tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115844882024-03-07T04:24:53.448-05:00View from the choirI am a Catholic layperson and Secular Franciscan with a sense of humor. After years in the back pew watching, I have moved into the choir. It's nice to see faces instead of the backs of heads. But I still maintain God has a sense of humor - and that we are created in God's image.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.comBlogger2027125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-80050643822996664362016-05-14T14:30:00.002-04:002016-05-14T14:30:47.738-04:00Hi againI used to be really active on this blog. Closed it to the public 5 years ago - and went to a different one where my identity was less obvious (as a teacher, have to be careful) . Thinking of bringing this one back, though.<br />
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A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-33039155959684719432011-09-02T19:31:00.001-04:002011-09-02T19:31:35.226-04:00a testThis is a testA Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-44772955511047696272011-08-18T15:10:00.001-04:002011-08-18T15:11:31.384-04:00Good byePer the advice of my principal, this blog is closing down. Thanks to everyone who has read it over the years!A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-61833910602110819492011-08-17T13:19:00.000-04:002011-08-17T13:19:00.421-04:00UKULELE - BLITZKRIEG BOP!<iframe height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kNFpOh2seqo?fs=1" frameborder="0" width="425" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<br />The Ramones on ukulele. Amazing.
<br />A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-64246944226918485282011-08-17T11:24:00.008-04:002011-08-17T13:10:20.386-04:00Ismene lives?<a href="http://www.glogster.com/media/5/31/8/72/31087200.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 401px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 586px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.glogster.com/media/5/31/8/72/31087200.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div>Years ago I taught the play <em>Antigone</em> by Sophocles. One of the characters is Ismene, the sister of Antigone. Ismene at first refused to join Antigone in breaking the law, but she was later willing to die with Antigone, who had been sentenced to death. Antigone rejected her offer, and Ismene was spared. We never learn in the play what ultimately happened to Ismene.</div>
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<br /><div>There is mention by a later Greek writer that she was murdered, but there are no other mentions of this in other myths and stories from that time.</div>
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<br /><div>So what happened to Ismene?She lingered in the back of my mind long after I left that school and no longer taught the play. I felt bad for her. She was not a bad person. I could understand the choices she made. I thought that she was unfairly overshadowed by her more dramatic sister. And I thought Antigone treated her shabbily when Ismene loyally and bravely offered to die with her. I also wondered about how the tragic curse on Oedipus' family would ultimately affect her.</div>
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<br /><div>About a decade ago, I actually got an idea for a play focusing on what became of her in the years after the events in <em>Antigone</em>. I even gathered a few notes and scribbled a few lines of dialogue.</div>
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<br /><div>Then life intervened.</div>
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<br /><div>In the form of other plays.</div>
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<br /><div>I began teaching at a school where I wrote all the school plays and dramatic performances. <em>Stone Soup. Robin Hood. The Sick King</em>. Two collections of skits. A draft of a play about the Erie Canal.</div>
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<br /><div>No Ismene.</div>
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<br /><div>While cleaning a filing cabinet this summer I stumbled across some of my Ismene notes. And this past week at my new school I discovered I was going to be teaching <em>Antigone</em> again after nearly 25 years.</div>
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<br /><div>The thought hit me: Maybe its time to finish that play.</div>
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<br /><div>Ismene may just get her chance to take center stage!</div></div>
<br />A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-49098851098607871012011-08-16T21:03:00.004-04:002011-08-17T07:12:30.169-04:00Working with a smileAt my new school, we are in the process of doing curriculum mapping.<div>
<br /></div><div>What that means is basically planning out the entire year - all the major works and projects - listing the class content for each course, the skills we plan to help the students develop, and how we will assess their work. This will help all the teachers teaching the same courses to be consistent. It also helps us to better coordinate the Regents-level (i.e. regular)classes with the Honors and AP ones. In previous years, two teachers could be teaching the same class, but cover different literary works, give different assignments, and required different workloads. And because all the teachers are mapping together this summer, it helps up to plan better what material and skills will be covered at the different grade levels, and to build on what the students have had in previous years.<div>
