St. Peter Canisius
Feastday: December 21
b: 1521 d: 1597
In 1565, the Vatican was looking for a secret agent. It was shortly after the Council of Trent and the pope wanted to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. What would be a simple errand in our day, was a dangerous assignment in the sixteenth century. The first envoy who tried to carry the decrees through territory of hostile Protestants and vicious thieves was robbed of the precious documents. Rome needed someone courageous but also someone above suspicion. They chose Peter Canisius. At 43 he was a well-known Jesuit who had founded colleges that even Protestants respected. They gave him a cover as official "visitor" of Jesuit foundations. But Peter couldn't hide the decrees like our modern fictional spies with their microfilmed messages in collar buttons or cans of shaving cream. Peter traveled from Rome and crisscrossed Germany successfully loaded down with the Tridentine tomes -- 250 pages each -- not to mention the three sacks of books he took along for his own university!
Why did the Vatican choose Peter Canisius for this delicate task?
Born in Holland in 1521, Peter had edited and written several volumes on Church history and theology, been a delegate to the Council of Trent, and reformed the German universities from heresy. Called to Vienna to reform their university, he couldn't win the people with preaching or fancy words spoken in his German accent. He won their hearts by ministering to the sick and dying during a plague. The people, the king, and the pope all wanted to make Peter bishop of Vienna, but Peter declined vigorously and administered the diocese for a year.
For many years during the Reformation, Peter saw the students in his universities swayed by the flashy speeches and the well-written arguments of the Protestants. Peter was not alone in wishing for a Catholic catechism that would present true Catholic beliefs undistorted by fanatics. Finally King Ferdinand himself ordered Peter and his companions to write a catechism. This hot potato got tossed from person to person until Peter and his friend Lejay were assigned to write it. Lejay was obviously the logical choice, being a better writer than Peter. So Peter relaxed and sat back to offer any help he could. When Father Lejay died, King Ferdinand would wait no longer. Peter said of writing: "I have never learned to be elegant as a writer, but I cannot remain dumb on that account." The first issue of the Catechism appeared in 1555 and was an immediate success. Peter approached Christian doctrine in two parts: wisdom -- including faith, hope, and charity -- and justice -- avoiding evil and doing good, linked by a section on sacraments.
Because of the success and the need, Peter quickly produced two more versions: a Shorter Catechism for middle school students which concentrated on helping this age group choose good over evil by concentrating on a different virtue each day of the week; and a Shortest Catechism for young children which included prayers for morning and evening, for mealtimes, and so forth to get them used to praying.
As intent as Peter was on keeping people true to the Catholic faith, he followed the Jesuit policy that harsh words should not be used, that those listening would see an example of charity in the way Catholics acted and preached. However, his companions were not always as willing. He showed great patience and insight with one man, Father Couvillon. Couvillon was so sharp and hostile that he was alienating his companions and students. Anyone who confronted him became the subject of abuse. It became obvious that Couvillon suffered from emotional illness. But Peter did not let that knowledge blind him to the fact that Couvillon was still a brilliant and talented man. Instead of asking Couvillon to resign he begged him to stay on as a teacher and then appointed him as his secretary. Peter thought that Couvillon needed to worry less about himself and pray more and work harder. He didn't coddle him but gave Couvillon blunt advice about his pride. Coming from Peter this seemed to help Couvillon. Peter consulted Couvillon often on business of the Province and asked him to translate Jesuit letters from India. Thanks to Peter , even though Couvillon continued to suffer depression for years, he also accomplished much good.
Peter died in December 21, 1597. He is known as the Second Apostle of Germany and was named a Doctor of the Church.
In His Footsteps
Peter believed in the importance in learning and understanding the Catholic faith. If it is available to you, resolve to read a portion of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Don't try to read too much but consider reading a page a day. Before we can spread our faith we must have a solid foundation in ourselves.
Prayer:
Saint Peter Canisius, you saw the good in even the most troublesome of people. You found their talents and used them. Help me to see beyond the behavior of others that may bother me to the gifts God has given them. Amen
Monday, December 20, 2010
Beautiful reminder of Advent as Christmas nears
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming!
With Advent nearly over and Christmas upon us in a few days; this is worthy of your listening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyuOIYCERc4&feature=related
Here is praying that you are preparing for a truly meaninful Christmas with the Blessed Son of God, the Rose blooming from Jesse's stem!
A Blessed Merry Christmas!
With Advent nearly over and Christmas upon us in a few days; this is worthy of your listening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyuOIYCERc4&feature=related
Here is praying that you are preparing for a truly meaninful Christmas with the Blessed Son of God, the Rose blooming from Jesse's stem!
A Blessed Merry Christmas!
Pope Benedict had St. Joseph on his heart too yesterday...
>>>In light of my homily yesterday focusing on the example of good and holy St. Joseph I was pleased to come across this article about the Pope's comments as I was browsing the webblog Da Mihi Animas:
Pope looks to St. Joseph's example of faith as Christmas approaches
The following comes from the CNA:
During Sunday's Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict XVI prayed that all people might know how to read the signs of God's work in their lives just as St. Joseph did.
St. Peter's Square, adorned with a towering 110-foot tall Norway spruce tree, was brimmed with people already in festive spirits as Christmas nears. Those gathered were bundled up on the unusually cold morning in Rome, a novelty that added still more to the holiday atmosphere.
Before the prayer, the Pope spoke about the Gospel reading from the fourth and final Sunday of the season of Advent. In the reading, St. Matthew recounts the birth of Jesus from St. Joseph's point of view.
Christ's father on earth, St. Joseph, is described as a "just man." He is faithful to the Lord and willing to do his will, noted the Pope.
In the Bible passage, the ancient prophecy is fulfilled and the Son of God is made man in the womb of a virgin. St. Joseph, upset at finding that Mary is with child, decides to quietly leave her.
But an angel comes to him in a dream and tells him not to fear, to take Mary as his wife and to name the child "Emmanuel," or "God is with us," because he "shall save his people from their sins."
Joseph then abandons the thought of leaving Mary, said the Pope, "because now his eyes see the work of God in her."
St. Joseph is "certain of doing the right thing," obeys the angel's command, and stays with her. In following the directives of God, said the Pope, he joins the ranks of the humble and faithful servants, like the angels, prophets, martyrs and apostles.
Joseph "announces the portents of the Lord, giving testimony to the virginity of Mary, the gratuitous actions of God and protecting the earthly life of the Messiah," he said.
"Thus, we venerate the 'legal father' of Jesus, because in him the new man is outlined, one who looks with trust and courage to the future, who does not seek his own project but entrusts himself totally to the infinite mercy of He who makes the prophecies true and opens up the time of salvation."
Pope Benedict entrusted all of the Church's priests and bishops to St. Joseph, the universal patron of the Church. He exhorted clergy to bring themselves ever closer to the person of Jesus, to "present quietly Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world."
He then asked for the intercession of Mary so that as Christmas approaches, all people's eyes might be opened to see Jesus and that their heart might rejoice.
The Pope also prayed that all people might receive Jesus "with love and humility, and like St. Joseph that we might know how to read signs of Providence in daily life."
Saying goodbye to the crowd from his studio window, he wished all "a good Sunday and a serene Christmas in the light and the peace of the Lord."
Pope looks to St. Joseph's example of faith as Christmas approaches
The following comes from the CNA:
During Sunday's Angelus prayer, Pope Benedict XVI prayed that all people might know how to read the signs of God's work in their lives just as St. Joseph did.
St. Peter's Square, adorned with a towering 110-foot tall Norway spruce tree, was brimmed with people already in festive spirits as Christmas nears. Those gathered were bundled up on the unusually cold morning in Rome, a novelty that added still more to the holiday atmosphere.
Before the prayer, the Pope spoke about the Gospel reading from the fourth and final Sunday of the season of Advent. In the reading, St. Matthew recounts the birth of Jesus from St. Joseph's point of view.
Christ's father on earth, St. Joseph, is described as a "just man." He is faithful to the Lord and willing to do his will, noted the Pope.
In the Bible passage, the ancient prophecy is fulfilled and the Son of God is made man in the womb of a virgin. St. Joseph, upset at finding that Mary is with child, decides to quietly leave her.
But an angel comes to him in a dream and tells him not to fear, to take Mary as his wife and to name the child "Emmanuel," or "God is with us," because he "shall save his people from their sins."
Joseph then abandons the thought of leaving Mary, said the Pope, "because now his eyes see the work of God in her."
St. Joseph is "certain of doing the right thing," obeys the angel's command, and stays with her. In following the directives of God, said the Pope, he joins the ranks of the humble and faithful servants, like the angels, prophets, martyrs and apostles.
Joseph "announces the portents of the Lord, giving testimony to the virginity of Mary, the gratuitous actions of God and protecting the earthly life of the Messiah," he said.
"Thus, we venerate the 'legal father' of Jesus, because in him the new man is outlined, one who looks with trust and courage to the future, who does not seek his own project but entrusts himself totally to the infinite mercy of He who makes the prophecies true and opens up the time of salvation."
Pope Benedict entrusted all of the Church's priests and bishops to St. Joseph, the universal patron of the Church. He exhorted clergy to bring themselves ever closer to the person of Jesus, to "present quietly Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world."
He then asked for the intercession of Mary so that as Christmas approaches, all people's eyes might be opened to see Jesus and that their heart might rejoice.
The Pope also prayed that all people might receive Jesus "with love and humility, and like St. Joseph that we might know how to read signs of Providence in daily life."
Saying goodbye to the crowd from his studio window, he wished all "a good Sunday and a serene Christmas in the light and the peace of the Lord."
Health update on Archbishop Hannan
Archbishop Hannan hospitalized for shortness of breath; may be released Tuesday
Published: Monday, December 20, 2010
By Martha Carr, The Times-Picayune
Retired Archbishop Philip Hannan is expected to be released from a hospital Tuesday, weak but apparently free of pneumonia that threatened him for a week, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said Monday.
Hannan was admitted to the unidentified hospital Sunday night with difficulty breathing.
He was expected to be released after treatment, perhaps late Monday but probably Tuesday.
“The pneumonia is cured,” said Aymond, who is receiving updates on Hannan’s condition. But he stressed that Hannan is "very weak."
Aymond said Hannan’s respiratory distress was not from active pneumonia, but the result of residual fluids in his lungs from the infection, his age, and a week’s inactivity in bed.
That said, “He is not in congestive heart failure,” Aymond said.
“He has the heart of a 97-year-old, but it’s not diseased.”
Hannan has been bedridden since at least Dec. 12, first with a bronchial infection and then with pneumonia.
Until yesterday, he had preferred to stay at his home in Covington, receiving medical care there.
But on Sunday night Hannan asked to be taken to the hospital for relief of his respiratory distress, said Sarah Comiskey MacDonald, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
Contacted in Washington, D.C., Hannan’s brother, Jerry, was consulted and concurred, she said.
Until Sunday, Hannan was confined to the bed in which he and siblings were born in Washington D.C.
It is the same bed in which Pope John Paul II slept during his three-night visit to New Orleans in 1987.
Aymond asked for the community’s continued prayers.
Published: Monday, December 20, 2010
By Martha Carr, The Times-Picayune
Retired Archbishop Philip Hannan is expected to be released from a hospital Tuesday, weak but apparently free of pneumonia that threatened him for a week, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said Monday.
Hannan was admitted to the unidentified hospital Sunday night with difficulty breathing.
He was expected to be released after treatment, perhaps late Monday but probably Tuesday.
“The pneumonia is cured,” said Aymond, who is receiving updates on Hannan’s condition. But he stressed that Hannan is "very weak."
Aymond said Hannan’s respiratory distress was not from active pneumonia, but the result of residual fluids in his lungs from the infection, his age, and a week’s inactivity in bed.
That said, “He is not in congestive heart failure,” Aymond said.
“He has the heart of a 97-year-old, but it’s not diseased.”
Hannan has been bedridden since at least Dec. 12, first with a bronchial infection and then with pneumonia.
Until yesterday, he had preferred to stay at his home in Covington, receiving medical care there.
But on Sunday night Hannan asked to be taken to the hospital for relief of his respiratory distress, said Sarah Comiskey MacDonald, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
Contacted in Washington, D.C., Hannan’s brother, Jerry, was consulted and concurred, she said.
Until Sunday, Hannan was confined to the bed in which he and siblings were born in Washington D.C.
It is the same bed in which Pope John Paul II slept during his three-night visit to New Orleans in 1987.
Aymond asked for the community’s continued prayers.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A New Orleans icon has died
>>>For those of you not from the New Orleans area, Nash Roberts was our weatherman for decades; a local icon, a trusted face on TV news. He guided us through some of the worst storms of the 20th century. And he was a truly good and decent man who devoted most of his later years caring for his beloved wife in rural St. Tammany Parish. Rest in Peace Nash Roberts!
Legendary meteorologist Nash Roberts dies at 92
by Dominic Massa
wwltv.com
•Nash Roberts: 1918-2010
Nash C. Roberts Jr., the meteorologist who became a local institution among generations of New Orleanians, by simply using a felt-tipped marker and weather map to skillfully predict the paths and patterns of hurricanes, died this weekend. He was 92.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
During a career that lasted more than 50 years on local television, New Orleans viewers came to trust his calm and accurate forecasts so much so that the question “What does Nash say?” was the way many gauged the potential impact of an impending weather system.
“Sometimes I wish I knew myself why I am right,” Roberts said in a 1998 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But a portion of it is just instinctive. It’s just a talent I have.”
Roberts retired from meteorology and his on-air role at WWL-TV during hurricane season in 2001. Throughout his career, he was the informed and educated voice of calm and reason, and his forecasting with felt-tip pens (which served him well, years into the high-tech age of broadcast meteorology) helped illustrate the direction of hurricanes since 1947. When he was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Broadcasters Association’s New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the group commented that Roberts had been on the air longer than 95 percent of the stations in the country. By the time he retired, Roberts had worked at three of the city’s television stations.
