Memorial to Brother William

I regret to say that Brother William Roberts, C.Ss.R. passed away this morning after a long struggle with cancer. He will be missed and Liguori will be a little less bright for his passing.

PS: I know it is unusual, but Hermano Guillermo (Brother William) would have liked the disco ball.

Halloween 2004 - Monkey Bartender

 
 

I'm not so pale now! White Pumpkin 2004

Be sure to scroll down and see more of last year's pumpkins! 

Mormon Meanders

Hello:

I'll be in my internet marketing seminar again today, so this will be a super short post. Life has become VERY hectic prepping for Halloween. I'm still carving pumpkins and hauling decorations across town to the house where we host our annual Hallowtini Bash (Necropolitan Martinis are the order of the day). I'll post plenty of pictures next week. To my great shame, I had to rent a costume this year. There just wasn't time to make one, and I have a reputation for good costumes to live up to.

You've heard me mention BLOGExplosion (commonly called BE) before, this week I took out a BE "billboard" at another site. Please take a moment to visit Nephi over at Mormon Meanders. Nephi has treated me really well, with prominent placement and a write-up about Dark Glass. I have always had an interest in the Mormon faith. Interestingly, I have twice missed chances to tour a Mormon temple. I was out of town the entire time the St. Louis temple was open and couldn't get away when the Nauvoo temple was open. One of these days I'll see one. Nephi's site is mostly a news aggragator site with articles concerning the Mormon faith collected from a variety of sources.

Well, I'd better get to my seminar. Next week, I hope to write about what new things Liguori Publications will be doing to market itself on the web (I have to justify the cost of the conference somehow you know!). Be sure and scroll down through the site (and maybe even read a post), I've been posting pictures of last year's jack-o-lanterns.


Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

White as a sheet Halloween 2004

Did I mention that I have won the Liguori Publications pumpkin carving contest several times?

Shattered Vows and Celibacy

Hello:

When I started this BLOG I was extremely concerned that readers might take my views for those of my company, Liguori Publications. I was very careful to announce frequently and in a variety of ways that I am not Catholic and that my views are my own. That is in fact the premise of this BLOG, the observations of an outsider with an inside track. A more abstract viewpoint if you will. After all that lead-in, I don't know that I have actually touched on any controversial topics or at the very least - the readership hasn't indicated it if I have. It isn't that I am intentionally trying to aggravate people, but I'm critical of myself when I hesitate to use the word "bastard" or find myself subtlely steering a post in a particular direction.

I started thinking about this self censorship while I was reading Sunday's St. Louis Post Dispatch. I had just read the article "Catholic Bishops continue to back tradition of celibacy" and within 10 seconds had decided to use it as the core of a post, rejected the idea as too extreme and then determined that it would be the core. (My mind can become a pretty conflicted place at times.)

A quick summary of the article is that in spite of the critical shortage of priests, the first Synod of Bishops under the current Pope decided not to consider the issue of allowing priests to marry. I would like to respect this adherence to tradition. I would like to see a certain nobility in an immutable Church remaining steady within a chaotic and ever-changing world. I would even prefer to see the Church as something that stepped fully formed into the world and has been unchanged since that time. But... I can't.

If you read the article more closely, you'll see a quote from Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia that states "There has been a massive restatement of the importance of the tradition in the Latin church of mandatory celibacy,". Latin Church? When most people think of the Catholic Church, they think of the Latin Church and may not even realize that other aspects exist. There is also the Eastern Catholic Church which though closely related to the Orthodox Church is in full communion with Rome and recognizes the authority of the Pope. Eastern Catholic priests are allowed to marry but have the same privileges and obligations as a Latin rite priest. Also interesting is that celibacy was not always the rule of the Church (FutureChurch) . These are the sorts of things that erode my acceptance of the immutable Church concept. It very definitely evolves and changes over time.

I have no interest in tearing this topic apart in an academic fashion (I lack the background to do so if I wanted to). Truthfully, this post is more about my self-imposed boundaries than celibate priests. I find myself questioning the institution of the Church over it's stance on the ordination of women, the role of homosexuals, and the sexual abuse scandals among other things. To not reflect that questioning here does this BLOG, myself and my readers a disservice. One of the things I enjoy most about my work at Liguori is the discussion and debate which goes on so frequently. I believe that a sign of learned men (and women) is the ability to disagree with civility.

This post has wandered hopelessly, but I think I have more or less made the points I intended. I'll wrap up by providing some resources related to the topic.

• I was going to feature an excellent book called "Shattered Vows: Priests Who Leave" by David Rice but unfortunately it is out of print. You may still be able to find it on-line second hand.
• Instead I'll feature 2 books by A.W. Richard Sipe. Celibacy: A Way of Loving, Living, and Serving as well as Living the Celibate Life: A Search for Models and Meaning. Dr Sipe has an interesting perspective having been a monk, a priest and now a happily married man. He has also served as an expert witness in more than 200 cases of the sexual abuse of minors.
• I'll also feature Priesthood Imperiled: A Critical Examination of Ministry in the Catholic Church by Bernard Haring, C.Ss.R.
• And last but not least Understanding Chastity: The Mystery of Human Sexuality by Ann Nerbun & Mary Ann Fey.
• If you are interested in learning more about the Eastern Catholic Church - Theological Book Services provides fulfillment for God With Us, a consortium of Eastern Catholic Publishers and you can find a variety of titles there.

Well, that should more than do it. I'll be attending a conference on internet marketing for the rest of the week, so you'll probably be spared any more posts for the next few days. Any spare time I have will be spent carving pumpkins and getting ready for my party this weekend.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Another buddy from 2004

Pumpkins aren't the only ones that need to fear me! 

St. Stanislaus Hurricane Damage and Random Bits

Hello:

I'm still working on that monster post I mentioned yesterday (I should stop mentioning it, you might start expecting it to be good). It's slowing me down that people are expecting me to do my job rather than just sit and BLOG all day. I'll be attending a web seminar Thursday and Friday so I'm trying to get on top of things today.

In the mean time, I thought I would mention that 137 people are participating in our Focus Group and are eligible to win the $50 gift certificate good for Liguori Publications product. There is still time to sign up, so check it out if you are interested.

Simple Brother from Saintly Sinner sent me this link to pictures of the damage at St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Missisippi. WOW!

I'll try to have a 'real' post out later today.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

A little friend from Halloween 2004

This one won the 2004 Liguori Publications pumpkin carving contest.

Bias in the Liguorian Book Reviews?

Hello:

I've spent more time than I care to admit today working on a post that will probably fail to achieve anything that I intend it to. Since it isn't quite ready for the limelight (and any resulting tomatoes) I'd like to distract you with (I mean turn your attention to) an excellent post by my friend and co-worker, Simple Brother (or Dave as I call him). I've mentioned Dave a time or two before. He writes Saintly Sinner, another Liguori related BLOG. Though I would never admit it to him, Dave is an extremely well educated and intelligent person. His combination of intelligence, compassion and mirth make him a strong asset to Liguori Publications (and to the group of miscreants I eat lunch with every day). This particular post of his deals with a recent frustration he has experienced administering the monthly book reviews in Liguorian Magazine. Without any further rambling from me, please check out You're not biased in any way, are you?.
Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

PS - I'm trying to make the titles of my posts more search engine friendly, which sometimes makes them seem odd to me.

Difficult Decisions for Liguorian Magazine

Hello:

When I first joined Liguori Publications seven and half years ago, we had about 150 employees. If you didn't make it in early you couldn't find a parking space and we were frequently talking about the best way to expand our warehouse. Liguorian Magazine, the flagship of Liguori and a veritable cash cow, was just beginning to fall from an all time high of 500,000+ subscriptions. Flash forward to today. Through three rounds of layoffs and attrition, we are now fewer than 100. Liguorian subscriptions are less than 300,000 and needless to say, parking isn't a problem. Even so, the warehouse is tighter than ever.

Liguori is one of those places where it isn't uncommon for someone to work 40 years or more. The salaries aren't the highest in the metro region but the benefits are extremely good and there is a real sense of family that I've never experienced anywhere else. Many of the employees work at Liguori as an expression of their Catholic spirituality. Not being Catholic myself, I don't experience that particular reward - but it is refreshing to see it in your co-workers.

Obviously, layoffs were not something we chose to do lightly. Most importantly, they were not just cost saving maneuvers. In each case the functions we shed and the resulting reorganizations made us a stronger and more viable company. Unfortunately, the efficiencies we gained were almost always offset by further weakness in our market niche.

• Secular publishers began to venture into spiritual publishing using their economies of scale and established channels to draw the best authors and get shelf space in more bookstores.
• The terrorist attacks on September 11th sent the economy into a tail spin.
• The sexual scandals within the Church left parishes with diminishing donations and large settlement payouts.
• The declining number of clergy transitioned buying decisions into the hands of lay volunteers who did not have the same familiarity with our product lines.
• In the past Redemptorists would fill in for vacationing and sick pastors throughout the US. After Mass they would distribute subscription cards. As the number of Redemptorists declines so do the number of "preached" subs.

Just recently we made the decision to outsource the fulfillment (that's the order taking and shipping) of the Liguorian Magazine to Palm Coast Data in Florida. They have a tremendous operation with several hundred employees and several million dollars worth of equipment allowing them to administer the magazine significantly cheaper, faster and better than we can. It was a tough call that resulted in the loss of 3 jobs here at the publishing house, but it was the right thing to do. As a result, we have been able to shift resources (corporate speak for people) to focusing on growing the magazine again.

Just in time for Christmas gift giving, we have markedly improved the process for giving Liguorian gift subscriptions on-line. In the past you had to complete a separate check out for each subscription. Last November one gentleman, obviously destined for Sainthood, completed 17 checkouts! We also now allow "Bill Me" orders to be placed on-line. In the next month we plan on rolling out enhanced customer service features; address change, account review, replacement issues, etc.

If you're curious, you can read a sample article by clicking on any of the images (all images take you to the same article). You can also go directly to the commerce site. I'm most excited that you can read this unpaid testimonial from Faira. Ok, ok I sent her a free cookbook and a magazine - but I didn't ask her to write the review!

• Faira said...
  Oh, and Philip, You sent along with my cook book a publication of Liguorian. It also was great reading and a publication to be proud of. I read it from cover to cover. I really liked the comparison stories of gardens and Spiritual living. And the memoriam of John Paul II 1920-2005 was very well done, it helped me see the Man behind the Pope (does that make sense?). Thank you for sending it to me, I enjoyed it very much!

Well, I think that's enough of this somber discussion. I hope you don't mind the change in tempo, but it's been on my mind a lot lately. Among other things, I think I feel some survivor's guilt. We're positioned for a better future but things certainly aren't guaranteed. I try my best to benefit the company in any way that I can, I feel I owe it to this weird little family of mine.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

St. Mary's

Damage around St. Mary´s Church.



The steeple of St. Mary's, weather-worn but standing proudly after the Hurricane.




Rev. Gregory Schmitt, C.SS.R., pastor of St. Mary´s Assumption, Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, New Orleans, directs National Guard soldiers in an inspection of the parish grounds.

Neighbor's House before and after

Status of Redemptorists in New Orleans

Hello:

Lately I've found myself arm wrestling with my BLOG template. It's played a few tricks on me in the few months that I've been BLOGging but recently it had started shoving my posts to the bottom of the page. To someone visiting for the first time, the BLOG had a decidely abandoned appearance. After much cursing, refreshing, tweaking and finagaling - I think it looks 'ok' now. The margins are still a little whacked looking, but I think it will hold until I get a chance to design my own layout or geta hired gun. So anyway - I'm sitting here wallowing in the great injustice of my BLOG not aligning nicely, when I get an email update about how the Redemptorists stationed in New Orleans are getting along. My perspective seemed to be restored pretty quickly.

Just a quick refresher. I work for Liguori Publications, a Catholic publishing house owned by the Redemptorist Fathers. The Redemptorists have a significant presence in New Orleans and we lost contact with several of our guys during Katrina. Several of them are still down there doing what they can to help the recovery and I've been sharing updates as they come through.

The orignal posts are:

Somber Affairs
Thursday Ramble (not as relevant)
Redemptorists in New Orleans - Update
Letter from a New Orleans Redemptorist
Update from Redemptorist in New Orleans

So I'll get out of the way now and let you read Fr. Greg's letter.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

***********************************************************************************

Dear Family, Friends, Confreres,

I'm having troubles with this computer in Baton Rouge right now, but I will attempt another Katrina/Rita report. I'm still in Baton Rouge, but I'm planning to return to New Orleans tomorrow (Oct 20) to stay. I know that when I get back to New Orleans I won't have e-mail access at least through our normal channel. Our broadband is still not functioning, and the company that supplies it is not telling us anything.

I've been very busy and on the move. I've been doing chaplaincy work at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital here in Baton Rouge 3 days a week (Wednesday - Friday 7:30 - 4:00) That includes being on call for emergencies all night. I was also up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin for Rector's meetings. I left Baton Rouge on Saturday, Oct 8 and spent the 9th visiting my sister in Milwaukee. Our meetings ran from Monday night until Thursday noon. I returned to Baton Rouge on Thursday evening, the 13th. On Friday and Saturday I was on hospital duty. Sunday morning (Oct 16) I drove down to New Orleans to celebrate a 10:00 AM Mass in St Mary's Church. Fr. Scott, my associate celebrated a 5:30 PM Mass on Saturday at St. Mary Chapel. Attendance was surprisingly good. 50 at the chapel and 100 (or more) at the church. It was a beginning. It was good to be back and see familiar, faithful faces. Unfortunately t! he air conditioning and the sound system were not working in the Church. We did have lights, but there are some electrical problems that need to be addressed.

Anyway, my schedule the past few weeks has kept me out of the communication business. I want to thank all of you who have sent e-mails. I will try to answer the ones that need answering, and thank so many of you who have sent help. But I want to send this general message so I won't have to repeat all the details to each one individually.

When I drove into New Orleans on Sunday I drove through some sections that seem to be returning to life. The traffic and seeing people on the streets bespeaks life. There isn't much of either in our immediate section of the City. Except for the time surrounding our Mass, the streets are eerily empty. One of our parishioners, Judge Dennis Waldron did yeoman's work cleaning the streets around our Church for the Sunday service. The garbage is still there, but Dennis managed to seclude it for our return. He and I are also trying to salvage the ancient historical bricks from the fence wall that the hurricane demolished. Some sections of the City -not too far from us - still have the stench of decaying food. There are a lot of refrigerators wrapped in duct tape lining the streets. There are a few restaurants open on Magazine Street, but all the other business establishments on this once! bustiling street are still boarded up or closed. An A&P is open, and so are a few gas stations. Gas in New Orleans is $2.89. I can get it for $2.59 in Baton Rouge.

Fr. Scott, Deacon Dennis Ryan and I had an impromptu staff meeting after the Mass on Sunday. We divided up some duties. Fr. Scott is going to pursue the electical problems. Deacon Dennis is going to go after some new refrigeration units. And I am in charge of contacting insurance folks about damage to the church and rectory and school. Besides getting our parish community reassembled, there is going to be a lot of physical matters to attend to during the next few months. We will also be about the business of helping folks who have been devasted by Katrina. Some very generous folks have sent us donations - several thousand dollars - to assist persons in need. During the liturgy this past Sunday we observed that most of our poorest parishioners had not yet returned. The reasons could be many. They don't have a way to get back from their evacuation destinations. They don't have the wherewitha! ll to fix up the places they left behind or their housing units are not back in operation. They have no employment to return to at the present time. From things I've heard some folks may not return at all - especially if they can find employment in their new locale. We know that we will be able to use the funds that have been given us. Hope House (right next to our rectory) ministers daily to the poor in our area. We will work through them as well as giving direct aid to needy parishioners.

St. Alphonsus School is not open yet. It is on a list of schools that the Archdiocese wants to reopen. Fortunately it did not suffer flood damage - which is the real school killer. Though many windows were blown out and the roof was damaged, these are fixable. I don't think the school will reopen until January at the earliest.

I spoke with an insurance adjuster on Tuesday. We are authorized to proceed with window replacement in the church and rectory. Hopefully we'll be able to find contactors to do the work. I want to fix the large Church window with something more sturdy than the glass which was blown in (eg Lexan). The insurance will only pay for replacement value of the former window as it was. I also found out that the insurance will not pay for our refrigerators (or contents). The refrigeration problem was caused by the power outage, which the insurance company sees as independent of the hurricane.

The Church has suffered roof damage. In one corner near the tower there is an open hole - accounting for the water that has come through the tower all the way to the lowest level next to the sacristy. The insurance company is supposed to get this covered until contractors can come out and fix the roof. Also the roof tiles along peak of the roof have been lifted or blown off. I have been told that the roof was completely blown away during hurricane Betsy in 1965. At that time St. Mary's Church was closed for 19 years while a new roof was installed.

There's no doubt that the Hurricane experience is a life-changing experience. I don't think anything will be quite the same at least for a long time. On the positive side, this may also be an opportunity to re-evaluate what we have been doing and to effect some creative changes. We may be able to re-invent ourselves in some ways to carry out the mission of Christ and the Church in an even better way.

For me personally, the encounters I had at the hospital, especially with children and families in the pediatric units were the most moving and eye-opening. I can't tell you how much I admire the families who build their lives around their sick children while at the same time they are trying to cope with horrendous losses of homes and property. Thanks to the generosity of folks I gave anonymous donations to some of these families - and they were deeply appreciative. There is so much sadness surrounding children who will not get well, and so much inspiration around the families that won't do anything but love them - sacrificing everything else.

Like I mentioned, I will be returning to New Orleans tomorrow. I will revert to my New Orleans address: The mail service in New Orleans has restarted, but because of the huge backlog of mail we are only getting a little bit each day. I'm not sure if the Post Office is delivering old mail before new mail. Anyway, it may take a while to get mail.

I will continue to send these large e-mails to keep you updated from time to time. Please send this on to people you think would be interested. Thank you for all your interest, love, generosity.

Peace,

Greg

Biloxi community sitting in front of damaged residence after Hurricane Katrina

1. Biloxi community sitting in front of damaged residence after Hurricane Katrina: From left to right: standing: Rev. Richard Luberti arrives to transport confreres to Baton Rouge. Sitting: Revs. Albert Babin, Earl Toups, Joseph Armshaw, Edward Cosgrove and Warren Drinkwater.

Community house before the Hurricane

Community house before the Hurricane.

Community House After Hurricane

More on Letters to Santa

Hello:

I back dated this post so it wouldn't push everything else off my home page. This is a continuation of Liguori Publications participation in the Cheyenne River Reservation Letters to Santa program. If you've come directly to this post - PLEASE READ THIS FIRST.

Before I let you go, I'd like to feature another Liguori title that makes a great Christmas gift for the little ones. The ABC's of Christmas by Francine M. O'Connor and Illustrated by Bartholomew is a beautifully illustrated hardback that may be cherished for years to come.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass


***********************************************************************************
About the Cheyenne River Youth Project:

You can read more about the project at the Mission Sponsorship table or the table by the Copy Area [these are Liguori references]. The Youth Project also has a website - http://www.lakotayouth.org/

The Main as the youth center is called, provides a safe, alcohol, drug and tobacco free environment which is both mentally and physically supportive for these children. Currently, the Cheyenne River Youth Project operates two programs. The Main is a youth drop in center that is open seven days a week providing alternative recreational activities along with sports, arts & crafts, as well as other support services. The center provides a home like environment where children can feel comfortable and safe. Within the center is a large recreation area where the children watch movies, create their arts & crafts, play games and eat their meals. We also have a library where the children can read and study.

