Out with the Old

July 5, 2009
At noon today, we got a call that the demolition of our decrepit, but historic, church (which burned in 1978 and hasn't been used since) had reached the point where they were going to be taking down the steeple. The steeple/belfry was put on in the early '90's when restorations efforts were begun (without lasting success). It has been a focal point and a well-known, much-beloved monument in our town for years. So it caused a stir when we heard that this was the day it was going to come down.

I grabbed my camera and ran out the door with AB and Dad. A small crowd had gathered and there were reporters and cameras from channels 13 and 49 present. After 30 or 40 minutes, word came that they weren't going to take the steeple down today after all! I'm not sure exactly why, but it will be coming down tomorrow instead.

Oh well! It was still exciting and I got some pictures of the demolition action. Hopefully, I will be free to return tomorrow when they do take down the tower...!

I found it fascinating to watch such a giant machine doing a job that is both forceful and delicate, large-scale and precise! If you'd like to watch too, don't miss the web cam which gives you a great real-time view of the proceedings.



It's a long road to a new church, but it's morale-boosting to see the process getting underway.

A Call to Arms

Fostering Life

For one reason or another, the topic of foster care, orphanages, and adoption has come to my attention several times recently.

First, awhile back, there was this article on the Conversion Diary about how Jennifer went from pro-choice to completely pro-life. It is long, but excellent reading!

Then there was Mary's article at Owlhaven about the gradual development of her and her husband's desire to adopt.
This was followed very shortly by her post about how they afforded the adoptions of six children from foreign countries.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Jennifer published a superb blog post about her and her husband's burgeoning interest in foster care, in spite of the fact that her oldest is four and her fourth was born in March of this year. Coming from someone who had once been in the position of not planning to have any children at all, this is clearly a glorious, grace-filled progression!

This past Monday, Jennifer posted a question-and-answer session with the parents of a severely handicapped child, addressing the issue of whether or not it is a mercy to deny them life as pro-choice proponents claim. Interesting reading.

On Wednesday, she issued a very thought-provoking and eye-opening post, even for a "cradle Catholic" like myself, with the excellent (and, I think, very accurate) observation that Christians are open to life in a way that atheists and agnostics are not. They are willing to surrender control of their lives to God and demonstrate this in a willingness to accept the less-than-perfect aspects of human life.

Finally, yesterday, I received a couple of e-mails about two guys from the west coast who have set out to bicycle around the world as a fund-raiser for an orphanage in India! They have a website set up - The Orphan Ride - where you can follow their progress and make a pledge to donate. (Their application for non-profit status has been submitted and is pending.)
These two brothers - 21 and 29 years old - have worked for two years to save the money to cover all of their own expenses! That means that every single penny donated will go to the support of an Indian orphanage - 100% of the proceeds! Wow!
To read more on their gutsy undertaking, you can go to their website or read this article.
Rumor has it that they'll be traveling through our town this weekend!

I'm not sure why there has been such a convergence of articles on the subject of adoption and life lately, but it has definitely gotten my attention and I've been doing some thinking about it.

It seems to me that a course like adoption should not be entered upon lightly, with too little consideration. And it's clear to me that there are an almost infinite number of circumstances that play into such a decision... and every family works with a unique combination of circumstances, which influence their decisions. It is also seems to me that it really needs to be God's Will that one adopt, if it is going to go as smoothly as possible (with the financial requirements, with the timing, and with the transition and integration for all persons involved). Above all, there needs to be plenty of God's grace and a lot of generosity, understanding, and selflessness (as well as an accurate grasp on the possible speed bumps inherent to the process) on the part of the prospective parents!

If any of you out there are considering adoption, you have my heartfelt support and admiration. God bless you!

Thought for the Day

The present day is given to you in order to gain the future day of eternity... Make a firm purpose to employ the day well for this intention.

~St. Francis de Sales

It's Kind of Sad

We boxed everything up at the clinic today. All the cabinets are empty. All the shelves are clear. And after seven years in this building (which, because it was built to taste, suited us all so well), it's a little hard to say goodbye and see it go.

Today was the last day we'll all work together, since some of us will be parting ways after this. Today was the last day that my dad was the boss to whom we looked and to whom we answered. *sniff*

over 50 boxes were necessary to hold the charts that are going over in the move

We saw 39 patients (two providers) yesterday and 22 patients (one provider) today... while trying to get packed up and start moving. The results were sometimes rather comical: Julia and I made a trip over to the SM Clinic with all of our treatment room supplies. When we returned, we found out that while we were delivering those things (which included suture materials), a boy with a chin laceration had walked in! Without the things needed to stitch it up (and it being small enough), my dad steri-stripped it... after having to search for a couple of minutes to find the scissors...!
Just a short while later, we learned that someone was coming in to get a cast removed. This called for a quick trip back over to the other clinic to retrieve the necessary implements which had also been transferred earlier this morning!

After that, we laid off on the actual moving and tried to confine our efforts to organizing what we could in order to box it up and move it out after our last patient of the day left a little before 5. We were pretty efficient, thankfully, with a lot of help from all sides, and managed to box and mark and sort just about everything in about 2 1/2 hours.

the "baby boards" removed from the walls of the lobby

I've worked over 33 hours in the past three days... and I'm very thankful that tomorrow is the feast of the Ascension and a holy day of obligation! ;)

Hope you all have a very happy feast day!

Second Sunday in Lent ~ the Gradual

I was going to blog briefly about this yesterday, but that didn't happen... So today, I just wanted to share with you the Gradual from yesterday's Mass. For some reason, as I read it during Mass yesterday, it jumped out at me as ever so appropriate. That is the beautiful thing about Scripture. It's absolutely timeless. It transcends the ages.

The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities, O Lord. See my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins. (Psalms 24:17,18)

It applied to myself personally, because Saturday night had been a little bit rough and I was feeling overwhelmed by the troubles and worries of our age in general and of my life in particular. These troubles seem so interminable sometimes and I feel so helpless against them. (Indeed, on my own, I am utterly helpless in the face of them.) But I think that it also applies to our day and age very well.
For every one good thing you hear on the news, there are six or eight or ten bad things you can't help but hear as well. Every day seems to bring renewed abominations and an-ever-greater breach of our freedoms by the government. When will it end??

The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities, O Lord.

It seems almost as though the harder we fight against this force of evil, the further it advances. But struggle we must - and fight the good fight, no matter how futile it may seem to human eyes. And the first place that this fight needs to begin is within our own hearts. We cannot hope to win over the world if we cannot win ourselves over, by staying faithful in the little things. May God grant us the strength necessary to stay faithful to His cause.

See my abjection and my labor, and forgive me all my sins.



...This, in a rough nutshell, was the series of thoughts that occurred to me when I read yesterday's gradual. Did you have any reflections on this passage? I hope that each of you is having a good Lent - doing a little but doing it well. God bless!

Ash Wednesday

Today marks the beginning of Lent, the most penitential season of the year. Today's liturgy turns our thoughts toward death (and the beginning of eternal life). What state will our soul be in at the hour of our death? We've probably all heard the saying, "As you live, so shall you die." With this in mind, I'd like to quote chapter 23 of Book I in The Imitation of Christ:

How happy and prudent is he who strives to be such now in this life as he desires to be found at his death.
For it will give a man a great confidence of dying happily if he has a perfect contempt of the world, a fervent desire of advancing in virtue, a love for discipline, the spirit of penance, a ready obedience, self-denial, and patience in bearing all adversities for the love of God.

I hope you all have a fruitful Lent - doing a little, but doing it well. God bless!

Take Up Thy Cross and Follow Me

A quote from chapter 12 of Book II in The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis:

To many this seems a hard saying: "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow Jesus." (Matthew 16:24) But it will be much harder to hear that last word: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire." (Matthew 25:41)


In the cross is salvation; in the cross is life; in the cross is protection from thy enemies.
In the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the cross is strength of mind; in the cross is joy of spirit.
In the cross is the height of virtue; in the cross is the perfection of sanctity.
There is no health of soul nor hope of eternal life but in the cross.

The Real Poverty in America

Kim, over at Life in a Shoe, mother of nine, has brought up an interesting topic...

If you thought your income was modest but sufficient, the truth is you could be teetering on the brink of poverty. Let's put an end to your blissful ignorance, because nobody should be forced to choose between gasoline and a gym membership. It's just un-American.

Be sure to read her whole post here.



Did you go read it and come back? Go ahead. I'll wait.




The first thought that came to my mind was how ironic it is that Americans will go into debt so as not to be "poor".
What greater poverty could there be?
Isn't poverty a fairly absolute term? Why should it be a measurement of how we compare to our neighbors? If one cannot afford to take their family to Disneyland every year, does that make them poor and the children deprived?

This all ties in with a conversation that I had with my mom yesterday. We were on a toll road and the vehicle pulling through beside us was a gorgeous, new SUV. I wondered to myself how anyone would be able to afford a vehicle like that (unless they had exceptional employment)... this mental query was quickly followed up by the realization that many people can't actually afford the lifestyle that they've bought into it.
A quick look at CreditCards.com revealed that, "The average American with a credit file is responsible for $16,635 in debt, excluding mortages, according to Experian." Another statistic quoted on The Sensible Steward says this: "Looked at another way, consumer debt today equals 132% of the average household's annual disposable income."

It is up to speculation to consider how many of these individuals and households might not have any debt if they had stopped and thought. It seems to me that there is a deficit in this country in more than just monetary funds. There appears to be just as severe a shortage in both common sense and critical thinking.
Dictionary.com defines common sense as "sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence." It defines critical thinking as "the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion."
We've all heard the saying, "Common sense isn't as common as it used to be." Unfortunately, that has caused more than a little harm (not reserved to monetary poverty alone); the consequences of which won't be pretty...

What is the best way to avoid this in the future then? My answer would be good, solid education. This is not limited to a child's formal education (although that is certainly a part of it), but includes the mindset their parents impart to them, the expectations they are to live up to (read: responsibility for their actions), and the ability to think for themselves. If more people were to think on their own and make decisions independent of pressure from advertisers, the media, and peers, maybe our country wouldn't be facing the (economic/political/social/religious) crisis that is staring it in the face.

Ultimately, I think that it boils down to just a couple of things:
- People (society) need God. They need morality and that Someone to whom they must answer for their actions and to whom they can turn for help.
- Parents need to raise the children that they bear. Broken homes, day care, excessive extra-curricular activities all contribute to children being left to "raise themselves."
Unless and until these poverties are amended, we will search in vain for the solution to the current crisis.



**Addendum... One of the gravest poverties in our country is that millions of children are being denied life, but that's opening an entirely new can of worms and I'm not going there today.**

Lourdes

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes! I went to Mass this morning and among my other intentions, I prayed for all my blog readers. So if you are here reading this, I offered Mass for you and your intentions this morning. :)

Mom and I were fortunate enough to visit Lourdes this past August, 150 years after Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette. I had seen pictures of Lourdes, heard about what it was like, and had my own expectations... but somehow, seeing the place of the apparitions for myself was more moving than I had anticipated it would be.
The 150th anniversary (coupled with THE vacation month in Europe) meant that there was a lot of hoopla throughout the entire town of Lourdes and crowds of people at the Grotto. Nonetheless, standing before the statue of Our Lady in the rock and surrounded by people who were devout believers and others who were simply curious, I felt an almost palpable calm, a tangible peace. It was as though Our Lady was reiterating, "I am your Mother. You have nothing to fear. Come to me." I did not get that impression anywhere else... In fact, on occasion, it was quite the opposite. What they have done to St. Bernadette's former parish church and the place where she received her First Holy Communion is revolting. Yet, no matter the time of day, regardless of the crowds of pilgrims and tourists, in rain or in sunshine, every visit that we made to the Grotto (4 times in all, if I remember rightly) was marked by the same sense of the sacred.
And my impression of Lourdes was changed forever.

Taking of the Cassock

A week ago today, on the Feast of the Purification, my brother took the cassock in Winona, MN. It was a splendid day (thankfully mild for the area - it made it up to 28 degrees that afternoon) and a beautiful ceremony. I just wanted to share a few... *ahem* ... a lot of pictures.





















Please keep my bubba in your prayers!! Thank you!

Finding a Balance

As I loaded the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher this morning and started the machine, I found myself wondering how such a mundane thing like the dishes could find itself side-by-side with discussions about weighty, worldwide events. The dichotomy between something as personal and human as cleaning plates - or making cinnamon rolls, which I started after that - and keeping abreast of current affairs, good and bad, appeared huge.

It seems to me that in times past, most people were probably able to live their lives more-or-less in their own little worlds. They took care of their families, socialized with their friends and neighbors, participated in local events, and only on occasion received news on a national or worldwide level. They could trust their civil and religious leaders to really take care of and look out for them. They did not need to know what was brewing on another continent... They concentrated their energy on getting their crops planted and their children clothed, fed, and educated. (That is not to say that they were ignorant - simply that their focus was more localized.)
Then came the advent of the telephone, the airplane... the internet and the cell phone. Information now travels extremely quickly, making the world seem smaller than ever. It is now necessary to keep up with global events - to bear part of the weight of the world on your own shoulders.

And so I wondered, as I paused for a cup of tea this morning, how best to strike a balance between day-to-day life and the worldwide political, economic, and religious crises whose effects we will not be able to escape. It occurred to me that the situation is a bit like being in the midst of a battlefield while not actually being a soldier. I pictured a group of civilians huddled beneath arrows that were flying overhead in all directions. And so I think it is for the average person today: it is impossible - indeed, dangerous - to ignore the battle that's going on all around us, but it is of the utmost importance at the same time to keep guard of the family unit and to keep living one's daily life.

The only unifying factor I can think of is God.
In God and with faith, we will see that by doing our duty of state to the best of our ability, we can simultaneously (if vicariously) take part in the battles that are being waged on a larger scale. All baptized Catholics are a part of the Communion of Saints, members of the Church Militant. Thus, every action done for love of God goes toward the common good.
We are therefore able to balance the vast affairs of nations and doing our laundry... on the battlefield of Life.

Little Miracles of Grace

They were calling it a miracle before a mere 24 hours had elapsed. The plane crash/landing in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, that is... When Captain Sullenberger skilfully and adeptly guided his failing aircraft into an emergency landing without losing a single life. This may have been a miracle, at best; it must have required great skill and presence of mind, at least.

This evening, I came across a beautiful article (hat tip to Joe) that relates one passenger's account - and the unmistakable role of Providence in the events of that day and his life. It is remarkable...

The Divine Mercy and the Hudson River Landing

While it may never be proven that the safe landing of flight 1549 was miraculous in the strict sense of the word, I have no doubt that this is just one of many little, unseen instances in which God works a miracle of grace.

Scatterbrain

There's been so much going on lately that I've hardly been able to think!! This time last week, I was in Texas. Now I'm in Minnesota. Tomorrow night, I'll be back in Kansas.

It's good to travel and to see family members and friends again... I'm especially happy to be here in Minnesota, where my siblings live. But it will be nice to settle down at home again too.

I've been so constantly occupied with people lately, that although much is said and much is done, I don't get much of a chance to think (i.e. reflect). At home, normally, I can think while I do things, but lately when there IS a quiet and still moment (like this one while everyone is napping), I realize that I have little on which to ruminate. It's almost disconcerting! :)
That's partly why the recent posts have just been pictures.

Regardless... Today, my brother took the cassock - the visible, tangible sign that he's on the path toward the priesthood. I am so happy for him and so proud of him!! It's great to be around him and I love visiting with his fellow seminarians and the priests - there's just something about them that makes me wish I could stay with them always! LOL! :)
Virtuous lives/the sanctified are always so attractive... even disarming.

...Anyway, enough rambling from the Scatterbrain. Please keep my brother in your prayers as he casts off the old man and puts on the new! (And while you're at it, say a prayer for me too, would you? :))

Thanks and God bless!

The Excommunications Have Been Remitted

Statement from the Congregation for Bishops

By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial disposition. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

His Holiness Benedict XVI - paternally sensitive to the spiritual unease manifested by the interested party due to the sanction of excommunication and trusting in the effort expressed by them in the aforementioned letter of not sparing any effort to deepen the necessary discussions with the Authority of the Holy See in the still open matters, so as to achieve shortly a full and satisfactory solution of the problem posed in the origin - decided to reconsider the canonical situation of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta, arisen with their episcopal consecration.

With this act, it is desired to consolidate the reciprocal relations of confidence and to intensify and grant stability to the relationship of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X with this Apostolic See. This gift of peace, at the end of the Christmas celebrations, is also intended to be a sign to promote unity in the charity of the universal Church and to try to vanquish the scandal of division.

It is hoped that this step be followed by the prompt accomplishment of full communion with the Church of the entire Fraternity of Saint Pius X, thus testifying true fidelity and true recognition of the Magisterium and of the authority of the Pope with the proof of visible unity.

Based in the faculty expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, in virtue of the present Decree, I remit of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta the censure of latae sententiae excommunication declared by this Congregation on July 1, 1988, while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time.

Rome, from the Congregation for Bishops, January 21, 2009.

Card. Giovanni Battista Re
Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops


Press Release from the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

The excommunication of the bishops consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, which had been declared by the Congregation for Bishops in a decree dated July 1, 1988, and which we had always contested, has been withdrawn by another decree mandated by Benedict XVI and issued by the same Congregation on January 21, 2009.

We express our filial gratitude to the Holy Father for this gesture which, beyond the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, will benefit the whole Church. Our Society wishes to be always more able to help the pope to remedy the unprecedented crisis which presently shakes the Catholic world, and which Pope John Paul II had designated as a state of "silent apostasy."

Besides our gratitude towards the Holy Father and towards all those who helped him to make this courageous act, we are pleased that the decree of January 21 considers as necessary "talks" with the Holy See, talks which will enable the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to explain the fundamental doctrinal reasons which it believes to be at the origin of the present difficulties of the Church.

In this new atmosphere, we have the firm hope to obtain soon the recognition of the rights of Catholic Tradition

Menzingen, January 24, 2009

+Bernard Fellay

Prayer Intentions

Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?

~excerpt from The Passing of Arthur by Alfred Lord Tennyson



I'd like to ask all my readers to please keep several intentions in their prayers.

* A friend of mine had her first-born baby (a son) on Tuesday, January 20. He was born five weeks early and had some trouble breathing, so he was transferred from one hospital to another, where they have a NICU with good care. It should only be a matter of time before his lungs are mature enough to support him on their own, but that's a pretty rough situation, so please keep his mommy and daddy in your prayers.

* Another friend of mine lost her father to spinal cancer a year ago today. They've had a rough week of it, with two other deaths close to home - one this past Monday and one just yesterday. I'm sure a couple of prayers would do them well.

* I found out yesterday that a traditional priest (a friend of the SSPX) was brutally murdered in South Africa. Nothing was stolen from the priory. He was 83 years old and it looks like the primary intent was his death. How horrible! (You can read more here.) Please pray for the repose of his soul.

* My best friend's mom was admitted to the hospital Wednesday, when it was discovered that her lungs were infected and (literally) filled with pus! Her lungs were drained Wednesday night and a chest tube was put in, but one of her daughters informed me that she was going to have surgery yesterday morning. I haven't heard any further details, but it was a scary and life-threatening situation for a little while on Wednesday and we're hoping she'll make it through alright.

* Last but not least, I've got a few friends whose husbands are either without work entirely (having been laid off) or pretty close to having no work. A prayer to St. Joseph on their behalf would be much appreciated.
Plus, there is a very special financial intention on my behalf that I'd love to have prayers for as well. :)

(Oh, and of course!!, prayers please for the revoking of the decree of excommunication by the Vatican!)

Thank you sooo much!

Lifting of the So-Called "Excommunication"?!

Breaking news!! The Vatican apparently has plans to make an official announcement tomorrow that they are lifting the decree of excommunication that they had placed on the SSPX bishops, consecrated by His Excellency Archbishop Lefebrve in 1988.

The SSPX faithful completed 1.7 million 5-decade Rosaries for this intention. As opposed to this very thing as the Vatican has been lately, this can only be by virtue of divine intervention! Thanks be to God and His holy Mother. I have to run to work, but wanted to mention this elating news! Stay tuned!

You can read more here.

Hard Times

Reading His Excellency's recent words is sobering, in the healthiest of ways. Nonetheless, these words of insight and wisdom, which are so timely, lead one such as I (a relatively deep-thinker and relatively young in age) to wonder just what the future holds. It would be easy to give in to fear, but that is without benefit as well as opposed to the theological virtue of Hope. Yet human prudence still begs to know what to do in such a situation. Being without a great deal of experience, I don't know. (I would imagine that even those with a great deal of experience are somewhat at a "wait and see" junction themselves.)
The bottom line is that there is no guarantee of any kind, no surefire way to hold onto security. There's no field of work that will be left untouched. It would be prudent to have a backup plan for one's profession, life work, or job. Should things go sour (and they will), it would be reassuring to be able to switch, say, from being a store manager to plumbing. It would be wise to have something (different) to fall back on, should your field of specialty fail. That way, you'd still have an income, a means of support, something! But it's impossible to tell which fields will be the most promising in times to come. What will be indispensable? What skill would be useful, to trade for goods and other services? Doctoring, undoubtedly, is one. But beyond that? I wish I knew with more certainty.
I don't, however. Therefore, this is a prime opportunity to rely on God to see us through!

I wonder how long these necessary trials will last? Five years? Thirty?
Oh well! As long as we have the Faith (and the freedom to practice, which isn't guaranteed either!) and our family (and preferably something to eat and a place to sleep :)), we'll be okay. It is at a time such as this that I'm especially and unspeakably glad to be living where I am. Deo gratias!

Let's hope and pray that the triumph of the Immaculate Heart will come sooner than later...! And in the meantime, let's do the best we can in every aspect of our lives, with the intention of restoring the Kingship of Christ to society!

Updated to add: I found one concept in particular from His Excellency extremely fascinating and very well put. That is, "People are overfed, yet undernourished." Wow. Exactly.