Blogging through the decade - highlights

2010:

February: After a lifetime of hoping and waiting the New Orleans Saints, led by Drew Brees and inspired by an onside kick and an improbable interception, won the Super Bowl and became World Champions.  They beat the Colts and set off the most incredible celebration in New Orleans and across Louisiana.

May:  Our son, James R Talbot married the love of his life Sara and the rest is history.  Happily ever after and two great grandkids for us, Calvin and Katelyn.

October:  I witnessed the vows at my first wedding; Lyndsey and Barry.  For them too it's Happily ever after.

2011:

January:  The abitadeacon is transferred from St. Jane de Chantal parish to Most Holy Trinity.

July:  I was asked to be one of the three presenters at the initial retreat of a new deacon formation class.

October:  The death of the iconic Archbishop of New Orleans, Philip M Hannan.

2012:

September:  With the arrival of Calvin Tyler Talbot, I became "Pops"; grandchild #1.

2013:

March:  Pope Francis elected Pope after the resignation of Pope Benedict in February.

November:  We commemorated the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F Kennedy.

2014:

February:  The deacon community mourned the death of one of our candidates wives who passed away much to young.

July: Remember the ice bucket challenge.

2015:

June:  The abitadeacon is moving again, this time back to St. Jane de Chantal from Most Holy Trinity.

July:  Our 2nd grandchild is born; welcome Katelyn Taylor Talbot!

November:  A review of the newly added weekend retreats to our prison ministry at Rayburn Correctional Center.

2016:

January:  The new church at Most Holy Trinity is consecrated and I was part of the beautiful Mass and parish celebration.

April:  The wedding of the century: my daughter Elizabeth marries Mark Moroney and dad got to preach at their wedding!

November:  There was this election thing and an unexpected outcome resulting in a President Trump.

2017:



August:  Fete-Dieu du Teche

2018:

March:  Grandbaby #3 is here; Brennan Leigh Moroney, and she lives here!

November:  The death of Wendy's mom.  RIP Lynn Holden.


2019:

January:  The deacon and wife take their first cruise ever.

September:  A motu proprio institutes a Sunday devoted to the Word of God(coming in early 2020).

November:  The long anticipated and much needed knee surgery is cancelled.

So much more so come visit the abitadeacon.blogspot.com and take a look; I blog everyday; homilies, prayers, reflections, saints, church news, Saints, LSU, not to mention all the weddings, baptisms and funerals, the visits to Rayburn and the all the Bible Studies and so much more.

The year that was; my look back at 2016

We just can't help ourselves as we measure time and reflect and reminisce at the milepost moments in life.  The end of a year and the beginning of another is one such milepost.  I can honestly tell you that 2016 was more than average thanks in large part to the April 30th wedding of the century.  On that raining mild April evening my little girl Elizabeth married Mark Moroney and the rest is history.  You may recall that it was quite the event as Wendy and I made every effort to give Elizabeth the wedding of her dreams.  She made a beautiful bride that night, the wedding was the first such event at the new Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church and I was privileged to both walk my daughter down the long aisle but to also preach at her wedding.  A great time was had by all that night and I remember marveling late that evening that how could this wedding already be over.  But the marriage just got started and I'm happy to report that Elizabeth and Mark are living happy ever after about 25 short miles away!


Speaking of Most Holy Trinity my former assigned parish did indeed dedicate that new beautiful church in January 2016.  I was thrilled to have been invited to participate in the dedication and to renew friendships with so many MHT parishioners and families! 

January also brought about the new relationship in my life.  Wendy found some PT temporary employment at a no-kill animal shelter.  One day she came home with a puppy, and I was hooked.  My little girl Delilah is now a most important part of my life and my constant(when I'm actually home) lap partner.  I've never had a dog so attached to the hip and I do kind of like it! 




A new chapter for Wendy began in May as doctors agreed she would benefit from no longer trying to maintain a steady job and she began life on disability.  It proved to be quite an adjustment for Wendy as she has worked in some capacity since she was 15.  Wendy had a very productive career in the field of accounting and bookkeeping.  She now spends plenty of time cooking, caring for Delilah and sewing.  By the way she is quite the seamstress!

The joys of our lives are always Calvin and Katelyn, our wonder grandkids who live far away in North Carolina.  While 2016 brought many a weekend on Skype, and they came to visit us for Elizabeth's wedding, Wendy and I managed three trips to North Carolina in July, September and December.  You can only imagine what great joy these trips are and we especially enjoyed being with them so close to Christmas time this year.



My life as a Permanent Deacon brought many more ministry opportunities.  2016 will be remembered as my first full calendar year back home ministering at St. Jane's in Abita Springs.  One of the big highlights for the year has been the robust Bible study that we have maintained now for the past 15 months dating back to September 2015.  I rejoiced in every Baptism I had in 2016 and look forward to the two already booked for January 2017.  Prison ministry saw some excitement as we hosted Archbishop Aymond during the summer and we also offered the men two exciting full day retreat/days of reflections complete with a huge lunch.  I get so excited seeing the men experience moments of profound joy when we can offer events like these.

