Catholic Sensibility

I just wanted to remind you that I'll be back to dissecting Vatican II chapter by chapter next week. On deck is Gaudium et Spes, the second of the council's constitutions on the Church. I don't plan to get sidetracked into the various behind-the-scenes stuff. Other people have done it with more resources than I could muster. And done it well. My intent is to put a thoughtful reflection into the reading of a Vatican II document like any other lay person could. I look at the questions: How does this seem with forty years' experience behind us? How is it relevant for an ordinary lay person? Does it resolve any of the differences within the Church or bring good insight to bear on the situation today? I don't think a hierarchical rendering of the sixteen documents is always a helpful idea. Sure, liturgy, the Bible, ecclesiology, and social justice are all vital to our identity as Christians. But if you're a seminarian or working for a seminary, Optatam Totius and Presbyterorum Ordinis are pretty derned important, too. And if social justice is your thing, who am I to suggest that this document is ahead of your fave? If any readers have thoughtful questions in advance of my postings, feel free to e-mail them to me. I'm glad to offer a platform for your thoughts here, especially if you don't have a blog and you have something constructive to offer. The same holds true for any topic you care to have me pontificate on. Let me also mention that my series on Gaudium et Spes will be simulblogged on Sollicitudo Rei Socialis. Nathan and I have yet to work out the fine details of this, but he's asked me to be a contributing writer to this blog as well. I'm happy to join the cadre of writers for this exploration and discussion of social justice. I'd like to think I have something of a justice sensibility. If so, my toughts on such matters are always colored by faith as well as the considerations of prayer and worship. I'll be contributing two essays each month to SRS. Please visit them, link them, and read, as you will.

Rock has the news: the Pope has authorized the use of form II reconciliation for St Peter's on Tuesday night of Holy Week. Any new sedevacantist popes on the schismometer yet?

Heading to my office for the first time in five days. I have no idea what piles of messages will be there. I have the afternoon to catch up on them, assess the mess ahead this weekend. (I don't schedule lectors or EM's on holidays, so it's hold my breath and hope for the best at our five Masses this weekend.) I told the pastor to call me at home if he needed me, but there's been no peep. I hope he wasn't buried in funerals or something. Had a good choir practice the other night. About half showed up, but many people were out of town or sick. It wasn't the week to work 'em hard--they actually appealed for an extra rehearsal the Sunday before Christmas because the one before that was pretty rough. We're using a gospel-style setting of Psalm 98 again. One of our newest singers ended up with the verses. (Our regular cantor for that piece was one of the sickies.) She did a stupendous job. I'm toying with doing my own arrangement of this piece for next week. It was originally a Georgian lullaby, which makes me feel a bit better about hauling in a secular ballet piece to play as a prelude. My friend Peter, who plays bass, has been working hard on teaching himself the cello this year. We have regular players of flute and violin in the group this year, plus I can always call on my favorite parish clarinetist. The piano part is simple enough, but if the cello is ready, I'll play hammered dulcimer on it. If all five of us are playing it, I'll need to spend a good bit of time arranging this so it sounds decent and not overdone. I'll probably be calling on my clarinet friend anyway; I want all the forces I can muster to make the musical portion of Epiphany shine.

I give him credit for trying. Fr Murphy, our diocesan vicar-general, is in residence at the parish. At the two Christmas Masses at which we overlapped, he prefaced reciting the Creed with the instruction to pause and genuflect at the words of the Nativity. If anyone did, years of liturgical brainwashing stampeded right through. I did see one person kneel all the way through the Creed. At the other Mass, I heard two elderly people sitting behind me say the Creed the way they've probably been saying it since 1966. It's a tough time to introduce something like this. I read the internet jibes about "So where was your pastoral sense when you rammed the vernacular, anti-orientam Mass down our throats?" (Forgetting that I was a pagan child when the New Missal was carved out of Italian marble.) When I say the people won't stand for massive changes in the Ordo Missae, I'm not just blowing it out to hear my whistle. I'm saying that we might not even get most of the clergy on board with this. It's been my practice to bow my head at the credal recollection of the Birth. It took me months to get into the habit, and occasionally, my mind wanders off at this point of the Mass and I miss it. It's the liturgical equivalent of trying to tell a kid something when she or he's at recess. You've been sitting tight listening to readings and a homily for the past fifteen to twenty minutes. Now you get to stand up, stretch, and say something. You think something's going to break through? Not with ease, it won't. It speaks to the issue of bringing a sense of mindfulness to the liturgy. New, improved rubrics aren't going to help. On another note, I applaud a bit of productive fallout from the new instructions on Eucharistic Ministers entering the sanctuary. The people are singing a substantial portion of the Communion Song--something they did less of in the past. At one Mass this Christmas, we actually got to the middle of verse 4 of "The First Nowell" before the priest and EM's were in place to begin distributing Communion. Anybody with more success on the Creed?

We're not big bread eaters. But we did get four loaves of various kinds for Christmas, so I feel honor-bound to consume them before the Kingdom Fungi does, so ... It's not a very original recipe, but Brittany liked it. She asked for it again the next day. All I did was pull some wheat bread slices, butter the opposite ends and put them in the frying pan. Then I layered sliced mozzarella with salami and pepperoni and put the halves together. Out of the pan, I cut into four strips, lengthwise. Consume with pizza sauce. One of my favorite grilled sandwiches is tuna and swiss on cinnamon-raisin. Did I ever mention that a bit of chopped apple in tuna salad delays that fishy odor? My mom told me about that one. I think we're down to two loaves now, but no cinnamon-raisin. This variety is the best.

2006 guide to finding the planets in the sky. Mercury: Venus: Mars: Jupiter: Saturn: Uranus: Neptune: Needless to say, if your backyard telescope is seeing with this detail, invite me over; I'll bring the food, the beer, and a fistful of reference books. Seriously, let me also suggest a trip to the local astronomy society for you and/or your family. Most amateur astronomers gather regularly with a fleet of telescopes and would be more than happy to welcome newcomers. The Astronomical League has many useful links to assist your locating like-minded amateurs in your area. Planetary views from the earth will never be as spectacular as these above -- what the probes send us. It is also true that many people find their first use of a telescope disappointing compared to the coffee table books offer. But the connection with people for this hobby (most any hobby, really) is invaluable, especially to the more impressionable among us.

