When we last left off, we were discussing a nun headed to a cloister juxtaposed against trashy sex with aliens, which is apparently a hot topic for college theology professors these days.
But today, we start with Desperate Irish Housewife, who is learning Spanish and whose daughter met an Anchovy. Said daughter advances the idea that the Anchovy spoke to her and explained that he didn't believe in God, nor does his mother. Who knew that pizza condiments could speak? And one would think that any creature about to be baked into cheese on a slab of bread and tomato sauce would be forced into SOME acceptance of a hereafter. But apparently anchovies aren't too bright (which expains how they end up on pizzas...). But really, we must ask...who IS that anchovy, REALLY?! And is he as desperate as the housewife?
From anchovies to absent...uh...fish...we go to a little corner of Chicago, where, regrettably, Ma Beck has handed in her resignation. Her farewell post went up on Monday, May 26, and to this day we mourn her loss to the world of the ever-turning blogs. But her memory cannot go unremembered, and her blog, unread. The words remain, even as the woman behind them as fallen silent, taken back into the life outside of the cyber age. Fare thee well, dear friend!
(Stage Direction:
Moment of silence for the lost blogger.... Taps begins to mournfully sound...)
Moving on to those who still walk among the blogs, we find the Curt Jester, lively as always! He first points out the lack of logic and continued defiance on the part of the "Women's Ordination" crowd, which, it must be observed, is very much akin to the rhetoric used by drunk drivers or even speeders when they are caught and must accept the consequences of their poor choices. (They love to claim "entrapment", quite indignantly, avoiding the entire concept of their own behavior and decisions leading them into the radar of the authorities). The good man also points out the only Mass translation that will make the US Bishops happy, and suggests that we all become very comfortable with Dick and Jane, for, clearly, American Catholics must be idiots as must be any of the clergy below the level of bishop. So...Dick and Jane untie! Uh...I mean...UNITE! (Which wrod is rite?)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Adrienne is mowing her lawn, which is a great rest after hosting this week's Catholic Carnival! (Although, seriously...who knew she was a cat?! Wow!) Way to go Adrienne...such a good kitty, such a good kitty to type and mow the lawn! Would ums like some catnip? Sure! Sure ums would! Good Adrienne! Such a sweet kitty...such an aggressive kitty when cutting the grass!
Oh...ahem...excuse me...I uh...let's move on...
Here in Minnesota, the infamous ironic professor announces the group that is left behind and out of this summer's activities, and is working to advance World Old Day! She also brings us a story about a parish that gave up the ship and began worshipping the flag on the 4th of July, scandalizing many, bringing others to indescribable patriotic ecstasy. We must ask...last time, the good professor explained that her field of study was trashy sex with aliens...but now, is she working on another field? Old people and idolatry? (She should interview Curt Jester...he's got great research material for her...)
And what of the nun headed to the cloister? As it turns out, Mary Gibson of Veritatis Splendor was indeed blessed and in love with Jesus Christ and entered the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, on June 11, where she joins the ancient ranks of women who have always upheld the Church by living a hidden life of prayer and sacrifice for the sanctity of souls. She will be praying especially for priests, and in turn, needs the prayers of all of us for her and her intentions.
Speaking of priests and religious...
We next go to Cleveland, on a more serious note, where Father V. has become pastor of his own parish and discusses the return to communion on the tongue and rules for seminarians back in 1947. Having recently lost his own father, he also posts his homily from the funeral Mass, words that will surely warm the hearts of all those who have loved ones who struggle in the throes of disbelief. Please remember Fr. V., his father, and his family in your prayers.
Next we move on to the joyful news brought by another priest, Fr. Schnippel of Called by Name. When we last left him, he was building an ark, but now, he is extolling the beauty of new life given to two families close to him. Read more for the update! And further, he praises the courage of the Chinese Martyrs, whose feast we celebrated yesterday. In the good Father's words, "Would that we all had the same courage and conviction as this young man."
Amen, Padre. And it's still happening in China even as we speak, and all over the world.
And what of the Brothers and Sisters of Perpetual Discernment? They've been quiet lately...what's going on? Most people don't realize, because the rest of the world seems to shut down in the summmer for "vacation season" that this is when the Church really ramps up. It's not certain that even Pastors and Parish Administrators realize what's going on, between Mission Trips, Vacation Bible Schools, and other youth events, how thinly stretched are their staff in these hot and humid months. Even as the corridors of the Catholic schools fall silent, the same children and youth are learning about how to live for Christ through various summer activities, most not held within the walls of a church or school. But have no fear...the Brothers and Sisters of Perpetual Discernment have come to the rescue of their local parishes, and with hilarious results! It seems the Monastery still doesn't have a new name, Sister Caprice is as confused as ever, and Brother Gus is, as usual, up to his regular tricks. Brother Brit seems close to a decision, and Sister Perpetua seems to have found her style and has red hair.
What will happen to the perpetual discerners? Will they ever learn to discern, or will their hectic summer schedule keep them from discovering God's will for them?
Speaking of God's will....
The Recovering Dissident is on a hiatus and wants to be alone, but took a break from her break to ask that we pray for the return of valuable Church artifacts that were stolen from Archbishop Nienstedt on the weekend he was in Rome, receiving the pallium.
In the world of Catholic blogging, life goes on, ranging from the tragic to the heartbroken to real crimes, to the most joyful of events. These blogs of our lives reveal the hearts of real people living the faith with humor and grace in a world that has gone mad...or is it WE who have gone mad...?
Until we meet again, this has been another episode of....Blogs of Our Lives...
(Ending credits and music....Ave Maria....gratia plena.)
Showing posts with label Soap Opera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soap Opera. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Blogs of our Lives ~ Episode 3 - As the Blog Turns
When we last left the Recovering Catholic she was lamenting the loss of her childhood home. But tonight...tonight she is red in the face and setting the blogosphere ablaze with her wrath! This woman is a force to be reckoned with, and she will NOT stand down! And if you ever go to Mass with her, prepare to dress in reverence for God or she will "dress" you upside the head!
Our suspected double agent, Ironic Catholic, seems to be back home and comfortably addressing the needs of mothers everywhere. What can this mean? And what's with the picture at the top of her blog? Is that where she lives, or is that where the Unibomber hid?
Back in Fr. V.'s corner of St. Blog's, he's been making recommendations for summer reading, and has a guest poster, a Sister of Life about to take the habit. She expresses her agonizing discernment in powerful terms, leaving us to ask....who will be influenced to follow in hers or Fr. V's footsteps into dedicated service to Jesus Christ?
One of Fr. V's neighbors, a certain Sarah who had gone missing but now returned, wonders about who was wondering about her so recently, and why that person was wondering? Who is this mysterious person who seems to be after her and taking notes? Is Sarah being STALKED? Who IS that masked woman, anyway?
Meanwhile, back at Spirit of Vatican 2, all hell has broken loose as Keith was arrested and his green tea leaves were taken from him. The faith community there is leaping up in solidarity and promising drum circles and protests until he is freed. They've also created a blog rating system and recently discovered a particularly problematic blog...that of none other than the Pyromaniac Priest, the good Fr. Reichtsteig! And the head of the Singles Ministry there, Britnee, has made it very clear that she doesn't like him at all and finds his seeming Republican leanings quite abhorrent and very adversse to the spirit of the times. What's a girl to do? And it doesn't help that Keith also happened to have some of her 'shrooms on him, so she's hoping the police will realize they were just for making pizza.
And would you believe that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI HIMSELF dropped by to call this parish to conversion!? What a great blessing for this parish, to be noticed by the POPE!
And Catholicism's favorite funny guy, the Curt Jester, thinks that we should be making felt banners again so that students can learn math in the same way they learned their faith when many of us were growing up.
Back in Minnesota, we go to Terry, who has seen the flying Pope. I wonder if his vision has anything to do with being Fortune's Fool the other day?
Our suspected double agent, Ironic Catholic, seems to be back home and comfortably addressing the needs of mothers everywhere. What can this mean? And what's with the picture at the top of her blog? Is that where she lives, or is that where the Unibomber hid?
Back in Fr. V.'s corner of St. Blog's, he's been making recommendations for summer reading, and has a guest poster, a Sister of Life about to take the habit. She expresses her agonizing discernment in powerful terms, leaving us to ask....who will be influenced to follow in hers or Fr. V's footsteps into dedicated service to Jesus Christ?
One of Fr. V's neighbors, a certain Sarah who had gone missing but now returned, wonders about who was wondering about her so recently, and why that person was wondering? Who is this mysterious person who seems to be after her and taking notes? Is Sarah being STALKED? Who IS that masked woman, anyway?
Meanwhile, back at Spirit of Vatican 2, all hell has broken loose as Keith was arrested and his green tea leaves were taken from him. The faith community there is leaping up in solidarity and promising drum circles and protests until he is freed. They've also created a blog rating system and recently discovered a particularly problematic blog...that of none other than the Pyromaniac Priest, the good Fr. Reichtsteig! And the head of the Singles Ministry there, Britnee, has made it very clear that she doesn't like him at all and finds his seeming Republican leanings quite abhorrent and very adversse to the spirit of the times. What's a girl to do? And it doesn't help that Keith also happened to have some of her 'shrooms on him, so she's hoping the police will realize they were just for making pizza.
And would you believe that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI HIMSELF dropped by to call this parish to conversion!? What a great blessing for this parish, to be noticed by the POPE!
And Catholicism's favorite funny guy, the Curt Jester, thinks that we should be making felt banners again so that students can learn math in the same way they learned their faith when many of us were growing up.
Back in Minnesota, we go to Terry, who has seen the flying Pope. I wonder if his vision has anything to do with being Fortune's Fool the other day?
Monday, May 21, 2007
Blogs of Our Lives ~ Episode 2 - One Blog to Live
The mystery deepens....
Ironic Catholic is still missing. It's Monday and she's nowhere to be seen. Clearly, the message left on her blog was designed to delay our response. Where are the Catholic Cyber Cops? Does anyone care that a professor of theology has gone missing?
Or is that, too all part of the Plan?!
Does Ironic Catholic's wherebouts have anything to do with what's happening in Angela Messenger's parish? Is Ironic actually a DOUBLE AGENT?
Sarah the Snoring Scholar seems to be back....hmmmmm.....
Take note of her name. Right there at the top in the URL, "snoringscholar.blogspot.com" She's a SCHOLAR! And Ironic is a missing Theology Professor!
And Sarah isn't missing anymore. She has a list, sort of a pre-emptive alibi as to what she did this weekend, but it seems something more sinister is afoot.
Or, could Sarah be innocent of any wrongdoing? We must wait and watch.....
{{ Crecendo of music with dischordant trumpets, ala circa 1974 }}}
We go now to see what Fr. Richtsteig the Pyromaniac Priest is up to, but he seems to be MIA as well. His last post was an expose' on bad ideas being used to obtain Vocations, and he hasn't been seen in St. Blog's since that post went up on Friday. Has anyone checked the fire pit?
Meanwhile, back in the MN 'hood....
Desperate Irish Housewife is more desperate than ever, what with the new puppy, and Michael Moore's complete offense against her dignity (more so against his own), a contemplation of the bad health care our Canadian brothers and sisters are subject to, and still recovering her readership from the hostile porn site takeover of her blog a few months ago, DIH is at her wit's end.
Ray is back on the job, having taken a weekend to watch storks in Poland, and now wants to draw attention not only to the wonders of the birds, but also to the fact that an ultra-liberal Oregon college campus is being taken over by Catholics with an attitude.
Terry Nelson is having a REALLY rough day, apparently having made his first mistake in the selection of his wardrobe. He should know better than to dress like that in Minneapolis, MN, the place that rivals L.A. and Atlanta for a certain population (of the "Rainbow Sash" mindset). They must have taken him for a Vatican Spy and let him experience the fullness of their Tolerance.
We pan over now to Salve Regina, who also went missing for a few days. Salve Regina is a warm and fuzzy Trad who identifies herself as a "rural paramedic".
Could she, as a fellow Canadian, have had something to do with Angela Messenger's disappearance?
And what should we make of Salve's current post with regard to whether we have ever seen our Guardian Angels?
Is this a secret signal? She says she was "fishing" this weekend, but she didn't have any evidence to provide that she had, in fact, been fishing. Canada is a HUGE fishing/hunting venue, and I find it hard to believe that a native Canadian would claim to go fishing and not return with a glorious photo of the grandaddy Walleye Pike caught on the trip.
Is Salve a double agent, too, like Ironic, or is Salve the one really responsible for the disappearance of her Canadian sister who happens to be involved in the Adoration dispute?
We switch extremes, and visit the Spirit of Vatican II parish somewhere so deep in Tennessee even their own bishop won't acknowledge them on the Archdiocesan web page.
Adoro stopped by during her regular rounds the other day and inquired (oh-so-innocently) of Fr. Tim whether he gets the inspiration for his homilies from the "green tea leaves" found by Fr. Juno in Keith's red backpack. Fr. Tim gave a gracious (if clueless) response to the question, and it seems that now Che' the Social Justice Minister of SOVII is going to petetion Fr. Time to use the "green tea leaves" Keith grows in his basement under flourescent lights and sell it after every Mass as a fundraiser! Keith even graciously offered to acquire a much larger stash...uh...quantity...that he could obtain from a friend who grows it in the hills. You see, Che' had forgotten to deposit the collection one Sunday and saw all the interest in the green tea leaves as a way to make up for his error. Then they're going to rent a bus and go down to Oak Ridge with all the green tea leaves and protest the weapons plant there.
Back in Rome, Father Zuhlsdorf, or "Fr. Z.", as he's affectionately known, is still lamenting the delay in the release of the Motu Propio. (It was actually the humble Crescat who drew attention to the caption and Fr. Z. gave her full credit for her humor.)
Cathy, the Recovering Dissident, who was recently quoted by Fr. Z., is lamenting herself the Gang Colors being shown at Mass, especially on Pentecost (this upcoming Sunday). If you DARE to wear a rainbow to Mass this weekend, prepare to meet the wrath of Crabby Cathy!
We return to the Saga at SOV2 and learn that Keith has been taken to a special retreat in Canada, but he's asked Che' to bring him a gift of tea leaves so he can make good on his promise to provide brownies.
Back at St. Cantius' parish wing of St. Blog's, Ma Beck rails against the idiocy of the lazy who put a class before God...as though it isn't God who is letting them go to Rome in the first place!
Down Under, in the land of the Kangaroo and the Sydney Opera House, Kiwi Nomad is still wandering around, taking great photos of places most of us will never see (not necessarily in Australia), making random appearances in comboxes around. St. Blog's parish. What corner of the wilderness is she off to next?
Come back next time to see what happens in the lives of the Catholic bloggers..
((( Ending credits/ music ...
Ave, Maria....... )))))
Ironic Catholic is still missing. It's Monday and she's nowhere to be seen. Clearly, the message left on her blog was designed to delay our response. Where are the Catholic Cyber Cops? Does anyone care that a professor of theology has gone missing?
Or is that, too all part of the Plan?!
Does Ironic Catholic's wherebouts have anything to do with what's happening in Angela Messenger's parish? Is Ironic actually a DOUBLE AGENT?
Sarah the Snoring Scholar seems to be back....hmmmmm.....
Take note of her name. Right there at the top in the URL, "snoringscholar.blogspot.com" She's a SCHOLAR! And Ironic is a missing Theology Professor!
And Sarah isn't missing anymore. She has a list, sort of a pre-emptive alibi as to what she did this weekend, but it seems something more sinister is afoot.
Or, could Sarah be innocent of any wrongdoing? We must wait and watch.....
{{ Crecendo of music with dischordant trumpets, ala circa 1974 }}}
We go now to see what Fr. Richtsteig the Pyromaniac Priest is up to, but he seems to be MIA as well. His last post was an expose' on bad ideas being used to obtain Vocations, and he hasn't been seen in St. Blog's since that post went up on Friday. Has anyone checked the fire pit?
Meanwhile, back in the MN 'hood....
Desperate Irish Housewife is more desperate than ever, what with the new puppy, and Michael Moore's complete offense against her dignity (more so against his own), a contemplation of the bad health care our Canadian brothers and sisters are subject to, and still recovering her readership from the hostile porn site takeover of her blog a few months ago, DIH is at her wit's end.
Ray is back on the job, having taken a weekend to watch storks in Poland, and now wants to draw attention not only to the wonders of the birds, but also to the fact that an ultra-liberal Oregon college campus is being taken over by Catholics with an attitude.
Terry Nelson is having a REALLY rough day, apparently having made his first mistake in the selection of his wardrobe. He should know better than to dress like that in Minneapolis, MN, the place that rivals L.A. and Atlanta for a certain population (of the "Rainbow Sash" mindset). They must have taken him for a Vatican Spy and let him experience the fullness of their Tolerance.
We pan over now to Salve Regina, who also went missing for a few days. Salve Regina is a warm and fuzzy Trad who identifies herself as a "rural paramedic".
Could she, as a fellow Canadian, have had something to do with Angela Messenger's disappearance?
And what should we make of Salve's current post with regard to whether we have ever seen our Guardian Angels?
Is this a secret signal? She says she was "fishing" this weekend, but she didn't have any evidence to provide that she had, in fact, been fishing. Canada is a HUGE fishing/hunting venue, and I find it hard to believe that a native Canadian would claim to go fishing and not return with a glorious photo of the grandaddy Walleye Pike caught on the trip.
Is Salve a double agent, too, like Ironic, or is Salve the one really responsible for the disappearance of her Canadian sister who happens to be involved in the Adoration dispute?
We switch extremes, and visit the Spirit of Vatican II parish somewhere so deep in Tennessee even their own bishop won't acknowledge them on the Archdiocesan web page.
Adoro stopped by during her regular rounds the other day and inquired (oh-so-innocently) of Fr. Tim whether he gets the inspiration for his homilies from the "green tea leaves" found by Fr. Juno in Keith's red backpack. Fr. Tim gave a gracious (if clueless) response to the question, and it seems that now Che' the Social Justice Minister of SOVII is going to petetion Fr. Time to use the "green tea leaves" Keith grows in his basement under flourescent lights and sell it after every Mass as a fundraiser! Keith even graciously offered to acquire a much larger stash...uh...quantity...that he could obtain from a friend who grows it in the hills. You see, Che' had forgotten to deposit the collection one Sunday and saw all the interest in the green tea leaves as a way to make up for his error. Then they're going to rent a bus and go down to Oak Ridge with all the green tea leaves and protest the weapons plant there.
Back in Rome, Father Zuhlsdorf, or "Fr. Z.", as he's affectionately known, is still lamenting the delay in the release of the Motu Propio. (It was actually the humble Crescat who drew attention to the caption and Fr. Z. gave her full credit for her humor.)
Cathy, the Recovering Dissident, who was recently quoted by Fr. Z., is lamenting herself the Gang Colors being shown at Mass, especially on Pentecost (this upcoming Sunday). If you DARE to wear a rainbow to Mass this weekend, prepare to meet the wrath of Crabby Cathy!
We return to the Saga at SOV2 and learn that Keith has been taken to a special retreat in Canada, but he's asked Che' to bring him a gift of tea leaves so he can make good on his promise to provide brownies.
Back at St. Cantius' parish wing of St. Blog's, Ma Beck rails against the idiocy of the lazy who put a class before God...as though it isn't God who is letting them go to Rome in the first place!
Down Under, in the land of the Kangaroo and the Sydney Opera House, Kiwi Nomad is still wandering around, taking great photos of places most of us will never see (not necessarily in Australia), making random appearances in comboxes around. St. Blog's parish. What corner of the wilderness is she off to next?
Come back next time to see what happens in the lives of the Catholic bloggers..
((( Ending credits/ music ...
Ave, Maria....... )))))
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Blogs of Our Lives - Pilot Episode
The Characters:
We begin in a small corner of St. Blog's Parish, a thriving city community in Minnesota, where Ray, the local Catholic "scoop", is hard at work perusing headlines to bring to the Catholic Faithful who read his blog. He is also alert to forward on the latest offense against the Church to the local Catholic Defense League. Ray is a lifelong Catholic with his own past he shares only with his closest Catholic friends, and anyone else he cares to share it with, and has found a home by parish-hopping and featuring articles on "Great Parishes!". He used to be a combox jockey but finally started a blog at the urging of his good friends Adoro and Cathy. Now the local St. Blogs residents wouldn't be able to do without his information or his humor.
