A Christmas Gift

This gift is a reminder of what Christmas really means. It will only take

you 2 minutes to open it and obtain the benefits. (we’re actually re-gifting, because

we were given this gift by the religious education students at St. Ambrose.) 

But

I warn you, you will be so filled with the true spirit of Christmas I can’t predict

your reaction. I expect that your heart will swell beyond its current size

and under those conditions, well … the Holy Spirit has its way.

Enjoy!

Video courtesy of Mark S. 

A Love Supreme

As Dr Esolen remarks, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives is a short volume but for that very reason may be the ideal introduction to Pope Benedict XVI's writings. In this Monday's Wall Street Journal, Esolen writes:

 Imagine touring the Sistine Chapel with someone who has done more than merely read some learned commentary on the paintings of Michelangelo. He has looked at them, pondered them, loved them, even waited upon them to reveal their inner harmony, and now he seeks to hand on to you what he has found. Imagine listening to a master organist, not playing the whole St. Matthew Passion but showing you, as he touches a chord here and makes a progression there, some hint of the grandeur of Bach's composition that you might miss in the overwhelming storm of its performance. Then you have an idea of what Pope Benedict XVI has attempted in his three-volume work on the life of Jesus, but most humbly and sweetly in the "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives."

Modern men too often see things only by the guttering firelight of politics. Pope Benedict, who wrote many works of deep scholarship while simple Joseph Ratzinger, also served as the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, earning him a reputation among the ignorant as combative—"God's Rottweiler." It may surprise some, then, to read that Pope Benedict has written about one topic all his life long. Love is the key to his work, as it is the theme and lesson of this work. Indeed, the Pope has written that in Jesus, the man and the mission are one, and the mission is the holiness of love—of being entirely for and with God, and for and with mankind, without reserve. Now Benedict shows how this understanding of Jesus is manifest from the beginning, in his conception, his birth and his childhood.

 (Go to Dr Esolen's article for the rest of the review.)

Annual St. Ambrose Christmas Pageant 2012

Each year the children of the St. Ambrose religious education classes delight us with their production of the true Christmas story. They WOW friends and family with their cheery faces, giggling deliveries, and amazing performances. Here are this year’s actors and actresses.

St. Ambrose Christmas Pageant 2012
(photo highlights)

Merry Christmas

In Christ, God has spoken

	from The Ascent of Mount Carmel, by St John of the Cross

In Christ, God has spoken to us

The principal reason why the Old Law permitted us to ask questions of God, and why prophets and priests had to seek visions and revelations of God, was because at that time faith had no firm foundation and the law of the Gospel was not yet established; and thus it was necessary that men should enquire of God and that he should speak, whether by words or by visions and revelations or whether by figures and images or by many other ways of expressing His meaning. For all that he answered and revealed belonged to the mysteries of our faith and things touching it or leading to it.

  But now that the faith is founded in Christ, now that in this era of grace the law of the Gospel has been made manifest, there is no reason to enquire of God in that manner nor for him to speak to us or answer us as he did then. For, in giving us, as he did, his Son, who is his one and only Word, he spoke to us once and for all, in this single Word, and he has no occasion to speak further.

  And this is the meaning of that passage with which the Letter to the Hebrews begins, trying to persuade the Hebrews that they should abandon those first ways of dealing and communicating with God which are in the law of Moses, and should set their eyes on Christ alone: At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, in the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. That is, God has said so much about so many things through his Word that nothing more is needed, since that which he revealed partially in the past through the prophets, he has now revealed completely by giving us the All, which is his Son.

  Therefore if someone were now to ask questions of God or seek any vision or revelation, he would not only be acting foolishly but would be committing an offence against God – for he should set his eyes altogether upon Christ and seek nothing beyond Christ.

  God might answer him after this manner, saying: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. I have spoken all things to you in my Word. Set your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to thee all things, and in him you shall find more than you ask for, even more than you want.

  I descended upon him with my Spirit on Mount Tabor and said This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. You have no reason to ask for new teaching or new answers from me because if I spoke to you in the past then it was to promise Christ. If people asked questions of me in the past then their questions were really a desire of Christ and a hope for his coming. For in him they were to find all good things, as has now been revealed in the teaching of the Evangelists and the Apostles.

