More on Fr. Selzer ...

Rest in peace...Update: A correction to the first story below-that is Msgr. Rowland was the pastor of St. Joseph's in Columbia-Fr. Selzer's first assignment (not Newberry). And directly below is the Obituary, run in the Post and Courier this morning (8/17):

The Relatives and friends of Reverend Lee A. Selzer are invited to attend his Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM Saturday, August 18, 2007 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The Rite of Committal will be in Hoy Cross Cemetery. The Vigil Service will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist this Friday evening at 7:00 PM, the family will receive friends after the Vigil Service until 9:00 PM. Father Selzer was the director of pastoral ministry to the Hispanic community of Charleston. He was born August 5, 1968 at Patrick Air Force Base, FL a son of Robert and Catherine Selzer. Father Selzer was a graduate of The Citadel Class of 1990 and Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, ILL. from which he holds a Licentiate of Sacred Theology degree. After his graduation from The Citadel, Father worked as a computer expert in a publishing house in Massachusetts and then went to Belize as a lay missioner with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity before he entered the seminary to study for the priesthood. Father Selzer was the only priest ordained for the Diocese of Charleston on June 8, 2002 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. His first assignment was as pastoral associate at St. Joseph in Columbia and than as administrator for St. Mark in Newberry, Holy Spirit Mission in Laurens and St. Boniface Church in Joanna. He is survived by his parents and four sisters

From the Charleston Post & Courier:

Father Lee A. Selzer, director of Pastoral Ministry to the Hispanic Community of Charleston, died Tuesday after slipping into a diabetic coma, the Catholic Diocese of Charleston reported. He was 39.

Selzer, who was ordained a priest in 2002, worked at three parishes in the Newberry area before Bishop Robert Baker, concerned about the young priest's health, recently reassigned him to Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Johns Island, according to the bishop's office.

Selzer had celebrated his first Spanish Mass over the weekend, exclaiming afterward, "It's like being in heaven!" according to the Rev. Msgr. Charles Hutson Rowland.

"He was so happy to be assigned to assist the Hispanic people, whom he loved," Rowland said. "And now he is in heaven."

Rowland and Selzer had worked together at Holy Spirit in Newberry. "This was like a reunion," Rowland said.

Selzer's funeral will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at 11 a.m. Saturday. The wake service is at 7 p.m. Friday, also at St. John the Baptist.

Fr. Lee Selzer ... Rest in Peace

Fr. Lee Selzer's first assignment as a priest was at St. Joseph's in Columbia, SC. He was there 2-3 years and was the 4th chaplain for the Men's Prayer Group. We met at 6:30 am every Tuesday morning and prayed the Liturgy of the Hours. We studied The Cloud of Unknowing with him in those early hours. As I recall, it was a scary book at times because it had warning early on that you must be serious about going down this path to contemplative prayer, and each chapter forced you to open yourself more to God.

Fr. Selzer wanted us to step up our prayer life. He was very intense and preached as if he was trying to will a fire of love into our souls from the pulpit.

I didn't know him that well personally. He came to dinner at the house once. He also went to the Citadel-a few class years behind me. He was reassigned to the Catholic parish in Newberry, SC shortly after we moved to Bethune. I had several times wanted to write to him and let him know that he had inspired me to greater effort in my spiritual life. Well he knows now.

At this point, I have no details on his death-I just heard the announcement and confirmed it before posting this. Fr. Selzer died on the 14th of August. I know he had had health problems in the past-yet he was still a young man, fully of energy.

There is a tradition (note the small 't') in the Church (see a reference to this here) that Christ's Mother emptied purgatory when she was assumed into Heaven, and that those who die on this feast (and on the eve) are swept to Heaven by our Blessed Mother. Let us pray for this grace for this holy priest.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal Rest Grant to them O Lord. May the souls of the faithful departed through mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Time is running out!

I received my proof copies of the 2nd Printing of Russell Shaw's Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church yesterday. Once the entire shipment arrives (sometime next week) the pre-order special will be over. Regularly $14.95, you can get it now for $11.95 (+$2.50 S&H). (You know why we have pre-order specials? It is to help pay for the book upfront for cash-strapped publishings houses like ourselves.) Place your advance order here !

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite chapters in the book:

But granting all that—there is no shortage of vocations. What we are witnessing are the consequences of a shortage of vocational discernment. That is a very serious problem, too, but it needs to be understood as what it is, not mistaken for something else.

If many more Catholics—ideally, all—made it a practice to discern, accept, and live out God's particular will for them, the shortfall of new candidates for the priesthood, the consecrated life, and other forms of Christian witness and service would soon disappear. Far
and away the larger number, of course, would find that God was calling them to lives of witness and service as lay people in the world; but many more than now do would find themselves called to be priests and sisters.

Mr. Shaw goes on the give guidelines on discerning vocations. But the book is much more than that. He gives a history of the lay vocation in the Church from apostolic times to the present and suggests areas which the laity may live out their vocations in the world.

My other blog has another excerpt and endorsement statements from some people most of you will know. Check it out.

Finally, you can read another good piece by Russell Shaw today at Catholic Exchange. Here's the opening line: A Catholic father, an intelligent and conscientious man, was explaining why he and his wife took their daughter out of a Catholic high school: "They told the kids that the gospels weren't true."

Freemasonry and Mexico

As I get older I am more and more amazed at the gaps in my formal education. Except for the exploits of Cortez and the history of Texas' fight for independence (and much of that came from my hero-worship of Davy Crockett) and finally the 1848 war with Mexico, we learned virtually nothing about our southern neighbor in school. Independent of formal schooling, I read a short biography of Blessed Miguel Pro [A Daughters of St. Paul (the nun with the headphone and camera at the website is my sister) "Encounter" book-I believe it and most of the series is out of print], and I read Warren Carroll's excellent Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness. Otherwise, while I was vaguely aware of the anti-Catholic government in the past century (and the controversy when soon-to-be president Vicente Fox appeared in a crowd with an Our Lady of Guadolupe banner), but I knew no details.

Today Brother Charles Madden OFM Conv. of Marytown (and author of Requiem Press books Giving Up Stealing for Lent! and The Mini-Catechism-see sidebar) sent me this article article on the revival of freemasonry in Mexico:

Mexican masonry played a decisive role in the configuration of the Mexican state and in political measures such as the stripping of the Church’s right to own schools and communications media, the right to vote of priests and religious, and the rupture of diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

The previous Mexican Constitution, because of Masonic influence, stripped the Church of the right to own schools and communications media. Recently, the Mexican bishops announced they would begin a campaign to regain these rights.

The anti-clerical policies were kept in place throughout the entire period of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), dominated by the Masons, from 1929 to 2000.

I wasn't aware that Free Masons had such a hold in Mexico. Apparently the Catholic Bishops are trying now to regain control of their schools and have the right to control their own communications media.

Of course Brother Charles Madden OFM Conv. has a special interest in this-you might recognize him as the author of Freemasonry Mankind's Hidden Enemy (TAN books).

Words from Bishop Baker

Bishop Baker issued a statement which you can read here. Here is a selection:

Our friendship in Christ will never cease, but my days of shepherding the Diocese of Charleston now come to an end as I officially receive the appointment from our Holy Father on August 14 as the new bishop of Birmingham in Alabama. I am truly honored and humbled by this new trust placed in me by Pope Benedict XVI; but it is not easy for me to say good-bye, especially to people who have helped me learn to be a bishop, first-hand. (Of course, I’d like to compliment you by saying how much I appreciated your words of encouragement, sometimes couched with a reminder that I needed to do a little better job here and there! But that’s okay. How else was I to learn? May the people of the Birmingham diocese benefit from all your good coaching and coaxing! But it is still with difficulty that I say to you good-bye!)

A humble shepard of the Church!

Kepha (and other things)

A couple days ago I mentioned that CMQ was posting 'in-between issues' articles at their website. At that time I had not read the the first one, which is a meditation on the Eucharist by Brent Zeringue. Here's a taste:

Six hundred boys were present one morning at the oratory for Mass with Don Bosco. Since the ciborium in the tabernacle only had about 20 hosts, the sexton prepared another ciborium for consecration. But at the last moment he forgot it in the sacristy. At communion time, Don Bosco uncovered the ciborium from the tabernacle and a look of distress came over his face. The altar boys observed that he lifted his eyes to heaven, quietly prayed, and then advanced to give communion. One row after another of boys came forth and at the end all were able to receive with as many hosts left over as when he had started. The news of the multiplication of the Bread of Life spread and the boys crowded around him after Mass: “Miracle! Miracle! Don Bosco is a saint!” Don Bosco said in all humility, “Are you sure?” Then he added, “When you think of it, boys, isn’t the Eucharist always a miracle?”

This recalls to me Msgr. Rowland (then of St. Joseph's in Columbia, SC) preaching one day: (NB: this is a paraphrase, not a quote): "Many of you travel regularly to Conyars (GA) to see someone claiming to get messages from God. Yet this Church is empty everyday-but our Lord is waiting for you here!" I will never forget these words.

Now, who is Brent Zeringue? Well he heads up Kepha. I had never heard of Kepha before, but now want to learn more. From the website it appears it is a organization of fathers and sons who pray together regularly and also have fun together. From their website:

Kepha is the Aramaic word for "Rock", the word with which Christ renamed a smelly fisherman before entrusting him with the keys. We also call ourselves the Brotherhood of the Iron Will. Ours is a high octane Catholicism that tempts men and boys to a holy manliness and contradicts a life of spiritual laziness and moral compromise.

Kepha is Catholic to the core. Our shirts bear the words, "Where Peter is, there is the Church." We ally ourselves with the Pope and do not apologize for our fidelity. Our shirts also bear the words, "Roma locuta, causa finita est" (that’s Latin for, "When Rome speaks the matter is settled."). Expect to find all the men and boys in purple truly believing in the Real Presence, the right to life of unborn children, the permanence of marriage, the openness to life through natural family planning, the reality of Hell, the promises of Heaven, and the efficacy of confession.

Kepha is made of ordinary boys and dads doing together what none of us would do alone. One time, before proceeding to a day hike along a rustic trail with waterfalls, we stopped at the Missionaries of Charity Soup Kitchen. We served meals, brought 500 cans of food and mingled with the homeless. As the hungry and abandoned ate, we sang them songs. Now, let me hasten to add that a requirement of being in Kepha is that you have to be able to sing…badly. A homeless boy sat silently and sadly. We asked him to join us. A smile came across his face and he proceeded to sing with us. You could feel the chills run up your spine when he told us his name – "Trinity." But why were we surprised? Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of our three patrons, told us we meet Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor. With hiking and waterfalls waiting, we allocated a rushed 5 minutes for prayer in the chapel. But for the next 25 minutes the boys kept offering prayer intentions.

It appears from their brochure that they have chapters (or members) in FL, LA, MS, NY, OK, and TX. (The singing part impressed me. I am a believer that singing on earth is a preparation for singing in Heaven.)

Oremus pro invicem!

Rejoice!

... nor wilt thou give thy holy one to see corruption (Ps 15:10)

Some years ago I wrote a short book (never published-never will be) as an aid to meditating on the mysteries of the rosary. Because at that time I always said my rosary in the car commuting home from work, I needed a very defined idea for meditation on each mystery-as there are so many distractions while driving. So for each of the mysteries, I had written essentially one line - one idea.

For the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, I wrote:

Our Mother Mary knows the way to Heaven. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!" -Ask her to show you the way.

This is truly a day of rejoicing (and one of the only holy days left not transferred to Sunday).

At the Shrine of our Lady of South Carolina/Our Lady of Hope, there is a sign (soon to be carved in stone), which I believe was the inspiration of our (soon to be Birmingham's) Bishop Baker, which says: "Leave your burdens here!" This is what we should do this day. Leave our burdens at the foot of the altar. Go to our Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary and she will take these burdens to the Lord.

Oremus pro invicem!

Just a reminder... the preface and first chapter of John Meehan's Two Towers is available for public consumption starting here (scroll UP for each subsequent post). And of course Two Towers and Russell Shaw's Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church (on special) are available for sale at Requiem Press .

God speed

via Amy Welborn (I must get her new blog on my sidebar):

Bishop Robert Baker has been named the new bishop of Birmingham, Alabama. (See announcement here). I was afraid this might happen. A couple of months ago Annunciations wrote that Bishop Baker's name was among those being mentioned for the open see in Pittsburgh.

I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Bishop Baker several times and meeting with him once. He always answered his correspondence-often with a handwritten note at the end of the letter. He has been tireless in transversing the diocese which encompasses the whole state. Overall, his accomplishments in our diocese have been great. (More seminarians, freeing of the Traditional Latin Mass, institution of the Marian shrine, etc. etc.)

It is with joy we had him in the Charleston diocese and with sorrow-and warm wishes-we see him go.

Oremus pro invicem!

Childhood

Yesterday (as posted) I received many pictures from my boyhood days. The memories are all good. I had a happy childhood. I loved my parents. Yes my Dad had a temper and was a dominating figure-but I loved spending time with him and listening to his stories and to his views-and of course, he could do anything! I loved (and still do love) my Mom. She was (and still is) always there to listen to her children's troubles-and lend any helping hand she can. She had a firm hand, but I thank God for it even til today. My Mom and Dad's devotion to the truth and to the Faith-even in the adversity that society was laying on-were inspiring and something to strive for. For me there was a peaceful security at home. God was there.

I loved my eleven brothers and sisters. Yes, there may have been times of quarrelling or an older sibling picking on me (I guess I did my share of picking too), but overall, home was the place to be. I didn't need anyone else. The games we played at home were always more fun than those played at a friend's house. I loved my house-I loved the whole growing up experience. I absolutely loved the dinner table with us all sitting around. Every night was something to look forward to (even when we had baked carrots.)

It could only take a special woman (Mrs. Curley) to pull me away permanently from my beloved home.

So it saddens me to the heart when, by the venom I hear in someone's voice or in their writing, that I can recognize that they had an unhappy childhood.

I don't know what makes a childhood happy or unhappy. Oh sure, the environment is part of it, but even that can vary. They say kids are pretty resilient and get over things fast-but not all.

You can talk to two children from the same family (after they've grown up of course) and get two diametrically opposed views of the family they grew up in. Barring abuse or tragedy, how one veiws their childhood must have a lot to do with a person's own choices and attitudes, as well as the events and environment.

I pray today for all those grownup children who don't have those happy memories. For those of us lucky enough to have been blessed with a happy childhood, every day (even now), the sun shines.

Oremus pro invicem!

Some memories ...

My sister spent the summer going through photos and other things with my Mom. I received the first fruits of their efforts today. In the mail today was a box of some hundred or so photos-spanning the early-60's to the present. Over the next decade I will share some of them on Bethune Catholic-even though they are only of personal interest.

The first is me (at 2) with my Grandfather. It is such a good picture of both of us (I've gone downhill since then), that I couldn't resist posting it.

The second picture is of Fr. Al with my younger brother. Fr. Al was the pastor of a small Lithuanian parish in my town. Even though we were Irish, we started going to the English Mass there when I was in Junior High (maybe a few years earlier-and probably to escape the craziness elsewhere). Fr. Al was a great priest. I served Mass for with him almost every Sunday for several years. St. George's Parish was the site of two of my sister's weddings (receptions in the basement) and my Dad's funeral. It was swept away with the other church closings in the Boston diocese in the past few years. I believe Fr. Al died a few years ago. I hadn't seen him in more than a decade (he was no longer at St. George's for all those family gatherings.) May his soul rest in peace.

Oremus pro invicem!

Quotable?

Every week I get this "Call for Submissions" to the Cathlic Carnival. And every week I search the past week's entries to look for something profound-or at least something that might be of interest to the global Catholic blogging community. Mostly I come up empty. Oh, there is a line here or there which is of interest (usually when I'm quoting someone else), but nothing really meaty these days.

Some bloggers take a vacation from blogging everyday and say they will blog less often, but have longer, meatier posts. Usually this doesn't happen. No posts happen. That would be me too.

Speaking of quoting other people, I remember when Mrs. Curley and I were dating. Often I would come up with a line from an old song or movie-as I grew up watching old movies and listening to 30's and 40's music (and she didn't). These charmed Mrs. Curley until she heard them for herself when we watched an old movie together, and she suddenly realized that I was a line-robber. Now she thinks that every good line I have ever spoken is stolen from someone else. (I plead no-contest.)

But there precedent for this. An old Bing Crosby song goes something like this:

I can't begin to tell you
How much you mean to me.
My world would end
If ever we were through.

I can't begin to tell you
How happy I would be
If I could speak my mind
Like others do.

I make such pretty speeches
Whenever we're apart.
But when you're near
The words I choose
Refuse to leave my heart.

So take the sweetest phrases
The world has ever known
And make believe
I've said them all to you.

(emphasis mine).

This is what I tell Mrs. Curley. You can readily see where I got the idea. Why reinvent the wheel? (or the line, as the case may be.)

Oremus pro invicem!

I really like making things-especially with wood. Today we built a dog pen for our puppy to stay in at night-when she's older. It will sport a dog house and has shady portions all but one hour of the day-although it is intended for night occupancy or when we are away. I think dogs bark more at intruders/unwelcome animals when they are penned because they can't investigate. It is close to the chicken pen. The fence is buried to discourage digging out. It is about a 10X12 footprint. Actually I did little to build the pen except advise and assist when needed. My oldest son did it mostly on his own. I built the door/gate-that was my contribution. My third gate this week.

But as I started out, I just love working with wood. There is something about it that has always captured my imagination. It is one thing (maybe reading a good book the other) which will engross me so much that I forget about eating and everything else. Yet I have so little time....Hopefully there will be many wood projects this year-some will be pretty utilitarian: gates, closets, etc. But I hope to have some fun ones too; like a music box or the like.

(Not so hot here today-only high 90's when I last checked. You can tell the difference.)

Oremus pro invicem!

Local news

Yesterday the kids told me our thermometer read 108 (F), and it is in the shade. I thought they were wrong or the thermometer was-but apparently not too far off. Columbia was a record 106F yesterday. Today, which was supposed to be "cooler", our thermometer reads 110. We have a wading pool, but even so, we don't let the kids in it til late afternoon in this heat.

We were also considering going to the beach this week, but decided against it because of the heat. Good thing. I read this about sharks on the Isle of Palms, which is our usual destination.

Finally, we have the puppy, Dutchess, back. She looks healthy and playful-and a bit bigger.

Oremus pro invicem!

Culture of death continues its march....

Reported here:

In response to the Supreme Court decision upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, many abortion providers in Boston and around the country have adopted a defensive tactic. To avoid any chance of partially delivering a live fetus, they are injecting fetuses with lethal drugs before procedures.

God have mercy on us!

Around the horn

A new (and improved) version of my China piece appears on Catholic Exchange this morning:

The Communist Government of China has managed to maintain their oppressive hold on their people by controlling their most basic instincts and rights, the very things which make us most human; that is the rightful worship of God and the procreation of new life — in effect dehumanizing its populace.

Read the rest here.

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I read Curt Jester's spoof on R. Giuliani last night and had to print it out to read to Mrs. Curley. Like many of the commenters, she didn't realize it was parody til halfway through. Isn't it sad that things so close to the awful truth can be so funny? Parody like this also points out the flaws in the 'personally opposed, publically in favor' philosophy.

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Just another friendly reminder that Russell Shaw's "Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church" is on 2nd printing pre-order special (20% off)-which is due to arrive in the next week or so. Order your copy(s) here .

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I think I have mentioned before that Mrs. Curley & I have, at various times tried to get into the habit of saying Night Prayer together. Lately we have had some success. Night prayer is so peaceful both after a hard day and at the time of death.

I recall the night before my father died that I thankfully had the presence of mind (or the inspiration from my Guardian Angel) to bring my Liturgy of the Hours with me when I left SC in hurry to get to my father's side in MA as he approached death. Those of the family who were at the hospital when I arrived at 1:00 am said Night Prayer with me. A time I won't forget.

The psalms are selected so carefully. Contemplate these lines from last night's prayer (from the selections in the 1-volume):

In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.....

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: "You are my God.
My happiness lies in you alone."

(These words last night call to mind this past Sunday's Gospel about putting your treasure in Heaven.) Try it! Night prayer really ends the day well and prepares you for rest in Christ.

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Am off to Mass this morning and will have to face the music after Mass. But it will be worthwhile to see Fr. John.

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Finally, our chicks made it through the night. We lost one yesterday, but it looked pretty far gone when we picked up the box from the post office.

Will check in later.

Oremus pro invicem!

We were having a discussion last night about how a widower could become a priest. One of the older boys mentioned how the pastor at the Anglican Use parish in our area was married. So I told them stories of how some Episcopal parishes converted to Catholicism with their pastors and how a special allowance was made by the Church to permit these pastors to be ordained as Catholic priests.

So my youngest son, not even in 2nd grade yet, tells us he knows what he going to do: become Episcopalian, get married, get ordained, and then re-convert to Catholicism so he can be married and a priest. I guess the call to husband & father and the priesthood is strong in this young man. However, I couldn't believe a son of mine-no matter how young- could plan a scheme like this.

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Chicks arrived this morning. It is always a challenge-no matter how well you prepare-to keep them inside the chicken pen when they are so young and small. It must be bred in them to seek the smallest opening and not be content with their home.

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Check out CMQ's Extra. They are starting to put 'inbetween issues' content on their website.

You may notice that a rather long post I put up yesterday on China has disappeared overnight. It is not that I have had a change of heart, but an updated and improved version will be appearing somewhere else in a few days, and I will repost it (or a link to it) then.

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As promised, Greencastle has put in her two cents on the "living wage". She quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2427: "The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings." and concludes from this:

"An economic activity which is pursued without meeting that end simply is not a successful economic activity."

I would only further add that the "human beings" that CCC is referring to is not just shareholders, and not just consumers-but also the workers. I think our captains of industry forget that companies exist not just to make money, not just to provide a good or service to humanity with what they produce, but also to provide for the needs of their workers through employment.

Good analysis.

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Chickens could arrive today or tommorrow and I think we will be ready. A lot of hard work has been put in in revamping and repairing our chicken pens and houses. I am proud of the way the boys have worked hard and taken responsibility in doing their part. From my youngest who simply followed me around and was on hand at every moment with the proper screw or tool (or glass of water), to the oldest who basically put up the new fence without my assistance (but with assistance from his brothers), and everything in between, they did a great job. One of the boys commented that the chickens, "with a fine tin roof and real wooden floors below" (If I were a Rich Man-Fiddler on the Roof), are going to live better than us. (Maybe, but a much shorter and less fulfilling existence to be sure.)

And finally, our pastor should have arrived back here from Ireland sometime last evening. Welcome home Fr. John!

Oremus pro invicem!

bloodless takeover

This story was emailed to me this morning. Here' s the main point:

Two officials at leading Communist Party bodies have given interviews in recent days warning - for the first time - that Beijing may use its $1.33 trillion (£658bn) of foreign reserves as a political weapon to counter pressure from the US Congress.

Described as China's "nuclear option" in the state media, such action could trigger a dollar crash at a time when the US currency is already breaking down through historic support levels.

It would also cause a spike in US bond yields, hammering the US housing market and perhaps tipping the economy into recession. It is estimated that China holds over $900bn in a mix of US bonds.

Yesterday I read this (Mrs. Curley was going to buy some cod and then saw the imported from China label and put it down.)

This mornings' local paper had this story on toothpaste imports from China. And of course we all remember the dog food stories a couple months ago.

China is poised to control us without firing a shot. Essentially they control the Panama Canal and we are heavily invested in China industrially as well as seeming a slave to their imports-no matter what the latest scandal is. And of course they can continue to persecute Christians indiscriminantly. But we, who can think of numerous "reasons" to send armies to Iraq, have not been able to stem the economic Chinese takeover of our own country which has been going on for years.

Off topic, but I wouldn't mind getting a good manuscript about Catholic life in China in recent years.

Oremus pro invicem!

Spent half the morning trying to get another Requiem Press book on the sidebar, but I just can't figure it out-even though I got the other ones up there. Now my time's up. Will check in later.

Oremus pro invicem!

Why is it that every time I delete spam, it seems that 2 more pieces come in? I think deleting email opens the window for a second to let more spam in-just as no legitimate email comes by itself. It is always accompanied by some spam. I dread that part of Monday mornings dedicated to deleting the several hundred junk emails which have accumulated over the weekend. Usually I only get a hundred or so overnight, but I don't check my email on the weekends usually, so don't have a chance to delete them.

All this spam discussion just so I can post this picture.

I have my patent agent hat on today, so I may be scarce around the office. Of course I was yesterday also-having my pseudo farmer's hat on as we repaired and reinforced our chicken pen.

Yesterday I mentioned that August was historically Requiem Press slowest sales month. I feel I should mention it again, cause it seems to have brought in some business-which is truly scarce this time of year. And don't forget, if you want a copy of Russell Shaw's book "Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church", you can advance order a copy of the 2nd printing and save some money. It makes a good Christmas present-especially for a young Catholic.

Okay, there's the sales pitch. Have a good day.

Oremus pro invicem!

Last week I posted (mostly questions) about the "family wage". It looks like Greencastle is going to weigh in over the next few days on the discussion and the original one.

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By the way, the puppy we took home last week is at the shelter again and very sick. The vet swears it is parvo and that his test can not give a false positive even though the pup had the parvo vaccine 6 days before. Most other sources dispute that-saying false positives are normal 5-12 days after the vaccine is given. The animal shelter from which we adopted says the pup has a bacterial virus and wants us to take the puppy back. We're not taking any chances for a few days.

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My, it is hot out there. We worked hard and long today with plenty of water at our side. Still not finished, but we're within spitt'n distance of the finish line. We'll put a few finishing touches on the chicken pen and houses this evening when it gets a tad cooler.

Oremus pro invicem!

The summers we are all used to down here finally arrived this week. It has been somewhat mild for SC this year, but I think the real heat is coming... http://www.weather.com/ says we won't fall below 99 until Friday (97) and most days will be over 100.

Seeing that we have day-old chicks coming in later in the week, this is good. You are supposed to keep the chicks at 90 F for the first week of life, and then gradually reduce the heat over the next week. Frankly, we never have. The first chicks we got, we brought into the house at night that first week and stored them in our upstairs bathroom which has no AC. Not 90 F, but at least not the "chilly" 70 F that was outside. I don't think we lost any chicks after we brought them inside at night. But this week, it will be hot enough not to take those drastic measures. We may lose a chick or two, but the nights should be warm enough that we do okay.

We still have some work to do on the chicken houses and pens. We got a lot down on Saturday, but the pen had fell into such disrepair, that it is taking longer than expected. Sometimes it takes longer to repair than to build anew. Plus we are trying to build a fortress that stray mangy dogs won't penetrate. (For long-suffering readers, you may remember the slaughter.)

We dropped off some cookies (homemade by my middle daughter) to our neighbor whose chickens our dog had eaten. Very nice folks. I had good talk with him on Sunday.

Fr. John O'Holohan SJ will be back this week from his yearly trip home to Ireland. We can't wait for his return.

August is traditionally Requiem Press' slowest month for sales. This why we usually schedule major projects (like rebuilding the chicken pen) for August whenever possible. But it is also a good time to get a jump on the year for new releases. We haven't released a new book since Dr. William May's memoirs, Standing with Peter in November 2006. We hope to change that soon. September 2007 will see our release of a short work (yet untitled) which follows the conversion of a nurse practitioner from working in a "women's health clinic" where she prepared women for abortion to being pro-life - and how God hounded her with messages about the babies. Stay tuned. Should have a cover and a title within a week or so.

Oremus pro invicem!

For dinner tonight ...

Kedgeree (or kedigree?)! A family favorite-especially when the the fish is caught by us-even better when the eggs came from our chickens (but not this time).

Sorry for the slow posting: yesterday I spent much of the day with the fish we had caught, either cleaning or cooking it. Today I had a couple appointments out of the "office" and was catching up on things from being away for a day.

Weekend is here. This means we finish the chicken coop.

Oremus pro invicem!

Black Sea Bass, Shrimp, and Blue Crabs

Oh boy! oh boy! What a feast awaits the Curley's tonight. We're back; have the shrimp headed and flash frozen; the fish cleaned; and the crabs just ready for the pot.

Oremus pro invicem!

(but Requiem Press. is still open for business-so go on over and buy some books!)

Oremus pro invicem!

Just got a phone call ...

...from my sister who is helping my Mother go through old pictures and family artifacts this summer. Sister asked me if I wanted a box of my old school work, report cards, and art work from my young days shipped to me, or whether they should toss them. What a question! While I am not so sentimental that I keep everything (some might say I'm a packrat-but I'm not really), nonetheless, how could I pass this up-just to look and have my kids look (at the good stuff).

So get ready, I will probably be posting a thing or two when the box arrives.

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Going back to the comment above about being a packrat and below about Fr. John's EWTN interview, Fr. John made a comment (probably uniquely expressed for Mother Angelica's show) last night that we couldn't open our hearts to the Holy Spirit until we "got rid of the junk and crap" which fillw our lives and our hearts.

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Young pup is pretty sick. Mrs. Curley is at the vet with her right now....

Oremus pro invicem!

I am in BIG trouble!

In 2000, our pastor, Fr. John O'Holohan, was a guest on Mother Angelica Live at EWTN. Father had a video tape of his guest spot. Now we came to our parish in 2003. Sometime around 2.5 years ago, Father asked me if he had lent me his video of his EWTN spot. I told him I love to see it, but no, he hadn't lent it to me. Over the next year he must have asked me 2-3 more times if he had lent it to me. Then he started asking everyone. One day he even made an announcement after Mass asking for the return of the video to whomever he at lent it. (You can see where this is going....)

Yesterday, while searching through bookcases in my office for something to read I came across a video tape behind some books. The handwriting on the label was a familiar scrall and read, "Mother Angelica & Fr. J OHolohan SJ 14 June 2000 - 1 hr interview". Oh no, I thought. It can't be!

I showed Mrs. Curley. She looked aghast and said, "I want to be there when you return this!". (I think she takes an adverse pleasure in seeing me suffer humiliation.)

Fr. John is in Ireland on his yearly month-long vacation-so I have a week respite. It is not that he will be angry, it is that I hate to have been the one causing him to waste time over this. He will just smile and say thanks, no problem etc.

So we watched the video last night. (After all, that's why he lent it to us.) It was a great show. This was taped 4 years before we knew Fr. John. He hasn't changed a bit. One story (about us being like pigs being led to the slaughter) was familiar.

I had to laugh. Raymond Arroyo asked Fr. John about lay spirituality, and Fr. John started talking about Thomas More. After discussing something of his prayer life and how he was a family man, Fr. John mentioned that after his wife died, Thomas More remarried, "and his 2nd wife practically nagged him to death." Raymond Arroyo raises his eyebrows in surprise, laughs and says, "We won't go there Father." And Mother Angelica comments, "And then he was martyred. I guess you could say he was practically martyred twice."

Great stuff.

Oremus pro invicem!

RAIN!!!!!!

Boy is it raining. It held up long enough for the boys to do some outside chores, but nothing else will get done today. http://www.weather.com/ says it is partly cloudy here....I guess they're correct in a sense, but it is a little more than that.

Spent a good part of the morning de-spamming one of our (Requiem Press) email accounts. It is a little used account, but I tried to open it the other day and couldn't with webmail because there were over 8000 junk emails inside. What a way to waste time.

Just a reminder to put out there (tell all your friends) that Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church (Russell Shaw) is on a 2nd printing pre-order special ($11.95 - usually $14.95). A great time to buy a copy for your local library.

I will have some definite and exciting news about our fall releases (we haven't released a new book since November 2006) in a couple days. Stay tuned.

Oremus pro invicem!

More catching up and the weekend

When I opened my June issue of Columbia Magazine I was surprised to find an article on St. Thomas More by Hilaire Belloc! I rubbed my eyes and did a double-take. But it was no hallucination. They are selectively reprinting articles from past issues this year. This particular one was from 1928-before Thomas More's canonization. Here's a short quote (similar to one HB makes in his book "Characters of the Reformation"):

His death aroused a prodigious storm of excitement throughout all Christendom. … Four hundred years hardly obliterated the effect of that violent shock. It is perhaps truer to say that after 400 years the sacrifice which Blessed Thomas More made of his life becomes larger and larger in men’s eyes with every passing decade. I can believe that a hundred years hence he will appear as one of the ten chief men of that great time.

And the picture of Thomas More's cell at the online article does not appear in the print edition.

Belloc's contention on Thomas More's increasing importance is perhaps borne out by the fact of so many books published in this country about him in this century, (another coming out in late fall-God willing.)

********************************

Saturday we worked very hard at getting the chicken coop in shape. We have more work to do, but got a good start. Day-olds should be arriving sometime next week. We cleaned out the old hen house and started putting security measures in place. One thing that would seem to work is putting down old chain link fence flat on the ground around the coop. Dogs (and hopefully other predators) don't like to walk on it, and can't dig where it is at. as long as the borders are anchored, they can't squeeze under it either. We happened to have some lying around, so will make use of it. This time we will also have a double fenced chicken yard, keeping the chickens on the inside fence at night and when we are away from Bethany.

Still have a door to fix, chick houses to rejuvenate, dirt to move, and the second fence to build. But we made good progress Saturday. I think we'll be ready.

We are planning our fall planting also. Our soil is so sandy, (like a beach if you can believe it), that we really need to build it up with alot more manure and peat moss. Our first year here we did this and had a pretty good summer crop. I think we have to do this ever season. This could get expensive, but with our own chickens (granted the manure has to set a year) , and I have a line on some free horse manure, we might start to do things right.

Saturday night we let boys stay up to watch Fort Apache (library video borrow) with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, and the indispensable Ward Bond. We were almost at the end-when the cavalry was entering the canyon in pursuit of the Apache-when the tape automatically rewinds. I try it again-and it rewinds. The tape must have broken at some time and the end cut off. I think I remember the ending, but the boys have never scene it. Will have to secure another copy somewhere.

After Mass on Sunday, Mrs. Curley and I had a good chance to do some talking over things and plans while the children ran around outside getting soaked with water guns-a well-deserved relaxation. After everyone dried off, we watched the concluding half of The Sound of Music (we had started it a couple weeks ago) while we ate dinner on the living room floor. Now I guess I should get back to work.

Oremus pro invicem!

Varia

After a 24 hour struggle, we named the new pup Dutchess. This is partially in honor of the Great Dane Mrs. Curley had as a child.

Six (6) priests will be ordained for our diocese this evening, the most for us since 1956. One is a former Marine Colonel. May God be with them tonight and throughout their priesthood.

I keep getting tempted to enter into the presidential politics fray-but it just seems way too early to me to discuss it. The other night my alma mater hosted the Democratic debate and a good friend of mine in Columbia is Sen. Brownback SC campaign director. At the same time alot of people I respect are talking up Ron Paul. I know I can't vote for either Romney or Guiliani (neither of whom can win the South). So I guess it is time to do my research as the pressure is building to make an early choice.

At the shrine on Wednesday, we watched a short video of a Polish pilgrimage for our Lady's Dormation and Assumption. Quite impressive how the culture is so Catholic there. Of course walking pilgrimages have always fascinated me. I recall fondly reading Belloc's The Path to Rome and have always wanted to do a walking pilgrimage (before my kness). Watch out! Some crazy ideas are starting to float around this head of mine....

If you are passing through or live in SC-go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Joyful Hope/SC in Kingstree. It is simple-but there is something special there...

Oremus pro invicem!

Additions ....

We have a new puppy (7 weeks old). She is a collie/spaniel mix-coloring like a border collie. She's from the local shelter so we don't have an exact pedigree. However, neither collies nor spaniels are bird dogs, so hopefully this will work out well for us (and for our neighbors). Of course she cried off and on all night, we kept her in a crate in the house for her first night here. Fortunately I am a sound sleeper-unfortunately Mrs. Curley is not....

We also ordered our new chickens last night. We ordered a straight run of Barred Rocks which we will raise for both eggs and meat and try to perpetuate if possible. And we are getting some Buff Orpintons (hens only) mostly for egg production. These latter are supposed to be good setters, so we are counting on perpetuating the egg flock. I figure we will get at least one or two roosters in the 'hens only' batch.

Neither breed was our first choice, we wanted White Rocks and Partridge Rocks-but one was sold out and the other's availability didn't fit our schedule.

We want to raise the puppy with the chickens, so there is not a problem there. Also we want eggs in the late winter-early spring, so we have to start now.

The kids are going to have a small fresh egg business, selling eggs for about $150-$2.00 a dozen as they are available. They won't have too many dozens to sell each week, but it will be a tangible contribution to the family economy-besides they'll get to keep part of the profits.

We have a week and a half to get the chicken coops back in order. Doors need fixing, fences reinforcements, and protection from 'critters' needs some reinforcement also. I know what I'll be doing this weekend ....

Mrs. Curley wants to get some pot belly pigs soon also. But that is a little ways off.

Oremus pro invicem!

Living vs. Just Wage

Here's a must read analysis of the subject, (hat tip to The Ratzinger Fan Club):

One of the big issues for those who are big into Catholic Social Teaching, especially as regards to economics, is the "living wage". The idea is that it is unjust to hire someone and then pay them less than the amount of money it would take to support their family at a decent level of human dignity. I see what's being aimed at with the living wage idea, but I have a couple of issues with it. First of all, there's the question of what level of life a "living wage" is meant to support. It seems to me that most people who use the phrase generally mean a mainstream American middle class life, with a single income, a stay at home mom, and a number of kids. (This may seem pretty normal among Americans and to an extent Europeans discussing all this -- but it strikes me as important to recall that this level of existence would be considered fabulously wealthy at nearly any other time or place in history.)

There's another concept that often gets mixed up with the "living wage" which is the "just wage". A just wage is a wage that accurately reflects the value which the employee creates. So for instance, if an employee at a furniture workshop is single-handedly turning a $100 pile of lumber into a $800 dining room table -- one would imagine that his just wage would include a fairly decent portion of the $700 in gross profit that he helped create. If it takes him ten hours to make the table, but his employer is only paying him $5/hr, we probably have a problem here in regards to just wage.

Now, is the living wage the same as the family wage? And there is the question posed above as to what standard of living we are talking about. Remember that the non-working mother is a recent phenomenon-that is when there existed family economies, the mother contributed to the family income-just she did it at home instead of at the factory or office. "Leave it to Beaver" mom's only existed in recent history. So what standard are we discussing.

Read the whole thing.

Catching up on reading ....

From the May 2007 Columbia Father Michael P. Orsi writes on vocations to the priesthood in America and the "priest shortage". I am not sure I agree with all his conclusions, but I want to quote one part in particular:

Who of us educated prior to Vatican II cannot recall daydreaming about being a priest like the ones we read about in our Catholic-edition history books or in the inspirational stories found in our Catholic readers? Who can ever deny the desire felt, if only for a moment, to becom a priest after an iteinerant vocation recruiter extolled the virtues and visions of his order's founder? All these experiences helped to define the priesthood, and inspired many to want to emulate such hallowed figures in their vocations.

Well, I didn't have the Catholic-edition history books or Catholic readers in my parish school-I was in school after Vatican II, and these books had been replaced. But we had these same tossed-aside books at home, and yes I can vividly recall these daydreams.

The same issue has Russell Shaw showing how dissent from Catholic moral teachings lowers human dignity. Mr. Shaw also takes on Daniel C. Maguire's (Marquette U) pamphlets which try to make the case for contraception, abortion, and same-sex marriage. If you can find a copy of the May issue, both articles are worth reading. Unfortunately neither are online.

Feast of St. James (yesterday)

Of course St. James is my namesake. Our pilgrimage to Our Lady of Joyful Hope Shrine in Kingstree, SC falling on this feast was simply a coincidence. But our pilgrimage brought out a discussion of other pilgrimage sites-including the Compostella in Spain where St. James is purported to by buried. This was one of the three major pilgrimages (the others being the Holy Land and Rome).

Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela would wear an identifying badge-identifying them as pilgrims-travelers to or from the site. Their badge was the shell-possibly as a reminder or renewal of their Baptism (they used a shell to scoop the water and to pour over their head). Families who had a member who had made the pilgrimage made the symbol part of their coat of arms, clothing decorations etc.

Apparently the family who owned Shell Oil had a ancestor who made the pilgrimage and thought the shell would be a good traveler motif. Thus we have the Shell Oil symbol.

I am sure many of you already knew this-but I just found out yesterday.

Our Lady of South Carolina!

I learned so much today that I have enough material to post on for a week if I can remember it all. Suffice to say it was a very good pilgrimage for the family. We said the rosary on the way and at the shrine. We also all went to confession and then heard Mass. Fr. Stan Smolenski is a good priest and was a pleasure to talk with.

Just as starters, I finally learned why growing up we could say the rosary in 7 minutes flat and morning Mass could be done in less than 15 minutes. It was because we are Irish and our priests were Irish. The tradition for 400 years in Ireland was to be quick so as not to be caught. Thus carried over to the new world.

Following up on the last post on crop subsidies, Mrs. Curley and I were talking about this last night. In the whole history of mankind, it seems that only in recent years (in developed countries) has the procurement of food become taken for granted. I mean, a good part of every day used to be spent growing or working (or hunting) for food. Is it easier to be closer to God when our daily bread is really so much in the balance?

Now, in general most of us don't worry about food-the government is taking care of this by keeping prices low. But because we aren't worrying about food, what do we worry about? Sure we do worry about shelter-mortgages and the like. But what style of shelter do we have? And are we spending more time worrying about (note worrying about is not true worry, but plotting how to obtain or spending time with) DVD's, iPods, cars, boats, jet skis, computer games and gadgets? Are the worries of the age of technology those which draw us closer to God? Do they draw us closer to each other? Or do they help us draw into ourselves? (And what does this do to the spirit of the growers of food?)

John Senior, writing in 1978 (The Death of Christian Culture), discusses how the new art doesn't imitate nature, but is there for itself. Modernism "is an assault on the verb 'to be", that its formal cause is 'artificiality'. Thus the Modernist escapes from real experience through hallucination and virtual reality experiences.

Maybe we are doing that in our lives. We escape into technolgy which provides virtual reality experiences or close to it and leave the real living to the ash heap.

Does any of this make sense or connect. Maybe its too early in the morning....

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Pilgrimage today! Will report on it later.

Oremus pro invicem!

Another good post

The Yeoman Farmer has an enlightening post on farming and farm subsidies-with this ariticle being the starting point. Be forewarned, some of the article may be shocking to your sense of fairness.

I am one also who believes people should be paid a fair price for the work they do and the product they make or grow.

Good post over at Caelum et Terra on torture and reason, and society. Mr. Nichols writes:

I once believed that one could create a just social order based upon reason alone. .....I first became aware of the insufficiency of reason alone in the moral sphere when thinking about euthanasia. One simply cannot construct an argument against shortening the suffering of the terminally ill that will convince reason, apart from transcendent truth, for there is no meaning to suffering that can be understood apart from Revelation. Reason cannot grasp that suffering can have meaning and purpose, that it can be a participation in the redemption of the world.

This post reminds me of discussions I have had about Thomas More's Utopia. Many have thought possibly that St. Thomas was a closet Communist or a rash of other things. In reality, I believe that he was exploring what a society would look like based on reason, but no grace or Revealation.

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Off topic-Russell Shaw's Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church is at the printer for its 2nd printing. (Hurrah!). We are offering a 2nd-printing pre-order special on it. (It will ship in late August.) Check it out.

Normal

I like this. Here are two normalcy's:

3. It is NORMAL for lay Catholics to be knowledgeable about their faith, the Scriptures, the doctrinal and moral teachings of the church, and the history of the Church.

6. It is NORMAL for lay Catholics to have the fellowship of other committed lay Catholics available to them, to encourage, nurture, and discern as they attempt to follow Jesus.

I don't know how normal these things really are in the experience of most Catholics-but no doubt they should be. Both (and see the rest) are critical to renewing the culture.

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I have finished Walter Macken's Seek the Fair Land. I heartily recommend these historical novels on the Irish saga. Of course reading the Macken trilogy-especially this last (actually the first) makes me more committed to getting Lives of the Irish Martyrs (Myles O'Reilly) back in print.

Now maybe I can finish John Senior's Death of Christian Culture.

Oremus pro invicem!

I have buried chickens, kittens, puppies, dogs and wild dogs on our small holding. Last night it was more difficult. Indeed, it was our dog who was at our neighbors chickens. Our neighbor caught her yesterday (before dawn). He turned her over to us in the early evening.

We let the children say good-bye to her before going to bed. I dug her grave next to Randy's and then dispatched her while she ate some chicken (what else?) left over from dinner. These things aren't easy, but they have to be done. My oldest son was closest to her. He helped me dig the grave.

These are chores which try me. After yesterday, what we need around here is a new pup....

Random thoughts

It is about 6 weeks since my teaching job ended, and I'm putting on weight. Never thought it would happen, but I guess it makes sense. Teaching, I was on my feet for 6-7 hours every day, standing or walking. Now I sit in front of the computer for a good part of every day. I will have to change this.

We are planning a fall crop and thinking of the future too. We are going to get some blueberry bushes and maybe a peach and fig tree in the fall. We had a fig tree when we lived in Columbia, but the squirrels always seemed to get the figs before we did.

Just wondering if pictures make a blog more interesting or if blog-readers are more sophisticated than that. I never had pictures for a long time until one day I figured out how to put them up, now I am always looking for the picture link. Of course mostly I think the blog is for me and occasionally to get a rise out of Mrs. Curley when she reads it. So I guess I have to ask myself the question.

Our pregnant yellow-lab type dog is missing this morning. Hope that doesn't mean our neighbor with the chickens got her. Or she could be hiding out have pups. Who knows?

Oremus pro invicem!

Rio Bravo

Mrs. Curley and I watched the big daddy of all westerns Saturday night: Rio Bravo. It was such good western, that the director, Howard Hawks, remade versions of it twice more-both starring John Wayne as in the original. Some of the scenes in the remakes are almost identical even if the characters are switched around.

Rio Bravo does not simply have the presence of John Wayne; Walter Brennan steals the show-even up to end. They rarely make dialog like this anymore.

And who can resist Dean Martin as the recovering drunk and Ricky Nelson as the hot (or should I say coooool) young gunslinger. These four make an unlikely bunch to outwit and outgun the "Burdett" gang.

Alot of great scenes in the movie. One of the quieter ones features Dean Martin crooning a western song with Walter Brennan on the harmonica, followed up by Ricky Nelson singing an early hit. John Wayne kept out of the music bit.

Plot is not only action with some humor, but also deals with a recovering drunk and some risque dialog (and one costume) from traveling card player Angie Dickenson. So-it is really not recommended for the young.

Still, one of my favorite westerns.

Number 800!

So the directions say: Assembly time: 1 hour 35 minutes. And I'm a pretty handy guy. I started the ceiling fan project at 10:00 AM and I jokingly told Mrs. Curley, "You'll have your kitchen back at 4:00". I was joking-she didn't have it back til 6:30!

Granted, there were a few things I was doing. The ceiling fan was not going in where a light fixture had been before, so I had to drill holes, thread wire, etc., etc. But this wasn't the 'hard part'. It was the ceiling fan itself-and this is my third so I should be a pro. Well its done now.

Number one son helped me and kept his patience with me. I sort of got bent out of shape when he dropped a split washer into the fan motor. Yet he didn't say a word when I dropped a nut down the air conditioning vent.

My other two older sons spent the day first digging a compost pit and then the rest of the day moving sand from the end of our driveway back up to the top. Everyone worked hard today.

Am taking a break with a Keystone Light-but must get back to helping put the kids to bed.

Oh yes, and this is post number 800 on this blog. A milestone day to be sure.

Oremus pro invicem!

Tax time again ...

Actually, this isn't so bad. Quarterly I have to send into the state the sales tax I have collected selling books. I almost always forget and do it at the last moment. This isn't such a terrible thing. My local sales are not high (after all, how many Catholics are there in SC) and sales in general .... well, I'll just leave that one alone.

By the way, speaking of books, I might note that my long-neglected other blog still has the introduction and first chapter of John Meehan's Two Towers-the deChristianization of America and a Plan for Renewal up for free reading if you're interested. You have to scroll down a bit to get to the beginning, but its there.

And.... more good news. The 2nd Printing (yes, we sold out the 1st) of Russell Shaw's Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church should finally be availble soon-we're looking at mid-August.

The back cover of the 2nd printing sports a few new reviews including this clip:

On the problem of clericalism, no analysis has been more clear or onstructive than that of Russell Shaw. His is a voice crying out in the
wilderness. —Dr. Scott Hahn from Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace

Much to do this afternoon (more books to trim) and the weekend (I think a ceiling fan and chicken coop repairs.) If we get our work done we are thinking of going to a small animal auction on Saturday night in Jefferson.

Oremus pro invicem!

Corn

I read this article (Catholic Exchange) about how ethanol (with government subsidies) is raising corn prices and thus all food prices. Hardest hit are the poor (the doubling of the cost of tortillas in Mexico.)

The other side of the story is the poor small farmer. Until this year my neighbor was getting less for a bushel of corn than he was right after World War II ($3 then, $2+ last year.) This year it is finally in the $4 range-which still doesn't keep up with the inflation of over 50 years.

Now I am not saying that corn prices should be artificially raised, but all the underlying issues here are more complex.

For instance, if the Mexican worker was getting a family wage, and the small farmer was getting a just amount for his produce would we even be talking about this? If there were local economies instead of global economies, would we be talking about this? And thus, it is hard to pick on government subsidies of ethanol when the problems are so much deeper.

I do love the articlie's opening line:

Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

More later.... Oremus pro invicem!

Communism or Capitalism?

"........... reduced man to a force of production. ...It reduced gifted and talented people to nuts and bolts of some monstrously huge, noisy and stinking machine...."

This quote from Vaclave Havel, former president on the Czech Republic on the Communist regime. I read it in an editorial by Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus in his monthly column back in March of 2005 of Columbia.

I don't believe I ever used it in a post-I was going over my 'drafts' which never got posted and this quote figured in one of them. So I use it today.

Of course Vaclave Havel is talking about Communism-but we have a society and government which is very utilitarian with respect to its citizenry. And it will get even more so as we help it along by our living, spending, and voting habits. And then it we won't be much different from the quote above. Already corporations view their employees (no matter how educated or talented) as tools-which are replaceable.

Don't mean to be pessimistic about the future today (see post below). Actually, although we need to continually to strive to bring God to our neighbors and to save souls, the ultimate future for those who hope may be very bright-May God have mercy on this sinner!

It all boils down to this ...

I want my children to know that they can do things themselves-or that their local community can do things themselves.

More and more laws are being passed to mandate that the government control our lives (for example, contemplate the possible ramifications for Catholics and families when governmental universal health care comes to pass-and it is coming)

More and more goods production and distribution is in the hands of just a few-thus we may be made subject to their methods of business (slave labor, chemical additives, etc.) and their prices and quality.

But it doesn't have to be so. As more and more of us give away our freedom and very ability to make decisions-based on our self-imposed ignorance, there must be pockets of people who can do things on their own and make decisions on their own. There must be a remnant of people who can marry Faith and Reason to discover and worship the true God-not the gods given (and virtually forced) us by secular and neo-pagan society.

Ultimately, this is why we moved to Bethune, SC and are trying to back away from the the materialistic lifestyle. Not every endeavor has been successful (you can say that again... and again), but we are trying and will get it eventually. And our children will know they can survive even if they live differently. They will know that they can buy the processed chicken from the superstore or can grow and butcher their own. They will know they can hire someone to fix the plumbing or the floor or the car-or they can do it themselves.

Of course we aren't islands, each possessing all the talents and know-how to survive. We absolutely need each other-but as individual persons to each other-not as numbers to a governmental social outreach organization. The community must share goods and talents.

And let me reiterate-it is not about individualism-it is more about community and guaranteeing the preservation of true Christian community. I.e.: you can go to a movie or you and your friends can put on a play yourselves. You can go to a concert, watch music videos etc.-or groups of friends and families can gather and sing together, and certainly pray together.

We can't forget how to do things ourselves-after all big government is not going to work out our salvation for us.

Sometimes we can lose sight of the goal, wrapped as we tend to become in our daily chores. It is good to take a step back and see where our life and our society is going-and then redirect our own path. Of course this is why beginning the day with prayer is the only way.

Oremus pro invicem!

Couldn't resist ...

Finished "The Silent People" yesterday evening and got right into the first of the trilogy: "Seek the Fair Land". This one is about Cromwell's invasion and destruciton of Ireland.

Have much work to do. Am not going to the CMN (Catholic Marketing Network Tradeshow, but am sending a flyer along to be placed in a friend's booth. Have been twice before, but the budget director (me) hasn't allowed me to go last year or this year. Interestingly, it is in Cleveland this year. I would love to go cause I lived in Cleveland in the mid-to-late 80's for a couple years during graduate school. I know it has changed and wouldn't mind seeing it.

Back on the homefront, we are trying to plan a trip to our only local Marian Shrine: Our Lady of South Carolina - Our Lady of Hope. A recent article in the diocesan newspaper mentioned that the chaplain at the shrine just took evangelical vows and is a eremitic state, or recognized as a hermit by the Catholic Church-his ministry is to limited to working with pilgrims who come to the shrine. Maybe we'll get there some day next week?

Oremus pro invicem!