Life in a Bubble

GLEEKED!!!

2010-05-19T20:15:00.007-04:00

It has been nearly a year now since the Glee phenomena began. I remember watching the pilot episode of the hit television show and being totally sold right then and there. It took a lot of patience waiting the whole summer for the series to begin in the fall. So, yes, I was an original and Gleek; sold since day one.

Now I am even more excited...Glee is going GAGA!!! The new upcoming episode is tipping the hat to another new music phenomena; namely, Lady Gaga. I have loved most all of her music and even have found a liking for her bizarre stage antics and clothes. Most of the time, however, I just raise my eyebrow and ask myself during the dumbfounded silence I sink into after watching a new music video of hers, why I like her...I don't know why, I just do, despite the crazed oddity of her ways. She is a genuine artist, like Van Gogh, Mozart etc. who is misunderstood in her day (and perhaps always will) but who's music we just can't get enough of.

So...I have a week of hyper anticipation of Glee going Gaga...breath....breath...yes I think I can make it...............AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGG!!! so excited.

Eating Out

2010-03-03T15:09:00.002-05:00

When I was little my family didn't have a whole lot of money to spend. Most of the money that my parents made was spent improving our home, paying for us kids, and the bills. We rarely went out to eat, and when we did it was both a treat and sort of an event. Even rarer did we eat at a full service sit down type place...generally when we went out to eat it was to McD's or some sort of fast food joint; and yes that was a treat! It was something other than home cooked food (which means...it wasn't always the best food for us but sure tasted good so it had to be unhealthy).

Fast forward about twenty years (give or take a few) to where I am now working in the food service industry. I don't work at the classiest of restaurants in town, nor do I work in the fast food establishments that have infiltrated every corner of America it seems. Where I work, I have long made the observation and thought it amazing that many people, even whole families, make it a weekly ritual to go out to eat at the one restaurant that I work at. I eat at a variety of restaurants, and I guess being brought up out in the country and traveling for our shopping needs to stores in many districts and towns in my area that we never exactly became tied to one location. We also have a great appreciation for variety in our diet so we never were all that tied to one restaurant for any extended period of time...and yet...I see the same faces over and over again every week. I have concluded that they must be rather boring people for it they have such a bland pallet to go to the same restaurant every week...they must lack in imagination and taste (not to mention that 9 times out of 10 they order the same menu items week after week...so much so that the people I work with and I often refer to them by their order...as we don't always know their names...if we want to talk about them).

Now I wonder...Do people eat at home anymore? The situation that I experienced as a kid I think is similar to the situation of most people out there when they were little. Where you mostly eat at home and occasionally you go out for a meal...or order take out, what have you. It seems that my childhood dining habits are not the same as a lot of kids' today. I have seen so many kids who take eating out for granted...they don't eat their food and are often very ill behaved...not to mention messy! Now I know kids are not the cleanest, however, nor do they have to be pigs and neither should parents think that just because we will clean up after them that they should leave their dining area with Cheerios, cheese and who knows what else all over the floor and chairs. HAVE SOME DIGNITY for heaven's sake!

Hmmm...that was a fun rant....!!! lol...oh! MARCH IS HERE!!! Guess what that means! YAY!!!

The Devil in the Details

2010-02-21T16:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I took the opportunity to go to confession. I thought that it would be good to start off the season of lent in good fashion with a clear conscience and a brighter, more loving, outlook.

Then I went to work...

Working in the services industry is a trial for anyones patience! I know that most people do not mean to intentionally annoying, or deliberatly try to make my day miserable, however at times it does seem to be that way. So on this particular day, fresh out of the confessional with the words of the priest echoing in my head "See Christ in all and look at yourself through their eyes," I took critical notice of some of the habits of customers and thought to myself, "I think I have done that on occasion."

The habit that annoys me the most, while on the working side of things, is the habit if patrons to not listen or pay attention to what is happening in the transaction of the person in front of them in line. I (the line server who makes their food) go through describing everything and (hopefully) patiently exlpaining the foods available and offering suggestions. I will then come up to the next person in line, who, if they weren't chatting with friends or family in line, wasn't paying attention at all...at any rate, they may or may not have the basic item of their order ready, so then I have to figure out what they want and then walk through the whole process with them and explain everything ad nauseum, despite having just done so. This is a great trial on my patience! My personal record for this sort of thing is four persons in a row! After than bunch I wanted to throw in the towel and walk out the door! However, I do understand that while I say the same things over and over and over again all day long, you the customer are probably hearing my speech for the first time in a long time, if not ever.

That being said, please, don't try our patience if you don't have too! I don't think the ordering of food is a private, confidential matter, so by all means if you don't know how things are ordered at a particular resturant, listen to the person going before you and get prepared!

And yes, this lent I think I need to work on the virtue of patience...ah...so sorely lacking in that one! Lord Grant me Patience...AND HURRY!!!

The Bubble goes Political

2010-01-28T11:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday President Obama delivered the State of the Union address. I have to say, I really like the President, and I like his ideals. I agree with him that the health care system in our nation could use change, that the tone in Washington should change, and that you should do what is best for the future of the Nation rather than what is good for your next election. The President has great and worthy ideals and I admire him for that (it is also really cute to see the love shared between him and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama). However, his policies and the route that he chooses to fix these problems facing America is where he and I differ.

One thing that I have grown tired of in all of the Presidents speeches is that he paints his ideals on a broad canvas, but never ever seems to lay out a detailed plan on how he wants his goals to be reached. The only specific item that the President said he would deal with in a specific way is to remove the restriction on gays in the military. He sayed that he would remove the "don't ask don't tell" rule. That was something concrete and easily recognized as a detailed plan (of course it doesn't take much to simply romove a restriction, no laws need to be written, budgets adjusted, etc.) however, all of his other demands of congress...We will pass a healthcare reform bill, extend tax cuts for middle class Americans, economic recovery package, increase renewable energy, reduce the deficit and repay our Nation's debt...these all sound great and wonderful, yet has the President ever laid out what he wants specifically in any of these bills? Where is the detailed "Congress, this is what I want, this what I want in it, this is how it will get done" in any of his speeches?

I think that is why most Americans are dissapointed with the President: Letting Congress run unfettered on it's own steam and making it's own policies. I didn't like President Bush's policy if signing basically anything that Congress sent to his desk. That was not the role he was to serve as President. He tried to not be a nay sayer, and so Congress was let run wild, and so Congress did...which brings us to the recession that we now face. President Obama has decided to give Congress his ultimate goal, but then lets them fill in all the details themselves, without much guidence as to his overall vision to accomplish his Utopian ideals. Where is the "change" and the "hope" that was promised?

In my own most humble opionion, what the Nation needs in Washington is a fearless leader. A leader who gives a task that must be accomplished, gives detailed reasons why said task must be accomplished, and then directs the steps that must be taken to fulfill that task; spell it out in detail and in plain English! We are tired of Utopian platitudes and sweeping oratory. We know what makes our Nation great. We the People are not as divided as you think we are (mostly because we are almost universally dissapointed and dissenchanted with our so called "Leaders") and we have faith and hope in the values that have made our country great and to which most of us still live our lives by. In this, our Nation doesn't need "change" what we want to see changed is for Washington to reflect our values and pass laws that respect our heritage and do not treat our Constitution as mere "guidelines" as Jack Sparrow would.

I have great hopes for our Nation, but hope requires sound and decisive action, not platitudes, soaring oratory resulting in empty promises and legislation that sounds like success, but leads us down the road to failure. We are all concerned for our future Mr. President, however, despite agreement on our common goals, we choose different paths to accomplish them. You cannot rush perfection so do not call us all "naysayers" rather see our dedication to working with you. If it is worth doing it is worth doing right, especially when it will effect us for years to come, so instead of trying to rush everything through, take your time and pass your bills in four years, not in less than one.

May God Bless Our Nation and Us All. Amen.

Approaching the Classics

2010-01-26T16:46:00.002-05:00

Since leaving home and mingling with other people my age in college and the world in general, I have come to realize that I miss out on a lot of cultural references that my friends would make in general conversation. They would say the oddest things, and while they all knew what was going on, I was left in the dark...with my mind running in circles trying for figure out what European vs. African swallows had to do with anything we were talking about.

Over time, my friends would eventually catch on and ask with astonishment..."You've never seen (insert movie anywhere between 1970-2000)???" My response was almost always yes...and thus was launched my film legends education. I have been introduced to some great films that I love (Amadeus, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, The Bourne films) and some that I could have gone without seeing (Aliens and Alien vs. Predator-thanks Sean, American History X-thanks Felix, Jurassic Park-freaked me out guys!). My education began in the common room of John Vianney (oh happy memories) at Ave. The scary movies I were often accompanied with many screams from me...usually because Sean decided to lunge at my side during particularly intense moments. Oh...the emotional scars!

I am still trying to catch up. I recently saw Donnie Darko for the first time, Liar Liar, Tomb Raider and the Indiana Jones films. Someday I will finish, but until then, I thought I would do a flash from the past movie review every now and then...maybe once a month. So this is fair warning about why I am giving movie reviews years after the movies came out and pretty much everybody has seen them already...but its fun for me. I love discussing movies, and hopefully I can get some feed-back.

P.S. Donnie Darko was pretty interesting...my mind is still trying to figure it out, but a part of me thinks that I am probably thinking about it too hard and that its just meant to be an acid trip or something...not sure...However, despite being weirder than all get out, I liked the film for the most part, it was interesting...however I would have to see it again in order flesh out a real review...

Modus Creativus

2010-01-20T11:45:00.002-05:00

Not sure if that is actual Latin or Hogwarts Latin...but as I am not in the mood to actually look it up...there you go!

I have been in a most creative mood these past few days. Some of my many projects are nearing completion, some have been helped along, and one has just been started. I seem to have the inenviable plight of the artist who is forever starting new projects because the inspiration has ceased for the previous works...or I got bored with them...or the inspiration no where neared the outcome (overambition is my plague...either that or under acheivement) and so I gave up in frustration.

In today's news...Congratulations Senator Brown! I was so shocked! Massachutsets elect a Republican (and a conservative non-the-less)! Impossible was my initial response...but no! The world has been turned on its head I think...it is the only logical explanation!

Ah...well back to my projects...which shall remain un-named and un-numbered as I always make more of what I have started and then leave people to guess what happened to all that I was "going" to do...sigh...

Beauty in Motion

2010-01-19T13:03:00.006-05:00

Since I first saw the world-wide sensation that is Riverdance, I have been enamored with Irish dance, both in its traditional form, and the modern interpretations of rich dance form. Jean Butler is a beauty and a master of Irish Dance. She glides across the floor as graceful as faerie born aloft upon nothing but the soft breezes drifting across the lakes and rivers of Ireland.

I found this lovely video while browsing Youtube.com the other day, and thought that I would post it so that you could enjoy this lovely piece. The video is entitled Blue and is performed and choreographed by Jean Butler. Music is Andy's Bar from the album Lemonade and Burns by Kila. Enjoy!

A Draught from the Pool of Friendship

2010-01-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

Despite having some of the best friends in the world, it is possible to sometimes forget how much a person needs to share moments of their lives with their friends. Good friends are made, yet life invades and manages to split and divide us across the face of the planet on our varying paths of life. For a time, we walked side by side down the same glorious path mingled with laughter and tears, toils and bliss; the memories of which sustain our bonds of friendship through the trials of separation.

It has been far too long since our paths last converged, yet I am so overjoyed that they have at last managed to join up again, for a time however brief, at the wedding of my two dear friends, Sean McNally and Meghan Barylak in Cleveland this past weekend. My spirit is uplifted, and I feel a great challange to myself to work more diligently to cultivate the friendships that I have allowed to lapse after the Ave diaspora of 2006. With that said I am going to work at staying in better connection with my friends and hopefully, times are at last beginning to brighten and the dark days of my financial woes may be easing in the very near future...so hopefully I will be able to make some more visits, and more often.

I love all of you that I was able to share this past weekend with, wish more of your were there and that we had a longer, less busy time, to enjoy each other, however, I wouldn't trade this time for the world...Congratulations to Sean and Meghan...words fail to tell how happy I am for you both!

Unique as the Irish

2009-10-27T17:44:00.003-04:00

I came across an interesting site today while I was browsing other things on the internet. I thought I would share it with whoever still reads this ole thing (I keep trying to get back into the habit of writing down things in here, but tis so difficult, despite being such an essentially simple thing to do). In Co. Cork, Ireland, a reforestation effort has been launched with a unique twist. Ireland is one of the least forested of all European countries, so to help with the costs of planting a bit of Ireland back to forest, a group of people in Ireland have launched a memorial program that honors a deceased loved one with a tree and a plaque planted in this forest of remembrance.

I think that it is something very interesting and unique, and sounds like a great thing to do, especially for us Irish-Americans, who would otherwise not leave any mark on the old country. If you want to check it out, I have provided a link...it's pretty cool and worth checking out!!!

Advent is Coming

2008-11-21T16:26:00.004-05:00

Found this on Youtube.com today...and just wanted to post something for the sake of posting something, as I have not posted anything in FOREVER!

The beginning is a little boring, but once the song begins it is lovely. The Choir is from the University of Notre Dame.

OH dear...

2008-11-05T16:37:00.001-05:00

Let's just say that I have writer's block...that or just a lack of things to say (which is so not me...so it must be a lack of things to type).

I Bind My Heart This Tide

2008-03-13T00:22:00.002-04:00

While browsing on Youtube.com I came across this video...I found it very moving and inspiring and thought I would pass along this treasure to you. Love the sound of this all men's choral group!

So..When is St. Patrick's Day?

2008-03-06T15:05:00.004-05:00

St. Patrick's Day, as most everybody knows, is March 17th. This year, however, that date is smack dab in the middle of Holy Week. Since Holy Week takes precidence over all other feast days in the Liturgical Calendar, St. Patrick's Day (as well as St. Joseph's Day) needed to be moved to a time outside of Holy Week. So this year, St. Patrick's day as been moved to March 14th, or the Friday before Holy Week. All the usual dispensations in heavily Irish dioceses have been removed as regards abstaining and fasting on Fridays during Lent.

Now...the question is, when will you be celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year? Most secular festivities honoring the beloved Saint's feast are going on as usual on March 17th, and the Church reiterates that only the liturgical observence of the feast has been moved. But that begs the question when will I be celebrating? I have more than half a mind to celebrate both days (why not?) but the remaining percent makes me think that I should observe March 14th in a prayful spirit of Thanksgiving in honor of the Saint that brought the light of Christ to my ancestors, and avoid the usual trappings and brohaha of the day, saving that for March 17th...so I don't know...I think it will some mixture of my better feelings and my love of a good craic!

Anyway...just so you are all aware of the effects of an early Easter, and food for thought! Oh and here is an aticle from the Ireland.com talking about the change of date.

Dia dhuit!

Qdoba

2008-02-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, after months of endless searching and countless applications....I finally have a JOB!!! I am very excited (if you can't tell already) to be working at Qdoba Mexican Grill. I just finished my first real day on the job (before I was just training...not that that wasn't work...just all the not so fun stuff). I would love to see a familiar face...so if any of you are ever around Knapp and the East Beltline (near Celebration! Cinema) in Grand Rapids, please come on over!

So what does "Qdoba" mean? Now don't go and get out those Spanish-English dictionaries! It is actually a made up word that means nothing but simple sounds Mexican! Sort of like the food there...its all inspired by traditional food South of the Border, but is created with the American palette in mind.

News one only hears out of Ireland...

2007-12-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

I opened my Hotmail today and one of the news headlines read: "Irish cops bust beer thieves." The first thing that came to mind was "only out of Ireland" so I thought I would share some of the funnier parts...as well as a link to the Full Story.

"The Garda Siochana police force declined to specify how many kegs have been recovered following the Nov. 29 raid, when a lone man drove a truck into the brewery, hitched up a trailer loaded with 450 kegs and drove straight out through the security gate into rush-hour traffic. Guinness called it the biggest robbery in the 248-year history of the brewery."

-not very well planned...running into rush hour traffic (but then maybe they thought they were the Irish version of the Italian Job).

"The stolen trailer was loaded up with 180 kegs of Guinness stout, 180 kegs of brand Budweiser and 90 kegs of Danish brand Carlsberg."

-One wonders why they didn't just stick to taking the good beer?
-talk about a party...why didn't I get an invitation?

Ethan James Heffron

2007-11-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

Esther holding her little brother Ethan for the first time (so cute!!!).Daddy and his little boy. My how tiny he is!
Family picture (Esther was a little upset over something).
Uncle Brendan holds Ethan...aww...so precious!
Rocking Baby Ethan while Jassica and James catch some rest.
Things are going great here at Andrews AFB. Thanksgiving dinner turned out wonderfully (I know...a bit of a pat on the back there...but I liked it). Esther loves the new baby and Ethan is such a good little boy...although he keeps his parents up more at night than his bigger sister did. Love you all see you back home soon!

Feast of All Souls

2007-11-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

Lux Aeterna luceat eis Domine

cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum

quia pius es. Amen

May the Souls of the Faithful Departed

Through the mercy of God

Rest in Peace. Amen

The Legend of Jack of the Lantern

2007-10-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

There once was a young man named Jack. He was a vagabond and a trickster, preferring to trick his way through life and stealing than earning and honest living.

One day, Jack was waiting at the crossroads in the hopes that some unwary travelers would come by asking for directions to the Inn (Jack often did this...offering to guide them through the Irish mists in exchange for some money...and would then lead them down the road into the bogs to their dooms). But this night, instead of a stranger coming down the road, the Devil himself met Jack at the crossroads.

"Jack!;" said the Devil, "I've been a'looking for you...seems your time is up and I've come to take you home for your eternal reward."

"Is that so?" Jack asked, considerably shaken but this revelation. "Well then I guess that I am ready to go...but before I do, could you grant me one last earthly request?"

The devil thought this over for a bit and then said "Well now Jack, seeing as I have enjoyed leading you astray for all these years...I guess one last bit of pleasure wouldn't do me harm. What would you like?"

"I would like that apple...there on the topmost branch of this here apple tree...only I cannot get it since I hurt my leg today;" replied Jack.

So up the tree the devil sprang to get the apple...and quick as a cat Jack carved a big cross on the trunk of the tree so that the Devil could not come back down.

"There now Devil," cried Jack, "Come and take away my spirit now!"
"Curse you!" shouted the Devil from the tree, "let me down and I promise I'll not take your spirit tonight or any night hereafter!"

So, with this promise, Jack cut down the tree and down the devil came with it, leaving Jack safe and alive. Yet, all living things must die, and Jack did eventually as well...only he was not allowed in heaven because of his wicked life...nor would the Devil allow him onto Hell...on account of his promise. So now Jack wonders the world with just a little lantern to guide him in the night...hoping to find some place to stay for the night. But he can't even find hospitality on earth...out of fear that he may be up to his old tricks, people carved out turnips and pumpkins with frightening faces to remind him of his evil deeds...thus keeping away Jack O'Lantern.

Happy New Year!...?

2007-10-31T17:29:00.000-04:00

Samhain (pronounced "sow-en") is the ancient Celtic celebration of the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Each year, according to Celtic Mythology, a new sun god (male) was born of the goddess of the earth each spring. During the year he grew old until he dies in the late autumn with the darkening of the year, but not before he has taken earth as his bride and left her with a new son god to be born in the spring. so the end of the year is also the beginning.

However, with the death of the sun god, the souls of the wicked creatures and the dead all run wild on this night. In order to confuse the spirits and keep them from harming the living, the Celtic people devised many "tricks" that are still used to this day (although not for the original intended purpose). Bonfires are still a traditional part of Halloween (Samhain) which were thought to chase away the evil spirits who would think that it was the sun god still living.

Another method of tricking the creatures, was to disguise yourself as one of them so that they would mistake you for one of their own and leave you be. Part of this was that many families would invite the spirits in for a feast, the food would distract them long enough for the living to done costumes...and lead the spirits from the house dancing their way out in the wilderness, away from the homes of the living. But for the timid spirits, just a scary face would do to frighten them away!

Happy Halloween!

Riverdance goes Bananas!

2007-10-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

See? Even Monkeys know what good music is!

Catechism Class

2007-10-21T20:43:00.000-04:00

Today I taught my third Catechism class at St. Patrick's. Every Sunday morning my sister Maura and I teach Catechism to the most fantastic group of little third graders. The first class was a bit hard for me. I have been in college education for so long that I have sort of forgotten how little children learn and think. Now that I am on my third time though, we are having so much fun...and I actually think that I might be teaching them something! It's so much fun to see their smiling bright young faces get all lit up when they answer a questions correctly or do something pleasing. I love how they call me "Mr. Heffron." I am still getting a handle on maintaining order and discipline while keeping things fun and lively for them (especially since I have mostly little boys...and they tend to be a bit of a rambunctious crowd). Its a bit of work...but I am getting used to preparing lessons and it will be a good experience for me should I return to Seminary or continue as a teacher. I don't think that third graders are where I am best suited as a teacher, but its not like I can't do it. I love all my little students...we are going to have a great year!

Autumnal Wonders

2007-10-04T18:05:00.000-04:00

This is Strotheide Road looking West in front of my house.
An old tree in the woods that I thought had interesting branches.
This is my house from the woods across the pond (the second story window is my room).
Another view of Strotheide looking west just past my house.
Love the contrast in this photo!

Still Searching...

2007-09-25T11:58:00.000-04:00

It is my firm belief that nobody likes a depressing post (and if you do I think that you should be studied). This is, perhaps, one of the chief reasons that I have not posted much of late. All my news seems to be bound up in looking for a job...and all my creativity too for that matter. It is amazing how draining it can be to the cognitive faculties to do nothing more than writing down my name, address information and work experience on daily applications!

However...never fear my friends! Happier days are coming to the Bubble soon (I HOPE!!!) as my Aunt Janice (thank you), and Aunt Sheila have both joined the ranks of people looking for suitable employment for me. As well as mine own efforts...I think that somewhere something is bound to turn up!

Also...I do have a few posts bouncing around the ol' noggin...they should find there way out sometime soon...and I think I will buy a new camera cable for the digital camera at home (ours seems to have run off someplace) so at least I can keep you all posted with some pictures (fallback entertainment...a.k.a. "filler" for an otherwise intellectually and comically stagnant Bubble)

The Big Scoop from a Small Town

2007-08-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

...or village more like...

Smyrna, Michigan, home to nothing special really, just a few quiet village type peoples. One thing that they do have is a nice quaint little general grocery store. The Smyrna Grocery, among the regular party store type offerings, this particular store has a nice little ice cream shoppe in one corner. Knowing this, and it being a hot day, I decided to take my little brother out to get some ice cream. Little did we know what was in store for us...

We ordered two small size cones (as I did not want to spend much, and just wanted a little taste) and the girl began to scope out the luscious cream (I got chocolate)...one...two...THREE!!! scoops. As she handed it to me my brothers eyes nearly popped out of his head at the size of the thing! I myself was rather flabbergasted...it was a leaning tower of ice cream literally overflowing from the dinky little Joy cup cone! And of course it begins to melt like crazy in the heat...we had to eat the cones outside on the front steps of the grocery so that all the town could see us trying to keep the cascades of sweet cream from dripping all over us.

Needless to say we did not quite manage to get out of this affair with our dignity, although my brother (who is ten) fared better due to his age. I cannot remember the last time I have made such a mess eating a cone...Chocolate all over my face, both hands and three little streams that dried on the way down to my elbow! Just soooo happy that nobody I knew came by while I was pigging my way through the cone.

...on a side note...the Ice Cream was really good...just next time I think I will get a bowl!

A Rather Dry Summer

2007-08-28T20:15:00.000-04:00

This summer has been a most eventful one for me. Despite the lack of activity apparent from the contents of this blog (none within the past several weeks) I have actually been doing a lot of things, just nothing interesting nor wholly worthwhile to report. That being said, I thought that I should give a little recap of what I have been up to for those interested parties who have not heard from me for a while.

After four years of college and a year of seminary studies and two months in Mexico, I decided that it was high time for me to take a little break from it all. It's difficult to devote almost your entire life to one thing for so long, and yet have the goal still further off. This past year really drained me, but it also showed me that I need some growing up to do. A lot of the guys at the seminary had a few years on their own, working, and living on their own. I call this "living life" or "real life experience." Because I went right from the extreme shelter of home-schooling to four years in small Catholic Colleges and then the seminary, I have not fully (at least to my satisfaction) experienced life to the degree that I feel a candidate for priesthood should. I do not want to be a young priest, who while having all the education possible, lacks any idea of how to live on his own, take care of himself and the day to day cares of 90% of the Catholic population. So this is why I have left seminary formation for the time being (don't worry...I plan to go back someday); to get in touch with the day to day life of normal people and to live a few experiences that my sheltered life has not enabled me to encounter.

So I am now looking for employment, which hopefully pays well and is a job that I like. I have already submitted several application to a variety of places, but have yet to receive any word back. It is already strange not to be back in school this year...after almost 18 years of going to school in the fall...one feels almost like a fish out of water, and more than a little old.

Now you know what I have been up to. I have not been idle, but already I am happy that I made the decision that I did. While it is tough getting over this initially, I believe that I will reap abundant reward from following the will of Christ for my life. So even though the summer has been so dry...there is yet a bit of dew in the mornings!

Summer Woes

2007-07-02T13:36:00.000-04:00

Summer posting will be sparse (at least that is what the weather man said). I don't use the internet too much in the summer due to the inconvenience of it and the little time that I can spend on it. I also have a lot more cares during the summer that call me away from thinking of silly little nothings to post here...so until further notice, the "Bubble" will be on summer vacation with no (or little if any) posts. Hope you all have a great summer. I will miss you and the "Bubble" will too...it gets lonely in the here sometimes.

In Honor of my Fore-Fathers

2007-06-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

My Fore-Fathers

Now sit you down,

and I'll tell ye,

what you should know

'bout your ancestry.

We start with James,

In Eire 'twas born.

In place of his sons,

fought in Civil War.

William his son,

with wagon did hurry,

to bring back his father,

in Parnell for to bury.

Thomas is next,

gentle and kind,

helped out his neighbours

when help they couldn't find.

Clayton was known

for miles around,

for in village and dale,

his blarney'd abound!

Then there is Tim,

true to his kin,

for God and his fam'ly's

ever dearest to him.

Now mind you well,

now that you know,

to honor their mem'ry,

for you reap what they sowed!

-Brendan Heffron,

12, June, 2007

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand He's Back!

2007-06-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

I cannot tell you how glad I am to be back State-side (American States that is...)! It seems an eternity since I left...that's what total immersion in a foreign country does to you...and Mexico is sooooo foreign. They seem to take pride in taking the word "foreign" to a whole new level of meaning. Anyway...I can't wait to see my friends again...and yes...Facebook will be back up again soon!

Beuna Suerte me Amigos!!!

¡Poco, Pico y Picante!

2007-05-23T18:32:00.000-04:00

Bugs. I just can't seem to stay away from them...or rather, they from me. Since arriving in Cuernavaca, Mexico, I have been waking up every morning with at least one new bit (pico in español). I have gone over me room I don't know how many times trying to find the culprit(s) but to no avail! I just keep getting bitten by the bugs down here (who seem to have a fondness for my blood as nobody else is getting bitten) and on top of that...I seem to be allergic to them to! The bits swell up like no other!

Moving on...but still on the subject of bugs...you will have no idea what they served us to eat at the school the other day. Yep...you guessed it...bugs! They were explaining to us some of the foods of Mexico. Among the many itemes that most of us are familiar with, maiz, chiles, mangos, etc...there...in the middle of the table in a glass jar sat a bunch of live bugs (looked similar to really fat stink bugs....the best I can do for visuals...but smelled something like ladybugs). I, of course, refused to eat even one, but a bunch of the other guys (some just to prove that they were a man...what is up with that?) had at least one. Taste was described as akin to Redhots candy. For one of us though...it was not to be the most interesting food expierience of his day...

One of the seminarians...for some stupid idiotic reason...decided that he would just pop a habañero pepper into his mouth. At first he was okay...but then he was not, it took forever to cool down his mouth with milk, fruit, and finally a trip to the ice cream store. His mouth was so red afterwards...it was hard not to laugh at his pain because of his stupid machismo! Anyway...he pulled through alright, but this morning he said that all night his stomach gave him hell...as well we all knew it would!

Well...its still hot down here my friends. I miss you all sooooo much, and cannot wait to see you all again...in three weeks. Love you all...from...

Tu hermano en Jesuchristo!

Mi Primera Semana en México

2007-05-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

My first week in Mexico I stayed at the minor seminary of the Archdiocese of Tlanlapantla. The seminarians (high schoolers) were very friendly and it was a bit of a challenge trying to communicate with them with only halting Spanish on my part and little to no English on theirs. Still, we had a good time, and made some friends.

The day after our arrival (Thursday) we went to the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City. Many interesting things there...but I have to say a lot of it was frightening, all sorts of Aztec artifacts, all having to do with human sacrifice...and lots of it at that! It was very weird to think that the things that I was touching and seeing right in front of me, ran with human blood just six hundred years earlier.

On Friday the we all travelled to the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. We climbed to the top of the Temple of the Sun following in the footsteps of priests who climbed the step incline of the pyramid centuries before us. The view was awesome and the place was truly amazing! Never before have I been in a place so completely ancient...and I did it without even leaving the continent!

The ride to the pyramids was a bit of an adventure though...traffic in Mexico City is just plain crazy. There is next to no order on the streets and they are flooded with cars, buses, motercycles and pedestrians. Many time there seemed to be only a few inches between the side of our bus and the the vehicle next to us...not something that makes you feel very comfortable. Well on the way to the Pyramids our bus bumped (nothing serious) with another vehicle...basically just scraped the side a bit. We were stuck while they sorted out the affair for about an hour before another bus was called to take us the rest of the way to the Pyramids. This bus was not as professional as our previous charter bus...as was proved but the bus driver pulling over at a certain point and dropping off some old tires before continuing on our way...goes without saying that this was a huge reminder to us that we were not in the U.S.A. anymore!

The Next day we went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The place is absolutely awesome and the devotion that is still given to the Virgin is astounding. The Mexican people have a great gift in this holy place, and I felt so priveledged to be able to visit the place that she appeared and see the Tilma with her image imprinted upon it with mine own eyes. The Tilma was very beautiful, even after all these years, and it was very moving being so close to something so holy.

Needless to say this is a very quick rundown of some of my expieriences in the past few days...but I don´t want to spoil the story telling when I get back...since I get more enjoyment out of telling a story over a few beers with you in person than via the internet. Keep me in your prayers...it is a little hard being in a place that you don´t understand the custumes and the language that well...but I am doing well, so don´t worry about anything! The keyboard is a little weird and everything (including spell check) is in Spanish, so if things don´t look quite right, it is due to the limitations of my understanding. I love you all and miss you all very much...or as they say in Espaniole, te qiero mucho!

Buenas Noches me amigos!

Reverse Migration

2007-05-01T16:57:00.000-04:00

I have meet many Mexicans in my life. They have come as long as I can remember to help out on the farms up here in Michigan. But I guess that I have always been on the receiving side of Hispanic culture...them coming to us. Now I am going down to learn about them and their language at their home. A reversal of the usual migration pattern that I have grown accustomed to.

Now for all of you who have long been demanding that I let you know what is/will be going on...I give you the Itinerary of the next two months!

May 2, 9am I depart for Mexico from Detroit Airport
May 2-6 I will be visiting the Mexico City and learning about their history and culture.
May 6-June 15 I will be in Cuernavaca learning Spanish and living with my Mexican family (Justino and Costanza)
June 16-24 I will be doing door to door evangelization (or something like that) in some Hispanic communities in Detroit or Flint Michigan.
June 24 2006...I am finished for the summer
June 24-July 4 I have completely free and will be packing up my possessions at school and will hopefully be seeing a lot of my friends in the Ann Arbor area before heading back home.

Hopefully I will be able to post to the Bubble while in Mexico...so stay tuned (and pray for this Gringo!)

Hangin' Loose...

2007-04-29T21:51:00.000-04:00

Graduation or Commencement, whatever term you prefer, at Sacred Heart Seminary is over as of Saturday. My family came out to see me get an Alumnus Certificate, which does not mean all that much academically speaking, but which meant that I was able to wear my Ave Maria Colors for the first time (SO PROUD OF OUR ALMA MATER...as painful as some of the time was). Funny how every time I "graduate" though I basically am served blanks...well at least a consolation now is that I am going to accredited institutions now.

Speaking of Accredited Institutions...the Graduation ceremony at Sacred Heart was so painless!!! "practice" took all of a half hour (instead of an insanely heated and intense 3 hours or so) and then Graduation itself went without a hitch and was beautiful to boot! It was great to be there to see Thom graduate with his Masters! Although his Masters sleeves makes him look a little "witchy."

Since then I have been hanging out with Thom Peters at various locations around Ann Arbor-Saline. Great to just sit back and relax, and rest up for the next big adventure in my life...MEXICO! Details on Mexico will be coming soon...

Medication, Procrastination, and Education

2007-04-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

I should be writing a paper right now, but as it is, I have absolutely no interest in the subject nor desire to finish the paper. On top of this, is that the paper is due...and I quote, on "Wednesday, April, 23." Not only, as I have just discovered, is April 23rd a Monday but there is no mention of a time...which I must conclude means that it is due by 11:59 tomorrow...so I still have time right?

In other news, I have discovered these really cool Tylenol (Extra Strength...read "for Students") caplets. And when I say "cool" I mean it literally. It is a new kind that has been coated with something resembling a breath mint. Once you swallow the pill, your mouth has a minty freshness to it...rather than the icky taste of medicine if you leave it in your mouth too long. The problem is that I find myself liking to take medication now...but rest assured...I do have a headache and needed to take it tonight!

Ah, well, just one more day and I am all finished with this year of education. Wednesday (at approximately 9pm) will see me freed once again of another year's worth of academic slavery!

Farewell to the Heart

2007-04-23T00:47:00.000-04:00

The past year has been one of many joys and sorrows. It has seen me leaving my beloved Ave Maria College community and joining the fast growing ranks of Catholic Seminarians. I studied my first year at the come now bursting at the seams Sacred Heart Major Seminary and after a Spanish language trip to Mexico with SHMS, I will find myself joining the rest of my diocesan brothers at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois.

I have one more week to spend at the Heart (as it is often called) and although it took me a while to get used to, and learn to like, the place (it is Detroit and I am from the country after all) I have grown accustomed to the place. I will miss her, as well as all the wonderful seminarians currently attending this hallowed institution. I have great hope for the future of the Church in Detroit as well as the rest of Michigan, having had but a small sample of the future leaders of Detroit and many of the Dioceses of Michigan. The local Church here in Michigan is on the verge of a new and great springtime, just as Pope John Paul the Great (of blessed and holy memory) predicted of the entire Church.

The prayers of the faithful are paying off! Keep up the prayers and know that they are being put to good use...for those of you in the pews, you will be experiencing this in about five-ten years! Keep your chins up! The Reign of Terror is Ended!

Glücklicher Geburtstag Papst Benedict!

2007-04-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

...or as we like to say in English...Happy Birthday Pope Benedict!!!

80 years old today...Long Live the Pope! Viva il Papa!

Raboni!

2007-04-10T13:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!

I took a bit of a break during Holy Week...not a break in the strict sense since I was very busy...but rather a break from the Internet (or exile?). I have come to the point of such extreme frustration with the dial-up connection that is the only means of Internet access at home, that I have thrown in the towel all together this time and declared war on dial-up. I think that our relationship, while never very good, has been permanently severed, for it refuses to please me and I refuse to honor it by deigning to use its sluggish transmissions.

Thanks be to the Catholic way of doing things however, as I am able to say 'Happy Easter!' to all of you on Easter day...all week long! Christus Ressurexit (Tá Críost éirithe!)! So despite it being 'Easter Tuesday' it is still (Liturgically) Easter Day...I love how that works.

Anyway...just so you all know in case you were wondering. I had a wonderfully blessed Holy Week/Triduum/Easter, and although physically draining, it was also spiritually and emotionally uplifting! I hope and pray that you all had a similar experience this Easter.

I was able to meet with some of you on Easter Monday, but for all the others who I did not have the opportunity to see personally over Easter, know that I missed you and can't wait to see you again soon. God Bless you all!

Some Irish Humour!

2007-03-31T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight I did a wee bit o' humor for the fella's at the Seminary. The event is called 'Coffeehouse' and is basically a talent show with free coffee (I am still feeling the effects!). I performed a few Irish jokes for the crowd, which was well received...much to my pleasure, and of course, once you stroke a performer's ego...the show only gets better. So in the spirit o' the ev'nin' I thought I would share with you a wee bit of humor (these are not the ones that I told tonight...since those are better performed than written). Enjoy!

Old widow McGee walked into the bank to exchange $100.00.

She says to the clerk, "Could you break this down into smaller bills for me?"

The clerk says; "In what demonination would you like your bills?"

To which widow McGee responds; "God bless us, has it come to that? I'll have nothin' but Catholics if you don't mind!"

This is one from Joe...
Mike Mulligan woke up one morning with an huge hangover. Forcing himself to open his eyes, he sees a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the bedside table. He sits up in bed and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and ironed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless. He takes the aspirins and sees a note on the table which says
"Breakfast is on the stove, dear. I left early to go shopping. Love you!" He goes to the kitchen and sure enough, there's a hot breakfast waiting for him, and also the morning newspaper. His son is sitting at the table, eating.
Really curious by now, Mike asks, "Son, what happened last night?"
His son says, "Well, Mam said you came home after 3 a.m, you stumbled in the door, threw up in the hallway, and passed out half-way up the stairs."
Confused, Mike asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?"
His son replies, "Oh, that! Mam dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your trousers off, you yelled "Leave me alone woman, I'm a married man!""

Says Mrs. O'Keefe; "If you were my husband I would poison your tea!"
Says Mr. O'Keefe; "Madame if I was your husband, I would drink it!"

Crazy Medievals!

2007-03-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

In preparation for Easter, the Choirmaster at my parish sent me the text of a 12th century trope in the hopes that I could translate it for him. Like usual, I accepted before I had adequately accessed the amount of work this would be! What looked like a normal straight up translation has turned into a nightmare hodge-podge of misspelled Latin words, hybrid Greek/Latin and French/Latin words (at least I think that is what it was...), adjectives and adverbs galore and just a mess of poor grammar and syntax! Now I am not an expert, and I am sure that is part of the frustration...but whoever wrote this should have been shot!

Give me Julius Caesar please!

Sunset on the Horizon

2007-03-27T20:16:00.000-04:00

Well folks, it looks like it is "Good-bye" to Sacred Heart in Detroit and "Hello" to Mundelein Seminary in Chicago (Mundelein, IL). The Vocation Director from my Diocese (Grand Rapids) came out for his semester visit here in Detroit and gave me the news today. I cannot say that the news was unexpected, or that the news is entirely unwelcome, I will however still be a little sad to leave here. As much as I dislike Detroit, I have grown used to it and can begin to find a little appreciation for her haggard appearance and struggling form. There is great tenacity here among the people and the Seminarians who will be ministering to the people of this Diocese. My heart goes out to those who I leave behind, but I look forward to my new adventure this fall on the other side of the pond. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I fill out yet another application form and endure orientation (hopefully for the last time!) again in the fall.

St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T17:06:00.000-04:00

Tis the blessed day of the dear Patrick, Saint of all the Irish. I hope that you all will toast his blessed memory and that you are all proudly a wearin' the green!

Irish Music Guide

2007-03-13T15:34:00.000-04:00

As some of you may well know, I have a fairly extensive collection of Irish and Celtic music. Since this month of March is particularly dear to the Irish at home or abroad, I thought that I would just post a tribute to the many sounds of Ireland that I have enjoyed over the years, enjoy the photo fest, and know that all of the CD's featured come highly recommended by yours truly. First...The best of the traditional Irish bands, and the ones who pushed traditional Irish music into the mainstream...The Chieftains!
A tribute to one of Ireland's greatest composers and the last wondering bard of Ireland
Haunting choral music done in a style reminiscent of Ireland's past with a modern appeal

Traditional tunes and airs!

Get your dance on!
Speaking of Dancing! Not quite pure tradition here...but awesome non-the-less (oh and just in case some of you want to see the show...it is coming to Grand Rapids this June I heard...)
Something a little more haunting and modern...but clearly inspired by Irish music!
Enya needs no introduction!
And last but not least...about as mainstream as it gets...albeit not your traditional Irish fare. Still...great band!

Four more days!!!

Return from Exile

2007-03-11T22:48:00.000-04:00

Spring Break is over...tear...flick!

In one sense, I am relieved...its hard picking up in the middle of family life again. I have been away for so long that so much has changed, the life of the family as I knew it has changed to much. Many things remain the same...its the little things. Like the cooking spoons and the new place for the pots, or where the toilet paper is kept. My family seems to be permanently in a state of flux...while everything remains the same, nothing is ever exactly as I left it the time before. It is also nice to get back to the post turn-of-the-millennium society having been banished to the post "turn-of-the-century" culture on the farm (i.e. I did not have Internet).

But now it is back to the grindstone of seminary life...studying and constantly working on oneself in order to allow the Spirit to create a new person in me everyday. I also miss my family and my community. Everything about home is so dear to my heart, the people, the land, the history, the culture, it all calls out to me every time I leave and forever I hear the soft call to return. I cannot wait until I am ordained (God help me!) so that I can settle down in a parish and can remain at home. No rest for the weary traveler pursuing knowledge!

Je Suis Libre!

2007-03-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

Spring Break has come for me! This means that in a few short hours I shall be departing for Tír na nÓg (the land of the blessed in Irish Folklore...i.e. Grand Rapids). This Spring Break started off in style! Currently listening to U2 (began with It's a Beautiful Day) but before that I was jigging to some good ol' Irish tunes...after returning from the "source and summit of the day" (i.e. The Mass). I have been told that home (the Frozen North) resembles Narnia a bit...due to an interesting mix of a Snow/lightning/rain storm that is now all frozen solid. Soon I will be seeing the most beautiful view in the world...My face toward West Michigan and South-East Michigan in my rear-view mirror!

Happy Spring Break to all my fellow Scholars (and Monica)!

I just had to say...

2007-02-27T18:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think that I post too much and scare people with too much information...

...Anyway its the second to last day of the shortest month of the year and I have already filled this month to the max with posts...either I have way too much to say, overactive desire to publish nonsense, or I am just really bored with my barely full time academic work load...all three?

Or maybe I am compensating for American Papist who seems to be suffering from Thesisitis.

Seminarian Perks

2007-02-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

There are some very nice advantages to being a seminarian. One of which I received today in the form of a large care package full of all sorts of interesting goodies! When you have a roughly 100 parishes in eleven counties who are all doing their best to show their support for 13 seminarians...your bound to get some nice stuff out of it. Seminary life is not all rosy...but this is definitely the gilded edging. So far I have received two such care packages which included (among other things):

Hot Chocolate mix
Frito Lay Chips, Planters Peanuts and a large bag of Trail Mix
Some "fun size" candy bars (to fatten us up)
Dial soap (am I dirty?)
A large brown paisley (ugly) colored box of Kleenex
Many pens
A pad of Paper and envelopes (along with the stamps for easy correspondence)
Some dress socks (argyle too...lol...now I can look old!)
Toothpaste (I didn't think that my teeth in my seminarian picture were that yellow)

The thing I like receiving most from back home, however, is the warm support offered in the form of brightly colored construction paper and the fun messages that little children think to put on paper. Here is a little 'illustration' of what I mean:

"Dear Brendan Heffron, I hope that you get the chance to be a priest" (giving it my best shot Gabriel!)
"We nou that becoming a priest isn't easy" (I made it easier for you to read by putting in spaces)
"I hope when you become a preist you will have fun doing it!!!!! (I do too...and yes, all the exclamation points are originals)
"I love God too. We pray to you every day." (Dear Lord I hope not!!!)
"~~~~~~~~~~~~" (I think it was supposed to be cursive...seven lines of different colored squiggles!)
"How is the life of a priest? Should I be a priest?" (Aha! Potential vocation alert!!!)
"Do you know what Church you will go to?" (A Catholic one!)
The above also had a nice self portrait of the author, who goes by Zach...potential church artist???
"I hope you are a good priest and you come to our church." (workin' on that...)
"I will be praying for you. One reason is that people like you are getting rare." (I think Nick may be getting the vocations poster mixed up with the Endangered Species list)
"Is it hard to turn into a priest?" (Well I will have to see Harry Potter about that one...)

In all seriousness...I love these notes by the youngest members of what will become my future flock and I wanted to share that with you, my few dear readers. God Bless us all!GRAND RAPIDS ROCKS!!!

Arpnelptay seplnlig is not a big dael!

2007-02-24T23:08:00.000-05:00

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Church Bloopers...

2007-02-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

They're Back! Church Bulletins: Thank God for the wonderful church ladies who type them. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
The sermon this morning: " Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus ."
Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community.
Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be cycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment And gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare 's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours"

Why Catholics Rock

2007-02-22T13:24:00.000-05:00

The world has often lampooned the medieval browbeating of lent by Catholics. In a culture that is concerned only with giving people a false sense of "touchy-feely" happiness by not defining right from wrong and the political correctness of relativism and over the top self affirmation, what is lost is a worthy sense of personal shame and repentance. The Church, in her wisdom, knows that our human nature needs to feel shame for the wrongs that we have done every now and then. This not only helps us feel better about ourselves, because we admit our missteps and accept them as they are, but also acts a catalyst for improving ourselves.

If a person never bothers to reflect upon the wounds that have pierced their life through their own weakness...what you get is a person of utter and complete apathy. Every person knows that they have done wrong things, but if this is not reflected upon, it will fester in the back of the mind and make the person very unhappy. This is why Catholics should rejoice in the blessing of this season of lent. It is a time for us to examine ourselves, reconcile ourselves with God and come to peace with ourselves by correcting our personal faults and shortcomings. Lent it not so much about pain, suffering and making ourselves feel like worms, as much as it is a time to remind ourselves of our own frailty so that we can renew our life with Christ.

E Mare Libertas

2007-02-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

The strange things that one does find after spending too much time on the Internet! Not long ago I came across something that I found both interesting and totally laughable. It was an article on the Principality of Sealand. A micronation (a self-declared but unrecognised state-like entity) lying in the international waters of the North Sea just off the Dover coast of England. The "nation" has issued its own currency, postage stamps, and passports (which are no longer recognized due to the fact that they were the county's major export). The country is ruled by Prince Roy I (no second yet...) and is a constitutional monarchy.

So why have you never heard of this interesting nation? Well for starters, it has a permanent population of about ten (largely consisting of the Royal Family) and has only been in existence since 1967. The land mass of the country is entirely underwater, with the only habitable part of the country being a platform rising out of the Atlantic on two large pillars or towers. The total area of the country is 550 meters squared!

Talk about delusions of grandeur...if you want to read more...and it's a pretty hilarious read...just follow the link !

The (Un)Dixie Chicks

2007-02-13T18:22:00.000-05:00

Many of you know (and have voiced your disgust) that I am a country music fan. Well the biggest story from the Grammys this year is the Dixie Chicks. according to ABC News:

"The band's wry single "Not Ready to Make Nice" won the award for best song...The Dixie Chicks also won record of the year, song of the year and album of the year, in addition to best country album and country performance by a duo or group with vocal."

This is all over the news because the media is spinning it as the Dixie Chicks making a come-back after their infamous statement at a London concert in 2003;

"We're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

This comment sent off a loud cry amid country fans, resulting in the Nashville Country Music Awards banning the band from their awards this year. The fan base of the Chicks were mostly country folks, farmers and the like, from the Midwest and the South...basically the "Red" states. So its obvious that they would be ostracized for their comments...but what made it worse was that they did not say what they did in the United States (even though they are called "brave") but in a foreign European country (Great Britain). That does not take guts...cause why would they care...all it is is passive aggressive slight on out Chief of State in front of our allies.

What I find interesting about all this, is that many people now love the Chicks...people who never would have liked or listened to their music before their comments. The people who are real fans of their music, however, wish not to support them because they have a world view that runs contrary to good ol' fashioned American ideals. These new "fans" don't care about their music...just what they did. This new "Grammy Award Winning Album" has not sold as much as their previous albums...in fact far below the margin...and this is called a "comeback" and a "validation" of the band in the eyes of the American public?

This is just a shift in their fan base, and after this angry album, the band will have ridden the political wave of their appeal, and not needed anymore will sink into oblivion. This whole thing is not about free speech, but rather is a question as to what is traitorous action as public figures representing the core of American beliefs on foreign soil during a war. People need to relearn the distinction between speaking their mind on American soil and on foreign soil, and that as Americans they should honor and respect the Office of President and the virtues of their country. If they can't do that, then leave!

Hope Springs Eternal

2007-02-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

This weekend I traveled down that all too familiar pathway taking me home to my kith and kin. My parents just got back from a vacation to the Eternal City...so they had much to share and I was very eager to listen. I thought it was pretty cool that I have taught myself enough about the Roman Churches that I was able to identify every church that they took pictures off...lol! Needless to say it makes you look smart in front of the parental units...which is always a plus.

Catching up on the news is a necessary part of coming home. Engagements, pregnancy announcements, death announcements, and birth announcements...are all very necessary. The small insignificant news of country life is laid out in full...as well as what is going on at the parish. Good News! The Catholic grade school at my parish is actually trying to live up to its name. The students are now being taught Latin and Gregorian Chant for the first time in...good Lord knows how long! But its so cool! I am happy that they are getting a rudimentary education in Latin...so important!

Spring is on the way friends! I of course mean that figuratively! The snow did not cease falling during my stay at home (it was light...nothing like Upstate New York) and we are expecting a snow storm to come along soon!

Oh...I ran into Magistra (Dr. Izzo) today! She was visiting with Dr. Wright...and she is doing well! Amo Magistra!

Well...this is what it said...

2007-02-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

You Belong in San Francisco

You crave an eclectic, urban environment. You're half California, half NYC.You're open minded, tolerant, and secretly think you're the best.People may dismiss you as a hippie, but you're also progressive, interesting, and rich!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!

2007-02-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

So...Here is a little photo montage of why I miss home so much (other than family, etc., of course)! Tonight there is a big snow storm/blizzerd happening at home and I am in lovely, warm, dull, boring SW Michigan...grrr. Oh well...hopefully when I get to go home next week the snow should still be there and I can take some pictures to share with you all!
This week's forecast (otherwise known as what happens when cold air moves over Lake Michigan and then passes over Grand Rapids way)

Notice the darker area known as Grand Rapids...and how it sort of fades as it comes over Detroit way

Lá Fhéile Bríde (St. Brigid's Feast)

2007-02-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

St. Brigid of Kildare (fl. 451- 525) is the Patroness of Ireland and is revered almost as highly as St. Patrick. Unlike St. Patrick, however, Brigid is a native daughter of the Island and achieved a status in the early Irish Church on par with that of bishops (as far as authority goes...she was never a priest) in her Abbey at Kildare. Like St. Patrick, there are many legends about her life and customs associated with her feast.

There is little reliable information about the convent she founded around 470 at Kildare (originally Cill-Daire or 'church of the oak'), the first convent in Ireland, and the rule that was followed there. This is one of the ways Brigid sanctified the pagan with the Christian: The oak was sacred to the druids, and in the inner sanctuary of the Church was a perpetual flame, another religious symbol of the druid faith, as well as the Christian. Gerald of Wales (13th century) noted that the fire was perpetually maintained by 20 nuns of her community. This continued until the dissolution of the monasteries during the Reformation. Some have speculated that Brigid was a high priestess of a community of druid women, who led the entire community into the Christian faith…which would be awesome…however there is no real evidence of this.

Brigid is renowned for her charism of generosity: It was recorded that if she gave a drink of water to a thirsty stranger, the liquid turned into milk; when she sent a barrel of beer to one Christian community, it proved to satisfy 17 more. Many of the stories about her relate to the multiplication of food, including one that she changed her bath-water into beer to satisfy the thirst of an unexpected clergyman. Even her cows gave milk three times the same day to provide milk for some visiting bishops.

There is a legend that once she fell asleep during a sermon of Saint Patrick, but he laughingly forgave her. She had dreamed, she told him, of the land ploughed far and wide, and of white-clothed sowers sowing good seed. Then came others clothed in black, who ploughed up the good seed and sowed tares in its place. Patrick told her that such would happen; false teachers would come to Ireland and uproot all their good work. This saddened Brigid, but she redoubled her efforts, teaching people to pray and to worship God, and telling them that the light on the altar was a symbol of the shining of the Gospel in the heart of Ireland, and must never be extinguished, and in her church at Kildare, a flame still burns to her memory.

A widely recognized symbol of Ireland is the reed Cross of St. Brigid. The story of the cross goes that a pagan chieftain from the neighborhood of Kildare was dying. Christians in his household sent for Brigid to talk to him about Christ. When she arrived the chieftain was raving. As it was impossible to instruct this delirious man, hopes for his conversion seemed doubtful. Brigid sat down at his bedside and began consoling him. As was customary, the dirt floor was strewn with rushes both for warmth and cleanliness. Brigid stooped down and started to weave them into a cross, fastening the points together. The sick man asked what she was doing. She began to explain the cross, and as she talked his delirium quieted and he questioned her with growing interest. Through her weaving, he converted and was baptized at the point of death. Since then the cross of rushes has been venerated in Ireland. It is traditionally made on the day of her feast and was hung over the front door or in the thatch and protected the house from fire and those within from harm.
The relics of Saint Brigid are traditionally held to be buried at Downpatrick with those of Saint Columba and St. Patrick. A tunic reputed to have been hers, given by Gunhilda, sister of King Harold II, survives at Saint Donatian's in Bruges, Belgium; a relic of her shoe, made of silver and brass set with jewels, is at the National Museum of Dublin. In 1283, three knights took the head of Brigid with them on a journey to the Holy Land. They died in Lumier (near Lisbon), Portugal, where the church now enshrines her head in a special chapel.

When the mind turns off...

2007-02-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

I had a rather interesting experience this morning. We all have dreams, good dreams, bad dreams, and the just plain weird dreams. It is rare that I remember my dreams other than to know when I wake up that I just had a weird dream...but its all so vague.

Today...I did remember my dream though, because it made me scream. Yes, I literally screamed...and in a hall full of guys, I know they will never let me live that down. I was dreaming about a completely white scorpion (looked like an unpainted plastic Toy...but it was alive) and it was HUGE (like about the size of a small cat). The scorpion was fighting, on the floor of my room, with something else that was white just like the scorpion...but seemed to resemble a Reese's Peanut Butter cup with legs (Peanut Butter makes everything evil). I was not concerned with them doing there thing...until out of nowhere...the scorpion jumps and lands on my back! At that point I screamed (and from the report...it was loud and very high pitched) and woke up with my heart beating a 1,000 beats a minute...and quite a few of the guys in my hall wondering around my door a few minutes later in full derision!

Why can't my life dull?

Clocks and REM cycles

2007-01-30T10:33:00.000-05:00

Some people have a rather nice REM cycle...for me though, its seems that every time I get to the "light sleep stage," my sleep gets so light that I actually wake up. I get my sleep but my cycles extend between actually sleeping and waking...making sleeping a bit of an annoyance. The scary thing is, is that I can time my cycles...they take about an hour and 50 minutes generally...I know this because I tend to look at the clock every time I wake up...night can go so slow

Speaking of time going slowly, this morning at class I thought I would die from boredom! Their were a lot of repetitious and just plain boring questions today that took up most of the class. On top of that the clock was just moving so slow! It felt like the clock was moving slower than usual...when in fact it was...it stopped at 9:30 and just stayed there...I thought something was up! Ugh...well that is over and now I have to do some laundry. Days get rather boring when all you do is go to class and study and never go outside or get much social interaction (seminarians are such a prayerful/studious lot that its hard to find some fodder for procrastination...good thing Thom comes around every so often!).

Concerning Hobbits

2007-01-24T13:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's post reminded me of something that I had a lot of fun with about four years ago. I am not sure if any of you know that there is a website where you enter in your name and it will generate for you your Hobbit name. Just so you all know, my Hobbit name is Todo Sandybanks of Frogmorton (even in the Hobbit world I end up in swampy farm country...).

This is the Link to the site...have fun (http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/)!

P.S. From this site you can also generate your elf name...mine is Maeglin Telemnar.

Hobbits and Hermits

2007-01-23T15:05:00.000-05:00

While doing a little bit of surfing today, I came across this interesting picture of an old hermitage on the slopes of Torc Mountain in the Ring of Kerry, Ireland. While struck with the beauty of the place (struck me as looking like a perfect Hobbit-hole of the Shire, ex the round windows and doors) and the grotesque beauty of the twisting branches and brambles that frame the dwelling, I began to think how cool it would be to live there...but the reality hit. That place looks really cold and damp, not to mention small and very, very remote. It's amazing the dedication that drove the old hermits to places like this, to serve God whole-heatedly without any distractions of the world. What a sacrifice!

However...with some running water, central heat, a door and some windows...doesn't look like a bad place to live...could even be called cozy.

Lá Breithe Shona An Bolgán

2007-01-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

It is the first birthday of The Bubble folks! Thank you to all my dear readers (basically my friends) who have continued to come and read whatever I chance to have decided to put up for the day. My posts have not always lived up to my own expectations of them...in fact they rarely do. I seem to have the problem of being my own worst critic, but at least I post...and I think that I may be making some improvement...at least I have seen it in my academic work if not in the writing that I do for fun.

So here I am...still blogging about whatever...and still going, 56 posts later! Thanks to all of you who come and read (and drop comments every now and then)...I would offer you a drink, but you are not here...but have one anyway (good for the heart). Oh!...and UPDATE SOME OF YOU!!!

P.S. Also, just so you know, the title is Happy Birthday to THe Bubble in Irish Gaelic and is pronounced; law bre-heh hunn-ah ahn bowl-gawn.

St. Ita

2007-01-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

St. Ita was born of Christian parents towards the end of the fifth century. She belonged to the noble tribe of the Decii in County Waterford. All her early biographers favor the pleasant metaphor describing her as the 'Brigid of Munster'. Actually the differences were more striking than the resemblances between those two foremost women saints of the Celtic church (see St. Brigid). Brigid's effective life as a nun was spent in continual movement. When she had made a success of one convent settlement, she moved off to found another. Organization was her bent. Ita did just the opposite. Instead of entering one of Brigid's convents, she founded another in a district where there was none, at Killeedy, County Limerick. There she remained all her life, courting retirement. Again, there is an emphasis on austerity in Ita's life not found in Brigid's. Ita's mortifications were on a par with those of the greatest contemporary missionaries.

A strongly individualistic character is glimpsed in the legends of Ita. When she decided to settle in Killeedy (cil=church/monastery+Ide=Ita), a chieftain offered her a large grant of land to support the convent. But Ita would accept only four acres, which she cultivated intensively. The convent became known as a training school for little boys, many of whom later became famous churchmen. One of these was St. Brendan, whom Ita accepted in fosterage when he was a year old and kept until he was six. The great Navigator revisited her between his voyages and always deferred to her counsel. He once asked her what were the three clings which God most detested, and she replied: 'A scowling face, obstinacy in wrong-doing, and too great a confidence in the power of money'. St. Mochoemoc, whom because of his beauty she called 'Pulcherius', was another great personage of the Celtic church she fostered in infancy.

Ita died on January 15th, which is now kept as her feast, about the year 570. There is a strong local cult of her in Munster, particularly in Waterford and Limerick, and her name is a popular one for Irish girls. In the middle of the nineteenth century a new move was made in Ireland for the development of her cult, when Bishop Butler of Limerick obtained from Pope Pius IX a special office and mass for her feast.

"I have a dream"

2007-01-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

Today, as some of you may have guessed from the lack of mail in your mailboxes, is Martin Luther King Junior day. I never paid much attention to this day as I never paid attention to it coming around until I went to check the mailbox and found it empty, then went to check the calendar to found what the deuce had held up the mail today. But in Detroit it is a different matter. MLK is HUGE out here...well at least there was a big mass at the Cathedral today...you know...the mass for the Solemnity of St. MLK.

Now I honor MLK for all the good work that he did, and the dream that he worked so hard to acheive...but he was basically canonized at the Cathedral this morning. Hymns dedicated to him, red vestments (for a weekday in ordinary time???) denoting "martyrdom," and a full blown solemn liturgy (yea...two readings and a gospel...not just the weekday one...and I don't think it was the reading for the day either...or at least one of them was not), not to mention all the applause after every song the choir sang (they were very good btw...objectively speaking) like it was some kind of show (I think it was) and the Aztec dancers (where that came from I don't know...the African style Gospel music made sense...but the Aztec dancers???...random???).

Like I said, I have no problem with honoring MLK. I have a problem with shaping an entire mass around him as though he was canonized...not to mention the liturgical "additions." I also don't understand why this huge celebration was planned in a liturgical context when legitimate saints like Kateri Tekawitha, Juan Diego, Elizabeth Seton, the North American Martyrs or blessed Junipero Serra get barely a mention at many masses on their feast days throughout the U.S. At least the Mexicans have it right with the honor that they pay the Virgin of Guadalupe on her feast...somebody has their head on straight.

And speaking of Feasts...I just want to mention the Irish Saint of the day is St. Ita...the teacher of St. Brendan (who discovered America...but I will not go into a tirade about Columbus day...so you don't have to hold your breath). And yes Thom I can go for more than a few sentences without mentioning something Irish...but why would I want to?

The Word

2007-01-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

This, my friends, is the Word from Seminary and Grand Rapids...or the news from the past month of my life as well as a few interesting (or otherwise) things that I found to say for no apparent reason.

I had a wonderful Christmas break and the first week back at Seminary has seen some interesting developments...of I am not sure what kind (maybe regressements...if that is a word?) So this is what I have been doing in a nutshell (and that is not a reference to my head).

Has a great time getting back together with (the Awesome) friends in Ann Arbor and having a good ol' "ave" time...it was great seeing you and I treasure every moment with you all
The ride home was uneventful and as always...slightly boring (until I started trying to amuse myself by talking...to myself...and that sort of morphed into a conversation with Candy [my car] about her not liking the parking lot at the Seminary...apparently she can't sleep well either)
New Year's Eve found me with my family in the early evening and on into the night until 2007 came in. The only problem was that the last two hours of New Years Eve I had to enjoy being with my sleeping family while I issued in the New Year by watching The Incredibles in bed nursing a mug of Hot Chocolate and Baileys and going to sleep around 12:06am
New Years Day I woke up sick...and am now just getting over that cold
Tuesday after New Years I had a party at the Chancery of Bishop Walter Hurley and my fellow Grand Rapids seminarians (all of whom are doing great btw) which was uplifting and some good fellowship time
Chris (the other guy from GR who studies at Sacred Heart with me) was not there though...which was weird, but then so is he...so what the heck. After the party the Director of Vocations asked me where he was, I had no clue and said that I thought he must have been sick or something, to which I received the response "no...I think something is up"
Friday found me back at Sacred Heart greeted with a friendly, but terse, note that said that Chris has left the Seminary...Great I thought, he is the one that got me here in the first place, now I am alone, and I got this announcement from a note!
So here I am the lone Grand Rapids guy in Detroit, the last city in the world I wanted to live in (besides any city in the Middle East, most of Africa, parts of South America bits of Asia and Europe, and most of the countries in North America) and no person to complain about it too except Thom...and I don't want to chew his ear off all the time.

Wow...that ended up way more boring that I anticipated...just in case you got to this point...lol...Some better stuff in the works though friends...Promise!

And he is back in Town!!!

2006-12-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

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)

2006-12-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-12-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

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...

2006-12-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-12-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

"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

2006-12-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-12-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-07T19:12:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-05T18:19:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-04T18:55:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-12-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

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!

St. Andrew

2006-11-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Feast Day!!!

Just a quick post in honor of St. Andrew; brother of St. Peter, Apostle and the Patron Saint of Scotland (among other things). St. Andrew is most famous for the manner of his death...crucified on a "X" shaped cross. This is why the national flag of the Scots depicts a white "X" shaped cross on a blue field. This flag is known as the "Cross of St. Andrew" and is one of the flags incorporated in the national flag of Great Britain.

So happy feast day to all you Scots out there, as well as all my friends in general.

St. Andrew, Pray for us!

An Ancient Muse

2006-11-28T16:06:00.000-05:00

I just received the newest recording of my favorite Celtic musical artist, An Ancient Muse, by Loreena McKennitt. As soon as I saw it in my mailbox I rushed upstairs and popped into into Aiden (my notebook friend, desktop companion and personal musician, he can play all sorts of music, and does great voice impersonations), and was soon carried off by the rhythmic sounds of this ethereal and ancient sounding album. A particular favorite is the track entitled The English Ladye and The Knight, a sad poem by Sir Walter Scott that Loreena set to music. Another lovely ballad of longing and earning for the return of a loved one is the track entitled Penelope's Song. The song is about the steadfast loyalty and heartfelt sorrow of Odysseus' wife in Homer's Epic tale. Altogether I loved this new album. Loreena McKennitt introduces many unique musical sounds beginning with the first track Incantation that has an unmistakably eastern tone to it, and translates the mysterious harmony of that culture exceedingly well. I hope that you all will have a chance to hear some of the songs on this new CD...and I know that Joe will definitely want to get this album!

Change of Scenery

2006-11-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

Coming home for Thanksgiving was a welcome change from the usual. Not only did I get plenty of rest, but I also had a great time with my sweet little niece, brothers, sisters, sister-in-law, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and the parental units. Reflecting on the pleasant differences of home and Detroit, I thought that I would list a few of the things that were most strikingly different about the weekend.

First is that I heard more gunshots at home then in Detroit. I call it providence, but I have not heard one gunshot while I have been here (although I have been informed of there existence on many occasions). The big difference being, however, that the gunshots at home ended in dinner on the table rather than an empty seat at someone's table.
Racial diversity at home is basically non-existent. The closest thing we have to racial diversity at home occurs within the burgeoning squirrel population. We have red, black, and grey squirrels...Dr. Izzo would be in paradise...or out of crustuli!
Traffic was basically non-existent! I could travel 30 miles in 40 minutes, as opposed to 5 miles in 30 minutes as it often is in Detroit...ugh, thank God for the country, where ne'r a traffic light is seen!
One final thing, which is always good for the ego...I actually impress the folks at home with my knowledge. I know what you all are thinking, and yes it is scary, but hey, I get my perks where I can!

Now starts the countdown to Christmas!!!

Go West Young Man!

2006-11-24T13:12:00.000-05:00

I love it everytime I begin to leave the city behind me and the cornrows and pasturlands of Michigan begin to flash past my windows as I cruise down the I-96 corridor. It means that I am on my way home, and I will soon be able to breath the free air again and know that I can go anywhere I want without traffic jams, red lights, ambulance and police sirens, construction issues, or be afraid for my life everynow and then. I actually saw the stars last night...and not just the really bright ones on Orion's belt, but the ones that you would have to have a doctorate in Astronomy to name.

Thanksgiving was great! Family was crazy, loud, tiring, but wonderfully fun! Not to mention Grandma, Mom, Aunts and Uncles all in the kitchen working their culinary skills to perfection! I love food. So I have been having a great time this weekend...and just a few more weeks of School to go before Christmas! I am ready for it already.

Peace to you all!

Thanksgiving...

2006-11-20T15:31:00.000-05:00

And the break is almost here folks! I have no more classes from now until break begins (after evening prayer, 5:30pm Tuesday) and will be more or less doing nothing in the meantime. All my papers are done for the semester! Done! I can't really beleive it...its crazy! And wireless internet is coming the seminary's way soon! Deus Bonus Est!

Stay tuned...will post something a little more interesting tomorrow...promise!

Paper Week

2006-11-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

This week I am immersed in writing papers. Hence the obvious lack of posts for this week and the latter half of last week. Paper writing is much better here though. This week is paper crunch time, but unlike Ave paper crunch time (which always coincided with finals) I have only 10-11 pages of writing to do for all my papers due this week. After this week there will be no more papers due. What a breeze! I can hardly believe it...plus I am getting to the papers earlier than usual...I think I am sick or something, I am becoming far too disciplined in my schedule (as apposed to my former schedule...or wait...it did not exist). So don't go looking for posts this week...unless I am feeling ambitious (unlikely) or procrstination sets in (likely).

Peace Dudes!

Metaphysics: the Black Hole of Philosophy

2006-11-06T18:10:00.000-05:00

I thought my brain was going to burst! The pain from trying to keep up with the strange abstract concepts that the professor was trying to crame into my brain seemed to fly right over my head. What I did end up getting into my head just confused me and seemed to bounce around inside until I was going crazy...so I doodled in the margins of the page (nothing new I confess).

A good priest once told me (in his unmistakably gruff British accent) that the student of metaphysics is like a "Blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that is not there." I couldn't agree more on that score, and today I think that the point was very apt. Metaphysics reminds me very much of a black whole; trying to cram everything that we know about into one all encompassing category and trying to figure out what we can say about it once it is in this mega category. Ugh...

...in better news though, and for some strange reason, I am doing quite well in the class, despite my ineptitude.

All Soul's Day

2006-11-02T08:21:00.000-05:00

May the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All Soul's Day puts me in mind of what we owe to our ancenstors. We are indebted to them for handing down the faith to us, and so it is right that we should honor the glorius patrimony that they have given us by doing the same for our descendants. Edmund Burke says that "People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." In that spirit of thanksgiving, I dedicate this blog to my ancestors, in particular my paternal Irish forefathers, for I am nothing but the bones of my ancestors.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rain fall soft upon your fields,

and until we meet again,

May God hold you

in the palm of His hand.

Dedicated to the repose of the soul of my grandfather,
Clayton T. Heffron (1930-2005)

Of sealing wax...and other things...

2006-11-01T16:57:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago (how long ago that seems) I went home for an off-campus weekend. I get one of these a month and this month I went home to see the family (last OCW I visited Fr. Ed and the Awesome friends of A2 with Mark) out on the farm. Fall was past her prime, but I still took some pictures of the farm to share with you that still show the remnants of the fading glory of the woods on the country roads of Strotheide and Ashley. Hope you enjoy the photo post!
I always enjoy coming home in the fall. Nothing makes me long for home more than that changing of the leaves in Autumn...for I know that heralds the Harvest, Apple Pie, Cider, the musty smell of the decaying leaves and the cool, usually moist weather that is perfect for a long walk in the woods, followed by a hot shower, a steaming mug of spiced cherry wine, and a good book to curl up with by the fire.

Speaking of fires...Here is a new one by me (and all my family...and maybe you too!). When I went home, the house was cold and there was no fire. The reason, as my father explained to me, was that he had tried to make a fire in the stove earlier, but had to give up because the smoke refused to go up the chimney. Perplexed, my dad scaled the roof of the house to the top of the chimney and looked down the flue with a flashlight. There...plugging the flue, was a nest of bees, completely filling the flue. To make matters worse...they are honey bees and a probe of the nest (its too cold for them to be active now) revealed that the chimney was filled with their summer's labor...honey...four feet deep! So...no fires until we get that cleaned up...and that will happen when I go home for Thanksgiving break (a farmboy's work is never done it seems)!!!
Apples are coming in a plenty, and it is a bountiful harvest this year! In fact we have so many, we have been scrambling to find enough boxes in which to put them all! They are full of flavor this year too...as I found out when I took a walk with my sister, Maura (who strikes a glamour pose to the right), and picked one fresh off the tree...you have never tasted an apple until you eat it right off the tree (well, pick it then eat it).

So...from Detroit Michigan, this is Brendan...wishing you all a blessed Feast of All Saints! Over and out.

Samhain

2006-10-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

Samhain was the old Irish term for the end of the summer and the beginning of the dark part of the year. This beginning of the dark time of the year was a time of fear, for the evil spirits of Ireland would roam about looking for unsuspecting souls to capture. So to help illumine the night, and to scare away the dead, bonfires and Jack-O-Lanterns (in turnips...pumpkins are the American vegetable of this tradition...they also are a lot roomier) were set ablaze in hopes that the dead would become scared and confused. People would also dress up differently than usual, using masks and other means of deception in the hope that the dead would not recognize them.

Not all customs were aimed at fooling the dead. Cakes made especially for the dead were often set out so that the dead would have something nice to eat, and would busy themselves with the tasty treats rather than bother stealing souls. Another Irish custom is to leave out a bowl of cool water on the feast of all souls, so that the wandering souls of purgatory would be able to quench their thirst for a brief spell.

Many of the old druidic rituals were baptized when the Irish converted to Christianity. These traditions are still very much alive in Ireland, as well as wherever the Irish ended up, as can be seen in the American tradition of Halloween. Albeit, the American rendition of Halloween is a far cry from its original pagan and devout Christian origins, it non-the-less maintains many of the key elements...in the highly commercialized way that everything in America is now.

So have fun! Carve a pumpkin to keep away the spirit, have a bonfire if you can, and don't forget to kind to the good souls that roam at this time of year...but remember your holy medal at all times, lest the headless horseman come to steal your soul or the Puca come and play a trick on you!

For Monica...

2006-10-26T09:07:00.000-04:00

Terpsichore is the greek muse of Lyric Poetry and Dance. Her name translates to "delight of dancing" from the greek τερπέω ("delight") and χoρός ("dance"). She is one of the nine muses, daughters of Mnemosyne (memory) and Zeus according to the Theogony by Hesiod. She is often depicted in art with a lyre and people dancing (as can be seen in the lower right of this picture).

O Muses, o high genius, aid me now!
O memory that noted what I saw,
Now shall your true nobility be seen!

-Dante

Ugh...

2006-10-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

It's midterms...and I am officially underslept (is that a word?...oh well, this is not a test). I don't have the time or the patience for a real post...but I hope to return to boring you all soon (thats what the pictures are for...to make the blog interesting). Anyway...I have to go sing on three hours of sleep...and I am so thrilled, can't you tell?

Mid-terms...proof that there is purgatory...

North American Martyrs

2006-10-19T18:31:00.000-04:00

Today is the feast of the great Martyrs who gave their lives for the Natives of North America. These eight martyrs, six priests and two lay men, where all martyred in what is now modern day Ontario and Upper New York state. The names and dates of martyrdom of the Saints are as follows:

St. Rene Goupil (September 29, 1642)
St. Isaac Jogues (October 18, 1646)
St. Jean de la Lande (October 19, 1646)
St. Antoine Daniel (July 4, 1648)
St. Charles Garnier (December 7, 1949)
St. Neol Chabanel (December 8, 1649)
St. Jean de Brebeuf (March 16, 1649)
St. Gabriel Lalemant (March 16, 1649)

They ministered to the natives of North America (chiefly the Huron Tribes) and are responsible for the conversion of many of the peoples of New France (St. Jean de Brebeuf alone is responsible for around 7,000). They established many missions in the territories of New France in a reletively short period of time, showing their great zeal for their mission to the Indians
The base of operations for the Jesuit Missionaries to New France was built on the banks of the Little Wye River within sight of the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. This sight lies at the foot of a large bluff on which now stands the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Midland, Ontario. The mission itself, Sainte Marie au pays des Hurons, has been reconstructed on the original foundations at the bottom of the bluff. While only lasting a short ten years (1639-1649), this mission was the home to the heroic saints who brought the gospel and salvation to hundreds of Indians in the region and are the spiritual foundation of Catholicism in many parts of Canada and the United States.

Of particular interest is their impact on the church in Michigan. Although most of the missions founded by martyrs themselves were detroyed, the successors of these early missionaries continued their task and established many other missions in the Great Lakes region. Some of these missions were the foundation of some of the modern day dioceses in the area, namely Chicago, Marquette (Sault Ste. Marie), and Grand Rapids.

Through the blood of the martyrs comes the life of the Church, and so it is too these men that we North Americans owe a great dept for the great treasure of the faith that they worked so hard to preserve and pass on so that we could reap the benefits of their labors today.

"I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus"

-St. Jean de Brebeuf - from the Office of Readings

New American Saint

2006-10-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

"The saint is that man, that woman who, responding with joy and generosity to the call of Christ, leaves everything to follow him,"

Pope Benedict XVI's above comment was part of his address at the canonization mass of four new saints on October 15 in St. Peter's Square. One of these new saints is Mother Theodore Guerin, a French nun who founded the Sisters of Providence in 1840. Moving to the wilderness of Indiana, Mother Guerin founded an academy for girls, which today is St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, the oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women in the United States. She died in 1856, after many years of poor health, rugged living conditions and lack of resources. Despite the hardships, however, she drew strength from her faith and her desire to serve God.

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, and Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi of Palermo, Italy, were the main concelebrants at the papal Mass. Joining them were five other U.S. bishops from Indiana and Illinois who concelebrated the Mass, which was attended by some 125 Sisters of Providence, dozens of students from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and 45 pilgrims from the newly renamed St. Theodore Guerin High School in Noblesville, Ind.

In his homily, the pope said, "With great trust in divine providence, Mother Theodore overcame many challenges and persevered in the work that the Lord had called her to do. By the time of her death in 1856, the sisters were running schools and orphanages throughout the state of Indiana." It was in the Eucharist, in prayer and in her "infinite trust in divine providence," the pope continued, that Mother Theodore found the "strength and audacity" to carry out her mission.

Her Feast is October 3.

The Four Seasons

2006-10-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

Michigan expierienced some rather interesting weather today. In Detriot today we had a freak flurry's on the blizzerd scale, intermitent with patchy cloudyness, mild sunshine and the occasional rain. The whole day could pretty much be summed up thus...

A day passed..."Winter changed into Spring. Spring changed into Summer. Summer changed back into Winter. And Winter gave Spring and Summer a miss and went straight on into Autumn."

Wish I was home though...in Grand Rapids the lake effect had snow falling all day and there is already standing snow on the ground! Here in Detroit the snow just melted between the sporadic blizzerds...and the place remains as ugly as ever.

Irish Saint of the Day

2006-10-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

St. Cainnech (also known as St. Canice in Ireland or St. Kenneth in Scotland) was one of the early monastic missionary saints of Ireland. Son of a Bard, Cainnech was born in Dungiven around the year 525. He raised sheep early in life and later studied in a monastery with fellow saints Columba and Ciarán and Comgall. He left Ireland for Scotland with St. Columba and helped found the missionary monastery of Iona.

Not much is known about him, but in true Irish fashion, every hamlet has their story about him. One story about his missionary work in Scotland relates how King Brude of the pagan Scots attempted to kill Cainnech and so end his mission. At the prayer of the saint, the Kings arm was paralyzed and would not move until he was baptized. He died in Scotland around the year 600, and is still highly regarded in that country as well as his native land.

The town of Kilkenny is named after the saint due to the monastery, founded by the saint, that gave rise to the modern town named after the saint (Cill=Church + Cainnech=Church of St. Cainnech). The cathedral that marks the spot today was built in 1285, and is still very lovely, despite being desecrated by Oliver Cromwell (of hated and damnable reputation) and used to house his horses. Unfortunatly, as is the case with many of the ancient Irish cathedrals, the infidels still maintain ownership of the cathedral...someday we will get it back!

Some Humour to Brighten the Day

2006-10-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

The Irish are a strange folk...they treat a joke as a serious thing, and a serious thing as a joke.

Irish whiskey was first developed for its medicinal benefits. It's just lucky for the rest of the world that the Irish are such a sickly bunch.

The question was asked of anIrishman: "What is the difference between a joist and a girder?" “Well, sure anyone would know that,” he replies. “Joist wrote Ulysses and Girder wrote Foust"

Irish Realities:

Notice on a Cork building site:The shovels haven't arrived, and until they do, you'll have to lean on each other.

Sign on an Irish gate:The farmer allows walkers across the field for free, but the bull charges.

Sign on a Kinsale shop: Out for lunch. If not back by five, out for dinner also.

Road sign to a village in Co. Kerry: "Inch, 1 mile."

The following is a list of actual notes from medical records, as dictated by physicians:

While in the ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.
By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.
Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

Irish Fathers:

Murphy said to his daughter, "I want you home by eleven o'clock." She said, "But Father, I'm no longer a child!" He said, "I know, that's why I want you home by eleven."

A man said to the wittiest priest of his day, "I wish you were St. Peter." "Why?" asked the priest. "Because," said the man, "you would have the keys of heaven, and could let me in." "It would be better for you," said the priest, "that I had the keys of the other place, for then I could let you out."

Father O'Malley was going through the post one day. Drawing a single sheet of paper from an envelope, he found written on it just one word: "FOOL." The next Sunday at Mass, he announced, "I have known many people who have written letters and forgot to sign their names. But this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name and forgot to write a letter."

The Irish and the Hereafter

2006-10-04T13:20:00.000-04:00

The Irish, being a people of an ancient Catholic tradition mixed with a native genius, have created a culture of unique spirituality. I recently came across a rather interesting medivel poem written by an Irish monk. The poem is as follows...
Cormacus scripsit

Cormacus scripsit hoc psalterium

Ora pro eo qui legis hec

Ora procese qualibet hora

Translation...

Cormacus wrote

Cormacus wrote this psalm

Pray for him you who read these [words]

Pray for yourself at any hour

I found it interesting how this monk, Cormacus, thought of an interesting way to ensure that he would be prayed for after his death. This hymn is included in an old medieval psalter (I am not sure if it was supposed to be in there...but maybe he was worried about his soul?) and displays a uniquely Irish way of thinking concerning eternity. They don't seem to care how they get there, as long as they get ther dag-nabbit! It's pure genious as well...I think that I will have a prayer with me in it put on my tomb stone...every little bit helps!

This Song is beautifully sung and arranged by the

Irish choral group Anúna (pictured at right in Glendalough). Mark Rutherford introduced it to
me on my recent trip to Ann Arbor. If you can find it, this piece is well worth the listening!

Spiritual Wars IV: A New Hope

2006-09-26T08:58:00.000-04:00

I am very excited about the new campaign in my Diocese to promote and encourage young men to answer the call to priesthood. Since Fr. Ron Hutchinson, the new director of priestly vocations in Grand Rapids, took over his job in June, many things have changed in regard to vocations in my diocese. The most important of these is the appreciation and desire to encourage those who choose to follow the call or ordination. Before Fr. Ron took over his new office there was not much in the way of incentive to answer the call to priesthood in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. The old website (updated now by Bishop W. Hurley) for the Diocese was not much to boast about and a new applicant seeking to find information on answering the call in Grand Rapids had to dig through many pages before coming to the 'Vocations' page. The page was full of information on vocations to the Diaconate, Eucharistic Minstistry, Lay Apostolates, etc...and way at the bottom was a very small little insert for the Priesthood, with a broken link to an email account that was no longer used (at least as far as I found) by the Vocations Director then in office.

Since Bishop Walter Hurley has taken the reigns of the Diocese and installed the ambitious, orderly, and very reliable Fr. Ron Hutchinson as Director of Vocations in the Diocese, we have a new web-page on the Diocese website dedicated solely to priestly vocations! Not only is this webpage an awesome and much needed addition to the website, but on top of that, I think that the new site is beautifully laid out, and contains a lot of useful information.

Grand Rapids currently has 15 seminarians and I hope that many more will come. With this new website, I am sure that if they do have the call and want to give it a try, they will have the information that they need at their fingertips. The life of a Priest is not a popular choice in this modern world of ours, and as such, I think that it is the duty of every Bishop to ensure that they make every effort to make information about the priesthood as easily available as possible. You never know how many vocations may have been lost simply because they did not receive the helpful nudge in the right direction. Do not be silent! Encourage vocations!

A New Look!

2006-09-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

This is the new face of my blog friends! I decided that the plain green was getting to me, and this template cought my eye as being fresh, countryish, and still maintained the green color that I wanted, but in more shades! I have also updated the links so check them out. I hope to update some more things soon...but that was enough change for the moment.

Enjoy the new look of the Bubble Friends!

My Life, Then and Now...

2006-09-19T00:54:00.000-04:00

Being in a new and unfamiliar environment always makes me turn to thoughts of where I have been in the past at the same calendar time as present. So here is a quick review of my life as it has been during the month of September...

1983...one month old...and nothing much to report as I do not recall this time, but I am sure that I was doing my best to keep my parents awake at night and giving as much trouble as I could if things did not go my way...as they often did not.
1986...Doing my best to keep mom busy, after all if she was not watching me, what else was there to do? I would hide in the woods and let her scream my name until I had thought that she wanted me back sufficiently enough...and then would emerge all smiles! That stopped with my new wardrobe of bright oranges and neons, but the neighbors bringing me home still continued...
1988...Kindergarten was a blast, loved my teacher, loved my classmates, loved school! St. Patrick's School (pop. circa 80) was where I was at during the day, with the fun school bus ride to and from school in the morning!
1991...Homeschooled now, so I probably did not get up until around 9 and depending on how mom was feeling that morning I did or did not put my effort into my schoolwork. Especially when you have an annoying three year old sister who does her utmost to distract my brother and I...when she was not on one of her 100 Dalmatians marathons (watch, rewind, watch, rewind, watch, rewind...she killed the tape in two years) and me in the other room quoting the entire thing by memory..."How are you Cruella? -Miserable darling as usual; perfectly retched."
1995...Just came back from the Legionaries of Christ's summer camp in Center Harbor New Hampshire. Home never looked so good! I had a little fun showing off my new soccer skills to my always more athletic brother and actually was better than him! So all that unwanted soccer playing did some good...but that soon faded as I had come to detest the sport and all others!!! The habits of daily life at the legion followed suit!
1997...Freshman year...felt no different, other than the math had just become harder and more annoying...again!!! I was the perfect Catholic homeschooler...and by now you are all gagging...yes I know, but such I was! I served mass at a Latin Mass (Novus Ordo) every Sunday (about 10 families attending...all homeschooled). I dressed like I was from the 1950's with my hair slicked to the one side and my shirts always buttoned all the way up to the color...and heaven forbid that I should have my t-shirts untucked! Music was all Irish Folk, Chant, or Classical...since popular music was all from the devil, and if it caused plants to die, think what it would do to my impressionable mind!
2000...I was coming out of my shell and practicing for the upcoming performance in a community theater production of A Christmas Carol after having been in the Music Man earlier in the year. I went to a salon for the first time and got my hair cut short with bangs and actually started not to tuck my T-shirts in (I felt like such a rebel)! The cultural exodus had begun!
2002...Freshman year at Magdalen College. Woke up at 6:25 with the lights suddenly turning on and burning out my eyes, and by 7:15 I was showered, dressed (Jacket and Tie), chores done (the bathroom and rooms were sparkling), wardrobe and unmentionables drawer in order and checked (all hangers neatly spaced, socks in a row and bed as flat as an iron), and sitting in the chapel, just in time for 7:30 Mass. Then breakfast, three classes, lunch, chores or sports (i.e. "chores"), showered again, supper, mandatory studies and silence until night prayer at 9:15, and I would be in bed by 9:30 (no later than ten) with my books in descending order and pulled to the edge of the shelf lest I get called out of bed in the dark by the flashlight wielding proctors for a book a full millimeter out of line.
2004...Woke up for Morning Prayer (I actually did in those days) in the hobbit hole of room 307 in Rosa Mystica or the new SJV of Ave Maria after Nick Rottman knocked on my door with the usual "Morning Brendan!" Spent the rest of the day going to classes (if the mood struck me) and whiling the day away distracting Joe Gates from his homework and cooking something instead. Ended the day with a trip to the wonderful grazing grounds of EMU's DC-1 and evening prayer with Fr. Ed and the other Pre-Thee guys (unless it was Tuesday and I got a wonderful dose of Dr. Dietrich!). Went to bed around 10pm...or midnight....or 1...or Joe and I got the random urge for something at Meijers...
2006...Morning prayer and Mass at 7:15, classes, holy hours, breakfast, lunch, and dinner (very good food...I am in danger of becoming fat!) formation talks, and spiritual advice with evening prayer at 5:15 fills my day now. I spend my whole day inside the Seminary, not daring to go out much because it's Detroit and...need I say more? Needless to say, the farm boy in my is going crazy, I am not used to averting my eyes and not being friendly lest someone take it the wrong way and do something scary, and I need some fresh air!!! I get what I can in the interior courtyard with one solitary tree and very square confines...they really need a garden here...a natural all plants, no grass and no square lines or anything garden!

Such is my life, in the past...and at present in a nutshell! And look...its 2am and I have Morning Prayer...old habits die hard!

I miss you...every one!

From GR to D-town

2006-09-09T00:06:00.000-04:00

Some of you may be wondering how I got to Sacred Heart. I know I had been telling you all that I was going to be sent to Mundelien, Illinois (Our Lady of the Lake Seminary), but, as things would have it, God seemed to have other plans. Shortly after returning home after Graduation I got a call from the new and very recently appointed Vocations director for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He saw that I was in sort of a limbo status, being on the old (and inept) Vocation Director's directory of applicants, but nothing much other that that. Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear from him! For a while it had seemed that nobody wanted me in GR and so gave me little motivation to complete my application (after all, if they never even seem at the very least slightly interested that you are interested in being a priest in their Diocese...why not go elsewhere?). I was thrilled and before the conversation ended, I had a date set to meet with Father regarding my vocation...at last I felt wanted!

The meeting was interesting...I arrived on time, but for some reason all the doors were locked (not again...was what I was thinking) but I eventually stumbled on some people taking a tour of the place (random huh?) and they let me in and I was able to find Father's office. The conversation went well, and he was very apprieciative and supporting in my decision to study for the priesthood in Grand Rapids. He then asked me if I was thinking of going to Sacred Heart...that was interesting...and I told him that I had not as I was under the impression that all GR guys went to Mundelien, but that I was open to the idea (did not want to seem too eager...and I did have mixed emotions on the subject...still do...). The reason he said that the change came was, 1) New Bishop (from Detroit), 2) New Vocations Director, and 3) The other seminarian that I would be going with had requested to come here (the big reason I came to find out).

So that is how I ended up here. The first seminarians ever from Grand Rapids to attend this seminary. Nice sense of pride in that...but we are also the Gunea Pigs to test out the place and see if future GR seminarians will come here. I hope it goes well, I am getting used to the place, but it is still Detriot and a far cry from what I am used to back home on the farm. Please keep me in your prayers!

The Recluse Returns

2006-09-05T14:21:00.000-04:00

Despite a rather extended period of dryness in regards to my blog, the arid weather has abated, and I am ready to begin posting again in earnest. I thought that since so much has happened in the past month (hence the arid lack of posts) that you all really do deserve an explaination and a real update on my current status.

The month of August was a flurry of commotion. I completed all the requirements for admission, and was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan. I am currently in residence and studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit Michigan. I am in Second Philosophy (which means that my ordination year is roughly 2011...so mark that on your calanders to be in Grand Rapids for that!) and so far am enjoying getting to know the guys here at school. Seminary is interesting...mostly because I have never been at a place that is so predominatly male before...I am not sure if I still know what a woman looks like (yes I am exagerating, but the image is apt I beleive).

So keep me in your prayers, as I will keep you in mine. And stay tuned, the scheduled life of school should help me post more...as well as the fact that I have better internet here at SHMS!

God Bless!