Tough week for the child: switching beds from loft to floor (She misses getting tucked in.) meant everything in her "den" had to find a new place: closet, bed drawers, whatever. She had three shopping carts of things to donate to the poor, including 162 books. What a kid. The room's still a catastrophe, but we had mercy long before the end of the day. While I was cleaning out my den in the basement, I heard laughing and giggling, so I ascended to find the child's bedroom still catastrophic. My wife wisely Told the Story of how Brit came to live with us. It's an old story, really; our daughter certainly is familiar with the details. But she still cackles with glee over the discussion about who was going to drive home and who was going to sit in the back seat with her on the way. And other things. I fixed a nice dinner of smoked sausage, egg noodles, oven-baked potatoes and carrots with ginger sugar. Ice cream for dessert ... while we watched the third Star Wars movie ... I mean the sixth ... I mean the Ewok one from '83. 10:21 final credits shot the bedtime all to heck, but oh well ... Anita suggested I Tell the Story from my viewpoint next time. Funny thing is, I don't have much direct memory of the day we drove across Iowa to pick up our daughter-to-be at a farm near the Missouri River. My wife's version is esconced in tribal memory now. It was more than four-and-a-half years ago, and though it seems like last week in a way, it still feels blurry to both my heart and mind. She didn't know how to read then. Today over lunch, she picked up Anita's copy of A Christmas Carol that was sitting on the table. I didn't realize it until I got the first question, "Dad, what does borne, b-o-r-n-e mean?" Then it was, "What's a greatcoat?" Then it was, "What? Mom said this was a good story." Even if she wasn't the most avid reader in the family, I would still love my child to a blur.

I seem to have been sucked into some political tide pool today. Have mercy. I was thinking about the PPC lament, "Why do those anti-Catholic bigots say we don't care about anybody?" We have a problem with perception and PR here, naturally. Let's try to decipher it. 1. An active, vocal, and tenacious subset of American Catholics focuses solely on one issue: saving the unborn. When they have energy to spare, those among them in the public eye do not turn to fight the root causes of women making choices to abort their children. They turn to those who support the right to choose. And when that is deemed unsatisfactory, they attack those who support those who support the right to choose. And so on. 2. The result is that the public face of the pro-life movement has been tricked into looking like ... well, sheep. They take sides in a bitter family feud that was initially about money. They take sides in a personnel issue in a Catholic school in a far away diocese. They get caught up in the side issues that make them look like silly sheep in the light of the substantial life issues of the day: domestic hurricane relief, disaster relief abroad, unjust wars, a legal system that favors the rich and sends the poor to the electric chair. My sincere suggestion to my conservative pro-life Catholic friends is to start acting with some cunning like wolves. I can accept a person for whom abortion is the number one issue. But I'm less ready to condone an ideological firmament that doesn't place the number two or three or four issues on a plane nearly as important. I say this because the ESCR issue is quickly slipping away and if you have no cred with the fence-sitters on this gig, you'd dern well better get out of the way before you screw it up. You don't look like you're compassionate people because your secondary issues aren't comprehensible. Why are you getting your msm time hammering away at a principal who was too slow to fire a teacher? Why are you so fussed about where the presidential candidate went to church and if he received communion? Don't you see how this looks? Your number two could be any number of pressing issues that actually affect whether people live or die: Katrina relief, pre-natal care, poverty, capital punishment, the Iraq War, nuclear disarmament. Failing that, you could just go home after a long day picketing the clinic and hug your kids extra tight. Mainstream USA gives you no cred. And think twice, if you think this is a suitable martyrdom. It's not. Martyrdom isn't whining about anti-Catholic bias in the media. Martyrdom actually hurts and causes physical death and suffering. Like what ordinary, everyday, non-rich people in Iraq, New Orleans, Pakistan, Guatemala, or your nearest drug fiefdom experience. Show some compassion for the unborn, by all means. Make yourselves sly enough to show compassion for their moms, their friends, and a few other people as you go. Mother Teresa was just as anti-abortion as anyone else, but only the dimwitted consider her without compassion or concern. PPC, or not to be: that is the question.

An open book commenter mused: Todd: If I understand correctly ... you are (a) pro-life liberal Democrats. As such, what have you done to end abortion other than vote for politicians who are devoted wholly to keeping abortion legal? Since 1980 or so without exception every Democratic politician of any consequence has been outspoken in his or her support of abortion and most have been in the pocket of Planned Parenthood. As is well known, pro-lifers were purged from the Democratic party long ago. To me being pro-life and a Democrat is a contradiction in terms. I believe I self-identified as an "anti-abortion liberal." Heaven knows why or how someone would assume that makes me a Democrat. Liam has pointed out (if he had a blog, I could link it) that it was the Republicans who floated the notion of legal abortion in the 60's, probably to pad the coffers of the rich. Even today, the R's are remarkably squishy on the issue, but not squishy enough to lose the Religious All-Right. I do confess I've supported Democrats -- even pro-choice ones -- at the polling booth. I've cast votes for R's, too. After all, you can't have an organization as large as a national political party and not have someone vote-worthy or moral. Even if they mostly are tax-dodging suits with back-pocket scandals waiting to break. Wasn't Abe Lincoln a Republican? I offer this as more evidence of the "Triumph of Personal Experience" mindset that has infected conservatives as liberally as any other ideology. I don't know why someone wouldn't take me at my word when I say I'm an "antiabortion liberal." I'm not alone. I don't protest at abortion clinics mainly because I've given up on the public protest route. I don't protest at military complexes anymore either. That doesn't mean I'm no longer a pacifist.

Dale reports an alarmingly familiar adventure. I remember my brother's first visit to Iowa, long years ago, when the Bucs still inhabited the NFC Norris. Anita and I had just moved into our first home and my bro was in town with his fiancee and his son Adym from his first marriage. I had proudly scored five tix for the Vikes-TB game. So Sunday morning, we piled into my '88 Mazda 323 and headed north, despite ice and blizzard-like conditions. Recalling my previous NFL outing in Detroit in '94, I knew my brother liked to get there early and watch warm-ups, taking a few photos of goings-on. (I don't know if that violates the NFL copyright, but ...) Not only had I navigated the backroads from Waterloo, Iowa to I-35 masterfully, but despite my brother's fretting about the weather, we were going to hit the game early. But not quite early enough, I was thinking. Gotta make this trip a perfect one for my bro. Did I get slapped back. I was not content to hum along at 45mph on an icy interstate, but decided to attack the passing lane with a bit of overconfidence. Twelve to fifteen seconds later, after a bit of spinning, my little car ended upside-down in a snow bank. I crawled out of the car and once I realized everyone was safe, I jumped up and down pounding the ground with my feet in anger at myself for spoiling my brother's football adventure. My first car was spinning tires and I was looking at the underside. Anita reminded me that night that we had been very, very fortunate: - nobody was hurt - we all got to the game on time - she had come down with the flu the night before and couldn't go to the game, therefore ... - our nephew was buckled in the front seat instead of sloshing around the back with his dad (who didn't buckle in) - if I had been such a bad driver, the accident would have been far worse ... - and mainly, nobody got hurt Being the prideful sort, it took me some days to get past my anger and realize that I became a better ad more respectful driver because of this episode. I'd never had a serious accident, and hence, I never had a full respect for poor driving conditions. I reflected on any number of settings where that mishap would've been worse: plowing into a sign, plowing into another vehicle or two, plowing off an overpass. I thank God for his providential hand on us that day. As it was, my brother enjoyed his game -- except for the final result. (The Bucs were still on the cusp.) Despite his being dressed in bright orange (two years previously he had opted for leather in the Pontiac Silverdome) we were picked up by some kindly violet-clad Viking fans. We made it to the stadium in plenty of time for kickoff. I will always remember the alarming sound of tires sliding and crunching on ice--still a warning. But I also remember with a smile my nephew's reaction when we came to our flip-flopped stop: "Dad, I'm upside down! Get me outta here!"

