I have updated or rewritten my "Request for Opinion" in yesterday's post regarding the story of Abraham and Isaac as reading it myself last night, I can see how one may be confused by what I was trying to say. So go at it again....
Several, (here and here ) beat me to this from the most recent Touchstone Magazine on liturgical hymns (available online.) [On a side note, one reason that you will find slight differences in the words to hymns from one edition to another, or from one publisher to another-other than for inclusive language and other nefarious purposes-is so that the new publisher can get a new copyright on the hymn. ]
Catholic World Report has an interesting article this month on the recent phenomenon of foreign priests staffing parishes in the USA (I don't the think the article is available online.) Of course in the Charleston, SC diocese, this is pretty common. The article comments that most of these foreign priests are African or Asian. We have an Irish priest at St. Catherines, but this is the exception. We have several priests from Nigeria and India in our diocese. Mostly they staff the more rural parishes here. I believe (at leat this is situation in two cases I know of), the foreign priest serves a year or so as a parochial vicar at a larger parish before heading out to the rural areas to staff their own parish. The two I have encountered have been holy men and great priests. Our diocese is truly mission country. Our 83 year old pastor says Mass at three parishes on the weekend. The priest in Cheraw does the same. But I also think the tide is turning. I believe we are starting to get consistency in our number of seminarians. (It used to be 3 ordinations one year, none the next. Now I think we are ordaining 3-4 every year. Not enough, but on the right path.) A spokeman for the USSB (in the article) explains that most foriegn priests come from more traditional cultures so that acculturation is important. (Coming from the traditional culture is big plus in my mind-we Americans need to experience this more.) Many of these priests participate in a series of classes "to acculturate foreign priests to the American concepts of individualism, multicutluralism, and egalitarianism." I hope the program just explains these things and doesn't corrupt the priest into accepting some of these American (Protestant) ideals (read: individualism) in conflict with true Catholicism....
Finally, a short note of self-promotion: we have extended the special offer at RequiemPress for a few more days and expect to have Lenten specials available in a few days.
From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!
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