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We are all familiar with award ceremonies –the Oscars, the Junos, the Grammys, the Genies and Geminis – there are also Catholic film and TV awards, the Gabriels – for the last two years S+L TV has won the award for TV station of the year – but have you heard of Catholic music awards? They are the Unity Awards and this year the ceremony will take place in Calgary, August 27th and 28th.  Listen to a recent S+L Radio interview with event organiser Denis Grady:

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There are some 30 categories and among the Canadian (and S+L Radio guest) nominees are, Critical Mass, for group of the year, their song Tantum Ergo, for Devotional Song of the Year, and their song Devotion, for Liturgical/Sacramental Song of the Year; Janelle for Female Vocalist of the Year, and her song What I Gotta Say, for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year; Chris Bray for New Artist of the Year, his album The Worship Album for Praise and Worship Album of the Year, and his song Called, for Praise and Worship Song of the Year; Critical Mass’ album Body Language and David MacDonald’s album He Rose Again for Modern Rock/Alternative Album of the Year; David MacDonald’s song Oui Je le Veux for International Song of the Year and his music videos Life is the Only Choice and Holy of Holies for Music Video/DVD of the Year. Good luck to all the nominees!

For more information on the Unity Awards conference and Gala, go to www.ucmva.com and I promise a full report when I return- the days will be jam-packed with concerts, workshops and networking. For-sure-highlights are to be Tony Melendez, Ceili Rain, Jerry and Cricket Aull, Fr. Bob Mitchell, OFM, and the Priests Panel.

And look for me, if you’re planning on attending. Would love to say hello.

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Pedro Guevara-Mann| Print This Post |

Jesus’ most important teaching moments in Luke’s Gospel take place at meals, parties, and celebrations, and we learn that each meal has a far greater significance than simply eating and drinking with others.

Today’s table talk takes place in the context of the journey up to Jerusalem begun at 9:51. Nothing can be more serious for Luke than a dining table. Both the Eucharist and the revelations of the Risen Christ occur there (24:28-32). It was while eating together that Christ gave his disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit and their commission (Acts 1:8), and it was by table fellowship that Jews and Gentiles were able to be the Church (Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-18).

Table fellowship laden with meaning

Today’s banquet scene found only in Luke (14:1; 7-14), provides the opportunity for Jesus’ teachings on humility and presents a setting to display Luke’s interest in Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor. For Judaism, for Jesus and for the early church, table fellowship was laden with very important religious, social and economic meanings.

Chapter 14:1 sets the stage for Verses 7-11. Jesus is at dinner in the home of a Pharisee and, while there, observes the social behavior of both guests and their host. Jesus’ attention to and observation of everyday activity provided him not only insights into the true character of his listeners. but also opportunities to reveal the way life is in the Kingdom of God. The frequent and familiar are not to be overlooked in defining life in God’s presence.

God exalts, not humans

What is the central point of today’s Gospel story? Our human egos are quite clever, and upon hearing that taking a low seat may not only avoid embarrassment but lead to elevation to the head table, may convert the instruction about humility into a new strategy for self-exaltation. Taking the low seat because one is humble is one thing; taking the low seat as a way to move up is another! This entire message can also be ridiculous if there is a mad dash for the lowest place, with ears cocked toward the host, waiting for the call to ascend.

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Father Thomas Rosica| Print This Post |

It’s been 13 years since Mother Teresa suffered a heart attack and died at 87 years old on September 5th, 1997 in Calcutta . August 26th this year would mark her 100th birthday. The day after she died, she was set to lead an interfaith memorial prayer service in Calcutta for her friend, Diana, Princess of Wales, who had been tragically killed in a car accident one week earlier.

How well I remember those days… my own father died on August 27 that year. On the night I returned to Toronto from his funeral, the Princess was killed in the horrible car crash in Paris . One week later, Mother Teresa was called home to God. I commentated her funeral for several national television networks in Canada . The pomp, precision and somber majesty of Princess Diana’s London farewell one week earlier were hardly visible in the chaotic scenes of Mother Teresa’s simple wooden casket riding on a gun carriage through the mobbed and chaotic streets of Calcutta for her State funeral.

Mother Teresa’s life was not a sound byte, but rather a metaphor for selfless devotion and holiness. Her most famous work began in 1950 with the opening of the first Nirmal Hriday (Tender Heart) home for the dying and destitute in Calcutta . Mother’s words remain inscribed on the walls of that home: “Nowadays the most horrible disease is not leprosy or tuberculosis. It is the feeling to be undesirable, rejected, abandoned by all.”

There are critics in the Church, and not a few religious women and men, who say that Mother Teresa personified a “pre-Vatican-Council” view of faith and did not address systemic evils. They criticize her and her followers for their relentless condemnation of abortion. Some have said that in Mother Teresa, there was no element of prophetic criticism in her teachings and her lifestyle. Instead of acting sensibly by applying for government grants to create programs to eliminate poverty, Mother Teresa and her sisters moved into neighborhoods and befriended people. Their houses often become oases of hope and peace, like the ones in Canada , and especially the convent in downtown Toronto . When Mother Teresa speaks of ’sharing poverty,’ she defies the logic of institutions that prefer agendas for the poor, not communion with individual poor people. Agents and instruments of communion are often called irrelevant by the world.

Though she left this world scene thirteen years ago, this tiny nun made the news big time several years ago with the publication of her letters. Many journalists, magazine editors, television newscasters and bloggers got the story all wrong with their sensational headlines: “Mother Teresa’s secret life: crisis and darkness,” or ” Calcutta ’s Saint was an atheist,” or even “Mother and the Absent One.” Some commentators wrote: “She lost her faith and the Church rewards her for it.” These people seem unaware that those who prepared Mother’s Beatification in 2003 cited the letters as proof of her exceptional faith and not the absence of it. Read more…

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Father Thomas Rosica| Print This Post |

Tonight’s edition of Perspectives features an interview segment with Sparrow Records’ newest gem, Audrey Assad.

A recent convert to Catholicism and a New York City suburb native, Audrey told us about her vision for Catholic music and about how we should not be afraid to set the bar high.

As mentioned in a previous post, her newest album, The House You’re Building, is proof of her strong convictions.

The album has been eagerly received by Catholic and non-Catholic fans alike (the album’s first single received one of iTunes strongest debuts on the Christian/Gospel Singles chart) and having toured already with the likes of Matt Maher and Chris Tomlin, it appears that Audrey will be sticking around for a while.

“A lot of new artists come and go in this business,” says Charlie Lowell of Jars of Clay, “Audrey Assad will not be one of those- she’s a refreshing artist- a voice comforting and challenging together. Her melodic sensibilities are infectious and she communicates God’s caring and creative hear in a way that cuts through the day-to-day mess of life. It will be a privilege to share the stage with Audrey, and to watch her grow as an artist over the years.”

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Audrey about her art as vocation, about her convictions on the nature of “Catholic” music and about her dreams for the future.

Below is a complete transcript of our discussion.

S+L: Audrey, thanks so much for agreeing to speak with me today. This is a really big deal; your first Nashville-produced CD especially given that your producer actually works with Marc Broussard, Natasha Beddingfield and Brooke Fraser to name a few…and the album’s first single did so well on iTunes when it first debuted. I can imagine it must feel kind of surreal for you. Can you tell us a little bit about the path that led you to where you are now and how you feel about making the journey?

AA: I’ve been a musician my whole life but I’ve always kind of had it as a hobby until I was 19 which was 8 years ago because I’m 27 now. And I had this sort of awakening at 19 to many things particularly in a spiritual way to Jesus. But also, I think I figured out that music was sort of my gifting and not just something to do on the side. So since then, I’ve literally for 8 years just been writing and singing and plugging away kind of with no strategy per se. The only think I knew was that eventually I needed to make a record which I ended up doing independently in 2008 .That was the beginning of the process with all the record label stuff and that was what got the attention of the people I work with now (that 5 song EP that we put out independently with some friends of mine that worked on it with me). That whole project cost about $7000 and then a week later, Sparrow records was on the phone and two years after that, here we are. Read more…

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Jenna Murphy| Print This Post |

Some call it David versus Goliath.

But Father Luke Strand dismisses that description.

The priest from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been asked by Best Buy to remove a God Squad logo from his black Volkswagen Beetle.

The electronic retailer says the logo is a copyright infringement on its logo for the Geek Squad, the company’s technical customer service division.

Father Strand, pictured with seminary classmates shortly after being ordained deacons in 2008, complied with the request and, along with Best Buy’s assistance, is working on redesigning his God Squad logo.  After all, he doesn’t want to completely abandon the opportunity to bring the Gospel message to the streets.

“I just found it to be a phenomenal opportunity to really spark those conversations with people who might be questioning their life, want to talk a little about where they are in their relationship with God.” says Fr. Strand.

