Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Last month, I attended the Sacred Liturgy Conference in Salem, Oregon. This is the second time I’ve attended, the first being back in 2016. It’s a transforming conference, and the daily conference liturgies in particular have made, and continue to make, a deep impression on me and others. Obviously, it’s difficult to sum up a four day conference in just […]
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Chanted from the version given in the Codex Calixtinus. Neither Ordinary nor Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, but rather from the Mozarabic Rite.
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Today is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago. He was one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles. He is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle, and therefore today is a solemnity within the archdiocese. I am saddened that no Tacoma parish seems to be celebrating an evening Mass for this occasion. Edited: […]
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On July 20, 1969, man first set foot upon the Moon. The project that took us to the Moon was called Apollo, ostensibly after the Greek god associated with hunting, harmony, and healing. Perhaps the folks over at NASA had sense of humour, or maybe God the poet was at work again, for July 20 is also the memorial of […]
» Read moreRev. Michael Stinson, pastor of Saint Joseph Parish in Tacoma, has been appointed Superior of the North American District of the FSSP for a term of three years. Congratulations, Father! The notice may be found in a no-nonsense press release from the FSSP. Father Stinson has served in Tacoma since 2015, and I have always found him gracious and hospitable, […]
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Tradition holds that on July 16, 1251, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock, prior general of the Carmelites. She offered him a message of hope for the Order, a message that they sorely needed. At this time, the Carmelite Order was in trouble. They had their origins as a community of hermits on the slopes of Mount […]
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When Francine and I finished our Camino in 2016, I began a project on my Camino blog to post the best of my Camino photos, one day at a time. The “Camino Photo of the Day” project has been running since July 6 of 2016, so today marks its two year anniversary. The end is in sight, as we are […]
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IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and […]
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Happy feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle! Today wasn’t always his feast. In fact in my Monastic Diurnal, today is the Memorial of Saints Processus and Martinian. I’m sure these holy martyrs will forgive me if I choose to celebrate the Apostle today instead. Saint Thomas, pray for us.
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Today the Church celebrates one of her most ancient feasts, commemorating the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. I prayed at the tombs of these apostles during our pilgrimage to Rome in 2005. Peter With the body of Saint John Paul II mere feet from me, I knelt near Saint Peter’s tomb at the high altar of the dark and […]
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This morning I’m off to the train station to attend the 2018 Sacred Liturgy Conference in Salem, Oregon for the next four days. I last attended in 2016, when it was held at Mount Angel Abbey. On that occasion, I made Archbishop Sample belly-laugh, an achievement I carry with me to this day. I was unable to attend last year, […]
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For the last six weeks or so, our parish of Holy Rosary has been under the pastoral care of Father Francis Xavier Kikomeko. Father is from Uganda, and he spends his summers vacationing in the Seattle Archdiocese, filling in and helping out where he can. We are so grateful to Father! He is solid, orthodox, and joyful. Pretty much everything […]
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Tomorrow being the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, today is Saint John’s Eve. Throughout much of Europe, the tradition on this day is to light bonfires. Here’s ours from a couple of years ago. Not much of a bonfire, strictly speaking, but we do live in the city after all! So what’s the deal with John […]
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Today is the memorial of one of my favourite saints, Saint Thomas More, who died at the hands of King Henry VIII (that villain). That is, today is his memorial in the modern Roman calendar, which he shares with Saint John Fisher, also executed by the same king. In my Benedictine ordo, however, it is no such thing – you’d […]
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As we approach the town of Villafranca del Bierzo, we pass through an old farmstead that includes this building. I want to say something about this, because while it is an extreme example, you see this sort of thing all over the Camino. Indeed, in a sense you see this wherever humans live. Was the original wall medieval, or was […]
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Today is the anniversary of the death of the great G.K. Chesterton. You can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it. (G.K. Chesterton) Years ago now, the indefatigable Mark Shea proposed readings for the Feast of Gilbert Keith Chesterton: 1. JOB 19:23-27 Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were printed […]
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