I did something in 2016 that I have not done in over 8 years, due to great necessity I purchased a new car.  My new vehicle is a 2016 GMC Terrain purchased on November 11th and it already has 5,000 miles.  Retired from service permanently was my old rock steady 2008 GMC Acadia with 221,000 miles.

Profound challenges did await Wendy and I at the end of 2016 and are still persisting tonight as I write.  Wendy's mom took ill around December 18th and is now hospitalized for the 6th day battling pneumonia, possible congestive heart failure and profound weakness.  She is not doing well at all and we pray for healing soon.  Wendy spends plenty of time with her mom as she lay in the hospital and is feeling the effects of worry and exhaustion.  And I found out just last night that it seems very unlikely that I will finish 2017 with the same employer that I started with back in 2012.  I've commented before on the professional life changing results that leaving Capital One and landing at FNBC Bank provided.  I have a great little set up in Pearl River and was closing out another successful sales year.  But things have been tough for FNBC Bank in the second half of 2016 so my bank decided to sell off 9 branches to competitor Whitney Bank.  Yes, my branch was one of the nine.  It is my desire, as of this writing, to remain with my little branch in Pearl River and transition to Whitney, that's of course the good Lord willing and Whitney keeping me on board.  Early indications are that is a strong possibility.

So after an incredibly great year highlighted by the wedding of the century, faith, family and even year end challenges, I look back with profound happiness, thanking God for all my blessings and look forward to both the challenges and the opportunities that 2017 has to offer!

May we all experience profound blessings and grace, peace and understanding in the new year to come!

A look back at 2014 for the abitadeacon

A nice stroll through the pages of this blog for the year about to end has inspired me to post the most read stories month by month.  So here we go:

January:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/01/19-new-cardinals-for-church-from-usa.html
This is a story about all the new Cardinals selected by the Pope and none from USA.  Read 89 times!

February:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/02/losing-member-of-deacon-family.html
This is a story about the loss of a beautiful young wife and mom, the wife of a Deacon candidate who fought courageously but succumbed to cancer.  And it's a story of faith of the family, her community and the community of Deacons!  Read an incredible 781 times!

March:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/03/big-news-from-sweden-evangelical-meha.html
This is a story of a big-time evangelical Pastor from Sweden who came home to Rome.  Read 64 times!

April:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-balanced-piece-on-pope-remarried.html
This is a story by the renowned Jimmy Akin in response to media misreporting about the Pope allowing a remarried woman to receive communion.  This was read 381 times!

May:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/05/homily-for-3ed-sunday-easter-the-road.html
This was my homily for the 3rd Sunday in Easter and the Gospel story of the road to Emmaus.  It was read 87 times!

June:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/06/pope-francis-and-evangelical-pastors.html
Here we have a story of the Pope's initiative to reach out to Evangelical pastors, many of whom came for a visit to the Vatican.  Read 251 times!

July:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/07/homily-17th-sunday-ordinary-time-july.html
Another one of my homilies, this for the 17th Sunday in ordinary time.  It was read 128 times!

August:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-moral-dilema-with-ice-bucket.html
Remember the ice bucket challenge?  We discussed the moral dilemma with the challenge and it was read 293 times!

September:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/09/breaking-catholic-news-on-friday-night.html
A new Catholic Bishop for Chicago, read 122 times!

October:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/10/pope-francis-reminds-devil-is-for-real.html
Pope Francis reminds the world the devil is for real and everybody reacts; read 43 times!

November:  http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/11/here-is-usccb-reaction-to-immigration.html
USCCB reacts to Obama immigration speech; this was read 64 times!

December:  http://www.abitadeacon.blogspot.com/2014/12/father-pavone-and-pfl-under-scrutiny.html
Father Pavone in hot water once again.  It was read 48 times!

So these were the top read stories month by month through 2014!
As always thanks for stopping in at www.abitadeacon.BlogSpot.com

What the heck happened to another year?

So indeed we arrive at a New Year this morning and for me it truly was this morning.  This persistent illness I've been battling had me in bed by 9 and I never ever knew that midnight came and went.  Yet this morning I, like you, face the reality that it is 2014.  When I look back personally I realize that 2013 was tame, no big work changes or no new ministry assignments.  I did complete my first full year with FNBC Bank and I did complete another big year in ministry with MHT Parish and Rayburn Correctional.  As a Deacon, I did reach my 5th anniversary since my ordination was December 13, 2008.

Probably the highlight for 2013 was all things #1 grandson.  Wendy and I were able to travel to North Carolina in April, July and September.  The differences in Calvin from being 7 months, 10 months and 1 year old were so evident with each visit.  Each visit we were able to do more with our little fella as he grows and grows!  The September visit was so special because he turned 1 while we were there!  In July we brought Elizabeth with us and somehow she and I both managed to catch a virus and had to spend an entire day of the trip away from Calvin.  Wendy and I always drive and we have made quite a routine of traveling.  We will be back at it in March.

2013 also brought #1 grandson to us for the 1st time.  Just last month, right before Christmas, Calvin and mom & dad spent 6 days with us and on one fateful day got to meet all the family.  Wendy and I enjoyed every single minute of our visit and have beautiful memories thanks to an amazing photo shoot my daughter in law arranged.  Now the build up to that trip was Hurricane Wendy's major renovation project.  Finished just in time for the big visit, now I get to enjoy new floors throughout the house, freshly painted rooms and new kitchen counter tops.  I even got a new driveway out of the deal!

In 2013 we said goodbye to our last horse, Lindsey, making my little farm horse-less for the first time.  Wendy and I realized with her passing that we probably will never own another horse again.  The property will certainly be different with horses in the pasture.

The biggest family change in 2013 was our daughter Elizabeth's decision to forego studying for her doctorate as she returned home to begin her teaching career.  Initially shocked, we are both so happy to have here so close to us as she lives and works within 25 minutes of our home.

Looking forward, who knows?  I truly believe we will be back in North Carolina at least 3 times in 2014 including when my #1 grandson turns 2; time indeed flies!  And my hope is that my career at FNBC will continue and my ministry will be effective and faithful!

God Bless us throughout 2014!

The Top Stories of 2012 on the abitadeacon

2012 was a banner year for readership here on the abitadeacon.  Many stories posted received reads of upwards of 100 times with the following list by Dynamic Dozen:

#12 At Midnight ony 19 votes seperates Santorum and Romney  January 4, 2012 Read 220 times

#11 Holy Week Miracle in New Orleans  April 2, 2012  Read 226 times

#10  Pope John Paul II canonized this patron Saint of diabetes  July 8, 2012  Read 226 times

#9  Praying for Scott Hahn   January 19, 2012  Read 230 times

#8  Labor Day tradition decimated, what are they thinking at MDA  September 2, 2012  Read 243 times

#7  GMA Robin Roberts to fight MDS with help of New Orleans TV anchor and big sister  June 11, 2012  Read 263 times

#6  St. John Paul II  March 10, 2012  Read 287 times

#5  USCCB to discuss looming attack by the federal government  June 14, 2012  Read 295 times

#4  SSPX: we ain't gonna sign  June 30, 2012  Read 323 times

#3  Another Catholic Church to reopen post Katrina  January 12, 2012  Read 335 times

#2  Media help for the Vatican from Fox News  June 23, 2012  Read 604 times

and #1  Mother of the Poor; canonized by Blessed John Paul II  March 1, 2012  Read 615 times



Please revisit these and other posts from 2012 in the abitadeacon!

2012 in review at the abitadeacon

2012 was a huge year here on the blog.  Some highlights:

January 2012: Posts including the end of Christmas season and the early beginning of political season.  Several posts centered on the early results in various Republican primaries.  At the end of January, Romney was not yet a shoe-in.  Other posts centered around the annual March for Life and other Pro-Life posts.  And yes, we blogged about the Saints who came up short vs San Francisco despite a 13-3 regular season and the LSU Tigers who laid an egg vs Alabama despite a 13-0 regular season.  Yikes!

February 2012:  More politics dominating this month as the February results pointed to a Romney - Santorum two way race for the Repubs to face off against Obama.  There were multiple posts about Komen and Planned Parenthood.  A couple of big announcements: 7 new Saints for the Church including two Americans and several new Cardinals too including NY Archbisop Timothy Dolan.  We did not forget Mardi Gras and the start of Lent.

March 2012: We began to hear the acronym HHS, as in mandate and several posts explored the tension between the federal government and the Catholic Church.  Lenten posts included first hand reports of Fr. Cedrick Pisegna's visit to Abita Springs for a great Lenten mission.  Bounty gate reared it's ugly head as the Saints were soon to find out just how devastating that would be and we followed the Pope in Mexico and Cuba.

April 2012: We reported on end of Lent activities including Holy Week and a miracle reported at a New Orleans Catholic Church.  Easter joy was ushered in followed by Divine Mercy.  We heard more about the HHS mandate and also heard about the big dust up coming between the Vatican and some American nuns.  We had some reports about ongoing negotians between the Vatican and the SSPX.

May 2012: We learned of the player/coaches penalties for the Saints for bountygate.  They were harsh.  More discussions ensued on the political atmosphere and what impact Catholics have on elections.  We moved into Pentecost in May and saw the ordination of Deacons in New Orleans, these of the transitional variety.  Even more discussions about the SSPX ensued.

June 2012:  Personally I celebrated my 35th wedding anniversary, changed jobs, and vacationed in North Carolina with our son & daughter in law(pre Calvin) and visited Catholic places like Belmont Abbey and the Shrine at EWTN.  More posts about HHS, religion and politics, SSPX.  We reported on good news for the New Orleans Hornets and a Fox News reporter going to work for the Pope.

July 2012: We celebrated the nations birthday as I transitioned to my first new job in 18 years.  We said godbye to Andy Griffith.  We saw the start of the Summer Olympics in London.  The HHS mandate kicked in and more controversy followed the whole religious liberty discussion.  I posted about my Sunday assisting a Bishop from India.  And we saw gun violence in Colorado at a movie theatre.

