2005 December archive at Cornell Society for a Good Time

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Archive for December, 2005

I preface this post by saying that I am not embittered by my dealings with the Cornell Catholic Community chaplains. One can only pity those who have so much contempt for Mary, the Blessed Sacrament, the Supreme Pontiff, and Holy Mother Church.

I would like Cornell alumni to NEVER give so much as a mite to the Cornell Catholic Community (or any college Catholic group unless you are sure of its orthodoxy). Rather than money, offer your prayers for the chaplains and the students. Pray for the chaplains quit having “itching ears.” Pray that the undergrads and grads with even a gentle spark of love for the Church find each other. This may sound corny, but Catholics need a good support group at secular schools. So many Cornellians have left Catholicism for the vibrant Protestant fellowship groups because of the CCC. For too long the CCC has profited by the inability of orthodox Cornellians to unite. Of late, the CCC has been feeling the pressure - in a good way of course ;)

{The rest of the content of this post has been added to the timeline below, Eds.}

Published by Catharina Senensis December 31st, 2005 1 Comment

Revolution and Counter-Revolution: Catholics vs. Cornell Catholic Community

A Timeline of the Heterodox Chaplains of the Cornell Catholic Community and the Catholic student response

NB: this history is sketchy, but is intended to be filled out by our readers who are Cornell alumni. We particularly would like to know when the confessional in the auditorium ceased to be used and when it was rented to the Jewish community. Items that appear italicized below are of less certain authenticity
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Published by Ambrosius December 31st, 2005 27 Comments

A Short Road to Perfection

I go to a group called Cor ad Cor where we study Newman’s texts once a month. We meet at Littlemore (commonly called “The College” or “Newman’s Littlemore” - 20 minutes from the Oxford city centre) where Newman was received into the Catholic Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi, C.P. He was dedicated to writing numerous books and articles there in his last years as an Anglican. I was very impressed with the stand-up desk on which Newman worked for 16 hours a day standing and writing with his quail pen.

Anyhow, I just remembered to share one article that I first saw months ago. Newman left me with many thoughts when I first read it. It’s from his book Meditations and Devotions.

A Short Road to Perfection

September 27, 1856

It is the saying of holy men that, if we wish to be perfect, we have nothing more to do than to perform the ordinary duties of the day well. A short road to perfection—short, not because easy, but because pertinent and intelligible. There are no short ways to perfection, but there are sure ones.

I think this is an instruction which may be of great practical use to persons like ourselves. It is easy to have vague ideas what perfection is, which serve well enough to talk about, when we do not intend to aim at it; but as soon as a person really desires and sets about seeking it himself, he is dissatisfied with anything but what is tangible and clear, and constitutes some sort of direction towards the practice of it.

We must bear in mind what is meant by perfection. It does not mean any extraordinary service, anything out of the way, or especially heroic—not all have the opportunity of heroic acts, of sufferings—but it means what the word perfection ordinarily means. By perfect we mean that which has no flaw in it, that which is complete, that which is consistent, that which is sound—we mean the opposite to imperfect. As we know well what imperfection in religious service means, we know by the contrast what is meant by perfection.

He, then, is perfect who does the work of the day perfectly, and we need not go beyond this to seek for perfection. You need not go out of the round of the day.

I insist on this because I think it will simplify our views, and fix our exertions on a definite aim. If you ask me what you are to do in order to be perfect, I say, first—Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising; give your first thoughts to God; make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament; say the Angelus devoutly; eat and drink to God’s glory; say the Rosary well; be recollected; keep out bad thoughts; make your evening meditation well; examine yourself daily; go to bed in good time, and you are already perfect.

Published by Catharina December 31st, 2005 13 Comments

Ut carne carnem liberans,Ne perderet quod condidit

I found this at Catholic Church Conservation, a beautiful series of Madonna and Child images at this link.

Published by Iosephus December 31st, 2005 0 Comments

Introducing our Society

Now that we have a regular readership, I thought folks might like to know a bit about the people who make up this august Society for a Good Time. We are all graduate students or holders of PhDs with an average of 8 years of post-secondary education; we have three philosophers, a theoretical physicist, a biologist, a classicist and an engineer. Only two of us are cradle Catholics and at least four of the group were baptised in their 20s; we have a former Lutheran and Mormon as well as two ex-Anglicans.

God’s mercy is great and His ways are unsearchable, that such a group as we should have been given the grace to find the true Faith and to promote through this website Christ’s Spouse, our Holy Mother: the Catholic Church!

Published by Ambrosius December 30th, 2005 2 Comments

A Rescuing Hug: thoughts beyond the Crib

This is a picture from an article - I found in the ACW (the Association of Catholic Women) magazine - called “The Rescuing Hug”. The article details the first week of life of a set of twins, Kyrie (red dot) and Brielle (yellow dot).

Apparently, each were in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against the hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby’s heart rate stabilized and her temperature rose to normal.
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Published by Ambrosius December 30th, 2005 1 Comment

A plan for changes in the Curia?

Rorate Caeli has up a very, very interesting post about the possibilities for changes within the Curia. The bit I found most interesting was that Archbishop Marini would get something of a promotion, though this move would free up Marini’s #2, who is reportedly a favorite of the pontiff, to become director of papal liturgies. Also, Sepe would move out of his spot as the Red Pope and become president of the governatorate of the Holy See - something of a demotion, I think. Up till now, that spot has been held by an American, Cardinal Szoka, who, by and large, no one has ever heard of, which may indicate the obscurity of the position. Again, our thanks to Rorate Caeli for getting up these interesting speculations!

Published by Iosephus December 30th, 2005 3 Comments

The Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer for the Old Dominican Rite!

If there are any Dominicans out there who are interested, this is an English language site for the traditional French Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer, which is also advertised on our sidebar.

Of themselves they say: Following the ideals of their Father Saint Dominic, these religious are dedicated to contemplating, studying and preaching the truth.

I suggest emailing them at fsvf@wanadoo.fr if you would be interested in learning to say the old Dominican Rite!

more info:
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Published by Ambrosius December 29th, 2005 2 Comments

St. Thomas of Canterbury

For those of you who like to do the Latin thing, I combined texts from the old old Roman Breviary, with some additions of my own, to present the last moments of St. Thomas’ life, when the knights of the king had come to kill to him. The Roman Breviary attributes some great lines to him. Also, I wrote a prayer in St. Thomas’ honor; it includes a shot against the Freemasons. You’ll just have to see for yourself . . .

Published by Iosephus December 29th, 2005 0 Comments

Chapel Veils for Women

A thought occurred to me the other day. If papal audiences require women to wear a chapel veil, all the more should the Blessed Sacrament demand this small gesture of recognition. I know it’s hard, ladies. Yes, I’ve had the mischievous teenager tug at my veil from behind for a laugh or two. No one likes to stick out.

But when I forget my veil sometimes, I can’t help but feeling bald. I guess this is what Paul meant when he said “For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head” (1 Corinthians 11:6). Now you ain’t gonna tell me you prefer a shaved head to a veil! Well, some feminists might. So their problem is solved - what about yours?

Published by Catharina Senensis December 28th, 2005 26 Comments

Book Review:Religious Vocation:An Unnecessary Mystery

Religious Vocation: An Unnecessary Mystery

Fr. Richard Butler, O.P.

Foreward by the Most Reverend Edwin Vincent Byrne, D.D., Archbishop of Santa Fe

Originally published in 1961 bearing the December 5, 1960 Imprimatur of Albert Cardinal Meyer, Archbishop of Chicago.

Reprinted by TAN Books, 2005.

On the eve of the Second Vatican Council, when a variety of leading indicators looked good, at least humanly speaking, for the Catholic Church, Fr. Butler could yet write: Continue reading

Published by Iosephus December 28th, 2005 6 Comments

Some photos from today’s General Audience

Some of the Holy Father’s remarks here.

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Published by Iosephus December 28th, 2005 2 Comments

Dominicans & Angels

If you are in NYC, check out the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibit of the works of Blessed Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico was a Dominican painter from Italy. Among his subjects were St. Thomas Aquinas & St. Catherine of Siena. Here he depicts the “Apostle St. James the Great freeing the Magician Hermogenes” from the torments of the devils, which Hermogenes originally conjured up to plague St. James!

Btw, does anyone else think it’s weird to see Catholic devotional paintings and objects in a museum instead of a consecrated church? Although, this didn’t feel as weird as the Byzantine exhibit the Met did a year ago. I must have seen at least 100 relics! This time I only saw no less than 10 nuns in their habits at the museum. Dominicans and the Sisters of Life.
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Published by Catharina Senensis December 27th, 2005 4 Comments

Keep that Christmas Tree Up!

Since I didn’t know this, I’m assuming others might not as well: Christmastide, or the Christmas season, in the traditional Church Calendar lasts a full 40 days, not the mere “twelve days of Christmas” that I had thought. Thanks to my sister, Catarina Drexel, for pointing this out to me!

In the words of the Abbé Guéranger, O.S.B., from The Liturgical Year:

We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing for four thousand years . . .
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Published by Ambrosius December 27th, 2005 2 Comments

Playtime is over: Neocatechumenal Way Hits a Dead End

“With Benedict XVI, playtime is over” writes Sandro Magister in the latest from Chiesa. Magister’s article brings to the attention of English speaking readers (it first appeared in Il Giornale) that our most holy lord, Benedict XVI, has smashed (that would be too gentle a word) the Neocatechumenal Way, in particular, their notoriously deviant liturgical practices. Iacobus had a fine post about these shady characters a little while back. But to refresh your memory, here are some of the things which Magister notes about the Neocatechumenal Way’s liturgical practices: Continue reading