Thursday, December 31, 2009

Boston Anglican Use Congregation Relocates to Brookline

The Congregation of Saint Athanasius, the Archdiocese of Boston Anglican Use congregation, has removed from West Roxbury to Saint Lawrence Church in Chestnut Hill, Brookline. The church is located at 774 Boylston Street (Route 9).

Sunday Anglican Use Mass is celebrated at 11:30 a.m.

The church is a fifteen-minute walk from Cleveland Circle Green Line trolleys, and Bus 60 has a stop at the church, in both directions. The church parking lot is behind the church, accessed from Heath Street and Reservoir Road.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

NOTE OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH ABOUT PERSONAL ORDINARIATES FOR ANGLICANS ENTERING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

[As published on the Vatican website October 20, 2009]

With the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion.

In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.

The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a world-wide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony. In this way, the Apostolic Constitution seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical and spiritual patrimony and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be integrated into the Catholic Church.

Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which has prepared this provision, said: "We have been trying to meet the requests for full communion that have come to us from Anglicans in different parts of the world in recent years in a uniform and equitable way. With this proposal the Church wants to respond to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups for full and visible unity with the Bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter."

These Personal Ordinariates will be formed, as needed, in consultation with local Conferences of Bishops, and their structure will be similar in some ways to that of the Military Ordinariates which have been established in most countries to provide pastoral care for the members of the armed forces and their dependents throughout the world. "Those Anglicans who have approached the Holy See have made clear their desire for full, visible unity in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. At the same time, they have told us of the importance of their Anglican traditions of spirituality and worship for their faith journey," Cardinal Levada said.

The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. "The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans," Cardinal Levada went on to say: "They have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion."

According to Levada: "It is the hope of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (4:5). Our communion is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith."

Background information

Since the sixteenth century, when King Henry VIII declared the Church in England independent of Papal Authority, the Church of England has created its own doctrinal confessions, liturgical books, and pastoral practices, often incorporating ideas from the Reformation on the European continent. The expansion of the British Empire, together with Anglican missionary work, eventually gave rise to a world-wide Anglican Communion.

Throughout the more than 450 years of its history the question of the reunification of Anglicans and Catholics has never been far from mind. In the mid-nineteenth century the Oxford Movement (in England) saw a rekindling of interest in the Catholic aspects of Anglicanism. In the early twentieth century Cardinal Mercier of Belgium entered into well publicized conversations with Anglicans to explore the possibility of union with the Catholic Church under the banner of an Anglicanism "reunited but not absorbed".

At the Second Vatican Council hope for union was further nourished when the Decree on Ecumenism (n. 13), referring to communions separated from the Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation, stated that: "Among those in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion occupies a special place."

Since the Council, Anglican-Roman Catholic relations have created a much improved climate of mutual understanding and cooperation. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) produced a series of doctrinal statements over the years in the hope of creating the basis for full and visible unity. For many in both communions, the ARCIC statements provided a vehicle in which a common expression of faith could be recognized. It is in this framework that this new provision should be seen.

In the years since the Council, some Anglicans have abandoned the tradition of conferring Holy Orders only on men by calling women to the priesthood and the episcopacy. More recently, some segments of the Anglican Communion have departed from the common biblical teaching on human sexuality—already clearly stated in the ARCIC document "Life in Christ"—by the ordination of openly homosexual clergy and the blessing of homosexual partnerships. At the same time, as the Anglican Communion faces these new and difficult challenges, the Catholic Church remains fully committed to continuing ecumenical engagement with the Anglican Communion, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

In the meantime, many individual Anglicans have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. Sometimes there have been groups of Anglicans who have entered while preserving some "corporate" structure. Examples of this include, the Anglican diocese of Amritsar in India, and some individual parishes in the United States which maintained an Anglican identity when entering the Catholic Church under a "pastoral provision" adopted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope John Paul II in 1982. In these cases, the Catholic Church has frequently dispensed from the requirement of celibacy to allow those married Anglican clergy who desire to continue ministerial service as Catholic priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church.

In the light of these developments, the Personal Ordinariates established by the Apostolic Constitution can be seen as another step toward the realization the aspiration for full, visible union in the Church of Christ, one of the principal goals of the ecumenical movement.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Latin Mass in St. Peter's

Reported here:
[Raymond] Burke, formerly Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, now the head of the Apostolic Signature of the Holy See, celebrated a solemn High Mass according to the old rite at 9:45 this morning in the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament in St. Peter's Basilica (photo by Angela Ambrogetti,who writes for Inside the Vatican and who attended the Mass)...

It was the first time a solemn High Mass according to the old rite has been celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica since 1969, 40 years ago.

Many low old rite Masses have been celebrated in different chapels of the basilica over the years, especially in the past two years since the promulgation on July 7, 2007, of Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict's motu proprio calling for wider celebration of the old Mass.

But this was the first High Mass in the old rite.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Today is Felt Hat Day


September 15th is Felt Hat Day the end of the season when men may wear their straw boaters and Panamas rather than the fur felt fedoras, porkpies, homburgs, and bowlers that we wear (You do wear a hat, don't you?) the rest of the year. For more information see http://www.thefedoralounge.com/. Straw hats may not be worn again until Straw Hat Day which is May 15th.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Remember the Working Man on Labor Day

POST-GAZETTE Res Publica
Remember the Working Man on Labor Day
by David Trumbull
September 4, 2009

In just over two weeks voters in Boston will give their suffrages in the preliminary election of mayor and city councillors. Four men vie for two slots on the final ballot for mayor. Each will appeal, especially around this Labor Day weekend, to the many men and women of Boston who daily don jeans, work-shirts, and hoodies, and go out—in the heat of summer and cold of winter—to perform the manual labor that makes it possible for the winner of the election—and a great many of the rest of us—to wear a suit to the office where if we break a sweat it is in only a figurative sense or because the air-conditioning in on the fritz. The would-be councillors, likewise, must sell themselves to laborers with a plea to elect me to a better-paid and less physically demanding position than yours and I’ll remember you and try to make your life better too.

Of course, Labor Day is not about only manual labor. In an increasingly white-collar workforce the division of labor and management is less stark than when Labor Day observances started in the 1880s. But it should be more than just another three-day weekend or a fashion milestone.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day goes back to 1882 and while the precise origin is unclear, that agency credits, at least tentatively, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, as the father. As my father was, for many years, a member of that union, I’m pleased to embrace that version. Massachusetts’ adoption of Labor Day as a legal holiday in 1887 was one of the first in the Union. By 1894 with a majority of the states having adopted the holiday it was finally enacted as a federal holiday.

Formerly cities and towns celebrated Labor Day with parades honoring the working man. Sadly the significance of the holiday has receded. A check of the calendar on the City of Boston website revealed no municipal Labor Day festivities planned on or around the day. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts website acknowledges the holiday and points visitors to information on the origin at the U.S. Dept. of Labor website. But the Commonwealth appears to have done no better than the City of Boston in organizing any official commemorative of the debt we all owe to the working men and women of the Bay State.

This Labor Day pause and reflect on the meaning of the day. Give thanks to millions—those not celebrated as Washington politicians or Hollywood stars—who do the work of this great nation.


David Trumbull is the chairman of the Boston Ward Three Republican Committee. Boston's Ward Three includes the North End, West End, part of Beacon Hill, downtown, waterfront, Chinatown, and part of the South End.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

David Trumbull is on vacation on Cape Cod this week. This repeat column originally appeared in the Post-Gazette of August 24, 2007.
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Wayby David Trumbull
August 7, 2009

Thanks largely to talk radio, we are aware of unnecessary, counterproductive and out-right harmful government projects to build bridges to nowhere and highways to expedite the destruction of American jobs. At the same time the roads and bridges we depend on daily are unsafe and overdue for maintenance. This is just one symptom of the crisis in leadership in Washington and on Beacon Hill.

My colleague Patrick McNamara and I have become fascinated with this question of leadership. We believe we have found some answers in the latest findings of science and in ancient history and literature.

Our claim is that wise leadership is central to the establishment of order in human society. Conversely an unscrupulous leader is central to production of disorder in society. Two styles of leadership are identified: 1) a prestige-oriented style where the leader attains his leadership position via a reputation for high moral character and accomplishment. 2) a dominance-oriented strategy where the leader attains his leadership position via an ability to politically manipulate and dominate his opponents. Both styles of leadership find their evolutionary roots in the need to develop cooperative enterprises and systems of trust between individuals and in the need to punish free-riders or individuals who seek to benefit from cooperative enterprises without contributing any of the work required for
success.

Like the ancient biographer Plutarch, we believe that leadership is relational and that the motivations of leaders and followers are keys to understanding leadership and change. We also find that leadership has moral dimensions. We therefore make a distinction between transforming and transactional leadership. Transactional leadership is the process whereby one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of valued things. Transformational leadership has a greater moral content in that it transforms followers into moral agents and leaders in their own right. We show that these lessons on leadership can be found in the ancient Greek philosopher and biographer Plutarch.

Plutarch taught and wrote in the Roman Empire in the second century of our era. The aim of his successful school of rhetoric and philosophy was to turn boys into men with the intellectual and moral strength to be leaders. His theory of leadership is worked out and illustrated in a series of biographies of leaders of the classical age. He argued that emulation of the moral and intellectual virtues of others could trigger leadership skills in anyone who had a little ambition. We look at Plutarch's insights into emulation and leadership; we then summarize the scientific literature on emulation and leadership theory. We then conclude with recommendations on how to incorporate emulation as a focus into future leadership studies.

Our book, An Evolutionary Psychology of Leader-Follower Relations ( ISBN: 1-60021-562-9), is available from Nova Science Publishers (www.novapublishers.com)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Don't Be an Idiot

POST-GAZETTE - Res Publica
Don't Be an Idiot
by David Trumbull
July 24, 2009

We have become a nation of observers and consumers. We buy (or illegally download) our music rather than entertain ourselves, we watch Dancing with the Stars rather than going out to the few dance venues for anyone over the age of 22. We vote in smaller numbers than before and when we vote we make our decision based on slick television advertisements, not on personal participation in political organizations. State and local political committees struggle to recruit members. Time was in America when attending political meetings and listening to “stump” speeches were highly popular leisure-time activities, just as was listening to, and critiquing, sermons. It’s time we take back control of our lives, make our own decisions, and learn again how to enjoy time passed with friends in conversation, active sports, or entertaining each other.

The just over nine percent voter turnout in the last election held here in Boston suggests that the “Athens of America” is far from the idealized democracy of ancient Athens. Under the laws of Solon, an Athenian could be stripped of his citizenship for failing to participate in public affairs. Fifth century Athenian leader Pericles, in his oft quoted funeral oration over the dead fallen in battle, said:
“Our ordinary citizens, though occupied with the pursuits of industry, are still fair judges of public matters; for, unlike any other nation, regarding him who takes no part in these duties not as unambitious but as useless.”
Or as a less literal translation puts it bluntly:
“Here each citizen is interested not only in their own affairs but in the affairs of the city…we do not say that a person who takes no interest in politics is a person who minds his own business; we say that this person has no business here at all.”
The Greeks even had a word for such private citizens who minded their own business while neglecting the business of the commonwealth; it’s a word still in use, although the meaning has shifted a bit—the word was IDIOT. Don’t be an idiot!

[David Trumbull is the chairman of the Boston Ward Three Republican
Committee. Boston's Ward Three includes the North End, West End, part of Beacon
Hill, downtown, waterfront, Chinatown, and part of the South End.]

Saturday, July 11, 2009

A Jacobite Anniversary, July 14th

Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern (born July 14, 1933), styled as His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria, is head of the Wittelsbach family, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Franz is a great-grandson of the last King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, who was deposed in 1918. He is also the current senior co-heir-general of King Charles I of England and Scotland, and thus is considered by Jacobites to be the heir of the House of Stuart and the rightful ruler of England, Scotland and Ireland, though he himself does not advance the claim.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

A Prayer for Independence Day


"Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

From the Book of Divine Worship.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Hebrew Prophet Samuel Warns Against Rule by a King

Today, a mere week before we celebrate America's Independence from the King of England, the reading at Morning Prayer from 1 Samuel 8:4-18 reminds us of the Manner of the king that shall reign over those who would have a king--
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Anglican Convent to Become Catholic

The New Liturgical Movement reports that Anglican Convent of All Saints to be Received in Full Communion with the Catholic Church.

Beer is Proof that God Loves Us...


A recent study shows beer better than water after exercise.

This is a good time to set the record straight. Benjamin Franklin did not, as is so frequently asserted, say "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Anyone who has read his Autobiography knows that Dr. Franlin had a low regard for beer and beer-drinkers.

Dr. Franklin was, however, a wine drinker, and he wrote--
We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. The miracle in question was only performed to hasten the operation, under circumstances of present necessity, which required it. --Letter to Abbé Morellet (1779)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

POST-GAZETTE - Res Publica
I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag
by David Trumbull
June 12, 2009

Sunday, June 14th, is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, June 14, 1777. Since 1966 the week that includes June 14th has been designated National Flag Week.

The United States Code (4 U.S.C. § 8) sets forth regulations so that no disrespect be shown to the flag of the United States of America.

(a) The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.

(c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.

(e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.

(f) The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.

(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

(h) The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.

(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.


[David Trumbull is the chairman of the Boston Ward Three Republican Committee. Boston's Ward Three includes the North End, West End, part of Beacon Hill, downtown, waterfront, Chinatown, and part of the South End.]

Friday, May 22, 2009

Buy a Poppy for a Disabled Vet

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The Torch: be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872-1918)


Each year I see fewer and fewer men on the street wearing remembrance poppies on Memorial Day, since 1971 celebrated on the last Monday in May. One year I couldn’t even find anyone selling “Buddy Poppies,” the paper replica flowers that the Veterans of Foreign Wars sell to raise money for disabled veterans.

For more than 75 years, the VFW's Buddy Poppy program has raised millions of dollars in support of veterans’ welfare and the well being of their dependents. According to the VFW, the name “Buddy Poppy” is registered with the U.S. Patent Office. The VFW has made that trademark a guarantee that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are genuine products of the work of disabled and needy veterans. No other organization, firm or individual can legally use the name “Buddy” Poppy.

When you buy your Buddy Poppy to wear this Memorial Day you will be giving material aid to a disabled veteran. And when you wear your Buddy Poppy you will remind to everyone who sees you of the meaning of Memorial Day.

The American Legion also sells crepe paper poppies for Memorial Day. That is another fine organization worthy of your support.

Although the United States Department of Veterans Affairs states “The wearing of poppies in honor of America's war dead is traditionally done on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day” many of us do join our friends from the British Commonwealth nations in wearing the red poppy of remembrance on November 11th as well.

This Memorial Day remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion to cause of liberty.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A Rogation Day Collect For Commerce and Industry


Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with thy people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to thy will; and give to us all a pride in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

From Morning Prayer for the Week of the Sixth Sunday in Easter, according to Book of Divine Worship.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Mass in St. Mary of the Martyrs, Rome

In the aftermath of the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Marcus Agrippa built and dedicated the original Pantheon during his third consulship (27 BC). Augustus's Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a huge fire in 80 AD. The current building dates from about 126 AD,[4] during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, as date-stamps on the bricks reveal. It was totally reconstructed with the text of the original inscription ("M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT", standing for Latin: Marcus Agrippa, Lucii filius, consul tertium fecit translated to "'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this") which was added to the new facade, a common practice in Hadrian's rebuilding projects all over Rome. Hadrian was a cosmopolitan emperor who travelled widely in the East and was a great admirer of Greek culture. He might have intended the Pantheon, a temple to all the gods, to be a kind of ecumenical or syncretist gesture to the subjects of the Roman Empire who did not worship the old gods of Rome, or who (as was increasingly the case) worshipped them under other names. How the building was actually used is not known.

In 609 the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Christian church and consecrated it to Santa Maria ad Martyres, now known as Santa Maria dei Martiri.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Friday is Straw Hat Day

May 15th is Straw Hat Day the beginning of the season when men may wear their straw boaters and Panamas rather than the fur felt fedoras, porkpies, homburgs, and bowlers that we wear (You do wear a hat, don't you?) the rest of the year. For more information see http://www.thefedoralounge.com. Straw hats may be worn until Felt Hat Day which is September 15th.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

2009 National Day of Prayer

May 7, 2009 National Day of Prayer Boston event State House in room 437 from nine o'clock through noon. Coordinator Pastor Larry Avila 508-989-8528, avilalj@comcast.net.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Filene's Basement To Sell Boston Store

Filene's Basement To Sell Boston Store

Since the Basement closed "temporarily" so they could destroy Downtown with that pointless hole in ground I have done all my clothes shopping online or with two little old Italian tailors on Pearl Street. I tried Macy's a few times but gave up after never finding what I was looking for (not exotic items, just shirts and ties). That place is so badly laid out that I never did find the men's department, if they have one. But in trying to find it I felt like a WWI doughboy in a mustard gas attack 'cause apparently there is no way to enter the store without passing through at area of vile stench they call the perfume department.

Then I went to Marshalls, TJ Max, and H&M. At least I could find the men's department. It was very small and all three had precisely the same items at exactly the same prices and not a thing I would take if they gave it away. The selection was as varied as that of a Moscow, USSR department story circa 1959. Suits, yep we got 'em two-button, center -- you gots two colors to chose fom. Shirts, sure we got dress shirts, all spread collar, one-button barrel cuff, your choice of six colors and two in stripes (but they only come in a size 15). None in my size (which is not an odd size). Casual shirts, you betcha , four selections of prints, all straight collar and 2-button barrell cuff. None with sleaves long enough for me (it's not like I'm some freak-o-nature or basketball player, just a normal build plus ten pounds overweight). Swimsuits -- about a half-doz. models, all too small for anyone who has eaten in say the last four months.

No wonder retail is dying!

Oh, and I passed by the formalwear shop on Milk St (by "formalwear" they mean, of course a mixture of semi-formalwear and outlandish costumes that band-leaders formerly wore in the warmer months). Half of their display window is given over to t-shirts that look like they were used to clean up used motor-oil spills. I predict that shop won't be around much longer either.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Latin Mass North of Boston

Here is the revised schedule for the Tridentine Latin Masses in the North Shore and Merrimack Valley, effective January 25, 2009:

1st Sundays - 3 PM, Lawrence/Methuen
2nd Sundays - 2 PM, Peabody
3rd Sundays - 3 PM, Lawrence/Methuen
4th Sundays - 2 PM, Peabody
5th Sundays - as announced

1st Saturdays - 9 AM, Peabody

Lawrence/Methuen - Corpus Christi Parish at Holy Rosary Church, 35 Essex Street, Lawrence. It is anticipated that the Mass will shift to St. Monica Parish, 212 Lawrence St., Methuen, during the Summer months, as the latter is air conditioned. Note that the 3rd Friday Mass in Lawrence is discontinued at this time.
Peabody - St. Adelaide Parish, 708 Lowell St., Peabody.

