7 Quick Takes (Vol. 6)

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A friend of mine got married this past weekend.  Yes, it was totally a Catholic wedding.  Yes, it was more than 10 minutes long (umm...it's a Mass...). But! This was not your average Catholic wedding.  No, no, no.  Average Catholic weddings have one priest celebrating the Mass and marriage rite. But this wedding had six (6) priests con-celebrating the Mass! Picture, because it totally did happen!

Okay, 6 priests...2 deacons...1 seminarian serving as an alcolyte...2 altar servers...who's counting?

Now, I've been to a ridiculous Mass with hundreds of priests before...but...for a Catholic wedding...at least, those that I've attended, don't typically have more than one!  But of course this begs the question of why six priests?

Well, my friend is a highly-involved Catholic.  Maybe he's kind of important in the Knights of Columbus across the state of Texas on the collegiate level. Maybe he works for my diocese. Maybe he's grown to know the pastors of his college parishes. Maybe his (now) wife has a priest for an uncle... Supposedly Bishop Vann was invited to this wedding but he's kind of busy right now.

Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding!  For the sake of brevity...here are some other fun facts:

• The bride's oldest sister is actually a friend of mine from college, and she's discerning entering the religious community, the Apostles of the Interior Life in Italy (who have some religious sisters in-residence at St. Mary's in College Station, TX)
• I left home later than intended and arrived 10 minutes before Mass started (whew!), and I was totally concerned with arriving just as the bride walked down the aisle
• Because I arrived not-early, I had to sit off to the side...which apparently was Non-Catholic Nation because Communion got awkward...no one stood from their pew to get in line >_>
• Totally met a coworker that I've seen around at work but officially met him at the wedding! ...because he was an usher.
• Reception was great! Good cocktails and finger foods! Great dinner! Awesome dancing!...but I had to leave early to take care of stuff at home

And, this was the first of several Catholic weddings I'll be attending this year. :-)

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This past Wednesday was my parents' 31st wedding anniversary!

We celebrated by going out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Mmm...31 years...that's pretty good! I'm grateful that my parents have been a pretty awesome example of what it means to be married in terms of necessary sacrifices made for the good of each other and for the good of my bro and myself.

And in today's American society...31 years...that's commendable!

-raises glass-  Here's to many more years of joyful marriage for my parents!

--- 3 ---

I feel like a Carmelite.  This past Sunday, we had a group investiture of the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular.  In English, we had a priest induct us into a group of non-Carmelites who, now being part of the Confraternity, can share in the promises the Carmelites received from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, where Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave him the brown scapular along with a promise to those who are devoted to the brown scapular.  You can read more about all that here.

I've actually worn a brown scapular since high school...but I didn't really fully understand it until I was properly taught about it in the past year or two.  And actually, I got invested into the Confraternity in that past year or two.  This group investiture was for all the youth in the religious education program that I volunteer for and so I...just...renewed my devotion and refreshed my understanding thanks to the priest's explanation.

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But wait, there's more! The priest who invested us for the brown scapular also blessed our green scapulars, which we also handed out.

Yes, he even explained the green scapular which has a different devotion for a different purpose.  You can read more about that here.

I had three green scapulars with me and got them all blessed at this time.  I do plan on getting rid of them ;-).

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In a bit of sad news, Reveille VII passed away on Thursday.  Texas A&M's mascot is a purebred American Collie.  There's a story and tradition about how a dog came to be A&M's mascot.  Reveille VII was the mascot most of my time during college.  I've had photo ops with her...and I'll definitely miss her.

Freshman year

Though she was ill-tempered at times...she thankfully never bit me or barked at me.  I'm curious to know when her funeral is because...I dunno, only Texas A&M would give a dog who outranks every. single. member. of. the. Corps of Cadets a full military burial.  And the graves silently watch the scoreboard at Kyle Field.

RIP Reveille VII.

TAMU Times story on her passing here.

