... AND I LET MYSELF BE DUPED

OK, OK . . .

2008-06-24T16:56:00.001-04:00

By popular request, I'm doing something a little different here. But, sorry, no comments.

More Ordination Photos

2008-06-16T15:52:00.007-04:00

The Day Has Come

2008-06-14T17:19:00.003-04:00

I'll post some more photos of my ordination when I have some, but in the meantime check out the "mobile blogged" version, courtesy of my friend Mike Hayes at Googling God who was there in person.

I should also have some photos to share soon on my Flickr account.

Thanks!

2008-04-17T01:18:00.003-04:00

No, not a return. Just taking the opportunity to say thanks to you all for your kind comments and e-mails this week. A leaven to the thesis writer!

As some of you have expressed concern, my plan for now is to keep the blog where it is, in case we get nostalgic.

And, if you're up for it, come on down!:

With gratitude to God, the New Orleans

Province of the Society of Jesus announces the ordination to the presbyterate of

Jose Emilio Fetzer, S.J.

and

Mark Steven Mossa, S.J.

To be conferred by Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, D.D.

Archbishop-Emeritus of Galveston-Houston

on Saturday, the fourteenth of June, Two Thousand and Eight at eleven o’clock in the morning

Immaculate Conception Church

130 Baronne Street

New Orleans, LA

Farewell

2008-04-09T10:47:00.003-04:00

I began blogging after finding myself victim to a certain amount of slander (see “When Jesuits Attack”) for writing a not wholly complimentary review of a book by George Weigel. In my subsequent dialogue with the author of the post—who publicly apologized for making uncharitable presumptions about me merely based on that review—I thought I saw an opportunity, an opportunity to bridge a gap between people of different perspectives in the Church. So, I threw my hat into the fray and it was fun, for a while. It even appeared that I might make some progress in this endeavor and perhaps even accomplish some goals that I had set for myself in becoming aware of the various dimensions of the Catholic blogosphere—trying to encourage some positive discourse, and hoping to offer a counterweight to the negative and unfair caricature of the Society of Jesus which obtains in many a corner of that blogosphere. And, at first, there seemed to be some hope of success at this, and there are still a coterie of bloggers (you know who you are) that give me hope in this regard. Yet, I’ve grown tired of swimming against the tide. The most negative of Catholic blogs still continue to be the most popular and, like myself, the more positive bloggers seem to be posting with far less frequency. The recent General Congregation has only provide more fodder for negative speculation among those who hate the Society of Jesus, and indeed some who claim to love it. And, finally coming full circle, in a sense, I recently again found myself the victim of slander, falsely accused of being uncharitably slanderous myself, and not by a stranger like in the first case, but this time by a friend, by someone who should have known better. That almost no one, it seems, found this hard to believe, just demonstrates what we have come to expect in the Catholic blogosphere. Charity, it seems, is not among those things. It has become—and perhaps always has been—a poisonous atmosphere which I no longer desire to be a part of.

Nonetheless I have made some good friends as a result of my time here, and for this I am most grateful. Some of those friends were able to be with me at my diaconate ordination, and some will also be guests at my ordination to the priesthood in June. It is this result of my time blogging which I can most celebrate. I may not have succeeded in convincing anybody of anything, the Catholic blogosphere may be nastier than ever, but I can celebrate a community of good friends with whom I have had the privilege of journeying in these years, and whose friendship I hope to maintain. But it will be in other ways.

Recent months have been difficult for me, and the episode I describe above was just the tip of the iceberg. But the blessing and grace has been that it has forced me to examine what is most important in my life right now. In a little over two months I will be ordained a priest, and there are few things more important than that right now. It is a fulfillment of God’s will toward which I have been working for nearly 11 years. It promises new challenges and new opportunities. What a privilege it will be to invite both strangers and friends to worship, and to be able to offer them reconciliation with God! To focus on these most important things, some other things, I realize, must go by the wayside. At this point, continuing this blog is more a temptation than a real contribution. And I hope it has been a contribution, at least to some.

In my prayer these months as I prepare for ordination, I will also pray for you, my friends, who have in various ways been Christ to me these three and a half years. Please also pray for me.

As I “silence” this blog, I do so in the hope of enjoying the silence which Alfred Delp invokes when describing ordination:

In that great moment of our life when we go to be ordained, we kneel before the bishop and he silently lays his hands upon us. He is silent. You feel the blessed and creative burden of this hand through your entire being. And the congregation is silent. And this silence will surround the priest. This keeping silent, the still hands of the silent bishop, calls forth the priest from his former homeland. It calls him forth from his previous refuges, and sequesters him and encompasses him with this silence, this stillness in which he will be consecrated, so that it will accompany him all his life. This silence must surround us. We guard people's secrets in silence. We call our heart to be silent, so that it does not love where it should not love. Our will for power must be silent, because we are sent forth to be the hands of the Lord in blessing. Silent, too, must be our will for all the other things that, otherwise, could shelter and anchor and secure a life in this world. The silence accompanies us, because it is always the sign that the Lord God has come especially near.

This silence does not and must not belong only to the priest. It is shared with all. May you also know the nearness of God in such silence. Thanks.

Insight From Another Imprisoned Jesuit

2008-04-08T12:17:00.002-04:00

Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J. was executed by the Nazis. Since the charges against him were hard to substantiate, in the end it became clear that he was basically killed for being a Jesuit and a priest. I've been reading and reflecting on his writings from prison. Here's an observation which seemed especially prescient:

The Church faces the same tasks that nations and states and the western world in general have to face--the problem of human beings, how they are to be housed and fed and how they can be employed in order to support themselves. In other words we need social and economic regeneration. And then humans also must be made aware of their true nature--in other words we need intellectual and religious regeneration. These are problems for the world, for individual states and nations, and they are also problems for the Church--far more so, for instance, than the question of liturgical forms. If these problems are solved without us, or to our disadvantage, then the whole of Europe will be lost to the Church, even if every altar faces the people and Gregorian chant is the rule in every parish . . .

Alfred Delp is not well enough known. You can find out more about him here.

Return from Russia

2008-04-04T13:22:00.004-04:00

Even before becoming a Jesuit, one of the Jesuits I had come to admire most was Walter Ciszek, an American Jesuit who spent 24 years imprisoned in Russia and who was thought to be dead before his surprising return to the United States, in exchange for two Soviet agents.

As part of its centennial, America is reprinting some of its classic articles. This week's is Walter Ciszek's reflections upon his return from Russia. Here's an excerpt:

The more I see here in America, the stranger it seems in a way. For the contrast between that hidden faith [In Russia], fluttering as if it were always about to go out and yet somehow remaining alight, and the open, free and almost proud profession of faith in this country is simply staggering.

Yet when I walked through St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, do you know what impressed me most? The few people, out of all the crowds streaming by, who came in through those open doors to make a visit. I understand that my impression was not fair, that at noontime on a working day the church is jammed with office workers who take time out from their lunch hour to go to Mass and to Communion. At first glance religion here seems almost a formality, an obligation that can be dispensed with if you have been out late the night before.

In Siberia, when I said Mass, people risked arrest to come; here, they risk nothing, neither do they always come. In Krasnoyarsk and Norilsk, when people learned a priest was in town or was saying Mass at such and such a place, they came for miles, bringing their children to be baptized, going to confession before Mass and then Communion during Mass, asking to have their marriages blessed after Mass, begging me to come and bless their homes or sing the panikida (a requiem service) for members of the family who had died. They came to huts, to barracks rooms, to private homes, and they risked their jobs, their union membership, their chance for an apartment or an education for their children. Having ministered to such faith, therefore, it was incredible to me to think that people here could look on Sunday Mass as an obligation, or the supporting of their parish and their school as a burden.

I should repeat again that these were my first reactions, my impressions, and are not meant in any way as criticisms. I am only reporting what struck me when I first looked at America again. As a priest who had worked very hard to help people who were so eager just to be able to go to Mass, I could not help being struck, thunderstruck, at this initial impression of indifference to religion in a country where there was nothing to restrain its open practice.

You can read the rest here.

George Weigel & the Jesuit Charism

2008-03-26T09:31:00.003-04:00

I had this to say in response to George Weigel's column for the week of February 20, "Questions for Father General":

And, yes, the 'broad brush' approach of Weigel and Neuhaus suggest that they are not really interested in seeing what is good in the Society of Jesus. And the fact that they keep trotting out the same tired examples of what they take to be indications of overall Jesuit failure says to me that they are not really interested in looking any deeper.

While I expect that George Weigel cares little about my opinion, I am happy to stand corrected, to an extent, by his latest column, "The Ignatian Possibility Today." In it he offers, while not wholly uncritical, a refreshingly positive view of the Society of Jesus and what the Society has to offer the Church.

In my ten years as a Jesuit I have become convinced that we find ourselves at a time when the life and spirituality inspired by Saint Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises are needed more than ever. This is a gift to the Church and the world that the Society of Jesus is uniquely qualified to offer. I think this is something of what Weigel is trying to get at it when he suggests that the Jesuit religious charism might be seen as something permanent. However, from my perspective, the question of whether it is permanent isn't as important as my conviction of its necessity now, and that is why the stakes are so high for the future of the Society of Jesus (a future that I am much more optimistic about than some).

Indeed, I am not saddened by the anecdote with which Weigel begins his article, surprised and saddened as he was by the fact that a few Jesuit interlocutors were not convinced of the permanence of the Jesuit charism. For me, it represents the very humility which Ignatius himself had and encouraged in his companions. Ignatius encourages us not to be passionless about the future or the permanence of the Society, but to be indifferent about it. Ignatius expressed his awareness of the possibility that there might come a time when God no longer had use for the Society and, if that time should come, that Jesuits should recognize it as sure a sign of God's will as was his institution of the Society. I am happy to agree with Weigel that this time has not come, and is unlikely to come soon (as much as our detractors would like it to be so). The Pope, in his gracious and encouraging words to our recent General Congregation, affirmed that the Church is still very much in need of what we Jesuits have to offer.

Still questions about what shape this future contribution will take certainly remain. Both the Pope and Cardinal Rode spoke of the need for Jesuits to continue to engage the "frontiers" of the Church and the world, despite the attendant risks. Their challenge was also clear for us to further our understanding of all aspects of our charism, including the sentir cum ecclesiae ('thinking with the Church') and our fourth vow of obedience to the Pope with regard to mission. These are as much aspects of our charism as the service of faith and the promotion of justice, aspects deserving of more reflection.

Pope Benedict also pointed to the enduring nature of our charism by affirming the words of Paul VI: "Wherever in the Church, even in the most difficult and extreme fields, at the crossroads of ideologies, in the social trenches, there has been and there is confrontation between the burning exigencies of man and the perennial message of the Gospel, here also there have been, and there are, Jesuits." If our charism is indeed to be permanent, I believe that Paul VI also aptly expressed here what must be one of its enduring characteristics.

I have said more than Weigel does in his column, but I hope it to be in the same spirit. Obviously, I am a Jesuit and he is not, so there is a bit of difference in perspective. But, nevertheless, I am happy to say that I share in his concluding conviction:

Like my column, my work with Jesuits has been an expression of my conviction that the Ignatian charism ought to be a permanent one— and my hope that the community which gave the Church such heroes as Francis Xavier, Edmund Campion, Robert Southwell, Isaac Jogues, Miguel Pro, and Alfred Delp might be renewed in the image of their radical fidelity.
A.M.D.G.

A.M.D.G., indeed.

The Strife is O'er

2008-03-25T20:06:00.002-04:00

Only in the Church can the acronym STD signal good news.

My immediate future is beginning to take shape. I'm more than halfway through my final semester as a seminarian. Ordination is less than three months away. I've made plans to spend the summer in Frankfurt (Germany, not Kentucky) to study German and serve as a priest at an English-speaking parish. And, in August I will be returning to Boston to begin my studies for and STD (Doctor of Sacred Theology) in Moral Theology at the new Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Yippee!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers in recent months!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T20:20:00.003-04:00

Believe

Painting Update

2008-03-15T11:47:00.002-04:00

I've got a line on the painting! It's called "San Ignacio de Loyola y la Santisima Trinidad," and it is attributed to an 18th century Mexican painter named Francisco Martinez. It's on display at a small museum in Mexico, and I've gotten a hold of someone there. There's a possible that they might be able to get me the high quality digital image of it that I've been looking for! Keeping my fingers crossed.

Uma, Oprah, Mossa, Massa

2008-03-15T10:31:00.003-04:00

Some of you are aware that, save for one vowel, I share a name in common with another Jesuit, I being Mark S. Mossa, S.J. and he being Mark S. Massa, S.J. (this is why I tend not to use my middle initial when I write). Some have even speculated that we may in fact be the same person. To prove those conspiracy theorists wrong, we took a photo together when Mark visited here for a lecture this past month. We are so often confused by people--not because we look alike--that I often say that it is a good thing I like him. One of these days, however, I think we'll have to write a book together just to confuse everyone further.

Reflections On Being a Deacon

2008-03-15T10:18:00.003-04:00

I haven't been doing much extra-curricular writing lately, but I did contribute a short piece to our province magazine recently. The photo with the article is from my trip to the March for Life Last year. Here's another with a couple of my companions on the trip (it was cold).

You can read the article here. It's on page 7.

Painful Irony

2008-03-15T08:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was an interesting day. I finally received the official regret letter from that University in Indiana. A friend here who also faired similarly with them commented that because of the way their process works, “you get to get rejected twice.” Yesterday was also the day that the committee met to consider the STD applications, so I was a bit on edge all day about the results of that process. I think I should know by Monday.

However, in the midst of all this, I got blindsided by something I could never have imagined. It started innocently enough. I received an e-mail from a friend saying “I was reading so-and-so’s blog and was wondering if maybe you are the Jesuit at Weston with the many aliases making nasty comments on her blog?” Now I hadn’t even read a blog in weeks and, because I know that the person he was referring to knows me pretty well, I immediately wrote back saying that it couldn’t possibly be me the person was referring to as that person knows that I never comment under an alias and that furthermore I’m in the habit of writing things I do have to say in private personal e-mails rather than in comboxes. I almost left it at that.

I’m glad for the sake of the truth that I didn’t, though not for the sake of my feelings. I found the post he was referring to and, indeed, though my name was never mentioned it was clear to anyone who has been paying attention whom was being referred to—unbelievably, me! The accusation was so vile that I could hardly believe what I was reading. That I wrote things about this person’s family. That I had made comments about that person’s appearance. Things that I have never done, nor ever would do. As one of the commentors suggested, a simple e-mail or phone call would have been enough to learn that this certainly was not the case. Whether there should have been any doubt to begin with is of equal concern.

So, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon feeling hurt and violated. How could someone, especially someone with whom over the past few years I’ve shared some pretty intimate things with, even begin to think me capable of something like this? And, though thankfully there were a couple voices of reason among the commentors on that post suggesting that perhaps that person had sped too hastily to judgment based on scant evidence and without even simply asking me, there were also those who were all too eager to believe it. That I could be so unthoughtfully lumped in with the many in the blogosphere who make such comments regularly and revel in them—far too many—is not only personally painful, but also causes me great concern. I fear that such nastiness has become so a part of even Catholic blog culture that it may be too easy to think someone guilty of such unchristian behavior than to give him or her the benefit of the doubt. So, one can react without having all the facts, and without any thought as to how painful this might be for the person under attack, especially if one has gotten it wrong.

I once had dreams that I could bring something positive and helpful to this Catholic blogosphere, but this is a crushing blow. The person has already apologized to me personally, and for that I am thankful. But I’m still waiting for an apology as public and as extensive as the attack that was made on me. That will go a long way toward healing our friendship, and maybe do the blogosphere a bit of good. We’ll see . . .

Hope for the Less Focused Among Us

2008-03-13T11:25:00.002-04:00

Fr. Michael Heller, this year's winner of the Templeton Prize, has this to say:

"It is my little joke that my main drawback is I am interested in too many things," Heller modestly told the Ottawa Citizen in an interview. "So my talents, if I have any, are too-easily dissipated into too many things."

Read more

Any Art Experts Out There?

2008-03-02T17:50:00.002-05:00

Props and my enduring gratitude to anyone who can identify the artist and/or location (the physical location, not the world wide web location) of the painting below. Thanks!

Time of Testing

2008-02-28T23:32:00.002-05:00

I've heard stories in the past about men about to be ordained priests having a particularly trying time in the months leading up to ordination. I've always thought that such stories were probably apocryphal, or at least exaggerated. But, the last couple of months have begun to make me wonder if there isn't something to it. After my province meetings in December I arrived back in Boston on January 1. One of the first things I learned upon my return was that my spiritual director had died that morning. Perhaps in part because of this jarring news, the remainder of my work for the fall semester then began to take twice as long as I had anticipated, to the point where I was starting to wonder if I was going to get it done at all! I eventually did. Then the grad school roller coaster began. I received my first rejection letter before the end of January. Then my hopes that I would be invited to interview at a certain school in Indiana didn't come through. Suddenly, I was getting a sense that something had gone terribly wrong. I had made it a point to try to get my applications in early, and now I realize that was a mistake. Because between the time I'd submitted them and now I had begun to realize that what the schools wanted (though often not stated directly) and what I had given them were not quite the same. This all started to get me very stressed out, and this started to manifest itself in the form of some physical health issues. I won't go into the details, but it was very uncomfortable for a week or two in the middle of all this. And the kicker is that I have now received regret letters from all the PhD programs to which I'd applied, except from that school in Indiana whose silence started me on this roller coaster ride to begin with! It's all a little bizarre and mysterious. But the trouble in it all is that, unfortunately, I'm just not at the age where I can happily just say "better luck next year," reapply and hope for a better result. And, I've been scratching my head a little because I thought that this was what God wanted me to do.

However, the positive side of this has been that when I reached my point of crisis I started to pray about and reflect on my priorities. And I realized that this whole process has served to tear away a bit at my identity. A number of years ago one of my graduate school professors (this is when I was studying literature) expressed some doubt about my suitability for PhD studies. "Mark," he said, "you're an A minus." What he was trying to say was that he didn't see me devoting everything to being a literary scholar. And he was right, there's a lot more to me than a scholar. Now, at the end of my Jesuit formation, and on the eve of my ordination as a priest, that is even more true now than it was then. So, in recent weeks I've started to realize that I probably need to be in a program that doesn't feel so much as if it is tearing away at my identity as a Jesuit, a priest, a teacher, a writer, a minister, etc., all those things that will not take a back seat to being a scholar. Rather than pursue a PhD maybe I'm much more suited for a ThD or an STD, doctoral degrees that are as much about ministry as they are about scholarship. These will help me to achieve the goal which God has set for me as well--if not better--than the PhD programs to which I've applied.

Having arrived at this renewed sense of priorities, with a peace that tells me that I'm on the right track, I asked myself what the next best step was. I also asked a number of professors and mentors whom I trust. The result is that I have applied now also to the STD program here at Weston, which In June will become the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. And though there is no guarantee of my acceptance, I at least have the confidence that the people deciding know me in my whole person far better than those who were deciding elsewhere. So, I ask your prayers for me in this new step, this new wrinkle. And also please pray for fewer distractions for me in the coming months both for the sake of completing my thesis and preparing myself for my ordination in June. Thanks!

I hope you all are well!

The Centennial Bunch

2008-01-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

This year the New Orleans Province of the Jesuits celebrates 100 years as a province. Below is the latest pic of our men in formation, along with a pic of the Jesuit community at Spring Hill College in 1907. A little less formal, a lot more smiles, we're still going strong, ready to serve the Church for another 100 years!

The Holy Spirit's Latest Slip

2008-01-26T08:24:00.000-05:00

About a year and a half ago I wrote (The Holy Spirit is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong):

People who know what the Church should be (or is, it just doesn't know it) are wailing and gnashing their teeth because the Holy Spirit, it seems, has other ideas. Benedict XVI is a disappointment because he hasn't yet returned us to the state of the true Church (which, evidently involves ignoring everything else the Holy Spirit has done in the last fifty or so years of the Church's history). John XXIII--mistake, Vatican II--mistake, Paul VI--mistake, John Paul II--mistake. With the election of Benedict XVI, they thought the Holy Spirit had finally gotten it right. But the returns are in and it seems that the Holy Spirit screwed that one up too.

Well, it seems the Holy Spirit has gone and screwed up again. And many of the same people are convinced it's even more immediately apparent than the last time. Newly elected Jesuit Father General Adolfo Nicolas hasn't even really stepped out of the aula and already it's been decided the election was a failure. Forget the days of murmuratio, forget the days spent fasting, the hours spent praying before the Blessed Sacrament, we should have known all along that would not have any effect on the Jesuits' choice of their new leader! And how could the Pope have failed yet again by not rejecting the Jesuits' choice?

Father General Nicolas & Pope Benedict XVI met in private audience this week

What has become of the Holy Spirit? Why must she insist on inspiring things in a direction contrary to our will? After all, it can only be the work of the Holy Spirit if she inspires things in a direction in conformity with what we have decided is the correct or right direction. Right? Otherwise it's just a bunch of stupid men making the wrong decision, no matter how much prayer they've put into it. This is the logic.

For my part, I don't know enough about the new Father General to make a judgment about him. And, besides, that would be extremely premature. But I do know enough about many of the men who make up the Jesuit General Congregation to say that I trust both in their judgment and especially in their willingness to be guided by the Holy Spirit. And for now, I'm content with that.

In the meantime, maybe we can take some lessons from that other guy, the one the Holy Spirit gave us as Pope. He has managed to defy all early characterizations of what kind of Pope he would or should be. And people are starting to consider that perhaps the Holy Spirit wasn't quite so derelict after all. Indeed, the topics of his first two encyclicals would serve to remind us of the need, in our Catholic community, for two things which such harsh and premature judgments make apparent--love, and hope.

16-0

2007-12-30T00:41:00.000-05:00

A little more good news for the new year

Happy New Year!

2007-12-29T15:56:00.000-05:00

As 2008 rolls around, I'm giving thanks for many things. Among those, of course, is that this will be the year of my ordination to the priesthood. Today we had the initial meetings about the ordination liturgy, which will be in New Orleans on June 14. Above you can see the happy two to be ordained, Jose Fetzer on the left and me on the right. Please keep us in your prayers. I will be praying that the new year brings all of you many blessings!

Dancing Through Life

2007-12-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

Wow! I was right when I said it might be a while before I got back here.

I have been more or less taking a break from my virtual life. I haven't really read a blog in weeks! I'm trying to stem the tide of "senioritis" as much as possible. So, I've been taking away some of my typical ways of distracting myself. My Netflix queue has stalled, so much so that I'm think of taking a leave of absence from Netflix. On the immediate horizon are four papers, which I must complete in the coming weeks. I'm also hoping to get off to visit some of the schools which I have applied to once the new semester begins--meet me in South Bend!

The last couple of weeks have been crazy but wonderful. I served as a deacon at my nephew's Confirmation two weeks ago. I got to be there right next to the bishop when he conferred the sacrament on my nephew and about 60 others. It was an exciting moment, a long moment.

Last weekend, I made a two-day trip to New Orleans to serve as deacon at the wedding of two of my former students. Check out my America magazine article from a couple of years ago--it was the wedding of two of the students I describe there as "Alex" and "Laura." I'm thinking of writing a sequel to my article, something like "Alex and Laura Get Married." The wedding was beautiful, and again I got to be right up there front and center as the two of them made their commitment to one another. I can't tell you how happy I was to be there. I also got to proclaim the Gospel, which was an honor! The wedding also provided the opportunity to see a lot of the other students who I haven't seen in a while, and most of the ones I wrote about in my article!

So, it was a consoling week of deaconing.

I have a formation meeting coming up in Louisiana, and on the agenda is some planning for my ordination as a priest in June. I will be ordained with one other man from my province, and I'm looking forward to sitting down with him and others who will be involved with the ceremony. I'll also be talking to my provincial about plans for next year which, unless there's a dramatic change (or I don't get accepted anywhere), will be studying at one of the schools to which I've applied.

My academic work in the coming weeks will have a lot to do with probing the theological perspectives arising during and after World War II, especially with regard to the question of doing theology "after Auschwitz." It's an important topic, and I think this will just be the beginning of my work in this area.

I will also be exploring the evolution of the New England Patriots from "America's Team" to the team everyone loves to hate (not really, I'll just be enjoying their pursuit of the perfect season, and hoping they don't choke in the playoffs). And, as I've made it to the final four, I'm hoping Tom Brady will help propel me to my fantasy football league championship!

Wishing everyone a Blessed Christmas, as I don't know when you'll find me here again! Peace be with you!

Catching Up With My Life

2007-11-11T12:49:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me the other day if I was still celebrating the Red Sox’s World Series victory. I told her that I haven’t really had time (but I did get my t-shirt!). The truth is that I haven’t had time for much extra lately, thus the silence here on the blog. It’s been hard even to let the reality of “deaconhood” sink in, despite the fact that I have been serving as a deacon at a number of masses lately. And, I’m preparing to preach at my parish’s 9:30 Mass next weekend, which I’m looking forward to, despite the challenge of the pre-Advent apocalyptic readings! What else have I been doing, you ask? Well there is the normal business of attending classes and doing homework. I have a thesis proposal due in two and a half weeks that I’m working on. I’m also in the midst of writing PhD applications for programs in moral theology/theological ethics (I’m applying to Princeton, Notre Dame, Duke and Boston College, each of which are pretty different, but all of which hold unique advantages for the work I’m interested in and the pace at which I want to complete my studies [fast!]). For that I had to take the GREs for the first time in 15 years! Back in the old days, we actually took them on paper, so I had to adjust to the computerized version. I also had to request transcripts from all my previous schools, hopefully for the last time! Then there is the small matter of thinking about the various details connected with my ordination as a priest in 7 months! So, as you can guess, my mind is very much on things of the future. But I still have plenty of ministry responsibilities and homework that I have to take care of in the now. In the midst of this, I have just taken on a couple of new people for spiritual direction, which could be just another thing, but is actually a great blessing because I enjoy it so much. There are few things as rewarding as journeying with someone else in their relationship with God. Oh the amazing things God is doing with people, right under our very noses!

Despite the busyness, I am thankful because it forces me to be motivated and focused on things that will allow me to better serve God and his people which, ultimately, is what it’s all about. And, though it’s going to be a lot of work, I’m really excited about my thesis project which will examine various theological perspectives on the experience of abandonment from the individual experience of feeling abandoned by God, to the abandonment experienced by people in the various genocides of the last century, to the abandonment experience of Jesus himself. This will all serve as a foundation for asking the question: What responsibilities do we as Christians have to those who are abandoned? The project is in its early stages, but I think it will be very worthwhile, even if its likely not to arrive at a single definitive answer. This is in part inspired by a very interesting course I’m taking at Harvard this semester on the German Church struggle and the Holocaust.

As for those PhD applications, I know I’m aiming high, applying to what are considered to be among the best programs. So, your prayers that I at least be accepted to one or two of the four would be appreciated! I know it’s a little early, but if I don’t have an opportunity to write again before then (the Thanksgiving recess is an important time for working on papers)—Happy Thanksgiving!

Beaten up . . .

2007-11-05T00:10:00.001-05:00

. . . but still undefeated! (Darn those Colts are good!)

Patriots 24, Colts 20 in a squeaker.

A perfect time for a bye week!

CHAMPS

2007-10-29T00:38:00.000-04:00

The Boston Red Sox are World Series Champs and people are celebrating on their free furniture!

Now I can get back to the rest of my life.

Dustin Time

2007-10-22T00:25:00.000-04:00

Pedroia seals the deal!

The Boston Red Sox are the American League Champions!

The World Series returns to Boston Wednesday.

J.D. Who?

2007-10-20T23:53:00.000-04:00

Boston 12, Cleveland 2

J.D. Drew and the Red Sox force ALCS Game 7!

Love that dirty water!

Who Wants to Be America's Next Top Writer?

2007-10-15T13:18:00.000-04:00

I received this ad in my e-mail today for a school trying to recruit people to come there and study writing.

I'm sure all you writers out there will agree that the writing life is as glamorous as it looks!

Certainly this ad proves that advertising your writing program is more than words!

Look-Alikes?

2007-10-15T09:19:00.000-04:00

In the comments, Penni says she thinks Dad looks like Gordon Clapp. Whattya think?

Oh, Slay Me!

2007-10-12T23:16:00.000-04:00

There's Nothing to Sing About . . .

Buffy will no longer be coming to a theater near you:

After learning that fans of the canceled cult favorite have been, horror of horrors, demonstrating their undying love for the show by attending theatrical screenings of the Emmy-nominated musical episode "Once More, with Feeling" for the past year, 20th Century Fox's attorneys started sharpening their stakes.

The studio, which owns the rights to the former WB (then UPN) dramedy red-lighted the dress-up and sing-along tour this week, canceling all future screenings—including a three-night run scheduled to kick off tonight in St. Louis at the Tivoli theater, which had already sold out for Friday's show . . .

Got a theory? Read the whole story . . .

The Family Pic

2007-10-12T17:00:00.001-04:00

Ordination Day, Part 1

2007-10-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

The Bishop was late--he got lost, and ended up at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. He was rescued and arrived in time to start at about 10:20. As we gathered at the back of the church for the procession, the clicking of an ineffective grill igniter was heard, followed by the words "does anyone have a match?" Someone was dispatched to get something, and we eventually entered with candles lit, at about verse 2 of the opening song. One of the deacons who was supposed to sing the Kyrie, couldn't find the page in the book, so we eventually moved on, just saying the words. This was a portent of things to come. To the trained eye, the liturgy was in many ways a mess. But it was also wonderful, and I think that was what most people noticed.

It was hot, in the 70s, and the church is not air conditioned. Yet, it did not seem nearly as hot as it had during the rehearsal the day before (when I wasn't draped in fabric). And the late start allowed those of my guests who are typically late--you know who you are--to actually be on time. It also allowed Penni & Amy a breather after their four hour drive from New Jersey.

I was thankful that I was not the first to go up to the Bishop each time we were called upon to do so. Each time, I had several people in front of me, to remind me what to do! I was also glad I hadn't depended upon counting for the question and response period--several "I dos," finishing with "I do, with the help of God" after the last--because the Bishop accidentally left one out. I had stored away enough of the last question in my head to know when to say the final response, as it seemed did most of my brothers. What did he leave out? Comically, it was the part about celibacy. But, since we all have a vow of chastity already, that was more or less redundant anyway. Nevertheless, as we gathered with the Bishop for a photo afterward, he was sure to remind us that this was understood.

The Litany of the Saints is my favorite part of the ordination liturgy, but this was my first time doing it lying on the floor. I soon realized that trying to sing it was going to be awkward with my face so close to the floor. So, after a couple attempts, I opted for silent listening. It was wonderful to hear the names of all the saints sung, especially the part in which several Jesuit saints are included--Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Robert Bellarmine, Edmund Campion. Not all my thoughts were so pious. Since my vision of life is so colored by my love of movies, I remembered that the opening scene of the movie The Prophecy featured several men being ordained lying prostrate, one of them the main character who stands and interrupts the ceremony, realizing he can't go through with it. Consolingly, I felt confident enough to remain where I was. I went back to enjoying the litany. However, when the singing ended, but the music continued, I began to worry--did we have a cue as to when we were supposed to get up? I peaked over at Anthony lying next to me, just to make sure he was still there. Shortly thereafter, everybody was invited to "please stand," and I knew that was also our cue!

When it came time for the laying on of hands. Bill, who went first, knelt before the bishop and closed his eyes. He didn't feel anything, but opened his eyes to see the Bishop looking as if he were done. So, he got up and returned to his seat. For whatever reason, the Bishop didn't go so far as to touch any of our heads, his hands just hovered over them. Several guests expressed concern about this later, but were assured that the ordination was indeed valid nevertheless.

My knees don't do very well on hard surfaces. So, the most difficult part for me was during the prayer of consecration, when we were all called upon to kneel around the bishop. At the beginning, I felt as if I'd received some grace, as my knees were not as uncomfortable as they were at the rehearsal the day before. Yet, as things dragged on, my knees creeped closer and closer to giving out. My body was shaking, and I hoped it wasn't too noticeable. I distracted myself by offering my discomfort up for all those who had asked my prayers. And, as it seemed that I couldn't take it anymore, the prayer finished. But I looked to the MC and he motioned for us to remain kneeling! Thankfully, this was only for a few more seconds. As my hands quickly went to the floor, I noticed several others had quickly done the same, so I guessed I wasn't alone.

The ordination rite was finished, so we moved to our assigned places to be vested by those friends we had invited to do so. My good friend and Jesuit priest Jim, who I worked with in New Orleans, helped me into my stole and dalmatic.

To be continued . . .

Moonlight

2007-10-09T10:59:00.000-04:00

For all you fellow Buffy/Joss Whedon fans out there: If any of you have seen the new show "Moonlight," can you convince me that it's not just an inferior rip-off of "Angel." Am I missing something?

A Few More Ordination Photos

2007-10-09T00:14:00.000-04:00

Looking like a deacon (it's not every day you get to wear a dalmatic).

The New Orleans Province contingent. Thanks brothers!

Me & my Dad (Amy & Penni provide the background).

With my aunts Helen, Diane & Paula.

You might guess it was a happy day!

Proof

2007-10-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

Well, it happened. The bishop got lost (in Boston, imagine that), so we started half an hour late, but in the end I and eight others were ordained deacons. At this point, I'm too tired to give you all the details, except a couple of photos provided by Penni & Amy who made the trip to be there. I promise more when I get them! In the meantime, you can get a brief report on Penni's blog. I must sleep . . .

Really Real

2007-10-05T01:04:00.000-04:00

Back in Philosophy Studies we used to talk sometimes about the "really real." Well, albs have been bought, guests are arriving, rehearsal is this afternoon. It seems that ordination--to the diaconate (spell check hates this word) this go around--has entered the realm of the really real. The really real is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday, at 10:00 am. Wherever you are, pray for the nine of us being ordained deacons here in Cambridge at that time. And if you're nearby, come join us!!

On the Need for Reform, or Getting What You Pray For

2007-10-02T13:59:00.000-04:00

I just had a look at a blog whose purpose avowedly is to promote the reformation of the Jesuits. But, from what I can tell, what it is up to is basically dishing out gossip about the Jesuits—taken out of context, of course. Worse yet, the blog’s author pretends to be a great Jesuit Saint who would be appalled at what his name is being attached to. Perhaps the author has good intentions, but reading the blog one does not see them to be in evidence.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I am a “company man” when it comes to attacks on the Jesuits. Not that I can claim to support everything that individual brother Jesuits say and do. But I do, as Saint Ignatius instructed, always try to give the best interpretation possible to those actions and words. I also recognize that while it may not be the way that I might have done it or said it, it may be inspired by the same Spirit as my actions and words, as Saint Ignatius also recognized. Plus, in humility I must recognize that my actions and words may not always be right or commendable.

After more than ten years of formation as a Jesuit, I think I can confidently say that I know more about the Society of Jesus than most of those who criticize our least Society. I can tell you with confidence that from my perspective the Society does not need to be reformed, at least not in the image of most of those who are calling for it to be. The problem is that they read Jesuit documents and come up with some mythic image of what they think the Society once was and think that is what it was meant to be. But Saint Ignatius’ image of the Jesuits was not of some static organization, but rather of one that would respond to the challenges of each era in the Church’s history. If Saint Ignatius had insisted on sticking to his initial vision of the Society, Jesuit schools would have never existed. They weren’t in the original plan.

What the Society of Jesus has always been good at is responding to the signs of the times. The Society has also always been good at attracting men of great passion. So, there will always be those among us who, in their enthusiasm, go a bit too far in responding to the signs of the times. And there will always be those who do not go far enough. Leaving most of the rest of us somewhere in the middle. And it is that middle, the heart of the Society, that many our critics (and even some of our fans) never take sufficient notice of. The Society of Jesus is made up of men who, for the most part, never attract much notice beyond their immediate apostolate. These are the men who faithfully go about the work of God day by day without pretension, touching lives in big and small ways, but in ways that generally don’t make headlines. They are the true "Good Old-Fashioned Saint Ignatius Jesuits." These are the men who also, I think, are most hurt by those who attack the Society.

