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That little switch flipped inside my head this morning. You know … the one that tells you that you had better step away from the computer before some other more serious circuit breaker pops. Yeah, that one. So, to get … Continue reading
SQPN had its annual online Podcast Marathon to end its Giving Campaign. CEO Fr. Roderick Vonhogen literally took one for the team by allowing viewers to bid on ingredients for a nasty concoction.
The shots above show what a good sport Fr. Roderick is. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to stomach it. The viewing crowd was sending prayers out to St. Timothy and St. Erasmus, both patrons of stomach disorders! :-)
What were the ingredients?
I’m still a bit queasy having watched it. I have to award this concoction an ignominious 3 burnt toast.
Easter Fire at Church of St. Mary
Last Saturday night, I had the real privilege of participating in my parish’s Easter Vigil celebration. I’ve been to quite a few vigils over the years, but I will remember this one as particularly special.
Last August, nearly seven months ago, I agreed to sponsor a young man interested in joining the Church. He and his wife, neither having a faith background of any kind, approached my parish with the idea of learning more about the Catholic faith through the RCIA program. Although I’ve been the sponsor for several people in the past, this was the first opportunity I’ve had to be a part of RCIA from beginning to end.
The Easter Vigil has always been my favorite liturgy of the year. The parish gathers, not only in the joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection, but also to joyfully welcome those joining the Church through Baptism or Profession of Faith.
This night was truly special, from the lighting of the Easter fire outside the Church, through the procession into the darkened sanctuary, the spreading of the baptismal light through the congregation, the reading of Scripture foretelling the life, death and resurrection of the Savior, the administration of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
My words cannot really share this, it seems. Even though the Church was full, and we had more than 25 people joining the Church, this was one of the most intimate liturgies I’ve experienced in a very long time.
Our pastor, Fr. Jack Gleason, spoke to us passionately about the truth of our faith and made those present, both old and new to the Church, feel as freshly welcomed as those just baptized.
All that the parish did to make this an especially uplifting liturgy worked. The terrific music, the lighting, the bells, the candles, the incense, the robing of the newly baptized … all of it worked in such a way that everyone present should have felt intimately involved.
It was a really special moment and I was privileged to be a part of it. Being a sponsor for RCIA is a lot of work, but the personal learning, the participation in the life of the Church, and being allowed to be a part of someone else’s faith journey makes it all worthwhile.
I hope to do it again some day.
See that bird, up there in the header? It’s really cool.
Now look down a bit and have a look at the black menu bar. See the tab that says “About the Bird”? Click on that and learn a little bit about that cool bird.
Thanks.
A little while ago, a big styrofoam box arrived with some Omaha Steaks inside. A gift from my aunt for Easter.
Tucked away amidst the ubiquitous coupons and special offers where some “dinner conversation starters”, questions to ask your dinner guests. I rarely have dinner guests, so I thought I would post them here.
Living in Oklahoma, we’ve all pretty much thought of this question. Here’s what I came up with (assuming all the humans and animals are accounted for):
The word immediately in the question probably negates some of this for the unprepared, but living where I do, we shouldn’t be unprepared. If I had a light saber, I’d take that too because it would be cool.
This is a tough one. I tend to get sick on any rides that spin and I’m not a fan of heights. Makes me a fun date at most amusement parks, I know. I’ll go with log rides. Yeah, that’s the ticket, especially if you get a nice spritz on a hot day.
Thank you.
I don’t think you have to be lost to ask for directions. I don’t get truly lost because I tend to plan routes before I go somewhere. I cannot remember the last time I had to stop for directions.
The last time I was lost was probably last May while in Rome. I was walking from the Termini train station to a small B&B in a nondescript building in a part of the city I have never seen before, with only vague directions from Google maps. I managed to find it without too many wrong turns but I had my doubts along the way. I thought it was about 1 1/2 miles, but I think I walked at least 3 before I found it.
Trick question! I can name them all. How many do I already know the names of? Bolt, Old Yeller, Lassie, Snoopy, Bandit (Johnny Quest), Lady & Tramp, Marley, Scooby Doo, Eddie, Hachiko, and Buffy (Eskimo Joe’s sidekick – it’s an Oklahoma thing). I ought to know more than this, but I’m drawing a blank now.
Uh, no way. If you don’t already know, I ain’t tellin’
Great question! There are a lot of events in the past that I would love to be able to go back and witness, but I’m going to restrict my answers to events that haven’t occurred yet.
This question is harder than it looks. Most of the ideas that first came into my head were impossible things, like watching men walk on Mars. There’s no way I would ever be there for that. Or being on the daïs when a new president is sworn in. I suppose that could happen but it’s not very likely. I’ll be pondering this question for the rest of the day. I guess I’m not much of a dreamer.
How would you answer these questions? Feel free to post your answers. I’d love to see them.
Check out the collection of other 7 Quick Takes Friday posts, hosted at Jennifer Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary.