I don't have the time or energy to blog around and see if this story has made the rounds yet, but I was very interested in this and hope it's of some interest to you as well. I've blogged about the writings of Bishop Tobin (Providence) before... here's another of his columns (via Catholic Key):

It strikes me that critics of Archbishop Weakland should be at least a little restrained in their umbrage, for after all there are many redeeming qualities of the Archbishop’s life and ministry. He responded willingly to the Lord’s call to the consecrated life; he has served the Church generously in a variety of difficult leadership positions; he has shown a determined commitment to the progress of the Church and the implementation of the Second Vatican Council; and he has consistently reached-out to the poor, the weak and the disenfranchised members of the Church and society. If his service has been marred by human imperfections, so be it. So is mine, and so is yours.

On the other hand, supporters of Archbishop Weakland should also be able to recognize the self-serving inconsistencies and contradictions contained in his story.

For example, although the Archbishop always took pride in his liberal theological tendencies and his public pronouncements on controversial issues, he seemed to be genuinely puzzled, even hurt, when others labeled him a dissident.

He passionately promoted the dignity of the laity and their role in the governance and ministry of the Church, but had little hesitation about quietly using their money to cover-up his egregious sexual offense.

He disparaged the secrecy of the Holy See but for twenty years hid his own indiscretions behind the walls of the chancery, indiscretions that were not just a matter of personal behavior but also profoundly affected the reputation and welfare of the Church.

He railed against what he considered the authoritarian pontificate of Pope John Paul II, but clearly used his own persona and authority to impose his vision of the Church upon his own fiefdom in Milwaukee, easily dismissing those who opposed him as conservative, right-wing nuts.

In short, like many dissidents in the Church, throughout his life Archbishop Weakland benefited generously from the support of the institutional Church, but never hesitated to criticize the Church whenever it served his own purposes to do so.

You do not read that kind of naked fraternal correction often in the United States, but as I've been saying for the last six months, the episcopal climate changed in this country when Notre Dame invited the President to speak at commencement and receive an honorary degree.

As I prepare to upload teaching resources to the site this weekend, I just want to be sure I blog more about my experiences as a Catholic teacher in a Catholic high school this year.

Tomorrow, the freshmen arrive for a few hours of orientation so this is the last day the building is unoccupied by students. Of course, teachers scrambled around all day trying to clean, organize, and find their stuff from last year. I am blessed to have a brand new floor so this week required putting felt tips on the legs of every piece of furniture to avoid scratching the tile!

On Friday, the upperclassmen will come in to get their books, schedules, and lockers. It's a relatively light day, no teaching, but still busy. Our first full day is Monday.

Thankfully, I have until Monday to get myself together. Today was spent helping my partner in the department get settled with a couple of new handouts. I also had my first meeting with a new teacher that I will be mentoring this year. I worked on a calendar for the faculty and administration that encompasses every school activity for the year and made a new wall display. Of course, the day is far from over, but it was productive and exciting. I even met with the soccer coaches... now that I'm the Assistant Athletic Director. Fall sports practices begin tomorrow!

I take great pride in my wall displays. Today I made a brand new one that features the twelve apostles, the first priests. This is my first display highlighting the Year for Priests. It came out almost exactly how I envisioned it (which is rare). Of course, this is my medium-sized wall... the new display for the huge one isn't even begun yet! I'll post a picture of the apostle wall once I've tweaked it tomorrow and brought my camera to school. I've already finished the "Random Catholic Terms" display and the liturgical calendar one (both small, both new this year). I'm not even halfway done, which means a long few nights ahead along with some serious weekend work!

So I'm still here at school trying to continue my work. I'm the only one here at this point, so it's quiet and I'm able to get more done without a constant stream of interruptions. I'm running out for a haircut in a few minutes, then it's back to the desk!

As I begin a new year, I realize how blessed I am to do what I do! My feelings on this particular point will be the subject of another post this week... my reflections and thoughts on the beginning of another year (my fourth here). But suffice it to say, the last few days of preparation and scrambling to finish and get ahead for the year have been exciting and rewarding.

How blessed indeed.

An interesting column from Bishop Tobin of Providence:

During vacation this summer I followed my normal practice of attending Sunday Mass as a “private citizen,” that is, in secular attire, with the congregation, in the pews. Even though I truly cherish the privilege of leading the liturgy as I do almost every Sunday, it’s also refreshing once in awhile to be on the other side of the altar.

Doing so allows me to avoid the public spotlight, eliminates the pressure of having to prepare a homily, and helps me to return to the ministry relaxed and ready to go.

Whenever I join the rank-and-file, it’s amazing how quickly I assume the characteristics of what might be considered the “typical Catholic.” I planned my schedule so I wouldn’t arrive at church too early. I sat toward the back of the church to avoid special involvement. I complained, at least mentally, about the length of the sermon. I was dismayed to learn there would be a second collection – and yes, I did pry open my wallet to contribute to both! And I was appropriately irritated by the log jam of traffic in the parking lot after Mass.

Forget my need for “full, active and conscious participation.” I was on vacation. I wanted something short, sweet and to the point, just enough to fulfill my Sunday obligation.

These bad habits aside, there were also some more beneficial lessons to be had from sitting in the pews. Doing so created a broader perspective for me and a renewed appreciation for the truly “faithful” who come to Mass Sunday after Sunday. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on the nature of the Church and the function of the liturgy.

This particular section caught my eye. Of course, you're not surprised considering my open and frequent lamentations about the state of preaching in the Church (emphasis mine):

Secondly, it seems to be that people come to Mass on Sunday because they long to hear the Word of God preached with conviction and enthusiasm. They want homilies that are doctrinally sound, personally prepared and relevant to contemporary life.

It’s a frequent complaint that our preaching has lost its spark, its zeal, that it has become too bland, cerebral and generic. Good preaching, on the other hand, needs to be clear, direct and simple. People seek moral guidance and want to learn the tenets of our Faith. They want to hear about the Ten Commandments, justice and peace, human life and family relationships, final judgment and eternal salvation.

In short, the faithful want preachers to preach as Jesus did, with power and conviction, challenging people, not avoiding difficult issues. People should leave Sunday Mass motivated to live the gospel throughout the week, but confident they possess the spiritual means to do so.

THANK YOU.

From the Daily Writing Tips blog:

Philip Dragonetti writes:

Another word that drives me up the wall is “fullest”—as in: “Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Would someone please tell me how the “fullest” extent of the law is greater than the “full” extent of the law?

I agree with Philip that “full” is sufficient when speaking of the extent of the law.

That’s not to say that “fullest extent” is always superfluous. For example:

“I live every day to its fullest extent and I don’t sweat the small stuff.” –Olivia Newton-John

Taking shelter in the dead is death itself, and only taking all the risk of life to the fullest extent is living.” –Rabindranath Tagore

The use of fullest in these examples is acceptable because the extent to which life can be lived depends upon external factors such as health and opportunity.

The law, on the other hand, is determinate. The “extent” is set. You may prosecute someone to the full extent of the law. The superlative form “fullest” is not required.

By now the expression “the fullest extent of the law” has taken on the character of a cliché. It is annoyingly imprecise, but it’s probably not going to go away.

Via the America blog... CNS has a story on the questionnaire distributed to communities of women religious ahead of the apostolic visitation.

Father Martin's summary of the article:

News from CNS on the Apostolic Visitation of women's religious orders in the US: details of the questionnaire to be sent to the orders, with questions on almost every aspect of the women's life: identity ("understanding of religious life"), governance ("effectiveness of the order's style" of governance) vocation promotion ("how the formation program offers members the foundations of the Catholic faith and doctrine through the study of Second Vatican Council documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and post-conciliar documents") spiritual life and common life ("participation in the liturgy according to approved liturgical norms"), and mission and ministry (the "specific purpose of the congregation").

I just had a former student stop by... he just found out his grandfather has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and has two weeks to live.

Seeing as how we're all members of this alleged "Body of Christ" let's all take a minute to pray to our merciful Father for this man and his family.

Thanks!