Thank You Father Zuhlsdorf

This is from the erudite Fr. Z at his Blog WDTPRS (What Does The Prayer Really Say).

  

A priest friend lately asked me about how to handle a biretta while in choir. This only the first time I have been asked about birettas in the last days. Therefore, I will repost some information I have shared before.

Religious have other customs if they don’t use the biretta.

Some notes about the proper use of the biretta in choro.

I am looking for the proper use of the Biretta by a priest at Mass. I know the general rule is that it is worn while seated and usually off while standing. I have seen some priests lift their Biretta slightly at the Name of God, or of Jesus while they are seated. Thank you for your help.

Once upon a time I actually had made a little pamphlet on this… but I can’t find it. I will have to redo it in my copious free time.

In the military people need to know what to do with their hats, when to cover and uncover. This varies with the services. The Navy handles their covers differently than the Army, for example, when it comes to indoors and outdoors.

The same goes for clergy in choir dress.

I haven’t a lot of time today, so here are some rapid notes I sent to a priest friend who was going to be attending a TLM in choro for the first time and wanted to know what to do.

 ■Carry the biretta in procession.
 ■Only the sacred ministers wear it when walking.
 ■Wear it when seated.
 ■Remove it BEFORE standing and recover only when seated again.
 ■Do not wear it kneeling.
 ■In general, unless you are in vestments as a sacred minister, do not wear it while standing. An exception would be when a priest is preaching.
 ■Uncover at the Holy Name by removing the biretta and lowering it to your right knee.
 ■NEVER wear it when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed.
 ■Tip it in return if ministers bow to your direction as they pass before you or if they are heading to point X across the sanctuary and make the usual honorific bows.
 ■Put it on correctly! If it is a three-horned biretta, what Italians call a “tricorno”, the middle “horn” goes to the right side of your head so you remove and cover using your right hand.
 ■Servers should always offer the biretta so that the priest can grasp that middle “horn”.
 ■When standing, hold the biretta with hands before your chest, using both hands, holding the bottom edge so that the biretta is above your hands.
 ■If in procession you are carrying a book, hold the book upright with the pages to the left and hook the top of the biretta in your lower fingers below the book.
 ■Hold the biretta before your chest as described above when standing when orations are sung, the Gospel is sung, you are being incensed, the blessing at the end, etc.
 ■Do not…not… sit on it!
 
There are some fast tips for your birettiquette!

XXXVIII March for Life (2011)

 

  

  

 

Looked like more than last year and my estimate is 400k at least.  Mass at Basilica the night before and the day of the March were full house plus.

Noli me tangere, uxor!

Might as well join the current fracas over continence among the permanent diaconate.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, often said: NEVER DENY, SELDOM AFFIRM, ALWAYS DISTINGUISH.

Words of wisdom we can apply to the brouhaha Dr. Edward Peters recently caused when he said canon 277 makes permanent continence an obligation not just for celibate clergy but also for married clergy (permanent deacons and now recently ordained married Anglican converts to the priesthood).

I am not of the caliber nor expertise of Dr. Peters. I highly respect his credentials and orthodoxy.  He does raise credible points and valid questions that should not be causally dismissed.

As we know, Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics have had married clergy from day one while the Latin Roman Catholics have had celibate clergy equally as long. The Council of Elvira made celibacy normative in 309 and Pope Gregory made it mandatory in 1074. Eastern Christianity has always had an optional celibacy so that there are both married and unmarried priests and deacons but the episcopacy never embraced the option. Bishops exclusively come from the celibate priesthood.  While the Protestant tradition is to prefer married clergy, they have no restrictions on when a minister is to marry (i.e., before or after their pastoral commission)  Since they do not have valid Orders, it does not matter when their ministers marry.  Catholic and Orthodox clergy are validly ordained and it is imperative that the sacrament of matrimony PRECEDE the sacrament of Holy Orders (not for validity but as part of tradition and continuity)

On the matter of clerical continence, however, there is some animated discussions to say the least. Eastern Catholicism which has married clergy, does have a tradition of TEMPORARY or sometimes called LITURGICAL continence for the clergy. Unlike PERMANENT continence, this other version refers to married clergy (deacons and priests) abstaining from sexual relations with their spouses for three days prior to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Permanent continence was practiced in the west among Latin married clergy before celibacy became mandatory. The Oriental Catholic church, however, always had a temporary continence which centered on the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

Pope Gregory XIII in 1573 decreed that "married Greek priests before celebrating the Sacred Sacrifice or Holy Mass is to abstain from relations with his wife for a week or at least for three days."  (Collectio Lacensis I 450; Bullarium Romanum V, 2, 73: Presbyter Graecus conjugatus ante sacrum sacrificium seu sanctam missam celebrandum vel per hebdomadam, vel per triduum abstineat ab uxore" 

Pope Benedict XIV issued a rescript in 1748 for Armenian Catholics who up until then were obliged to abstain for eight days before AND eight days after the Divine Liturgy. The pontiff reduced the obligation to eight days before only.

Pope Clement XIII issued a rescript in 1758 for Chaldean Catholics reducing continence to three days. Ruthenian and Ukrainian Catholic norms in the 18th century also embraced the three day continence before the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

It seems, therefore, that perpetual continence was not normative in the Oriental (Eastern) Catholic churches but a temporary continence was.  This temporary continence for married clergy centered on the celebration of the Divine Liturgy much as the Levitical priesthood in the Old Testament had a similar practice of temporary continence to preserve ritual purity. In neither case was conjugal relations between husband and wife seen as sinful anymore than dietary abstinence does with ordinary food (like the one hour fast before Holy Communion). "Fasting from the bed" as it was sometimes called, had no intent of vilifying the marital act, rather, it raised the level of Eucharistic Sacrifice to one that required a personal oblation as well.

In that vein, I can see Rome asking, suggesting or requiring married clergy in the West (Latin Rite) to practice a temporary clerical continence (three to perhaps one day) to honor the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Theology of the Body dispels any Puritan or Manichean extreme of seeing marital relations as being impure and intrinsically evil. However, giving up a valid and licit good for a higher good has always been part of Catholic practice and devotion.

Out of fairness to those already ordained permanent deacons and those married priests ordained as former Anglicans, Lutherans, etc., since the continence 'obligation' was not obvious and evident at the time they were ordained, it would be unjust to impose something EX POST FACTO. Currently ordained married clergy could practice this as an option whereas future married clergy in the Latin Rite could see this as an obligation.  It will certainly be a topic at the next few 40 Hours celebrations, that's for sure.

Bottom line, permanent deacons are allowed to be married before ordination. The Holy See has allowed certain married Protestant ministers to be ordained priests after conversion to the Catholic religion. These married men ARE de facto Catholic CLERGY by virtue of their ordination.  Married deacons and married priests pose no threat to celibate priests. The Latin Church will retain celibacy as the norm and permit married priests at the pleasure and will of the Roman Pontiff. 

There is a principle of canon law ODIA RESTRINGI, ET FAVORES CONVENIT AMPLIARI which means that odious or restrictive laws are to be applied and interpreted STRICTLY whereas favors and privileges are to be applied and interpreted BROADLY. Ergo, restricting the conjugal rights of married clergy must be imposed precisely and carefully.  When the law grants a favor or privilege, it is to be done generously. Therefore, we should proceed cautiously when imposing any further burdens on those who are seeking full communion or ordained ministry in the Catholic Church.  Human sexuality when it is between a husband and wife and oriented toward love (unity) and open to life (procreation) is not sinful, rather, it is a holy act when done by those who are united in the holy bonds of the sacrament of matrimony. So it is not from some Manichean or Puritanical distortion of all sex being evil and immoral, rather, it is from an oblative (agape) love of sacrificing and offering up a legitimate and proper good to honor and give special reverence to the supreme and holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That is why I do not think canon 277 is meant to impose perpetual continence on married clergy.  The one hour fast before Holy Communion is of the same perspective, i.e., legitimate goods like food and drink, are temporarily given up to give honor to the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar.

The married deacons and married priests I know are devout, holy, orthodox men of great faith and obedient sons of the church.  I dare say I do not think any of them were told prior to ordination that perpetual continence was a canonical requirement.  Justice demands that all obligations be disclosed and understood before anyone becomes bound by them.  The CONTEXT seems to be that the perpetual continence was meant to dissuade married clergy in the Latin church and to reinforce mandatory celibacy for the West.

tu es sacerdos in aeternum / requiescat in pace

  

Fr. Michael P. Scott

Father Michael P. Scott, 53, of Old Bridge, passed away Sunday January 9, 2011 at home. He was born on July 3, 1957 in Jamaica, NY to Francis and Catherine Scott. Father Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Cathedral College in Douglaston, NY. He then attended Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, CT and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1987 at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi by the most Rev. Edward T. Hughes. Father Scott served as parochial vicar for Holy Spirit and La Asuncion Parish communities in Perth Amboy. He also served as chaplain of St. Mary Regional High School in South Amboy, the Raritan Bay Council of Boy Scouts and chair of the Perth Amboy Juvenile Justice Committee. Father Scott was assigned as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Perth Amboy in 1993 and served there until December, 2005 when Bishop Bootkoski named him as the first director of Prison Ministry for the Diocese of Metuchen.

 He was predeceased by his father Francis Scott and leaves behind hid Mother Catherine Scott, 3 brothers Thomas Glenn and Daniel, a sister JoAnn, his niece Jacklyn, as well as many Godchildren he has left behind.


Father Mike Scott was a dear friend and a good priest. He will be greatly missed not just by his family and friends but also by many, many parishioners and lots of his brother clergy.   I met Father Scott the same year I met Father Brighenti.   The last time we spoke was several months ago when we buried another good priest, Fr. Anthony Dandry.           

Two Catholics Among Several Victims at Tuscon Massacre

 

As our prayers go out to Representative Gabrielle Giffords for her recovery from the the heinous and brutal shooting in Tuscon last week, we also remember the victim bystanders who died from their wounds inflicted upon them by the diabolical Jared Lee Loughner. Christina Taylor Green (age 9) and US District Court Judge John Roll were senselessly slain by the psychotic madman. Both victims were members of the Catholic faith and regularly attended their local parishes. Christina had recently made her First Holy Communion.

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As Tucson mourns, victims are remembered

By Catholic News Service

TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS) -- With flags nationwide flying at half-staff and people pausing for a moment of silence Jan. 10, the victims of the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson were being remembered for their warmth and goodness, some for their sense of public service, and several for their involvement in their churches.

The attack during a Saturday morning meet-your-congressional-representative event at a Safeway shopping center left six people dead and another 14 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, 40, who hosted the event. The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was stopped by bystanders and is being held on initial federal charges related to the deaths of two U.S. government employees -- a federal judge and a congressional aide -- and the attempted murder of Giffords and two of her staff members.

Amid the outpouring of grief and shock in Arizona, the personal stories of the shooting victims were putting their faces into focus for the world.

U.S. District Court Judge John M. Roll, 63, and Christina Taylor Green, 9, who were killed, were both active in their Catholic parishes. Roll, the chief judge of the Tucson federal court, had stopped by the shopping center in northwest Tucson to see Giffords on his way home from morning Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Bill Badger, one of several people who tackled the shooter to stop his rampage, despite his own gunshot wound, also is active in the parish he shared with the judge, according to Fred Allison, spokesman for the Tucson Diocese.

Young Christina Green came to meet Giffords with a neighbor because she was so interested in civics, having just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School. The third-grader also was part of a children's choir at St. Odilia's, the Catholic church a few blocks from the shooting scene where a healing and remembrance Mass was scheduled for Jan. 11.

The young athlete was part of a sports-focused family. Her grandfather is former major league pitcher and manager Dallas Green, and her father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The only girl on her Little League team, Christina was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and was featured in a book called "Faces of Hope," about 50 babies born on that day of terrorist attacks on the United States.

Roll, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, was remembered as "a person of great faith and great integrity" who was a devoted member of two Tucson Catholic parishes, according to Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas. Bishop Kicanas returned to Tucson hastily from the Middle East, where he was to attend the annual Coordination of Episcopal Conferences for the Church in the Holy Land, representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The bishop was to preside over a Mass for the Healing of Our Community, Remembrance of Those Who Have Died, and for the Consolation of All Victims and Their Families at St. Odilia's, where Christina Green made her first Communion last spring.

"'Let the children come to me,' Jesus said (Mt 19:14). Christina is with him," wrote Bishop Kicanas to parishes.

Roll for many years began his day by serving at Mass as a lector at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish or St. Thomas the Apostle Church, the bishop said. "He lived his faith as a servant of our nation for the cause of justice."

Allison said he regularly saw Roll at the daily noon Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, a few blocks from the federal courthouse downtown.

"He was absolutely dedicated and devoted in terms of daily Mass attendance and dedicated to the ministry as a lector," Allison said. "His faith was a wellspring of who he was as a judge and in his marriage.

The bishop put words to the emotions felt by people in Tucson and around the world who watched events unfold at the suburban shopping center.

"It is incomprehensible that such a horrible tragedy could happen in the community that we love so much," he wrote in his letter. "I am shocked and devastated as I see the horrible pictures on the news and hear the reports of those who have been killed and injured."

In a message, Bishop Kicanas sent to Allison as he left Jerusalem to return to Tucson, he said watching the television coverage from afar was overwhelming. "I could not sleep. I just wanted to return home as soon as possible."

He noted that "as I would expect, the community has risen to the occasion," with bystanders stepping up to help at the scene, medical personnel working feverishly, and public servants "trying to find answers to a horrific act of violence perpetrated against innocent people, everyone praying and offering support and condolences."

He said that before he left the Middle East, he concelebrated a Mass with 10 other bishops in a small Catholic church in Jericho, where only about 50 Catholic families are in the village, "but they all expressed to me their condolences for what happened in Tucson and promised their prayers as did each of the bishops from Canada, Albania, France, Germany, England and the Holy Land. Their comfort and heartfelt prayers meant a lot."

Bishop Kicanas went on to observe that "in the Holy Land, violence is feared and expected. Violence, too often, tears apart both the Israeli and the Palestinian people. Each community knows well the result of senseless violence. Their families have mourned the loss of loved ones and cared for those injured.

He added that the people in Jericho, hearing about the Tucson events, asked him how to prevent such acts of violence.

"I wish I knew the answer," he wrote. "But as the world continues to seek an answer to that question we can, each in our own way, strive to respect others, speak with civility, try to understand one another and to find healthy ways to resolve our conflicts.

"But right now it is important as a community to pull together and to reach out in care and concern to all who have been affected by this tragedy," he added.

Read more: http://www.catholiccourier.com/news/world-nation/as-tucson-mourns-victims-are-remembered/#ixzz1AjmiLHlU

Missa Prima Classa

 

  

  

  

Buon Natale

    

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Our Lady of Good Counsel, Marysville, PA

Homily 12-16-2010 - Fr. John Trigilio, PhD - Advent Weekday

Homilía 12-14-2010 - El P. John Trigilio - San Juan de la Cruz

EWTN Live - For Dummies series - Fr. Joseph Mary w Fr Trigilio and Fr B...

Homily 12-15-2010 - Fr. Ken Brighenti, PhD - Advent Weekday

Homily 12-13-2010 - Fr. Ken Brighenti, Ph.D - St. Lucy

Church must repent, repair damage caused by clerical abuse, pope says

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In response to the "unimaginable" scandal of clerical sex abuse against minors, the church must reflect, repent, and do everything possible to rectify the injustices suffered by victims as it works to prevent such abuse from ever happening again, said Pope Benedict XVI.

The pope said he and others were "dismayed" when, during a year dedicated to the world's priests, further cases of clerical sex abuse came to light "to a degree we could not have imagined."

"We must accept this humiliation as an exhortation to truth and a call to renewal. Only the truth saves," the pope said Dec. 20 in his annual pre-Christmas address to the Roman Curia and cardinals who reside in Rome.

In his seven-page reflection on the past year, the pope dedicated a large part of his speech to the impact of sex abuse by priests.

He said priests who committed such scandals "twist" the sacrament of ordination into its "antithesis" when they, "under the mantle of the sacred, profoundly wound human persons in their childhood, damaging them for a whole lifetime."

The face of the church is soiled and her clothes torn "because of the sins of priests," the pope said, referring to the writings of the 12th-century German mystic, St. Hildegard of Bingen, who had visions of a church wounded and sullied because of abuses by clergy evident in her day.

"We are well aware of the particular gravity of this sin committed by priests and of our corresponding responsibility," the pope said.

He listed a number of "musts" that the church needs to attend to.

"We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred. We must ask ourselves what was wrong in our proclamation, in our whole way of living the Christian life, to allow such a thing to happen," the pope said.

The church must find "a new resoluteness in faith and doing good," it must be capable of penance, and it must strive to do everything possible in preparing future priests "to prevent anything of the kind from happening again," he said.

Amid the "great tribulations" the church has faced during the last year, he said, the Advent prayer, "Stir up your power, O Lord, and come that you may save us," often has been "on my mind and on my lips."

Rather than beg Christ to wake up and deliver his disciples from a storm, it is the disciples themselves who must reawaken their own faith that has "grown tired," the pope said.

He said what needs to be restored is a faith that has "the power to move mountains, that is, to order justly the affairs of the world."

As the church works to address the sex abuse crisis within its own walls, it must also tackle the larger problems of child pornography and child sex tourism in society, the pope said.

"The psychological destruction of children, in which human persons are reduced to articles of merchandise, is a terrifying sign of the times," he said, as he lamented how child pornography is considered "more and more normal by society."

Insatiable desire and "the excess of deceiving intoxication becomes a violence that tears whole regions apart, and all this in the name of a fatal misunderstanding of freedom which actually undermines human freedom and ultimately destroys it," he said.

The pope called on pastoral leaders to renew "the great rational tradition of Christian ethos" and to replace the modern day notion of relative or pragmatic morality with "the essential and permanent foundations of moral actions."

In his address, the pope also spoke about the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in October and lamented that "Christians are the most oppressed and tormented minority" in the region.

"The tradition of peaceful coexistence has been shattered and tensions and divisions have grown" in many parts of the region, he said.

He expressed his gratitude for "voices of reason" such as Muslim leaders who speak up against violence against Christians. However, those voices "are too weak," he said, and Christians are "up against an unholy alliance between greed for profit and ideological blindness."

The pope urged all political and religious leaders to put an end to "Christianophobia" and to defend refugees and those who suffer as well as revitalize the spirit of dialogue and reconciliation.

Finally, the pope offered a reflection on his trip in September to the United Kingdom and the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Blessed Newman's spiritual conversion is an important model of "a path of obedience to the truth" that gradually opens up to a person, the pope said. It is a path of conscience, which is the human capacity to recognize the truth, and therefore seek it out and freely submit to it, he said.

Underlining the human capacity for objective truth is imperative in a world that is "troubled by the sense that moral consensus is collapsing, consensus without which juridical and political structures cannot function," he said.

The pope took note of French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville's observations of 19th-century America and how democracy there "had become possible and had worked because there existed a fundamental moral consensus, which transcending individual denominations, united everyone."

Before the pope's address, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, told the pope that the cardinals had begun a collection during the November consistory to aid the poor and sick in Haiti and Iraq.

Two sums of $100,000 each were being sent to Haiti and Iraq via the church's apostolic nuncios and would be distributed to Catholic organizations on the ground.

END


While we have been greatly blessed with the pontificates of two saintly popes (JP2 & B16) who have given the Church magnificent leadership, the Evil One has had numerous successes in his battle for souls. The clergy sex abuse of children continues to have a malignant effect on the Mystical Body of Christ. Unfortunately, many in the USA have fooled themselves into thinking that the Dallas Charter was the panacea that cured all these ills.  Running background checks with the state police and getting fingerprints from the FBI only provide one level of defense. It does protect you from sexual deviants PREVIOUSLY caught who have a prior record. It does NOT protect you from pedophiles who were never caught and have no prior rap sheet. Likewise, it will not protect you from perverts who have not YET given in to their unnatural urges.  All the Dallas Charter does it protect you from the few who committed crimes in the PAST. That is only partial security, at best.

The pathological behavior and condition of pedophilia and ephebophilia are symptomatic of a much larger, prolific and diabolical strategy to attack the Church.

