Negotiations for Che's Release

Is this thing on (ahem) Testing... 1... 2... 3... (ahem)

This is Commander Pimsbottom of the Lord Acton Division. We have recently acquired one Che' Lovell through a prisoner exchange with the Knights of Columbus. I am using his blackberry device to transmit this message.

Message from Che' Lovell (condensed and edited):

I am quite well other than a slight dizzy feeling from eating unripe mushrooms. I have been well entertained but not with Julia Roberts films. Knights of Columbus showed me the complete Steve Ray's Footptints of God series and Therese: Story of a Soul. Lord Acton army read me Animal Farm, 1984, and Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. They've also introduced me to Sherry and Shelley. I think one is a drink and the other is a drunk. Very much more confused. How are you? Please tell Keith's mom I am sorry for mooning her when she threatened legal action against SOVII. I was not being church."

This young man seems to be somewhat agitated. He is under the impression that Karl Marx was part of the Priory of Sion and is a descendent of Jesus. He also wants to know if he could talk to Hugh Grant about making a movie about the life of e. e. cummings. We are afraid he may hurt someone or himself.

We are looking at a three-way prisoner swap. We would like to acquire Katie Holmes from the Scientologists. Do you possess any scientologists held captive against their will? Please let us know soon.

Sincerely,
Albert Pimsbottom, KBE

Conspirators Revealed!

Hey! Maryann has been doing internet research and has uncovered a vast Neocath conspiracy to uproot SOV2 and cast it amongst the brambles (that's a quote in the Bible, isn't it?). Anyway, I've compiled an emergency 'blog rating to warn off our faith community from these DISSIDENTS AGAINST VATICAN II (DAV2ers, as MM calls them):

Recovering Dissident Catholic; PH, C, T
Catholic Pillowfight; R, O, F, PH
St. Monica's Kneeler; PH, C, T
Paramedic Golden Girl; PH, C, T
Amy Wellborn; PH, C+, T, O
Catholic Dads; PH, T, O
Cleveland Priest; PH, C+, F, T, O
Roving Medievalist; PH, C, T, EM, F
Regular Thoughts; PH, C, T, EM, O, F, R

You'll note that I had to add a new rating category: EM = Extreme Medievalism

I can, however, highly encourage the following links as good places for reflection and education:

USCCB; PI
Joseph O'Leary's Cow; PIII
GIA Publications; PII
Musical Messiah; PII

WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER!!!!!

Hey! Whew! It's been a wacked-out day allright. For those of you outside of Knoxville who are following the historic events at Spirit of Vatican 2 Catholic Faith Community, I'll try to reconstruct the timeline:

Wednesday, May 30
9:00 AM: I had just settled a dispute between Todd & Ché regarding the disposition of some of Todd's musical equipment, when I heard a commotion from Fr. Juno's room in the rectory. Darting up the stairs, I threw off one of my Birkenstocks, and by the time I got up to Fr. J's room, everything had quieted down. I didn't think too much about this at the time.

10:00 AM: I had a fine tour of the Spirit Maze with the womyn from LifePeace. I really felt in touch with my inner wymon.

11:00 AM: I noticed a suspicious van making a pass in front of the northeast barricade. I was pretty sure that I saw one of those Knights of Columbus emblems on the bumper.

11:32 AM: I began an excellent lunch meeting with the members of EcoChurch who weren't manning the barricades.

1:15 PM: I settled down for a SpiritNap

5:00 PM: A number of parishioners had come to the church and were confused as to where to park their cars. It was a terrible scene - all those Infinit SUV's and Priuses parked along Dry Gap Pike. I mean, it made it look like our Church was a car lot. I ordered Ché to have the cars towed away.

7:00 PM: Maryann Mcgronk joined me for incense & green tea. We had a nice discussion about an email that I received from the Augustinian Order of St. de Mello, where they were very positive about us becoming a priory. Also we got a chance to look at a great 'blog by a brilliant theologian named Doctor O'Leary, which pretty much confirms everything we say here at SOV2. You have to check it out! This guy really lays one on that old pope. You can see the LifeSpirit working in him, and best of all, his 'blog is named SPIRIT OF VATICAN II! Super!

8:30 PM: I heard the noise again from Fr. Juno's room. This time I went up and checked, but he was still in his restraints. I turned up the Marty Haugen anthology and left him alone.

9:12 PM: I got a nice phone call from Cardinal Archbishop Pilarcyzk and we talked about making SOV2 an FC for the ADOC. He was very receptive. It turns out that he's a big fan of Sarah Maclahalan, so we had a lot to talk about. Did you know all of the priests in the ADOC are going to be wearing rainbow vestments next year! Neat! Also it turns out that C.A.P. and I came up in Dayton at the same time (I used to summer there with my family as a way to escape the oppressive Cape Cod weather). I remember those heady days in the Gem City, throwing rocks at the DP&L building, treking up to U.D. to listen to the latest Call to Action speakers, and most of all watching Don Wayne give the news in his inimitable way. Good times!

10:30 PM: I FINALLY got to bed.

11:30 PM: I was awaked by a horrible mumbling sound. I opened the window of the rectory and heard this really weird chanting kind of sound. Out on the lawn beyond the southwest barricade there was this big group of NON-PARISHIONERS all saying the rosary or something. That van was parked near them, so I knew that the K of C was taking action. In getting up I stumbled over one of those bells that the rad-trads use during the whole host communion thing. Some parishioner was trying to get me to use it so of course it ended up under my bed with all those gold cups and plates and whatnot. Anyway, I got a great idea and started ringing this bell, but all it did was make a tinkly sound. Fortunately it had a bad tone or something because Todd came running upstairs to see what was wrong. Then Maryann woke up and we all looked out the window. We could see a bunch of those Knight guys lined up across from the trench where we knew Ché was because of the red flags and the banner of Hugo Chavez. There was some sort of commotion in the trench. then at the same time, Eugene Kramer came running up the stairs yelling. I think he was saying that Britnee had given Ché some sort of herbal tea from one of Keith's favorite soft drinks (he kept saying something about "Tabs") and that Ché was really out of it. The other thing that happened at the same time was I saw the light flickering in Fr. Juno's room from the next floor up. It looked like he was flashing some sort of code. Not knowing what to do next, I ran downstairs and cut the main power switch for the rectory. Todd started blowing some sort of trumpet thing. Then all hell broke loose. People were running everywhere - Ché was running about disoriented yelling about miraculous metals, Maryann was on the roof of the church launching tear gas cannisters. I realized that the church was under assault, so I grabbed one of the banner poles (this one said "God is Other People") and I ran into the center of the church. Everything became really quiet.

