I READ THE NEWS TODAY OH, BOY

Rick Santorum announces the formation of a presidential exploratory committee.

"Let America be America again."

Brilliant!

Rep. Anthony Weiner chokes up and admits he did it and then lied about it.

"This was a very dumb thing to do."

Really?

The Louisiana House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill to place a Ten Commandments monument in front of the State Capitol.

"HB277 generated debate prior in a House committee when it was questioned whether such a monument could make non-Christians and Jews uncomfortable." (My emphasis)

What can I say?

UPDATE: Neither Rick Santorum nor any of his brilliant aides came up with his campaign slogan. The words come from a poem by Langston Hughes:

Let America Be America Again

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

by Langston Hughes

ST LUKE'S IN MARYLAND THE FIRST TO JOIN THE RC ORDINARIATE

From the The Huffington Post:

An Episcopal parish in Maryland announced Monday that it will become the first in the United States to join the Roman Catholic Church under a Vatican process designed to bring disgruntled Anglicans and Episcopalians into its fold.

St. Luke's Episcopal parish in Bladensburg will become part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington within the next few months. It will sever ties from its liberal bishop, who has spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage and other controversial issues.

The bishop, John Bryson Chane, said in a statement Monday that he approved the separation. Chane said the decision was made with "mutual respect," adding that "Christians move from one church to another with far greater frequency than in the past, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as groups."

The parish will lease its land from the Episcopal diocese with the option to purchase.

Godspeed to the folks at St Luke's. The transition seems to have taken place in a civilized manner, and the people and clergy had no notion that the property was theirs to take without compensation.

Nowhere do I find mention of the size of the congregation at St Luke's nor whether the entire congregation joined the ordinariate.

UPDATE: I learned something else new tonight. Anglicanorum coetibus is pronounced Anglican-orum chay-tee-boose). I did not know that.

UPDATE 2: For further information on St Luke's Church and their process of moving to the Roman Catholic ordinariate see Ann Fontaine's post at The Lead.

D-DAY - IN REMEMBRANCE

In remembrance of all who fought and all who died in the Normandy beach landings which began on June 6, 1944, and in the battles to secure territory that followed the landings.

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 and the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its ½ mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial are inscribed 1,557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

From the American Battle Monuments Commission.

It's amazing that the plan for an invasion of this magnitude by the Allied Forces was kept secret and completely surprised the German forces in the area.

Grandpère and I visited in the late 1980s. The cemeteries are sad and beautiful. The ghosts linger on the hallowed ground. I remember seeing old veterans searching for the graves of their comrades in arms, and family members searching for the graves of their loved ones, and the quiet tears that often followed once they found the markers.

Until I visited the site, movies notwithstanding, I never quite realized the difficulty of the landing at Omaha Beach, the steepness of the cliffs, the exposure once the troops reached the top, not to mention those who were shot or drowned when they left the landing boats. More than 4,400 Allied troops died in a single day.

For those who died in the service of their countries.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of their countries. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou has begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. AMEN.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 42)

Note: Reposted from last year and the year before.

AND THE RAINS CAME!

Out damned spots! I don't know what the spots in the photos are. They sometimes appear when I don't have enough light.

Spots be damned, we had a good rain this afternoon. For a while there, I was worried. The thunder clapped; the lightening flashed; the wind blew, but no rain fell. I thought we'd have a storm without rain. And then the rains came.


Grandpère says that we have not had rain since Mardi Gras, which was on March 8, three months ago. Thanks be to God for the liquid refreshment.

DIARMUID MARTIN - A PROPHET SCORNED

From Maureen Dowd at the New York Times:

THE archbishop of Dublin was beginning to sniffle.

He could not get through a story about “a really nasty man” — an Irish priest who sexually abused, physically tortured and emotionally threatened vulnerable boys — without pulling out his handkerchief and wiping his nose.

“He built a swimming pool in his own garden, to which only boys of a certain age, of a certain appearance were allowed into it,” Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told me recently. “There were eight other priests in that parish, and not one of them seemed to think there was something strange about it.”

Two years after learning the extent of the depraved and Dickensian treatment of children in the care of the Irish Catholic Church — a fifth circle of hell hidden for decades by church and police officials — the Irish are still angry and appalled.

The only church leader who escapes their disgust is the no-nonsense, multilingual Martin. He was sent home to Dublin in 2003 after 27 years in the Vatican bureaucracy and diplomatic corps and found the Irish church in crisis, reeling from a cover-up that spanned the tenures of four past Dublin archbishops.
....

In February, Martin held an unprecedented “Liturgy of Lament and Repentance” at a Dublin cathedral, where he asked forgiveness from God and victims of abuse and praised the courage of those who had come forward.

Wearing a simple black cassock, he helped wash the feet of eight victims and conceded that the church “will always bear this wound within it.”
....

In return for doing the right thing, he has been ostracized by fellow bishops in Ireland and snubbed by the Holy See.
....

Yet Martin, famous protector of victims, is an outlier of the club, while Cardinal Bernard Law, notorious protector of pedophiles, has a cushy Vatican sanctuary. And Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who was in league with the notorious abuser of seminarians and inseminator of women, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, is the dean of the College of Cardinals in Rome.

Garry O’Sullivan, the managing editor of The Irish Catholic in Dublin, told me that Martin “has had a prophetic role in the church.”

I really don't get it. Cardinals Law and Sodano are rewarded for their roles in covering up child abuse. Because of the decades long cover-up, I left the Roman Catholic Church in 1996. I knew that a portion of the tithe I gave to my parish church went to the diocese, a portion of which went to fund the cover-up of child abuse, and I could no longer write a check. I'm not saying all Roman Catholics should do what I did. I respect those who remain to fight the good fight.

When he [Archbishop Martin] was growing up, his mother always told him “go serve your Mass but don’t hang around with the priest.”
....

In his brusque way, he rejects the appellation of hero.

“Nobody could have read what I have read and not did what I did,” he said as he walked me out into the windy spring day. “If I didn’t react to the stories I heard, there would be something wrong.” (My emphasis)

Yes indeed, there would be something wrong. There is still something very wrong when a prophet and a hero is "ostracized by fellow bishops in Ireland and snubbed by the Holy See", and others in high places who participated in the cover-up are rewarded.

Thank God for Archbishop Martin!

Thanks to Ann for the link.

BISHOP YELLOW BELLY ON THE DEFENSIVE

The wikileaks of the Anglican Communion has Bishop Yellow Belly on the defensive, and Miss Young Person on the outs with the Mother Church.

Thanks to SCG at Wake Up and Live.

HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, AND FORGIVENESS

Reinhold Niebuhr:

“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.

“Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.

“Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.

“No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint.

“Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness."

H/T to Rmj at Adventus.

SORRY, WE'RE NOT READY FOR A WOMAN

A good many folks in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, who see Christians arguing about women clergy and bishops and same-sexuality, bi-sexuality, trans-sexuality look at us in wonder, and not a few conclude, "I want no part of that." Women clergy, women in leadership in the church, same-, bi-, and trans-sexuality are simply not issues for them. Yet, those of us in the church continue to waste time and energy on these matters instead of being about the business of building the Kingdom of God. Is it any wonder that the generations vote with their feet and don't occupy the pews in the churches?

The Episcopal Church has progressed toward implementing just and equal policies for women in the church, but, at the grass roots level, those of us who are present know that in certain parishes and dioceses, all is not as rosy as it might appear in the press reports. The church has had women priests since 1977, 34 years, if you want to count from the date women were" regularly" ordained. It's way past time for those in parishes who say, "We're not ready for a woman priest," and those in dioceses who say, "We're not ready for a woman bishop," to put their (I call it what I believe it is.) misogyny behind them and begin to focus on calling or electing the most qualified of the candidates and the person who is the best fit for the parish or diocese where they will be serving, leaving aside entirely the gender of the candidate as a consideration.

Sadly, the present situation on the ground for LGTB clergy shows even less progress toward justice and equality than for women, but I'll leave that discussion for another post. In the meantime, let's not deceive ourselves into thinking that we don't pay a price for the inequality that remains.

FEAST DAY OF JOHN XXIII

Pope John XXIII was expected to be a transitional pope because of his age when he was elected. Instead, he threw open the windows of the Roman Catholic Church to air out the fustiness and called the Second Vatican Council to renew the church. Sadly, it seems that the present pope and his predecessor, John Paul II, have closed a good many of the windows that St John XXIII opened and reversed much of the renewal - more's the pity.

I remember how many of us in the RCC were caught up in joyful anticipation of what was to come. Then, John XXIII died, but we still hoped that the work that he'd begun would continue. With the publication of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae, our hopes were dashed.

A couple of quotes from the gentle Pope John:

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.
....

It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.

PRAYER

Lord of all truth and peace, you raised up your bishop John to be servant of the servants of God and gave him wisdom to call for the work of renewing your Church: Grant that, following his example, we may reach out to other Christians to clasp them with the love of your Son, and labor throughout the nations of the world to kindle a desire for justice and peace; through Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

PRAY FOR THE TRAVELERS

O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel, in particular, my son and his children, as they head off for a week's vacation, and it's margaret, as she begins a long journey; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

TWO DOGS DINING

All right, visitors, the video is long for bloggers' attention spans at over six minutes, but, once you start watching, I believe you won't be able to stop. I was hooked within a few seconds.

No blame here; only thanks to Doug.

GOOD-BYE MATT

From the Washington Post:

James Arness, who presided over the frontier town of Dodge City as television’s most enduring western hero, the laconic, fair-minded and incorruptible Marshal Matt Dillon of the two-decade-long series “Gunsmoke,” died June 3 at his home in Los Angeles at 88. The cause of death was not reported.

Mr. Arness, who was a rugged 6-foot-7, stood tall in the dusty streets of Dodge City, Kan., portraying a U.S. marshal whose badge represented more than just the force of law. He was the embodiment of quiet moral authority, a sensitive arbiter of conflict in a rough-and-ready cow town — “Gomorrah of the plains, they call it,” as he said in the show’s first episode. Only when pushed to the limit would Marshal Dillon pull his six-gun from its holster.

"Gunsmoke" was a must-watch TV show for me for years, and the characters, Matt, Miss Kitty, Doc, Chester, and Festus were were fond members of my extended family living at a distance in time and place in the "Gomorrah of the plains".

His relationship with Miss Kitty developed to the point that they shared a kiss during one episode in 1973. They never married, though, and the social order of Dodge City remained intact.

After the kiss, Matt should have married Miss Kitty to keep her reputation intact instead of being concerned with the social order, don't you think?

Guys, take note: Matt was tough and sensitive.

R.I.P., James. You brought many of us pleasure for a long time, and your character, Matt, taught us how to live. I like to think that there was more than a little of you in Matt.

"I'M IN CHARGE 'ERE!" 'E SAYS

I am the very model of the focus of great unity

I say who is to be a bishop vis-à-vis who's not to be

And when four-thirty's come and gone with tea and crumpets for each one

I read a little Johnny Donne and give thanks for impunity



I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters theological

With books and thoughts from Genesis to Greek eschatalogical

You'll never find a brighter mind just knocking 'round and killing time

The Pauline corpus whole is mine - that's why I'm Christological



Yet even with so fine a grasp on life-behind philosophy

I'll write a poem, make a vid, and burn it all to DVD

I've yet to have a thought that wasn't captured without modesty

And posted up to interwebs in matters most postmodernly



This purple cassock hides a frame that's wracked with years of self-regret

Perhaps I'd show you after ten, but not until just then, you bet

I'd like to quote 'The Body's Grace' and get along with homophiles

But unity comes with a price and Lambeth is my domicile



Because the Thames, so fast and deep, so easily o'erflows its banks

And we have all these partnerships the world around, and we give thanks

To God the Father in whose name we obfuscate and place the blame

And dare not speak the love whose fame incites us all to spank the Yanks



Who even now would like to say that what they said and what they meant

Were justice-born and justice-done and no great cause for gross lament

When some elect and some consent, it's democratic government

So let's get on our knees, repent, and sign up for the Covenant



Yet there's a place for each and all at God's communion table

And I am called an Instrument to say that we are able

If we could only change the tide and Unity could take a ride

And Faith and Order lay aside ... Perhaps it's just a fable

Lyrics by TOTALLY ANONYMOUS.

I know you know, but think Pirates of Penzance for the tune.

Don't blame me for the Photoshop. Blame MadPriest.

PRAYERS PLEASE

Original request: Molly is only 10 years old but went into congestive heart failure today -- prayers for healing.

Update: The news on Molly isn't good. We will probably loose her tonight. It is cancer & she is bleeding internally. We will probably put her to sleep so she doesn't suffer.

Molly lives with a friend of Ann Fontaine.

Ann also asked for prayers for another friend who is undergoing tests for possible tumors.

Molly is so beautiful. May she have a peaceful passing. May God give comfort and consolation to all who love her.

May Ann's friend receive a good report from the doctors after the tests.

PRAYER REQUEST FROM DAVID@MONTREAL

dear beloved Giants:

before anything else, I'd ask for your ongoing prayers for our cherished sister Kirsten. as you can read in a post on Kirsten's blog by her primary caregiver Andee Barefoot and Laughing. there are now concrete needs in addition to our prayers which are required, and any of you- extraordinary beings that you are- who know of any possible resources..... well you know what to do.

i'd also ask for traveling mercies for our cherished margaret. margaret is about to take a sabbatical month away from her parish in Virginia to visit the Great Leonardo (another radiant Episcopalian, an awesomely talented artist and articulate gay man) living a life of real grace in Guatemala.

traveling mercies this week-end for Christopher also please

i'd ask your prayers please for the repose of my very dear friend and former colleague Louyse, and for the comfort of her family. shortly after my project and employment were cut for financial reasons at the university, Louyse underwent major brain surgery, to remove a large tumor, and essentially since then she has been living with the challenging outcome. a truly beautiful soul of amazing integrity and generosity, Louyse had both the courage and grace to embrace and to live beyond the woundedness of her past and loved nothing more than to invest in the future of her students.

So, beloved giants, you know what to do.

DR KEVORKIAN'S WORK CONTINUES

From The Borowitz Report:

Paul Ryan Vows to Continue Kevorkian’s Work

Medicare to be Replaced with ‘Kevouchers’

Read the rest and more funnies at the link.

OLD COMPUTER, NEW COMPUTER

We are looking to buy a new desktop computer. The store where we had decided to buy the computer promised they would transfer my material from the old desktop to the new and clean the old computer for Grandpère to use. He doesn't do nearly as much on the computer as I do, and the old computer cleaned of my stuff should serve him well.

Well, it turns out that the store cannot do all that they promised, because the employees are only salesmen and not technicians. So we took our old computer back home and, by a miracle, I managed to get the plugs in the right place and get the old computer up and running again.

Now, I'm not sure I will purchase a computer from the store, and I will definitely need someone to do the transfer, because I do not want to lose what I have on my drive in an effort to do it myself. Please do not offer do-it-yourself advice to make the transfer, because I will not even try. Grandpère knows nothing about computers, so he's no help at all.

This post as a whine. Consider it not worth reading but simply as a diary post where I vented my frustration - top secret, for my eyes only.

UPDATE: The good news is that I believe I can set up the new computer on my own. I'll see about the rest.

SHORT STORY OF THE DAY

Wolves were closing in on a mother skunk and her family and there was no place for them to hide.

As the wolves came closer, the mother skunk said,
"We will form a circle, dear children, and let us spray."

I've already asked Doug to leave the stage.

FROM LESLEY TO JIM

Please read Lesley's post titled Moratorium Schmoratorium. The post is short, so I won't give you a quote, but the title should be enough to intrigue you.

And then, read Jim Naughton's post at the Daily Episcopalian on the process of choosing a bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC as compared with....

Last week, while the Church of England was dealing with embarrassing revelations about how badly the Archbishops of Canterbury and York had behaved while selecting the current Bishop of Southwark, I was observing the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D. C. as it prepared to choose the successor of Bishop John Bryson Chane, who retires in November.

The process that I witnessed was so different than the one described by the late Dean Colin Slee in his now-famous memo, that it seems almost unfair to draw comparisons. In filling the vacancy in Southwark, the English method of appointing bishops was clearly at its worst. Or so one hopes. A story of subterfuge leavened with a dash of Python-like absurdity, it featured a media leak meant to scuttle two candidacies, clumsy attempts to blame the leak on an innocent party, an investigation into the leak whose findings have been kept secret, and a delicious moment in which the Archbishop of York lobbied for votes while leading a group outing to the toilet. Little wonder that members of the Crown Nominating Committee were reduced to tears during the proceedings.

There's more.

The process in DC sounds similar to ours in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, when Morris Thompson was elected bishop about a year ago.

FEAST OF THE ASCENSION

THEOPHANES the Cretan - The Ascension - 1546
Stavronikita Monastery, Mount Athos

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

Collect for Ascension Day

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The icon is exquisite. The colors are gorgeous; the figures are graceful and beautifully highlighted; the balance of the arrangement of Jesus, Mary, the Apostles, and the angels is wonderful. I don't know how to read icons, but I see inspiration and soul food in the image above.

About the artist:

Theophanis Strelitzas (Θεοφάνης Στρελίτζας), also known as Theophanes the Cretan (Θεοφάνης ο Κρης) or "of Crete" or "Theophanes Bathas", was a leading icon painter of the Cretan school in the first half of the sixteenth century, and in particular the most important figure in Greek wall-painting of the period.

Image from The Web Gallery of Art.

Biographical information from Wikipedia.

GREAT SEX QUOTES

What a cynic you are, Rod.

If you don't think these are great sex quotes, don't blame me. Blame Doug.

TWO GOOD NEWS STORIES

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Illinois’ new law allowing civil unions took effect Wednesday, and gay and lesbian couples began lining up hours before county clerk’s offices opened so they could be among the first to get a civil union license.

More than 75 couples were in line by the time the doors opened early at 7:30 a.m. at the Cook County Building in downtown Chicago, where the vital records office will stay open until 7 p.m. to accommodate couples. Officials said they expect to issue about 2,000 licenses the first day.

The first couple in line, Lakeesha Harris and Janean Watkins, look really happy.

Illinois now is among six states that allow same-sex couples benefits similar to those granted married couples.

Many couples in line to obtain a license Wednesday said they look forward to Illinois one day joining five other states and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex marriage, as well.

Same-sex marriage is on the way. Unfortunately, it may be a while before gay and lesbian couples throughout the country will be able to marry, but the movement is forward. And it seems that the federal government may eventually have to step in to end the confusion about how the rules apply in states with different laws.

From CBCNews:

Anglican parishes in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island now have permission to bless same-sex marriages, but they still can't perform the ceremony for gays and lesbians.

The decision was made over the weekend at the 143rd Synod of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

A blessing can only be given to couples who are legally married. It's up to each priest and parish to decide whether to give it.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will not be pleased.

As I see it, the churches should confine themselves to blessing couples who are already married and cease being agents of the state by getting out of the marriage business altogether.

A LITTLE DITTY FROM EARTHA KITT[Y]

Lapin wanted to know if I could have played the song "Lovin' Spree" on the family Victrola back in my youth, and the answer is yes. In the 30s, 40s, and 50s, there were many such songs with double entendre lyrics that were acceptable within the family circle, at least within my family circle in what has been known as the "Wicked City" (New Orleans).

However, the early rock and roll records by African-American musicians were an entirely different matter. I would never have thought of buying the songs to play them in my home. The rock and roll songs with lyrics that included barely disguised sexual references, with the "double" mostly left out of double entendre, were fine for dancing in lounges, but not for listening at home. New Orleans may have been unique in that in the 1950s, we could go to the lounges at age 15 or 16 with no questions asked about our age. An equivalent in rural areas for dancing to the early rock and roll may have been roadside inns and juke joints.

Of course, good Roman Catholic convent school girl that I was, the lyrics were not what attracted me. I liked the rock and roll beat.

DROUGHT! I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU

From the Baton Rouge Advocate:

A statewide burn ban takes effect at 9 a.m. Wednesday, an order issued because of persistently dry weather that has caused severe to exceptional drought over 90 percent of Louisiana, state officials said.
....

The ban takes effect on the first day of the June 1-Nov. 30 hurricane season and after weeks of flooding fears from the swollen Mississippi River.

The paradoxical mix of climatic threats raises the possibility of simultaneous federal declarations for both flood and drought in some parishes now coping with Morganza Spillway inundations, state and federal officials said.

Land in these areas may be either in severe or extreme drought conditions or inundated, depending on what side of the levees it lies, the officials said.

I've never known a time when we have gone for months without rain in south Louisiana. About a month ago, we had two brief showers, which the dry ground soaked up immediately and which helped the situation not at all.

I believe in climate change.

LAMBETH PALACE'S NEWEST FACILITY