At the March for Life in Washington last week, there were people on our bus wearing "Brown for Senate" shirts. Some of the kids were wearing "Massachusetts Citizens for Life" hats and as we were walking, fellow marchers thanked us enthusiastically for electing Scott Brown.

While I'm glad Brown was elected for many reasons: health care and an end of Democratic tyranny both here and nationally being just two, I am shocked by the pro-life outpouring of support for his campaign. Anyone who did their homework would know the following from the wire:

Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts says he opposes federal funding for abortions, but thinks women should have the right to choose whether to have one.

Brown tells ABC's "This Week" that he disagrees with his party's position that the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion should be overturned.

Brown says the abortion question is one that's best handled by a woman, her family and her doctor. He also says more effort needs to go into reducing the number of abortions in the U.S.

Brown has said the GOP shouldn't take his vote for granted on every issue. He says he's fiscally conservative but more moderate on social issues.

Brown recently won the Senate seat long held by liberal Democrat Edward M. Kennedy, who died last summer.

While he was certainly the lesser of two evils, he's no friend of the movement.

The world has lost two cardinals this week. We now have 183 living cardinals, 112 of which are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote in a papal conclave.

I made two brief presentations to use with the kids this week.







In 2010, eleven cardinals will turn 80:

Cardinal Ambrozic of Toronto, Canada: January 27, 1930.
Cardinal Maida of Detroit, USA: March 18, 1930.
Cardinal Williams of Wellington, New Zealand: March 20, 1930.
Cardinal Herranz Casado, a former Curial official: March 31, 1930.
Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, DC, USA: July 7, 1930.
Cardinal Poupard, a former Curial official: August 30, 1930.
Cardinal De Giorgi of Palermo, Italy: September 6, 1930.
Cardinal Daoud, patriarch of Antioch, Lebanon: September 18, 1930.
Cardinal Giordano of Naples, Italy: September 26, 1930.
Cardinal Tumi of Douala, Cameroon: October 15, 1930.
Cardinal Pujats of Riga, Latvia: November 14, 1930.

The youngest cardinal in the world is Cardinal Peter Erdo of Budapest, Hungary. He is 57 years old, born on June 25, 1952.

The oldest cardinal in the world is Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer, OSB, the prefect emeritus of the Ecclesia Dei Commission. He is 98 years old, born on May 23, 1911.

Father Edward Schillebeeckx, an influential Dominican theologian, died at his home in the Netherlands on December 23 after a long illness at the age of 95. Born in Belgium, he was an adviser to the Dutch bishops during Vatican II. Later his theological work emphasized the universal priesthood of the laity, to the extent that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a caution in 1986 that his theories were at odds with the teachings of the Church.

Source

Interesting event that Cardinal O'Malley mentions in his blog this week:

The following day, I met with the superiors of local religious communities at the Pastoral Center to discuss the apostolic visitation.

My intention of bringing them together was, first of all, to assure the sisters that the Church is very grateful for all of the wonderful work of our religious women. They have a glorious history in the United States that has been essential to establishing Catholic education, Catholic health care, and so many other ministries.

Of course, I was also anxious to hear their reaction as to how the visitation was going.

I encouraged them to participate in and cooperate with the visitations and assured them that the sister in charge of the visitations, Mother Mary Clare Millea, is an extraordinary religious woman who will try to be extremely helpful to the sisters.

Mother Clare

During our meeting, I shared with them some of my experiences as an apostolic visitator to seminaries. There was a certain nervousness about the seminary visitation at the beginning, but it turned out to be very positive and ultimately strengthened our seminaries.

In this case as well, the desired outcome is a study that will help us to strengthen religious life in the United States. There has been such a decline in numbers in the last several decades that, of course, the Holy See is deeply concerned.

I assured the sisters that our participation in the visitation is something that will be good for the Church in America and that we should not hesitate to cooperate.

For their part, some of the sisters shared with me that the instrument itself was difficult to complete, and I will certainly share that with Sister Clare. However, overall, I think it was a very good meeting and that the sisters had a chance to express their opinions and ask questions.

Hopefully, we all left with a greater appreciation of the implications of this visitation.

