David Ancell / Thursday, July 31, 2003 / Comments(0)
Some people in Memphis still do not have power. I just went to 6:15 AM Mass this morning, and there was no electricity. Afterwards, we had to say morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours out in the prayer garden because there was neither light nor air conditioning in the church. Fortunately, it has cooled down quite a bit since the weekend.
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David Ancell / Thursday, July 31, 2003 / Comments(0)
In case anyone hasn’t seen this:
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has released its statement concerning the duty to work against the legal recognition of homosexual marriages and the adoption of children by gay couples. It denounces adoption by gay couples as “violence.” This should erase any doubt about what the Church says.
A good commentary is found with Catholic World News. Some may be concerned that no penalites are mentioned. I just hope that all of the scoffers who claim to be Catholic realize that even if they aren’t excommunicated from the Church, they still must stand before God to give an account.
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David Ancell / Wednesday, July 30, 2003 / Comments(0)
I saw this post on Catholic Light about parish shopping. Until I came to Memphis, I always went to the parish I lived in. Of course, I had little choice in the first couple of places I lived because there was only one in the general area.
However, once I moved to Memphis, I decided to seek a parish that had some young adults like me and a young adult ministry. I chose St. Louis Church and have not regretted the decision. We have the Frassati Society, of which I am the webmaster. One might criticize me saying that I just needed to start one myself, but at this point my faith was just beginning to revitalize, and I was in no position to do this.
I disagree with what some of John Schultz wrote. I am a very distractable person, and I try to avoid the church-in-the-round design and the priests who say only an approximation of the Mass. I wonder if the best way to handle a dissident pastor is for as much of the congregation as possible to empty the parish. I’ll bet bishops would be more attuned to rooting out dissent if this happened. Furthermore, I know well that I am still in need of further formation, and I won’t get it from a heterodox pastor.
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David Ancell / Tuesday, July 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
I remember about a year ago when someone discovered this document that seemed to say that people with homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the seminary. Well, Pete Vere posts his comments which indicate the document is not as simple as it seems. I have no reason to believe him anything other than a faithful Catholic, and he is an expert. I did have a question that I posted in his comment box that is as follows:
Thanks for the comments. I’m sure that these things aren’t as clear as they seem to most people. However, I do have a thought . . .
It seems that anyone who is currently acting on a sexual attraction, heterosexual or homosexual, would not be fit for the priesthood. If acting upon the inclination is necessary to meet the definition, then why is homosexuality singled out? I guess it is plausible to think that active homosexuality constitutes a worse danger since a seminarian will be in with a bunch of men. What do you think?
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David Ancell / Tuesday, July 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
I just laughed out loud when I read this article. I must wonder why juries don’t expect people to use common sense. By the way, I got this link from Envoy Encore.
I especially like the one that says that you shouldn’t iron your clothes while you are wearing them. Darn! I thought I’d save some time. Near the bottom of the article, you will see a warning on a bottle of antidepressants. I really hate the way manufacturers have to report side effects. I have had frantic patients calling me. Some patients have ended up in the hospital because they didn’t take their medication for fear of the side effects.
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David Ancell / Tuesday, July 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
Here is what I have posted regarding the infallibility of the Holy Father. I’m not sure if I’m 100% accurate, so feel free to help me out.
All of the baptized have been given special gifts from the Holy Spirit that they can only use for the benefit of others. These are commonly known as charisms. The St. Catherine of Sienna Institute is out there to help lay people discern their charisms. Some people have charisms of leadership, teaching, writing, etc. Some have lifestyle charisms such as poverty or celibacy.
The charism of infallibility is given to the Pope and the bishops who teach in union with him. It is given for the good of the Church to safeguard the deposit of faith from error. The interesting aspect of this charism is that it is only a negative protection. In other words, it doesn’t guarantee that the Pope will teach truth but that he won’t teach error. In other words, it is still possible for him not to teach at all but to remain silent. He also only has this ability in matters of faith and morals.
One aspect that confuses many is that infallibility doesn’t apply to the Pope’s prudential judgment. Some acts, such as abortion, contraception, murder, blasphemy, are always evil. Therefore, the Holy Father can never go wrong in condemning them. Other actions, such as going to war, are not always wrong. In this case, the Church’s teaching on a just war is correct. However, the Pope may, due to a lack of knowledge of the facts, make the wrong judgment as to whether or not the war in Iraq is just. Therefore, you will see faithful Catholics on both sides of the fence.
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David Ancell / Tuesday, July 29, 2003 / Comments(0)
You may remember the Gospel reading from yesterday’s Mass. It is the parable of the mustard seed. It talks about how the tiniest of seeds becomes a large shrub. Many times, in evangelization, we talk about planting a seed in someone. We give them a small bite of truth and pray that God will make it grow. The thought I had was this: where does the seed come from?
Obviously, the seed is God’s to begin with. We must always be sure that what we are giving another is God’s.
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David Ancell / Monday, July 28, 2003 / Comments(0)
Well, it’s official. I was born 28 years ago on this day at 7:05 AM at Missouri Delta Community Hospital (now known as Missouri Delta Medical Center). My dad is now the president of that hospital. Only two more years now until I hit the big three-oh (ugh!).
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David Ancell / Sunday, July 27, 2003 / Comments(0)
I had no idea that Fr. Vosko was behind the renovation of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis. Not only that, but he was also behind the changes to the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville. Well, both have their good and bad aspects.
In Memphis, our cathedral was in desparate need of some work. The floor creaked when you walked on it, and it was probably only a matter of time before someone got hit in the head with a ceiling tile. The whole building also looked dirty. If there were any protests, they weren’t well-publicized. The Cathedral is now clean and bright. The artwork was preserved and in some cases enhanced (the picture on the link doesn’t do justice). However, the tabernacle was moved off into a side chapel, and I’ll bet that this is Fr. Vosko’s influence (though this may be appropriate for a cathedral). The only parts that I truly don’t like is that the communion rails were removed, and the ambo and altar that were put in look kind of cheap compared to the rest of the building. The altar was also moved out into the congregation, though there is still a discernible sanctuary.
I have nothing other than a picture to compare the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville to since I never saw it before the renovation. For the most part, it is a beautiful church. However, like the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the tabernacle was pushed off to the side. The altar wasn’t moved out very far. The only thing that is strange about it is that the apse is colored pink. I’m not kidding. A parishoner who was there before the renovation said that the church is still pretty, but the pink was a shock. I like the old colors in the pictures better as well.
At least they were not changed into something like this church. I can’t believe that someone didn’t have the common sense to reject this nonsense.
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David Ancell / Sunday, July 27, 2003 / Comments(0)
I went to Mass at my church this morning, and it still does not have power. They had some fans hooked up to a generator. It only lasted 30 minutes. I’m glad I went early as the place is bound to get hot as Gehenna. There were no hymns and only a very brief homily. The pastor said the Mass and said he told the associates to stick to the three C’s “Consecration, Communion, and Collection.” The nice part is that the couple behind me came in with their baby, who did not raise a fuss during the entire Mass.
If you think that things shouldn’t have been abbreviated on account of a lack of electricity, then you don’t live in the South. The heat and humidity at this time of year can be deadly to some of our elderly.
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