FATHER HENRY MAIR, SA (1935-2010)

Fr. Henry Mair, SA (Franciscan Friars of the Atonement), a priest at the Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, Massachusetts, died last Thursday evening. At this time, I offer my prayers for the repose of Fr. Henry's soul.

Since I'm on call for the next three weeks, I'll be playing his funeral Mass this Wednesday evening at 7 PM at the Chapel of Our Savior. I do have the music list here, pending the OK from the chapel director. Now, if I had my way, there would be more chant, etc., but per request from the chapel director, I had to stick with stuff that people pretty much know. Although I did go as far as using I am the bread of life at the offertory, I did manage to avoid the "funeral hits" (Be not afraid, Eagle's wings, How great thou art, etc.), so far.

Here's the tentative list:

Sing with all the saints in glory ("Hymn to Joy")
The Lord is my shepherd (Alstott)
Alleluia (Mode VI)
I am the bread of life (Toolan)
Heritage Mass: Sanctus and Agnus Dei (Alstott)
Danish: Christ Has Died and Amen
Keep in mind (Deiss) (as a Communion hymn, NOT a memorial acclamation, rest assured!)
Panis Angelicus (Franck) (time permitting)
Commendation: Song of Farewell (Sands)
For all the saints ("Sine Nomine")

To Father Henry: In paradisum deducant te angeli, in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere, aeternam habeas requiem.

Peace,
BMP

I'M SPARTACUS, UM, I MEAN, SCOTT BROWN

The Caveman has another gem for ya! Enjoy! Explanations here.
Peace,
BMP

TAKING "EQUAL RIGHTS" WAY TOO FAR

Some nutcases in the British Parliament are trying to do exactly that! They want to see Poncho Ladies infesting REAL Catholic parishes.

Source: Rhode Island Catholic

Incredible is the only way to describe a so-called Equality Bill currently under consideration in the British Parliament.

The bill, which claims to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, would regulate churches including the Catholic Church as employers. It would make it unlawful to require a Catholic priest to be male, unmarried or not in a civil marriage, since no priest would be able to clearly demonstrate that their time was wholly spent leading prayer, liturgy or worship and promoting and explaining doctrine. The Bishops of England and Wales have protested the bill and its immensely serious consequences for over two years.

The British Government’s clash with religion is led by the Equality Minister Harriet Harman and they have consistently denied such a damaging impact on the Church. However, religious liberty experts have suggested that while the law could not compel the Catholic Church to ordain women but would certainly limit the Church’s ability to ensure priests live a celibate lifestyle. Neil Addison, the director of the Thomas More Legal Centre, suggested that the bill was seriously flawed because it treated religious ministers as employees rather than office holders. He further suggested that: “The supporters of this bill don’t understand why the churches don’t have women priests and gay clergy. The supporters of this bill are very ideological. They want transsexuals to sue to remain priests.”

Catholic Bishops reject claims by the government that as long as priests spend 51 percent of their time leading worship and preaching the Gospel they would be spared any hostile legal action. They suggest that priestly ministry is so diverse and includes pastoral work, private prayer and study, administration and building maintenance that it would be impossible to guarantee that such a condition could be met. The rejection of the government’s claims includes the objection by Catholic Bishops that the government would now effectively define what work a priest must perform. Last month an amendment to protect the liberty of churches was rejected by the House of Commons and as a result the bill will likely become law next year.

It appears that all people and institutions are not in fact treated equally in the British Isles. Those people and institutions that espouse religious values will not be treated fairly or with any tolerance by this horrible law even if government bureaucrats with charming titles like Minister of Equality suggest otherwise to church leaders. While this situation might appear as seemingly incredible to those who respect religious liberty and promote tolerance among peoples, it is frighteningly clear that the British Government has no such respect or tolerance for churches and other religious institutions.

In his novel 1984, the British writer George Orwell described a totalitarian regime that sought to exert mind control and removed all those who opposed “Big Brother.” Such a “Big Brother” is the British Minister of Equality, Harriet Harman, who has disguised intolerance for religion and disrespect of faith communities as a law about equality. Her promotion of a bill that strips churches of religious liberty and redefines fundamental religious teachings in the name of tolerance and equality seems eerily similar to the world described by Orwell. Incredible as it may seem, it is just the beginning for a civilization that has become a champion of the individual as they blindly follow the dictatorship of moral relativism. We hope and pray that such incredible ideas never reach the colonies but we are not optimistic they aren’t already being advanced by government bureaucrats and political ideologues across the nation.

This Harriet Harman --- does she even know what the sam hell "equality" is? Apparently not!
I'll have to see if Damian has anything on this.
Peace,
BMP

PLEASE PRAY FOR STEVE O

Got this e-mail from CV's own SteveO:

Hi, everyone. I've got a prayer request or two for you.

Saturday evening past I was admitted to the hospital - congestive heart failure (very, very early stage). A surprise came Sunday evening, though, with an added diagnosis: Kidney problems. Although I'm not in renal failure, the kidneys are not behaving themselves.

I've got an excellent cardiologist, and we are trying to get the kidneys to shape up so that we can take care of the cardiac problems. It seems that I will probably have to have another catheterization to see how the ticker is progressing.

Your prayers are requested - but mostly for Katie, as this is extremely stressful for her.

Thanks to all of you.
God's blessings,
Steve

Any and all prayers for Steve and his wife Katie would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.
Peace,
BMP

YEAH BABY!

Scott Brown wins the Senate seat held for too long by the late Ted Kennedy - 52%-47% over Martha Coakley.

I'm happy as a pig in poopoo. What else is there to say, besides congratulations, Senator Brown.
Peace,
BMP

HOW TO GET YOUR WHOLE FAMILY DELETED

from a Facebook friends list

Simply put up a positive statement on your wall endorsing the candidate of your choice (in my case, Scott Brown), and just watch the fan get splattered with doo-doo, ca-ca, poo-poo, and good old number two.

I put up a positive statement on my wall simply stating that a vote for Scott Brown would be some hope for our country as we know it. Then, a "family friend" (on my wife's side) chimed in with the "sorry, Brian, I voted for Martha", and gave her "reasons" for doing so. I then stated what Coakley had said about doctors who don't believe in abortion shouldn't be in the medical profession, and politely asked her, "Can we afford to have any more sickos like that running our country?"

This woman then started flying off the handle at me and my old friend from high school, who also chimed in (politely, mind you) on behalf of Brown, even as far as getting into my personal affairs (remember, she's friends with my in-laws). She even went as far as posting on her wall about how she's going through a lot of "grief" over her political choices. She created her own grief by flying off the handle on, not her wall, but my wall. Needless to say, in the end, she deleted me (no loss), my wife (who said hardly anything), and my two younger kids (who were in school, so they never got a chance to say anything). If she's going to be childish over a lousy political opinion, then so be it. With over 220 friends on my Facebook profile, one isn't going to make a freakin' difference.

I'll tell you what --- if you're on my friends list, go ahead and read my wall. The proof is there that when one supports a nutcase's case, they act out of desperation. I thought my friends, my wife, and myself were quite rational.

Peace,
BMP

NOEL GOEMANNE (1926-2010)

Noel Goemanne, a noted Catholic Church musician and composer of many pieces of music and Masses performed by choirs and organists throughout the world, died Jan. 12 in Dallas from complications of colon cancer. He was 83.

Read the whole thing here.
Peace,
BMP

THE LAST GAME SHOW I REMEMBER...

...to use ORGAN MUSIC regularly during the game:

Concentration, hosted for eons by Hugh Downs, then for the last couple of years by Bob Clayton.



Peace,
BMP (somewhat of a classic game show enthusiast)

MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Ordinary Form) / January 24, 2010
Holy Cross Church, Providence, Rhode Island

This coming weekend, I'll be filling in for three Masses at Holy Cross in Providence. Ron Almeida, a good friend of the snark population, is music director. Anyhoo, the list is as follows (his picks)...

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound ("New Britain")
Your words, O Lord (Guimont)
Alleluia (Murray)
Lord, when you came to the seashore ("Pescador de Hombres")
Massive Cremation (except Agnus) (Haugen)
Agnus from Holy Cross Mass (Isele)
You satisfy the hungry heart ("Bicentennial")
Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Lafferty)

On the three Saturdays following, I'll be working once again for the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement at the Chapel of Our Savior in Brockton, MA. Music lists coming soon.

Peace,
BMP

ONE MORE REASON MARTHA COAKLEY MUST LOSE

That reason is Ed Schultz of MSNBC.

"I tell you what, if I lived in Massachusetts I'd try to vote 10 times. I don't know if they'd let me or not, but I'd try to. Yeah, that's right. I'd cheat to keep these bastards out. I would. 'Cause that's exactly what they are." - Ed Schultz

From the Washington Times, which I followed via a post on the message boards at Eric Carmen's web site.

Peace,
BMP