Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
I have been unemployed now since All Saints Day, November 1. My state unemployment claim has been denied, so as of this moment I have officially zero income. OK, that’s not quite true. I’ve been doing some odd publishing and layout contracts, but this is not going to pay the mortgage. Or the wedding. So I’ve been going to Tulley’s […]
» Read moreIt’s at least quasi-official. After four months of contracts and extensions, I’m at the end. I’ll be unemployed a week from tomorrow. I will no longer be employed by the Archdiocese of Seattle. Time for an ale, methinks. Yea, perhaps several. Edited to add: Turns out all I’ve got is porter. Well, I’ll make the best of it.
» Read more(Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound) Two people have now asked me about the use of Latin on my journal. Since that’s a sizable percentage of the readership (possibly half), I thought I’d better address it. Here several reasons. Take your pick. I’m a mediævalist. I like old things. I’m a Roman Catholic. It’s our language, even if we […]
» Read moreLet’s start with some geeky Church news portion of today’s entertainment. Never mind Catholic / Orthodox rapprochement (a thousand years of schism can’t be wrong!), it seems the Russians are upset with Constantinople (that’s Istanbul, for you young Turks out there). I blame Estonia. If they’d only converted to Unitarianism, none of this would have happened. And as I’ve long […]
» Read moreThe Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum may be found here: Latin English from Vatican Press Service English from the USCCB (PDF) Accompanying letter in English Fr. Z’s Intro and Comments Te Deum laudámus:te Dóminum confitémur.Te ætérnum Patrem,omnis terra venerátur.Tibi omnes ángeli,tibi cæliet univérsæ potestátes:tibi chérubim et séraphimincessábili voce proclámant:Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.Pleni sunt cæli et terramaiestátis glóriæ tuæ.
» Read more[T]he motu proprio liberating the Tridentine Mass for the entire Catholic Church has been given to about 30 bishops from all over the world in the Sala Bologna of the Apostolic Palace by Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. The bishops had been invited to Rome for that purpose. At the end of the meeting, in which the motu […]
» Read moreHow very odd to be posting twice in one day. This bit of news from Bloomberg caught my eye: Philanthropist and retired hedge-fund manager Robert W. Wilson said he is giving $22.5 million to the Archdiocese of New York to fund a scholarship program for needy inner-city students attending Roman Catholic schools. Wilson, 80, said in a phone interview today […]
» Read moreThe most observant of my three loyal readers will note that my place of employment no longer appears amongst the links on this page. Due to bugetary issues, my employment contract with Visitation Catholic School has not been renewed. We’re trying to sort out whether my last day is end of June or end of August. I found out Friday, […]
» Read moreToday we celebrated the Ascension of our Lord. Our “guest priest” while our pastor is vacationing in Ireland with his family is an odd duck. An old, retired Irish priest, he fits the “Old Irish priest” stereotype. Despite being here for over fifty years, his accent is so thick that you can barely understand four words in a row. In […]
» Read moreThis morning’s Mass at the school where I work was sponsored by the second grade class. I am always of a mixed mind on these things. On the one hand, the children are involved in the planning and celebration of the Mass. They are gaining experience as servers, as lectors, as choir members. On the other hand, sometimes the pagentry […]
» Read moreToday is Yom Kippūr, the day of atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. This is the day where observant Jews fast and forgive all those who have wronged them in the previous year. In the time of the Temple, this is the day when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, sacrificed, and made atonement for all […]
» Read moreOn September 10th, I made my final oblation to Saint Martin’s Abbey in Lacey. I am an Oblate of the Order of Saint Benedict. It is quite an indescribable thing to be a monk in the world. As at confirmation, one is expected to take on a new name. I chose Bede, as he is a Benedictine Saint (always a […]
» Read moreI post this for future reference. One cannot walk forward without being mindful of where one has already walked. The First Brush I have been a student of religion since I can remember. Indeed, one of my earliest conscious definitions of a human is “an animal with the desire for enlightenment,” or if you prefer, “Truth”. To this day, for […]
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