Fr. Fay

I've been reading a few of the news stories about Fr. Fay (he's the one on the right) and I just don't get it. If I walked into a church and saw that my priest looked like this had those big ole skunk stripe highlights in his hair I'd immediately assume that something is not right in the rectory and I'd take my time, talent and treasure to another parish.

This poor, wretched man had his ... friend at the rectory all the time. He threw lavish parties, bought jewelry, took a lot of vacation and was allegedly very tightfisted about the parish's money. Some people are now coming forward to say that he shirked his pastoral care duties.

How is it that hardly anyone in the parish seemed to notice? Wasn't anybody bothered by the fact that the pastor had a Waterford cystal collection?The cheapest Waterford goblet I own costs $50 a stem and I picked from the one of the less expensive Waterford lines so in order to have a collection quite a bit of money ( Whose?) must have been spent.

Thank God for the parish bookkeeper and the parochial vicar (who apparently took a lot of heat from the chancery for daring to expose this sinful behavior) but since Fr. Fay was not discreet why didn't his activities ever catch Bishop Lori's notice?


Men gossip just as much as women. Surely somebody close to the bishop must have made an arch comment about Fr. Fay or told a joke. You would think that after the serious blow that the chuch took from the pedophile scandals that bishops would be downright paranoid about stamping out any hint of bad behavior in their priests.



St. John Vianney, pray for us.
St. Pio, pray for us.
Blessed Andre and Venerable Solanus Casey, pray for us.
Servants of God, Mngsr Knox, Fr. Baker, and Archbishop Sheen, pray for us.

random thoughts for a Thursday morning

1. This is so disappointing. I used to like Peter Jackson (not enough to go see that big bust, King Kong) and I loved, loved, loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
   
   
   
2. Ten years from now we'll all be making "Don't leave the Spanish teacher/au pair alone with the kids," jokes but they won't really be funny at all.
   
   
3. Rocky wants to buy me a new veil. He wants something that's not black for change. He's going to pick something from Modesty veils or Halo Works I have a feeling that he's going for pink or red. Gulp! The women who glare at my sheer black veils now will probably frown themselves to death.

random thoughts on a wet Saturday morning

1. Bishop Yanta is right. When you go to church with your naked buttocks showing you are making an immoral act. You chose to go out of the house like that. When you show up in the Communion line with your breasts practically falling out of your open top you are making a decision. If you step up to lector wearing a see through blouse or you get a kick out of sitting in the front pew with your legs open you are making a choice-- and a foul one at that. Ask yourself hon, why are you dressed like that? Unless you ride a pole for a living you don't go work like that so why do you treat your boss with more respect that you do Jesus?
   
   
2. Certain blogs have started bashing Traditionalist Catholics again. What a bore. Really, what a tiresome, unhelpful, unlovely big fat bore. We ought to pray for SSPX people, not mock them. If you can treat a flat out heretic with love and respect why not do the same for the Trad? If you can go to a mosque or synogauge and bow your head respectfully why be rude and crude towards the Trad chapel? And we need to face one inconvenient fact: We would not have the Indult if it weren't for those stubborn independent chapels and SSPX. When you sit smug and prim in the pew for your indult Mass or you sit happy and relieved to be at a conservative insence and Latin filled Novus Ordo Mass, spare a kind thought for the hard headed and yes, in some ways legitamately angry people who really made it possible.
   
   
3. I love Wal-Mart. Sorry, but I do. Is it endangering the old style mom and pop stores? Yeah but you know what? A lot of those mom and pops stores were small, dirty, overpriced and in the South, they weren't all that polite to their black customers. When Wal-Mart came to South Carolina my grandmother and her contermporaries were thrilled to go there. They could afford the stuff and Mr. Sam didn't care what color they were as long as they were carrying green cash. For the first time in Grandma's life the clerks called her ma'am and were helpful. She and my great aunts loved Wal-Mart. By the way, some of the mom and pop stores on Main Street in my Grandma's town are still thriving. The presence of Wal-Mart in town forced them to rethink their business plan. They revamped the stores, sold better quality stuff that you can't get at Wal-Mart and started treating all their black customers better.
   
