Trout...

A few months ago I posted a pic of the biggest trout I had caught on the Gunpowder. Today I think I topped it. A good 18 incher took my streamer (an imitation of a small bait fish - in this instance a small rainbow trout) this afternoon:



Now, back to work (need to get a paper done by Sunday evening...).

Visit of the Supreme Court...

Just getting back from a visit of the Supreme Court this afternoon, where we listened to oral arguments and did a behind the scenes tour of the building:



The "Supreme Court Bar." They weren't serving drinks, unfortunately:

All Souls Day...

Today being All Souls Day, I was thinking back to my days in the parish. One of the parishes I served had a very beautiful outdoor altar in the parish cemetery. Each year I took the opportunity to celebrate Mass there for All Souls, especially for those in the parish who had passed away in the previous year. Many of their family members would gather for the special remembrance. I found a few pics of it in a dusty corner of the old hard drive:





One of my favorite hymns: the "Dies Irae:"



"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord"

Friday on the Gunpowder River...

With the CLSA convention, the trip home last weekend for the Archbishop's visit to the Latin Mass, and with all the work of the middle of the semester, I haven't been fishing for a while. Got the chance yesterday, and made the most of it. Caught several trout in the 8-10 inch range. In the middle of the afternoon a good hatch occurred and I happenned to have the right fly tied on.

Visit of Archbishop Kurtz to the Latin Mass Community...

Yesterday was a wonderful day for the Latin Mass Community at St. Martin's in Louisville. Our Archbishop attended in choir and preached at the 12:30 Mass. It was wonderful to have the support of the archdiocese visibly present, as it was also nice that two of the others (besides myself) who help celebrate this Mass were also present in choir. Especially nice was the presence of Fr. Charles Schoenbaechler - 93 years and still going strong: "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus!"

This Mass was begun in the archdiocese back in the late 80's under the indult Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, and has continued with the help of many good and holy priests. I have had the privilege of celebrating it for almost five years now.

As promised, here's a short video of yesterday's Mass. The choir did a spectacular job (as you hear in the video: the "Christus Vincit," one of my favorites...), the servers "remembered the altar cards" (inside joke...), and everything went smoothly. Thanks to Eddie for helping with the creative photo angles. This video may be revised and improved, once I can figure out how to get my editing software to read the video from a camera which was located in the choir loft... wrong format, I think. Anyway, enjoy:

Extraordinary Form "Going's On..."

Some remarkable news from the Eternal City: a Mass in the Extraordinary Form was celebrated in the Vatican Basilica this past Sunday by Archbishop Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. The Mass took place in the Eucharistic chapel of the Basilica. A brief video of this Mass was posted on YouTube:



Tomorrow morning I'm flying home for the weekend. Archbishop Kurtz will be making a pastoral visit to the Latin Mass community at St. Martin's in Louisville. He will be attending in choir at the 12:30 Mass on Sunday. I'll be posting something early next week, be sure.

On a related (liturgical) topic, this afternoon is the annual McManus Lecture, sponsored by the School of Canon Law. The speaker this year is Bishop Trautman of Erie, speaking on the new translation of the Roman Missal. This one ought to be interesting...

Convention Week at Home...

My week at home for the CLSA National Conference is coming to an end. Tomorrow I celebrate the 12:30 Mass at St. Martin's and then fly back to DC. A quick report on my activities...

The convention was an interesting experience. I made it to a few of the conferences. Mainly, my purpose there was to serve as the driver who shuttled many of the speakers and other dignitaries back and forth from the airport. I spent a LOT of time at the airport this week. So much so that the shoe-shine guy near the security check-point and I were on a first name basis. Interesting, but glad it is over. I used to associate airports with the excitement one experiences when leaving for / returning from a vacation. This week there was no such association, only tedious waiting for the delayed flights of those I was responsible for picking up. A little ink was spilled over some of my words in the diocesan paper this week "The Record." The poor reporter wandered out of one of the conferences with her head spinning. Before I knew it she was jotting down notes when I was talking with her. That's not usually a good thing when it happens with me... Oh well, check out the short article HERE.

Certainly, a highlight of the week was the machine gun shoot at Knob Creek... All I can say is "WOW!" The caucaphony of automatic gunfire that was unleashed by 75-80 individuals at once elicits a strange, almost giddy, sensation in the observer. While I am a staunch believer in the second ammendment of the Constitution, and enjoy hunting and shooting myself, I must say that it was at least mildly alarming that such weaponry is available. I was able to set aside any conflicted feelings, however, to simply take in the pageantry (yes, that is how I would describe it) of the event. Check out some of the damage inflicted:

A southern rock band belts out the tunes while the lead flies:

Yes, that's a CANNON:

Home for the CLSA Convention...

I Flew home yesterday morning for the Canon Law Society of America annual convention, which happens to be in Louisville this year. I'll be helping the Tribunal in playing host. Celebrating the 12:30 Mass at St. Martin's tomorrow, then handling the shuttle service from the airport to the conference on Monday morning.

It just so happens that this weekend is the bi-annual "machine gun shoot" at Knob Creek! Woo-hoo! What a masterpiece of timing (I don't think it was intentional on the part of the CLSA, however...)! Heading out there this afternoon. For those of you unfamiliar with Knob Creek, let me just say that the place is so red-neck it even makes me a bit nervous, and this weekend is when the place really shines...

Check out some select parts of the official website for the shoot (any event that has such warnings/advertisements is definitely worth attending in my book!):

"All Visitors enter Knob Creek Property at their own risk. It is public knowledge that pyrotechnic charges sometimes blow debris into the spectator area. Hearing and eye protection are strongly recommended at all shooting areas on Knob Creek Property. Knob Creek Range Inc. will not be held responsible for injuries to you or damage to your personal property while at Knob Creek."

"Flamethrower rentals available Friday, Saturday & Sunday"

JCL II Fall Field Trip...

Let's face it, my canon law class has earned a certain reputation around the university here. And I won't claim that I haven't had anything to do with it either, mind you. If there is one thing that everyone on campus knows it's this: canon law students know how to throw a party... we know how to have fun. Last year something of a tradition was begun. Once a semester, we take what we have begun referring to as "a field trip." Thursday evening after classes found us doing just that: duckpin bowling. A couple of our professors were even brave enough to go along, too. An evening of fun, enlightening canonical conversation, and amazing feats of athletic prowess was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Fr. Vince, our official class photographer, for the pics:

A last-minute bribe is offered to the official tournament scorekeeper:

Fr. Rich: the "Kingpin" of JCL II:

The second year canon law class:

Solemn High Mass at the Shrine...

Just getting back from attending a Solemn High Mass across the street at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The Mass was celebrated as part of the pilgrimage of the National Church Music Association of America, who provided the music for the Mass (which, as you can tell in the video below, was very well done). The ministers for the Mass came compliments of St. John the Beloved Parish, which is located across the river in McLean, VA (Diocese of Arlington). You'll recall that I helped some there last semester, serving as subdeacon for two Solemn High Masses on Palm Sunday and Easter:

The Mass took place in the crypt church, which in my opinion is the nicest part of the Basilica. Unfortunately, the lighting is quite dark there, however. The crowd was sizeable, filling the pews, and the choir was huddled in the space to the right of the altar around the pipe organ. Being that the majority of those present for the Mass were musicians themselves who were there for the pilgrimage, many of the congregation joined in the chanting of the ordinary parts of the Mass. As is typical with Extraordinary Form Masses, the congregation was quite young, and well versed in this form of the Mass. The "nay-sayers" of the Latin Mass often harp on their notion that this Mass does not permit participation of the faithful. I beg to differ, however, and offer tonight's Mass as evidence to the contrary. The ordinary of the Mass was eminently "sing-able" by the congregation, and many, in fact, did just that. Now, you will say, that was precisely because all those present were musicians! Well, I will grant you that that was the case, HOWEVER, while they may have been more apt to sing since they were musicians, the melodies of the Mass were certainly no more difficult than the "gather and praise" stuff that is played at most parishes these days. With but minimal acclimation, a congregation could easily learn this form of music (a treasure of the Church, in my opinion). One need not look any further than the classical music aisles of any music store to see the popularity of Gregorian Chant CDs among a broad spectrum of the population. Look no farther than iTunes and see how many CDs are available of classical Church music. There is something inherently compelling to this music that attracts people and draws their minds and spirits upwards... oh well, I'll get off my soap-box. Suffice it to say that full, active, and conscious participation was clearly evidenced.

And you thought YOUR Ordination class was large...

The class one year ahead of me for the archdiocese was an unusually large one for us: six guys. It had been some thirty years since so large a class had been ordained for Louisville. Things returned to normal the following year, as I was the sole priest ordained that year. Thankfully, with vocations on the rise across the country, nowadays it is not all that unusual for several priests to be Ordained at once. Still, four or five at a time is a good number in most dioceses.

Well, try this one on for size: in 1952, in connection with the 35th International Eucharistic Congress in Barcelona, Spain, 842 priests were ordained at ONCE! Now THAT is a large Ordination class! Check out the story HERE from the NLM.

Ordaining ONE at a time:


Ordaining 842 at a time:

Fr. Anthony Perez, SS

The suddenness of death always leaves a stinging emptiness in the heart. This has certainly been the case this week. I am just returning from St. Mary's Seminary - Baltimore and the memorial Mass of a great professor, spiritual director, liturgist, and friend: Fr. Anthony Perez, SS. Fr. Tony went to his reward suddenly this past weekend.

He was completely devoted to his ministry - the formation of seminarians - and touched the lives of a great number of us who have gone on to the priesthood. He was a man of quiet humility, who possessed a great love of the Church's liturgy, and above all, possessed a "priestly heart." I experienced this personally: he was my spiritual director through four years of major seminary. His life was marked by a great zeal and joy in being a priest. He died, somewhat appropriately, surrounded by seminarians on Saturday morning of a massive heart attack. A native of Guam, he had been in the United States teaching since the early nineties: first at St. Patrick's in Menlo Park, and then in Baltimore, at St. Mary's. A Mass was celebrated for the repose of his soul today in the seminary chapel, after which his body was taken to Guam for burial. The sheer number of those in attendance - roughly seventy to eighty priest alumni of the seminary along with many others - was a testament to the effectiveness of his ministry and the powerful example he set.

I was fortunate to have had him as a friend after Ordination as well, and to have the fond memories of having travelled together with him to Italy on several occasions. Archbishop O'Brien, celebrant of the Mass, made a nice comment: "while he has passed from us, Fr. Tony's influence extends throughout the Church in the ministry of those of us who were so influenced by his witness to what it is to be a priest of Jesus Christ." May he receive the reward of his goodness to us. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

Read Fr. Barre's Homily for the Mass HERE.

Ireland...

Doing some more searching through that old lap-top's hard drive and came across a bunch of photos/videos collected from over the course of three trips to Ireland. These come from the time period 2003-2007.

Nuptial Mass in the Extraordinary Form...

Recently, while rummaging around the hard-drive of my old lap-top, I came across some pictures that were taken of a Nuptial Mass I celebrated during the summer of '08. Credit it to me (ok, I doubt it...) that they are still happily married!

CUA: Mass Beginning the New Semester...

A special Mass was celebrated yesterday in the Shrine for the beginning of the new semester here at Catholic University. Turn-out was impressive, as the upper church was pretty full. LOTS of students showed-up (voluntarily), along with a good number of priests-concelebrants (both faculty and graduate students, such as yours truly). It's yet another little sign of spiritual life and vitality: of the Church in general, and the University in particular. Check out the story HERE.