One, we NEED good shepherds to pastor the fold. The business model has failed us tremendously. Those bishops who followed the corporate schema are the ones who denied these heinous things happen and merely swept them under the rug.  Like executives at Enron, they responded by silencing the messenger, punishing the whistle-blower and transferring the malefactors. When bishops are seen or worse yet, see themselves, as middle management rather than as spiritual shepherds, they are governed by legal assistants and bean counters who crunch numbers instead of defending doctrine. The business model is not right for the Church. Expediency and seeking the lowest common denominator do more harm to an ecclesiastical organism.  Political solutions are even more detrimental. We NEED PASTORAL bishops, not business ones.

Two,we need to address the ENTIRE PROBLEM:  BAD THEOLOGY (dissident) + BAD LITURGY = BAD MORALITY 

in other words, besides responding swiftly and vigorously on all actual incidents of sexual misconduct, we need to simultaneously ensure that REVERENT, licit and valid sacraments are celebrated AND that sound doctrine in accord with the Magisterium is taught in all Catholic schools, seminaries and colleges. LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI, LEX VIVENDI. 

Therefore, it is imperative that our bishops NOT be managers, bureaucrats or politicians, rather that they be true SHEPHERDS who are loyal to the Magisterium and defend orthodox doctrine; who love the Sacred Liturgy and Divine Worship and insist they be done correctly and reverently; who are not afraid to discipline when necessary for the common good of Holy Mother Church.  Problem is that in many cases, good shepherds often inherit bad or mediocre advisers. Often these middle management act like old Soviet style bureaucrats who exist merely to retain their position and the status quo. Pray for your bishop and his staff this Christmas as well as your local pastor, vicar and deacon.
Remember, too, to thank the Lord if your diocese sends its vocations to good seminaries (Mount St. Mary's, Emmitsburg; St. Joseph's, Dunwoodie, NY;  St. Charles Borromeo, Overbrook, PA; et al.)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             ;                                                                                                                                                            ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

Bambinelli Blessing

                                                                                                        
Pope B16 blesses the bambinelli (infant Jesus) that the children of Rome brought from home


God our Father,
you loved us so much
you sent us your only Son, Jesus,
born of the Virgin Mary,
to save us and lead us back to you.

We pray that, with your blessing,
these images of Jesus might be
a sign of your presence and love
in our homes.

Good Father,
give your blessing
to all who gather with us this Christmas,
family and friends.

Open our hearts,
that we might receive Jesus in joy,
do always what he asks of us
and see him in those who need our love.

We ask this in the name of Jesus,
your beloved Son, who came to give peace to the world.
You who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen

Saint Nicholaus' Day December 6th

     

    

Santa began as a fourth century Catholic bishop named Saint Nicholas. The cult of St. Nicholas was one of histories most widespread religious movements. There are 2,137 churches dedicated to Nicholas in France, Germany, and the Low Countries alone before the year 1500." (Jones, Charles. W. "Knickerbocker Santa Claus." The New-York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954, Volume XXXVIII Number Four, p.357)

The popular book, The Christmas Almanack, states, "By the height of the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas was probably invoked in prayer more than any other figure except the Virgin Mary and Christ Himself" (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, p. 131)

Miraculous folklore and legend surround the mysterious St. Nicholas. Among the more popular legends of St. Nicholas is the rescue of three poverty-stricken girls destined for prostitution. These girls were poor and did not have the dowry for marriage. St. Nicholas saved them from a life of shame, by providing marriage dowries of gold. They then were able to get properly married.

Another amazing miracle in the life of St. Nicholas is the three young boys who were sadistically murdered by a wicked innkeeper. Their bodies were chopped up and preserved in pickle barrels, with the cannibalistic intent of feeding their flesh to unsuspecting house guests. Of course, the amazing St. Nicholas resurrected the boys and their mutilated bodies. And like Santa, Saint Nicholas gave gifts to poor children, hence, his veneration as Patron Saint of Children. During the Middle Ages, hundreds of plays and paintings told and re-told the amazing feats of St. Nicholas.

Next, according to legend, Santa magically appears in the Netherlands around the seventeenth century. During this time, Sinter Klaas (a.k.a. Santa Claus) was officially born. Dutch children began the tradition of placing their shoes by the fireplace on December 5, for the mystic fourth century Bishop, Saint Nicholas. (Note: In the Dutch language Saint Nicholas is "Sint Nikolass," which was shortened to "Sinter Klaas," of which the anglicized form is "Santa Claus.") The next morning, the gleeful Dutch children quickly awoke to gifts and goodies in their shoes, left by Sinter Klaas. Like today’s Santa, Sinter Klaas, miraculously, traveled from housetop to housetop, and entered through the chimney.
Our next stop on the Santa highway is the year 1626 in the New World called America. Searching for the "American dream," Dutch settlers sailed from the Netherlands and established the Dutch colony called New Amsterdam (today called New York). The Dutch colonists quickly settled into America, bringing their customs, and of course, their beloved Sinter Klaas.

In December 1809, American essayist Washington Irving published a popular satire of the Dutch founding of New York titled A Knickerbocker History of New York. More than any other event, it was Irving’s Knickerbocker History that is credited for creating our modern day Santa Claus. The following history-making words from The Knickerbocker History became the public inauguration of Santa Claus. Who could have possibly imagined the significance these simple words would soon have?

And the sage Oloffe dreamed a dream,–and lo, the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to the children. . . And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave the astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the treetops and disappeared. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York, New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928, p. 50)

At this early period was instituted that pious ceremony, still religiously observed in all our ancient families of the right breed, of hanging up a stocking in the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve; which stocking is always found in the morning miraculously filled; for the good St. Nicholas has ever been a great giver of gifts, particularly to children. (Irving, Washington. Knickerbocker’s History of New York, New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1928, p. 68)

Next stop on our investigative journey for Santa, surprisingly, comes from the pen of a New York theology professor named Dr. Clement Clarke Moore. In 1822, inspired by Irving’s popular, Knickerbocker History’s portrayal of jolly St. Nicholas, Dr. Moore quietly wrote a trivial poem titled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" for his own children as a simple Christmas present. Dr. Moore had no intention of publishing his poem, but in 1823 it was published anonymously, by a friend, in the Troy Sentinel. Moore’s extremely popular poem was the spark that lit the Santa Claus wildfire. Santa quickly began flying through America. Dr. Moore’s poem was later renamed the famous, "Twas’ The Night Before Christmas."

The finishing touches for Santa occurred around 1863 from the artistic hands of cartoonist Thomas Nast. Inspired by Moore’s popular poem, Nast illustrated scores of Santa pictures in Harper’s Weekly and the world was officially baptized with the face of Santa Claus. Nast’s early Santa was burly, stern, gnome-like, and covered with drab fur, much unlike today’s colorful and jolly fellow. But make no mistake – it was Santa.

My Confirmation name was Nicholas. I chose it because of his love for children. Although I will never have my own, as a Priest, I want to appreciate every child I baptize and every boy and girl I minister to in my parishes. I have no nieces or nephews, but I do have several God-children that are as dear to me as if they were blood relatives.

I left my shoe out last night to see if St. Nick would leave  anything.  I found a stuffed cat toy, which I suspect Tiberius placed there instead ;-)

Vatican Splendors, presented by Senator John Heinz History Center

Vatican Splendors, presented by Senator John Heinz History Center

 OCTOBER 2nd, 2010 - JANUARY 9th, 2011

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Pope Benedict and Condoms, NOT

 Pope Benedict XVI did NOT approve the use of prophylactics by homosexuals, heterosexuals or transsexuals to prevent the spread of HIV. The secular media took his words OUT OF CONTEXT and whenever you TAKE A TEXT OUT OF CONTEXT YOU GET A PRETEXT.

Pope OK's Condoms appeared on one cable network while another said Vatican Allows Everyone to Use Condoms to Pontiff Says Certain Circumstances Warrant Condom Use  All of these are FALSE. Consider this:
all acts of rape are gravely evil, immoral and sinful   that is true and no one would debate it, would they? How about this statement?
intentionally infecting someone with a disease is also evil, immoral sinful   Now, if someone were to say  better a rapist to wear a condom and not infect his victim with a venereal disease does that DE FACTO translate into the person saying  condom use makes rape acceptable ?   
 Of course not.
That a rapist who previously never used condoms but knew he had AIDS
now all of a sudden begins to use condoms to prevent infecting his
victims is still committing heinous evil (rape) but he is showing a sign
of moral improvement insofar as he does not want to infect an innocent
victim with a deadly disease. But it is not construed as a green light
for rapists to attack women just so long as they use condoms. Similarly,
the Pope was NOT approving condom use. He was saying it can be a sign
of moral improvement that someone engaged in immoral sexual intercourse
is at least trying to prevent infecting a person with a deadly disease.
The lesser of two evils is still evil. Rape is always wrong. All sex
outside of marriage be it between an unmarried man and unmarried woman
or between two men or two women. Yet, if someone has a VD, not only
should they do everything to prevent spreading the disease, they should
also ABSTAIN FROM ALL SEXUAL ACTIVITY. Rapists have no right to rape.
Sex is not a right but a privilege of marriage which is a covenant
between one man and one woman. Married sex must be oriented to love
(unity) and life (procreation) otherwise it is sinful behavior.
Contraceptive sex is immoral just as in vitro fertilization. If
a bank robber handed out bullet proof vests to the customers and
employees at the bank would that make his act of robbery acceptable? Of
course not. Handing out condoms to prostitutes may prevent venereal
disease but it also promotes immoral activity since the removal of the
threat of physical harm can tempt many to give in to temptation. No
immediate consequences to actions leads some people to fool themselves
that evil actions can sometimes be tolerated.Why
not give condoms to teenagers in high school? Most are having sex
anyway?  Could condom use lure some who would normally abstain now try
"protective sex"?  How about just saying NO? As draconian as it sounds,
human beings are able and have been able to abstain from sex until
marriage for millennia. 
THE ENDS NEVER JUSTIFIES THE MEANS and the MEANS NEVER JUSTIFIES THE END ALL
Sex outside marriage is sinful and immoral. Contraceptive sex is
immoral. Premarital and extramarital sex is immoral, whether
heterosexual or homosexual.  Spreading venereal disease is immoral.
Having children outside of marriage is immoral.  Abortion is a grave
evil.  Obviously, giving birth as an unwed mother is far better than
killing the innocent life of the unborn via abortion. Nevertheless, the
BETTER scenario is for unmarried people NOT to have any sex and for
married people to practice Natural Family Planning rather than use
contraceptives.The Church condemns suicide.  She also
condemns terrorism.  If a terrorist chooses to kill himself rather than
kill innocent victims, it is a lesser evil and he is showing some moral
movement in the right direction, but no one can construe that as a
blanket endorsement of suicide. Better if the terrorist kill NO ONE,
neither innocent victims nor himself. Better he repent and reform from
his evil ways ALL THE WAY. 
Pope
Benedict was merely making a moral statement that someone already
involved in evil and sinful activity shows signs of moral improvement
when they choose the lesser of two evils.  HOWEVER, any and all evil should be avoided. Why
not give clean needles to college students so they will not get
infections from tripping on heroin? How about not doing drugs at all? 
Why not have wives give their husbands a condom whenever he goes out of
town for a business trip? Is it not better he not impregnate someone he
is not married to OR that he not bring home a VD? How about he remain
chaste in marriage at all times?Imagine
a parent discovered their child is the local bully. He beats younger
children up. What is the proper behavior to be sought? Is it not that
Junior STOP his belligerent and violent actions?  Or would it be
acceptable if the parents got their son to move from physical violence
to mere verbal and emotional violence?  When compared, there is the
lesser of evils, but there is also the reality that all abuse is evil
and UNACCEPTABLE. Some is worse than others but we cannot tolerate ANY
abuse. A sliding scale is not good enough. However, if you are the counselor advising the parents, you can say to them that a movement away from physical violence to only verbal abuse is an improvement BUT IT CANNOT STOP THERE.  Likewise,
use of condoms compared to indiscriminate and prolific sex is less evil
than unrestricted promiscuity but it is not good enough to stop at that
level. The final goal must be what is GOOD and not what is just less
evil.The Pope did NOT promote condom use. He made
a comment on an evil situation which could be less evil in one way but
ultimately the BEST way is to avoid all immoral and evil acts
COMPLETELY.  

Happy Thanksgiving from Hershey, PA

Queen Isabella ... NOT

Queen Sophia is NO Queen Isabella