Anniversary of Deceased Parents

According to the Dominican Calendar, today is the Anniversarium Patrum et Matrum Defunctorum: the Anniversary of Deceased Parents. As such, then, Dominicans observe a day of prayer for our deceased parents. From the Dominican Ordo:

In this celebration we remember our parents who have preceded us with the sign of faith and rest in peace. The Dominican Family joins together to honor our deceased parents with the same affection we showed them in life, for in Christ they gave us birth and from the crib they showed us what it means to be followers of Christ.

I would probably include grandparents in the group. I would suggest we take some pause to reflect on our parents today, living and deceased, and thank God for them. While the Calendar marks this with a special day of remembrance, certainly we are not to be discouraged from remembering them each and every day.

In the Office of Readings today (Dominican supplement), St. Catherine of Siena cries out in a letter to her mother:

Mater mea carissima in Christo dulci Iesu!

My dearest mother in Christ, sweet Jesus! She continues:

Your unworthy and abject daughter Catherine consoles you in the precious blood of the Son of God. I have greatly desired to consider you the true mother, not only of my body but also of my soul. For you know that, if you have loved my soul more than my body, all untoward love in you will die and my bodily absence will be no great burden for you. Rather it will be a joy and you will wish to bear all difficulties for the honor of God, with the intention that God may be honored. The honor of God is the increase of grace and virtue in my soul. Thus you, my sweetest mother, who love my soul more than my body, may be filled with joy and not be left desolate.

Catherine then brings to her mother the example of Mary:

I wish that you may learn from sweet mother Mary, who for the honor of God and the salvation of us all, gave us her Son who died on the wood of the most holy cross. Only Mary remained behind with the holy disciples after Christ’s ascension into heaven. Don’t you think that to have lived together would have brought great consolation to Mary and the disciples, while their departure brought grief? Nevertheless, for the praise and glory of her Son and for the salvation of all, she permits and wills that they should leave her. She chooses rather the burden of their departure than the consolation of their presence, so moved is she by the love of God’s honor and of the salvation of our souls.

Catherine ends her letter with an exhortation:

Abide in the holy and sweet love of God. Sweet Jesus, Jesus love!

Let us learn from that example.

JPII's Theology of Communication

The OP Eastern Province Vocations blog reports that Georges Cardinal Cottier, O.P., theologian emeritus of the Pontifical Household under Pope John Paul II, spoke at a recent symposium about what he calls Pope John Paul II’s "theology of communication." This is the subject of a new book: John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communication.

Zenit reports:

A retired theologian of the Pontifical Household says Pope John Paul II can be credited with innovating yet another type of theology: a theology of communication.

Cardinal Georges Cottier spoke Wednesday on this topic at the launch of the book, “John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communications,” published by the Vatican publishing house...

Cardinal Cottier stated that the Pope emphasized the role of Jesus Christ in communication, as he is the creator of words and the Word himself.

The authors of the book, Sister Marie Gannon and Christine Mugridge, appeared at the symposium along with journalist Joanna Bogle.

A press release stated that the participants of the symposium “agreed that while the seeds of such a theology have always existed throughout Church history, its development only began to bear fruit during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate.”

Bogle affirmed, “There is indeed a theology of communication, and I am not sure we have really grasped its fullness yet.”

Gannon noted that the work of John Paul II drew on secular communications as well as the Church’s teaching. She explained, “This was possible, because parallel criteria for principles and methodology in both the ecclesial and the secular field were used for the analysis of material from both fields that are apropos for speaking of a theology of communication.”

The press release stated that Catholic Word, an American consortium of publishers, will distribute the new book in English.

Catholic Word president Carolyn Klika affirmed, “The theology of communication can assist every bishop and parish priest in more effectively reaching his faithful, every teacher in connecting with students, every media outlet in conveying their message, and even impact every human relationship.”

Interesting. You can find more information about John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communication at Sacred Arts Communications.

Trying something new...

So I'm trying out a new template. If you use wordpress, you may recognize it. I have made a few of my own tweaks and will probably keep playing with it for a while...

My last format was the same basic one I've used since 2003. I thought it was time for something different.

Glossary of Maronite Terms

Josephus Flavius of Byzantine, Texas, points us to an online Glossary of Maronite Terms, which is actually the appendix of the book Captivated by Your Teaching: A Resource Book for Adult Maronite Catholics. A cool resource!

The Miracle of the Sun

I thought this was fairly well put together:



It does, however, feature a photo alleged to be of the sun during the event, but I believe the authenticity of the photo is disputed. You get the idea, anyhow.

Wikipedia summarizes the event fairly well along with witness statements.

The Miracle of the Sun is an alleged miraculous event witnessed by as many as 100,000 people on 13 October 1917 in the Cova da Iria fields near Fátima, Portugal. Those in attendance had assembled to observe what the Portuguese secular newspapers had been ridiculing for months as the absurd claim of three shepherd children that a miracle was going to occur at high-noon in the Cova da Iria on October 13, 1917.

According to many witness statements, after a downfall of rain, the dark clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disk in the sky. It was said to be significantly less bright than normal, and cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the shadows on the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern, frightening some of those present who thought it meant the end of the world. Some witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became "suddenly and completely dry."

Estimates of the number of witnesses range from 30,000-40,000 by Avelino de Almeida, writing for the Portuguese newspaper O Século, to 100,000, estimated by Dr. Joseph Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra, both of whom were present that day.

The miracle was attributed by believers to Our Lady of Fátima, an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three young shepherd children in 1917, as having been predicted by the three children on 13 July, 19 August, and 13 September 1917. The children reported that the Lady had promised them that she would on 13 October reveal her identity to them and provide a miracle "so that all may believe."

According to these reports, the miracle of the sun lasted approximately ten minutes...

Bonniwell's History of the Dominican Liturgy

Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P of the Dominican Liturgy blog has announced that he has posted a downloadable PDF of Fr. William Bonniwell, O.P.'s History of the Dominican Liturgy, 1215-1945, 2d. rev. ed. (New York: Wagner, 1945).

The book is a gem that I have been trying to find for some time. As Fr. Thompson notes:

This book is the only history ever completed in English for the liturgical tradition of the Dominican Order. Father Bonniwell covers both the Mass and the Office.

RIP Michael Dubruiel

Please pray for Amy Welborn and her family as well as for the repose of the soul of her husband, Michael Dubruiel. From Amy's blog:

Michael collapsed this morning at the gym and was not able to be revived despite the efforts of EMTs and hospital personnel.

We are devastated and beg your prayers.