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Year: 2006

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Current Events, Media

NCR discusses vagantes as —˜alternatives’

A writer for the National Catholic Reporter is attempting to understand vagantes —“ good luck.

Tom Carney has two articles in the current issue. You have to be a subscriber to see —National Catholic church among array of alternatives on left and right— (and no, I won’t subscribe). However his article: Spiritual storm leads priest away from church, back again is available in the on-line archives.

Here are a few excerpts:

It took an emotional and spiritual tempest to lead Fr. Ray McHenry away from the church that had nurtured him and to which he had always been loyal, and an equally turbulent squall to bring him back.

—It was the perfect storm,— said McHenry about the mix of emotions and circumstances that led him to leave the Roman Catholic church [sic] last year. He has now returned — for the same reasons he left.

His story is of a faith journey that included elation with the priesthood, disillusion with an assignment, involvement in a romantic relationship, disenchantment with the church, experimentation with a schismatic church, ending the romantic relationship, and ultimate reunion with the church of his birth.

…

Having entered the seminary at age 44, McHenry was ordained a priest in 2000 for the Des Moines, Iowa, diocese. He left the church three years later to join the left-leaning National Catholic Church of America only to return to the Des Moines diocese after less than a year.

…

… McHenry began to have second thoughts about the church and priesthood. The clergy abuse issue was full-blown, —and there were lots of unhappy Catholics, lots of negativity.—

McHenry wanted to remain a priest, but began looking for an alternative to the church he grew up in, looking especially at —schismatic— Catholic churches. He decided to look into the National Catholic Church of America, established in 1998, with headquarters in Albany, N.Y.

—They have the seven sacraments and apostolic succession,— he said. —It was all there.—

McHenry believed he was OK with the National Catholic church’s theology and practice, including ordination for women, married people and gays, and approval of second and third marriages and family planning. He believed that the National Catholic church was where the Roman Catholic church might be if the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) had been allowed to progress.

He took a leave of absence from the diocese, and after a time left it altogether. He began holding Mass for a group of Council Bluffs dissidents, at first in homes, then in space loaned by a Presbyterian church.

He spoke on the phone a couple of times with the National Catholic Church of America’s primate, Archbishop Richard Roy.

—He was personable,— said McHenry. —I liked what I heard.—

So when he and his female friend traveled to Albany to meet with Roy, he could offer a community in Council Bluffs — though only 15 or 20 members strong — willing to join him as new communicants. McHenry and his friend attended Roy’s Masses and met with National Catholic church members in Albany and Philadelphia.

But his new church was less structured than he expected. It was —Roy and a couple of other priests,— he said. And he saw that in Council Bluffs, he and his congregation would be —out here by ourselves.—

On the return trip, McHenry began asking himself questions. —Is it really a church?— —Is it going to hold together?— And the big question, —Have I done the right thing?—

Fr. McHenry probably should have asked some questions and done some research before he began. Switching churches based on a telephone call is not the way to go. Would you buy a house based on a few calls?

I would imagine that a call to the PNCC and some time in the PNCC seminary would have helped him think this through —“ and the PNCC will not accept anyone without a review, and a period of formation in the seminary.

When Fr. McHenry saw the reality of the National Catholic Church (a bishop and his boyfriend and whatever temporary quarters they can obtain for use as their church), the reality hit home.

To give you a sense, this from the NCC site:

Archbishop Roy … serves as Pastor of Holy Trinity National Catholic Church in Albany, NY, where he makes his home with Brother Stephen K. Peterson, OSJD, his partner since 1975.

Fr. McHenry had the right instincts; he may very well be called to the priesthood and to married life (in a husband-wife relationship). He will not be able to bury that forever, and the damage that burying those instincts does, where no charism of celibacy is given, is evident in so many damaged men.

By-the-way, the NCR must be loosing it if they see churches like these as ‘alternatives’ to the Holy Catholic Faith. I mean their liberal agenda is well know … but vagantes?

Everything Else, ,

Time for beer and wine

I’ve been drinking selections from the Samuel Adams seasonal collection recently – Winter Lager, Old Fezziwig Ale, Cranberry Lambic, and Holiday Porter. I enjoyed them all except the Cranberry Lambic – too many high notes – it was harsh.

I just picked up a case of Leinenkugel’s Holiday collection made by the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It’s new in the area and after trying it I adjudge it a welcome addition. Even the bottle styling is traditional. Reminds me of Buffalo’s favorite – Iroquois (careful of the pop-ups). I’ve tasted them all – Honey Weiss (a non-cloudy wheat honey beer), Red, Creamy Dark, and Sunset Wheat (a traditional wheat with orange overtones – very refreshing).

I’ll be opening the wine tomorrow morning after I get the bird in the oven. I’ll be starting with an Armenian Pomegranate wine – very nice, but takes some getting used to. I have a nice Sauterne (not Sauternes) which my mom used to mix with Squirt. A pretty good combo, I’ll give it a go tomorrow in memory of mom.

Current Events, Media, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political

Drunk* or stupid*?

Katherine Jefferts Schori

The new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church states, in a NY Times interview, that fellow Episcopalians are much smarter than Catholics or Mormons because they use judgment before having children.

It appears that her fellow Episcopalians sit down and calculate the cost to the environment, and of natural resources, to best determine the impact the twinkle in mom and dad’s (dad and dad’s, mom and mom’s) eye will have on the world.

Catholics and Mormons on the other hand copulate constantly, and without good sense, because they are not all that smart or astute. They are dumb (when will they finally get around to institutionalizing us —“ we shouldn’t be on-the-street) because they simply follow the teachings of their faith.

In the interview Ms. Schori paints a picture of what relationships should look like. She and her husband live apart because career trumps marriage, although she does hint that the Biblical principal of the husband’s headship still applies —“ she will allow him to decide when he should join her.

I judge Katherine Jefferts Schori to be stupid, and possibly drunk in the tradition of the martini drinking vicar.

Rep. Charles Rangel

The New York congressman, and incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, will introduce a bill calling for reinstatement of a military draft in early 2007.

Rep. Rangel believes that presidents and politicians would be less inclined to send American armed forces into questionable conflicts if their own sons and daughters were vulnerable to mandatory military service.

Ummm, case-in-point, our current President.

The sons and daughters of the rich and powerful will never go, nor do those in power care one bit whether the sons and daughters of their less than affluent/powerful constituents go. The rich will sit on high, the poor are canon fodder.

This man is delusional. The draftees will indeed come from the streets in his district, and they will die as they have always. While Rep. Rangel gets a relatively decent peace rating (76%) from the PeaceMajority Report (see his peace voting history), he does vote for funding, and in support of, the Iraq action, the ‘war’ where his constituents die by the hundreds each month.

If you are going to legislate, legislate to cut funding, choke off the ‘action’ by turning off the spigot of money.

I judge Rep. Charles Rangel to be stupid.

David Langlieb

The New York City Parks Department employee wrote an essay for his college’s alumni magazine.

The graduate of Haverford College noted that Greenpoint (a section of Brooklyn predominantly inhabited by Polish immigrants) was —uglier than the morons who work there.— He called Greenpoint residents —vermin— noting that the areas main problem is —Polish people infesting its row-houses.—

In a stilted apology, Langlieb noted that he is —half Polish— and likened himself to novelist Jonathan Swift. He stated that he wasn’t —sufficiently sensitive to the power of historical stereotypes…— (I bet Jonathan Swift was), and that he was just trying to —defend the wonderful community of Greenpoint—.

Mr. Langlieb’s alma mater was founded by the Quakers and bills itself as:

…a coeducational undergraduate liberal arts college founded in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). While the College is not formally affiliated with any religious body today, the values of individual dignity, academic strength, and tolerance upon which it was founded remain central to its character.