Another great moniker to go along with SCGS ... PPC It should really be titled Keillor versus Irate Catholic Listener, because I don't really think this kind of give-and-take is on Benedict's event horizon as pope. Painting Garrison Keillor as anti-Catholic is a bit extreme. He's a comedian. He makes fun of people and things, and if he's anti-Catholic, I'm afraid the Lutherans have taken the number ahead of RC's if we're talking what comes to pass his lips from Lake Wobegon. I really wish my companion Catholics would give up this whining the first sign somebody disagrees with them or pokes fun. It's the same kind of victimhood the crunchy-cons criticize in just about every other minority group. It makes me want to ask, "Do you want the biggest boat in the pond, or do you want to be like every other oppressed minority?" Sheesh, if you want to be the One, Holy, and Only, for heaven's sake, start acting like it.

Zenit is off this week, so I comb through CNS for my Catholic news fix. After my favorite blogs, of course. I read of the Tucson solution for bankruptcy, and thought, didn't something like this get the St Louis archbishop and those Polish folks in trouble? The plan calls for each parish to be run by a five-member board of directors composed of the pastor as board head, the bishop, the diocesan moderator of the curia, a lay treasurer and a lay secretary. Doing the math (I couldn't resist) and the clergy have a 3-2 majority on every board. Plus, the bishop and his moderator now have seventy-four more committees on which to sit. I don't recall anything like this when I read the Vatican II documents on clergy and laity this year. Might be legal, but it has a curious whiff of the convenience of modernism. That said, I really don't think parishioners should lose their parish property because of the clumsy or immoral practices of present or historical bishops.

Major college bowl games: haven't seen one yet, nor do I plan to. I'm not terribly interested in this system which attempts to pit the numbers one and two college teams against each other. Then it takes the next six or eight-best teams (more or less) and matches them up. Then it takes the best of the rest, plus big money schools that scraped together six wins to maximize tourist and tv dollars. Here's my suggestion for the system that looks like a 98-lb weakling compared to the NCAA Women's ... Division III Dance. Move all traditional bowl games to August and institute what every other college sport on every other level does: a true playoff system. Institute an eight-team or even 16-team tournament. If it makes the bowl folk feel any better, offer December/January editions of fifteen bowls--the tournament games major college football should have. August Bowls would hype interest in various teams before baseball pennant races get hot. If the big money schools with six wins in the previous year want an extra game, let 'em have one. Some northern cities might get to go bowling too (Seattle's Microsoft Latte Bowl, Chicago's Boeing Windy Bowl, and the like). The traditional bowls stay happy, get a second game each year, and might draw better for a sunny Saturday afternoon or a cool August evening than some wintry setting matching teams with a good handful of losses between them. Heck, everybody in an August bowl would be undefeated. Every bowl game could sell it has the national champion in the making. In the meantime, major college football has never determined a champion, and in my mind, the only Division I football champion of 2005 is Appalachian State. They won more playoff games this year than any I-A team won bowl games in the past three years.

Actually, it's quite boring to an outside observer. Each day, I've slept later, showered later, brushed my teeth later, and fixed the child's breakfast later. But does it feel good to roam around the house in pajamas! I imagine it must have been like this for medieval aristocracy, hunkered down in their drafty castles, wrapped up with blankets and hunting dogs, and feasting off leftovers while the children got into mischief. Minus the tv, computer, and blowtorch, of course. Here's a little moral dilemma for any of you Monday morning moral theologians in the audience: (Beware: soft sciences advisory) Our next-door neighbor confided to my wife a few weeks ago in passing her live-in fiance "had a temper." (No wonder we've not been seen on the premises in weeks.) Said ex-fiance came to our door today asking for a ride to CVS to get a card and pick up a purchase. Before I fully collected my wits, I agreed. On the drive, he mentioned he has a big feast prepared for "his wife's" return. After my return, I consulted with my wife. While I was getting into decent clothing, he had lied to my wife, saying ___ was "his wife." This was their snippet as related to me post-chauffer: "___ got married?!" my wife asked. "Well, we're actually engaged, but I get tired of referring to her as my fiancee," he said. My wife did concede our neighbor mentioned her friend ___ was going to be spending the week. Was that the dude's name? I asked. (I'm not really on much of a familiarity with my neighbors, I must confess.) My wife than mentioned that after he temper-challenged fiance's departure, she changed the locks and installed a security system. Clearly, if I had her work number, we'd call to confirm all this. I could call the police and land everybody in one embarassing mess, if we were wrong and she did take Mr Temper back. The kicker was that he does know we gave her some curtains--a fact he could only have learned from his (ex?) fiance directly. We're keeping a close eye on the house next door, and if there's even a rumble to suggest a problem, well, as they say in Rome, IX, I, I. I think you have to be on more than a chat-over-the-fence, I-don't-know-your-last-name-or-your-work-number to tell someone that temper-challenged boyfriends are not the prime fish of the sea. What would you have done?

Titled at the risk of getting some porn links, but what the hey ... I lived in this mindset all the time in my college days. Most of my friends were "hard" science majors, like me: physics, engineering, biology, geology, and the like. We all ridiculed psych majors and their kind. We wanted our world well-defined, known, and explained by a mathematical model, or the closest thing to it. Regarding the "soft" sciences, Tony suggests, "Because the results are not verifiable, and are basically people's opinions without hard data, they are susceptable to be spun any way that people want them to." Let me clue you in: "hard" scientists do the same. Lots of people cannot verify results to an absolute degree of satisfaction: theoretical physicists, evolutionary biologists, among others. Two scientists can have the same package of data, hard facts, if you will, and arrive at two different conclusions. Additionally, we must concede theology is a "soft" science as well. There is no data to tell us homosexuals are depraved, immoral, and flawed. None at all. Are you aware that there are some psychologists who not only claim that pedophilia is normal and natural, but that it's beneficial to the children too? I am. But did you not get my baseball or alcohol analogies? The whole point is that some people have already arrived at their conclusion without sufficient data, then go off in search of observed phenomena to reinforce their own beliefs. That's not hard science. The ease of promoting the latest psychological theory without any requirement of hard data makes the entire "discipline" suspect. The link between latest theories and the positive stature of an entire discipline has not been proved. We don't know why small Saturnian moons have geological activity. Does that make the science of astrogeology suspect? We don't know why the universe behaves differently than the gravitational pull of observed matter would suggest. Does that put the kabosh on physics?

If the glorification of personal experience is a failing of modern culture, then the conservatives have been coopted at least as badly as the mainstream. In some of the last few threads, guests tout their own personal stories (if you will) as part of their main argument for their particular ideologies. I know of several conservatives who have slammed such similar thinking elsewhere, decrying the so-called triumph of the subjective over the truth. First, let's confess this is a human failing, not endemic (or even particularly epidemic) to any specific ideology. An example of a white athlete: Let's say that this person has an experience of getting his butt kicked by other athletes who happen to be black. It's a tough experience, and the white athlete grudgingly concedes these opponents are better. That's an example of personal experience teaching someone a valuable lesson: I can't always win, and some people are better than I. Let's suppose our athlete takes this lesson a bit further: blacks are better athletes than whites, and begins making life suppositions around that extended principle: Blacks are good in athletics, but Whites are good in other things, maybe most other things. "I'm better," the athlete thinks, "in everything else but athletics ... and the rest of us are, too." You see the problem in the progression, right? The person has failed to make logical connections from the initial experience and the first conclusion. One might suspect that emotions such as bitterness, regretfulness, envy, and such have colored the subsequent judgments. This is one reason why racism and sexism are so prevalent in many modern societies. An initial limited experience is stretched to encompass things that do not logically follow. The comment about dismissing sociology and psychology because they treat homosexuality favorably. Vatican II teaches that the social sciences have much to offer the Church. Does it suggest we embrace the totality of the social sciences? It does not. These disciplines are tools to achieve greater ends: a healthier priesthood, being one. The American Medical Association does not accept homosexuality as a disorder. Do we reject surgery, pharmacology, gynecology, pediatrics, and other medical disciplines? Naturally not. In baseball, we occasionally have bench-clearing brawls. Terrible. Bad example for kids and adults alike. Do we reject baseball because of it? Baseball teaches teamwork, develops physical skill, and is a darned entertaining pasttime. When a brawl breaks out, we sit down, read our novel, go to the restroom, or head for the parking lot. We don't boycott baseball. Alcoholics abuse drink and cause untold suffering to their families. There are tens of millions of active alcoholics in the world, reaping unbelievably widespread damage in the wake of their addiction. Is our solution to shut down breweries, wineries, bars, and liquor stores? You tell me. People will continue to abuse logic to further their arguments. It happens; we make mistakes. We are prejudiced and permit our biases to color our judgment. What other conclusions can I add? 1. Being blinded by bias is not usually a stunning shortcoming. It is universal, in fact. Conservatives could recognize that. 2. Sometimes our biases help us to react more quickly and appropriately in situations which might demand less thought and more reaction. The internet is not usually one of those arenas. Writing and dialogue on blogs gives us more of an opportunity to ponder, reflect, and pray about what words come out of our brains. 3. Sometimes our modus operandi is to get an ideology, then go out and search for only the facts that fit our mindset. I'd prefer to be a more open observer of the universe and try to draw conclusions from what I learn, rather than learn only the things that fit my conclusions. Merry Christmas, all.

Vatican II called for training seminarians in psychology and sociology, but somehow neglected to mention updating the already-ordained in these disciplines. I had a nice chat with our dicoese's most recently ordained deacon (on his way to the presbyterate) last night before Mass. Someone told him the Serra Club event was 5PM. I could sympathize; someone told me 6:30, which I put in my appointment calendar, but the parish schedule had it listed for 6. Anyway, Steve and I were talking about one blinding weakness from the chancery group-mind: What changes have we seen in the past three generations in Catholics attending secular colleges over Catholic institutions, and how does this affect the twenty-something vocation landscape, especially considering the cutbacks in campus ministry the past twenty years? I don't know if all of today's seminarians are conservatives, but if they do trend in that direction, is it because they're the only group the old guard targets? And if it's true, is the so-called JPII Priesthood only a weak half-sister compared to the pre-WWII boon? That's hardly a movement of the Spirit, I'd say.

Some of last week's work from Cassini: First, tiny Atlas caught with Saturn's rings nearly edge-on: Here's a crescent Tethys. The sun is low on some cratered terrain, but also a valley. I think it's part of Ithaca Chasma. Surface features on this moon are named for characters from Homer. This little beauty is Telesto, which shares an orbit with its larger sister Tethys. Enceladus, the moon with ice geysers is caught from about 150,000 miles away. A few craters, but lots of grooves and smooth areas. The presumption is that ice melts in the interior of this small moon, and escapes through fountains at the south pole. Enceladus has a far weaker gravity than our own moon, so ice particles escape the body to form a faint ring around Saturn in Enceladus's neighborhood. We have the facts on this, but no solid theories why this happens on such a small moon. Jupiter's moon Europa, also fairly smooth and crater-free, is flexed internally by tides raised by its larger companions Io and Ganymede. The Earth has a warm liquid interior because of heat generated by radioactive elements. By conventional wisdom, 300-mile wide Enceladus should be a solid ice cube: nowhere near big enough to have radioactive heat, no moons nearby to raise slushy interior tides. I like this shot of Mimas near the rings. They almost flew Pioneer 11 through that gray section of ring back in 1979. From Earth it appears dark and was named the Cassini division, for its seventeenth century discoverer. A trip through the ring would be most hazardous to one's structural integrity.

One of my stumbling blocks is envy. I cannot deny I'm jealous of and respectful of Rock's juicy exclusives and firsts. For one night, let me pass on some fresh bishop news, small and humble though it may be. We hosted our diocese's annual Serra Club gathering tonight: Mass and dinner with the bishop. Bishop Finn gave a good homily, though I missed the first half hunting down a tabernacle key and getting it to a seminarian. Anyway, what I caught was the best of the four or five homiles I've heard him deliver. He told a disarming story about his experience of reflecting on martyrdom, wondering if he would be able to accept such a "blessing," and all. After his prayer time, he returned to the sacristy, and cut his finger on a slice of paper in the drawer. After a short time of fussing and getting angry, he realized God had given him his answer rather immediately. "A pathetic martyr" he referred to the situation. Two gems from his homily: Christ at Christmas is small. The martyrdoms we are asked to undertake are likewise small: students keeping to their studies, parents caring for spouses and children. The small, but daily things we are asked to do: setting aside our own desires, caring for others. The true measure of holiness is the willingness to submit to the slow path to sanctification. Perhaps it seems as if Stephen and the others had it easy, and I'm often reminded of the quote on Amy's web site, "She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick." The point seems to be that for almost all of us Christians, we are not being killed "quick," but we have that arduous and long path with the pitfalls of our own envy, impatience, anger, and other qualities that tear us away from holiness. I don't pray or reflect much on being a martyr; it enough for me to struggle with being weighed down by daily junk. Merry Christmas, all!

Frequent guest Tony asked about yesterday's post, "When I first read this entry, I asked myself 'what the heck is a "liturgist?" Isn't that what a priest is for?'" I suppose a priest in a very small to small parish would be doing more or less of what falls under my job description. As we were fortunate to have our parish clergy augmented by our retired former pastor and the diocesan vicar general this past weekend, there is a certain amount of coordination needed to keep clergy happy. Servers, for example. One priest wanted to have his occasional assistant (and nephew) work with servers, so that meant making a number of phone calls last Monday night and unearthing various incense blends for consideration. Certainly the kinds of things priests can do if they have one or two Christmas Masses. But not likely for an eight-Mass Christmas. The retired priest offered to rehearse the servers for his own Mass. Our new associate pastor, as I commented yesterday, saw the various smells and bells trotted out for the earlier Masses and decided that would be good to have for the 8PM Eve Mass, too. I didn't mind at all putting servers through paces and making assignments before Mass. It freed Fr Walt to greet people as they came in for liturgy--the kind of up-front thing our pastor himself models and approves of for any staff person. When I stand out there on Christmas Day and open car doors and escort elderly people in, the C&E Catholics in the crowd have no real clue as to who I might be. The priest is pretty noticeable and probably makes a good impression there. Well, you get my drift on that. "I was thinking that most 'liturgists' in modern parishes are a lot like ringleaders in a circus, making sure that the 'acts' in the 'rings' are meshing properly so all are appropriately entertained." I'm not sure about the entertainment thing. We don't always keep the heavy contributors happy and the gravy train running from the ritzy end of town, like they might have done in the old days. In almost twenty years, I've only ever had one priest who took a regular turn at the organ bench, and he was one of three in a parish. No, most modern liturgists do the music thing that their lay predecessors did in previous generations. They might be somewhat better trained on average, musically and theologically. In my case, I benefit from having an organist on staff, which frees me up to do my three musical Masses, train servers for a fourth, and cover all kinds of bases for the fifth and last for which we had no volunteers other than two servers and a cantor. (Trust me, our vicar general wasn't pleased at the prospect of distributing Communion single-handed to three-hundred-plus people at noon yesterday.) I remain amazed at the bitterness Catholics have toward certain sisters and brothers in faith. It might be one thing if it were a noble deal to harbor hurts and grievances from a liturgist of the past, but the Gospel would suggest not. It might be another thing if people lacked the freedom to find a parish suited to their temperament, but curiously, the people who have said freedom and make that choice are often the most embittered of all, at least in e-print. Even assuming that some Catholics were truly our adversaries in faith, one might suggest that it is to one's benefit to actually learn about one's enemies and gain factual information. Such an approach has benefitted battlefield commanders through the millennia. If this is indeed a fight of some sort, knowing one's adversary, rather than laboring in ignorance and misinformation, would actually help carry the fight, as it were. As it is, I'm afraid the questions and curious challanges remain more of an amusement to me than something to take too seriously. If you don't believe me, follow my parish link on the sidebar and ask my pastor. I tell him about y'all from time to time, so be advised, he's been advised. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, all! As my weekend winds down, I had to laugh at the thought of a large parish doing without a liturgist, a development a few of my guests on CS would relish. I confess sleeping late yesterday, but as soon as Anita cleared the premises, Brit and I wrapped up some presents for her, unearthed the tree from the basement and had it set up by the time my wife returned home. I was on the premises by 12:30 at the parish, running programs, collection baskets, and a Lectionary off to the school auditorium for 3:30 Mass. The Chiefs had their game wrapped up by halftime, so we had our usual huge crowd coming for double Masses: 600 in the Church; 300 in the school. Our Sunday Ensemble played at the 6pm Mass, then it was a quick drive home to drop off the women and get me back to brief servers for 8:00 Mass. Fr Walt decided he liked the incense and gospel processions the priest did at the other two church Masses, so what the heck, let's do it again at 8. (That's what they pay me for: letting clergy or other folks make decisions and get me to make sure it happens.) Afterward, I grabbed a quick dinner in the parish office and polished off my music outlines for Midnight Mass, which has traditionally been a pick-up choir. I had a few teens from the Sunday 5pm Mass, two singers from the big choir which does two of our eight liturgies, and various musicians mostly less involved in regular parish music. What a group! Five men and six women; they did such a marvelous job. I got home about 1:15 after locking up the church, waking my wife. Then it was off to the basement to wrap Santa stuff. I was still pretty wired when my head hit the pillow at 3am; it took me some minutes to get to sleep. Brittany came roaring in at 6:50, "Presents! Presents! Let's get up!" (You parents know the routine.) I confess to skipping the 8am Mass; my wife rightly puts her foot down when the option is delaying unwrapping to early afternoon. I'm pleased at some great kitchen gear from Santa this year; including a very cool blow torch (actually a Creme Brulee set) and a new blender to replace a ten-year-old wedding present. I have sacristan duty at our last Mass at noon. After lockdown, I hope to get in some serious zz's while Brittany watches Mulan or Shark Tale or Narnia. I don't think we'll be making Creme Brulee today. Come to think of it, I forgot to pick up chicken at the store yesterday, so it looks like a trip to IHOP or maybe some "Chinese Turkey." Anyway, sorry to be the scrooge for my crunchy-con friends out there. Priests are wise enough never to fire their liturgists before or on Christmas. For one more day, we're having great fun with the Church's liturgy, filling the pews by the vanload, singing fairly sappy and sentimental songs. The Barque is boarded to the brim today, and SCGS* folks are bound to be muttering in their Christmas brandy. Peace on Earth, good will to all, and a hope that a few of them will come back next Sunday. * small church, getting smaller

No one need spend Christmas alone. You could be with your family and friends. Failing that, you could be with the poor and needy. Either way, you could be singing, making merry, keeping festival, and thanking God for the gift of grace, incarnate in the Son, Jesus. Leaving off the with the words of Christina Rosetti ... In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow had fallen, snow on snow. Snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago. Our God, heaven cannot hold him nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away, when he comes to reign. In the bleak midwinter, a stable place sufficed the Lord God Almighty Jesus Christ. Enough for him, whom cherubim worship night and day, a breastful of milk and a manger full of hay. Enough for him, whom angels fall down before, the ox and ass and camel which adore. Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air: But only his mother in her maiden bliss worshipped the Beloved with a kiss What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give him, give my heart.

I notice on Amy's liturgy thread a commenter named Joe has been giving as good as he gets. Indeed, he's already been painted as a heretic for daring to disagree with the Liturgical Echo Chamber that often passes itself off as mainstream St Blog's Catholic. None of my favorite foils has yet suggested Joe and I are the same person. (In their world, Catholicism--or should we say "o"rthodoxy-- is one happy, tight-knit small boat, and "dissenters" are but few. Or one.) Brigid, didn't I say someone new would come along to tweak some liturgical noses?