Ray's most recent story points to Cathy, the Recovering Dissident Catholic who is apparently still sporting the Chrism from her annointing on the Easter Vigil, during which she was Confirmed. The Holy Spirit has a good hold of her and she is calling us all to be committed Catholics and wear our beliefs as a badge of honor, for that is what it is! Keep an eye on Cathy to see where her always entertaining and informative observations will take us next! Of note in her ongoing saga, her family manse, as she calls it, recently sold, and while she has happy memories of the home, she has come to reaize that it's not really home if her loved ones aren't in it.
After all, a house is just a box you keep your stuff in while you hang out with the people you love the most.
More on Cathy...she used to attend the local black eye parish, the dissident of all dissident locales but clawed her way out of the pit through a grueling regimen lead by the Holy Spirit and a healthy dose of Truth to bolster her upwards. Now she's one of the strongest Catholics on the block.
Let's switch scenes now and pan over to the ever elusive Terry Nelson at Abbey Roads. . Terry has a past occassionally alluded to but never fully shared; a past to include residence at different monasteries, and a history akin to that of St. Augustine (who doesn't have that kind of history?), but found his way home to Mother Mary's arms. Unfortunately the road lead to a terrible position in a poisonous atmosphere of an allegedly Catholic business which he recently left. What is he going to do? The drama is ongoing, and in order to escape the notice of whatever powers that be, Terry takes on a new identity on a daily basis.
Terry has yet another informative post up today, lamenting the damage done by calumny and the care we all need to take to avoid gossip. Terry often gives moral voice to the failings we all seem to fall into on a regular basis. It's always good to go check out Terry's blogs, because one never knows what he's going to look like from day to day. What will Terry look like tomorrow?
Meanwhile, in another corner of St. Blog's Parish, Happy Catholic and her husband are celebrating their 23rd Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations to the happy couple and may they have many more!
Happy Catholic (Julie D.) is a staple in St. Blog's, perhaps the heart and soul of all those who know and read her work. She provides the wisdom of the sages in her daily pages, ever leading those who seek such wisdom closer to the Lord they seek. Whenever she is not sharing her faith she's sharing her recipes and working on her latest knitting project. If St. Blog's were a real parish, it would be wealthy indeed for people would come from near and far to experience her home-grown version of Catholic hospitality.
And Father V. over in the Cleveland area of St. Blog's is offering a challenge to his extended parish family - can YOU give all the responses to these common calls used during the Mass? Check in tomorrow over at Adam's Ale for the answers!
Fr. V. has been sharing his story little by little, leading from theater to seminary, finding humor in the every day and explaining the art around us that has nearly been lost by the extreme confusion that happened after the "reforms" of the Second Vatican Council. Fr. V. is a fan of people, parishioners, art, symbolism in liturgical art, education for the laity, holiness, the Pope, and "The Princess Bride." While he hasn't been "assigned" to St. Blog's for long, he's already a beloved spiritual leader among us and has experienced all the battles waged at the real life parish level, if subdued by the cybercharacter of the internet.
And what's a story without the mysterious MIA's?
Angela Messenger, one of the resident Canadians, RCIA instructor at a circular-in-architecture parish, has taken holiday to places unknown. Word on the street is that she's informed a few people as to how she can be reached, but the info is top secret and can't be shared among the general St. Blog's audience. A hush falls over the parish as everyone wonders if someone will leak her wherebouts...and if so, will she be in danger?
Or is she only visiting her family?
At Angela's parish, there is a broiling controversy surrounding the imminent destrction of a building that now houses the Adoration Chapel. Where to move it? What will this mean? And will her Pastor's attempts to place the altar and tabernacle in a place of reverence in spite of the poor "Spirit of Vatican 2" wreckovation architecture cause people to take their families and flee...or will moving Adoration to the main Sanctuary bring people flocking in worship of our Lord and foster Vocations for years to come?
The other missing woman is Ironic Catholic. All she left was a mysterious message:
Out of town
...until Monday. Have a good weekend, all!
