BLESSINGS AND CONGRATULATIONS, BRYAN

On Monday evening, my grandson Bryan, pictured above in the red gown, was one of the confirmandi at St Matthew the Apostle Church in River Ridge. He stands with his Dad, Mom, and two brothers, William on the left and Andrew on the right. Grandpère was his sponsor. The girls wore white gowns and the boys red. Both Bryan and GP played their parts well. The mass was lovely, with the choir at St Matthew's performing and leading the congregational singing beautifully. Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond gave a sermon suitable for all ages. Altogether, it was a lovely evening.



Above is Bryan with his aged (OMG, how aged!) grandparents. At a certain point in one's life the picture-taking should stop, right?

I should mention here my mea culpa for having missed my oldest grandson's confirmation, much to my regret, due to a misunderstanding on my part that Grandpère, also Joey's sponsor, was going to a rehearsal instead of the real thing. I should also mention that miscommunication in my family is not all that unusual.

In the top picture, Bryan's eyes caught the light of the flash and were blank. I shopped in eyes as best I could, but the result is far from perfect. Sorry, Bryan.



Above is the picture my daughter took of Bryan in front of the Resurrection cross. I wish I had caught him in his wicked moment with his arms stretched out. Alas....

PRAY FOR KIRSTIN

From Kirstin at Facebook:

Brain mets "progressing." [unprintable]

Unprintable!

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Kirstin the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE BISHOP WEARS ARMANI

From the Guardian:

The devil may wear Prada, but a Sicilian bishop has set out to show Satan does not have a stranglehold on designer clothing by ordering new vestments from Giorgio Armani.

Bishop Domenico Mogavero drew compliments from churchgoers when he turned out for mass on Monday on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria in green silk vestments designed by Armani and decorated with symbols of vines, wheat, shells and starfish.

The bishop insists that his vestments are not part of a fashion show, that their beauty is for the glory of God. I'm willing to cut the bishop slack because of his delicious sense of humor.

Most recently he [Bp. Morovero] penned the preface to a book that details the financial scandals at the Vatican during John Paul II's papacy and was published on the eve of the Polish pontiff's beatification.

Another view of the vestments from Corriere del Mezzogiorno.



So. What do you think? Thumbs up, or thumbs down on the Armani vestments?

UPDATE: Of the rumors that the pope has a weakness for Prada shoes, L'Osservatore Romano says that the pope's shoes are are made "by an Italian artisan". Further:

"The Pope is not dressed by Prada but by Christ," the newspaper stated.

All right, then.

OSAMA BIN LADEN'S DEATH

Thus far, I haven't said much about Bin Laden's death. At The Lead, I said, "May the Lord have mercy upon him." I add now that God is just, and God is merciful, and I'll leave it to God to sort out Bin Laden's fate.

With all due respect and sympathy to all those who have suffered or died due to Bin Laden's evil schemes, I cannot find it within myself to take joy in the death of another human being. I wanted Bin Laden stopped from doing harm, and now he's stopped. For that I feel relief.

Several posts by bloggers speak wise words about Bin Laden's end. Mark Harris, at Preludium, Penny's post titled A Note About the Death, and Rmj at Adventus. Rmj picked up commentary from around and about and added his own.

As a sign that I am entirely human and capable of taking the low road, I said the following at Penny's blog:

Still, I take a certain satisfaction in the timing. For all George Bush's bluster, Osama bin Laden was not killed on his watch but on the watch of a president who has been labeled a terrorist by certain citizens of this country. Not exactly a Christian sentiment on my part, eh?

What I did not add at Penny's blog is the rest of what I wanted to say: "Up yours, all you Americans who call our president a terrorist!"

NOT NINJA NUN! NOT MI5!

From the Daily Mail:

The secret identities of two nuns who took pride of place next to Prince William and his new wife at the Royal Wedding have been unveiled.

They were seen by two billion people around the world, looking on demurely as William and Kate listened to prayers during the service.

But despite their unassuming appearance, rumours began to surface that one of the women was a secret 'ninja nun' intended to protect the Royal couple, after she was pictured wearing black trainers.

Speculation was rife that the taller nun, wearing Reebok Classics with her traditional habit, was on hand to pounce on any intruders.

One internet user wrote: 'I guess they were undercover agents, MI5.'

But today she has been revealed to be Sister Annaliese Brogden - a 52-year-old nun from the Community of the Sisters of the Church.

Her identity was disclosed by her bemused father Geoffrey Brogden who said she always wore trainers - no matter what the occasion.

Ninja nuns. MI5. How silly! Sr Annaliese wears exactly the brand and color trainers that I wear when I want to dress up from my white trainers - say when I'm wearing dark colored slacks, and the dirty white trainers would stand out. I don't wear the trainers on every occasion, say with skirts and dresses, but I'd like to.

The 80-year-old [father] from Needham Market, Suffolk, said: ' She has her trainers on most of the time because she finds them the most comfortable things to wear.

' She has always worn them and I am sure she thought they were the most appropriate thing to wear at the wedding.

Brava! I wish I had Sr Annaliese's moxy. Don't believe me about the trainers? See mine below.

She [Sr Annaliese] was made a chaplain at the Abbey after spending 12 years at St Paul's Church, Bristol. She has played an important role in several high-profile events.