August 2012: The Olympics kept us busy and politics heated up.  The selection of Catholic VP running mate Paul Ryan made for some news.  Cardinal Dolan made some too as he invited both Romney and Obama to the Al Smith Dinner.  We experienced more gun violence at a Sikh Temple.  At home we braced for Hurricane Isaac and got unexpected and surprising damage in normally safe areas.

September 2012: Aftermath of Isaac, another Labor Day without Jerry Lewis, the political parties wrapped up their conventions as Cardinal Dolan offered prayers at both.  The unfortunate end of Fr. Groeschel's programs on EWTN. But the biggest news of all came this month with the arrival of Calvin, my #1 grandson.  How exciting.  I also could not resist posting on the despicable start to the 2012 NFL season for the Saints and LSU football got underway.

October 2012: Politics heats up through the debates and the HHS mandate, the Catholic Church and the subject of abortion are hot topics.  We shifted into fall and we saw the Synod of Bishops and the commencement of the Year of Faith.  Daily postings from the Catechism are helping us to read the Catechism in a year for the Year of Faith.  Saints start winning some but not enough.  LSU is 7-1.  I love being a grandpa.

November 2012: Obama is reelected President of the USA in what turns out to be a not even close election.  We celebrated All Saints, All Souls, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.  I posted about my solo trip to North Carolina to spend a long weekend with my #1 grandson.  We ended the liturgical year with Viva Cristo Rey and began Advent.  And I posted regularly about the upcoming ordination of 20 new Deacons for Archdiocese of New Orleans!

December 2012:  The ordination of 20 new Deacons and the role I played that day.  Over the month my posts about the 4 weddings I was involved with including witnessing the vows for 3 of them.  Plenty of posts from the road as Wendy and I ventured back to North Carolina for our Christmas visit with Calvin.  We addressed the horror at an elementary school in CT.  Plenty of posts about Advent.  Plenty of posts about Christmas.  I had a nice post about a couple of Baptisms and my last visit for 2012 at Rayburn.

A busy active 2012 here at the abitadeacon.

Thank you for your readership.  Come by often and tell your friends and family!

The Most Read Story of 2011 on this blog

The top read story here at the abitadeacon for 2011 was the amazing life story of New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham.  His life was so difficult and this story was very well done.  The impact of this story appering on this blog was huge.  By a ratio of 2.5 to 1, this has been the most popular post ever.  So on this New Year's Day, when the Saints wrapped up a 13-3 record, enjoy this great story about Jimmy Graham:

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Amazing story of Saints TE Jimmy Graham

The New Orleans Saints keep finding amazing talent but more importantly great people with great stories of faith or overcoming tremendous odds.

The latest is that of 2 year TE Jimmy Graham.  Watch the video and enjoy:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7140597

I'll always be a Saints fan, even when they frustrate me on the field, if they keep surrounding themselves with guys like Graham!

A tragic local story was our 2nd most read post from 2011

As I continue to reflect on the year in review on this blog it's time to reveal the #2 most read story of the year.  I've decided not to repost it here but encourage you to go and find it(it's a July 18th post) as I'll describe why I don't want to repost.  The story concerned the still to be determined fate of a young Northshore girl who was missing in waters south of here from a tragic boating accident.

The young lady, named Samantha Vinturella, indeed died from this tragic event.  The crux of the news article was how the community, and two Northshore churches were in prayer and support of the family.

I remember attending the beautiful memorial Mass for Samantha at Our Lady of the Lake.  The outpouring of love and support was great.  We lost a wonderful young girl in 2011 from this accident but heaven gained an angel.

The 3rd most read post of 2011: And with your spirit

Way back in February I began a series of posts to help prepare us for the new translation of the Roman Missal.  This particular post was popular enough to be #3 on the most read list of 2011.  Here it is:

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

And with your spirit. This is the 3rd post on changes to the Roman Missal

Louie VerrecchioPreparing the Way for the Roman Missal 3rd Edition, Part 5: Introductory Rites

During the Introductory Rites when the priest says The Lord be with you, no longer will the people reply And also with you, but rather by saying, And with your spirit.


The Lord be with you… One just kind of expects a priest to say this sort of thing, no? But what on earth can we say about that response of ours? And with your spirit.

Something you’d never employ in an everyday situation? Entirely out of the ordinary? You bet it is, and for good reason! You see, qualities such as these are inherent to the sacred. But where does this expression come from and what exactly does it mean?

Well, the first thing you should know is that the response And with your spirit is documented as far back as the year 215 A.D. Share that with the grumblers back in your parish who are upset with the “newfangled” translation!

As for what it means, let’s turn to St. John Chrysostom for insight. In his “Homily on the Holy Pentecost” which dates to the end of the fourth century, he taught:

If the Holy Spirit were not in our Bishop when he gave the peace to all shortly before ascending to his holy sanctuary, you would not have replied to him all together, And with your spirit… You don’t first partake of the offerings until he has prayed for you the grace from the Lord, and you have answered him, And with your spirit, reminding yourselves by this reply that he who is here does nothing of his own power, nor are the offered gifts the work of human nature, but is it the grace of the Spirit present and hovering over all things which prepared that mystic sacrifice.

St. John makes it pretty clear that the priest isn’t simply saying, “Greetings in Christ, everybody!” To which the people politely reply, “Same to you, Father!” Unfortunately, this is how most of us tend to view the matter, and why shouldn’t we? Solid liturgical instruction notwithstanding, the current translation does seem to lend itself to the perception that we’re simply exchanging holy pleasantries here, but as St. John’s homily indicates, this is no mere greeting.

The priest’s words are really more akin to a blessing imparted by the spirit of Christ at the hands of his ordained minister, and our response is far more than a simple “same to you.” Rather, when we say And with your spirit, we are affirming our faith in the sacrament of Holy Orders; acknowledging aloud that we recognize the priest who leads us as one uniquely configured to Christ in such way as to act at Holy Mass in Persona Christi and most certainly not by his own resources.

Now I can assure you that some folks will read this and think, “It’s that pre-Vatican II clericalism all over again! Just 90 seconds into the Mass and already we’re tipping our hat to Father!” The truth, however, is just the opposite.

The response, And with your spirit, is not just important for what it says, it is timely for when we say it (a total of five times in all). We are acknowledging that Holy Mass and the various parts therein are not really about Father personally at all. It’s not his Mass; it is Christ’s Mass. Far from being a form of clericalism, our response is really best understood as a tangible expression of what St. John the Baptist said of himself; the priest must decrease so that the Lord Jesus Christ, the true High Priest, might increase.

All of this said, I think most of us realize that The Lord be with you isn’t exactly the typical way of blessing. For example, the priest blesses the people during the Concluding Rite using the far more familiar formula: May Almighty God Bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So the question is, why does the priest bless us throughout Holy Mass with such words as The Lord be with you, and The peace of the Lord be with you always? In other words, what makes this blessing so unique?

Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a liturgical blessing; one that is intended in a particular way for those incorporated into Christ’s Body through Baptism – the gateway through which the laity are enabled to participate in the sacred liturgy (cf CCC 1119).

You see, when the priest says The Lord be with you, he is urging the faithful to turn to, or to be with, the spirit of the Lord received in the waters of Baptism, that they may be personally conformed to his divine presence and properly disposed to unite themselves with the sacred action that is about to take place.

It is fitting that we should begin our union with Christ at Holy Mass by turning inward, for as the Church teaches, “Interior participation in the sacred liturgy is the most important; this consists in paying devout attention, and in lifting up the heart to God in prayer” (cf Musicam Sacram 22a).

Turning to the presence of Christ within, however, is not enough. Our desire to participate in the sacred liturgy also compels us to become “intimately joined with the High Priest” (ibid.) who makes Himself present in a unique way “in the person of the ordained minister” (cf SC 14), so that “together with Him, and through Him we may offer the Sacrifice, making ourselves one with Him” (Musicam Sacram 22a).

This is where the response, And with your spirit, takes on an additional layer of meaning.

One may have noticed that St. John employs a subtle interplay between the words “spirit” as in And with your spirit, and “Spirit” as in “Holy Spirit.” This reveals something very important about our response as it relates to the identity of the priest.

The word “spirit” is often used in reference to one’s “inmost being.” For example, we find in Sacred Scripture, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching his innermost parts” (Proverbs 20:27). This “spirit” of man is also directly related to our share in Christ’s priesthood and thus to our participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

“You too are living stones, built as an edifice of spirit, into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5).

Through Holy Orders, He who alone is able to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is made present to us in a unique way in the “spirit” of the priest who stands before us. The priest, in other words, is configured to Christ in a profound ontological way; i.e. not evident simply by what he does, but made manifest by who he is, and our response affirms it.

Furthermore, when we say, And with your spirit, we are also consciously saying that we hereby join ourselves in a particular way to Christ who dwells within, and acts through, the priest. This nuance becomes a bit clearer if we imagine giving our response with stress placed on the word “your:” “The Lord be with you / And with your spirit” – the “spirit” of the priest who celebrates Holy Mass being that of Christ Jesus.

We might also consider our response on yet another level; as a prayer for the man who stands before us, that he be strengthened by God’s grace, in faith, so as to lose his identity in such way as to yield entirely to Christ to whom he is configured – he who alone is worthy to ascend to the altar of the Lord as both High Priest and Holy Sacrifice.

The corrected translation And with your spirit is a wonderful first step toward recovering a sense of the sacred at Holy Mass, and we’ve just gotten started! With so much rich theological significance recovered in just a handful of words, all of us should be genuinely excited about the faithful translation to come and the great blessing it is certain to be. I know I certainly am.

We will continue in Part Six with an examination of the Penitential Rite.

Continuing a review of the Top Six Posts of 2011: #4 saying goodbye to Archbishop Hannan

This story was from the Times Picayune describing the procedure to lay to rest our great Archbishop, Philip M. Hannan:

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Archbishop Hannan to be buried alongside other Bishops in St. Louis Cathedral

Archbishop Philip Hannan has plenty of company beneath St. Louis Cathedral

Published: Sunday, October 02, 2011, 7:00 AM

By Bruce Nolan, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune To walk up the marble tile center aisle of St. Louis Cathedral is to step over and past the bones of people. Lots of people.