   
4. I think the Cafeteria is Closed has become one of the best Catholic blogs out there. I check it every day for news.
   
   
5. I just read a weird conversation on a Catholic message board. There are people out there who actually think it's a mortal sin not to breastfeed. Okaaaaaay. I'm backing away and calling for Nurse Ratchett now. Some modern day pharisee actually believes that God is going to send women to hell because some of us would rather not have breasts that resemble rotten pears and hang to their knees by the time they're 45. Where the flip is THAT in the catechism?
   
6. If you are ever in Northern Virginia, this is a really nice little church. The pastor and parochial vicar are very good priests.
   
7. If you're in DC be sure to visit Saint Matthew's Cathedral. Mnsgr. Jameson, Gerhardt, and Fr. Caulfied have a really hard job and do wonders.

Your Emminence, You rock!

Some of the feminist Catholics have their lips poked out but about Bishop Yanta's letter on modesty but I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I'm delighted that an American bishop apparently has a spine.

When I was in college I used to go around dressed in the most itty bitty mini skirts and dresses I could find. My mother objected and there were times when I got around her objections by simply leaving house dressed decently but as soon as I was out of sight I would unbutton my blouse a little too low or hike my skirt up as high as I could get it. I did this because I was intoxicated by the way men, even men my father's age behaved when I walked down the street. Probably this has to do with my father dying so young. I needed older male attention but lacked the sense to realize what kind of game I was playing. If any of those men had actually gotten fresh with me I would've panicked and run away. I guess St. Maria Goretti was looking out for me.

Two things changed my outlook on clothes. First, I met Rocky and just wanted to dress in a more ladylike fashion. We got married when I was 21 and he was 23. The love of a good or at least a seriously macho man can change a lot. Have you noticed that Jennifer Lopez is never semi nude in public anymore now that she's married to a Latin man? Second, one day I walked into the Opus Dei chapel in Washington, DC. I'm too much of a lone wolf to join Opus Dei but I do love them. I met a serious, old fashioned Irish priest there. I started going to the chapel for Mass every day and reading classic Catholic books and then my whole attitude on modesty changed.

Now please don’t think that I go around looking like something Jedidiah the polygamist has locked in his barn. I love beautiful clothes and if Rocky isn't attracted by an outfit I don't buy it or I return it to the store. Modest dressing doesn't mean you have to dress like a back country Mormon child bride or a Muslim. For me it's the difference between dressing like my style icon Jackie Kennedy or dressing like Pamela Anderson.

Sisters of Carmel

These nuns make the most beautiful rosaries I've ever seen and they have medals and scapulars that are far superior to what you will find in your local Catholic bookstore.


Hat tip to Recto Ratio.

a sad story

Look what happens when you don't take care of problems when they're small. When you see one mouse you get out the traps and poison. If you do nothing before you know it the house is infested. George Stallings was one of the few black priests in the DC diocese. There were upsetting rumors about him going back to the 70s. Cardinal Baum apparently didn't check him. Cardinal Hickey cared passionately about El Salvador but didn't pay much attention to the DC inner city parishes and by the time he tried to correct Stallings the wild man priest was totally out of control. He broke away from the church and started his own black Catholic in name only church. My husband and I sometimes drive past it when we got to DC. From the outside the building looks like an AME Zion church or perhaps a non traditional Catholic church. Now Stallings has apparently linked up with Archbishop Milingo, who may be suffering from the effects of old age and they may create yet another embarrassing moment for black Catholics.


Saint Therese, dear litte flower, patroness of black missions pray for those who may be led astray by these men.

Can You forgive her?

Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope wrote among others, a book called "Can You Forgive Her?" It was about the wild, but big hearted, Lady Glencora and her husband Sir Plantagenet Paliser. Glencora messed up in a number of ways and came to the brink of social disaster but Plantagenet always came through. He always forgave and he never stopped loving her. I think of this book every time I go to Confession. My thoughts tend to be something like, "It's me again, Lord. I've blown it again. I don't deserve to be here. I should be ashamed to ask You anything but …" And then He does forgive me time after time and that is so incredible. God's forgiveness is so huge a miracle that I don't see why people have to spend thousands of dollars running to Medjugorje.

