The Musical Priest

I find it so strange that I tend to return home from vacation far more fatigued than I was when I left! It has been a very busy two weeks and I'm now very glad to be back in Cleveland for a few days before heading back to NYC. I haven't much to write about today. I would ask for prayers for Michael English who has gone to Ireland to compete in this year's All-Ireland Fleadh (It's like the Olympics of Irish music). He's one of our US representatives on the tin whistle. I'm waiting for Emma, my niece, to arrive. My sister Hagan and I have a big big day of fun planned: we are going to walk to a local Sushi restaurant (Emma may have her own glass of Chardonnay, but I've heard that raw fish is bad for babies) and then head to Starbucks for a tasty beverage (Emma takes her coffee black. So mature for a one-year old). And then it's nap time...for me. Maybe her, too. But certainly for me. Once I've rested a bit and caught up on some sleep, I'll start to ...

It appears that there is rest for the wicked! I'll be at our villa in Omena, Michigan and then in Detroit for Vows. So, technically, I'm on vacation until August 18th. But since I'm bringing my laptop and camera with me, I'll try to post some vacation photos while I'm up! Cheers!

Every now and again, one has the great fortune to meet a true character. This summer, Jake Martin and I had the great fortune to make the acquaintance of one Sister Mary Eliza Martin, CSC. Without a doubt, Sister Mary Eliza brought more smiles and laughter to these two Jesuits than anyone else at Mercy Center. She'll probably kill me for posting this, but I think it's a great picture!

I'd like to solicit opinions on a program I'm planning on offering this semester for the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. Please peruse the document below and feel free to offer criticisms/suggestions. The Catholic Touch Over the past two years, the Curran Center has generously sponsored several initiatives aimed at encouraging students to engage more fully the Catholic faith and tradition. We have ranged from “Three Cheers for Catholicism” intended to address topics relevant to contemporary Catholicism (the Regensburg address, the Eucharist, the liturgy) to “Gospel Explorations” to “Faces of Catholicism” to “Faith in Motion.” Each program met with varying degrees of success, to be sure, but prayer and reflection on the fruits of these programs leads me to propose The Catholic Touch for Fall 2008. Let me begin with an observation. It is often noted that there has been an upsurge in interest in traditional forms of Catholic piety. The Rosary, Stations of the Cross, a...

Last night, I had the great honor of participating in an African liturgy. Indeed, I was impressed into service as the drummer. Yep, the drummer. My parents dashed my childhood dream of being a rock-star drummer when they bought me an accordion. Motely Crue with an accordion? Nahhhhh

In the com-box yesterday Laura left the following message: When I started reading this post, I started saying to myself, "That's me! Hooray! Now I'm going to get some help with my lack lustre prayer. While I think that your recommendation is beautiful and practical for a certain set, I would be interested to know how to achieve the same kind of prayer experience- without imagery. For some reason, I can't even imagine myself brushing my teeth, let alone in the amazing interior of myself. I'm one of those people who thinks in words, not pictures. I can talk, and experience silence, but in my private prayer, I find it hard to experience communion, if you know what I mean. Suggestions? Laura, let me begin by thanking you for your comment. I don't know that I'll be able to offer much by way of suggestion, but please allow me to try. Let me begin, again, with a Taize chant. "Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray" Let us not draw too heavily ...

I went last night to a Taize prayer service held here at Mercy Center. Leading us in prayer was the venerable Sister Suzanne Toolan, RSM (Religious Sister of Mercy) perhaps known best for the composition of the hymn "I am the Bread of Life." Sister is one of the gentlest, most prayerful souls I have ever encountered. She's also fairly blunt: after impressing me an Jake Martin into service to move a cross, she informed us that "we were not brats" like two other Jesuit scholastics who had been enrolled in the program a few years ago. Knowing that Sister does not consider me "a brat" counts, in my book, as high praise! Our prayer began last night in the darkness of the chapel. A lone overhead light illuminated the crucifix while several small candles cast their light from the altar. There were quite a few people present: young and old, many of us interns, many of our directees. The first song we sang may be familiar to you: "Jesus, remember me when y...