Reason 4,879 I'm grateful to be Catholic...

...the thought would never occur to us to replace an altar with a coffee bar.

You know you're Catholic when...

...stories like this from the Scranton Times Tribune make you shudder:

Carbondale Church descrated by theft

A golden container and the hosts for Holy Communion inside it were stolen during an overnight break-in Tuesday at St. Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale.

Called the ciborium, it was the only thing taken.

One has to hope that the thief a) only wanted the gold; b) had no idea that he/she was committing a huge act of sacrilege; and c) comes to repentance.

However,

Monsignor David L. Tressler, the church's pastor, described the Catholic community as stunned and hurt. There is a "real sense of violation," and it is all the more disheartening because the thief targeted the hosts, which are at the heart of the religion's identity, he said.

There were certainly more valuable items. "Once they were in the church, they could've had a field day," Monsignor Tressler said.

So it's very well possible that what happened at St. Rose of Lima wasn't merely a theft, but a very deliberate act by a person or persons who knew Who the ciborium held.

There's a reason satanists celebrate black masses and not twisted versions of other types of worship: the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ, and even the demons believe and tremble.

Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Eucharist, pray for us sinners.

God in the Streets of New York City

Another great one from Grassroots Media:



You know you're Catholic when this video gives you goosebumps...

Anglican-Catholic press conference tomorrow

Bulletin from the Vatican Press:

“We inform accredited journalists that tomorrow, Tuesday, 20 October 2009, at 11 a.m., in the John Paul II Hall of the Press Office of the Holy See, a briefing will be held on a theme pertaining to the relationship with the Anglicans, at which His Eminence Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and His Excellency Msgr. Joseph Augustine Di Noia OP, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments will take part."

Reliable sources - Fr. Z, as well as Damien Thompson of the London Telegraph and the UK Catholic Herald - seem to believe that this press conference pertains to the reunion of the Traditional Anglican Communion with the Catholic Church.

Especially because another press conference has been announced: Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury at 10 a.m., October 20, at 39 Eccleston Square, London.

Coincidence? Highly unlikely.





<---You know you're Catholic when... the prospect of such a reunion makes you positively giddy.

40 Days for Life

Stop today and offer up some prayers for all those who are praying in front of abortion mills and check out 40 Days for Life to see if you can support the movement in your part of the country.



This video was recorded outside Dr. Emily’s Women’s Health Center in The Bronx, New York — one of the country’s busiest abortion facilities.

God bless them for their witness.

Litany of Saints for the unemployed

The official unemployment rate stands at 9.5%.

St. Cajetan, patron saint of the unemployed, pray for us.

St. Joseph, patron saint of husbands and fathers, pray for us.

Blessed Virgin Mary, patron saint of wives and mothers, pray for us.

St. Homobonus, patron saint of business people, pray for us.

St. Jude, patron saint of impossible cases, pray for us.

St. Martin of Porres, patron saint of the poor, pray for us.

Lord God, through the intercession of your holy saints, may all those who seek work find it.

Amen.

Charisms...and unemployment

So it occurred to me today, as I contemplate job hunting, that inherent in unemployment are the charisms, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Not all 24 of the most common charisms, of course. But enough to make you stop and go hmm.

Like poverty, for instance. I am getting more broke by the day. :)

Writing: hence this blog, and of course, cover letters.

Service: I'm interning for a Catholic organization.

Knowledge: I have tons of time to read, browse the internet, etc.

Celibacy: I can't afford to get married unless I have a job.

Faith: You've got to trust in the Lord, even - especially - when the going gets tough.

And finally, intercessory prayer: thanks to the knowledge charism, I now know that Sts. Cajetan and Joseph (pray for us!) are the patron saints of job-seekers.

Thanks be to God, from whom all blessings flow.

Now back to the cover letters...

Festival season is upon us

I have plenty of fond childhood memories of our annual parish festival, always held towards the end of the summer. There would be good food - because hey, Catholics love to eat - some rides, some games, a chance to win a car - usually a Mustang - and of course, some blackjack and beer for the adults.

What's not to love?

Of course, I have a few friends who can't quite relate. Which made me realize something else: Catholics hold festivals. Protestants tithe.

Wouldn't it be cool if we did both - hold the annual festival AND never have to hear another homily on the roof fund?

You know you're Catholic when...

You wonder if digging up a St. Joseph statue would help you find an apartment to rent.