Meeting Two Angels

I recently got back from spending a weekend chaperoning a group of my parish's high school youth to my diocese's annual Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference.

In summary, it was a really awesome experience because some new changes were implemented, and our very own bishop was present the whole weekend. We had Mass all three days of the conference, and two opportunities to adore Christ in the Eucharist. Pretty cool! I certainly feel transformed after going back to the basics and encountering our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Conveniently, the theme of the conference was, "Transform ME".

One of the keynote speakers for this year's DCYC was Jackie Francois! She's a pretty popular Catholic speaker and musician from Orange County, CA (shout out!). Her husband, Bobby, was also at DCYC helping sell some of her merchandise.

I've read some of her blogs, I've listened to some of her talks, I follow her on Twitter, and I've listened to some of her songs. She was in the local area several months ago at a monthly Catholic event to play her music, but I was unable to go though I really wanted to. I might have been in Washington, D.C. or Rio De Janeiro or something. As for her husband, I've read some of his blog posts, and I've heard a talk by Jackie on how they met, how they handle their relationship, and cool stuff like that.

I really like her talks because she's a really good speaker, and she isn't afraid to dive deeper on very real topics about real struggles regarding chastity, love, and relationships.

Recently, Bobby wrote a blog post about a really nerdy conversation he had with a priest about comic book superheroes and how Captain America is the most Catholic of the recent ones in the movies. It was really cool to read so I shared it with others since it gave me a deeper appreciation for Captain America. You can read it here: The Catholicity of Captain America

So, with Jackie being here at this conference, I couldn't miss the opportunity to at least meet her and her husband!

At one point during the first night of the conference they were sitting at their table, and I was nearby loitering with some of my fellow chaperones. I didn't want to go talk to them alone so I grabbed a few of my chaperone friends to go talk to them. I introduced myself, and I brought up how I really liked Bobby's blog post, and all of us talked about it. Ultimately, I wanted a picture with them, but our conversation was cut short because Jackie had to be on stage for her keynote. I mean, I wasn't upset, since there was still plenty of time to get that picture. Meanwhile, my teens were bragging about their selfies with them. lol...

The next day, I had the opportunity to eat lunch with them! Since I helped out my youth minister friend and another giving a workshop for this conference, I was entitled to attend the presenters' lunch. When I arrived at the lunch, I noticed Jackie and Bobby were sitting at a mostly empty table so me and my other workshop buds decided to sit at their table. Really odd, but hey! 'Twas an opportunity!

That was really cool because it was just totally casual talking about whatever. Because Jackie is pregnant and due in a few months, the topic of pregnancy and birth came up, which one of my workshop buds was anxiously awaiting the call from his getting-ready-to-give-birth wife. And the dynamics of everyone at the table somehow led to the logistics and technicalities of giving birth unashamedly told as it is. I mean, I can't think of a more appropriate conversation while enjoying hotel cheesecake and coffee... I just couldn't relate, lol. #SingleCatholicGuyProbs

During the lunch, we had the idea of asking Jackie if she would be willing to talk to one of our former teens on the phone. One of our former teens is such a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of Jackie and aspires to be someone like her. We actually did ask Jackie, and she actually did agree to do so after we were done eating. Meanwhile, we let our former teen know, and she was freaking out and texting in all caps. When mostly everyone left except my buddies and Jackie and Bobby, she asked about making that phone call. So I let Jackie borrow my phone, lol.

It was cool! They had a ten minute conversation, and when Jackie was done talking to her and handed my phone back to me, I tried talking to our former teen. She was just speechless, possibly hyperventilating, possibly even sobbing. Lol, I told her to grab some tissues, and I'd follow up with her when she calmed down.

After that, we went our separate ways. Jackie wanted to take a nap before the evenings' events.

Later that night, I saw Jackie and Bobby at their table again so I finally asked them if I could grab a picture with them.

She says he looks like Leonidas...and by "he", I don't mean me

Pretty awesome!

Now that I've met Jackie, I really want to start listening to more of her music and more of her talks. I also want to properly follow their blog at jackieandbobby.com and keep up with it.

And really, she was just truly a blessing for the conference because having her there really added to the awesome experiences that we had. She's so down to earth and is really relatable in her message to the teens. Through her keynotes throughout the weekend, even I gained better insight about love, dealing with struggles, and allowing Christ to transform our hearts. And interacting with her and her husband was more of the same, but one-on-one.

Bobby's last name is Angel. And that's how I met two Angels.
- JD

PS Pictured are actually three (3) Angels. Hopefully next time I run into them, I'll get to meet Baby Angel! ;-)

Captain America // JackieAndBobby.com

Divine Mercy

Click here to scroll down to instructions on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Before explaining what Divine Mercy is, I should define what is "private revelation." If you already have an understanding, then don't click the following link.

What is private revelation...?

First, what is "public revelation?"  Public revelation is what we know about God through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition through the deposit of faith given by Him.  God revealed Himself publicly to the Jewish people, and we know this through reading Scripture in the Old Testament.  From the apostles, we know they passed down what Jesus had taught and revealed to them.  God's final, definitive revelation is His Son, Jesus Christ. With that said, the Catholic Church teaches that public revelation ended with the death of the last apostle.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (emphasis mine):

66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Dei Verbum 4) Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

Yes, even if God has revealed everything we need to know about Him in Jesus, our understanding is not completely clear.  Over the course of time, our understanding grows clearer and clearer.  Sort of like going up a river from its mouth where it is muddy and dirty to its source where it is clear.  Or like the sunrise that begins to slowly stretch its rosy fingers over the horizon.

Sometimes God reveals Himself in a very personal way to us.  Or maybe He sends an agent like a saint, an angel, and yes, even His Blessed Mother.  In these instances, He reveals something meant for us personally.  This type of encounter is a "private revelation" which happens all the time, but some individuals may experience a more profound and blatant encounter of God's revelation.  How are we to understand such things?

Again, from the CCC:

67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called "private" revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church.  They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith.  It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history.  Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church

Christian faith cannot accept "revelations" that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such "revelations."