Graphic: Where, how Archbishop Philip Hannan will be buried (click to enlarge)

The triple-spired cathedral that is the international symbol for New Orleans is more than a church. It’s a working cemetery as well.
The mortal remains of 11 bishops and archbishops, as well as the unmarked graves of scores of early residents of the French and Spanish colony lie under the cathedral’s floor.

On Thursday, the cathedral will receive another body when hundreds of priests, bishops, and members of the general public gather celebrate a funeral Mass for Archbishop Philip Hannan.

Hannan died early Thursday at age 98, having spent 23 years as archbishop and another 23 years in an active public retirement in and around New Orleans. By long tradition, Catholic bishops and archbishops are buried in or near their cathedrals.
After his funeral Mass, Hannan’s remains will be lowered into a crypt below the crimson carpet in the sanctuary in front of the altar, where he will lie alongside eight predecessors.
An ancient tradition
Burying the honored dead within churches — or more accurately, building churches atop the remains of honored dead -- is an ancient tradition, dating to the earliest days of Christianity, said Monsignor Crosby Kern, the cathedral’s rector.
The temporal center of Roman Catholicism, St. Peter’s Basilica, is the most recent of several churches built over the site that tradition holds is the grave of Simon Peter, the fisherman Jesus picked to lead the church.
Recent archeology seems to have confirmed that St. Peter’s is, in fact, atop the grave of the apostle.
Later, Christians celebrated the Eucharist on the very tombs of the martyred dead, partly in the belief that those dead heroes were “friends of God” who would help carry forward their prayers in heaven, according to Ken Woodward, author of “Making Saints,” an account of the Catholic church’s sanctification process.
Saints' relics entombed in altars
For centuries, Catholic altars worldwide were required to keep the link between worship and tombs by containing a tiny relic of a saint — perhaps a sliver of bone — making each altar a symbolic tomb, said Monsignor Ken Hedrick of the archdiocese’s Office of Worship. The practice is no longer required, but strongly encouraged, he said.
For tens of millions of Christians, the Protestant Reformation eliminated the role of intercessory saints, and dismissed any inclination to draw near to their remains in prayer, in church or elsewhere.
But even so, the custom of burial in church is not restricted to Catholicism.
The Episcopal Church’s Washington National Cathedral, technically the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and Paul, houses the remains of more than a dozen people, including writer Helen Keller and President Woodrow Wilson.

A hole in the cathedral floor

Enlarge Susan Poag,The Times-Picayune SUSAN POAG / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Jimmie Dorsey holds the trap door up as The Rev. Crosby Kern, rector of St. Louis Cathedral , right,shows where eight other bishops and auxiliary bishops are buried beneath the floor at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans Friday, September 30, 2011 Preparations For Archbishop Hannan's Funeral gallery (21 photos)

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On Thursday, when the public gathers around Hannan’s casket, there likely will be no sign that a grave has been prepared for him a few feet away, Kern said.
Earlier, a few workers will have sawn a hole in the sanctuary’s wooden floor, then located an open crypt, one of eight new burial vessels ordered a few years ago by now-retired Archbishop Francis Schulte, Kern said.
Flooring and carpet will be replaced for the funeral Mass, leaving nothing amiss, he said.
Probably, Hannan will lie at the far right of the sanctuary, near the wall — the ninth in a wall-to-wall line of subterranean crypts bearing predecessor bishops or archbishops going back to Leo Raymond de Neckere, who died in 1833, Kern said.
Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel lies beneath the floor a few feet away, in the center in the somewhat ragged row, Kern said.
Kern remembers that 1964 funeral, the last for an archbishop of New Orleans.
Exact burial spots are not marked
And memory is important, because in all but two cases, final resting places are unmarked.
Instead, past bishops and archbishops are memorialized by wall-mounted plaques along the perimeter of the cathedral, without reference to where their remains lie — if indeed, they are dead.
Archbishops Francis Schulte and Alfred Hughes both have plaques, and both are very much alive.
Within the cathedral, only two actual burial sites are marked: one for Francois Philippe Marigny de Mandeville, landowner and soldier who died in 1728, and another for Andres Almonester y Roxas, a Spanish philanthropist died in 1798 after founding what would become Charity Hospital. They lie on each side of the main aisle, short of the sanctuary.
Beyond the sanctuary, scattered about beneath the pews stretching toward Jackson Square, lie the remains of many more colonial New Orleanians, clergy and lay alike, Kern said.
Colonial citizens lie under the pews
Before 1803, they were buried inside the cathedral’s predecessor building, which stood on the same site until 1850. That building was demolished to make way for the wider, deeper church that opened a year later, Kern said. The width of the old building was roughly defined by the rows of interior pillars in its successor.
Within the footprint of that earlier, narrow church, the locations of those early graves are lost.
But their burial records still endure in archives of the Archdiocese of New Orleans:
Male child Bosques, buried in 1798; Juana Maria Destrehan, buried in 1798; Luis Chauvin Beaulieu, buried in 1801; Costancia de Reggio, buried in 1796.
They are under the pews, somewhere.
By the mid-19th century, burial in the cathedral became reserved for clergy, and later, reserved for archbishops only — and a few auxiliary bishops, with permission, Kern said.
Three auxiliary bishops lie in the cathedral, although not under the sanctuary. Three empty crypts in St. Anthony’s Garden, behind the cathedral, are available for others, or perhaps for Kern.

The year in review at the "abitadeacon"

Scrolling through my archives in 2011 I thought today, New Years Eve, would be a great day to look back on my year in review month by month.  So here goes:

January 2011:  Many posts about starting the New Year at a new Church.  I blogged about my beginning experiences at Most Holy Trinity.  There is a post about my farewell Mass and dinner at St. Jane's too.  January posts also focused on the pro-life movement around the anniversary of Roe v Wade and there is an important post about a Mass in Mandeville with the visiting choir from the Rayburn Prison.

February 2011:  The 2nd month of the New Year brought more posts about my early days and weeks at Most Holy Trinity.  I blogged about starting Benediction on 1st Friday's for the parish and our celebration of Confirmation with our young adults.  There was some posts about the beginning of our Mardi Gras season here in the New Orleans area.

March 2011:  As Spring sprung we blogged in March about the end of Mardi Gras and the beginning of the season of Lent in the Church.  March brought the 3 day Kairos retreat weekend inside Rayburn Prison; always a poignant and spiritual weekend for me personally.

April 2011:  A lot of my blogging in April brought late Lenten posts and then posts centered around the Easter celebration, my first at MHT.  We also remembered the 6th anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.  And of course there was the pver hyped royal wedding from London.

May 2011:  I blogged about the death of Osama Bin Laden and our reaction to it, moving on to my first time attending a traditional Latin Mass.  There was a post about American Idol judge Steven Tyler that was very pro-life and we celebrated the birthday of Archbishop Philip Hannan.  And I mentioned that it was really getting hot.  But the most important posts for me in May were those centered around the graduation from LSU by daughter Elizabeth.

June 2011:  I had to post about the disturbing news that the state of Louisiana was considering closing the prison where I minister.  And then the good news later in the month that Rayburn would not be closed.  June also brought my first post about mounting challenges and frustrations at work.  I also remember the news of one of my inmate worshippers who died unexpectedly on the prison yard.  And there were more posts about the failing health of Archbishop Hannan.  June also brought news of the start of our 2015 Deacon class, aspirants beginning formation.

July 2011:  The big event in July was the opportunity to be a presenter at a 3 day retreat for our 2012 deacon class.  We spent the weekend at the Abbey in Covington and our theme was A Simple Path by Mother Teresa.  July also brought the disturbing news of Fr. Corapi, resigning in disgrace and locally, the murder of a Hammond, La priest and his funeral.

August 2011:  I blogged about August being my least favorite month(too hot) and we remembered the anniversary of Katrina.  There was the beginning of several posts aroung the controversy here locally over St. Augustine High School and corporal punishment.  Indeed we had a few posts about the start up of the New Orleans Saints season.

September 2011:  This turned out to be a busy month.  Posts about the Saints and LSU began in earnest.  We had Labor Day posts and comments on MDA going forward without Jerry Lewis.  I blogged about being a teacher/facilitator for the 2012 Deacon candidates homiletics classes.  I shared the details of Wendy and I vacationing in Chicago, via Amtrak.  And then the sad news at the end of the month: Archbishop Philip M Hannan was dead.  Many posts on this great man, his ministry and his funeral arrangements.

October 2011:  This fall month began with many posts still centered on the funeral of Archbishop Hannan and the fond farewell to this great man.  October brought the shocking news of problems for Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life.  We had many more football posts, LSU winning and the Saints winning and the Saints helping one of their own, Steve Gleason, stricken with ALS.  And we talked about Halloween from a Catholic perspective.

November 2011:  All Saints, All Souls, Veterans Day, 11-11-11, Thanksgiving Day.  Many posts about these important dates.  Still more football.  Posts about the new Roman Missal.  Advent begins.  I blogged about the first Mass experience for me with the new Missal translations.  A curious post at end of month while I was watching the cartoon Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

December 2011:  More Advent postings and continuing updates on the Saints and LSU.  We discussed: what is a honey badger?  I blogged personally about my health scare(all is good) and preparing for Christmas.  As Christmas drew near we blogged about celebrating Christmas as a season, not just a day.  I posted about my own Christmas experience and just yesterday posted one of my favorite posts about a 18 year old teenagers youtube message about his medical condition and faith in God, just one week before he died.

So that's a very brief year in review.  2011 was certainly a very busy year.  I hope you will take the time to look back on 2011 and feel free to look back at the "abitadeacon" too!

Happy New Year!

Continuining my look back. My 5th most read post from 2011

Continuing my review of the top six posts based on readership of this past year comes a reflection from the Monday after Thanksgiving.  I had been off for a nice extended weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday after a particularly difficult few weeks at work.  On that Monday morning I awoke early and felt reflective.  This post did not seem particularly interesting to me other than it was a sincere personal reflection.  For some reason my readers made it #5 among all the many posts of 2011:

Monday, November 28, 2011

A rare Monday morning, pre go to work post

I find myself on this first Monday of Advent, the first return to work day for me after the Thanksgiving holidays, willing to be a little late for work to make this post.  After these family holidays and the opportunity to usher in Advent and our new Roman Missal, I am reflective about the challenges in our lives.  I could easily sit in this chair all day today, even after the time off, because I've been facing challenges at work.  These challenges have even given me cause to reflect on what direction I want my life to travel in the near future.  However, I am more acutely aware this morning that my focus can, and should shift.

When I leave this house every morning I leave someone who loves and cares for me.  When I arrive at work I am surrounded, for the most part, by good people, many of whom care for me as well.  They are people who I care for and many of whom I genuinely enjoy being with.  My mission at work, not all that unlike my ministry as Deacon, is to care for and serve those who are placed in front of me with a need or a want.  Seems simple enough this morning.

As for the balance of this day, and every day for that matter, I remember that I walk as a child of God, a minister in His holy Church and am blessed by so much more than those things that get me down.  So head up this Monday morning, face the challenges of another day, give thanks to God, not just for the blessings but for the challenges too.  Remember those you love in prayer, pray for those who are struggling today with far greater struggles and rejoice in the gift of your life.  As for the haters and those who like to spew evil and steal your peace; just don't let them.  It's your peace; a free gift from God.  Pray for them, pity them if you must, but don't give them more importance than that which will last; our hope, our joy, our faith and the love of family & friends and the love of God!

Year in Review: #6 on the most read list

Over the next day or so I plan to look back at the year 2011 here at the abitadeacon.  Based on the most read posts of 2011 by my loyal readers I will review the top six stories.  My first entry is #6, based on my frustration of the American media coverage of the royal wedding, the state of affairs of Catholicism in the UK(although I think the very law I complain about has recently been ammened) and the same news that very day concerning the beatification of Pope John Paul II.  And here is the #6 top read story on the abitadeacon for 2011:

Friday, April 29, 2011

The royal wedding and the beatification of a beloved Pope. Are you kidding me.

In case you missed it, there was this "royal" wedding today in London.  The son of Charles and Diana, Prince William, exchanged vows with Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey.  What a "royal" fuss has been made worldwide over this event.  The media is absolutely insane and quite frankly, I've had it up to here with the Amercian media.  NBC viewed this event as so stupendeous that the Today crew has been in London all week.  Good grief.  I think we all can agree that we wish William and Kate well; I pray that more effort has gone into a lifetime of marriage than went into preparing for the wedding.  And I am quite pleased that the Anglican Archbishop of Cantebury did give a great homily extolling married life; he even called all weddings "royal" weddings.  The Archbishop even evoked the role God plays in marriage.  Hmmm.  Makes me pray harder that the Anglicans, Episcopalians, et al really return to the proper theology on marriage.


By the way, did you catch goofy NBC with a countdown clock to the "royal" kiss?  Talk about juvenile.


Just a little something for Catholics to consider.  The British, by law, and fully supported by the Church of England and the Monarchy, continue to discriminate and reject Catholicism.  What?  Did not Great Britain lay out the royal red carpet for Pope Benedict?  Yes they did.  And they remain stunned at the fallout; Catholic converts in record numbers, the Anglican ordinariate where Church of England types are converting en masse.  But to my brother and sister Catholics: it is still British law that no member of the monarchy may marry a Catholic.  He/she may marry many folks; just not Catholics.  300 years later, the Brits still cling to the Settlement Act of 1701 which says no heir to the throne may marry a Catholic.  And God forbid, if a Catholic falls in love with a royal, he/she must renounce Holy Mother Church for the royal.  Seems crazy; not so fast.  It happened in just the last 10 years or so.  Sad.  In 2011 the Brits, the Royals and the Church of England still disdain the Catholic Church.
 
Today, while the world sat like deer in the headlight of a "royal" wedding and will he kiss her or not, the bodily remains of Pope John Paul II were moved ahead of the Sunday beatification  of the beloved Pope.  Rome witnessed another day of pilgrims, obviously capable of functioning this day without being glued to the TV, flocking to Rome to take part in the beatification ceremonies.  The beatification of Pope John Paul II is indeed something I will wake up early for.  I must admit, I did  get up early during today's events because the bathroom was calling(middle-age man humor).  But I will get up joyfully and eagerly to soak up all the events of Sunday as the Pope of my lifetime becomes Blessed.


So tonight, I can pray for William & Kate because I am a huge fan of marriage.  My bride and I have been at it for 34 years and I love preparing young couples for married life.  So I hope these "royals" will make a go of married life not just over hyped weddings.  But for me, my focus this weekend will be on Rome and the events from the Vatican.  I cannot wait til Sunday when with the entire Church I can say, Blessed Pope John Paul II, pray for us. 


As people of faith, we need to keep our priorities straight!