A 95th Birthday

I want to send congratulations today to my great-great uncle, Joseph Berger, on the occasion of his 95th birthday.

Uncle Joe is the youngest brother of my late maternal great-grandmother, Mary Berger Vincenti (1911-1999).

He's pictured at far right in the old photo above with Grandma Vincenti and two of their three half-brothers, Jules and Simmie Bohey. I'm sorry to say I don't know the year of the image was created.

Uncle Joe was born December 10, 1914, the son of Peter Berger and Amelia Moulton Berger. Peter and Amelia had immigrated separately from Belgium sometime around the turn of the century and settled in McDonald, PA.

The town, which had a glass factory in those days, became the home of many Belgian immigrants. It has a "Belgium Hill" and a "Belgium Club." A patch of houses in a village west of McDonald is still called "Belgium Hollow."

Uncle Joe grew up in McDonald and went to school there. On June 8, 1942, he married the former Rose Dusie. They made their home and raised two daughters, Barbara and Natalie, in nearby Houston, PA. Aunt Rose died in 2000.

An avid golfer, Uncle Joe worked was an agent for Ashland Oil and Refining Company and operated a bulk plant in the village of Wolfdale. He then spent 16 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, retiring as a manager of purchasing and stores in 1979.

Uncle Joe's 95th is a milestone for my family. To my knowledge, we've never had someone live to within five years of their centenary. I have two other relatives coming close, however. My maternal great-great uncle, Ray Vincenti, and my paternal great aunt, Rosanna Snatchko Pancirov, are both also in their early 90s.

I was glad to have the chance to see Uncle Joe when I was in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving. We visited as he had dinner at his new residence, The Willows at Presbyterian SeniorCare in Oakmont, PA.

A small party was held today at The Willows in honor of Uncle Joe's 95th.

A Religious Man? Oui.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

The churchman and television personality died here in New York on December 9, 1979. His remains lie in the crypt beneath the main altar at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

To mark this anniversary, I could post one of Archbishop Sheen's famous quotes or perhaps a clip from his '50s network television show "Life is Worth Living."

But, the YouTube clip below is a little more fun -- and certainly speaks to Sheen's popular following in the mid-20th century:

Like Mary

For Catholics, today is the "Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

It's a day when we recall how God prepared Mary to be the mother of Jesus. It's a good occasion to think about how God prepares us for the challenges we face in life.

A Concord Pastor has several posts on the solemnity.

Over at Googling God, Mike has penned a reflection about one of his college friends who died 14 years ago today:

"... It is no surprise to me that Dave died on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Like Mary, he accepted his lot in life despite knowing that pain was on the other side. ..."

The photo accompanying this post shows a 2005 painting by old college buddy, Anthony Santella. It's entitled "Girlhood of the Virgin."

Flashbacks: I.C. 2008 and 2006.

Living with Dispassion

For most of this year, I've been surprised by how little President Obama seems to be part of the national conversation.

Is it just me? Am I not paying sufficient attention to his speeches?

Or, is the current POTUS really not a dynamic part of the day-to-day dialogue on the country's affairs -- in the style of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan?

Last week in his NYT column, David Brooks touched on this.

The column's bookends:

Many Democrats are nostalgic for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign — for the passion, the clarity, the bliss-to-be-alive fervor. They argue that these things are missing in a cautious and emotionless White House.

...

The advantage of the Obama governing style is that his argument-based organization is a learning organization. Amid the torrent of memos and evidence and dispute, the Obama administration is able to adjust and respond more quickly than, say, the Bush administration ever did.

The disadvantage is the tendency to bureaucratize the war. Armed conflict is about morale, motivation, honor, fear and breaking the enemy’s will. The danger is that Obama’s analytic mode will neglect the intangibles that are the essence of the fight. It will fail to inspire and comfort. Soldiers and Marines don’t have the luxury of adopting President Obama’s calibrated stance since they are being asked to potentially sacrifice everything.

Barring a scientific breakthrough, we can’t merge Obama’s analysis with George Bush’s passion. But we should still be glad that he is governing the way he is. I loved covering the Obama campaign. But amid problems like Afghanistan and health care, it simply wouldn’t do to give gauzy speeches about the meaning of the word hope. It is in Obama’s nature to lead a government by symposium. Embrace the complexity. Learn to live with the dispassion.

The photo above is from here.

World's Largest Library

Quote of the day, from the bulletin board in the computer lab at my gym:

"The Internet is the world's largest library. It's just that all the books are on the floor ... "

- Attributed to John Allen Paulos

The image above is from here.

Second Sunday

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent.

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday of the liturgical year, we always hear John the Baptist calling us to be prepared for what's coming.

We need John the Baptist figures -- brave men and women who call us out of our comfort and complacency. As Jesuit Father Alfred Delp (1907 - 1945) once said:

"Blessed is the era that can honestly claim that it is not a desert wilderness. Woe, however to the era in which the voices calling out in the wilderness have fallen silent, shouted down by the noise of the day, or prohibited, or drowned in the intoxication with progress, or restricted and quiet out of fear and cowardice. ...

... John the Baptist figures, forged by the lightning of mission and vocation, should never be lacking from life, not for a moment. They are led by their hearts, and that is why their vision is so keen and their judgment is so incorruptible. ... "

Father Delp was executed on February 2, 1945, for being part of the German resistance to the Nazis. (His quote is from here.)

The late great Eva Cassidy once performed a superb version of "People Get Ready" that I think fits perfectly with this Sunday:


Here's another artist with a similar style:


Flashbacks: Second Sundays of Advent 2008, 2007 and 2006.

The photo above is by Corey. My suggested title: "Advent Clouds over Cambodia."

Your Better World

It's Saturday afternoon in the first week of Advent.

In a comment on last Sunday's post, my cousin Casey asked for a picture of an Advent wreath here on the blog. I'm happy to provide such an image above (courtesy of Rocco).

This week, I also discovered the hymn text below. It seems a very appropriate prayer for Advent:

Behold a broken world, we pray,
Where want and war increase,
And grant us, Lord, in this our day,
The ancient dream of peace:

A dream of swords to sickles bent,
Of spears to scythe and spade,
The weapons of our warfare spent,
A world of peace remade.

O Prince of peace, who died to save,
A lost world to redeem,
And rose in triumph from the grave,
Behold our waking dream.

Bring, Lord, your better world to birth,
Your kingdom, love's domain;
Where peace with God, and peace on earth,
And peace eternal reign.

By: Timothy Dudley-Smith, b. 1926.

Copyright 1989, Hope Publishing Co.

Big Lights Will Inspire You

Last night, my date and I met by the clock in the center of Grand Central. Braving traffic and tourists, we walked north to Rockefeller Center to check out the Christmas tree (which, actually, looked a bit smaller this year).

From there, we strolled crosstown to Hell's Kitchen for a yummy Thai dinner at Yum Yum on Ninth Avenue. Then it was an R train downtown to Nolita for drinks ($4 Bourbon Cherry Cokes) at Vig Bar.

It was a quintessential Manhattan night -- and it put me in an "Empire State of Mind." So, that's this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

Peace:



Hey, if the Vatican can get into Tupac, I can post some Jay-Z.

Here's Alicia Keys' solo take on "Empire State of Mind":

A Too-Weak America?

Yesterday in a NYT op-ed column, Thomas Friedman disagreed with the POTUS' decision to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Here is a key graph as Friedman worked out his thoughts:

"Many big bad things happen in the world without America, but not a lot of big good things. If we become weak and enfeebled by economic decline and debt, as we slowly are, America may not be able to play its historic stabilizing role in the world. If you didn’t like a world of too-strong-America, you will really not like a world of too-weak-America — where China, Russia and Iran set more of the rules."

Marriage in America

Earlier today, the Democrat-controlled New York State Senate struck down a bill that would have legalized gay marriage in the Empire State. The vote was 38 to 24 with eight Democratic senators voting nay, including four from Queens and two from the Bronx.

One of the state senators who spoke in favor of the bill was Senator Diane Savino of the 23rd District, which includes parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn.

I had never heard of Senator Savino before today. I don't know anything about her beyond what I've read at her Website.

But, her animated remarks on the Senate floor provide ample food for thought about the institution of civil marriage itself (don't miss the story that begins at 3:10). A self-identified Catholic, Savino also draws a distinction between civil marriage (what city hall makes legal) and sacramental marriage (what the Church defines).

Things to consider:

65 Million

Today is World AIDS Day.

From Catholic Relief Services:

In the 25 years since the virus was first detected, 65 million people around the world have contracted HIV, with millions more affected. The impact of the growing numbers—and the millions of children left behind—endanger the development of many regions of the world.

Flashbacks: World AIDS Days 2008 and 2007.

First Sunday

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church's new liturgical year.

I went to the 8:30 a.m. (!) Mass at my hometown parish, St. Alphonsus, in McDonald, PA.

Please check out last Sunday's entry if you were a reader of my weekly Sunday Gospel posts.

Flashbacks: First Sundays of Advent 2008, 2007 and 2006.

A Concord Pastor has several posts for the start of the new season.

The photo at right is by Corey.

You Know I'm Bound

I'm writing today from the Panera at Settlers Ridge, a new shopping and entertainment development southwest of Pittsburgh. I've been in PA since Wednesday evening for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

In keeping with the holiday, I wanted to choose a tune related to "giving thanks" for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

So, below is Natalie Merchant's 1998 ballad "Kind and Generous." It's cheesy but appropriate.

Peace:



Hat-tip: Ed

Kissinger on Obama

From an elder:

“He reminds me of a chess grandmaster who has played his opening in six simultaneous games ... But he hasn’t completed a single game and I’d like to see him finish one.”

-- Henry Kissinger on the POTUS, as quoted here.

Hat-tip: Sully

Standards

Quote of the week:

“An alcoholic is someone who can violate his standards faster than he can lower them.”

-- Robin Williams, from "Opening Wide His (Repaired) Heart" in Sunday's New York Times

The NYT photos above by Jay Paul.

Soar to Uncreated Light

In the spirit of mixing it up ...

Tonight, I went to the 7 p.m. Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in SoHo/Nolita. I'm pleased to report that the number of young adults at this new Mass time for Old St. Pat's continues to grow.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jonathan Morris. In his homily for this Solemnity of Christ the King, Fr. Morris spoke of how, unlike the great kings of history and their elaborate thrones, Jesus' throne is the Cross.

For the offertory hymn, cantor Joshua South beautifully sang Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

Here's that piece as performed by some other guy named Josh:

Jesu, joy of man's desiring
Holy wisdom, love most bright

Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light

Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Soaring, dying round Thy throne

End of The Cycle

For Catholics and some other Christian traditions, this Sunday is the final Sunday in the liturgical year. On this day, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Next week, a new liturgical year begins with the First Sunday of Advent.

So today, this blog marks a milestone. It marks the end of three years of posts on the Sunday Mass readings, most of which included the full text of the Gospel passage.

I began posting on the Mass on the First Sunday of Advent 2006. It was a significant move for the blog that previously had been used to promote my 2006 PA State House race.

Looking back, I can't remember my thought process on expanding into topics of faith and spirituality on the blog. But, I'm certainly glad I did. And, of course, the change came shortly before my professional move from political campaign management to Catholic publishing.

But, since the scripture readings at Sunday Mass are presented in a three-year cycle, I have decided that now is a good time to end my weekly feature with the text of the Sunday Gospel -- mostly because I'm afraid I might begin to repeat myself.

It's quite likely I will still post an entry on many Sundays about that day in the liturgical year or about something I saw or heard at Mass. I'm just going to mix it up.

This Sunday's Gospel at Mass is certainly a good one with which to conclude the series. In the passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus talks about the nature of his Kingdom and why he came into the world.

From John Chapter 18:

Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"

Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?"

Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here."

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"

Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

A Concord Pastor has posted a good homily for today's solemnity as well as several versions of the hymn "Crown Him With Many Crowns."

As part of this concluding weekly feature, it has been my honor to recommend several other bloggers who comment on the Sunday Gospels. In addition to the good pastor from the Bay State, these fellows have most often included Deacon Greg, Fran and Mike. Please be sure to keep them in your favorites list.

The image above is from here.

REM on the Red-Eye

This morning, I flew into JFK on the Delta red-eye from San Francisco. It was probably the first time I achieved REM sleep on an overnight flight (which I usually try to avoid).

I was in northern California since Thursday exhibiting for my gig at a multi-diocese faith formation conference in Santa Clara.

This last business trip of 2008 was uneventful. The conference had a disappointing attendance on Friday but was quite good on Saturday. On Friday evening, we had dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant Thea in San Jose. Enjoyed it.

Perhaps the most interesting moments of the visit came on the Super Shuttle to and from the airport. On the way to Santa Clara, we passed through the very attractive and pedestrian-friendly downtown of Mountain View, the home city of Google.

And, en route back to SFO last night, we stopped on the campus of Stanford University (my first time there) near the end of the fourth quarter of the big game against Cal.

The four Standford guys in the shuttle (all headed back to the East Coast for Thanksgiving) were bummed to be leaving the campus in the final moments of the close game -- and kept checking on the score.

They were less disappointed to be leaving after hearing of their team's 34-28 loss. :-(