Something smells

Terry of the Abbey Roads 2 blog smells a rat. I think I smell the same rodent. Most of the professional lay Catholics (converts or cradle) give me the creeps. I don't feel comfortable with a layperson hawking their books and CDs and acting as thought they are a voice of church authority.

Rocky's birthday.

43 years ago the love of my life was born in Olathe Kansas. Rocky's father was in the Air Force which is the only reason they were in Olathe and back in '64 it was the kind of place a black person really didn't want to hang around. Luckily they got much better assignments after that and Rocky traveled the world before running into me.

We celebrated the big day by going to Baltimore. We went to Mass at the Basilica It was lovely. My only qualm was the sight of the altar boy giving out Communion. That kid couldn't have been more than 14. After Mass we walked down to the crypt chapel and stayed with Jesus in the tabernacle for a while.

Next we headed over to St. Alphonsus. What a church! It's decorated in Southern German gothic style and it is so beautiful I was stunned. My heart was ravished by the sight of the place. It was like a peep into heaven. St. Alphonsus is special not only for it's staggering beauty but because two saints were once pastors there; St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos. If you're in Baltimore go visit.

Later we stopped by the Baltimore Cathedral. It was okay. It is sort of a mix between the Episcopalian National Cathedral and the DC Basilica. There was no light on in the Blessed Sacrament chapel. We weren't too impressed by that.

Then we went to dinner at Gladys Knight's restaurant. The line was long, the decor is pedestrian and the food was only adequate. You'd get better waffles at IHOP. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.

Thankyou Jesus

A friend of mine's husband has been out of work since April. I went to church this Sunday and asked Baby Jesus to get him a job this week. On Monday my friend got a phone call from her husband. He got a job offer. Thank you Divine Infant King.

my last harry potter post

I am increasing feeling tired of the whole HP phenomenon. What does it say about us that more Catholic people want to talk about a KID'S book on the blogs and the Catholic Answers Forum than the Holy Father's book on Christ? Grown people with presumably things to do stood in line for hours to get a KID'S book. How many of them would stand in line to buy the Bible?

This last book in the series reminded me of a big white cake with almond butter cream frosting made with sugar, butter, almond extract and a dash of powdered bird's droppings. Yes, it was highly entertaining and yes, Harry ends up happily ever after --- did you really doubt it? But euthanasia is shown here in a noble light. I found that unnerving.

Awesome!

Dreams and nightmares

This Jesuit dreams of women cardinals and he's not having a nightmare. Good grief. I propose that someone start a movement begging the Holy Father to suppress the Jesuits again. The order either needs a great reformer or it just needs to die since many of them have clearly forgotten what St. Ignatius meant for them to do

Chips and beer?

I was looking at the National Shrine of St. Rita's web site (we were thinking about making a pilgrimage) and was startled by what looked like a bowl of chips and a pitcher of beer.

Dear Lord, it's not chips and beer it's the Precious Blood in a glass pitcher and His own body in a serving bowl. Why do people do things like this? It's like a certain group of church folk aren't satisfied unless they are spitting in Our Lord's eye.



St. Rita, pray for us.

bikini car wash

Sunday Rocky and I were driving along when we passed a Methodist church. They were having a charity car wash and all the girls were wearing bikinis or bikini tops with skimpy shorts. The boys were wearing shorts and t-shirts but they were doing the drying. The girls were the ones getting wet. This was probably deliberate. If I were a member of that church I'd be in the pastor's face and who ever is in charge of the kids asking why they chose to pimp out the girls like that.

I guess we live in such a pornified culture that even Christians think its cute to use sex to sell a product.

The death of Tammy Faye

Rest in peace, Tammy Faye. God's mercy be upon you and may you be in a place where you can see that Jesus and heaven are nothing like the nonsense your ex used to spout.

A sick culture breeds monsters

In a Florida slum a woman and her child were raped by as many as 10 teenaged boys. Other things happened which I will not print here but not one neighbor called the police. Not one "neighbor" came to the aid of this suffering woman and her child. They ended up walking to the hospital for help. Take a good long look at this story, America. 

While we were all watching Oprah, OJ, Anna Nicole,, Paris Hilton and hyperventalating over Lindsay Lohan and that silly creature, Angelina Jolie; a segment of our society was bubbling and rotting without our notice. The average black kid is born out of wedlock and what happend this month in West Palm Beach is the natural result of such a deformed culture. 

Underclass black boys grow up with a tired, often angry mother and a dad who's either an occasional visitor or is just plain gone for good. They grow up in a sea of misogyny. Rap and Hip Hop are incredibly woman hating forms of music. When they aren't listening to the music they live in places where it is perfectly normal to hear men refer to women as bitches an ho's (slang for whore) in their casual conversations. It is also sadly normal to hear black women of all classes refer to black men as worthles, dogs or merely sex mad fools who need to be managed or hustled. Feminists talk about being free to have kids or not, to continue living one's own wicked life just as one did before the kids were born, and to get married or not but the reality is nothing like what the feminists promised. So what's to be done about this? Much but it will cost sacrifice and that's a dirty word in America today.

• First, black women are going to have to start expecting and demanding better treatment from men.
• Stop having sex outside of wedlock.
• Get an education.
• Get out of the old neighborhood as often as you can and pay attention to how other cultures live.
• Get rid of any friend who tries to drag you down.
• Observe the successful people at school or at work. Learn from them.
• Promise yourself that you'll never settle for life on welfare even if your mom, her mom and her mother before her all did.
• If you already are a single mother get your kids, especially your son into a stable situation. Find a decent man for them to look up to.

Moms' are great. They can be heroic. They can be noble. They can be self-sacrificing, mine certainly was, but mom is not dad. Kid's need a dad in their lives and if you have an entire culture where nobody has a dad don't be surprised in you end up with feral, hostile, violent boys.

The obligatory Harry Potter post

Well, today is the big day. The last Harry Potter book will be released at midnight. I can't say that I'm excited. I did not like the last book and I'm in no great hurry to read this one. If I had young kids I wouldn't let them read HP, never mind the witchcraft for a minute-- there is an incredible amount of death, pain and violence in Harry's world and I'm not sure that's good for the little ones.

Back to the witchcraft, one thing that really caught my attention is that the world's leading exorcists are having a convention in Mexico (pretty good place if you're a fighter of dark forces) and they don't like the HP series at all. Apparently, neither does the pope. I think I'll defer to the priests who deal daily with the wickedness and subtle snares of the devil on this issue.

Hat tip to Spirit Daily

600 million

By now, everyone knows that the LA diocese made a 600 million dollar settlement on clergy sex abuse claims. Cardinal Mahnony apologized to the victims and wants to move on. Sure, Your Eminence, whatever helps you sleep at night.

Very likely some LA diocese folks are going to lose their parishes and schools to pay for this debacle.

I loved John Paul II and I bless his memory but let's be honest, he reigned but did not discipline. I'm sorry if this upsets anyone but that's how I feel. Perhaps, as Peggy Noonan suggested it was because, he simply couldn't fathom how many of his bishops and priests were gay. Perhaps (and I don't really believe this, I'm just tossing out ideas), it was because he knew that rooting out the sodomites would be a hard, nasty fight and he felt his charism lay in evangelization instead. At any rate, think of all the schools that could have buit for 600 million. Think of all the free hospitals we could've had. Think of the nursing homes that could've been built and think of the churches that we could've had. Instead we have shame, misery, ruin and one day, wrecking balls.

Revolting!

When I read these words of Bishop Brandolini, "I can't fight back the tears. This is the saddest moment in my life as a man, priest and bishop..." "It's a day of mourning, not just for me but for the many people who worked for the Second Vatican Council. A reform for which many people worked, with great sacrifice and only inspired by the desire to renew the Church, has now been cancelled, "I was filled with disgust.


I felt disgust that a grown man would indulge in such sissy talk and I felt ashamed for him. I am old school when it comes to men--- well okay, I'm old school period. There are only five times when I want to see a man publicly fighting back tears : The country had been attacked. His beloved wife has died. His parents or a child have died. His best buddy has died. His faithful old dog has died. Any other time I expect him to contol himself. If the freeing of the old Mass is the saddest moment of Bishop Luca Brandolini's life then I have to wonder what kind of pastoral experience he's had all these years. Has he never counseled sinners in the confessional? Has he never said a funeral Mass or given last rites to a previously hardened sinner? Has he never lost a friend or family member?

Revolting!

In The End There Can Be Only One

No, I'm not talking about Highlander. I'm talking about the Holy Father's reminder that there is only one church and it aint the non-denominational one that just opened yesterday, nor is the Lutheran or Baptist one either. It's the Catholic Church and none other.

I love this pope! Excuse me while I go be giddy.

Five Things I Love About Jesus

1. He has a sense of humor. Remember the story about the fish with the tax money in it's mouth or His nickname for James and John?

2. He waits for us every day and every night to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

3. He gave us the Church.

4. He knew full well how horrible we can be but willingly suffered the agony in the garden, took that horrible beating and allowed Himself to be flayed and finally crucified because He loves us.

5. He gave us His mother.

Mad for Moto--- Trads please make the most of this

Well! The MP is real and finally here. The Tridentine Mass. has been set free. Thanks be to God.


May the souls of all the people who spent their lives working for this day and who died before it came to fruition, rest in peace.

Now, SSPX please, please respond. Traditionalists, and conservatives please, please respond. Remember that bitterness repells, joy attracts. Be kind to any new person who wanders in asking dumb questions.

Catholics --- suburban Catholics especially are gererally lousy at welcoming newcomers at the best of times. No, we dont' have love bomb people like the Baptists and non-denoms do but a simple hello won't kill you either. Hard stares at strangers or people who aren't the same color or class as you does not help the church or the state of your soul. This is an opportunity folks. Take it.

As for those of us who mostly attend the Novus Ordo, thank God for this day as well. Maybe there will be some changes in the sloppy, irrevrant way the NO Mass is celebrated by so many priests today.

God bless, Pope Benedict. Pray for him. He's shown incredible guts and there are people who hate him for this.

Rocky and Dym go on an accidental pilgrimage

Well, Rocky and I had a day off so we decided to visit the Camelite nuns of Port Tabacco, Maryland convent. It is the first convent in America. We went to the gift shop first and picked up scapulars (Rocky has worn his out) books, and of course, magnets to decorate the fridge. Next we went to the chapel and that was such an exquisite experience. We saw a mother deer with triplets and a fat, saucy ground hog and a raccoon. Monastery life agrees with the wildlife.









After touring the historic building and being awed that four sisters survived in such a small, primitive building we walked by the hermitages and stopped for a few minutes in the visitors hall. We left and continued onto Sacred Heart Church. They have perpetual adoration and we were delighted to find five people in the chapel with us adoring Our Lord.









Next we drove to Saint Ignatius, (1641!) the oldest continualy used Catholic church in America. It was part of the Underground Railroad which ferried escaped slaves to freedom. The parish also has a magnificent chapel for perpetual adoration. Rocky and I both walked in and gasped for joy. It was so beautiful. I dropped to the floor and stayed there in contemplation. It was a powerful experience. Later we chatted with retired Fr. who is in residence.


Next Rocky was starved so we went to Bear Creek BBQ. He had ribs and chicken. I had minced pork. Tasty!

We then drove to St. Mary's, Maryland and looked at the historic campus and the river. It was getting late so we drove home.

A 4TH OF JULY PRAYER

O merciful God, we cry to Thee for pardon and for mercy.

We are an unbelieving and perverse generation.

We are disobedient, disloyal and ungrateful to Thee.

We have excluded Thee from our homes, our schools, our places of business.

We are no longer worthy to be called Thy children.

Merciful Father, spare America!

Forgive us!

Save us from the scourge we deserve.

Teach us Thy law, and move our wills to serve Thee today and everyday.

Merciful God, please spare America!

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Pray for us!

AMEN

You come at a very great price

By His stripes we are healed.

Hat tip to Abbey Roads

Holy Cross

Rocky and I went to Holy Cross Monastery yesterday afternoon. It was incredible. The monks of Trappists and it is as you would expect very quiet. The grounds are beautiful. We saw and heard black Angus cows, goldfiches, cardinals, blue buntings and chimney swifts. We visited the bookstore and of course, the chapel.

We were blessed this visit because a priest brought out the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. We sat with four monks. It was one of the most intense adoration hours of my life. If you're in Berryville, go to this very precious place.

The Many Faces of Mary

I've just finished reading the Many Faces of Mary by Bob and Penny Lord. It's a lovely book marred only by the inclusion of Our Lady of Medjugorje. But to their credit Bob and Penny say that if the Vatican ever condemns the apparition they will cease talking about it.

disturbing homily

I went to evening Mass on Friday and the priest, "Fr. Visitor" who was filling in for our vacationing pastor. Fr. Visitor made a snarky remark about the Tridentine Mass and the Holy Father and prayed that the Holy Father restore the practice of letting diocesan priests and bishops reccomend who their new achbishop or cardinal is going to be and having the Vatican simply rubber stamp it. I was horrified. You have only to look at the Boston pedophila scandal to know that having one of the "local boys" elevated to superior of the diocese would not necassarily be a good idea. Fr. Visitor is about 65 to 70 so I'll assume that he's one of those souls who's theology was formed in the 60s or 70s.


Pray for our priests.

The best food meme--tag anyone who wants to play

The worst restaurant I've ever been to:

The Royal Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia. The food was poor, the service was below average and they charged us for three meals instead of two. On top of that Rocky had to go there to pick up the refund check in peson..... never again.


The best dinning experience:

I have to split this up into categories. The best barbecue is from Dixie Bones in Woodbridge, VA.
The best cheesecake I've ever had came from the Coach House in Charles City County, VA.
The best breakfast I've ever had was made by my Mama but the second best is cooked up at The Old Chickahominy House in Williamsburg. The best steak I've ever had was eaten at Ruth Chris's Steakhouse.


Best French Fries:
Thrashers Fries at Ocean City, Maryland.

The best ice cream:
Milwaukee Frozen Custard in Woodbridge Virginia or JoJo's softserve in Dumfries, Virginia.

The best Macaroni and Cheese:
my own but the macaroni at Dixie Bones is very, very good.

The best hotel room service:
The Omni hotel in DC