America Magazine has a brief column by Michael Tueth, S.J. on my favorite new musical:

American theater has thrived on stories about “my crazy family.” Everyone from Tennessee Williams to Neil Simon to last year’s Tony Award winner, Tracy Letts, in his epic “August: Osage County,” has presented domestic dysfunction with tragic or comic overtones, and sometimes both. But aside from alcoholics and drug addicts, none has featured a certifiably “sick” family member and then dared to write a musical about him or her. Two years ago an off-Broadway production of Next to Normal, by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, broke through that barrier with the story of a woman afflicted with bipolar disorder and the effect her illness has on herself, her husband and her daughter. The current Broadway production has received enthusiastic reviews, numerous awards and nightly standing ovations. It will undoubtedly appear in the repertoire of regional theaters throughout the country in the next few years.

The play’s setting suggests several rooms of a family residence, reminiscent of the multi-room sets of “Death of a Salesman” and other domestic dramas of the 1950s, in which the home comes across as a prison of the human spirit. Here the home’s walls are metallic grids resembling cages, and even though the play’s action rapidly moves to other locations—the therapist’s office, the operating room and the musical practice room where Bach serves as an oasis of order for Diana’s daughter, Natalie—everyone, including the doctors, seems trapped.

The emotional core of the play is the suffering of Diana, the psychologically wounded wife and mother. Traumatized by a family tragedy, Diana has been leading a medicated life for almost 20 years. She decides to discontinue her medications and the emotional numbness they have created for her. This leads to bizarre behavior, hallucinatory experiences, electroshock therapy, memory loss and other crises for Diana and her family. It also forces them to re-evaluate their coping mechanisms and patterns of denial and avoidance. (Alice Ripley’s musical and dramatic performance as Diana was honored with the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.)

The musical’s conclusion is bittersweet and brave, but honestly earned. As one of Diana’s therapists says of a new treatment, “I know it’s not perfect, but it’s all we’ve got.” “Next to Normal” applies that comment to the entire human predicament and the challenges all must face, with or without the support of family or pharmaceuticals.

In my first real work as a liturgical organist, the "boss" banned all music by Dan Schutte. In fact, I tried to sneak one in one day and got caught. Never did it again. This was quoted over at NLM and I read the whole thing over at the Boston Pilot.

“Sing to the Lord” is very clear that many different types of music, varieties of music, styles of music, and music from different ages and times in the Church’s history and tradition are all appropriate, and that includes contemporary styles of music. It also says very clearly that Gregorian chant has this place, they call it “pride of place.” I think what is happening is that the bishops of the United States have seen that with the renewal of the liturgy, and music being one part of that which has happened since the Second Vatican Council, they have noticed that many parish communities have given up Gregorian chant. My take on “Sing to the Lord” is simply that the bishops are saying don’t forget about this very important part of our Roman Catholic tradition. You walk into many parishes you never hear Gregorian chant. The bishops are saying that’s a tragedy if that happens. But they are also very clear to say that other styles of music, including contemporary styles of music, are also appropriate.

Let me tell you a story.

A principal calls a veteran fifth-grade teacher into her office and informs her that her students' standardized test scores dropped 40% over the course of the year. She asks for an explanation and tells her that the superintendent insists that she (the principal) observe the teacher's class to help determine the quality of the academic environment to determine the causes of the dramatic decline in test scores.

The teacher says that it's natural for test scores to fluctuate depending on the class so there's nothing wrong with her teaching. She refuses to admit the principal to her classroom because it would be intrusive and demeaning for her to be observed considering her many years of service to the school.

This news saddens me... and so close to the Retired Religious Collection!

A few points:

1. They won't answer questions and refer the Vatican to their constitutions. This assumes that they are living in accordance with their constitutions! Isn't this the point of the inquiry?

2. "Violence?" Are you for real? These sisters need to get a grip on reality if they think this is violence!

3. When my students refuse to answer a question about their behavior honestly, it usually means they have something to hide. Just saying.

4. When you're proud of something, you may not go around broadcasting it, but you're not ashamed of it either. If their lifestyle is ecclesiastically healthy, why won't they just answer the questions?

5. This inquiry is going forward whether they answer the questions or not. They will no doubt accuse the Vatican of getting their facts wrong when they release the findings, so here's their chance to speak... TAKE IT! No one is silencing you. You claim the Church won't listen then you give up your golden opportunity.

