A person-to-person movement

In a fascinating, recently made-available interview with Mike Aquilina, historian and sociologist Rodney Stark shows what really made the early Church grow and thrive:

You also argue for steady growth by individual conversions rather than by mass conversions. Why?

RS: We don't have a single documented case of mass conversion. Yes, there's the passage in the Book of Acts, and I'm not one of these people who say, "Don't trust the Bible." But you've got to understand what people meant by numbers in those times. Numbers were rhetorical exercises. You'd say a million when you really meant a hundred. What you're really saying is "lots." In Acts, I think the numbers are meant to say, "Look, wonderful things are happening." If the historical demographers are right, Jerusalem had about 25,000 people in it at the time. So if you start talking about eight or ten thousand converts, that's a little bit out of scale.

What about forced conversions?

RS: There weren't any in the time I'm talking about. Constantine didn't cause the triumph of Christianity. He rode off it. In fact, I'll go so far as to say he had many harmful effects. I don't believe establishment is good for churches. It gets them involved in the worldly realm in ways that are unsuitable and corrupting. By the end of Constantine's reign, we see people competing madly to become bishops because of the money. After that, Christianity was no longer a person-to-person movement.

Emperor Constantine did not so much ensure Christianity's success as acknowledge it. Constantine's edict of toleration in 313 was overdue recognition that the Church had already won the empire.

You look at the spread of Christianity beyond the empire, and you see that it was almost entirely by treaty and by baptizing kings. I think one reason medieval church attendance was so bad in Scandinavia and Germany was that these people weren't really Christians. If it hadn't been for the establishment of the Church, they might have been. Their lands would have become Christian because many people would have gone door-to-door to make Christians out of them -- and then baptized the king. It was bad for the Church. I think the current pope would agree with me; I think most medieval popes would have me burned for saying this.

American Catholics can understand it, though. They know how good it was for the Church to have to fight for its life in the United States. The old Protestant story was that the priest met the boat, and you had another boatload of Catholics. But that's not true; those people weren't used to going to church or contributing money. They had to be turned into Catholics. It was a remarkable feat. Posed with a challenge, the Church rose to it very well, and the American Church became a very strong Church, compared to the Latin American Church.

The received tradition is that many Christians were martyred. Yet you say that blood witnesses were few.

RS: There's a consensus among historians that the numbers weren't large at all, and that we may know the name of just about every single martyr. The Romans decided to attack the movement from the top. This would have worked with other religions because there was no bottom to paganism. Paganism was really temples on a shopping mall, and people were very casual about which ones they patronized. If the Romans knocked off the chief priest and took away government subsidy, a pagan temple would fold up.

So the empire went after Christianity the same way, thinking, "If we butcher the bishops, things will take care of themselves." Of course, it didn't work because there were 92 guys waiting in line to be bishop. That's what you get with a mass movement.

What was true then -- and true centuries later on this continent -- is still true now: Christianity is fundamentally a person-to-person movement. Studies of converts bear this out as well. While they often cite core doctrines like the Eucharist, papal authority, or the defense of human life, converts just as often tell you it was because of a person that they became Catholic. One of the tragedies of Vatican II's flawed implementation is that it clericalized the laity, convincing them that their vocation was in and around the sanctuary, where they work amongst themselves and compete with the clergy, instead of out in the world, where they can evangelize and build a civilization of love. You can read Mike Aquilina's 36-page history of the early Church for the Knights of Columbus here.

God permits us to be tempted

From the Navarre Bible commentary for tomorrow's Gospel reading, courtesy of the Daily Word Google group service:

"Yet the Lord sometimes permits that souls, which are dear to him, should be tempted with some violence, in order that they may better understand their own weakness, and the necessity of grace to prevent them from falling [...]; God permits us to be tempted, that we may be more detached from the things of earth, and conceive a more ardent desire to behold him in heaven [...]; God also permits us to be tempted, in order to increase our merits. [...] When it is disturbed by temptation, and sees itself in danger of committing sin, the soul has recourse to the Lord and to his divine Mother; it renews its determination to die rather than offend God; it humbles itself and takes refuge in the arms of divine mercy. By this means, as is proved by experience, it acquires more strength and is united more closely to God" (St Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, "The Love of our Lord Jesus Christ Reduced to Practice", chap. 17).

Paragraphs 538-540 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, under the section "Jesus' temptations," also address this reading; 540 relates Jesus' temptation to ours.

Lenten envy

Fr. Tim Finigan highlights a series of promising Lenten talks taking place at an English parish. The point here is that they're about ... Lent, i.e., their themes are keyed to the liturgical season and don't appear to be freighted with a competing agenda.

The Parish of St Benedict, Ealing Abbey, is holding a series of Lenten Talks and a Retreat Day as follows:

Thursday 5th March
Br Dominic Taylor OSB
“THE LENTEN PRACTICES OF FASTING & PENANCE”

Thursday 12th March
Fr Andrew Wadsworth
“A LENTEN JOURNEY TOWARDS HOLY WEEK”

Tuesday 17th March
Fr Alexander Master
“THE SEVEN LAST WORDS FROM THE CROSS”

Tuesday 24th March
Fr Nicholas Schofield
“The Witness of the English Martyrs”

The talks are all at 7.30pm in the Abbey Hall.

Saturday 4th April
Full Day Retreat 10.00am -4.30 pm
“The Spiritual Sense of Scripture, The Cross, Baptism”
Mgr Paul Watson (Director of Maryvale Institute)
(£10.00 including lunch, book through Parish Office 0208 862 2160. Proceeds to Lenten Appeal)

It's enough to tempt you to envy, is it not? The talks offered in Cincinnati by area parishes are mostly a mixed bag. Feel free to promote some worthwhile talks and events taking place here and in your neck of the woods.

Community5

In an article for the Rochester Catholic Courier, the diocesan director of evangelization and sacramental catechesis explains the significance of the scrutinies during Lent. (These are the special liturgies this time of year that have people wondering why the readings don't match what's in the missalette.) As improbable as this may seem, she manages to use the word "community" five times in her short closing statement.

"I think they're edified by the response of the community," she said. "They come before the community to ask for their prayer for the remainder of the journey. It is a journey for the whole community. (They) are witnessing to the community of the wonderful gift of faith, but the community is affirming these people because we can't take this journey alone."

In other Lenten-themed pieces, Bishop Clark pitches his annual appeal, and the excellent reporter Mike Latona makes a convincing case for conversion.

Pax tibi

I was able to assist at the 9 am celebration of the Ordinary Form of the Mass in Latin at St. Ceclia this morning. It was joyous. Fr. Anthony Brausch was the celebrant instead of Fr. Fernandes and his Latin was excellent. Participants were able to pick up a copy of a well-made hand missal on the way in, and the celebration was unhurried, minimizing the chances of "losing" anyone. The readings and homily were in English, but the rest was in Latin -- even the sign of peace. Interestingly, Fr. Brausch delivered a true "dialogue homily" with the students, asking them two questions about the meaning of fasting. (Note: This did not require Fr. Brausch to give a brief statement, sit down in his presider's chair, and allow the students to mount the ambo and preach for ten minutes.) There were probably 80 worshipers in attendance -- about the number you'd find at the first Sunday Mass at many local parishes. About a third were from the nearby St. Edmund Campion Academy, an independent Catholic school with a classical liberal curriculum. There were no hymns other than one after the dismissal, and Fr. Brausch chanted much of the Mass. Participants did not seem to struggle with any of the responses. Kudos to St. Cecilia's pastor for continuing this Mass on second and fourth Fridays, at least through Lent.

"A child of the council feels like an orphan"

Before moving your cursor over the link, try to guess the publication.

