Two announcements related to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass being celebrated in the DC area:

On Saturday, April 24th, Dario Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, will celebrate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I imagine it will be breathtaking.

On an even more local note, the pastor of my own parish, St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg, MD, will begin celebrating the Extraordinary Form of the Mass weekly at 5pm on Sundays starting on Feb. 21st (the First Sunday in Lent). He will begin by celebrating the low mass, and he hopes to move to a Missa Cantata (basically a low mass with a choir) by Easter.

If you are in the area, try to make an effort to attend!

It seems as if we live in a world which the prophet Isaiah warned us about:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

The Church’s clear teaching on moral issues has been challenged in all corners, and unfortunately, even by its own members. Actions which should be unthinkable to any decently-formed Catholic must now be explicitly condemned, such as the killing of innocent babies and the idea of same-sex “marriage”.

And recently, another clear moral teaching has been challenged: the intrinsic evil of torture. Many Catholics – including many who proclaim that they are pro-life – are working to justify torture even though it has been condemned in no uncertain terms by the Church.

Erin Manning has begun a new group called “Coalition for Clarity” which works to defend the Church’s teaching in this area. I have proudly signed up as a listed member of this Coalition, although I admit that I find it sad that we have to distinguish ourselves simply by our acceptance of Church teaching.

Now this is a story that I just HAD to blog about, as it combines two of my favorite things, the Catholic Faith and baseball:

MLB prospect retires to pursue priesthood

Grant Desme entered the 2009 season with an injury-prone past.

The A’s prized prospect exited the season with a head-turning presence, accompanied by a bat that produced 31 home runs and a speedy 6-foot-2 frame that stole 40 bases in Class A ball — making him the only player in Minor League Baseball to enjoy a 30-30 campaign.

An exceptional performance and MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League followed, so surely Desme was close to getting a call, most assumed — if not for a trip to The Show, then at least for an invitation to Spring Training.

Yet, Desme insists he’d already received the call long before his final at-bat in the fall came and went — the one that would take him to bigger and better places.

It just so happens it wasn’t what the A’s organization — or anyone else, for that matter — had in mind.

The call, Desme announced Friday, came in the form of priesthood in the Catholic church.

Here is the money quote, which is a great example of how one can know their vocation:

“As the year went on,” he said, “God blessed me. I had a better year than I could have imagined, but that reconfirmed my desire because I wasn’t at peace with where I was at. I love the game, but I aspire to higher things.

Even though Desme was doing something he loved and doing it in an extraordinary fashion, he was not at peace. I told this story to my own kids to give them an example of how they will one day know what their vocational call is in their own lives.

What I also find so amazing about this story is the timing of Desme’s decision. He is only 23 years old and he is leaving baseball right on the cusp of fulfilling what was surely his lifelong dream: playing in the Major Leagues. No one would fault him if he planned to play for at least 5-10 more years, then decided to become a priest. But God’s plans are not our plans, and when He calls, our response, like Desme’s, should be immediate.

We celebrate the power of The Call with today’s feast, the Conversion of St. Paul. No one could have predicted that the great persecutor of the Church would have his life turned around so suddenly, but when God speaks His Word, it is effective.

This also reminds me of a priest I know who told me he was called to the priesthood at the age of 3. And if that is not amazing enough, he wasn’t even Catholic! He had to wait until high school to convert, then he entered the seminary as soon as he could.

When we hear The Call in our lives, we only have one option: to respond in faith, knowing that the Lord will guide us down the right path.

Pray for Desme and all seminarians today.

For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, Until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. (Isaiah 62:1)

Looking ahead

Looking behind

In a few hours I’ll be leaving for the March for Life. It has been almost 20 years since my first March back in 1991, and I have now been to Marches under 4 different presidents. My oldest child is actually much closer to my age at my first March than I am. But as I march, I always try to remind myself why I go.

• I don’t march because I want a Health Care bill that doesn’t fund abortions (although of course that would be great).
• I don’t march because I want the President to be pro-life (which of course would be better than the alternative).
• I don’t march because I want Congress to pass pro-life laws (although of course I would rejoice if they did).
• I don’t march because I want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade (even though of course that would be a great thing if it happened).

No, I march for one primary reason: because those I want to see protected by law and loved by society – the unborn – cannot march. They are silent victims of a terrible holocaust, and they cannot speak for themselves. They cannot stand up for their own rights; they need us to do that for them.

By marching, we are reminding everyone that every day innocent children are being ripped from their mother’s wombs, and this occurs under the full protection of the law and the complete acceptance of our society. By marching, we can be the voice for those who have not yet developed their own voices.

That is why I march.

I am attending the March for Life tomorrow with four of my children, and I hope anyone who can make it comes as well. I have been going off-and-0n since 1991, and I am always very encouraged by all the people I see – especially all the young people (I was one of those young people back in 1991!).

If for some reason you can’t make it, you can always attend the Virtual March for Life. Just don’t make that an excuse for not attending the real one if you can.

Also, the bishops have declared January 22nd a day of penance: whether you go to the March or not, be sure to pray and fast tomorrow for the end of legalized abortion.

In 1939, David Sarnoff, the president of what would soon be NBC, presented TV to the world with these words:

“It is with a feeling of humbleness that I come to this moment of announcing the birth in this country of a new art so important in its implications that it is bound to affect all society. It is an art which shines like a torch of hope in the troubled world. It is a creative force which we must learn to utilize for the benefit of all mankind.”

I don’t think this is what he had in mind.

Today is the memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. We don’t know many details about her life, but she was so highly venerated in the early Church that her name appears in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) along with other women martyrs:

For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs, with…Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia…

Why were these women so venerated in the early Church? One reason is that by their lives they proclaimed the radical commitment which Christ places on our lives. In Roman culture, a woman was little better than a slave; she was expected to do whatever her husband asked of her (and she had no choice as to who her husband would be). These women, however, all placed Christ above any mortal man – they were willing to die for the Lord rather than submit to the false practices of others. This was a beautiful witness to the exclusivity of Christian discipleship.

But it was also subversive; the entire Roman society was based on strictly defined roles for each person. Christianity, however, proclaimed a radical call which superseded any cultural norms. Christians did not explicitly reject such norms, but when they came in conflict with their deeply-held convictions, then they refused to follow them, even to the point of death. This can be a great example to us today: we must be willing to follow the radical call of Christ in our lives, regardless of the cost or how subversive it might be.

St. Agnes, pray for us!

Many people don’t know that homeschooling is illegal in Germany. It seems absurd that a developed, democratic nation would ban homeschooling outright, yet it is true. The draconian Deutschland laws actually date back to the Nazi era when the government wanted complete control in how children were educated indoctrinated (thus making this a case in which Godwin’s Law doesn’t apply).

A German couple who wanted to homeschool found out the hard way that Germany still intends to enforce this law. Persecuted by German authorities, they fled the country for America back in 2008. Now it looks like they might be granted political asylum:

In what could be a major international embarrassment for Germany a federal immigration judge in Memphis Tennessee is expected to rule this Wednesday on the political asylum case of the Romeike family who fled persecution by German authorities over homeschooling in August 2008.

“The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has dramatically intensified,” said HSLDA staff attorney Michael P. Donnelly. “They are regularly fined thousands of dollars, threatened with imprisonment, or have the custody of their children taken away simply because they choose to home educate.”

It’s for these reasons that the Romeikes fled Germany and with the help of HSLDA filed for political asylum in the United States.

Uwe Romeike, a music teacher, and his wife Hannelore, have five children. “The freedom we have to homeschool our children in Tennessee is wonderful. We don’t have to worry about looking over our shoulder anymore wondering when the youth welfare officials will come or how much money we have to pay in fines,” said Mrs. Romeike.

“We left family members, our home, and a wonderful community in Germany, but the well-being of our children made it necessary,” said Mr. Romeike.

“If the political asylum application is granted it will be the first time America has ever granted political asylum to Christian homeschoolers fleeing from German persecution,” said Donnelly.

Pray for the Romeike family that they might be able to be the primary educators of their children in the manner in which they choose.

Christianity Today has an interesting article by an Evangelical pastor about the Catholics Come Home program and other Catholic “New Evangelization” efforts. The author, Chris Castaldo (a former Catholic himself) shows a real appreciation for these programs and also gives some useful advice:

Are any Catholics listening? You’d better believe it. The number of organizations “answering the Pope’s call,” as it’s phrased, is impressive. Simply take note of the lawn signs outside of your neighborhood’s local parish advertising programs such as “Alpha” and “Theology on Tap,” or visit the Vatican’s YouTube channel, or tune into Relevant Radio or the EWTN Global Catholic Network, or now surf the web to CatholicsComeHome.org, and you’ll see it. Trenchantly conservative, devout, enterprising, organized, and above all committed to the Church, these Catholics are serious. In them, the spirit of Ignatius of Loyola lives.

I haven’t heard too many proponents of the New Evangelization compare their efforts to the legacy of Loyola and his Society of Jesus; but for me, an armchair church historian, the parallel is striking. Starting with a commitment to supporting and serving the papacy, both endeavor to promote dynamic faith among laypeople and to enrich the structures of public life. The parallel of theological substance, spirituality, innovation, and evangelistic zeal is remarkable. With this connection in mind, I would like to offer two words of caution: one for Catholics and the other for Protestants.

…my encouragement to Catholics pursuing the New Evangelization is to remain positive. While there will necessarily be moments of defining yourself over and against Protestants, don’t let this become your modus operandi.

Protestants must be equally vigilant. For many in our tradition the temptation will be to dismiss or perhaps mock the programs. After all, that’s what we’re supposed to do when we encounter error, right?

Speaking as an evangelical pastor, card-carrying Calvinist, want-to-stand-up-and-salute-when-I-hear-Luther’s-Mighty-Fortress kind of guy, I nonetheless feel secure enough in my Protestant convictions to express appreciation for elements of the Catholics Come Home programs and other New Evangelization efforts. Turning away from sin, commitment to reading Scripture, looking to the Savior, protecting the life of the unborn, serving the poor—these and other such themes are ones that Protestants can affirm, even though we disagree with the institutionalized structure of Catholic authority, the role of the sacraments, and requisite precepts surrounding them. This sort of measured response—consciously gracious while rooted in biblical principles—is more intellectually honest, more missionally compelling, and more genuinely Christian.

I can’t agree enough with Castaldo’s advice to Catholics. It is true that we must distinguish where we differ from Protestants, but that cannot be what defines us. The beauty and truth of the Catholic Faith is so much more than just “anti-Protestantism”. And it is this truth and beauty which will attract people to the Church, and we must proclaim that at every opportunity.

St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Ohio Abortion Clinic Follows National Trend and Closes

After 34 years in the abortion business, the Mahoning Women’s Center in Youngstown, Ohio, permanently closed its doors on January 12, 2010. The owner has retired and the building will be sold. The closure leaves the community of Youngstown abortion-free.

“This is such great news for the people of Ohio and all Americans. It means that lives will be saved,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “We know from experience that when abortion clinics close, many women who would otherwise have opted for abortion will instead happily keep their babies or release them for adoption.”

The closure follows a well-documented national trend. In 1991, there were nearly 2,200 abortion clinics, but today there are 712. Since 1991 over two-thirds of all abortion clinics have permanently closed. That trend reflects the shifting attitude of Americans toward the pro-life position.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

In the technology world, everyone has been looking forward to Apple’s Tablet device. That wait will soon be over.

In the movie world, everyone has been wondering who will play Bilbo in The Hobbit. Perhaps now we know.

In the Catholic book world, everyone can’t wait for my the Pope’s book about Jesus. Looks like it will soon be released. (You’ll have to wait until September for mine).

It seems like the past 25 years has produced a rash of conversions to the Catholic Faith. Everyone, apparently, is a convert or is married to a convert. What I find interesting is that, although all the conversion stories have certain similarities, they are all also very different. I never get tired of reading how others have found their way, through God’s grace, to the Catholic Church. What often happens is that God draws people through what they already love, or, as the scholastics would say, “grace perfects nature”.

Fellow blogger, professional pianist and reader of this blog Andy Lee is in the process of becoming Catholic, and he details his journey in three parts:

Returning to Catholicism – the Early Years

Returning to Catholicism – Part II

Returning to Catholicism – Part III

I was especially moved by how the Catholic tradition of beautiful music helped draw him to the Church. Here are some excerpts:

First, as a point of clarification, let me explain what I mean when I say “returning to Catholicism,” as this is both true and untrue.  I was actually baptized as an infant in the Catholic church, though, to my memory, we never attended mass regularly growing up.  So technically speaking, I am returning to the faith into which I was baptized (but never confirmed), but for the most part am seriously coming to Catholicism for the first time.  And yet, despite this, it really does feel to me as though I am returning to Catholicism, even if I was never really there in the first place.

…I had a friend say once that Catholicism is the default faith for music graduates, and I could hardly agree more.  After learning about early music (which is largely the music of the Church), and brushing up on it for doctoral comprehensive exams, I felt like I knew about as most Catholics about what was going on in Mass.  This ties into my appreciation of contemporary Christian music because the more I was exposed to these traditions and the stunning music behind them, the less satisfying the music at our church became.  Again, this was just laying the groundwork for my eventual move to Catholicism, because at the time it simply felt like something that wasn’t clicking right.

…That summer, I also traveled with the Avila choir to Italy, which included a stay in Rome and tours of Vatican City.  I experienced somewhat conflicting feelings concerning Catholicism while I was there.  On one hand, it was hard not to have a strong sense of spirituality entering these beautiful churches, but at the same time I was turned off by the display of wealth and power that I also saw.  We attended several Masses, including a Latin mass in St. Peter’s and a small, intimate Mass at St. Mark’s in Venice (I should add that I studied Latin in college, translating sections of St. Augustine’s and St. Patrick’s writings at different times, so that Latin mass was very moving).  These were amazing experiences, and I once again found myself being drawn to the beauty of the Mass.  Then again, I also found all the statues and veneration of relics to be a little disconcerting.

Immediately after the trip, I probably would have said that I felt a stronger conviction that certain aspects of the Catholic faith were wrong, and that I could never be Catholic.  In hindsight, though, being further exposed to the profound beauty of the Mass in such houses of worship sparked in me an almost irresistible desire to be a part of it on a regular basis.  It was hard participate in the Mass (even if I could not do so fully) and then return to a church were contemporary music and video screens were the norm.

Try to find some time to read all three parts today.

If you want to do something well, you look to see how others have already done it well. If I want to be a great baseball player, I see what Albert Pujols and Derek Jeter do and I try to emulate that. The same is true in the spiritual life: if you want to be holy, look and see how others before you have become holy. This is why I love reading lives of the saints, and why I encourage my children to do so as well. Nothing, other than the Bible, can be more profitable reading than discovering the many and varied ways in which God has raised up saints in different cultures and times.

Which is why I’m excited by the book “Voices of the Saints: A 365-Day Journey With Our Spiritual Companions” by Bert Ghezzi (full disclosure: Bert is my editor at Our Sunday Visitor). This video explains the project in a bit more detail:

There are more videos explaining the book here.

1 in 3 Presbyterians Affirm Jesus as Only Way to Salvation

The teaching of John 14:6 (“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”) has become one of the most controversial declarations of Christianity in our modern world. No one in previous generations would have thought twice that Christianity teaches Christ is necessary for salvation. But today it has become “offensive” if anyone proclaims that their religion is the way to salvation (just look at the reaction to the Brit Hume/Tiger Woods situation), especially Christians. Yet that is what Jesus himself tells us.

It is understandable for non-believers to reject Christ as the only way to salvation. After all, if they believed that, they wouldn’t be “non-believers” anymore, would they? But to see self-identified Christians rejecting the plain words of Christ is troubling. And as Catholics, we cannot look smugly at the Presbyterians, for although our Church has declared definitively time and time again (and most recently in Dominus Iesus) that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, it seems that many self-identified Catholics reject this teaching. This has tragic consequences for evangelization and missionary work, for if Christ is not necessary for salvation, why bother telling others about him?

The unique salvific need for Christ is not something that should make us Christians arrogant or proud. In fact, the very opposite: we should be humbled that we have been given such a gift and should ask the Lord for the means in which to share this Good News with those around us.

St. Paul and St. Francis Xavier, pray for us!