Also note that there will be a Sung High Mass at St. Adelaide's, Peabody, for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas) on Monday, February 2nd, at 7:30 PM.

Schedules are regularly updated at LatinMassNorth.org.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

A Prayer for The President of the United States, and all in Civil Authority.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, the high and mighty Ruler of the universe, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth; Most heartily we beseech thee, with thy favour to behold and bless thy servant THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and all others in authority; and so replenish them with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that they may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant them in health and prosperity long to live; and finally, after this life, to attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer is from the Book of Common Prayer adopted by the Episcopal Church in the United States of American in October 1789. It has been in continuous use since that date. It is modeled after A Prayer for the King’s Majesty in the 1662 and 1559 editions of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.

It is said to have been adapted from prayers for the ruling authorities in the 6th century Sacramentary of St. Gregory, and can be traced back to the admonition, "..that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.." (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

Friday, January 9, 2009

Sunday, Jan. 11 Traditional Latin Mass, Bellingham

Father David J. Mullen, the pastor of Saint Brendan Parish, will celebrate tradition Latin Mass on the second Sunday of every month at 1:30 p.m. at Saint Brendan Church at 384 Hartford Ave. in Bellingham. Booklets on TLM will be offered for home study. More information is available at 508-966-0260.

We Forgot What Our Message Was

Mass. Republican Assembly to Meet Saturday, Jan. 7

The Republican Wing of the Republican Party

MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY
mass-republican-assembly.com
P.O. Box 391744
Cambridge, MA 02139

CALLING ALL GOOD REPUBLICANS TO JOIN WITH THE REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY AND FOSTER TRADITIONAL REPUBLICAN VALUES AT OUR (RE)ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

SATURDAY, 17 JANUARY AT 1PM
HILTON GARDEN INN, WORCESTER, MA
RSVP: mikepotaski@hotmail.com

Republican Assembly Beliefs

All political power and influence should flow from the grass roots upward.

All human rights are granted by God, not government, and that the original intent of the founders was valid.

The Constitution was written by wise men under the inspiration of God and that the original intent of the Founders is as valid and binding today as it was in their day.

The Constitution was written to govern a moral and religious people and it is being destroyed by those who are neither.

That the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life, which cannot be infringed. That sacred right extends to all persons regardless of age or infirmity and also would not allow for euthanasia, assisted suicide, or public funding of any of these practices.

The traditional family is the foundation and cornerstone of our society and we will oppose any attempt to undermine or redefine the family unit.

The founders never intended to separate God from government but did intend to prevent government from establishing a single state religion or inhibiting the citizen's right to the free exercise of religion in any setting, public or private.

Free market capitalism is the only economic system that creates the opportunities and incentives that will allow maximum productivity and prosperity for its citizens. It is the necessary partner of political freedom.

In the necessity of national sovereignty, we also consider it crucial to return to appropriate state sovereignty under the 10th amendment.

Republican Assembly Principles

We pledge our allegiance to uphold the Precious constitution as originally intended by our Country's Founding Fathers. We hold to principles over politics.

The power of the federal government must be strongly bound by the chains of the Constitution to allow maximum individual achievement through freedom.

Our country is a sovereign nation. We must never compromise our national sovereignty to other nations, the United Nations, or any other world organization. Our Foreign Policy must always reflect our national self-interest.

Our individual states have sovereign authority to govern the lands and peoples within their borders. We will not abide usurpation of state sovereignty by Federal mandate or economic extortion.

We believe that each of us should be free to achieve or fail according to our individual abilities, without the need for governmental assistance or quotas.

Taxes should serve only to pay for the enumerated Constitutional duties of government. It is not the role of our government to penalize financial success, nor protect from financial failure. Each citizen should share equitably in financing the freedoms we enjoy.

Parents bear the final responsibility before God in the rearing of their children. Parents have been commanded by God to love their children and lead them in the paths of truth. Parents must be free to discipline their children in love and direct their education without government intrusion.