Thursday, May 31:

2:00 PM: Todd & Eugene came into the Church and told me that they'd been looking for me all night. Maryann had declared herself interim Pastor. Fr. Juno was no-where to be found. I heard that Ché was missing too - he was last seen being carried away by the Knights of Columbus while he frantically typed on his Raspberry thing. Fortunately, the incursion by the forces of rad-tradism was only able to penetrate to the sacristy, and not into the church (good thing we moved the sacristy into the Spirit Maze). But apparently sometime while I slept, someone took the relic out of our altar. I have to admit that it was my mistake to put it into a glass casing, but I felt that showing off Dorothy Day's T-Shirt was better than hiding it.

So, here we are. I am firmly back in control of the parish. We have one of Maryann's Spirit Teams out looking for Fr. Juno. We are trying to track down Ché (I am very concerned about him). Eugene has taken over the leadership of the remnants of the Hugo Chavez battallion and is manning the trenches. All day long we've been getting reinforcements. The whole membership of Voice of The Faithful has turned out, and we welcome both of them. Some of Keith's friends came by and have set up shop in the rectory (they brought a huge amount of Sudafed with them though - I don't know if they think we're under assault from the common cold, ha ha!). So we're holding out here! Keep us in your energy-thoughts, we are with you in solidarity! This is our best hour! Never have so many done so little for so few (I've been reading the works of Neville Chamberlain for inspiration).

correction

I was just corrected, PRIVATELY, as scripture says to (thank you, FRIEND). The MIGHTY 1000 are not actually meeting in Lincoln tomorrow ... that was 1000 signatures. I will still go. I fly out at O Dark Hundred ... hope you will join me!

Siege: I SAY AVENGE!

Oh, it was UGLY…. OH, SO UGLY. I was there as they were taking Che away…. But I SWEAR UPON OPRAH we will get him back!
Here is my plan:

1. Join forces with the MIGHTY 1000 who are demonstrating tomorrow in Lincoln (see http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/05/30/news/local/doc465d8f9b37df7227093669.txt) I plan to be in the heart of Lincoln as this FORCE TO BE CONTENTED WITH presents the Bishop with THE CHURCH!
2. Get as many Chick Tracts as I can carry, and personally deliver them to: Ignatius Press ,the Dominican Sisters, Ave Marie University, Envoy Magazine, and of course EWTN!
3. Go to the Labyrinth and let Gaia take over … PRAYER WORKS, PEOPLE!

Who will join me??????

Siege (Cough... Cough...) Conclusion

Dear friends... cough... cough... splutter...

I have news which is both... tragic... and joyful... (cough... cough...) Despite a valiant resistance from the Hugo Chavez brigades... (cough... cough...) the forces of Orthodoxy have proven too powerful. The continuous pounding of miraculous medals held down our right flank while a surge by the Knights of Columbus with lances lowered overwhelmed our left. We made a last defense within the sacristy. Father Tim was valiant as he waved the special rainbow banner. But the Sisters of Charity turned the tables against us once they seized the media units and began to play EWTN from a satellite feed. Father Juno converted his jailers and they opened the sacristy door to the horde... Keith, if you get this message.... The remnants (cough... splutter... cough...) have scattered, hopefully can regather under Sister Fairah.

It was Father Thomas Dubay who finally got to me. (Cough... cough...) St John of the Cross... and the chaplet of divine mercy. (Cough... cough....) I never knew.... (Cough... GAG...) I never knew... I never....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... aaaaaaaaaaaa...
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh,

Our Sister Church in Peril

Hey! One of the gifts of the lifespirit that has come upon me since Our Persecution began is a greater awareness of the persecution of others. This evening, while I complained about the horrible events that have befallen our faith community, Maryann & Sister Fairah brought me a green tea to cheer me up. We burned some incense, and then they told me the horrible story of an oppressed faith community in Missouri. Following is the "link." You can read the story yourself (seeing is believing). I can't really understand why they're trying to save such an ugly church, which is so obviously bound by chains of tradition (the dead faith of the living & the living faith of the dead). But anyway, you have to admire their gritty, no-holes-barred, in-your-face style of worship:

Saint Stan Slaw Parish

SHOCKING NEWS AT SOV2!!!!

Hey! Well... the worst has happened. Last Sunday, while we were celebrating Pentecost at SOV2, the Bishop of Knoxville was over at that old rad-trad church "Holy Ghost", making the announcement of the "real" new North Knoxville parish.

As you all know, we have been fighting for over a year to be formally recognized as one of the parishes of Knoxville. We really went out on a limb, getting private financing through Dr & Mizz Argot, forming our own faith community, and whatnot. We even put up with the intrusion of the malevolent "Adoro" into the parish.

In fact, I consider "Adoro's" presence to be the factor that tipped the scales against us.

So what now? Do we fold up tent, give up, and sell our beautiful church building to the East Tennessee Rationalists? I say NO! We're here, we're loud, and they'll have to get used to us! Sure, they can send their stormtroopers over to harass us, they can have the Knights of Columbus pour lime on our lawn to spell out "heretic", they can pay off the Knox News Sentinel to pretend that we don't exist, but WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!

As a first step, I have contacted the Augustinian Order of St. de Mello to appeal to them to make us a "priory." My understanding is that if we get to be a priory, then we can do whatever we want. Also, I have sent a letter to Archbishop Pilarczyk of Cincinnati asking if we can be a sattelite faith community for his diocese. Finally, what I like to call the "nuclear option", we can declare schism, just like Martin Luther did back in the day. It worked out for him, why not for us?

I'll be announcing a F.C. meeting about this topic in the near future.

On a related note, Fr. Juno is very upset about this announcement and is making all sorts of crazy comments about being "deceived". I have assured him that he knew full well our "interim" status, but I'm afraid that I have had to have him confined to the rectory under the personal care of Maryann Mcgronk and her "spirit team."

In order to make it through this crisis, I have authorized an emergency payment to the Fr. Richard McBrien Retirement Fund, in hopes that he will be able to make a personal motivational appearance here. Fr. Curt Kane has also offered to come to our parish to assist as A.P. while Fr. Juno is out of commission. Ché and his EcoChurch folks have blockaded all of the entrances to the church grounds. Please be careful entering the property as they have dug a number of trenches and put sharpened sticks in them.

Thank you for staying "in the walk" with us as we navigate these turbulent seas.

Fr. Tim

Paton Saints

Way back in my wonderful CCD classes in the '60s, I remember hearing about things called (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong!) paton saints. The idea then has obviously morphed into something different for the modern church! My idea is this: Like an author dedicates a book to a cause or person who has supported her, we can dedicate this blog to someone. As Spiritual advisor, here are my suggestions:

• Pair O. Diez. Pair was a hero of the El Salvadorian people. With 6 Jesuits, he gave his live for the cause of the poor in 1989. I think he'd fit right in here.
• Mary Magdalene. She was a contemporary of Jesus'. I like her because she said (referring to Jesus), "They have taken my Lord and I don't know where they have put him!" And it turned out he was standing right in front of her ... it was Jesus she was talking to! I think that it's totally appropriate, almost a prophetic view of what is happening in today's world. Some complain that they can't find the tabernacle in church, but Jesus is right before them in the PEOPLE!
  

Now, I know someone is going to scream that both of these are dead people, and all living Christians are saints! Yes, I recognize this! I just happen to think these two would fit our community quite well.

I am open to other suggestions, and know there could be a gazzilion of them (Sr. Chittister, Dorthy Day, Fr. Richard McBrien just to name a few), but think we need to be discerning and choose ONLY the very best!

Are Chicken Wings Murder?

I am so mad!

As you know I am a strict vegetarian. I won't eat anything that hasn't fallen off an organic tree and had the seeds carefully extracted to plant a new tree, with two exceptions: Organic cheese pizza with cheese taken voluntarily from cows who are specially nurtured and cared for, organic free-range tomatos, and bread made from neutral carbon wheat. This pizza comes from a company called Big Green Mama's pizza and though it costs a little more ($20.95 for a large) it leaves me with a peaceful sense that I have a low water footprint. And of course, until now, I ate chicken wings.

Now I thought that chicken wings, like hot dogs, was just a clever name people came up with and that they were in fact just tofu. And though I feel bad about eating tofu since tofu comes from soy beans and soy beans are seeds and have gaia's life force in them I allowed myself this slight indulgence. However, I was horrified to learn that chicken wings come from chickens.

This was revealed to me by Father Juno. I can't tell you what a help Father Juno has been the last week in helping me straighten out some of my misconceptions. For example, apparently it's not okay just to get rebaptized everytime I was feeling guilty about accidentally stepping on a ladybug or squashing a spider. There was an ancient heresy called the Donatists (or something) who thought that you could get baptized more than once but the Catholic Church said this was wrong. He also told me it was right to capitalize Catholic. As a fan of e. e. cummings I thought we didn't want to capitalize things too much because that was showing off or looked like you were screaming like when you say TODD TURK IS A LIAR. But he said it was okay to show respect for things so just like I capitalize Julia Roberts I should capitalize Catholic Church. I said but that makes it seem like everybody's not a Catholic because Farther Tim always says that Catholic means universal and since universal means everything, everybody is really Catholic already and we should only say "in the roman catholic tradition" if we must but we should avoid that as much as possible unless we are talking about how bad the crusades are or something.

Anyway he was talking to me about the book of Genesis and the Garden of Eden and to be honest he was talking a lot of things which I don't understand at all because he talks in Kenyan all the time. It had something to do with baptism and "original sin." Now original sin was something Farther Tim told me once was an idea the church had a long time ago but didn't believe in anymore since the Great Council of Liberation: Vatican II. But he said no we still believe in Original Sin because there was something to do with womyn giving birth in pain and men being extra-sweaty. Well somehow in this conversation we started talking about creation and he said chicken wings were actually chicken!

Well I looked into it and it turns out FATHER JUNO WAS RIGHT! Chicken wings are actually parts of chicken. But that's not the worst of it. Do you know how many wings a chicken has? IT ONLY HAS TWO WINGS! Do you know what that means? THAT MEANS WHEN I GOT THE TWENTY-PACK OF CHICKEN WINGS I WAS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF 10 CHICKENS!

When I realized that I admit I started to cry and I wanted to go to confession right there but Father Juno kind of laughed in a nice way and said it was okay and that eating Chickens wasn't murder. But I'm not sure. Because even though a lot of what Father Juno says makes sense I
was pretty sure that GOOD STEWARDSHIP means not having children and not eating our fellow animals. But he said don't dolphins and purposes eat fish? So I said, I DON'T KNOW! Because that's so confusing. I know that snakes and stuff eat little frogs and mice and things but that's because that's just their NATURE and it's okay but we aren't supposed to and he said "but aren't we a part of nature too and isn't there a kind of natural law which governs our behavior" and I siad I need time to think about that because all of a sudden it doesn't make sense anymore. I mean if I'm just the same as the snakes and dolphins and purposes shouldn't I be allowed to eat mice and little frogs and fish too? But it seems just way too gross.

I have to say since Keith has been abducted by aliens I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. I've been reading his 1200 page essay on the U.S. government (Letter from a Karns Jail) and it makes a lot of sense but it also doesn't make a lot of sense because if we haven't actually been to the moon because of the Radiation Belt thing how come the aliens keep abducting people and taking them to Venus to study them? He doesn't even explain that but I guess it's because of the Alien Technology. But why not just take them to Atlantis instead because that's right here on this planet and then they wouldn't have to go all the way to Venus? I know there are two sets of aliens but I keep getting them confused. Which one is Dick Cheney? Obviously a bad one but is he one of those big giant ones with the Shitake Mushroom heads or is he one of the skinny ones with the big eyes. He doesn't look like either really. I think I'm going to ask Father Juno about the aliens.

Che'

We found Keith!

I got an email today, and I've been asked to share it with you all, just in case Keith never came back. I think Che' got a copy, too, but I can't find him so I'm taking it upon myself to share this with you all.

There was an encrypted message (pig latin) indicating that "The truth is out there", and he's heading out to the Roswell area. There was a message that ended very abruptly but there was a picture that really reveals quite a bit:

That's him there with one of the aliens, he's waving. So I'm not sure if he's going willingly, but boy, he's lost a lot of weight!

Incidentally, I think we could commission someone to do a type of caste of that alien and place it in the gathering space. It would really look good here. Or maybe put it in the spirit maze so people can climb into that hole and experience being reborn by c-section.

Anyway, it seems that Keith is OK, he's just an alien now...maybe he'll bring them back with him so we can include them in our liturgy, too.

Keep a lookout for Che', he'll have more info on Keith's doings.

Pentecost and Womyn in the Church

Next week I'm going to be giving a talk on womyn and the Church, and I'd like to invite y'all to come!

As we all know, womyn have been oppressed by the Roman Patriarchy for centuries now, although there's evidence that womyn were ordained priests in the early years. As a result of men's actions, womyn's leadership has been suppressed and they've invented their own history to cover up the truth.

It's time that we take arms against this sea of trouble, and by opposing, end it.

The fact remains that womyn were priests in the past and we are seeking to turn the tide back towards this in the future, calling for equailty, for womyn who are experiencing the call to the priesthood are being denied. It is unfair, and it is intolerant of womyn, and usurps our dignity.

As this is pentecost, let me also draw your attention to the fact that Mary was present at the descent of the Holy Spirit and this should be proof enough that she was a priest, too.

We will get together next week in a workshop to explore the history of oppression of womyn in the church, the reality of ordained womyn in history, and find ways to dialogue about this so that we can work to change the heirarchy from within.

Homily, Sunday May 27

Pentecost. Wow! Don't you feel it? When I look out on you all, and see you all in your spirit-costumes, I can see that "the word moves upon the water" in this faith community. But I wonder, do we get it? Do we know what pentecost is? In the gospel today, we heard about a party that the disciples were having. But is that what pentecost is? A party? No!

The prefix "Pente" means "Five", and the suffix, "cost" is obvious. So let's talk for a minute about the "five costs" of receiving the spirit.

The first cost is pride. You can't be "in the walk" if you are prideful! You've got to let your pride go! You've got to let yourself be a clown for the spirit! Because what is pride if it's not dignity? What's all this noise these days about dignity? We've got to become as little children - downright silly!

The second cost is comfort. Are you comfortable? If you are, you are sinning against the spirit! I'm not talking about physical comfort. The spirit knows that I would be lost without a comfortable pair of Birkenstocks under my vestments! No, I'm talking about spiritual comfort. Are you comfortable in the spirit? Do you feel a sense of peace and happiness? Well, if so, then you've got to WAKE UP! Wake up and realize that you should be on fire with the spirit - like sitting on a nest of fire ants - you've got to be up and jumping around.

The third cost is safety. I know we all feel safe, here in this country, which was stolen from the indians, who knew all about the spirit and yet the white man came and took their land away. And then we lectured them, all about God and whatnot - while they already knew about the spirit! They had ways of communing with the Great Manitee that we can only dream about. It's all lost now, but the indians are still here! As Sister Fairah has pointed out to me on at least ten occasions, we belong to the earth! Why don't you try to let go of safety? I'd like every other person to stand up now. Come on. Thank you. Now, all you people standing, go and change places with someone across the church. Just walk right across and then sit down in their seat. No, it's OK. Just come right across the altar - don't step onto the baptismal pool cover - it won't support your weight. That's right. Just come across. Just keep coming across. I'll wait until you are all seated.

Thank you. Now. Do you feel safe? Do you feel like you're comfortable? Look at the person on your right. Now on your left. do you know them? Now, I can't tell you to do this, but what I'd like you to do is to go home, or at least to lunch, with the person you're sitting next to. And be church with them!

The fourth cost is money. You've got to give money to your faith community. Do you think it's costly to pay the government? If so, you're sinning against the spirit. Wasn't it Peter who said "give unto Caeser?" But you've got to give unto the Church too. I'd like to take this moment to thank Doctor and Mizz Argot, who made a generous contribution to allow SOV2 to be able to buy a green power lawn mower. Let's give them a round of applause. Thanks Doctor! You're the best! And keep that Oxycontin coming! Ha ha!

Seriously now. The fifth cost is freedom. Because you've got to be free, but you can't be free when you live in slavery to the expectations of society. What does society expect of us? That we dress "just right." That we obey laws, that we don't cuss or swear or take drugs or whatever. Right now, one of our parishioners is sitting in jail, with no freedom. He has paid one of the costs of pentecost. Will you pay that price? Like Sister June-May and her courageous anti-nuke brigade? Are you going to pay the cost?

Now, I'd like to end this homily on a high note, because people get depressed sometimes when we talk about "costs" and other uncomfortable things. I was going to tell a joke about a bishop, a priest, and a rabbi, but instead I think we can end by singing. Let's all join in with one of the ancient classics of the Church. Todd, can you fire up that keyboard and get us started? Thanks! You'll find our hymn, "Sing to the Mountains" at number 340 in the People's Praise songbook.

We are Church!

The December 06 CTA newsletter published the following: “Truth is not absolute. We all have insights and we are all related. The new cosmology shows us how interrelated we are. It is not only virtuous to listen to each other. It is downright expedient. Collaboration will be more productive than competition. We must also remember: the earth does not belong to humans. Humans belong to the earth.”

I know this is slightly dated in the world of blogdom, but WOW… what wisdom!

When I first saw that Adore te Devote was a guest contributor, I almost decided I no longer wanted to come here. But then, the above really inspired me to know that as wrong as she is, she, too, is a fellow earth dweller. It is downright EXPEDIENT that we listen to each other. Maybe someday she will put down that circumspect, chary cult book (CCC) and see that thinking for yourself is really the better way to go. After all, we are church!

Sneak Peak at Pentecost

Hey! I know this is a teaser, but I'm giving you a sneak peak at our Pentecost mass. Here's a quick snapshot of the liturgical dancers in practice. This is going to be a great gift of the spirit! See you tomorrow!

Congregants Dress Code for Pentecost

Hey! I read an interesting suggestion from someone named "Cathy of Alex" about having the congregation wear costumes on Pentecost, and I thought it was a really neat idea. Of course, Ché has had the rainbow sash thing going on here every week, so that won't be a big deal. Just to avoid confusion, and so everybody can recognize everyone else's love-offering, I am going to require you all to abide by the following code:

Rainbow Sash: Support of GLBTNA rights
Black Armband: Support of the divorced & remarried receiving communion
Red headband: Womyn's ordination
Red headband w/ black stripe: Womyn-only ordination
Blue T-Shirt: Opposition to war in Iraq
Blue striped T-Shirt: Opposition to all war
Green bead necklace: Opposition to pollution
Green Head-Band: Proponent of Solar Power
Beanie-cap with fan on top: Proponent of Wind Power
Baseball-cap with two bottled waters & curvy straws: Proponent of hydro-power
Red boots: Campaign against General Pinochet
Brown Trousers: Opposition to wood products
Purple Scarf: Pro-Choice
Purple Scarf with Orange Sash: Free Abortion On Demand
Red Stole, Alb, Miter, and Vestments: Opposition to Clericalism
Pink Slippers: Draft Nancy Pelosi for President campaign

I will be asking Kate Po to print copies of this list and place them in the pews. Please note that this list has been carefully designed so that people can have multiple causes on display. I would also ask that anyone who normally refuses communion, but wants to make a public protest, please walk up to communion backwards and I will know not to offend you by offering you communion. We have installed mirrors around the church so that you can see behind you and minimize the risk of tripping.

I tag myself in the name of exploited peoples!

Nobody ever "tags" me and I don't even know what a meme is but I'm guessing it's all about the me-me generation of selfish rigid traditional neo-con masculo-fascists polo-playing fat opressors of indigenous populations. Anyway, I decided to tag myself from a tag I have appropriated from the orthodontist guy.

1. Male or Female: such roles are not significant, we are all comrades and children of the god-spirit
2. Married or Single (or religious): marriage is a means of exploting womyn and subjugating them
3. Dream vacation: Pyongyang
4. Birthplace: Citizens Laboratory #37
5. Favorite revolutionary: Che Guevara
6. Someone you wish you could meet: Julia Roberts who I did meet once in greenwich village. She's more beautiful than anyone except Britnee
7. Biggest "pet-peeve": Fat polo-playing fascists
8. Favorite Religious devotion: Saint Molotov's cocktail party
9. Favorite Saint (besides the Blessed Mother): Dorothy Day
10. Favorite sport that you play: I love ping-pong, it is the sport of the people!
11. Favorite food: I only eat food which has fallen from a 100% organic tree and had the seeds removed and planted in a special garden. Oh! and also chicken wings.
12. Tridentine or Novus Ordo: I do not chew gum!
13. Would you (or are you) home school or public school: People's Public School Project #48
14. How many kids do you have: We have too many people exploiting the globe as it is.
15.Ever been in an auto accident: I was in a collision between a microbus and a mo-ped.
16.Ever seen a pope in person: I am not sure - do we still have a pope? I thought we weren't supposed to anymore.
17.Languages that you know fluently: English, Spanish, Portugese, and Esperanto
18.Last movie you saw in theatres: Erin Brokovich
19.Favorite Blog: Cognitive Artist's Guild
20.Your thoughts on (1)Barney, (2)the Easter bunny, and (3)Santa Claus: They are all opressors and exploiters, evil creations of Halliburton and Enron who spread the doctrine of consumerism and capitalism to exploited peoples and bolster the current socio-political institutions.
21. Which is your favorite historically exploited group? I say this is a tie between the Basques and the Indigenous tribes of the amazon rain forest like the Yanomamo

New Artwork for SOV2

Hey! The 'blog has been kind of morbid lately, what with Keith getting in trouble with the local nazis and Fr. Juno bringing the ecclesiastic heat down on our faith community. And all this during the same week that the pope gave us his thumbs-up. What a whirlwind! I haven't been this stirred up since I got to review that Mel Gibson movie for Commonweal (that was a week! You should check out my review in the back issues. It was me who coined the phrase "jackbooted neo-con fantasy").

Anyway, with all the negative vibes that have been flying around, I thought I'd cheer you up by showing you one of the new pieces of art that will be suspended over our baptismal pool. I can't wait to see it there on Sunday afternoon.

Peace, I'm out,

Fr. T

Welcome New Contributor

My Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing to say welcome to a new contributor, Adoro Te Devote. Fr. Tim said that it was OK for us to invite new people to his blog, and ADT, as I know her, has been a correspondent of mine on matters of faith for some time since I have been in this country. I hope there is no consternation amongst the people of this parish. I saw the Bishop this past weekend at Knoxville's Indult Mass and he expressed some concern over decisions made here at Spirit of Vatican II Parish. I reassured him that while I am new to many things, perhaps an occasional voice from outside the parish may be welcome for reflection. For your consideration, I refer your mind to the Catechism (CCC 2284-2287) and also to Cardinal Ratzinger in "Spirit of the Liturgy": "Not surprisingly, people try to reduce [excess creativity in the priest] by assigning all kinds of liturgical functions to different individuals and entrusting the "creative" planning of the liturgy to groups of people who like to, and are supposed to, "make their own contribution". Less and less is God in the picture. More and more important is what is done by the human beings who meet here and do not like to subject themselves to a "pre-determined pattern""

Pax vobiscum,

Fr. Juno

BREAKING NEWS! POPE BLESSES SOV2 'BLOG

Hey! Great news everybody!!!!! Pope Benedict XVI has given his personal blessing to this 'blog and, by extension, Spirit of Vatican II Faith Community, and of course, all you people who are communicants and faith children of SOV2. I wasn't aware that in between excommunications, the pope had time to read 'blogs, but there it is in black & white in a comment on my last "post."

Maryann Mcgronk told me that this is equal to something called an "imprimature" and something else called a "nihil obstat", so now anyone who posts to this 'blog has the seal of papal infallability on their opinions! This is really cool! I had no idea that the pope was so church. If you had asked me yesterday, I would have told you that the chances of the pope being church with us were about the same as the chances of Fr. Juno being understood by the congregation (just kidding Fr. Juno - you're the best!) or the chances of Ché getting a date with Britnee (again, just kidding you two - can you consider the protest in Karns as a date?).

Well, I just had to share some excitement with you. I guess now we should hang up that felt banner of the pope that Eugene's youth group made last year.

Emergency Blog Rating

Hey! One of our faith partners sent me a link to a 'blog, asking for my rating. I went there and became extremely upset. Following is the rating:

Orthometer: PH,C+,T,F,O,R

Note that I had to create a new rating code, C+, which stands for EXTREME CLERICALISM! At first I thought that this site wouldn't get an F, except that the guy who made this site is some sort of German priest like our current Panzerpope. But sure enough if you read down his 'blog far enough, you get to a part where he uses a language that I'm pretty sure is Latin. I've learned in the last few days of 'blogging that if it looks like Italian and it's on a rad-trad 'blog, then it's probably either Latin or Greek.

There's also a "post" on this 'blog where the 'blogger says that HE HATES EARTH DAY! I thank the life-spirit that Ché has other things on his mind, or this would send him into a tizzy.

I also thought about giving his 'blog a new rating "R+" for "Extreme Republican", because of all the anti-choice rhetoric and a video of Fred Thomas, the former senator from my adopted state of Tennessee. But I don't want to confuse people and I am already sorry about the 'blog rating system since it is making me feel a little like a Pharisee myself. Fortunately, Maryann Mcgronk, who studies these things, told me that it is all right to be intolerant of people who are intolerant, and what's more intolerant than telling womyn what they can do with their bodies?

Bad News!

Hey SOV2 folks - The devil is really upset with all the good work we've been doing because he's raised up his minions again. KEITH'S BEEN ARRESTED! I was there when it happened and I can't tell you how upset I am.

We were going out to Victor Ashe Park to commune with the cognitive artist's guild before Keith goes up to Canada and we just stopped by a Rocky Top market. I went in to get a six pack of mello yello and when I came back there's about four state trooper's surrounding Keith's purple saturn wagon. They have Keith pinned down to the hood. And they're pulling out all his green leaf tea. Then they were trying to stuff him into one of their cruisers but he wouldn't fit because he is kind of big in proportion to the door. (I mean he's really fat and the door isn't so big but I'm not supposed to say he's fat because that get's him mad.) Then the troopers are looking around and they might have seen me, I'm not sure. Anyway, it's like another Garden of Cavalry or something, because I take off into the woods. Now I kind of know how the disciples felt. I mean, if someone had grabbed my cloak I would have been naked getting away.

Anyway, I'm getting together a big group of Keith's friendes and we're going to sit down in front of the Karns Police Station sing songs and have a campfire until they release Keith to us. I'll try and let everybody knows what happened as soon as I can.

Confession at Spirit of Vatican II

Good morning,

I noticed that Fr. Tim accidentally left out of his announcements on Sunday that we will begin to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also called in this country Sacrament of Penance or Confession. Since this has not been offered here at Spirit of Vatican II Church before, I will have a class for anyone who wants to know how this is done. The class will be Tonight at 7 in the Parish Hall. Then the first time for this wonderful Sacrament will be Saturday from 3 pm to 4:30 pm. I hope we can do this each week. Since this Church building does not have any Confessional, I will put a screen in the Meditation Chamber so there can be some privacy if people wish it. I am looking forward to this wonderful Sacrament and hope many parishioners take advantage of this opportunity to become reconciled to our forgiving God and escape from the burden of their sins.

Pax vobiscum,

Fr. Juno

Lighten Up!

Hey everybody. I know you're probably all sad because we're not having the green leaf tea sale and Keith is being sent up to Canada by Maryann so I thought it would be fun to lighten things up a little.

Who doesn't like Julie Andrews right? Especially Victor Victoria which was great and taught us to respect transgendered peoples, but even some of her earlier stuff like My Fair Lady (which is so old-fashioned with the nuns in habits and all but still kind of cute because it is anti-fascist and has lots of good songs like "I Feel Pretty"). Anyway, I don't know if you remember but there was a song in My Fair Lady where professor Higgins had locked all the kids up in a room and Julie Andrews was teaching them how to sing and there was a big storm. This is before she made the curtains into play clothes for the kids. Somehow she ends up going to the horse races and a ball or something, I can't remember. Anyway the song was called My Favorite Things. So if you feel bad you're supposed to think about them and then you feel good.

So here's my list in no particular order: Julia Roberts, e. e. cummings, musicals, Robert Mugabe, green leaf tea, a group of people throwing stones and rocks at the G-8 meeting, Queen, Prince and the Revolution, John F. Kennedy, the Beatles, Tibetan Peace Flags, Toyota Prius, poems by Nikki Giovanni, marshmallows, warm socks on a cold day, Dorothy and Doris Day (they were sisters I think), dew on a microbus as it's parked near an outdoor concert, Avril Lavinge ( I cannever spell her name right!), black berets and red backpacks, Hugo Chavez, jeans with patches on the knees, Harry Belafonte!

I feel a lot better. You should try it!

Che'

Blog Rating Guide

Hey! Ché gave me a great idea for a 'blog rating guide kind of like the one that old catholic magazine used to do for movies. Only instead of being blatant censorship and anti-diversity, my rating guide will try to steer people away from dangerous ideas. I'm going to be using the following code:

PH - Phariseeism
C - Clericalism
T - Traditionalism
F - Funny Languages
O - Offensive (anti-womyn, anti-GLBTNA, etc)
R - Republican
PI - Progressive Level 1 (they get it)
PII - Progressive Level 2 (bookmark it)
PIII - Progressive Level 3 (it'll be in my homily)

To test out my new rating system, I've rated a few 'blogs:

Curt Jester: PH,T,O,R
L.A. Catholic: PH,C,O,R
Sterquilinium: PH,C,T,F,O,R
Ward Wide Web: PH,T,F,O
Adoro Te Devote: PH,O
B Movie Catechism: PH, F
St. Joan of Arc Church: PIII
Vatican (Pope): PH,C,T,F,O,R

Announcements May 20

Here's the announcements:

There will be a workshop on nonviolent confrontation and the preferential option for the poor. This is the first of a series in social justice issues. Call Ché Lovell with any questions.

A printed copy of Fr. Curt Kane's presentation on exploitation of Appalachians will be included in next week's bulletin. We are printing extra copies of the bulletin as I know you will want to get a few copies for your friends.

The VOTF meeting for May has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with the liturgical committee. VOTF members are encouraged to attend the social justic meeting in lieu of the VOTF meeting.

The next EcoChurch meeting will be combined with the SOV2 Youth Group meeting and will feature a viewing of "An Inconvienient Truth". The meeting will be held in the Youth Hall. Space is limited, so reserve your place by calling Eugene Kramer or Ché Lovell. The meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday night at 9:30pm in the Parish Hall.

The Parish Council met Thursday to discuss forming a new buildings & grounds committee. Following are the new guidelines:
-The parish is now entirely no-smoking except for pipes
-The north campus area is designated as "natural" so only indigenous species will be planted
-The south campus are will be left in its pristine kudzu cover
-The B&G committee needs volunteers for Saturday clean-up. See Todd Turk to sign up.
-Although the "Green Grounds" proposal was voted down, the B&G committee has agreed to purchase hybrid "green-power" lawn mowers and to do all trimming by hand. An anonymous donation was made by Dr. Argot to cover the $45,000 cost for the Green Power Mowers.

DVD's of the Easter Vigil are on sale now. See Todd Turk for a copy - he will be selling them after all masses for the next four weeks. As a reminder, less than 10% of the people who pre-ordered these DVD's have actually paid or claimed them. The DVD was a major investment for the parish and as of now we are about $10,000 in the hole. Please step up and help your parish out by purchasing a few copies of the DVD. They make great solstice presents! As an incentive, the Womyn's Club has agreed to offer one hour of guided spirit-maze wandering for anyone who buys two DVD's (womyn only).

Really Cool "Link"

Hey! An anonymous reader left a post where he/she pointed out a "link" to a really cool progressive faith community called "St Andrew the Apostle" which is up in Syracuse. I went to the site and wow! I was blown away! They've really got it together up there. You have to check this "link" out:

St Andrew The Apostle Church

Anyway, it's really sad because it looks like their bishop is taking marching orders from Rome to shut them down by merging them with another parish to dilute their spirit.

I'd like to see them try that here! But anyway, for the people of St. Andrews: WE ARE IN SOLIDARITY WITH YOU!!!!!

(PS, Thanks Ngyuen for helping me do that cool "link")

Green Leaf Tea Sale Next Sunday!

Wow! Exciting News! First of all Keith and I have put aside our differences. He's agreed not to become a liturgical dancer and I won't call him fat anymore (I mean I'm not saying he isn't fat 'cause he is, but I just won't say Keith weighs 350-400 pounds or something because he got on a scale and he was right sort of. He only weighs 280 pounds so he's not as fat as I was saying. But if you saw him you'd think he weighed at least 350 because it's not muscle just blubber).

But the better news is that Keith and I had a great idea. With all the talk of the green leaf tea he grows we figure a lot of people are interested in green leaf tea. So he had a great idea! You know how I forgot to put last Sunday's collection in the bank. Well we took the collection and bought an extra big "stash" of it from this guy he knows who grows a lot of it up in the hills. Anyway we're going to be SELLING IT after all masses next Sunday, and we're going to take the proceeds and rent a bus to go to Oak Ridge and protest the weapons plant! Keith's also going to take some of the money from this first sale and upgrade his basement to grow more green leaf tea so we can make green leaf tea sales a monthly thing. You know you need a lot of flourescent lights and water to grow this stuff.

Well, anyway, I still need to check with Father Tim, but I'm sure he's okay with it.

Che'

Homily, May 20

Wow! After a gospel like that, what can you say? Well, for me, that's never a problem (ha ha!) Seriously, today's gospel is one that should prompt all of us to serious reflection. But it's not just gospels that make us reflect. Anything can and should be a prompt for reflection. Sometimes reflection comes from the strangest places. A couple of examples: One of our ministers told me that some of the kids in our faith community are starting to referto each other as SOV-iers. How cool is that? Get it? SOViers = "Saviors"! Wow! That's a mind-blower. I mean, instead of getting uptight about dogma or whatever, these kids - OUR kids, are in tune enough to recognize each other as saviors. So I had to reflect - and I did, and I see the truth in this - that within our faith community, we are all saviors to each other, when we help each other, or when we are just there in communion. Isn't that what it's all about?

Then another thing that made me reflect was overhearing some of our brothers complaining about the feast of the ascension being moved from Thursday to Sunday. And that's just sad - sad that people get so hung up on one day of the week or another. I mean, how can you get so psychoempathically wrapped up in something that you get all bent out of shape becuase it gets moved to a different day? I'll tell you how - it's because you're looking for somebody to give you THE RULES, instead of just trying to be church. If these people would just get it, like the kids do, that you've got to be a SOVier, then our entire faith community might be like the apostles were - sharing, giving, loving people who redistributed their wealth and didn't get hung up about what day of the week a certain celebration was. Let's do that. Let's both reflect and BE reflections - reflecting each other like two mirrors face to face. How cool is that? How CHURCH is that?

SOV2 Interior

Hey everybody, I got some folks asking for a picture of the inside of SOV2, and here it is. You can see the altar on the left side of the stage, and my chair on the right side. The picture is a little outdated, because we've installed a batismal pool in the center of the stage, and we've put some chaise lounges around the front row of the pews so that the ministers can recline during mass just like the followers "reclined at table" back in the day. I'll try to get a close up of the baptism pool sometime soon or if I can get one of our eggheads to take a new picture of the interior, I'll get Ngyuen to "upload" it to the 'blog. Also, I have to apologize because the building looks a little bare on the inside - this picture was taken while we were exploring solidarity with the iconoclasts. Maryann and Che had some thing about Jan Hus and atoning for some crusade or another, so we took out all the banners and love-art. Have a rockin' weekend! See you Sunday!

Regarding the Knights of Columbus

Hey! When I got back from retreat, a couple of my ministers came to me to let me know that some people in the parish had been spreading around a story that I had told the Knights of Columbus that they couldn't have one of their clubs here at SOV2. I wanted to take a minute and let you all know that this is completely false. I know who is spreading these stories around, and I have to say that it is damaging the communion here at SOV2 and the culprits are not going to be allowed to participate in any ministries until they stop spreading scandal.

What really happened was this: I was approached this past winter by a couple of new parishioners who wanted to form a Knights of Columbus club at SOV2. After thinking about it for a while, and doing some research, I told them no. I have two objections. First, Maryann McGronk did some research too and gave me the following quote from Pope Leo XIII: "Under your guidance, let parents, religious instructors, and priests having the cure of souls, use every opportunity, in their Christian teaching, of warning their children and pupils of the infamous nature of these societies so that they may learn in good time to beware of the various and fraudulent artifices by which their promoters are accustomed to ensnare people."

Second, from everything I could see on their website, the Knights of Columbus basically worship priests and the pope. This stinks of CLERICALISM, and I have to say as pastor of this faith community that I won't have clericalism in my parish!

Also, Ché Lovell, who is very familiar with such things, told me that the Knights of Columbus is basically a right-wing beer drinking club who spend all their time harassing womyn about their choices and wearing funny hats. I don't want to judge (judge not, lest ye be judged), nor do I want to interfere with anyone's Freedom of Expression, but I have to say that such a club would be a distraction to the many ministries in our faith community.

Finally, as Ché pointed out, the Knights of Columbus club won't allow any womyn to join, which is very much against all our policies here at SOV2.

So I invited these guys to instead form a new SOV2 Myn's Club, and they are considering it. So you can see that the gossip and rumors that are being spread around are entirely baseless and false.

Have you seen my backpack?

Hey! Has anyone seen my backpack? It's kind of small and red, but it has a lot of pins and patches and things like that on it. I wrote my name on it but there were a lot of other people's names because everybody I meet I ask them to sign it. It even has Julia Robert's autograph which i got when I was grenich village last year! I have had it since I was in High School and it means a lot to me. Plus it had some poems I was working on and the copy of Hitler's Pope that I borrowed from the church library.

Oh yeah! and last Sunday's church collection was in it too because I was supposed to put it in the bank since Farther Tim was out of town but I forgot.

So please please please please if you see it could you e-mail me or respond to this blog with information I would appreciate it a lot.

Thanks,
Che

Why Separation of Church and State is really dumb!

Hey SOV2 community. I wanted to let you know that Todd and I are squared away and not to worry about us being a scandal to the church anymore because we're now really cool about everything. In fact credit really goes to Keith who is going to lead a new funk rock group before 10:30 mass. Since I play the tabourine I was going to help out (if it's okay with Todd, which I'm sure it is). Make sure you bring ear plugs because it's going to be LOUD and SPIRITED!

Anyway I also wanted to share a thought which we've been mulling over in the SJM about church and state and how that's a really dumb idea. I mean it might have sounded good on paper about 200 years ago but it doesn't make any sense for people today.

The idea of separation of church and state goes back to Thomas Jefferson, I think, who believed that god was like a big ticking clock. Well we all know that god is really just a liberating spirit. What the spirit liberates it sanctifies and what it sanctifies it redeems and what it redeems it liberates! So Thomas Jefferson, who was also our third president and lived in Monticello, had it wrong! The church is us (right?!) and the state is us (right?!) so how can we separate the church from the state? It makes no sense at all! And just as the spirit is distributed among all of us in the same way and all at once, so it is for the state. Since the state and the church have the same mandate its obvious that they must have complimentary missions (by complimentary I don't mean they are always saying nice things about each other but that their two missions kind of fit together like an ostrich feather and crimson suede).

The power of the state comes from a mandate from the people. But by that I don't mean everyone. I mean the disenfranchised people because they are the ones that actually support the state, but not the rich kids who play polo and lacrosse and go to Cancun and exploit all the time. And so the people who actually represent the people, I mean the people who connect with the people and care about the people, they're the ones who really should control both the church and the state.

So let's ask ourselves: is it really the people who control the church? Yes it is the people because the people are the church. They just aren't awake to this yet. So the people in the form of the state have to exert their mandated authority to fulfill their mission and impose the people's will on the church which is themselves. If I was president the first thing I would do, right after disbanding the nuclear arsenal and freeing all political prisoners, and putting all the CIA people on war crimes trials, would be to repeal the first ammendment! That way the church would be subject to the same laws as everybody else.

Thanks,
Che'

Hey! I'm back!

Wow! Sorry for not 'blogging earlier, but I was up at a mini-retreat in Maggie Valley. What an awesome experience! So much to say, I'm not sure where to start. Well, here goes. First, thanks Fr. Juno for covering for me in my absence. I know how hard it is to be filling in for a pastor-on-retreat (believe me - boy do I know!).