What can this mean? Ironic's true identity is unknown. We know (because she says so on her blog) that she is a professor of Theology somewhere, she has been grading papers, and she is a fan of satire and caption cotests. Now she's on a secret retreat of some sort, and, unlike Angela, she didn't forward any contact information.
Hmm....time to get out the magnifying glass.
Sarah is another missing blogger. She's a farm wife and mother from Ohio with a wee little one and another on the way, and her voice has been absent, although she commented on the recent Catholic Carnival for last week. Did she run away when she heard the lambs screaming? Did she get lost in the pasture, or did she simply step in a cow pie and has been spending the week prying the damage from her shoe treads?
Is it significant that THREE women and no men from St. Blog's is missing? Are they in cahoots? Are they planning a takover of dissident parishes? Are they ringleaders?
Or have they really been kidnapped?
And what is the Catholic Church without a black eye somewhere?
This parish has all the doings and human failings of a regular church, coupled with the extreme confusion and even outright disobedience of your favorite dissidents! Check out the antics of Che' (not his real name - it really starts with a "B") the Music Minister, and Todd, the Music Director as they go at each other's throats. And will Che' find his missing red backback? And will the mysterious Keith, (whose marijuana-stuffed red backpack was found by the hapless and cluless Fr. Juno) get his weed back? And what's going to happen with Che's banners or the Myn's or Wymyn's groups?
Meanwhile, in West St. Blog's, Father Reichtsteig, the pyromniac priest, is up at arms about Ascension Thursday having been moved to Sunday, thus depriving the faithful of a Holy Day which is truly still in existence. He also, grasping reality, cautions the faithful that the current "advertisement" for priests is none other than a couple of antisocial losers promulgated by MTV in the 90's...how can this possibly be a good thing?
Stay tuned for the next episode and additional characters from....BLOGS OF OUR LIVES....
STAGE DIRECTION:
(music playing...)
Ave....Maria........gratia plena.....
We begin in a small corner of St. Blog's Parish, a thriving city community in Minnesota, where Ray, the local Catholic "scoop", is hard at work perusing headlines to bring to the Catholic Faithful who read his blog. He is also alert to forward on the latest offense against the Church to the local Catholic Defense League. Ray is a lifelong Catholic with his own past he shares only with his closest Catholic friends, and anyone else he cares to share it with, and has found a home by parish-hopping and featuring articles on "Great Parishes!". He used to be a combox jockey but finally started a blog at the urging of his good friends Adoro and Cathy. Now the local St. Blogs residents wouldn't be able to do without his information or his humor.
Ray's most recent story points to Cathy, the Recovering Dissident Catholic who is apparently still sporting the Chrism from her annointing on the Easter Vigil, during which she was Confirmed. The Holy Spirit has a good hold of her and she is calling us all to be committed Catholics and wear our beliefs as a badge of honor, for that is what it is! Keep an eye on Cathy to see where her always entertaining and informative observations will take us next! Of note in her ongoing saga, her family manse, as she calls it, recently sold, and while she has happy memories of the home, she has come to reaize that it's not really home if her loved ones aren't in it.
After all, a house is just a box you keep your stuff in while you hang out with the people you love the most.
More on Cathy...she used to attend the local black eye parish, the dissident of all dissident locales but clawed her way out of the pit through a grueling regimen lead by the Holy Spirit and a healthy dose of Truth to bolster her upwards. Now she's one of the strongest Catholics on the block.
Let's switch scenes now and pan over to the ever elusive Terry Nelson at Abbey Roads. . Terry has a past occassionally alluded to but never fully shared; a past to include residence at different monasteries, and a history akin to that of St. Augustine (who doesn't have that kind of history?), but found his way home to Mother Mary's arms. Unfortunately the road lead to a terrible position in a poisonous atmosphere of an allegedly Catholic business which he recently left. What is he going to do? The drama is ongoing, and in order to escape the notice of whatever powers that be, Terry takes on a new identity on a daily basis.
Terry has yet another informative post up today, lamenting the damage done by calumny and the care we all need to take to avoid gossip. Terry often gives moral voice to the failings we all seem to fall into on a regular basis. It's always good to go check out Terry's blogs, because one never knows what he's going to look like from day to day. What will Terry look like tomorrow?
Meanwhile, in another corner of St. Blog's Parish, Happy Catholic and her husband are celebrating their 23rd Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations to the happy couple and may they have many more!
Happy Catholic (Julie D.) is a staple in St. Blog's, perhaps the heart and soul of all those who know and read her work. She provides the wisdom of the sages in her daily pages, ever leading those who seek such wisdom closer to the Lord they seek. Whenever she is not sharing her faith she's sharing her recipes and working on her latest knitting project. If St. Blog's were a real parish, it would be wealthy indeed for people would come from near and far to experience her home-grown version of Catholic hospitality.
And Father V. over in the Cleveland area of St. Blog's is offering a challenge to his extended parish family - can YOU give all the responses to these common calls used during the Mass? Check in tomorrow over at Adam's Ale for the answers!
Fr. V. has been sharing his story little by little, leading from theater to seminary, finding humor in the every day and explaining the art around us that has nearly been lost by the extreme confusion that happened after the "reforms" of the Second Vatican Council. Fr. V. is a fan of people, parishioners, art, symbolism in liturgical art, education for the laity, holiness, the Pope, and "The Princess Bride." While he hasn't been "assigned" to St. Blog's for long, he's already a beloved spiritual leader among us and has experienced all the battles waged at the real life parish level, if subdued by the cybercharacter of the internet.
And what's a story without the mysterious MIA's?
Angela Messenger, one of the resident Canadians, RCIA instructor at a circular-in-architecture parish, has taken holiday to places unknown. Word on the street is that she's informed a few people as to how she can be reached, but the info is top secret and can't be shared among the general St. Blog's audience. A hush falls over the parish as everyone wonders if someone will leak her wherebouts...and if so, will she be in danger?
Or is she only visiting her family?
At Angela's parish, there is a broiling controversy surrounding the imminent destrction of a building that now houses the Adoration Chapel. Where to move it? What will this mean? And will her Pastor's attempts to place the altar and tabernacle in a place of reverence in spite of the poor "Spirit of Vatican 2" wreckovation architecture cause people to take their families and flee...or will moving Adoration to the main Sanctuary bring people flocking in worship of our Lord and foster Vocations for years to come?
The other missing woman is Ironic Catholic. All she left was a mysterious message:
Out of town
...until Monday. Have a good weekend, all!
What can this mean? Ironic's true identity is unknown. We know (because she says so on her blog) that she is a professor of Theology somewhere, she has been grading papers, and she is a fan of satire and caption cotests. Now she's on a secret retreat of some sort, and, unlike Angela, she didn't forward any contact information.
Hmm....time to get out the magnifying glass.
Sarah is another missing blogger. She's a farm wife and mother from Ohio with a wee little one and another on the way, and her voice has been absent, although she commented on the recent Catholic Carnival for last week. Did she run away when she heard the lambs screaming? Did she get lost in the pasture, or did she simply step in a cow pie and has been spending the week prying the damage from her shoe treads?
Is it significant that THREE women and no men from St. Blog's is missing? Are they in cahoots? Are they planning a takover of dissident parishes? Are they ringleaders?
Or have they really been kidnapped?
And what is the Catholic Church without a black eye somewhere?
This parish has all the doings and human failings of a regular church, coupled with the extreme confusion and even outright disobedience of your favorite dissidents! Check out the antics of Che' (not his real name - it really starts with a "B") the Music Minister, and Todd, the Music Director as they go at each other's throats. And will Che' find his missing red backback? And will the mysterious Keith, (whose marijuana-stuffed red backpack was found by the hapless and cluless Fr. Juno) get his weed back? And what's going to happen with Che's banners or the Myn's or Wymyn's groups?
Meanwhile, in West St. Blog's, Father Reichtsteig, the pyromniac priest, is up at arms about Ascension Thursday having been moved to Sunday, thus depriving the faithful of a Holy Day which is truly still in existence. He also, grasping reality, cautions the faithful that the current "advertisement" for priests is none other than a couple of antisocial losers promulgated by MTV in the 90's...how can this possibly be a good thing?
Stay tuned for the next episode and additional characters from....BLOGS OF OUR LIVES....
STAGE DIRECTION:
(music playing...)
Ave....Maria........gratia plena.....
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