SHU's Chapel

I went looking for my pictures of the Chapel, it took me a while to find them as I didn't remember when I took them just that I took them. Alas I found them, they are from October 2007 despite my thinking it was before that.



You can see in this picture that different designs were being "tried out" on the wall, it took me a second to realize that something was different.





I thought I did a better job of taking pictures, guess I was in too much of a hurry to actually get the pictures taken than caring about how focused they were. I just say I'm excited to go and see the re-stored Chapel and to take pictures of it.

Here's an article on the re-stored Chapel

As soon as I find pictures of the newly restored Chapel I will try to do a side by side comparison. The pictures I was sent by one of the campus ministers were sent to her by one of the priests on campus and I don't want to use his personal photos on my blog. Oh well that's just an excuse to go visit one of my favorite chapels. You'll see a picture in the link if you click on it.

On a happier note

Seton Hall my alma mater just finished refurbishing it's chapel so I'll be posting some pics soon. I've always loved the Main Chapel as we called it and it looks amazing I can't wait to see it in person.

Sometimes you don't what to think.

This morning I woke up at 8am a fairly normal hour, I checked facebook from my phone because I am that addicted to it. I saw my friend James' status was "going back to NJ for a very sad day." I assumed it had something to do with his wife's side of the family so I let it go. About an hour later and after sleeping some more, I check facebook via my phone again. It amuses me that I do this because the PC is down the hallway in the living room. This time I saw Brendan's status say "pray" and I saw Britney's status say "praying for everyone." I knew with Brendan having pray up that it was James' side of the family and when Britney (a friend of the family) had something written I thought "uh-oh."

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get the text message that I did get. So after seeing these statuses I send a text message to my friend Bridget (she is James and Brendan's Aunt) and I say "What happened or what is happening, I only ask because of James', Brendan's and Britney's statuses on facebook." I got back a very straight forward message that said "I didn't get to call you yet, but it's Nicky. He's dead. We're going to the hospital." I read the text message and I knew what it said and I responed back with a "holy crap, what the hell happened? tell katie and everyone that i'll be praying for everyone."

I honestly expected to be something about Bridget's father, and I don't know why her dad came to mind first but he did. I never thought I would read, hear, see the words Nicky's dead. Nicky is Bridget's grand-nephew or great-nephew what ever you want to call him and Katie is her nice and Nicky's mom.

I re-read the text message about 4 or 5 times before it really sank in and then again it really didn't until a little while later when James (Katie's brother, Nicky's uncle and then Bridget's nephew) left a message much like the one I left for our friend Kelly, you know the classic, "when you get this call me back, I've got news that I'm not leaving on a message."

I had of all things a funeral Mass to go to so I went off and showered and continuously checked facebook via my cell phone at times wishing that somehow Bridget's text was going to magically change. I went to the funeral Mass and tried my best to think of and pray for Joann, whom I know from the Cornerstone Retreat team I am on, who is the wife of the man who the funeral Mass was for, but I couldn't my mind was completely on Nicky and Katie. Fr. George was preaching to the family of the man who died, he was preaching to all of us, but it was geared towards the family. Fr. George spoke of love. All I could think of was yep that's why it hurts because I love Katie and Nicky. I know where Nicky is, he's in Heaven with his cousins Fiona and Bernadette and his great-aunt Teresa and his great-uncles Matthew and Owen, who also were taken home to God earlier than we would have liked. I'm sure there's other family members up there too, I just know their names.

Nicholas Tolentine Alexander Knock (yes that is his full name, he was born around or on the feast of our Lady of Knock so that got tossed in, and Alexander came from Fiona (who died about a month and a half before Nicky was born) whose middle name is Alexandra), may you rest in peace, your short life brought great joy to those of us who knew you, even if I was the crazy one with the camera that you saw once in a while.

Katie my prayers are with you as you will need them more than anyone. I want to do nothing more than just hug you right now. My prayers are also with the family, I've know you guys for 10 years now and from the first time I met you I was treated as family. Hell, most of you consider me family.

Life is so confusing at times. God has His plan, we may not understand it, but we have to go with it.

I was asked to pass this around

so I am. Chris Slattery of EMC in NYC asked me to pass this article around and if possible leave a comment on it. I will leave my comments later as I'm off to dinner at a friend's house, however I am taking the time to post the link. As I don't know how many people actually read the blog, I figure it's better to post it anyway even if only one person reads it. ;)

A priest with a backbone.

As Fr. Z and Fr. Longenecker had this linked I think it's good to post here too. This priest isn't afraid to say what needs to be said from the pulpit

hey why not

Go here and vote for Thomas Peters, he writes and runs the awesome blog known as American Papist. Gotta help out the fellow Catholic grad school student, as I hope to be one of those soon. ;)

The election

From Cardinal Sean O'Malley's blog, "Our prayer is that the new administration and the new Congress will work for a just and lasting peace and to protect the dignity of human life in all its stages, from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death."

I agree Cardinal Sean!


I'm not surprised that Obama won, disappointed yes, but not surprised as so many "Catholics" voted for him and his so called Catholic running mate. The Bishops have a great teaching opportunity on their hands and I hope they jump on it, looks like they will be discussing this at their meeting. For me personally it's gotten me to at least think of doing more for the pro-life movement. I've been slacking with that and now I have a good excuse.

What I don't get is why so many people think he's a change. Not being George Bush is not enough change, and honestly I'm tired of people blaming one man for the countries issues. Last time I check Congress aka our Senators and Representatives were the ones to make the laws, so therefore there is no change in DC. It irks me that so many people are comparing him to Kennedy and that young people are back in the White House. Excuse me, the Bushes are not that old, just because they are conservative doesn't make them old. I'm tired of the media attacking Palin and watching the GOP do nothing but watch her fall under the bus that they seem to be driving now.

The election is over, America is about to get what it wanted too bad that means an awful lot of dead babies if Obama gets his way. 50 million voices have been lost, wonder what they would have said during this election. Oh well, many prayers will be said and that's honestly all we can do right now. I'm also curious as to how many people voted for Obama simply because he's "black." Personally I don't care what color your skin is, if you can't figure out that killing the unborn is wrong you're not getting my vote, you could be green and orange and I still wouldn't vote for you. So much was tossed around about Obama's race, and how we're not a racist country if we elect him, I really want to know how many people voted for him because of his skin color, notice I'm saying voted against him, as I do think we are beyond that thanks to many people. I highly doubt Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would appreciate Obama's stance on abortion, but he would be impressed to see that one's color isn't that be of a deal anymore, or at least it doesn't seem to be.

I think this years March for Life will be one of the biggest ever, but we shall see.

strangely amused

Thanks to Fr. Z's blog on All Souls Day I was able to showcase my stellar skills at reading blogs tonight at my parish's liturgy committee meeting. In discussing All Souls Day, the liturgical colors for the altar were being discussed, and someone realized All Souls Day fell on a Sunday this year and I said to our pastor (whom I sit next too, no one else seems to like to do that) I think All Souls Day trumps Sunday this year, I read it somewhere. He looked at me and said "I don't know about that" Of course that began the search for what does happen, and lo and behold Fr. Z was right. ;) Our sourcebook said it, our lector book said it, and the most important one the Ordo said it. I think I impressed my pastor in my knowledge of random Church stuff. Thanks Fr. Z for giving me an amusing story of knowing more about liturgy than either of the priests or two of the deacons at my parish.

Well done good and faithful servant

I have yet to read the actual articles that are mentioned, they are printed out and waiting for me, but this needs to be shared.

Archbishop Chaput is awesome, he has been quite outspoken in the lines of abortion and the election and certain "Catholic" politicians. The Gospel from Sunday was the "give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and give unto God what is God's" A perfect gospel to show that politics and religion do sometimes mix as they should. I couldn't help but think of the Archbishop's book Render Unto Caesar today during Mass. I'm actually going to buy a copy of it tomorrow on my way to work, there happens to be a Barnes and Noble on my way to work.

Alas, now that I have finally gotten my fingers to warm up, they were cold with the fall weather here in New Jersey, I've taken to searching Barnes and Noble for books that I want and that could work for work too. :) Oh well, off to figure out what to talk about on Sunday for Confirmation.

An interesting election quiz

Like this is surprising...

You preferred McCain's statements 75% of the time You preferred Obama's statements 25% of the time Voting purely on the issues you should vote McCain Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues? Find out now!

The second time I tried it I got this...

You preferred McCain's statements 89% of the time You preferred Obama's statements 11% of the time Voting purely on the issues you should vote McCain Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues? Find out now!

Third time...

You preferred McCain's statements 67% of the time You preferred Obama's statements 33% of the time Voting purely on the issues you should vote McCain Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues? Find out now!

It really doesn't matter, I knew I wouldn't agree with Obama on most things, though it is interesting that you can take this "quiz" over and over to see who you would pick. So over all I'm 77% for McCain and 23% for Obama. Really that's not surprising at all, considering that on at least 2 issues I am directly opposed to Obama.