The Maggie Valley (North Carolina) Friendship Center is a great facility. I hadn't been there before - it's pretty new, and is kind of an annex to the Glenmary Camp. They call the rooms there "cells," and boy could I see why. Not much in them but a bed and an alarm clock, a TV, shower, toilet and dresser.

But we didn't spend much time in our "cells". There were a lot of great priests there, and it was instant community. I got a chance to meet Fr. Curt Kane, who will be here for a special presentation next Sunday. You are in for a really big treat. Fr. Kane is a deeply compassionate man, and he knows his stuff!

Also, I got my chance to be in a drum circle for the first time. I don't know how many of you know this, but when I was a kid, I wanted to be a drummer for a rock & roll band. I guess you know THAT didn't happen - my mother wouldn't hear of it and she made me play the violin instead. So here I was, a grown man, and finally getting to play drums. It was cool, and very liberating in a spiritual way. Don't worry Todd, I won't be asking to play drums for the choir, but I really think the drum circle would be a nice addition to our faith community. I got a cool idea that we could combine a drum circle with our womyn's group spiritual maze walk.

Finally, I got to give a presentation about the neat things our faith community is doing, and let me tell you, the other pastors were really impressed with our spirit and zeal. Some of them come from less progressive parishes (one good priest went so far as to call his parishioners "pharisees"). There was a lot of jealousy and I realize how lucky I am to be at SOV2!

Anyway, now I'm back, so Fr. Juno can get some rest.

Hello

Hello. Fr Plarvik asked me to post on his blog while he was gone. I am lucky that Ngyuen Tran was able to help me. Also it is good because Ngyuen speaks much better English than me, so I am here. Fr Plarvik just wanted me to say hello but I must say that I have read many of the comments on this blog and I am saddened by the arguments about small things. You must remember that this parish is not so much about who is on the committee or this or that, but is about worship of God. Try to be charitable. I call to your mind 1 John 4:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:28. Thank you for your welcome of me. I will try to be "a good blogger" as Ngyuen tells me I should be.

Announcements May 13

Hey! I forgot to 'blog my announcements from Sunday, so here they are. Also, some parishioners have complained that this 'blog seems to be all about disagreements among the parish staff. To those parishioners I have to say (lovingly) judge not. The members of the parish staff put in long hours for not much of a salary. If this 'blog gives them a place to sound off a bit, then I think it can be a good sign to all of us on how to resolve our differences in a loving, faithful way.

So, here's the announcements:

The liturgical committee will be meeting in the parish hall to discuss upcoming changes. Anyone with questions should call Maryann McGronk at the parish office.

There will be a workshop on nonviolent confrontation and the preferential option for the poor. This is the first of a series in social justice issues. Call Ché Lovell with any questions.

The VOTF meeting for May has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with the liturgical committee. VOTF members are encouraged to attend the social justic meeting in lieu of the VOTF meeting.

The next EcoChurch meeting will be combined with the SOV2 Youth Group meeting and will feature a viewing of "An Inconvienient Truth". The meeting will be held in the Youth Hall. Space is limited, so reserve your place by calling Eugene Kramer or Ché Lovell.

As a reminder, liturgical dancers must be registered with the music ministry. YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE TO BE PART OF LITURGICAL DANCE. We don't want a repetition of the scene at the Easter vigil mass. Call Todd Turk for details on this exciting ministry.

Maryann McGronk has told me that we will try to have an RCIA class this year. This would be a really big deal for us since we were not able to have a class last year.

The Parish Council will be meeting Thursday to discuss forming a new buildings & grounds committee. Council president Todd Turk asked me to remind the parish that the Parish Council has voted down the "Green Grounds" proposal due to the unpleasant aroma in the trial run.

Fr. Curt Kane of Appalachian Peace Alliance will be here next Sunday to give a presentation after mass on the work his ministry is doing helping the poor of Appalachia resist economic exploitation and develop reliable alternatives to mass production.

Finally, big thanks to Fr. Juno Aroymba for hosting the "Taste of Kenya" night last week. For those of you who missed this event, we had a great time and will definately want Fr. Juno to serve up that tasty bean dish at the next potluck supper.

Image of me

Father Tim,

A friend of mine made this stained glass image for the sacristy from an old picture of me. Pretty good huh?

Che'

Homily, Sunday May 13.

Happy Mother's Day! Let's have a round of applause for all the mothers. All you mothers, will you please stand up? Thank you. You know, last night Fr. Juno and I were watching The Horse Whisperer with Robert Redford. And I was thinking that Church is like the horse whisperer. You know, we're like the horse. He has to whisper to us. If he just tries to get on our back and ride us, then we bolt. We run away. Because we're scared, scared of being ridden, scared of being taken to a place that we don't want to go, that we're not "comfortable" with. And that's what it's often like for us, isn't it? It's about comfort. We want to be comfortable in our pews, we want to be comfortable with our friends. But that's not being Church. Being Church means getting out of that comfort. It means listening to the horse whisperer. And that's not comfortable. It's not comfortable when someone you don't know asks you for something, or if you don't like singing and someone asks you to sing. But we're all called upon to sing - that is our vocation, to sing! To cry out in joy, Alleluia, Alleluia! Isn't that what being a mother is all about? It's like being Church for your family. Only we don't have the luxury of just our families. That can be selfish, allthough heaven knows there's work enough to do in the family. Mothers are like horse whisperers too. If they try to get on the backs of their family, the family will sometimes bolt or shy away. So mothers have to whisper, to plead. Sometimes we get so caught up in all these roles that people pick out for us that we don't stop to be Church to each other, either here or at our homes. Today's gospel is one of my favorites, and for me it is all about how we can be Church without shouting or trying to jump on each other's backs. When I was growing up in Boston, my family was like a bunch of horse-breakers without a horse. Everyone was on everyone else's back all the time. And when I grew up, I finally said ENOUGH! I tried to be Church to my family first. I can't say it was very successful. I think my family, and my mother in particular, wanted it to be easy. They wanted to jump up on someone's back and just ride them wherever they wanted to go. They didn't know that you have to whisper. They didn't know that you have to be Church. Happy mother's day!

Church Photo

Hey! Ngyuen showed me how to upload pictures! Pretty cool. So I had to upload a picture of the Church. If you haven't been to SOV2, here's what you're missing. The acoustics inside are awesome too.

Here we are!

Hey! Welcome to the 'blog! If you got here by mistake, welcome! If you got here on purpose, it works! Pastoral outreach isn't what it was - this 'blog is only one of the great new tools we have for reaching out to our congregation and beyond.

I'm supposed to use this to cut down on the announcements after mass, but hey, you know me! I'll be posting news from the parish as well as little things I think might be good for meditation or social action.

Keep coming back! I promise this 'blog will be exciting, fun, and informative!

PS: Thanks to parishioner Ngyuen Tran for helping me get started on Blogger - mom & dad you must be proud!