholic parish.

He writes:

The attached photo was taken today at St. Mark Armenian Catholic Church. I have been to this parish several times this year when we have had free weekends. The rite is different from the Latin rite that most Catholics celebrate. The pastor, Fr. David Bedrossian, likes for us seminarians to do the readings and serve Mass. He is pictured in the chasuble on the left. The priest next to him is a retired General in the Chaplain Corps, Monsignor King. I like the vestments because they are so ornate but mostly because they have a slimming look. The way the deacons wear the stoles is pretty cool too - I wish we did that in the Latin rite.

Take care, everyone! You are in my prayers!

Kindly sympathize with reader Gordon Zaft who is currently going through blog-writing withdrawal due to a broken wrist.

1. Do not take a cellphone call while kneeling to receive Holy Communion.

Key West homotel expels heterosexual couples.

The folks organizing to build an "Arch of Triumph" Marian shrine in Buffalo even have a song about it now! I still like the idea of supersizing it, but if it comes off in just the regular version (below), it may actually be an interesting place to visit.

I worry a little when I hear talk about our Lady's coming "triumph", because a bunch of very kooky phony mystics in the '80s and '90s made it their theme. If we'd all sign on to the latest apparitionist's messages, it seemed, Our Lady's Triumph (gotta use that capital T) would be ever closer, and surely it was coming next year. All we needed was one more apparition movie with Martin Sheen.

The latest addition to stblogs.org is Fathers Know Best, a weblog for Catholic men talking about famliy life; and a bunch of great guys are posting. Get over and read Allen Browning's piece about his 19-year-old Sam.

John 19:30: "when he had taken the vinegar, Jesus said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

The Greek expression translated "It is finished" is a single word: tetelestai. It is completed: it is fulfilled. The word was used by tax collectors, who marked it on a bill, with the meaning: paid in full.

The group I regularly sing with is in Boston, but I'm here ten miles north, living in a big parish with 3000 people but only an occasional choir -- I think they sing for Easter, Christmas, and confirmations.

So I asked the pastor on Saturday if it would be OK to organize a group of people to learn and practice chant, and maybe be of some use to the parish?

Now, I didn't really expect him to take a strong interest in it: I figured the only thing Fr. Bill had enthusiasm for is the local baseball team. The flag hanging outside the rectory door isn't yellow with a pair of keys, but blue with a pair of red socks! Well, it shows how much I knew about him: he says he loves chant and he's all for starting a schola!

OK. Now what do I do?

Gymnast survives 33-foot fall, relying on tumbling skills

Good news! Bp. Vigneron of Oakland is addressing a long-neglected issue: hymns that do not reflect Catholic teaching. The Register reports that he's drafting guidelines for the USCCB's consideration.

(Via med student Dev Thakur's new blog. Welcome, Dev!)

Update: Fixed the typo; thanks for spotting it, Fr. K. I've had an unblemished record with Nihil Obstat until now and wouldn't want to lose it!

Richmond's new ordinary, Bp. Francis DiLorenzo, is being transferred in from Honolulu.

Before his service there, he was an auxiliary in Scranton, and if the rumor mill is right, he was, alas, not very sympathetic to the traditionalist movements in that diocese.

But that was ten years ago, and during those ten years in Hawaii, commenters at Amy's and Dom's sites say, he improved the discipline of the clergy in what had been a somewhat lax diocese. Congratulations to everybody in Richmond.