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In other sad passing away news...one of my parents' good friends from the Philippines passed away the other morning.  Thankfully, my family and their friends had opportunities to go visit him in the past few months before he passed away.

As she was preparing her breakfast, my mom asked me a curious question on my way out of the house to go to work.  She asked, "did you hear the TV in the living room turn on at 3:30AM this morning?"  I was like...uhhhmmmmm...errr....no. Asleep.  Then she proceeded to tell me about Tito Gil passing away and my parents found out via a phone call that he had passed at way at 4:30AM. Eastern time. Which is ...3:30AM Central time.

Apparently the TV in the living room had turned itself on with the volume fully up at about that time.  My parents investigated, turned off the TV, and my mom couldn't fall back asleep.  Then they received a phone call from a friend regarding Tito Gil, and that's when they found out about his passing.

I cannot declare this coincidental out of randomness simply because that TV has not had a history of turning itself on.

This strange occurrence reminded me of the other strange and similar occurrences when my grandparents (dad's side) passed away.  Because the same exact sort of thing happened when grandfather passed away, and it was an old alarm clock radio that somehow turned itself on.  Then there was the repeated random turning on of our Bose sound system radio after my grandmother passed away.

Gosh, I guess my family seems to attract haunted electronics whenever someone close to us passes away.

Am I freaked out? Nah. It's kind of comforting, really.  It almost affirms that there is something after death.  I'm grateful to be Catholic because it puts all that in context.

Pray for the repose of Gil Gutierrez's soul. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

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CONFIRMATION! We just had our Confirmation Mass at my parish, and it was beautiful! I think we had about ~100+ receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, thus completing baptismal grace by the laying of hands and anointing with oil by our pastor.  As a Confirmation teacher, this was definitely a big day, and I'm so proud of them!  Now I pray that they'll continue to live out their Catholic faith and not treat Confirmation as a sort of graduation!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

- JD

Reveille VII / TAMU Times

So you just got Confirmed...

Dear newly Confirmed member of the Catholic Church,

First of all, I want to welcome you to the club!  I mean, you were already part of it...but now your initiation process is complete!  So welcome!!!  Hopefully Bishop didn't put too much chrism in your eye, if he used too much or missed your forehead for some reason!

I just wanted to let you know, on behalf of your parish family (and the diocese, and really...the greater Church as a whole), that we're so proud of you.  If only you knew the extent of our prayers for you to receive this sacrament.  Believe me, whether it is made known to you or not--a lot of prayers have been offered for you.  Across the parish, across the nation...even others from around the world!

I hope that your suffering through Confirmation classes has at least equipped you with the basic knowledge to know what it is you are partaking in.  But my dear sibling in Christ, there is so much more to learn!

Being Catholic does NOT end at Confirmation!

Confirmation is NOT graduation.

It's like...learning a martial arts discipline and earning your black belt.  Baptism is earning your white belt.  You progress through the other belts through religious education and Confirmation classes.  Then finally--you earn it! Your black belt.  Confirmation.  But in martial arts, they always say..."black belt is simply the beginning."

With all this training and basic knowledge, now is the time to start applying what you know.  And to go even deeper.  And yes, to teach others too by your life and example.  Confirmation is simply a renewed beginning of the rest of your Catholic life.

My dear sibling in Christ, do not let your Catholic faith fade!  Whether you feel it or not, the Holy Spirit now burns brightly within your soul.  And last I checked, if you're on fire (literally), you have to do something about it.  You can either A) make the fire bigger, B) let it burn itself out, or C) extinguish it.  And it's obvious for me to say that Option A is the way to go...because the fiery soul is truly a gift.  A great power.  Thus, a great responsibility.  It's your responsibility to keep that fire burning.  Dump some diesel on it.  Nuke it.  Maybe have movie director Michael Bay provide his explosive expertise.

God's call for you is now ever present.  What is your response?

