Bishop Burbidge Signs Edict for Opening of Cause for Fr. Price

The diocesan phase for the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas Frederick Price will be opened on March 9, 2012, with the official installation of a Tribunal that will begin the formal study of the life, virtues and the reputation of the sanctity of Father Price. The opening of the diocesan phase of the Cause will take place within the context of Solemn Vespers (Evening Prayer), which will be open to the public and will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

The Tribunal, which will study Father Price, will be led by the Very Reverend James F. Garneau, V.F., Ph.D., Pastor of Saint Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Mount Olive, North Carolina, whom Bishop Burbidge has appointed Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Father Price. The Tribunal will also include Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, appointed by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints as Postulator of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Price, and other members, assisted by a Historical Commission and a Theological Commission.

As part of the diocesan phase of the Cause, Bishop Burbidge has signed an Edict for the Opening of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization for Father Price. It requests that all those who can give valid testimony regarding the life, virtues and the reputation of the sanctity of Father Price, even if they have negative proof, are to contact the Tribunal. They may do so by contacting Father Garneau at The Office of the Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Father Price, P. O. Box 1145, Mount Olive, North Carolina 28365.

Read the Edict for the Opening of the Cause (PDF)

The Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Price was originally introduced in the Archdiocese of Hong Kong, where Father Price died. The transfer of the Cause to the Archdiocese of New York was approved by the Vatican in 1992. In 2011, the Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, agreed the Cause for Father Price would best be carried out in the Diocese of Raleigh, the home Diocese of Father Price, where he was born and lived most of his life. His Eminence, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect for the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, accepted the recommendation of Archbishop Dolan and Bishop Burbidge to transfer the Cause to the Diocese of Raleigh.

Born on August 19, 1860, in Wilmington, North Carolina, Father Price was the first native North Carolinian to be ordained to the Priesthood. In the midst of his extensive twenty-five years of missionary work throughout North Carolina, Father Price developed an interest in dedicating his priestly ministry to the foreign missions of the Catholic Church. In 1911, together with Father James A. Walsh, Father Price founded the Congregation of Maryknoll. In 1918, Father Price accompanied the first group of Maryknoll missionaries, who were sent for ministry in China. Shortly after his arrival in China, in September 1919, Father Price died following a brief illness.

Among those joining Bishop Burbidge for the celebration of Solemn Vespers and the Opening of the Cause of Father Price will be the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte; the Right Reverend Placid Solari, Abbot of Belmont; the Reverend Edward M. Dougherty, Superior General of the Maryknoll Catholic Foreign Mission Society; the Reverend Monsignor David D. Brockman, Vicar General of the Diocese of Raleigh; the Very Reverend James F. Garneau, V.F., Ph.D., Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Father Price; and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, Postulator of the Cause of Father Price.

Above and below: Bishop Michael F. Burbidge signing Edict for the Opening of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas F. Price. The Edict was also signed and notarized by Msgr. David D. Brockman, Vicar General.

Taken from the Diocese of Raleigh website.

In Caritate Non Ficta thanks His Excellency for opening this Cause, and commends it to the intercession of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Bernadette, to whom Fr. Price was extremely devoted.

Medical Update

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow I head up to the DC/Baltimore area for my regularly scheduled brain scans and appointments on March 1. I beg your prayers that all goes according to God's plans.

Thank you!

Pass It On!

Carmelites

Young men, have you ever thought of the Carmelite vocation? Check out http://www.carmelitemonks.org/ - a relatively new traditional Carmelite monastery in Wyoming. They are in the process of building a new monastery and would also appreciate any donations you might be able to provide. Coffee and tea drinkers, consider supporting their endeavor by buying your coffee and tea from their monastery through Mystic Monk Coffee. Coffee is roasted by the monks, and the tea is blended by them as well. All is delicious!

Fr. Bartunek's "The Better Part"

Recommended reading for daily meditation: The Better Part by Fr. John Bartunek, LC. This books takes the daily Mass readings and guides you through a meditation on Scripture. Father's blog recently posted a sample meditation from the book, and I highly recommend it for daily meditation. I especially like the final part of each meditation - a reflection and prayer written in the first person. It helps me to pray when I can't find the words. Here is the selection:

"Indeed, as all know, for the spread of God’s kingdom Jesus Christ used no other weapon than the preaching of the gospel, that is, the living voice of his heralds, who diffused everywhere the celestial doctrine.” - Pope Benedict XV, Encyclical Letter Fausto Appetente Die (1921).

Reading:

Mark 1:14-20: After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come,’ he said, ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

Reflection:

Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ ushers in the third age in the history of humanity. First there was the age of creation, when mankind lived in the fullness of communion with God and the freshness of an absolute beginning. This ended with original sin and the subsequent fall from grace, after which the second age began, the age of the Promise. God promised Adam and Eve that he would send a Savior to free the human family from domination by the devil (cf. Genesis 3:15). In this second age, God gradually prepares the world through the education of his chosen people, Israel, for the arrival of Jesus Christ, whose advent marks the time of fulfillment (“the time has come” – the third age), when God actually enters into time and space in order to rescue it from sin and destruction. The end of this third age will yield the new heavens and the new earth, the definitive and final victory of Christ’s eternal Kingdom.

As pressing and absorbing as current affairs may seem to the men and women of every historical epoch, it is the presence and action of Jesus Christ in and through his Church that gives the human story its true meaning and propels its fundamental drama. All things hinge on Jesus Christ, because he alone holds the key to communion with God, and only that can satisfy the human heart.

Evidence of his continuing intervention in history surrounds us. One of the most eloquent signs is the ongoing flow of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. Just as Jesus called his apostles to leave everything and follow him two thousand years ago, so he continues to call men and women today. Each vocation is proof of his Lordship, proof that the King still reigns. Asking the Lord to keep calling, and asking him to give courage and faith to those he calls, should be a part of every Christian’s prayer life – nothing bolsters the Kingdom more.

Christ the Teacher. “The Kingdom of God” is one of Christ’s most frequently used phrases. He came to establish it, he rules it, and he taught us to pray constantly for its coming (“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…”). In his initial announcement of its arrival, Jesus gives us the first lesson about what it entails.

“The Kingdom of God is close at hand,” he proclaims, and then he adds, “repent and believe the Good News.” The “Kingdom of God” merely refers to wherever things are done God’s way, wherever his will and his heart infuse life into the souls of men and women. To repent means to turn away from doing things our own, selfish way (which is the way we tend to do things ever since Adam and Eve set the unfortunate precedent). To believe in the Good News means to trust that God’s way, God’s will, is the best choice. If we trust in the love, wisdom, and power of God, we will have the courage to fashion our lives according to his standards (which are made clear and practical in the Church’s teachings). If we recognize our own limitations and selfish tendencies, we will have the necessary humility to repent. If we want to enter this Kingdom and share in its unequaled vitality and meaning, we simply need to trust in God more than ourselves – over and over again.

Christ the Friend. From St. John’s Gospel we know that Jesus had already met and spent time with the four apostles whom he calls so suddenly in this passage. It’s important to keep this in mind: far from unexpectedly demanding an irrational abandonment of family, career, and previous plans, Jesus built up a relationship of mutual knowledge and trust before he invited Peter, Andrew, James, and John to become his full-time disciples.

Likewise, only as we cultivate a true friendship and an intimate and ongoing exchange of hearts with our Lord will we be able to hear and heed his call in our life. This is not a God who demands blind obedience to his awesome power; this is Jesus Christ, true man, who meets us right where we are and walks along the shore of our lives, who wishes to get to know us, to spend time with us, and to call us by our names. This is a Lord and God who wants our friendship, so that he can share his life with us.

Christ in My Life. It’s so easy to lose sight of you in my life, Lord. You exercise your authority so gently. I know that history hinges on you, and yet, I still let myself get worried and angry and perturbed by minutiae. Jesus, increase my faith, strengthen my hope, and enlighten my mind – make me your convinced and formidable disciple.

I have heard your call in my life, Jesus, more than once. You have looked into my eyes and invited me to follow you more closely, just as you did with the apostles. Thank you for coming into my life. I am sorry for the times I have been unfaithful. Call me again, Lord, today, so that I can show you my love and loyalty by leaving behind everything that’s not your will.

You called these apostles because you wanted to give them a mission in life, something so worthwhile that you didn’t hesitate to invite them to leave their careers and their families. You have given me a mission too. Thank you, Lord, for giving me direction and meaning. Make me a fisher of men for your Kingdom.

Lenten Vestment

The pastor of the parish where I am living has received a great donation - it came just in time for Ash Wednesday Mass. The vestment is very old, but remains in great shape:

Redemptive Sufferer of the Day: Saint Gemma Galgani

The Life of Saint Gemma Galgani

Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca. At a very young age, Gemma developed a love for prayer. As a student at the school run by the Sisters of St. Zita, Gemma was loved by her teachers and her fellow pupils. Although quiet and reserved, she always had a smile for everyone. Although she was a good student, she had to quit school due to chronic ill health.

Throughout her life, Gemma was to be favored with many mystical experiences and special graces. These were often misunderstood by others, causing ridicule. Gemma suffered these heartaches in reparation, remembering that Our Lord Himself had been misunderstood and ridiculed.

Gemma had an immense love for the poor, and helped them in any way she could. After her father's death, the nineteen year old Gemma became the mother of her seven brothers and sisters. Two young men proposed marriage to her, but Gemma wanted silence and desired to pray and speak only to God.

Gemma soon became very ill with meningitis. Throughout this illness, her one regret was the trouble she caused her relatives who took care of her. Feeling herself tempted by the devil, Gemma prayed for help to the Venerable Passionist, Gabriel Possenti, who was later canonized. (St. Gabriel was a Catholic seminarian whose marksmanship and proficiency with handguns single-handedly saved the village of Isola, Italy from a band of 20 terrorists in 1860). Through his intercession, Gemma was miraculously cured.

Gemma wished to become a nun, but her poor health prevented her from being accepted. She offered this disappointment to God as a sacrifice. Today, Gemma's mortal remains are still treasured at the Passionist monastery in Lucca.

On June 8, 1899, Gemma received the marks of the stigmata. Each Thursday evening, Gemma would fall into rapture and the marks would appear for a few days. The stigmata would continue to appear until the last three years of her life, when her confessor forbade her to accept the grace. Through her prayers, this phenomenon ceased, but the whitish marks remained on her skin until her death. During the apostolic investigations into her life, all witnesses testified that there was no artfulness in Gemma's manner. Most of her severe penances and sacrifices were hidden from most who knew her.

In January of 1903, Gemma was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. She died quietly in the company of the parish priest, on April 11 at age twenty-five. He said, "She died with a smile which remained upon her lips, so that I could not convince myself that she was really dead." She was beatified in 1933 and canonized on May 2, 1940, only thirty-seven years after her death.

Gemma's Redemptive Suffering

In one of her personal letters we read: "Jesus spoke these words to me: 'My child, I have need of victims, and strong victims, who by their sufferings, tribulations, and difficulties, make amends for sinners and for their ingratitude.'" Saint Gemma offered herself as a victim soul for the salvation of sinners. Upon learning about a person who was deeply caught up in sin, she prayed to our Lord: "Jesus, give me this soul. In exchange I will give you three years of my life." And another time she said "....I am willing to give the last drop of my blood to satisfy the Heart of Jesus to prevent the offenses of sinners."

Saint Gemma knew that her time on earth was to be spent praying and suffering for others, and she looked forward to heaven more than anything: "I greatly rejoice that time flies so quickly, because that means so much less time to spend in this world, where there is nothing to attract me. My heart goes incessantly in search of a Treasure, an immense Treasure that I do not find in creatures; a Treasure that will satisfy me and console me, and give me rest."

Gemma has now found that Treasure in heaven, and is in the position to intercede for all who call upon her aid.

Ash Wednesday

I wish all a wonderful beginning of Lent on this Ash Wednesday!