<br /></div><div>It sounds reasonable and logical to do this, but in many schools this sort of joint planning and cooperation is not the rule. My new school is committed to seeking ways to provide our students with better educations. Awesome.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The process is forcing us to spell out more clearly what we are trying to do and how we will do it. It also means some give and take. If we are going to coordinate, then we have to do the same major works at each grade level. Some teachers are dropping works that they've done for years. We're adding works that we are all agreeing on.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>We've been at it for five days. Six plus hours a day. Six hours is about all we can handle before our brains start to flat line.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I love it.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'm coming from a small Christian school where I WAS the English Department - and the Social Studies Department - and where what we could teach was severely limited because the denomination that runs that school is very strict about what can be discussed and what can be read.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Good people who dearly love their children - I understand what they are trying to do - but their rules and beliefs were often onerous. I still shudder at the thought of the books that had pages cut out because of "objectionable" content. And I sigh as I recall the ruling that came down that said we could no longer stage plays because they were too "entertaining."</div><div>
<br /></div><div>But now, instead of working solo, at my new school I'm with a group of English teachers doing the planning. We talk and joke as we work. We make literary references - and everybody gets them. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>And the works I can teach again. Old favorites like <i>Antigone. Julius Caesar. Macbeth. Pride and Prejudice. The Glass Menagerie.</i></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Ah. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>I'm tired.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>But I'm smiling.</div></div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-54341211086396804812011-08-14T11:47:00.003-04:002011-08-14T11:59:10.761-04:00Still mulling: Kill the blogI'm still <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">trying</span> to figure out what to do with this blog.
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<br />I'm going to be teaching at a school where the students are computer savvy, so I wonder how long it will be before one or more of them find me here. I haven't written anything scandalous, and there are no explicit or really embarrassing photos (though that one of me in a green suit playing guitar is scary!). But I do deal with political and social issues. Will my activities or opinions offend? I don't know.
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<br />I have made some changes. My <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> account is now open only to friends, and I've made some changes here to make it harder to find me. But will that be enough?
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<br />Another concern is lack of time. My new school will require a lot more work. Will I even have time to blog? And shouldn't I be putting my time and energy into more serious writing? (Look how much <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">time</span> I wasted typing this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">instead</span> of doing some lesson plans or reading work for school!)
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<br />Maybe I'll wait to see if I get "discovered."
<br />A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-12964409755586720992011-08-13T12:09:00.002-04:002011-08-13T12:24:25.523-04:00Praying at Planned Parenthood<a href="http://www.lifenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/closdsign3.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://www.lifenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/closdsign3.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<br />As usual, we gathered outside the Planned Parenthood office in Greece, N.Y., this morning to pray.<div>
<br /></div><div>The clinic had been closed on Saturdays throughout July (per a note on their door). But it has also been closed the first two Saturdays in August - with no note of explanation.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I asked someone praying with us if the clinic is still open weekdays: It is.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So ... what's going on? Short staffed? Budget issues? They got fed up with seeing us every Saturday? </div><div>
<br /></div><div>After all, after years of vigils, prayers, and protests, the main Rochester office shut down on Saturdays. Perhaps our prayers are having an effect at this clinic?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Of course, it could just be a temporary thing and they will be open next Saturday. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>But for the past few weeks, seeing no women going in to be harmed adds a bit of joy to our prayers. </div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-78991298936349044642011-08-13T12:01:00.002-04:002011-08-13T12:09:37.659-04:00Church Rocks (2011)Church Rocks (2011) was last night. I thought we did well, as did the other three groups. The audience seemed to appreciate the music.<div>
<br /></div><div>And I don't think I didn't hit too many bad chords on my ukulele debut!
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<br /></div><div>Next year we need to work on better promoting the event to let more people know about it.
