Per Christum

Every once in a while I stumble on a blog and think “why didn’t I think of that?!” This happened today when I discovered a new blog, Catholic Cuisine. For those of us looking for ways to incorporate the Church Year into our everyday lives, this site will be a great source of recipes and ideas. You may recognize one of its contributors; Jennifer from Family in Feast and Feria, another blog I’ve found to be a great help in my quest to develop our Domestic Church.

If cooking is not your style, how about some Carmelite roasted coffee? That’s right, the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming roast and distribute Mystic Monk Coffee. You can even get a double-handled Carmelite mug. The best part is your money supports the Monks while supporting your caffeine addiction!

The Sunday of so many, many names:

Second Sunday of Easter. Since the reforms of the 1960’s, this is the common name in all the liturgical texts such as the Sacramentary, Lectionary, etc.

Octave of Easter. Once the Church had many octaves throughout the year. The Octave of Easter can refer to either the eighth day or all eight days of the Feast of Easter which ends today.

In the Eastern Churches, this is known as Thomas Sunday as the gospel is always taken from John 20 and the story of doubting Thomas which occurred one week after the day of the Resurrection. Read the rest of this entry »

Today is Dyngus Day. Polish Easter Monday’s traditions reach back over a millenium to pre-Christian times. A rite of Spring in the old country, it was a festival which included pranks, singing, dancing, feasting, revelers throwing water on each other, and boys chasing girls with fresh spring willow switches to flirt with them by swatting them on their legs. Ah, those Poles are so romantic!

Today Dyngus continues in Poland and is a major celebration in Chicago, South Bend and Elkhart, Ind. and Buffalo. N.Y. Buffalo’s tradition is a parade with the hanging of the switches on the door. South Bend’s tradition has redefined the event in the MidWest, making it a day for politicians to mingle with the drunken who are also stuffed beyond comprehension with Polish sausage.

40 years ago Bobby Kennedy came to South Bend for the Dyngus and today Bill and Chelsea renewed South Bend’s central place in presidential politics at the old West Side Democratic Club, returning the city to its rightful place of national prominence.

Happy Dyngus Day!!

I aways get a good chuckle this time of year. It seems like all the Catholics come out of the woodwork, and suddenly they can’t eat this or that because they gave it up for Lent.

Giving something up for Lent is one of the last vestiges of the Domestic Church in America. Of course there is no rule in the Catholic Church that you have to give something up for Lent. Catholics are more likely to show up to an Ash Wednesday Mass than on January 1st for Mary, Mother of God. It seems that society barely gains anything from these sacrifices, except maybe the fast food chains, who bring out their seldom seen fish sandwiches. But it survives. I have a few theories why, but in the end it comes from tradition (little t).

I know many people say “the family that prays together stays together,” but I think as Catholics we are encouraged to take this a step or two further. Praying is just one important component of the Catholic home. We have so many wonderful traditions that are being ignored and slowly fading away. And yet I’ve heard many people lament that their children leave the Catholic Church when they enter college. Some of these people I know well, others I can only guess what happens in the family home. But from experience, I’m guessing that their homes have a similar make-up: church is reserved for Sundays, and religion is something to be covered only in religion classes. Feasts come, and unless society covers them, they pass forgotten. We need to bring the Church home with us.

Lately, I’ve been trying to remember customs that my family practiced in my childhood. As the years progressed, my family simplified our celebrations so much that I hardly remember details. Because David and I firmly believe in teaching our children to celebrate Catholic feasts in the home, I’ve been doing research to fill the holes in my memory. Some of the traditions I do remember include Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, Butter Lamb on Easter (you can still get these in several Cleveland, Ohio grocery stores), and celebrating Saint or Name days. A great idea I’ve come across recently is creating Easter Vigil Notebooks. Its a great way for young children to participate in Lent and prepare for the Easter Vigil. Yes, I just mentioned children at the Vigil. The notebook not only teaches children about the Vigil, but provides them with something concrete to look at while attending the Vigil. Another idea, found on Mommy Life, is an Easter cookie recipe complete with scripture readings, to help explain the Triduum.

