Like Halloween? Thank a Catholic . . .

Happy Halloween, all!

I see this time of year, many Protestant churches having "Harvestfests" or "Harvest Festivals." Indeed, the mother's club in my neighborhood hosts a party for the kids with the same name, since a member of long ago objected vehemently to "honoring" Halloween, since - in her opinion - it is "the Devil's holiday."

Balderash.

As any good Catholic should know - and as I made sure my kids group at church knows - Halloween is a linguistic corruption of "Hallow's Eve" - the eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day on November 1st.

But why the ghosts and goblins? The Irish (God bless us) had some old Celtic superstitions left over from before the Light of Christ was brought to that island. The Celtic pagans at this same time of the year celebrated their festival of Samhain, which marked the last harvest for the season and the end of their year. It was believed by the pagans that on Samhain, the veil between this life and the afterlife is at its thinnest, so it was a time for scrivening, divination, and having a chat-up with yer dead Granny.

As the people embraced Christianity, superstitions were raised that the Devil was not happy to see old pagan ways go by the wayside (although many exist with us today, but we'll discuss Jungian archetypes at a later time) and so would try to raise some hell on the eve of the new holiday - All Hallows.

To make a long story short, Halloween was seen as a night the Devil tried to restore paganism - and each year, gets soundly defeated with the dawning of All Saints Day, only to be further aggravated by the next day, All Souls Day, when we remember our dead with prayer and petitions.

And to make my point, if it were not for the Church and the establishment of All Saints Day, there would be no Halloween. So when I see a "Harvest Festival" at a local Protestant church, I wonder how many, if they knew the Catholic origins of Halloween, would knowingly nod and say, "It figures . . ."

Ah well - our gain, their loss. I hope everyone has a fun-filled Halloween, and have blessed memories of the Saints and saints in the days that follow. I will put my ofrenda for Day of the Dead to honor my loved ones (I much prefer that to fake graveyards and scary scenarios) and celebrate the Catholic traditions of the season.

Ask Not What Time the Bell Tolls . . .

Here's something I would not have thought of unless my pastor brought it up.

For most of the US, we "fell back" on Sunday morning into daylight savings time. If you have a parish like mine, the church has a bell tower and - in the case of St. Joseph's - a real bell inside, set to toll on the hour.

Does it too need to be "set back?" Yup. I asked the good padre how that is done and it seems it requires him climbing up into the loft and manually turning the gearshaft or whatever antiquated contraption sets the time for the bell. Which, he mentioned, is not a task without the need for some muscle.

So, if your priest seems to be nursing a sore shoulder today, it may be because he had to set his "watch" back. See if your church bells are on time.

I Feel For Him, But . . .

Catholic Pillow Fight has the Michael J. Fox ad.

The DigiSpouse and I watched it. Our reaction? We feel for him, but . . . no one has the right to tell another to die for the sake of their own cure. Parkinson's Disease is a bitch. So is the cancer that killed my father. So is the old age that killed my grandfather. So is the AIDS that killed my grandmother.

But you know what, Michael - we're all going to die and we will do so when God writes that final chapter.

But no, you don't get to place another head of you in line.

Update: Go to Catholic Caveman to see Patricia's ad - right on!

Everybody Loves Patricia

I love Patricia Heaton.

I love her for her courage.

By now, everyone has heard about the commercial done by Michael J. Fox in which he announces his support for embryonic stem-cell reasearch, which he feels is needed to find a cure for sufferers of Parkinson's like him. And everbody has heard about Ruch Limbaugh saying Michael's twitches and spasms were exaggerated for the purpose of supporting a Democrat. And people telling Rush he was wrong, Michael is like that in real life, so Rush apologized.

Selah.

But now Patricia Heaton, the actress known for her role as Ray Romano's wife on the long running series Everybody Loves Raymond, has come out against stem cell reasearch:

Patricia Heaton — who won an Emmy for her work on "Everyone Loves Raymond"
— is taking sides in the stem-cell research debate.

She’s put herself on the opposite side of Michael J. Fox, the
much-beloved actor who’s been battling Parkinson’s disease since 1991 and is a
firm supporter of embryonic stem-cell research.
Heaton is now appearing in a
commercial intended to persuade Missouri voters to vote against Amendment 2 on
their ballot.

Fox, in his own commercial, urges voters to support the measure and
Democrat Claire McCaskill, who is running for U.S. Senate against the incumbent,
Jim Talent, a Republican who opposes embryonic stem-cell research.

Heaton — who then was campaigning to join ABC’s tak show"The View" as a
correspondent — was honorary chairwoman of the group Feminists for Life. Jane
Roberts, wife of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, is a consultant.
Their slogan is "Refuse to Choose."

Heaton has absolutely made a choice. The question now is whether her
stance in Missouri will affect her standing in Hollywood.

If you see a movie with Patricia in it, go see it. If you see a TV show with Patricia Heaton in it, go watch it.

And check out the website for Feminists for Life - yes, as it states there, "women deserve better than abortion."

Latin Mass at St. Mary's in Huntington Beach

You know what's odd? I have read about Tod Brown doing away with the Latin Tridentine Mass at St. Mary's-by-the-Sea in Huntington Beach, CA.

Yet . . . the diocese's website lists it as still offering a Latin Mass on its website. Just for chuckles, I called the church's number this evening to find out whether its voice messages mention the Mass. Yup, according to the voice message, the noon Mass on Sunday is in Latin.

I am going to call the parish this week to find out the 411. Shoot, might even stop by to say hello to Fr. Martin Tran, who came down from the Archdiocese of San Francisco to help out at my own parish of St. Joseph's (Santa Ana, not Placentia) when we were in a bind and asked Brown to let him stay in Orange County.

I don't think he knew, in my opinion, that the Bishop was going to make Fr. Martin his fall guy, however. I hear Fr. Martin is doing poorly, health-wise - but he's a tough bird. He survived having a Communist put a gun to his head and pull the trigger back in Vietnam, when he was asked to renounce his Catholic faith.

Update (10/30/06) - it is not a Tridentine Mass at St. Mary's, but a New Order Mass done in Latin. So, for Trads, it's not the "real thing."

Buy Your Wreath From the Worcester Wreath Company

This is amazing and true.

The Worcester Wreath Comapmny of Harrington, Maine donates several thousand Christmas wreaths to decorate the headstones at Arlington Cemetery - and pays for their shipping, too!

I know where I am buying my wreath for the front door this Christmas - right here.

Just Another Tequila Sunrise . . .

US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is being taken to task over his comments during arguments in which he doubted whether an illegal immigrant, on supervised release to Mexico after having been convicted of a crime in America, would remain law-abiding on the chance he can make it back into the United States.

While the thought is hardly controversy, Scalia's choice of expression is what is raising the hackles of critics.

The question before the Court is whether the law covers those who are
convicted of crimes that are felonies under state law but only misdemeanors
under federal law. The case could affect thousands of immigrants with relatively
minor drug offenses on their records.

One issue is whether one of the cases is moot -- Reymundo Toledo-Flores
has already been deported back to Mexico because of his conviction in Texas for
possession of 0.16 grams (about 0.005 ounces) of cocaine.

His lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Timothy Crooks, told the
Court that the case is not moot because even though his client is in Mexico, he
is still subject to the U.S. District Court's jurisdiction and could face
adverse consequences if he commits further offenses in Mexico or tries to return
to the United States to visit his children, who are U.S. citizens.

Scalia dismissed that argument as "an exercise in the conceivable" and
added, "Nobody thinks your client is really, you know, abstaining from tequila
down in Mexico because he is on supervised release in the United States."

Given the fellow's track record - or rather, his rap sheet - the remark is not all far from the truth. The point that was being made by Scalia - who remains one of the most intellectual justices the Supreme Court has seen in a long time - is that a person of criminal bent who enters a country illegally, commits a crime in the host country, and is subsequently deported back to his home country, is unlikely to transform into a model citizen suddenly so he can hopefully re-enter the host country legally.

Sit down, Alice, the point is moot.

For more on Scalia, visit the Cult of Scalia.

Have You Signed the Petition Yet?

The daily swelling-with-life (and swell) Amy Pawlak over at Modern Commentaries has set out to beat the "pro-choice-but-we-really-mean-pro-death" feministas over as Ms. Magazine at their own game - AND YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.

Amy wants to counter a petition that Ms. magazine oragnized whereby 5,000 women boasted that they have had abortions. She wants to get more than 5,000 names of people opposed to abortion to send to Congress.

C'mon - this can be "yooge" as we would say back in da Bronx. But it can only come about with your help. Bloggers - send your names now and forward the request to friends and family!

Depends on How You Look At It

In rare ceremony, woman turns down sex for God.

The headline above caught my eye and caused me to think, "Is she "turning down sex" or "embracing chastity and sacrifice to God?"

She stood at the altar in a white gown and veil, but she was there for no
man. Lori Rose Cannizzaro was dedicating her virginity to Jesus.
Saturday's rare Catholic ceremony, one her own pastor didn't know existed,
turned the 42-year-old into a "consecrated virgin." Fewer than 200 women in the
United States and 2,000 worldwide have declared their perpetual virginity,
according to U.S. Association of Consecrated Virgins.

I guess a person's view depeds on their own sense of priority. Rose Cannizzaro has hers set:

"'It is a good and holy thing to want to be in a virginal state,' she said."

Inded it is, especially when it comes about after prayer, reflection, preparation, and a desire to dedicate oneself to the Lord.

You go, girl!

Then Why Bring It Up

Foley says he was abused by a clergyman.

Disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley said through his lawyer Tuesday that he
was sexually abused by a clergyman as a teenager, but accepts full
responsibility for sending salacious computer messages to teenage male
pages.

Attorney David Roth said Foley was molested between ages 13 and 15. He
declined to identify the clergyman or the church, but Foley is Roman
Catholic.

Foley "does not blame the trauma he sustained as a young adolescent for his
totally inappropriate e-mails" and instant messages, Roth said. "He continues to
offer no excuse whatsoever for his conduct."

If it's true, it is irrelevant and to bring it up is a mean-spirited attempt at sympathy. If it's not, then Mark Foley is attacking the character of a yet-to-be-named priest (and gosh, he's given the media the road map to find out what priests were at his parish when he was between the ages of 13 and 15). What a pitiful man.

Can't Be Blogging Now

Too much on my plate, so I gotta take a few days off. Where do youse guys get the time to do so much blogging?

Briefly, though . . .

My heart goes out to the Amish community of Lancaster County, PA after the horrific deaths of those little girls. Suicide is itself a selfish act, and it is made all the more demonic by the inclusion of murder of innocents.

Eric Clapton has gone back to playing "Cocaine" at his concerts. Good. I never saw it as a pro-drug song and it's easy to sing along. Plus it remains a classic for you air guitarists. C'mon, you KNOW you know it - "she don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie . . ."

I see from The Cafeteria is Closed that one of my best loved Catholic writers, Dr. Scott Hahn, has a new book out about Opus Dei. Will reserve a copy today. I love his writing and recommend his books to all.

To my fellow Californians - vote yes on Prop 85. It astounds me that pro-choice folks shrilly cry that the passage of law by which a parent must be informed of a medical procedure on their minor child will sound the death knell EVERYWHERE for abortion. Really? Oh, if it were only so . . .

Speaking of other California laws, while one group cries foul on laws meant to prevent domestic violence, what about abuses of the system? Last Thursday I successfully defended a client against such a charge and in my opinion it was clear that opposing party was using the system to take away his kids from him, and undeservedly so. However, she bolts from the courthouse before I can get her to tell me where she is "in hiding" with the kids. We go in on an ex parte basis to get them back - and may I say, not to "take them away" from Mom but to establish a custodial schedule so BOTH parents have access - and get no orders, instead getting a future hearing date for which I have got to find Mom so I can serve her. Because my client does not have orders, he cannot initiate an Amber Alert. BTW, Mom in this case is a social worker . . . hmmm, a little too familiar with the system, ya think?

My church's annual fiesta is almost here. Once again, I turn into The Queen of the Rummage Sale. If anyone is in the Santa Ana area on the weekend of October 13th, come by and listen to some music, eat some food, ride some rides, and spend your money buying the treasures at my sale. Don't laugh, but some of my best customers during the fiesta are the carnies who set up the rides. I put aside jackets and wool blankets for them and make them a good deal. Of course, one year this resulted in my 3-year-old riding the bumper boats for 40 minutes on one ticket, because the old guy said, "His mom is the rummage lady . . . let 'im ride!"

Gotta go . . .