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This new book will help you on the way. The Hermit's Cookbook complete with recipes for bread soup and hermit stew - and still a scholarly work. I've always wondered about their diets - dates, roots, locusts, etc.
Read this and get the low-down. Sounds like more fun than my current research project, but then I digress....
The new Bishop of St. Augustine will be installed this week. On Wednesday evening, there will be a Vespers at the Cathedral-Basilica and on Thursday afternoon, the installation Mass at a large church in Jacksonville.
Obviously, most of us won't be in either building. We have been warned sternly by the powers that be not to even think we'd have a chance of getting in if we showed up. However, I plan to be in the Plaza at St. Augustine to watch the bishop arrive, knock on the door with a mallet and enter. That watching from the street is the laudable role of the peasants.
And I hope lots of other faithful are there as well! He will be the ruler, teacher, and shepherd to this diocese for many years (God willing!). If it were up to me, we would be lining the streets with cheering Catholics. Not only would it show our new bishop that we welcome him, it would show everyone else that we take our faith seriously.
The peasants never expected to enter the cathedral or dine at the king's table, but they certainly wanted to see him when he came to town.
Like every other person on the planet, I receive endless requests for money from worthy causes. Some are global; some are local. Some are religious; many are not.
As a veteran of the philanthropic sector, I know it is the duty of nonprofits to ask. And as a thoughtful person with some disposable income, I know it is my duty to give - and give wisely.
I like to know what happens to my money. Is it just going to overhead? Are there special projects happening and a need that's arisen? What kind of progress is going on?
In the wake of the Greg Mortenson melt-down, I've been thinking about fund-raising. Even more so after a solicitation I received this week from an organization I support.
They thanked me for my giving, appreciated my using a direct transfer method that saved them time and money. The conclusion was a suggestion that I up the ante by $5-$10 a month. That's the proverbial "call to action" that we all know and love in fundraising and marketing.
However, they didn't give me a reason to do so. I guess they'd just like some more. Not compelling. In fact, downright "dis-motivating."
Cantorae St. Augustine will be singing Vespers at the Shrine of La Leche this Friday, May 20th, at 6 p.m. A special delight will be the crowning of Our Lady in the course of the Vespers.
Do join us if you're able. Arrive early and enjoy the beautiful grounds with light breezes off the Intracoastal Waterway, the romping squirrels, and marsh birds. Then spend a little time with Cantorae in this Our Lady's special month.
I always like to keep up on Metropolitan Hilarion's writings. Thoughtful, lengthy (of course), and a good window on the Russian Orthodox view of the world. This essay on missionary questions covers some interesting territory on liturgy - with issues that may resonate with Catholic readers. (Scroll down to find that section if you're afraid of bogging down in patristics.)
So head over to his website - read something or just look at the pictures if you like elaborate vestments (something the Russians have taken to a high art-form).
I like this more approachable photo as well.
As a contributor to Sacred Music journal, I am always honored by the company I keep and the current issue (Spring 2011) is no exception.
I cannot recommend highly enough Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby's "The Psalmody of the Divine Office: A Path to Holiness for the Apostolic Religious." In my varied careers, I have found myself around flourishing and floundering women's congregations. And choral recitation of the Office is often one of the crucial differences.
At the same time, what Fr. Mark says is valuable to all of us. Because we take the Psalms for granted. Because we often only like the ones that fit our mood (or personal problems). Because we think they're too difficult. (Add your personal excuse here in silence.)
Give this essay a read if you're a subscriber. If you're not, why not join the Church Music Association of America. A modest $48/year will bring you a terrific journal and make you a part of a community of musicians and others who look for high ideals (and practical applications thereof) in liturgical music.
And if you don't know Fr. Mark's blog, Vultus Christi, you're missing something.
Thanks, Fr. Mark!
I've just learned that it's probably more difficult to move 1/2 mile than 3,000 miles. In the latter case, you throw everything in boxes all at once. The truck comes; the truck leaves. If it doesn't fit, it goes to St. Vincent de Paul.
Move inside the same town and you can agonize over every item.
