Tag: culture

The Chicken Church

Church By The Sea -chicken.jpg

I would hate to have been the architect or pastor of a church that made me think of chicken’s face each time I glanced at it. But that’s what happened to a Tampa Bay, Florida church: people see a chicken’s face in it’s building –Holy Cluck.
No doubt the architectural elements were innocently conceived and it wasn’t until recently that someone even pointed out the funny iteration of the building. By-and-large the exterior of the church building is fine a looking building. We’ve seen worse, haven’t we on these shores…

Perhaps someone is praying there as well.

Edward Gorey’s nativity

gorey Donald imagined things.jpgEdward Gorey would have been 88 today had he lived; Gorey died in 2000.

Born in Chicago and lived on Cape Cod having lived at times in NYC, Gorey’s imagination is wild and very humorous if you can recognize his line of thinking. As with artists he’s got a complex view of life and personal history.

Edward Gorey is a Harvard educated, self-taught artist of the Gashleycrumb Tines and The Doubtful Guest among other works.
Gorey is one who makes me laugh and think. And from the first time meeting his work by way of a Jesuit friend of mine, Gorey has provided me a chance to think outside the box with his mysterious, macabre and merry sense of humor. Thanks to my friend Camille for reminding of the birthday.
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Charlotte’s Web still rocks

Charlotte's Web cover.jpgThis afternoon I watched an exceptional movie that I haven’t seen in years, “Charlotte’s Web,” based on the 1952 famed book by the same name by E.B. White.

The movie I saw was the 2006 version with a star cast of speakers. Do you remember the animal cast?
Charlotte – the spider
Wilbur – the pig
Templeton – the rat
Uncle – the rival pig in the county fair
Terrific, Radiant, Humble
I’ve always admired E.B. White’s novel for its portrayal of the beauty of friendship among those who ordinarily wouldn’t share friendship –the outcasts and the very unusuals, and I don’t mean among the animals. The animated friendship the animals exhibit is the real friendship we all desire to share among family and friends, especially those of the extend type, too. We are given each other for a purpose. The question is, do we have the capacity to expand our hearts to let others in? Have had an experience of an unexpected someone being a terrific, radiant and humble friend given by Christ for companionship?

Festivus, a celebration?


festivus1.jpgTODAY IS THE SOLEMNITY OF FESTIVUS! It is a Holy Day
of Obligation. Be sure to go to Holy Mass!!! 


May I be the first to wish all of
you a warm and happy and healthy and prosperous Festivus!

My friend Basil composed what would be an opening collect: 

O Lord, you have given us the great feast of Festivus to remind us that
despite sending your only begotten and eternal son to redeem mankind, your
people still prove to be a HUGE disappointment to just about everyone,
including yourself I’m sure. We tell you this through our Lord Jesus Christ
your son, who lives and reigns with you (because after 33 years down here, we
ran him out of town) and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, Amen.

Another friend, Dominic composed following alternative:

Having
received, O Lord, from your abundant kindness this annual memorial of Festivus,
we humbly beseech you, that, mindful of the saving mission of your
Only-Begotten Son for the redemption of mankind, even as we prove a
disappointment to ourselves beyond due proportion, so also we do to you as
well. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who etc.

Popularized by Seinfeld in 1997, Festivus is a another way for some to celebrate a season. Supposedly it rejects the commercialism of the season. It was invented in 1966 and includes feats of strength. You can make a donation to the Human Fund.

Happy festivus.
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Millions tweet, even the Pope

Habemus Twitter.jpgWe now have a Pope that tweets. It’s big news. Now there seems to be close to a million people following Pope Benedict’s Twitter account @pontifex in a variety of languages.

Below the fold in today’s USA Today Cathy Lynn Grossman wrote a story, “Papal faithful a-Twitter” looks at the phenomenon of papal twittering. Now we have papal cars, papal vestments, papal candidates, papal infallibility and now papal tweets. Among some incident things Ms. Grossman profiles Rachel Amiri who asked the Pope a really great question: 
“Holy Father, what is the best way to show others that God is Love in a world that thinks Christians only hate?”
Ms. Amiri hit the nail on the head. I hope her question gets chosen to be answered but if it doesn’t we now have the benefit of asking ourselves how we would answer Amiri?
Following the Pope’s lead I reactivated my Twitter account @paulzalonski because I thought he’s right to engage in social media because it is consistent with the missionary impulse of Jesus and it’s plain good sense to respond to those who are genuinely seeking God (cf. Saint Benedict & Saint John Bosco). We need to have their questions responded to. Want to effect change, want to inspire faith, want to show the beauty of the faith of the Church –you and me– need to be present in the lives of people. 
The personal is the only way to evangelize but it’s a little difficult with 1.3 billion Catholics in the world. To close the gap Twitter is one among many ways to attempt to be personal. Nothing replaces the personal presence of another; nothing is better that hearing another’s voice and feeling their hand extended in friendship. That’s the Divine lead we follow in the Incarnation: God so loved us that He sent His only Son. Let’s face it, we all want to know that those who lead us are actually listening to and caring for us. Sadly, many of the bishops and priests aren’t listening to faithful. Perhaps tweeting will yet again make the personal nature of the Incarnation known and love and followed. Perhaps the papal tweeting will help all of us see the face of Christ.
Will you follow the Pope, me?

Dolan meet Colbert

Dolan and Martin.jpg

One of the most clever, that is, funny men in show biz today is Stephen Colbert. He’s also practicing his Catholicsm and serves as a catechist.
Mr Colbert, with a friend, Jesuit Father James Martin of American Magazine will host a show with New York’s archbishop, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan. Get ready for a laugh!
Followup:
On the Cardinal’s blog there’s his article “Humor, Joy and the Spiritual Life.”
Laurie Goodstein from the NY Times wrote, “A Comedian and a Cardinal Open Up on Spirituality.”
On the AP is Rachel Zoll’s article: “Colbert to NY Fordham students: ‘I love my church.