The First Post of the Year...

...and it has to be about the fact that, effective January 10th, we in Boise are losing our only accessible Traditional Latin Mass (apart from the SSPX chapel).  The good Fr. Andrew Szymakowski, pastor of St. Bridget of Kildare in Nyssa, Oregon, is being transferred to another parish not far from Portland.  Apart from the SSPX chapel, this leaves Boiseans with no Traditional Latin Mass within 300 miles.

The Catholics of Nyssa, whether they know it or not, are most unfortunate to be losing Fr. Andrew.  He is a true shepherd, with the rod and the staff to prove it, and he's not afraid to use them: any wolf foolhardy enough to take on Fr. Andrew has met its match.  Although brought up by the FSSP (to which he no longer belongs), Father is perfectly willing to celebrate the Novus Ordo (for which he is hated and despised by the über-trads); he clothes himself and his chalice in aesthetically pleasing vestments, says the black, does the red, and brooks no nonsense.  He takes seriously both his authority and his responsibility to exercise the same: he says yes when charity demands it, and no when no needs to be said, heedless of howls and derision.  He preaches doctrine fearlessly, plainly and straightforwardly, unafraid to step on toes or prick consciences.  He has been a friend to my chapter of lay Dominicans, and was good enough to concelebrate at the Mass where I made my perpetual profession in October.  And he is, besides all this, quite a character.  It is not possible to sit stony-faced and glum with Fr. Andy and his energetic personality at the table.  My friends and I who went out to Nyssa for Mass had many laughs with him over dinner afterward.  We will miss him very much.

And we will miss the Traditional Latin Mass.  Having endured the penance of 100-mile round trips, and given thanks for being spared the penance of getting up at 4:30 a.m. for it...well, I guess we put out of our minds all thought about the penance of not having it at all.  We did not attend for political reasons, or because we think the Novus Ordo is invalid, or because we wanted to bask in the glory of being an oppressed minority in the Church; we attended because we love the TLM as a thing worthy of being loved on its own merits. I, for one, get more truths of the Catholic faith from one Traditional Latin Mass than I got out of 12 years of Catholic school.  It is the same Mass, albeit with a few changes, that has nourished generations upon generations of saints: if Ignatius Loyola or Alphonsus Liguori or Don Bosco or Faustina, while still living on this earth, were to be plucked out of their own times and set down in a church during the Traditional Latin Mass now, in 2011, they would feel at home.   Now that I have a few dozen TLMs under my belt, I can read explanations of the Mass by St. Alphonsus or Dietrich von Hildebrand and understand what they are talking about.  And there is always something new to discover, something the meaning of which had never struck home before.  I am sorry to say that very few people attended.  It is unfortunate that so many excluded themselves from so much beauty, and from this inestimable treasure of our Catholic heritage.  It could have been even more beautiful still if Father had had the personnel to celebrate Missa Cantata or High Mass, but sufficient interest from those with the necessary qualifications could not be mustered.  And now it has been taken away.  I suppose that is only just.

God bless Fr. Andrew, and keep him safe, and prosper his ministry.  And God help us as we now turn to the task of bringing this pearl of great price, the Traditional Latin Mass, back and close to home.

Now I Am a Lifer

Saturday was professions for the Bl. Margaret of Castello chapter, Boise, Idaho, Western Province of the Holy Name of Jesus, Third Order Preachers.  In a diocese that is utterly devoid of Dominican friars, it was a rare treat for our chapter to have Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P. with us to give us a one-day retreat, celebrate Mass and preside at professions at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.  Fr. Andrew Szymakowski of the Diocese of Baker,  who came as our guest, graciously concelebrated at professions. The chapter welcomed two postulants, admitted five members to temporary professions, and admitted two -- including yours truly -- to perpetual profession.  Stephanie DeNinno, then subprioress (now formation director) and Bonnie Fitzpatrick worked hard to arrange the venue, keep things running smoothly, and head clean-up efforts.  On Sunday, we repaired to Chapter House in Homedale, where Fr. Serpa celebrated Mass, after which we got down to some serious eating, drinking and talking -- in short, partying as only Dominicans can.  There were no arrests and very few casualties.

So now I am a lifer in the Third Order Preachers, where I never thought I would end up -- the same Order, in fact, which boasted among its members the not-very-nice sisters who ran the parochial school I attended from 1976-1984.  That was my first brush with the Order of Preachers, and it left me quite cold.  I had all but forgotten about Dominicans by the time I left for Idaho in 1995; but within ten years, I found myself entangled with them again.  And now I am entangled with them for good.

St. Thomas Aquinas received a most consoling revelation to the effect that few, if any members of the Order of Preachers would be lost.  This is obviously not my cue to commence sinning boldly.  But it does certainly point to a solid foundation for hope, namely, the Rule which will now support me for life. 

Month of the Rosary, Month of Professions

Next month is a big month for the Third Order Dominicans, Bl. Margaret of Castello Chapter, Boise, Idaho.  We will be admitting several new postulants; several members will  renew  or make first temporary professions; and two of us -- including yours truly -- will be admitted to perpetual profession.  Best of all, we have the Promoter of the Laity for the Western Province, Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P., coming up to preside over professions.  (Yes, that Fr. Serpa, chaplain for Catholic Answers.)  Fr. Serpa's attendance is due to the efforts of The Redoubtable Marcus Magnus, who was irresistible as usual.  Professions will be held on the evening of Saturday, October 16th at St. John's Cathedral in Boise.  On Sunday the 17th, Fr. Serpa will celebrate Mass at Chapter House in Homedale, and the new chapter council  officers -- again including yours truly -- will be sworn in and begin their three-year terms.

So the little chapter, under the patronage of Little Margaret, is growing, even though we have not a single Dominican friar in the diocese (that is to say, in the entire state of Idaho), and only one religious sister.  

Which is not to say we couldn't use some good members of the First and Second Orders (i.e., friars and nuns) around this place.  I am currently reading a biography of St. Vincent Ferrer, O.P., the Angel of the Apocalypse, who was willing to travel into the most God-forsaken territories to spread the Gospel and fish for souls.  Who will come to Idaho on a permanent basis and follow his example?

Flower Power

Well, the clouds parted for a short spell earlier this afternoon, so that gave me an opportunity to capture a few images of our fleeting spring up by the Boise Depot.

Primitive yellow roses with raindrops still inside.

Poppies.

Heather.

I don't know what they call these abundant little white flowers, but they're pretty neat.

The Roses Are Coming

We continue to have unseasonably cool weather, storms and overcast skies, so spring hasn't put on much of a spectacle yet.  On the other hand, she hasn't exactly been idle, either.  The roses are starting to come up at the Rose Garden at Julia Davis Park.

 And I know these are weeds, but they are still beautiful in their way.

 And on the way back from Nyssa on Sunday, there was this explosion of yellow roses.

  Hopefully the sun comes out soon.  Until then, the yellow roses will have to fill in!

What Season IS It?

This somewhat grainy photo demonstrates a weird yet typical Idaho phenomenon: the juxtaposition of winter and late spring.  The snow in the foothills behind the Statehouse fell on the night of May 22-23.

Must be global warming. 

Spring Fling

Who can come up with anything to post?  Not me.  That's why I'm going to put up pictures of Spring in action.  How Spring has busied herself in southern Idaho (even though we haven't had the greatest weather so far):

Wait till the roses start going to town.

Gold Coins

Years and years ago, I read a fairy story about a girl whose evil stepmother sends her out in a paper dress in winter to gather strawberries.  She takes refuge in a house belonging to three dwarfs.  When they demand that she share her food with them, she gladly gives them half of her only crust of bread.  When they order her to sweep their back step, she does so at once.  Part of her reward for her humility, generosity and obedience is that every time she speaks, a gold coin falls from her mouth.

Meet Fr. José de Jesús Camacho, priest of the Diocese of Boise.   In addition to his regular parish duties, he has a prison ministry and a blog.  He has also taken over the city's only 7:00 a.m. daily Mass since the death of Msgr. Donoghue, about whom you have read in this space.  I don't agree with everything Fr. Camacho says; but he is a good and devoted priest.  I don't know if getting up early enough for 7:00 a.m. Mass is as much a mortification for him as it is for me; either way, he gets beaucoup points for it as far as I'm concerned.

And when a priest is humble, generous, and obedient, and gets out of God's way...gold coins fall out of his mouth.  Here are a few of the gold coins that have fallen from the lips of Fr. Camacho during his homilies (and these quotes are not exact, but as close as I can remember them):

On the nature of freedom: "Freedom" does not mean freedom to do whatever you want; it means the freedom to do what is right.

On true priestly vocations: Those who want to build a career within the Church rather than serve do not have an authentic vocation: that is the difference between God's call and one's own agenda.

On the liturgy and particularly the Eucharist: The more entertainment you need, the less faith you have.

'Nuff said!  What more can be added?  Except: Yay, Father!  Keep those gold coins coming!

And thank you for crawling out of a warm bed on cold mornings for us.   

