Scraping by

Hello:


I miss writing in (to?) this BLOG as frequently as I had. Ideas for posts come and go when I lack access to a keyboard, a pad and pen or even time. Apparently one of my personal goals for this BLOG (developing a habit for writing - we'll worry about skill later) has been achieved. Today's post was spawned by what I was doing LAST weekend (or is that weekend before last?), but I didn't want it to slip away. The title "Scraping by" stuck with me and I thought the pictures were interesting.

I've mentioned a few times now that I've bought a new house (The Speed of Life,Swept Away With Cleaning and OMPH). Well, new to me - but definitely a 'fixer-upper'. My best friend and I put in about 36 hours EACH scraping loose plaster off the walls. At first, it's a strangely satisfying task. Despite the obvious destruction, you can see your progress - which resembles some sort of crazy globe etched into the walls. It doesn't take long though before you are ready for the plaster to STOP coming down. At least the weather has been pleasant (completely unlike the normal 10 below St. Louis January - it's been in the 40's and 50's for weeks). I hate wearing a respirator in hot weather. No telling what this mix of lead paint and plaster dust does to your skin, much less your eyes.

By the time we got done - I had a headache, my ears were ringing, my wrist hurt and I had a tingling sensation radiating out of my shoulder. Fortunately, the condition was easily treated with Mexican Gatorade (aka margaritas) a magical potion I self prescribe frequently during cycling season. I really don't think I'm exaggerating if I say we probably hauled 200 pounds of broken plaster out to the dumpster. We actually wore away the tips of the scraper blades.

On the plus side, I have been so focused on house projects that I have had no time to fret about my upcoming trip to the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. I leave on February 8th, so I have planty of time to freak out. Right?

Well, I'll leave you with a focus on two Liguori Publications' titles. Daily Prayers for Busy People by William J. O'Malley, S.J. even if you don't have time to read it, you may find it comforting to see sitting on your shelf (which is the benfit I am getting from it at the moment). I'd also like to suggest Lenten Prayers for Busy People by Donna Schaper.

Maybe I can use how busy I've been as an excuse for the inaccuracies in my post about Lent? Of course, I would probably have been just as ignorant if I was lounging around all day.... Fortunately, Dave the Saintly Sinner has been giving me a crash course on Lent during our morning commute.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Exciting New Tenant

Hello:

This week's selection for tenant was made in about 2 seconds. No offense to the other 4 bidders, but this one HAD to be my choice. Please welcome My Quraan, a well maintained BLOG by a Quraan student who posts excerpts from and reflections on the writings of the Quraan. In these times of darkness and ignorance I think it is critical that we each communicate with one another. With knowledge, we possess the opportunity to recognize the good in each of us. Hmmm, that's getting pretty heavy. Just go read his BLOG!

The choice of Liguori Publication's product to feature today was equally easy. I recommend What Catholics Should Know About Islam by Father Vincent Heier. This is a $1.00 pamphlet that I think a lot of people should read. I'm including the description here.

Here is a simple, straightforward explanation of the primary tenets of Islam for the average Catholic. The pamphlet includes a brief history of Islam, and information on the Koran, the "five pillars" of Islam, and the meaning of Jihad. It offers thoughts for reflection on how Islam is lived in America and throughout the world today. Opportunities for dialogue are suggested. The author heads the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. An easy way to inform your parish or any group about the Islamic faith.

The runners up this week were (I'm really crunched for time - I'll write descriptions later):

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've been reading this site for months now.


Life In Paradise - from the beach in Juan Dolio! Life on the beach where an umbrella in your drink is more pressing than a roof over your head.





In the Outer (Not Your Moma's Religion and Spirituality Blog) - This thought provoking BLOG is written for and by the 'thinking Christian'. Worth the time to visit.




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.


Please try again next week guys. I'm really pleased there is this much interest. Well, I have to run. More plaster work in the new house today.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

PS - I was going to try and rent from My Quraan this week, but at 120 credits it is way to rich for my blood. Maybe I'm just under pricing Dark Glass?

Yes - but not During Lent

Hello:

As you know, I'm not Catholic but I work for one of the largest Catholic publishing houses in the world - Liguori Publications. Over the years that I have worked here (coming up on eight now), I've learned a lot about the Catholic Church, it's people and traditions. Usually I enjoy getting caught up in the intricacies of the infrequent or obscure (Papal succession for instance), but sometimes I end up learning about something much more basic - like Lent.

01/28/06: Please note - apparently there are some serious inaccuracies in this post. Rather than correct them, I refer you to the comments section. While you are there you might *gasp* leave a remark of your own. Thanks for visiting!


Yes, it's true - I had no real concept of Lent before I started working at Liguori. Easter I knew. But Lent? I come from an area that celebrates "Mardi Gras" in October and I associated it with Halloween.

Several years before I started at Liguori, I was talking to a lady on a Wednesday morning. I said "Denise, you have something on your forehead." "Oh, it's Ash Wednesday", she replied. Between not hearing her clearly and lacking any comprehension of what she said, I waited a few minutes and then said "Denise, I think you have some dirt on your face." "It's ASH Wednesday." She repeated - slightly annoyed. "Uh, hmmm - ash Wednesday?"......

Lent is one of our two big selling seasons (the other being Advent of course) so it's hard not to learn about it here. In addition to Ash Wednesday, I learned that all of Holy Week has names. Maudy Monday, Fat Tuesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday. Speaking of Fat Tuesday, the Fat Tuesday celebration traditionally renders everyone unable to move throughout the remainder of the week. St. Louis hosts the 3rd largest Mardi Gras celebration in the world so it isn't difficult to get beads.

The title of this post, "Yes - but not During Lent" refers to a catch line I developed. Being a Catholic publisher, it isn't unusual for people to call in with questions about their faith. If the caller isn't careful when they key in someone's extension, they can be mis-directed and not realize it. My lunch group and I were chuckling over some of the awkward situations that this can cause, when someone suggested it would be impossible for me to field calls because I'm not Catholic. "Not really," I replied. "Whatever the question is, I just respond 'Yes, but not during Lent.'"

This posted turned out to be a little disjointed. I started with the title which may have been the problem. I hope not, because my next posts will be "Scraping by" and "Miracle - Getting Plastered Cures Household Leprosy". Both of which will deal with my adventures in repairing the plaster walls of my new house. In the mean time, I would like to suggest The Essential Lenten Handbook: A Daily Companion which is a Redemptorist Pastoral Publication and also Day By Day Through Lent: Reflections, Prayers, Practices by Daniel L. Lowery, C.Ss.R.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Comment on the Catholic Charismatic Movement

Hello:

I was really pleased that my recent post Keep Talking pulled so many comments. Oh sure, at a lot of BLOGs 4 comments isn't a huge number. Here at Dark Glass, it's note worthy. Even better, one of the comments forced me to do a little research. After I looked into it, I thought the topic was interesting enough to become the focus of today's post. If I recall correctly, that's only happened once before (Variety in Observance of Catholic Mass). I really hope that it becomes a trend. This BLOG is much more interesting when it is interactive. Anyway - on to the quote that launched this post......

A Christian Prophet said...
What ever happened to the Catholic charismatic movement? Is it still around. I've read messages from the Holy Spirit on The Holy Inheritance blog and it seems that very strong faith, even certainty, comes from these experiences.

My first reaction was "The Catholic 'what' movement?" Fortunately, working at Liguori Publications, I have access to a variety of knowledgeable people and Catholic reference materials. Dave the Saintly Sinner provided me the following information...

Charismatic renewal grew in popularity after Vatican II. It was something very new for Catholics with speaking in tongues, healings, prophecies, etc. It was seen as part of the continuing work of the Holy Spirit after the council. A priest from the University of Notre Dame (Fr.MacNutt) was one of its greatest promoters. They even held annual world-wide conventions, and probably still do. I think most people realized, however, it was not a spirituality for everyone.

I attended seminars and Masses while in college introducing the Charismatic Renewal and they always seemed very cutting-edge. We would all stand around the altar with the priest, we would hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer, we would clap and sway back-and-forth with the music. As renewal of the liturgy progressed in the late 60’s and 70’s, amazingly their style of liturgy became more common, even for non-Charismatics, so that today it would not seem so unusual (except for the “tongues” part and healings afterward.)

Thus, the popularity died down, although it is still practiced and recognized throughout the Church. A few times I attended Charismatic Masses on Saturday evenings with a student in the early 1990s at St. Anthony of Padua Church on Meramec Street here in St. Louis. Pope John Paul II gave an address to Catholic Charismatics in 1996. Here is a good article by Archbishop Leveda (former archbishop of San Francisco, who now has taken over Cdl. Ratzinger’s job in Rome) on the history of the movement:

I suggest he do a search for “Catholic Charismatic Renewal.” Lots of good articles came up there. In particular, here is a message of Pope John Paul II written in 1996:

I got some additional feedback from Tom (who I haven't been able to convince to start a BLOG).

I cannot add much to what Dave has already said, but I do think that many people have come to view the Charismatic movement at the phenomenal level (i.e. – what is most easily observable; speaking in tongues, liturgical practices, changes in music, etc.). But what is all too often ignored is the existential aspect of the movement. Charismatics are called by the spirit to a closeness with God that should be marked by greater charity, deeper spirituality, solidarity with all people and with all of creation. The phenomenal aspects of the movement are only the empirical marks of what they have become – a new creation in the Lord.

The feedback that I received from Dave and Tom reminded me of the recent series of posts at Mystic Alchemy on the Fools for Christ's Sake. I'll ask my good friend Br. Secundo Pia to add to this discussion. He is full of interesting insights (among other things).

Much to my frustration - I don't have a Liguori title that fits tightly with this topic. I do think that A Presence that Disturbs: A Call to Radical Discipleship by Anthony J. Gittins, C.Ss.P. would at the very least be of interest to anyone researching the Catholic Charismatic (or Pentecostal) Movement. We carry several titles (6 and counting) from Fr. Gittins that seem pretty interesting. I'm adding two to my reading list and have made a note to feature them in upcoming posts.

PLEASE feel free to leave comments. I would be thrilled if a discussion began to grow out of this post.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

St. Louis - Love that Town

Hello:

I thought I'd share a few pictures I took on my way to the US Figure Skating Championships this past weekend. One of my many interests is being an active civic booster for St. Louis. Too many people think of the mid-west as that place between the coasts. Here in the St. Louis area we have great architecture, fantastic restaurants, local wineries (Yes - there really are national award winning wineries in Missouri) easy air travel and a low cost of living. A friend of mine lives in Manhattan. When I told her what I paid for my new house she said "You couldn't buy a closet here for that".

My next post should be back to regular Liguori Publications centric style of posting.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

Keep Talking

Hello:

It's been a crazy week or so. Cheesy expressions like "I'm drowning in a sea of blessings" or "Too much of a good thing" keep coming to mind, but I'll spare us all and not use them. In brief, life has been very good to me. I have a new house, I'm taking my first trip to Europe next month, I got free tickets to several events at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships and sales have been increasing on the Liguori Publications web site. As far as problems go, sign me up for more of these.

In other good news. I have finally been able to rent my BLOG to Scooter McGavin. This is the 4th time Scooter has bid for the BLOGExplosion billboard on Dark Glass and circumstances have always caused me to pick another renter. Scooter was my first bid and I closed the auction as soon as I saw his submission. Please take a moment to visit our guest where you can read some well written media reviews.

I need to go hang some blinds at the new house before I go to the exhibitions at the Figure Skating Championships this afternoon (I am starting to get really jazzed for my trip to the Turin Olympics). My friend Liane's house was broken into last week and I am a little more conscious about my house sitting empty while I creep along on getting moved in.

I picked an odd product from Liguori to feature today. I was inspired to pick Keep Talking: Daily Conversation Starters for the Family Meal because I been thinking alot about the importance of keeping a BLOG active. It's true that I've been helping Br. Secundo Pia keep Mystic Alchemy up to date, but I still need to find more time to work on Dark Glass. Keep Talking was written by Maureen Treacy Lahr and Julie Pfitzinger to help families communicate more easily. I was originally put off by the cartoon on the front but the conversational topics are real world and interesting. It does not have a heavy religious feel to it and should sell well in secular bookstores as well as our normal channels. I think this potential for strengthening any relationships not just those between parents and children.

I'll leave you with this thought. If there is any single thing we can each do to make the world a better place. It is to communicate more often and more clearly with one another. Communication on it's own cannot always form acceptance but it frequently serves as the seed for understanding.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass

"Catholicism in Motion" Press Coverage

Hello:

I've actually started a couple of posts recently and didn't like where they were headed. They're still parked in 'Draft' mode and have done nothing to cure the dusty look my BLOG has developed. Fortunately, I can cheat a little today and get something up quickly. Liguori Publications' author and Purdue professor James Davidson was recently the topic of an article in the LaFayette, Indiana Journal and Courier Newspaper. The article is well written and focuses on his new book Catholicism in Motion: The Church in American Society. The reporter, Bob Scott, has graciously given permission for the article and credits to be reproduced on the web - which gives me a great content feed for the day.

I've been reading this book for a little while now and find it fascinating. The author is a Sociologist who writes in a style that is both approachable and understandable. It's been a timely book for myself as I have been trying to learn more about what defines the Catholic Faith Community as well as my recent work with the Liguori Publications' focus group studies. I'm including the text of the article below or you can click Book focuses on issues of Catholicism.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass


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Professor James Davidson's book, Catholicism in Motion: The Church in American Society, has been reviewed by Bob Scott of the Lafayette Journal and Courier.

Book focuses on issues of Catholicism
Story by Bob Scott
bscott@journalandcourier.com
Photo by Frank Oliver

Since 1999, Purdue professor James Davidson has written columns for a dozen Roman Catholic diocesan newspapers.

His new book, Catholicism in Motion: The Church in American Society, is a collection of 98 columns that explore a wide variety of Catholic issues, trends and changes.

"The core teachings of the church do not change much, but in other respects, the church is always changing," said Davidson, a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in West Lafayette.

Although he is a national expert on the sociology of religion, Davidson hopes his research helps Catholics understand who they are and where they are heading.

"I believe research is a resource for churches in general, and the Catholic Church is no exception," he said. "Research provides data that church leaders otherwise would not have.

"It offers theories that explain why conditions are changing as they are. And it points to ways in which church leaders can respond to these changes and plan for the future."

Bill Whalen, retired director of publications at Purdue, has written 12 books and was a co-author with Davidson on The Search for Common Ground: What Unites and Divides Catholic Americans.

"I've known Jim a long time. He is a very articulate religious sociologist," Whalen said.

Whalen, who attends St. Mary Cathedral, said he reads Davidson's columns in The Catholic Moment, which serves the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana.

"I have his book and am reading it now," he said last week. "I'm skipping around, but I want to start from the beginning and go straight through."

Davidson said each essay in the book "stands on its own." They are grouped in three parts: "Catholicism in America," "Organization Issues in the Church," and "The Beliefs and Practices of American Catholics."

Chapters include "Religion, the Economy, and Politics," "Challenges With Authority, Sexual Abuse and Other Problems," and "Parishes, Schools, and Other Catholic Institutions."

"The books also shows that religion continues to be an important institution in our society," Davidson said. "Its impact is not limited to individual church members and their families."

One essay gives the economic impact of the Catholic Church in Tippecanoe County. The survey was done in the late '90s. It examined 23 Catholic organizations, including six parishes, five parochial schools and a hospital (St. Elizabeth).

On Page 37, Davidson writes, "The Church's direct economic impact was $82,500,000. With the multiplier effect, the total impact was $191,500,000."

He said essays identify the problems that lay people consider most important, including the sexual abuse scandal and the shortage of priests.

"People interested in issues of church leadership, church finances, and the problems of passing faith on to future generations will find lots of interesting findings in this book," Davidson said.



Reprinted with permission.
Read the full-length article at the Journal and Courier website.

Baseball update

Hello:

I know it seems that I've been ignoring my BLOG a lot lately (and truthfully that's because I have), but I did just go back through and update some links. We have sold out of the hardback version of And God Said, Play Ball! Amusing and Thought-Provoking Parallels Between the Bible and Baseball by Gary Graf and replaced it with a paperback version. I wish we had this problem more often. Feel free to read a sample chapter.

This one change caused me to need to update four posts.

*Google Ads and Catholic Formation

*Left eye focused - right eye not

*Gary Graf Hits a Home Run at Liguori

*Ron Rolheiser and Gary Graf two Liguori Authors

I'll have to think of some slick solution to lend a hand when Liguori Publications converts to our integrated web site this Summer. Something for me to be thinking about for certain.

Peace,

P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass