Wednesday, April 27, 2011

First State here I come!

As my parents and I prepare to leave tomorrow for Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore (coterminus to the Diocese of Wilmington), I just wanted to make a quick post providing two updates on Papal appointments, the first yesterday and the latter today.

*Fr. Charles C. Thompson, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Louisville, KY and Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville, KY, as Bishop of Evansville, IN.  Father Thompson replaces Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger who retired.

*Bishop Felipe Estevez, Auxiliary Bishop of Miami, FL, as Bishop of Saint Augustine, FL.  Bishop Estevez replaces Bishop Victor Galeone who retired.

Okay, I must jet now and finish packing and make sure all other necessary items are in order.  Please pray for good weather.

God bless!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Just a quick Hello!

Just a quick Hello as I am preparing for the Thursday and Friday trip to Delaware and Maryland.

I'll probably be quiet tomorrow unless there is an appointment (one possibly tipped for Evansville, IN) and/or responses.

Here are the responses that arrived in today's mail.

*Fr. Francois Pellisier, GHM, Major Gifts Officer of the Glenmary Home Missioners in Cincinnati, OH; Msgr. Donald F. Hanchon, Pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit, MI and Auxiliary Bishop Elect of Detroit, MI; and Archbishop Denis J. Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia.

*Fr. Pellisier conducted a Mission Appeal and Lenten Parish Mission at Our Lady Queen of Peace during the 1st week of Lent.

God bless and goodnight,

Christopher

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Blessed Easter! Christ has Risen! A right-choice Easter!

He has Risen, He has Risen, indeed. 

I had all intentions of updating the blog last evening after the vigil. However, I was quite tired and after speaking with a friend from Wisconsin, decided I should get to bed for a big, joyous day tomorrow, which is now today, of course.

The parish I attend had two Confirmations last night, no catechumens this year.  In fact there has not been any for a few years, come to think of it.  Last year, there was not an active RCIA group. 

I'll be spending this Easter with my parents--we are having ham, baked macaroni and cheese, and asparagus, with cheesecake for dessert.

Happy Easter!  May the joy experienced by those at the tomb, Mary of Magdala and Mary of Clopas, be with you today, tomorrow, and forever!

Not to diminish the Solemnity of the Resurrection of Our Lord, but I'll be quiet this week and probably will not update until a week from now.  I'll be busy tomorrow, Tuesday, and Wednesday preparing for a leisure trip to Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.  This trip is part of a birthday present, but to how the birthday fell (Palm Sunday) thought it was best we did it this coming Thursday and Friday.  I'll post about the trip when I return.  Pictures will also be on Facebook.

Recent responses to letters include:  *Fr. William J. Vit, Jr., Rector of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City, IA; Fr. Joseph A. Lively, a retired priest of the Diocese of Burlington, VT and resident of Marshfield, VT; Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, SDV, Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, NJ; Fr. Kevin Gallagher, Director of the Office of Vocations for the Diocesan Priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, PA; Fr. (Maj.) Timothy J. Hirten, USAF, Chaplain of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Community at Dover AFB, DE; Archbishop Peter L. Gerety, Archbishop Emeritus of Newark, NJ; Bess McAneny, President of the Delaware Pro-Life Coalition; Rebecca A. Mack, on behalf of Tom Sturgis Pretzels of Reading, PA; **Canon James H. Davis, a priest of the Anglican Diocese of the Northeast and resident of Springvale, ME; Fr. Tom Kirkendoll, GHM, Director of the Notiviate of the Glenmary Home Missioners in Cincinnati, OH;  and finally Fr. William T. Schneider, a retired priest of the Diocese of Trenton, NJ and resident of Voorhees, NJ. 

*Father Vit has begun using the Benedictine arrangement of the altar candles and crucifix at the cathedral.
** Canon Davis states that he may convert to Catholicism in reponse to "Anglicanorum Coetibus."

On that note, I must return to the kitchen to finish the cheesecake that I'm making for Easter dinner.

The last sentence of the title is taken from my pastor's homily at the Easter Vigil.  He tied it into Palm Sunday, the first of 2,000 years ago, when two processions occured on that day--Jesus' from the East and Pontius Pilate's from the West. He ended the homily by saying that "we must make the right choice and follow the procession from the East---who are YOU going to follow--not just today, but every day?"

God bless,

Christopher

Monday, April 18, 2011

Monday of Holy Week

I know I am not keeping true to what I stated in the post from yesterday, however, I thought I'd do it as a way just keep my reader(s) informed as during the first week of Easter, I won't have as much time. 

Here are today's replies:  Bishop David Arias, OAR, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Newark, NJ; Fr. Thomas E. Raines, priest of the Pro-Diocese of the Holy Family*; Sr. Mary Teresa, SSM, on behalf of the Sisters of the Society of St. Margaret in Walsingham, England; Sr. Margaret Butler, Pastoral Administrator of Holy Rosary Parish in Tok, AK; Rebecca Mack, Customer Service at Tom Sturgis Pretzels, Inc in Reading, PA; and Fr. Daniel R. Leeuw, retired priest of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN. 

Father Leeuw, since 1990, has been offering the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  The asterik after Father Raines, denotes the fact that the "pro-diocese" is the forerunner to the US Anglican Ordinariate.

There was one Papal appointment this morning, or as termed by the Vatican Information Service, "Other Pontifical Acts."  The appointment is:  Father Jose Arturo Cepeda, Rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, TX, as Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, MI.

God bless!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

First Post as a 24 year old

I am not sure how many have found my blog, with the exception of one.  However, I wanted to thank everyone for their birthday wishes.

Not too brag about gifts, but I received an Iphone, some prayer books, pamphlets for evangelization/encouragment purposes via mail, and as far as food goes, a Boston Cream pie.

I don't "feel" any older, but something inner does.  My soul or my heart, maybe?  Not sure--evaulation to follow. :)  Please pray for me as I will pray always for you.

Recent responses are as follows: Fr. Paul Luniw, Judicial Vicar of the Eparchy of Stamford, CT for Ukrainian Catholics; Fr. Kenneth J. Malley, Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Clearwater, FL; and Bishop Eusebio Hernandez Sola, OAR, Bishop of Tarazona, Spain. 

Father Malley mentioned in his reponse that he will be leaving St. Catherine of Siena's to become Pastor at St. Timothy's in Tampa.  Please pray for him in his new assignment.

Not much else to report...just watching the DVRed coverage of the Indy Car race from Long Beach, CA.

Blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week to all!  I'll be taking a hiatus from the blog for Holy Week and make a post on Holy Saturday, prior to bed and after the Vigil.

God bless!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Little on content, big on meaning

The Three Musketeers have two slogans--"all for one and one for all" and "big on chocolate, not on fat."  I am sure you can guess which one belongs to the group and which one belongs to the candy bar. lol

At 4:34 PM tomorrow, I'll be turning 24 years old.  Not too many years ago, 24 seemed old--now it seems like just another number--just another 365 day passage of time.  Remember this world is the blink of an eye, transistory as Saint Paul tells us.  We all try to leave a lasting legacy--this legacy can take many forms, tangible or intangible.  The legacy that I would like to leave of my 23rd year was one of tribute, memories, and new growth.  In 2010, I returned home (in a personal way), visited a hallowed ground, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and watched Our Lord call home a faithful servant, my paternal grandmother. 

I'll write more of a reflection on the year that was my twenty third after I turn twenty four (probably Sunday afternoon or evening).

Anyway, here are the usual updates.

*Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Joseph Jude Tyson, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, WA, as Bishop of Yakima, WA.  He is replacing Bishop Carlos Arthur Sevilla, SJ, who retired. 

Recent responses:  Fr. Vincent Lampert, Pastor of Ss. Francis and Clare Parish, Greenwood, IN, and Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, IN; Carmelite Nuns of Terre Haute, IN; Norbertine Sisters of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph in Tehachapi, CA; Msgr. George Brubaker, Pastor of St. John the Apostle Parish in Milford, DE and Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Wilmington, DE; Fr. Joseph Tuscan, OFM Cap, Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph Parish in York, PA; and Father Steven P. Hurley, Chancellor of the Diocese of Wilmington, DE.

Side note here--the Norbertine Sisters are the first American foundation of the canonesses.

Talk to ya'll on Sunday.  Pray for me as I always do for you.

God bless and good night.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Now returning to your reguarly scheduled program...

The title, while good for some, is not good for others.  We always want less of the shows we do not like and, naturally, more of the ones we do like. 

Again, this title may seem cryptic, and I that's kind of my intention.  Titles are "on the front lines" to grab the reader's attention.

My last update was Friday, and although I told a friend I'd update on Saturday, I did not.  Here's what happened over the past two days.

*Went to 4:30 PM Mass with Father Bernard Espiritu, SVD as celebrant.  I have come to like him more and more.  The unfortunate part about this particular Mass was my Mom noticed that someone did not consume Our Lord; she just walked away and pocketed Him.  Please pray for her!

*Saturday evening I watched the Sprint Cup Series race from Texas.

*Yesterday, I DVRed the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix from Kuala Lumpur and the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL.  Both races were good.  Versus' coverage of the IndyCar race from Barber was great as always. 

*Today was a day where God's blessings were evident, but this must take some background explanation first.  There's an Amish market in the neighboring town Medford, to the south.  Last time I was there about two weeks ago, I took notice of a pretzel company's box situated in the corner of the store.  I wrote them a letter detailing how admirable their Mennonite faith in Jesus Christ is, and today, UPS stopped at my house with a box that said "Martin's Pretzel Bakery--Akron, PA   17501."  I opened it up, of course, and wrapped in newspaper courtesy of the Intelligencer Journal from Lancaster, PA was 6 bags of pretzels!  In the package was a index card that said, paraphrasing "Thanks for the letter--here's something for you!  "God bless, the Martins.

*Recent repsonses to letters include:  Fr. Justin Hoye, Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Nevada, MO; Msgr. Michael A. Andreano, Master of Ceremonies for Pontifical Liturgies of the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ; Fr. Ross Tozzi, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Nome, AK; Turkey Hill Dairy in Conestoga, PA; In-N-Out Burger (a Christian fast food restaurant) based from Irvine, CA; Fr. James Greenfield, OSFS, Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales; Fr. Melvin T. Long, retired priest of the Diocese of Salina, KS and former Rector of the American College in Louvain, Belgium, and lastly, Father Russell Roide, SJ, Pastor of the Newman Center of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

I know in television "teasers" are used--well I plan to do a "teaser" on a reflection on redemptive suffering in light of Pope John Paul II and his impending beatification on May 1st.

God bless!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Raindrops are falling on my head

Raindrops are falling on my head...  Well, they were lol  My Dad and I went to BJ's Wholesale Club in Maple Shade to purchase a window air conditioner for one of our bedrooms.  My parents room to be exact.  Our large circa 1892 Victorian home has two central air conditioning units--one to serve the first floor and one to serve the second.  The upstairs unit has a leak in the evaporator coil, preventing any of the necessary freon gas from entering the air handler.  Hence, the need for the window units. 

I received no responses today; however, my Grandmother received an appeal from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield in Holyoke, MA.  She's been deceased for three years in May and still is receiving mail.  Last year, she was summoned for jury duty! 

Currently, I am watching the NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth. 

Since there's not too much to speak of in today's post, I am closing with this Prayer Before a Crucifix courtesy of http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/:

BEHOLD, O good and sweetest Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech Thee
to impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of faith,
hope and charity,
with true repentance for my sins
and a most firm desire of amendment:
whilst with deep affection and grief of soul
I consider within myself
and mentally contemplate Thy five most precious Wounds,
having before mine eyes that which David, the prophet,
long ago spoke in Thine own person concerning Thee,
my Jesus: “They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”

Thursday, April 7, 2011

I-Confess

http://i-confess.com/

Take a look at the link for the Reconciliation Monday project sponsored by the Archdiocese of New York, Diocese of Brooklyn, and Diocese of Rockville Centre.

I confess to almighy God.....

John Paul II beatification

Here's a link to the official website for John Paul II's beatification.

http://www.jpiibeatus.org/en/site/generalInformation

A university, three letters, Air Supply, and A10

St. John Baptist de la Salle, priest

My reader (do I have more than one? lol) will probably wonder what they have in common, and rightly they should be wondering. 

No Papal appointments to the USA or of note to speak of today so I decided to turn my attention to what may be seen as a more "traditional" blog post.  (I ask myself--is there such a thing?)  Eh..maybe not, but I digress and delve into the topics straight away as our brothers and sisters in Britain would say.

A university:  on last night's episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter (Wednesdays at 9 PM on A&E) the Chapman's house kepper of sorts, whose name escapes me, was preparing to graduate from college.  He was a student at Chaminade University in Honolulu, a Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary (Marists).  Without having any graduation party in mind, the show went on, detailing the capture of Da Kine's latest fugitive on Maui--the Chapmans live on Oahu.  Oh, before I forget, Da Kine is the name of the bail bonds company operated by Duane "Dog" Chapman and his family.  The fugitive, after Dog and his family scouring the island of Maui for two days and being confronted by the fugitive's father who tried to say that they were not trying to help their son, peacefully surrendered to police on his own accord.  While Dog wants to be the one to catch the bounty, the surrender allowed the family time to make it back to Honolulu to attend Chaminade's commencement.  Only a small glimpse was shown of the school's president, Brother Bernard Ploeger, SM.  The episode ended of everyone gathered in a large tent celebrating the graduation. 

I know the Chapmans are deeply devout Christians--not sure what denomination.  Either way, they are a good Christian family who are in harms way intentionally--something to find commendable.

Three letters:  Today's reponses are from Indiana, Texas, and Delaware.  Deacon Thomas Ward from St. Simon the Apostle in Indianapolis, IN; Fr. Michael Peinemann, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, who serves as Confessor and Spiritual Director at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio and as Sacramental Assistant at St. Anthony Parish in Harper, TX (said that I remind of a young John Paul II); and Wilmington, DE Bishop William Francis Malooly. 

Air Supply:  On the Comcast Digital cable lineup are several music channels, which provide 24/7 music of all sorts.  A few nights back before going to bed, I was channel flipping and on came Air Supply, a 1980s Australian duo.  Ever since then, I have had their hit "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" in my head.  This is all compounded by the fact that I have saved the song on my YouTube favorites.  Dang you YouTube.

The final portion of today's post centers around a new international racing series called A10.  The series has the same concept as the now defunct A1GP series.  Drivers competing for their home nation rather than as inviduals.  Sounds like a great concept and I hope it sees more success than A1GP did. 

Thanks for reading and May God bless!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Catholic Rules for Twitter

Hop over to this link http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/catholicrulesfortwitter.html to see some hilarious "Catholic Rules for Twitter." 

Oh, and if you'd like to follow me on Twitter I'm @cjfr1987

God bless!  I am now off to get a tall glass of milk and watch two episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter I recorded to the DVR. 

CPA for Queen City and two omissions

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

My reader(s) may find this to be somewhat of a puzzling title for my first official post--well it is.  Today, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Father Joseph Binzer, Vicar General and Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Pastor of St. Louis Parish in Cincinnati as Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati.  Father Binzer was ordained a priest in 1994 at age 39 after being a Certified Public Accountant. 

Queen City is the nickname of Ohio's 3rd largest city--Cincinnati.

The two omissions are of "Ad Jesum Per Mariam" that appears at the top of the blog.  It's Latin for "To Jesus through Mary."  The second omission is about something else that will appear within each post, if applicable, for a particular day.  That is if I receive any responses from some letters that I have sent.  I send out notes/letters to encourage priests, bishops, religious communities, apostolates, etc. in the church to continue all of the goodness that God has begun in them and humbly ask of their prayers.  I pray every day for the Holy Spirit to enlighten me as to who to reach out to.  This also includes autographs that I collect--two of which are on the wall of my room.  They are Martin Sheen and drag racer Ashley Force Hood.  Both are Catholic. 

Today, I received a response from Father Emmett Carroll, OFM Conv. who is an 85 year old friar who resides at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Seaside Park, NJ.

Edit: Thanks goes out to a friend who pointed me in the direction that my omissions aren't really omissions.  I purely left them out on accident.  Thanks!

Welcome

Welcome one and all to my blog.  While that may be a rather mundane opening statement, this won't be a mundane blog trust me. 

This is my first foray into blogging for about 4-6 years.  I two actually:  Blogger and Xanga.  Sad to say I was not too diligent in keeping up on them; this one will be different however.  I'll mainly be focusing on two main themes:  Catholicism and auto racing--Catholicism predominantly.  I'll be sharing links, offering updates on Church events universally and locally, Pope Benedict's appointments to the episcopacy, etc.  When something catches my eye or is newsworthy in my mind is when I'll post something related to auto racing. 

That's it for the inaugural post.  Enjoy the first "official" post :) God bless!