I was really disappointed by this editorial in last Wednesday's Boston Globe regarding the dispute between Bishop Tobin and Representative Kennedy. So I wrote a letter to the editor which was published on Saturday. The point of my letter is that faith becomes a problem when one disagrees with the position. When one agrees (e.g., slavery) faith informing policy is not an issue and separation of church and state is never mentioned.

I AM disappointed by the Globe’s editorial on the dispute between Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and Representative Patrick Kennedy (Nov. 25). While there are some logical errors, I take specific issue with the incorrect facts and inaccurate comparisons that are frankly appalling when published by a respected news organization.

Abortion is in a different category of church teaching and cannot be compared to capital punishment or war. Catholics believe there is never a situation in which abortion can be morally right (the jargon is “intrinsically evil’’). This has been part of the church’s teaching from the very beginning. Capital punishment and war can be morally right depending on the circumstances. While there are guidelines for applying these teachings, good Catholics can and do disagree on their application.

To imply that a Catholic in public office cannot vote according to his beliefs is preposterous. What politician doesn’t? The Globe has yet to write an editorial criticizing someone who believes abortion is right, because that’s the position of the editorial board. Our Catholic faith tells us that slavery is wrong. Will you write an editorial criticizing Kennedy because his faith informs him of the immorality of slavery? Will you condemn a bishop for standing up to a Catholic politician who believed it was right and accuse him of meddling in politics?

Finally, the Globe said that it “seems likely’’ that Bishop Tobin has singled out Kennedy and has not requested the same of the other Catholic members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation. The fact is only Representative Kennedy has made this dispute public. The Globe owes Bishop Tobin an apology for insinuating something that cannot be substantiated.

I thought this was funny:

Andrew Trapp's interest in becoming a priest dates back to fifth grade at St. Mary of Help of Christians School in Aiken.

He followed through on that path. Now 28, Trapp is serving as the assistant pastor at St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City Beach.

Father Trapp has a new moniker in recent weeks - the poker-playing priest. He's good at it, too. In a tape-delayed broadcast from Los Angeles on Fox on Sunday, Trapp beat a professional poker player to win $100,000 - an unexpected prize he will donate to St. Michael's fundraising efforts for a new church building.

Trapp isn't through. He will return to Los Angeles with three other finalists in December for a chance to win $1 million for his church.

Trapp was there for the taping just over a week ago for the PokerStars.net Million-Dollar Challenge. After he won the $100,000 prize, he told only his parish priest and his parents, Don and Beth Trapp. So the atmosphere was surreal for him and his folks when they gathered in the school gym Sunday with 300 church friends who didn't know the outcome.

"The atmosphere was really exciting, like watching a 'Rocky' movie," Trapp said Monday. "I'm still amazed that I won, and I was really moved by the support and encouragement. I visited the different classes at school today, and all of them were excited about watching me on television."

But he's quick to point out to the kids that he's not advocating serious gambling. The online qualifying tournaments had no entry fee, and his trip to Los Angeles was provided expense-free.

Earlier, Trapp had gotten permission from his parish priest and bishop to pursue the poker challenge.

Someone needs to make a homily out of this.

This would not fly at my school. Think this helps teens? Think it sends a positive message? Obviously I'm writing this without reading the play, but it certainly doesn't sound good. I'm sure there will be fallout from this and we'll be hearing about it again. From California Catholic Daily:

Four Catholic High Schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco are scheduled to host a performance of the condom-endorsing sex-education play Secrets. The play was written by openly lesbian playwright Patricia Loughrey. Secrets will be performed on October 14, 2009 at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco; on November 5, 2009 at Sacred Heart High School in Atherton; on January 19, 2010 at Mercy High School in Burlingame, and on February 9, 2010 at St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School in San Francisco.

The play depicts a teenager who is HIV positive. Some content in Secrets was considered, by the Fremont, California Unified School District, to be sufficiently graphic to require that a permission slip be signed by parents before their child would be allowed to see it. The Fremont Unified School District also posts an online flyer (in English and Chinese) for parents, informing them of the performance, and inviting them to watch a video of Secrets before giving their permission. The flyer also describes two of the scenes: “A character dumps dozens of brightly wrapped condoms on the floor with a discussion about which type of condoms are the best to use and how to use them effectively.” Another scene is a “Discussion about contraceptives and a visual display of them.” The production of Secrets in the San Francisco Archdiocese is sponsored by the Educational Theater Programs division of the Kaiser Permanente HMO.