This Sunday we hear once again the parable of the prodigal son. It is so hard for us to appreciate, accept, or live what Jesus is telling us about God, Us, and Love. There is a little video about a Jesuit priest, Fr. Greg Boyle, who lives by this parable and inspires others to do the same. He is the founder of Homeboy Industries, and has given hope and meaning to thousands of young people in Los Angeles: View Video
Canadian folk singer, Kate McGarrigel (1946-2010) died Monday, January 18, 2010. This song seems eminently relevant given the situation in Haiti.
Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis preached a homily at a special Mass for Haitians on Thursday, January 14, 2010. Here is an excerpt that inspires hope, courage, and a Christian response:
"The lifeless body of Archbishop Joseph Miot of Port-au-Prince was found this morning under the rubble of the archbishops’ residence," L’Osservatore Romano reported this morning. Full story and details in the NCR report:
It almost seems voyeuristic to post this site with pictures from the social web about the tragedy (earthquake) in Haiti. The global village definitely makes human suffering so real and graphic. Canada, the United States, and the international community are attempting to respond quickly with help. Let us pray that they are successful.
“For so many, the need to belong is strong but the search can be discouraging and lonely. One may feel isolated, unsure whether there is a place of love and nurturing for them. They do not feel at home anywhere, or with anyone. There is no place at a table for them. Their isolation can be anguishing; their spirit diminished. Every person has a need to belong.” This is a quote from The Downtown Chapel Web Site by one of the priests (Fr. Bob Loughery) who serves this community in Portland Oregon. This Site and ministry certainly deserve a visit, and I especially recommend the Christmas Portrait Slide Show for those of you who are visual. Please visit the site (Downtown Chapel) for more videos, the priest’s blogs, and this very special ministry in the downtown core of Portland, Oregon by the Holy Cross Fathers. It is a very special gift to help one begin the New Year with the blessing of hope.
As I was preparing my homily for the New Year – Feast of Mary Mother of God, I came across Deacon Greg Kandra’s web site: The Deacon’s Bench. In his homily for the New Year he refers to a Martha Mason, of Lattimore, North Carolina. Martha was a survivor of Polio but lived in an iron lung for 61 years. The New York Times reported on her death this May 2009: Martha Mason, Who Wrote Book About Her Decades in an Iron Lung, Dies at 71. The story is truly inspirational, but also scary, when you think about it. Here is a quote that reflects both: "I live in a stable of nightmares," she once wrote, "but hope keeps them in harness."
A Toronto Man of Muslim faith is inspired by the generosity that Jesus call us all to live. In a recent article in the Canadian Catholic Register he talks of this inspiration and how Mother Teresa more or less transformed his life:
Christmas Trees have been a part of my Christmas for 65 years. I can’t imagine Christmas without one. Yet, it was only in 1982 that John Paul II recognized the tradition. In that year John Paul II requested that a Christmas tree adorn St
Peter’s Square during the Christmas Season, and one has enhanced the square every Christmas since. On December the 4th, 2009 a 100ft tree was put in place in the square. The official lighting ceremony took place on December 18th. Pope Benedict admired the tree and made the following comments:
I receive a monthly email from Sister Patricia Bruno, a Dominican Sister in California. Each email explores biblical stories that are seldom heard in the liturgical lectionary. This month she focuses on Advent and the the prophet Isaiah. She concludes her recent email with these words: “I hope this article will encourage you to spend some time using the daily Mass readings for your own personal reflections and prayer. Perhaps by doing so we will become like the bird who feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark - true Advent people!” Here is the full email for this month. Maybe you would like to get on her mailing list:
Episcopal Priest and Theologian speaks of wishful thinking and the human need for real hope.
I guess there is a little bit more to this story than the video captures. Here is an article in the British Telegraph that provides more insight and details about the meeting between the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sister Pauline Doherty of Our Lady’s Missionaries died yesterday (Nov.20, 2009) evening at Providence Health Care. She had been ill for a few years but in hospital only for a short time. Sister Pauline celebrated her 50th Anniversary in 2003. Sister, also a nurse, lived a life devoted to helping the sick, and rejoiced that God had gifted her with the health to do so for so many years. She served in Brazil, Nigeria, and Canada. On her profile page of Our Lady’s Missionaries web site she states that her motivation was to “help in foreign missions.” When asked what made her grateful, she stated: I am grateful to my family, Our Lady’s Missionaries and for my good health. Sister’s generosity of spirit will be remembered and mourned by her friends, family, and all that she reached out to in Christian love.
I remember when the Fax Machine was the big new controversial event in business, and the parish. No need to mail out documents, just fax them. I think we got our first fax machine in our Diocese in the mid 80’s. Well twenty-five year’s later there is a new kid on the block – the global block – and it is taking over in ways the fax generation couldn’t even imagine. John Allen, the Catholic columnist, puts it this way: “The Internet is both the leading symbol of the globalized world as well as one of its primary drivers. In 1995, according to the Web site “Internet World Stats,” there were 16 million Internet users in the world, representing .04 percent of the global population; as of June 2007, there were 1.13 billion users, or 17.2 percent of the world, remarkable growth in little more than a decade. According to the Worldwide Online Population Forecast, by 2011 roughly 1.8 billion people will be logging on, representing 22 percent of the global population – almost one-quarter of all people on earth.”
The Vatican is presently researching and reviewing women religious in the U.S.. Many are threatened and even angry for many reasons – why only women religious being a common concern. Be it as it may, many religious orders are in crisis situation (men and women) with few or no new vocations. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit helps all involved to understand this present crisis, and that it will inspire a hopeful, loving response-answer-solution. One good article on this issue can be found in the Nov. 23, 2009 of America Magazine: America Magazine - A Visitor’s Guide: How the Vatican Investigation could prove beneficial by Doris Gottemoeller
Visit Development and Peace to hear, see, and learn more, and to help by sending an internet message of
support. Earlier this fall, delegates of Development and Peace and a group of Canadian Bishops visited a number of partners in Burundi and witnessed the complex challenges that continue to face the country. The situation in Burundi
• It is estimated that 400,000 lives have been lost over the last 16 years due to civil war and ethnic violence.
• Sixty percent of Burundi’s population are children, many of whom have lost their parents.
• There are 400,000 refugees trying to return to their country and rebuild their lives.
The present shortage of priests often gives rise to a discussion on married priests. With the Pope’s recent invite to Anglican laity and clergy to join the Catholic Church, some saw a potential thaw in the Vatican’s position on celibate clergy. Not so, says John Thavis of Catholic New Service, as he reviews the Vatican’s response to this issue since the Synod on Priestly Formation in 1990 to the present day: Married priests? For the Vatican, still an exception to the rule.
I often get the question, how many people visit frbobscorner.com. I thought I would show you this graph that is compiled by sitemeter. It’s not a lot when compared to traffic on the popular big sites, but enough to motivate me to continue posting.
“Catholic churches in Italy are installing automatic holy water dispensers to help reduce the risk of spreading swine flu,” BBC Television reports in a short video broadcast. Father Pierre Angelo Mota comments that"It has been a bit of a novelty. People initially were a bit shocked by this technological innovation but then they welcomed it with great enthusiasm and joy. The members of this parish have got used to it," he added.
Matthew Kelly is coming to Cornwall as part of our Diocesan Speaker Series this fall. Who is Matthew Kelly, you might ask? Well the best way to tell you is to show you. In March of 2009 he gave a mission at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish – Chandler Arizona (Theme: The Genius of Catholicism). Major segments of this mission were filmed and now appear as Videos on the parish website. In The Genius of Catholicism, Matthew Kelly talks about the 7 pillars of Catholic spirituality and challenges us to discover the relevance of Catholicism for modern problems, happiness, and day-to-day living. He challenges his listeners to be the best version of themselves – and to recognize and open their hearts to all their Catholic faith has to offer. The presentation will take place at St. Joe’s – General Vanier Auditorium on December 15th, 2009. For Further details please visit our Diocesan Website.
I’ve never liked being boxed in - the black and white mentality that labels you, defines you, and purports to know just how you think, what you like, how you feel, and who you are. It appears that many young Catholics feel exactly as I felt when I was young, and still do today when others label me. If you’ve ever felt frustrated in this way, you should read John Allen’s article: The Next Generation of Catholic Leaders
New media are not just instruments for communicating, but they are having a huge impact on culture — on the way people interact and think, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Something like today’s modern day internet began forty years ago. It was Oct. 28, 1969 – the year humans landed on the moon. Want to find out more? Here’s a link with a short summary and a delightful video: Happy 40th!!!!
Founder of St. Joseph’s oratory could become first Quebec man to be canonized-link to article in the Montreal Gazette on October 20, 2009
The Bishops of Canada are meeting here in Cornwall this week (Oct.19-23, 2009). For those of you interested in this meeting, you will find that the the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web site to be an excellent place to visit. Also, Bishop Daniel Bohan of Regina has a post on his blog of this event with numerous pictures: Archbishop’s Blog.
In the editorial section of Cornwall’s Standard Freeholder the following Letter to the editor was written by Bishop Paul-André Durocher on October 2, 2009. In the letter he expresses his shock and shame, bewilderment, and sorrow. “My heart goes out to all those who have been deeply shaken by this revelation. My prayers are offered for all of us.” Here is his full letter:
This weekend the following letter was written by Bishop Mancini to the Catholics in Nova Scotia. It reflects the pain and agony the situation with Bishop Lahey has caused Catholics across Canada. I think we all need to read it, and then try to be still before God – seeking God’s healing grace and the courage to face this terrible challenge once again.
Don Luigi, Mille Grazie e Arrivederci!
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There are a few other YouTube presentations on priests’ retreats. Some of you might be interested so I am posting the links. If I find any more, I will add to the list.
I was reviewing the links on the parish website (bvmparish.com) when an article on John Allen’s widget caught my eye. The title read: “In Brazil, one catholic mass you will never forget.” Intrigued, I clicked for the full article which described in great detail a Mass celebrated in an old factory by a Padre Marcelo Rossi. After reading the article, I googled the the good Padre and confirmed that he was a household name across Brazil with super-star status and rock star events. And, indeed, every age group(male and female) was responding, as the article stated.
Just Google Sister Louise Akers and see the uproar. Sister is a believer in women’s ordination in the Catholic Church, as many men and women are in this time of complex, ongoing, fast paced change. I guess there is one way of dealing with these confusing and difficult times, and that is forbidding and punishing people who disagree with you. It doesn’t usually seem the responsible and compassionate way, and it is likely to result in backlash and demoralization. There are no easy answers when one is in leadership, but when one is confronted with one of the key issues in our modern church, it would appear that this method should only be used as a last resort for very serious situations. I really don’t think this situation qualifies, and if it does, I think millions of Catholics at nearly every level of leadership in the Church would need to be banned, removed, silenced. Here are the headlines in Lebanon Ohio’s Western Star:
Thomas Merton the Monk who was called by some the Conscience of the Peace and Civil Rights Movements in the 60’s, died in Asia while studying East-West relations, and the religions of the east. He was one of the great Catholic Spiritual writers of his day, and his books are still found on the shelves of many modern bookstores. I mention him in the context of what is happening in Quebec and the new compulsory religious education program. One parent commenting on the recent court decision to forbid parents opting out said, “As a parent, I have a duty and say in what my young child/grandchild learns about religion; that they be taught their own faith and not be confused by other religions. I am a Christian because I believe my faith to be true. I agree with the mother who did not see why her 7 year old son had to study Islam.” (Catholic Register)
A Couple in the US (Jill and Kevin) along with a wedding party danced their way to the Altar this summer.
Chris brown is happy because they played his music. You Tube is delighted because 12 million people viewed the dance on the internet. NBC is happy because it became a big human interest story. The couple is happy because of all the publicity and they even made some money (it seems) from all the exposure. Everyone seems happy except (I suspect) Pastors who are being asked by young couples to allow similar dances to the Altar. I haven’t been asked, and I don’t think I will be, but if anyone is thinking of posing the question, please be kind and forget about it. Anyway you might as well view this spectacle – just continue reading. I’ve posted the Video.
A Canadian delegation from Development and Peace, the Canadian Bishops, and The Catholic Women’s League Of Canada are determined to put AFRICA ON THE MAP. For too long Africa has been ignored and they are determined to do something about it. For more information visit: Here
A few words from Sister Joan in her latest Newsletter seemed extremely pertinent to me. I thought I would relay her words:
I should be posting more often now that my summer holiday is over. I didn’t do anything very exotic like last year’s visit to Switzerland, but I did enjoy myself with family and friends. I finished my holiday with a visit to Williamstown Fair – just roamed the grounds with camera in hand and captured a few pictures. It was a beautiful day for a fair, and the crowds were there to enjoy it. Here are a few pictures for those of you who would like a glimpse of the 198th Annual Williamstown Fair – Canada’s Oldest Town Fair. MY PICTURES
Today Williamstown is a quiet country village, but in days gone by, it was far much more. One of the local villagers, Monique Major, put together a 76 page pictorial essay for the 200th Anniversary of Williamstown. I scanned this wonderful document filled with pictures and various clippings etc., and posted it on the parish website: www.bvmparish.com. It is posted as a slide show on Flickr. (The cheapest way I could make it available for viewing and reading.) Take a look, and have a little read by visiting my Flickr posting. (See if you can identify the buildings in this websites header.) Make sure to manually control the slide show, and have it fill your whole monitor. This way you will be able to proceed at your own speed, and fully read and digest the clippings. Enjoy, here is the Link: Beautiful Historic Williamstown by Monique Major
This is the latest post from the National Catholic Reporter on Twitter: NCRonlineJohn Allen on pope’s new social encyclical: Fighting hunger, beefing up unions http://tinyurl.com/lbv8lqabout 5 hours ago from web.
It is sometimes difficult in our day and age for many to understand or appreciate how a young man could be called to the priesthood. It is a very special call to serve, and it also can be very difficult to resist. God always lets a person decide how to respond, but the call can be extraordinarily persistent. Take a look at this video from Paris, France. I think it might help. God calls and hopes we will respond with love, faith, and generosity of heart.
A few days ago I received an email entitled: The unforgettable Commencement Address. I was rushing out the door to a medical appointment when I clicked the email link and was confronted with these words: “I thought that you might enjoy reading this particular address to a graduating class.” Following were a few word of introduction to a man named Paul Hawken, who I had never heard of, and then a fairly long speech. I promptly filed the email in a folder entitled: Read at Leisure. A few days later, as I read the speech, I understood why it was labeled ‘unforgettable’. Here are just a few sentences that typify its unforgettableness:
“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.”
Sometimes when I surf the various Catholic blogging sites, I am dismayed (even saddened) by the harsh critical words that Catholics use on one another. Living in a pluralistic society requires vigilance, if one hopes to remain true to one’s faith. But it seems that the pressure is just too much for some, and they turn to name calling, insults, and all types of derogation, as they strive for faithfulness. If we can’t be respectful of one another, what chance have we of witnessing to the world the Love of Christ? The planet we live on is very small, and the challenge we all face today is living together in love, forgiveness, and respect. This month America Magazine tackles this very issue. Although the article is written for and about the American Church, it still has relevancy in our Canadian context. The concluding paragraph is particularly relevant:
Bishop Gary Gordon has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Whitehorse since 2006. Hear his Call to mission, See his tour of the countryside, meet his dog Kelly, and enjoy a little bit of church in this part of beautiful Canada.
Yikes, I don’t like this editorial! (2009 America Magazine). I mean, I don’t want to hear this opinion because it sounds too much like reality. A reality that most of us, I suspect, don’t want to hear. When the stock market tumbled in September 2008 I wasn’t at all surprised. In fact, every bone in my body seemed to expect it.
More so today, than in the recent past, people discuss and explore ways of praying. Here is a You Tube video-conversation from Loyola Press - by two Christian women: Vinnie Hampton Wright and Alice Camille. In this short video we hear of their personal prayer life: devotional prayer, biblical prayer, liturgical pray, Ignatian Prayer, and about praying always.
In a very special way this video movingly captures our common humanity, inter-dependence, and need for one another.
Few priests and many parishes are making Catholics pretty scared. Where is it all heading? Will my parish survive, and if it does, what will it be like?
This evening there will be a communal celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick with Mass at St. Mary’s at 7:30pm. I came across this video on this very special sacrament and include the link here for those of you that are interested in understanding this sacrament a bit better: Link
Years ago I was a huge fan of Marshall McLuhan (Media is the Message), and Theilard DeChardin who wrote about Cosmic Consciousness (Noosphere). As I watched this Video by Professor Michael Wesch from Kansas State Univ., I couldn’t help but think of these two men. If you have High Speed and an hour of time, and are interested in exploring the Digital Age, specifically You Tube, then here is the video for you.
I captured a few pictures from the EWTN Broadcast of the Youth Rally with The Pope. It was a glorious meeting filled with African Music, Welcoming Messages, Youth Testimonies, and a short speech by Pope Benedict encouraging the youth to be faithful to their Christian Identity. He challenged the youth to make life long decisions and commitments - the true test of real maturity in every age: Dare to make definite decisions - life long commitments, and don’t give in to doubt, corruption, and hedonism. You are the seed - the seed of the new City, the New Jerusalem, he said, and the only way to grow the seed is to die to love. Bring to life the Holy City, the Pope challenged, as the crowds applauded enthusiastically. Towards the end of the event a young man in a wheel chair came on to the stage with the Pope and sang a moving song to Jesus My Friend. The young man appeared to have been crippled during the recent civil war, and as he sang I’m sure many a tear of thanksgiving and hope were shed as he made God’s love strong and visible.
John Allen who is following the Pope throughout Africa and attempting to give us a real feel and insight into what he sees, hears, and feels posted this on March 18, 2009. It tends to confirm what the Harvard Center reported in my previous post.
Benedict talks to journalists during his flight from Rome to Africa March 17. (CNS/ Reuters)
I wish the Pope had handled the condom question a little differently so that the condom controversy didn’t overshadow his African pilgrimage. But now that it has become front page news I’d like to get my two cents worth in on the topic as well. It sounds to me like the Pope might be on the right track about condoms when you read what the Director of the Aids Prevention Research Project at The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies has to say. (This quote is from First Things)
This event is really not attracting much attention by the main stream media either in America or Europe.
On February 26th Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Thomas Rosica (Basilian Priest) as a as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Speaking to CNA, the priest said that he sees this as the Pope entrusting a special responsibility to the Church in Canada.
I recently read Fr. Richard Richard Rohr’s Book: Hope Against Darkness. (The Transforming Vision of St. Francis in an Age of Anxiety) Some of you might find it to be a particularly relevant given the upheaval in our world at the present time. It is also a good Lenten book, in my opinion.
This Sunday we read Mark’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain top. It is about a God who literally comes down the mountain to be with us - the mystery of the incarnation. I have posted a few thoughts I will share in this Sunday’s homily on my homily site: Fr. Bob’s Homilies
There is something very disconcerting for those of us in religious leadership positions when we read about John the Baptist that scrubby character who called the people not to the synagogues or temple, but out into the wilderness. John was certainly not a presentable figure in elite civil and religious circles, yet it was his honor to announce the Messiah and to baptize him. In some says Jesus is very much like him. Just before he begins his three year ministry he too goes to the wilderness, and when he returns he begins to denounce the hypocritical practices of many of the religious leaders, as he proclaims the Good News>
This past little while hasn’t been very uplifting. Problems abound in politics, economics, religion, and everywhere one looks. Pretty upsetting, confusing, and even depressing, if one keeps focusing and listening to the gloom and doom.
I have not been posting since my heart attack, and am now trying to figure out, if I will continue blogging, and how much.
December 3rd was a scary day for me. At about 3:30 in the afternoon I developed heavy chest pain. Since I often experience muscle spasms even in the chest, I did not take it seriously at first. When the pain persisted I began to suspect it was more than a spasm. Around 6:30pm I walked into emergency at Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Ontario to discover that I was having a heart attack. Thanks to the emergency staff at the hospital I was quickly diagnosed and administered a clot-busting drug, and sent by ambulance to the Heart Institute in Ottawa where a stent was placed in a heart artery. The Doctor who preformed the procedure told me that the Doctor and nurses at Glengarry Memorial had saved my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you - I just don’t know what else to say, and I will always be grateful. As well, I am truly grateful to the Ottawa Heart Institute. Are we ever fortunate to have Canada’s best Heart Hospital in our own back yard. What a fantastic Institution!
For as long as anyone can remember the Ladies’ Guild of St. Mary’s Parish have held a tea in November. At one time, before the parish had a suitable hall, the tea was held in private homes. In those days, women from the parish would volunteer to host this annual event, and the women of the parish would bring their fine china, silver teapots and cutlery to serve tea, home baked cakes, cookies, squares, and special party sandwiches. Today, many years later, the Ladies’ Guild still sponsors the event in our small parish hall, and numerous women still provide the baked goods and sandwiches. (Years ago the Guild acquired the fine dishes to serve the tea.)
(My homilies will no longer be found on this site.) A few months ago I opened a free WordPress site to archive my homilies. It was an easy way of putting all my homilies in one place so that they would be easy to find and categorize. I started categorizing them according to the liturgical year: Ordinary Time, Advent, Lent, Easter, Christmas etc. etc.. The categorization is still a little rough and not quite completed, but I’m working on it when I have time.
Advent is the glorious season for memory and imagination. The kind of vivid imagination that enlivened our childhood. Parents and Grandparents have a wonderful opportunity to re-enter this mysterious and wondrous time again, by helping their young children explore God’s activities throughout history: Creation, Adam and Eve, Moses, King David, and all those biblical stories and events that prepare for the Birth of Jesus.
The New Liturgical Year begins next Sunday. As we Light the the first candle on the advent wreath, we will know that Christmas is almost here. Yikes, many will think - so much to do to get ready!! Here is a little video to remind ourselves what we are getting ready for, and some suggestions on how to do it. Enjoy!