So there!

VERGER BEN WILL NOT BE DISCIPLINED

Ann Fontaine tells me that Twitter is all a-twitter about the news that Westminster Abbey Verger Ben will not be disciplined. I had no idea that punishment was considered because Ben did joyful cartwheels, but Ann tells me that yesterday there was talk of discipline. Oh dear! Some person or persons need to lighten up.

Since I don't tweet, I'm often out of the loop, so I'm grateful to Ann for helping me to keep up.

PRAY FOR THE FEDERAL ELECTION IN CANADA

David@Montreal and Janet Murray have asked for prayers for the very important federal election taking place today in Canada, our good neighbor to the North. Pray for the election of leaders who will best serve the people of the country, rather than the special interests.

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of Canada in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and their nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF QUINCY SAYS NO TO ANGLICAN COVENANT

The Episcopal Diocese of Quincy
Anglican Covenant Responses

We, the deputies of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, each having read the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant thoroughly and prayerfully and various documents in favor and not in favor of adopting the covenant, report our unanimous response (with one lay deputy absent due to serious illness):

1) We have grave reservations about the “instruments of the Communion,” the authority bestowed by the proposed covenant and the hierarchy it creates. The only hierarchy of the Communion has been a spiritual one, bonding all Anglicans to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Lambeth Conference is an important gathering of the Communion’s bishops, each now by invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It may issue recommendations or spiritual advice to the Communion, but has no binding authority.

The Anglican Consultative Council, created by the Lambeth Conference in 1968, is not widely recognized as an authoritative body in the Communion, nor does it appear to be clearly known to the average Anglican.

The Primates’ Meeting seems to have taken on a life of its own and again is not widely understood or seen as a source of authority.

While the present wording of the Covenant does not clearly establish these bodies as an authoritative hierarchy it is a move in that direction.

We only recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as our spiritual head, and no other earthly international authority. We see no reason to change this.

2) Despite protests to the contrary, it is clear that section 4 is punitive. It is a break with the history of the Communion, which has been a warm fellowship of churches in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and who share common sources of worship and tradition.

3) The need or desirability of a Covenant, with or without section 4, seems to us counterproductive, sewing seeds of conflict and endangering the great productivity with which God has blessed our Communion.

4) While manifold blessings are being given us as our global community draws closer together, we must recognize that the world in which we live is still very diverse. The customs, circumstances, growth and spiritual needs of people throughout our world share much in common and yet remain quite divergent as our histories, traditions and social interactions are not always the same. We recognize that the continents and countries of our world each have unusual, sometimes unique, needs to which God, through His Church, will respond in varying ways. We can only respect these needs and differences and recognize God’s grace showered on us all.

5) All of our deputies feels the language of the proposed Covenant is too vague, unclear and not concise. Specifically it was called “gobbledygook.” The average church person probably will have little idea what the covenant really says or means, if she or he can be induced somehow to read it. We doubt few have any real interest in a covenant.

6) We feel rather than binding the Communion together in closer fellowship, the proposed covenant, with or without Section 4, is an invitation to conflict and will lead to further stress and distrust that will endanger our future together.

7) We shall attend General Convention determined to listen carefully and be open to the Spirit. However, with the knowledge and urging of that Holy Spirit we have received up to this point, we shall will vote against adopting the Covenant.

Submitted by:

The lay and clergy deputies to the 2012 General Convention from the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, 24 April 2011.

Add another "no" vote by a diocese to endorsement of the proposed covenant. Keep them coming.

The response is not yet posted to the diocesan website.

THE PRICE OF GAS

I am not sure if you got up very early Friday morning to watch the wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate.

The wedding ceremony was fine.

However, following the ceremony, due to the economic downturn and the extremely high price of gas, the entire wedding party was transported from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in horse-drawn carriages!

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

JOHN PAUL II - ONE STEP AWAY FROM SAINTHOOD

From the The Economist:

JOHN PAUL II’s beatification on May 1st will be the most exalted ceremony at the Vatican since his funeral six years ago. More than 50 heads of state are expected, plus hundreds of thousands of the faithful, largely from the late pope’s native Poland. The former pope is now just one stage—canonisation—away from full sainthood. The adulation of his communism-toppling 27-year reign and powerful personality will inevitably highlight the less stellar record of the accident-prone Benedict XVI.

"[L]ess stellar record"? Oh dear!

Why the heads of state for a beatification in the Roman Catholic Church? Oh right. The Vatican is a state, and the pope is a head of state. It's all so confusing.

Giovanni Maria Vian, editor of the Vatican’s semi-official daily, L’Osservatore Romano, says that Benedict’s actions show him to be “not just a great intellectual, but also a simple, humble, good man”. The peak of the scandal, in the “annus horribilis” of 2010, is past, he says. But he acknowledges that the situation in Ireland still requires a “long penitential journey”.

However, as mentioned in the article, there was the suspension of 21 Roman Catholic priests in Philadelphia, month before last, in the year 2011, and there could be more surprises ahead.

Thanks to Ann V for the link.

UPDATE: Torey Lightcap at The Lead posts that President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, despite his "total disregard for life", will be present at the ceremony.