Optatam Totius includes an unnumbered conclusion: The Fathers of this holy synod have pursued the work begun by the Council of Trent. While they confidently entrust to seminary administrators and teachers the task of forming the future priests of Christ in the spirit of the renewal promoted by this sacred synod, they earnestly exhort those who are preparing for the priestly ministry to realize that the hope of the Church and the salvation of souls is being committed to them. They urge them also to receive the norms of this decree willingly and thus to bring forth most abundant fruit which will always remain. This minor document does contain details that would have great impact on the Church and its life. The experience of the seminarian is mostly beyond the view of the ordinary Catholic. We see the initial stirrings of discernment in our parishes and other outlets. A student is sent away for three to five years, and comes back a newly minted priest. The studies and the life experiences both render a change in a person. Maybe the changes are more or less obvious. My reading of Optatam Totius leaves me with some general observations about seminarians, young priests, and how I see their ministry in the Church. I've known several priests at the beginning of their ministry and a few seminarians. I'd assess that their training is substantial, but by no means complete. Most of them admit the real learning happens when they take charge of a parish as pastor. While some might say, "Then the education really begins," I'd suggest instead it is in the parish where the pastoral outlook meets the book knowledge and a priest makes his own mark, as best he can. The Vatican II optimism about the application of psychology and other social sciences to ministry is evident. Striking is the emphasis on a "catholic" approach to ministry. Some St Bloggers, even clergy, are too readily given to shirking this in favor of an "orthodox" approach. The Council naturally assumes loyalty to Church doctrine isn't even an issue. Maybe that's an overconfidence we can't afford. Still, the notion that a priest is trained to have a broad effectiveness in ministry can't be denied. The collapse of the seminary system for minors is part of the landscape of the past decades. More often than not, a seminarian has been educated as an undergraduate outside of seminary. It would seem that colleges would provide a significant opportunity for searching for candidates and discerning their vocations. Yet most dioceses ignore or slash funding for student parishes, a trend I found alarming when I served in campus ministry in the mid-90's. If this document were rewritten today, I suspect a more intense look at recruiting priest-candidates in non-Catholic colleges, and in the young adult world would be merited. The Church's failure might be tagged at that most basic level of discernment: the choice to move forward seriously at the first signs of a vocation. From what I've seen of American seminaries, this decree has been more or less well implemented. If the challenge is to steer more good candidates into seminaries, I don't think the Church has taken that charge too seriously. More often, there's a sense of entitlement in operation: "We're Catholics, we're the one true Church; we deserve more priests ... where the heck are they?!" It takes work.

Optatam Totius 21 shows the council bishops had their thinking caps on. They concede the degreed young priest is still a work in progress: Since priestly training, because of the circumstances particularly of contemporary society, must be pursued and perfected even after the completion of the course of studies in seminaries, it will be the responsibility of episcopal conferences in individual nations to employ suitable means to this end. Such would be pastoral institutes working together with suitably chosen parishes, meetings held at stated times, and appropriate projects whereby the younger clergy would be gradually introduced into the priestly life and apostolic activity, under its spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral aspects, and would be able, day by day, to renew and foster them more effectively. Thoughts?

Optatam Totius 20 says it: They should also be taught to use the aids which the disciplines of pedagogy, psychology, and sociology can provide, according to correct methodology and the norms of ecclesiastical authority. The social sciences get a bad rap from bishops and neo-cons looking out for scapegoats, but the value of using aids from psychology and sociology was a repeated theme in the council documents. Simple really: make good use of a tool that will achieve a good end. Likewise, let them be properly instructed in inspiring and fostering the apostolic activity of the laity and in promoting the various and more effective forms of the apostolate. At least until we reach tyhe point at which the laity can form new generations of apostles. Let them also be imbued with that truly Catholic spirit which will accustom them to transcend the limits of their own diocese, nation, or rite, and to help the needs of the whole Church, prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere. Catholicity a virtue over orthodoxy, as it were: a spirit that would also transcend ideology, politics, and that curious movement for a smaller Church. That would pretty much seem to be out the window with this, wouldn't it? But since it is necessary for the students to learn the art of exercising the apostolate not only theoretically but also practically, and to be able to act both on their own responsibility and in harmonious conjunction with others, they should be initiated into pastoral work, both during their course of studies and also during the time of vacations, by opportune practical projects. Aha! See this? Students of seminary should learn responsibility and collaboration with others. Pastoral work should be part of the formation/education process. These should be carried out in accordance with the age of the students and local conditions, and with the prudent judgment of the bishops, methodically and under the leadership of men skilled in pastoral work, the surpassing power of supernatural means being always remembered. We're heading into the stretch run of Optatam Totius; one of your last opportunities for comment. Care to?

And if we happen to stumble across a little beauty, that's a bonus. Check the Cassini link on the sidebar for more pics (usually B&W) and for the scientific details.

A two for one post tonight. Optatam Totius 17 & 18. Starting with the first of these sections: But since doctrinal training ought to tend not to a mere communication of ideas but to a true and intimate formation of the students, teaching methods are to be revised both as regards lectures, discussions, and seminars and also the development of study on the part of the students, whether done privately or in small groups. Unity and soundness of the entire training is carefully to be provided for by avoiding an excessive multiplication of courses and lectures and by the omission of those questions which scarcely retain any importance or which ought to be referred to higher academic studies. And section 18: It will be the bishops' concern that young men suited by temperament, virtue, and ability be sent to special institutes faculties, or universities so that priests may be trained at a higher scientific level in the sacred sciences and in other fields which may be judged opportune. Thus they will be able to meet the various needs of the apostolate. The spiritual and pastoral training of these men, however, especially if they are not yet ordained as priests, is in no way to be neglected. Not much to say of these logical statements. Anything from the commentariat?

Optatam Totius 16 starts off: The theological disciplines, in the light of faith and under the guidance of the magisterium of the Church, should be so taught that the students will correctly draw out Catholic doctrine from divine revelation, profoundly penetrate it, make it the food of their own spiritual lives, and be enabled to proclaim, explain, and protect it in their priestly ministry. Note the emphasis that theology is not solely an intellectual exercise; it is intended as food for the soul as well as of the mind. Speaking of soul ... The students are to be formed with particular care in the study of the Bible, which ought to be, as it were, the soul of all theology. After a suitable introduction they are to be initiated carefully into the method of exegesis; and they are to see the great themes of divine revelation and to receive from their daily reading of and meditating on the sacred books inspiration and nourishment. Exegetical methods carefully taught: good. Then a list: Scriptures, Fathers East and West, History, etc.: Dogmatic theology should be so arranged that these biblical themes are proposed first of all. Next there should be opened up to the students what the Fathers of the Eastern and Western Church have contributed to the faithful transmission and development of the individual truths of revelation. The further history of dogma should also be presented, account being taken of its relation to the general history of the Church. Next, in order that they may illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible, the students should learn to penetrate them more deeply with the help of speculation, under the guidance of St. Thomas, and to perceive their interconnections. Then the connection with liturgy: They should be taught to recognize these same mysteries as present and working in liturgical actions and in the entire life of the Church. Then pastoral application: They should learn to seek the solutions to human problems under the light of revelation, to apply the eternal truths of revelation to the changeable conditions of human affairs and to communicate them in a way suited to men of our day. Misunderstood on both left and right is the notion of change. Change was undertaken at and after Vatican II to ensure the pastoral connection with people is, in fact, there. Old approaches and old ways were clearly not getting the point across. And despite some good things to bring to the Church, documents such as Humanae Vitae served to drive people away from the message rather than invite them into it. Likewise let the other theological disciplines be renewed through a more living contact with the mystery of Christ and the history of salvation. Special care must be given to the perfecting of moral theology. Its scientific exposition, nourished more on the teaching of the Bible, should shed light on the loftiness of the calling of the faithful in Christ and the obligation that is theirs of bearing fruit in charity for the life of the world. Moral theology based on Scripture, rather than "We said so." It can be done, but it seems that it is done so ineffectively. Similarly the teaching of canon law and of Church history should take into account the mystery of the Church, according to the dogmatic constitution "De Ecclesia" promulgated by this sacred synod. Sacred liturgy, which is to be considered as the primary and indispensable source of the truly Christian spirit, should be taught according to the mind of articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Lumen Gentium and Sacrosanctum Concilium are essential. The circumstances of various regions being duly considered, students are to be brought to a fuller understanding of the churches and ecclesial communities separated from the Apostolic Roman See, so that they may be able to contribute to the work of re- establishing unity among all Christians according to the prescriptions of this holy synod. Let them also be introduced to a knowledge of other religions which are more widespread in individual regions, so that they may acknowledge more correctly what truth and goodness these religions, in God's providence, possess, and so that they may learn to refute their errors and be able to communicate the full light of truth to those who do not have it. Another example of what I would call the "Spirit of Vatican II," a sense that students and priests have a contribution to make in the realm of Christian unity and interfaith understanding. Comments?

Well, maybe just a spot of them here. Amy and Rock have both reported that you can read the transcript of what you missed on EWTN at USCCB over on Adoremus. The St Blog's Commentariat always amuses me when the liturgical bee gets in its bonnet (or biretta). But for the sake of my own visitors, let me offer three gifts: 1. The current liturgy translation we use was approved up and down the line by everyone: a dozen-odd English-speaking bishop's conferences, ICEL, and the Vatican. If the Vatican noticed that some literal liberties were taken with the Latin original, it wasn't of apparent concern to them. For good or ill, this is what's stuck in 99.8% of the English language churchgoers in the Catholic world, including almost all of the clergy. Whiuch leads me to ... 2. In the shortest term, the clergy will be stuck with the dirty work of implementation, not the bishops. Parishes will fork over some bucks to get the new red books. Then every priest will have his nose in the new book for a few weeks to a few months until he gets used to the new language. People in the pews will take a bit longer, if they even bother to care. I can see a mongrel response of "and also with your you spirit." What happens if the people in some parishes continue to use the old responses out of habit or stubbornness? Who's going to stop them? Will the priest throw a hissy fit and refuse to continue the Mass if the response is "wrong?" And if he doesn't, and the 1970 responses remain, what has been accomplished? 3. Musical publishers are probably thinking this is a bonus for their ledger lines. Old Mass settings redone (church musicians won't have the option to protest) will be a financial boon lasting for months, if not years. And it looks as if the bishops are choosing to ignore the Liturgiam Inauthenticam provision for submitting hymn texts for approval. That May 2006 deadline is approaching fast, and it's crystal clear where the hierarchs stand on things: they might be split down the middle on the new English Ordo Missae, but they're 100% behind ignoring provisions that make work for their own. So in a spirit of holiday cheer, have at it, folks.

Optatam Totius 15: The philosophical disciplines are to be taught in such a way that the students are first of all led to acquire a solid and coherent knowledge of man, the world, and of God, relying on a philosophical patrimony which is perennially valid and taking into account the philosophical investigations of later ages. Okay. Like many other Vatican II teachings, the notion of continuity with the past, yet an openness to the present. This is especially true of those investigations which exercise a greater influence in their own nations. Account should also be taken of the more recent progress of the sciences. The net result should be that the students, correctly understanding the characteristics of the contemporary mind, will be duly prepared for dialogue with men of their time. Another neo-con cuss word: dialogue. What does it mean? The context in this document is that the priest needs to be prepared for flexibility in dealing with people. Rather than see non-Catholics as adversaries, dialogue implies a quiet confidence about the Gospel and the way of life it demands. The Christian message is (or could be) so strong, so self-evident, that dialogue is initiated by non-believers. When that happens, apply honey, not vinegar, I suppose. The history of philosophy should be so taught that the students, while reaching the ultimate principles of the various systems, will hold on to what is proven to be true therein and will be able to detect the roots of errors and to refute them. In the very manner of teaching there should be stirred up in the students a love of rigorously searching for the truth and of maintaining and demonstrating it, together with an honest recognition of the limits of human knowledge. Attention must be carefully drawn to the necessary connection between philosophy and the true problems of life, as well as the questions which preoccupy the minds of the students. Likewise students should be helped to perceive the links between the subject-matter of philosophy and the mysteries of salvation which are considered in theology under the higher light of faith. Only mentioning the integration of the affective and the intellectual in that phrase, "a love of rigorously searching for the truth." Do we see ourselves as messengers for the truth? Or does our own need for performance get in the way? Thoughts?

Optatam Totius 14 begins with a pragmatic thought: In revising ecclesiastical studies the aim should first of all be that the philosophical and theological disciplines be more suitably aligned and that they harmoniously work toward opening more and more the minds of the students to the mystery of Christ. What a concept: education is about opening the mindrather than filling it. For it is this mystery which affects the whole history of the human race, continually influences the Church, and is especially at work in the priestly ministry. That this vision be communicated to the students from the outset of their training, ecclesiastical studies are to be begun with an introductory course which should last for an appropriate length of time. In this initiation to ecclesiastical studies the mystery of salvation should be so proposed that the students perceive the meaning, order, and pastoral end of their studies. At the same time they should be helped to establish and penetrate their own entire lives with faith and be strengthened in embracing their vocation with a personal dedication and a joyful heart. Integration of the mind and soul, another fine concept.

Amy alerts us to a victory, not just for science, but for the Truth. Go tell it, your honor: Repeatedly ... scientific experts testified that the theory of evolution represents good science, is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and that it in no way conflicts with, nor does it deny, the existence of a divine creator. But, but, but ... Those who disagree with our holding will likely mark it as the product of an activist judge. If so, they will have erred as this is manifestly not an activist Court. Rather, this case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction on a school board, aided by a national public interest law firm eager to find a constitutional test case on ID, who in combination drove the Board to adopt an imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy. A smackdown is delivered upon IDologists: The breathtaking inanity of the Board's decision is evident when considered against the factual backdrop which has not been fully revealed through this trial. The students, parents, and teachers of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources. Means and ends, people: (S)everal (members of the board), who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy. They can't make a dent in the scientific community, so they try an end run around in the political arena. This would be like a team losing about ten yards on a trick play, then being flagged for holding to boot.

