I did not make it to the display of the Tilma relic last night -- by the time I got there it was over. Bishop Moreno (our retired bishop) didn't make it either. It sounds like it was a good turnout though.

Happy Halloween! Here's my Friday Five:

1. What was your first Halloween costume?

I really don't remember.

2. What was your best costume and why?

I don't know about "best" costume. One year I went as Mickey Mouse -- it was pretty simple, just my mouse ears, a white turtleneck, white gloves, black pants, and a high squeaky voice...

3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?

No.

4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)

No, not really.

5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!

It's probably the legend of the headless horseman (Ichabod Crane etc.).

Not your average Catholic schoolgirls! Okay, this one is too good. CNN reports "Girls pummel man who exposed himself":

A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police said Friday.

St. Maria Goretti would be proud... well, maybe. I suspect she would have been gentler and a bit more loving.

Happy Birthday, mom! Today would have been my mother's 73rd birthday.

Breathing trees. Tucson is getting a lot of smoke from the Southern California fires, so much so that we can barely see the mountains. That's a lot of trees burning.

The following letter appears in today's Arizona Daily Star:


Ambrose is no Bible scholar

Jay Ambrose thinks newly appointed V. Gene Robinson should decline his position as bishop in the Episcopal Church USA ("Gay man should decline Episcopal bishop post," Oct. 26). Ambrose should resign from his self-appointed position as amateur Bible scholar.

I could just see Ambrose's 19th-century counterpart counseling compromise as the Baptist and Methodist churches approached schism over the slavery controversy.

Certainly, they argued that church unity was more important than human rights, especially rights that the Bible seemed to know little of.

Ambrose fails to mention that the four gospels make no mention of the immorality of homosexual actions.

He also fails to note that Paul, like his Hebrew scriptures counterparts, rarely writes on the subject, and, when they do, it is clear that they are most concerned with differentiating their communities from so-called other cultures.

Ambrose's most serious blunder is when he tries to argue that Paul's interest is in behavior not orientation.

Considering that the word "homosexuality" does not enter modern languages until the late 19th century, he is anachronistically expecting that the first century Paul could make a distinction between orientation and action.

The sacrifice "Christianity is about" is not the compromise of human dignity!

Thomas Rogers

Teacher


Of course, the disturbing part of this letter is that the author is a theology teacher at Salpointe Catholic High School.

Exciting stuff! A piece of the Tilma of Tepeyac will be displayed in Tucson tomorrow. I bet the crowds will be immense, but I'm going to try to visit after work. There's more info on the diocesan website.

*sigh* I took my car in to the shop to get my alternator belt replaced because it was squealing, and also to fix my power antenna. Well, it turns out I need a new water pump too, and while they are in there they're going to replace the timing belt (it's almost due anyway). So instead of $250 or so it's going to be more like $1000. *sigh*

Some people claim that Tucson doesn't have four seasons; I think they just have not been here long enough or are not observant. Fall arrived in Tucson Saturday night; Sunday was blustery with a high of just 73! This week the highs are in the low 80s and lows are in the high 50s. That's quite a change from two weeks ago when we were breaking high temperature records.

Collegium Musicum Concert
John T. Brobeck, Director
Wayne Glass, Assistant Director

October 26, 2003
2:30 p.m.
Holsclaw Hall, University of Arizona®

Program

Ista est speciosa

Mathieu Gasgongne (fl. c. 1500 - c. 1535)

*
Pastourelle dieu te donit joye
Je voys je viens mon cueur
J'ay mys mon cueur
Wayne Glass, tenor
Tom Tompkins, tenor
Christopher Jackson, baritone
Vanessa R. Sheldon, harp
Peter Worden, recorder
*
Bone Jesu dulcissime
*
En contemplant la beauté de m'amie
D'amour je suis desheritée
Robin viendras tu à le veille

Erin Hagedon Amber Lee Harrington Molly Holleran

Martina Chylikova Tereza Jandura

Joshua Koch Alex Woods

Wayne Glass, viol & recorder
Vanessa R. Sheldon, harp
Peter Worden, recorder


*

Mijn hert altijt heeft verlanghen

Pierre de la Rue (c. 1460 - 1518)

    Wayne Glass, tenor
    Christopher Jackson, baritone
    Vanessa R. Sheldon, harp
    Peter Worden, recorder

Missa Mijn hert altijt heeft verlanghen

M. Gasgongne

    Kyrie
    Gloria
    Credo
    Sanctus
    Agnus Dei
Soli Choir:

Lydia Bell Erin Hagedon Molly Holleran

Kieran Fasse Andrea Garcia Tereza Jandura

Christopher Jackson Alex Woods Gordon Zaft

Music for Mass
SSPP Latin Schola
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Prelude: Spirit Seeking Light and Beauty (Trad. Gaelic)
Gathering Song: Praise My Soul the King of Heaven (LAUDA ANIMA)
Penitential Rite: Kyrie (Chant Mass)
Gloria: (Chant Mass)
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126 (Domincan tones)
Gospel Acclamation: (Chant Mass w/verse of the day)
Preparation of the Gifts: Voce Mea ad Dominum (Gomulka, Pius X Hymnal #32)
Jesu, Salvator Mundi (Pius X Hymnal #215)
Holy,Holy: Sanctus (Chant Mass)
Memorial Acclamation: (Chant Mass)
Great Amen: (Chant Mass)
Our Father: (Traditional Chant)
Lamb of God: Agnus Dei (Chant Mass)
Communion: Amazing Grace
Meditation: Panis Angelicus (St. Gregory Hymnal #229b)
Recessional: Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens (Beethoven)

Amazing Grace used the original words, thanks be to God!

I didn't make it this year, but today is Band Day at The University of Arizona®.

Cardinal Arinze has some good stuff to say about the liturgy:

Even when we give the hasty innovator the benefit of the doubt, that the motivation is a sincere attempt to bring the liturgy home to the people, it remains true that the results are generally disastrous. Unapproved innovations distract and annoy the people. They often draw attention to the priest rather than to God. They generally do not last long. They are often superficial. And they scandalize because they run against Church norms and regulations. If many lay people had only one request to make, they would ask that the priest celebrate Mass, or other rites, simply according to the approved books. Many lay faithful complain that rarely do they find two priests celebrating the Eucharistic sacrifice in the same way. The Roman liturgy is not a free-for-all experimentation field where each celebrant has the option to tag on his cherished accretions. Repeated and laid-down action is part of ritual. The people are not tired of it, as long as the celebrant is full of faith and devotion and has the proper ars celebrandi (art of how to celebrate).

To which I add a hearty Amen! Read the full text at EWTN. Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

There's no Friday Five this week, but I did remember!

I finally broke down and bought some new furniture -- a new entertainment center and a new mattress/box spring. My old mattress was 16 years old or so so I was definitely overdue for a new one. The new entertainment center is a little bigger than my old one, but much better constructed and sturdier, more attractive, and it matches my bookcases. Yea!

Rejoice! My beautiful goddaughter Isabel now has a baby sister, Brayden!

I consider myself a patriotic person. I've been that way from childhood, but it was enhanced and strengthened during the 6 years I worked for the US Navy as a civil service electronics engineer. During that time I had a chance to see first-hand the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of our armed forces. If you want a reminder, check out this cool slide show. Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

Okay, Halloween is fast approaching and, much though I'd like to just skip the whole thing, I need to come up with a costume. I've been coerced into being Amber Lee's designated driver -- not because she's going to be sloshed, but because her costume (she's going as Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind) is going to have a huuuuuge hoop skirt which would make it difficult to drive. So I need a costume... not one from GWTW (don't want to compete, and anything I come up with is not going to compare with the huge amount of effort AL has put into her costume) but something... ideas, folks?

I was very happy to hear on the news as I was traveling yesterday that due to a lot of work by the Florida legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush, Terri Schiavo's feeding will resume. Of course that hasn't prevented her "husband"'s lawyer from being an idiot.

I just got back from a work trip to Connecticut and New Hampshire. Sunday night I flew into Hartford and had meetings all day Monday. Monday evening I drove up to Manchester and had meetings in Bedford Tuesday morning, then drove to Boston and flew home.

I'd never been to New England before, and I found the parts I visited to be much less urbanized than I expected. Central Connecticut and the swath of Massachusetts I drove through were very pretty. It was a good time to be there as the leaves were turning in many places. The daytime weather was (by Tucson standards) quite cool (50s) and the overnights were darn cold (mid 30s). I really enjoyed the non-work parts of my trip (the work parts were just very busy).

Flying out of Logan was a bit strange. I'd only flown out of Boston once before, back in '97 or '98. Flying out of there now was bit strange. Security seems tighter to me than it was even the last time I flew -- nowadays people just take off their shoes and send 'em through the x-ray machine rather than wait to be asked to take them off. And of course, realizing that Logan is where two of the 9/11 planes took off from (and flying on an American Airlines Boeing 757 which was the same type as one of the planes that day) reminded me of the tragedy again. It's only been two years and yet it seems both yesterday and a million years ago. To think only a couple of years ago we didn't have this implicit fear about flying, or planes. We showed up just in time to catch our flights and security was just a formality. I wonder if I'll ever really get over it.

Tonight I went to the UA's Arizona Symphony Orchestra and Arizona Choir concert with my friend Alex. The program was:

The Far Edge (Daniel Asia)
8th Symphony "Unfinished" (Schubert)
Mass in Cm (Mozart)

The Asia piece was... well, let's just say if I listen to it a few more times maybe it will start to take hold. For the most part it was over my head.

The Schubert was very nicely done -- the symphony seemed well balanced and played very lyrically.

The Mozart was nice. I knew several people in the choir, including a couple of the soloists who have been in Collegium Musicum. The Latin was pronounced as Germanic Latin (e.g. "qui" pronounced "kvee" etc.) That drives me bonkers, and I have my doubts that it really is authentic performance practice for Mozart. At least, I suspect that in Vienna it would have been done in the usual Italianate fashion. I'll have to ask Dr. Brobeck at Collegium about it sometime.

My Friday Five:

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.

John, James, Andrew, Steven, and Peter. Wait, you want me to identify 5 things in my 'fridge? Okay... Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Pepsi, water, cheese, hamburger buns.

2. Name five things in your freezer.

Hamburger patties, ice, french fries, sugar-free popsicles, and one of those nice ice-pack thingies you get at the hospital (I saved it from when I broke my arm).

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.

409 spray, silver polish, bug spray, wasp spray, and the green pad thingies I use for doing dishes.

4. Name five things around your computer.

Which one? Well, for the main one at home... a wrist rest, a gecko toy-thing that a friend (he's since passed on, unfortunately) gave me, floppy disks, CDs, and lots and lots of manuals.

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.

acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sunscreen, decongestant, allergy medicine.

A Diocese of Tucson priest was sentenced to 5 years in prison for child molesting. I have to say, though, in reading the story there are some things that just don't seem to make sense. I pray that justice has been done.

Today we celebrate 25 years of Pope John Paul II's reign as Supreme Pontiff! Ad Multos Annos, Holy Father!

You can send anniversary greetings to the Holy Father here.

The Anglican Communion has met with the Archbishop of Canterbury. They've basically warned the Episcopal Church not to go forward with their planned ordination of a practicing homosexual as a bishop:

Therefore, as a body we deeply regret the actions of the Diocese of New Westminster and the Episcopal Church (USA) which appear to a number of provinces to have short-circuited that process, and could be perceived to alter unilaterally the teaching of the Anglican Communion on this issue. They do not.

They've posted the complete statement.

It appears the Florida courts have ordered Terri Schiavo to be starved to death. Please pray for her, her parents, and for life to be respected and the court decision overthrown.

Music for Mass
SSPP Latin Schola
Diocese of Tucson Red Mass

Prelude: Sicut Cervus (Palestrina)
I Have Longed For Thy Saving Health (Byrd)
Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart)
Alma Redemptoris Mater (Palestrina)
Gathering Song: God We Praise You (NETTLETON)
Penitential Rite: Kyrie (Chant Mass)
Responsorial Psalm: (OCP Respond & Acclaim)
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia (Walker)
Intercessions: Oyenos Mi Dios (Hurd)
Preparation of the Gifts: All Good Gifts (Keil)
Holy,Holy: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Memorial Acclamation: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Great Amen: Mass of Creation (Haugen)
Our Father: (Traditional Chant)
Lamb of God: Agnus Dei (Chant Mass)
Communion: One Bread, One Body (Foley)
Tantum Ergo (St. Gregory Hymnal #242b)
Recessional: God Bless America (Traditional)

It was definitely a bit jarring to go from "One Bread, One Body" to "Tantum Ergo".

I've posted a kind of important personal reflection here on my skating blog. It's a reflection on the freedom that skating has brought me in my life.

Friday night I went to see Arizona Opera's production of The Pearl Fishers (Bizet). It was pretty good! The Arizona Daily Star gives it a pretty good review as well. It is a relatively obscure opera (i.e. your average Joe on the street has never heard of it) but it was well done and quite enjoyable. The first-act duet between Zurga and Nadir was particularly nice.

Of course I went to the UA football game yesterday, and again the Cats lost (24-21). I missed the first home game of the year, which turns out to have been the only one that they won. Still, in yesterday's game against UCLA the Cats played respectably, leading for most of the game and putting in a performance that was both fun to watch and encouraging. Star columnist Greg Hansen says, "On a night the Wildcats blew it, they made their first clear move toward respectability. "

Here are my Friday Five, right on time!

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?

I watch almost no sports at all. The only sports I watch on TV are figure skating, and women's gymnastics (and away games of UA football). The only sport I watch live is UA football and the occasional Sidewinders baseball game.

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?

Of course, the UA Wildcats. Favorite athletes are Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen -- also Shannon Miller is very inspirational. On the male side, Tedy Bruschi was an awesome, awesome defensive player for UA, and I really admired QB Keith Smith.


3. Are there any sports you hate?

Not that I hate. There are many sports I refuse to watch, though, with golf being on the top of the list. There are few sports that I wouldn't play at, say, a picnic.

4. Have you ever been to a sports event?

I have season tickets for UA football. I've also been to a 49ers game with my dad a long time ago.

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?

I never played any sports in school. I am learning to figure skate, as readers of my skating blog know.

Robert Cringely has a good column on identity theft, privacy, and how we can improve our security and safety by going back to being a tribe. Check it out! Cringely is almost always a good read.

In an important ruling, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled against a challenge to the state law reserving marriage to one man and one woman.

Check out this cool post by Fr. Rob Johansen on his experiences both receiving and administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thank God for priests like for Fr. Rob!

A nice article in today's paper on Tucson's observance of the Year of the Rosary.

Good grief! It looks like Arnold is going to win the California governorship... well, they get what they deserve I guess. At least he's not eligible to be President!

Okay, it's late, but here's my Friday Five:

1. What vehicle do you drive?

A '97 Mazda 626 (burgundy). I bought it used. It was hard to find since I wanted a car with a stick shift. I like it a lot.

2. How long have you had it?

Since June of '99 (a bit over 4 years).

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?

That would have to be the "Swing" button. "Swing" mode means that there are little motors that move the AC vents in the dash so that the air stream coming out of them swings back and forth.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?

Alas, it would appear that I got a defective paint job since the paint on my hood (at least) is "crazing". It's too bad. Apparently the only fix is to strip it down to actual bare metal and repaint, which is much more expensive than a standard paint job.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?

Hmm. I like the new Mazda 6 that's out. My friend Maria has a Volvo S60 that's pretty nice -- sporty and very comfy at the same time. And of course it would be fun to have the red '72 Alfa Romeo Spyder (if money really isn't an object).

In another fine example of "piling on", 4 new lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Tucson. The lawsuits claim sexual abuse by priests and were filed in California since that state has changed its laws (in a flagrantly unconstitutional way) to retroactively change the statute of limitations on such cases.

I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the UA Wildcats got the stuffing beat out of them by WSU, 30-7. Still, by all accounts (the game was an away game and wasn't televised) the Cats played better and were more competitive. It's hard to be a Wildcat fan in times like these. Star columnist Greg Hansen says the Cats took a few steps forward.

Last night I went to see Lost In Translation, the new Bill Murray movie, with my friend Amber Lee (she's a big Bill Murray fan). I believe it's gotten somewhat mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. First of all I found the views of Tokyo to be really interesting. I've never been to Tokyo, and other than maybe a couple of early Bond movies I can't think of any movies I've seen that have been set in Tokyo. It was interesting to see a slice of Tokyo, although I'm sure it's hardly representative.

Warning -- Spoilers! Of course I found Scarlett Johansson riveting. She's a rare type, a pretty actress who's not so pretty as to seem unreal. I think the things I liked most about this movie are precisely what will annoy so many people -- it doesn't go where you'd like it to, or expect it to. Charlotte and Bob are not lovers, but their relationship is the more intimate for that. They respect their wedding vows but still can love each other deeply in a way that isn't seen often. Having been in relationships like that it really resonates with me. I thought it was terrific.

In 1997 the Arizona State Legislature passed a law allowing a tax credit (not a deduction!) for donations to private and parochial schools, so long as certain criteria were met. The tax credit has been pretty popular and has really helped Catholic schools. Of course the ACLU was not happy with this state of affairs, and sought to get the credit thrown out. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled against them, so naturally they went to the feds. The Arizona Daily Star is now reporting that the Supreme Court is going to review a 9th Circuit decision that allowed challenges to the credit. Apparently that's a good thing for supporters of the credit, including yours truly. The Star reports that some 40% of the $25 million donated last year went to the tuition support organizations for the Tucson and Phoenix dioceses.

The US House has once again voted to ban partial-birth abortion. I don't know what the chances are this bill will pass the Senate. President Bush has promised to sign the bill.

Okay, I'm in follower mode. Following the trend at St. Blogs (started by this post by Terry Teachout), here are my 5 books/CDs/works of art I'd have to take if I were leaving for a desert island Right Now:

• CD: Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna as recorded by Pau Salamunovich and the LA Master Chorale
  
• CD: Avril Lavigne's Let Go
  
• Book: John Misha Petkevich's Figure Skating: Championship Techniques
  
• DVD: 1998 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Exhibition. Michelle Kwan... Tara Lipinski.. wow!
  
• CD: The Lane Justus Chorale, Cantoria. It's not because I'm on this CD, it's because it's one of the finest recordings I know.
  

Hey, thanks to Jane from Catholics, Musicians, Students, in that order for posting a comment. Check out her blog, it's way cool.