The thoughts, ideas, findings, and fancies of a Catholic student at Our Lady's University.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Finding himself somewhat strapped for cash, Michael Schiavo has launched his own line of medical supplies



(Inspiration found here)

"'As Terri gets closer to death, her husband's face has actually taken on an almost euphoric appearance.'"

Attorney: Michael Schiavo Looks 'Peaceful, Euphoric'
by Scott Ott

(2005-03-29) -- Attorney George Felos today said that his client, Michael Schiavo, entered the 11th day of depriving his wife of food and water looking peaceful and "as beautiful as I've seen him in years."

"Death by dehydration is not the awful specter that so-called 'pro-lifers' have portrayed it to be," said Mr. Felos as he stood outside of Terri Schiavo's Florida hospice. "I was actually in the room with the Schiavos. Michael looked very peaceful. He looked calm. I saw no evidence of any bodily discomfort whatsoever, even though he's not receiving morphine."

"As Terri gets closer to death," Mr. Felos added, "her husband's face has actually taken on an almost euphoric appearance."

(Article found here)

Monday, March 28, 2005

Triduum 2005

Holy Thursday

The Sanctuary was, quite simply, the most beautiful I have ever seen it. Yes, it was still a far cry from....almost any other church, but still, it was a pleasure just to sit in there. There were no banners on the wall behind the Altar, in my opinion, so that the Last Supper wouldn't be obstructed. Whatever the reason, the simplicity of it was a very refreshing change. Also, for the first EVER in the history of our parish (as far as I can determine), the Altar was smack dab in the middle of the front, right where it should be all the time. The Lectern was off to one side, where I've been saying they should put it for quite a while.
Liturgically, the only difference was that, instead of the congregational handwashing we usually do, the ushers moved 12 chairs up to the front, 12 pre-selected people came forward, and Father Jon washed their feet. There were 6 men and 6 women, which, if I'm not mistaken, is in violation of Canon Law, but still, the symbolism was there and much appreciated.

Good Friday

No change that I noticed in the service. As usual, we had the 3 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy/Stations of the Cross service. The evening service was, as I said, much the same, except that Father Jon & Deacon Bill didn't come up to the front until well after the readings, which I think is a change from previous years.

Holy Saturday

My favorite Mass of the entire year. The Sanctuary was perhaps the darkest I've ever seen it, and then of course the Liturgy of Light, which includes the only chanting we get all year (probably part of the reason this is my favorite). The Sanctuary stayed in relative darkness, lit only by a few candles - and a few flashlights for those who needed to see more - through the entire Liturgy of the Word.
There were 5 or 6 Confirmations, and 1 baptism, which was that of a 16-month old girl adopted recently from China. She was old enough that she wanted to run around, and when she couldn't, she wailed mightily. As soon as she made contact with the water, though, she was happy as a clam. Later in the rite, she reached down into the Holy Water and started splashing it at Father. Being the oldest of 8 children, he was more amused than anything else.
The homily was awesome. Father started off talking about how Easter is a celebration of life, and then about how all life should be respected. From there, he launched into the bluntest condemnation of a specific affair that I've ever heard at St. Paul's. He said (this is a close paraphrase), "There are some who say that people should not be forced to go through a medical procedure against their will. Food and water is not a medical procedure. There are some who say that we should just allow people to die a peaceful death. Starvation is not a peaceful death."
Needless to say, I was quite impressed, and I told him so after Mass. And as Mom said later, let's hope that many other people heard the same message.

Somewhere over the rainbow...



This picture is actually from Easter last year, but there is no discernable difference between the decorations of last year and those of this year. If anything, though, I think the banner seems brighter, if possible, this year (I could see it in the dark during Easter Vigil Mass).

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

As promised: Abstract Church Artwork


Can anyone guess what this is?


Hint #1: It's found (sadly) in our Sanctuary

Hint #2: No, it's not just an anomaly in the stonework

Hint #3: It's one os the Stations of the Cross (just guess already; now you've got a 1 in 15 chance)

Hint #4: Yes, that's right - it's Jesus being taken down from the Cross. Go figure.

I didn't really notice until a few years ago just how abstract our Stations are. Seriously, what's wrong with pictures, or...faces? I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who finds it a little hard to meditate on the stones.



"More isn't always better; sometimes it's just more."


Instead of celebrating the traditional feast of Palm Sunday, St. Paul's decided to go with the more obscure feast of the 6 Martyrs of the Red Hat Society, which happened to fall on the same day.

Bad things happen when Liturgical colors are mixed. Still, I have a feeling that this will look like St. Peter's Basilica compared to what we're going to have come Easter....

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Michael Schiavo Lashes Out

Weary after an emotional visit with his wife, Schiavo said he is astonished that politicians want to interfere in such a private matter.

"Instead of worrying about my wife, who was granted her wishes by the state courts the past seven years, they should worry about the pedophiles killing young girls," Schiavo said, referring to a local case. "Why doesn't Congress worry about people not having health insurance? Or the budget? Let's talk about all the children who don't have homes."

(read the entire article here)

Already he's trying to turn our attention away from Terri. Sorry Michael, but it's going to take a lot more than that.
As far as being wearied after his "emotional visit," I can't say as I blame him. I imagine that it's very emotional to find out that your wife won't just die already.

Coming Attractions! (as soon as I remember to bring my camera to church)

Our parish celebrates the feast of the 7 Martyrs of the Red Hat Society

~plus~

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's quirky church artwork!

Monday, March 21, 2005

Michael Schiavo Slips into 'Carnivorative State'

ScrappleFace - "He's unresponsive," said one physician familiar with his case. "When you talk about the importance of human life or the effects of slow starvation on his wife, Terri, he just glazes over."...."Terri's desire was that Michael would never have to live without wealth or extramarital female companionship," the unnamed girlfriend said.

(read the entire article here)

Monday, March 07, 2005

Good Commentary on the Aforementioned Statement

This is actually the article whence I discovered the Statement mentioned in the post below. Last week, I was wishing her bishop would just say something. I take it back. Anyway, this is a good commentary about the "bizarre statement."

It's Just So Hard to Call Some Bishops "Your Excellency"

I just happened upon this statement from Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida regarding Terri Schiavo. I alternated between laughing at the ludicrousness of it and being too outraged to see straight. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had just completely missed the point - not that I'm against reconciliation between the opposed parties, but I do think there are more important things here - but it was when he went on to imply that Terri's death was impending, imminent, and unavoidable that I got more than a little P.O.ed. And then insinuating that her parents were responsible for keeping everyone from acheiving "peace." If his definition of peace is that innocent people can be murdered without any sort of imposition, then I pray that we never be at peace.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Which Obsolete Skill are You?

Calliope, Muse of epic poetry
You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.

You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
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