Father E.F. and the story of the dying priest

Ran across the blog of a Pastor Emeritus, "E.F." (no, not "extraordinary form" but his 1st two initials). He's got a relatively new blog, just since this February, and he tells a really good story about a dying priest and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It's a must read.

I've given him a link on my blog too.

Former US Ambassador to Vatican Refuses Notre Dame Laetare Medal

Let's have a big hand for her. The medal is WORTHLESS if Obama is to be honored.

The Fox News story begins:

"SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon won't accept the school's Laetare Medal at commencement next month because of its decision to have President Barack Obama speak to graduates.

Glendon also says in a letter to Notre Dame's president that giving Obama an honorary degree violates the U.S. bishops' 2004 statement that Roman Catholic institutions shouldn't honor people whose actions conflict with the church's moral principles."

Rest of the story is here.

Who RULES? Karen RULES. And WHY does Karen RULE?

....because she IS the Sacristy Queen.


See this pain in the rear end problem above? The one where some dipwad used the brand new lighter thingie and is freakin' clueless and didn't push the taper thingie out like they should after they used it and as a result of them being a dipwad a lot of the damn taper thing melted right to the metal and you couldn't use it and if Father or I had caught them we'd have rung his or her neck.


This is why I make the big bucks.

[And next week if you're really GOOD. I mean, REALLY, REALLY GOOD - I'll show you how to light the charcoal inside 30-45 seconds or so without making a big mess, and have it all "good to go" so the incense lights right away and doesn't go out because some dipwad didn't know how to light the charcoal and as a result there is a thurible and Father tries REALLY hard but you can't do squat if the charcoal's not burning right!]

Flippin' a coin with the Latin Mass

I must say I've been having an enjoyable time learning the finer points of the Latin Mass Ordo. Especially when I come to find that my own generation (those of us born mid 50s) was not the only "jacked around generation." I'd known the low Mass a bit as a child (they literally switched to the NO within two week of my 1st Communion.) But I'd never known the ins and outs of the more arcane things like ember/rogation days, etc.

The powers that be had gradually been tweaking things around all through the 20th century. The three missals I have are all pre-1962 - the year the last changes were made to TLM. [Although I gather there's a tweak here and there now with those saints we "got rid of" an a quibble here and there.]

Friday's Mass was "interesting" - being both the feast of some saint I'd never heard of AND the anniversary of the coronation of the pope. The priest did the saint, and added on bits from the propers for a pope's anniversary. [In former times prior to '62 the Mass of the Chair of St. Peter would have been said.] I guess they changed that bit, because with a pope with a long reign, if it had been a feast day, that particular saint would be you-know-what-outta-luck for potentially decades. My speculation as to the reasoning. Regardless, they simplified everything.

It was one ladies first time at a latin Mass in years (she's older vintage than me, but was probably late grammar school or high school in 62 - so she wasn't completely clueless) but a few of us after the Mass said "well, this wasn't an easy one, the changeable parts were all over creation in the Daily Missal."

Saturday, I get there and think "no sweat" as it was slated for St. Mark. BUT upon inspection, my older missal also had something about being a potential rogation day. Purple. A litany and procession added in, and different propers.

But my 50s missal seemed to do some sort of combo of procession, and litanies and St. Mark's mass. So I didn't know what was up - some hybrid no doubt - but what? Then when the sacristan put out the Red tabernacle veil I knew Mark was ON. So I marked on missal with an eye out for Mark, and kept an eye out for rogation stuff too (given what had happened the day before), because I knew Father G. (pastor of St. Anne's) must have seen the "bear pit" a little later, because the sacristan had to bring the missal back from the altar where it had already been set up. [Father confirmed I was right after Mass on that point!]

We did the mass for St. Mark, with bits like the prayer, and postcommunion etc from the rogation Mass tacked on to the propers for Mark. No procession or litany though. And I wondered if this had been one of the those '62 changes. I had a quick conversation with Fr. after Mass and asked about that procession business. He said his ordo didn't mention it, but did mention the rogation business. [And I KNOW he did those as add ons, 'cuz I listened for them specially and he did them in addition to the rest.]

So I chalked it up to "well, they must have simplified that bit." Then this morning I looked at the post done by mulier-fortis and it turns out in her parish they did the Rogation day but no St. Mark. Which means they are doing it when in England? [Bueller? Bueller?]

So I pulled out my '25 missal and half understood the rubric mentioned (my latin isn't good enough for the fine points) so I called up the Sainted Fr. Shipley who was only too happy to translate for me as I read off the latin. He had no idea what the 62 changes were re: this....but the 1925 instruction basically said "If you people [wherever the heck your diocese is] depending if you're persecuted and used to doing this go ahead and do the rogation day and transfer St. Mark to the 3rd day after Easter .. but if it's Easter and there's a pink Cadillac on Mainstreet you can do what Fr. G. is going to do years from now and watch out for whatever things are coming down the pike in '62....]"

So they were both right. Maybe England is especially persecuted with all those people dying in the Tower and all that jazz but here in the US it's like ... "What, Me Worry?" Which is why I have the picture I do to accompany this post.

[Okay for the nerds out there the '25 missal said... for St. Mark (April 25) -

"Ad processianem dicitur Missa de Rogationibus, ut habetur suo loco in Proprio de Tempore, 287 [the rogation Mass] et, si contingat tranferri Festum S. Marci, non tamen, transfertur Processio, nisi quando praedictum Festum occurrat in die Paschae: tunc enim in Feriam III sequentem transferatur."]

It was all too casual

A few mornings ago I got up early and stopped at a gas station to put in a few gallons. I was to be going swimming later, so I also grabbed some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to scarf down after the swim and before work. The mid-20ish man, smiled as he saw the treat and said "when my girlfriend was pregnant, she craved those all the time. And her craving them made me crave them too." It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him how old his child was, and he said with utter casualness "She didn't have the baby, but she's starting to crave Reese's again - she's pregnant again." Said with a smile and utter nonchalance. I was torn saying anything after that. I thought "what if she miscarried?" So I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt. But he'd said it with an utterly unchanged expression, and not sorrow. Not glee, by any means, not wistfully, not ANYTHING., He could have said "She's going to Montana tomorrow" and the expression would have been the same. I feel like going back and saying "if she aborted the baby last time, there's help she can get to keep the baby." Sometimes you just want to grab people and shake them by the shoulders. "GROW UP, man, you are too young and irresponsible to be impregnating your girlfriend twice and not caring about the full consequences of your actions!!!" But then I don't really know that she DIDN'T miscarry, do I? And sometimes people say things "casually" when it affects them deeply.

In my lifetime two people confessed to me that they had a close relative have one, or had one themselves. The first one's aunt (who'd died when she was little) had a "backstreet abortion" while in her late teens. Unmarried, frightened, scared. So this first person wanted abortion legal so people like her aunt wouldn't have died. [I thought, "if she HADN'T had the abortion TWO people would be living!!! Pregnancy is temporary!"] The second person had been newly married - to an atheist. He wasn't "ready to be a daddy yet." She wasn't practicing her Christian faith at the time, and wanted to please him. And so she had one. When I barely knew her, she mentioned it "casually" - like this fellow did. Almost in passing. But some years later, after I knew her much better, and she'd started practicing her faith again, the couple had had three beautiful children. (She was pregnant with the eldest when I'd first met her.) But she brought the subject up again with me and said she'd told her husband she'd NEVER have another abortion, it was awful, and had devastated her. My guess is that when she looks at her 3, she's got to be thinking sometimes "there should have been four."

So perhaps this young man's "casualness" is an act of denial at this point.

Chasin' the greys away

Again with the crummy gray "Marine Layer." But IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!

Pardon me all to hell and begone

For not posting yesterday. In honor of Earth Day I was gas-assing around in a Humvee, leaving as big a carbon foot print as I possibly could. I mooned Al Gore, burned down a rain forest, left all the lights on everywhere I went, and made sure to strew enough plastic bags around the gutters. Then I wasted water by hosing them down the sewerage system, and out to the ocean, where they will undoubtedly choke a bunch of transgendered dolphins and whales, and maybe even some baby seals. I also smoked half a carton of Camel Cigarettes, just to piss people off. I urged everyone I saw to stop doing what they were doing and go make some more babies. Then I rented a private Lear jet and just got back from doing an around the world victory lap. So I'm just a weensie bit tired. But I can probably still find some asbestos to poke holes in.

BTW: I'm celebrating "Earth Day" as an Octave ! This morning I asked for plastic at the checkout stand...and smiled after some long haired Maggot infested New York Times readin', Jerry Springer Watching ageing behind-me-in-line hippy said "wow, after all Ophra said about plastic bags yesterday." (She was emaciated and had green skin, too!) I'm going to drive around the block a few times extra just in her honor today. And then I'm going to change the oil in my car and put the oil in some landfil.

Hey, Karen can play "spot the error" in the EF form too.

I think. This morning there was a substitute priest for the pastor at the UA Mass. the Mass was done for St. Anselm, a doctor of the church. I noted the Credo was to be added, but the supply priest (of the Sainted Fr. S's vintage) added the Gloria, and didn't do the Creed.

UNLESS this was some tweak put in in the '62 Missal as opposed to prior ones. Which wouldn't have made sense. Given he was a doctor who defended the Creed against those heretics in the east, it makes more sense to say the Creed rather than a Gloria. Whatever.

Still -- I think something like this would a nice little extra to do with a weekday Mass in honor of St. Anselm (and other doctors of the church.) Something, I expect, that got lost - along with various Octaves, etc.

I'd asked the deacon after Mass about this, but he wasn't sure, and I was in a rush to get to work. So if anyone can say: "No, it was supposed to be the Gloria, and not the Creed as was done" let me know.

What are the best webpages that might point out the various changes in the Missal done since, say, 1900 or thereabouts?

Way to GO, Suits!!!

Really. We did well last week, so the "suits" [metaphorically!] picked up the lunch tab, AND brought it to us. Mine was House special Beef and cream cheese wontons from Pick Up Stix, my fav. chinese food of the moment.

The song rocks too. One of my favs. from the nineties!

What was it like when Mary saw her Resurrected Son?

There's a meeting that went unrecorded. Oh, to be the fly on the wall.

Mary: SON!!! IT'S TRUE!!! I thought Peter was jacking me around!
Jesus: PEte was always a kidder.
Jesus: So has Johnny been treating you well? Any complaints?
Mary: Great!!! He even picks up after himself, not like SOME people I know.
Jesus: Ah, mom, are you still on the "Your room is the WORST pigsty I've ever seen" thing?
Mary: Well, you had me worried for a while there - especially that day you wanted to paint your room black.
Jesus: Just a phase.
Mary: Yeah, until "dad" told you he'd smack the snot out of you. How's he doing?
Jesus: Resting in the arms of THE Father. He said for me to give you this kiss.
Mary: Send him one back for me!
Jesus: Wilco. Your nephew, John, said "hey" too.

I'm still trying to figure out his peripatetic ramblings. What the heck was he doing? Seeing Paris or something before he ascended? Emmaus one day, [and AFAIK that's the only time the place is mentioned] then he's up by the shore waiting for someone to bring him a fish. Whatever. Jesus as rockstar. He hangs with the guys, then just crashes somewhere else.

Don't tell me God doesn't have a sense of Humor

I've always been amused by the story in Luke 24 re: the Risen Jesus and the disciples on the way to Emmaus. Firstly, because I've always wondered what Jesus was doing hiking to the podunk town of Emmaus to begin with, and secondly his exchange with said disciples.

Essentially -

Jesus: So, anything new happening in town?
Cleophas: Geez, man, what have you been living under a ROCK or something?

Jesus HAD to have been laughing inside when he said that.

It's not a quality to scriptures directly attribute to Jesus, but I think the speakers we are often most attracted most often make their "points" with humor. I'm not saying Jesus was a stand up comedian by any means, but I think he had this human attribute.

I also like his exchange with the Samaritan woman. He knew darn well he was going to grant her request beforehand, but essentially, "Why should I give food to you dogs in preference to the choosen people?" And she said that the children fed the food to the dogs under the table. I can see him laughing and saying "Okay."

Mermaid Update

I forget which poet wrote about "Lapping the Miles" but so far to date since Jan 21, I've lapped enough to cover 40.75 miles as of yesterday. I think I'm starting to grow gills.

Sometimes Facebook Kills me

X is moving to Des Moines. Well, maybe not.

Karen at 10:33am April 6
dude, you'd be like, in IOWA...they can be cold as a falling thermometer in December if you ask about their weather in July ♫!

Z: at 2:02pm April 17
OMG... really? Am I the only one that got that Music Man reference?

Karen at 2:08pm April 17
I hope not! We can stand touching noses!

Z at 2:09pm April 17
But what if we never see eye to eye?

Karen at 2:13pm April 17
We can join the other people at the picnic!

*****

I really HAD been disappointed that no one got that until 11 days later. Better late than never.
[And Stephen F., Dear, where the bloody hell are you on FB? Please don't tell me they don't have facebook in Manchester, or the boonies, because even they're not that far in the boonies for satellite.]

Happy Birthday Benny

I like this pic from better times during the US/Vatican Relationship. Some presidents knew how to do hospitality. [How much you wanna bet if he'd visited on his b'day today, zero would have presented him with a single devil's food cupcake that Malia left over from her lunch?