Saturday, December 12, 2009

St. Martin's in NCRegister

I've always enjoyed the National Catholic Register newspaper and was browsing their website after not having read the paper for quite some time. They have a regular Travel column where they feature beautiful Catholic sites throughout the country. I was happy to see that St. Martin of Tours of the Archdiocese of Louisville was featured back in their Nov 8-14, 2009 issue! There is a very nice article on the history and the beauty of the parish. And I'm happy to see Fr. Klotter get national support. Check it out:

‘All Things Catholic’

St. Martin of Tours Started Its Revival in the Early Days After Vatican II

BY Annemarie Muth

St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church of Louisville, Ky., offers so much in terms of historical significance, an orthodox faith community, and sheer physical beauty. My friend Sue said it best, shortly after my husband, Ken, and I moved to the parish: “This is the center of all things Catholic.”

The parish is one of the oldest in the Louisville Archdiocese. Located east of downtown in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood, it was founded in 1853 by Bishop Martin John Spalding to help nearby St. Boniface parish serve its overflowing German-immigrant population.

The bishop named the church in honor of his baptismal patron saint, who began his career as a Roman soldier shortly after Emperor Constantine ended the persecution of Christians in A.D. 313. St. Martin’s life was one of unceasing prayer and courage as he served as bishop, sowing Christianity throughout Touraine. His feast day is Nov. 11.

Perhaps his intercession saved the church in 1855, when the Bloody Monday riots threatened to burn it down. The Know-Nothing movement had fueled suspicions that German immigrants and Catholics were interfering in the voting process. Mayor John Barbee finally brought an end to the violence that killed over 100 people and destroyed many homes and businesses.

St. Martin’s was spared.

Overcoming adversity early in its history may have galvanized the parish’s character as a survivor — that and the staunch faith of its members.

Read the rest here...

Good King Wenceslas again

This year again, I finally paid attention to the words of a Christmas carol I'd heard a thousand times and was struck by their beauty. Last year it was "Little Drummer Boy", this year, "Good King Wenceslas".

A "league" in English usage is about 3 miles. The "feast of Stephen" is Dec 26. The "saint" in the final stanza is the good king himself, St. Wenceslas, also known as Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia.

You know a good poem when it 1. actually ryhmes 2. ignites the imagination and 3. lifts the soul.








Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Duckpin Smackdown

Yesterday was a downright wonderful day. After my Canon Law class from 3-4:15pm I went to visit He Who Is Canon Law Itself, Fr. Paul Beach, at CUA in D.C. We talked shop for a bit then went out to eat. I must say BW3's (do they still call it that?) Medium flavor wings are perfect when you tell them to leave 'em in a little bit to make them crispier. I would dare say they even rival the wings at BBC - but that's flirting with heresy (Can. 751). Their beer was worthless compared to BBC's microbrews though. After supper, sated and spirited, we went for a friendly game or two of duckpin bowling. In the wise words of Full Metal Jacket: "Private Pyle, I think we found something you're good at!" I gave a veritable duckpin smackdown to Fr. Beach. The first game was easy to call. But in the second game it came down to the last frame in which I bowled a spare followed by 8pins to take and secure the lead.

I made sure I scanned this score sheet at a high 600DPI so no detail was lost :) Thanks for a good evening Father! (click on the image to see a bigger size)