Religion

Tracy had a short post today about Groundhog Day, the old pagan festival of Imbolc, and Candlemas, three holidays that fall more or less today.

In Massachusetts, the days finally feel like they’re getting longer. The battle against darkness continues, but it’s obvious the tide has turned, and these holidays mark a natural time to celebrate the impending victory and think about the end of winter, whether by preparing liturgical equipment or seeing if small animals can give us an ETA.

I’m officially beginning to plan for Lent today. That means starting to think about what I might want to give up (this year: a lot), and asking the people around me if they’re observing Lent this year (many non-Christians do!). It’s also turned out to be a day of garden and business planning, and reviewing the progress of my New Year’s resolutions. Candlemas—now my favorite neglected holiday.

Hope all the P&C readers out there had a good Christmas.

I’m sure there’s a technical term for how the viewer separates the artwork from the background. I love taking creche photos in part because the background is so often completely inappropriate, and occasionally accidentally appropriate. Here, NO TRESPASSING and BEWARE OF THE DOG are a “No room at the inn” for our time.

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Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of four weeks of Christian preparation for Christmas.

This year, it also marked the day when American Catholics began using a new translation of the Roman Missal, the first big change in what we say at mass in 40 years.

The rephrasing began with the second response of the mass. The congregation used to say: “And also with you.” Now: “And with your spirit.”

At St. Peter’s I’d say 0 of 200 people (including myself) were following the missal closely enough to override the habit of decades and give the new response. “And with your spirit” popped up throughout the mass. By the end we were at about 50% compliance with the new text.

As part of today’s homily, the priest observed that the spirit of Advent is “To be awake, to be aware.” To a Buddhist sympathizer like me, this sounds like mindfulness. This Advent I’ll be giving special attention to silent prayer, perhaps lighting the Advent wreath briefly each day. Since Dorothy Day’s published diaries, The Duty of Delight, are finally available as an e-book, I’ll be including them in my Advent meditations. The US Bishops have sometimes published an online Advent prayer guide; I can’t find anything like that this year, so until I do find something comprehensive, I’ll be working with whatever Susan Stabile posts that day.

“Gandhi Visits Occupy Wall Street”
Annual Agape Advent Evening

Saturday, December 3, 5:30pm
2062 Greenwich Road, Ware, MA

George Pattery, SJ, a Jesuit from Calcutta, will speak. He is currently teaching a course on Gandhi and Religion at Holy Cross.

(This event conflicts with the Stone Soup anniversary party, unfortunately.)

For the latest episode of The Silver Mountain, Bruce “Snow Ghost” Russell and I talked to Fr. John Madden, pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church in Worcester. Fr. John talks about being a priest, organizing a soup line, Dorothy Day, and the Catholic Worker movement.

More notes at Landlubber.

Bruce “Snow Ghost” Russell and I are doing a new cable access show! It’s called The Silver Mountain and the episodes will begin running at 9am and 11pm Saturdays, and 6pm Sundays, on WCCA TV13 in Worcester.

We’re very pleased that the first episode features our old pal Brenna Cussen talking about Catholic anarchism, with our other pal Anne Lewenberg representing the secular anarchists. Great folks talking about the things that move them: expect nothing less from the Snow Ghost.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales last week decided “to re-establish the practice of Friday penance in the lives of the faithful as a clear and distinctive mark of their own Catholic identity.”

In practice, this means a return to “no meat on Fridays” for British Catholics.

From the resolution:

The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake.

Nice nod to vegetarianism. As a long time vegan, I always fret about what “some other food” I should give up Fridays in Lent. Soy seems an obvious one, but has tended to be more annoying than helpful. I’m curious to see if UK veg Catholics develop any traditions and practices around “some other food.”

I’m having a hard time at the moment (as I sometimes do, just worse), and I’m drawn to the idea of re-establishing weekly penance in my life. Prayer and fasting are always my last resort when I’m having a hard time, despite the fact that they most always work. One of the great blessings of going to mass with the late Father Bernie every Friday was that every week he’d encourage us to pray, and every week I’d think “Oh yeah, forgot about that,” and then I’d pray for a day or two, and many issues would be resolved. And then by the next Friday I’d already be out of the habit and in need of another reminder.

The Significance of Cardinal Newman

Come see a slide presentation by Mike True on the recently beatified John Henry Cardinal Newman, Catholic convert, theologian, and extraordinary voice for conscience and faith.

Wednesday, May 18: 7:00 pm

SS. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker
52 Mason Street, Worcester, MA 508 753-3588
Refreshments to follow. Free and open to the public.

Mike True, a professor emeritus of English at Assumption College, is a devoted admirer and student of Newman.

Today Fr Bernie Gilgun, priest and Catholic Worker, was buried in the cemetery in front of Saint Anne’s Church in Shrewsbury.

It was a beautiful service with wonderful music.

Father Bernie Gilgun, at age 84, quietly breathed his earthly last in the company of family and friends at the Grenon ICU Center of the University of Massachusetts Hospital in Worcester in the early afternoon of Easter Monday, April 25, 2011. Father Gilgun was widely known for his holiness, his preaching, and his love of the poor. His loss is acutely felt by his followers who viewed him as wise priest, expert leader in prayer, and teacher.
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