tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68023032011-07-28T10:45:08.395-07:00A journal of news, commentary, opinion and observation on the state of relations between faith and reason in the Church and the public square.FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1094646293815399122004-09-08T05:13:00.000-07:002004-09-08T05:24:53.816-07:00

They've seemingly abandoned all pretense of objectivity as a newspaper; not only is their op-ed page rife with pro-Kerry, pro-Democratic Party columnists, but even their "hard news" sections are blatantly pro-Kerry. Today's "bombshell" is about President Bush's alleged failure to register for National Guard duty while in Massachusetts at Harvard Business School. Front page news, no less. Okay,

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1094176834783154832004-09-02T18:47:00.000-07:002004-09-02T19:00:34.783-07:00

But now I'm back -- with a vengeance! First off -- congrats to Zell Miller on a great speech at the RNC last night. Well spoken man, posed my question: why has the Democratic Party left so many of us behind by becoming beholden to so many special interest groups? Secondly, I'm developing a germ of an idea about a way around what I see as a continuing challenge for those of us who are

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1089897219947535612004-07-15T06:13:00.000-07:002004-07-15T13:49:26.280-07:00

There's a Bob Novak column in today's Chicago Sun-Times that piques my curiosity: when will the people who are currently screaming about Fox News' claim to be "fair and balanced" run this huge story? Let's do a walk-thru of the last 4 years of Democratic rhetoric, shall we? 1. The President failed to act on pre-9/11 intelligence reports that Bin Laden was planning major terrorism attacks

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1089298166574152572004-07-08T07:10:00.000-07:002004-07-08T07:49:26.573-07:00

(This is a long idea, so I might have to break it into two or three sections. I'll see how it goes.) A person whom I count as a very good friend, and a very well educated and very principled, faith-filled man, stunned me on Tuesday. I discovered that he is pro-Kerry since he is vehemently anti-Bush. We had a long discussion of the issues, and I expect that we will have more such in the future

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1089295781954642902004-07-08T06:59:00.000-07:002004-07-08T07:09:41.953-07:00

This surprised me greatly. She hits the nail on the head, even if the hammer she's swinging is coming from the other side of the plank. How can one ever truly consider conception as the beginning of human life AND agree that ending that life is somehow acceptable? Hearing Kerry's comment the other day, I immediately predicted he'd shot himself in the foot; he could never hope to defend such an

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1089295169972073812004-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:002004-07-08T06:59:29.973-07:00

A good friend of mine, 2nd Lt. Brian Hanrahan, USMC, graduated from Basic School this morning and will be going to Pensacola, FL for flight training as he prepares to fly helicopters for the Corps. I am proud to know him. I am even more proud to count him as a friend. At the age of 25, prior to 9/11, Brian decided that he was called to serve his country as a Marine officer. He is a man of

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1088881983329801222004-07-03T12:05:00.000-07:002004-07-04T08:15:17.850-07:00

Amos didn't want to speak God's prophetic Word -- but he did it anyway! This is what he had to say about "The Chosen People": Thus says the LORD: For three crimes of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke my word; Because they ripped open expectant mothers in Gilead, while extending their territory, I will kindle a fire upon the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour her castles Amid clamor

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1088608917895430852004-06-30T07:55:00.000-07:002004-06-30T08:21:57.896-07:00

I find myself bemused at the expropriation of the latter prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) by the leftist/socialist/liberal apparatchik. While these clearly represent God's Holy Word spoken in favor of a preferential option for the poor, that one element of their cry cannot be isolated from the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1088131562502475462004-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:002004-06-24T19:46:02.503-07:00

I have a lot of friends who identify with the Democratic Party so completely that they can't imagine voting Republican or Independent. Even though they claim to be pro-life, they so despise President Bush (and, in fact, all things Republican) and could never be persuaded to vote for his re-election. In fact, the "good Catholics" who are also dyed-in-the-wool Democrats say they'll vote for Kerry

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1088129905467626772004-06-24T19:01:00.000-07:002004-06-24T19:18:25.466-07:00

A good friend sent me this link from Christianity Today. Without explicit reference to Catholicism, it describes pretty succinctly the issue we've experienced over the past forty years -- and particularly since the promulgation of Ex Corde Ecclesia -- in the titularly Catholic institutions of higher learning. One of the first things I learned about Catholic Christianity when I got to the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087908509035997122004-06-22T05:45:00.000-07:002004-06-22T05:48:29.036-07:00

When Christopher Hitchens slams a fellow leftie, you know it's bad. I'm generally not a Hitchens fan, but in this case, the enemy of my enemy is my "friend" (at least for today).

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087644964168686312004-06-19T04:31:00.000-07:002004-06-22T05:50:38.923-07:00

If you just woke up, here's something to kill your appetite. I've known some Salesians here in the Boston area for a while now. One of them is the head of our Office of Youth Ministry, who I find to be cold and odd at the same time. The others that I know of run a "youth center" in East Boston, and they're all "odd" in that perfect-hair-and-show-tunes sort of way. Notice in the stories the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087574005324301542004-06-18T08:36:00.000-07:002004-06-22T05:51:08.753-07:00

I've been reading (along with MANY others) the story emerging out of Dallas about the conspiracy of our bishops to keep the pederasty story quiet for lo these many years, and I began to wonder, "At what point did this all begin, and is there a nexus with the formation of our episcopal conference, the USCCB?" I did a little research, and found that although Catholic bishops in the USA had been

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087563746255776002004-06-18T05:58:00.000-07:002004-06-22T05:51:38.340-07:00

I spoke in a post below about XLT -- a praise and worship experience for Catholic teens, which includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The group of LifeTeen parishes of which we're a member is having an XLT tonight in Milford. Here's an ad: Friday June 18, 2004 Bell Tower Room (Top Floor of Milford Catholic Elementary School) Sacred Heart Church Milford, MA 7-9 PM Sponsored by the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087563021440149572004-06-18T05:25:00.000-07:002004-06-22T05:51:58.940-07:00

I'm at a point in my life where it's natural to take time for reflection -- yes, I'm hitting 50 this week -- and I'm taking some time to write out my thoughts about the Church herself. It seems to me, in my limited experience of Holy Mother Church, that she is less clearly defined and the subject of more amorphous anger than ever before in her history. And I think the two are closely related.

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1087222667795564022004-06-14T06:49:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:49:11.306-07:00

Dom Bettinelli has a piece today about seminarians at St. John's in Boston having to endure a workshop put on by a priest from the St. Luke's Institute for Wayward Priests (ahem) in Silver Spring, MD, in which he asks the rhetorical question, "Aren't things getting any better at SJS under O'Malley?" Well, yes and no, I guess. When I was there I can tell you it was a whole lot worse. Instead of

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086991121903933692004-06-11T14:36:00.001-07:002004-06-22T06:49:31.076-07:00

For those of you hoping to read a column about St. Ignatius and The Exercises, I'm sorry to disappoint you. This one is about the public standards for decency and factual responsibility. Two examples: (1) The colorful protesters outside National Cathedral during and after President Reagan's (Episcopalian) funeral. One can only imagine what the sign in the rear ("God H**** M***) might say. Do

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086881519259016272004-06-10T08:29:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:49:54.486-07:00

Just back from Mesa and the three-day LifeTeen conference. In a word: awesome! Had the pleasure of concelebrating with Bishop Olmstead on Tuesday morning. Interesting fellow. Personable, friendly, intelligent while quiet, gentle and (I think) introverted. Doctrinally correct but not forceful in his presentation. His homily was primarily about the need for holy silence -- in the liturgy and

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086731801247175262004-06-08T14:41:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:50:17.320-07:00

Boy, does it feel strange to say this publicly, but I can't tell which is more unsettling to me (and to other priests, as much as I can determine): doing funerals or doing weddings. Don't get me wrong; there is pure unadulterated joy in celebrating Mass anytime, anywhere. The beauty of the Sacrament is indescribable (though, trying, I would say it's akin to being completely at one with all

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086730127735820472004-06-08T14:19:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:50:42.803-07:00

Matt Drudge has a piece today about former President Clinton's unhappiness ("anger") at not being asked to eulogize former President Reagan at the Episcopalian funeral liturgy in Washington. Only President Bush, his father, Margaret Thatcher and Brian Mulroney will do eulogies. Is it any surprise that he was not invited to speak? After all, Clinton went out of his way to demonize Reagan and

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086638930481935062004-06-07T13:08:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:51:06.193-07:00

The pastor’s been away for a couple weeks and I need a break. So I’m going to Arizona, to Mesa specifically, and you probably know what that means. Yep, I’m one of those “LifeTeen” crazies. I realize that it’s confounding to so many people who have come to know me as a conservative, orthodox priest; “How could somebody so devoted to the traditional Mass, so devoted to Gregorian chant, so

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086534098366377832004-06-06T07:46:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:51:33.300-07:00

I've long had a bad taste in my mouth from encounters with Boston's Catholic Charities. I first felt the vomitus when, entering a women's shelter which was operated by Catholic Charities and which occupied the former convent of a parish in Dorchester, the first thing I saw tacked to the communal bulletin board was a state-sponsored ad for condoms and "safe sex." Later, in a city parish, I was

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086469944771505512004-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:51:53.686-07:00

The man understood the evil of communism, and he worked tirelessly to destroy it. We are blessed as a nation to have had him as our President. Requiescat in pacem.

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086468090011520142004-06-05T08:48:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:52:27.896-07:00

Day after day we realize how badly we were hurt by the sodomite scandal (of which, I am afraid, the other shoe has yet to drop). I'm not just talking about the anger of the faithful, the drop in offertory or even the derision of the hoi polloi. I'm not even confining myself to the lack of care that the meager dollars we're now receiving allow us to extend to the poor. Nor do I mean merely

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086449225594482262004-06-05T08:22:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:52:46.070-07:00

I remember the first time I read something that Archbishop Chaput had written in his diocesan paper. My jaw dropped, and I was momentarily stunned. I read it late in the morning, just before lunch, and went to eat with my confreres filled with joy, giving each of them a copy I'd printed out. I remember thinking, "Christ has not forgotten His Church! Alleluia!" Abp. Chaput still amazes me

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086397189384577212004-06-04T17:05:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:53:04.390-07:00

Did you wonder (rhetorical question, of course) why there was such a flood of scandalous accusations against priests all at one time, even though the alleged actions took place over four decades? Wouldn't it have made more sense for these things to have come out as they happened? There are many reasons why, all of them shameful. The conspiracy of silence between diocesan officials and the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086371323605083842004-06-04T10:32:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:53:24.910-07:00

For years -- actually, since the day I entered the seminary -- I've been saying that the real problem in the "American Church" is the gay priesthood. For years most of the people to whom I said it, though, put their fingers in their ears and chanted, "Nahnunahnunahnu" to block out reception of such arrant nonsense. I put together the following essay to put in our parish bulletin on the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086353574501316442004-06-04T05:21:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:53:44.396-07:00

There's been substantial comment in priestly circles about the state of the seminary (St. John's in Brighton). I find that quite remarkable, for the following reasons. First of all, there are two wildly divergent opinions on the current state of affairs there. One side (mostly priests) is convinced that the new rector has begun to systematically destroy the seminary, while the other side (

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086272470123116012004-06-03T07:06:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:54:04.366-07:00

With a mixture of sadness and joy, I'll be leaving in a few minutes to do a funeral for two babies who were delivered after only 18 weeks of gestation. I was on hospital duty last Saturday and was called by the parents to be on hand to baptize the twins as their birth and the inevitability of their subsequent death neared. I was moved deeply by the faith of the parents, and was buoyed by the

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1086210158238786512004-06-02T13:48:00.000-07:002004-06-22T06:54:25.696-07:00

Have the Living Pages turned into the Sodomite Pages? Virtually every day, above the fold on the front page of this section is a big picture and a pro-gay story. Today it's a young man who grew up with two lesbian mommies; yesterday it was a puff piece bemoaning the lack of greeting cards to celebrate so-called "gay marriage." I spoke with Christine Chinlund, ombudsman for the Globe. Her

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802303.post-1082418467321433962004-04-19T16:38:00.000-07:002004-04-19T16:51:50.920-07:00

Welcome to my new blog spot on the web. I'll try to post news, commentary, observations and opinion about the state of affairs of the relationship between faith and reason in the Church and the public square. I'll also use this space to air ongoing discussions about liturgy, pastoral praxis and ecclesiology within and without the Catholic Church. Please feel welcome to respond, comment,

FatherElijahnoreply@blogger.com0