Catechist Basics

I have been part of a very special growing apostolate for a few years now, called Catechetical Foundations.  Catechetical Foundations was formed as a response to the often poor formation of Catechists in the Church. You can find out more about Catechetical Foundations HERE.

Most of my work has been there helping to build content for use in schools and parishes, developing material for DRE's and Priests in parishes to carry out faithfully and effectively the duty of passing on the Faith, and developing well trained catechists.  So I have spent little time here on Sober Inebriation.

Catechetical Foundations is now getting ready to launch the first of a four part online series of classes called "Catechist Basics"   My Diocese sees the value of this growing ministry, and also the value of getting people serving the Church studying documents like Catechesi Tradendae (Catechesis in the Modern World) and becoming well acquainted with the foundational principles which should guide all sound Catechesis.

Please share and help get this important work into the hands of those serving in the trenches.  Go to Catechetical Foundations and let them know you support the work.  Sign up to take one of their courses, or even bring them to your parish to help restore the art of faithfully handing on the faith, brick by brick, with all its rigor and vigor.

The thoughts of a former President on Ron Paul's Foreign Policy

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And now, friends and countrymen, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind? Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity. She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights. She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own. She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart. She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right. Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force.... She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit....

[America's] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.

- John Quincy Adams 6th President of the U.S.

H/T: The Daily Paul

Ron Paul on Pope John Paul II

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“I would encourage those who wish to honor his (John Paul II) memory to reflect on his teachings regarding war and the sanctity of life, and consider the inconsistencies in claiming to be pro-life but supporting the senseless killing of innocent people that inevitably accompanies militarism, or in claiming to be pro-peace and pro-compassion but supporting the legal killing of the unborn.” (Congressman Ron Paul)

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A New Generation of Catechists

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A Great resource for all who teach the faith in parishes, schools, and homes.

Go support: Catechetical Foundations

Liturgical Life At Wyoming Catholic College

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The following article speaks for itself. If you are looking for an incredible and faithful Catholic College Education you can't go wrong with Wyoming Catholic College.

H/T: article found at NLM
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A Rich Liturgical Life at Wyoming Catholic College

by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski
Professor of Theology and Philosophy
Wyoming Catholic College

Pope Benedict XVI is leading the Church out of a forty-year captivity marked by a “hermeneutic of rupture and discontinuity” into a new era in which Vatican II can be seen for what it truly is: one among many Councils, in continuity with them, and not opposed to all that had come before.

This is true in a special way of the Sacred Liturgy. Too often in recent decades the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been celebrated in a way that is quite different from, and even opposed to, the way it had been celebrated since time immemorial. The Pope is calling us back to a celebration in keeping with the dignity and mystery of the Eucharistic mystery. He is gently but firmly calling the Church back to continuity with her own Tradition. This is the deepest reason for his motu proprio liberating the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite: he wishes to see the two uses or forms exercising a mutual influence, such that lost continuity can be regained over time. It is a long term strategy with many immediate practical consequences. The “reform of the reform” has indeed begun, and the question that each knowledgeable Catholic must ask himself is this: Am I with the Pope and the real Vatican II, or am I de facto against the Pope because I wish to perpetuate a supposed “spirit of Vatican II”?

All over the world, parishes, chapels, and religious communities are adding the Extraordinary Form to their roster of Masses. The Pope’s example is beginning to have effects on the way Mass in the Ordinary Form is celebrated outside of the Vatican, especially in cities and in cathedrals. Plainchant and polyphony, ornate vessels and vestments, the Latin language, incense, and other such once familiar features of liturgy are returning in a way that could never have been foreseen even ten years ago. The seminaries and religious orders that are swelling most rapidly are those that have heartily embraced the Pope’s reforms.

Catholic institutions of higher learning cannot remain unaffected by the momentous shift taking place in the life of the Church. Rather than keeping students in thrall to the outmoded mentality of the past few decades, a truly Catholic college will set them confidently along the path of the hermeneutic of continuity, following in the footsteps of the Vicar of Christ.

For those who are hoping to hear good news in this regard, Wyoming Catholic College is truly a cause for rejoicing. This college is radical in its educational philosophy and curriculum, because we go back to the roots, the radices, of Western thought and culture. In the eyes of the world we are just about as “retro” as a college can be, but we are convinced that this is ultimately in the best interest of our students. Is it not the same with the liturgy and Catholic life? We want to be radical in the best sense—to connect with the deep roots that nourish our faith and identity as Catholics. Traditional liturgy, be it Western or Eastern, is an essential part of this nourishment; so is the language of the Latin-rite Church and her musical patrimony. Wyoming Catholic College is grateful to Almighty God that we are able to provide such nourishment—the robust and hopeful vision of Pope Benedict XVI—to the future leaders of the Church in this country.

As the Second Vatican Council teaches, the sacred liturgy—and above all, the Holy Eucharist—is “the source and summit” of the Christian life. For this reason, the sacred liturgy is celebrated at Wyoming Catholic College with fidelity to the directives of Holy Mother Church and with loving attention to her Tradition. Taking inspiration and guidance from the teaching and example of Pope Benedict XVI, the College chaplaincy offers a rich liturgical life to students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community. On most days of the week, the collegiate Mass is the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, celebrated in English, with common parts (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Pater Noster, etc.) sung in Gregorian chant, and with antiphons taken from the Graduale Simplex. The main collegiate Mass on Sundays is celebrated with special solemnity, the Schola singing the Introit, Offertory, and Communion antiphons and the College Choir providing hymns and polyphonic music.

In keeping with the generous intentions of Summorum Pontificum, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated every Wednesday (12 pm), Saturday (11 am), and Sunday (8 am) by the College’s full-time resident chaplain. On Wednesday it is the only collegiate Mass offered and the majority of students attend it; on Saturday it is the only daily Mass in the town of Lander. On Sunday it is always a Missa Cantata.

About twice a year, a biritual diocesan priest celebrates a fully sung Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Ukrainian recension). This, together with the Roman rite, affords all of us, including several Eastern-rite Catholics in the student body, a welcome opportunity to “breathe with both lungs” of the Church.

Confessions, all-afternoon Eucharistic adoration, and evening Benediction are part of nearly every day’s schedule. Small groups of students gather daily to pray Lauds, Vespers, and Compline in Latin, and the Rosary in English.

The College has been blessed with visits from a number of prelates who have celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with us: The Most Rev. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.; Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay (one of the College’s founders); Bishop Paul D. Etienne of Cheyenne; Bishop Michael J. Sheridan of Colorado Springs; Bishop Paul S. Coakley of Salinas; and Bishop James D. Conley, Auxiliary Bishop of Denver. Fr. Vernon Clark, a priest of the Diocese of Cheyenne who also ministers to the Carmelite monastery in Wyoming, has twice celebrated a Missa Cantata in the traditional Carmelite Rite. Other priests have made extended stays in Lander, either for personal visits or to assist in The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, and during their stay have celebrated the Extraordinary Form, often as a series of sung Masses: Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB, formerly of the Institute of Sacred Music in St. Louis; Fr. Thomas Bolin, OSB, of the Monastero di San Benedetto in Norcia; Fr. Sebastian Walshe, O.Praem., of St. Michael’s Abbey in California; and Fr. John Zuhlsdorf. The local pastor has been most welcoming and accommodating towards all these visitors and has made a point of including the College’s liturgical and devotional schedule in his parish bulletin.

The general attitude and approach of Wyoming Catholic College is this: whatever form or rite is being used, the sacred liturgy is to be offered in the most beautiful and dignified manner possible, characterized by obedience to current universal norms and by an immense respect for the Church’s ancient heritage. In recognition of the exalted place of the sacred liturgy in the life of the College, our academic schedule is devised to allow all students and faculty to attend every day. The College promotes a culture of daily attendance at Mass and we are pleased to see that a majority of the students do attend daily.

It's hard to argue with this assesment

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I find this very hard to argue against:

A response to the current jobs report: HERE

In my humble opinion, it the only response I have seen that actually makes any sort of real sense to the current economical issues this country faces.

I really do believe that this time around, more so than any other looming election, we need to be more than basically informed about the leadership and direction of this country.

The mainstream media’s disconnect from Ron Paul

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What the mainstream media has against Ron Paul I don't know. It seems odd to me to see such disdain.

While I do not agree with all Congressman Paul's political positions, he does not seem like a crazy man to me.
What is crazy to me is that our government has driven our country into the debt oblivion.
It does not seem crazy radical to me to hear someone say our countries leaders should be fiscally responsible, and manage our economy in sound fashion by not over spending more than we take in.
It does not sound crazy to me to hear a congressman say that our nations leaders should abide by the Constitution and the rule of law in governing this nation. Anyway I digress.

Ron Paul finished second in the Iowa Straw Poll by just a few corn kernels (less than 200 to be exact).
He has swelled to 14% approval as a Republican candidate in the race for the Republican nomination.
He talks common sense, he appeases no one, and defends his positions very well.

So what's the deal with the mainstream media, just looking past this guy?

I don't trust the mainstream media, and I certainly detest the manner in which they distort reality.

This much is true - the mainstream media does not like Ron Paul, the Liberal left does not like Ron Paul, and the established GOP does not like Ron Paul.

If all these groups have this much disdain for the man, them maybe we should spend a little more time listening to what he has to say about our Country, and the decisions that need to be made to get it out of the financial hole it finds itself in.....maybe....anyway I digress again.

I thought it amusing that The Daily Show with John Stewart actually did a fantastic job railing the liberal and established media on their blatant refusal to draw attention that Ron Paul has been doing nothing but picking up steam in this race for the Republican nomination...

take a look...

The Daily Show
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