I guess they decided not to instill respect for individual dignity or tolerance in Mr. Langlieb nor in the folks who edit the alumni magazine.

The college President, Tom Tritton, apologized here.

I judge David Langlieb and the administration at Haverford to be repentant drunks, ‘I’ll never do that again.’

Michael ‘Kramer’ Richards

In the land of mutually assured destruction, two hecklers fired a couple of shots at the former actor as he performed a stand-up comedy routine. In response he dropped the big ‘n’ weapon on the black hecklers.

See the Boston Herald’s ‘No-talent’ Kramer deserved to be heckled for a commentary on Mr. Richards’ comedy.

Seeing as he was in a nightclub I judge him drunk and stupid

*Necessary disclaimer – the labeling is meant as satire – in the tradition of Jonathan Swift. I’m sure everyone listed here is highly intelligent and a teetotaler.

Poland - Polish - Polonia

Prayers please

From the AP via ABC News: 8 Die, 15 Trapped in Poland Mine Blast

8 Miners Killed, 15 Trapped Underground After Suspected Gas Explosion in Poland

RUDA SLASKA, Poland Nov 21, 2006 (AP)—” Eight coal miners were killed Tuesday in a suspected gas explosion in a southern Poland mine, and fears were growing as rescuers tried to reach 15 others trapped more than 3,000 feet underground, officials said.

The accident occurred as the men were demolishing a wall in an underground corridor at the Halemba coal mine in the city of Ruda Slaska, said Southern Mining Co., which operates the mine.

Grzegorz Pawlaszek, head of the state-owned Coal Co., said rescue teams had recovered seven bodies from the scene. Another body had been located but couldn’t be reached because the high concentration of methane gas had prompted fears of another explosion.
He said the fate of the other 15 was “not known.”

The men were among a group of 31 miners who had been removing equipment from a shaft that had been closed because it was deemed too dangerous, said Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who flew to the mine and met with rescuers. He said eight miners had managed to escape.

“This is a tragedy. People have died here,” Kaczynski said.

Officials and priests were counseling distraught relatives who gathered at the mine complex. Eight white candles were burning on a low wall outside the main gate…

St. Barbara and St. Kinga, pray for them.

Everything Else

Redeem us with outstretched arm

O Adonai,
et dux domus Israí«l,
qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai,
Wodzu Izraela,
Tyś w krzaku gorejącym objawił się Mojżeszowi
i na Syjonie dałeś mu Prawo,
przyjdź nas wyzwolić swym potężnym ramieniem.

O Mighty Lord,
and leader of the house of Israí«l,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and on Sinai gave him the law,
come to redeem us with outstretched arm.

The Mighty Lord, the one who can save us with an outstretched arm. He comes with power and in radiant glory, on clouds, with chariot wheels of fire. Power, might, strength, authority, supremacy, control, command… synonyms we recognize when we think of that God —“ the one of the Parousia.

Redemption was begun with God’s outstretched arm, His reaching out to meet us in the form of a child, a child holding his arms out, seeking the comfort of his mother. Not power in any sense we understand.

Redemption was indeed accomplished with God’s outstretched arm —“ stretched out on the wood of the cross. What kind of power is that? It is the antithesis of the God we want.

Yet that is the power of redemption accomplished through perfect love. True power is synonymous with love.

Current Events

Give piece a chance

From the AP via the Times Union: Calif. couple calls for orgasm for peace

SAN FRANCISCO — Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.

But they don’t want you marching in the streets. They’d much rather you just stay home.

The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose immodest goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace.

“The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it,” Reffell said Sunday. “Your mind is like a blank. It’s like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change…”

Don’t put your faith in God, put your faith in worldliness, the Winter Soltice —“ that’s how peace will be derived. Focus your energy field everyone!

Do people actually believe this? It appears so… These would be the same people who say any idea of God, revealed through His Son Jesus Christ, is silly and stupid, just superstition. Don’t believe in anything the Church says – believe in yourself and, above all, have lots of fun doing it (double entendre intended).

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