Christmas Toy Drive:

Each year, the Cheyenne River Youth Project assists hundreds of Cheyenne River Reservation families to provide gifts for their children on Christmas Day. Thanks, in large part, to a grant from the national non-profit Running Strong for American Indian Youth, and many other private donors, service groups and churches, CRYP collects donations of new gifts to be hand- delivered by volunteers on Christmas Day. This is no ordinary toy drive. The Cheyenne River Youth Project collects the children's Christmas Lists and sends them off to all of our wonderful and thoughtful donors who take the time to choose gifts that are especially on those wish lists. Each child in the program receives at least one gift that they had asked for and hoped for, in the last months, to be waiting under the Christmas tree. For some of our families, these are the only gifts that will be received, and often times the volunteers delivering are met with cries of excitement and joy that are unparalleled the rest of the year. Without the help of so many dedicated people all over the country, many families would not experience the joy of seeing their children unwrap the very things that they wished for on their Christmas List. The Christmas Toy Drive is about more than just getting „things.“ It is about realizing dreams, though they may be small, and providing for our families where they are met with difficulties. If you or your firm/company would like to receive Christmas Lists from the children this year, please contact the youth center for details.
***********************************************************************************
How do I adopt a letter?:

1. Adopt a letter (or two) by logging it out at the Mission Sponsorship table or the table by the Copy Area. Please don't forget to log it out.

2. Buy at least one gift the child asked for. Each letter indicates the child's clothing sizes. Clothing and any practical items (such as warm blankets) are needed and appreciated also.

3. Please do not wrap them. The Youth Center will take care of that.

4. Please tape the child's first and last name to EACH gift.

5. Please do not put your name on the gifts. The gifts are from Santa.

6. Bring your gifts to Liguori by Friday, December 2nd.


***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
How can I help if I don't adopt a letter?:

1. "Gently worn" children's coats are greatly needed - but if your own child would not wear it, please do not send it to these children.

2. "Gently worn" but current Prom dresses are very popular. The girls have an overnight "Passion for Fashion" where they help each other with their hair and make up. Any Prom dress that your own daughter would be happy to wear will be greatly appreciated.

3. Like any charity the Cheyenne River Youth Project can always use money but right now they are really focused on gifts for the children. The nearest Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart is 98 miles away from the youth center.

4. Wrapping paper, gifts bags and gift tags help make Christmas that much more special.

5. Beds, mattresses and box springs in good condition.

6. Personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels etc.

7. Gently used hardback books for their library.

St Louis Arch near the Old Cathederal

 
 

Clearly in Focus

Hello:

The signup for our Focus Group has gone really well. I had originally hoped for 100 people and I have 125 signed up as of today (most signed up from an email we sent out, not this BLOG). I'm a pretty greedy guy though and now I'm shooting for 200. If you consider yourself to be Catholic, then we want to hear from you! Even if you don't regularly attend Mass, but still consider yourself Catholic - go ahead and sign up. We've made contact with a couple of parishes that are primarily African American or Hispanic but it is difficult to ensure solid minority representation in such a group. If you consider yourself Catholic and belong to an ethnic minority, please sign up.

Just think, with a group this small - your odds of winning the $50 gift certificate are pretty good. I promise that the entire study will take very little of your time and your input is an important resource for Liguori Publications to understand the needs of today's Catholic Church.

Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass



alt="Click here to join LiguoriGroup1">
Click to join LiguoriGroup1

Struck

Hello:

Yesterday was an eventful day. I went riding on my bike for the first time since the MS150. The weather was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS and even though my riding had dropped off in the last month, I was doing pretty good. Everything seemed pretty well picture perfect, when it hit - the truck that is. Yes a truck backed out of a driveway and hit me.

I'm being a LITTLE dramatic about this, but I think I earned the right. Afterall, I was hit by a truck. The whole thing happened in such a slow motion fashion that I was reminded of the scene in one of the Austin Power's movies where he runs over the guy with a steam roller. I was in a group of 4 riders and we moving along about 20 miles per hour. Up ahead we clearly saw a truck start to back out of drive. The truck hesitated like it saw us, so we kept moving forward. Then the truck started up again so I started to slow, then the truck stopped and I kept on. When I was immediately behind the truck it started back one more time. I bounced off a sign and was pitched down an embankment into a creekbed. I felt like I was falling for 5 minutes or more. My left foot was still clipped into my pedal, so I drug the bike along with me.

Thankfully; when I finished sliding, I was able to get right up and climb up to the road. A little blood, a few scrapes and some bruises - but other than that no problem. My bike was fine and I didn't tear my cycling gear (that stuff is expensive). I felt very sorry for the guys that hit me. They were two migrant workers that I'm guessing were afraid they would be deported on the spot.

Long story - short, I was extremely lucky. It feels good to be at Liguori Publications today with a wild story to tell and enough of a limp to be asked "what happened to you?".

Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

How Ironical and NaNoWriMo

Hello:

It's been awhile since I've written what I consider to be a "real" post. Oh, I've had things posted - but they really didn't take much to write. Let's face it, I've been cheating. A relevant news item comes in like the Picture Rocks fire, and I'm off the hook for a day; we start enrollment for the Liguori Publications Focus Group and I just post the invite; I ship off the last of the cookbooks and woohoo, there's my post - I'll even talk about how it's "single topic" as if that adds value (maybe it does). Anyway, my recent posts have definitely lost a lot of their personal element. Ironically, readership has climbed significantly. I spend more time voyeuristicly watching my Sitemeter connection to see who's reading what and how much time they spend doing it.

If this post seems to have an unusual tone, it's because I am writing to myself. As I've mentioned in other posts, I am extremely skilled at misplacing my attention in order to avoid working on the things that are important to me. If I try working on my novel, I suddenly have to work on my Grandfather's project. If I start working on that, I urgently need to update my work related BLOG (you're reading the result of that one). When I need to update Dark Glass, I start watching stats or making tweaks to the BLOG template. At times this process seems infinitely recursive. I often picture a Tibetan prayer wheel spinning faster and faster. This post is just one more attempt to make myself confront the problem. I don't know that I can ever stop it, it seems so fundamental to who I am, but if I could control and direct it better.... I am never more productive than when my hyperfocus settles on something constructive.

I should probably point out that I am actually a pretty happy person - now. I've had phases of my life that were relatively dark and even angst ridden (I've always loved that expression), but as I've grown older things have generally gotten better. I love my work at Liguori Publications, I love the people in my life. Even so, I feel the need to keep pushing my envelope; not to settle and to achieve new and greater things. I may not go to Law School, but I WILL write a novel. Preferrably, it will even get published - but I'll worry about that after I write it.

Speaking of writing - I took yesterday off from work and arranged my schedule so that I could become a recluse in my house and just write. I knew I would spend a lot of time fighting my normal demons of distraction, so I had to block out a lot of time. The only thing I wrote I was yesterday's BLOG post. The post you're reading now is my attempt to "sneak up" on my other projects. On the one hand, I haven't worked on my novel. On the other my house has never been cleaner.

I keep flirting with the idea of participating in this year's National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it's called. These beautifully crazy people actually cause THOUSANDS of people each year to write an entire 50,000 word novel in ONE MONTH! I'm intrigued but frightened, if I can't work on a project that I've all ready started even with vacation days - how can I do that? A quote from their FAQ:

• If you don't do it now, you probably never will. Novel writing is mostly a "one day" event. As in "One day, I'd like to write a novel." Here's the truth: 99% of us, if left to our own devices, would never make the time to write a novel. It's just so far outside our normal lives that it constantly slips down to the bottom of our to-do lists. The structure of NaNoWriMo forces you to put away all those self-defeating worries and START. Once you have the first five chapters under your belt, the rest will come easily. Or painfully. But it will come. And you'll have friends to help you see it through to 50k.

I'm going to wrap today's post up by suggesting two books by J.P. Vaswani. The Way of Abhyasa: Meditation in Practice as well as The Good You Do Returns: A Book of Wisdom Stories both have a calming meditative theme that somehow manages to inspire as well as relax. These titles are influenced by a variety of religious perspectives but are each fully consistent with Catholic teachings. Sometime I'll write about how I accidentally met the Dalai Lama walking down a sidewalk in front of St Louis Union Station (it really happened).

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Free Cookbooks are Gone

Hello:

The last of the free cookbooks [post1, post2] are gone (or at least spoken for). Honestly, they lasted longer than I expected - I think people were suspicious of free. I've all ready heard back from a couple of people that have received theirs. I ended up sending books to (relatively) my own back yard in Columbia, Missouri to both the left and right coasts and even to France. This was a fun way for me to reward my readers and something that I'll try to do from to time.

This is actually a "micro-post" (one topic only) for me, so I'm going to wrap up by plugging a Liguori Publications product and then work on a "macro-post" (long-winded ramble). Now that everyone is brainwashed about how great Liguori cookbooks are, you might want to give them as Christmas gifts. We recently slimmed our cookbook line to three books (as our cooks did anything but slim). My current favorite is Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette (who has written several books for us). This one was actually popular on QVC for awhile and has done very well for us.

Must resist urge to add a new topic. Arghhh, I'm out of here.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Liguori Publications Focus Group

Click to join LiguoriGroup1


Hello:

I'm excited to announce that we are finally ready to unleash our first web based focus group. I can't tell you about the specific topic that we are investigating with this one - knowing might bias your responses. Please don't hesitate to sign up. You'll be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate if you complete the entire project. Anyone with a relationship to the Catholic Church is welcome. I am particularly interested in people who do not regularly attend (it's much easier for me to get ahold of the people in the pews). This focus group is an important tool for Liguori Publications to understand the needs of today's Catholic Church. Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

Please click the little box below or go to Liguori Focus Group 1 to register. It's free and I promise not to overwhelm your email.

Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass




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Picture of "Picture Rocks Retreat" Fire

Read the post below for details on this tragedy. Here's the picture after the fire.

Tragedy at Redemptorist Retreat House

Hello:

As I've mentioned in earlier postings, Liguori Publications is owned by the Redemptorist order. Last Friday the Redemptorist retreat house in Picture rocks was destroyed by fire. I'm including the text of an Arizona Daily Star article and another from the Tucson Citizen below. Fr. Tom Santa, the Director of the Center was President of Liguori when I first started working here and is also one of our authors. Please keep everyone affected in your thoughts.