One Unique Book

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

105 God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit."

This is elaborated in the Vatican II document Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constituition on Divine Revelation:

11. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself. In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted.

Therefore, since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. Therefore "all Scripture is divinely inspired and has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, Greek text).

The inspiration of the Scriptures is not, however, a matter of some sort of mechanical dictation. Rather, as the Catechism explains:

106 God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more."

107 The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures."

Nevertheless, the 'Word of God' is first and foremost not a book but Christ Jesus himself. As the Catechism says:

108 Still, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book". Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, "not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living". If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, "open (our) minds to understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45)

Book Reviews

In this upcoming year, a year of faith, I hope to write weekly book reviews on the two dozen books in the booklist below.  Most books will get multiple reviews and I intend the reviews to revolve around the booklist’s mission statement: To educate our children, we ourselves must be learning and so we strive to have well formed consciences. 

Booklist

• Bible, Revised Standard Version
• Liturgy of the Hours, 4 volumes
• Peloponnesian War; Thucydides
• Vergil’s Aeneid; tr. Sarah Ruden
• The Confessions; Saint Augustine
• Holy Teaching; F. C. Bauerschmidt
• Dante’s Paradise; Anthony Esolen
• 11 Plays (two volumes); Shakespeare
• Wesley Hymns; Lillenas Publishing
• Three Classic Novels; Jane Austen
• Reading Law; A. Scalia & B.A. Garner
• The Golden Bowl; by Henry James
• Collected Works; Flannery O’Connor
• North of Boston Poems; Robert Frost
• Stages on the Road; Sigrid Undset
• Quotable Newman; David Armstrong
• Jesus of Nazareth; Pope Benedict XVI
• The Concise Oxford English Dictionary
• Lumen Christi Missal; Adam Bartlett
• Compendium of the Catholic Catechism

Canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha

Canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, in Rome this Sunday.

 And here in Utah, a celebration out in the Uintas — Sunday, Oct. 21, 11 a.m. at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Mission, #1, 14 Duchesne County Road, Ft. Duchesne. Reception to follow at Saint Helen Catholic Church, 433 East 2nd North, Roosevelt. Blessed Kateri was born in 1656 in an Mohawk tribe.

She was the daughter of Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, and Tagaskouita, a Roman Catholic Algonquin who had been adopted into the tribe after capture. Ten years before, three Jesuit missionaries had been murdered in the Mohawk Valley (they were canonized in 1930). Nevertheless, a Catholic mission to the Mohawk Indians was started.

 When Kateri turned 18, Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived to take charge of the mission in her village. Despite his misgivings, her uncle allowed her to be baptized as long as she remained in the village. Following her Baptism, Kateri lived a pious and faith-filled life, spending hours in prayer and fashioning crosses out of twigs. She also refused to marry, believing that she was married to God and that no man could take God’s place in her heart. Her beliefs were met with ridicule, hostility and threats. Thus, two years after her Baptism, she fled to St. Francis Xavier Mission, a Christian Mohawk village in Kahnawake, Quebec. There, she received her first Communion on Christmas Day 1677. She also made a vow of perpetual virginity on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1679. In Kahnawake, Kateri was known for her faith and holiness. She taught prayers to children, cared for the elderly and the sick, and would often attend mass at sunrise and sunset. Kateri’s health deteriorated in the last years of her life. She died of tuberculosis on April 17, 1680, shortly before her 24th birthday, and was buried at St. Francis Xavier Mission. Her final words were: “Jesos Konoronkwa” (“Jesus, I love you”).

Year of Faith website

The Vatican has created a special website for the Year of Faith,

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

which is a convenient site for links to many resources for the new evangelization. Check out, for example, the 'We Believe' tab which has links to major Church documents and the 'News' tab has current presentations, e.g. from the Synod of Bishops.

2012, The Year of Faith

The text of Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic letter announcing the Year of Faith can be found
at the Vatican website:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html

Here's section 11 from that letter:

11. In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in theCatechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable tool. It is one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council. In the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum, signed, not by accident, on the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed John Paul II wrote: “this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church ... I declare it to be a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”

It is in this sense that that the Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic and organic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here, in fact, we see the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded and proposed in her two thousand years of history. From Sacred Scripture to the Fathers of the Church, from theological masters to the saints across the centuries, the Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith.

In its very structure, the Catechism of the Catholic Church follows the development of the faith right up to the great themes of daily life. On page after page, we find that what is presented here is no theory, but an encounter with a Person who lives within the Church. The profession of faith is followed by an account of sacramental life, in which Christ is present, operative and continues to build his Church. Without the liturgy and the sacraments, the profession of faith would lack efficacy, because it would lack the grace which supports Christian witness. By the same criterion, the teaching of the Catechism on the moral life acquires its full meaning if placed in relationship with faith, liturgy and prayer.

Galcier National Park, St. Mary's Lake

Italian Festival, Aug 24-25

St Ambrose Parish Italian Festival
1929 South 2300 East, Salt Lake City, UT‬ ‪
‪(801) 485-9324 
August 24, 25, 2012

Family Oriented Event 

Friday evening August 24, 2012 time 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Saturday, August 25, 2012 Time 10:30am to 9:00 pm 


Opening Ceremony Saturday 12:00 noon 
Live Entertainment
Italian Food & Craft Booths 
Italian Wine & Italian Beer
Italian - American Karaoke
Italian Car & Motor ScooterShow 
Italian Movies 
Bocce Tournament

I Have to See a Man about a Flute

I went to an interesting yard sale recently.  There were lots of Native American items that I found fascinating.  Although the teepee in the front yard might have been a give-away, it took me a few minutes to realize that the homeowner himself was Native American . 

Fortunately, my mother taught us not to stare, so I was able to carry on a reasonably dignified conversation without (I hope) looking like a kid at a cowboy and Indian movie.  Besides, he wasn’t wearing a feathered headdress or anything beaded. 

So, we talked a bit about the items he was selling, then he picked up a hand carved wooden flute and began to play.  Let me tell you, I nearly swooned.  

As his fingers moved easily over the 6 holes down the front of the instrument, I could almost hear the winds of time whispering through the canyons where his ancestors once lived.  I could imagine hundreds of years of gatherings at campfires; and sense the sorrows and pain of a people completely in touch with the earth. 

The notes of longing and hope and sorrow coming from that 18” piece of hollow pine swept me away to a place where the wind blew freely and the people understood its whims.   No instruction books or sheet music, just the wistful tones of an ancient instrument in the hands of someone who understood and delighted in its primitive design.

And best of all, it was for sale.

For a mere $20 (cash only) I could be in tune with the universe and feel the sands of time between my own toes.

I completely forgot about the snowshoes and sage awaiting my purchase.  All I wanted was the music, the magic of the flute.  How hard could it be to make those lovely, poignant tones?  All I had to do, he assured me, was keep the fourth hole covered with one finger while my other seven fingers alternated on the remaining openings.   

Done deal.

I couldn’t wait to get home, to find a quiet little spot away from the noise and commotion of my bustling household.  I couldn’t wait to create my own lovely, wistful tones.

Carefully, I positioned my fingers as I had been shown; and, putting the flute to my lips (while trying not to think about the germ colonies hosted there and refusing to let myself to be sidetracked by a Google search of “how to sanitize a wooden Native American flute).

I gave a tentative puff.  

Hmmm.  Perhaps a longer, gentler puff?  A shorter burst of puff?  A prolonged, even puff?

I removed the flute from my face and studied it intently.  Yes, I’m certain it was the same instrument.  Perhaps another try with a different finger configuration?

OK, show of hands, here.  How many of you have ever heard a cat fight?  Because you’ll be the ones who understand what my attempts as a Native American flutist sounded like.

How could it be?  It looked so simple.  I had the instrument, why couldn’t I make the music?

Sadly, I realized that it’s not the instrument; it’s the instrumentalist.  And perhaps  hundreds of hours of practice, but seriously…could practice make THAT much difference? 

Here’s the thing.  A simple piece of pine, in the hands of the master, can be the source of such beauty it brings a tear to the eye.  In the hands of an unpracticed flunky, it will still bring tears; but of a different nature.

Which made me think that I am a lot like that hollow piece of wood.  When I accept the touch of God, I can do wonderful and amazing things.  Without His touch, I am nothing but an empty tube full of holes.  

I put my silly instrument away.  I think I need to go find that guy and negotiate some flute lessons.

Can You Hear Me Now?

It all started with my need to torture myself by looking at puppy ads on the internet. I already have two large dogs, plus my life is crazy busy.  So it seemed extremely ridiculous to consider adding a puppy to the mix.  And yet, every night, there I sat in front of my computer, looking at photos, thinking about character traits of various breeds, wondering how they would fit into our household.

I’ve always been a dog lover; I can name  22 dogs I’ve had the privilege to own.  Well, a few of them seemed more of a punishment than a privilege; but each one brought something special into my life.  Most recently I’ve adopted adult rescue dogs, but lately I’ve yearned for a puppy.

I responded to several ads, made a couple of phone calls, even made a few appointments to go see a puppy in person.  But each time I was blasted with a feeling that this was not the right time, not the right puppy. I felt like the cartoon character with a little devil on one shoulder, an angel on the other; one tempting me with overdose levels of puppy cuteness, the other whispering in my ear, "Don't do it!"

“OK, God,” I said, “I’m really trying to listen for Your will, so I’m going to take this as a ‘no.’ "  (Besides,  I’ve learned the hard way that trying to ignore or rationalize that feeling usually leads to some sort of disaster, especially when dealing with dogs and other long term commitments.  Please refer back to the “punishment” comment in paragraph 2.)

"But,” I continued, “I don’t suppose You’ll mind if I keep looking at adorable puppy pictures, as long as I wait for Your go-ahead before I go ahead.”                  

My family thought I was nuts. 

Sometimes I agreed.  I asked my husband, “So, am I crazy for wanting a puppy?”

“Well,” he replied philosophically, “I guess it’s better than wanting a baby.”

That was good enough for me.

So I headed back to the computer.  And then I saw her.  A puppy that looked just like my first dog, an amazing little mix of Jack Russell and mystery guest we named “Chi-Chi,” an Italian term of affection referring to her rolls of puppy fat.  She was my constant companion for many years, and she set the standard for all the other dogs in my life.

Could it hurt to check out this tiny look-alike?  This time there were no feelings of hesitation. 

When I arrived at the address, everyone was outside playing.  As I stepped through the patio doors, a teeny little puppy looked up, stopped what she was doing, and scrambled over to me, 2 ½ pounds of wags and wiggles, begging to be picked up.  I scooped her up with one hand.  In return, she licked my face and snuggled into my neck. 

I was instantly in love. “What’s her name?”  I asked the young woman.  “Oh,” she replied, “I call her Chi-Chi.” 

Here’s the thing.  It’s always better to pray BEFORE making a decision rather than after making it.  But I forgot.  Besides, I know when pray for God’s will in a situation, He will open some doors and close others along the way.  I figure this door was about as open as they get, and I dove through it. 

So, I talked to God on the way home.  “I hope this is OK with You,” I said.

I didn’t hear Him answer me, but I’m pretty sure He was smiling.

Photos - Fortnight for Freedom

St. Ambrose Parishioners gathered after 7am Mass on July 4th to pray for our Country and for the freedoms we have been guaranteed under our Constitution.  The event was organized by Nancy Sliwinski, and was held in front of the Church.

Please continue to pray for our Coutry and government leaders during this critical time.

"Dear Lord, give us the grace  to remember always that true freedom makes us the people you wish us to be; that true freedom brings us closer to you, and reshapes our world in the likeness of your kingdom.  Amen."

Join Us Under the Walnut Tree

Expose yourself to the light of Christ and get a "God tan" this summer!

Join us the third Wednesday of the month, as we enjoy a summer twilight while discussing Matthew Kelly’s book, Rediscovering Catholicism.  The next gathering will be Wednesday July 18th at 5:30p in Gosselin Hall (or out in the delightful yard...).  Pencil in August 15, although it is a Holy Day and we didn't reach a consensus about whether to meet or not.  (Personally, I am inclined to maintain the schedule.  Gathering on the Feast of the Assumption might even inspire us in new ways.  Weigh in if you have thoughts about this.)

Last month we enjoyed a fruitful discussion under the spreading branches of the walnut tree by the rectory.  Thanks once again to Kathleen Stewart for pizzas!

Routinely making time for God in our busy lives seems to be an important and recurring theme in our conversations.  The kick off question, "are you thriving, or just surviving?" generated many thoughtful comments.  Thriving requires simple action.  Taking advantage of the sacraments, making small changes in our daily habits, and praying from the heart are examples that were offered by group members.

Communicating to others the values of a Christian and Catholic life starts with letting ourselves become more like Christ.  Love one another, serve others, let cars in on the freeway instead of cutting them off... Following Christ takes humility and discipline, but the rewards of putting God first and doing the work--for ourselves, families, parishes and culture--are awesome. 

For our next gathering, we'll be reading to the end of Part Two (I think that's chapter 11), learning how to use the lives of the saints as examples for our own.

My goal: make more time for God today than I did yesterday.

Blessings,

--Valoree

PS:  Feel free to pass this note along to others and invite them to come join the conversation.   Not everyone talks, but everybody listens; and it's all good stuff.

Fortnight for Freedom

Fortnight for Freedom

As Catholics we are constantly called to live out our faith in our daily lives.  Across America, our right to live out our faith is being threatened from Washington forcing Catholic institutions to provide services that contradict our beliefs, to state governments prohibiting our charities from serving the most vulnerable.  Please join us in prayer on this day of Independence so together we can save our religious freedom.

• St. Ambrose Parish
• Wednesday, July 4, 2012
• After 7:00AM Mass (approximately 7:45AM)
• In front of the church (in the shade)
• Bring a lawn chair if you would like to sit or we can sit on the wall

"Dear Lord, give us the grace always to remember that true freedom makes us the people you wish us to be, that true freedom brings us closer to you, and reshapes our world in the likeness of your kingdom.  Amen."

Happy Independence Day!

In honor of the 4^th of July, I did a little research and came up with lots of interesting fact about this holiday.  Like, did you know there were actually several dates that could have been chosen to commemorate our independence from England? 

Here's how it went.  John Adams was the first to propose the idea of our independence; and Thomas Jefferson began drafting the resolution on June 12, 1776.  It was  read to the Continental Congress on June 28.  July 2 was the day Congress voted to declare our independence from England; but they continued to edit and revise the document until the morning of July 4, when the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted.

On that evening, it was sent to a printer who worked through the night producing the copies that were distributed on July 5 to be read throughout the thirteen colonies.  (No one knows how many copies were printed that night, but there are 26 copies known to exist today.)

The actual signing ceremony did not take place until August  2, 1776, with John Hancock signing first, in the center of the document, since he was the President of the Continental Congress.  The rest of the members signed after him, in the order of the geographic location of the states they represented.  New Hampshire, the state at the northernmost end of the Country, signed first, and Georgia, at the southernmost tip, ended it.

So, which date would you have chosen to be celebrated forever more?

John Adams, in a letter to his wife, stated that July 2^nd  “ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade… from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

On July 4, 1777, before they even knew if they would win the war, Colonists celebrated the first Independence Day by setting off rockets, which were the same type of explosive used in war.  On that same day, American patriots placed lit candles (the original display of fireworks) on their windowsills to show their love of Country.  If anyone left bare windowsills, it signaled that person was loyal to the English crown.

In 1941, July 4 became a legal holiday, and today it is estimated that 150 million hot dogs will be eaten by Americans on any given 4^th of July.  OK, that fact that really has nothing to do with the choice of the actual date we celebrate, but nonetheless, you have to admit that’s a pretty amazing number.

Oddly, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, within hours of each other

But here’s the important part.  Our Founding Fathers both began and ended the Declaration of Independence with references to God.

The first sentence states that when it becomes necessary to dissolve existing political ties in order to assume the separate and equal position to which we are entitled by the laws of nature and of “Nature’s God,” respect requires us to declare the reasons for the separation. 

The second sentence states that we stand firmly on the belief that we are entitled to certain naturally occurring rights given to us by our “Creator.”

This is followed by a list of reasons for breaking  ties with England;  then the final sentence,states: “…for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we … pledge … our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

Did you get that part?  Our Country was founded on a belief in and reliance upon God.

When they signed the Declaration of Independence, our forefathers were literally risking their lives; but they relied on God to support and protect them.  They knew that all their belongings would be confiscated, and they would be killed, most probably along with their families, if we lost this struggle for independence.

What are you willing to risk to stand up for your beliefs?  And how much do you depend on God to support and protect you, not just in times of crisis, but during every moment of your life?

Sacred Music Colloquium June 25th - July 1st

On June 25th - July 1st,  several hundred singers from all around the United States will be coming to Salt Lake City for the 22nd Sacred Music Colloquium.  While the training sessions and lectures on Gregorian Chant and Renaissance Polyphony are for Colloquium participants, there are many related events at the Cathedral of the Madeleine which the public is encouraged to attend:

Friday June 29th Mass in Extraordinary Form, 5:15pm - music of Louis Vierne
Saturday June 30 Vespers, 3pm - music of Orlando di Lasso
Sunday July 1 Mass, 11am - music of Monteverdi

Other Masses at which the Colloquium participants will be singing include:

Tuesday, June 26, 5:15PM – OF English – Votive Mass of St John the Baptist
Wednesday, June 27, 5:15PM – EF – Missa Cantata - Requiem
Thursday, June 28, 5:15PM – OF – St Iranaeus – Bishop and Martyr
Saturday, June 30, 11:00AM – OF Latin – Votive of the BVM
         
There is also sung Morning Prayer at 8:30am.

There will be pre-Mass lectures open to the public , 3:45-4:45pm Tuesday - Friday, by: Gregory Glenn,  Msgr Andrew Wadsworth, Rev. Guy Nicholls, and Dr William Mahrt.

Advice for Converts

As a recent (2007) convert myself, I think the article Submerged in the Ocean is very useful. Here's an extract:

The Church’s very oceanic vastness means that even inside one can be tempted to look at only one small corner of it and label it “Catholicism.” Some converts become obsessed with Church architecture or a particular spin on Catholic social teaching or a Marian devotion or a particular aspect of the liturgy. One of the convert clergymen at Newman’s Birmingham Oratory was so enamored of the Church’s music of choice that he wrote a book on it. Upon reading the manuscript Newman protested that Father Formby seemed to say Christ died on the Cross for Gregorian chant. Newman observed that this was not theologically accurate.

My obsession was apologetics itself. When I first came into the Church I consumed Catholic apologetic literature in great chunks—most of it geared toward answering Protestant objections to the faith. I don’t regret that. As I said, I still read it and now I even write some of it. But not nearly as much anymore. At a certain point I realized that my own view of Catholicism had a tendency to be restricted by the types of questions that I used to ask. If I were not to be stuck in a kind of intellectual and spiritual bubble I would have to continue looking at Christ from different perspectives. I would have to learn my Creed not just from the negative point of view.

Looking more deeply from other perspectives allowed me also to see and appreciate other believers—and even non-believers—in a different light. When you come into the Church from somewhere else, particularly if friends and family from somewhere else have given you trouble about it, it is easy to become harsh and impatient about others’ not seeing what you see. It is altogether too easy to become wrapped up in what non-Catholics haven’t got and not be thankful for what they do have. This doesn’t mean squishy ecumenism, but a generosity of the sort Newman demonstrated in a letter to an Evangelical Anglican:

I believe what you do—but I believe more. I rejoice to think that you with all your heart and soul believe our Lord Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world, and of every soul who comes to him for salvation; and the sole Saviour. I wish you believed the whole counsel of God. But in this bad time, when there are so many unbelievers, I rejoice to think that you are not one of them. 

I have learned too often that, as Renaissance writer Thomas Browne put it, “The cause of truth may suffer in the weakness of my patronage.”