Swept Away With Cleaning and OMPH

Hello:

I've really missed posting to this BLOG. Since I closed on the new house last Wednesday - life has been a blur. I haven't even though about moving over yet - I've just been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I only showed up for work at Liguori Publications one day this past week. I had plenty of vacation time left to cover it, but I had planned to use that time to catch up on things at the office. Oh well. Sometimes it is good to be swept away.

It's a fun experience in a lot of ways. It's one of those occasions when I can let my OCD run wild and it's a good thing. Any time you buy a house that the local hoarder lived in for 55 years - YOU NEED TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM WITH A TOOTHBRUSH! Trust me, do not cut corners on this.

Once I get moved in, I'll only be about 2 blocks down the street from Dave, the Saintly Sinner. That will make our car pooling even better. Dave has been a great neighbor (so far). He's dropped off cookies and brought a devotive candle of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (which we often abbreviate to OMPH) to place in niche of my fireplace. We've been joking that the niche was for a "bathtub Mary" (a strange little St. Louis tradition I'll talk about another time) which is why he brought the candle.

Speaking of neighbors, I've met several of my new ones and they all seem great. One couple has loaned me a small refrigerator (I won't be moving anything until I get the place cleaned up). It was a little emotional telling my current neighbors that I'm leaving. We've always gotten along so well. Pete and Pat are an elderly couple that watch the place better than any security system and refer to me as their son. Fortunately, the new place comes with a similar security system named Shirley.

I still have plenty to say (I hadn't realized how dependent I had become on BLOGging) but I need to wrap up and get to work. In an effort to fill the new house with life and positive energy, I'm having a very informal New Year's get together tonight. The nice thing is that no one will expect the place to be immaculate which really gets me off the hook.

I'll leave you with a recommendation for The Story of an Icon written by Fabriciano Ferrero, C.Ss.R. and is an in-depth exploration of the history and meaning of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help icon and it's significance to the Redemptorist order.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Dayz after Christmas

Hello:

Despite the fact that I am closing on the new house tomorrow, I made certain to plan on working a couple of day this week. Like a lot of companies those lazy dayz after Christmas are a fantastic time to get things done at Liguori Publications. The parking lot is beautifully empty and I've been checking things off my list left and right.

The next thing on my list for today is taking care of my BLOGExplosion billboard rentals. I really appreciate my readers who click through and check out my renters. It makes it extremely easy for me to rent it out the next time. This week, I received 2 bids in less than an hour.

3 is the Charm - This is the family BLOG of a couple who notice a few significant "3's" in their lives. Third marriage which counting Christ is made up of 3 persons. One of things that I like about this BLOG is that it is extremely positive and makes for enjoyable reading. Among other things, they like to write about Bed and Breakfasts they have visited.

My Waisted Life - I've been reading this one anytime I encounter it on BLOGExplosion (since August) but I'm struggling a little to describe it. Mercurial? It seems to change and evolve but always remain interesting. Basically posts regarding whatever the author is thinking about that day. The author is a "Studio 54" style bartender living in the UK. Excellent design work on this one as well.

Scooter McGavin's 9th Green - Wow, I feel bad about not picking this BLOG of music reviews. It's a great site that I read regularily and Scooter has bid on my BLOG 3 times. The thing is that his bid arrived as I was clicking accept on 3 is the Charm. I think his patience deserves VIP treatment next week? Don't you?

Today's selection was pretty straight forward since I'm renting space myself at 3 is the Charm. I feel bad for Scooter but timing can be everything.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

St Stanislaus vs Archbishop Burke

Hello:

Way back in August, I made a passing reference to the board of St. Stanislaus parish being threatened with excommunication by Archbishop Raymond Burke. About a week ago Burke pulled the trigger on the equivalent of an ecclesiastical nuclear strike and excommunicated the 6 person Board of directors and Reverend Marek Bozek, the Polish priests the parish has hired.

What a stir! For a non-Catholic like myself with a fascination with pagentry, hierarchy and history; this stuff makes me say "Pass the popcorn, what do we have to drink". I apologize that I haven't followed this more closely at Dark Glass - but I've been busy this season the same as all of you. Besides to actually add anything worth reading, I'd have to become a junior investigative reporter and who has time for that. Instead, I think I will just be gossipy. I'll mention a few choice tidbits and then point you to articles that have details.

What's this all about?

• The St Stanislaus parish has had an older form of organization since it was founded. The arrangement is now unusual and may have been the last Church still held this way. In a nut shell, the Church and its resources were owned by the Board of Directors NOT the Bishop. Archbishop Raymond Burke, ordered them to relinguish control and conform to normal standards. The Board said "NO, You're closing parishes left and right while all over the country assets are being sold off to pay sexual abuse scandals. We're sitting on several million dollars and would like to keep it that way." [not an actual quote]

What does the Vatican have to say?

• "He's your Bishop, you have to do what he says." [not an actual quote]

Then what happened?

• Burke pulled the parish priests and forebid anyone from administering Sacraments there. He threatened to excommunicate the Board if the didn't comply.
• The Board stuck their tongues out (figuratively speaking) and brought in anonymous priests with concealed identities (remember the Fox special with the masked magician?) to perform services.
• Burke said "I mean it, I'll pull the trigger! You must respect mah a-thor-atee."[me paraphrasing]
• Then the Board hired a Priest (Reverend Bozek) from Poland who was living in Springfield, MO.

And then? Burke screamed "Schism! You're all excommunicated." [yep, paraphrased]

How have the people of St. Louis responded? Well 2,000 people attended Rev. Bozek's first Mass at the parish (Christmas Eve). More than 600 stood in the parish hall and watched via simulcast.

Whew, anything else? Well, Bozek told the congregation in his second Mass Christmas Day that he left Poland because of unfounded allegations that he was a "promiscuous homosexual" [that's a real quote]. Calls to his old seminary in Olsztyn indicated that he had been ridden out on a rail. Bozek says he has a letter from Archbishop Piszcz that reccommends his character.

What happens if a Catholic receives the sacraments from Bozek? "To participate knowingly and willingly in the celebration of the Mass by a suspended priest is gravely sinful" [A real quote].

I think that the St. Louis Post Dispatch has done a great job of covering this. You can read their articles on St Stanislaus vs Archbishop Raymond Burke for yourself and get the details. The best thing I have to reccommend from Liguori Publications' titles is Power and the Papacy: The People and Politics Behind the Doctrine of Infallibility written by Robert McClory. Not exactly on topic but it touches on some of the more intense political issues within the Church and sheds some perspective on the St Stanislaus issue.

Well, I'll try to revisit this topic as things continue to develop. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Angels Working Overtime

Hello:

I don't know that I have ever really believed in the idea of "Guardian Angels". I believe in the heavenly host all right, but I can't really picture these celestial extensions of God's will running around to keep me out of trouble. If however; I were going to start thinking that way, I would start today.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I hadn't started my Christmas shopping yet. With everything going on with the house, I just couldn't make myself think along those lines. Speaking of the house, I may have mentioned that it is being sold "as-is" and though I've been able to have a private building inspector come look at it; I haven't been allowed to have the city or utilty inspectors in. Both things have been a source of stress the last few days (which might explain my slightly curmudgeonly post "Progress").

Well today everything went my way - even new problems that cropped up seemed to melt away. I learned that some of the inspections I was worried about scheduling aren't even required because the house is in a historic conservation district. The gas company said they don't care that the boiler was installed in 1950 or that it looks like a pizza oven. The city of St. Louis was extremely helpful and it looks like my occupancy permit will be issued the day I close (it seems that they mostly worry about smoke detectors). All in all, a big relief.

These things were resolved before lunch and I was walking on air. A quick bite and then on to do that shopping! But wait - I get an urgent email from the lender that they need a "satisfactory termite report" and they'll be ready to cut the check. I call my lender and the conversation goes something like this.

"I got your email". "Great, can you fax that report to me?" "Well I can,
but it's going to say that the termites in the garage are satisfactorily content
and looking forward to Christmas when they'll finish eating the back
wall." "Oh yea, hmmmmm."

Once again, the angels dove into action. A few phone calls (that were all miracously answered) later; the inspector is sending a modified report, and the termite guy has agreed to unleash weapons of mass destruction next Tuesday morning. Amazing!

Situation uncontrol, I head to the local mall and pull into a parking space that must have been reserved for me. In about an hour I finished all my shopping and had time to drink a cafe mocha! Everything I bought, I got on sale and I think will be appreciated by the people receiving them. Amazing!

I'm going to wrap up by featuring a Liguori Publications title and then I need to hit the road (I'm spending the weekend at my Mother's in Southern Illinois). For obvious reasons today's title is
Angels All Around UsThe Catholic Belief and Experience which is one of our videos. I hope the lives of everyone reading this are going as smoothly as mine this holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Peace on Earth and good will toward men,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Progress

Hello:

Just what is progress anyway? I was asking myself this a few minutes ago while simultaneously riding my bike trainer, reading a magazine on internet marketing and fretting that a.) I haven't updated this BLOG properly in awhile, b.) I have done nothing on the writing project with my Grandfather and c.) I have not written anything for my novel in months. Never mind all that I have accomplished (buying a new house, helping Br. Secundo start his BLOG, watching Law&Order ). I only seem capable of focusing on what didn't happen.

This may be one of those posts where a little more of the maddness slips in (cue the "Mad Scene of Lucia di Lamermoor") but you have all been warned that there is a strong personal element to this BLOG. In a lot of ways, I use this BLOG to keep me in the habit of writing. It isn't necessary that the writing be on target or even good, just the act of writing on a regular basis helps me to break down some of the walls that I so skillfully build.

Hmmm, this moment seems to have passed and I think that I should let it. Perhaps tomorrow I'll discuss some of the things happening at Liguori Publications.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass


PS - The most heartwrenching rendition I have ever heard of the Lucia's mad scene is from the soundtrack of The Fifth Element. Buy it!

The Only Shopping that I've Done

Hello:

The only shopping that I've done this Christmas is for more BLOGExplosion billboards. Strangely, I don't seem to be concerned yet. I don't know if it is because I am so overwhelmed by the process of buying this new house or if I'm just stupid but the clock is ticking and at some point panic will set in. Oh well, I have days left to worry about that. In the mean time I have bought myself placement on 2 new billboards.

Please look for my ad on:

Let's Talk - This is the BLOG of an ex-Marine and current computer geek named Larry. Larry's posts mix faith and politics in a way that makes for interesting reading rather you agree with his positions or not.



Christianity and Things that may Soothe the Soul - Wow, I'm the first ever renter at this BLOG. I'll try to be a good tenent and not make Jon regret being a landlord. This is a nice BLOG. The title describes it well but I would add that it is a faith journal. Please let me know if you are dropping by from this BLOG (or any other for that matter).

I will try to get at least one 'real' post out this week and will put off any more billboard activity for awhile. There really is some interesting stuff going at Liguori Publications and that's what I really want to be writing about.


Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Dark Glass Billboard is Popular this Week

Hello:

The BLOGExplosion billboard space on Dark Glass has proven surprisingly popular this week. At 30 credits it does consistently gets more clicks than those of BLOGs that cost several hundred credits (cue the infomercial music) perhaps people are sensing a good deal? Then again, maybe they've just had too much egg-nog.

Within an hour of posting this week's billboard, we had 6 bidders.

• Scooter McGavin's 9th Green - Scooter has bid on Dark Glass before. I like this BLOG and have described it before as a 'true to its roots blog' that comments on whatever crosses the mind of the author which is frequently news, music, movies or politics. Tempting, tempting.

• Life as Lou - This is a new BLOG to me. I've seen it on BLOGExplosion before but haven't honestly lingered to check it out. That was mistake on my part it is much more than another 'Mommy BLOG'. I particularily enjoy the tales of the husband that talks in his sleep and various other mishaps.

• Served - I don't know if it has come up before but P. del Ricci likes to drink. I'm not satisified with cracking open a beer and swilling down. I prefer creating intricate fusions and fancy myself a pretty good 'mixologist'. Friends frequently ask me to act as bartender at parties and events. This rattling on about myself brings me to Mitch, a 21 year old bartender at an Applebees when not attending classes at Murray State University.

• SirDirge - Hmmm, a little tough to describe. Commentary on technology issues with a little more. I like the author. We share a lot of the same tastes in music and literature. The author lives in Helsinki, Finland.

• Fairytale Dreams - A genuine Fairy Princess, Luin has staked out an interesting corner of the web. Her homestead only changes on the weekends, because that is the only time she has internet access (it's a matter of principal). I have rented space from her in the past and she was a lovely hostess. You have to be careful about taking tea in an Elven hill though, you may end up staying longer than you mean too.

• Eccentric Man - [caution some content is a little racy] The title alone is enough to make me love the site (the fact that the author has Dark Glass on his BLOGRoll is that much better). Mr. Eccentric is maintains a pretty 'general interest' sort of BLOG. Jokes, observations of current events and pop culture. He's an American of Scottish descent who absolutely will not wear a turtle neck or sweater. Kindly do not ask.

Wow - 6 bidders! All interesting choices. Romper, stomper, bomper boo - who shall I rent my BLOG too? Perhaps it is effect of those Keebler cookies or the enchanting music - but I feel compelled to pick Fairytale Dreams. Welcome Luin, I hope you will enjoy my hospitality for the coming week.

Please make a point to check out Luin's site but also the sites of the runners-up. I like that people are getting good click-through's from Dark Glass and want to make certain that everyone gets value for their time. Even better, leave a comment!

I need to sign off and get my day started. I haven't been to the gym in 'awhile'. Between Christmas getting ready to pounce (I haven't started shopping) and the new house, I have lots of nervous energy that need to be burned off (to say nothing of those holiday calories). There have been some interesting developments at Liguori Publications in the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to write about them in the next few days.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

The Speed of Life

Hello:

Any regular readers out there may have noticed that I've been unusually scarce lately. This time of year it isn't that odd to find the lairs of BLOG denizens empty but for myself I have an extra reason. I'm buying a new house! I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was thinking about it, but it looks like it is actually happening. It's been a real whirl wind to say the least.

The odd thing is that I have been perfectly happy in my 1920's bungalow in the Bevo district these past 6 years. In fact, if it weren't for Dave the Simple Brother over at Saintly Sinner; I wouldn't have even known the new house existed. He's been looking for a house in the same neighborhood as his apartment and sent me an email about this one. It was love at first sight and I got approved for a new mortgage without ever having seen the inside.

The sellers had one open house from 1 - 3 PM and I had the winning offer! Can't you just picture me in an office on the second floor drinking port and finishing my novel? This house actually looks out on to the Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park. Two premier locations in St. Louis. How can I afford it you ask? One it needs A LOT of love (the furnace dates to 1950) and two I can't really but I'll make it work. The mortgage payment will be twice what I pay now. Oh well, it is only money. ;-}
Normally, I am very conservative (fiscally anyway) and would never make such a large jump. This type of opportunity doesn't come along very often though and I know that if I ever want a house like this I need to get it now - pre rehab and just commit myself to living poor for the next decade or so. After all, life is about opportunity and the ability to take advantage of the options we are given. Money is only a means to an end and of itself is useless.

How perfect is this place? Well it even has a little hermitage in back. A great little place for Brother Secundo to write about Mystical Alchemy when he's in town. I could go on and on about original cherry wood doors (bad drainage in the backyard) red oak floors (termites in the garage) stained glass windows (no air conditioning) but I think I will wind this up. For obvious reasons my posts will probably be erratic for the next few weeks (months?) but I'm sure that housing updates will feature prominently. For those that think I prattle too much about Liguori Publications, you'll have a new topic to think I prattle too much about.

Happy holidays!

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

PS - I'm not the least bit ashamed of Christmas but I don't think that wishing a joyous season to those of all faiths and creeds is a problem.

The World in Brief

Hello:

I think I have mentioned on occasion my habit (addiction) to reading the newspaper on a daily basis (unless I'm traveling, I read the St. Louis Post Dispatch). I have a tendency to cut out articles that might interest friends, family or colleagues and have recently begun collecting articles that lend themselves to BLOG posts. The result has been a small mountain of articles that I lack the time to pursue as full posts.

To help get a couple of monkeys off my back, I'm going to start making small posts that link to the topics I thought were interesting. Some will relate directly to the Catholic Church and or Liguori Publications, others will not. If a given topic generates interest, we can expand it in later posts.

Today we have 3 mini topics.

• Las Mananitas - The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be observed at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. I have mentioned the Shrine before (Liguori Limmerick and Two Liguori Authors) which is run by the Missionary Oblates. That's the same order that Liguori author Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI belongs to.
• Dr. C. William Chignoli, founder of La Clinica has resigned to focus his efforts on Accion Social Communitaria. Both organizations work to provide health care and social services to the St. Louis immigrant community. Liguori Publications does not work directly with these organizations but also seeks to help the immigrant community through its Libros Liguori line and Redemptorist mission efforts like the St. Alphonsus Rock Church.
• Catholic Animals pushes vegetarian holidays - The group Catholic Animals is looking promote a "cruelty free" holiday season. This made me smile. It was nice to see something that didn't invovle Bishops excommunicating politicians or Priests raping children.

Wow - I get take articles off the newspaper mountain and put them in the recycle bin. Hopefully the rest of the day will go so well, in a few hours I get to view that house I'm thinking of buying. I hope I get it and I hope there is something wrong with it in equal measure. Should be interesting.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

And the Envelope Please.....

Hello:

I've been feeling some separation anxiety from my BLOG lately. That's a good sign though. One of my goals was to make writing a part of my daily routine. According to the counselor who helps me better direct my ADHD tendencies, writing anything at all on a regular base will help me write my novel. Anxiety or not, I wouldn't be posting today if it weren't time to announce my newest BLOGExplosion billboard tenant.

The candidates are:

• Haunted House Dressing - I don't even know where to start. This is a pretty immersive experience created by author Jeremy Shipp. Jeremy participates in NaNoWriMo and has a book out which actually reviewed by Piers Anthony (you either know who he is or it isn't your genre). The format is a little dense, but well worth exploring. I been reading this site for months now.
• Tor's Rants - Tor is a self described "Left-Libertarian Buddhist" who has a real talent for succinct writing. He can take a current topic (politics, religion, cats, cars, whatever) and in
  a couple of short paragraphs make a well informed point. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, the BLOG is well written. I had not seen it before today, but I'll keep reading it now.

Today's pick might have been a tough choice if it weren't for the superior quality of one of our candidates that really made it a slam dunk. Please welcome a notorius promoter of Nun tickling (a sport banned throughout Latin America, Western Europe and 3 of the United States) a consorter of the Cranium Jig Gnomes and caretaker of the Stinky Old Well. Let's give it up for Jeremy Shipp and Haunted House Dressing!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit our sponsor and let him know where you came from. While you're at it, let me know you were here!

Well, I have to run. I'm chronically behind. I did get the donations over to the Salvation Army yesterday but there's so much more to do. Parties tonight and tomorrow, Christmas shopping. The house I'm thinking of bidding on is only available to view from 1 to 3 tomorrow. I have a mortgage approval in hand on the off chance that I might want this house that I've only seen from the outside. Did I mention that I love the house I'm in now? How crazy is that? Well, I really have to leave for the gym now. If I don't do something about this Winter weight, my bike frame will snap and Liguori will have to pull a wall out of my office so I can get in.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Letters to Santa Followup

Hello:

Today has been a welcome change from the hectic pace of the rest of the month. Almost every Liguori Publications employee is at a sales conference today and the St. Louis metro area has been blanketed with about 3 inches of snow. The halls are unusually quiet and I'm actually getting some work done (all right maybe planning my snow fortress is not technically in my job description). Best of all, we are closing at 3 PM because of the weather. In spite of all that, I just wanted to update my readers on the Letters to Santa project we participated in for the children of the Cheyenne River Reservation.

I was very proud of my cohorts. As you can see from the pictures, we brought in quite a haul. It actually took a van and my Honda Civic to deliver it all to the drop point. 32 children's letters were adopted and the youth center also received some donations. Our Telephone Sales joined together and bought their child a bike and some other goodies!

Don't worry that the pictures don't look festive enough, the youth center asked that the gifts not be wrapped.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

12-20-05 {I found this post on another BLOG and wanted to share it. Please read Heart Bursting}

What was my Point?

Hello:

Yesterday's post rambled quite a bit and was so full of links that it wasn't clear what I was trying to say. Let's try again without all the excess backage.

Please visit this new BLOG, Mystic Alchemy. It's worth the trip.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Mystical Alchemist?

Hello:

I'm really happy to finally be writing this post. Every now and then I have looked up from writing about BLOGExplosion billboards long enough to allude to the actual role I hope that BLOGs begin to play for Liguori Publications. That master plan goes well beyond pimping books and seeding links for search engine optimization (though those things are very important to me too). The master plan works toward a day when Liguori creates and supports a network of web resources that will form a Faith Based Community, primarily Catholic in nature but welcoming and supportive of all. The work of Dave the Simple Brother at Saintly Sinner was our first step in this direction. A proof of concept if you will. It also acted as bait. Bait to draw Brother Secundo Pia Columbanus D'Silva out of hiding from the Holy Hill retreat center in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

I had the great pleasure of working with Brother Secundo for a few years when he was assigned to Liguori Publications. He is the author of several of our titles (which I won't reveal now since Secundo is an alias) and a Brother of the Redemptorist order.

I have tried not to dwell on it and have perhaps even shied away from the fact that not only am I not Catholic, but I take serious exception to the Church's stance on a number of topics. In fact there have been times over the past 7 and half years that I have considered finding other work rather than further the goals of an institution I do not fully support. Fortunately for me, getting to know some of the people from Liguori (especially Dave and Secundo) has revealed the richness, the warmth and love of the Catholic community.

Secundo (who has begun to bear an uncanny resemblence to Saint Padre Pio) in particular has always been able to show me all that is good about the Catholic Church. When we worked together, we talked for hours about Saints and miracles; the history of the Redemptorist order and the Catholic Church in general. To me he is the living memory of the Redemptorists. Especially intriguing to me are his descriptions of Catholic mysticism and Saints who were known as Mystics (such as Gerard Majella a Redemptorist Saint). "Mysticism" may conjure up thoughts of the occult and magical practices but really refers to things and practices which are able to move a person into a deeply spiritual state or plane.

After much cajoling on my part, Br. Secundo has agreed to write his own BLOG. Expanding on the discussions that I treasured so much when we worked together, he is placing an emphasis on the mystic nature of faith in a fashion he once described as "alchemy". Thus I am now able to invite you to visit Mystic Alchemy. Despite all of the variety BLOGs that exist, I truly believe that this one will prove to unique.

For once, I look back across a rambling post and don't regret being verbose one bit. I only wish that I could better describe what Secundo has in store for us and how thrilled I am to welcome him to the BLOGosphere. I'm going to sign off by featuring two titles that are based on the work of Padre Pio. Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Padre Pio: Daily Scripture and Prayers Together With Saint Pio of Pietrelcina's Own Words and Padre Pio: In My Own Words both of which are compiled by Anthony Chiffolo.


Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

ADHD Billboard Rental

Hello:

I've actually tried to not rent as many BLOGExplosion billboards lately. It isn't that I don't like doing it, but because I like to post about each one I rent; my BLOG can start looking pretty cluttered. I went ahead and rented space on The ADHD Podcaster though, because, well, because I've been firmly in the grip of an ADHD episode for the last week. I think the combination of a lot of work projects, the holidays and that I suddenly decided to try and buy a different house has been enough to flip that silicon switch inside my head. Fortunately a trip to the gym this morning was enough to dampen the effect today.

Oddly, I'm actually writing this on Sunday the 4th but I've back dated it to the 2nd. I'm wanting my more recent posts to get more prominent placement.

Well, I'm going to wrap up with a Liguori Publications title that seems fitting and go see the new Aeon Flux movie. Today's title is Centered Living: The Way of Centering Prayer by M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O. with foreword by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. I've given some background on the late Basil Pennington a couple of times in the past. You can read that here and here.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Pope John Paul II - More Than Ready for His Closeup

Hello:

Way back in August (August 15th, 2005 to be specific) I was prompted to begin this BLOG because the Hallmark Channel was getting ready to broadcast a movie about the life of Pope John Paul II ("Karol: A Man Who Became Pope"). Sooner or later Dark Glass would have started anyway, I was convinced that Liguori Publications needed to pursue better search engine optimization, but Karol's was the particular face that launched this ship. Today we set off on another Papal cinematic voyage inspired by the upcoming broadcasts of Have No Fear on ABC and Pope John Paul II on CBS.

As you know, my role at Liguori is to promote our electronic efforts. It's a role that acts as a catch all for everything from traditional sales of books over the web to developing products that can reutilize our existing content. When I first heard about the upcoming Pope movies, I began scheming about how I could piggy back on all that national media coverage the networks were providing. You may remember that back in August, we completely missed the boat on being able to capitalize on a movie that was inspired by one of our own titles, Stories of Karol: The Unknown Life of John Paul II by Gian Franco Svidercoschi.

This time, we were able to plan ahead and devised a multi-pronged approach to take advantage of the situation. We're experimenting with a mixture of traditional things like 10% off all Pope John Paul II books through December coupled with free shipping on any order over $20. We're also doing some things that are new to us like running a full slate of Google Adwords text and banner ads. [I'm learning that Google ads only seem cheap, the costs can rise pretty quickly] Most exciting though, was a coordinated effort to generate buzz through our BLOG postings.

Dark Glass, as I've mentioned before is easily the least spiritual of the Liguori related BLOGs. I'm the guy that's just trying to promote his company while also making progress on some personal projects (writing a novel, a writing project with my Grandfather, controlling my ADD). Much more interesting material can be found over at Saintly Sinner, where Dave the Simple Brother has written a very nice post about The Memory of Pope John Paul II. Very exciting to me, is the post The Alchemistic Practice of Lectio Divina by Brother Secundo Pia Columbanus D'Silva - Mystic Alchemy. Brother Secundo has just embarked on what I am convinced will be an absolutely unique BLOG experience (I don't say that lightly either). I won't say anymore about that right now - Brother Secundo and Mystic Alchemy deserve an exclusive post that will have to wait until later.

Dave and Secundo are the types of writers that will fulfill my vision of using BLOGs and the internet to create a Catholic Faith Community. I'm actively recruiting some additional writers and expect this effort to start gaining traction in the next few months.

It's been so long since I've posted that my head is swimming with things to say and desk is awash in post-it notes, but I think it's time to cut and run. If you have any interest at all in Pope John Paul II, I do encourage you to check out our web site. We have a nice selection of titles that make thoughtful gifts for someone else or yourself. Order before December 12th to receive by Christmas.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass