End of Summer...

The summer is quickly coming to a close, and I will be returning to Washington, D.C. (aka "la-la land") in but a few days. I am looking forward to getting back and getting the new semester started. I'm even looking forward to the nine-hour drive. It has been a great summer: I have made a few road trips, enjoyed filling-in at several parishes around the archdiocese, and have been working at the tribunal office. One goal for the summer was to do some research into finding a possible thesis topic or two, and I think I've settled on one that interests me and will be do-able. I'm sure it will be refined and more focused by a faculty member's review.

The return is softened, as well, by the fact that it will only be a month and a half until I'm back home, since this year's Canon Law Society annual convention is in Louisville and I'll be helping the archdiocesan tribunal play host to the event.

Returning to Washington also means the chance to get some fishing in between classes at CUA at the Gunpowder River in Maryland:



Before I leave, however, I have this last weekend to fill-in at my "old stomping grounds" in Meade County: St. John's and St. Martin's. Next post from Washington, DC...

Another Video of Mass...

Mass for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The choir really outdid themselves with a beautiful Mass setting. Enjoy:

5 Minutes of Torture...

5 Minutes of torture... otherwise known as a vacation video from our Colorado trip. Check it out:

Requiem Mass...

The Colorado trip is over, and the return to Washington is getting closer and closer. Today I was the celebrant of a Requiem Mass for a member of the Latin Mass community here in Louisville who just passed away. I always have liked the sequence for the requiem: the "Dies Irae." It, along with the use of the color black for funerals, is often "poo-poo'd" as being too harsh for our modern spiritual sensibilities, but I disagree. I think it touches upon many of the emotions which are too often overlooked or dismissed at death. People are touched by sadness and grief at the death of a loved one. While it would be unrealistic to be too focused on grief and loss, I also think that it would be too unrealistic to do nothing but sing "alleluia's." It seems to me that some balance needs to be struck: maintaining that our faith ultimately gives hope in the face of death, while also admitting to the very real fact that the family of the deceased is experiencing grief. It reinforces as well, in my estimation, the need to pray for the deceased as they face the judgment seat of God. Just my thoughts...

"Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. May perpetual light shine upon her."

Durango & Silverton...

A video of a train ride last week on the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railroad in Southwestern Colorado. An absolutely fantastic ride through some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. A real highlight of last week's Colorado trip...

Colorado, day III & IV...

Fly fishing the Gunnison and Animas rivers in Southwestern Colorado. Spectacular scenery, and I actually caught a few fish (rainbow trout). Unbeleivably scenic, especially the Black Canyon area of the Gunnison River near Montrose, CO. Check it out:





A decent 10" Rainbow from the Gunnison River:

Colorado, day II...

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad:




Silverton, Colorado:

Colorado...

Am currently in Colorado on a trip with the guys. Fly fishing, seeing the sights of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Yesterday we came across this view. Pretty spectacular:



Another shot of the mountains: