AmP's Current Reads

Outside of my readings for graduate studies and AmP stories, I've recently read/am currently reading:

• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
• The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty by John Saward
• The Divine Romance by Fulton J. Sheen

This triad is definitely helping me stay sane these days.

Picture: Just Magnificent!

A truly awesome photograph (with post production):

[source: Flickr user "bluejeans2100"]

A primer for accomodating deaf Catholics

Penned by my father Ed Peters over at his blog, In the Light of the Law:

I am not deaf and do not presume to speak for them. But, as one with some exposure to certain issues facing deaf Catholics, I think a response to Rev. Edward McNamara's January 1 Zenit post entitled "Accommodating the Deaf" is needed. One "M.D.", a Canadian, had asked Fr. McNamara whether Catholic churches should have American Sign Language and closed-captioning available at Mass and whether deaf people were allowed to enter religious life. I recognize Fr. McNamara's expertise in liturgical matters and applaud his desire to see deaf Catholics accorded their basic rights, but I found his discussion of these matters markedly wanting.

[Find out why here.]

Video: Habemus Papam Techno Song

Cleverly called the "Benedictus mix":



Ah, this brings me back!

A papist-on-the-ground's pics of Pope Benedict at Mariazell

A classmate of mine from college is now living in Austria attending school at the International Theological Institute (where I studied for a semester in 2003). He was present during the Pope's recent visit to Mariazell and recently uploaded his pictures here. A sample:

I take this to be definitive proof that those vestments were just as ugly up close. Yikes.

AmericanPapist Summer Shout-Outs

Several folks have been alerting me to their wonderful blogs and I've had to let them stack up until I had a chance to check them all out. Here they are!

Ryan Lobato has decided that "the one thing the internet needs is yet another Catholic blog with a funny Latin name" but has actually gone a step further and compiled links to as many free Catholic MP3 files he can find. See a need, fill a need! Go visit Sonitus Sanctus.

Elizabeth Andrew is beginning her post-college pro-life career. Best of luck!

Fr. Edward Seagriff gets a kick out of the PPOTD and has a fine parish/resource website.

And finally, a very unique (and exciting) blog by Brendan Koop and his family: Ecclesia Domestica.

"We are building a home in Ham Lake, MN over the next 2 years and have been amazed at the work of the Holy Spirit in the genesis of our project and how it may apply to Catholic families all over the country. We are planning a radically Catholic home, with a designed homschool area and a chapel, a home designed for the family as the "domestic church."

My younger brother, a graduate of Harvard with a Master's degree in architecture, is our architect. This is going to be a serious project that I hope has repercussions elsewhere in inspiring other families to build architecturally designed homes, or remodel their home, or even adapt their existing home to be a fortress of holiness and virtue.

The structure of the home won't make a family and its members more holy or virtuous, but it has been woefully overlooked as an important means of enhancing these goals. There will be more to come on the blog in the future in regard to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this endeavor, but I strongly believe the Lord wants to build up strong Catholic families to butress the attack on the family currently underway in the world, and home design to support that effort can be key."

Brendan further reports that in the first two weeks "we have already had over 1,000 unique visitors and over 1,250 hits! We've had comments from England, Arizona, an architecture student from Notre Dame, and even an Anglican who says he's interested in the project."

I'm always on the look-out for good Catholic blogs, drop me a line sometime!

Videos: NFP vs. Contraception (a la Apple)

A seminarian for the Diocese of Saginaw sent along a link to these three excellent videos entitled "NFP vs. Contraception," done in the style of those popular Apple commercials.

The actors are seminarians who recently participated in the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, Nebraska. I've studied with both of them and I have to tip my hat - they did an awesome job!

Video 1:


Video 2:


Video 3:

Spread the word!

Papist facebook application: "Pope Quotes"

I don't mind admitting that I'm addicted to Facebook, a social networking website that (sadly) no longer requires a ".edu" email address to join. I still find it a far safer and less offensive way than MySpace to keep in touch with my friends and people I meet at conferences, etc.

Recently Facebook has added the option of installing third-party applications, and one of the few (only?) "papist" applications being offered is called Pope Quotes. It was created my MyChurch.org, and while I can't vouch for their work as a whole, this application is a good way to remind your Facebook friends (as well as yourself) what a treasury of wisdom Catholics have in their Pontiffs.

Below are the two most recent Pope Quotes this application provided. You can also see what the application looks like on your Facebook profile page. The quotation refreshes each time the page is visited. Other users have complained that there aren't enough quotes and that the ones they have are too "ecumenical." Oh well, it's a start. Maybe some motivated folks can suggest some additional ones to the MyChurch team. So far about 600 people have installed this application, including eight of my well-disposed friends.

(By-the-by, I limit my Facebook friends list to people I have met in real life, so unless you are in the Washington DC or Ann Arbor area and we have a chance of meeting, I decline new requests.)

The phenomenon of Catholics on facebook or using facebook actively for ministry is an exciting one that probably deserves a post of its own eventually. I know several youth groups and Catholic clubs that utilize Facebook to organize and keep people updated. There are many, many Catholic groups. I even know a few parish priests who are on Facebook to make themselves more easily accessible by their younger parishioners.

It gets fun when they put under the Employer question: "Jesus of Nazareth."

Update: "As long as we are talking about the Pope and Facebook, might I mention the 'Papal Facebook Initiative'? The goal is to get a million members then petition the Pope to get a Facebook account. - Justin."

I had forgotten I was a member of this group. It has about 4,500 people right now, so it could use some help.... persistence!

Funny Video: Deacon Payne - Seminary Formationator

Via The Whappsters (and others), "Deacon Payne - Seminary Formationator":



Of course, this is another permutation of Office Linebacker and it's Christian counterpart, Evangelism Linebacker.

Having attended for two years a school where seminarians were in formation, and having many seminarian friends, I can totally see a group of these guys getting together to make a video like this one. Very funny stuff. The part where the priest starts experimenting with some wacky liturgical innovations? Priceless!

The most touching video you'll see today.

Update, October 8th: I've featured this video on the homepage this month as a I tribute to the 40 Days for Life campaign now going on across the United States.

Original Post:

Via C-S-L, HappyCatholic, The Curt Jester and finally Dawn Patrol, a very moving and wonderful video.

This is a testament to a child and his parents who profoundly witness to the goodness and value of all human life, however threatened and fleeting it may be. Since this is a very emotional video to watch, please be prepared to have your heart touched and your day changed (hopefully for the better).



More on this video here at 99 Balloons.

Dawn also links to benotafraid.net, which provides aid to parents facing a poor prenatal diagnosis.

God Bless the people in this video, and those in similar circumstances, that they may face such challenges with faith, courage and confidence in God's providential love.