Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

I am reading Willa Cather's Shadows on the Rock . Though not a Catholic, Cather certainly captures the heart of Catholicism in 17th century Quebec. Her passages concerning St. Francois de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec, are especially moving. Behold, how the saintly man called his flock to Mass every morning: "The Bishop got up at four o'clock every morning, dressed without fire, went with his lantern into the church, and rang the bell for early mass for the working people. Many good people who did not want to go to mass at all, when they heard that hoarse, frosty bell clanging out under the black sky where there was not yet even a hint of daybreak, groaned and went to the church. Because they thought of the old Bishop at the end of the bell-rope, and because his will was stronger than theirs. He was a stubborn, high-handed, tyrannical, quarrelsome old man, but no one could deny that he shepherded his sheep." May God grant us many stubborn, high-handed, tyrannical,...

 The so-called second wave of the pandemic is set to come down on us this fall/winter. The first hit of Covid-19 was terrifying. I don't mean the actual virus was terrifying, but rather the meltdown of society. Work, church, recreation, logic... all were more or less thrown out the door. It did allow for more reading, however. And time to think and pray. With that in mind, here are a some books I highly recommend as we move past summer and into more craziness. Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright - Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Dr. K's latest book came at a perfect time. I've had so many questions about the Mass, particularly in regards to the worth of attending Masses that are gong shows. Add in the question of raising children in this environment, and it has been downright perplexing. Dr. K not only explains the worth of the traditional Latin Mass, but he delves into the very purpose of the Mass, and the guiding principles for how we are to approach each Mass. His work provid...

How quickly time passes, memories fade, and youth withers. A couple of evenings ago my wife was reading Defending Boyhood by Anthony Esolen when she stumbled upon the lyrics of a song Esolen was mentioning in passing. "Hey, do you know this song? The words sound familiar... It goes: 'Gaudeamus igitur, Iuvenes dum sumus…" "Hmm. I'd have to see." After staring blankly at the words for a couple of minutes, desperately trying to hum various Latin tunes, suddenly the scales fell from our eyes, and we were able to recognize a treasure from our youth. We began to piece the tune together. "We used to sing that in Latin class at OLSWA! Mr. Zakrzewski taught it to us." "That's right. I can still see and hear him. He'd be so into it. It was his dream to have the old academic hymn make a glorious comeback. We used to sing that song everywhere. On hikes, in class, anywhere." And so it is, the great academic song trumpeting all youth to seize ...

We head back to school in a few weeks. Oh you should hear the socialists crying out - "Death! Bloody Murder!" - about the fact that, at least for now in Saskatchewan, staff and students won't be required to wear masks. I'm not sure why socialists love masks so much. Science Incorporated? Trust in the Globalist Agenda ? Because surgeons in a sterile and controlled-air environment use masks so as not to spit on a vulnerable person's internal organs? Or, they're just flat out ugly people, and the covering does them good? The other day I saw a woman walking her dog in an open field. She was wearing a mask. My only thought was, "and these people vote?" May as well put a mask on Fido while you're at it. Except I'll bet Fido would have none of that. Either way, here is a solid article by a teacher across the pond. Check it out HERE . A snippet: It also feeds the terror propagated by clickbait media. My least favourite weasel word in all this is ‘unp...

  As is my yearly custom, I will post my summer projects. Each year the projects get less and less impressive. No longer am I jackhammering concrete, ripping out tubs, or remodeling kitchens. Now it's more about doing little projects with the kids. And so, here is a glimpse at summer, 2020: Project 1: playhouse The boys took apart the old sandbox. And carted it away. We built a deck together, now they're holding up the walls while I hammer them in place. Sheeting. The boys put in hundreds of nails. The playhouse is half nails. Ahh the roof. I built it specifically to use exactly one bundle of shingles.  Last touches, putting the sand back. Here we are! A sneak peak of the inside. A little kitchen area for Emilie. Also, some storage shelves (the real reason I built the playhouse...). Project 2: shiplap feature wall Not much to say here. I was sitting staring at a wall in our living room at the heart of the virus lockdown. And I thought... "That wall might look good with shi...

I recommend everyone go to David Warren's website and read his latest on wearing a mask to protect yourself. It turns out masks are highly effective for our safety... just not in the way you may think. HERE A snippet: I carry one around, in the back pocket of my trousers. It has served me for several weeks now. A kindly friend gave it to me. I take it out whenever I must enter a store, or other place that might have people in it. In obedience to the latest nanny-state law, I put it on. This is to keep everybody happy. I realize it is useless against a virus, but I’m trying to avoid getting beaten up. That, I think, is the only thing it’s good for.

Not everything has been going our way lately. Because of this, yesterday was a very good day. Two things to complain about: the rain and the Mass. The rain has been plentiful this summer. Too plentiful. The only thing more plentiful than the rain has been the mosquitos. Meanwhile, the Mass has been frustrating. Mass? I Meant Massk. Or was that the holy sacrifice of the Mask? Call it what you will, but when a priest becomes afraid of COVID, it becomes a hellish nightmare for the parish. Or what's left of the parish. God is good. Yesterday we ended up at a Mass in a nearby town. Our third in four months. The Mass there is usually a challenge, liturgically speaking. But what a difference four months makes. The Mass yesterday was just a normal Mass. No incessant talk on The Virus. No masks and gloves.  No hand pumping of sanitizer every 34 seconds. Just a small, practical, and very normal Mass (liturgical challenges and all). I cannot tell you enough how refreshed our souls...

102 days. From back in March until now, it was exactly 102 days in between Masses at my local parish. It was about as I expected. As I frequently say, “expect the worst, and you won’t be disappointed.” We arrived the mandatory 15 minutes early to avoid being locked out. The church was allowed up to 30 people (technically more, but I won't get into that). Some people were spaced out, gasp, with one pew separating themselves from others. They were promptly told to move to a gap of two pews before Mass could start. That was pretty awkward. Mass was 55 minutes long. Approximately 26 minutes of that was chatter about COVID-19 and regulations. At the last second, we discovered that for those wishing to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, the priest was to wear gloves (to go along with his mask). They were super cheap hospital gloves that crinkled and touched the side of the mouth (without the priest knowing it). That’ll have to be the last Holy Communion we receive t...

JP hits it out of the park with this one:

Sometimes words are hardly necessary. Behold Bishop McElroy's 2020 Pentecost Mass for all Cultures. He is head of the diocese of San Diego. Procession Reading Virtual Prayers of the Faithful Setting the Table... Incensed yet? How about now? Let's Zoom over to his view A touching photo Jammin' To quote Susan from the Parish Council: "Bless and Amem."