And he is back in Town!!!

I am now in good ol' Ypsi-Arbor for a few days! Time for us all to catch up on some good food, good fun, good times and the best of all...good friends! Can't wait to see you all...you have been missed!

St. Stephen's Day

St. Stephen's Day is a traditional national holiday in Ireland. This day is also s national holiday in England and Canada where it is known as Boxing Day, a reference to "boxing up" all the Christmas stuff...a quintessentially protestant thing to do. The good ol' Catholics in Ireland, however, keep the traditional meaning of this day intact, honoring the feast of the first martyr for Christ...as well as being a handy day to get over that hang-over from the night before!

The killing of the wren is the big tradition on this day. It is a traditional legend that as St. Stephen was being pursued by his would be killers, he found sought refuge in a holly bush as a hiding place. His attakers discovered him, however, when a wren betrayed his hiding place by singing loudly in the bush. In punishment for this crime, all Irish boys would go wren hunting on St. Stephen's Day morning and would then hang the dead bird from a holly bush.

This is also another day of celebrating...since one day is never enough for the Irish. My family will be celebrating this tradition in a similar way as we are going to have Christmas dinner with the extended family (on my Irish-father's side) today. So Happy Feast Day to all my fellow Irish friends...and those who are not Irish as well.

Nollaig Shona Duit! (Merry Christmas to you)

I had a rather busy Christmas this year; liturgically speaking. that is. It was, however, one of the most beautiful of my life (no snow...but the masses I attended made up for that!). I began Christmas by serving Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew's in Grand Rapids with Bishop Hurley. The Cathedral was gorgeous and the music was heavenly. It was also very nice to be serving mass alongside my bishop with my fellow seminarians in the heart of the local church in Grand Rapids.

Christmas morning I again went to mass. This time I went to my parish where the Choir Director (new this year) had put together a polyphony ensemble for the 10:30 mass. It was truly heavenly and awesome because they sang all sorts of traditional Latin melodies...and on top of that we chanted the Gloria in Latin!!! This is a normal parish, English is the norm with Gather hymnals in all the pews...but the Springtime of the Church is coming and being able to chant the Gloria at my home parish for the first time was truly moving. What a gift!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and I cannot wait to see you when I come to Ann Arbor soon!

Tradition!

At home I have, for many years, made what we call the Christmas Cake. This is a traditional Irish cake, made several weeks before Christmas (usually around Thanksgiving here) and allowed to "ripen" before the feasting begins. I have included the recipe for your edification...even though I will not have the time to make one this year (more's the pity). The cake is known in Irish as ca'ca Nollaig.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup diced fruit
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon nuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 bottle of Irish whiskey
1 cup of sugar

Method:
Sample whiskey to check for quality. Set out a large bowl.Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest Irish quality. Pour one level cupful and drink. Repeat. Turn on electric mixer, beat 1 cupful of butter in a large fluffy bowl, add one spoon tea of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still O.K. Turn off the mixer. Break two legs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fruit gets stuck in the beaters, pry loose with a drewscriver. Next, sift 2 cups of salt-or something. Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon juice and strain the nuts. Turn the cake pan to 350 degrees. Don't forget to burn off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window. Check the whiskey once again and then go to bed.

Hope your preparations are going well! This is to remind you to take a break...and have a laugh amidst all the bustle!

Need to post...unable to think...

Yea, so I guess that is the effect home has on me. In the academic environment of school it seems second nature to just type something up really quick that says something. Not to mention that there is often so little to do that I go out of my mind if I do not find some sort of perfunctory exercise for it to focus on...'tis difficult, but I have found that my mind can focus in the absence of anything that is a more interesting distraction.

So apparently Sweden has discovered a new renewable energy source. This energy source is imported from the United States and runs all of their cars and heats their homes. This renewable energy source is excess American fat that has been extracted in liposuction surgeries...GROSS!!! This was the special report of the morning out here in the country brought you by my sister I have not checked the report's veracity yet...not sure if I want to...

Something more interesting and not so random tomorrow I hope!

Et Cartago delenda est!

And...I am finished with Finals!!! WHOOOHOOOO!!!

Finals was not too hectic this year...nor as incredibly challenging...except for my Introduction to Spirituality oral final. It was pretty intense, and a very strange way of going about a final. I walk into Fr. Spezia's (the prof) office and this is how it goes...

Fr. Spezia: "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Brendan: (pause) "um...well how about virtue?" (since it was what I knew best)

Fr. Spezia: "Okay, tell me about virtue"

And I just spilled my guts basically...he asked a few clarifying questions...but other than that it was a full ten minutes of me talking...and him doing miscellaneous office work...seemingly not listening to me at all (and I was highly nervous and stressed I can tell you...so that was a little annoying...WHY ARE YOU NOT LISTENING TO ME...sort of thing...anyway). He did take in every word though, it was pretty amazing, but did not help the stress level...and not a word on how well I did...but here is hoping!

All the other finals were much better and I did pretty well on them all. God is good. So now I have a few more things to do here and then it is off to the west coast for break (hopefully there will be snow) and then I will be busy till Christmas, then after Christmas I will be coming to A2-Ypsi area and then back home and then back to the Seminary! Life is busy...no let me see is there anything else?...oh! almost forgot...Et Brittania delenda est!

La festa di Santa Lucia

Happy feast day of St. Lucy. Found this picture, thought it was pretty...so put it up for you to see. Nothing much to say...other than it is my sister Johanna's birthday who was baptized on this day in 1991 shortly after her birth because she was not breathing properly. My father says that the water from the baptism pooled in her eyes...she lived and has the loveliest faun brown eyes. We believe this is due to the intercession of St. Lucy (whom she chose as her confirmation patron) on her behalf. She is the patron saint of those with eye problems (those of us with glasses) because she had her eyes torn out of her head before her eventual martyrdom. They miraculously were replaced, however, by eyes of far greater beauty (this is why she is always pictured with a pair of eyes).

Well that was more than I meant to say...huh...got a little carried away I guess...anyway 3 finals down and two more to go...ugh...I hate these "academic orgies!"

Finals

Just an update: 1 final down, 1 final half-way down, and three more to vanquish!

As I don't have another final until wednesday morning (after finishing final #1 Metaphysics [which, in my estimation, went well] this morning) I have been taking a look at the blog world...and wow! Other than Sean you all seem to be taking things seriosly. No blog posts for a while now! I did, however, run into Thom this afternoon...and the poor boy has at last gone off his rocker...he resembled and emaciated monkey chucking virtual feces at everybody's facebook that he could come within reach of...all the while putting on a good show of attempted study with his books and papers all scattered around him.

It will all be over soon...for better or for worse. So hang in there everyone and don't go too crazy!

Prepare the way of the Lord

"The voice of one crying in the desert:

Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight."

These are the words of St. John the Baptist, exhorting us to prepare our minds and our hearts for the coming of the Lord. We are called in this season to make a resting place for the Christ Child in our lives by quieting ourselves and clearing away anything that might hinder the entry of Christ into our souls.

This is not what the world wants to hear at this time of the year. As Christians we are called to be a contradiction and example to the world, and Advent is the time when the Church's contradictive role is most keenly felt. Everywhere are the signs of Christmas; store's have had their decorations up for a long time now, many homes have had a Christmas tree as the focal point of their living rooms since Thanksgiving, everywhere I go I hear the sounds of Christmas in the air...but has He yet come? If not, then why are we celebrating as though He has?

Advent is a season of fasting, abstinance, and prayer. It is distinct from Lent (at least in the Latin Rite), however, in the severety of self-denial. This period, like Lent, is meant to prepare the soul for the coming Feast that we look forward to. Unlike the mentality of the world (fun now, pay later) the Church encourages us to abstain from the distractions of the world that clutter our lives and keep us from being in a proper state of spirit and mind to recieve the gift of the mystery that we are preparing to celebrate.

There are many ways that we as Christians can incorporate this spirit of preparation in our daily lives. First is to prepare our souls by attending mass as often as possible, renewed efforts in our prayer life, spiritual readings (the beggining of Luke and Matthew's Gospels for instance) and by quieting our minds and subduing our appetites enliminating as much as possible distractions such as the radio, television, too much food, and other things. A second is by not giving in to celebrating before the day of Christmas (I know I sound right-wing here) by fasting from the constant jangle of Christmas music, holding off decorating until at least the third week (Gaudete) of Advent, and busy ourselves instead with preparations for the day of Christmas (cooking, baking, preparing the decorations but not putting them up yet, practicing Christmas music, etc.) so that when Christmas does come we will not be tired of Christmas (like its the final blow-out to the celebrations) but will be Joyfull in the event that we can now celebrate what we have been looking forward to for so long (think of how a bride looks forward to her wedding day...to consumate prior to the wedding lessens the joy).

"Do not be afraid" to be a sign of contradiction to the secular materialist world around us! Save your feasting until the reason for our joy has come! Prepare the way of the Lord so that when he comes you may, like Mary, give yourself to God completely (totus tuus). Also...along with the spiritual benefits of preparing yourself for Christmas, there is the practical...your tree will be fresh for Jesus on His Birthday, you won't have gotten sick yet, and if you diet in advent...you will lose the pounds that you can then regain during Christmas...so you can feast without the guilt!

To my Precious God-daughter

Happy First Birthday Esther Lorraine Heffron!

Just so you all know...this is my precious God-daughter/niece (and her Godmother/Aunt Maura). She was born a year ago today...just love those eyes!!!

Momathon!

Yes, that is what one of our dear seminarians calls any conversation, homily, talk, address etc. that focuses on our dear Mother in Heaven. So today is the Momathon of mamathons...at least according to "Donny Suavé." And so I give you the Catechism...

"What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ."CCC (§ 487)

Happy Feast Day to the whole Church in America! I pray that you all have a blessed day.

Oh! This was the only picture I could find of St. Anne and the Virgin...just in case you were wondering who was who.

In Honor of an Awesome Saint

The Awesome Saint of the day is (drum role) Ambrose, bishop of Milan (c. 340 – 4 April 397), smacker of Arians, Composer of Hymns, Father of Chant, Spiritual Father of St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, Bearded of Bees, Honeyed of Speech, Consular Prefect of Liguria and Emilia, Patron of a Russell, Denouncer of Heretics, Excomunicator of Emperors, Deposer of Rogue Bishops, Dissuader of Rebels, Punisher of Pagans, Silent Reader, and Awesome Defender of the Faith.

An Awsome Ambrose Quote:

"If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."

Todo...I don't think we are at Ave anymore

This past friday was the annual Christmas Concert at the Seminary. The concert was a marvelous success, and included the Detroit Sinfonietta (a small string orchestra). The theme of the evening's concert was Christmas Throughout the Ages, encompassing the musical tradition of the Church over the past 2000 years.

The evening began with the SHMS Chant Schola chanting the ancient propers of Christmas. The SHMS Choir (of which I am part) then processed in singing the traditional advent hymn Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, and continued with selections of early polyphonic works from the High Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. The evening concluded with Baroque pieces from Handel, Mozart and Bach as well as some modern pieces including one written by one of our own seminarians.

While I enjoyed the evening immensly...I could not help by reminisce about what I missed about Ave Concerts.

• There was no wisecracking caterwalling Louise constantly demanding a solo...which she often would do whether or not the song called for one.


• The coke-addicted Mel was not there making faces at me throughout practice causing me to loose composure.


• While there were no Sopranos or Altos, there were plenty of Tenors (1st and 2nds), which was a pleasant change...since I did not have to stress my voice, and I could hide my loud voice among the better ones.


• I actually had a voice this year...God is good.


• Mrs. Fedoryka was not there poking and prodding me like some sort of unrully pillow in order to correct my posture...making me feel like a scarecrow on a stake.
  
• The concert took place two weeks before finals...so even though the pre-concert madness was there, it was not the pre-concert madness of Ave which was only increased by the pressure and madness of finals...as they always coincided.


• And last but not least...I was singing for strangers rather than my dear friends at Ave.

An Aidbhint

Vias tuas, Domine, demonstra mihi:

et semitas tuas edoce me.

Happy New Year everyone! Liturgical New Year that is...and a happy beginning it is too! Blogspot got the image thing fixed, the snow has been falling softly all day and is gathering in little drifts opon everything (as of yet Detroit is still ugly...but heres hoping that more snow will change that) and the semester is almost over! Deus caritas est!

The above Icon is called The Lady of Korshun and depicts the sorrowful mother and child. Mary has a sorrowful expression as she looks forward to the suffering that her new-born child will have to undergo for the salvation of mankind. The quiet emotion of this icon is quite lovely and embodies the peace, longing, hope, and restrained joy of the advent season.

As the snow flies outside my window the longing for home, family, and friends fills me...during this season of looking forward to the light as we head into this, the darkest period of the year, I myself prepare for the joy of Christmas by restrainning the celebration of Christ's birth until it actually happens. Remember it is the season of preparation...not yet of celebration.

Bah!

I am officially upset with this new gmail blogger thing that is going on. I don't know why I decided to switch to this new way of posting...but now I can't post pictures and everything is different and highly annoying. If you were considering switching to Betta or whatever the infernal thing is called...DON'T!!! You will regret it. The benefits are not worth losing the nice format that existed before. Not sure when I will get this fixed and back to normal...but until then...I can't post pictures.

I hate change!