I pray constantly that I can live up to the example of the men whose names you do not know.

The Society of Jesus is changing, the Holy Spirit is taking care of that in ways disseminating Jesuit gossip will never achieve. The signs of the times demand it, as they have before. Each subsequent generation of Jesuits has been different, made up of a different mix of men focused on different things. This generation will be no different. And each generation of Jesuits has had its detractors and critics. If we are living up to our mission and our spirituality, that’s the way it must be. In the Spiritual Exercises, every Jesuit is invited to pray for persecution. And we always seem to get our share. And so, perhaps, the existence of a blog like the one I described isn’t such a bad thing. Though I think it misguided, it may finally serve as evidence that we Jesuits are not so far off the mark after all. We’re getting what we prayed for.

Who knew?

2007-09-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

Last week, for one of my classes, I was reading Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism, and was interested to come across the following in her discussion of pre-Nazi Germany:

“What they conspicuously lacked, despite all high-sounding nationalist phrases, was a real nationalist or other ideology. After the first World War, when the German Pan-Germans, especially Ludendorff and his wife, recognized this error and tried to make up for it, they failed despite their remarkable ability to appeal to the most superstitious beliefs of the masses because they clung to an outdated nontotalitarian state worship and could not understand that the masses’ furious interest in the so-called ‘suprastate powers’ (uberstaatliche Machte)—i.e. the Jesuits, the Jews and the Freemasons—did not spring from nation or state worship but, on the contrary, from envy and the desire also to become a ‘suprastate power.’”

All this time, and I've been blissfully ignorant of my membership in a "suprastate power." Maybe a good icebreaker at parties?--Oh, by the way, did you know that I belong to a suprastate power?

Overheard in My Jesuit Community

2007-09-30T15:51:00.000-04:00

So, me and one of my Jesuit brothers (who is also being ordained next Saturday) are sitting watching some college football about 10:30 on Saturday night.

Enter one of the recently ordained priests we live with.

"So, hey, this is your last Saturday night as a lay persons! You should celebrate!"

True, I think, but I wasn't really thinking about that. I was just thinking that it looks like Auburn is going to beat Florida (sorry Karen!).

"Hey thanks for the reminder" (as if the reality of it all isn't already hitting us hard enough!).

"Oh, look, what a play!!"

We go back to watching football.

And Florida did lose (sorry again, Karen). That might be celebration enough!

Sweet!!

2007-09-29T00:49:00.000-04:00

The Boston Red Sox are the AL East Champs!

Congrats also to all the Cubs fans out there!

Announcement

2007-09-24T08:27:00.001-04:00

For some reason, my scanner is cutting off part of the text, but you get the idea! That's "ten o'clock in the morning," "Cambridge, Massachusetts."

God in the Dock, Really!

2007-09-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

Interesting news from Omaha:

A legislator who filed a lawsuit against God has gotten something he might not have expected: a response. One of two court filings from 'God' came Wednesday under otherworldly circumstances, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha.

read all about it.

News From Around the World

2007-09-20T10:47:00.000-04:00

This is the time of year in my community when everyone is sharing their stories of the summer. Last night, one of my brother Jesuits was telling stories of being a newly ordained priest, and the only priest in a refugee camp in Africa. If you read Spanish, you can read some of his reflections in a blog he kept this summer here (if you don't read Spanish, there are still some lovely photographs worth checking out). My superior attended a number of different ordinations this summer. In the period of about a week he was present at the ordinations of some of our Spanish brothers, and that of one from Poland. "Very different," he said, "but both very beautiful."

One of my friends in the community is from Chile. He was also ordained this summer. When I saw him at one of our first masses upon returning, he said, "Remind me that I have something to tell you." After mass I caught up to him and said, "Well . . . " He told me of how he had met a young man this summer who was interested in becoming a Jesuit. They talked about discerning a vocation and this young man explained that where he was from there were no Jesuits nearby and, indeed, there were many in his Catholic community who were critical of the Jesuits. This made things difficult for him. But, he said, the internet helped him to learn more positive things about the Jesuits, despite the negativity around him. He went on to say that especially enjoyed reading the blog of an American Jesuit named Mark Mossa. "Do you know him?" he asked my friend. "Of course I know him, he's a member of my community," he replied. Yet another of many "small world" stories.

Of course, I was happy to learn I have a fan in Chile. But, more importantly, it was nice to know that this blog is, at least in this case, achieving one of its main purposes. I started this blog not because I was hoping that people might become more interested in me, but largely in hopes that through me that people might become more interested in God, the Church and, perhaps a little more selfishly, the Society of Jesus. I also hoped that by reading about my vocation, that others might be helped in discerning their own. So, it makes me very happy to learn that for this young man in Chile this has been the case, and I'm keeping him in my prayers.

L'Engle Again

2007-09-20T10:20:00.000-04:00

For those of us already missing Madeleine L'Engle, Jana Riess offers a nice and fitting tribute in Publisher's Weekly:

This began my love affair with the books of Madeleine L'Engle—books I saved my hard-earned allowance for, devoured quickly, then returned to, savoring them again and again. When I was applying to colleges, my Wellesley application asked me to write about any individual—past or present, real or fictitious—I would most want to learn from as an apprentice, and to explain why. I chose Madeleine L'Engle, not because I wanted to be a writer—I had no literary ambitions and (incredibly, now) aspired to practice international law—but because I wanted to be her. Her books had stretched my imagination, and while I didn't know it at the time, they formed the core of my fledgling Christian beliefs.

Read it all here.

Why Are We Here? The University as Alternative to Religion?

2007-09-16T15:06:00.000-04:00

Here are some excerpts from an interesting piece in Sunday's Boston Globe, "Why Are We Here?", by Anthony Kronman of Yale University, followed by some of my thoughts:

In a shift of historic importance, America's colleges and universities have largely abandoned the idea that life's most important question is an appropriate subject for the classroom. In doing so, they have betrayed their students by depriving them of the chance to explore it in an organized way, before they are caught up in their careers and preoccupied with the urgent business of living itself. This abandonment has also helped create a society in which deeper questions of values are left in the hands of those motivated by religious conviction - a disturbing and dangerous development. . .

. . . In the humanities, however, the legacy of the research ideal has been mixed. We know vastly more today than we did even 50 years ago about the order of Plato's dialogues, the accuracy of Gibbon's citations, and how Benjamin Franklin spent his time in Paris. But the research ideal has excluded the question of life's meaning from serious academic concern as a question too large, too unformed, too personal, to be a subject of specialized research. A tenure-minded junior professor studying Shakespeare or Freud or Spinoza might re-inspect every scrap of his subject's work with the hope of making some small but novel discovery - but would be either very brave or very foolish to write a book about Spinoza's suggestion that a free man thinks only of life, never of death; or about Freud's appealing, if enigmatic, statement that the meaning of life is to be found in work and love. . .

. . . Conservatives who bemoan our schools' disengagement from spiritual questions often point a finger at political correctness, a stifling culture of moral and political uniformity based on progressive ideals. But to blame political correctness reverses the order of causation. The culture of political correctness is only a symptom, a discouraging response to a larger sense of directionlessness in the humanities.
Multiculturalism, anti-colonialism, and insistence on race and gender as organizing principles of study are an expression of the anxious search for a new and morally honorable role for the humanities once their older role as guides to the meaning of life lost its credibility. It is that older role we now need to recover.
Can the meaning of life be studied independent of religion? There are many who doubt that it can. They say that any program of this sort must rest on religious beliefs, which have lost their status as a source of authority in higher education. But that is a mistake. For even after the rise of the research university, with its secular and scientific culture, there were humanists who believed that the question of life's meaning can be studied in a disciplined but nonreligious way. Their approach gives us a model to follow today. . .
. . . There is an increasing demand among undergraduates for courses that address the big questions of life, in all their sprawling grandeur, without reticence or embarrassment. At Harvard, Michael Sandel's famous course on justice, which explores the meaning of the concept from Aristotle to Mill and beyond, draws hundreds of students each year. Ten percent of the freshmen at Yale now apply to Directed Studies - more than can be admitted.
Most importantly, perhaps, the great upsurge of religious fundamentalism outside our colleges and universities is a sign of the growing appetite for spiritual direction. These movements can be a source of danger and division, and intellectuals may mock and despise them, but teachers also ought to see in them the energy that will drive the restoration of the question of life's meaning - and, with that, of the humanities themselves - to a central place in our colleges and universities. The fundamentalists have the wrong answers, but they've got the right questions. We need to learn to ask them again in school.
Our culture may be spiritually impoverished, but what it needs is not more religion. What it needs is an alternative to religion, for colleges and universities to become again the places they once were - spiritually serious but nondogmatic, concerned with the soul but agnostic about God. . .

During my years as a graduate student in English Literature I was continually disappointed by the fact that few—if any—of my professors were interested in literature for the same reasons that I was. I was interested in how literature spoke to the “big questions”—the meaning of life, how we should live, what it means to be a person, etc. Unfortunately, most of my professors seemed more concerned with discovering obscure facts about authors and works (which is not without value, I admit) or with deconstructing or dispensing with the very types of meaning with which I was concerned. I was told by some professors at the time that I could make a career of exploring the religious aspects of works of literature because nobody else was doing it, but also that if I were to do so I was likely to be marginalized, especially since I was a Catholic, and worse, a serious one.

So I read with interest this piece which appeared in Sunday’s Boston Globe, “Why Are We Here?”, by Anthony Kronman of Yale. In the article he despairs at the failure of the contemporary university to confront and engage those very questions about the meaning of life. It is an important critique of the contemporary university, and he diagnoses the problem well. He urges universities to return to their historic roots and become places where once again such questions are pondered. To that I say “Amen.”

However, there is also a strange irony to his argument in that the urgency he feels is based upon a fear that without such a return the place where such questions are asked will become the environs of religion, “a disturbing and dangerous development.” His urgency is based on his belief that universities must provide “an alternative to religion.” This fear betrays the fact that his concerns are much more modern than he realizes. He seems to forget that the very idea of a university was forged in a culture that was at ease with religion, not threatened by it. Yes, the meaning of life can be studied independent of religion. Indeed, if taken seriously, it may even be wise to begin there. But the result should not be “an alternative to religion,” but an engagement of religion. To ignore the ways in which people throughout the centuries have answered questions of meaning for fear of being persuaded by some religion or another is to fail to engage the question fully and to ignore the riches of the human spirit. Ultimately, one can arrive at no satisfactory answer to the question “Why are we here?” ignorant of humankind’s religious sensibility and religious heritage. To do so would be to undermine his very argument about the importance of engaging such questions.

Splitting Hairs With Stephen Colbert on Mother Teresa

2007-09-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

Father Jim Martin, SJ plays straight man to Stephen Colbert on the doubt of Mother Teresa.

"Well you did invite a Jesuit onto the show," he says in his defense. And what's that about M.Div Comps?

Enjoy!

Goodbye, Meg

2007-09-08T10:53:00.000-04:00

There are only a few authors that I can say that I have been reading almost my entire life. C.S. Lewis is one. Another is Madeleine L'Engle whose book A Wrinkle in Time first captured my imagination when I was in grade school, and whose work I'm inspired by to this very day. Her book on faith and art, Walking on Water has especially meant a lot to me in recent years. She died Thursday at the age of 88. Meg, the protagonist of A Wrinkle in Time, and its sequels, is a literary character that has long stayed with me and with whom I identify Madeleine L'Engle with, as she did herself. The memory of both will no doubt continue to inspire, though Madeleine will be missed. Here's an excerpt from one of the many obituaries to appear in the last couple of days:

L'Engle was best known for her children's classic, "A Wrinkle in Time," which won the John Newberry Award as the best children's book of 1963. By 2004, it had sold more than 6 million copies, was in its 67th printing and was still selling 15,000 copies a year, the New York Times reported.

She had been the writer-in-residence and librarian at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

In November 2000, she told an interviewer for Religion and Ethics Newsweekly that suffering and grief are a part of life.

"In times when we are not particularly suffering, we do not have enough time for God," she said. "We are too busy with other things. And then the intense suffering comes, and we can not be busy with other things. And then God comes into the equation. Help. And we should never be afraid of crying out, ‘Help!' I need all the help I can get."