For over five decades, the New Orleans native was a rock of stability during trying times: the horror of Hurricane Audrey in 1957, the devastation of Hurricanes Betsy and Camille in the 1960s, and the heart-stopping threat of Hurricane Georges in 1998. Roberts was there through it all, with his simple map, felt-tipped pen and lifetime of weather wisdom.
The Times-Picayune summed up Roberts’ impact in 1998, in a special issue commemorating 50 years of television in New Orleans: “His power is tremendous. Some of us won't go to sleep until Nash says it's OK. His strong suit is personal forecasts - a mix of hunch and 50 years of knowledge - mapped out in Magic Marker.”
With the dawn of the television era in New Orleans, Nash Roberts became the city’s first TV meteorologist. But it was a job in which he never saw himself.
His original career ambition was to become a pilot, which also required him to study meteorology. He earned his pilot’s wings along with his federal license as a meteorological instructor, and began teaching that specialized science at Loyola University New Orleans in 1940.
When World War II broke out, the U.S. Navy recruited Roberts to serve as an aeronautics instructor. In 1943, he was sent to Florida’s Banana River Naval Air Station to learn about emerging radar technology. After navigating night patrol searches for German U-boats in the Atlantic, he was transferred to the Pacific theater. In April 1945, Roberts was selected to serve as both navigator and meteorologist aboard Admiral Chester Nimitz’s aircraft carrier. Roberts would make history there, as the first meteorologist to fly into the eye of a typhoon, to chart its course.
The Navy had been looking for a way to sail a carrier fleet close enough to the Japanese main islands to execute an air attack, without first being detected.
“I don’t know who came up with the idea, but there was the thought that maybe we could sail in behind a typhoon, and that would jam the Japanese radar and ground all of their search aircraft,” Roberts recalled.
“We embarked on an experimental flight from Guam to the Philippines. I was to navigate through the eye of this typhoon for the purpose of gathering meteorological data,” he said.
In 1946, Roberts returned home to New Orleans, took his $3,500 in saved Navy pay and opened a weather consulting office downtown – the first in the south. Roberts’ clients were oil companies, barge diving, fishing companies and members of the maritime industry.
“Every day we had something big going on, where something hinged on the weather,” Roberts recalled in a 2001 interview with WWL-TV anchor Angela Hill. “It surely kept you on your toes and kept you awake at night.”
Five years later, Roberts was offered a broadcasting job, but refused at first. He said it was because of the fact that while he was well-versed in the science of meteorology, he was far from comfortable on camera. Local advertising executive Dave Cloud gave Roberts an offer he couldn’t refuse – a trip to Chicago to meet with a meteorologist making $80,000 forecasting the weather. Nash went, and a career followed.
Roberts, a graduate of Alcee Fortier High School and Loyola University, spent 22 years as an on-air meteorologist at WDSU-TV before moving to WVUE-TV. In 1978, he signed on as meteorologist at WWL-TV, where he worked as the nightly on-air forecaster for close to 10 years, before retiring from daily TV appearances to run his consulting business next door to the station.
Even after his partial retirement, Roberts’ hurricane expertise would be relied on by WWL-TV viewers during every hurricane or tropical system to threaten Louisiana’s coast. In an article analyzing news coverage of Hurricane Bret in 1999, Roberts explained: "The criteria is the same as it's always been. If it's in the Gulf of Mexico, it's time for me to come on the air." In 1998, with his accurate coverage of Hurricane Georges (predicting it would make a last-minute jog to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and spare New Orleans), Roberts earned national media attention, in The New York Times and People.
“For as long as most New Orleanians can remember, getting a bead on the storms that regularly threaten life and livelihood here comes down to one simple phrase: ‘What does Nash say?’” wrote reporter Corey Kilgannon in The New York Times.
“Locals know a storm is serious simply when Mr. Roberts appears on the screen. ’They see me in the store buying my mark-up pens and they follow me around asking when the storm’s hitting,’ said Mr. Roberts,” stated the 1998 article.
In an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that same year, headlined “New Orleans weatherman right as rain,” Roberts explained his forecasting philosophy.
“It’s like being married. Your wife or your husband can detect a change in you before anyone else can. I have to have that kind of relationship with the hurricane.”
Roberts retired from weather forecasting to devote his life to caring for his wife Lydia, who was in failing health. The couple shared over 60 years of marriage before Mrs. Roberts died in 2007.
Shortly after his retirement in 2001, Roberts donated his collection of papers (used to forecast hurricanes since the 1940s) to Loyola University, where they are a treasured addition to the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library. He was honored with numerous awards and citations over the years, including induction into the New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club of New Orleans. In 1984, Loyola University presented Roberts with an honorary doctorate in science.