For anyone who might also be interested in developing their domestic church, here are a few sources I’ve found helpful. (Besides our very own ChurchYear.net. :) ) I’ve been reading Around the Year with the Trapp Family, by Maria Augusta Trapp. The actual book is no longer in print but EWTN has provided the text on their site. The Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions covers the basics of each season and provides craft ideas. I’ve also found several blogs such as Family in Feast and Feria, Family Food for Feast and Feria, Simple Gifts, and In the Heart of my Home. And of course, since I love to cook, Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf, which has been a great source for celebrating Saint Feast days or Name days.

What books or sites would you recommend? Traditions?

Cat courtesy of Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures.

Lamb courtesy of Forgotten Buffalo.

Stuff White People Like: #89 Saint Patrick’s Day

A funny read from one of the internet’s most popular blogs right now. I wrote about it before - with satire it skewers mercilessly a certain subset of yuppies and consumerists.

I found this one extra entertaining for the experiences I have had in working in bars and restaurants on this holiday. My time in a Scottish Pub in Ohio was the worst. In March we played up the “pan-Celtic”… played down the Scots nationalism. To a green beer drinking demographic, I am not sure we didn’t “all look alike” (and while seeing double no less!) Read the rest of this entry »

I have resolved to try to post at least one of the new saints or beati daily.

Too often Catholics begin to think of saints as something in the past… Mention “the saints” and Catholic imaginations immediately go to images of statues staring at the ceiling or icons that depict other-worldly virtue in a highly symbolic fashion. To be quite clear, there is nothing, in and of itself, wrong with that sort of imagery. Nothing at all.

But I fear too many people have a disconnect between those sorts of images and the reality that saints are real, as real as you and I are. They are, in fact, as alive as you and I are. Actually, more so still!

During the Pontificate of the Venerable John Paul the Great, well over a thousand such souls were raised to the dignity of the altar. More than a few of them, had they not suffered martyrdom, would be the same age as many of the kindly grandparents we interact with daily. I really want to highlight some of these friendly God-loving souls daily (many of whom we have photographs of, some we have in color, some we have on film!) to show that sanctity is not in the past. It is difficult but not impossible. Still having love and respect and prayers with the ones that went before our modern time, I want to put some emphasis on those who were among us on this side of the vale of tears in the last 100 years when possible. Sanctity is not something “from the old days”. It is real. It is possible. It is for today.

Really when you get to know some of these souls, I imagine a good number of them were not aware in the least that they would be named saints one day. They were humble people who just begged the grace to be faithful and made it priority #1.

(Conversely as Father Isaac Mary Relyea tells us, “If you think you’re holy, that is the first sign you’re not!”)

So given this rich, rich tapestry of sanctity found even into the modern era, I want to bring some focus on these souls for personal inspiration, and also to help other Catholics develop friendship with these powerful friends of God who have already gone before us. They love God, they love us. We love God, we love them.

For a time I had thought about starting a secondary blog with a focus just on underscoring these noble souls. As I thought more about that, however, I came to realize that I rather preferred interspersing them into the sometimes somewhat eclectic posts of PC. Just as they are very real and among us still today, I wanted to keep them in the mix of our posts and our cyber-life here. I invite my 13 other blog contributors to do the same as they see fit. Please share the saints that give you friendship and share their stories with us here.

As my pastor reminds our small flock, even when there are not a lot of people in the pews, our church is always full with the angels and saints who happily join us whenever we partake in the divine and mystical worship.

And note please that the graphic on this post is the painting “The Saints” by Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico (having been beatified by our last Holy Father) is on his way to being recognized as being in the company of the saints himself.

If you are away from home, go home!
If you are home, know how blessed you are!
If you see someone coming home, run out to greet them and be generous!

…but good taste & common sense.

Not one, not two, but three Jesus bobbleheads are on the market. For Catholics with a devotion to the Sacred Heart, the bobblehead industry was looking out!The young action figure aficionados will likely appreciate this Jesus action figure. Action Figure Jesus would work well with his trusty sidekick, Action Figure Pope Innocent III (Really, I don’t make this stuff up…)

For the poor soul who could use a change of fortune in 2008, tickets to a health and wealth seminary might not be a bad idea… Pastor Paula White wants to share all about how God wants you to be healthy and wealthy… for a price. (God wants Pastor Paula, apparently, to be healthy and wealthy too!)

If you cannot find a seminar coming up near you, the next best thing may be her book and workout DVD with world-renowned health expert Dodd Romero. Is Dodd his Christian name do you think? And which part of the world is he renowned in? I am not sure, but it may be explained in the book… It is only $11.75!If you know someone who loves “Dogs Playing Poker Painting” (and, let’s face it, no man who is being honest with himself does not!) This canine nativity set could be perfect.

I don’t know, if charged with the task of coming up with something truly tacky, I could top this one. Players choose characters - Adam, Eve, Mary, Jesus or Satan - you know, whatever is suiting you that day… for a Bible Fight… Nice. Real nice.
H/T: A Little Leaven

On second thought, maybe some giftcards would be the way to go.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Non-Latino Catholics may not be as well aware that Our Lady of Guadalupe is in fact the Patroness of the Americas. The story of the apparition and the ensuing conversion of Mexico is a fascinating one.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Chronology of Events
Relation of the Apparitions
Why the name “Guadalupe”?
Saint Juan Diego
The mysterious eyes of the Virgin
Protectress of the Unborn
The Basilica
The Popes and Guadalupe

Take a listen: Our Lady of Guadalupe sermon

It’s the holiday season, and time to think about giving. Here is a great little site to help you spread your holiday cheer, Charity Navigator. It allows you to search local charities and how donations are distributed, including details like how much an executive makes. Check it out.

H/T Barbara at mommylife.net

At the Thanksgiving gathering, my wife, my children, my parents and I gathered with some friends, Mr. and Mrs. G., and their children, at another friend’s house. These friends are Catholic, and aware that I’ve returned to Byzantine-Ruthenian Praxis. (I took a four year hiatus to see if I could go back to being Roman. I can’t.)

Mrs. G., the matron of the other family, asked, “So, looking forward to turkey and ham tomorrow?”

“I can’t,” I replied. “Fasting.”

“But it isn’t advent or lent!” she replied.

“Phillips fast. Byzantine Advent. Started last week.”

She goggles. She’s a recent convert, having been through RCIA, and baptized, chrismated, and communed last Easter. The Roman parish we both were attending last year dunked her quite well. She was even taught about the Eastern Catholics in her RCIA program, in a vague and “you’ll never meet one” kind of way. She’s a former Lutheran, and possessed of one gift I really wish I had: easy simple faith.

Her husband, who met me during my previous decade-plus stretch as a parishioner at St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Parish, is slightly better informed. He knows where three Byzantine parishes are… two in Florida, and St. Nick’s… but he’s never set foot in one. He’s a cradle Roman Catholic, has outlived his first wife, and is from Florida. His response was milder, “Wow, you start early.”

For me, the Byzantine path has made my faith far easier, tho’ not simple. I still find I need to delve, to seek exactly where and how God wants me to go. For now, it seems, He wants me to be unabashedly Catholic, and definitely Eastern, and to teach Roman Catholics about that other lung Pope John Paul II spoke of. I am able to sing the praises of God in a manner that makes sense to all my senses. And while I’ve not experienced Roman “Liturgical Abuse” and neither has Mrs. G., for me, I can still go through the Motions as a Roman, but find myself feeling a lack. I’m jealous of Mrs. G.’s simple ease with the Roman Church, and thankful for the most successful failure in the Metropolia of Pittsburgh.