Goodbye, Meg.

Stood Up

2007-09-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

Don't believe it! Karen Hall made some noise recently about the two of us finally breaking bread. Well, today was the day. But, two hours before I was going to get in the car to drive to Rhode Island to meet her, she called and cancelled!

So, now I think you'll all agree it just might be incumbent upon here to come up here to Cambridge on October 6 for my diaconate ordination. She could act as "reporter" for those of you unable to make it.

It wasn't a total loss. I got to have dinner with my community and greet some of our new international members! "You could drive to Chicago and meet me," she said. I'm not sure she realizes how far Chicago is from Boston (1000 miles).

I'm Ready For Some Football!

2007-09-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

Today was draft day for my Fantasy Football League. Last year I played for the first time and enjoyed it enough to try again. This year, I joined a league made up primarily of Catholic priests and seminarians, featuring such teams as the Justin Martyrs and Extreme Unction. My team's called the Patriots & Saints, after my two favorite NFL teams (who, to my dismay, both were one win short of making the Super Bowl last year). Thus, appropriately, I managed to pick up Tom Brady & Reggie Bush for my team! Last year I made the playoffs, but lost in the first round. I'm hoping Tom & Reggie will help me go all the way this year! My league last year was pretty sedate, no trash talking. I wonder if they'll be any of that in this league and, if so, what it will be like? I'll keep you posted.

Being There, Saying The Words

2007-09-02T17:32:00.000-04:00

Much of my silence this summer was due to the fact that I was engaged in CPE, an intensive summer practicum in hospital chaplaincy. The 400+ hours of work, plus about 100 hours spent commuting, over eleven weeks left time for little else. But it was a rich and valuable, if exhausting, experience. You can expect that I’ll probably be offering some reflections on that experience in the weeks to come. Here’s one.

with thanks for A

On Monday morning the group of us twelve summer interns would gather for some role play exercises. On one Monday morning, not quite halfway into the program, we were interrupted by a knock at the door. They needed a chaplain in the emergency room. I’ll admit that I wasn’t quick to volunteer and A, who had been doing much of her work in that department anyway, said she would go. I turned my attention back to the role play of the day.

Not five minutes later, A returned. “They want a Catholic,” she said. All eyes turned to me. You see, I was the only Catholic among the summer interns, so that meant me. I somewhat embarrassedly—because I consider A a much better hospital chaplain than myself—stood up to go. A came with me.

I arrived at Emergency, the Catholic, to find an unconscious man surrounded by his wife, daughter, son and son-in-law. The man had suffered a sudden stroke that morning, and they weren’t sure about what was going to happen next. A watched as I greeted the unconscious man, introduced myself, told him why I was there, and offered to pray. I joined hands with the grieving family around the bed. I prayed Catholic prayers. They were grateful and thanked me, and seemed to be indicating they were done with me. I’d given them what they wanted.

Surely that couldn’t be it?! I was there to talk with them, to help them through this difficult time. Surely my job wasn’t just to pray, and go? Was it? So, I stubbornly stayed, and waited, feeling more and more like a fifth wheel. A managed to talk a bit to the son (which seemed to affirm that they’d have been better of with her than this Catholic), but I felt like the rest of them were wondering why’s he still here? Eventually, I found an opportunity to make an awkward exit.

Later, I found myself angry at this family. Why all the fuss about wanting a Catholic, if that was it?! A could have done a much better job praying with them. She’d even learned the Hail Mary for just such an instance! How dare they not grieve in a rational way! How dare they not grieve the way that I expected them too!

And I realized that was it, wasn’t it? I was making this about me, not them. I resented the fact that they hadn’t made use of me, except as a dispenser of Catholic prayers.

But shouldn’t I have been thankful that I had been able to be there for them in their grief, to say the words that would bring some comfort? If it’s not about me, then that’s what it’s about—bringing Christ into the room—and then, yeah, maybe, they don’t need me to hang around.

It took me a little while to get to this realization, but a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see it from another perspective. I was reading Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking where she recounts how she dealt—or didn’t—with her husband’s death. I recommend the book highly. Early in the book, she describes being in the hospital on the night of her husband’s death. Almost as an aside, she mentions, “They asked if I wanted a priest. I said yes. A priest appeared and said the words. I thanked him.” Then she moves on. At first I again felt that question, “That’s it?!” welling up inside of me. And then not a question, but a conviction: Yeah, that’s it. The grieving widow expressed a desire for something holy, something of God. The priest appeared; he was there. He said the words. She was grateful. Communion. What more was necessary at that moment?

Maybe later the offending family would ask again for more. But, for the moment, the words were what they needed. And I had the duty and the privilege of being there to speak them. Maybe it is the case that anybody could be there, anybody could say the words, and many better. But for some reason the responsibility has been given to me. And for that I, too, should be grateful.

My Point of View

2007-09-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

Joseph Fromm, at his encouragingly entitled blog, “Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit” (I, his recent post seems to imply, am one of the latter), says of me, “People read his blog and can get confused to his point of view.” Well, many of you have been reading my blog much longer than Joseph, are you confused? He cites as evidence that among the top links on my blog are ones he deems incompatible—DotCommonweal (for which many of my friends write, and on which I frequently comment) and A Little Battalion (for which, along with several friends, I am one of the contributors). Maybe he'd think it confusing that I have friends in both places, too. But they're good ones, and I'm afraid I'm not giving them up just to avoid the possibility that some might be confused. ( Just to add to the confusion, I’ve added a few more links to that top links section).

You see, I’ll admit to having a bias against swimming in one “theological stream,” as he put it, because, frankly, Catholicism does not and never has had only one theological stream. Jesus somehow finds a way to speak to us in all streams, and if we only go looking in one, we’re only going to get part of the message. That’s my point of view, anyway. Indeed, I think there is ample evidence to show these days that people who swim only in one stream—and I don’t point to any particular one—often seem to miss out on the part of Christ’s message which has to do with charity. So, part of my point of view (if it can be said to be a point of view, it’s probably more of a mission) is to point that out, and when I do the response is sometimes far from charitable—yes, bad, bad Jesuit.

So, how, in general, can I characterize my point of view, so as to be less confusing? I know! Let’s just say my point of view is a Catholic point of view. It may not be your Catholic point of view. It may not be what you consider to be the Catholic point of view. But it’s a Catholic point of view from the perspective of one who dares to read Commonweal, First Things and America, and who sees no inconsistency in encouraging others to do the same.

So, I hope you're not confused. But I also hope that you're not so familiar with my point of view that you're bored. And I especially hope, whether or not you think you have me figured out, that I still have the capacity to surprise you once in a while! And, for that matter, I hope Jesus does too!

Note: The above referenced post seems to have disappeared.

Anne Lamott: Good News or Sad News?

2007-08-31T14:29:00.000-04:00

I don't usually post during my retreat, but I found myself praying about my mixed feelings about Anne LaMott, believe it or not, and then happened to see one of Amy Welborn's recent posts. So, I took a little time for reflection and wrote down a few things. It'll be a few days before I get to managing comments on this, but maybe some of you are feeling similarly.

Several years ago a good friend sent me a copy of Traveling Mercies, by Anne LaMott. I’m not sure any other book has inspired in me such emotion as that one. I laughed. I cried. Indeed, somewhat embarrassedly while reading it on a plane. It remains one of the best spiritual books I have ever read—brutally honest, sad, funny and inspiring. I continue to recommend it, and am currently without a copy because I insisted that someone go ahead and take mine.

I enjoyed her follow-up to Traveling Mercies, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, though not as much. Her frequent digs at President Bush in essay after essay were distracting, despite the fact that I in large part agree with her opinion of the president. However, there was still many of those unexpected, disarming and deep spiritual insights that made Traveling Mercies so good. I admire her greatly as a writer as well, and count her Bird by Bird among the best books on writing that I know.

However, I must admit being taken aback when I heard about her outburst regarding abortion at an event last year featuring her, Richard Rohr and Jim Wallis. Her angry pro-choice rant didn’t sit well with her co-panelists or the largely Christian audience. Her later remarks, explaining that she didn’t realize that the audience was largely Catholic (or maybe she may not have come?), also struck me as somewhat anti-Catholic.

So, when her new book, the follow up to Plan B, was published this year, I was not sure I wanted to read it, and still haven’t. There are many lines she has stepped over in her writing which I have been willing to accept, even appreciate, because of the faithful insights which accompany them, but I’ve had a hard time with this one. The president Bush-bashing I found a distraction, but one that I could overcome, wishing the editor might have had a bit of a heavier hand, but her strong conviction that the person of faith’s belief in civil rights should include belief in a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion is, I admit, a stumbling block for me.

However, despite opinion to the contrary, I find it difficult to greet as “Good News From Creighton” (as advertised on Amy’s blog) that a planned appearance by LaMott has been cancelled there for this reason. Knowing how much Anne LaMott has to offer I can only regard it as sad news, even if I understand and even support the reasoning. I find such an occurrence especially sad because it brings out the worst in people. Suddenly, people forget about all the good a person has done, all the people that someone like Anne LaMott has introduced to the reality of forgiveness and inspired to faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, we get comments like “It was never a closely guarded secret what she was” (my emphasis, the what in this case clearly not meant as a compliment) and, of course, the requisite “wow, a Jesuit university standing up for/adhering to Catholic principals, it’s rather novel . . .” (as the comment is rather tired).

No, it has not been a closely guarded secret who Anne Lamott is because for years she has courageously shared with us the best and worst of herself, all in hopes of showing us how important it is that we, at our best and worst, are loved by Christ, and hopefully he by us. So, while I lament the fact that something has gotten in the way of me loving Anne LaMott the writer, I also lament the fact that it seems to have gotten in the way of some of us loving Anne LaMott, our sister in Christ. Maybe all this gets in the way of inviting her to come speak at a nearby Catholic university, but I’d still like to sit down and have coffee with her one of these days and talk about her love for Jesus. I know that would be a grace.

I'm Outta Here . . .

2007-08-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

. . . like Alberto Gonzales.

Except, I'll be back in 8 days. I'm going on retreat.

Prayers appreciated.

Mother's Day

2007-08-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to Mother Teresa!
She would have been 97 today.

Mother Teresa has long been a great inspiration to me, and some of her insights are important to some academic projects taking form in my head.

Her published journal writings, "Come Be My Light," will be available in a few weeks, and I have a copy on the way! I'll let you know what I think once I've read it.

In the meantime may her prayers strengthen all of us to imitate her example of holiness according to our individual vocations!

Sing This With Me This is 40 . . .

2007-08-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

Some of you who are around my age probably know that, back in the 80s, U2 finished all their concerts with a song called "40." I was lucky enough to see them do so twice that decade.

If you know this, you may have noticed that the Psalm at this Sunday morning's mass sounded a little familiar. That's because it was Psalm 40, from which the U2 song gets its name, and lyrics.

This was a happy coincidence as this Sunday also happened to be the day of my 4oth birthday!

Here are the lyrics, as arranged by U2:

I waited patiently for the Lord
He inclined and heard my cry
He brought me up out of the pit
Out of the miry clay

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song?
How long...how long...how long...
How long...to sing this song

He set my feet upon a rock
And made my footsteps firm
Many will see
Many will see and fear

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song?
How long...how long...how long...

I had a fairly sedate birthday with my parents in Key West, a nice place to do it.

I will sing, sing a new song . . .

Saint Ignatius, Pray for Us

2007-07-31T06:52:00.000-04:00

Recently I've found myself offering ministry to wounded veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. On this feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who himself suffered lifelong wounds from battle, I pray for our founder's intercession that our wounded may find purpose and meaning on the road to healing as Saint Ignatius did. May the Lord bring healing to their bodies, minds and souls.

Some of my Jesuit brothers of the New Orleans province have premiered a new on-line video resource, The Jesuit Review, Check it out!

For Those Who Despair at the Frequent Negativity of the Catholic Blogosphere . . .

2007-07-27T20:33:00.000-04:00

My introduction to the Catholic blogosphere came nearly 3 years ago when a now fellow blogger took some exception at something I wrote in America magazine. I wasn't blogging then. The systematic attack on my article and, to a certain degree, my person was entitled "When Jesuits Attack," which I must admit I still get a kick out of. I challenged the author of that post for assuming a number of things about me, when he didn't even know me. I suggested to him that perhaps we had more in common than he imagined. Turns out, when we explored things a little, that this indeed was the case. The result was that, though he has never backed away from his criticisms of my article, we actually began a correspondence which has lasted since that time.

It was also the encounter that got me interested in blogging myself. I have had similar encounters with several fellow bloggers in the ensuing years and can tell you that often bloggers are much more charitable and gracious than their blogging persona betrays. Still, that does not excuse how positively unChristian some people can be at times. And anybody who knows this blog knows that I frequently criticize the meanness often encountered in the blogosphere and try my best to avoid it here (and, thankfully, I have friends who don't hesitate to admonish me if I step a little over that line). That's why I was so happy, and humbled, to read the recent post by Dale Price where he revisits our first acquaintance. He graciously says of me:

"Mark was then and has remained unfailingly gracious, both in that and other matters, offering support in a particularly rough patch in 2006.

The Society of Jesus is getting a good man and one that I hope to call a friend some day."

If you read the entire post (July 13), you will see why I already consider Dale a friend, as well as sort of my "blogfather." Thanks, Dale for your words about me, but also demonstrating that civility and charity are alive and well in the blogosphere, despite seeming evidence to the contrary.

Of Water and the Spirit

2007-07-23T16:25:00.000-04:00

You've heard little from me lately because I've been engaged in an intensive summer practicum in hospital chaplaincy called CPE since the end of May. I still have about two weeks left in the program, but wanted to share one thing with you.

Today I had the privilege of welcoming a week-old baby boy into the Church. That's right, in my capacity as hospital chaplain, I was called upon today to confer my first baptism. I was shaking the whole time. The nurse took a Polaroid picture to record the event for the family. (The pictured baby is not the actual baby--confidentiality and all that--just one borrowed from the internet)

All I can say is: WOW.

Where's God #2

2007-05-27T20:52:00.000-04:00

Check out Busted Halo's new YouTube video, the second in its "Where's God?" series:

Veterans of Foreign Wars

2007-05-27T14:45:00.000-04:00

Andrew Bacevich, himself a Vietnam veteran, offers a poignant and moving account of his grief at the death of his son in a war he opposed in today's Washington Post:

I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.

By Andrew J. Bacevich

Parents who lose children, whether through accident or illness, inevitably wonder what they could have done to prevent their loss. When my son was killed in Iraq earlier this month at age 27, I found myself pondering my responsibility for his death.

Among the hundreds of messages that my wife and I have received, two bore directly on this question. Both held me personally culpable, insisting that my public opposition to the war had provided aid and comfort to the enemy. Each said that my son's death came as a direct result of my antiwar writings.

This may seem a vile accusation to lay against a grieving father. But in fact, it has become a staple of American political discourse, repeated endlessly by those keen to allow President Bush a free hand in waging his war. By encouraging "the terrorists," opponents of the Iraq conflict increase the risk to U.S. troops. Although the First Amendment protects antiwar critics from being tried for treason, it provides no protection for the hardly less serious charge of failing to support the troops -- today's civic equivalent of dereliction of duty.

What exactly is a father's duty when his son is sent into harm's way?

Among the many ways to answer that question, mine was this one: As my son was doing his utmost to be a good soldier, I strove to be a good citizen. . .

Read the whole thing.

"Silence" Not About the War in Iraq!

2007-05-26T23:35:00.000-04:00

OK folks, give me a break! First "300," a movie about an ancient military battle was said to be about George Bush. Now, we are to believe that "Silence," the movie Scorcese is finally making about Christian missionaries in 17th century Japan is about the war in Iraq! According to IMDB:

Scorsese Reveals Controversial Film Set in Japan

Martin Scorsese has disclosed that he is planning to direct a movie, set in 17th-century Japan, that may have implications related to the war in Iraq. In an interview with the Associated Press at the Cannes film festival, Scorsese said that his film, Silence, presumably based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo and William Johnston about Portuguese Christian missionaries who arrived in Japan in feudal times, has parallels to America's role in Iraq. The Oscar-winning director (The Departed) said that he hopes to shoot the film in Japan, at least partially, beginning next summer. "It raises a lot of questions about foreign cultures coming in and imposing their way of thinking on another culture they know nothing about," Scorsese told the A.P.

Hello people! The 17th century was long before the 21st, and the novel Silence was written long before the Iraq war. So please don't ruin a great story by politicizing it! Please!!!

And that goes for you too, Marty!

George Costanza, Where Are You Now?

2007-05-21T22:41:00.001-04:00

Can you guess the context for this photo?

I must admit, my first thought was that it was a Yankees fan making a desperate plea in the face of the Yankees' losing season.

But, in reality--and this of course makes much more sense!--this was a fellow in Sacramento, California aiding in the search for two lost humpback whales!

A Life Beyond the Sound Bytes

2007-05-19T10:05:00.001-04:00

No doubt many are rejoicing at the death of Jerry Falwell. And, for what many of us knew about him, such a reaction is perhaps not surprising. Yet, Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia offers us a different point of view on Busted Halo, and it's worth having a look:

"It doesn’t say much for modern discourse that friendship, kindness and respect are often only given when we’ve vetted others enough to see how their worldviews mesh with our own. If we’re really going to preach a Gospel of Life, however, we’ve got to be prepared to live it, and not only when it’s easy or convenient.

I haven’t always seen eye to eye with Jerry Falwell—or, for that matter, with my relatives who have been part of his flock. But while ideas and teachings are one thing, their practice is entirely another. Catholic, Mainline or Evangelical, conservative, liberal, libertarian, or anywhere in between, those of us who call ourselves Christian all come from a tradition where we’re charged to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The living witness of my family’s faith and love was inspired by the example of the pastor who taught them more than all the acres of newsprint and airtime he ever garnered could ever hope to cover."

read the whole thing.

Tunage

2007-05-17T11:21:00.000-04:00

This seems a popular form of self-disclosure these days. Shuffle your music, and see what ten songs come up. Here's today's version:

Eurotrash Girl by Cracker
Munich by the Editors
Stolen Car by Beth Orton
Finding Me by Vertical Horizon
The Eternal Vow by Tan Dun & Yo-Yo Ma
Fe by Julieta Venegas
Never is a Promise by Fiona Apple
Innocence Maintained by Jewel
The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Garbage
The Guide by Borne

Eclectic

Happy News

2007-05-15T15:06:00.000-04:00

I thought some of you might be interested in the latest news from the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus:

I am happy to inform you that

Mark Mossa, S.J.

has been approved for ordination to the diaconate and priesthood. He will be ordained to the diaconate in the fall of 2007 and to the priesthood in June, 2008.

Your prayers are appreciated as the big days approach.

If you're wondering about dates, it'll be October 6, 2007 in Boston, and tentatively June14, 2008 in New Orleans. Y'all come!

Me Me Me Me

2007-05-14T23:58:00.000-04:00

Karen tagged me with this meme. So here goes:

1. Male or Female: Male

2. Married or Single (or religious): Single Religious

3. Dream vacation: In the footsteps of Saint Ignatius

4. Birthplace: Worcester, MA

5. Area I live in currently: Cambridge, MA

6. Someone you wish you could meet: Cormac McCarthy

7.Biggest "pet-peeve": Jewelry store commercials, especially around Christmas time. Message: If your significant other doesn’t buy you a huge diamond, he or she doesn’t really love you.

8.Favorite Religious devotion: Pilgrimage

9. Favorite Saint (besides the Blessed Mother): St. Ignatius of Loyola

10. Favorite sport that you play: Racquetball
That you watch: Football

11. Favorite food: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies or fresh South Carolina peaches, soft and dripping all over the front of me.

12. Tridentine or Novus Ordo: Novus Ordo

13. Would you (or are you) home school or public school: Catholic school

14. How many kids do you have: Hundreds from my youth ministry and teaching days and six in my current third-grade CCD class whom I affectionately refer to as “my kids.”

15.Ever been in an auto accident: Yes. Though never anything serious.

16.Ever seen a pope in person: Yes. John Paul II.

17.Languages that you know fluently: English, Spanish.

18.Last movie you saw in theatres: Spiderman 3

19. Next one you are planning on seeing: Away From Her (Based on a story by one of my favorite writers, Alice Munro)

20.Favorite Blog: This is like “Who’s your best friend?” I don’t answer that one either.

21.Your thoughts on Barney, the Easter bunny, and Santa Clause: Barney: Dinosaurs are supposed to be cool, not annoying and purple. The Easter Bunny: Bunnies don’t lay eggs, do they? Santa Clause (this is how Karen spelled it): Pretty funny and entertaining Tim Allen movie, but still my favorite is Galaxy Quest.

Climbing My Way To Friday

2007-05-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

Well, there was major hiccup along the way this week that has put me behind. These means whereas I once thought I'd be all done on Wednesday, I now will probably be scratching my way to the bitter end on Friday, and I'm now getting nervous about whether I'll make it. So, prayers would be appreciated!

And if someone could teach me how to disable a leafblower (I'm probably not the only who would like to wring the neck of the inventor of the maddening noisemaker) . . . Get a rake!!

Prayers would also be appreciated for the Jesuit volunteers I'll be on retreat with this weekend.

And a little wisdom from the film Moonlight Mile, which I'm using for my pastoral care paper:

The truth is hard. Sometimes it looks so wrong, y'know. The color's off, the style's wrong, but I guess... I guess it's where the good ones live.

OK, Sopranos Fans . . .

2007-05-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

Did you see this week's episode?

I couldn't help but notice some serious time discrepancies in it. Tony was betting on NFL football and on NBA Basketball (the seasons don't coincide). The weather was much better than it would probably be during football season. In fact, AJ's girlfriend was riding in a convertible when she met him at the Puerto Rican Day parade, which takes place in June, when neither basketball nor football is being played. So, either the episode took place over the period of several months, or something fishy is going on . . . Thoughts?

My Wacked-Out Week

2007-04-29T00:34:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time for the beloved end-of-the-semester blues.

I've finished all my preaching for preaching class, but still have to write up my reports.

I have to write a 15-page paper on the forsakenness of Christ in Von Balthasar.

I've got a half take-home, half in-class final exam on Saint Athanasius.

And the craziest of all: A 3000-word statement of faith, covering all the major doctrines. Best of all, the assignment requires over 1000 words to explain. And still none of us are quite sure what we're meant to be doing. (And, no, turning in the Nicene creed is not an option. And not the Apostles' creed either)

The brain is already starting to sizzle.

The Urgency of Sound

2007-04-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins

Shakedown 1979
Cool kids never have the time
On a live wire right up off the street
You and I should meet

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Welcome to Boston: Not Your Ordinary, Everyday Detour

2007-04-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

"In the latest Big Dig annoyance, Massachusetts Turnpike officials expect commuters to navigate a confusing, hazardous array of detour and directional signs placed beside bridges under construction at the border of the South End and Chinatown.

One intersection alone features 15 separate directional signs. Nearby, two pedestrian detour signs that sit side-by-side are pointing in opposite directions.

“It just seems hazardous,” said David Franklin Ross, 44, of Charlestown, biking through gridlock Friday. “It’s definitely confusing, and I’m afraid of getting hit by a car not seeing the right sign.”

You think?

Read the whole thing.

Hey, you think maybe somebody's just trying to convince people to go to Church?!

The Fine Line Between Justice & Vengeance

2007-04-19T13:02:00.000-04:00

In the latest Commonweal, Prof. Mark Sargent of Villanova University Law School courageously offers "Vengeance Time," sure to be one of the more controversial articles of the year. While the article is not perfect--going a little far afield in drawing analogies--it does speak some truths which need to be said, like this one:

"It is not enough to say, however, that bishops, priests, and the church are finally getting what they deserve. The vengeance game is a dangerous one. When the original offense is terrible, we feel empowered to do terrible things in response. Blinded by our righteous rage and convinced of our moral superiority, we may do things we later regret."

It's an article that I hope people will not dismiss too readily, but rather take the time to read and reflect upon. You can read the whole thing here.

Rest in Peace

2007-04-17T11:10:00.000-04:00

The Paulists Pack a Punch

2007-04-16T15:49:00.000-04:00

So, will the Catholic League be up in arms about this?

Last night on The Sopranos, Christopher used the pictured Humanitas award, given by the Paulists, to whack J.T., the writer of his film "Cleaver," on the head (but he stopped short of 'whacking' him completely).

An article about the Humanitas Prize explains:

Humanitas is the Latin word for “humanity.” The Prize seeks to promote the full realization of humanity—the best instincts and values of the human spirit. “The fundamental value is the sacredness of the human person,” affirms Father Kieser. “Each of us is a replica of God. Each of us is a dwelling place of God and that gives us tremendous dignity.

“The Prize also propels us on a search for meaning,” he adds, “for freedom, for love, for human dignity, for unity with all our fellow human beings.”

For 25 years, the Prize has encouraged authors to examine these kinds of values.

Interesting . . .

You Might Want To Think Twice Before Installing That Bidet

2007-04-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

There were just too many creative possibilities for describing this article, and few appropriate to this Catholic blog. But it was also too funny not to mention. Read the article yourself, and use your imagination:

Here's a snippet:

'Fortunately, nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries,' Tanaka said. 'The fire would have been just under your buttocks.'

read the whole thing.

Can I Be Offended?

2007-04-13T08:31:00.000-04:00

The other day in class we had a presentation about lay ecclesial ministry. The presenter, who was sharing the results of her dissertation research was asked she could share about the experience of lay ministers working in the Church after being trained at a school like Weston. One of the anecdotes she shared was that of a woman who was hired to work in a parish. Early in her tenure she felt compelled to point to the collar of the young priest she was working with and tell him something along the lines of "You know that doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not going to treat you any different." Later, she was puzzled why this priest had difficulty working with her.

You might remember my recent post about an article by Boston Globe writer Sam Allis. I did write him an e-mail about my reaction to his article. I told him that I was offended by the implication in his article that my life, and the lives of so many who have devoted their lives to the service of God and others, were abnormal because they included a celibate commitment. I also pointed out that making such an insinuation was not even material to his article, nor were the anti-Catholic slurs that followed. His response was telling. He never even acknowledged that there might have been any offense in what he said. For him, it all came down to simply a difference of opinion as to whether celibacy was normal or not.

This, and the other story above, got me thinking. Is it the perception in the eyes of many that clergy and religious are without feelings, or is there a presumption that we are not allowed to be offended? It seems at times that we, because of some past offense, real or imagined, on the part of some other member of the clergy or religious life, are not allowed our own personal feelings. We are thought wrong to be offended when someone directs their anger at us. Yet we, on the other hand, are expected to be ultrasensitive, not doing or saying anything that might hold the potential for offending someone else. Parish priests, especially, are sometimes subject to an expectation that they should be able to anticipate the possible reaction of every member of their parish to anything that they might say or do. Having worked on a parish staff in the days before I became a Jesuit, I can assure you this is impossible. Even if the priest were to do nothing, someone would manage to be offended by it. The atmosphere in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis only makes this dynamic even more poisonous--clergy and religious are consistently seen in the media as offenders, and well-meaning people like the spokespeople for SNAP and other organizations repeatedly seem to insist that clergy and religious have no right to be offended, even when responding to false accusations. I wonder if this is a heightening of the former (was this still very much the case before the crisis?), or is the former more the product of the latter? It may be that this is just a consequence of answering the call to priesthood or religious life. Maybe we should simply accept that this is the case, and not whine about it? Maybe so. But if clergy and religious are not allowed to be sensitive to their own feelings, how much can we expect them to be capable of being sensitive to the feelings of others?

I'd be interested in knowing what people think about this.

Life With Imus

2007-04-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

Mike Hayes at Busted Halo had some experience of Imus while working at WFAN in the 90s. He offers his perspective on the Imus/Rutgers scandal:

I saw a bunch of sides of the man who everyone is accusing of racism when I worked at WFAN in the mid-90s. His charity work comes straight from the heart. I’ve seen him comfort children with cancer and parents who lost a child to SIDS. Even this alleged class bully has a soft spot. But I’ve also seen Imus lash into colleagues for being late, or for simply not being funny. I watched a female personal assistant be reduced to tears and another nearly had a nervous breakdown. Working with Imus is never for the timid–the demands are high. Simply being in Imus’ crosshairs is dangerous business on-air or off. Always a tough interviewer who never leaves challenging questions in his holster, Imus lambastes all comers with a mix of clever questioning and toilet humor.

read the whole thing.

This Time It's Not Our Fault

2007-04-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

"Mission and Identity" is a big topic at Catholic Universities these days. In light of today's New York Times article about a tenure issue there, DePaul University seems to be having a problem with both--especially, if what their Arts & Sciences dean is reported to have said is true, with the latter:

Mr. Finkelstein said that the dean of DePaul’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Charles E. Suchar, explained his opposition by arguing that “DePaul was a Jesuit school,” and adhered to the values of St. Vincent. “He claims that my scholarship does not fulfill the Vincentian value of personalism,” or respect for dignity of the individual.

“That’s just inventing a new standard,” Mr. Finkelstein complained. “The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure. If you look at my annual reviews, no one ever warned me that I wasn’t meeting the Vincentian standard of personalism.

“I would not have stayed at a university if it told me upfront that a condition for me getting tenure,” he said, was that “my views have to be filtered through Catholic values. I would consider it a betrayal of my parents’ legacy.”

DePaul is not a Jesuit University.

read the whole story here

hat tip to DotCommonweal.

Easter

2007-04-08T00:28:00.000-04:00

"Without a doubt, at the center of the New Testament there stands the Cross, which receives its interpretation from the Resurrection."

"If one does away with the fact of the Resurrection, one also does away with the Cross, for both stand and fall together, and one would then have to find a new center for the whole message of the gospel. "

--Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Holy Saturday

2007-04-07T00:23:00.000-04:00

"He fully lived out this death; indeed, since he himself was the absolute Word, he plumbed the abyss of our death far more deeply than we could ever do. And that is the absolute center of the heart of the Christian faith. He is the only one who has come 'from above' to provide an answer to the questions of all of us who are 'from below' (Jn 3:13; 8:23), and as such he can endow the finite with full, eternal significance. And not only as afar as he himself is concerned: for his absolute life and death apply to and affect the entire human race; they are designed to give all a share in this preponderance of eternity, this value in God's sight. His own unique death was the most lonely anyone had ever undergone, yet, since he was the absolute answer, he could make it the most communicable death: all can share in it."

--Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Theo-Drama Vol. 4

Georgetown Needs to "Come Out"

2007-04-06T19:56:00.000-04:00

. . . as a Catholic University, says the president of Georgetown's "Law Students for Choice" group, a group not officially recognized by the University.

(Seems she overlooked the words "Catholic" and "Jesuit" on the University's home page)

This in response to the university's refusal to fund internships at Planned Parenthood.

“If Georgetown wants to be a Catholic University it has the freedom to identify as such,” she said. “If the school wants to abide by Catholic doctrine it should do so consistently and prevent all activities the Church disagrees with. This includes prosecutors’ offices that impose the death penalty, gay rights organizations, political candidates and judges that hold positions that disagree with the Catholic church, military law organizations and human rights organizations (the majority of which support reproductive rights, as well).

“When we apply to Georgetown Law, the most you hear about the Jesuit tradition is that [the school] supports students doing work in the public interest,” she added. “If I ever knew that taking part in women’s rights issues would lead to a chilling effect, I don’t know if I would have ever considered coming here.”

Days after learning of the Law Center’s decision, Woodson approached the student group Law Students for Choice, which is not officially recognized by the university. Joy Welan, the group’s president, said she agrees with Woodson that Georgetown mishandled the situation.

“We think this is a major change from what [the school] has done in the past, and it interferes with students’ career development,” Welan said. “If [Georgetown] is saying it is instituting this policy because the church demands it, then why aren’t changes happening across the board?”

“The school has tried to be too covert about its affiliation with the Catholic church,” she added. “We want [it] to come out and be honest about what [it wants] to be.”

Read the whole story

from Georgetown's web page:

Founded in 1789, the same year the U.S. Constitution took effect, Georgetown University is the nation's oldest Catholic and Jesuit university. Today, Georgetown is a major international research university that embodies its founding principles in the diversity of our students, faculty, and staff, our commitment to justice and the common good, our intellectual openness, and our international character.

So, hey, maybe they could emphasize it a bit more, but it's hardly covert!

Good Friday

2007-04-06T08:46:00.000-04:00

Hey love
Is that the name you're meant to have
For me to call

Look love
They've given up believing
They've turned aside our stories of the gentle fall

But don't you believe them
Don't you drink their poison too
These are the scars that words have carved
On me

Hey love
That's the name we've long held back
From the core of truth

So don't turn away now
I am turning in revolution
These are the scars that silence carved
On me

This the same place
No, not the same place
This is the same place, love
No, not the same place we've been before

Hey, love
I am a constant satellite
Of your blazing sun
My love
I obey your law of gravity
This is the fate you've carved on me
The law of gravity
This is the fate you've carved on me
On me

--"Gravity" by Vienna Teng

I Didn't Get A Cell Phone Until I Was 37: What is the world coming to?!

2007-04-02T23:07:00.000-04:00

I hope this doesn't seem mean, but I have to admit I got a chuckle out of this Letter to the Editor from today's New York Times (Now I know why they never print my letters!):

Re “Child Wants Cellphone; Reception Is Mixed” (Thursday Styles, March 29):

I didn’t get a cellphone until I was well out of high school, and I understood that it wasn’t something that humans needed as an essence of their survival, but rather a luxury that was very convenient.

At this point, my cellphone is an 11th finger, and it is a personal travesty when I forget it at home for even a few hours.

To see these kids — barely out of diapers — romping around with cutesy cellphones makes me a little repulsed.

For one thing, no 7-year-old should be in a position not to have the supervision of an adult. And it makes me a little insecure to think that 7-year-olds have a social life similar to mine, in the way that they should need a cellphone, as I do.

At this rate, we’re going in the direction of giving our dogs cellphones.

Throat Singing

2007-04-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Read more about this really interesting Holy Week tradition at Intentional Disciples.

"In the sacred tradition of Castelsardo, a quartet of men from the Catholic brotherhood sing together during Holy Week in an inward-facing circle in four-part harmony, manipulating their vowels and timbre in a such a way as to create what’s called a quintina, or a virtual fifth voice soaring above, from their harmonics."

April Showers

2007-04-02T07:50:00.000-04:00

You can handle the truth.

It's April 2, and it's raining.

Broken "Vows"

2007-04-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

I'm really bummed about this:

Jesuits Break Ties With “Vows”

By Steven Assom

Jesuit seminarians at Fordham University have been asked by their superiors to cease from offering their support to the planned new television series “Vows” on cable channel AMCT. The seminarians reportedly had been meeting with one of the producers of the new series without having sought permission from their formation superior. “I think being involved in a such a project could really distract from their studies and threaten their vocation,” said Fr. Frank Sullivan, who directs the Bronx seminary program.

The U.S. Jesuit Convention, which directs the work of the religious order throughout the United States, also expressed concern in a press release issued on Friday. It reads: “The USJC is very concerned with the negative fallout that could result from such a show, especially if it were to be considered something of an ‘insider’s view’ into the workings of the Society, and its formation process.” The show was said to be modeled on the Fordham program.

In light of the recent PETA charges against the Trappist monastery in Monks Corner, SC, there was also some concerned expressed about an episode that was rumored to depict a Jesuit seminarian hunting squirrels. “We’ve already got a bad enough reputation when it comes to other things. Everyone has a conspiracy theory about us. We just don’t need the added publicity that being portrayed as ‘squirrel killers’ would bring,” said Jesuit Convention President Thomas Sorich.

Meanwhile, the Fordham seminarians are not sure what to make of all this. “I feel as if they’ve taken my Irish Tin Whistle away and broke it in two,” said seminarian Ron Done, “I really thought this show would bring us positive attention. I’m not sure what the powers-that-be are so worried about. We told Karen (the producer) no episodes about Crazy Cajuns, and to absolutely stay away from anything having to do with V-Day.” Yet, the Jesuits are wary of trusting Hollywood insiders. “We’ve been burnt before,” said Sorich.

Meanwhile, Done hopes to devote his extra time to some of his own projects. His Irish music tutorial is already a huge hit on YouTube. And now that ties have been broken with “Vows,” he hopes to devote more time to animated features. He has contracted with the creators of “Charlie the Unicorn” to develop two sequels, which will be produced simultaneously to reduce production costs, “I Second That Emo-Shun” and “Escape From Candy Mountain.” “It’s much easier working with unicorns,” says Done, “since they don’t really exist, they’re not so worried about their reputation.”

Producer Karen Hell, when finally reached for comment said, “I can’t believe this. It’s like one big April Fool’s Joke.” This reporter agrees.

Tradition?: A Brain Teaser

2007-03-31T11:08:00.000-04:00

Reading one of today's lead stories in New York Times today, I was struck by its odd wording. Let's see if I can recreate the experience for you. Read the following, and stop and think for a few seconds what you might expect to come next:

Dominated by liberals, Mexico City’s legislature is expected to legalize abortion in a few weeks. The bill would make this city one of the largest entities in Latin America to break with a long tradition of . . .

The article is by James C. Mckinley, Jr.
who is reporting on the likely passage
of a law allowing abortions in Mexico City.
Here's how that sentence finishes:

. . . women resorting to illegal clinics and midwives to end unwanted pregnancies.

Tradition? Now, one might argue that its most basic definition, stripped of all shades of historical and cultural meaning, the word might apply here. But when I think of Latin American "traditions," this is not something I would include in the list. It's like saying something along the lines of: "the crime rate in America dropped to its lowest in 50 years, breaking with a long tradition of home invasions and drive-by shootings."

The word "tradition" will soon become meaningless if we start applying it so broadly.

read the whole article here.

Jack, and Father Steck

2007-03-31T10:47:00.000-04:00

When I was visiting Georgetown during the weekend of the March for Life, one of the more interesting things I witnessed was Fr. Chris Steck, S.J. of my province interviewing possible candidates for the privilege of walking "Jack," Georgetown's bulldog mascot. One of the more interesting parts of the process was Fr. Steck stepping outside with the candidate for a demonstration of his or her singing ability. Given that Chris can often strike one as an overly serious person, I must admit this got a chuckle out of me. In light of the appearance of the Georgetown basketball team in this weekend's Final Four, an article is making the rounds in the nation's newspapers about Jack, and Father Steck.

Jack is in such constant demand that he has an e-mail address. There is an application process for the privilege of walking him - which includes proving an ability to sing the Hoyas' fight song and a willingness to yank from his mouth whatever he should not be eating.

And there's a waiting list.

Maybe it's because he's a real dog. (The school also has a human in a furry dog suit.) Or because he lives on campus. Maybe it's his marked personality: Jack has an imperious manner, a sense of entitlement and a stubborn streak. He's so ugly, with a squashed face and an awkward, snuffling gait, that he often makes people laugh.

And he's never happier, the Rev. Christopher Steck said, than when he's on the basketball court.

A lot has been said about family legacies on the Hoyas team, which plays Ohio State today. Jack is one more celebrity with a proud Georgetown lineage. A forefather paced the sidelines during Patrick Ewing and John Thompson Jr.'s day. Now, as their sons arrive for games, Jack swaggers into the arena with them.

read the whole thing.

Paul Hewson, Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

2007-03-29T14:45:00.000-04:00

Otherwise known as "Bono"

Reddaway paid tribute to Bono's work as a savvy campaigner against poverty and disease in Africa — but first asked whether he was disappointed that becoming a knight no longer involves a sword or kneeling.

"Please, I wasn't expecting you to kneel," Bono deadpanned, his hand on the ambassador's shoulder.

"Yes, My Child"

2007-03-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

I watched about a minute of the show "Medium" last night. Long enough to watch a creepy looking priest walk into a crazy young woman's bedroom, and say that he had come to pray with her. I knew where that was going, so I decided not to watch.

And, of course, he referred to her as "My Child." Now when have you ever heard a priest who wasn't on television or in a movie (and who wasn't joking) ever refer to another person as "my child"? The phrase should be stricken from the TV and screenwriters vocabulary! (Note to Karen and Barbara Hall, and all you other Hollywood types out there!)

Still Timely: Just War, Lasting Peace

2007-03-29T00:55:00.000-04:00

Remember that book that was published almost a year ago?

After a pretty steady stint among Orbis' "Today's Features," Just War, Lasting Peace has been displaced, making it a little harder to find on the Orbis Books website. The Amazon rankings have also taken a bit of a plunge of late.

But our little book about war and peace in the Christian Tradition, and in the contemporary context, is still as timely as ever. If you haven't yet, get yourself a copy or buy one for a friend!

Videos for the Prayer-Impaired: Pray the Angelus

2007-03-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

If, like me, you sometimes find yourself embarassed because you don't know some of the traditional prayers that people are praying, we may have hit upon a great boon!

The Daughters of St. Paul are YouTubing (?) and have produced this nice video version of The Angelus.

Thanks to Intentional Disciples for bringing it to my attention (check them out too!).

Young Catholic Women: Share Your Stories

2007-03-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

Hey, all you young Catholic women writers, this seems like a worthwhile project to contribute to.
You can submit your 1,000 to 2,000 word submissions to: youngwomenandcatholicism@gmail.com
Also, check out the blog for more info.

Young? Woman? Catholic?

We think you have something to say.

Grab your pen, pencil or keyboard & tell us about your experience as a young woman involved in Catholicism.

Here are some questions to get you started, but let your creativity lead you where you need to go.

Catholic Identity.
--Do you call yourself Catholic? What experiences have shaped your understanding of Catholic identity?
--Tell us about your spiritual practice.

Relationships.
--How have your relationships influenced your experience of Catholicism?
--How has church teaching affected your relationships?

Education.
--How have your experiences in Catholic education shaped your worldview?
--What role has Catholic education played in the ways that you are active in the world?

Service and Social Justice.
--Tell us a story about service or justice work and its impact on the way you experience church.

Vocation.
--What is the relationship between your work and your Catholicism (i.e. as a teacher, an activist, a lawyer)?
--Tell us about the moment you knew you had to do whatever it is you do.
--Describe your understanding of ministry and explain how that has developed.
--Describe your experience as a young Catholic woman in a vowed religious community.

Ecclesia Virtualis

2007-03-25T19:48:00.000-04:00

Last week saw a discussion of the Catholic blogosphere at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia featuring Bill McGarvey, Grant Gallicho, Rocco Palmo, and Amy Welborn. An interesting discussion, and the video is now up! Check it out on BustedHalo.

A Little Anti-Catholicism With Breakfast

2007-03-25T07:19:00.000-04:00

This morning, reading what was otherwise a nice and enjoyable profile of a local Orthodox priest, I ran into this little attack on me and my faith:

The Orthodox Church, sensibly, is not wed to celibacy. Its priests, unlike their Catholic brethren, can live normal lives and have families. There's a catch, though. They must be married before they become priests. So, says Hughes, "There's the mad dash of seminarians to find wives."

He is delighted there is no pope in his life. "We have no pope and we don't want one, thank you," he says. "Freedom for us is very important."

Nor is he chained to original sin. "We never accepted the idea of original sin," he says. "What we inherit from our forebears is death. But guilt? Absolutely not. We don't believe a newborn child is sinful. That's utter nonsense." This guy is talking my language.

There exists in his church something called "ancestral sin," but he denies this is a matter of semantics: "We're only guilty for the sins we commit."

Forget the Immaculate Conception, too, he adds. Another weight off my chest. It is not dogma in the Orthodox Church, as it is in the Catholic Church. Mary was born subject to death like the rest of us, he explains, and consciously chose a life free of personal sin. That said, he finds his church hidebound. "It is highly resistant to change," he says. "We don't take risks very often. We're still living in the past."

Now, I only read the Boston Globe occasionally--so it might be seething with anti-Catholic sentiment in general--but I'm struck by the fact that in just the period of about a week and a half I've been characterized as backward and out of touch because I attend daily Mass, and abnormal because I live a celibate life!

You can read the whole article here.

And I'm going to write a cordial yet straightforward e-mail to the article's author, Sam Allis. If you'd like to also, here's his address: allis@globe.com

"The Very Concept of Booing Needs To Be Reevaluated"

2007-03-24T10:13:00.000-04:00

Huh? No, this is not a joke. Washington Interscholastic officials are actually considering the possibility of outlawing booing at sporting events. If this catches on, we'll soon be having to replace "Yankees Suck" with "Yankees Not As Good As We Are." It doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Life in the Mean Seats
By JOE QUEENAN

IN one of the most depressing pieces of news to come along in years, the organization that presides over high school sports in Washington State is considering a ban on booing at sporting events. That’s right, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is evaluating guidelines for fan behavior that would not only prohibit offensive chants but would also outlaw booing.

The organization is contemplating this measure not just because of concern that fan negativity is discouraging people from taking jobs as referees and coaches, but because, in the words of Mike Colbrese, the association’s executive director, the very concept of booing needs to be re-evaluated.

“I don’t know why people think it’s acceptable to boo in the first place,” Mr. Colbrese told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer earlier this month. “It’s a pretty novel concept to me.”

As a native of Philadelphia, a municipality whose passion for booing is unrivaled, I greet this news with a mixture of revulsion and dread. Philadelphia, coyly nicknamed the City of Brotherly Love, has a place in the national mythology as a city whose fans once booed Santa Claus at a Philadelphia Eagles game, a city where locals sometimes boo unsatisfactory airplane landings . . .

read the rest.

Researching Inculturation in Africa

2007-03-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

One of these days, I'm going to write about the year after undergraduate studies that I spent abroad as a Watson Fellow (1991-1992). But for now I hope it will suffice to introduce you to a current Watson Fellow who is studying inculturation in the Church of Africa, Michael Le Chevallier. Michael has a blog called "Mike in Translation," which chronicles his experiences. Here are a couple of his photos--one of him, and one of the Ugandan Martyrs' Shrine. There are some 50 or so current Watson Fellows pursuing a variety of research projects all over the world right now. And there are a couple of thousand former fellows doing all kinds of stuff all over the world! To my knowledge three of them are Jesuits: me, of course, one of my closest Jesuit friends, Tim Manatt, who will be ordained this summer in the Wisconsin province (sadly he's been studying theology at Berkeley, so I don't get to see him often), and one of the first year novices in my province, Sylvester Tan. I hope you will check out Mike's blog!

Good News from Cambridge

2007-03-22T19:06:00.000-04:00

Harvard Club Promotes Abstinence

By JESSE HARLAN ALDERMAN

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Sometime between the founding of a student-run porn magazine and the day the campus health center advertised "Free Lube," Harvard University seniors Sarah Kinsella and Justin Murray decided to fight back against what they see as too much mindless sex at the Ivy League school.

They founded a student group called True Love Revolution to promote abstinence on campus. The group, created earlier this school year, has more than 90 members on its Facebook.com page and drew about half that many to an ice cream social.

Harvard treats sex _ or "hooking up" _ so casually that "sometimes I wonder if sex is even a remotely serious thing," said Kinsella, who is dating Murray . . .

. . . Others on campus have mocked the group. Murray said his friends take pleasure in loudly, and graphically, discussing their sex lives just to taunt him.

"On campus there is such a strong attitude of pluralism and acceptance, but then it doesn't extend to this," Kinsella said.

read the whole thing.

The Thing About Watchdogs . . .

2007-03-22T00:02:00.000-04:00

. . . is that sooner or later they'll bite their friends too!

And this one is just dripping with irony! The university that sold itself as the REAL Catholic university now finds itself subject to a listing of its "liturgical abuses" and firing their orthodox, traditional provost for not being a charismaniac (that's what they used to call us back in the day when I was involved in the charismatic renewal).

Maybe Ave Maria is starting to realize that being a Catholic university--even one that will please all their supporters--is not so easy as they once thought?!

Update: After considerable protest, Ave Maria has "unfired" Father Fessio and named him instead "theologian in residence."

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

2007-03-16T22:33:00.000-04:00

A Saint Patrick's Day Gift from Loyola Productions:

Saint Patrick's Breastplate (A Quicktime Movie)

Check it out!