House of Mary

Based on Anne Catherine Emerich's visions this house was found in the 1900's by Germans. It since has become a shrine to the Blessed Virgin that includes a small Moslem prayer area. I visited the shrine in 1979 (I lived in Turkey from 1978-1979) and at that time Italian religious were in charge and covered up two of the women in our group who were wearing shorts.
This house in the last week was threatened by fire, but the fire stoppped when it reached the house. Miracle of Mary’s House in Ephesus, spared from the flames
Of course the visions of Anne Catherine Emerich were the basis for Mel Gibson's screenplay The Passion (I've always wondered how many evagelical Christians realized that?).

From the New York Times:

Whether this spot in Turkey was ever Mary’s house is indeed a matter of some controversy. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that anyone in the Church had any notion that Mary had once lived near Ephesus, and even then the first reports of the house came from a dubious source: the feverish visions of a bedridden German nun named Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich.

During her illness, Clemens von Brentano, a Romantic poet, began a vigil at her bedside and transcribed her visions and sayings, including a vision of Mary’s house near Ephesus. His notebooks remained unpublished for more than half a century. When they were finally made public in the 1880’s, a French abbot, Father Julien Gouyet, read them and found Sister Emmerich’s vision so compelling that he traveled to Turkey soon after to see if he could find it. With the help of local villagers, he found a small stone house that fit the poet’s description, geographically and architecturally.

It wasn’t until 1950, however, that the Church proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven and that the house on Nightingale Hill became an official shrine for pilgrims, although there are still scholars who doubt that Mary ever lived there. Over the years, stories have circulated that water from the well on the site has healing powers. At the entrance to the house there is a place for pilgrims to leave their crutches behind.

Pope Gregory the Great Model for all Administrators

From the Sunday Angelus at Asia News Italy:

Benedict XVI emphasized the resistance of Gregory to becoming pope, perhaps also thinking back to his own election and, prior to that, his work in Rome as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Gregory “sought in every way to avert his appointment, but at the end, he had to surrender and, reluctantly leaving the cloisters, he dedicated himself to the community, aware that he was carrying out his duty and of being a simple ‘servant of the servants of God’. ‘Neither is he truly humble, who understands how the good pleasure of the Supernal Will ought to bear sway, and yet contemns its sway. But, submitting himself to the divine disposals, and averse from the vice of obstinacy, it being already prevented with gifts whereby he may profit others also, he ought, when enjoined to undertake supreme rule, in his heart to flee from it, but against his will to obey’ (Pastoral Rule 1,6).”

Benedict XVI then outlined the commitments of St Gregory the Great in the field of liturgy, reform of the clergy, and efforts to integrate the Barbarian and Roman peoples: “With prophetic foresight, Gregory intuited that a new civilization was emerging from the encounter between the Roman heritage and the so-called ‘Barbarian’ peoples, thanks to the cohesive force and moral elevation of Christianity. Monasticism proved to be a source of richness not only for the Church but for the entire society. In poor health but of strong moral temperament, Gregory the Great undertook intense pastoral and civil activities. He left behind a vast body of correspondence, awesome homilies, a renowned commentary on the Book of Job and writings on the life of St Benedict, apart from numerous liturgical texts, famous for the reform of chant that was named ‘Gregorian’ after him. But his most celebrated work is doubtless Pastoral Rule, which for the clergy had the same importance as the Rule of St Benedict had for monks in the Middle Ages.”

Gregory the Great also inspired Vatican Council II: “The life of a shepherd of souls must be a balanced synthesis of contemplation and action, animated by the love that ‘rises wonderfully to high things when it is compassionately drawn to the low things of neighbours; and the more kindly it descends to the weak things of this world, the more vigorously it recurs to the things on high’ (II,5). The Fathers of Vatican Council II were inspired by this ever relevant teaching to describe the image of the Shepherd of our times.” The final prayer was to the Virgin Mary, “that the example and teaching of St Gregory the Great may be followed by Shepherds of the Church and also by managers of civil institutions.”

Time for the Annual Pilgrimage

To Florida Field to see the Gators take on UCF this Saturday. Back in the day I was there for all of them the big and the little games but now a days here in Big Ten country I'll take a dose of SEC mania whenever I can--and hopefully see a high scoring game is just right.
So leaving Notre Dame country, where the crowds are polite and orderly, I'll venture in to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where the crowd will be frenzied and loud to see short time Notre Dame head coach George O'Leary take on Pope Urban's second year spread offense. It'll be a battle of unbeatens--the game of the century, #1 versus #2 in my pre-season poll (just as valid as the other fictions out there).
Pretty good seats this year too, from the UF athletic director Jeremy Foley. What's my connection? A friend who plays golf with a former Penn State classmate of Foley's (three degrees of separation).
So while the rest of you are watching Ohio State and Texas--I'll be immersed in Gator Heaven--hopefully seeing about 70 points scored by the good guys.
Yesterday's game, Steve Spurrier's appearance in the swamp and Mike Bianci's comments:

