Big Day for the new Archbishop of New Orleans

Tommorrow is the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul and it is a big one for New Orleans. Our New Archbishop, Gregory Aymond recives the pallium. Read more about it right here:


PALLIUM Jun-23-2009 (600 words) Backgrounder. xxxiReceiving woolen pallium, archbishops are reminded they are shepherdsBy Cindy WoodenCatholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The sign of an archbishop's authority is not a scepter, but a circular stole made of lamb's wool to evoke the idea that he is, first of all, a shepherd.The stole, called a pallium, goes around the archbishop's neck and is worn over his chasuble when he celebrates the Eucharist. It has a 12-inch strip of material hanging down the front and back.Every year on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the pope places a pallium around the neck of each prelate named in the past year to head an archdiocese.Prelates from the U.S. and Canada scheduled to receive a pallium from Pope Benedict XVI this year are: Archbishops Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit; George J. Lucas of Omaha, Neb.; Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis; Timothy M. Dolan of New York; Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans; J. Michael Miller of Vancouver, British Columbia; and Pierre-Andre Fournier of Rimouski, Quebec.Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, England, will be among those receiving the pallium.As the church's chief pastor, Pope Benedict also wears a pallium. But while an archbishop's is made from the wool of lambs blessed by the pope on the feast of St. Agnes, the pope's is made of the wool of both lambs and sheep to reflect Jesus telling Peter "Feed my lambs" and "Feed my sheep."For more than three years, Pope Benedict used a pallium that was wider, longer and worn differently from the ones given to archbishops.When he was elected in April 2005, the pope accepted a pallium based on the design of the pallium from the first millennium of Christianity. With the pallium draped around his shoulders, its ends hung down his left side and reached below his knees.In June 2008 Msgr. Guido Marini, the papal master of ceremonies, announced that Pope Benedict, like Pope John Paul II, would go back to wearing a pallium similar to the ones worn by the archbishops.Msgr. Marini, who constantly invokes a desire to illustrate liturgical "development in continuity" with the past to explain how and why Pope Benedict's liturgies have been mixing older and modern vestments, said using the shorter pallium showed how it had changed "over the span of more than 12 centuries." But he also said the short version was easier to wear and so was more practical.When the long pallium was introduced in 2005, Vatican officials had explained that, historically, the pallium became shorter as the chasubles worn at Mass became heavier and more elaborately decorated. Even after the Second Vatican Council, when lighter materials were used again, chasubles tended to have a strong design on the chest and a long pallium hanging down one side seemed to clash aesthetically.Accepting the longer pallium, Pope Benedict also accepted a new set of chasubles dotted with ancient symbols such as bees, shells or flames for Pentecost, rather than having a large central design.But now that Pope Benedict uses both the newer chasubles as well as those of his predecessors, the short pallium was judged to be more appropriate.When Pope Benedict went to L'Aquila, Italy, in April to visit the survivors of a major earthquake, he carried with him the long pallium he had received when he was elected.Visiting the severely damaged Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila and venerating the remains of St. Celestine V, a 13th-century pope who abdicated just a few months after his election, Pope Benedict placed the long woolen pallium on the saintly pope's casket and left it there as a gift.

Holy Mary Mother of God

Today, Saturday June 27th was the Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Now this saint lived in the late 4th and early 5th century; approximately 1,575 years ago. He is known as the defender of the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary. Read what he wrote all those many centuries ago:

"That anyone could doubt the right of the holy Virgin to be called the Mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely she must be the Mother of God if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and she gave birth to Him! Our Lord's disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this has also been taught by the holy fathers.
In the third book of his work on the holy and consubstantial Trinity, our father Athanasius, of glorious memory, several times refers to the Holy Virgin as Mother of God. I cannot resist quoting his own words: As I have often told you, the distinctive mark of holy Scripture is that it is written to make a twofold declaration concerning our Savior; namely, that He is and has always been God, since He is the Word, Radiance and Wisdom of the Father; and that for our sake in these latter days He took flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and became man.
Again further on he says: There have been many holy men. Jeremiah was sanctified in his mother's womb, and John while still in the womb leaped for joy at the voice of Mary, the Mother of God. Athanasius is a man we can trust, one who deserves our complete confidence, for he taught nothing contrary to the sacred books.
The divinely inspired Scriptures affirm that the Word of God was made flesh, that is to say, He was united to a human body endowed with a rational soul. He undertook to help the descendants of Abraham, fashioning a body for himself from a woman and sharing our flesh and blood, to enable us to see in Him not only God, but also, by reason of this union, a man like ourselves.
It is held, therefore, that there are in Emmanuel two entities, divinity and humanity. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ is nontheless one, the one true Son, both God and man; not a deified man on the same footing as those who share the divine nature by grace, but true God who for our sake appeared in human form. We are assured of this by St. Paul's declaration: When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law and to enable us to be adopted as sons."