Picture of the fire.

Picture after the fire.

I'm still looking for any good pictures from before the fire.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass





Published: 10.07.2005

Spiritual retreat center ravaged by early-morning fire

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The main building of the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Picture Rocks was leveled by fire early Friday, with damage estimated between $750,000 and $1 million.



"Everyone is flabbergasted," said the Rev. Thomas Santa, director of the 40-year-old spiritual retreat center, operated by the Catholic Redemptorist order's Denver Province. "We are disappointed, but we have faith, too. We know it will come together again. This is a tragedy but not like the hurricane. We still have a place to sleep."



No one was hurt in the fire, which occurred in the central building, which includes the main meeting area, kitchen, dining room and laundry. The building was in the process of undergoing a $400,000 renovation that had been slated to be complete this weekend. The retreat center includes 14 buildings and seven Redemptorist priests and brothers live there full-time. The center also has a lay staff of 15 people, as well as 10 to 20 volunteers who work there.



It took 50 firefighters two hours to put out the blaze, according to Northwest Fire Department spokeswoman Katy Heiden. Firefighters got a call about the fire at 2:12 a.m. from a passerby who saw flames coming out of the building, which sits on top of a hill. Heiden said firefighters from the Golder Ranch and Picture Rocks departments were called in to battle the flames. She said the building was 90 percent engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.



"It was an enormous fire," Heiden said.



Read more in Saturday's Arizona Daily Star.




All content copyright © 1999-2005 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.

******************************************************************************


Saturday, October 8, 2005
Blaze destroys Picture Rocks buildingThe cause of the early morning fire on the far West Side that wrecked a kitchen and dining and conference rooms is yet to be determined.MARY BUSTAMANTEmbustama@tucsoncitizen.com Worshippers showing up for early morning Mass at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, nestled in the picturesque, petroglyph-covered cliffs of Picture Rocks, found "just a shell" after fire consumed the main structure.
The cinder block-and-wood building, which housed the kitchen, dining room and two conference rooms, was to have reopened tonight after 15 months of renovations.
A newly installed sprinkler system in the 40-year-old building was to be turned on after tests early yesterday - about five hours after the blaze began.
Northwest Fire/Rescue Department investigators have not determined the cause of the fire at the center, 7101 W. Picture Rocks Road spokeswoman Katy Heiden said.
The director of the center already plans to rebuild. Heiden estimated damage at $400,000.
"This hits hard because it's absolutely one of the most gorgeous places in Arizona," said Annette Thompson, a former volunteer who washed dishes in the main building at the center during the scores of retreats held there each year.
The Roman Catholic center attracted people from around the globe.
"You definitely feel closer to the Lord there," Thompson said. "And the priests and staff are so wonderful. And when you go to church there on Sunday, you feel better all week."
Thompson and her husband, Mike, have come to the center for six years.
The retreat season was just starting, said the Rev. Thomas Santa, director of the center. A total of 52 people were set to arrive for one yesterday.
"Everyone is feeling saddened," said Linda Herrick, director of marketing. "But Father Tom commented we just have to find creative solutions to reopen as quickly as possible."
There is no doubt the structure will be rebuilt, Santa said.
"This is a little bit more challenging than we thought 15 months ago, (when renovations began)," he said.
Buildings were not required to have sprinklers when the center was built.
"We were really close to the finish line, but we can't complain that there were unfair judges," he said. "This is no sign from God. God doesn't work that way."
Money for renovations had come from the Redemptorist of Denver Province, he said.
A passer-by reported the blaze at 2:11 a.m. yesterday. About 50 firefighters on 12 firetrucks from the Picture Rocks, Golder Ranch and Northwest fire departments spent nearly two hours fighting to control it.
"The building was engulfed 90 percent when got there," Heiden said of the 5,889-square-foot structure.
She said the pristine area that is so much a positive factor for the center contributed to the destruction - no fire hydrants are in the area. Five tankers had to drive a mile from the fire to a spot on Ina Road to fill up with water.
"Four of those trucks hold 3,000 gallons of water, and one holds 5,000 gallons, and all of them made at least two complete rounds," she said.
"The main building could not be saved, so our efforts were to keep the fire from spreading to the others," which were spared, Heiden said.
Up since the fire started, the eight priests and brothers of the Catholic Redemptorist Society who live on site greeted people for the 7 a.m. Mass.
David and Hedy Miller, who have come to weekday Mass for three years, were stunned to see "just a shell" of a building yesterday morning.
"I just wonder what we can do now. Just pray, I guess," Hedy Miller said. "Things will work out."
The chapel, another building in the center, has only a little smoke damage, David Miller said.
"The fathers are saying they'll try to have Mass in it on Sunday," he said.
CANCELED RETREATS
October
Yesterday through tomorrow: Understanding Scrupulosity
Yesterday through tomorrow: Serenity Retreat: Steppin' Out of the Past
Yesterday through tomorrow: School Sisters of St. Francis
Today: Columban Fathers Retreat
Oct. 14-16: Divine Mercy Retreat
Oct. 9-14 and 16-21: Diocese of Tucson Priests Retreat I & II
Oct. 21-23: Serenity Group
Oct. 21: St. Francis in the Foothills Retreat
Oct. 23-28: Academy for Spiritual Formation
November
Nov. 6-11: The Spiritual Promise of Sexuality
Nov. 7-11: Los Cruces Priests Retreat
Nov. 11-14: Christian Brothers Retreat
Source: http://www.desertrenewal.org/

Aftermath of "Picture Rocks Retreat" Fire

Read details about this fire at "Tragedy at Redemptorist Retreat House".

Here's a picture of the fire.

Ah - Tea and sweater weather

Just a passing thought to share. It's about 60 degrees in St. Louis today. I'm snuggled in a warm sweater. I'm drinking a steaming cup of black tea. I HAVE NO MEETINGS. It is a good day at Liguori Publications. I am happy.

Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Thursday Ramble

Hello:

It's been another busy week here at Liguori Publications and I've found myself working on a wider variety of projects than usual. I tried writing about them in letter form but it didn't work, instead I'm pulling out the bullet points. Hmmm, the bullets don't seem to play nice with the product images. This may turn out to be an oddly formatted post. OK, now I've decided that I hate bullets and I'm trying asterisks.


Before we get into the bullets, asterisks, pumpkins or whatever else they turn out to be; I get to do my little ramble. It's my BLOG and that's what I get to do ;-} I was excited when I came in today - I HAD NO MEETINGS SCHEDULED. This almost never happens. I immediately drew up an ambitious list for the day. The day is almost over and I have gotten through exactly 3 of those things. One of them was eat at Tequila's Mexican restaurant down the road.



*I still have cookbooks to give away. Don't be shy!

*Next week I hope to start an on-line focus group (I will definitely be asking my BLOG readers to participate). I'm planning on using Yahoo Groups to run the whole thing.

*We are in negotiations with a prominent artist from Mexico (who I can't name just yet) to begin selling images of his work electronically, in both hi and lo-res formats. If you buy this type of thing, I would love to know what you would typically be willing to pay.

*The "Bodega" project I mentioned before has slowed to a crawl but is still moving forward. I thought for certain I had written about this before, basically we are looking to promote our Libros Liguori line by placing product in local Bodegas and Tiendas.

*We have a new BLOG in place promoting Theological Book Services it's a little more straight forward than this BLOG, but I suspect the owner will get more creative over time. Please check out Bookviews.

*More information has come in regarding the Seelos shrine in New Orleans. Seelos is on of the Redemptorist Saints and we carry a few titles about him.

*We're going to do a new Google ad throughout November. We'll be featuring Pedir posada con Maria y José: Nueve noches de oración and the english version Traveling with Mary and Joseph: Praying las Posadas both written by my good friend Father Mathew Kessler, C.Ss.R. Padre Mateo (as we call him) is the editor of Libros Liguori and the man who organized the Spanish classes that I take each Monday night (someday I'll be able to forgive him for that, but not today).

Well, I should wrap this up and see if I knock item off of my list. "Clean my office". How bad could that be? Of course if I could just get rid of these cookbooks.........

Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Where does the time go?

10-14-05 / The last free cookbook is spoken for. Keep checking back. I'll do something like this again.
Hello:

When I first started this BLOG I was so good at posting new content. Lately.... not so much. I'm getting ready to mail out the first 7 free cookbooks. I have an entire case of these to give away, so please don't be shy if you're interested. My office is messy enough with these books sitting around.

Lately, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what's important to me and trying to focus my energies on my goals. My work at Liguori Publications, my writing projects, learning a foreign language, bettering myself physically at the gym and through cycling. Moving forward on these things leaves precious little time for watching Law and Order or my new addiction Rome much less using my gift certificates for a glass blowing class at 3rd Degree or a cooking class at the Kitchen Conservatory (both are about a year old now and becoming a source of stress).

I feel like I've made so many improvements in how I use my time and what I accomplish. I am generally a happy person and am extremely grateful that my life is as rich and fulfilling as it is, BUT I still drive myself nuts trying to do more. While I was off Friday, I was cleaning my house for some houseguests coming in from Guam and never seemed to be able to focus on the clutter because I was so busy cleaning the window sills with a vacuum and toothbrush. I have to admit that I revel in those moments of "hyperfocus" but I recognize that they can be counter productive to a happy life. I've discussed certain compulsive behaviours before so I'll try not to dwell on it too much now.

In the spirit of focusing on the positive, today I am featuring Life Doesn't Get Any Better Than This: The Holiness of Little Daily Dramas by Robert A. Alper. Basically, 40 "poignant" narratives with a sort of "stop and smell the roses" theme. It's a nice way to remember just how blessed each of us truly is.

Posting will continue to be erratic for the next few days while I get some other things knocked off my list. If you find yourself jonesing for my words of wisdom, soothe your pain by getting a free cookbook. Just drop me an email at PDELRICCI at GMAIL.COM with your snail mail address and I'll tie one on the back of the nearest snail and point him your direction. Please be certain to mention if you live in a salt mine.


Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass