The Heart of John Henry Newman: Beating with the Spirit of the Liturgy

Jeremy J. Priest reviewed John Henry Newman on Worship, Reverence, & Ritual, edited by Peter Kwasniewski, at Adoremus Bulletin.

"As Newman’s writings witness, what he passed along to the faithful were the definite things he received from the Lord in prayer and the deep practice of the liturgical life of the Church. Indeed, the continued publication of Newman’s writings attest to this pithy precept: 'necessary is it to have something to say, if we desire anyone to listen' (424). Even huddled in the silence of his study, Newman never lacked 'something to say.'"

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for May 2021

Universal intention - The world of finance

at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

Wisconsin AG to launch statewide investigation of Catholic clergy sex abuse

Wisconsin authorities will launch an investigation into the state's Catholic dioceses and religious orders to determine how many clergy members have sexually assaulted children over the years.

Attorney General Josh Kaul notified the state's five dioceses as well as separate orders of Catholic priests that his office will review sexual abuse allegations against clergy and other faith leaders, according to a letter obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Wisconsin is home to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and dioceses in Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse and Superior.

"I agree with the many survivors of clergy abuse, and those who support and have advocated for them, that a review by our office is necessary to provide accountability and, ultimately, healing," Kaul wrote. "I hope you will welcome that review."

Kaul, a Democrat in his first term, invited representatives for the dioceses and orders to a meeting Monday to discuss next steps and indicated his office would announce the review soon after. The letter also asked that dioceses preserve any relevant documents or information.

continue at JS

 

Oh yeah, what if it's Athens, Georgia? -Tertullian

At Philosophia Christi, Vol. 11, No. 1:

Whether Augustine’s Name Should Be Pronounced AW-gus-teen or aw-GUS-tin?, by David A. Horner, Talbot Department of Philosophy, Biola University, La Mirada, California

versus

Quid ergo Hipponium et Floridensis? Or, Does Horner Succeed in Referring? A Rejoinder, by Garry DeWeese, Talbot Department of Philosophy, Biola University, La Mirada, California

(via Jay Gold)

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for April 2021

Universal intention - Fundamental rights

at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

A Wisconsin mom gave birth in a COVID-19 coma before slipping to the brink of death

This is incredible! 

It's long but worth the read.  I could just not imagine going through something like this. 

I don't want to spoil it for you but:

Twice during Kelsey's long coma, priests visited her hospital bed to anoint her, one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church.

This tidbit is mentioned after the fact, but we are members of a Church of miracles!

JS: A Wisconsin mom gave birth in a COVID-19 coma before slipping to the brink of death

The Rocky Road

La Crosse St. Joseph Cathedral restoration kicks off with hopes of repairing both building and parish

Deterioration shows on the stone of the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral bell tower. The stone will be carefully remove and inspected during the restoration project.

The historic St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral will be undergoing restoration this year, a project that officials hope will not only save the towering downtown building, but also restore its Catholic community.

The $6.1 million project officially kicked-off Friday with a blessing from church leaders at the cathedral, a “living parish” which is the landmark church of the Diocese of La Crosse, and home church to Bishop William Patrick Callahan. The entire restoration is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“A 16 pound piece of stone, it fell from 130 feet, it hit the roof, and from there went 100 more feet down to the ground. It hit the ground with tremendous force, in the middle of winter, it was driven into the ground about six inches into frozen ground,” Mar-Pohl said, giving an example of the danger the crumbling infrastructure poses.

continue at LaC Trib

 

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for March 2021

Intention for evangelization - Sacrament of reconciliation

at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for February 2021

Universal intention - Violence against women

at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

Ratzinger’s Way

'The first of a projected two-volume biography of the theologian-pope underscores his thought’s consistency and how it was shaped by Germany’s twentieth-century traumas.'

Samuel Gregg reviews Benedict XVI: A Life: Volume One: Youth in Nazi Germany to the Second Vatican Council 1927–1965, by Peter Seewald, at The Public Discourse.

Great American Fiction and the Catholic Literary Imagination

James Matthew Wilson reviewed Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction, by Nick Ripatrazone, at National Review.

"Longing for an Absent God takes a long while to wend its way to its main subject, but when it finally arrives there, we see that Ripatrazone has taken upon himself a serious challenge. The authors he considers — Don DeLillo, Thomas Pynchon, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Louise Erdrich — are some of the most widely acclaimed novelists of the last half century."

Kent Says Farewell to Argument of the Month Club

It has been a long time since I sent out an email blast, June of 2019 to be exact. Last time we talked I was looking to pass the AOTM on to others to manage and run, as I wanted to retire from running the event. Things were going well but I needed to attend to my family. My kids had become teenagers and I needed to spend more time with them; just be present if nothing else. The AOTM was not allowing me to do that, mentally or physically. It became evident by the fall of 2019 that I was not going to be able to pass on the AOTM. I tried to figure ways to modify the AOTM that could maybe fit my situation. I labored over the ideas for months then Covid hit. It was a hard decision, but I came to the conclusion a few months ago that AOTM’s time was done. Over the next few months I will be closing down the official organization. If I were to do anything like the AOTM again I would do it as a parish event.

Thank you Kent! 

Saying yes to the noosphere

David Roach reviewed American Catholics and the Church of Tomorrow, by Catherine Osborne, at the Society for US Intellectual History.

"So when translations of the French Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin began to appear in 1959, modernists found a theological touchstone they had long lacked. Particularly attractive was his idea that the world was progressing from biosphere to noosphere, a period, to quote Osborne, 'where thinking human beings would develop a unified network of thought and spirit' (120). Modernists understood themselves as contributing to an increasingly connected and extended 'network of thought and spirit' when they sketched plans for ecumenical submarines and lunar chapels—and when they augmented religious experience with drugs."

Tradition of Epiphany door blessing with chalk is symbol of hope in 2021

George P. Matysek Jr. reported (or reminded) at Catholic News Service.

"The blessing, popular in Poland and other Slavic countries, has spread to many parts of the world. It takes place on the liturgical feast marking the visitation of the Magi to the Christ Child and the revelation that Jesus is the son of God.

"The blessing involves taking simple chalk, usually blessed by a parish priest, and scrawling doorways with symbolic numbers and letters — this year: '20+C M B 21.'

"The numbers represent the current year and the letters stand for the first letters of the traditional names of the magi: Caspar (sometimes spelled 'Kaspar'), Melchior and Balthazar. The letters are also an abbreviation for 'Christus Mansionem Benedicat, Latin for 'May Christ bless this dwelling.'"

The Pope’s Prayer Intention for January 2021

Intention for evangelization - Human fraternity

at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

To the atheist Sartre: Thank you for this vivid incarnation of Jesus

Rev. Thomas Casey at The Irish Times.

"Drafted into the French army in September 1939, Sartre was captured by the Germans in June 1940 as his company retreated, and was imprisoned in the Stalag 12 D camp in Trier.

To keep himself intellectually stimulated, Sartre gave a series of lectures to fellow prisoners, most of whom were priests. ...

"Sartre composed a play for these priests to perform on Christmas Eve 1940. Entitled Bariona, or The Sons of Thunder [Bariona, ou le Fils du tonnerre], it was a nativity play with a difference. ..."

"The Best Books I Read in 2020"

Carl E. Olson, Editor, Catholic World Report.

"Over fifty CWR editors and contributors share and reflect on their favorite reads from the year."

Since Summer, a Groppi Again Marches for Social Justice in Milwaukee

It's James Groppi's daughter Christine, reports Milwaukee Magazine.

"She’s carrying on a legacy established by her father, the Rev. James Groppi, who led the famous open housing marches with the NCAAP Youth Council that began in the summer of 1967 and carried on for 200 consecutive days into the early part of 1968, a mark matched by protesters on Monday night."

The 'O Antiphons' of [Late] Advent

At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,

"The Roman Church has been singing the 'O' Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. ..."

Daily texts from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers provided.