Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Today is the feast of the deacon martyr, Saint Lawrence. There are so many stories about him, that it’s hard to sum him up briefly. In the confused days after the martyrdom of Pope Sixtus, the administration of the Roman churches fell to the Deacon, Lawrence. He was captured by the Imperial authorities, but he bargained for his release. The […]
» Read moreOur credencials arrived from Santiago a couple of weeks ago. I’m starting to compile updated albergue and Mass information. I’m checking airline tickets every Tuesday. I’m still trying to find all of the bits and bobs to complete my gear. In some cases, I know that what I’m looking for is “around here somewhere”, but I’ll be darned if I […]
» Read moreToday we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, one of the more important (if overlooked) feasts of the liturgical year. Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white… This event definitively revealed the divinity of Christ. It appears […]
» Read moreLast night, the Holy Rosary Transition Team met for the first time with our new pastor, Very Rev. Nicholas Wichert, as well as our current pastor, Rev. Jacob Maurer. The meeting was ably facilitated by a number of folks from the Archdiocese, including Deacon Eric Paige and Leigh Stringfellow from the office of the Vicar of Clergy. They were great, […]
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Today is the Memorial of the dedication of my favourite church building in the world, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, also known in English as Saint Mary Major. It is occasionally known by the title of Our Lady of the Snows. When we were in Rome back in 2005, our apartment was just a few blocks from […]
» Read moreThis morning, we were privileged to meet the young lady in this photo. She served with us at the Saturday Mass on the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Her name is Kara Jackson. She has Down syndrome. Kara is an Altar Server in her home parish in Ohio, and God has asked her to serve at the altar in all […]
» Read moreA week or so ago, Saint Joseph held a “town hall” to discuss the upcoming changes as they transition to an Extraordinary Form parish under their new pastor, Rev. Michael Stinson, FSSP. There were 44 parishioners in attendance, as well as Fr. Maurer and the Vicar of Clergy for the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Very Rev. Gary Zender. It seems […]
» Read moreOn today’s Feast of Saint James, Father Maurer celebrated Mass at Holy Rosary. I served with six other servers, including our Seminarian guest, Chad Green. Since Saint James is the patron saint of our Archdiocese, we pulled out all the stops, including incense. Unheard of for a Saturday Mass! Chad and I more or less immediately afterwards served at a […]
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Although I’ve prayed some form of the Divine Office since before my baptism, just over a year ago I began using the Farnborough Monastic Diurnal. It is only at this point that I feel confident enough to review it. Physical Considerations Physically, it is a handsome book. It is bound in stitched Moroccan leather that is a joy to hold. […]
» Read moreThe very clever amongst you no doubt noticed in my previous post that our new pastor was not named pastor of both of our parishes. Let me explain. The parishes of Holy Rosary and St. Joseph have been joined at the hip for something like twenty years. They were first consolidated under a single pastor during the last of our […]
» Read moreThe headline says it all. I cannot imagine better news on a Tuesday morning. I’m more than slightly stunned. He was only appointed Rector of Mundelein Seminary three years ago. At that time I wrote: As both of my long-time readers know, I am a fan of Fr. Robert Barron. His Catholicism Project is to religion what Carl Sagan’s Cosmos […]
» Read moreOn July 20, 1969, man first set foot upon the Moon. The project that took us to the Moon was called Apollo, ostensibly after the Greek god associated with hunting, harmony, and healing. Perhaps the folks over at NASA had sense of humour, or maybe God the poet was at work again, for July 20 is also the feast of […]
» Read moreThe blog was down for several hours today, and for that I apologize. The problem was related to the update of a plug-in that it’s not even using right now. The offending bit of code has been exorcised from the blog. Hopefully that will put an end to it. If you happen to notice anything weird (well, weirder than usual), […]
» Read moreThis Saint Benedict’s feast (or memorial, depending on your calendar), I thought I’d do something a little different. I had hoped to attend Mount Angel Abbey’s Saint Benedict Festival today, but unfortunately we had a meeting this morning, and Francine has a wedding shower this afternoon. Maybe next year. The Benedictine Order celebrates two feasts of Saint Benedict: that of […]
» Read moreDeacon Greg Kandra, whom I’ve mentioned before, gave a great interview to America Magazine. He talks about his blog, his life, his vocation, and his thoughts on the Church. I was particularly struck by his advice for those discerning the diaconate: When I began formation, after a very brief period of discernment, just a few weeks, I essentially said to […]
» Read moreEight years ago today, Pope Benedict XVI caused to be published the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. With the stroke of a pen, the ancient rites of the Mass (last updated in 1962) could suddenly be celebrated by any priest of the Roman Rite. Deo gratias! This ancient form of the Mass, the so-called Extraordinary Form, is a great gift to […]
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