God to Boise: April Fool's!

Snow in April!

Wish I could have gotten a picture of the blizzard that hit this morning.

Spring Has Sprung

Even though, at the time I shot this this morning, it was about 28 degrees out!

March 4, 1863: Idaho Territory

147 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln took time out from dealing with the Civil War to sign into law an act of Congress creating the Idaho Territory.  The territory contained what are now the states of Idaho, Montana and most of Wyoming.  Its first capital was Lewiston, Idaho.

But then, in 1864, the capital moved to Boise -- and has stayed here ever since.  To make it up to the bereft citizens of northern Idaho, Idaho's land grant university -- the University of Idaho, my law school alma mater -- was situated in Moscow, the seat of Latah County.  

Incidentally, Latah County is the only county in the entire nation that was created by an act of Congress.  

Snowballs

Old Man Winter is not through in Boise yet.

The snow gathers in balls on the berries.

Time Despised During Life

With the battle over end-of-life issues widening and intensifying, the pro-life movement is giving more and more attention to euthanasia and assisted suicide; and so, the keynote speaker at the March for Life rally in Boise last Saturday was David Gibbs, the attorney who fought to save Terri Schiavo.  I can recall that as the war over Terri Schiavo's life raged, her husband Michael -- with his baby-mama and his big, fat malpractice settlement -- alleged that his unfortunate wife had previously expressed a wish never to be maintained in a condition such as that which eventually provided a rationale for her judicially-sanctioned murder.

I, like everyone else, pray that I never become a helpless prisoner in a paralyzed body or a profoundly damaged brain.  On the other hand, I do not want anybody playing God and cutting the thread of my life before its time.  So, lest a time should come when somebody pretends to be complying with my purported wishes to be euthanized in the event of serious illness or injury, I wish to state now and for the record that:

-- I do not want to be put out of my misery.

-- I do want to be hooked up to as many machines as it takes to keep me alive, for as long as necessary.

-- I do want whatever procedures my situation indicates, and to have the risks and benefits of such procedures weighed by myself or my designated representative.

-- I do not want to spare others the trouble and expense of caring for me.  I do want to spare them the folly of murdering me out of a sense of misguided compassion.

In short:

-- I want to make as much noise as I can, take up as much space as I can, and make as much trouble as I can, for as long as I can, because I will never get back the time I have to do these things in.

And neither will you.

O time despised during life! you will be ardently desired by worldlings at the hour of death.  They will then wish for another year, another month, another day; but they will not obtain it: they will then be told that time shall be no longer.  How much would they then pay for another week, or another day, to settle the accounts of their conscience?  To obtain a single hour, they would, says St. Laurence Justinian, give all their wealth and worldly possessions.  But this hour shall not be given.

St. Alphonsus Liguori, Preparation for Death

December 27th: Feast of the Holy Family

Don't know why I didn't think of posting this before...

This is the Holy Family window at St. John's Cathedral, Boise.

Snow Scenes

Last night a new snowfall started, to celebrate the winter solstice and to replace what the rain had washed away a few days ago. On my way to work, the bare branches of the trees looked like lace in the dim light. This image doesn't do justice to the original: I didn't have time to wait for sunrise.

The snow continued for most of the day: light, but steady: small, wet flakes that stuck to everything they touched. 

Midday: despite a moderate wind, the snow balances steadily on bare thorns.

The snow makes everything beautiful...

...even a stray shopping cart.

By late afternoon, the sky was clear, the sun was out, and the pavement was covered in puddles.  But the snow had not all melted away.

The snow is a little misshapen, but still doing its balancing act on the branches.

The Heat Wave Intensifies

I only managed to shoot one snow pic this morning that I liked, and this is it: snow on the juniper bush.

I saw lots of beautiful snow scenes, but I was running late for Mass and didn't have time to stop and shoot them.  Then when Mass let out, it was above freezing, so a lot of those scenes were gone.

Right now, my thermometer says 33.  I hear water dripping outside, so it's probably actually warmer than that.

Heat Wave

At long last: after a solid week of highs in the low teens and subzero temperatures at night, it's warm enough to snow.

I know you people in Minnesota and Wisconsin and such places are playing the world's smallest violin over Boise's cold snap.  But then, if I wanted Minnesota weather, I'd have moved to Minnesota.

Sunset over Boise

Sunrises over Boise are pretty cool...

...sunsets aren't too shabby, either.

More Dawnings

One of the advantages of Daylight Savings:

I can roll out of bed at the latest possible minute and still catch a sunrise!

Sunrise over Boise