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<br /></div><div><div>I was sad, though, that it may be the last time we'll play with our drummer, Don. He has moved to another city. I gave him a hug after.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I even smiled on stage a couple of times, and chatted with a few people after - trying to keep on becoming more friendly and social. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Maybe next time I'll smile and chat at the same time!</div><div>
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<br /></div></div></div></div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-86276509500935016982011-08-13T11:30:00.000-04:002011-08-13T11:30:59.251-04:00Who needs Lady Gaga's version? (Telephone)<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2vEStDd6HVY?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-10611273082391794092011-08-09T16:49:00.000-04:002011-08-09T16:49:03.362-04:00Team Wilberboom: "Are unborn children human?"<iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3d6zzJsXlwg?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-87925023276433310262011-08-09T16:39:00.002-04:002011-08-09T16:41:19.742-04:00Nagasaki (two haiku)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(41, 48, 59); font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 243, 219); font-size: small; ">a break in the clouds
<br />gave way to that sunrise –
<br />Nagasaki
<br />
<br />the morning prayers
<br />rose heavenward that day –
<br />Nagasaki
<br />
<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(41, 48, 59); font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 243, 219); font-size: small; ">(Notes: The primary target August 9 was cloud-covered. The bomber crew went to the secondary target, Nagasaki, where a break in the clouds allowed them to drop the bomb.
<br />
<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(41, 48, 59); font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 243, 219); font-size: small; ">Nagasaki was the most Catholic city in Japan at the time of the bombing)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Lord: We pray that atomic weapons will never be used again in war.
<br /></span></span><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(41, 48, 59); font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(255, 243, 219); font-size: small; ">
<br /></span></div></div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-18917115774735303192011-08-09T16:24:00.001-04:002011-08-09T16:26:16.480-04:00Who is that guitarist?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRFGRYCJx-4WmPLvyR_WMdSch0con34Eli2lPHuRLvkEQihN-V9f4wythHVJ6ZrBH2af4Jlrr_K9HfggLIk5ybE6RMgl0zLphQ7GBvaeo1t0mVeiLNd3G_0BbfzY3lItsHV2V/s1600/Guitar+player.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRFGRYCJx-4WmPLvyR_WMdSch0con34Eli2lPHuRLvkEQihN-V9f4wythHVJ6ZrBH2af4Jlrr_K9HfggLIk5ybE6RMgl0zLphQ7GBvaeo1t0mVeiLNd3G_0BbfzY3lItsHV2V/s320/Guitar+player.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638954941109014258" /></a>Yes, that's me. I was playing and singing at a wedding back in 1980! They requested all Dylan tunes. A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-32291560345391128582011-08-05T09:51:00.005-04:002011-08-05T10:00:31.829-04:00Scotland-Based Mary's Meals Offers Some Famine Relief<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">A wonderful tale about two Scottish lads reaching out to help others through <a href="http://www.marysmeals.org.uk/">Mary's Meals</a>:</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">During 1992 two brothers, Magnus and Fergus MacFarlane-Barrow from Scotland, watched the TV news from the Bosnian conflict with increasing horror. They were so moved that they decided to organize an appeal for food and blankets.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">They quickly gathered a jeep load, joined one of the convoys leaving the UK, and delivered the aid to Medjugorje in Bosnia, a place of international pilgrimage they had visited with their family years previously. Believing their good deed done, they returned to their home in Argyll expecting to resume their jobs as fish farmers. However they came home to discover the public had carried on donating aid in their absence, filling their parents’ garage with goods.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">Magnus decided to give up his job for a year to drive the aid out to Bosnia for as long as the public kept donating. The public did not stop and it soon became necessary to set up a registered charity, Scottish International Relief (SIR). The charity soon expanded and began to work in Romania, building homes for abandoned children and, in Liberia, helping returning refugees by setting up mobile clinics, while continuing to deliver material aid to Croatia and Bosnia, and funding additional projects.</p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">In 2002 SIR was operating a simple famine relief project in Malawi when Magnus met a family that led to a whole new area of work. The mother was dying of AIDS and lying on the floor of her hut surrounded by her six young children.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">She said that all that was left for her was to pray for her children, that someone might look after them after she had died. She knew that the AIDS epidemic had created 1 million orphans in Malawi alone. When Magnus asked her oldest son what he hoped from in life, his stark reply of -<span class="pullquote"> “To have enough to eat and to go to school one day” </span>was not easily forgotten. It prompted the campaign, Mary’s Meals.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">The campaign aims to provide chronically hungry children with one meal a day in school. In this way the children are encouraged to gain the education that can lift them out of poverty in later life.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">This simple but effective idea has gathered momentum and today provides daily meals for over 500,000 children in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Mary’s Meals headquarters is still situated in the grounds of Craig Lodge in the Scottish Highands but support groups are springing up around the world.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; ">The U.S. branch can be found through <a href="http://www.marysmealsusa.org/">http://www.marysmealsusa.org/</a>)</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.6; "> </p></span>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-83185426777208379992011-08-04T19:54:00.004-04:002011-08-04T20:21:15.436-04:00Women's Commission Seeks Members (Men Need Not Apply)I saw the following notice at the <em>Catholic Courier </em>website:<br /><br /><em>The Diocese of Rochester's Women's Commission is seeking new members.<br /><br />The Women's Commission serves as an advisory board to Bishop Matthew H. Clark, who appoints members to their positions on the commission. Members of the commission advise the bishop on issues of concern to women in the church and in society. The commission advocates for the role of women in the church and the community and provides its members with opportunities to share the richness of their gifts.<br /><br />Interested women are invited to apply to join the commission. Current commission members will review all applications and make recommendations to Bishop Clark.</em><br /><br />Nothing against the Women's Commission. I'm sure they do fine work and provide the Bishop with plenty of good advice.<br /><br />But are men unqualified to provide such advice? What about guys like me who raised daughters? And it seems to me that women are welcome to take part in groups that deal with issues of concern to men - like a vocation to the priesthood or the permanent diaconate. So why not men providing insights about women's issues?<br /><br />And is there a Men's Commission? Only open to men? After all, men have concerns these days, and I'm sure the Bishop could use some advice about helping guys with finding more opportunities to share the richness of their gifts.<br /><br />Maybe they could at least form a men's axillary to the Women's Commission. Possibly the men could wash the dishes while the women meet. Or maybe mow the lawn.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-44701016370339522392011-08-03T14:55:00.004-04:002011-08-03T15:00:14.465-04:00I Inflict Another Poem on the Reading Public<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">I received the May/June issue of <i>Gilbert Magazine</i> today (yes, in Chestertonian style, the issue arrived on August 3rd). To my delight, one of my clerihews was published in it.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; "><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://www.americanheritage1.com/assets/images/white-house-china/james-polk-white-house-china-1.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 405px; height: 521px;" border="0" alt="" /></div><div>President James Polk</div><div>would rarely crack a joke.</div><div>But his friends say he was quick</div><div>with a limerick.</div></span>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-88498348743577038302011-08-03T09:37:00.002-04:002011-08-03T09:39:18.069-04:00Abortion is NOT health care.<a href="http://creationformula.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/newborn11.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 415px; height: 289px;" src="http://creationformula.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/newborn11.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Abortion is unhealthy care.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-29458698780526106752011-08-02T22:29:00.006-04:002011-08-02T22:42:06.549-04:0040 Days for Life in Rochester (NY)<a href="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/leefstrong/40%20Days%202010/40daysfatima5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/leefstrong/40%20Days%202010/40daysfatima5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/leefstrong/40%20Days%202010/40daysfatima5.jpg"></a>We're starting to gear up for the fall 40 Days for Life fall campaign (September 28 - November 6) in Rochester, N.Y.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The first planning meeting is next Tuesday night at Focus Pregnancy Center - just down the road (University Avenue, actually) from Rochester's Planned Parenthood headquarters outside of which we will be praying for the 40 days of the campaign.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Lives have been saved in the previous campaigns here in Rochester and across the world.</div>A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-80170379096027623712011-08-02T10:49:00.003-04:002011-08-02T11:00:54.162-04:00The Portiuncula<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8saTE_Ikxl_Vs1-Unj7HqfrLt6tv1REZHEZTINgOgTu4c590riNrN-HgTKrJ2WH8nRSYJgwG9NpN0I8t7SPfKUKio27ddqB7AcCZ4jA2JUKnP_JeAWgdWxtxR04rBuB0lT8J-w/s1600/401px-Portiuncula.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8saTE_Ikxl_Vs1-Unj7HqfrLt6tv1REZHEZTINgOgTu4c590riNrN-HgTKrJ2WH8nRSYJgwG9NpN0I8t7SPfKUKio27ddqB7AcCZ4jA2JUKnP_JeAWgdWxtxR04rBuB0lT8J-w/s1600/401px-Portiuncula.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Angels of the Portiuncula. Our Lady of the Angels is the Patroness of the Franciscan Family.<br /><br />From The Franciscan Book of Prayer:<br /><br />The Portiuncula is an ancient church dedicated to Mary under the title Our Lady of the Angels and is located in Assisi, Italy. It was a spot very dear to the heart of Saint Francis.<br /><br />The Porziuncola is the place where Franciscanism developed, and where Saint Francis lived and died.<br /><br />The chapel, of antique construction and venerated for the apparition of Angels within it, belonged to the Benedictine monks of Subasio. It was on a piece of land called "Portiuncula" and later, the name of the land passed to the little church itself.<br /><br />It was abandoned for a long time and was restored by Saint Francis. It was here that he understood his vocation clearly and here that he founded the Order of the Friars Minor (1209) "establishing here his home", St. Bonaventure tells us, "because of his reverence for the angels, and of his great love of the Mother of Christ" to whom the little church was dedicated. The land and the Chapel were gifted to him by the Benedictines for making it the centre of his new religious family.<br /><br />On 28 March, 1211 Clare, daughter of Favarone di Offreduccio received her religious habit here from the hands of Saint Francis and so initiated the Order of the Poor Clares.<br /><br />In 1216, in a vision, St Francis obtained from Jesus himself the Indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi that was approved by Pope Honorius III. This plenary indulgence may ordinarily be gained on August 2 and 15; pilgrims may gain it once a year on any day of the year.<br /><br />At the Porziuncola, that was and is the centre of the Franciscan Order, St Francis assembled all the Friars in the Chapter every year to discuss the Rule and to renew their dedication to the Gospel Life. The Chapter of Mats (Stuoie) in 1221 was attended by more than 5000 friars.<br /><br />The Porziuncola is situated now inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in the town of the same name around 5 km from Assisi.<br /><br />Here he began and grew in his religious life; here he founded the Franciscan Order; here he manifested his love and great devotion to the Mother of God. When Francis knew he was dying, he requested to be brought to the Portiuncula to end his earthly life.<br /><br />As we honor Our Lady of the Angels, may we find inspiration for our own growth and development in the Gospel way of life that Saint Francis embraced and lived so completly.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">...</div><br />To obtain the Portiuncula plenary indulgence, visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels at Assisi, or a Franciscan sanctuary (like the "Port" at the Franciscan University at Steubenville - a wonderful replica of the original church), or even one’s own parish church, with the intention of honoring Our Lady of the Angels. While there, recite the Creed and Our Father and pray for the Pope’s intentions. You need to go confession eight days days before or after, and participate at assist at Mass and receive Holy Communion eight days before or after.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-64340832225093222892011-08-01T10:16:00.002-04:002011-08-01T10:17:57.661-04:00From St. Padre Pio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.padrepio.com/c-host.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 141px;" src="http://www.padrepio.com/c-host.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />"Always remain close to the Catholic Church, because it alone can give you true peace, since it alone possesses Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the true Prince of Peace."A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-15258832963004484102011-07-31T19:01:00.003-04:002011-07-31T19:03:42.730-04:00A Rocking Benedictine Abbot<a href="http://www.catholicism.org/images/Notker_Wolf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 466px;" src="http://www.catholicism.org/images/Notker_Wolf.