Flying Without Entitlement

I’ve mentioned or hinted at in the past that I’m an American Airlines kid. My dad has been with the company for over 25 years now. One of the benefits of being a family member of someone who works for the airlines is that we get flying benefits.  Yes, that means we get to "fly free", but not as a ticketed passenger. If you don’t know, there are two ways to fly. You can purchase a ticket, which pretty much guarantees you a seat on an airplane or you can fly standby, which means you only get a seat on the airplane if there’s an open seat.

Flying standby means you get put on the standby list. Passengers on the standby list don’t get processed on a "first come first serve" basis exactly, but rather by priority. There are different levels of priorities that passengers can have, and usually passengers using rewards programs, passengers with emergencies, passengers who got bumped from previous flights, etc. tend to get higher priorities. On the other hand, people flying standby with employee flight benefits are on the lower end. And since I’m over the set age for a family member for American Airlines, I have to fly at the lowest priority AND it costs money (at severe discount, and it docks off that price from my dad’s pay check). The nice thing is…aiming for first/business class seats cost just as much as a coach class seat. So clearly I try to aim high.

(I will say as an aside, you don’t need to have flight benefits to fly standby)

For 95% of my life, I’ve been flying standby because of my dad’s flight benefits. We’re always one of the last passengers to board the plane, we’re always getting bumped from flight to flight, and there were a few times where we have had to sleep at the airport terminal overnight because we couldn’t catch a flight. Crazy.

Even Tom Hanks has to do it for certain movie roles

In the past several months, I’ve had multiple trips to Japan. Fortunately, my company pays for my tickets and my project gives my team and I permission to get Business Class tickets. It’s a weird feeling for me to be a ticketed passenger. And boarding first because of Business Class and rewards status. And use of the nice lounges. It’s really nice to be able to experience the other side of flying with these business trips.

You see, what prompted me to write this blog post is a particular comment that another passenger made. I was settling into my Business Class seat on a flight home from Narita (NRT) back in May. Because Business Class gets to board before the Economy Class passengers, I basically get to see everyone else pass me as I’m settling in. I was just sitting reading my book as I heard a passenger say to another, in a sort of sassy and snarky way:

“Wow look at these seats, man. Our seats suck in the back. Look at all these special people with their special seats."

I didn’t look up from my book, but that comment kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn’t offended or anything.

But it gave me pause to think about the circumstances at which I’m able to have such special seats. I mean, honestly…it’s my job that pays for this kind of seat. There’s nothing that I’ve done to merit that I need to have Business Class seats. On top of that, I absolutely had no idea at the beginning of the year (or even when I started my job with this new team that I didn’t put myself in) that I would get to travel to Japan as frequently as I already have.  In other words, I didn’t place myself in this position to be able to have a Business Class seat. It’s very much a nice-to-have.

So that passenger’s comment made me think about how grateful I am to have this opportunity to fly this way. And I would be just as content flying on +12-hour flights in Economy Class (via standby, and I’ve done it before for trips to the Philippines).

I actually really like flying standby almost moreso than flying with Business Class tickets. It’s very, very adventurous because it is so uncertain sometimes. Each time I fly standby and am able to get a seat on a plane, I can’t help but feel grateful for the ticket and to get on a plane.

Lol, there was this one time that I went to Connecticut for a dear friend’s wedding. On the way back, I couldn’t catch a plane home. So I did some research for flights available to me as a standby and invented my itinerary as I went. In the end, I flew from Connecticut to Chicago to Arkansas. Then I spent the night in Arkansas (yay Kayak-ing up a hotel and car rental) and took the first flight out from Arkansas to home Monday morning.  You see, if I were a ticketed passenger, i would’ve never gone that route! And I’ve never been to Chicago and Arkansas until that point!

I also really like flying standby because I fly without entitlement. I’m often the last passenger on the plane. Use of Admiral’s Clubs and lounges are not included as I’m not a member or have a ticketed business class ticket. I don’t earn miles. I often get the least ideal of seats when I finally get on the plane. There’s always the uncertainty of being able to even get on a plane. Just to get the ticket to get on is good enough, and that’s what’s worth the sufferings of travel. Everything else is a bonus! I don’t need or deserve hot mixed nuts, complimentary alcohol, gourmet meals at all, choice of gourmet meals, seats that lie flat, a mattress I can put on top of my lie-flat seat, complimentary use of an airline-provided cardigan to wear while on board in case I get cold, airport lounge access because of Business Class tickets, priority boarding and luggage check-in, complimentary use of noise-canceling headphones, 13”+ widescreens for my seat, and the list goes on.

I’m not entitled to the things that are available to me as a ticketed (and Business Class) passenger. But they are available to me because of my current blessed and fortunate circumstances that I didn’t purposefully put myself in.

And because I’m not entitled, I am more fully aware of my sense of gratitude for these opportunities.

That awkward moment when I apparently hit Platinum and get to board the plane first!...in the very back. And here I am working on this very blog post.

-JD

The Terminal // Blog - Ebags.com

An Instance When the Christian Cross Isn't Practical

This was back in April and written as such.

---

As I'm currently typing this out, I'm 6000+ miles away from home eating breakfast at a really nice hotel in the middle of Japan. I'll be going to Mass here in a few hours.

I've already been here for two weeks!

In my own desires and pursuit of Catholic nerdiness, I've sought Catholic churches nearby. The cathedral of this diocese is a solid 35 minute walk from my hotel, and I just recently found a mission church by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart that is only 25 minutes walk away.

In my brief Googling about Japan, I learned that Japan is only about 1% Christian.

First of all, I find it remarkable then that I was able to find two Catholic churches nearby! I would think that because the percentage of Christianity is so minuscule here that I would find difficulty in finding any Christian church much less a Catholic one.

However, in my excursions around the city in search of foods and Pokemon or on my commute to work, I see a surprisingly frequent sight: the cross. Not just any kind of cross but the Christian cross.

Totally a wedding venue...with reception hall...as viewed from my 20+ story hotel room.

It turns out that most of these establishments that display a Christian cross are actually not Christian churches, but rather wedding chapels. Apparently "Western-style" weddings are a popular thing here, but "Western-style" also seems to be synonymous with "Christian-style". With the population being 1% Christian, I begin to wonder how sincere to the Christian tradition these Western weddings are.

Now, I don't know the reasons for this and why Japanese couples are into Western-style weddings that are similar to a typical Christian wedding. I'm sure that would be a fascinating anthropological and historical pursuit that I'll probably pick up some other time.

But here in Japan, seeing the cross around town like that doesn't necessarily mean Christianity. Most likely it's a wedding venue that does Western-style weddings. Any hint of Christianity beyond that based on symbols is probably merely for the look and the feels, but doesn't necessarily get to the heart of Christian tradition and worship. In other words, it's superficial and nothing more beyond the symbol itself. Which stinks when I'm trying to find somewhere to pray without having to buy a wedding package, haha.

So I take comfort in the Catholic churches that I've found nearby. Within is not only the Christian cross, but the crucifix. Behold, the man--the man on the cross. And that's what makes the crucifix a practical symbol of what is indeed Christian. Particularly...Catholic. Here in Japan, I can know with reasonable confidence that the place I'm at can trace its tradition and motivations to something truly Christian. I mean, come on, the crucifix has Jesus on it. It cannot be argued that it would be for anything else. It is not as easily hijacked for other purposes.

I have a thing for Benedictine crucifixes (distinguished by the Benedictine medal). This is the one I wear.

In today's world, I'm caring more and more that Christianity not be hijacked for other intentions than what Christ Himself, and the authority He Himself gave to His apostles, intends.

St. Francis Xavier, one of the first missionaries to Japan, pray for us!
- JD

PS Of course, there's also the bonus of the Blessed Sacrament being truly present in a Catholic church. ^_^v

Travel Tips

After some reflection, I realized that I have a lot of travel experience. And because of all my travels, I'm certain that I've picked up practical and useful tips for traveling. Not that I have been to many unique destinations or anything, but the fact that I tend to fly places more than once or thrice a year has given me many opportunities to do things wrongly and correctly when traveling.

I'm an American Airlines kid. My dad has worked for them ever since I could remember. With much of our family on either coast or elsewhere in the world, it's nice to have my dad's flying benefits to be able to visit family. So when I was younger, we frequently flew out to California. And now I have family members up in Canada and on the east coast. Not to mention my family in the Philippines.

Now that I'm older, my personal usage of my dad's flight benefits is a little more limited, but I've also had the opportunities to fly different places for Catholic reasons. I'm particularly thinking of those times I flew out to Washington D.C. for the March for Life and Rio De Janeiro for World Youth Day. Flying pilgrimage-style is a unique experience.

And then there's my professional career. Being in the aerospace industry, my exposure to the global outreach of such an industry has definitely increased. It seems my current job has sent me to Japan twice now!

Lastly, I have experience and knowledge of commercial airline seats. Particularly in their design, how they work, how they're made and assembled. A lot of engineering and work goes into an airline seat. But all anyone cares about is how comfortable they aren't! >_>

Perhaps because of my engineering mindset, I have an appreciation for the practical, particularly when it comes to traveling. Airline travel has been a part of me from the very beginning. And I think it would be cool to share what I've learned with you all.

- JD

Flight 101 Livery // Kulula

A Universal Moment and Practical Application of Pentecost

I've lapsed in my blogging, and I apologize. It was not without reason. With that said, I'll attempt at providing updates.

This was back in April.

A cherry blossom glimpse of Nagoya Castle

I traveled to Japan for work. Hence, my lack of my usual online presence, including blogging. I ended up staying in Japan for three weeks even though the original intention was to stay only for two weeks. Life is hard, I know.

It actually really sucked initially because my trip out to Japan happened on Easter weekend. I wasn't able to make it to Easter Mass because I left too early on Saturday morning and would arrive too late in Japan to make it to an Easter Mass in Japan. I did speak to my pastor about this, and I was given dispensation (to miss Mass) and a blessing for safe travels.

I haven't missed a Sunday Mass in a very long while and to miss only one of the biggest Masses in the liturgical year was such a bummer for me. I guess because of my missing out, and my personal goal to visit Catholic churches wherever I go when traveling, I definitely used the Google to find out if there were any Catholic churches near my hotel in Japan.

I learned in my initial research on Japan that it is currently only 1% Christian. From my Catholic nerdiness, I learned that St. Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan only ~400 years ago, which is pretty young in the Church's history. So in my Google-ing of Catholic churches near where I would be staying in Japan, I wasn't too hopeful of finding something nearby.

Fortunately, there was! The cathedral, in fact! The seat of the diocese! And it was only about two miles away from my hotel!

Too happy to find Nunoike Catholic Church

My first free weekend in Japan, I sought it out. I remember entering that church and feeling a sense of home. Actually, even a sense of yearning because I had missed (Easter) Mass the weekend before. The Mass was in Japanese. Luckily, they passed out pamphlets with English translations of the day's readings. The homily was long, and because I didn't really understand what the priest was saying, I did some light Lectio Divina on the Gospel. I also appreciated the traditional Catholic feel and look of the Mass. The hymns sounded like hymns, and the choir sang beautifully.  If only I could share the sights and sounds! (Maybe they had signs everywhere saying not to take pics and vids...)

It was really nice because despite the Mass being said in Japanese, I was very familiar with everything going on in the Mass. I could still fully participate and not feel lost. The brilliance of the Catholic Mass, undoubtedly.

Mikokoro Catholic Center

Later that week, I wanted to go to Confession. That resulted in me spending more time using the Google to see what other Catholic churches were nearby that also offered Confession. That led me to find a Catholic center run by Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. I was drawn to that one because it's actually a little closer to my hotel and Confession was offered anytime! I just had to ask the priest. Psh. Why the heaven not?!

I actually went to that Catholic center one night during the week hoping to see if I could catch the priest for Confession but was not successful. I didn't find him! So I went back the next night and planned on being there after daily Mass to talk to a priest. Success!

After that, I decided to go to Mass there the next Sunday, and I did!

If you remember, back in 2013, I went to Rio De Janeiro with millions of other people for World Youth Day. I was just blown away by all the people I encountered from all corners of the globe who went to Rio to share and grow in the Catholic faith during World Youth Day festivities. But here, in this humble Catholic church in the middle of Japan, I was reminded again, albeit on a much, much smaller scale the universality of the Catholic faith.

You see, it was actually kind of crazy! The priest who celebrated Mass is Australian. The congregation? Mostly Filipino (represent!) with a sprinkling of Americans and Japanese. Mass was in English. And where were we? In the middle of Japan.  These observances gave me pause because of the combination of different cultures coming together to celebrate the Eucharist in the Mass.

I remembered in my studies of the Catechism with the youth group on these words of St. Iranaeus of Lyons:

Indeed, the Church, though scattered throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, having received the faith from the apostles and their disciples. . . guards [this preaching and faith] with care, as dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes as if having but one soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches and hands on this faith with a unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth.

For though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the Tradition is one and the same. the Churches established in Germany have no other faith or Tradition, nor do those of the Iberians, nor those of the Celts, nor those of the East, of Egypt, of Libya, nor those established at the centre of the world. . ." The Church's message "is true and solid, in which one and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world.

Reference CCC 172-175. 

In other words, the Christian faith given to us from Christ through the apostles is communicated to us as one, despite differences in language. I've been to Mass in English, Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino), Latin, Portuguese, Korean, and now Japanese. But Mass is Mass, no matter what tongue. The faith is passed on through the Church with one unanimous voice with her one mouth.

Speaking of tongues (pun totally intended), today has special significance on the liturgical calendar. Pentecost! When the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in the upper room and they began to speak in different tongues, but people understood their preaching in their own native language!

Combined with Christ's commissioning of the apostles to make disciples of all nations, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to speak about the faith to everyone, ~2000 years later I begin to appreciate the response of those milestone moments in Scripture. Being in Japan. Mass in English, Japanese, and also offered in Tagalog at the cathedral and the Catholic center. The congregations comprised of people from totally different cultures. This is what a practical application of Pentecost looks like! In 1% Christian Japan!

Anyway, bottom line...long story short...I think it's really cool to be 6000 miles away from home and still experience home in the Mass despite it being in different languages. It's the same Mass in Japan as it is here at home. One faith. One voice. One universal moment to remind me of it all.

Happy Pentecost!

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

-JD 

Pentecost by Restout // Wikipedia

Not So Fast After All

I was in California a few weeks ago visiting family, particularly  my cousins who I haven't been in a long while. It makes me feel old that they have kids now, but that's okay because it is such a blessing to see my (extended) family growing and growing!

The trip was a little challenging to me because I have family who live in the Los Angeles area and the San Diego area. I had this brilliant idea of renting a car to freely move about between the two major SOCAL cities to see my cousins.

OH! But such danger it is to be a single, engineer who has the power to rent cars!

What made my brilliant idea even more radiant is that I decided to rent a convertible to traverse the streets of California with the top down! (#BucketList)

My loyal steed during my trip: a 2014 white Mustang convertible.

I think I was driving in California completely wrong. How is it that I, in the fast car, wasn't driving fast enough?

I knew something was going horribly wrong when 30+ Prii (Prius, plural) passed me during my 4 days in southern California...

And suddenly the notion of humility became very real to me.

- JD

Prius photo courtesy of Wikipedia

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 12)

--- Preface ---

I must first begin these 7 Quick Takes with a preface.  First of all, I have been away from doing 7 Quick Takes for two months now. I got really busy in July and then World Youth Day happened... 

...August was spent focusing on other things and random blog posts that felt right to do at the moment. But alas, two months later, I realized that "wow! I haven't done 7 Quick Takes in two months!"  So now here we are!

As a fun way to get back into it and to share the awesome moments of my having gone to World Youth Day, I'd like to share my top 7 moments of World Youth Day 2013 in Rio De Janeiro.  

--- 1 ---

Adoration at Copacabana Beach.  This was probably by far the coolest part! I have never seen such dense concentration of human beings occupying the same space, and not only that...but for a Catholic purpose and reason!

It was a challenge to stake out a spot on the beach, but luckily my group go there early enough to enjoy some sandy space.  We were, what I would estimate to be, like 5 or 6 football fields away from the stage or the 2nd to last big screen out of the 25 lined up for the prayer vigil.

I actually didn't catch the start of Adoration because I was caught up in other distractions (and I don't think the big TV screens even showed it starting). But I figured it out once I started seeing people kneeling.

The two things that really stick out to me regarding Adoration with Pope Francis on that beach with 3 million others was the profound silence after Pope Francis asked for some moments of sacred silence. Like, seriously. Mountains bowed down and the seas roared, a helicopter buzzed around, but the beach full of pilgrims was silent. And that really was something.  I talk about it here in my blog post, The Silence of Millions.  The other thing that stood out to me was Matt Maher leading praise and worship during Adoration when he sang, "Lord I Need You."  It was incredibly fitting for the moment since he was singing that song on his knees, and the lyrics expressed everyone's sentiment before the Blessed Sacrament. How often do Christian singers get to sing to Jesus, literally?

--- 2 ---

Close papal encounters of the extra-ordinary kind. Our first day in Rio was the Monday before all the events for World Youth Day happened. Apparently Pope Francis decided to arrive early to speak with political dignitaries and stuff like that. I don't think most people knew he was in town. We didn't know he was in town.

But then...as we were walking back to our hostel that first night...we saw the beginnings of a motorcade pass by. And then lo and behold! IT WAS POPE FRANCIS IN A NON-POPEMOBILE VEHICLE WAVING AT US AS HE PASSED BY!
...and I totally missed it because I didn't make it to the street on time to record it with my camera. But I caught some reaction as well as the World Youth Day Cross and Image of Our Lady pass by.

The next time we encountered Pope Francis was later in the week when he led an Angelus at the cardinal palace.  My group caught wind that he would be there and basically camped out all morning in order to get some pretty awesome front row standing room.

And the last extra-ordinary encounter with Pope Francis was when he was on his way to the prayer vigil. A trip to the porta-potty involved lots of waiting in line. But the fruits of our waiting was not only met with relief but Pope Francis passing by in a motorcade! And YES! I did record it this time!

I would say all these moments were extra-ordinary because they really weren't like...the ordinary ways for everyone to see him. It was all about being in the right place at the right time. ;-)

--- 3 ---

Matt Maher, in concert. Him coming to World Youth Day was a rather last-minute decision/invitation. Even Matt himself posted about him coming like...back in June. Our group leaders purposely tried to figure out when and where he would be for these concerts.

I'm a fan of his music and his hits are a crowd favorite at my parish!

And so, on a dark and rainy Wednesday night after enduring a long bus trip to the venue and enduring a game of "Where's Matt Maher?!" at the venue, we were finally able to enjoy his musical stylings. Up. Close. And. Nearly. Personal. :-O

What was really cool was pretty much being the only English speakers present when he gave that concert that night along with our hostel-mates and neighboring diocese friends.


Yes, I recorded that too.

--- 4 ---

Party in the streets! I can't even begin to tell you how awesome Brazilian people are and much less...how awesome Brazilian Catholics are! They are just so full of joy and fervor! And they were so welcoming to us all!

Our first night (before seeing Pope Francis but after going up to Christ the Redeemer), we found ourselves in a dance party in the streets with a bunch of Brazilians. It involved pretty much any groups of pilgrims that passed by!

Yes, that was recorded as well...

This really helped set the tone of the joy that we would experience throughout the rest of the week in encountering our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for World Youth Day!

--- 5 ---

Praying and singing with England. There were three groups staying the hostel that we stayed in for World Youth Day: us, our friends from a neighboring diocese from back home, and a group from England.  Our paths would cross every now and then, but I think one of the best highlight moments with them was being able to pray with them, go to Mass with them, and we totally had one night where we just did nothing but praise and worship.

Why yes, I recorded some of that, too!

--- 6 ---

Seeing my people! I don't mean to be stereotypical, but I think it's not too far fetched to think that most Filipinos are Catholic. And so, during my whole time in Rio, I expected to run into a lot of Filipinos. But, that didn't really happen.

And that's why I got really, really, really irrationally excited when I found groups of Filipinos randomly throughout Rio.  There was that one time I saw a small group of Filipinos, but they were from Libya...which that still counted.

But the coolest encounter I had in seeing my fellow Filipinos was that one time we tried to go to Mass, but ended up going to Adoration with a basilica full of Filipinos! YES!!!

I had to take a picture.

--- 7 ---

On top of the mountains! Our first day in Rio (gosh, that was a really epic day...), we went up to see Cristo Redentor, or the Christ the Redeemer statue that overlooks the city of Rio De Janeiro on Corcovado mountain.

It was kind of cloudy up there so you couldn't really fully appreciate the fullness of the statue because of the clouds.  A cool experience we had up there was having the random opportunity to go to Mass in the tiny chapel beneath Jesus' feet.  Our friends from the neighboring diocese conveniently had a priest with them who was willing to celebrate Mass. :-)

A picture because that really did happen.

And on our last full day of being in Rio, our group had the option to go up the Sugar Loaf Mountains or back to Copacabana Beach for some ocean time. I decided to go to Sugar Loaf to get some good pictures. Or something.

Such great views! And we had gotten in line in the middle of the afternoon, but it worked out that we were heading up the mountain right at sunset and dusk so we were able to see some breathtaking views of Rio De Janeiro at night.

Some videos here.

You can check out my #Rio2013 posts by clicking on the label: Rio 2013.  And I kept a blog for my group, and you can find that here: SEAS & St. Thomas Aquinas at WYD '13.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Did any of you go to World Youth Day 2013 and blog about it? I'd love to read/hear about it!

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

- JD

Adoration // Youcat.org

Why I Am Going to Rio De Janeiro

I've been hinting at a trip to Rio since like...a year ago, albeit largely infrequently.  But I never really explained why.

Back in the mid 1980's, Blessed Pope John Paul II invited young Catholics to Rome for a jubilee celebration on Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square.  Over 300,000 showed up, and he was impressed.  The following year, coinciding with the United Nation's International Year of the Youth, he invited youth to come to Rome again. After that one, Pope John Paul II instituted World Youth Day as like...a normal thing.  Since then, World Youth Days are held every few years internationally.

WYD 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (DICI)

WYD 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Fr. Chris Ryan, Wordpress)

WYD 2005 in Cologne, Germany. (NBC News)

Back in high school, even though others from my parish made plans and effort to go, I never thought of actually going from a practical standpoint, but I always thought it would be cool. Simply put, time and money were things I didn't really have back then. In college, same thing. But, I was able to vicariously experience World Youth Days in Madrid, Sydney, Cologne, and Toronto through the pictures and stories of friends who went. Maybe someday, I thought.

Two years ago in 2011, I had some friends who ended up going to World Youth Day in Madrid, España. An opportunity came up in my diocese where one of the parishes invited us and a few other parishes to come watch a concert and have a lock-in to watch the closing Mass of World Youth Day Madrid streamed live.  Being the budding and aspiring pro chaperone at the time, I decided to tag along thinking it would be cool to see with my own eyes what a Mass gathering for World Youth Day looks like. Via streaming. ;-)

Can you find my friends? >_> White = altar, dots = people

Since Madrid is several hours ahead of my time, the Mass started at some awkward part in the early morning for us.  And it was a lonnnnnnnng Mass simply because millions were gathered. At an airport tarmac. O_o

Fast forwarding to the end...it came time for Pope Benedict XVI to announce the when and where of the next World Youth Day.  I remember being like...super tired because it was like...4AM or so, and I had been up all night and watching the Mass.  But the anticipation of hearing the announcement for the next World Youth Day was enough to wake me.

So Pope Benedict XVI announced that the next World Youth Day would be in 2013 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.  I remember thinking how cool that would be and somewhat wishful thinking as well because I had the desire to go, but I wasn't sure of the means of how I'll go.

I guess I kept that wishful thinking in the back of my mind for about a year because I didn't actively pursue any avenues to make a trip to Rio happen. In the summer of 2012, I learned that a group was being organized by the folks over at The Shepherd's Café. Their ministry leader invited me, actually. Really, this was the only local organized group planning to go that I had heard about at the time, and it was mighty tempting for me to be part of their group. Their trip seemed pretty interesting because it involves a mission trip aspect to other southern American countries before going to Brazil.  I really wanted to go to World Youth Day, and I nearly made an executive decision to go with them. My concern was cost because their trip would be more expensive due to their travels to other countries. But I figured that...I'll pay up because it's a very unique opportunity, and I really wanted to World Youth Day.

I told some people at my parish that I was thinking about going with this group and kind of left it at that as I waited for the next informational.

...And I never ended up going to that informational.

Because, unbeknownst to me, there were some plans being made to send some youth from my parish to World Youth Day in Río! Annnnnddddd! We would be combining with another parish in the diocese!

Since I had expressed my desire to go, I was asked if I would chaperone. No hesitation in saying "yes!" and I made the executive decision to go!

Without spoiling details...this combined trip wouldn't be the same as the other one that I was thinking about joining. Our trip would be more pilgrimage-style experiencing the full week of events at World Youth Day with some free time spent in Río visiting iconic places and churches.

So we had initial meetings last summer to discuss basic info, the documentation required, cost, and all that jazz. That's when I made (and blogged about) an executive decision to join my (combined) parish group.  I'm pretty stoked!

I just recently found out that the hostel that my group is staying at...is sharing the hostel with only one other group: the Shepherd's Cafe group! Totally unintentional on our parts! Haha.

And fun fact! The other parish that I'm combining with is the same parish that we went with to the March For Life in Washington, D.C. back in January! Really, this pilgrimage was a sort of warm up to our trip to Rio!

Now, on a surface level, World Youth Day seems like a time for young Catholics to come together from all over the world to see the pope. As initially cool as that seems, that is not my primary reason to go. Yeah, maybe in high school and college that would have been my reason, but knowing what I know now and where I'm at in my faith, that seems a little too surface-level for me.

I think what draws me to go is to experience the Church in its universal glory united in Jesus Christ. In addition, to learn more about the faith and to have an authentic encounter with Him with (millions gathered of) like-minded young people. Most of the time it is too easy to confine my experience of the Church to the grounds of my own parish and chunk of land that is my diocese. But, truly, at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus rose from the dead and revealed His glorified self to His apostles, He commissioned them to "make disciples of all nations...teaching them all [He had] taught them." Was this even remotely accomplished or has progress even been made? I think the answer is a resounding yes. And going to World Youth Day, I'll be able to experience the universal Church through the joyful and cultural expressions of those millions gathered for this event from all. over. the. world. And I think that's really cool!

Psh, the Catholic Church is not merely our buildings or simply an institution. The Church is a living organism, and it will be awesome to see the Body of Christ in a way that I've never seen before in person.  The hundreds of thousands gathered for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. earlier this year pale in comparison to the millions of people who gather for World Youth Day.

But don't get me wrong!!! The secondary motivations of going are still pretty exciting!  I mean, come on!

1. RIO DE JANEIRO! I've never been south of Cancun, Mexico, much less anything Southern American, and to visit Rio would definitely be an awesome experience to see with my own eyes.  Experiencing the culture, seeing the Sugar Loaf Mountains, the Christ the Redeemer Statue, and Copacabana Beach! And other places!
2. COPACABANA BEACH! This is where Pope Francis will welcome us all at the beginning!
3. THOSE GUYS! One of my favorite priests and one of my favorite Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are going with us! Basically, we can have Mass and Confession anytime! And the friar is really good at singing and guitar-playing!
4. MEETING NEW PEOPLE! We're going to interact with a lot of people from all over the world.  A thing to do is to exchange swag, so I'm stocking up on some small Texas things!
5. POPE FRANCIS! Yes, seeing the Pope would be really cool! World Youth Day 2013 is his only scheduled trip outside of Italy this year!
6. TO LEARN! Heaven forbid that Catholics don't learn how to be Catholic! Part of WYD is they provide catechetical sessions so that everyone can learn something more about their faith!
7. TO GROW DEEPER IN MY PRAYER LIFE! Knowing the group I'll be going with, there will be lots of Liturgy of the Hours, Mass everyday if possible, Divine Mercy chaplets, chants in Latin, and other things.  We're also all doing the preparation for the Total Consecration to Mary!  Just in my own preparation, I'm learning more about myself.
8. TO FLY! As an aerospace engineer...I love any opportunities to fly on airplanes!  To make it extra nerdy for me...I'm also curious about the airline seats since airline seating is my job!
9. AND MORE! Many more to list, I'm sure!

I'm grateful for the engineering career that I have for it has enabled me to have the vacation time and monetary means to make this trip possible for me to go on. Seeing how all this has that "everything just worked out" vibe with relative ease...I think that I was definitely not meant to go to the previous World Youth Days.  I'm meant to go to this one, for whatever ultimate reason.

We'll find out.

Vamos para o Rio de Janeiro!
- JD

Christ the Redeemer Statue / LoveThesePics.com
Aerial View of WYD Madrid / PontoEletronicDD @ Flickr

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 1)

--- 1 ---

I realized I'm not social among other (Catholic) bloggers, and I see how much I'm missing out.  Hence, I recently joined the Catholic Bloggers Network. and followed suit with "7 Quick Takes" hosted by Jennifer Fulwiler, who is a popular blogger for the National Catholic Register and runs her own blog at ConversionDiary.com.  She's an atheist-to-Catholic convert who basically...blogged her way to Catholicism.  She's also an Aggie! WHOOP! (but didn't graduate).  I'm not...biased or anything... O:-)

In all honesty, I need to work on my Short Blog Post skills since I tend to write long ones. Like here. Or here. Here. Oh yes, even here.

--- 2 ---

So, I had no idea salt could be used as a sacramental!  It wasn't until my coworker ninja-blessed my cubiclemate's desk with holy water and salt that I learned this was possible.  Apparently, she was worried that my cubiclemate would have a terrible, angry day.  And by spraying holy water (yes, spray bottle) and sprinkling blessed salt, she hoped that it would bless the space around his desk so that he, too, would be blessed.  My desire for the truth motivates me to find out more about salt used as a sacramental.

--- 3 ---

This has been a great past week having opportunities to hang out with my goddaughter!  I got to see her multiple times since the weekend.  It seemed like only yesterday that she was only an infant but now she's owning the world as a 1-yr old.  She has the prettiest eyes and that stereotypical baby smile that turns any man into a cooing, sensitive...well, ahem.  Ya know.

You can follow my goddaughter's adventures through her mom's blog at Bernie's Banter.

--- 4 ---

Tomorrow is looking like a really busy day.  My bro is performing with his university jazz lab band at a jazz festival in the afternoon.  And in the evening, I'm going to Adoration and partying it up with priests, brothers, sisters, nuns, etc. at The Shepherd's Café for their 6th anniversary.  I've been attending The Shepherd's Café for a few years now.

Usually on their anniversary, they invite religious and clergy to come speak and give their vocation stories.  Typically, they have musical guests perform while everyone chills with refreshments.  But! My main reason for going to The Shepherd's Café is for the opportunity to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to go to Confession.  And then have fun afterwards!

You can check 'em out here at TheShepherdsCafe.com.

--- 5 ---

Catholic Answers is hosting their second conference ever this September and I am...discerning if I should go.  I've got one vacation day left to spend before I get a refill in October.  I mean, it's not like I will spend 9 out of my 10 vacation days in Rio De Janeiro or anything... O:-)

Now, the reason why I'm even tempted to go to this conference is because...well, I really like the Catholic Answers radio show (podcasts can be found on my sidebar).  I've learned a lot through listening to their show, and perhaps deep down I want to be competent at explaining and defending the Catholic faith.  A useful skill since I'm a teacher of the faith.

And oh yeah, I do have family in San Diego, which is where the conference is located.  Excuses, excuses...I know...

--- 6 ---

A while ago (say, a month), I openly declared to the saints in heaven that they have permission to stalk me.  I think I did this when I went on a silent retreat, which I haven't blogged about yet.  Why?  Why would I do that?  I dunno...I thought it would be fun and interesting to see if they really do or not.

So how do I know that they are, in fact, stalking me?  Maybe I don't really know because I'm basing my evidence on apparent, coincidental occurrences with seeing an image of them or an associated object...or maybe just hearing about them in some random way.  These moments stick out to me moreso than before, and perhaps that's how I know that they are stalking me.

This past week?  Our Lady of Guadalupe seems to have graced the back of a lot of pickup trucks in my daily commute this past week.  Maybe I live in Texas.  But whatever.  And...I went to Confession the other day and while I was praying in my pew, the sun was just at the right angle that it shone through the stain glass window my parish that has of St. Therese of Lisieux.  Like, right on me. Like, no other window. Like, it was blinding. And oh, she's also known as "The Little Flower"...and my rose bushes at home are blooming ... a lot.  A sample:

--- 7 ---

It's been a crazy past week or two and bad things are happening in the world.  That's why I blogged about Divine Mercy.  It begs the question...what's wrong with the world?  Easy answer.

...I am.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Wow that was quick.

- 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