Upcoming Visit to the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"

Fellow Ultramontanists, next week I will be travelling to Rome with my class from here at the university to make a visit to several of the dicasteries of the Holy See. We will be visiting a dozen or so of the dicasteries which are of particular importance to our studies. Each office will be presenting to us their work, addressing pertinent issues relating to our future work with canon law. We had an opening on our busy schedule to add another visit, and our professor who is organizing the trip asked for suggestions to fill out the schedule. I figured, what the heck, how about the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei?" Well, lo and behold, we received a fax yesterday that they would be pleased to meet with us! Exciting!

The visit will offer the opportunity to pose questions for the representative. I have several that I am interested in: both liturgical and doctrinal in nature. Such as: "may a Catholic, according to the prescripts of c. 1248, lawfully fulfill his obligation to hear Mass on Sundays at chapels of the SSPX? If so, are there any conditions attached to that fulfillment?" I've found that there are arguments for both sides of this question amongst canonists, and am thinking of writing my Licentiate thesis on the topic. Of a doctrinal nature, several questions exist pertaining to the ecclesial status of the SSPX since the lifting of the formally declared excommunications of the four bishops a year or so ago.

So, I know that many of you who frequent this blog are devotees of the "Extraordinary Form" and would therefore be interested in various subjects relating to it. I make the offer: leave me a comment to this post with suggested questions you may have, and (with my discretion, of course!) I will take them with me to the visit.

The Home of Ecclesia Dei:

One Down, Three to Go...

The paper for Religious Liberty is done ("A Survey of Religion in U.S. Supreme Court Jurisprudence"). Three more to go. I must get at least one more done before the class trip to Rome for the visit of the Dicasteries, which is less than two weeks away. Anyone want to write a paper on Ex Corde Ecclesiae for me??? Alas, the life of a student!

Is it Spring yet?

Oh, what I'd give to see a blade of grass right now! We are half-way through February and are still buried under several feet of snow, but I'm heartened by the thought of Spring training and another season of baseball on the horizon. How do things look for my team, the Cincinnati Reds? Horrible as ever, but sadly, we're kinda used to that now. That's not really the point though, is it? The point is that Spring training elicits thoughts of sitting in the warm sun, drinking a cold beer, and enjoying the familiar sights and sounds and smells of a baseball game. Hotdogs on the grill, vendors chanting "COLD BEER!", and the crack of the bat. Pitchers and catchers report this week, and with that, warm thoughts of Summer can not be far away.


The sad remains of Parkway Field (now completely demolished...):







Members of the original "Redbirds Ragtime Band" (click HERE for link to their website):


Here they are, still going strong! Imagine them marching out to their place in the stands at old Cardinal Stadium before every game, music blaring... good times!

Another Athlete Follows Call to Religious Vocation...

Last month you'll remember a post about a promising young baseball prospect Grant Desme of the Oakland A's organization who has retired from his baseball career to pursue priesthood. To continue that theme, check out the latest post over at "The Young Fogey" about a former Olympic speed skater who has entered consecrated religious life as a Franciscan Sister. Check it out HERE.

Yes, he's made another video...

I know what you're thinking: what in the world is he doing up there snow-bound in the house? Is he doing nothing but shoveling snow, taking video, and goofing off? Well, I've done my fair share of all three of those things, thank you very much. However, I am getting some work done too. Try ten pages worth of a paper for my "Religious Liberty" class... the topic is "Religious Liberty in U.S. Supreme Court Jurisprudence." Wow, I know you're excited by that topic (sadly, I actually am...). OK, here's the latest little video. The anger being expressed towards Punxsutawney Phil by the guys around the house is growing I think. It seems we have a scape-goat for all this bad weather. After all, it was sunny and in the forties until he made that prediction of his last week... Enjoy:

*DING *DING! Round TWO!

Is it really possible??? Is it snowing AGAIN! Unfortunately, it is... and this time with wind gusts of 50+ mph! Is this what it's like when God smites you?

Third shift is out shoveling the back lot:


I think there's a car under that snow drift:

Out and About, part II...

We have reached the breaking point: acute cabin fever has been diagnosed. "Sacerdos 1" was taken out again yesterday with myself at the helm and two classmates in tow. We had to take the opportunity to get out while we could. There was a window of opportunity between snow storms to do so yesterday afternoon. Here's some shots:

The departure board at Union Station. Nearly every train was cancelled:


This must be the greatest name ever for a Chinese restaurant. Not "Half Yum," nor "3/4 Yum," but:


"Neither wind, nor rain, nor snow, nor dark of night" can keep us from our favorite place downtown: Shelly's!


Metro was operating, but only its underground sections. Trains were only arriving at 30 minute intervals, and crowds were heavier than you'd expect. Here's the crowd at Metro Center:

New Blog Added to Bloglist...

Finally, a post about something other than the crazy weather we're having around here (don't be too hopeful, more snow is coming our way and I'm sure to start complaining about it on here again...). I've added a horrible, wonderful new blog to the bloglist on the bottom right-hand column. Something of sheer delight to all you lovers of home-made vestments out there! Check it out: http://badvestments.blogspot.com/

Not Again!

Here we go again... they're predicting 12" or more with this one, coming overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Will it ever end???

Best Super Bowl Commercial?

Out and About...

A day has passed since the big snow... time to get out and about. Fr. Yves was under the impression that his 4:30 PM flight to Houston out of Reagan Airport was going to go off as scheduled... at least that's what the website said. Seeing that I have the only four-wheel drive vehicle on the premises, I broke the truck free from the snow drift it was buried under and we struck out through the city. We saw some interesting sights along the way, as you can see below. People ambling down N. Capital Street by the dozens, oblivious to the few vehicles trying to get through. An ATV was tearing up and down Rhode Island Ave. Alas, we got to Reagan only to discover that the website was wrong, and the airport still closed. Such is life... The roads were better than I expected.

"Sacerdos 1" is unburied:


A View Down N. Capital Street:


A Guy Out on His 4-Wheeler on Rhode Island Avenue:

Gloating...

Well the snow has come to an end here in the District. The total is somewhere around 30" here at the house, with the Western suburbs reporting over 40" in some places. I have never seen anything quite like this before. Now the question is how long will it take for things to get back to normal. Fr. Chris, who is from the Diocese of Erie, PA - the home of Punxsutawney - and is an ardent advocate of the groundhog "Punxsutawney Phil" (the "seer of seers" and "prognosticator of prognosticators"), is gleeful that this year's prediction has proven abundantly true! He sent the following this afternoon. Gloating, is he?



When I say six more weeks of winter…
…I mean SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!!

Ahh… right again…

-Phil

SNOW!!!

I measured 27" of snow out front of the house at 9AM this morning. The snow is still coming down pretty heavy, too. Thankfully, we still have power. Several areas in the NW part of the District are out of power right now because of trees and tree limbs falling due to the weight of the wet snow. We've been taking turns shoveling snow, trying to keep the front steps and back parking lot navigable. Between shoveling, I've been taking some video. Enjoy:

The "30 Second Rule"

You've heard of "the 30 second rule." You accidentally dropped some food on the floor, quickly you reach down to pick it up (waste not want not), and you are stuck with the dilemma: "what do I do now?" How do I weigh politeness and the need for good manners with the fact that the chicken wing that just hit the floor was a delicious morsel? Guys inevitably invoke "the 30 second rule" and eat it. Well, "props" to my sister Katie, who has recently come across a scientific explanation of the application of "the 30 second rule." Read about it HERE.

UGH!

'Nuff Said...

Snow...

Overnight last night we got our second snow in four days, with another - potentially BIG one - predicted for Friday. It's pretty ominous when the Weather Channel is mentioning (with a hint of pity in their voices) the city you live in by name, days before the storm is predicted to hit. Classes were cancelled yesterday evening, but school was on as usual this morning. I am blaming the groundhog - "Punxsutawney Phil." The little rat saw his shadow yesterday morning. It is ALL HIS FAULT!

The house here this morning when I left for classes (the street was already plowed and the steps shoveled):



By time I walked home from class this afternoon most of the snow had been cleared or had melted off the sidewalks:




Before walking home, I attended a lecture which was co-sponsored by the School of Canon Law and the Philosophy Department. The lecturer was Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna and a major figure in the development of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He spoke on the Church as cultural patrimony of the West. The lecture was extremely well attended. The room was overflowing, with people pouring out into the hallway. They set-up a closed circuit tv feed to broadcast the lecture so that those unable to get into the lecture hall could observe. I guess it was a sign of the timeliness of his topic...