From Luiz - Again

Our friend, Luiz Coelho, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sent me this video showing the services at Christ the King Anglican Church located in the City of God, one of the worst slum areas in Rio. Luiz and his parish priest serve the people at the church in the neighborhood, with special outreach to the children.

In the video, Luiz is on the right holding the cup as the priest gives communion.

The picture on the upper right of my blog, titled "Wounded Bird", was painted by Luiz' father, who is now deceased. Luiz gave me permission to use it on my blog.

The email from Luiz ends with this:

"No to hate and yes to love,
No to death and yes to life,
No to falsehood and yes to truth,
No to oppression and yes to justice,
No to cruelty and yes to mercy,
No to violence and yes to the path of peace,
No, no matter what it may cost, and yes, no matter what it may cost.
For you are the source of love leading to reconciliation and forgiveness."
(a Sabeel prayer - http://www.sabeel.org)

Above is a repost from Tuesday, October 16, 2007. MadPriest, together with Elizabeth Kaeton has arranged an easy way to make donations to Christ the King Church in Rio through Paypal. This is surely the work of the Lord that Luiz and his parish priest do at the church in the slums, serving the poorest of the poor.

Diana Is Home!

Diana is home! Her first wish was to go in her beloved yard and pee twice - to reclaim her territory, I suppose. She does not want to be in the house for now, so if she behaves, we will let her lie outside for a while. We reinforced the latch on the gate where she got out, so she should be safe in the yard.

She walks stiffly, but otherwise seems fine. She still has the bright red stitches in her eye. They'll come out in about five days. Don't feel bad about the eye, because the vet was talking about taking it out anyway, since the sight was gone, and we were not able to control the pressure in her eye with glaucoma medication.

I don't have a digital camera, nor a scanner, so the picture above is the best I can do for now. I will take more pictures and post another when I can.

UPDATE: She's back inside, resting quietly, as they say, on her pillow.

UPDATE 2: Diana's picture disappeared, so I uploaded this one, which is not the original.

Feast Day Of St. Andrew

"This is an early painting by Ribera executed shortly after his arrival in Naples from Rome. Ribera's early style owes much to what the artist had learned from Caravaggio in Rome."

From the Web Gallery of Art.

As is usual for the feast days of the early saints, Padre Mickey has a wonderful post on St. Andrew.

The good Padre talks about the references to Andrew in the Gospels and Acts, but, as he says, "I read the Acts of Andrew, which is a book which was denounced by the Church Fathers (and by Eusebius), but tells some wild stories about Andrew. I’ve used some stories from the Acts of Andrew for this post, especially the description of Andrew’s martyrdom."

That Padre. He's such a rebel.

In the Orthodox Church, Andrew is known as the Protokletos (the First Called).

READINGS:

Psalm 19 or 19:1-6
Deuteronomy 30:11-14
Romans 10:8b-18
Matthew 4:18-22

PRAYER

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give unto us, who are called by your Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Overcoming

From the Southwest City Journal:
Erica Burrus Photo/ Alyse Gordon

By Julie Randle

When a child comes out of the closet it's never easy.

They can face threats, harassment and violence from peers. Friends may ostracize them and family may not accept them.

When Alyse Gordon declared she was a lesbian at age 15, she had an easier time than some others did, she said. However, the 18-year-old Mehlville resident still dealt with her own struggles.Gordon was able to avoid the ostracism from friends and family. She was never threatened and she was never a target for violence. But she knows others who were threatened at school, who endured sexual slurs and who were even beaten.

Alyse was one of the finalists for the Dillenkoffer Endowment scholarship, set up in memory of my beloved sister, Gayle, who passed away in April of last year from pancreatic cancer. The statement at the website of the Dillenkoffer Endowment states:

The Dillenkoffer Endowment was formed to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teens with college tuition grants in Kansas and Missouri.

The members of the committee, which includes my brother-in-law, Frank, Gayle's husband and the friend who spearheaded the formation of the endowment, had difficulty in making their choice, since all of the finalists were outstanding young people. Their names are:

Ryan Wilson of Minneapolis, Kansas - four-year scholarship of $10,000 per year
Rachel Gadd-Nelson of Kansas City, Kansas - one-year scholarship of $1,000
Alyse Gordon of St. Louis, Missouri - one-year scholarship of $1,000
Jordan Timm of Marion, Kansas - one-year scholarship of $1,000

I met the finalists at the dinner and reception this past May, when the scholarships were awarded, and all were fine young people. Most teens search for acceptance amongst their peers, and GLBT teens have a much harder time finding that acceptance.

Believe it or not, as old as I am, I can still remember being a teenager, and it was not all fun and games. Sometimes it was hard. That these four young people chose to be open and honest about their sexual orientation during their high school years attests to their courage, and I'm sure they paid a price. On the other hand, they were spared the baggage of carrying around hidden secrets.

Alyse is a smart, articulate, and beautiful young woman, and although her parents and friends were supportive, she has had her share of difficulties.

That doesn't mean that Gordon had an easy time of it. As a teenager she struggled with depression, suicide and self-mutilation. She pulled out of a downward spiral when she was hospitalized.

She has overcome.

I am so proud of these young people who have succeeded in the face of enormous difficulties. I pray and wish for the best for them and that they will come through their struggles finer and stronger people and serve as examples to those who follow them.

Gayle would have loved that her memory is honored by this endowment. I know that she looks down with great satisfaction to see that those who loved her have chosen this type of memorial for her.

The plaque on the right sidebar leads to the site of the Dillenkoffer Endowment. Some of you have heard the story of the endowment in an earlier, post, but when I saw the article on Alyse, I wanted to say once again that I am proud to have met her and the other young men and woman who received the awards.

Thoughts On Advent From Ann

At the website RevGalBlogPals, a correspondent posed the question: "How do you keep Christmas from taking over Advent?"

Ann, from What The Tide Brings In, answered with these words, in which I find much to admire:

Advent is the greatest of seasons for me - immersing myself in the whole darkness theme of wrapping oneself in the blanket of night, under the quilt of stars, and meditating on the cave of my heart, seeds in the earth, babies awaiting birth from the womb and other assorted dark places.

It is my little counter cultural season - a great excuse not to think about Christmas until it is before me - gifts can be given during the 12 days - until Epiphany - Jan 6 and they are on sale then! Cards can be sent out until Easter - early this year BTW - then you just reply to the ones you have received. Cuts down on postage and one finds out who really cares. At church they will all whinge about not getting to sing carols - but don't give in except for the pageant that has to be done before the kids take their Christmas break. Everyone is sick of them anyway by a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving - so maybe they will thank you for the Advent minor key unsingable ones!

Seriously -- I might let a carol or 2 sneak in as we approach Christmas - and the children's pageant is good for an all out carol sing. I also put together a Service of Solace (sometimes called Blue Christmas) for some time in the week or so before Christmas for those who are not have a so merry time of it.

I really do like Advent and wish my favorite book Night Visions by Jan Richardson had not gone out of print so you could love it too.

As I said in the comments there:

Advent is perhaps my favorite time in the liturgical year. It's a time of expectancy, a time of waiting - a very good discipline in our "I want it now" culture, good for both children and adults.

We know that something wonderful is coming, but not yet. The assigned Scripture readings are the most beautiful of the liturgical year. I'm all for holding off with the Christmas carols until the Christmas pageant.

The thread of dark places that Ann speaks of resonates with me, too. "...meditating on the cave of my heart, seeds in the earth, babies awaiting birth from the womb and other assorted dark places." Lovely words, aren't they?

Thanks, Ann.

UPDATE: MadPriest has his Advent sermon posted. It is quite good, and you may want to have a look.

Speaking of dark places, he has this to say in his sermon:

At the moment we are living in the shadows. When the Kingdom of God becomes real for us in its entirety, then we will emerge from the shadows into the light. The light of truth, the eternal light, the light that shines in the presence of God.

And they all said, "Amen!"

Poor Baby

Today we went to visit our dog, Diana, at the vet's. She is very stiff and sore, but her caregiver said she is eating, and, indeed, it appears that she has gained weight. She moves stiffly on her front legs and badly wanted out of the examining room. She knows they spell trouble for her. Bright red stitches hold her eyelids closed. Tomorrow, she may come home.

That Explains It!

From The Lead at the Episcopal Café:

Leadership is - is, to me, a very, very murky and complicated concept. Often, as I - I think I've said before, what people mean when they say leadership is making - making the right noises, affirming a particular set of views, convictions or even prejudices. It doesn't always have very much to do with how you make a difference. And I think the question I always find myself asking of myself is: will a pronouncement here or a statement there actually move things on, or is it something that makes me feel better and other people feel better, but doesn't necessary contribute very much?

The quote is from an interview with Archbishop Rowan Williams by Alan Rusbridger, published in The Guardian in 2006. We should have paid more attention.

Preceding the above statement is this exchange with Rusbridger:

AR: What do you think the public role of Archbishop should consist of?

AC: Should or does?

AR: Should.

AC: Should. Setting some kind of tonal vision for the church, the Church of England; pastoral involvement and collaboration with the other bishops. And the Church of England being the way it is, trying to - to find, crystallise some sort of - some sort of moral vision that's communicable to the nation at large. I think those - those are the ascensions of it. And I think that - that brings with it the elements of the times being what I once called comic vicar to the nation.

AR: The what vicar?

AC: The comic vicar.

AR: The comic vicar.

AC: You are bound to be where a lot of the brickbats end up as well, you may have noticed.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the Archbishop's words astonishing - astonishingly prophetic, for one thing. I don't think that I have ever read that interview before. Such a timid, tentative approach to the position of an archbishop in the Church of England must be somewhat similar to his concept of his role as the first among equals in the Anglican Communion.

Was this interview widely noted at the time? He seems quite the reluctant leader. I should have paid more attention, because this interview explains a lot.

"Leadership is a...murky and complicated concept" and "a comic vicar"? If those are his ideas of leadership by an archbishop, then it seems very likely that he will be that sort of leader.

I don't enjoy being critical of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and I wish I could speak more positively about him. Perhaps he has some grand plan in mind that will serve to bring the Anglican Communion together, and perhaps the unknown plan will have some success. I pray that's the case.

The piece in The Lead and the 2006 interview in the Guardian are both worth reading, or, perhaps, in the case of the interview, re-reading.

UPDATE: Ann at What The Tide Brings In has the video of Archbishop Williams' statement on World AIDS Day, which I think is quite good and gives me an opportunity to speak positive words about him, which I gladly do.

Married To A Celebrity

Photo by (Abby Tabor/Staff)

Ha! I'll bet that you didn't know that I was a celebrity wife, or, you could say a trophy wife. Well, maybe I'm too old for the trophy wife, but a celebrity wife, anyway. The picture above is splashed all over the front page of the local newspaper, and is, indeed, my man, Grandpère.

From the Daily Comet:

By John DeSantis, Senior Staff Writer

LOCKPORT - Hidden behind the brick walls of a pre-World War I commercial building on this central Lafourche town’s main street, wooden treasures lie at rest from their many years of labor.

Boats once used for crabbing and fishing, as well as for put-putting around south Louisiana’s bayous and canals, await the loving hands of woodworkers who will sand, plane, paint and touch up, just enough to return the vessels to their former glory.

Back in 1979, Grandpère and a history professor from Nicholls State University started a small boat museum at the university, which they named the Center for Traditional Louisiana Boatbuilding. They accumulated donations of old wooden boats and placed them at the university here, there, and anywhere the powers would allow, always dreaming that one day they would have a museum to house the boats, but never knowing where the money would come from.

They located older boatbuilders, who built wooden boats in in the old ways, with no plans, out of their heads, and had them teach classes in an attempt to preserve the craft of wooden boatbuilding. Eventually, the history professor dropped out of the project, and Grandpère was left to pursue the goal, along with other interested persons in the community who worked with him.

A few years ago, the city of Lockport, La., a town down Bayou Lafourche from Thibodaux, took a step in faith and purchased in an old Ford dealership. It's a nice old building, built in 1917, with huge doors, sized for putting new car models on the floor, but also perfect for moving large boats in and out of the building. And it's right on the water. The building has good bones, but it needs work, extensive work, before it will be useful to house the boats, the tools, the art work, and all that has been collected over 28 years.

The Center has had grants over the years to build boats in the old way, but nothing in the way of real money to move forward the goal of having its own museum building to gather all the materials together in one place. Now they have a $100,000 allocation from the state and a set of plans to begin the real work of renovating the building. That amount will not be enough to complete the project, but there is hope for another $100,000 from the state.

Here's a link to the Center's website. You can view some of the boats in the collection here.

The picture below shows the largest boat in the collection, a New Orleans oyster lugger, a boat which is now extinct. This one was constructed in 1997, and is the only one of its kind.

Another Must See!

Another visual that you must see at Padre Mickey's Dance Party. I'm not kidding. You'll be sorry if you don't go. Be sure to click to get the large version.

Who For President?

Our friend, Ormonde, at Through the Dust has been trying very hard to remain apolitical throughout the presidential campaign, but temptation got the better of him, and he has posted a video on his favorite candidate. You must see it.

The video went to Ormonde via Ken's Blog.

Via, via, via, but we must give credit where credit is due.