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The history books tell us that UF fielded its first team in 1906 with a coach named J.A. "Pee Wee" Forsythe, who doubled as the team's fullback and was paid a $500 salary that first season. A century later, Meyer makes $2 million a year -- and he doesn't even have to suit up. The least he can do is win a championship.
"Since I've left, the Gators haven't won an SEC title," Spurrier said recently when asked why UF fans still adore him. "When they win one or two, that coach will replace me."
But the thing is, if Meyer is to win a championship, he must go through Spurrier to do it. Spurrier was rightfully cheered Saturday on his return to The Swamp; he'll be booed when he brings his Gamecocks here Nov. 11. "South Carolina, that's my team," Spurrier said Saturday. "All my emotions are with South Carolina now."
On this day, Florida fans loved him as one of their own.
In two months, they'll hate him just like everybody else.

Thanks!

From a reader of The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You:

But not until after we'd both ordered a copy of "The How-To Book of the Mass," by Michael Dubriel -- also without previous consultation. Interesting...

The title of Dubriel's book sounds simplistic, but it turned out to be a Godsend. Dubriel explains in detail where every aspect of the Mass originates and why Catholics say the prayers they say, sing the Kyrie and the Gloria, why they sit-stand-kneel, bless themselves and respond at appointed times. He explains the proper forms of the "beating of the breast", the genuflection, the bow, the crossing of oneself, and the proper focus one should maintain for the duration of Mass -- with Biblical parallels and the words of the Early Church for support.

In the end, I'm glad we ordered two copies, because mine ended up with underlines and notes in the margins all over. Which meant that not only had the Mass been illuminated, but at the second service we attended, I wasn't lost. I knew what was happening and why. Highly recommended.

The Pope's Brother Speaks

From The Christian Post:

Looking forward to the pope's visit to Germany and his native Bavaria Sept. 9-14, Ratzinger said he understood the expense of papal travel meant limits on his brother's lingering in his old haunts, including the house the pope still has in Regensburg's Pentling suburb.

One day of the trip is reserved for private time for the two brothers in Regensburg, and for the pope to visit the graves of his mother and father, Maria and Josef, and his sister, Maria, in a local cemetery. Otherwise, the pope will celebrate outdoor Masses in Munich, Regensburg, Altoetting and Freising.

"It's actually just half a day," Ratzinger, 82, said. "Whether it's enough or not, that's all there is. I wish there was more, but a visit is an enormously expensive matter with so many people taking part and the resulting costs. Every second is valuable."

In any case, Georg Ratzinger said he was able to spend almost a month at the papal summer retreat in Castelgandolfo, Italy this year.

The pope, born Joseph Ratzinger, and his brother were ordained priests on the same day in 1951. While Joseph became a theology professor, cardinal of Munich, top Vatican official and then pope, Georg made his career in music, conducting the renowned boys' choir of Regensburg Cathedral.

Catholic Sports Blog

After Amy suggested I start one, I discovered that somebody already had...interesting in that what makes it "Catholic" seems to be all the Catholic allusions used in sports.

The Daily Catholic Sports Blog

A Familiar Face Looking Back at Me

I doubt they have statues in this Orthodox church (another case of shoddy reporting)...

From the Norwich Bulletin:

Peter Dimas was sitting in the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Norwich several weeks ago when he looked up to the pale blue, stuccoed ceiling and saw a familiar face staring back at him.

Even though churches, especially Greek Orthodox, are known for their decor of religious images, the face of Jesus Dimas saw was not one of the statues or pictures that adorn other parts of the church. The eyes, hair, nose and mouth of Jesus are shaded -- though church officials say unintentionally -- into the domed ceiling repainted about eight years ago.

Pope Prays Before Veil of Veronica

From AGI:

"Let's seek the face of the Lord, together let's try to see the lord's face and, in him, find the path for our lives": with these words Benedict XVI explained to worshippers the spirit of his visit today to the Manoppello Sanctuary. "Dear brothers and sister - he said, greeting worshippers in the Sanctuary piazza - thank you for this warm welcome; I see many families from the Church gathered together here: where there is the Pope, this family united with great joy and I see all the beauty of the South of Italy in your faces. I especially greet those who are unwell: you are in our prayers - pray for each other also".

In Some Parts of Russia, Classes on Orthodoxy Mandatory

From Asia News Italy:

The teaching of the Orthodox religion has now become mandatory in the high
schools of four provinces of what once was the atheist Soviet state. In July
Moscow’s Spiritual Academy approved “Basics of Orthodox Culture”, a course soon
to be taught in the provinces of Belgorod, Kaluga, Brjansk and Smolensk. By
2010, the Moscow Patriarchate should have trained some 10,000 religious
teachers. In 11 other provinces, religion will be taught but won’t be
mandatory.
These developments reflect the Russian Orthodox Church’s plan to have
religion taught across the country. By contrast, government officials are
planning a more general course on the “History of World Religions” so as to not
offend the country’s religious minorities.
Aleksij II, patriarch of Moscow
and All Russia, is convinced that “pupils should know the history of their
culture, and this is the goal of ‘Basics of Orthodox Culture’.” He also believes
that this is true for other religions as well.

German Theologian Shares Insights into Pope's Student Gatherings

From Reuters:

But Father Stephan Horn, a German theologian organizing the pope's meeting with 39 former students, said that reflected a misunderstanding of how the so-called "student circle" works and what the Catholic Church teaches about evolution.

"We've never drawn any conclusions in our student circle," he told Reuters by telephone from Rome. "This is an open exchange of ideas that does not aim for a conclusion.

"It has nothing to do with creationism," he added, referring to a fundamentalist Protestant view that God created the world in six days as described in the Book of Genesis. "Catholic theology does not endorse creationist views."

Gas Prices Expected to be Close to $2 by Election Day

This isn't the USA Today headline...they say by "Thanksgiving", but being the cynic that I am, I told a someone at work at the beginning of the Summer when gas was well over $3 a gallon that don't worry it'll be below $2 by election day...and now lo and behold its in the news...

From USA Today:

Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months.
"The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."

Travel organization AAA foresees prices 10 cents a gallon lower by the end of next week. It reported a nationwide average of $2.84 Tuesday, the lowest since April 20.

Now here are a few questions:

Has the unrest in the Middle East ended?
Is Iraq no longer a threat?
Oil pipeline in Alaska fixed?
Threat of Hurricanes in the Gulf over?
People no longer driving?

Of course the answer to all is no...if anything the news in the Middle East gets worst by the day.

The Mighty Marlins

Given that I am one of only twelve loyal Florida Marlin fans and that the hijinx of Jeffrey Loria this year just about caused me to cave in--having barely survived the similar stunt by original owner trash mogul Wayne H. (I've hated the Dolphins ever since he bought them)--this is the team that no matter who owns them, no matter how lousy the fan support, or lack of stadium, or selling off the team--you just can't kill them.

They truly are the "mighty Marlins" like the fish that nearly killed the old man in The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway--how about the convergence of "Ernesto" losing steam over Cuba (think Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea) and the rise of the Marlins to just 1 1/5 games out of the wild card lead?

Two World Series crowns, while one team in this neck of the woods has gone over a 100 years and is still blaming some poor guy for going after a foul ball as the goat who caused thier team to lose to the Mighty Marlins--wake up folks!

New Program of Priestly Formation Released

The document is here.

From Catholic Online:

The new version, reflecting the bishops' recent response to the scandal of clergy sexual abuse of minors, says explicitly for the first time that no
seminary applicant is to be accepted if he has been involved in sexual abuse of
minors.

It also incorporates stricter norms, adopted by the bishops in 1999, on
evaluating an application for seminary admission from someone who previously
left or was dismissed from a seminary or a formation program for religious life.

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

From the Office of Readings (St. Bede):

As forerunner of our Lord’s birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven. In the words of Scripture: Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality. We justly commemorate the day of his birth with a joyful celebration, a day which he himself made festive for us through his suffering and which he adorned with the crimson splendour of his own blood. We do rightly revere his memory with joyful hearts, for he stamped with the seal of martyrdom the testimony which he delivered on behalf of our Lord.

There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.

Pius XII Attempted Long Distant Exorcism of Hitler

According to Vatican Exorcist, from Mosnews.com:

Secret Vatican documents recently released say that wartime pontiff Pope Pius XII attempted a “long distance” exorcism of Hitler which failed to have any effect. “It’s very rare that praying and attempting to carry out an exorcism from distance works. Of course you can pray for someone from a distance but in this case it would not have any effect,” Father Amorth said.

The Vatican’s chief exorcist claims that one of the key requirements for an exorcism is to be present in front of the possessed person and that person also has to be consenting and willing. “Therefore trying to carry out an exorcism on someone who is not present, or consenting and willing would prove very difficult,” he said.

Mepkin Abbot Dies

I met him once and spoke to him briefly, interestingly not in South Carolina but California at the LA Congress in Anaheim a few years ago.

From The State:

The Rev. Francis Kline, the abbot of Mepkin Abbey and an influencial
spiritual force in the life of South Carolina, died Sunday after a three-year
battle with cancer. He was 57.
A Juilliard-trained organist, Father Francis was the longtime leader of the Trappist monastic community founded on the Cooper River at Moncks Corner in 1949. But the cerebral, soft-spoken monk was much more to those who claimed him as wise counselor and reverent friend.
“He was someone that just had a remarkable level of personal grace in the way he handled himself,” Gov. Mark Sanford said. “He was able to have this incredibly deep well of spirituality and the ability to look deeply at ideas of faith, and then this
ability to care what was happening in the world around him.”

Founder of the Community of St. John Dies

Remained a Dominican even after he founded a flourishing order that is truly one of the bright spots in the New Springtime of the Church. Very holy man, and allowing for the judgment of the Church, no doubt a future saint.

From the Community of St. John:

Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, o.p., founder of the Community of Saint
John, died peacefully on Saturday morning August 26, 2006, at the priory of
Saint Jodard (France). He was being taken care of there since his stroke on July
20. He was going to be 94 years old on September 8.Until the funeral day, the
brothers and sisters keep vigil around him in the brother's chapel in Saint
Jodard. The vigil is opened to all who wish to participate.The funeral mass will
be celebrated on Saturday September 2 at 10:30 am at the Cathedral of Lyons. It
will be presided by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyons.In the
afternoon, Father Marie-Dominique will be buried in the cimetery of Rimont, in
the intimacy of the Family of Saint John (brothers, sisters and oblates).In
thanksgiving for all they have received through him, the memebrs of the Family
of Saint John entrust him to the prayer of all.

Feast of St. Augustine--Fr. Groeschel's Comments

From Franciscan Friars of the Renewal Site:

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Augustine. Ordinarily, yesterday, the 27th, we would have celebrated the feast of his mother, Saint Monica (she got
eclipsed by the Sunday this year). Both of these days are of very special
importance to me because my own thinking in life has been very much shaped by
Saint Augustine and his great writings. When I was a seminarian long ago I used
to spend an hour every afternoon reading Saint Augustine and other fathers of
the church. As some of you know, I wrote a book called Augustine: The Confessions & the City of God (Crossroad Spiritual Legacy Series) , which is a popular introduction to Saint Augustine for people who are not philosophers or theologians.
When I try to analyze why this great man appeals so much to me, I realize it is because in many respects he thinks like a modern person. He is the holy psychologist. Without knowing what the word psychologist meant, I started to read him when I was fourteen years old and recognized that he was talking about things that I had experienced. His great line, “You have made us for yourself, Oh God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you,” is still today tremendously
meaningful to me in life.
Most laypeople are unaware of it, but the thinking of Pope Benedict XVI is very much rooted in Saint Augustine and his great disciple, Saint Bonaventure. If you want to understand Pope Benedict XVI, you need to be familiar with the ideas of Saint Augustine and particularly his conviction of the importance of religious experience in order for us to believe and grow in the Christian life. That’s putting it in a nutshell.
Another interesting thing for all of us Franciscans and our friends is that the first
friars and Saint Francis would have been familiar with Saint Augustine. In
western Christianity during the end of the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, Saint
Augustine was the preeminent theologian. Such figures as Saint Thomas Aquinas,
who was so important in the second part of the Middle Ages, had not been born
yet. When Saint Francis went to church on Sunday, the preaching he heard was
based very much on Saint Augustine; so, the ideas of Saint Augustine are very
much reflected in the writings and life of Saint Francis.
You may find it very helpful to get to know this man. If you are not familiar with him, my little book introducing him might be very helpful to you. Along with Saint
Francis and Saint Clare, he has been a very important friend in my life.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR

Rumors: Arch. Myers to Detroit?

From The Star Ledger:

Once Pope Benedict returns to Vatican City from a trip to his native Germany next month, he faces important decisions that will affect millions of Catholics: how to fill archbishop vacancies in Detroit and Baltimore, where archbishops traditionally become cardinals.

New Jersey's Catholics have good reason to follow his decisions: Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, the highest-ranked Catholic clergyman in the state since 2001, is rumored to be the favorite for Detroit's opening.

Microwaved Image of Mary on Cell Phone

In Florida, available on e-bay?

From the Gainesville Sun:

Jan Zuccarell sees the image burned on the screen of the cell phone as a sign from God.
Her son, Ben Zuccarell, sees the image as a cash cow, and wants to sell the phone on eBay.
Whatever its significance, mother and child agree that the plastic bubble on the cell phone screen looks just like the Virgin Mary, and say they want to share it with the world.
"It'll give you goosebumps," said Ben Zuccarell, 45. "No. It'll give your goosebumps goosebumps."
Earlier this week Jan's great-granddaughter and Ben's grand-niece, Rachel Casiano, who's almost 2, somehow managed to place her mother's cell phone - along with her own sneakers - into the family's microwave and press "start."

Warning! Do not try this with your phone...