Stealth FOCA

While the pro-life movement has justifiably invested resources in opposing the very visible Freedom of Choice Act, President Obama has promulgated a number of off-the-radar measures to advance the culture of death:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The White House quietly announced on Friday that President Barack Obama is starting the process of overturning protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions. The move is the latest that will add to Obama's growing pro-abortion record.

Existing federal laws already make it so doctors and hospitals are not required to perform abortions. Because those laws aren't always followed, the Bush administration added additional protections.

Bush officials noted a pattern of grant recipients being unaware of or flouting existing laws protecting medical professionals’ rights of conscience. So, HHS enacted the new law to require grantees to certify compliance with them in order to receive funds.

In August, 2008 the Department of Health and Human Services proposed regulations to strengthen those existing laws. The regulations were finalized on December 18, 2008 and went into effect January 20, 2009.

Abortion advocates complained about the new regulations and made false claims that they would somehow deny women access to birth control even though the regulations do not limit or restrict any legal practice or product.

Three pro-abortion groups and pro-abortion attorneys general from seven states filed a lawsuit to overturn the rules and today's news makes it clear the Obama administration is preparing its own move to rescind them.

Obama officials told the Chicago Tribune that they are opening up a 30-day public comment period, after which they will roll back the protections for medical personnel and facilities.

"We believe that this is a complex issue that requires a thoughtful process where all voices can be heard," one unnamed official told the newspaper.

The Obama aides indicated the administration will draft a new set of rules that will clarify, but also likely lessen, the protections and enforcement health care workers enjoy under the Bush rules.

Three pro-life medical associations banded together last month to fight the lawsuit from abortion advocates and the pro-abortion state officials. Attorneys with the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund filed motions to intervene in that and two other lawsuits filed by top pro-abortion groups to overturn the Provider Conscience Clause. ...

Congratulations, Sisters!

This week's Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati includes a story about the approval for sainthood of Blessed Jeanne Jugan, founder of the locally active Little Sisters of the Poor.

CATHEDRAL DEANERY — The Little Sisters of the Poor are celebrating the long-awaited news that the order’s foundress, Blessed Jeanne Jugan, has been approved for sainthood. Pope Benedict XVI has announced Oct. 11, 2009, as the canonization date for Blessed Jeanne, who is known for her faith and dedication to helping the elderly poor.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Sister Cecilia Mary Sartorius, who is the superior and administrator of the St. Paul’s Archbishop Leibold Home for the Aged in Clifton. “We had a contest all week for people to guess the right date.” The Sisters, residents and volunteers at the home celebrated the news announced by the Vatican on Feb. 21. Sister Cecilia said a formal celebration will take place in October.

Pope John Paul II beatified Blessed Jeanne in 1982, and Pope Benedict XVI signed a document Dec. 6, 2008 recognizing the miracle advancing her sainthood cause. On Feb. 21 Pope Benedict presided over a consistory that gave final approval for the canonization of 10 people, including Blessed Jeanne, who began her ministry begging for money on the streets of France, taking the elderly and poor into her home in the early decades of the 1800s. ...

The CT also includes stories about the installation of acolytes for the diaconate, the pending arrival of 1,100 new members of the Church this Easter, a new president for St. Xavier High School (whose credentials don't exactly portend a shift in the school's current trajectory), and the St. Vincent De Paul Society's desperate need for donations.

Adoro

Wayne Topp of the Vocations office for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has created a Google map of opportunities for Eucharistic adoration in the area. Over ninety churches are listed. What a great service -- thanks, Wayne!

Apprenticeship in self-mastery

What does the Sixth Commandment teach? How important is sexuality? What is chastity and who is called to it? How do we acquire chastity? What are the sins against chastity? What is the twofold end of marriage? How important is the link between fertility and love? What are the threats to marriage? What is the Theology of the Body?

Join us on the Son Rise Morning Show tomorrow at 8:10 am (on Cincinnati's AM 740 or online) for a discussion of Chapter 30 of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults: "The Sixth Commandment: Marital Fidelity." God willing, I'll hightail it from the station to St. Cecilia's for the 9 am Mass in Latin.‏

Better and higher connections

nice job taking some of your negative blogs off the net such as light is the best.... where you discuss taking your concerns to the higher ups. it's unfortunate that some have already printed them off and surely have better and higher connections that [sic] you and your friends ...

Since our pastor announced two weeks ago that he will be stepping down, this site has been spammed repeatedly by a couple of anonymous posters who blame me for "forcing him out." I have been critical -- sometimes sharply -- of aspects of his pastorate, specifically in the areas of catechesis and liturgical practice, so I suppose I am an easy target. It's worth noting that the subjects addressed by these posts were discussed with him first. These same posts were being circulated in recent days to stir the pot of emotions at the parish, so I took a handful of them down, prompting the unsigned comment pasted above. Our pastor has publicly stated on several occasions that "there is nothing anyone has said or done to make me feel unwanted or unwelcome and that decision is mine alone, made with no outside force of pressure." He has affirmed this explanation to me personally and to anyone who has inquired. I am willing to take him at his word, but some obviously are not. In addition to the spamming effort, a few parishioners have been waging a weeks' long whispering campaign. The latest idea afloat is a "class action lawsuit," which I presume is what the "better and higher connections" threat is about. Folks, it's Lent, a time of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. If you feel you must do something for the parish and our outgoing pastor, do it on your knees.

Sed Contra, Your Excellency

Reader Japhy is drafting a letter to Bishop Clark of Rochester concerning his defense of lay preaching during the time reserved for the homily. You can leave suggestions on Japhy's site. Here is his summation:

It would seem, then, that when Ecclesiae de Mysterio and Redemptionis Sacramentum treat of “dialogue” in the homily, they are doing so in the context of Masses where the great majority of the faithful are preadolescent children, because that is the only setting in which no. 48 of the Directory for Masses with Children is applicable (as restricted by the Directory itself). A reasonable interpretation of that “dialogue” would consist primarily of (simple) questions asked to the children, since the alternative to a “dialogue” homily, in the words of the Directory, is that “[the children] should listen in silence”; few children would be capable of providing an “exposition” on the priest’s homily.

As for testimonies by lay people, Redemptionis Sacramentum is clear that such things should take place outside of Mass if possible, or else after the Prayer after Communion.

I am curious if these particular restrictions have been considered in your diocese, and if not, whether the present “Norms for Liturgical Preaching” might need revision in light of them.

Keynote speaker

FYI, at the University of Dayton this Saturday, you can listen to a proud Obama supporter and Senior Advisor to Catholic Relief Services describe "better ways to respect human dignity in our economy."

Martin loved liturgy

As part of its catechetical effort for Lent 2009, the USCCB has made available all of part II of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. At 85 pages in length, it encompasses all the pertinent chapters on the seven sacraments. The title of this post comes from the opening chapter's character sketch of Martin Hellriegel, a St. Louis priest who popularized Gregorian Chant among his flock.

Following the teaching of Pope Pius XII’s 1947 encyclical On the Sacred Liturgy (Mediator Dei), Msgr. Hellriegel sought to help his parishioners draw from the liturgy grace and strength for Christian living. He did this by showing them how the readings, ceremonies, and music can open their hearts to the presence of Jesus living and active in the liturgy.

He drew his people into a loving participation in the Mass and the other Sacraments. He believed that all the aspects of liturgical celebration should be understood. Martin produced a small card that contained a record of days of grace in his life: Baptism, First Confession, First Communion, Confirmation, and his ordination (Holy Orders). On the respective days, he burned a candle before this framed card and spent an hour in prayer reflecting on the saving grace he had received from God. He frequently reminded his people to celebrate the anniversaries of their own sacred days, when they received their own first Sacraments.

He spent several Lenten sabbaticals in Rome. Each day he participated in Lenten liturgies at various ancient churches in Rome, studying their history and art. He incorporated this experience into his Lenten catechesis for his parishioners and others, helping them to sense Lent as a journey to Easter. He possessed an instinctive appreciation of the sacramental principle in which the visible elements of nature and history speak of the hidden but active presence of God in Christian worship.

Inspired by Pope Pius X’s motu proprio on sacred music, he popularized Gregorian Chant to the point where his people could sing it easily and prayerfully. He taught them the prayer life of the Church by which they could enrich their lives in union with Jesus ever interceding for us before the Father.

Msgr. Hellriegel died in 1981.

The encyclical On the Sacred Liturgy by Pope Pius XII was a major statement about the Church’s liturgy in the years prior to the Second Vatican Council. Pope Pius provided a vision for the Church’s liturgical life that bore fruit in the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium). Msgr. Hellriegel and others working in the liturgical movement drew inspiration from these developments.

Matthew 5:10, with humor

"If I don’t read an article like that every week or so, I have to examine my conscience."

-- Pope Benedict, after reading an attack against him in an Italian newspaper. Remember that the next time your knees feel weak.

"Giving things up is important"

You often hear folks say that we should "do something positive for Lent." We should try to give a cheery witness -- sacrifice is too negative. I've taken up this line myself on occasion, suggesting that "giving up one's free time" for something worthwhile is a suitable Lenten observance. Fr. Finigan explains why this approach, while well-intended, is misguided.

Giving things up is important. Our Lord spoke many times of the need to deny ourselves and take up the cross to follow him. Prayer is essential and we all need to examine our conscience to see where we are failing in this duty, whether by laziness or by a failure to recognise and understand that when we pray, we are asking for an audience with the Most High. He grants this audience whenever we ask - what we need to do is to make ourselves - even if only a little and dimly - aware of Whom it is that we are addressing.

Pope Benedict has asked us to focus on fasting for Lent 2009. With that in mind, I'm borrowing a page or two from the Eastern liturgy and Ember Days this year, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. (Call it the "Half Trad," as the idea resembles the Price family's more rigorous "Full Trad" of a couple of years ago.) Given that I nearly ate the drapes after today's fast, the dinner hour on those two days may get dangerous.

What we believe

The bishops conference has produced an impressive web page chock full of useful resources for Lent. Its theme is the four pillars of the Catechism -- Creed, Commandments, Sacraments, Prayer -- and underneath each "button" in the excerpt below are teaching documents designed to help readers learn their Faith. Parishes might link to this site on their web pages or announce it in their bulletins.

	What We Believe In this section, we invite you to discover the beauty of the Catholic faith that is articulated in our Catechism and the writings of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict VXI.
	What We Celebrate Catholics celebrate the Christian mystery through our liturgy and the seven sacraments of the Church. Learn more about the sacraments, especially the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation (Confession) during Lent.
	How We Live Christian living means following the teaching and example of Christ, the Ten Commandments, the precepts of the Catholic Church and its principles of moral life. In this section, learn more about Christian morality and the special emphasis on fasting and charity during Lent.
	How We Pray Through prayer, we raise our hearts and minds to God in thanksgiving and praise. Learn about the types of Christian prayer and the special prayers and devotions of Lent.

"The first thing he did was blow a kazoo"

Fr. Corapi once said, "When a priest shows up for Mass in a clown suit, you can be sure Satan helped him with his vestments in the sacristy." In the incident described below, I'm thinking he helped fill the super-soaker.

From the blogspot of a concerned parent:

It was actually worse than the pictures make it out to be. He processed into mass behind the cross wearing the Mickey Mouse hat and a gold masquerade mask. Once the singing stopped, the first thing he did was blow a kazoo and say, “Happy Mardi Gras.”

You guessed it. DOR. Newman Center Mass. RIT.

You can read the rest and see photos at the blogspot of the Corning Curmudgeon. I will entice you with these words: Super-soaker with Holy Water, tie-dyed vestments, gold masquerade mask.

