“I still want the left nut of the person who made me wear these vestments... ah, there he is!”
(found on The Recovering Dissident Catholic blog - my emphasis)
Un luogo felice
8 years ago
Words not appearing on the Osservatore Romano
“I still want the left nut of the person who made me wear these vestments... ah, there he is!”
(found on The Recovering Dissident Catholic blog - my emphasis)
Modesty. That is: Without Sacrificing Self-Respect
Every woman is unique and possesses her own set of physical attributes that set her apart and make her shine. This is just as true today as it was then. The difference, I believe, is that the women of my grandmother’s generation knew how to play to their strengths and do so without sacrificing their self-respect.
(found on The Pious Sodality Of Church Ladies. I wonder why I did not yet find at least one Italian website/blog showing a serious talk about modesty!)
Comparing it to a Marriage...
I wish I could explain to you exactly how I feel, but the only way I know how to even begin to explain to you how and why I feel the way I do is to compare it to marriage, specifically to yours. When you first met Susan, you had to be introduced to her just like I had to be introduced to the Passionist Nuns. After being introduced, you and Susan each had to make the decision whether or not you wanted to foster some type of a relationship with the other. The Nuns and I, too, had to make this same decision. Just as your relationship with Susan would not have grown had the two of you not agreed to work at it, neither would my relationship with Jesus through the Nuns have grown. Your decision to work at building your relationship was, I’m sure, greatly affected by your attraction to the way Susan looked, dressed, and acted. My relationship with the Passionist Nuns also was greatly affected by my attraction to the way they live, dress, and act. During your years of dating, your relationship with Susan took stronger and deeper roots and blossomed more and more each day you spend time with Susan or just thought about her. The same has been, and continues to be, the case with my relationship with Christ as I, along with the Passionist Nuns, discern His will for my life.
(Read entire story on A Crazy Idea: Trying to explain her call to Contemplative, Passionist Life)
Nun Run and people afraid of vocations...
Other true Nun Run shots:
(source: A Fun Nun's Life)
(source: Chicago Area Vocations)
Here in Italy I never saw anything resembling the Nun Run (either in its original good meaning or in its Charity race meaning). Are they afraid of vocations?
(source: A Fun Nun's Life)
(source: Chicago Area Vocations)
Here in Italy I never saw anything resembling the Nun Run (either in its original good meaning or in its Charity race meaning). Are they afraid of vocations?
Nun Run (4)
The nun run is a weekend event, sponsored by six communities, Sister Vandborg explained. Women who are interested in religious life start at one convent on Friday evening, meet the community, then move on to another convent, where they spend the night. In the morning they breakfast with the community before traveling to another convent and meeting the sisters there. This good-humored version of “speed-dating” continues until Sunday evening, when all of the communities gather for a meal with the inquiring women.
The sisters are young — the average age in the community is 26 — and when they arrange “come and see” weekends, they have had to cap attendance at 100. (...) The inquirers range in age from juniors in high school at 16 or 17 to women in their mid-30s, but the average age is 24. The inquirers’ first contacts are usually through the Internet, and eventually they are invited to spend a retreat over a Saturday night with the community.
Of the more than 600 inquirers each year, about 10 enter the order, Sister Garretson said. The order isn’t old enough to answer the question, “Why do people stay?” she observed, but she hoped to answer the question herself in a few decades.
(source: The Catholic Herald, diocese of Sacramento. I think a “weekend event” is too short on time, but maybe longer times could wipe out most of the participants...)
The sisters are young — the average age in the community is 26 — and when they arrange “come and see” weekends, they have had to cap attendance at 100. (...) The inquirers range in age from juniors in high school at 16 or 17 to women in their mid-30s, but the average age is 24. The inquirers’ first contacts are usually through the Internet, and eventually they are invited to spend a retreat over a Saturday night with the community.
Of the more than 600 inquirers each year, about 10 enter the order, Sister Garretson said. The order isn’t old enough to answer the question, “Why do people stay?” she observed, but she hoped to answer the question herself in a few decades.
(source: The Catholic Herald, diocese of Sacramento. I think a “weekend event” is too short on time, but maybe longer times could wipe out most of the participants...)
Nun Run (3)
Another true Nun Run:
...Instead of heading for the sunny beaches of Florida or visiting an amusement park, six girls from St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc parishes here spent their spring break on a “Nun Run.”
From April 5 to April 11, the girls and two chaperones visited five religious orders in three states.
“On the trip, there was a general excitement radiating from all the girls, but especially from Alexa,” she said. “She just couldn’t stop smiling because she was so happy to be visiting all those places.”
After the trip, her daughter, Arika, said she also felt the calling to religious life.
“It made me feel closer to God visiting the different orders,” Arika said. “I felt the calling while I was there and I still feel that way. I would really love to go on another ‘Nun Run’ next year.”
(source: an article on “The Catholic Moment” newspaper, in the section “Diocese of Lafayette”; text and photo found on the web)
...Instead of heading for the sunny beaches of Florida or visiting an amusement park, six girls from St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc parishes here spent their spring break on a “Nun Run.”
From April 5 to April 11, the girls and two chaperones visited five religious orders in three states.
“On the trip, there was a general excitement radiating from all the girls, but especially from Alexa,” she said. “She just couldn’t stop smiling because she was so happy to be visiting all those places.”
After the trip, her daughter, Arika, said she also felt the calling to religious life.
“It made me feel closer to God visiting the different orders,” Arika said. “I felt the calling while I was there and I still feel that way. I would really love to go on another ‘Nun Run’ next year.”
(source: an article on “The Catholic Moment” newspaper, in the section “Diocese of Lafayette”; text and photo found on the web)
Nun Run (2)
Another true Nun Run: “a group of vocation-discerning gals travel to different convents and monasteries, and, yes, check them out!” And sometimes a miracle may actually happen:
Kirstine (circled) and others on that “Nun Run” of 2007
March of 2007 brought us a lovely group of women on a “Nun Run” from the diocese of St. Paul, Minnesota led by our dear friend Claire Rouf. One young gal in particular felt very drawn to our Passionist charism and desired to learn more about it.
(found on In the Shadow of His Wings, blog of the Passionist Nuns of Saint Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, Kentucky)
Kirstine (circled) and others on that “Nun Run” of 2007
March of 2007 brought us a lovely group of women on a “Nun Run” from the diocese of St. Paul, Minnesota led by our dear friend Claire Rouf. One young gal in particular felt very drawn to our Passionist charism and desired to learn more about it.
(found on In the Shadow of His Wings, blog of the Passionist Nuns of Saint Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, Kentucky)
Nun Run (1)
Ever heard of a “Nun Run”? It's a type of ultimate Catholic road trip in which a group of vocation-discerning gals travel to different convents and monasteries, and, yes, check them out! We were the last stop on the “Indiana Nun Run 2005” and had the extreme pleasure of hosting “Nun Runners” Missy, Nicci, Gala, and Carrie, for an overnight stay this past Friday. Our novice mistress, Sr. Mary Catharine, shared our life with them as the girls shared their stories. The visit ended with a slide presentation of our monastery. Our aspirants, Greta and Lisa also had the joy of meeting these wonderful young women. Please keep them in your prayers as they seek to follow the Lord's Will in their lives.
(found on Moniales OP, the blog of the Dominican Nuns of Summit, New Jersey)
The rosary and the swiss-army-knife
So my friend came up to me, fall of our freshman year of college, and said, “QM, do you think you could fix something for me?” I guess he thought he'd try me because I'd glued back together the corpus of his wall crucifix earlier in the year, after it had fallen and broken into pieces. I told him that I'd try, and so he produced a sort of necklace -- wooden beads connected with wire chain-links, with a crucifix at the end. He called it a “rosary,” and pointed out that one of the links had come apart, so what was supposed to be a loop was more like a string. Now, I didn't know what a “rosary” was -- I was a good Lutheran girl, after all! -- and I didn't have any more clues than what he told me, but it looked pretty easy to fix. I pulled out my trusty Swiss Army Knife (which conveniently includes pliars) and twiddled with the wire a bit, and re-connected the links.
(source: Quantitative Metathesis blog; I strongly recommend to read the entire story. And then, the day after, also read the entire blog).
(And -yes!- as soon as possible, I'll translate it in Italian to make my friends read it!)
Blog of the day: the Hermeneutic of Continuity
Franciscan Sisters usus antiquior solemn profession. An image says more than 1000 words.
(found on The Hermeneutic of Continuity, nice blog. This also is in my “breakfast reads”)
Valid Option: Freak Out and Turn Over Tables
“When someone asks you 'think about what Jesus would do', remember that a valid option is to freak out and turn over tables” -- Unknown
Found on Catholic Pillow Fight.
Quantitative Metathesis -- that is, tears of joy
I come to the door of the house, carrying my jar of ointment, still wondering what possessed me to come. As I bribe the doorkeeper -- who knows me -- to let me in, I wonder what He will do when I touch His feet. If He should kick at me, it is only what I deserve, but if He does before I can anoint Him, what then? What then? No answer comes. And now I am already inside, burning under the hostile gaze of everyone in the room. Oh, God, it is a regular dinner party! They all know, they all accuse, they all wonder how I gained entrance. Even the maidservants stare.
(...)
- “So, just to be perfectly clear, Lord, are you asking me to serve you as a...?”
Please, read the entire amazing story on Quantitative Metathesys.
Amazing-- no, more: stunning. I've been stuck for a while, reading her pages, and mostly the one containing the above words.
Sure, I'll pray for you.
(Italian-speaking people may click here)
Say The Black - Do The Red
What Do The Prayers Really Say is one of my most favourite blogs.
I was even tempted to buy a few mugs “Say The Black, Do The Red” - nice idea!
Here in Italy, anti-traditionalist priests (that is, some 95% of the total) use the term “rubricist” as a contemptuous label for people who do not like liturgical “variations” (i.e. liturgical abuses).
Most of them know that Roman Missal allows “freedom to change” at a “certain” (er...) degree. When they feel “uncertain” about the degree, they will take the most liberal interpretation, limited by their perception of common sense.
I was even tempted to buy a few mugs “Say The Black, Do The Red” - nice idea!
Here in Italy, anti-traditionalist priests (that is, some 95% of the total) use the term “rubricist” as a contemptuous label for people who do not like liturgical “variations” (i.e. liturgical abuses).
Most of them know that Roman Missal allows “freedom to change” at a “certain” (er...) degree. When they feel “uncertain” about the degree, they will take the most liberal interpretation, limited by their perception of common sense.
50 per cent less Bugnini
Creative Minority Report, nice blog.
Click on the image to get the full-size version.
Contains none of the following: “clapping - guitars - extraordinary ministers - reception in the hand”. And even “50% less Bugnini”.
Awesome.
When neocons start finding ways to disregard what Benedict XVI says...
3. You know the Pope is a traditionalist when the ultra-montanist neo-cons start finding ways to disregard what he says...
OK, he isn't strictly a traditionalist. But all the same there is something truly bizarre about the sight of ultramontanist neo-cons like George Weigel who under Pope John Paul II insisted that every word that dropped from the Pope's mouth had to be believed and obeyed without question suddenly finding ways to disregard large chunks of an encyclical. Yep, apparently now we can go through the document with a red pen and work out what is truly the Pope's own words, and what are interpolations by the evil bureaucrats...
Found on Australia incognita, another good blog to add to my RSS list.
Don't be shy!
The Catholic Church doesn’t need progressives, nor does it need Reactionary Conservatives - It badly needs Catholic Traditionalists that practice faith, hope and charity. So don’t be shy! Come forward.
Found on Gabriella's blog.
Found on Gabriella's blog.
Priests For Life
(source: Priests for Life - Galleries of Images of Aborted Children)
Here in Italy there are some 130,000+ abortions every year.
And I wonder why here a very few priests preach - at least “sometimes preach” - against abortion. As if abortion, here, did not exist.
I wonder what effect could have here the existence of something like Priests for Life, even with a web-site publishing crude images of aborted children.
See also: Face the Truth America
Eluana sentenced to death
Italy is a weird place: this woman was sentenced to death by hunger, her father wants to “switch off her life support system” (actually she only requires food, water and ordinary nursing care) and Italian highest court upheld his view.
Abortion in Italy
Italy: abortions slightly "diminishing"(some 130,000 per year, on a 58+ millions population).
Guess why? Population is "diminishing". Thus, abortions (which still contribute here for far more than 10,000 babies killed every month) also "slightly diminish".
The Three Things that Pope Does Not Know
A common Italian joke: «our Pope knows everything about our Church… but there are three things he doesn't (and won't ever) know: first, what do Jesuits think; second, where do Salesians get money; third, how many female religious orders actually exist».
This joke means that current Jesuits are not the great Jesuits of 50-100 years ago. I know Jesuits and found that some of them are strongly Catholic, others –sadly– live some intellectual confusion.
I know Salesians as well; Salesians of st. John Bosco are indeed “rich”... as long as “rich” means that they can pay their phone bills, repair a damaged window, offer printed copies of their news bulletin, without asking for money during Sunday Masses.
Finally... yes: there are indeed lots of female congregations. Guess why? The number of female vocations is something about three times the male ones.
This joke means that current Jesuits are not the great Jesuits of 50-100 years ago. I know Jesuits and found that some of them are strongly Catholic, others –sadly– live some intellectual confusion.
I know Salesians as well; Salesians of st. John Bosco are indeed “rich”... as long as “rich” means that they can pay their phone bills, repair a damaged window, offer printed copies of their news bulletin, without asking for money during Sunday Masses.
Finally... yes: there are indeed lots of female congregations. Guess why? The number of female vocations is something about three times the male ones.
Divorce and Abortion: those Ten Years of Sad Italian History
Italy, “Roman Catholic” country.December 1970: the Baslini-Fortuna Act introduces divorce, because “all civil countries have it”. A large number of Democrazia Cristiana (DC, “Democrats-Christians”, 35-45% of votes) party members did not fight against it, leaving Communists promote and approve it.
May 1974: a referendum against divorce fails. A great delusion for Pope Paul VI, who saw all main Roman Catholic associations giving up. The most known and famous organization, Azione Cattolica (“Catholic Action”), stated something like “vote as you like” instead of “vote against divorce”. DC, again, didn't actually fight against divorce.
December 1975: an Abortion Act got some primary approval by Parliament Chambers, because media were continuously talking about “10,000-20,000 illegal abortions per year” (today we know that the true count was 700 to 1500 abortions per year in Italy) and because “all civil countries have it”.
While majority of Parliament members was against abortion, DC did not vote against it; Prime Minister Aldo Moro (DC) stated the “neutrality” of the Government about abortion.
Summer 1976: elections: Partito Comunista Italiano (“Italian Communist Party”) got 34% of votes (its historical maximum), DC got 35% of votes (its historical minimum).
Spring 1978: a large number of DC members accepted the abortion law because of communists pressure.
May 1978: Aldo Moro, kidnapped by Brigate Rosse (“Red Brigades”, a communist terrorist group) two months before, was killed.
June 1978: the Abortion Act (the infamous “law 194, year 1978”) got the final approval, thanks to absence of 33 Parliament members (all of them were against abortion but did not go to vote against that law) and no true battle from DC members.
Giulio Andreotti, DC, Prime Minister, had the last chance to stop the law: resigning. He did not resign. His government was eventually sunk a few months later.
In the very first years after the abortion law passed, there were some 15,000-25,000 abortions per month.
Spring 1981: a referendum against abortion fails (56% only voted pro abortion). Two months after, Alì Agčà shot Pope John Paul II.
Italian Health Ministry has confirmed that in Italy there were 4,602,117 abortions from 1978 to 2005.
In Italy, in 2003, the cost of an abortion in our Health structures was something like 1700 euro - about 2300 US$.
Photo above: “Mom, I love you! Don't kill me!” - this advertisement of S.O.S. vita (“S.O.S. Life”) has been condemned by a court and wiped out, because it was “hurting” for people willing to kill a baby (that is, “abortion”).
Yes, that's Italy, “Roman Catholic” country.
Christian Family
Published since late 40's, Famiglia Cristiana (“Christian Family”) is an Italian weekly magazine published from Society of St. Paul for Roman Catholic readers, currently targeting housewives and older women.Today, in a rather large number of Italian parishes, one can buy it on Sundays, soon after the Mass.
Up to early 60's, this magazine was surely a rock-solid apologetics magazine. A girl could write to them: “I fell in love for a guy who rarely goes for a confession... what do I have to do?” and getting an answer like: “Forget him! You cannot get a happy life if you marry someone who does not care about sacraments”.
Then, sadly, it began embracing all sorts of modernism errors. Recently, a girl wrote to them: “I fell in love for a muslim guy... what do I have to do?” and got an answer like: “if you're in love, don't care about religion issues”.
Someone took time for a parody of that issue of Famiglia Cristiana, and corrected its cover as you can see above. Titles:
- Famiglia Musulmana (“muslim family”)
- weekly magazine of muslim culture and news
- what to do if your son does not want to be a kamikaze
- family: Mullah Omar advices
- trends for sea: a burqa for your summer
- bricolage: let's build a car-bomb
But -alas!- Italian media are somewhat crazy... Communists and leftist sources want to ease immigration of muslims (because they expect muslims to support only leftist politics). Conservative and neocons want to reduce immigration but do not do anything. We do not even have an idea of how many millions of illegal immigrants we have in Italy.
Italy is a place where...
Italy is a weird place.Italy it's like a 116,000+ sq.mil. abandoned museum.
There are 49,000+ Roman Catholic priests (two thirds of them are “Diocesan”).
Their average age is a bit more than 60 years old: this means that by 2030 Italy will likely have 15-20,000 priests, not more.
There are 225 Dioceses, a lot of them counting no more than 50-100-150,000 people.
Mgr. Bagnasco, president of Italian Bishop Conference, is always accompanied by armed bodyguards. A few days ago, he received a letter with three pistol bullets in it (a common mafia-style way to tell “you're going to be shot”).
In Italy there are some 920+ deputies in our Parliament, out of a population of 54+ millions.
There are 103 (yes, one hundred and three) members of the Government (ministers and undersecretaries); for example, France has a total of 17 (yes, seventeen) members (15 ministers and 2 undersecretaries).
There are two Communist parties plus a large number of other “leftist” parties.
The head of the Communist Refoundation party (“Rifondazione Comunista”) is currently also the head of one of the two Chambers of the Italian Parliament.
Yes, Italy is a weird place.
The plot against the Church
Maurice Pinay, Complotto contro la Chiesa, (“The Plot against the Church”).This book was first printed in Rome, 1962; soon followed editions in Austria (Jan. 1963), Venezuela (Dec. 1963) and Mexico (“Complot contra la Iglesia”). The definitive and revised edition was published by “Mundo Libre” (Mexico) in 1968, translated by Luis Gonzales, after II Vatican Council ended.
A number of authors, mainly coming from University of Guadalajara (Mexico) and Catholic Union of Trento (Italy) worked for 14 months on this book and then distributed copies to all Fathers of the II Vatican Council.
The book was intended to stop Augustin Cardinal Bea accepting requirements of Jewish authorities that authors considered incompatible with Roman Catholic faith.
Eventually, the Nostra Aetate document of the II Vatican Council wiped out every possible equivocal expression about Jews.
Announcing Rimini Meeting 2007
Edition 2007 of “Meeting for Friendship Among the Peoples” (also known as “Meeting di Rimini”, that is, “Rimini Meeting”) will be held in Rimini, Italy, from August 19 to August 25.The title of this year: «Truth is the destiny for which we have been made»
More information on:
- Meeting di Rimini official site
- 2007 Edition: Program and Exhibitions and other informations
- 2006 Edition: Final Press Release
- Meeting Rimini Videos and photos
Other information about Communion and Liberation.
リミニの国際的な会合2007年8月19日から2007年8月25日から
Friendly Fire means Holocaust and Martyrdom
In this holy heroic place, on August 18, 1944, six people from Molinella fell down because of our lead, superb example of love to the ideal.Their friends, fierce of their holocaust, remember their martyrdom, as a teaching to them who will come.
Translation notes:
- they were soldiers, despite it's not written (there is only a list of surnames and names); the six soldiers were from Molinella, a small town near Bologna, northern Italy.
- “piombo” (lead) means “bullets”; “piombo nostrano” (lead coming from us) means... friendly fire.
- “esempio superbo” actually sounds like “astonishing example”
- “idea” just means idea but in its rhetorical context means “ideal”. So, the six people loved their ideals (which was it, is not specified)
- “conterraneo” does not mean “friends”; it actually means “someone who lives in the same lands” (in our case, near Bologna)
- yes, they were killed by friendly fire, and so it was an “holocaust”
- “martirio” means “martyrdom”, even if they were killed by friendly fire
- “insegnamento” (teaching) suggests that you (the one who will come after 1944) must learn that someday you could be killed by friendly fire, yet yours will be “martyrdom” and “holocaust”.
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