CSVF Blog

Throughout the season of Lent, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer will pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays after the 5:30 PM Mass.  All are welcome.

For those unable to make it, you can use the following audio of the Stations recorded last night.  But be forewarned . . . it’s poor quality can add to its penitential character.

Stations of the Cross - February 27, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Just in time for Lent, Magnificat has released Fr. Romanus Cessario’s The Seven Last Words of Jesus.  A rich examination of Christ’s final utterances from the cross, this collection gathers the meditations Fr. Cessario preached last Good Friday in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Using the Church’s theological, spiritual, and artistic tradition to unlock the secret of each “word,” Fr. Cessario makes plain the good news Our Lord revealed even to his dying breath–he has a divine and insatiable love for sinners.

In his foreward to the book, Edward Cardinal Egan writes:

“In the name of the thousands who heard Father Cessario on Good Friday 2008 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the thousands more who will have an opportunity to read and meditate on these pages, and in my own name was well, I express my admiration and heartfelt gratitude to this extraordinary theologian and preacher.”

Click here for ordering information.

A Dominican priest of the Province of St. Joseph, Fr. Cessario teaches theology at St. John’s Seminary in Boston.

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Joining me on the show today to help us prepare for the First Sunday of Lent were Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, OP, the parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Zanesville, OH, and Fr. Paul Keller, OP, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and president of the Society for Catholic Liturgy.

Word to Life - February 27, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Click below for video of today’s broadcast.

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Fr. Keitz's Homily - February 22, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Jones's Homily - February 22, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - February 22, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Join young adults for a series of lectures at Metro 53 Bar and Restaurant, 307 East 53rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues. The event is from 7pm-8:30pm.

The second lecture of 2009 is on March 2, 2009, by Fr. Dan O’Reilly, Director of University Apostolate for the Archdiocese of NY. The topic for this night is “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” On this night, find out if you know the basic tenets of our faith and why it is so hard for Catholics to stick to those basics.

For more details, visit www.totnyc.org.

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As a participant in this program, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer will extend its usual time for Confession from 1:00 PM to 5:30 PM on Friday, March 6.  Click the image above for other locations and times.

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When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face, like the hypocrites.

Today the Church begins her forty-day pilgrimage to Calvary.  With crosses upon our shoulders and also on our foreheads, we set out to follow Christ on his long via crucis.  Golgotha is the goal to be sure, but already we fix our eyes too on the nearby tomb that still sits empty.

The apostles were the first to walk this road with Christ.  St. Mark tells us in his Gospel that Jesus and his disciples made a long and winding journey through Galilee en route to Jerusalem.  Along the way he confounded them by retelling over and again the fate that awaited him in the Holy City: “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise” (9:31).  That first Lent seemed to bear little fruit for the apostles.  Only one of them stood with Christ atop Golgotha.

In our day, the Church leads us to Calvary not through Galilee but through the desert, where Christ spent forty days in prayer before bearing the rigors of his mission.  There, in anticipation of his preaching to the multitudes, the poor, humble, and hungry Christ vanquished Satan and redeemed us from the power of his deceitful tongue.  Still hallowed by Christ’s victory, the desert provides us the straightest path to Calvary.  Traveling through its ashen landscape, we receive the lush graces of Christ’s victory over temptation, which when properly received through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving transform us and free us to endure both Golgotha’s horrors and Easter’s joys.  In the desert, we are prepared by Christ to die and rise with him.

Even sensually, however, the Lenten desert is not completely barren.  A couple of years ago I wrote a short article in which I reflected on the opulent feast this season serves our eyes.  What I didn’t say then is that our ears too are treated to sensuous luxury.  Lenten hymns, and especially Lenten chant, contain some of the richest melodies of the entire liturgical year.

One of my favorite Lenten chants is the Media vita, which is the responsory to the reading proclaimed at Compline.  Sung only on the Sundays of Lent and during Holy Week, the Media vita‘s text and melody coalesce into the perfect Lenten prayer—a rich plea for salvation from the barrenness of sinful death.  Tradition has it that St. Thomas Aquinas wept in choir while singing this chant.  Listen for yourself and ponder the reason for his tears.  Was it delight?  Or fear?  Or both?  More importantly, what are the reasons for our tears this Lent?  What crosses do we carry through the desert?  And how will Christ’s victory bring us safely to the shadow of his cross and the brilliance of his tomb?

Media vita

Media vita in morte sumus: quem quaerimus adiutorem nisi te, Domine, qui pro peccatis nostris iuste irasceris? Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator, amarae morti ne tradas nos.

V. Ne Proicias nos in tempore senectutis; cum defecerit virtus nostra, ne derelinquas nos, Domine. Sancte Deus . . .

[In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek help but you, O Lord; who for our offenses are justly displeased? Yet, O God most holy, O holy and mighty, O holy and merciful Savior, give us not over unto bitter death.

V. Cast us not away in the time of age; forsake us not, O Lord, when our strength fails us. Yet, O God most holy . . .]

Media Vita Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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From Sr. Lucy Marie, SV, at the archdiocesan Family Life / Respect Life Office:

Join SNM New York, with Founder, Georgette Forney, on Feb 26th at which time we will be “Silent No More” as the City Council meets (the City Council will be meeting at 1pm that day).

The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is an effort to make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women, men, and their families. The emotional and physical pain of abortion will no longer be shrouded in secrecy and silence, but rather exposed and healed. This effort is a key to make abortion unthinkable and persuade society that women deserve better than abortion.

The NY City Council is in the process of passing the “Clinic Access Bill” (http://www.ny-archdiocese.org/news-events/news-press-releases/index.cfm?i=9668) which they say ” strengthens safeguards for women who are faced with harassment and other hostile acts as they enter and exit local reproductive health care clinics.”

In truth, it is a bill to harass anyone counseling outside of the clinics and allows any person to press charges against demonstrators and have them arrested for harassment; even clinic employees!

A couple of months ago a group of people went to testify against this bill before the city council. The council, which is extremely pro abortion, went to lunch after the pro abortion testimonies, and aside from one person did not even see fit to return to hear the pro life side.

Sr. Lucy Marie
Respect Life Coordinator
Archdiocese of New York
1011 First Ave., 7th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-371-1011 X3192
Mon-Thurs 9:30am-4:30pm

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From the Dominican Ordo:

Born at Fabriano at the beginning of the fifteenth century, Blessed Constantius received the Dominican habit at the age of fifteen.  He was noted for his austere and prayerful life, as well as his efforts in promoting peace.  As prior at Fabriano, at Perugia, and at Ascoli he labored to restore regular life.  He died at Ascoli on February 24, 1481.

God of justice and truth,
you made Blessed Constantius renowned
for his unceasing prayer
and his zeal for peace.
By the hellp of his prayers
may we wwalk in the path of justice
and reach everlasting peace and glory.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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For eighty-six years I have served Jesus Christ and he has never abandoned me.
How could I curse my blessed King and Savior?

From American Catholic:

Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), disciple of St. John the Apostle and friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch, was a revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century.

St. Ignatius, on his way to Rome to be martyred, visited Polycarp at Smyrna, and later at Troas wrote him a personal letter. The Asia Minor Churches recognized Polycarp’s leadership by choosing him as a representative to discuss with Pope Anicetus the date of the Easter celebration in Rome-quite a controversy in the early Church.

Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has been preserved, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi, Macedonia.

At 86, Polycarp was led into the crowded Smyrna stadium to be burned alive. The flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger. The centurion ordered the saint’s body burned. The “Acts” of Polycarp’s martyrdom are the earliest preserved, fully reliable account of a Christian martyr’s death. He died in 156.

Click here to read St. Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians, and here for the Acts of his martyrdom.  As mentioned above, St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letters also give us a glimpse into the life and holiness of St. Polycarp.

God of all creation,
you gave your bishop Polycarp
the privilege of being counted among the saints
who gave their lives in faithful witness to the gospel.
May his prayers give us the courage
to share with him the cup of suffering
and to rise to eternal glory.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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After weeks of speculation and rumor, the wait is finally over.  Early this morning the announcement was made in Rome—Pope Benedict XVI has elected Archbishop Timothy Dolan as the tenth Archbishop of New York.  The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer welcomes this news with joy and thanksgiving, and we pledge to Archbishop Dolan our prayers and loving support.  We also express our gratitude to Cardinal Egan for his nine years of dedicated service to Christ and his Church here in New York.  May the Lord continue to bless his priestly life and ministry.

A press conference will be held later this morning during which Archbishop Dolan will introduce himself to his new flock.  You can expect to find coverage of the news conference on all New York television and radio stations.

A press release issued by the archdiocese announces that Archbishop Dolan’s installation will be held in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on April 15.  Here is the full text of the release:

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed His Excellency, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, to the Archdiocese of New York. Archbishop Dolan has served as the Archbishop of Milwaukee since 2002. He will be the 13th Bishop and 10th Archbishop of the See of New York. He succeeds His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan, who submitted his letter of retirement upon reaching the age of 75 on April 2, 2007.

Cardinal Egan has been named Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of New York until the Installation of Archbishop Dolan. The Archbishop will be installed by His Excellency, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on April 15, 2009.

In a statement, Archbishop Dolan addressed New Yorkers, saying, “My brother bishops, priests, religious women and men, seminarians, committed Catholics of this wonderful Church, I pledge to you my love, my life, my heart, and I can tell you already that I love you, I need so much your prayers and support, I am so honored, humbled, and happy to serve as your pastor.”

Born in 1950, the oldest of five children to Robert and Shirley Dolan, Archbishop Dolan’s education began at Holy Infant Grade School in Ballwin, Missouri, and continued at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary, Cardinal Glennon College, and the Pontifical North American College, in Rome.

Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on June 19, 1976, Father Dolan then served as a parish priest, earned his doctorate in Church History at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., worked at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy) in Washington, D.C., served on the faculty at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, and returned to Rome as rector of the Pontifical North American College.

He came back to the Archdiocese of St. Louis as auxiliary bishop in June 2001, to be appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee a year later.

Click here and here for more on Archbishop Dolan’s election to New York.

UPDATE: Here’s more on today’s big story from the Catholic News Agency.

Click here for video of Archbishop Dolan’s press conference.

(photo credit)

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Though the celebration of the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time took precedence over it, today’s feast of the Chair of Peter should not pass without some notice.  In fact, earlier today the Holy Father took the opportunity in his Angelus address to mention it, reflecting on the duties of the Petrine Office and asking the world’s faithful for their prayers as he seeks to fulfill its duties faithfully.  

These past few weeks have not been easy ones for Pope Benedict, and his request for prayers is as touching as it is necessary.  May Christ, whose Vicar he is, keep our Holy Father strong in faith, firm in hope, and ardent in love as he shepherds the Church through the dangers of this world to the safety and peace of the next.  

ANGELUS ADDRESS
February 22, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Gospel passage that today’s Sunday liturgy offers for our meditation is the one in which the paralytic is forgiven and healed (Mark 2:1-12). While Jesus was preaching, among the many sick people who were brought to him, a paralytic was brought to him on a mat. Seeing him, the Lord said: “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5). And because some of those present were scandalized on hearing these words, he added: “‘So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth’ — he said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home’” (Mark 2:10-11). And the paralytic went away healed. This Gospel episode shows that Jesus has the power not only to heal the sick body but also to forgive sins; and indeed, the physical healing is a sign of the spiritual healing that his forgiveness produces. In effect, sin is a kind of paralysis of the spirit, from which only the power of the merciful love of God can liberate us, allowing us to pick ourselves up and set out again along the path of goodness.

This Sunday is also the feast of the Chair of Peter, an important liturgical feast that highlights the office of the successor of the Prince of the Apostles. The chair of Peter symbolizes the authority of the Bishop of Rome, who is called to perform a special service for the whole People of God. Immediately after the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul, the primacy of the Church of Rome in the Catholic community was recognized. This role was already attested to in the 2nd century by St. Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Romans, Pref.: Funk, I, 252) and by St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Contra Haereses, III, 3, 2-3). This singular and specific ministry of the Bishop of Rome was stressed again by the Second Vatican Council. “Moreover, within the Church,” we read in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, “particular Churches hold a rightful place; these Churches retain their own traditions, without in any way opposing the primacy of the Chair of Peter, which presides over the whole assembly of charity (cf. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, Pref.) and protects legitimate differences, while at the same time assuring that such differences do not hinder unity but rather contribute toward it” (Lumen Gentium, 13).

Dear brothers and sister, this feast provides me with the occasion to ask you to accompany me with your prayers, so that I may faithfully carry out this great task, entrusted to me by Providence, as successor to the Apostle Peter. We invoke the Virgin Mary, whom we celebrated yesterday, here in Rome, under the title of Our Lady of Confidence. We ask her to help us to enter into the Lenten season — which will begin on Wednesday with the evocative Rite of Ashes — with devout dispositions of soul. May Mary open our hearts to conversion and to a docile listening to the Word of God.

(translation)

(photo credit)

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Today we celebrate the feast of the eleventh-century monk, bishop, and doctor of the Church, St. Peter Damian. Born in an age when decadence severely hindered the Church’s life and work, Peter first embraced the eremitical life before devoting his energies to renewing Christian faith and virtue, especially among the clergy.  In this vein, Peter was an avid supporter of the reforms of Pope Gregory VII, his friend and fellow monk.

For more on the life of St. Peter Damian, click here and here.  And here you can find a brief account of a Eucharistic miracle associated with St. Peter.

All-powerful God,
help us to follow the teachings and example of Peter Damian.
By making Christ and the service of his Church
the first love of our lives,
may we come to the joys of eternal light,
where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

(image source)

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From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Christopher was born at Milan around 1410.  He dedicated his whole life to itinerant preaching after the example of St. Vincent Ferrer.  The austerity of his life and his zeal for souls led an ancient chronicler to say of him: “He was truly a Christ-bearer, for he carried Christ not only in name, but in his heart and on his lips.”  While master of novices he wrote a treatise On the Service of God for them.  He died at Taggia in March, 1484.

Click here for more on the life of Blessed Christopher, including a description of his gift of prophesy.

God of all truth,
you made Blessed Christopher
a faithful herald of your word to the people.
By his life and ministry
may we keep Christ ever in our thoughts
and in the love of our hearts,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Joining me for today’s discussion of the readings for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time were Fr. Dominic Legge, OP, a professor of theology at Providence College, and Fr. Gabriel Gillen, an associate pastor at the Church of St. Catherine of Siena here in New York City.

“Word to Life” airs live on Friday afternoons at 1:00 PM eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159 and XM 117.

Word to Life - February 20, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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From the Dominican Ordo:

Born at Zamora, Spain, towards the middle of the fourteenth century, Blessed Alvarez entered the Order in 1368.  He preached throughout Spain and Italy and established the priory of Scala Caeli at Cordova where he promoted the regular life.  By his preaching and contemplation of the Lord’s Passion he spread the practice of the Way of the Cross throughout the West.  He died on February 19, about the year 1430.

God of mercy,
you endowed Blessed Alvarez
with the gifts of penance and divine love.
With the help of his prayers and example
may we always bear the suffering of Christ in our bodies
and your love in our hearts.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Continuing his series on the Church Fathers, Pope Benedict used his General Audience address yesterday to highlight the life and virtues of Venerable Bede, the early eighth-century English monk whose legacy includes not only a reputation for holiness but also a vast corpus of writings. His most notable work is a history of the Christian Church in England, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.  

Pope Benedict’s appreciation of Bede is understandable.  Given what he has said about Christian monasticism’s giving birth to European culture, Bede stands out for him as a prime example of how dedication to Christ and deep contemplation of his Word, both alone and with others, has the positive effect of producing a real, human culture in which arts, letters, science, and fraternity are allowed to flourish.  For the Pope, this is the lasting theological and anthropological witness given by Benedictine monasticism—true cult blossoms into true culture.

GENERAL AUDIENCE ADDRESS
February 18, 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The saint on whom we reflect today is called Bede. He was born in Northeast England, in fact in Northumbria, in the year 672/673. He himself narrates that, when he was seven years old his parents entrusted him to the abbot of the neighboring Benedictine monastery, to be educated. “In this monastery,” he recalls, “I lived from then on, dedicating myself intensely to the study of Scripture, while observing the discipline of the Rule and the daily effort to sing in church, I always found it pleasant to learn, teach and write” (Ecclesiastical History of the English People, V, 24). In fact, Bede was one of the most illustrious figures of erudition of the High Middle Ages because he was able to make use of many precious manuscripts that his abbots, who went on frequent trips to the Continent and to Rome, were able to bring back to him. His teaching and the fame of his writings enabled him to have many friendships with the principal personalities of his time, who encouraged him to continue in his work, from which so many benefited. Falling ill, he did not cease to work, always having an interior joy that was expressed in prayer and song. He concluded his most important work, “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” with this invocation: “I pray, O good Jesus, who benevolently has allowed me to draw from the sweet words of your wisdom, that I may reach you one day, source of all wisdom, and to always be before your face.” Death came to him on May 26, 735: It was Ascension day.

Sacred Scriptures were the constant source of Bede’s theological reflection. Having made a careful critical study of the text (we have a copy of the monumental Codex Amiatinus of the Vulgate, on which Bede worked), he commented on the Bible, reading it in a Christological vein, namely, re-uniting two things: On one hand, he listened to what the text was saying exactly, he really wanted to listen and understand the text itself; on the other hand, he was convinced that the key to understanding sacred Scripture as the unique Word of God is Christ and with Christ, in his light, one understands the Old and the New Testament as “a” sacred Scripture.

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Lord, my heart is not proud and my eyes are not haughty;
truly I have stilled and quieted my soul.

Today the Dominican Order celebrates the feast of one of its most famous friars, Blessed John of Fiesole, more popularly known as “Fra Angelico.”  Like all Dominicans, this priest prayed, celebrated the Divine Mysteries, and contemplated the Divine Word, but instead of using words he preached the Gospel with pictures, holy images on wood and plaster created by his own skilled hand.  A pivotal figure in the history of art, Fra Angelico’s works can be seen in convents, churches, and museums around the world.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Guido of Vicchio was born in the region of Tuscany in 1386 or 1387 and studied art in Florence while still a young man.  Feeling drawn to religious life he entered the Order at the convent of San Domenico in Fiesole.  This convent had recently been established as a house of regular observance by Blessed John Dominic whose name he took when he entered.  He served as superior of San Domenico, promoted regular observance and handed on the fruits of his contemplation through his paintings for the altars at Fiesole and for the convent of San Marco in Florence.  He was called to Rome by Pope Eugene IV to decorate two chapels, one in the Basilica of St. Paul and one in the Vatican.  Pope Nicholas V also commissioned him to decorate his private chapel at the Vatican.  His work is also found the convent of San Domenico in Cortona and the Cathedral at Orvieto.  Pope Eugene IV wished to appoint him archbishop of Florence, but he declined in favor of Saint Antoninus.  On February 18, 1455, he died in Rome at Santa Maria sopra Minerva and was buried there.  The special quality of his painting earned him the title “Fra Angelico.”

Identifying his place in the history of art, Grove’s Dictionary of Art (II:30-40) describes the influence Fra Angelico exercised over future generations of painters.

[Fra Angelico] rose from obscure beginnings as a journeyman illuminator to the renown of an artist whose last major commissions were monumental fresco cycles in St Peter’s and the Vatican Palace, Rome.  He reached maturity in the early 1430′s, a watershed in the history of Florentine art.  None of the masters who had broken new ground with naturalistic painting in the 1420′s was still in Florence by the end of that decade.  The way was open for a new generation of painters, and Fra Angelico was the dominant figure among several who became prominent at that time, including Paolo Uccello, Fra Filippo Lipi and Andrea del Castagno.  By the early 1430′s Fr Angelico was operating the largest and most prestigious workshop in Florence.  His paintings offered alternatives to the traditional polyptych altarpiece type and projected the new naturalism of panel painting on to a monumental scale.  In fresco projects of the 1440′s and 1450′s, both for S Marco in Florence and for S Peter’s and the Vatican Palace in Rome, Fra Angelico softened the typically astringent and declamatory style of Tuscan mural decoration with the colouristic and luminescent nuances that characterize his panel paintings.  His legacy passed directly to the second half of the 15th century through the work of his close follower Benozzo Gozzoli and indirectly through the production of Domenico Veneziano an dPiero della Francesca.  Fra Angelico was undoubtedly the leading master in Rome at mid-century, and had the survival rate of 15th-century Roman painting been greater, his significance for such later artists as Melozzo da Forli and Antoniazzo Romano might be clearer than it is.

Click here and here for more on the life and legacy of Fra Angelico.

Google his name and you’ll find many of his works online.  Or click here and here for a sampling of his paintings.

God of eternal beauty,
in your providence you inspired Blessed Fra Angelico
to reveal in images of earth
the tranquil harmony of heaven.
With the help of his prayers
and by following his example
may our lives reveal that same splendor
to the hearts of all our brothers and sisters.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

(image credit)

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Earlier today in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI received US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a private audience.  They met for about fifteen minutes, and afterwards each released a statement reporting the nature of their conversation. Below are the accounts of their meeting.  

From the Office of Speaker Pelosi:

It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI today.

In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel.

I was proud to show his Holiness a photograph of my family’s Papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren.

From the Holy See’s Press Office:

Following the General Audience the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage.

His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.

Is it just me, or are they describing two completely different conversations?

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Theology on Tap-NYC for Young Adults in their 20s and 30s

Join young adults for a series of lectures at Metro 53 Bar and Restaurant, 307 East 53rd Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues.  The event is from 7pm-8:30pm.  The first lecture of 2009 is on February 23, 2009, by Fr. Richard Gill, moderator of Theology on Tap-NYC.   The topic for this night is “Grill the Priest: An Open Forum of Questions.”  On this night you can ask any question about the Catholic Faith and Church teachings. For more details, visit www.totnyc.org.

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See how good and delightful it is
for brothers to live in unity.

From Butler’s Lives of the Saints:

Between the years 1225 and 1227 seven young Florentines joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin-popularly known as the ‘Laudesi’ or Praisers. It was a period when the prosperous city of Florence was being rent by political factions and distracted by the heresy of the Cathari: it was also a time of general relaxation of morals even where devotional practices were retained. These young men were members of the most prominent families of the city. Whether they were all friends before they joined the Laudesi is not clear, but in that confraternity they became closely allied.

The eldest was Buonfiglio Monaldo, who became their leader. The others were Alexis Falconieri, Benedict dell’ Antella, Bartholomew Amidei, Ricovero Uguccione, Gerardino Sostegni, and John Buonagiunta. They had as their spiritual director James of Poggibonsi, who was chaplain of the Laudesi, a man of great holiness and spiritual insight. All of them came to realize the call to a life of renunciation, and they determined to have recourse to our Lady in their perplexity. On the feast of the Assumption, as they were absorbed in prayer, they saw her in a vision, and were inspired by her to withdraw from the world into a solitary place and to live for God alone. There were difficulties, because, though three of them were celibates, four had been married and had ties, although two had become widowers. Suitable provision for their dependents was arranged, and with the approval of the bishop they withdrew from the world and betook themselves to a house called La Carmarzia, outside the gates of Florence, twenty-three days after they had received their call. Before long they found themselves so much disturbed by constant visitors from Florence that they decided to withdraw to the wild and deserted slopes of Monte Senario, where they built a simple church and hermitage and lived a life of almost incredible austerity.

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Last Friday’s edition of The New York Times carried a short piece on Fr. Peter John Cameron, OP, and Blackfriars Repertory Theatre that celebrated the debut of their new production, “In Charge of the Fire.”  Having completed its initial run in New Haven, this play on the life of St. Paul will travel to New York City and other locations around the country.  Stay tuned for its Manhattan dates and venues.

Here’s the NYT article by Cynthia Boynton:

Blackfriars’ Play Presents St. Paul as the Man He Was

By CYNTHIA WOLFE BOYNTON
NEW HAVEN

LIKE the ancient Dominican friars who traveled from village to village to preach the word of God, the Rev. Peter John Cameron plans to take the Blackfriars Repertory Theater troupe and their play about Saint Paul on the road.

The play, “In Charge of the Fire,” premiered early this month to full houses at downtown’s Little Theater. Dana Sachs of New Haven and Tom Perretta of Stamford starred in the two-man show, which tells the Bible story of how Paul came to believe in God while on the road to Damascus in 36 A.D.

Like all shows produced by this long-running Catholic theater group, “Fire” was more about realizations than religion – something that surprised Nancy Goldstein of Branford, who attended a performance.

“We never think of saints as real people,” said Mrs. Goldstein. “They’re more like celestial beings. So to see how human Saint Paul was – how he had conflicts and was disliked and really struggled – was something that really stuck with me. As a man, he experienced many of the same questions as you and me.”

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From the Dominican Ordo:

Blessed Nicholas was born at Giovinazzo, near Bari, Italy, in 1197.  While pursuing studies at Bologna, he was drawn to the Order by a sermon of Saint Dominic who personally gave him the habit and made him one of his traveling companions.  He was well-known for his preaching throughout the Roman Province and compiled a concordance of sacred scripture.  He died at Perugia in 1256.

O Lord,
you gave Blessed Nicholas a special grace
for preaching your word
and for obtaining the salvation of his neighbors.
With the help of his prayers
may we stand firm in that same holy calling.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Fr. Guilbeau's Homily - February 15, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Gannon's Homily - February 15, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Jones's Homily - February 15, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fr. Matarazzo's Homily - Febraury 15, 2009 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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We may not remember his name, but his sculptures are recognizable around the country.

In the period before the Second World War, Lee Lawrie collaborated closely with architects Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Goodhue.  His works ornament some of their most famous designs, including the Cadet Chapel at West Point, St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City, the Nebraska State Capitol, the Los Angeles Public Library, and our own Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (pictured above). Later in his career, Lawrie won commissions for the US Capitol, the Louisiana State Capitol, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and Rockefeller Center.

A Flickr page has been created to collect images of Lawrie’s work.  It’s interesting to see the sculptures he produced for St. Vincent’s grouped together with his other and more recognizable creations.

How blessed we are at St. Vincent’s to enjoy the fruits of one of America’s most noted sculptors.

(H/T: Matthew Alderman at The New Liturgical Movement)

(photo credit: Flickr)

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This photograph was taken last week at the House of Studies in Washington.  The novices from Cincinnati were there for a few days to visit with the student brothers.  Therefore, all of the men currently in formation for the Province of St. Joseph are depicted above.  As you can see, God has been very good to the province.  Please keep all of our student brothers in your prayers.

And here’s another prayer intention . . . this weekend 35 men from around the country are gathered at the House of Studies for a “vocation weekend.”  They sense a call to priesthood and the religious life, and in response they are looking closely at the Order of Preachers.  I’m told that this is the largest group for the February weekend in many years.  Because of a lack of room, half of the men are bunking in sleeping bags on the floor.  Now that’s dedication!  Let us assist their prayers with our own.

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