We are fast becoming extinct, we dinosaur Catholics who passed through childhood, adolescence and into adult years with the Latin Mass. Now men and women in the generations after us are talking a lot about the Latin Mass. Perhaps my personal recollections of the journey from Latin to English, surely not unlike those of others from my era, can add to the conversation. 

A personal recollections of  The Most Rev. Emil A. Wcela recently retired  (June 2007) auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. Read the rest of the article here.

This post is a contribution of Blessings in Bloggers Unite Against Abuse

Media coverage linking Catholic priests to reports of pedophilia set off an international debate over the causes and consequences of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. For example, while some Catholics blame the church hierarchy for failing to protect their children from sexual abuse, others believe the church acted in good faith when dealing with reports of sexual abuse by priests. Church representatives, victims’ organizations, former priests, child abuse scholars, and other authorities hold different positions on several questions, including whether priests accused of child sexual abuse should be   prosecuted or treated, whether the discipline of celibacy contributes to child sexual abuse, and whether homosexuals should be allowed into the priesthood.  More information on child sexual abuse by the clergy in this article.

“An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided” (1 Cor. 7:32-34).

Here is an article written by Matthew Pinto , co-founder of Catholic Exchange.com about of the many positive and practical benefits of celibacy.

The nuns are back ! For those of you  who would like to purchase religious humor calendars for personal use or as gifts,  Nuns Having Fun 2008 is the choice. It features black and  white photographs from the 1950’s to the 1960’s of nuns frolicking in the waves, playing jump rope, nuns in scooters , chorus line , skis , bumper cars , bowling alleys and more. The images are sweet and nostalgic and give a fresh, entertaining  look at the stern-looking sisters many of us remember in our chilhood.

A 108-year-old sister is preparing to celebrate her 90th anniversary of religious life this month. Sr. Claude Feldner of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes will join 45 other sisters on July 15  as  as they celebrate their jubilee anniversaries at Holy Family Sacred Heart Church in Fond du Lac.

Today, we went to the Capuchine Sisters Convent to offer prayers for the second death anniversary of my aunt. The convent was closed and is not open to the public any day of the week. I needed to talk to one of the sisters regarding the prayer offering  and I found a door at the left side of the chapel that lead to revolving wooden window. There was an instruction for visitors to ring the bell in case they need to talk to one of the sisters. The day to day schedule of the sisters is also posted near the window. I rang the bell once and the revolving window moved. I heard the sister greet me , but I did not see her face. She informed me , that members of her congregation are  not allowed to show their faces to people who comes daily to the convent. I thought  the way they live is similar to a hermit monk, with very limited contact with the outside world. She politely accepted my prayer offering  and I took the opportunity to ask her if we can go and visit the chapel which was locked at the time. The daily mass is at 6:00 a.m. . She told me to wait outside the  chapel and one of the sisters will open the door  for us. We stood at the front door and we heard it being unlocked. The moment we entered, we were greeted by peace, the kind of peace one would never experience in the outside world. The chapel is small , with nine pews, a very simple altar devoid of flowers and decorations and there are two statues, one on each side of the altar. Everything inside the chapel including the floor is made of wood. We noticed a part of the wall where the altar is located is iron grills, partially covered with lace curtains. The reason for the existence of these iron grills is , during the celebration of the mass,  the sisters can be one with the parishioners . Even if there is a wall between them, both sides can hear what is going on during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The sisters attend behind the wall of the altar and the parishioners stay in the chapel itself. As we knelt in prayer , we heard the sisters sang and prayed,  their voices echoed  from the other side of the wall that separated us from them.

Capuchine Sisters Chapel

Wooden revolving window where visitors can talk to the sisters.

Altar

Statue of Saint Claire of Asisi  at the right side of the altar.