So in other words, "private revelation" is okay as long as it does not conflict with what has already been revealed and that it helps us live more fully in what has already been revealed by God.  How can we be sure that "private revelation" doesn't conflict with something?  The teaching authority of the Catholic Church.  Whenever someone makes a seemingly out-of-ordinary claim through "private revelation," the Church will investigate to make sure that it isn't heretical or contradictory to what we already know through the deposit of faith.  And since the Church has been around since Jesus, who better to keep track of the deposit of faith than she?

The other thing I should highlight about "private revelation" is if it is Church-approved, then we, the faithful, should make attempts to gain deeper understandings of what was revealed.  However, if a "private revelation" is not Church-approved, then we are not required or encouraged to pursue it.

For more explanations, go here:
Private and Public Revelation - EWTN
Private Revelation - Catholic Answers
Apparitions/Private Revelations - EWTN

With all that said (if you read it), that leads me to Divine Mercy.  Essentially, Jesus gave us a clearer understanding of His infinite and divine mercy through private revelations given to a Polish religious sister named St. Maria Faustina Kowalska.

Who is St. Maria Faustina Kowalska?

Her original name is Helena, and she was born into a poor, peasant family in Glogowiec, Poland.  She was the third oldest of ten children, and "from childhood she distinguished herself by her piety, love of prayer, industriousness and obedience as well as by her great sensitivity to human misery" (Diary, xv).  At the age of seven, she started feeling the call to religious life.  Her parents were not keen on letting her join a convent, and she tried repressing her desire to join a convent.  But from a vision of the suffering Jesus, she strengthened her resolve to join a convent.  She ended up in the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw.  There, she received the name Sister Maria Faustina.  She completed her novitiate (basically, the novitiate is the newb stage to religious life) and professed her perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience after five years of being in the convent.  She worked in various houses for the Congregation in different locations in Poland, especially as cook, gardener, and doorkeeper.

Sr. M. Elizbaeth Siepak writes in the Introduction of St. Faustina's diary:

To all external appearances nothing betrayed her extraordinarily rich mystical life. She zealously went about her duties, she faithfully observed all the religious rules, she was recollected and kept silent, all the while being natural, cheerful, full of kindness and of unselfish love of neighbor.  

Her entire life was concentrated on constant striving for even fuller union with God and on self-sacrificing cooperation with Jesus in the work of saving souls. (Diary, xvi) 

The Lord also endowed her with many graces and gifts.  These include the gift of contemplation with deep knowledge of the mystery of God's mercy, visions, revelations, the hidden stigmata, the gift of prophecy and reading into human souls, and also the rare gift of mystical espousals.  However, she wrote:

Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God.  ...My sanctity and perfection is based upon the close union of my will with the will of God (Diary, par. 1107)

I'm a fan of that last sentence.  She willed to align her will to that of God's will.

As she grew older, she started having health problems.  And sometimes she experienced a profound spiritual suffering known as the "dark night" where a soul doesn't receive any consolation from God as if He has abandoned the soul.  She grew very sick and eventually died in 1938 at the age of 33.

Because of the life she led, her personal piety and obedience to God's will, and passionately serving as a conduit to God's message of mercy, she was canonized as a saint by Blessed Pope John Paul II in April 2000.

How was Divine Mercy revealed?

She kept a diary, which is out in publication.  Apparently Jesus revealed to her that she should keep one.  I started reading it a while ago, but haven't yet finished it.  In it, she shares her daily struggles with religious life and life in general, but most intriguingly she wrote down what Jesus said to her whenever He appeared. It's almost conversational, as if St. Faustina was really talking to and listening to someone.  Or rather...Someone.

Through these private revelations, it is clear that Jesus was with her throughout her life, especially during her times of suffering.  Though He spoke to her a lot, I want to focus on His message of Divine Mercy.

Again, from the Intro, Sr. M. Elizabeth Siepak summarizes Jesus' mission for St. Faustina:

"Today, I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart" (Diary, par. 1588)

"You are the secretary of My mercy; I have chosen you for that office in this and the next life" (Diary, par. 1605) ... "to make known to souls the great mercy that I have for them, and to exhort them to trust in the bottomless depth of My mercy" (Diary, par. 1567) 

Her mission is to remind us about the truths of God's merciful love for us as well as providing us with new ways to have a devotion to The Divine Mercy.  There are several ways to have a devotion to Divine Mercy as revealed to St. Faustina by Jesus. They are as follows:

• The Divine Mercy Image (seen at the top of this post), which is a painting of a vision St. Faustina had of Jesus.  The elements of the image has special meanings.
• The Feast of Divine Mercy, which is the day that Jesus specified to focus on the shelter of His Mercy. He specifically said that the second Sunday of the Easter season (ie. the Sunday after Easter) is to be the Feast of Divine Mercy.  Blessed Pope John Paul II declared in his homily at the canonization of St. Faustina that the second Sunday of Easter will be known as "Divine Mercy Sunday"
• The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is a prayer of atonement and appeasement of God's wrath dictated to St. Faustina by Jesus
• The Novena to Divine Mercy, which is a 9-day recitation of the Chaplet in preparation for the Feast of Divine Mercy or for whatever petitions by the faithful
• The Hour of Mercy, which Jesus specified as the third hour whereby the faithful should focus and immerse themselves in his Mercy

More info about each can be found in the intro of her diary by Sr. M Elizabeth Siepak or at DivineMercy.org.

Beautiful

So for years and years now, my church has helped out with Beautiful Feet Ministries, a homeless outreach organization that provides for spiritual and material needs as well as basic medical attention for homeless individuals on the outskirts of downtown Ft. Worth.  Every year on Christmas Eve morning, my church helps out by sorting clothes donations, praying for and with the homeless, and serving them lunch.  And in the particular ministries I'm in at my church, a few weeks ago we put together new socks stuffed with toiletries to hand out to them whenever they finish their lunch.  Also, our Knights of Columbus council cooks up a delicious Thanksgiving-esque lunch for the homeless (like...turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, roll, etc). Pretty cool stuff.

This was my third year in a row participating in helping out with Beautiful Feet.  I had the privilege of laying out an improved game plan on the sorting process.  Because man, when you have 100+ people trying to sort a bunch of clothes, it can get really hectic and chaotic when you don't have some sort of system or game plan in place.  Yes, my engineering mind definitely kicked in when trying to improve this process.  I can honestly say that we accomplished our sorting, bagging, and storing tasks relatively efficiently (better than the last two years, haha) and had a bit of down time before we had a mini-service before serving lunch.

Actually, Beautiful Feet normally holds a service for the homeless prior to lunch time, but we had the unique opportunity in leading that service instead of Beautiful Feet personnel leading it.  And that was a really beautiful thing to be part of.

To start off the service, some of our youth led the singing of Christmas carols to just get everyone in the mood and in the Christmas spirit.  Our youth minister led an opening prayer and reflection.  The Beautiful Feet coordinator working with us asked us to find some people willing to give Christmas testimonies.  Our first testimony during the service was actually one of the homeless gentlemen.  He wanted to share a poem that he wrote about the first Christmas day.  The poem was just...beautiful!  It was beautiful because you could tell that he understood the meaning of Christmas and eloquently poem'd about it.  Better than I could.  And it turns out he loves writing poems because he shared some of his other works (like, published in a booklet he was carrying with him) with others.  Pretty neat!

We also had two other members of our group give a personal witness on what Christmas means to them.  I particularly like how one of them said that the days leading up to Christmas is a time of preparation, whether for family and friends to come over.  But ultimately, it is all preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ.  I hadn't thought about how we spend all this time decorating for Christmas, making sure our house is clean for guests, and other holiday preparations...but...for what?  Why even prepare?  And the answer is...because we celebrate the coming of Christ!  Awesome :-)  The other witness talk was about how she always travels around Christmas time and thus things are always hectic and crazy, kind of like when Mary and Joseph were traveling to Bethlehem and how crazy it must have been for them to not find a place to stay.  I like how she made that connection.

And then finally, our youth minister wrapped up with a reflection from the beginning of Luke 2 where we find the Nativity narrative.  The main message is that even in the chaos and craziness of our lives, no matter what we're going through, we should keep Christ as our center like Mary and Joseph does away in a manger and beyond.  That to begin keeping Christ as our center and letting Him in our lives, we must say "yes" to Him like Mary does when the angel Gabriel speaks to her in Luke 1.  Her yes, "May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1: 38 NAB), lets Christ in...not just for Mary, but for the world!  Think about that and the immense "yes" her yes was.

Cool reflections and testimonies.

But, as cool as sorting out donated clothes and participating in a service are, I think my favorite part of doing it this year was right after the service and before lunch.  The main coordinator designated me as the one to hand out meal tickets so that the homeless can get their lunch.  So yes, I actually got to briefly interact with every homeless individual that was there.  Maybe my customer service skills kicked in, so I had a joyful smile in greeting them and handing them tickets.  But I found that my smile only grew bigger because...they were the ones to first give me a smile and say "Merry Christmas!" to me, and I could definitely see it in their eyes a sense of gratitude because they were going to receive a really delicious meal.  Kind of humbling really, because I wasn't the only one helping out with the day's effort yet here I am sharing a brief moment with every. single. one. of. them.  And that was really beautiful to see how gracious and thankful they all were.  I actually didn't get to help serve lunch this time because I was busy handing out tickets.

You know, I live a comfortable, middle-class, first world life.  And that's fine.  But truly, I can't bring myself to live my life without at least remembering those who don't have a roof over their head with no family to take care of them.  And in my current journey of faith, a stagnant faith gets nothing done--my response as a disciple of Jesus Christ is to put my faith into action--I'm...en fuego, if you will.  Thus, simply remembering the homeless isn't enough...what can I do to help?  How may I serve?  And that's what's great about Beautiful Feet.  It gives me an opportunity during an opportune time of year to serve the homeless.  But! I don't just serve them once year...  About once a month for the past year and a half, I've also helped with making peanut butter sandwiches that gets sent to another homeless ministry in Ft. Worth.  And yeah, since I've started helping out with Beautiful Feet, the thought of "hmm, what clothes in my closet can I donate?" is always in the back of my mind.  Psh, I don't need a tax deduction from donating my clothes to like...Goodwill.  ;-)  Actually, I totally just donated like 5 pairs of pants that no longer fit me this past time so... I hope one of the homeless men get to enjoy them since I can't anymore.

Anyway, I think that the temptation in thinking about the homeless is that they're a bunch of low-lifes who can't get their act together.  And you know what, I don't really know their story until I actually get to talk to them personally.  But regardless of how they wound up in their situation, regardless of the steps they're taking to get out of their current situation, regardless of homeless stereotypes...the least I can do is provide for their material needs and provide food for them...the least I can do is acknowledge them as human beings and give them dignity...personally.  I'm not gonna lie, I get in better touch with my humanity whenever I serve those who are less fortunate (like babies, kids, and elderly in a previous blog post).

So, I ask you, dear reader of my blog, to keep the homeless in your thoughts and prayers, especially this holiday season.  The local weather is going to be harshly cold and most likely wet if it isn't already.  Let us be  grateful for what has been given to us...and remember those who aren't as fortunate.  Hopefully, something stirs within us such that we're called into action and that we answer that call.  Living a Christ-centered life and called to do God's will, we must say "yes" like Mary.  Whatever we do for the least among us, we do for Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
- JD

Life Chain 2012

In honor of Respect Life month, my parish usually holds a Life Chain up and down a nearby major thoroughfare and intersection.  People line up the sidewalk holding signs like, "Abortion kills children," "Abortion hurts women," "Life is the first inalienable right," "Jesus saves," and others.  Not just holding these signs for people to see, but to stand there in prayer as a witness to our peaceful stand for life.

I personally didn't get to see the full breadth of how widespread we were, but it seemed like more people participated this year than last despite the cold weather.  We probably spanned like three blocks or so.  And supposedly a fellow Christian church (non-Catholic) joined us in our Life Chain this year, so that's pretty cool!

For me, I stood out there with my sign that said "Abortion hurts women," and prayed a Rosary while kneeling on the sidewalk.  Not gonna lie, it was distracting seeing cars pass by.  Not gonna lie, I'm grateful for all those times I worked on my non-kneeler knees, because kneeling on the sidewalk during an entire Rosary wasn't so bad.  Builds character.

Anyway, it was rather distracting watching the traffic go by.  Because...as the picture above suggests...it was hard to tell if people were giving a thumbs up or a middle finger as they drove by.  I mean, abortion is a hot button issue, and some people are rather passionately opinionated about it.  But come on, don't tint your windows!  Then I really can't tell if that's a thumbs up or middle finger that you're shaking at me, even though I'm trying my best not to pay attention to you anyway! And many thanks and congrats to those who actually rolled down their windows...which most of those people with rolled down windows gave sustained thumbs in the upright position.  Approved.

In the area that I was at, only one guy shouted "F#@% YOU!!!!!!!" as he drove by.  Annnd he immediately became my intention for the Hail Mary I was on.

So Life Chain is great!  As long as the government doesn't attempt to breach our other First Amendment rights (of speech and assembly...but they've breached religious freedom)...we can continue to have public gatherings of prayer to send a message that hey, abortion ain't good--there's a better way.

Please pray for our country that we can inspire and educate others to make a stand for life because the right to life is sooooooo fundamental to our human experience.

Life.
- JD

Bishop's 8th Annual Pro-Life Banquet

This evening I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Bishop's 8th Annual Pro-Life Banquet.  The funny thing is... I originally wanted to go until I found out that the date conflicted with another Catholic event I frequent (The Shepherd's Cafe)....on top of that, today is also the first marching competition for my high school band, of which I'm currently an active volunteer for when I'm not volunteering at my parish.  I was conflicted up until a week ago on which of the three events I would attend...like, I wish I could tri-locate.

(insert Padre Pio meme)

But, I guess God really wanted me to be at the banquet because one of the adults from our Respect Life committee approached me randomly last week offering me a seat at his table for the banquet.  Apparently, one of our resident Hispanic sisters at our parish wouldn't be able to attend, so I was invited to take her place.  And I did.  And I'm grateful for the opportunity!

I've never been to the Bishop's Pro-Life Banquet before so this was all new to me.

My first observation upon arriving was...that it felt weird coming to the Hyatt Regency at D/FW Airport for a Catholic event that wasn't DCYC.  The only other times I've been to this venue was for DCYC.  I mean, the same large room was used, but set up for dinner.  Same base level used.  But instead of a bunch of Catholic youth running around to different booths in the lobby of the base level, there were a bunch of adults dressed nicely carrying adult beverages (definitely not a youth event, haha).  

My second observation was that yes, there were youth running about--youth from my parish!  Since a good handful of them are part of our diocese's Youth For Life organization, they were enlisted to help out in various capacities for tonight's banquet.  Small Catholic world.  Wasn't expecting to see them.

I got to mingle around with other adults from my parish.  Yes, with red wine (praise God I'm Catholic!).  After some mingling and brief looking around at the silent auction, I sat down at my table.  The crazy part about my table is that...it included my pastor and his wife (he's an Episcopalian convert), Bishop Vann was at a table next ours, and right behind me was the stage.  Cool!

To get the night started, John Rhadigan of local sportscasting fame, provided his master of ceremony services.  Yes, he sas giving some Rangers updates throughout the night.  He apparently is a TV anchor for FSN and has done some other sports host-related jobs.  Cool stuff.

During dinner, they had musical entertainment involving a piano player and later a mariachi band!  I approve, being the band nerd that I am.

It was kind of funny because Bishop Vann finished his dinner rather quickly only to get up and be a social butterfly in talking to the many people in attendance during dinner.

John Rhadigan came up again after dinner to introduce Fr. Jim Pemberton of St. Bartholomew's in south Ft. Worth.  He provided some humor with stories and then started going on about how we must be the light in the darkness in regards to the culture of death that we currently live in.  For added effect, when he talked about darkness, they actually dimmed the lights.  He brought up Bishop Vann to speak and he reiterated being a light in the darkness, and Bishop talked about his reassignment to Orange County, CA.

After Fr. Jim Pemberton, John Rhadigan came up again to start a live auction.  They auctioned off a cool painting similar to this:

...this is from the Sistine Chapel where God (right) is reaching out to Adam (left).  But the picture auctioned off has a baby fetus on the left, with God reaching out with His finger.  Cool.  

There was a local Catholic painter who donated this beautiful crucifix that he painted in a particular Byzantine style to be auctioned off.  And he also painted a huuuuuuuge painting of the Annunciation not based on any particular style but his own.  Beautiful pieces of art, but I didn't take pictures because...I was front row and that would have been awkward.

Next up was a video presentation from the Youth for Life.  I think all but one of the youth giving interviews were from my parish.  A lot of them talked about their Pro-Life Boot Camp from the past summer and the importance of being pro-life.  That was really cool to see.  I love seeing my parish represented through the witness of our youth taking action in the greater Church.

After them, John Rhadigan had our keynote speaker come up.  Dr. Thomas Hilgers is a ob/gyn who discovered, researched, developed, and promoted NaPro Techonology, which is a method in addressing women's reproductive health by getting to the root of the problem rather than putting a band aid on women's health issues through prescribing the birth control pill and other such negative solutions.  He's also the founder of the Pope Paul VI Institute where they research reproductive health solutions and teach medical professionals how to be Catholic doctors as well as educate women on how to utilize their fertility services.

Dr. Hilgers explained his story of how he got into being a doctor specializing in women's reproductive health from a Catholic perspective.  I think the essence of his talk was that to be pro-life, we have to remember that fertility treatments like in-vitro fertilization results in the death of many embryos before a successful pregnancy occurs.  And that the solution to many women's reproductive and fertility issues can be solved via the methods that he has researched and practices (particularly NaPro and Creighton model).  He covered a lot, including statistical information.  In addition, he touched on faith and science because those two things seemingly contradict each other, but to be Catholic is to be a lover of faith and reason/science.  One thing I found surprising is that he mentioned that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is pro-contraception, pro-abortion, etc.  You would think that people in that profession would be more open to other ideas besides those that harm a woman's health...but...that's just the crazy world we live in.

Following Dr. Hilgers, Bishop Vann came up to wrap it all up. 

He awarded a couple from our parish due to their dedication to the pro-life cause in our diocese.  Very cool.

Raffle tickets pulled by seminarians.  Closing prayer by a priest.  More mingling afterwards.  Then, I went home.

All in all, a good night.  I'm grateful that I went.  Bonus points because I got some free Catholic swag (a book on St. Therese by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and some other literature) and the opportunity to see my parish family at this event.

Tonight just reaffirms my commitment to my own pro-life efforts, especially since we're in the middle of a 40 Days for Life campaign.  Also, this deserves a future blog post but also a lot of research to in order to give it the justice it deserves...but...I think the other takeaway tonight is the Catholic response to the attacks on faith and reason and women's health.  Because...there are people out there who say Science >>> Faith and that the Catholic Church hates women and the Church is but an obstacle to women's health.  But with the work that Dr. Hilger's does...it just blows those arguments outa the water.  Like, boom roasted.

With that, I end with a quote from a prayer booklet that I use when praying at the abortion clinic while meditating on the Glorious Mysteries:

"To be pro-life is to be pro-woman.  To be pro-woman demands we be pro-life."

- JD

PS Upon looking at my program from tonight...it looks like Tim Tebow's mom is the keynote speaker for next year.  #NoBigDeal

I Got Served

So last Sunday, I was all suited up for varying purposes for the day, but the cool thing about being suited up is that it is the best I can wear to Mass.  I might not suit up all the time for Mass, but when I do...I try to serve in some way.

I signed up to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for the 11AM Mass I was attending.  Mass was normal.  The usual.

When it came to ministering the Body of Christ to the faithful...one of the greatest fears for any Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion occurred.  To me.  First time. Ever.

Jesus fell on the floor! :-(   :"-(    T_T

As an EMHC, you usually try to be adaptive to the various postures and gestures people have in orienting their hands/mouth to receive the Eucharist.  But, bless her heart, this little girl came up to receive the Body.  And I tried placing Him in her hand, but she, instead, tried to grab the Body from my fingers before I placed Him in her hands.  And that's when Jesus fell on the floor...

So, our protocol is to pick Jesus up and place the Eucharist under the ciborium and to make note of the place where He fell and to guard it to prevent people from stepping on Jesus.  No sooner had I picked up Jesus from the ground when an altar server immediately appeared behind me with a purificator and water for cleanup in front of Pew #1.  It's like...he was watching and waiting for something like that to happen.  Then boom.  Like a Catholic ninja, he was there.

Shout out to the altar server!  Definitely eased my mind knowing that the situation was rectified and taken care of in less than a minute.  My freaking out only lasted a few seconds, haha.  I know this probably occurs every so often to many an EMHC...but...the first time it happens to you has more of that shock value...But, thankfully, other servers have got my back!

Faith. Hope. Charity. And quick responses.
- JD

No Big Deal

For tickets... www.fullnessoftruth.org ...  hmmm... Ok! Done!

Sweeeeeet.  

So, this is going to be pretty cool.  I've thumbed through some of Patrick Madrid's books before and I often hear him on Catholic Answers Live and his own show Thursday nights.  He's only nationally known in the Catholic world...

...and he's coming to my parish.

No big deal.

And yes, I do want to know why I should be Catholic when I can be not-Catholic.  I mean, I can come up with a  lot of reasons why my life is Catholic ... but I think Mr. Madrid and Mr. Molina will provide more substantial reasons why, haha.

Knowing me...I'll probably blog about this experience.

Why be Catholic?

Duh.

- JD

Our Lady of Walsingham

Earlier this weekend, I blogged about how I'm out of town for the weekend due to a friend's wedding.  In this previous blog post, I also mentioned that I'd make it a point to go visit Catholic churches whenever I'm traveling about by myself.

So, the main motivation behind this idea was to go visit Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church in Houston, TX.  An old-but-new-friend now calls that parish his home--Father Chuck Hough IV.  I had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Chuck a year ago when he landed a job in religious education at my home parish. I met him and his lovely family at a backyard party, haha.  Fun facts: a) we both went to Texas A&M, b) my current spiritual director is his former spiritual director.  Lastly, he grew up in the Anglican Church.  He was ordained as an Anglican priest and after conversion and discernment, has been welcomed into the Catholic Church.  He was recently ordained as a Catholic priest (see Bishop Vann's blog on that here) and his Ordinary assigned him to Our Lady of Walsingham.  Kind of big news in the Catholic world because in addition to him being ordained, his father, Chuck Hough III, was also ordained as a Catholic priest.  Father and son. Catholic priests.  A rarity, for sure!

So, in my travel plans...it worked out best for me to fly in and out of Bush Intercontinental.  And a few days ago, the idea popped in my head that I should go visit Fr. Chuck IV since I'd be in town anyway.  Yeah, the church is out of the way coming from the east towards Houston, since it's on the west side and the airport is on the north side.  But ...I figured...why the heaven, not? Haha.

This morning, when I left my hotel at Orange, TX ...I thought to myself, "Self, hey...I should try to see if I can sneak in a confession before the 10:30AM Mass at Our Lady of Walsingham..."  So I check out and leave Orange, TX at 7:30AM.  Two hour drive later, I'm at the church.

I get there right as Mass ended.  I awkwardly walk around trying to look like a parishioner and know what I'm doing, but I don't know where I'm going...but I find the narthex of the church.  And I see Fr. Chuck IV conversing with members of the parish.  I awkwardly stand there until he notices me.  And finally he does! Fightin' Texas Aggie handshake (normal, but joyful and intense).  Exchange of "how are you?s" After he wraps up conversing with other parishioners, he takes me on a tour of the church and grounds.

A bullet list of what he showed/told me:

• Our Lady of Walsingham's architecture replicates the style and format of 11th century churches in England.  What that means exactly and how do I describe that, I'm not sure.  It looks like a castle on the outside?  The inside has huge pillars outlining the perimeter.  
• The altar is right up against the tabernacle because Mass is celebrated ad orientem, or "to the east."  In other words, most of the times, the priest and deacons have their back to you.  
• There is a choir loft.  In other words, the choir is up on the balcony and you cannot see them.  Organ is up there as well.
• One of the trancepts of the church is actually a chapel whereby the chapel is a replica of Mary's house in Nazareth.  Same dimensions.  He showed me inside, and in addition to the tabernacle, he pointed out the statue of the image of Our Lady of Walsingham, which her most prominent feature is that she's wearing a crown.
• The chapel connects outside and you can see the shrine, pictured below.  It's a replica of the real shrine in England.

Half-size Replica of the original Our Lady of Walsingham Shrine in England
Courtesy of www.walsingham-church.org

Cool.  After showing me around, he tells me he'll start hearing confessions after he takes like a ...10-minute break.  So I go back into the church and get in the confession line.  I pray for a while.  I actually was one person short of going to Confession because Fr. Chuck had to prepare for Mass, so I didn't get to go.  But he said he could resume Confession after Mass.

So, I move up further in the pews and prepare for Mass.  Now,  I must say...Our Lady of Walsingham used to be an Anglican church.  I'm not sure on the history, but the community converted to Catholicism at some point, and they received permission from Blessed Pope John Paul II to continue using the Anglican way of doing Mass.  It's called "Anglican use."

Now, I'd like to describe the things that make this particular Anglican use Mass unique compared to what I'm normally used to at my own parish.

Bulleted form:

• I participated in the Solemn Mass at 10:30AM...so...I think that's their equivalent of our High Mass.  
• During the procession, altar servers carry the cross like normal, but are then followed by the choir, the rest of the altar servers, then the clergy.  I thought it interesting that the choir would be part of the procession.
• Choir sings the antiphons prior to each section of the Mass
• Readings are the same, but a different translation is used
• Every time the name of Jesus Christ is said, the whole congregation bows their head in honor 
• The Penitential Rite, though different, was recited while kneeling, and was recited AFTER the Nicene Creed, whereas we normally do it at the beginning of Mass after the opening prayer.  Then after being sorry for our grievous faults, then came the "peace be with you"s, normally done after the Our Father at my parish.  Haha that was awkward for me...
• Announcements and birthday/anniversary blessings were done prior to the Offertory
• During Intercessions, the response was "Lord, have mercy" instead of "Lord, hear our prayer."
• In general, the liturgy uses an Anglican translation of the Latin Mass.  These translations are older than the translation used after Vatican II.  So,  you can hear and say words familiar to us with the new translation.  However, because the Anglican church originated in England, you'll find more ye olde English in the missal.  Ex. "And with thy spirit"  instead of "And with your spirit."   So there's definitely more thee's, thy's, etc.  I'm not sure to what extent the new translation of the English Mass had on the liturgy in Anglican use churches.
• There were no Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.  Only the ordained ministered the Eucharist.
• The Eucharist is given to the faithful via altar rails and by method of tincture.  So, in order to receive the Eucharist, you have to kneel at the rails located at the front of the sanctuary.  Tincture is where the Body is dipped into the Blood before ministered to the faithful.  The deacons and altar servers carry a plate and hold it below so as not to spill either species.
• In general, a lot more words/prayers were said during this Mass.  And the postures and gestures were different or rather, more deliberate.  Like, you make the sign of the cross, kneel, bow, genuflect more often during the Mass.  I noticed that where it's usually optional for us, they normally do it anyway.  Like, it's just...part of what they do.  

I'm sure I'm forgetting other little differences...if I remember, I'll add to the list and make it obvious that I updated.

After Mass concluded, I awkwardly waited around for Fr. Chuck to finish catching up with parishioners and he finally heard my confession.  We briefly talked and he asked me what I thought about the Mass.  I told him that I was impressed by the level of reverence from the congregation--something often desired in Catholic Masses that I've been to.  Just with all the solemn prayers and gestures/postures, ad orientem-ing, and ...just everything...  He acknowledged that Msgr. Hart, my pastor back home and his former boss, is aiming to bring about a more reverent Mass experience...slowly, but surely.  You can't just throw mandatory changes all at once.  That would be too much of a shock!  And yes, I can vouch...SEAS definitely has a more reverent feel to it than it used to, thanks to the slow changes that Msgr. Hart has brought.

Anyway, this was a really cool experience--to visit a new church to visit with someone from "back home" and to experience Mass in a different way.  I'm grateful for the opportunity!  Even if it required me to cancel my flight plans because the whole visit lasted way longer than I originally planned on...but it was worth it.  Not even mad.  I'd take a Mass and freshly clean soul over catching a flight, haha.

Annnnd, I have legit reason to go back and visit...after all, I couldn't receive the Eucharist ...via tincture, for that matter.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us! That we be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

- JD

Executive Decision

Last summer, I went on a small road trip with our youth group to another parish an hour away.  We joined up with another youth group to watch a live feed of the closing Mass at World Youth Day 2012 in Madrid, Spain.

And after staying up all night (literally) watching the Closing Mass, I couldn't help but think, "Man! I really want to go to a World Youth Day!"  And I decided that I would start saving money, knowing that such a trip will cost like at least 3500 small coffees from McDonald's.  Not that I get small coffees at McDonald's that often. Anymore. Ahem...

Anyway, I remember back in high school, our youth group went to like...each one.  But I never had the time or could afford it.  So I missed out on the opportunities to go to WYD in Toronto, Germany, and Australia.

But now that I'm full-time employed with some earned vacation time, I've made an executive decision to go to World Youth Day 2013 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Earlier this week, I attended a meeting to start getting more information about a combined trip between my parish and another parish.  Sounds pretty exciting!  Can't wait!

I hope that a lot of youth get to go too to share this experience!

It's gonna happen.  God-willing. JD-hoping/praying.

(Insert something Portuguese here)
-JD

Of Mothers, Sickness, and Conversion

In our Catholic walk through life, I'm sure we all experience those moments of conversion that make you go "wow, Catholicism is awesome...Catholicism works!..."  I have had a few major conversion moments throughout my life thus far, and this is one of them.

Note:  To keep things private, I have changed some names.

Background
When I was an assistant black belt instructor at my Tae Kwon Do dojo in early high school, I met a fellow Filipino family.  I taught Shawn, and my family befriended his parents (since my grandfather and parents took me to class since I didn't drive yet).  Shawn's parents are really nice, and I remember my parents and grandfather talking to them non-stop for the full hour of class...like...every time.

My parents enrolled me in high school religious education classes my freshman year of high school.  Needless to say, it was required so that I could get Confirmed.  I barely remember my class from freshman year, but I do recall my fellow classmates from my Confirmation/religious education class.  That's where I met J.T. or at least...got to know him better, since I'm not sure if I met him my freshman year.  I would say my Filipino radar is pretty good, and I could tell that he, too, is Filipino.  While the Filipino connection was an obvious start to a friendship, I didn't find out til later that J.T. is actually the older brother of Shawn.  I think it was one of those awkward parent pick-up moments after class where I found this out.  It kind of blew my mind, actually, because it IS a small world after all.

Awesome.  So now I know this family through Tae Kwon Do and Confirmation class.  And my family has befriended J.T. and Shawn's parents.  Cool stuff.

As the year progressed, I got to know J.T. better.  Turns out he, too, is a clarinet player!  We had that ... Filipino Catholic clarinet guy connection, whatever that means.  Since it was our sophomore year, we both went through the motions of retreats and classes for Confirmation and the actual sacrament itself.

We get Confirmed...we finish sophomore year... It's summer time...

J.T. and his family took a trip to Rome during that summer after Confirmation.  Because my family and his family had developed enough closeness...and because J.T.'s mom is super awesomely Catholic... she got me   (and some others in the youth group) some sort of certificate blessed by Blessed Pope John Paul II for Confirmation...which...I just now remembered as I'm typing this...which now I'm inclined to go look for that because I'm highly intrigued...but...I digress--I'll look for it later...

Anyway, after Confirmation...we both got involved with the our youth group.  I guess the Holy Spirit truly has that power to set ablaze within souls, because we were definitely "en fuego" to be an awesome example of what it means to be a Confirmed Catholic.

Our involvement continued through the summer and into the fall.  We were both juniors in high school still going to religious ed class, youth group on Wednesdays, and helping out with whatever events on the weekends.

But then... winter came.  And that's when it happened.

The Sickness
Now, let me just say...the passage of time through the events described is cloudy to me since it's been 9 years.  But that's not too important.  What matters is what...happened.

It was a few days after Christmas 2003.

I forget through what channels that I heard the news, but I think it was some combination of emails and phone calls.

J.T. had to go to the emergency room.  He had been complaining of a headache that progressively got worse throughout the day, and at night it got so bad that he couldn't sleep--he could do nothing but moan and be in pain.  And I think his whole body started hurting too  So his parents took him to the ER.

It only went downhill from there.

It all happened so fast.  Within a day or two, J.T. went from perfectly fine to perfectly not fine.

Apparently he had come down with bacterial meningitis--the bad form of it.  If my memory serves me right, he slipped into a coma.  And while he was in a coma, he either suffered through a stroke or seizures or both...I can't remember exactly.  Either way, because of his bacterial meningitis, it complicated and compromised his health to the point where the doctors said he didn't have much longer to live.

I mean, this all happened in less than a week.  Going from totally fine to death knocking at the door.  Hard to be merry during the Advent season...

I remember going on a retreat right around that time (like, the weekend after this all went down) and we concluded it with a visit to the hospital.  That's where I found out more details about J.T.'s condition and that he wasn't really expected to live.  Whoa.  I might have to lose a friend in death.  I wasn't prepared for this!  I can't...lose a friend after just getting to know him...ya know?

Catholic Strength
But I couldn't even fathom how his parents must feel.  Still can't.  Because...no parent desires to outlive their child.  And here are J.T.'s parents having to deal with that very possibility.  J.T.'s dad is a pediatrician--a kid doctor!  And there was absolutely nothing he could do to help his son.  Isn't that crazy? To be trained how to help kids back to full health but not being able to help out his own son?

 And oh man...there was also Shawn and their sister too.  They had to deal with the possibility of losing their older brother.

And you know how it's usually the mom who freaks out and gets emotional in these types of situations?  J.T.'s mom, who I'll call Susan, wasn't like that.  I remember us talking to her about about J.T. during our hospital visit.  She admitted she's been crying...but the other stuff she said still blows me away.

...In addition to admitting to all her tears, she mentioned that she has complete trust in God and His will.  That if He wanted to bring J.T. back home, she would be okay with that.  My youth minister and his wife later pointed out that her strength in her faith and in God resembled that of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Susan was a lot like this:

As a young-in-the-faith Catholic at the time, I never really saw what complete trust in God and His will looked like until that hospital visit.  Both J.T.'s parents, as powerless as they were in this situation, could only trust.  And I saw what a modern day Mary at the foot of the Cross looked like through Susan's example.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but there were a lot of prayers offered up for J.T. from the youth group.  I mean, come on...we're Catholic.  Many Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets and other prayers.  After our hospital visit after the retreat...I think we got together nearly every night or at least once a week to pray for J.T.

As I mentioned earlier, my family is friends with J.T.'s family.  I remember taking my mom with me to visit J.T. in the hospital a week or two later.  By this time, J.T. survived the worst part of his ordeal but had suffered through his stroke/seizures.  Because of these complications, he lost motor skills on his right side, speech and memory.  Maybe other things too, but I can't remember exactly.

But he wasn't in the clear.  At that hospital visit, we found out that even if J.T. gets through all of this, he wouldn't be 100%.

I don't recall much of how his health slowly improved in the following months after being hospitalized.  I remember the youth group getting together to continue our prayers for J.T.  And I don't think I had the opportunity to go visit him in the hospital again after school started up again.

I did dig through some old emails from back then and found an update on J.T. dated March 14, 2004.  That's nearly four months after he first went to the ER.  Some highlights:

• Still in the hospital
• Working with a physical therapist at least 5 days a week
• Some limitation in his right arm movement, but can move both arms at the same time
• Might still be another 8 weeks before he's able to go home
• Short term memory issues still, but no loss of mental capacity
• When asked he wanted to tell the youth group anything, he said "Tell everyone I'm doing great and that I'm praying for them."

I don't remember when he finally came home.  I think it was sometime during the summer.  And then...I don't remember seeing him much since that year.  His life was no longer normal since he had to go through a lot of rehab and his progress was gradual...so his public appearances were minimal.

J.T. didn't get to finish out his junior year because of getting sick.  I went on to graduate from high school and go to college.  Throughout college, whenever I was back at home, I'd occasionally run into J.T. before or after Mass.  Early on, I remember observing that his walk was very slow and his speech was labored and slow as well.  And year after year running into him, I saw gradual improvement.

After I graduated from college, I actually saw him a little more frequently.  Consequence of living back at home, I suppose.  I worked at a local rec center where apparently his family had a membership.  And J.T. and his dad would stop by to exercise for rehab purposes.  And then of course, I'd randomly run into him at our parish as well.

How This Affected Me

To be honest, after J.T. and his family went through all that...I can't help but tear up every time I think about it.  I nearly cry because he lived through that.  I nearly cry because oh my gosh...the strength of Susan's faith is saintly to me--and the fact that his parents were totally willing to let him go should God will it.  I nearly cry because every time I encounter J.T. because his good self pierces through his own personal darkness.  Even if his body won't let him be visibly joyful, you can still just...tell that he is grateful to be alive and joyful to talk with you.

With J.T., I totally believe in the power of prayer.  We really did pray a lot together as a youth group for J.T. and his family.  I'm practically convinced that the youth group is miraculous in that sense--not because I'm saying so...but Susan herself tells me that nearly every time I run into her.  She is so humbled and grateful for the youth group's prayer and support.

With today being Mother's Day, I can't help but think of my own mom and the other examples of pure motherhood in my life.  And with Susan, seeing her son suffer like that, caused her to suffer but even in her suffering...she knew that she wasn't in control.  And for her to let go and let God the way she did helped me see a vague reflection of our Blessed Mother.  Awesome.

J.T.'s story provided a very real example of being Catholic.  His story, to me, demonstrates that Catholicism truly works, and miracles really do happen.  He wasn't supposed to live.  But he did.  By the grace and mercy of God, he lived through it.  And we're all so grateful that J.T. is alive today.

I'll also bring up this example.  Above, I mentioned how I worked at a local rec center where he and his family frequent.  There was this one time where my supervisor and I were manning the front desk and they checked-in with us.  I caught up with them for a little bit, then they went on to the gym floor.  My supervisor walks over to me and tells me how amazing of a family they are, and she briefly outlined what happened to J.T. with me.  She didn't know I already knew.  So I explained to her (in near tears, lol) that yeah...I've known the family for a long while and that I had witnessed the whole ordeal back then.  She even mentioned that she gets all teary eyed about J.T.'s story and his family.  Annnnd, my supervisor doesn't even go to our church!  And she knew all this just from encountering them at the rec center.  Whoa.

Where Are They Now?
As I mentioned earlier, I still run into their family randomly at our church and other places.

Because Youth 2000 was a favorite retreat of J.T.'s back in high school, both him and his parents still volunteer each year now that J.T. is strong enough.  I got to see and visit with them at the Youth 2000 retreat last month.  They really dig how the youth is so active and participatory in things.

I recently got to speak with J.T. after Mass not too long ago.  To this day, he's still doing rehab a few times a week.  He still does physical therapy and psycho-therapy.  But, what's really nice is that his speech is mostly back and he's able to move around decently.  His short-term memory has improved as well.

From other recent conversations with him, I know he's currently at TCC getting some basics out of the way. I know few years ago, he had talked about discerning the priesthood.  But recently, he seems excited at pursuing becoming a doctor, specializing in some of things he's going through right now.  How awesome is that?

Ever since I graduated from college and got involved with my parish again, a part of me has always wanted to get J.T. involved.  I don't think he does much with our parish now other than Mass.  Praise God our current youth minister is trying to get a Young Adult group going, and I see this as a great opportunity to get J.T. involved at our parish once more.  Even Susan agrees that J.T. should get involved again, but it's been hard with all the rehab and schoolwork.

Since I always run into them in passing, I never got the chance to get some contact info and J.T. hardly checks his Facebook >_>.  But!  Just last weekend, while in line for concessions at the movie theater, I heard someone call out my name.  Lo and behold, it was Susan! In the same line! Two people behind me!  So then we had an awkward catch-up moment with people between us and that was awesome.  I obtained her number and email address so that I can communicate with her all the happenings.

It would just be really cool to have him back and active at our parish again, especially for us old-school people.  I feel like he would have sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to offer.

It's my >>MISSION<< to bring J.T. back.  Challenge accepted.

Thanks for taking the time to read this wall of text.  This is truly one of my real-est examples of Catholicism and a moment of conversion for sure.  I hope my current parish friends (teens, parents, young adults, and others alike) get to meet them sometime.  They're an awesome family and they're all really nice and so thankful for God in their lives.

Please continue to pray for J.T. and and his family...because they still pray for us in youth ministry!

Happy Mother's Day!
- JD

**Update: May 12, 2013**
I don't get to see J.T. that often since he still does some rehab and also works.  But, I did run into him and his mom at our parish fish fry during Lent.  I think the biggest development recently is the return or maturation of his mental capacity to be where it needs to be because apparently he's always struggled with that since falling sick.

And of course, I saw them again at the Youth 2000 retreat helping out.  :-)

May Feelings

Mary's Grotto at my parish for May Crowning 2012

April showers bring forth May flowers...for Mary!
Last year, our high school youth group got asked to help out with the May Crowning for our elementary religious ed kids.  Some of our high schoolers actively help with the young kids.
One of the high schoolers shared this video last year in preparation for the May Crowning:

...which resulted in our youth group getting together to make our own "I pray the Rosary" shirts.  And we all helped lead the elementary students in praying the Rosary, songs, and the crowning.  Cool stuff.
This year we didn't quite get organized in time to make new shirts, but we still helped out with 3 separate May Crownings (soooo many kids x_x, but that's a good thing!).  
It is adorably cute to hear little kids lead a decade of the Rosary.  Fo realz.
If you have time, it's worth searching "Belomasan" on YouTube.  They're the ones that make these May Feelings videos (which  the video above is May Feelings II...and there are currently 5).  They're all pretty awesome.  Don't let the Spanish language turn you away--there are subtitles!
Faith. Hope. Charity.  I pray the Rosary. - JD