my favorite day at the parish

My favorite day at the parish, I believe, is Wednesday. Wednesday evening the schedule looks like this, beginning at 6:00: Evening Prayer (followed by Salve Regina), Low Mass, Angelus, and finally the Rosary. We usually have a decent group turn up for it. I think the big draw is the Rosary. Last night we prayed the Glorious Mysteries, and indeed they are glorious. Its a refreshing way to spend an evening.

just because.... part 3

another picture from the st. michael's conference

"And the Light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

I can't emphasize enough how awesome an experience it was.

where have i been?

Last week I was at the Saint Michael's Conference.  It was incredible.  Frankly, it was wonderful to get away from Episcopal nonsense and news of the same, and do something totally positive and constructive.  All week I was awash in teenagers (61 of them), birettas, daily Solemn High Mass, daily Solemn Evensong, and unadulterated catholicism.  I taught a class called "Christ and the Cosmos" which I meant to be a simplified theology of creation.  My only regret was that I didn't have more time.

One night we had Benediction.  The kids loved it.  The Masses were basically English Missal masses -- a.k.a. Rite I with all the proper ceremonial poured into the cracks in the Prayer Book rubrics (the six salutations, Orate Fratres, Ecce Agnus Dei, Postcommunion, Last Gospel, etc.).  One of ours priests himself made several sets of vestments -- chasubles, dalmatics, tunicles, copes -- for the Conference.  They were all absolutely beautiful.

We heard about 50 confessions from the kids during the course of the week, most of them first confessions.  During the last two nights of the conference, we had Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after Compline, and stationed priests around the chapel to hear confessions in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  It was beautiful.

The kids, by and large, seemed to love pretty much everything.  By the end they were weeping and swearing loyalty to new friends, wishing aloud that the conference lasted another week.

Several blogosphere friends were there, including MM of Theology of the Body, Fr Nelson of the same, Deacon Randall Foster (Texanglican), and Fr Cantrell of Apostolicity.

The picture above is from Benediction, Wednesday night.  The sight of 61 teenagers all kneeling perfectly devoutly, adoring Jesus, was incredibly encouraging.

just because.... part 2

just because...

bishop jecko has died

Bishop Jecko had struggled with cancer for the past year or so. Only in the last few days did it become apparent that his illness was very grave. I am grateful to God that the bishop was delivered from protracted suffering.

I knew Bishop Jecko only slightly. I sat next to him at a dinner several months ago. From all accounts, he was a godly man, and I know he was devoted to Jesus Christ, and to our Lady. The following is from the post at Stand Firm about his death.

I met Bishop Jecko only once, at Mere Anglicanism in Charleston this past January. He was seated next to Bishop Iker during lunch, where I found them talking quietly. He was a reader of this site, and has an account with us, the screen name for which was originally "Bishop Jecko," but which he later changed to "Heartbroken." I'll reluctantly close it now, so that no messages will arrive as though expecting him to be there.

I can only guess that the changing of his Stand Firm identity from "Bishop Jecko" to "Heartbroken" reflected his anguish over the state of things in our little corner of the Church. Perhaps therefore, in a small way, the bishop might be called a confessor and martyr.

"The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise."

Rejoice that Bishop Jecko not only proved a faithful shepherd of Christ's flock, but that he offered to God the acceptable sacrifice of a troubled spirit and a broken heart, that he was graced to weep with the Lord over Jerusalem (Luke 19.41).

Grant, O Lord, to your servant Stephen, the bishop, light and peace. Grant that whatever defilements he may have contracted during his earthly life being purged and done away, he may be presented pure and without spot before you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

sad news

Fr Binks, the head honcho of CaNN, and a fount of Anglican news and good humor, lost his mother today in a car accident. It was not only Mother's Day, but Fr Binks' mother's birthday as well.

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Pause and say a prayer for Father and his family.

the saint michael's conference, southwest

I will be there this summer - as will Andy (from All Too Common), MM and Father Nelson (from Theology of the Body), Father Christopher (from Apostilicty), and a host of other bright young things. Anyone out there within the proper age range: I encourage you to go. Anyone out there who knows people in the proper age range: i encourage you to encourage them to go. I'm really looking forward to it and expect terrific things. If you're interested, either sign up via the website (link below), or email me. A link to my email address is at the bottom of the sidebar (on the right side of the blog). -WB+

June 24th-30th, 2007
For Ages 12-20 at Camp Crucis Much more than a ‘Church Camp’, St. Michael’s Conference is a 7-day conference where an intentional community of prayer, support, and education helps to form young Christians to be witnesses to the world of the Saving Power of Jesus Christ.

Through worship, study, discussion, recreation, and relaxation, the community seeks both a clearer vision of God in Christ, and strength and power to fight evil and serve God. For most, it is such a joyful experience that they want it to continue, and many do continue by returning year after year.

Michael is a good patron Saint. He symbolizes a strong religion, the kind of religion where true joy is to be found. This conference has already borne much fruit in the life of the Church through the lives of those Michaelites (Conference participants) who are active in their respective parishes. We are committed to making the Conference available to the youth of the Southwestern region of the United States.

Our intention is not to do a “new” thing, but to faithfully hand on what has been given to us–the Catholic Faith of the universal Church. Our worship and practice are therefore unapologetically Anglo-Catholic, and our teaching orthodox.

A typical daily schedule for Monday through Friday

Morning/Afternoon
7:30 am Morning Prayer
8:00 am Solemn Mass
9:00 am Breakfast
10:00 am First Class Period
11:00 am Second Class Period
12:00 noon Third Class Period
1:00 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Free Time (social, sports, naps, etc.)
5:00 pm Evening Prayer & Faculty Talk
6:00 pm Dinner

Evening
6:45 pm Discussion Groups
8:00PM Evening Social Activity
10:30pm Clean Up
10:45 Compline
11:30 Lights Out Juniors
12:00 Lights Out Seniors

Registration
To register, please go to the website http://www.stmichaelsw.org/ and follow the directions on the front page. The cost is $300.00 and you will need to send in a $100 deposit with your registration form. The balance of $200 will be due when you arrive at Camp Crucis for the Conference. Scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance.

St. Michael Prayer
t. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust down to hell Satan and all wicked spirits, who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

my catholic quiz results

I took this twice and twice got the same results, so I suppose they must be accurate. I was so sure I'd be "New Catholic" or "Evangelical Catholic":

You scored as Traditional Catholic. You look at the great piety and holiness of the Church before the Second Vatican Council and the decay of belief and practice since then, and see that much of the decline is due to failed reforms based on the "Spirit of the Council". You regret the loss of vast numbers of Religious and Ordained clergy and the widely diverging celebrations of the Mass of Pope Paul VI, which often don't even seem to be Catholic anymore. You are helping to rebuild this past culture in one of the many new Traditional Latin Mass communities or attend Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy. You seek refuge from the world of pornography, recreational drugs, violence, and materialism. You are an articulate, confident, committed, and intelligent Catholic.

But do you support legitimate reform of the Church, and are you willing to submit to the directives of the Second Vatican Council? Will you cooperate responsibly with others who are not part of the Traditional community?

http://saint-louis.blogspot.com - Rome of the West Traditional Catholic 62% Evangelical Catholic 50% New Catholic 50% Neo-Conservative Catholic 41% Radical Catholic 31% Liberal Catholic 17% Lukewarm Catholic 10% What is your style of American Catholicism? created with QuizFarm.com

my catholic quiz results

This is via All Too Common and Texanglican. Here are my results. Apparently I am 311% Catholic. Hahaha! Take that Fr Kimel!

I don't know what these categories really mean. What's a "New Catholic"? Or a "Radical Catholic"? Etc. Also, I don't really think of myself as having an immature faith. Perhaps that's a sign of the immaturity of my faith...?

You scored as New Catholic. The years following the Second Vatican Council was a time of collapse of the Catholic faith and its traditions. But you are a young person who has rediscovered this lost faith, probably due to the evangelization of Pope John Paul II. You are enthusiastic, refreshing, and somewhat traditional, and you may be considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. You reject relativism and the decline in society that you see among your peers. You are seen as being good for the Church.

A possible problem is that you may have a too narrow a view of orthodoxy, and anyway, you are still a youth and not yet mature in your faith.

http://saint-louis.blogspot.com - Rome of the West New Catholic 83% Traditional Catholic 76% Radical Catholic 52% Neo-Conservative Catholic 43% Evangelical Catholic 38% Liberal Catholic 14% Lukewarm Catholic 5% What is your style of American Catholicism? created with QuizFarm.com

oxford town, oxford town, everybody's got their heads bowed down

Or so said Bob Dylan. But that was about another Oxford. No, no; I'm talking about the Oxford northwest of London, home of 39 colleges, etc. Because I was just there, and because I do love the place, read this article about it in the NY Times. Here is a charming bit of trivia from the article:

Oxford is thick with pubs. What is this link between alcohol and academia, books and beer? One 20th-century student reputedly demanded a flagon of claret during his exams, having discovered an ancient rule in the University Statute Book entitling him to. The invigilator was able to annul the request because the student was improperly dressed: according to another statute, he should have been wearing a saber.

my return

My dear friends, I have been out of the country for the last week or so. In England. Highlights include: Matins and Mass at Pusey House, listening to a talk on the place of theology in the university by Aidan Nichols, and getting lost in the wine cellar of St. John's College. It so happened that I spent the feast day of King Charles the Martyr, patron of this blog, in that Roundhead stronghold Cambridge. But right outside my room at St. John's was a statue of St. Charles and his queen, Henrietta Maria, so I felt ready for anything.

thank you; it's good to be here

Fr. WB has kindly invited me to become a contributor to his blog. The bar has already been set high by the current roll of writers and readers, but I will endeavour to do my best. One could hardly ask for more.

Since by training and inclination I am an art historian, and by conviction and grace a Roman Catholic, I suspect that many of my posts will center around the nexus of those issues (in other words, cultural rather than theological issues; and much sympathy for my Anglican brethren and sistren).

Look for more of me in the future, but for tonight, I have little energy left for a more extensive post.

i am still around; i'll always be around... and around... and around... and around...

(Cf. The Highwaymen, etc.)

Just an update: I have been with my beloved family for Christmas, and with beloved friends for a wedding and New Year's festivities. Look for my re-entry into the blogging fray in the coming days.