July 2008 Archives

The Best Nights

Maybe it's because it's contrasted against three non-stop weeks of traveling for work, or maybe it's because of something else, but the last couple of nights have been the absolute best for me here with the boys.

book.jpgWhen they've been getting home from NaNa's house, I've been able to play non-stop with them - Matthew rolling/running around (he has quite a cruising speed) in his rolling seat and Thomas wrestling me and tickling me and taking the tickles too.

Then, at bedtime, I've read to Thomas each night.  He loves my rendition of The Monster at the End of This Book, which is especially cool since it was one of my favorite books as a little boy.

Between the play time and the books, I've had to leave for music group (we're getting ready for the parish's big 20th Anniversary celebration this weekend), but have been back for the end of bath time and getting ready for bed.

It's been a great week of evenings with the boys, and it's only Tuesday!  Gotta love being able to be at home...
By
Michael
on July 29, 2008 8:34 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

TLM in Springfield Diocese

Some awesome news from right here in our own diocese!  If only Quincy weren't such a drive...

St. Rose in Quincy to be chapel for extraordinary form of Mass

st-rose-of-lima-bw.jpgWritten by Kathie Sass, Catholic Times Editor  
07/27/2008

Extraordinary form sometimes known as Traditional Latin Mass

QUINCY - Bishop George J. Lucas has given permission for St. Rose of Lima Church, Eighth and Chestnut, to be used as a chapel for regular celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass in the Roman Rite.

In his July 2007 apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI granted broader permission for the use of the extraordinary form of the liturgy, sometimes known as the Tridentine or Traditional Latin Mass. Shortly afterward, a group of lay Catholics from the Quincy region approached Bishop Lucas for permission to use St. Rose Church as a site for celebration of the extraordinary form.

St. Rose of Lima Parish merged with St. John the Baptist Parish in Quincy in 1999 to become All Saints Parish. In 2006, All Saints was merged with two other Quincy parishes to form Blessed Sacrament Parish. The last parish Mass at St. Rose of Lima was celebrated in September 2005, and the church was scheduled to be sold.

After consultation with priests of the Quincy Deanery, Bishop Lucas granted permission to use the church, which will be known as St. Rose of Lima Chapel. A not-for-profit organization, the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, was formed to take responsibility for the facilities, which includes the church, rectory and parish hall.

The chapel will be staffed by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, founded in 1988 with the approval of Pope John Paul II to provide priests conversant in the celebration of the extraordinary form. The fraternity has nearly 200 priests and 100 seminarians, with its North American headquarters in Elmhurst, Pa.

Paul Geers, president of the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, said people from as far away as St. Louis or Springfield have expressed interest in attending the traditional Mass.

"We estimate that there are 500 people in perhaps a 75-mile radius who might want to attend this Mass," Geers said. "I've had calls from people who have been away from the church for 20 or 30 years. This is going to bear a lot of good fruit and there will be a lot of conversions."

Geers said the church is being refitted for the celebration of the extraordinary form. A main altar and two side altars are in storage pending installation and a Communion rail has been donated. The society hopes to have a chaplain in residence and begin a regular schedule by Nov. 1.

"We would like to offer a daily Mass, with two Masses on Sunday - a high Mass and a low Mass," Geers said.

Msgr. Michael Kuse, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Quincy and dean of the Quincy Deanery, said he has fielded some inquiries about the planned celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass.

"I have had people ask 'Is this Catholic? Can we go? Can we receive Communion?'" Msgr. Kuse said. "My answer to them is this is a legitimate form of the Mass. They can go and check it out, even if it's only for a little nostalgia. It can also lead to a deepening of faith for those who find it important."

For more information, contact the Latin Mass Society of Quincy, P.O. Box 3006, Quincy, IL 62305.
By
Michael
on July 29, 2008 7:13 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Life is Good on the Today Show

Friends & family frequently see Suzanne and me wearing our Life is Good shirts... they're some of my favorite.  The company was featured on the Today Show this morning.  Check it out...


By
Michael
on July 29, 2008 6:12 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hard Life; Easy Death

I just ran across this Homily-turned-blog-entry by Father Martin Fox in Ohio, and love what he has to say, so I share it here.

The title is "What my Grandma knew about Saint Paul", and it's good stuff... his grandma's main message was "Being Catholic is a hard life - but it's an easy death."

Here's a clip:

You and I must be bold to say,
it is not living for Jesus Christ that is wrong;
it is our culture that is wrong--it is sick, and dying.

More and more couples live together before marriage.
If they are intimate and using contraception,
that will likely continue in their marriage.
No wonder what the Church teaches about
keeping that intimacy open to the gift of life
seems such a impossible ideal.

Yet studies show that couples living together
before marriage are more likely to get divorced.
That is also the case for those using contraception.

One of the many things couples practicing
Natural Family Planning discover
is something new and powerful in their intimacy.
They report it is better, fresher, more enduring,
because it's less about self-fulfillment,
and more about giving oneself away.
Give the whole thing a read.
By
Michael
on July 7, 2008 1:10 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Prayer for the Country

flag.jpgI'm a distant relative of the man, the Cardinal of the Church, who wrote this beautiful prayer.  In fact, it's not just any Cardinal.  It's John Carroll, who was the first bishop appointed for the United States in 1789 by Pope Pius VI. He was made the first archbishop of the United States when his see of Baltimore was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.

Cardinal John Carroll was a cousin of Charles Carroll of Maryland, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and an ancestor of Suzanne and her family (on her dad's side.)

So now, quite distantly and by marriage, I'm related, and proud to be...

Happy 4th, and God Bless America yet again...

PRAYER FOR GOVERNMENT

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality.

Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance.

To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.
By
Michael
on July 4, 2008 11:41 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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About this Blog

Michael Halbrook lives in Granite City, IL (a steel town suburb of St. Louis, MO) and loves his God, his wife, his two sons, his family and friends, his music, and his garden. He's pastoral council president and a music director at Holy Family Church in Granite City.

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