I spotted this video on Father Phillips's blog. It demonstrates the President's proposal to cut $100 million from the national budget via pennies. Mwahaha....

A friend of mine spotted me in a post-Tea Party slideshow by the San Antonio Express-News on picture 21.

In addition, a video below at the 3:00 mark.




A speech by Ted Nugent, aka "The Nuge", at the event.

I just got back from the Tea Party held at downtown San Antonio. It was one of the largest of many peaceful assemblies across the country on Income Tax Day, dubbed "tea parties" after the Boston Tea Party. The purpose, then and now, was to make a statement to our leaders against the unjust levying of taxes and irresponsible use of said taxpayer money. I was first interested in the event through my acquaintance, Eric Adam, who was one of the guys responsible for organizing the whole thing. Eric, a fellow traditional Catholic whom I met through the FishEaters forum, was the one who videotaped my stepfather's Requiem Mass.

There were about 16,000 people in attendance, packed nut to butt in the Alamo Plaza, and I ran into a number of people I know, including other FishEaters. All in all, the event was a lot of fun and I plan on taking what I learned here and writing to my Congressmen and Senators. Only bad part was that, despite being in literally over a thousand people's cameras and being interviewed by the San Antonio Express-News and other media outlets..... I didn't pick up any chicks.

It's also worth stressing just how peaceful the assembly was, and how when all was said and done, we picked up all the trash around us. Definitely the most civilized mass rally I've ever been to.



Pictures:

Myself with BeateMariae and Father Donald Kloster, who regularly offers the Traditional Latin Mass here at St. Pius X parish. Fellow FishEater rbjmartin was also there, but off-camera. (Actually, rbjmartin is in the picture that I use for every Good Friday post as the acolyte on the right and I didn't even know it until he told me today.)


Myself with another FishEater who simply goes by the username "mom", and her daughter.



I figured one photo is enough to represent all random people in general.



And here are a number of pictures I took of signs:











Even found a few Texas secessionists:



People in costumes:





And if I'm not mistaken, this speaker and politician was only 18 years old:

Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega; all time belongs to Him and all the ages; to Him be glory and power through every age and for ever.

Just got back from the Vigil of the Resurrection, which is undoubtedly the most kickass service of the entire liturgical year. Really.

I've decided that my favourite part of the Easter Vigil is at the beginning when the priest marks up the Paschal Candle. The Book of Divine Worship gives the formula as such:

After the blessing of the new fire, an acolyte or one of the servers brings the Paschal candle to the celebrant, who cuts a cross in the wax with a stylus. Then he traces the Greek letter alpha above the cross, the letter omega below, and the numerals of the current year between the arms of the cross.

Meanwhile he says:

1. Christ yesterday and today (as he traces the vertical arm of the cross),

2. the beginning and the end (the horizontal arm),

3. Alpha (alpha, above the cross),

4. and Omega (omega, below the cross),

5. all time belongs to him (the first numeral, in the upper left corner of the cross),

6. and all the ages (the second numeral in the upper right corner),

7. to him be glory and power (the third numeral in the lower left corner),

8. through every age and for ever. Amen (the last numeral in the lower right corner).
X
A
2 0
0
W

When the cross and other marks have been made, the priest may insert five grains of incense in the candle . He does this in the form of a cross, saying:

1. By his holy

2. and glorious wounds

3. may Christ our Lord

4. guard us

5. and keep us. Amen.

The priest lights the candle from the new fire, saying:

May the Light of Christ, rising in glory,
dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

I'm not sure what my favourite part of the Good Friday Liturgy is. There are three contenders:

1.) The Gospel. This year, we finally got to sing the Gospel (the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John) by splitting the parts. During the Tract (Christus factus est), the priest came down from the sanctuary to the center of the nave with one altar server to hold his book for him while on the other side of the nave came our choir director and one of the schola members, a tenor. Our director sang the part of the narrator in a normal voice, Father Phillips (the priest) sang the part of Jesus in an extremely low bass, and Johnny (the tenor) sang the part of the servant girl, Pilate, and pretty much everyone else in a whiny falsetto. The choir sang the part of the Jewish mobs. It was in the vernacular, but according to the traditional Gregorian melodies. It took forever, but it was awesome.

2.) The Great Intercessions. In place of the usual intercessions after the sermon, the Good Friday Liturgy has intercessions of epic proportions. After each intention is announced, the deacon sings "let us pray. Let us bow the knee." (In the Latin Mass, "Oremus. Flectamus genua.") Everyone genuflects for a while until the deacon sings "Arise." ("Levate.")

3.) The unveiling of the cross. The priest holds the veiled cross up, lifts the veil off of one arm and sings "Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the World." Everyone responds with "O come, let us worship." He then lifts the veil off of the arm and sings it again. Finally he removes the veil entirely and sings "Behold" one more time. Part of the purpose of Good Friday is to venerate and meditate upon the cross itself (that is, the actual two beams of wood), because it became an instrument of the salvation of mankind.

Last year, I posted an informative article about the traditions of Maundy Thursday along with my first attempt to organize a Visita Iglesia.

We visited the same churches this year, although in a different order. In front of every church, we prayed two Stations of the Cross. I have pictures. But first, a preface to further explain the practice:

A couple of my friends and I picked up the tradition of the Seven Churches visitation. As you recall, after the Mass of the Lord's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, the priest takes the Blessed Sacrament in procession to a separate altar that's designated as the "Altar of Repose". There, the Sacrament resides until the 3pm Good Friday Liturgy the next day. Communion on Good Friday is distributed from these Hosts since the priest is not allowed to say Mass and consecrate new Hosts on that day.

It's a very popular custom in "uber-Catholic" places like Poland, Italy, Mexico and the Philippines to visit the Altars of Repose at seven different churches and keep Jesus company through the night. The seven churches come from the seven pilgrim churches that the Pope traditionally visited in medieval times (Wikipedia lists Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and traditionally Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls). They can also represent the seven stops that Jesus made while on the road to Calvary.

Now, for the churches:

1.) Our Lady of the Atonement


The Altar of Repose in the Sacred Heart Chapel (click image to enlarge)



A reliquary with, I believe, first class relics of Sts. Peter and Paul and other Apostles



2.) San Fernando Cathedral

The high altar is a post-Vatican II square altar in the center of the nave, but the Altar of Repose is in the apse with a giant golden retablo and tabernacle built onto it. There's a crucifix in the center and figures of the four evangelists around it.



Outside the Cathedral, workers were setting up a platform for the final stage of the annual downtown Passion Play



3.) St. Joseph's (downtown)

When we arrived there, it was closed (just as it was last year) and I was so disappointed that I forgot to take pictures.


4.) St. Mary's (downtown)

Same as above, although I took some pictures of the bums who like to sleep under the portal and probably woke one or two of them up by doing the Stations.




5.) Immaculate Heart of Mary

This church's Altar of Repose was on the gospel side (left side) of the high altar. It has a nice painting of the Last Supper over it. Some hobo smooth-talked me into giving him $12 for some flowers which I really didn't want, and I laid them before the altar here (specifically, on that small table to the left).


The ceiling is awesome.


There were baskets of bread rolls for pilgrims at the main altar. I'm not sure exactly what this custom is for.


We did the Stations outside in front of this statue of Christ the King, with the "Eucharistic" full moon in sight.



6.) St. Henry's

The Altar of Repose here had too many devotees there for me to want to disturb them by taking a picture. I just took a picture outside where we did the Stations.



7.) Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower

We got just in time before the Carmelite priest in charge there locked the doors.

The Altar of Repose:


The high altar w/ empty tabernacle:



Miscellaneous images:

The moon right behind one of the Basilica's spires



When I first saw the moon in the night sky while driving on the freeway, I insisted that we pull over to take a picture. So we did just that. See, the moon made me think of a giant Eucharist in the sky (and in the East) so I interpreted it as a sign.... or something.



We prayed the Stations by putting them up on a tablet laptop. Much easier to see in the dark and saves on paper.





And for those who are wondering, yes, I wore a yellow shirt and gold tie to match the liturgical colour of Maundy Thursday.

The nun in question is probably tired of being associated with that title, but it grabs attention.

A friend sent me this link from BBC about Sister Anna Nobili.

Excerpt:

The 38-year-old used to be a lap-dancer, and spent many years working in Italian nightclubs.

She is now using her talents in a rather different way - for what she calls "The Holy Dance" in a performance on Tuesday evening at the Holy Cross in Jerusalem Basilica in Rome, in front of senior Catholic clerics including Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Vatican's Cultural Department.

Miss Nobili told the BBC World Service that the transformation from podium lap dancer to nun happened gradually.

"It was my mother who went about getting me involved in the faith - she had a powerful vision of Jesus," she says.

"At first I didn't want to know, but then Jesus appeared to me too, and I fell in love with him."

Read More...

This is the latest in a series of events revolving around the big stink in the aftermath of Notre Dame University inviting President Obama to give the commencement address and receive an honorary degree. The headline on Catholic Online has it:

Bishop Doran to Notre Dame: Rescind Obama invitation or change your name

Direct quote from His Grace:

"I would ask that you rescind this unfortunate decision and so avoid dishonoring the practicing Catholics of the United States, including those of this Diocese. Failing that, please have the decency to change the name of the University to something like, The Fighting Irish College or Northwestern Indiana Humanist University."

That is quite balls-y, to say the least... especially considering this generation of Catholic hierarchs. I have to give props to His Grace for taking such a strong stance on the situation. It's really about time.

A word to those readers of mine who are Obama supporters and really don't get what the big deal is: having the Head of State (any President; Obama, Bush, Hoover, it doesn't matter) speak at your graduation is an immeasurable privilege and a sign that your school is one of the best of the best..... that is, if you're going to a secular school. And there's nothing wrong with that in my book. After all, I go to one myself (though as I've iterated before, I learned more in one day at Ave Maria than I have in my entire career at UTSA). I probably couldn't hope for a better commencement speaker at my school than President Barack Obama... of course, being UTSA, that's never going to happen.

In the case of Notre Dame, though, this is a Catholic institution we're talking about. And unlike a secular school, a Catholic university's primary duty isn't to be a degree mill, win football games, or even to land you the best entry level job in Washington or Silicon Valley or friggin' Prague. The school was built to give its students a solid forming in the Catholic intellectual tradition, to train officers in the proverbial army of God and go out and conquer the world for the cross of Christ. Therefore, if anyone's going to give a commencement speech, it naturally follows that the best candidate would be a fellow Catholic. No matter what rank or prestige the speaker has, whether he's President, King, or Emperor of a reconstituted Roman Empire, no dignity would be greater than that of the mark of Confirmation and a lifelong profession of that faith in the public sphere. So with that in mind, even without his pro-abortion advocacy in the mix, President Obama would be an unsuitable candidate for a speech. And yes, I extend this sentiment to all former Presidents who have spoken to Notre Dame graduates (except Kennedy). It's just another sign that a once-great Catholic institution has sold itself out to Mammon.

Next year, they better invite me.

I once had a chance encounter with Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, at JFK Airport on the way to Rome.

Mr. Gingrich very recently converted and was received into the Catholic Church. He's made a few comments about it, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

WALLACE: Mr. Gingrich, you have been a Baptist most of your life, and last Sunday you converted to Catholicism. Why, sir?

GINGRICH: I’m not talking about this much publicly, but let me just say that I found over the course of the last decade, attending the basilica, meeting with Monsignor Rossi, reading the literature, that there was a peace in my soul and a sense of well being in the Catholic Church, and I found the mass of conversion last Sunday one of the most powerful moments of my life.

WALLACE: You have — it’s no secret — been married and divorced twice. Will you be able to participate fully in communion and all the other rites of the Catholic Church?

GINGRICH: Yes, we have done everything within the law of the church, following all of the rules of the church over the last 10 years. And it’s been a process. It’s been a very long process and something which was deeply affected, in part, by Pope Benedict XVI’s visit and the opportunity I had to sit in — as you know, my wife, Calista, sings at the basilica every Sunday, and I was allowed as a spouse to be there as part of the vespers program when the pope came. It’s been a long process.

WALLACE: And if I might ask, just briefly, what is it about the pope’s visit that led to this?

GINGRICH: I really believe, first of all, seeing the joy in his eyes, listening to his message, and I really believe that his basic statement, Christ our hope, is right. And I think much of what’s wrong with our country and with the western world is a function of looking inside ourselves, not just looking at money or looking at our wallets.

Excellent remarks, Mr. Gingrich.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, founded in 1853 and known as "the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design" (Wikipedia) is having an exhibit from April 4 through July 29 called Baroque: Style in the Age of Magnificence (link here). I'm not sure exactly how one includes this in the exhibit unless they're actually saying Mass in the museum, but there's a video out.


Baroque: Oratory Latin Mass from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

The listing of concerts and other special events on the site for this exhibit makes me wish I lived in London now.

Of interest as well are the articles in the site pertaining to the Baroque period, especially "Sacred Spaces".

Glad to see that knee-breeches have a place in the new liturgical movement. Spotted this photo, among others, on the New Liturgical Movement's blog of a low Mass in the Extraordinary Form/TLM celebrated by Archbishop Raymond Burke (formerly of St. Louis, now Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura) and the ICRSS (Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest) in Rome at the Palazzo Massimo. This liturgy is celebrated every year in honour of a miracle by St. Philip Neri who, on the 16th of March, 1583, raised 14-year old Prince Paul Massimo from the dead.


Also note the blue mozetta (a shoulder cape which is worn as part of choir dress by bishops, abbots, canons, etc.), which was a colour of choice for bishops during the Baroque era.


As you can see from this portrait of Bishop Bossuet, court preacher to the Sun King...

Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen.

"Christ became obedient for us unto death, even to the death of the cross. Therefore God exalted Him and gave Him a Name which is above all names."

The verse Christus factus est has been the subject of many classical compositions, such as the one above by Anton Bruckner. In the modern rite, it serves as the Gradual for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and the Exultation of the Cross (September 14). In the Extraordinary Form ("Tridentine" Latin Mass), it serves as the Gradual for Maundy Thursday.

I posted it today because this past Palm Sunday during the Epistle (modern rite), I was reminded of one of my favourite sections of Scripture.

Palm Sunday Epistle (from the Douay Rheims translation, Philippians 2:6-11)

"Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names: That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."

The verse immediately following it adds this piece of advice which some may recall appears on the gravestone at the end of The Exorcism of Emily Rose:

"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation."

Interesting article from the Times about where the Shroud of Turin was kept during its "missing years": with the Knights Templar, apparently.

Knights Templar hid the Shroud of Turin, Vatican says

Excerpt:

Medieval knights hid and secretly venerated The Holy Shroud of Turin for more than 100 years after the Crusades, the Vatican said yesterday in an announcement that appeared to solve the mystery of the relic’s missing years.

The Knights Templar, an order which was suppressed and disbanded for alleged heresy, took care of the linen cloth, which bears the image of a man with a beard, long hair and the wounds of crucifixion, according to Vatican researchers.

The Shroud, which is kept in the royal chapel of Turin Cathedral, has long been revered as the shroud in which Jesus was buried, although the image only appeared clearly in 1898 when a photographer developed a negative.

Barbara Frale, a researcher in the Vatican Secret Archives, said the Shroud had disappeared in the sack of Constantinople in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, and did not surface again until the middle of the fourteenth century. Writing in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Dr Frale said its fate in those years had always puzzled historians.

Read More

Someone who read my previous entry on Sophie Scholls and Cardinal Newman asked me about the miracle mentioned at the bottom of the article. As all wanton papists! should know, one verified miracle is required for a non-martyr to be beatified, and another is required to be canonized. Specifically, the article stated:

"At present a panel of theologians is considering whether the inexplicable healing of an American man "bent double" by a crippling spinal disorder is the miracle needed for Newman's beatification to proceed."

The American man is Deacon Jack Sullivan of Boston, Massachusetts. He called for the intercession of Cardinal Newman and was healed of his affliction on the 15th of August, 2001 (the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady). There is an article in the Catholic Herald which details this:

Doctors approve Newman miracle

Excerpt:

The Cause of Cardinal John Henry Newman moved a significant step forward today after doctors in Rome concluded that an American man was miraculously cured of a spinal disorder after praying for his intercession.

The case will now be considered by a committee of theologians. If it receives their approval it will be passed to Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, whose job it is to advise Benedict XVI.

Read more

At least, one could wonder if our President knows what the difference is between Austria and Australia.

Pres. Obama thinks Austrian is a language




Actually, I don't really care if the President makes a mistake like this. Everyone makes mistakes, especially in off-the-cuff situations like that. But I did a search for this gaffe in the mainstream media and I couldn't find it in any major media news outlet. And yet, if it was former President Bush or Governor Sarah Palin that said it, it would be a subject on media headlines and late night comedians' routines for weeks. Hmm.....

Came across this randomly while searching for Gregorian chant on YouTube. It's a Latin version of Aladdin's "A Whole New World", with lyrics by TranslatorCarmimum and singing by EponineJavert.

LYRICS:
ALADDIN: Possum monstrare ti
Mundum splendidum vere
Regis filia, ti parendum est
Tandem cordi tuo
Possum ferre iam te
Mundi tantis mirandis
In tapete volanti
Nunc vehimur magice
Mundo novo
Est modus novus videndi
Ita constringit nos
Aut dicit nos
Solum somniare nemo

JASMINE: Mundo novo
Est locus quem
Numquam novi
Sed hic clarissime
Video me
In mundum totum novum
Iam ferri

ALADDIN: In mundum totum novum
Iam ferri

JASMINE: Non potest describi
Incredibilis sensus
Et volando hic tecum
Tangam gemmas mox caeli
Mundo novo

ALADDIN: Oculos aperi
JASMINE: Videnda milia sunt ergo
ALADDIN: Etiam fiet multum melis
JASMINE: Cum sideribus his,
Longe veni
Porro redire numquam potero
ALADDIN: Mundo novo
JASMINE: Sensus arrigunt me
ALADDIN: Nunc oras petimus mundi
JASMINE: Quoque puncto mirando
BOTH: Stellas affectabo
Cuivis loco
Inter nos partiamus caelum sic.

ALADDIN: Mundo novo
JASMINE: Mundo novo
ALADDIN: Sumus ergo
JASMINE: Sumus ergo
ALADDIN: Cupiditas
JASMINE: Est libertas
BOTH: Pro te et me

Original Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Alan Menken
Translation by RogueTranslator

I just came across an article by the Catholic Herald about the role of John Cardinal Newman in Sophie Scholl's fight against the Nazi Party.

Woman who defied Hitler was "inspired by Newman"

For those who don't know, Scholl (1921-1943) was a biology and philosophy student at the University of Munich. She was a member of a group called the White Rose, authors of a series of anti-Nazi leaflets. She was arrested with her brother Hans for distributing leaflets at the university. A few days later, Scholl was tried in court, condemned and immediately beheaded by guillotine.

At any rate, the article asserts that Scholl was inspired by the "theology of conscience" taught by Cardinal Newman and had several volumes of his works in her possession.

Newman taught that conscience was an echo of the voice of God enlightening each person to moral truth in concrete situations. Christians, he argued, had a duty to obey a good conscience over and above all other considerations.

This is another fascinating tidbit:

Under questioning from the Gestapo Scholl said she had been compelled by her Christian conscience to peacefully oppose Nazism.

Sophie and Hans both asked to be received into the Catholic Church an hour before they were executed but were dissuaded by their pastor who argued that such a decision would upset their mother, a Lutheran lay preacher.

Finally, the article ties it all back to Newman's current beatification process:

It was through Haeker that the young Joseph Ratzinger - the future Pope Benedict XVI - learned to admire Newman, who died in Birmingham in 1890. The Pope is so keen to beatify Newman that he asks about the progress of his Cause on a regular basis.

At present a panel of theologians is considering whether the inexplicable healing of an American man "bent double" by a crippling spinal disorder is the miracle needed for Newman's beatification to proceed.

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus Catholicam.

I announce to you a great joy: we have a Catholic. Or at least, a catechumen. My father (my natural father), whom I drove from his place of residence in Bryan/College Station to San Antonio to attend my stepfather's Requiem Mass (see the previous entry), was so moved and inspired by said Mass that he decided to convert to the Catholic faith. He had never before seen such an authentic expression of Christian worship. He is currently affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

Every January between January 18 (the feast of the Chair of St. Peter) and January 25 (the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul), my parish publicly prays the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. However, it's applicable any time of year. The Octave was conceived by Father Paul of Graymoor, a co-founder of the Society of the Atonement and convert from the Anglican to the Catholic faith.

ANTIPHON: That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

V. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;
R. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

[Here is brought to mind the intention for the day's prayer.]

January 18:
For the return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of our Lord Jesus Christ.
January 19:
For the return of the Eastern Orthodox Christians to communion with the Apostolic See.
January 20:
For the return of the Anglicans to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.
January 21:
For the return of all Protestants throughout the world to the unity of the Catholic Church.
January 22:
That Christians in America may be one, in union with the Chair of Saint Peter.
January 23:
That lapsed Catholics will return to the Sacraments of the Church.
January 24:
That the Jewish people will be converted to the Catholic Faith.
January 25:
That missionary zeal will conquer the world for Christ.

[The following prayer is then said.]

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

It seems I haven't made a blog post in....... six months! My, my, so much has happened since September: an economic crisis, a new President of the United States, a personal spiritual slump, the death of an old screen name and the birth of a new one (this blog is the last place where I exist as "Archbishop 10-K", the rest of the Interwebs knowing me as "The Harlequin King" now), relationship drama, and most recently, the death of my dear stepfather, Joseph Michael Baca.

On Monday, my church offered a Solemn Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul, even though the only ones who attended were my immediate family, plus the Poor Clares who live across the street and a couple of others. I'm glad we changed the venue to the Sacred Heart Chapel rather than the main church, or else the tiny congregation would have just been devoured by the main church's spacious walls. It's also fitting that in the Sacred Heart Chapel, both walls are lined with niches to place the ashes of the faithful departed. So in a sense, the chapel is like a mausoleum.

This link should take you to a .pdf of the program I designed for this Mass, which is according to the Anglican use liturgy (Book of Divine Worship, Rite I). I was quite liberal with the use of line art from old TLM hand Missals, and there's an obituary and elegy in the back for my stepfather's memory.

I had an acquaintance, Eric Adam of Micha-Angel Productions, make a professional video of the Requiem Mass so pictures and video of the Mass itself will come in time. For now, I have a few photos taken afterward in the courtyard.


The Gregorian schola with Father Phillips and Deacon Orr. Shouldn't be too difficult to discern who His Grace (yours truly) is. Deacon has a particularly grim facial expression, as though he wants to tie a Gospel book to the business end of a baseball bat and crack you over the head with it. That's kind of like how I feel at the end of most of his sermons. And yes, I mean that as a compliment.



His Grace and Father Phillips, with the outdoor altar in the background. Father is either making a very stately posture, or imagining himself holding a glass of sherry. Or both.


With the Poor Clare Sisters. I believe very strongly in the efficacy of their prayers, so I especially requested their presence at the Mass and continued prayers for my stepfather.



Finally, these are the members of the House of Griffin-Baca. His Grace is flanked by his father and mother and two half-siblings, whose father is the, uh, principal beneficiary of that evening's Mass. As you can see, I forced little Joseph to be a miniature version of myself for a day with that three-piece suit, matching tie and silk, and pocketwatch. He is squirming.



At any rate, I found the Requiem Mass a moving and intimate experience. To be honest, I had been in a bit of a spiritual slump for a while now, but I've been trying to get my butt in gear throughout Lent by dedicating most of my free time to the schola and (with the news of my stepdad's passing) his farewell rites in particular. And now, His Grace is ready to start cracking heads again and sail full speed ahead to the imminent retelling of the passion, death and resurrection of Our sovereign Lord this Holy Week.

Christus vincit. Christus regnat. Christus imperat.
Christ conquers. Christ reigns. Christ rules.