In honor of the Feast of All Saints:

New Advent on the Litany of the Saints.

The Litany of the Saints

V. Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Christ, have mercy upon us.
V. Lord, have mercy upon us.

V. O Christ, hear us.
R. O Christ, graciously hear us.

V. O God the Father of heaven.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O God the Son, Redeemer of the world.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O God the Holy Ghost.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O Holy Trinity, one God.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. Holy Mary.
R. Pray for us.

V. Holy Mother of God.
R. Pray for us.

V. Holy Virgin of virgins.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Michael.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gabriel.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Raphael.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Angels and Archangels.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy orders of blessed Spirits.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John Baptist.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Joseph.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Patriarchs and Prophets.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Peter.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Paul.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Andrew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint James.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Thomas.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint James.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Philip.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Bartholomew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Matthew.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Simon.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Jude.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Matthias.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Barnabas.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Luke.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Mark.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Apostles and Evangelists.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Disciples of the Lord.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye Holy Innocents.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Stephen.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Lawrence.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Vincent.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint John and Saint Paul.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gervasius and Saint Protasius..
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Martyrs.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Sylvester.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Gregory.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Ambrose.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Augustine.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Jerome.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Martin.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Nicholas.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Bishops and Confessors.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Doctors.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Anthony.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Benedict.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Bernard.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Dominic.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Francis.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Priests and Levites.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Monks and Hermits.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Mary Magdalene.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Agatha.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Lucy.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Agnes.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Cecilia.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Catherine.
R. Pray for us.

V. Saint Anastasia.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye holy Virgins and Widows.
R. Pray for us.

V. All ye Holy, Righteous, and Elect of God.
R. Intercede for us.

V. Be Thou merciful.
R. Spare us, good Lord.

V. Be Thou merciful.
R. Graciously hear us, good Lord.

V. From all evil.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From all deadly sin.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From Thine anger.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From sudden and unrepentant death.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the crafts and assaults of the devil.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From anger, and hatred, and all uncharitableness.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the spirit of fornication.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From lightning and tempest.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From the peril of earthquake, fire, and flood.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From pestilence, famine, and battle.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. From everlasting damnation.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thine Advent.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Nativity.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Baptism and holy Fasting.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy Cross and Passion.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy precious Death and Burial.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy holy Resurrection.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By Thy glorious Ascension.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. By the coming of the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. In the day of judgment.
R. Good Lord, deliver us.

V. Even though we be sinners.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to spare us.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to pity and pardon us.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give us true repentance.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to rule and govern Thy holy Church.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to preserve the household of the Apostles, and to keep all orders in the Church in Thy true religion.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to overthrow the enemies of Thy holy Church.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow on all Christian kings and princes true peace and concord.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give to all Christian nations both peace and unity.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to restore unity to Thy Church, and to lead all unbelievers into the light of Thy holy Gospel.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to strengthen and preserve us in true worshipping of Thee.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to endue our hearts with heavenly desires.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow on all our benefactors Thine everlasting benefits.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to deliver from eternal damnation our souls, and those of our brethren, kindred, and benefactors.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee to bestow upon all Thy faithful departed rest eternal.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. That it may please Thee graciously to hear our prayer.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. O Son of God.
R. We beseech Thee to hear us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Spare us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Graciously hear us, good Lord.

V. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world.
R. Have mercy upon us.

V. O Christ, hear us.
R. O Christ, graciously hear us.

V. Lord, have mercy upon us.
R. Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father.
Which words are said aloud, and the rest secretly to:
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.

Psalm 70. Deus, in adjutorium.

To the Chief Musician: A Psalm of David. To Bring to Remembrance.

O God, come to my assistance;
O LORD, make haste to help me.
Let them be ashamed and confounded
that seek after my soul;
let them be turned backward and put to confusion
that desire my hurt.
Let them be turned back
as a reward for their shame
that say, "Aha, aha!"
Let all those that seek Thee
rejoice and be glad in Thee;
and let such as love Thy salvation
say continually,
"Let God be magnified!"
But I am poor and needy;
make haste unto me, O God.
Thou art my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, make no tarrying.
(bow) Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; (end bow)
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

V. O God, save Thy servants.
R. That put their trust in Thee.

V. Be unto us, O Lord, a tower of strength.
R. From the face of the enemy.

V. Let the enemy prevail nothing against us.
R. Nor the son of wickedness approach to afflict us.

V. O Lord, deal not with us after our sins.
R. Neither reward us according to our iniquities.

V. Let us pray for our Pope N.
R. The Lord preserve him and grant him life, and make him blessed upon earth; and deliver him not unto the will of his enemies.

V. Let us pray for our benefactors.
R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy Name's sake, to reward with eternal life all them that do us good. Amen.

V. Let us pray for the faithful departed.
R. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.

V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

V. Let us pray for our absent brethren.
R. Save Thy servants, O my God, that put their trust in Thee.

V. Send them help, O Lord, from Thy holy place.
R. And from Zion deliver them.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Collects

O God, whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive: receive our humble petitions; and though we be tied and bound by the chain of our sins, yet let the pitifulness of Thy great mercy loose us.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to hear the prayers of Thy humble servants, and to forgive the sins of them that confess the same unto Thee: that they may obtain of Thy loving-kindness pardon and peace.

O Lord, we pray Thee, show forth upon us Thy servants the abundance of Thy unspeakable mercy: that we may be delivered from the chain of our sins, and from the punishment which for the same we have most righteously deserved.

O God, who art wroth with them that sin against Thee, and sparest them that are penitent: we beseech Thee to hear the prayers of Thy people that call upon Thee; that we, which have most justly deserved the scourges of Thine anger, may by Thy great mercy be delivered from the same.

Almighty and everlasting God, we beseech Thee to have compassion upon N., our Pope, and by Thy mercy govern him in the way of everlasting life: that, being endued with Thy grace, he may ever seek those things that are pleasing unto Thee, and with his whole strength perform the same.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed: give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey Thy commandments, and also that by Thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness.

Grant, O Lord, we pray Thee, that the fire of Thy Holy Spirit may in such wise cleanse our reins and our hearts: that we serving Thee in pureness both of body and soul may be found an acceptable people in Thy sight.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all them that believe: grant unto the souls of Thy servants and handmaidens the remission of all their sins; that, as they have ever desired Thy merciful pardon, so by the supplications of their brethren they may receive the same.

Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with Thy most gracious favor, and further us with Thy continual help: that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may glorify Thy holy Name, and finally by Thy mercy obtain everlasting life.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast dominion both of the quick and the dead, who likewise hast mercy upon all men, whom by reason of their faith and works Thou hast foreknown: we commend unto Thee all those for whom we now do offer our prayers, whether in this world they still be held in the bonds of the flesh, or being delivered therefrom have passed into that which is to come; beseeching Thee that at the intercession of all Thy Saints they may of Thy bountiful goodness obtain the remission of all their sins. Through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

V. May the Almighty and Merciful Lord graciously hear us.
R. Amen.

V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, † through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R. Amen.

I haven't been very active with this blog for a while...

...and have considered taking it down, but don't really want to, in large part because of some great friends I've made here.



Recently, I've been intensely struggling (and failing) with the chastity issue. I won't provide details, but lately I've been in grave sin a lot!



Today, I got a great encourgaement from Louise of Purcell's Chicken Voluntary. Earlier, she posted the following simple comment on the previous post: "Saying a prayer for you, Woodrow."

What a blessing to have met good people like her to pray at just the right times!

Thank you, Louise!

Yes, Virginia, there is...

...still a blogger at this site. One, however, who stays too busy to post very often!

I break my fast of posts with a link to a much better resource than my own humble* blog: Eve Tushnet's latest at Inside Catholic.

************************************************************************************
The rest of this post doesn't really have anything to do with the above link.
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One of the main reason's I started this blog was to publicly "talk through" what it means to be "gay" and Catholic. Much to my regret, I've never really used that blog for that purpose, however, partly because I didn't want to be too open about my thoughts and struggles as I learn how to deal with my same-sex attraction. As I've been sharing my story with other people, I've realized how powerful it can be to admit publicly, my sins, my need for accountability, the things that have helped me achieve the small victories I've won, etc.

I've also realized that my public speaking engagements, as well as the things I share with friends on Facebook, necessitate that I tell my family my full story. So far, they know only small parts of it. It's unthinkable that one of my Facebook friends should mention something about my unfortunately-not-yet-non-existant sex life to my parents and sisters who still believe I'm a virgin. Thry deserve to hear the truth from me, not from somebody who has heard me speak!

Perhaps, gentle readers, you will be so kind as to pray for the following:

1) that God will give me the courage to speak soon to my parents and siblings about this hidden (from them) part of my life;

2) that God will give me the grace to know what to say, how to say it, and that He will enable me to say it well, with charity^, grace, and humility;

3) that God will prepare their hearts to hear this shameful news that I have to tell them;

4) that somehow we will grow closer as a family, and that we will grow close as a Christian** family as a result of my openness with them.




*Humble, not as in the virtue of humility, but as in Merriam Webster's third definition of the word.

^I ask for charity because when I first outed myself to them, I didn't think about their feelings; my only concern was to unburden myself!

**We are all professing Christians, but some in my immediate family have separated themselves as far as they are able from all that would do them good. Pray for us!

The priest(s) over at...

...Adam's Ale have a series explaining the Mass!

Here are thelinks to the first eight parts:

Mass Confusion Part One

Mass Confusion Part Two

Mass Confusion Part Three

Mass Confusion Part Four

Mass Confusion Part Five

Mass Confusion Part Six

Mass Confusion Part Seven

Mass Confusion Part Eight

Way cool!

"Gay rights advocates outraged..."*

Read the story, by the Associated Press, here.

The church** that performed this "exorcism" is just silly (a not uncommon phenomenon in Pentecostal and Protestant-Charismatic circles). So is the fact that the "pastor" (or, at least, the article states the "pastor") "denied the ritual was an exorcism, describing it instead as a casting out of spirits."

One wonders what she thinks the difference is between an exorcism and a "casting out of spirits."

Whether there was any real abuse involved I don't know, but it seems extremely unlikely. My guess is that the gay rights groups are upset because this group looks on homosexuality as--gasp!-- an abnormal condition.

And watch out for those evil priests who go around throwing holy water on inanimate objects!

Oy vey!

And for the record, I regret that here is yet another example of a Christian group misunderstanding the nature of, causes of, and correct means of healing of homosexual attractions.

*A direct quote of Dara Brown on msnbc.com.

**I use "church" here in a loose sense. The appropriate term is "ecclesial community", if I'm not mistaken.

Vatican set to investigate "Miracle Man" in Kansas.

Read about it at---

The Wichita Eagle.

The story is good, the comments not-so-much.

One commentor states:

"As a military person I am offended that people are using Father Kapaun's name in such a way. The man was a soldier doing his job, and I am sure if he was alive he would be saying the same thing. While I agree that he may deserve a Medal of Honor, sainthood is another story. Just because the church has people praying in his name does not mean that the spirit of the father saved Chase Kear. It means that they prayed, God heard and he answered. After all are you praying to father Kapaun or God? The man died serving his country, honor him if you want, but let the mans soul rest."

The last line is what caught my attention: "The man died serving his country, honor him if you want, but let the mans soul rest."

I take it this person is of the Protestant persuasion. Granted, in spite of the fact that I was too for about 30 years, I don't know everything about what all the Protestant sects teach regarding the soul after death, but I've never before encountered a Protestant who believed we can disturb the soul of a person who is in Glory. Strange.

Thanks be to God for Chase Kear's recovery.

Eternal rest grant unto Bob Frederick*, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. May his soul, and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

And may all who have a hard time believing in God because of evil in the world, find Him in spite of the evil.*

*Both of these were mentioned in a comment given by "anonymousposter" on 6/24/2009 at 11:31:56pm.

A prayer for the Pope

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, look propitiously upon Thy servant, Benedict XVI, whom Thou hast been pleased to constitute pastor over Thy Church; grant him, we beseech Thee, that he may govern with advantage those over whom he presides, in word and example, that, together with the flock entrusted to him, he may come to life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Our Lady of the Rosary by Edith R. Wilson

Our Lady of the Rosary,
I seem to see her stand,
With prayerful eyes to Jesus raised,
Her chaplet in her hand.

Dear Lady of the Rosary,
How bright the vision grows!
How fair around thy virgin brow
The starry radiance glows.

Christ's sweet Evangelist art thou,
Bright harbinger of dawn;
The blessed day star from on high,
Fore heralding the morn.

When to the chaplet of thy joys
We make our glad replies,
We tell the tale of Jesus' life
As seen through Mary's eyes.

When in the dolors of our Lord
We bear our chastened part,
We see the glitter of the sword
Which pierced our Lady's heart.

But in the Glorious Mysteries,
His praises, with thine own,
Unite to form a path of light
Up to the Father's throne.

Our Lady leads us to our Lord
By gentle ways and tender,
Weaving of Jesus' Mysteries
A crown of woundrous splendor

The first bright link, the Angel laid
Upon our Lady's breast;
The last, is bound to Jesus' throne,
Where Mary found her rest.

And so we tell her chaplet o'er,
Passing from gem to gem,
Until there flashes on our sight
Faith's mystic diadem.

Iran...

...Let us pray for the people of that nation.

Let us pray for peace.

Let us pray that the Iranians will have a government that respects human dignity and seeks what is truly good for the people.

Let us pray for the Christians in that nation to somehow exert a peaceful influence well beyond their small numbers.

Let us pray that the Iranian Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, nominal Christians, etc. will be open, because of their current circumstances, to the true peace that comes only from the Gospel.

Let us pray for our home nations and for Iran:

V. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us Thy salvation.
V. Endue Thy ministers with righteousness;
R. And make Thy chosen people joyful.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in Thee can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under Thy care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let Thy way be known upon the earth;
R. Thy saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with Thy Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The death of George Tiller.

It was a disgusting act of violence. Nobody should condone his killer's actions. At the same time...Well, I'll direct you to our friends at Ad Orientem who say it better than I can:

A Day of Violence

Let us continue to pray for our fallen world.

A few of my blog entries need updating...

Wednesday, January 7, 2009:

"However, on January 28th, I hope to attend the installation Mass for Detroit's new Archbishop-elect, His Excellency Allen Henry Vigneron! I will have my new digital camera with me, and will take and post pictures."

We had a lot of snow on that day, so I missed the installation.


Friday, November 28, 2008

A gentleman from UoP called me last week to see if I was still interested in classes. I made him aware of my concerns about the school, especially COM 140, and he explained to me that the purpose of COM 140 is to introduce one to how online classes work at UoP. He also apologized that no one had explained this to me before. While I still am not interested in taking online classes with UoP (too expensive, and they don't have a philosophy major), I feel much better about the school, and am grateful to this gentleman for listening to my concerns and responding to them with grace and intelligence. He's a real asset to UoP.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The school did not stick me with a $2,000.00 bill (a concern I expressed in the e-mail near the end of this post). Indeed, they were very good at helping me not face any financial difficulties.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The problem with my wrist is dystonia. It's irreversible, and the only effective treatment is botox injections. These treatments are very expensive, expensive beyond my means, so, unless God performs a miracle, which I am praying for, my right hand is rather useless for writing and typing. I can type and write a little bit, but it's painful after just a minute or two. In fact, I am now learning how to write with my left hand.

That's all for now. I'm glad UoP turns out to be better than I thought.

It's been awhile since I've posted any videos to this blog.

So here are several for you to enjoy:

A trailer for Mary Poppins, if it was a horrow show.



A kickin' song, the video for which was filmed in Toronto (hello, Alan!).



My favorite part of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.



A clip of Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias at the University of Michigan.



Frozen Grand Central.

Let us never forget...

...our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Christ in the Middle East.

National Geographic--Arab Christians. (H/t to Mark Shea).

Where God Weeps/Aid to the Church in Need

Voice of the Martyrs

Open Doors with Brother Andrew

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many…that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whenever one member suffer, all the members suffer with it…"

The First Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Church at Corinth
(I Corinthians 12:12-14, 25, 26a NAV)

"Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured."

The Epistle of Hebrews
(Hebrews 13:3 NRSV)

Prayer for the Persecuted

Father in Heaven, You make Your sun shine on bad and good alike. Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for us all and in His glorious Resurrection He still retains the five wounds of His Passion. With His divine power He now sustains all those who suffer persecution and martyrdom for the sake of their fidelity to the faith of the Church. Merciful and mighty Father, do not allow Cain to return again to murder helpless Abel, innocent Abel. May the persecuted Christians remain, like Mary, their Mother, together at the foot of the Cross of Christ the Martyr. Comfort those menaced by violence and those oppressed by uncertainty. May Your Holy Spirit of love make fruitful the witness and the blood of those who die forgiving. Amen.

Here's a game for you...

You find a genie in a bottle. He will grant you three wishes with the following qualifications:

1) You may not wish for more wishes.
2) You may not wish for anything immoral.
3) You may not make a wish that would violate any person's free will, or that would result in another being coerced in any way to perform any action or act of the will that they would not freely choose.
4) You may not take moral shortcuts; that is, you may not wish you had a certain virtue or more of a certain virtue.

What would you wish for?

My wishes:

1) A photographic memory.
2) Fluency in all languages (past and present), in both their spoken and written forms.
3) Immunity to all sickness and disease. (That does not mean I'd live forever. I'd still be subject to aging, poison, the Mack truck driving down the street...)

In the Dearborn library system...

...this would never happen!

That's because, as I had the misfortune to discover recently, if someone borrows a book way past the due date, the book is considered lost and the account is sent to a COLLECTION AGENCY!

I'm back!

I have the internet again! You'd think I'd have a great many posts saved up in Microsoft Word, and would now be posting them. I don't, although there have been things I've wanted to write about. I will mention one of those things, however, no matter how long after the fact this is--

Susan Boyle, what a voice! I just heard her for the first time on YouTube, and I'm amazed! There are many, many videos of her on YouTube, but this is the absolutely best one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM&feature=related

Sorry I can't imbed it. Watch it in high quality.

Steve Hayner, the former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, while speaking at Urbana 2000 talked to us about Heaven. We can't comprehend it fully in this life, but we get glimpses of it, sometimes through a lovely smell (lilacs come to mind), a moving bit of art, a great musical masterpiece, and sometimes simply by a humble, church-attending woman near London just doing something she enjoys.

No internet after all!

The cable company never showed up, and they didn't call to say they wouldn't be at my house, either.

Their lack of good customer service has lost them my business.

My internet activity will continue to be spotty still.

I'm still around...

...and will have internet access as of March 13!

Lent has been awesome, so far. Daily Mass, more time in prayer, etc.: I can feel the effects!

Arabic classes have been okay. There are three letters of the alphabet I cannot pronounce correctly, neither can I have a meaningful conversation with anyone. I hope to continue studying Arabic in the future, however, and perhaps become fluent in it.

Next month, I'll be visiting the Oblates of Saint Joseph again, to discuss joining them.

I'll give a better update on next Friday or Saturday.

Still have only limited web access...

...but a quick update:

I start classes at a brick-and-morter (and whatever else the building is made of) school tomorrow!

I can only do one class this semester, so I settled on Beginning Arabic.

I can't wait!

My friends...

...blogging has been and will continue to be non-existant (well, maybe extremely sporadic) for awhile due to the fact that I have recently moved and thusly have extremely limited internet access: no internet at home, very little time to visit the library, and sometimes have access to the web at work, but not always.

However, on January 28th, I hope to attend the installation Mass for Detroit's new Archbishop-elect, His Excellency Allen Henry Vigneron! I will have my new digital camera with me, and will take and post pictures.

Update: added Monday, June 1, 2009

We had a lot of snow that day, so I missed the installation. [Insert frowny face here.]