I hope and pray that you take the strength of the Holy Spirit now burning within you to put your Catholic faith into action.  Passivity only allows the fire to burn itself out.

Dearest sibling in Christ, the Catholic Church needs those who are on fire with the Holy Spirit.  The world seems to be an increasingly hostile environment for the Catholic Church, especially in the American Catholic Church.  We need young, enthusiastic Catholics who genuinely seek what it really means to be Catholic and to inspire the minds and ignite the hearts of others to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  To be living examples striving to answer their call to holiness through actions of love and charity.

Let me quote an offshoot of a song lyric which somewhat quotes a good friend quoting his favorite retreat speaker quoting his favorite theologian quoting a pretty legit saint:

"If you are who God calls you to be, you will set the world ablaze" - St. Catherine of Sienna

Yes.  St. Ignatius of Loyola also used to say to his students, "Go set the world on fire."

It's okay to be simultaneously a pyro and fisherman for God.  Use responsibly.

So do something with your faith.  Seek truth.  Don't settle for mediocrity and partial truths.  Go help other people.  Develop yourself in the interior.  Be a living witness and saint.

And you've received gifts.  Share them with the world!

Know your faith.  Own your faith. Live your faith.  Spread your faith.

Sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- JD

Awkward Confession

Sometimes I go to other parishes for confession because my own parish's confession time isn't always convenient.

So, I go to my Backup Confession Parish #1 this afternoon and I pull into the parking lot.  I look around and see that the parking lot is full.   I think to myself, "Wait a minute...why is the parking lot full? Their Mass doesn't start for another hour!"

I decided to park and go in anyway just on the off-chance that maybe everyone is inside the parish hall.  Or something.

Boy was I wrong.

I walk into the narthex and see a spread worthy of a reception of some sort.  Then I look into the sanctuary and Mass is definitely going on.  Like, Communion lines everywhere.  And red seems to be a popular color.

Confirmation...maybe?!  Then I saw Bishop Vann. Then I was like...ohhhhhhh, that makes sense.  This is their Confirmation Mass.

I stood around for a few minutes thinking about a backup plan.  I awkwardly peer into the sanctuary to see if anyone was in line for confession anyway, but I was unsure because there was some standing-room only by where they normally have the confession line.

I was about to whip out my iPhone and use the Mass Times app to find out where else I could go for Confession this late in the afternoon but...a gentlemen walks up behind me and asks me what was going on in the sanctuary.  Not just any gentlemen--a priest!!!  "Ask and you shall receive," right?!

Apparently the visiting priest didn't know about the Confirmation Mass either.  That's cool.  We both go over to the confessional where there were actually people waiting.

And the story awkwardly pauses while I'm in line for confession yet observing the Confirmation Mass and Bishop Vann and the pastor wrap up Mass with closing remarks and prayer.  (Side Note:  Bishop had to jet outa there as soon as he could because he had another Confirmation Mass to celebrate across town.  His life is Catholic)

Anyway, it was my turn, and I go inside the confessional and all is normal.  But  kind of louder than normal because you can hear everyone is abuzz in the sanctuary due to the conclusion of the Confirmation Mass.

Father was in the middle of giving me penance and absolution when all of a sudden the pastor walks in!!!

Awk.  Really awk.

He apparently wasn't sure if the visiting priest had arrived yet, but my fellow confession line buddies apparently didn't give the pastor the memo?  Anyway, we had an awkward exchange of me telling him that yes, there is in fact a priest on the other side of the partition.  Haha, and the pastor even went to the other side of the wall to make sure.  He leaves.  My confessor and I laughed, and I said..."So ...(I repeat my penance) and...?"

Anyway, umm...after I finished with my confession, I walk out and the pastor apologized.  We laughed.  No biggie.  No sacrament abuses here.  No broken seals.  Still legit confession!

I just laugh and smile because my confession was interrupted by a priest...haha.  #Catholicproblems

All clean!
- JD