And logo or not, you will still be able to identify his car from his personalized license plate: GODLVYA.

Read the full CNS article on Fr. Strand HERE.

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CNS photo/courtesy St. Francis Seminary/Emerald Isle Marketing

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Matthew Harrison| Print This Post |

Fr. Andrew Gawrych greeted me with a smile, one humid summer’s day in July at Notre Dame University in Indiana.  He had just arrived to take up his new position as Associate Vocations Director for the Indiana Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross — a big job for a newly ordained young American priest!  Our Salt + Light crew filmed him talking about what he believes is Brother André Bessette’s profound approach to suffering.  Stay tuned October of this year for the Salt + Light production on the life, the heart, and the legacy of Brother André Bessette.

This is the second of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André.

AN ORDINARY, BUT GREAT, LOVE
By Fr. Andrew Gawrych, CSC

At the time I met Brother Donald Kuchenmeister, CSC, I had not yet heard of Blessed Brother André.  Brother Donald was the Holy Cross brother who ran the orphanage and foster home in Santiago, Chile, where I lived and worked as an exchange student back in 2000.  The orphanage, named Hogar Santa Cruz, was home to 30 children from as young as 3 or 4 to as old as 18.  Like all children the world over, they were easy to love.  But like all children who had lived through such suffering and pain in their young lives, they struggled to love.

Brother Donald loved each and every one of those children as if they were his own, and he helped them learn, little by little, how to love and be loved.  It was amazing to see how the children were transformed through his love and care.  And it was not as if he had discovered any big secret in terms of reaching out to at-risk children.  Instead, he simply loved them in all the little moments, day in and day out – like making meals for them, cutting their hair, playing bingo with them, or asking how their days at school had gone.  But it was through his fidelity to those little things that the depths of his love shone forth to those children.

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Mary Rose Bacani| Print This Post |

Are you a beekeeper? A climber? A candlestick maker? Do you like Dijon mustard?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you may be interested to know that today the Church celebrates St. Bernard of Clairvaux . Among other things (as you saw), St. Bernard is renowned for his deep devotion to the Blessed Mother (he is credited with having penned the Memorare prayer) and for his commitment to the austerity of the Cistercian life.

Born in 1090 at Fontaines near Dijon, France, St. Bernard was one of 7 children; 6 of which were boys. St Bernard’s family was ranked among Burgundy’s most affluent nobles. Having drank from the cup of wealth and affluence in high French society, Bernard understood that his thirst could not be quenched by the pursuit of earthly pleasures.

After losing his mother when he was 19, St. Bernard resolved to enter the Cistercian monastery. His piety, quick wit and his spirit of recollection led him to be chosen among 13 other monks to found a new monastery in Clair Vallée which Bernard later called “Clairvaux”.

Soon thereafter, Bernard was nominated abbot of the monastery. This nomination led him to be one of the most conspicuous figures of the 12th century. In the years to follow, Bernard’s name and Clairvaux became interchangeable as pilgrims came in droves to hear the abbot preach.

The following is an excerpt from the homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother by St. Bernard (Hom. 4, 8-9: Opera omnia, Edit. Cisterc. 4 [1966], 53-54):

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Jenna Murphy| Print This Post |

Canada is saying goodbye to its Primate. Fittingly, Cardinal Marc Ouellet does so across the country with an interview on the CBC’s The National. (Note: the interview was recorded Thursday and was advertised to air tonight, but it has been rescheduled for Sunday.) He departs for the Vatican on Tuesday to take up his new position as the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

The Archbishop of Québec gave a more intimate farewell on Sunday at the shrine of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. There he reflected on his experience at the helm of Canada’s first diocese. He summarized his nearly eight-year episcopal ministry in Quebec City as “a call reprised one thousand-times on the same theme: the Resurrection of Christ and the faith of the Church lived perfectly by Mary, the Servant of the Lord.”

The Cardinal reaffirmed that the cultural identity of Quebec has been formed by the mysteries of faith. Known for his candour in confronting his province’s challenges, he also asked for forgiveness for any hurt his words or decisions may have caused.

If you missed S+L’s rebroadcast of the celebration this past Tuesday, you can watch it at ECDQ.tv, the media portal of the Archdiocese of Québec. Published below is Salt + Light’s unofficial translation of Cardinal Ouellet’s farewell homily.

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,

On November 15, 2002, I welcomed, in the Spirit of the Lord, the mission of pastoral service in the Archdiocese of Québec.

On this day, August 15th, 2010, I leave our country to respond to the call of the Holy Father, our Pope Benedict XVI, who appointed me to direct the Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. It is again in this same Spirit of the Lord that I would like to share my thanksgiving to God and my gratitude towards you for these blessed years that He has given us to live together.

During these eight years, bonds have been formed between us: I have experienced profound joys, numerous consolations even amidst challenges, and also moments that have marked my ministry as Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada. I am convinced that these bonds formed by the Lord will survive and I pray to God to render fruitful the sacrifice of this departure by accepting, both you and me, His will for our lives. His will is nothing but Love, I experienced it at the heart of this large diocesan family, which I have loved and will miss.

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Kris Dmytrenko| Print This Post |

It looks like there will be a touch of Tolkien when Pope Benedict XVI visits Birmingham, England next month.

No, we’re confident the Holy Father will not be quoting portions of Lord of the Rings in any homilies or addresses.

However, the legendary author’s great nephew, Tim Tolkien, will be sculpting a life-size statue of Cardinal John Henry Newman for Birmingham’s Cofton Park.

That’s where the Pontiff will celebrate an open-air Beatification Mass for the holy scholar on September 19th.

The steel, bronze-sprayed statue will likely be placed next to the stage, and the accomplished sculptor is hopeful the Holy Father will bless it.

“It’s a great privilege,” said the 47-year old, “The Pope doesn’t come often and it’s happening in this city.”

Read the full article about the sculpture at the Birmingham Mail HERE.

Of course, this isn’t the first Tolkien-Newman connection.  The Cardinal founded the English Oratory (the Oratory of St. Philip Neri is a congregation of priests and brothers founded by St. Philip in Rome in the 16th century).  He later lived, and was buried, at the Birmingham Oratory.

When his mother died, a 12-year old Tolkien was entrusted to a priest at the Birmingham Oratory (his father had died years earlier, and the family had separated themselves from them after Tolkien’s mother converted to Catholicism).  For a period Tolkien lived and attended an Oratorian run school.  In fact, there’s an amusing legend that Tolkien took great pleasure placing the house’s cat in the refectory’s lazy Susan (or dumbwaiter) – offering a bit of a surprise for servers at meals!

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Check back regularly to the Salt + Light blog for further updates on the trip and our broadcast details.
CNS photo/courtesy Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory

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Matthew Harrison| Print This Post |

In less than a month Pope Benedict XVI will be landing in Great Britain. Today the Vatican released the official schedule for the trip. It won’t be the first Papal Visit to the UK; Pope John Paul II visited the UK in 1982, but his visit was strictly pastoral.

Pope Benedict’s visit will be pastoral, but since he accepted a formal invitation by the UK government it is also considered a State visit. He will not only make a courtesy visit to Her Magesty Queen Elizabeth at her Scottish summer palace, he will also meet with Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and the leader of the opposition.

Pope Benedict will also meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace. No doubt observers will be watching that meeting closely. After the meeting with Williams, the Holy Father will proceed to Westminster Hall. There, in the same hall where St. Thomas More was tried and convicted, Pope Benedict will deliver an address to British academic and religious leaders as well as members of the cultural and business world.

The highlight of the papal visit, however, is meant to be the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. On the evening September 18th the Holy Father will lead a prayer vigil in London’s Hyde Park in preparation for the beatification. The next morning he will fly to Birmingham’s Cofton Park to celebrate the beatification Mass for Cardinal Newman.  (as an aside, but related to the Holy Father’s celebration of Mass during this trip: CNS is reporting that the Papal Masses will feature some of the new English translation, specifically parts of the Mass usually set to music, such as the Gloria.)

Access to Papal Events on this trip is tightly controlled to ensure that those who attend papal Masses and prayer services are there out of genuine spiritual desire. People who want to attend an event must register through their parish. They are then assigned a pilgrim group, complete with a group leader and they must travel with that group on the day of the event. On the upside, they will get “pilgrim packs” along with their tickets, a pack of memorabilia, missals, maps, and other materials to make attending an event a spiritual event as much as possible. Of course the Pope will be traveling through the city by car and Pope mobile and people will be able to catch a glimpse of him as he passes.

Salt + Light will be bringing you full live coverage of the visit, airing the events which are televised by the host broadcaster in the UK.  Stay tuned to our website in the coming weeks for a detailed broadcast schedule.  In the meantime, here is the schedule of the trip that the Vatican released today. Times are local with Eastern Standard Time in parenthesis:

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Alicia Ambrosio| Print This Post |