Section 13 begins a fifth chapter of Optatam Totius calling for the revision of the priestly training syllabus. Before beginning specifically ecclesiastical subjects, seminarians should be equipped with that humanistic and scientific training which young men in their own countries are wont to have as a foundation for higher studies. Seems clear: business administration, psychology, sociology, political science, philosophy, plus a good smattering of the arts. Moreover they are to acquire a knowledge of Latin which will enable them to understand and make use of the sources of so many sciences and of the documents of the Church. Good suggestion, but one not taken too often. The study of the liturgical language proper to each rite should be considered necessary; a suitable knowledge of the languages of the Bible and of Tradition should be greatly encouraged. Personally, I regret not having more of a background in Greek and Hebrew. When I investigated liturgy studies in Rome, the expectation would be that I'd be prepared in no less than six or seven languages: Greek and Hebrew for Scripture, Latin for liturgy and documents, Italian for lectures, and at least one (preferably two) languages outside of my native English. I had the last five to a point, but my Italian was by far the weakest point--troubling considering that the expectation would be that I'd go to class and learn something from the speakers. The school suggested I arrive early in Italy and take a summer immersion course. Ah well; finances curtailed that option. I wonder how much language study is mandated for seminarians still in undergrad. Comments?

Optatam Totius 12 gives the "bishops" the choice of determining additional training beyond seminaries. Since they are identified in the plural, it may be that national conferences or regional or provincial groups would make these determinations. Here's the text: In order that the spiritual training rest upon a more solid basis and that the students embrace their vocation with a fully deliberate choice, it will be the prerogative of the bishops to establish a fitting period of time for a more intense introduction to the spiritual life. Note the first listed priority is the priestly spiritual life. It will also be their charge to determine the opportuneness of providing for a certain interruption in the studies or of establishing a suitable introduction to pastoral work, in order that they may more satisfactorily test the fitness of candidates for the priesthood. Note that this period would "interrupt" studies to give a candidate a taste of the life of a priest. Note that this is also seen partially as a testing period. A test is valid if people who are unsuited are given the option of withdrawing to pursue the lay apostolate or religious life. I'd question how appropriate it is for transitional deacons to be assigned to parishes to the exclusion of giving seminarians a year or two of pastoral experience. In my current parish, we've been assigned "summer seminarians." Most often they're enrolled in CPE, and rarely have been involved in parish ministry. I'd call the practice into question. It seems that after a year or two of major seminary, a candidate might be well-prepared for a full-time parish position for a year while taking a few credit hours of graduate-level theology. Maybe spread out a semester and a half to two semesters across two summers and the intervening year. In accordance with the conditions of individual regions it will also be the bishops' responsibility to make a decision about extending the age beyond that demanded at present by common law for the reception of sacred orders, and of deliberating whether it be opportune to rule that students, at the end of their course in theology, exercise the order of deacon for a fitting period of time before being promoted to the priesthood. Transitional deacons, yes. What period of time would seem to be fitting? If the ministry of deacon has any meaning, I'd say a year, minimum. What would the whole course of graduate study look like? Two years in seminary, followed by one year in a parish. Then one full year of seminary, followed by diaconate ordination. Conclude with one to two years of diaconate ministry, then ordination. Any better ideas out there?

Optatam Totius 11 suggests a balance between foundational education and "the newer findings of sound psychology and pedagogy." For the bad rap psychology gets as the episcopal and neo-con scapegoat of choice, there is much to be said for the increasingly mature priests emerging from seminary since the 70's and 80's. Therefore, by a wisely planned training there is also to be developed in the students a due human maturity. This will be made especially evident in stability of mind, in an ability to make weighty decisions, and in a sound evaluation of (people) and events. It remains hard for me to see how this could be cultivated within the sheltered life of a seminary. In my own college experience, I recall a friend considering an abortion, another friend having a breakdown mid-semester, other people I knew dealing with very traumatic issues of morality, stress, and personal discernment. Not that these don't happen in seminary to a degree, but I'd think the exposure to the concerns of peers does not quite give the experience needed. Or not ... just a thought. The students should be accustomed to work properly at their own development. They are to be formed in strength of character, and, in general, they are to learn to esteem those virtues which are held in high regard by (people) and which recommend a minister of Christ. And a listing follows: - sincerity of mind - a constant concern for justice - fidelity to one's promises - refinement in manners - modesty in speech coupled with charity. And ... The discipline of seminary life is to be reckoned not only as a strong safeguard of community life and of charity but also as a necessary part of the total whole training formation. For thereby self-mastery is acquired, solid personal maturity is promoted, and the other dispositions of mind are developed which very greatly aid the ordered and fruitful activity of the Church. Seminary discipline should be so maintained, however, that the students acquire an internal attitude whereby they accept the authority of superiors from personal conviction, that is to say, from a motive of conscience (cf. Rom. 13:5), and for supernatural reasons. The norms of discipline are to be applied according to the age of the students so that they themselves, as they gradually learn self-mastery, may become accustomed to use freedom wisely, to act spontaneously and energetically, and to work together harmoniously with their fellows and with the laity. Walking that difficult path: making the rote answers of childhood, and the authoritative statements of leaders one's own. The whole pattern of seminary life, permeated with a desire for piety and silence and a careful concern for mutual help, must be so arranged that it provides, in a certain sense, an initiation into the future life which the priest shall lead. And this last charge is the trick, isn't it? Do seminaries provide an initiation? Or is it a sojourn experience with one's peers that leads into a totally different way of life for the parish priest? The questions I'd ask is how bishops and clergy can cultivate more of this in the seminaries their trainees attend. Also, how can the laity be a part of this formation?

Optatam Totius 19 begins the sixth chapter which deals with "The Promotion Of Strictly Pastoral Training." That pastoral concern which ought to permeate thoroughly the entire training of the students also demands that they be diligently instructed in those matters which are particularly linked to the sacred ministry, - especially in catechesis and preaching, - in liturgical worship and the administration of the sacraments, - in works of charity, - in assisting the erring and the unbelieving, - and in the other pastoral functions. In large American parishes, these matters are handled by specialists, mostly lay people, mostly women. Note the absence of administration in this section and its near absence in any other place in Optatam Totius. Forgotten, an area of satisfaction, or something else? Spiritual direction is happily mentioned in some detail: They are to be carefully instructed in the art of directing souls, whereby they will be able to bring all the sons of the Church first of all to a fully conscious and apostolic Christian life and to the fulfillment of the duties of their state of life. Let them learn to help, with equal solicitude, religious men and women that they may persevere in the grace of their vocations and may make progress according to the spirit of their various Institutes. And more attention to dialogue: In general, those capabilities are to be developed in the students which especially contribute to dialogue with (people), such as the ability to listen to others and to open their hearts and minds in the spirit of charity to the various circumstances and needs of (people). Interesting that the practice of listening is associated with opening people's hearts and minds, not preaching or other vocal persuasion. How much confidence would it take to be a silent catalyst for conversion to Christ?