One of those tools would have been helpful on Ash Wednesday during my first year of seminary:

"Memento Mori" - Remember Death

These are the skulls of monks from Mount Athos Monastery. The middle skull reads: "You shall also become as I am" as a reminder to the monks that their earthly life is very short. It's something to ponder on this Mardi Gras as Ash Wednesday approaches. If we are able to receive ashes tomorrow, the priest will remind us that "you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." Eternity is what matters, even though it is often difficult to comprehend this truth during the activities of our busy lives. Thankfully, Holy Mother Church reminds us of our mortality in a dramatic way on Ash Wednesday and offers us a chance to change our lives with the Sacrament of Penance.

Many parishes offer Confession frequently during Lent. Look up the schedules online. Look for Penance services where sometimes 10 or more priests will be hearing confessions in the same parish. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity, especially if you haven't been in a while!

Catholics Protest Blasphemous Play in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE - Under the bright lights of the Queen City, the faithful of the diocese gathered peacefully to pray in reparation for all those involved with a blasphemous play being performed Feb. 2-18 at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte.

More than 100 people prayed the rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet, lit candles and held signs that read "Father forgive them; they know not what they are doing" in front of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte Feb. 2. Men, women and children of all ages joined in the peaceful prayer in opposition to a blasphemous play being performed by Queen City Theatre Company: "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," which retells the Creation story with two homosexual couples, portrays Mary as a lesbian and mocks the Virgin Birth. The play continued through Feb. 18.

The play "presents a gleefully outrageous reinterpretation of Creation. Adam and Steve begin their journey in the Garden of Eden. After being banished from Eden, they encounter Jane and Mabel, who insist they were the earth's original couple," according to the promotional information on the Queen City Theatre Company and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center websites. The two homosexual couples are then portrayed in various Old Testament stories, ending up in Central Park in modern-day New York, where Steve is suffering from AIDS and Jane is nine months pregnant. The irreverent play questions the existence of God, features homosexual acts and bestiality, and lampoons heterosexual fidelity.

More than 100 Catholics stood in peaceful witness against the sacrilege the play represents on the sidewalk in front of the Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square in uptown Charlotte Feb. 2, praying a Rosary of Reparation, singing hymns and a Divine Mercy Chaplet immediately before the opening night performance. The crowd grew quickly from 60 people to start with about 7 p.m., then to 85, and then to 105 by the time the prayer vigil concluded around 8 p.m.

They gathered in part in response to a letter released by Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis, which explained the gravity of the blasphemy involved with this play.

"The implication that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a lesbian is gravely offensive to Catholics and to all Christians, who hold Mary in the highest regard as the Mother of the Savior," Bishop Jugis wrote in his Jan. 31 letter to the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

To those who say the play has nothing to do with insulting Mary, Bishop Jugis pointed out that the playwright Rudnick himself was quoted in explaining his play: "I wanted the Garden of Eden in Central Park, and Mary as a lesbian mother, which would certainly help me comprehend immaculate conception." (Note: The playwright confused the Immaculate Conception, which refers to Mary's conception without original sin, with the Virgin Birth and the Nativity, which refers to Jesus' birth.)

Bishop Jugis wrote in his letter, "Please do not allow this play to be performed. Please cancel these performances out of consideration for the religious sensibilities of Christians and all people of good will."

A prepared statement from the Queen City Theatre Company's artistic director, Glenn T. Griffin, emailed to a Catholic layperson last week, defended the play and refused to cancel it, stating, "QCTC will strive to create theatre that not only entertains but enriches, educates, and challenges our audience. We are a theatre company that is known for producing works that make people think. ... This show will not be closed down."

A statement on the Queen City Theatre Company's website further stated, "QCTC will not further engage in any controversy regarding this production of Paul Rudnick's play and neither will comment on the author's points of view or released statements. We will focus solely on our mission and the creation of art."

Charlotte area Catholics have organized a Holy Hour of Reparation during all the days the play is being performed in Charlotte.

An Act of Reparation is prayer, sacrifice or devotion offered to make amends to Our Lord and Our Lady in response to sin, in this instance the sin of blasphemy. Catholics also organized prayer teams to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration Chapels, for one hour, during the times this play is being presented on stage.

It was standing room only at the St. Gabriel Church Perpetual Adoration Chapel on Providence Road during the opening night prayer vigil on Feb. 2. The chapel was so crowded that adorers even had to sit on the bench in the hall looking in the glass door at the Most Blessed Sacrament to participate.

Both prayer ideas were apparently sparked following an alert from the blog America Needs Fatima, which has a history of peacefully opposing blasphemy in art, theater and film and is a campaign run by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, an organization of lay Catholic Americans. According to Robert Ritchie of America Needs Fatima, his organization has opposed this play when it has been performed in other U.S. cities, starting with its debut performance in New York in 1998. In mid-January, America Needs Fatima began an e-mail protest campaign for the Charlotte performance that has "18,283 people signed on to it," Ritchie wrote in an email to the Catholic News Herald on Feb. 2.

Despite the controversy, local Catholics say all they want to do through their actions is to pray for understanding and awareness of Christian values and respect for the Catholic faith.

Kelly Rusk, who recently moved to Charlotte from Wisconsin with his wife and now attends St. Ann Church on Park Road, came out to pray during the Rosary of Reparation on Feb. 2 and participate in the peaceful witness.

"It's about defending what's right. It's freedom of speech ... We've got the right to spread the word and to pray for those people ... This is not about hate or anything of that nature. It's about love and saying, 'OK, we understand you have a position, we'd like to let you know about an alternate position and we're going to pray for you and do it in a calm, civil manner in hopes that it gives you some thought.'"

Another prayer vigil participant, Joann Ruff, a parishioner from St. Gabriel Church, shared her reason for attending: "I'm happy to be here. I think we need to stand up for the Blessed Mother at this time."

Wrote one Charlotte Catholic layperson, involved with organizing and gathering support for the Holy Hour and Rosary of Reparation, in an email preceding the rosary prayer vigil, "Please remember, the people for whom we are praying are, in many cases, unaware of their sin. They have never heard the Gospel of the Lord or they have been raised in an environment that was either hostile to Him or which distorted the message of His Love. What we seek to bring them is the message of hope, love, mercy, forgiveness and healing."

Taken from the Catholic News Herald

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ICNF salutes Bishop Jugis and the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte for protesting this sacrilege!

Something to think about...

“Lord, I don’t know how to pray” - Thoughts from St. Josemaria Escriva

"If you really want to be a penitent soul - both penitent and cheerful - you must above all stick to your daily periods of prayer, which should be fervent, generous and not cut short. And you must make sure that those minutes of prayer are not done only when you feel the need, but at fixed times, whenever it is possible. Don't neglect these details. If you subject yourself to this daily worship of God, I can assure you that you will be always happy" (The Furrow, 994).

"When I see how some people set about the life of piety, which is the way a Christian should approach his Lord, and I find them presenting such an unattractive picture, all theory and formulas, plagued with soulless chanting, better suited to anonymity than to a personal, one to One, conversation with God Our Father (genuine vocal prayer is never anonymous), then I am reminded of Our Lord’s words: ‘When you are at prayer, do not use many phrases, like the heathens, who think to make themselves heard by their eloquence. You are not to be like them; your heavenly Father knows well what your needs are before you ask him.’ A Father of the Church comments on this passage as follows: ‘I understand from this that Christ is telling us to avoid long prayers, not long as regards time but as regards the endless multiplicity of words... For Our Lord himself set us the example of the widow who, by dint of supplication, conquered the resistance of the unjust judge; and the other example of the inconsiderate individual who arrives late at night and who, through insistence more than friendship, gets his friend out of bed (cf Luke 11:5‑8; 18:1‑8). With these two examples, he is telling us to ask constantly, not by composing endless prayers, but rather telling him of our needs with simplicity."

"In any case, if on beginning your meditation you don’t succeed in concentrating your attention so as to be able to talk with God; if you feel dry and your mind seems incapable of expressing a single idea, or your affections remain dull, my advice is that you try to do what I have always tried to do on such occasions: put yourselves in the presence of your Father and tell him this much at least: ‘Lord, I don’t know how to pray. I can’t think of anything to tell you.’ You can be sure that at that very moment you have already begun to pray" (Friends of God, 145).

Cardinals O'Brien and Dolan Among 22 New Cardinals Named by Pope

Congratulations to Cardinals Dolan and O'Brien who were created Cardinals this morning in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available individually or in groups to the pope if he requests their counsel. Most cardinals have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or running a department of the Roman Curia.

The pope bestowed a blessing on each man and gave them the red silk square-ridged hats, called birettas, that signify princes of the church. The scarlet color, he told the men in a quiet but steady voice, signifies a “readiness to act with courage, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith.”

Then, giving a golden ring to each of the new cardinals, the pope declared, “Receive the ring from the hands of Peter and know that your love of the church is strengthened with the love of the Prince of the Apostles.”

“As grateful as I am for being a cardinal, I really want to be a saint,” Dolan said. “I mean that, but I have a long way to go.”

"I Am The Immaculate Conception." A Further Study.

Father George at Holy Souls Hermitage has raised a good point in his recent post about the Immaculate Conception. I love Lourdes more than any other place in the world, so this topic interests me immensely.

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes in 1858 with a message: "I am the Immaculate Conception." With these words, Our Lady confirmed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed just 4 years earlier by Pope Pius IX.

Many people don't know that Saint Bernadette didn't learn French until she was much older. The only French she knew at the time of the apparitions was the Rosary, as well as a few other prayers. In 1858, the locals of Lourdes still spoke Bigourdan. It is often considered to be a dialect, but in fact it is a different language. Sadly, there are no textbooks that preserve the language, and only the elderly inhabitants of the Bigorre region of France still understand the language, even though they don't speak it regularly. It has both Spanish and Italian influences, and is quite different from French. Our Lady did not speak to Saint Bernadette in French; She spoke to her in Bigourdan. She did not say "Je suis L'Immaculée Conception," but rather: “Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou.” This is the inscription in Bigourdan below the statue in the actual Lourdes grotto.

After speaking with native Bigourdan speakers when he was a chaplain in Lourdes, Fr. George proposes that this phrase might not mean exactly "I am the Immaculate Conception," but rather, “I am she: Immaculate Conception!” Read his post to consider the significance of this.

I am interested in pursuing this topic, but am having trouble locating anyone who grew up speaking Bigourdan. Perhaps readers, especially those in France, can help with a contact? Any elderly grandparents from the southwest of France?

Desire Heaven

As we approach Lent, we remember that it is a time of purgation in order to grow closer to God in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Let us desire God, and persevere in our sacrifices so that we are "stretched" to receive His grace. A passage from today's Office of Readings (from Saint Augustine's Tractates on the first letter of John) reminds us that our hearts should long for God:

The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire. You do not yet see what you long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when he comes you may see and be utterly satisfied.

Suppose you are going to fill some holder or container, and you know you will be given a large amount. Then you set about stretching your sack or wineskin or whatever it is. Why? Because you know the quantity you will have to put in it and your eyes tell you there is not enough room. By stretching it, therefore, you increase the capacity of the sack, and this is how God deals with us. Simply by making us wait he increases our desire, which in turn enlarges the capacity of our soul, making it able to receive what is to be given to us.

So, my brethren, let us continue to desire, for we shall be filled. Take note of Saint Paul stretching as it were his ability to receive what is to come: Not that I have already obtained this, he said, or am made perfect. Brethren, I do not consider that I have already obtained it. We might ask him, “If you have not yet obtained it, what are you doing in this life?” This one thing I do, answers Paul, forgetting what lies behind, and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the prize to which I am called in the life above. Not only did Paul say he stretched forward, but he also declared that he pressed on toward a chosen goal. He realised in fact that he was still short of receiving what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived.

Such is our Christian life. By desiring heaven we exercise the powers of our soul. Now this exercise will be effective only to the extent that we free ourselves from desires leading to infatuation with this world. Let me return to the example I have already used, of filling an empty container. God means to fill each of you with what is good; so cast out what is bad! If he wishes to fill you with honey and you are full of sour wine, where is the honey to go? The vessel must be emptied of its contents and then be cleansed. Yes, it must be cleansed even if you have to work hard and scour it. It must be made fit for the new thing, whatever it may be.

We may go on speaking figuratively of honey, gold or wine – but whatever we say we cannot express the reality we are to receive. The name of that reality is God. But who will claim that in that one syllable we utter the full expanse of our heart’s desire? Therefore, whatever we say is necessarily less than the full truth. We must extend ourselves toward the measure of Christ so that when he comes he may fill us with his presence. Then we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Fr. Aidan Nichols Visits Papa Stronsay

I first met Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P. while on a retreat in France with the Legionaries of Christ in 2003. I had just finished my Freshman year of college and the Legionaries were kind enough to take about 40 students on this very special retreat. It was during this time that I first began to think about the priesthood, and I had a few conversations with Fr. Aidan about it.

The well-known Fr. Aidan Nichols was one of the many speakers brought in for the retreat. He taught us the liturgy portion:

There I am, closest to Fr. Nichols. This was back when I had hair!

If you look closely, the board reads "Reforming the Reform" and "Annibale Bugnini." As you can imagine, it was an interesting discussion!

Now, 9 years later, I see on the Papa Stronsay website that Fr. Aidan visited my friends there. He offered the traditional Dominican Rite, which differs in some ways from the 1962 Missal and is proper to the Dominican Order.

For example, the chalice is prepared with wine and water prior to the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar. This is quite similar to the Eastern Rites:

The priest's arms are fully extended in the form of a cross for the Unde et memores after the Consecration:

Medical Update and Blog Future

I try not to focus this blog on my health because I am not trying to complain or gain pity, but I have received many emails recently asking how I am doing. I know that many friends read the blog for updates, so I will try to be better about providing them.

First, a recap about my health: I was diagnosed with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumor in October 2008 (seizures started in May 2008 but they were misdiagnosed). Surgery was not possible given the location of the tumor, and I was informed that the median survival time of someone with this tumor is about 18 months. Thankfully, younger patients do better.

I underwent radiation therapy at Duke Hospital for about 30 days in January 2009 while taking oral chemotherapy at the same time. I then began a regimen of oral chemotherapy: 5 days of high-dose chemo, followed by 23 days of rest. This lasted for about a year and kept the tumor stable, but it started to grow during the Spring of 2010. Brain tumors are known for "adapting" around chemotherapy.

All conventional treatments were exhausted at that point, so I was offered a clinical trial of a new combination of chemotherapies at Duke Hospital. I didn't feel comfortable with the proposal, so I traveled to the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC to participate in a clinical trial going on there. I underwent this trial, which involved IV chemo for about 3 months, but unfortunately there was no improvement. I was then referred to Johns Hopkins hospital for a clinical trial that was about to open - trials were my only medical hope!

The trial was still awaiting FDA approval, so in the meantime the doctors put me on a daily low-dose chemotherapy to "hold me over" until the trial began. While this isn't a standard treatment, it stabilized my condition almost immediately and the tumor stopped growing. This began in September 2010, and my most recent MRIs show that the tumor may in fact be shrinking. In addition, the side effects are minimal because the daily dose is so low. It was a bit of a surprise, but each person is different and the Johns Hopkins doctors are happy that we stumbled upon this treatment that happens to be working for me at the moment. Throughout all of these treatments, I made many trips to Lourdes to pray for Our Lady's intercession. Please keep praying for me and for my doctors.

Seminary: I attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia during most of this treatment (2009-2011), and completed Philosophy studies. I had to spend one semester of Philosophy and one semester of Theology at home near Raleigh because of the effects of the chemo - I just couldn't keep up with the pace. A priest in North Carolina was tutoring me in my classes while I was home so that I wouldn't fall behind. I returned to the seminary in January 2012 to finish my first year of Theology studies, but the schedule proved to be detrimental to my physical and spiritual health. I was constantly sick with the flu, couldn't get the sleep I needed, and most distressing, I wasn't able to keep up with my daily prayer and holy hour due to fatigue. It became apparent pretty quickly that I needed to return to the diocese, and my bishop, His Excellency Michael Burbidge, agreed. He has allowed me to return to Saint Catherine of Siena parish in Wake Forest, has retained me as his seminarian, and in the coming months I will resume my studies and formation from within the diocese. How blessed I am to have such an understanding and caring Bishop. I thank him for his fatherly understanding and care, as I must now follow a very different path than most seminarians. Only God knows how things will progress from now on, but we know that even if we don't understand it, anything that God permits in this life is aimed at our eternal salvation - the only thing that matters in the end.

Blog: I want to dedicate more time to this blog from now on, updating it at least once or twice a day. I have received many emails from Catholics and non-Catholics alike who thank me for many of my posts. Many non-Catholics have enjoyed learning about what the Catholic Church really is - not what they have been told it is. Many Catholics enjoy the reflections on Saints and my photos from my travels - I admit that I love traveling and perhaps I do it too much. Traveling too much can be a form of consumerism (always needing something different), so I pray that I don't fall into that. As a seminarian, I am often able to stay for free (in Lourdes, for example), so I take advantage of it. I post the photos and experiences for those who may not be able to visit those places, and that is the only reason.

I was not looking to be popular when I started this blog, but as of last year it became the #55 most popular Catholic blog based on Google subscription. I would like to hear from the readers and from now on provide what they would like to see - what sorts of posts are you interested in from now on? Saints? Doctrine? History? Catholic news? Please leave me a comment or email me and let me know what you enjoy the most. I enjoy blogging and consider it a sort of apostolate, but I know I could do a better job and update more frequently, so this is my new goal.

Be assured of my prayers, and please pray for me!

Saint Valentine

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom. (Catholic Online)

In 1836, some relics that were exhumed from the catacombs of Saint Hippolytus on the Via Tiburtina, then near (rather than inside) Rome, were identified with St. Valentine, placed in a casket, and transported to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, to which they were donated by Pope Gregory XVI. Many tourists visit the saintly remains on St. Valentine's Day, when the casket is carried in solemn procession to the high altar for a special Mass dedicated to young people and all those in love.

I came across this church by accident in Dublin in 2009 - we just happened to be staying at a hostel across the street and were looking for a Mass:

Visit to France, Part 3

Fr. Beaugrand took us to Brittany (the Western peninsula). It was my first visit to that area.

First, to Vannes. Brittany has Celtic roots, as you can see on the signs which are also labeled in the native "Breton" language - similar to Gaelic signs in many parts of Ireland:

The Cathedral of Vannes:

I coveted this:

Always nice to see Our Lady of Lourdes in a Cathedral:

The original altar is still there:

An example of the many paintings in the Cathedral:

A former bishop of Vannes. Pray for him:

The body of Blessed Peter Rene Rogue, who died during the French Revolution after refusing to take an oath to the French government. On being sentenced to death, Father Roque fell on his knees and gave fervent thanks to God. He was guillotined on March 1, 1796:

The bones of St. Vincent Ferrier, also in the cathedral:

Saint Anne (Mother of Our Lady):

The street is named after Blessed Peter Rogue. This is the place where he was martyred:

St. Vincent Ferrier's former house. The street is named after the Spanish town where he was born:

The walls of the town of Vannes:

I forgot what these were called, but they are a specialty of Brittany - made with a lot of butter and very delicious:

Local Breton beers:

I bought a Breizh Cola - "Breton Cola." "The Cola of the Far West." Father insisted that it is better than Coke. I disagree!

More of the walls and gardens of Vannes:

More of the Celtic roots!

Prayers for a Priest, Please

Out of kindness, please pray for Father J.A., who is suffering greatly at the moment, and may soon be asked to suffer even more.

Thank you!

Wonderful News in Lourdes!

I read from many sources that today, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has appointed the new bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes: His Excellency Monsignor Nicolas Brouwet, the youngest bishop in France, now Auxiliary Bishop of Nanterre.

Born in 1962, he has participated, both as a priest and bishop, in several of the Chartres pilgrimages. He has often celebrated the Extraordinary Form. Messa In Latino comments that "his appointment to Lourdes, a diocese which is international and highly visible, represents a significant turn for the Church of France, which significantly strengthens the bishops who want to operate in the way impressed by Pope Benedict XVI since the beginning of his pontificate."

Ad multos annos!

Below, His Excellency offers Mass for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter at the Shrine of Saint John Vianney in Ars, France: