Culture: January 2010 Archives

One of the world's high profile Christian leaders, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, always draws a crowd. For good reason. he's a provocative Christian thinker, writer and quite engaging as a man of God with various theological interests. Regardless of your opinion about the state of affairs in the Anglican Church, Williams is not a disappointing public, Christian intellectual. Rowan Williams is the 104th archbishop of Canterbury, enthroned in 2002.

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Today, Archbishop Williams gave the 27th annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary (Crestwood, Yonkers, NY). Williams lectured masterfully on "Theology and Contemplative Calling: The Image of Humanity in the Philokalia." Just prior to the lecture, the Seminary conferred on the Archbishop a Degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa).

More than 200 people attended the lecture including a small delegation of seminarians from St Joseph's Seminary, Orthodox and Catholic bishops and priests, students and friends.

Archbishop Williams' talk will be made available shortly and will be published in the St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly.

Yesterday, Dr Williams spoke to Wall Street executives, on their home turf, as the NY Times called it.

Earlier in the week Williams received from the Jesuits at America Magazine the Edmund Campion Award, for his sizable literary output. OK, the Campion Award is a literary award. But how odd that the English clergyman of high rank, such as Canterbury, should receive an award named for an English Jesuit martyr, put to death by the English government in the period of the post English revolt of the Catholic Church. Campion died a particularly painful death for Christ and the Catholic Church. Or, is it too odd to conceive? I will leave you to answer the question if Campion was truly smiling upon the event. I, for one, am not enthusiastic that the Jesuits gave an award to Williams named after Campion. I don't see it as martyrial ecumenism. You see, it is an act of generosity on the part of the Jesuits to honor Williams (and for him to accept) but I do mind the Jesuits making too close a connection with the martyr Campion and Rowan Williams. Certainly, someone saw the irony in this event, regardless if Campion is liturgically remembered by the Church of England on May 4th (while we remember Campion on December 1. You can read Fr Drew Christiansen's remarks and listen to the Archbishop's remarks on the podcast.

A cursory review of Williams' itinerary can be read here.

Ralph McInerny (1929-2010)

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Ralph McInerny died this morning. He was 80. McInerny for those not familiar with his name, was a prominent commentator on culture and a faithful Catholic. He was a Third Order Dominican (a member of the Dominican laity). Since 1955, McInerny was a professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and a prolific author. He was known for his studies in the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Father Dowling Mysteries. With Michael Novak he founded Crisis Magazine, now called InsideCatholic.


Over at First Things J. Bottum has pulled a few things together on Dr. McInerny.


May his memory be eternal.


Professor McInerny captured the voice of millions as he said:


"By inviting Barack Obama as commencement speaker, Notre Dame is telling the nation that the teaching of the Catholic church on this fundamental matter can be ignored. Lip service may be paid to the teaching on abortion, but it is no impediment to upward mobility, to the truly vulgar lust to be welcomed into secular society, whether on the part of individuals or institutions."

Ralph McInerny.jpgDr. Ralph McInerny's condition is not good, but it is far better than rumors have had it. He is in ICU at the new St. Joseph Medical Center in Mishawaka, IN, on oxygen with an intravenous feeding tube. He's weak and has lost a lot of weight, and he sleeps much of the time.

 

He is one of the great ones!

 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

... sing to the tune of "What a difference a day makes"

 

What a difference a Motu Proprio makes 
Twenty-four little hours 
Brought the sun and the flowers 
Where there used to be rain 

My yesterday was blue, dear 
Today I'm part of you, dear 
My lonely nights are through, dear 
Since you said you were mine 

 

What a difference a Motu Proprio makes 
There's a rainbow before me 
Skies above can't be stormy 
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss 

It's heaven when you find Latin on your menu

What a difference a Motu Proprio makes
And the difference is you 

 

What a difference a Motu Proprio makes 
There's a rainbow before me 
Skies above can't be stormy 
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss 

It's heaven when you find Latin on your menu 

 

What a difference a Motu Proprio makes
And the difference is you 

 

Thanks to MEL for making this available.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page is a archive of entries in the Culture category from January 2010.

Culture: December 2009 is the previous archive.

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