Priests like this make a mockery of Catholicism. They don’t attract young people-they repel them with their ridiculous antics. When will they be reined in? Bishop Clark?

Tip, Cpt. Tom.

It's a good night for Facebook

(Consider that a strong hint.)



Happy Shrovetide, everyone.

"450 confessions every week"

Mike at DOR Catholic shows what can happen when a priest makes grace and mercy a priority for his flock. If it can happen in Stamford, Connecticut, it can happen anywhere.

Last Friday the New York Times published a story about the almost incredible number of confessions being heard at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Stamford, Connecticut.

It seems that shortly after Monsignor Stephen DiGiovanni took over the reins at St. John's in 1998, he pried open the door of the old confessional, refurbished it, and began offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation for 30 minutes prior to virtually every Mass, or some 15 times per week.

The people responded. The priests at the parish are now hearing about 450 confessions every week.

St. John's doesn't appear to be a huge parish. They have two active priests on staff and a retired priest in residence and offer 5 weekend and 2 weekday Masses. Their February 15 collection was about $9,700. According to the Times, "St. John’s is a standard diocesan church with a varied congregation — corporate executives, Haitian and Hispanic immigrants, Stamford’s longtime Irish and Italian middle class."

Mike also tells us that Bishop Clark is pleased with the appointment of Archbishop Dolan to New York. If you haven't done so already, add Mike's site to your list of favorites.

King Cake!

Make your own or swing by Busken. We'll be doing the latter; things are messy enough at the Leonardi home these days.

When bad catechesis meets self-assertion

From the Letters section of the print edition of this morning's Cincinnati Enquirer:

I am writing in response to “Catholic tradition revived” (Feb. 15). As a practicing Catholic, I am disappointed in the one-sided reporting that seems to imply that Catholics believe they can buy their way into heaven.

I do not agree with the practice of selling indulgences, and the majority of Catholics I know disagree as well. However, this opinion was not indicated in the article, thus allowing people who are not familiar with the Catholic religion to assume the worst about us. I believe you should follow this article up with one discussing the opinions of Catholics like myself who believe some of the church’s old traditions are out of date and not in touch with reality.

Permanent liturgical revolution

In the comment box for Fr. Z's post on the illicit practice of emptying baptismal fonts of holy water during Lent, Fr. Philip explains how these new "traditions" came to be:

Most of these ridiculous innovations came about in the 80’s and 90’s when liturgists ignored tradition and tried to make seasonal liturgical practices “relevant to a modern church” In my seminary, we called these “Sr. Martha Stewart’s Liturgical Tips.” When proper liturgical practice was replaced with “art and environment,” anything was possible so long as it connected in some way with a theme prominent in the season. Sand in the holy water font is just one of the dumb ideas in Sr. Martha’s grab bag. You’ll find there as well: asymmetrical candle placement on the altar; altars placed off-center and balanced with an ambo; purificators and corporeals in liturgical colors; crucifixes replaced by banners that change with the seasons; sanctuaries decorated for secular holidays (Halloween, Fourth of July); among many others. The real purpose for these changes, of course, is the destruction of memory; that is, the destruction of the parish’s Catholic culture as it expressed in the traditions of the ancient Church. One of these days, I’m going to write an article detailing the parallels btw the Chinese Cultural Revolution’s destruction of traditional Chinese culture and the destruction of the Church’s liturgical culture by the cadres of the post-Vatican 2 Permanent Liturgical Revolution. Think: destroying altars and altar rails; tossing statues, images, liturgical books; purging the sacristy of sacred vessels and vestments…the goons of the CCR would have been proud. Fr. Philip, OP

Soundbite trend analysis

Like most folks, I rather like John Allen's reporting for the National Catholic Reporter. And again like most folks, I find his column the only thing worth reading in that dissentient publication. Mr. Allen is knowledgeable, fair, and more interested in what his sources have to say than what he wants them to say.

My one quibble with his reporting is his trend analysis. When he sifts through a series of stories he tries to categorize the things he sees into distinct groups. Last year, for instance, he wrote of a new trend of Pope Benedict's "affirmative orthodoxy," by which he meant his optimistic hopeful vision of the authentic Gospel. The problem is it suggests that what went before it was a "negative orthodoxy." Purveyed by whom? one wonders.

The same categorical problems run through his current piece on the appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan to New York, as he calls it part of a choice for “the center-right with a human face.” Pray tell who makes up the center-right with an inhuman face?

I think the best way to explain the trend, which began around a dozen years ago, is to say that more papal scrutiny has led to more faithful shepherds. Long gone are the days when the head of the episcopal conference and the papal nuncio handpicked American bishops and had them rubber-stamped by Rome. And for that we should be glad.

In a sound-bite, one might call it a choice for “the center-right with a human face.”

In essence, that means leaders who are basically conservative in both their politics and their theology, but also upbeat, pastoral figures given to dialogue. It’s a pattern with across-the-board consequences for both the substance and the style of American Catholicism, and one that could carry particularly interesting implications for relations between church and state in the Age of Obama.

To be sure, any political taxonomy applied to the Catholic church is destined to be inexact. In rough-and-ready fashion, however, one could divide the U.S. bishops into four broad categories:

* The right: Bishops willing to use disciplinary measures to enforce orthodoxy in both faith and practice, who put much of their political energy into pro-life causes, who form strategic alliances with the Republican party and the cultural right, and who tend to take a dim view of the U.S. bishops’ conference as a talk shop sometimes afraid to make tough choices.
* The center-right: Bishops who are temperamentally conservative but who prefer to set a tone rather than impose penalties, who give pride of place to pro-life issues but also devote energy to other social justice concerns, who are often more invested in concrete pastoral concerns rather than political battles, and who are willing to work within the bishops’ conference as an expression of collegial relationships with other bishops.
* The center-left: Bishops inspired by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, pro-life but inclined to accent a “seamless garment” of social justice concerns, loyal to Rome but willing to tolerate some diversity in both pastoral practice and theological expression, often seeing their role as a unifier, and prizing the bishops’ conference as a vehicle for coordinated action.
* The left: Bishops steeped in the “spirit of Vatican II” who see themselves as heralds of further reform, emphasizing progressive social causes, leaning toward the Democrats, and often lamenting what they see as a decline in the willingness of the bishops’ conference to engage major national questions as it did in the 1980s with pastoral letters on war and peace and the economy.

These are naturally abstractions, and a real flesh-and-blood bishop may well embrace elements of several camps. Nonetheless, the distinctions illustrate something about the diversity among the more than 400 bishops in the United States, a total that includes currently serving diocesan bishops, auxiliaries, and retired prelates.

Freeze frame

The nearby Diocese of Covington announces that it will freeze Catholic school tuition for the 2009-10 school year:

Parents who send their children to Catholic schools in Northern Kentucky are about to get some financial relief from the church, but it comes at a cost for church employees.

The Diocese of Covington has decided to freeze tuition rates and wages for employees as part of an effort to keep children in its Catholic schools during the economic crisis.

The directive comes from Bishop Roger Foys after he consulted with priests, educators and the financial council. All Diocese of Covington schools and parish education programs will freeze tuition for the 2009-2010 school year.

As families leave sunday church services at the Cathedral Basilica on Madison Avenue in Covington they said it's a relief.

"Times are tough," said Clay Mitchell who sends his children to Villa Madonna in Villa Hills. "We equally have concerns for the school. They're needing to raise money and some of the funds aren't coming in for fundraising as they have in the past. It was a bold move for them to commit to not raising the tuition so we're happy for that," said Mitchell.

Matt Bischoff has two children who attend Covington Latin.

"It allows us to budget for next year," said Bischoff. "You're walking into some unknown times, uncertainty because of the market. It will be a great help to us as a family," he said. ...

"Away with the atheists!"

Today is the feast of the curiously named "St. Polycarp of Smyrna." This martyred disciple of St. John is a critical link between the Apostles and Church Fathers, and it is he who took the evangelist's Gospel and personally handed it on to St. Irenaeus of Lyons. At the last meeting of my "Fathers Know Best" salon, one participant asked why Pope Benedict did not include Polycarp in his Wednesday audience cycle of catecheses on Church Fathers. I ventured that perhaps not enough details are known about his life. In any event, he's a favorite at the Leonardi home, mostly because of Amy Welborn's humorous treatment of some of his last words in her Loyola Kids Book of Saints:

"Swear by the fortune of Caesar," said the proconsul. "Change your mind and say, 'Away with the atheists!'"

An atheist is a person who doesn't believe in a god. When the proconsul said "atheists," he meant the Christians, who didn't believe in the Roman gods or in Caesar as a god. He wanted Polycarp to turn his back on his fellow believers in Jesus.

Polycarp, aged and bent, yet strong because of his faith in God's truth, looked around the stadium. He saw all the faces of those who were calling for his blood. He motioned with his hand.

"Away with the atheists!" he said.

What do you think Polycarp meant when he said those words?

The proconsul gave him another chance. "Take the oath and I shall release you. Curse Christ!"

Polycarp shook his head, slowly but firmly. "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?"

You can read Fr. Alban Butler's treatment of St. Polycarp here.

A corrective primer

The new March issue of the Adoremus Bulletin publishes a November address by Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, on ars celebrandi, or "the art of proper celebration." It reads like a corrective primer on Sacrosanctum Concilium, Vatican II's constitution on the liturgy. Here's a snippet:

The pope, in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy, defines actuosa participatio as a call to a total assimilation in the very action of Christ the High Priest. It is in no way a call to activism, a misunderstanding that spread widely in the aftermath of Sacrosanctum Concilium. Stated Cardinal Ratzinger: “what does it [active participation] mean...? Unfortunately the word was very quickly misunderstood to mean something external, entailing a need for general activity, as if as many people as possible, as often as possible, should be visibly engaged in action” (The Spirit of the Liturgy, 2000, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, p. 171).

We know that in many places this led to the amalgamation of the sanctuary with the assembly, the clericalization of the laity and the filling up of the sanctuary with the noisy and distracting presence of a large number of people. One could say that virtually Wall Street moved into the sanctuary. But was that really what the Council Fathers advocated? Cardinal Ratzinger does not think so. For him, “the real ‘action’ in the liturgy in which we are all supposed to participate is the action of God Himself. This is what is new and distinctive about Christian liturgy: God Himself acts and does what is essential” (ibid, p. 173).

This kind of participation in the very action of Christ, the High Priest, requires from us nothing less than an attitude of being totally absorbed in Him. Says the cardinal “the point is that, ultimately, the difference between the actio Christi and our own action is done away with. There is only one action, which is at the same time His and ours — ours because we have become ‘one body and one spirit ‘with Him” (ibid p. 174).

Active participation, thus, is not a giving way to any activism but an integral and total assimilation into the person of Christ who is truly the High Priest of that eternal and uninterrupted celebration of the heavenly liturgy.

First the fast

How does Pope Benedict refer to Lent? What is the focus of Lent this year? Is fasting during Lent biblical? What is the value of fasting? Did the Church Fathers have something to say about fasting? What is the modern approach to fasting? Is there something amiss? What are some key contributions of fasting? What does Pope Benedict say the ultimate goal of fasting is? What are the rules of fasting and abstinence?

We'll be discussing Pope Benedict's message for Lent 2009 at 7:37 am EST on the Son Rise Morning Show tomorrow (AM 740 or listen online) -- join us! And if you live outside of Cincinnati, bear in mind that my regular Monday segment falls during the program's "national hour" from 7-8 am EST on the EWTN Radio Network.