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Dom Notker Wolf - rock on!A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-32485775614890687252011-07-31T11:00:00.014-04:002011-07-31T18:41:58.103-04:00Catholic (?) Worker: Obedience to Church Authority<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://danhoran.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dorothy-day.jpg?w=246&h=300"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 246px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://danhoran.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dorothy-day.jpg?w=246&h=300" /></a><br /><br />Writer Michael Harrington tells the following story about Dorothy Day:<br /><br /><em><span class="Apple-style-span">I arrived at the Worker shortly after Cardinal Spellman had sent (future Cardinal John) McIntyre down to read the riot act. What was apparently bugging Spellman was that the paper was called the Catholic Worker. What he was angling for, and didn't get, was for [Dorothy] to drop the word "Catholic." He believed [the name] was an attempt to indicate that this was a Catholic position, and he didn't want anybody else speaking for the church. This was the famous occasion when McIntyre said to her, "What would you do if the cardinal told you to shut down the Catholic Worker?"<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span">She said, "If our dear, sweet cardinal, who is the vicar of Christ in New York City, told me to shut down the Catholic Worker, I would close it down immediately." She was dead serious. That's what drove me crazy. Dorothy really did go around referring to Spellman as "our dear, sweet cardinal" and "the vicar of Christ." </span><br /><br /></em>I also remember the story (recounted in William Miller's <i>Dorothy Day</i>) of her throwing out a group of Catholic Workers for living in a way that was at "variance with traditional morality, " and coming under attack for doing so. (page 484)<br /><br />Miller writes on page 485, "The drink of gall that was being forced on her now in her old age in increasing amounts was the disposition of the young people around her at the Worker to single out the Church as one of the main anachronisms from past times that inhibited the free flow of their new universe toward its golden destiny. The Catholic Worker was, before it could make even one small tentative step into the world of affairs, Catholic. It was not a sign to be worn, turned this way and that to reflect whatever glancing beam of position or opinion that came from the roilings of time."<br /><br />Day understood that the Worker was at its core Catholic, and that obedience to legitimate authority on moral and governance issues was part of being Catholic. If you could not live by that, then you can still do good work and still serve the social causes to which you are committed, but not under a sign proclaiming yourself "Catholic."<br /><br />St. Joseph's House of Hospitality in Rochester, N.Y., one of the oldest Worker houses in the nation, abandoned that respect for authority a while back. That's one of the reasons I stopped supporting the house financially - even though one summer decades ago I had even been a "staff" member there. I send the money elsewhere (like Bethany House, a Rochester Catholic Worker House that assists women and children and remains true to the Church).<br /><br />The work St. Joe's does to feed, clothe, and shelter the poor, to fight against unjust war and economic policies, to defend of the rights of various ethnic groups is all admirable and well within Catholic tradition. But they should not call themselves part of the Catholic Worker movement any more as long as they continue to support and promote individuals who are in defiance of Church authority.<br /><br />I suspect if Day - whom I believe should some day be recognized officially as a saint (though she demurred at the mention of such a thing!) - were still alive she would have had a firm talk with the St. Joe's staff.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-83784842860491177722011-07-30T20:48:00.003-04:002011-07-30T20:59:47.804-04:00A Contemporary Little Flower (from a saint)Somewhere around 1934 or 1935, the Archbishop of Toronto, Most Reverend Neil McNeil, called me in, gave me a newspaper and said, "Here is a woman who writes as you speak." That was interesting to hear, and I realized he had given me <em>The Catholic Worker</em>, which was being sent to many of the bishops of Canada and America by Dorothy Day. What I read was very interesting.<br /><br />The Archbishop told me that I should go see her. I replied, "Well, I haven't got any money," because in those days I didn't have two pennies to rub against one another. "Oh," he said, "I will pay your way." So he gave me some money and I took a train to New York.<br /><br />I got to 16th Street where Dorothy Day was. I found a big apartment all filled with cots. On each cot, because it was evening, there was somebody sleeping, or lying around, for Dorothy was helping the poor women in those days. There was only one empty bed that she herself slept in. She said, "Catherine, you can sleep with me."<br /><br />I was about to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door and a woman came in. I looked at her and it seemed to me that she had syphilis -- advanced syphilis at that.<br /><br />She said to Dorothy, "Can I have a place to stay?" And Dorothy welcomed her warmly and said, "Oh, indeed, you can sleep with me." I got a little worried about it. We went into the bathroom and Dorothy said, "Catherine, you can sleep in the bathtub." I was ready to sleep in the bathtub, but, speaking as a nurse, I told Dorothy that this woman was a major health threat. If Dorothy had any open cuts or anything she might become infected herself.<br /><br />It was then I certainly got my first lesson in charity. Dorothy, usually mild, gentle and kind, suddenly arose, and in a spirited voice said, "Catherine, you don't understand. This is Christ who has come to ask for a place to sleep. He will take care of me. I am sleeping with Christ and nothing can happen to me. You have to have faith!"<br /><br />- from an account by Catherine de Hueck Doherty, founder of the Madonna House Lay Apostolate in 1947, now based in Combermere, Ontario, Canada.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-29410829724552701922011-07-30T11:19:00.001-04:002011-07-30T11:19:34.934-04:00From the Little Flowers of St. FrancisCHAPTER II<br /><br />OF BROTHER BERNARD OF QUINTAVALLE, THE FIRST COMPANION OF ST FRANCIS<br /><br />The first companion of St Francis was Brother Bernard of Assisi, who was converted in the following way: St Francis had not yet taken the religious habit, though he had renounced the world, and had so given himself to penance and mortification that many looked upon him as one out of his mind. He was scoffed at as a madman, was rejected and despised by his relations and by strangers, who threw stones and mud at him when he passed; yet he went on his way, accepting these insults as patiently as if he had been deaf and dumb. Then Bernard of Assisi, one of the richest and most learned nobles of the city, began to consider deeply the conduct of St Francis; how utterly he despised the world, how patiently he suffered injuries, and how his faith remained firm, though he had been for two years an object of contempt and rejected by all. He began to think and say within himself, "It is evident that this brother must have received great graces from God"; and so resolved to invite him to sup and to sleep in his house. St Francis having accepted the invitation, Bernard, who was resolved to contemplate the sanctity of his guest, ordered a bed to be prepared for him in his own room, where a lamp burned all night. Now St Francis, in order to conceal his sanctity, so soon as he entered the room, threw himself upon the bed, pretending to fall asleep. Bernard likewise soon after went to bed, and began to snore as if sleeping soundly. On this, St Francis, thinking that Bernard was really fast asleep, got up and began to pray. Raising his hands and eyes to heaven, he exclaimed with great devotion and fervour, "My God! my God!" at the same time weeping bitterly; and thus he remained on his knees all night, repeating with great love and fervour the words, "My God! my God!" and none others.<br /><br />And this he did because, being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he contemplated and admired the divine majesty of God, who deigned to take pity on the perishing world, and to save not only the soul of Francis, his poor little one, but those of many others also through his means. For, being enlightened by the Holy Ghost, he foresaw the great things which God would deign to accomplish through him and through his Order; and considering his insufficiency and unworthiness, he prayed and called upon the Lord, through his power and wisdom, to supply, help and accomplish that which of himself he could not do.<br /><br />Then Bernard, seeing by the light of the lamp the devout actions of St Francis and the expression of his countenance, and devoutly considering the words he uttered, was touched by the Holy Spirit, and resolved to change his life. Next morning, therefore, he called St Francis, and thus addressed him: "Brother Francis, I am disposed in heart wholly to leave the world, and to obey thee in all things as thou shalt command me." At these words, St Francis rejoiced in spirit and said, "Bernard, a resolution such as thou speakest of is so difficult and so great an act, that we must take counsel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and pray to him that he may be pleased to show us what is his will, and may teach us to follow it. Let us then go together to the Bishop's palace, where we shall find a good priest who will say Mass for us. We will then remain in prayer till the third hour, imploring the Lord to point out to us the way he wishes us to select, and to this intent we will open the Missal three times." And when Bernard answered that he was well pleased with this proposal, they set out together, heard Mass, and after they had remained in prayer till the time fixed, the priest, at the request of St Francis, took up Missal, then, having made the sign of the holy cross, he opened it three times, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.<br /><br />The first place which he lit upon was at the answer of Christ to the young man who asked of him the way to perfection: If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, and come, follow me. The second time he opened at the words which the Saviour addressed to the Apostles when he sent them forth to preach the Word of Truth: Take nothing with you for your journey: neither staff, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money; wishing to teach them thereby to commit the care of their lives to him, and give all their thoughts to the preaching of the Holy Gospel. When the Missal was opened a third time they came upon these words: If any one will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.<br /><br />Then St Francis, turning to Bernard, said: "This is the advice that the Lord has given us; go and do as thou hast heard; and blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ who has pointed out to thee the way of his angelic life." Upon this, Bernard went and sold all that he had. Now he was very rich, and with great joy he distributed his wealth to widows, to orphans, to prisoners, to monasteries, to hospitals, and to pilgrims, in all which St Francis assisted him with prudence and fidelity.<br /><br />Now it happened that a man of the name of Silvester, seeing how St Francis gave so much money to the poor, being urged on by avarice, went to him and said: "Thou didst not pay me enough for the stones I sold thee to repair the church; now that thou hast money, pay me what thou owest." St Francis, much surprised at such a demand, but, according to the precepts of the Scriptures, not wishing to dispute with him, gave it to Silvester, saying that, if he wanted more, he would give it to him. Silvester, being satisfied, returned home; but in the evening of the same day he reflected on his avarice, and on the holiness and the fervour of St Francis. That night also he saw St Francis in a vision, and it seemed to him as if a golden cross came out of his mouth, which reached up to heaven and extended to the extreme east and west. After this vision he gave all he possessed to the poor, for the love of God, and made himself a Brother Minor. He became so holy, and was favoured with such special graces, that he spake with the Lord as a friend speaks with a friend, of which St Francis was often a witness, as we shall see further on. Bernard likewise received from God many graces - he was ravished in contemplation, and St Francis said he was worthy of all reverence, and that he had founded the Order, because he was the first who had abandoned the world, giving all he possessed to the poor of Christ, keeping back nothing for himself; and practising evangelical poverty, placing himself naked in the arms of the Crucified, whom may we all bless eternally. Amen.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11584488.post-83622438261384097932011-07-29T11:32:00.007-04:002011-07-29T21:23:25.061-04:00Food fightI'm not a gourmet. I don't have an educated palate. My taste is not refined. When I hear people talk of "haute cuisine" I instinctively think "haughty." I don't care about presentation. I don't mind if the wine is not vintage. I don't eat on fine china. (Heck, I've been known to eat directly out of the pan!) I don't need finely brewed cappuccino or premium blends: Instant coffee will do.<br /><br />I just like food. My waist is a dead giveaway of that fact.<br /><br />I like good, solid, reasonably well-prepared food and drinks.<br /><br />I like pasta, green salads, steamed vegetables, raw apples, bread, raisins, cheese, eggs, seafood, figs, potatoes in general, chili peppers, beans, oatmeal, pickled vegetables, rice, popcorn, etc.<br /><br />But it has to be food with some taste and bark.<br /><br />You see, I like food that fights back. I put chili powder on popcorn. I add hot peppers, onions, and garlic to macaroni and cheese. I put horseradish on cheese or veggie burger sandwiches. I dash hot sauce on potatoes (baked, french fries, home fries, etc.). I lace my rice with curry. I sprinkle Cajun mix on my eggs. <br /><br />You may have noticed the lack of meat in what I've written so far. I am a vegetarian - though not a perfect one. I don't eat mammals or birds, but, in a nod to inconsistency, I do eat eggs and seafood. And if hard pressed, say on a desert island, I would eat animal flesh. My diet choice is based on ethical concerns and health, not on a deep-seated belief that it's wrong to eat a cow or a chicken. However, if the day should come when I have to eat meat, I would, in accord with Franciscan (and Native American) spirituality, thank Brother Pig or Sister Turkey for his or her gift. <br /><br />As for what I do eat now, if the food lacks something ... Give me spices. Shake, sprinkle, dash, pour them on. Get my eyes watering. Set my tongue on fire. <br /><br />I'll cool and cleanse my palate with water.<br /><br />Tap water.<br /><br />Or maybe leftover instant coffee.A Secular Franciscanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09184259228282290040noreply@blogger.com2