Confession

Confession at my back up church was interesting this week. Once a month a couple with 5 kids comes and the whole family confesses. They were in line and so were several other people when I got to church at 4:15. The line was so long it went almost to the front door. On one hand it was beautiful seeing all those people taking advantage of the sacrament but on the other I was miserable because I thought Father Aragorn would never be able to hear us all before Mass started at 5. When I finally made it in Father told me frankly that he was pressed for time and he needed me to be concise. I'm not concise. Heck I'm a Southern woman. Concise is just not my nature unless I'm angry but I spat out a confession as best I could and got out.

The three other people behind me also made it in and then Father Aragorn ran for the sacristy in order to get vested and start Mass. Rocky was impressed that Father could move so fast and speculated that he must have been a left tackle in high school. The confessional at St. Burb's is hotter than a sauna in East Purgatory and he had to have been in there for more than an hour so I'm impressed that he could move at all.

Random thoughts on a Wednesday night

1. My Lord, what a weekend! Storms swept through Virginia this weekend. The power was out for three days. I've had to throw everything in my fridge away including the expensive Irish butter that I'd only just bought. We had several trees down, no hot water or landline phone so Rocky and I just packed a few things and went to my mother's house. That was great, almost like a mini vacation. We ate junk food, laid around on the floor watched Star Trek and laughed more than we have in weeks. Once again, I'm reminded that God in His great mercy gave me exactly the husband that I need.
   
   
2. Voodoo / black magic/ root work/the old ways/ whatever you want to call it, still holds a powerful grip on Africa, and frankly everywhere Africans were taken as slaves. There are people (including some of my relatives) in South Carolina and Virginia who go to church every Sunday but who also trust completely the power of the local root (witch) doctor.
   
3. When you buy something made in China today please spare a thought for this woman and her children. St. Gianna, pray for us.
   
   
4. Whenever there's a blog discussion about Medjugorje I notice two things always seem to happen. Someone will calmly mention what the bishop there says and then a Med Head will write back a 7 paragraph hysterical or bellicose response or they'll use all caps which is shouting in "net speak". If anybody has any doubts about Medjugorje read this before getting a plane ticket and going over there. You don't have to beleive it just read it before you write that check or decide to hang your whole precious Faith on this alleged apparition. By the way, have you noticed how the "seers" are always referred to as "the children", or as young people. All but one were born before 1967! Except for the youngest born, in 1971 they are all pushing 40 and over. That aint no kid.
   
   
5. I just found TeDeum a truly excellent blog.
   
6. Every now and then the devil slips up and shows his real face. These pictures are from a Legends condom ad that just won an award. I can only say that the spirit of this ad is totally and obviously demonic.
   
7. Don't always assume that a married woman with no children is using birth control. I've only been pregnant twice and had miscarriages both times. I'd hate to think that someone is sitting behind me in the pews looking at me with distaste and thinking "Look at that wicked contracepting woman!" Unless you have access to someone's marital bed or their medicine cabinet you can't know for sure what the real story is.
   
8. When nuns go rogue bad stuff happens…..
   
   
9. If you happen to be in DC on Saturday, July 8, go listen to Fr. Caulfield' lessons on John Paul II's Theology of the Body from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Fr. Caulfield rocks. He's a most excellent young priest.

A prayer for priests

O Jesus, I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests; for Your unfaithful and tepid priests; for Your priests labouring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for Your tempted priests; for Your lonely and desolate priests; for Your young priests; for Your dying priests; for the souls of Your priests in purgatory. But above all I recommend to You the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy communion; the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way. O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen.

Random thoughts on a Friday night

1. If this rogue nun had kept her habit on and stayed in the convent this mess never would've happened. Call me old fashioned but I just don't trust nuns with pearls and salon hair cuts.
   
   
2. I don't blame the Papal Nuncio for this. It's possible that he doesn't even know who John Kerry is (although Archbishop Wuerl surely does) AND it is possible that the senator went to Confession that morning but dang it this makes me very sad. Bishop Todd Brown is grabbing old women who dare kneel for Communion and the Papal Nuncio is giving Communion to John Kerry. We live in bizarro land.
   
3. A View From the Pew writes about a vision of Ven. Anna Catherine Emmerich that left me stunned for a minute. Sr. Emmerich was never my favorite mystic but I'm going to have to read more of her revelations now.
   
4. I did a stupid thing this morning. I went to Mark Shea's blog. Ugh! May I never do that again.
   
   
5. Hooray! The new issue of Les Femmes is online.
   
   
6. The charming and single Carolina Cannonball just put up a post about her love for Harry Potter. Last year I would've been right there with her but after the last book I have to say that I've soured on the series. I'm not saying that HP is evil but I now think that the series really isn't all that great. Remember how we all loved Dynasty and Dallas when we were kids? Bet you wouldn't be caught dead watching either show on the TV Land station now. I think Harry Potter may turn out to be the literary equivavlent of Dynasty.
   
   

The feast of the Sacred Heart

Last night my husband and I went to a sung Latin Mass at our back up parish in the suburbs. Fr. Aragorn (that's what we call him) really knows his Latin. He didn't mutter or slur his words. I appreciated that. The schola from (I think) St. Mary's in DC came to sing and they had the A team of altar boys and even the cantor sang better than usual.

I saw several young ladies with mantillas on. Mine was accidentally left in the car so I threw on the scarf that I had in my bag. Rocky looked at me and asked if I wanted him to run back to the car to get it because he knows I don't feel right being uncovered in church anymore. It looked like it was about to storm so I told him not to bother. Mass itself was beautiful and was marred only by the inconsiderate EWTN wannabe commentator sitting behind me.

This man gave a running explanation of what was going on through most of the Mass to the person sitting with him. He let his son kick the back of our pew and the tyke's little fingers got into my hair twice. I guess the little guy was standing on the kneeler trying to get a better look but the first time I felt those fingers in my hair I just about jumped out of the pew from shock. I did not offer the man the sign of peace (why be a hypocrite?) and I did not go to Communion.

Fr. Aragorn preached a homily that moved me to tears and after Mass the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. Fr. Theoden gave an impressive benediction homily and there was Confession (yeah, I went) until 10:45.

Our Lady of Akita, Pray for Us

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we turn to you, O Virgins of virgins, our Mother.To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not despise our petitions, but in your mercy hear us and answer us. Amen.

Random thoughts for a Thursday night

1. Yesterday was interesting. We went to St. Matthew's Cathedral for 5:30 PM Mass and the Miraculous Medal novena. We saw two priests and at first I assumed they were visiting and then I thought that they must belong to Archbishop Wuerl's staff. The tall, gray one walked past us looking carefully at everything and then I realized that it was the archbishop. A reporter stopped my husband on the sidewalk in front of the cathedral and asked him what he thought of the new archbishop. Rocky reacted like a pro. His response was cautious but hopeful. Thank God the reporter didn't ask me anything because I probably would've blurted out what I really think. So far from what I've read and been told I'm afraid that Wuerl is going to be another McCarrick and I don't mean that in a good way. And speaking of Cardinal McCarrick this cartoon pretty much sums it all up.

Today Rocky went to the installation Mass for the archbishop at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. He said it was a gorgeous Mass. He saw the Knights of St. Peter Claver, the Equestrian Knights, about 200 priests, a bunch of bishops, the monsignor and parochial vicar from our parish and Lt. Governor Michael Steele.


2. St. Thomas Moore, St. John Fisher pray for us. May we have more laymen and bishops like you.

3. The Episcopalians elected a woman to be a bishop. All the big time Catholic blogs have gone into vapors over this it but I can't figure out why. This is a heretical sect started by a man who wanted to marry his mistress. A good tree doesn't grow out of poisoned soil.

4. How come Catherine of Aragon was never beatified at least? She was definitely a martyr for the sanctity of marriage, and church teaching.

Eternal rest grant until them oh Lord.....

"The Mansions of the Lord"

Words by Randall Wallace

To fallen soldiers let us sing where no rockets fly nor bullets wing

Our broken brothers let us bring to the mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding no more fight

No prayers pleading through the night just Divine embrace, eternal lightin the mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep

We will stand and guard tho the angels sleep

All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord

_________________________________________________________

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now

St. Margaret Ward,

St. Charles Lwanga,

St. Blandina,

St. John Rigby,

St. Joan of Arc, all patrons of the tortured and

St. Martin of Tours and St. Michael patrons of soldiers

pray for the departed and for those left behind.

Our Lady of Akita

Over on Lair of the Catholic Cavemen there is a post on Our Lady of Akita. Our dear Mother had a stern message for the world and instead of heeding it, millions are just shutting their ears and doing the happy clappy dance.


Third and the Last message on October 13, 1973:
". . . if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests."
"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."
"The demon will be especially implacable against the souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them."
". . . Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved."

A Question

The time has come to ask the question: Other than the lectionary has ANYTHING good come out of Vatican II? I realize that the actual Vatican II documents NEVER told priests to start ballet dancing before the altar and not one Vat II document told the nuns to put on lipstick and to remove their habits but in the name of Vat II that's what happened. The average Catholic never read the official documents and has never read the GIRM and those who did got shouted down when they complained about the ocean of liturgical abuse.

In the name of the "Spirit of Vat II" we have Catholic schools that refuse to hang a crucifix on the wall. We have kids who can't say a Hail Mary and who have never seen a statue of the Infant of Prague. We have DREs who don't know what a novena is. We have gay groups meeting in the church basement and Catholics in name only running the liturgical committee, we have Eucharistic ministers defying (and winning in one case in my diocese) the priest when he tries to stop them from pouring the Precious Blood down the sink after Mass. We have churches that look Lutheran and where you have to hunt like a Blue Tic hound on the trail of a chain gang escapee to find the Blessed Sacrament. We also have cases where people are going to the tribunals and shamelessly demanding second or even third annulments.

I'm not being nostalgic. VatII happened before I was even born but I can see that something aint right. Can a reform of the reform work? I don't know but first we need to admit that the experiment didn't turn out the way it was advertised.

Thanks for nothing

US bishops want to give citizenship to all illegal immigrants. They have nothing to say about the rampant homosexuality in the ranks, nothing to say about the stunning lack of reverence in our churches, nothing to say about the average Catholic's remarkable ignorance about the Faith but they can call for the wholesale cheapening of American citizenship and for completely screwing working class and poor Americans. As Obi Wan sarcastically said to Anakin after they were both captured by the termite people, " Good Job!"

Men and women are different ---example #568,127

When I saw this picture of a the Mexican World Cup soccer uniform on a statue of Baby Jesus I was annoyed. First, because putting a profane outfit on Baby Jesus is a cheesy thing. Second, because I hate soccer. I'd rather watch ants fight or the grass wither. A little football or baseball uniform would've been just as cheesy but at least it's not soccer...

My husband Rocky, on the otherhand, saw the picture and began a 20 minute discourse on the Child Jesus and what games He might have played in Nazareth. Rocky, wondered if little Jesus simply let His friends win games or if He always won because after all He was God and knew all the plays anyway. Did angels hover around and block shots for Him or did Mary and Joseph flat out refuse to let Him play any game that might give Him a bruise or scrape? After his discourse he turned to me and asked "What do you think, Dym?" I just stared and marvelled.

Random thoughts for a Friday

1. Cardinal McCarrick can not leave too soon enough for me. This is the final straw. Please Your Eminence, just pack your bags and take the midnight train to Jersey. I'd be happy to see you to the station. Heck, I'm almost willing to drive you home myself just so I can be sure that you're really going.
   
   
2. Anne Coulter is not subtle. Yeah, I know that's the understatement of the year but gosh darn it I love the gal because 9 times out of 10 she's absolutely right. What she said about the so-called Jersey Girls is the truth. Now of course I sympathize with any widow because my own dear father died when I was 13 and life without him was hard. Nothing, not money, not sympathy or hobbies can take the place of a beloved spouse. My mother handled widowhood like a saint and never complained but I could see she was suffering. The Jersey Girls, on the other hand seem to be merrily pimping the legacy of their dead husbands.
   
3. Check out this video from Ward Wide Web.
   
4. According to Life Site news Planned Parenthood made 900 million last year from killing babies. Think about that for a minute. Think of all those snuffed out lives. This country has run up a gigantic debt in the Court of Divine Justice. How will we endure it when it comes time to pay? God have mercy.