Roberts, whose diverse list of hobbies included beekeeping, fishing, hunting and spending time on his large ranch in St. Tammany Parish, was also a founding board member and former chairman of the board of WYES-TV, New Orleans’ first public television station. Roberts also served for several years on the state Board of Education.
He is survived by three brothers; two sons, Kenneth and Nash Roberts III; and four grandchildren.
Legendary meteorologist Nash Roberts dies at 92
by Dominic Massa
wwltv.com
•Nash Roberts: 1918-2010
Nash C. Roberts Jr., the meteorologist who became a local institution among generations of New Orleanians, by simply using a felt-tipped marker and weather map to skillfully predict the paths and patterns of hurricanes, died this weekend. He was 92.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
During a career that lasted more than 50 years on local television, New Orleans viewers came to trust his calm and accurate forecasts so much so that the question “What does Nash say?” was the way many gauged the potential impact of an impending weather system.
“Sometimes I wish I knew myself why I am right,” Roberts said in a 1998 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But a portion of it is just instinctive. It’s just a talent I have.”
Roberts retired from meteorology and his on-air role at WWL-TV during hurricane season in 2001. Throughout his career, he was the informed and educated voice of calm and reason, and his forecasting with felt-tip pens (which served him well, years into the high-tech age of broadcast meteorology) helped illustrate the direction of hurricanes since 1947. When he was inducted into the Greater New Orleans Broadcasters Association’s New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the group commented that Roberts had been on the air longer than 95 percent of the stations in the country. By the time he retired, Roberts had worked at three of the city’s television stations.
For over five decades, the New Orleans native was a rock of stability during trying times: the horror of Hurricane Audrey in 1957, the devastation of Hurricanes Betsy and Camille in the 1960s, and the heart-stopping threat of Hurricane Georges in 1998. Roberts was there through it all, with his simple map, felt-tipped pen and lifetime of weather wisdom.
The Times-Picayune summed up Roberts’ impact in 1998, in a special issue commemorating 50 years of television in New Orleans: “His power is tremendous. Some of us won't go to sleep until Nash says it's OK. His strong suit is personal forecasts - a mix of hunch and 50 years of knowledge - mapped out in Magic Marker.”
With the dawn of the television era in New Orleans, Nash Roberts became the city’s first TV meteorologist. But it was a job in which he never saw himself.
His original career ambition was to become a pilot, which also required him to study meteorology. He earned his pilot’s wings along with his federal license as a meteorological instructor, and began teaching that specialized science at Loyola University New Orleans in 1940.
When World War II broke out, the U.S. Navy recruited Roberts to serve as an aeronautics instructor. In 1943, he was sent to Florida’s Banana River Naval Air Station to learn about emerging radar technology. After navigating night patrol searches for German U-boats in the Atlantic, he was transferred to the Pacific theater. In April 1945, Roberts was selected to serve as both navigator and meteorologist aboard Admiral Chester Nimitz’s aircraft carrier. Roberts would make history there, as the first meteorologist to fly into the eye of a typhoon, to chart its course.
The Navy had been looking for a way to sail a carrier fleet close enough to the Japanese main islands to execute an air attack, without first being detected.
“I don’t know who came up with the idea, but there was the thought that maybe we could sail in behind a typhoon, and that would jam the Japanese radar and ground all of their search aircraft,” Roberts recalled.
“We embarked on an experimental flight from Guam to the Philippines. I was to navigate through the eye of this typhoon for the purpose of gathering meteorological data,” he said.
In 1946, Roberts returned home to New Orleans, took his $3,500 in saved Navy pay and opened a weather consulting office downtown – the first in the south. Roberts’ clients were oil companies, barge diving, fishing companies and members of the maritime industry.
“Every day we had something big going on, where something hinged on the weather,” Roberts recalled in a 2001 interview with WWL-TV anchor Angela Hill. “It surely kept you on your toes and kept you awake at night.”
Five years later, Roberts was offered a broadcasting job, but refused at first. He said it was because of the fact that while he was well-versed in the science of meteorology, he was far from comfortable on camera. Local advertising executive Dave Cloud gave Roberts an offer he couldn’t refuse – a trip to Chicago to meet with a meteorologist making $80,000 forecasting the weather. Nash went, and a career followed.
Roberts, a graduate of Alcee Fortier High School and Loyola University, spent 22 years as an on-air meteorologist at WDSU-TV before moving to WVUE-TV. In 1978, he signed on as meteorologist at WWL-TV, where he worked as the nightly on-air forecaster for close to 10 years, before retiring from daily TV appearances to run his consulting business next door to the station.
Even after his partial retirement, Roberts’ hurricane expertise would be relied on by WWL-TV viewers during every hurricane or tropical system to threaten Louisiana’s coast. In an article analyzing news coverage of Hurricane Bret in 1999, Roberts explained: "The criteria is the same as it's always been. If it's in the Gulf of Mexico, it's time for me to come on the air." In 1998, with his accurate coverage of Hurricane Georges (predicting it would make a last-minute jog to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and spare New Orleans), Roberts earned national media attention, in The New York Times and People.
“For as long as most New Orleanians can remember, getting a bead on the storms that regularly threaten life and livelihood here comes down to one simple phrase: ‘What does Nash say?’” wrote reporter Corey Kilgannon in The New York Times.
“Locals know a storm is serious simply when Mr. Roberts appears on the screen. ’They see me in the store buying my mark-up pens and they follow me around asking when the storm’s hitting,’ said Mr. Roberts,” stated the 1998 article.
In an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that same year, headlined “New Orleans weatherman right as rain,” Roberts explained his forecasting philosophy.
“It’s like being married. Your wife or your husband can detect a change in you before anyone else can. I have to have that kind of relationship with the hurricane.”
Roberts retired from weather forecasting to devote his life to caring for his wife Lydia, who was in failing health. The couple shared over 60 years of marriage before Mrs. Roberts died in 2007.
Shortly after his retirement in 2001, Roberts donated his collection of papers (used to forecast hurricanes since the 1940s) to Loyola University, where they are a treasured addition to the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library. He was honored with numerous awards and citations over the years, including induction into the New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Press Club of New Orleans. In 1984, Loyola University presented Roberts with an honorary doctorate in science.
Roberts, whose diverse list of hobbies included beekeeping, fishing, hunting and spending time on his large ranch in St. Tammany Parish, was also a founding board member and former chairman of the board of WYES-TV, New Orleans’ first public television station. Roberts also served for several years on the state Board of Education.
He is survived by three brothers; two sons, Kenneth and Nash Roberts III; and four grandchildren.
Another reason to love this time of year!
These are simply beautiful days. I truly cherish the cooler months of a life lived in the deep south. As I so often do, let me remind you that the months of October through March are far superior to the other months. Of course this means that I love cooler weather; it really does not get cold here, the dark winter nights with the deep star filled skies and the feel of all the holidays we celebrate in this six month window.
Tonight is a very cool, about 37 degrees, evening, with a beautiful sky and the last few days before Christmas. We have our daughter home with us for a few weeks, although she will travel a few days after Christmas, and we also we see family soon that we don't get to see all that much.
Over the next week or two we will celebrate beautiful liturgies as Advent ends, Christmas begins and we sing those beautiful carols in the church.
Tonight I capped off a great weekend of many special events. From a Friday night spent with young adult Catholics and our Archbishop at Theology on Tap, to a Saturday evening of preaching and praying over a newly engaged couple, to today's Mass and tonight's celebration with our CYO; wow, what a weekend!
Sometimes our lives, including ministry can make us very very busy. Tonight marks the 12th straight evening attending some event related to ministry. But these are heady times; end of Advent, the recent ordination of our ten new Deacons and the coming Christmas celebration.
It's too early to look to the New Year but with the big change coming in my life I am filled with excitement and a good bit of emotion as I will have to begin planning my move from St. Jane de Chantal Parish to Most Holy Trinity.
So as we all enter into these last 5 days of Advent and approach Christmas, with the coming of Christ in our lives as our Savior, may you have fond memories, some time for peaceful reflection and great joy!
Tonight is a very cool, about 37 degrees, evening, with a beautiful sky and the last few days before Christmas. We have our daughter home with us for a few weeks, although she will travel a few days after Christmas, and we also we see family soon that we don't get to see all that much.
Over the next week or two we will celebrate beautiful liturgies as Advent ends, Christmas begins and we sing those beautiful carols in the church.
Tonight I capped off a great weekend of many special events. From a Friday night spent with young adult Catholics and our Archbishop at Theology on Tap, to a Saturday evening of preaching and praying over a newly engaged couple, to today's Mass and tonight's celebration with our CYO; wow, what a weekend!
Sometimes our lives, including ministry can make us very very busy. Tonight marks the 12th straight evening attending some event related to ministry. But these are heady times; end of Advent, the recent ordination of our ten new Deacons and the coming Christmas celebration.
It's too early to look to the New Year but with the big change coming in my life I am filled with excitement and a good bit of emotion as I will have to begin planning my move from St. Jane de Chantal Parish to Most Holy Trinity.
So as we all enter into these last 5 days of Advent and approach Christmas, with the coming of Christ in our lives as our Savior, may you have fond memories, some time for peaceful reflection and great joy!
The hymn that ushers in this last week of Advent
Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Saints falter but...
The New Orleans Saints lost a tough game today to a talented Baltimore Raven team. Baltimore could be one of the final contenders on the AFC side of things for this year's Super Bowl. The game was exciting but our rush defense so bad that it was tough for the Saints to win. Once the Saints came all the way back to tie it up our defense let us down. But these things do happen and the Saints were still in a position to win near game's end.
This overall year, despite being 10-4, has never had the same look and feel as 2009. I'm not sure if that's even possible but all the pieces have never come together. The running game has been beset by injuries, now maybe the biggest to Chris Ivory. And the last few games has reminded me just how OVERRATED Reggie Bush truly is. Has he had some great games; yes, a couple and he has had some remarkable punt returns, in 2-3 games, but for the long haul: HE IS A BUST. Of course I honor Reggie Bush's generous contributions as a citizen in post-Katrina New Orleans. But as a player, commanding a huge salary, BUST.
The defense has not played with the same swagger as last year although statistics indicate an improved defense. Here's the deal; a significantly fewer number of turnovers from last year, and in our losses, remarkable let-downs that contributed directly to at least 3 of these losses.
And special teams; oh my, a 100% let down from 2009. At least Hartley is making FG's again.
On this very day one year ago the Saints lost the first game of the 2009 season. We were so disappointed and we know the rest of the story. Today they lose again, and we are disappointed. But what is the rest of the story? First, we almost certainly can't win the NFC south, especially if Atlanta keeps the lead this afternoon against the Seahawks. But we still control our own destiny and have the top wild card spot in the NFC as of today. We need some W's. We could possibly miss the playoffs all together without at least one win and some other help. Our remaining games are against the Falcons and the Bucs.
So the future is yet to be determined but at minimum we know the playoffs will likely mean no bye, maybe no home games and a much tougher road to repeat. But the Saints, and no one else, are the defending champs, and the Saints, and no one else, has Drew Brees and Sean Peyton. So do not lose hope; we still are in this thing; we still can go to the playoffs and we always seem to be in a game.
To those of you who shot darts at me when I criticized the Saints so much for losing to losers, Cleveland and Arizona, well, those things matter; they matter greatly. How sad it would be to miss out on a repeat because the Saints played such uninspired football against bad teams. But that was then; this is now. All we want for Christmas 2010: beat the Falcons, beat the Bucs and give all of us a chance to get back to the big dance.
Geaux Saints!
This overall year, despite being 10-4, has never had the same look and feel as 2009. I'm not sure if that's even possible but all the pieces have never come together. The running game has been beset by injuries, now maybe the biggest to Chris Ivory. And the last few games has reminded me just how OVERRATED Reggie Bush truly is. Has he had some great games; yes, a couple and he has had some remarkable punt returns, in 2-3 games, but for the long haul: HE IS A BUST. Of course I honor Reggie Bush's generous contributions as a citizen in post-Katrina New Orleans. But as a player, commanding a huge salary, BUST.
The defense has not played with the same swagger as last year although statistics indicate an improved defense. Here's the deal; a significantly fewer number of turnovers from last year, and in our losses, remarkable let-downs that contributed directly to at least 3 of these losses.
And special teams; oh my, a 100% let down from 2009. At least Hartley is making FG's again.
On this very day one year ago the Saints lost the first game of the 2009 season. We were so disappointed and we know the rest of the story. Today they lose again, and we are disappointed. But what is the rest of the story? First, we almost certainly can't win the NFC south, especially if Atlanta keeps the lead this afternoon against the Seahawks. But we still control our own destiny and have the top wild card spot in the NFC as of today. We need some W's. We could possibly miss the playoffs all together without at least one win and some other help. Our remaining games are against the Falcons and the Bucs.
So the future is yet to be determined but at minimum we know the playoffs will likely mean no bye, maybe no home games and a much tougher road to repeat. But the Saints, and no one else, are the defending champs, and the Saints, and no one else, has Drew Brees and Sean Peyton. So do not lose hope; we still are in this thing; we still can go to the playoffs and we always seem to be in a game.
To those of you who shot darts at me when I criticized the Saints so much for losing to losers, Cleveland and Arizona, well, those things matter; they matter greatly. How sad it would be to miss out on a repeat because the Saints played such uninspired football against bad teams. But that was then; this is now. All we want for Christmas 2010: beat the Falcons, beat the Bucs and give all of us a chance to get back to the big dance.
Geaux Saints!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Homily for 4th Sunday in Advent
Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love…
This heart-warming song by George Strait continues:
Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then; It’s love without end. Amen!
This song often times reminds me that in my life, I never really experienced the love of my father, even though I sincerely believe he loved me. I certainly had important father figures in my life for which I will always be grateful. Great dads are such a wonderful blessing and gift from God.
As people of faith, do we look to the example of St. Joseph as the kind of dad God wants us to be? And we can ask today, do we seek a personal relationship with God as our Father?
Arriving at this last Sunday in Advent focuses us on the quickening pace to Christmas Day. Today we hear Matthew’s account of how the birth of Jesus came about. The verses we read today focus on Joseph and the role he plays in the Nativity story. Some refer to this Gospel as the annunciation of Joseph and this only appears in the Gospel of Matthew.
Joseph certainly had his world turned upside down by the news that Mary was “with child”. Joseph and Mary were betrothed but not yet living together as husband and wife. Joseph loved Mary dearly, but how could any human accept this news? She is pregnant through the power of Holy Spirit? At first Joseph must have thought, what a cruel joke. He could have had Mary stoned to death, according to the law as described in Deuteronomy. But St. Matthew records that he is a righteous man and out of love for Mary, he does not want her exposed to shame. He would go away, quietly.
But wait, Joseph is visited by the angel of the Lord. The angel explains everything to Joseph and he believes. What a powerful visit that must have been. Nothing else is known of that visit. We do know that Joseph accepts, believes and trusts and took Mary into his home. And he loved her and cared for her as he did for Jesus.
What a wonderful example of Christian fatherhood. Men, is St. Joseph a role model for us; especially those of us who are dads? We would be well advised to turn to him as our example and our powerful intercessor.
Christian fathers are called to be the spiritual leader of the family. Christian fathers must be loving role models for their children of a man who is in love with God. Christian fathers must be in the pews every week with their children. And Christian fathers are called to love our children by loving their mothers!
In this last week of Advent, all of us can use this Gospel as our daily preparation for Christmas. Reread this Gospel and pray with this Gospel as we contemplate the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. Fathers; read this Gospel to your children and grand-children. As a father, share with them the example of St. Joseph and explain that God is their Father, our Father, who loves us beyond our ability to understand.
And in this week ahead, as a family, attend one of the times offered for Reconciliation. Our children will be more open to going to Confession when they see their parents, especially dad, going to Confession too.
Every day this week, in your homes and where you meet people, encourage others to be joyful as Christmas day approaches. Remind them that “God with us” is coming again.
So let me tell you a secret about a Father’s love:
God IS with us and that is a love without end. Amen!
This heart-warming song by George Strait continues:
Daddies don’t just love their children every now and then; It’s love without end. Amen!
This song often times reminds me that in my life, I never really experienced the love of my father, even though I sincerely believe he loved me. I certainly had important father figures in my life for which I will always be grateful. Great dads are such a wonderful blessing and gift from God.
As people of faith, do we look to the example of St. Joseph as the kind of dad God wants us to be? And we can ask today, do we seek a personal relationship with God as our Father?
Arriving at this last Sunday in Advent focuses us on the quickening pace to Christmas Day. Today we hear Matthew’s account of how the birth of Jesus came about. The verses we read today focus on Joseph and the role he plays in the Nativity story. Some refer to this Gospel as the annunciation of Joseph and this only appears in the Gospel of Matthew.
Joseph certainly had his world turned upside down by the news that Mary was “with child”. Joseph and Mary were betrothed but not yet living together as husband and wife. Joseph loved Mary dearly, but how could any human accept this news? She is pregnant through the power of Holy Spirit? At first Joseph must have thought, what a cruel joke. He could have had Mary stoned to death, according to the law as described in Deuteronomy. But St. Matthew records that he is a righteous man and out of love for Mary, he does not want her exposed to shame. He would go away, quietly.
But wait, Joseph is visited by the angel of the Lord. The angel explains everything to Joseph and he believes. What a powerful visit that must have been. Nothing else is known of that visit. We do know that Joseph accepts, believes and trusts and took Mary into his home. And he loved her and cared for her as he did for Jesus.
What a wonderful example of Christian fatherhood. Men, is St. Joseph a role model for us; especially those of us who are dads? We would be well advised to turn to him as our example and our powerful intercessor.
Christian fathers are called to be the spiritual leader of the family. Christian fathers must be loving role models for their children of a man who is in love with God. Christian fathers must be in the pews every week with their children. And Christian fathers are called to love our children by loving their mothers!
In this last week of Advent, all of us can use this Gospel as our daily preparation for Christmas. Reread this Gospel and pray with this Gospel as we contemplate the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. Fathers; read this Gospel to your children and grand-children. As a father, share with them the example of St. Joseph and explain that God is their Father, our Father, who loves us beyond our ability to understand.
And in this week ahead, as a family, attend one of the times offered for Reconciliation. Our children will be more open to going to Confession when they see their parents, especially dad, going to Confession too.
Every day this week, in your homes and where you meet people, encourage others to be joyful as Christmas day approaches. Remind them that “God with us” is coming again.
So let me tell you a secret about a Father’s love:
God IS with us and that is a love without end. Amen!
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