WOW! Again, written just a few centuries from the end of the Apostolic era and the patristic times. Cyril, as a bishop, played a preeminent role at the Council of Ephesus where some wanted to deny Christ as true God AND true man and Mary could not be mother of God. Of course the Church has always held that Mary is mother of God because she gave birth to Jesus.

Today, I read the following from Dr. Scott Hahn, fast forward some 1,565 years or so: "If you could have created your mother and preserved her from original sin, would you? Would you? Of course you would. But could you? No you couldn't. But Jesus could and so Jesus did!"

Again, powerful! Want to pray a prayer based on Scripture and 2,000 years of consistent teaching, try a Hail Mary.

MJ one more time

One more Michael Jackson highlight with a Mariah Carey tribute:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXwxM9WyZFc

This is how I prefer to remember MJ

No matter what...pray for MJ, his family and fans; I thought he was awesome when he was young.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DYgf_Cl59o

We need Good News tonight

This is from America's Got Talent; an inspirational performance and inspirational story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d51j7vEXpg


God Bless America

LSU CHAMPIONS AGAIN

LSU Tigers win the National Championship in Baseball for the 6th time and just 2 years after the Tigers were crowned football champions; everybody should be so lucky to be a Tiger fan!!!! Kind of makes you feel bad for the rest of the country!

LSU; 'nuff said!

http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl062409cblsuwins.3c1637d.html

The Pope and the Prez

CNS article below on upcoming meeting between the Pope and the Prez. We all should pray for a meaningful meeting where the Pope expresses his displeasure about America's abortion, embryonic stem cell policies. Continue to join me in praying for the President's conversion on life issues:

POPE-OBAMA Jun-23-2009 (240 words) xxxiPope to meet Obama July 10 during evening audienceBy Cindy WoodenCatholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI will welcome U.S. President Barack Obama to the Vatican July 10 for an audience scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.Obama will visit Italy July 8-10 to participate in the Group of Eight summit, a meeting of leaders of the world's wealthiest nations. The meeting will be held in L'Aquila, site of a devastating earthquake in April.After the G-8 summit, the president and his wife, Michelle, are scheduled to fly to Ghana, arriving late July 10.Although Pope Benedict usually meets heads of state and government in the morning, the Vatican agreed to host Obama's first visit to the papal palace the evening before he flies to Africa.It is not clear whether Miguel Diaz, a theology professor tapped by Obama to be the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, will be present for the meeting. As of June 23, the Senate hearing for the new ambassador's confirmation was not on the public schedule of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.Discussions between popes and U.S. presidents usually focus on common concerns regarding world events and the church's concerns over issues or policies with special moral relevance. So in addition to discussing ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq, Pope Benedict likely will bring up his concerns regarding abortion policy in the United States and renewed government permission for embryonic stem-cell research.

A Father's Day Reflection

Today is that Sunday in June that everyone knows as Father’s Day. For many of us dads it is a great day to reflect on our own role as father and the fathers and others who helped us along in this life.

Like all of you reading this who are dads my most profound joy are my children. In this category I have been truly blessed. My son Jimmy continues to thrive in his professional career of veterinary medicine and is preparing for his wedding next spring. Jimmy has lived away from home in North Carolina now for over six years. He has made his mark in his adopted community of Greensboro and Reidsville, NC and we could not be any prouder. Our daughter Elizabeth is beginning her junior year at LSU and is doing quite well. She has a great grade point average and seems to have adjusted well to college life. She is very dedicated as she is working two summer jobs right now. She has great friends and is quite busy. It was a joy to have her with Wendy and me on our recent vacation.

Father’s Day for me sometimes brings back memories of a childhood without much involvement from my own dad. In fact, I have as many difficult memories of dad as I do great ones. Fortunately, God has always allowed me to feel more sympathy than anger about my dad. His was a sad existence of unfulfilled potential. Long after my mom and dad separated I had the opportunity to visit with him in the facility where he spent the last few years of his life. Remarkably, it was a very wonderful experience and my dad was calm, warm, almost vulnerable. I will always remember that visit. But then just one year later my next memory was one of some frustration as a visit to dad was cancelled. I never really understood why, but adults seemed to be quarrelling. And sure enough, just a few months later, now some 18 months removed from our last visit, he was dead. I was all of 15 years old. I remember being very sad, more so for him than for me. At times, I often wished I could have done all the normal father/son stuff but it was not meant to be. So I have lived most of my life simply happy that dad helped create three pretty decent human beings. And I continue to love him, pray for him and remember our last visit.

Despite the reality of my dad’s difficulties, I was not shy of remarkable role models. I will always be grateful that my aunt and her new husband moved in with my family and helped raise my sisters and me. We called him Uncle Tiny because he wasn’t real tall, but he helped get me through many experiences that otherwise called for a father’s involvement. They never had kids and we often believed, in part, it was because of us. His extended family all adopted us as their own too and this always made for great holiday gatherings and summer picnics. Like father’s Uncle Tiny had his moments too. But his overall contribution to assisting me through childhood can not be overlooked. Then there was my Uncle Durel, my dad’s oldest brother. He made sure that my mom could get me through Catholic high school. And he never forgot our birthdays, holidays and is primarily responsible for that last great visit I had with dad. And there is Uncle Jimmy who was a blast to be around. He made a young boy so happy when he made sure I got to go to every home Saints game for a couple of years in old Tulane Stadium. Yes, we were there for the Tom Dempsey field goal and we stayed to the end! And then there was a next door neighbor that was a great role model for me. And I could call him Father. Our neighbor was a Catholic Priest, Fr. Hannigan. He was a great Priest; he even started me in ministry as a lector at age 14. He loved baseball, and I always watched all-star games, World Series and other games at the rectory. In this day of so many negative stories of parish priests from decades ago, Fr. Hannigan was a true friend and mentor. And one of the best fringe benefits of my wonderful marriage to Wendy was a father-in-law who although rough on me from time to time really loved me, especially when we gave him two grandchildren. Despite knowing better, he tried to make me a mechanic, a horseman among other things. Wesley tried hard, but deep down, he knew better.

It is often said that any fool can be a dad and so this is true. Real men make marvelous dads. While I did not have my own dad with me most of my young life, I never suffered from dad-like role models whose contribution to who I am today I cherish more and more as the years pass by. All of my “fathers” have gone on to the Father now and I hold their memories dear.

For a great part of my life, I never really took the time to explore the personal intimate relationship all of us are called to have with God the Father. I now know him in our own relationship. I can talk to my Father and realize that it was He who chose me, created me, and called me to serve Him and His Church. I also have come to understand that Jesus was asking me to consider the Father as Abba, which really translates closer to “daddy” than any other English word. In these last dozen or so years I have lived my life in conversation with my “daddy” attempting to do His will. And when I long to hear “I love you” or “well done son” from the lips of a father, I just need to be quiet and listen for God. He never lets me down.

So I give all the glory to God, my Father, for His everything. And I praise Him too for the fathers in my life; my own dad Roland, Uncle Tiny, Uncle Durel, Uncle Jimmy, Fr. Hanngan, my father-in-law Wesley, and all the men whose own fatherhood inspires me everyday of my life.

Happy Fathers Day dads and thank you Father for all the gifts you have bestowed on all of us.

Happy Anniversary Permanent Deacons

One of the earliest goals I set for my foray into having my own blog and updates was to inform about the ministry of the Permanent Deacon. To that end, I cannot let the anniversary of this date pass by without commenting.

Even though we are embarking on the Year of the Priest tomorrow, today’s date is a very important date in the life of the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate. On June 18, 1967 Pope Paul VI issued a motu proprio, Latin for by own hand or own initiative, restoring the Permanent Diaconate. Therefore you could say today is the 42nd anniversary of Permanent Deacons as we know them now.

The name of the document Paul VI issued is Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem, General Norms for Restoring the Permanent Diaconate in the Latin Church. It can be accessed at www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P6DIACON.htm.

Pope Paul clearly acknowledges the momentum for restoration of the Permanent Diaconate in Vatican II through the document Lumen Gentium. Notice however that the Pope clearly begins the document with Scriptural reference from both Philipians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Of course we all know that the order of Deacons is found in Acts with the selection of seven men who assume duties of service at table to assist widows. Of these seven, St. Stephen is of course the most widely known because he was the first Christian era martyr.

Of particular note from the Pope’s document is the listing of duties of a Permanent Deacon. Note the order of those duties he lists: the first eight are liturgical, from assisting at mass to baptisms, weddings, funerals, reading Scripture and instructing and exhorting (preaching) and finally we come to #9, charity and social assistance.


One can easily make the argument that while most Catholics do see Deacons in their liturgical functions, the most profound activity of the Deacon is social service. Just in my home Archdiocese of New Orleans alone, Deacons serve as the primary contact in prisons, juvenile detention facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, food banks, seamen outreach on the Mississippi River, assist travelers at the airport, youth programs, tribunals, and more; much more. I make this point primarily to address the average Catholic’s belief that Permanent Deacons are a direct response to a Priest shortage. While no one would disagree that Permanent Deacons have assumed many functions, the order itself was not restored because of a Priest shortage. Even if every diocese had an abundance of Priests, the Church acknowledges the need to sacramentalize service in the person of the Permanent Deacon.

So today, I join all my fellow Permanent Deacons in saying Happy Anniversary and offer prayers that all of us will continue to pray for blessed, fruitful ministries. If you get a chance, review the document, Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem and pray for vocations to the Permanent Diaconate and always pray too for vocations to the Priesthood.