I seem to be a few days behind on this one, than again I’ve only been blogging for 24 hours.
We as Catholics need to take action on this one. Time Magazine has posted an internet poll on whether Cardinal Timothy Dolan should be included in their ‘2012 Time 100’. As of this post I see that only 58% of voters seem to think that His Eminence belongs on the list. Cardinal Dolan has helped to unite the United States bishops against President Obama’s HHS contraception mandate in a way that is unseen in generations. With his help we have once again become The Church Militant and with his help we will once again succeed in becoming The Church Triumphant.
Voting ends Friday April 6th. You can vote HERE.
Here is the short story that Time has written on the embattled cardinal:
Age: 62
Occupation: Prince of the Catholic Church
The man most likely to give Barack Obama fits on the way to Election Day is the newly birettaed Archbishop of New York. Affable, jolly and theatrical, Dolan deploys these genial weapons as the Catholic Church’s point man in the battle against the Obama Administration’s policies on contraception and abortion. The President barely won the Catholic vote in 2008; without an accommodation, Dolan could turn away enough voters to tilt a close election — all with a smile.
As they say in Chicago: Vote early and vote often on this one.
Holy Week title page from my 1961 Saint Joseph Daily Missal
It is Holy Week. This time of year is steeped with Tradition. I try to attend as many of the special Holy Week masses and devotions as possible. This year in particular I have decided to attend most of these Liturgies at my diocese cathedral. This is a fairly easy task for me since I live in Belleville, IL which happens to be the seat of a diocese.
Today I attended the Chrism Mass. For those of you who aren’t aware this is when and where the three holy oils are blessed by the bishop and distributed to the individual parishes, oratories, and chapels for use throughout the year. This is also the mass where the priests of the diocese renew promises they made on their day of ordination. The mass is celebrated by the diocese bishop and concelebrated by the priests of the diocese.
Inside the north nave at the Cathedral of St. Peter (Belleville) before the Chrism Mass
The mass was not without controversy as about 50 or so protesters (I wish I would have snapped some pictures) stood in front of the cathedral holding signs in support of a priest who was recently resigned as pastor of a parish after he was told that he could no longer ad-lib parts of the mass.
I’ve tried to keep Holy Week fresh the past few years. Two years ago I attended each of the Holy Week services in a single year for the first time, all at my home parish. Last year I did the same, but at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis (which is arguably the most beautiful church in North America). This year I am planning to celebrate each service at my home cathedral. What should I attempt next year? I’m thinking about each service at St. Francis de Sales parish in St. Louis in order to experience Holy Week in the Extraordinary Form.
As for the rest of Holy Week I intend to attend The Mass of The Last Supper on Holy Thursday, The Liturgy of Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil Mass, as stated all at my home cathedral. In addition I am going to try my best (barring work conflicts) to attend an outdoor celebration of the Way of the Cross at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.
Whether you are able to attend every service of Holy Week or just Easter Sunday I hope that you’ve chosen to take this lent as an opportunity to renew your own faith.
Holy Week title page from my Midwest Theological Forum Daily Roman Missal
It is the lay Catholic who lives day in and day out in the secular world. It is the lay Catholic who has to endure the temptations of this would and still exemplify Christ in his or her life. It is the lay Catholic who shows the rest of the world just what it means to be Catholic by living life according to Christ’s teachings.
We as lay Catholics are the ones who need to stand up for our faith. We are the ones who have been called to evangelize (it’s not just a protestant thing). In these times when it seems that our Church is being attacked from almost every corner; from mainstream media to our own friend’s Facebook feeds. We need to start speaking up. The call to speak up is exactly why I have started this blog. If we are to stand united against the secular world than we need to build each other up in order to inspire others to live the life that Christ intended for the people of his kingdom.
It is my intention to share my experiences of being a lay Catholic. I’m going to share everything from my favorite books on the faith, to expressing the joys of the Church, to talking about the challenges of everyday life.
I know that standing up for you faith can often put you in a lonely place. We need to share our experiences in order to show each other that we are not alone; in fact there are tens of thousands like us.
We are faithful to Christ’s Church. We are faithful to His vicar on Earth. We are the Catholic laity.
Who Is This Lay Catholic?
As for me; I’m just as normal as can be. I work, love my family, have hobbies, and love my lord. I get up in the morning then I drive to work and eventually drive home.
I am a college professor by day and an award winning (just one) motorsports reporter by night.
I am a cradle Catholic, who attended a parochial school. After college I fell away from the faith. I never really quit the Church all together, but I certainly didn’t completely agree with the Church or even appreciate what made it different from other Christian denominations. In graduate school I dated a woman who opposed the Church. She made me seriously question the faith.
Eventually I was faced with the prospect of remaining Catholic or staying with a woman who I was deeply in love with. I had to make the decision: stay with her or stay Catholic. I chose to educate myself on the faith. I began to digest books on the faith with great speed. It was then that I realized just what makes the Church so special. It is needless to say that I once again became a single man. Even though this difficult experience I believe that I owe her a debt of gratitude. I am Catholic and loving it! Without those hard times I would not have found the joy of completely amercing myself in the faith. I have never regretted the decision and I’ve never looked back.
I’ve been through my ups and down, I’ve felt alone, I’ve felt overjoyed, I am like you: I am a lay Catholic.
A Lay Catholic 