As Christ To You

On Saturday morning, I attended the ordination to the priesthood of Paulist Father Dat Tran. Father Dat was ordained by New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan during a beautiful Mass at my parish, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan.

It was the first priestly ordination I have ever attended.

Among the many fine musical selections at the Mass was "The Servant Song" by Richard Gillard. Here below is a version of that hymn for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

Pax:



Bonus: An instrumental rendition on dulcimer:

Compassion Walks

Some verse before the long weekend:

Compassion walks the city street
And listens with uncertain feet
That seek a home they cannot find
Because the heart that leads is blind.

Compassion holds a steady light
To show the way through chill of night
And takes the homeless by the hand
To lead them to a warmer land.

Compassion walks where life is hard,
Where eyes are blank and faces marred
By pain too great to understand,
And shoulders those too weak to stand.

Compassion is the Shepherd's name:
Who from the halls of heaven came
To travel landscapes bare and bleak
For those that only love would seek.

Compassion does not tire or sleep
But walks wherever suff'rers weep
Through ages past and still to come,
Until the world is gathered home
To rest at last where Mercy reigns
And heals all ills and stills all pains.

And there Compassion's walk will cease,
Where God is all, and all is peace.

- Sister Genevieve Glen, O.S.B.

Copyright 2002 by Benedictine Nuns, Abbey of St. Walburga, Virginia Dale, CO

The image above is a painting by Kevin Levick.

Anna Sun

I realize the weekend is almost at an end. But, since Sunday officially lasts another 20 minutes or so, I am still going to post a "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

The piece below is called "Anna Sun" by the indie band Walk the Moon. I have no idea what the lyrics are about. But, it's a fun tune.

Peace:



Here's an acoustic version:



Hat-tip: Ryan N.

At the Center

Quote of the day:

"As a Christian, I don’t think my own personal satisfaction should be at the center of what I do with my life. I’m here to serve ... "

- Bishop Daniel Conlon, from here.

Waterfalls

Since moving to Hudson Heights, I've been doing trial workouts at various gyms in northern Manhattan and the Upper West Side. I'm trying to find one that has the right amenities at a fair price that's also easy to reach after work and on weekends.

This past week, I had a free seven-day pass to Crunch on West 83rd Street. One of the things I liked about it are the personal TVs on each piece of cardio equipment. Among the limited number of channels available were three dedicated solely to music videos -- one with '80s hits, one dubbed "Urban" and one called "Dance."

One evening this week, while I was on the elliptical, the Dance channel showed the video for TLC's mid-'90s hit "Waterfalls." I've had it on the brain ever since.

So, for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend," cue T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli.

Peace:



And, here's a cover:

Annabella

Joyful news for a Monday in springtime:

At 1:31 p.m. today, my brother, Joe, and sister-in-law, Erin, welcomed their second child and first daughter.

Annabella Jean Snatchko entered the world at 6.7 pounds and 18.5 inches long. She arrived just two days before the third birthday of her big brother, Aiden.

Annabella is a new first cousin for Ethan, Mariah, Brayden and John Ross.

Welcome to our world, Annabella! May the Holy Spirit always be your guide.

An aside: It appears 2011 will be a year of many new arrivals.

In addition to the birth of my new niece, I know six women (five friends and one co-worker) who are expecting. And, in the past fortnight, another co-worker and his wife adopted a one-month-old boy.

Please keep these all of little ones, and their parents, in your prayers.

Close to My Heart

A very happy and blessed Mother's Day to all mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, Godmothers and to all women who have been a special part of the lives of children! (Including my own.)

In celebration of the day, here is a take on "Baby Mine" (first heard in "Dumbo") for this week's "YouTube clip for a peaceful weekend."

Peace:



Flashback #1: MissBroadwayDork's take on "Baby Mine"

Flashback #2: "Bonne fête des mères!"

Blessed

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter or what Catholics call "Divine Mercy Sunday."

Earlier today in Rome, during Mass in a packed Saint Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II was beatified. It's the penultimate step prior to canonization.

For a good piece of writing on this beatification, I would suggest the post "A Liberal Liking of Blessed John Paul II" by Jesuit Father James Martin at "In All Things."

I was only once in the presence of John Paul II. It was during the Papal Mass on the Great Lawn of Central Park in October, 1995. A group of us from the Newman Club at NYU attended. As I've said before in this space, it was one of the great spiritual experiences of my life.

I have only been able to find two clips on YouTube from that morning in Central Park. They aren't of the highest quality but they do provide a sense of the memorable liturgy celebrated by the holy man beatified today:





Blessed John Paul, pray for us!