How A Single, Catholic Guy Knows He's On The Right Track

Back in January, I took a road trip. After three hours of riding on a sleepy charter bus, we finally made it to Austin, TX. I joined with 100 other people from my parish for the Texas Rally For Life. Pretty cool! We joined thousands of others from around Texas to rally for the pro-life cause. We had great speakers, and Abby Johnson MC'd. No big deal.

Before the march, we had some downtime after we arrived in Austin to relax and take a lunch break.

During this break, I was going around talking to various people being a social butterfly.

Ok, so Apu from The Simpsons is being a hummingbird here, but whatever. 

Not that I have any measure of popularity, but I suppose because I'm pretty involved at my parish, people know of me. Because of this, whenever they have a chance to talk to me, they want to know more about me. I found myself in such a conversation with a mom of one of my religious education students.

She asked me the usual questions. She asked me what I do for a living, the ministries that I'm involved with, and of course she asked about my marital status. When I told her that I'm single, she asked the next natural Catholic question in this Catholic context: do you want to be a priest?  I chuckled and answered no, but what she said next is what prompts me to write this blog post.

She said that she thinks that I would make an excellent priest or husband in the future.

This stuck with me the rest of the Austin trip. Why? Because I guess I needed to hear it. It's an affirmation that whatever I'm doing means I'm on some right track.

In our Catholic world, a vocation is a calling by the Lord to live out one’s life according to His will (His not mine) to a particular state in life. It is truly a calling and not an occupation. The primary vocations, or states in life, available to me are priesthood, marriage, and single life (which single life could also mean religious life in community like in a monastery). The most talked-about vocations are priesthood and marriage, with marriage being the more popular one.

And so for the mom to say that I would make an excellent priest or husband gave me pause because sometimes it’s easier for me think about it if the opinion is more one-sided. But to be considered excellent for both? Hmm.

I’ve heard it said before (I forget where) that a really good, awesome Catholic priest would also make a really good, awesome husband. Now, married priests and priestly husbands is a totally separate discussion which I won’t cover here, but both Catholic priests and husbands share a commonality— both are men! Not only both are men, but both are fathers. In each of these vocations, priesthood and marriage, the man is called to fatherhood in uniquely expressed ways. Fatherhood, to me, is the fullest expression of being a man.

So I took her compliment as a deeper affirmation that I'm living out an authentic masculinity that fits well with either of the two vocations. The commonality between a Catholic priest and a husband is the man and his call to fatherhood. His role as priest or husband doesn't make sense or cannot be lived in its fullness if he doesn't first live out his authentic masculinity.

It was a really nice compliment for me. It was something I needed to hear at the time. It helps me realize that I must be doing something right and that overcoming the struggles of living out authentic masculinity is worth it. Striving for an authentic manliness has been a constant reflection of mine since the end of college. I don’t think I’ve arrived, but I must be on the right track.

Now, time to dig deep, put on my archery mentality (whereby archery mentality focuses on what was done right to continue hitting the bullseye) and take note of what it is I'm doing to be the man God created me to be.

Please pray for me!
-JD

Pastor Lee // The Drop Box
Pope Francis celebrating Mass in the Sistine Chapel // BBC
Apu hummingbird gif // Giphy

A Harvard Valedictory Speech...In Latin!

First of all, props to Mary Anne Marks for making it into Harvard. Not just that, but she made valedictorian! Not just that, but she delivered her valedictory speech in Latin!

See for yourself:

I don't even know what she said, but I'm impressed that it's memorized and not in her native language. Latin isn't exactly easy, and I struggle with just singing/chanting it.

ALSO!!!!!

More props, because not only did she graduate as valedictorian at Harvard, but she's also becoming a religious sister with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI. 

CRAZY. AWESOME.  ...CRAZY AWESOME!

Kathryn Jean Lopez from the National Review Online interviews her about her background and motivations as to why she decided to enter into religious life.  Interesting!

LOPEZ: I don’t know about you, but I read the New York Times. A number of the op-ed columnists there, and a number of the news stories, tell me that the Catholic Church is anti-woman. And from other stories, about the various scandals, the Catholic Church also sounds like a dying, loser organization of sinners. Why would you choose to represent it in such a public, hard-to-miss way — in a religious habit?

MARKS: I feel privileged to represent the Catholic Church in a visible way, because it is an organization of sinners and sinners-turned-saints, emphatically alive, expanding, and responsive to the needs of the time, an organization that has been enormously effective in promoting the spiritual and material well-being of women and men throughout the 2,000 years of its existence.

Read the rest here.

Pretty cool stuff. She is definitely en fuego.

- JD

I first read about this through Fr. Z's blog.

Speech // YouTube

Dear Facebook friends, I'm so frustrated with all of your baby pictures

I'm actually not that great of a Facebook stalker. I don't really go into profiles, but I do go into certain groups because maybe I'm an admin for a few of them. Therefore, the extent of my "Facebook stalking" is whatever shows up on my News Feed. I suppose I stalk my News Feed.

Inevitably, being the age that I am, it is the. prime. time.  to get married and start having kids. Because an abundance of love overflows and love is never kept to self, it only makes logical sense that husbands and wives share their love and joy with others. On Facebook. Cool wedding pictures!

Then comes the baby in the baby carriage. The love of husband and wife is so strong, so real, that it results in a third person. That is so profoundly biological and Catholic-ly theological/philosophical. Undoubtedly, a barrage of totally adorable pictures follows on Insta-Face-gram-book. First steps. First bath. Here's our baby with our other babies (ie. dogs). Oh look at this picture with our baby wearing the cutest clothes evurrrrr. Teehee, our baby made a funny face (MEME DAT!). Aw, look at our baby dressed in collegiate wear!

Ugh.

With that said...

Dear Facebook friends,

I'm so frustrated with your postings of your adorable baby (or babies, if you have been generous in your love for your spouse) on Facebook and Instagram.

Look, I get it. You want to share with your friends and family this joy that you and your spouse have. I get it. You want to preserve these precious memories of your child so that you can easily go back on your Facebook Timeline years later and have that nostalgic moment remembering that precious memory. I get it. Now you have blackmail-worthy pictures of your child to show their friends when they're in high school or college or wedding day. Whatever your reason, I get it.

First thing. Did a bunch of you get together about 9 months ago (+/- few months) and collectively decide to have babies right around the same time? Because my Facebook News Feed is totally inundated with a wave of babies' pictures right now. Post, after post, after post. Babies. Babies. Babies. And let's not forget the sonogram pictures too. And because y'all may or may not have gotten together about 9 months ago and collectively decide to birth at the same time, there are a good number of you posting baby pictures. At least I'm not forced to keep looking at the same cute, adorable baby at any point during my typical News Feed stalking. Hey, variety helps.

Second thing. Not only are you posting baby pictures, but you're posting baby announcement pictures, baby-in-the-womb-growing progress pictures, and other fancy creative ways to posting pictures about your baby. What deep bowels of Pinterest have you been perusing? Not that there's anything wrong with that. And these kinds of pictures are usually not one-and-done. No, no! They're like a weekly (dare I even say in some cases, daily?!) update. More status-ing about it all. More pictures. More frustration for me.

Third thing. What's the deal with you who are married yet don't have kids? It's frustrating because I practically expect some sort of generous, overflowing profound love that results in a baby that merits posting about it Facebook/Instagram. And yet I'm left with nothing. The anticipation is killer and that's frustrating. Look, you and your spouse might have legit reasons to not have kids right now...but come on, it's been a few years.  Please, I beg you--add to my frustration!

After World Youth Day in Rio

Very official looking banner at the street where they usually do parades like for Carnaval

It's been a few weeks since I was in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day. I had a rough time upon returning! I got back home in the middle of the afternoon Wednesday, a few days after the closing Mass. The very next day, I went to work. That Thursday and Friday was rough because I hadn't yet returned to a normal sleeping schedule. And because I make some ridiculous Catholic decisions sometimes... that Friday after I returned, I went to a young adult Catholic conference at a nearby parish! Had that all weekend! In brief summary of that conference, I liked the keynote speaker, the workshops were helpful, but more importantly, it was great for networking!

Well, Aggie Network-ing works too #AggieCatholics

Narwhal flu?!

So, because of the constant rain and being out and about in that rain nearly every day while we were in Rio, members of my group got sick. You know, usual cold and cough stuff. Praise God that I didn't get sick while we were Rio-ing it up, but I definitely became sick after we returned home! Again, typical cold and cough stuff. Nothing exotic like some sort of animal flu from...I don't know...Peru or something.



So yeah, it was rough after getting back from Rio. But now that I'm recovered and have caught up on sleep (mostly), and now that I've had some time living a post-World Youth Day life, I've had some time reflecting on how it has impacted me.

First, let's get the usual awkward question out of the way.

But let's have a prequel! A flashback!

So last year during Texas' tax-free weekend, I was out and about looking for new shoes and more specifically, new and good shoes for walking around for my trip to Rio de Janeiro a year later (yes, after my executive decision to go, I started making material preparations (and yes, those shoes worked out great)). But in the process of selecting those pair of shoes in the store, I ran into a high school friend that I hadn't seen in a long while. Insert small talk and brief catching up. While the purpose in visiting a shoe store doesn't leave much to be asked as to why we found ourselves in this shoe store, the obvious question was still asked by my friend as to why I was purchasing new shoes. I awkwardly and gladly explained that these new shoes were for lots of walking during World Youth Day. Thankfully my friend already had an idea of what World Youth Day is because her older sister went once and came back wanting to be Catholic (their family isn't Catholic). Not only Catholic but super Catholic. Insert awkward laughter. But then my friend asked me ...

...the awkward question...

"...so are you going to be a priest when you get back?"

Lol. I gave her the shortest answer I could, given the circumstances (I mean, shoe buying is serious stuff) while still being truthful.  I replied with, "haha, we'll see", and she gave this weird look. We then carried on with our tax-free shoe shopping sprees.

Now that I've been to World Youth Day for the first time and have had some time to let those experiences marinate in my memory and soul...my answer to that question remains the same from before World Youth Day. But here in this blog post, I am able to offer more explanation since I'm not in the process of purchasing tax-free shoes for some crazy out-of-country trip a year later.

My answer? Ultimately, what makes us the happiest and most at peace (in a profound way, though not without trial and suffering out of love) is living out life according to how God created us to be. He calls us to live our lives in various states and as Catholics, we call these states in life as single, married, or religious life whether as a brother/sister, monk/nun or priest. But it takes careful reflection, prayer, and discernment with God's help to figure out which of these states of life He's calling us to be that will bring about our greatest joys and peace. So, the short of it is...I'm currently single, but open to the idea of religious life or married life. One of them, I desire more because it attracts me more. But I think the best way I can describe where I am in all this is that I'm in an ice cream parlor with only enough money for 1 scoop of ice cream, and the two available flavors are both very good. But I keep coming back to the original flavor that looked good to me. And I'll leave it at that for this blog post. In summary, World Youth Day did not all of a sudden compel me wanting to be a priest. Or religious brother. Definitely not nun or sister =P. But I haven't ruled the religious option out.

Just tryin' to be more like St. John Bosco

What World Youth Day did help me regarding religious life is gaining a better appreciation for those who have already answered that call. World Youth Day was chock full of priests and religious! (In fact, remember that my group cheered every time we saw one! And we had a friar with us too!). Without a deeper understanding of who they are and for what purpose they serve, religious people in the Catholic Church seem like a bunch of suppressed but holy individuals who do nothing but pray all the time. It's easy to forget that they are just normal people. Granted, they've chosen a life that is radically different than our modern understanding on how to live life. They do not live for their own sake, and they have sacrificed life's greatest things not because those things are bad, but because they are really good. And that's a beautiful. Hence, we cheered. Not only that…but…there seems to be a rise of friends in my proximate circles who are pursuing the religious life, and I can't help but celebrate their decisions!

Now, to the meat of why I originally wanted to do this blog post.

How did World Youth Day impact me?

I don't know that it really did anything truly revolutionary for me. Some people come back from World Youth Day truly changed and greatly convicted to make life-changing decisions. So, as an example, while I didn't come back from World Youth Day wanting to become a priest, one of my second cousin's came back from WYD Toronto wanting to become one. From what I heard, he went through with that and is currently in seminary. One of my favorite Catholic speakers and apologists, Matt Fradd, had a deep conversion moment when he went to WYD Rome 2000. And, after some digging around, I'm sure it will be easy to find stories of people who come back from World Youth Day drastically changed. And more power to them for that! But that's not how I left World Youth Day.

First, World Youth Day reminded me that I have grown lax in my day-to-day practice of my Catholic faith. Our group leader (and I love that he makes us do this) makes it a point that we try to make Mass every day any time we're on pilgrimage. We were supposed to have a priest with us so we could conveniently have Mass, but he had to back out of our trip at the last minute. Instead, we attempted at going to Daily Mass at various parishes close to our hostel in Rio. Daily Mass used to be something that I could make once a week, but work has been so terribly busy over the past year that it's been difficult to do that. Therefore, it was refreshing to encounter God through His Word and His Body in the celebration of Mass throughout the week while we were in Rio.  In addition to going to Mass every day (or attempting to, since we didn't make it every day), we prayed the Liturgy of the Hours every day! Like, we packed (Shorter) Christian Prayer books and 4-volume sets with us! And praying the Psalms at certain hours of the day is a great way to sanctify the day in union with the rest of the Church because the Liturgy of the Hours is the 2nd official prayer of the Catholic Church (1st being Mass, ;-) ).  Daily Mass and Liturgy of the Hours were things I kept up with for a while in the past few years, but I stopped due to being busy…not devoting the time… etc.  In addition to those, we had opportunities to go to Adoration throughout the week. I also used to go to Adoration on a consistent, once-a-week basis, but lately it's been super difficult due to my busy work schedule. And that's a shame, because spending time adoring our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is one of my favorite ways to pray. In Rio, it was really nice to return to our usual church to spend time in Adoration, usually after having a hectic morning and lunch. And then there was that time we had Adoration with Pope Francis and 3+ million of our bros and sisters. That was something. Really, our whole time in Rio for World Youth Day was an immersion in Catholic prayer life through things that are not new or foreign to me because I used to do these things consistently. But by having these opportunities at World Youth Day, I was able to engage in these prayer experiences consistently once more that are easily accessible and doable back at home. So, since getting back from Rio, I've at least restored praying Liturgy of the Hours (at Night, at the very least). Still working on how I can make it to Daily Mass and Adoration consistently again… and a daily Rosary, too.

Secondly, World Youth Day showed me what joy in being Catholic looks like. Yes, but on a grand scale! Through a worldly lens, it becomes exceedingly perplexing as to why anyone would A) want to be Catholic, B) be a Catholic and spend lots of money to travel across the world to a meeting place where the Pope will be, and C) be Catholic and be joyful about it. And yet, from the moment we were on our way to Rio at the beginning…it was evident that this World Youth Day thing is a big deal. And I began to savor what it all meant during our first day in Rio. That first day, we were warmly/enthusiastically welcomed by Brazilians, met so many others, sang songs, danced in the streets, photos taken, trinkets exchanged, smiles, laughter, and just pure joy!

The prevailing theme throughout the week was encountering people from all over the world and the Church and sharing our joy in being Catholic! I mean, it's not the same kind of joy that you'd find in Rio a year from now at the World Cup. That is a passionate, competitive joy and rivalry out of love for fútbol. The joy expressed at World Youth Day stems from this unity we as Catholics have in our faith because our faith is in Christ.  As much as I would love this explanation of joy to be longer than the previous explanation on how I'm a lazy Catholic, I don't know how to say in words the joy that I experienced and saw firsthand during our trip to Rio. It's one of those "you had to be there" sort of things. And then, on top of that…there was a plethora of religious people present and they too shared in our expression of joy! And we, my group, were often overjoyed in just seeing a priest or nun (and others) walk by! So yes, World Youth Day showed me what joyful Catholicism looks like. And that's great because even before World Youth Day, I was already joyful in being Catholic, but now it is nice to know that I'm not the only one, haha. After World Youth Day in Rio, I feel more comfortable in sharing that joy with others with no discrimination whether Catholic or non-Catholic.

Lastly, this World Youth Day inspired me to have an excuse to travel the world every few years. And if I start saving for the next World Youth Day after the previous World Youth Day…then… I should be okay. Just to name a few, it's been in the Philippines, Denver, Cologne in Germany, Sydney, Toronto, Madrid, Buenos Aires, etc and of course Rio De Janeiro. Come at me, Krakow 2016! YOU ONLY POLAND ONCE! Blessed Pope John Paul II is impressed.

In summary, I had a really positive experience at World Youth Day in Rio De Janeiro. While it didn't do anything totally revolutionary for me, I had a blast and such a blast it was to share these experiences with my fellow pilgrims from SEAS and STA and 3.5+ million others. I now have a better idea of what it means to be part of the universal Church united in Christ like I expected I would. And I definitely had all these bonus experiences like seeing Pope Francis in unique ways, making friends with people from all over the globe and so much more. Man, I feel like I could blog a lot about my experiences.

OH WAIT!

...I did.

...so maybe I blogged nearly every night/early morning of our trip to Rio on behalf of my group, including the pre-Rio retreat that we had. It also served as a way to let our family and friends know that we didn't get caught in Brazilian riots or other perilous foreign affairs.

Here's the link: setonaquinaswyd13.wordpress.com (or if you're already on this SEAS/STA blog and seeing this post being cross-listed...then...this is awkward)

Whew. This was a long blog post.

Can't wait to do it again! #Krakow2016
- JD

Narwhals // "Narwhal tracking project helps chart species' future", X-Ray Mag
Fr. Zoltan Lendvai // Day In Photos, NY Post
Bl. Pope John Paul II // Papal Pose for Photographers, Tradition In Action

2013: Wedding #2

(Maybe I haven't specifically blogged about 2013's Wedding #1...but don't worry about that...but I do hint at it here: Quick Takes (Vol. 6))

This was the wedding that makes me feel really old.  You see, the bride and I go way back. The bride's father and I go wayyyy back since he was my Sunday school teacher (aka...CCD...or religious education teacher) back in 9th grade.

But fo realz, I feel old. I taught the bride how to march when she was a freshman when I was clarinet section leader.  That was like ... 9 years ago x_x. Perhaps I can take credit for her not tripping in her wedding dress down the aisle due to a glorious roll-step. 

I had the honor and privilege of being asked to Lector for the wedding Mass.  Simply because I'm a Lector normally for my parish and apparently I do decent job. If you don't know, during a Catholic Mass, Lectors proclaim the Word of God by reading aloud the readings of the day from Scripture for the Mass and congregation.

The Mass was beautiful! But I mean, what wedding Mass isn't beautiful because man and woman publicly declare to witnesses and God truly present of their love and commitment to each other? 

What makes this wedding experience unique for me is that the rehearsal, Mass, and reception were live-streamed over the Internet for friends and family who couldn't make it to the wedding. How cool is that?! One of the bride's uncles is tech-savvy (and the other Lector) and made it possible with a laptop, camcorder, and Samsung smartphone tether setup.  Same guy was also the other Lector.  It was fun and intriguing to me seeing him run those electronics to make it all work.  And apparently it was quite the success since I heard grandpa (the bride's) saying how he keeps getting texted by family members regarding their comments during the various segments of this whole wedding process. Kudos to that uncle!

Which, tangenting off that... Today was another big day for the bride's family because that same tech-savvy uncle got his papers signed officially ending (amicably) his involvement with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal as he pursues seminary to be a diocesan priest. 

#Lectors

So, as of today...he's officially a seminarian for my diocese!  He just needs to get accepted to the Catholic university/seminary that he wants to go to in order to take the next step.  Please pray for him! (and I hinted at him in this blog post: One of the Realities of Being Catholic)

At the reception, I got to hang out with my goddaughter! She's getting big and can walk so confidently now! Her dad was the youth minister of the bride, good friend of her family, and is the youth minister I volunteer for.  I'm thoroughly impressed with her skills at manipulating a fork. And dancing skills.  It's the little things in life.

Totes adorbz

Also, due to the miracle and magic that is smartphone tech...there's really no need for disposable cameras to use and capture memories.  The bridge and groom decided to use the app, WedPics...and I totally made use of it!  Perhaps you saw some other pictures floating around on Facebook/Twitter. ;-)

Anyway, Wedding #2...complete! Congrats to Jessica and Shea! Please pray for them in their journey together as husband and wife and that their marriage is a visible sign of love that is free, total, faithful, and fruitful.  

- JD

Quick Interview With Anthony, Seminarian

I mentioned in a previous blog post about the reality of a small handful of my Catholic friends have gone and pursued religious vocations and Catholic priesthood.  Each of them have their own unique discernment journeys.  I thought it would be cool to ask some quick questions of one of the new seminarians I hinted at in that previous blog post.

Anthony Vecchio graduated from high school last year and spent this past year at community college while furthering his discernment towards diocesan priesthood.  Last year, my parish started hosting "Discernment Nights" whereby interested individuals could come and listen to consecrated or ordained members of the Church talk about their vocation story, and this also provided opportunities for interested participants to ask questions.  I met Anthony via one of our Discernment Nights, even though he's not from my own parish.  I later found out that he kept a Catholic blog around the same time I started really getting into my own blog.

His blog is Purely Catholic.  And I like reading his posts because he offers an often thorough examination of reflections, Church teachings, and commentary on various things.  I learn from his own knowledge and reflections, and it boggles my mind because most freshly graduated guys don't utter theology from the lips of their fingers to the level that Anthony conveys in his blog.  Check it out!

And so, again, I thought it would be cool to ask Anthony some quick questions and catch him before he moves to Holy Trinity Seminary.

First of all, since I know we both share appreciation in band nerdery, who is your favorite drum corps and why? And what was your most favorite high school marching band performance (whether your own or another band's)?

My favorite drum corps is hands down Carolina Crown. Their brass sound is impeccably beautiful and massive, and their shows are very quirky and nuanced. Like a bunch of Godzillas performing Swan Lake as they dance around the skyscrapers of downtown Tokyo. Yeah. As for my favorite high school marching band performance... I would say Richland's BOA San Antonio performance from this year. I am utterly amazed at the progress that they have been making with so many director changes. I'm very proud of them!

I've always wondered...why is your blog called "Purely Catholic"? What is the significance/motivation for it?

I'm pretty sure my blog title is "Purely Catholic" because that's the only semi-profound sounding thing that wasn't already taken. In retrospect, I could've done something snazzy like "Anthony's super-dee-duper, awesome, and totally readable blog", but I think that would confuse people. Because, legitimately, I read some of my old stuff sometimes and I have no idea what I'm saying. Said. Whatever. In short, just like Albert Camus' great meaning of life, there is no significance or motivation. It is absurd.

Are you active in any ministry or ministries?  What are they and why do you participate in them?

For a while (a year or so), I was an extraordinary minister at Good Shepherd. That was a wonderful experience. But the bulk of my donated time is eclectic in nature. I just do whatever people tell me to do, and try not to explode everything in the process. Some speaking events, some shoulder-rubbing events, some praying events, etc. It's fulfilling.

Just out of curiosity, who is your Confirmation saint and why did you choose that saint? Any other personal favorites?

My Confirmation saint is St. Anthony. Which is, (I bet you can't guess!) my Baptismal saint. I got very riled up in the process of selecting a Confirmation saint, but I discerned that God was calling me back to the basics. He does that a lot, because I'm mostly insane. As far as personal favorites go: St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Maximus [the] Confessor and St. Therese of Lisieux.

Most guys don't graduate from high school wanting to join a religious order or enter seminary to become a priest.  What sparked your interest in pursuing such a vocation?

In Mother Church, God chooses you! But as far as particulars go, I was most moved by USCCB's "Fisher's of Men" documentary. That moved me deeply--and really it was just a continuation of my sudden realization that I am called to be a saint (lower case "s"). God commands, not suggests but commands, us to love him and others as He has loved us. The most human response is "how is that? How will I take up my own cross?" When we see something profound, our hearts are moved ever so slightly, and we notice it every so slightly. But such a small movement can create a domino effect if the conditions are right, and following the trail of dominoes is like finding out what your vocation is.

What does your daily prayer life look like?

My daily prayer life, like my volunteer time, is very eclectic. Some days I read from my St. Alphonsus de Liguori collection (also a favorite saint) or my St. Therese of Lisieux collection, some days I meditate on Christ's life, or what is means for Christ to have lived the way he did, or who Christ was, and what that has to do with the Church, and why the Church is his Body, etc. Some days I just read straight up from sacred Scriptures, and some days I just stare in silence at the crucifix on my wall. In all my prayer and studies and musings, I've learned one thing: God is love. Such a statement is inexhaustible in expression, but those expressions nevertheless revolve around the axis of God who is love.

How often do you attend Daily Mass, Confession, and Adoration (if at all)?

I unfortunately do not own a vehicle, and I typically cannot use my parents' except on Saturday, so transportation is a hard thing for me. It is once in a blue moon that I go to Mass outside of the times my family goes. I go to Adoration at the very least once a month when I go to Confession. I sometimes am able to go more than once.

Since we know you're purely Catholic and entering seminary soon, what does "putting your faith into action" mean to you?

"Putting your faith into action" means nothing more or less than to love one another. Such a statement is simple, yet elegant. That is the commandment that Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another (Jn 13:34). We should love one another for the reason that we have been first loved by God into existence, and are being held there by that same love. True freedom consists of the ability to give oneself away in total self-donation at will, and this is the freedom that is so sought after by myself and all people. It is not a freedom stemming from isolation from other people, or a freedom stemming from human power, but a freedom enthroned in love; a love with a gravity so magnificent that it pulls people of all races, ages, places, and pasts into a single Church; a gravity that splits the veil of time and crushes death under its heels; where the life that Christ gave up is received by us, and we are made as if new. This faith in action is a powerful thing. If it is lived out as it ought to, it truly sets people and the world "en fuego". It demands the entire self, it is relentless, and unfettered. It is the fulfillment and calling of every person, and it demands every person--just as it deems every person willed, loved, and necessary. Faith in action is to love one another, even as Christ has loved you--that is, totally, fully, and really.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)

IC XC NIKA

Anthony Vecchio

I ask for your prayers on behalf of Anthony for his continual discernment towards diocesan priesthood.

St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, ora pro nobis!
- JD

One of the realities of being Catholic...

...is having really Catholic friends. But not just Catholic friends...rather, Catholic friends who end up being totally radical.

Multiple Math puns

And when I say "radical," I mean that in the "rooted" AND "departing from social norms" sense of the word.

Truly, a small handful of my Catholic friends have decided to live radical Catholic lives in pursuing a religious life of some sort. It's radical because your average person (and average Catholic...average Christian) doesn't consider dropping his or her current lifestyles in order to pursue a life lacking material, wealth, and seeking self. It's also radical because they can now live a really rooted Catholic life living an expression of the Catholic faith in community with others in the service of others.

When I graduated from college, some good acquaintances and friends from my college parish....

...joined the Apostles of the Interior Life.

...became a Jesuit to further pursue becoming an ordained Jesuit priest.

...entered seminaries in various dioceses.

(but that is just a mere taste of Aggie Catholics pursuing radical Catholic lives)

And just in the past few years that I've gotten really involved with my parish and getting to know some individuals...

...one of my young adult friends joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.

...two of my young adult friends will be joining the Franciscans of the Immaculate...the friars and sisters, respectively.

...three young men from my brother's high school class (different high schools) are going to the local seminary to further discern their call to the Catholic priesthood...though all three start(ed) at different times.

...I reconnected with a high school band alum who is several years older than me, and he was up in New York as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. Now he is discerning to be a diocesan priest and will be entering seminary sometime.

And these decisions to pursue such religious vocations, as we call it, do not come easily.  They all took time discerning what is God calling them to do with their lives, and they have freely and willingly answered this call after much prayer and guidance.

As Catholics, we celebrate joyfully the answering of this call to the religious life or priesthood primarily because it would be serving God in the way He intends; in the way He has called each of these individuals to live.  We share our joy in their joy.

So, why do I even care that I face the reality that my some of my Catholic friends are all like..."yo, I'mma be a brutha/sista!" or all like... "Dominus vobiscum!"? Simply because of their joy and youthful fervor in the Catholic faith. I also highly respect them for making such a life-altering decision to follow God's call in their respective ways, which go against the social norms.

And focusing on that youthful part...sometimes it is tempting to think of the Catholic Church as a bunch of old priests and greyhairs who sit in the front pew at Mass (and Daily Mass) or the angry nun with the witch-like voice and armed with a ruler, but that is simply not what I see and observe in real life.  All those individuals I mentioned above range from ages 18 to early 30's and are far from those stereotypes.  Hmm...the young Church...praise God that our 2000-year old faith comes alive through the youth of today because she is alive in Christ!

In an effort to humbly brag about some of these individuals and to convey a sense of their stories and personalities, I may highlight them further in my blog. Hopefully I can catch them before they move on towards their friaries, seminaries, and convents!

I ask for your prayers for vocations, especially for those I have mentioned above.  Thanks and God bless!

*90's voice* ...Radical!
- JD

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 5)

--- 1 ---

What a crazy week of intense weather!  Us North Texans and Oklahomans have not been so fortunate in dealing with the barrage of tornados recently.  A week ago, Granbury was ravaged by a tornado and that really worried me since it is not that big of a town, but I know some fellow Catholics who are from that town through diocesan events.  Thankfully, they're okay.  A few days ago, tornados ripped through central Oklahoma along with intense severe weather, and...the devastation got super real for me watching videos uploaded the day of the tornado that ripped through Moore, OK.  It is really sad to see all the destruction, but the positive stories that are a result of this tragedy are truly remarkable.  It's really awesome to hear about the teachers who did everything they could to keep their kids safe at the elementary school.  And then there was that interview of a woman talking about her lost dog when all of a sudden, the dog emerges!

St. Francis (like, of Assisi)...that clever ol' chap...

While I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with these crazy weather events at home, I was really concerned about work.  Simply because, my work is pretty much at the Texas/Oklahoma border.  Why would a commercial airline seat company be so far away in the middle of nearly nowhere...I'm not sure... But...it's so close to Oklahoma and they don't seem to get a break when it comes to tornado season...

Luckily, we do have flotation devices scattered throughout the plant.

--- 2 ---

Let's do take some time in prayer for the victims and families of those affected by the tornado in Moore.  It'll take time to recover, and it will not be easy.

Pope Francis invites us to join him in his prayers (via Twitter), as well:

I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children. Join me in praying for them.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) May 21, 2013

I know many organizations on the ground helping with the recovery efforts.  Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is one of the many organizations receiving donations (all kinds) to help victims in the long haul. And it turns out my work is going to match employee donations up to $10,000 so that's pretty cool.

--- 3 ---

On a happier note, I went to my high school's jazz concert on Tuesday night.  I was in the jazz band my senior year of high school and ever since, I've grown to really love and appreciate jazz music. My brother was in jazz band in high school as well, and he's pursuing jazz performance on saxophone at the University of North Texas, which is basically known to have a really awesome jazz/music program...and he also went to this jazz concert because he helped with a rehearsal or two in addition to helping some of the jazz band members prepare through private lessons.

--- 4 ---
Speaking to my brother's friends and former bandmates, I started remembering my college years again.  They asked me questions, and much like Radio Shack, I had answers.  Strangely, I ended up in a group of new Fightin' Texas Aggies who are starting this fall! WHOOP!

But I realized in my thinking of my college years that...wow, I went through a lot.  And my Catholic faith definitely played a role in my college experience and so I ought to share that via my blog at some point.  Stay tuned!

--- 5 ---

I'm sooooo stoked for my trip to Brazil this July! Maybe I did start obtaining items that should help with the trip like...last July...but...now that we're getting closer, I'm starting to take the packing list a little more seriously.  This has opened up a world of camping supplies (or the convenience of camping-caliber supplies) previously unknown to me.

I also started shopping around for small Texas giveaways to exchange with people around the world because apparently that's like, a thing to do.  Unfortunately, I don't really know of any Texas-centric stores other than at the mall.  I actually kind of dreaded going to the mall because traffic around the nearest one is terrible due to highway construction and ... malls are crowded...

Doing all the paperwork or obtaining of paperwork for my visa application was a bit of a hassle because I've never gotten something notarized at the bank before.  And yes, I did make newb mistakes like not actually bringing the necessary documents to be notarized.  Haha oh well, but...in the end, I succeeded! The trials are worth it!

Future blog posts on this, for sure!

--- 6 ---

Grandma is gone and now my family has to get used to doing the simple things.  These things include but are not limited to cooking every meal, folding laundry, yelling at my dog in Tagalog, opening and closing blinds daily, and keeping up with Filipino soap operas (which my mom pretty much has that covered since she also queen of the DVR).

It was funny last weekend because my mom escorted my grandmother to Canada and so that left my dad, my bro, and myself to fend for ourselves in terms of meals.  Yeah, we ended up dining out for breakfast and lunch last Saturday...and I ended up cooking Hamburger Helper for the first time in my life for dinner. Milestone moments in life, I know.

It was good! And browning ground beef is pretty exciting!

--- 7 ---
The familiar awkward question was asked of me at the jazz concert that I mentioned in --3--.  A band parent I have befriended asked me how I was doing since it had been a while.  My tired answer to the question is that I'm doing well and ...busy.  So, naturally that led her to ask what do I do besides work.  And  I told her that I volunteer up at my church a lot.  I would expect the next question to dig deeper as to exactly what I do in terms of volunteering up at my church...but no.

Her next question was..."have you met a nice girl at your church?"  Ah yes, the question regarding my relationship status.  I told her that no, I haven't yet... with the assumption that she really meant "are you currently in a dating relationship with a nice girl at your church?"  There are a lot of nice girls who go to my church, but I'm not currently dating.

If only she was Catholic...then I think it would make more sense for her to know that...

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY BE A SINGLE CATHOLIC
AND NOT CONSIDER ALL THE OPTIONS

I don't talk about my vocational journey on this blog enough (at all?), but I think I want to highlight others' first. More to come regarding that since...I found out in the past two weeks that FOUR of my Catholic friends are going to enter religious communities or seminary soon!

Dem takes are quick!
- JD

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff / Betty Crocker

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 4)

--- 1 ---

Annnd...looks like my grandmother is first to completely move out of the house.  Well, my grandfather did last year, and now my grandmother will follow suit.  They moved in with my parents and me back at the beginning of the 1990's and have lived with us since recently.  They immigrated from the Philippines!  In recent years, my grandfather desired to move back to his home in Manila, and so my mom and her siblings have been working at getting the old house renovated.  My grandfather moved back last year to oversee the completion and now that it is done, my grandmother moved out today to go be with him.

It's hard to tell, but we are, in fact, in Canada. 2010.

But! She has a pit stop in Canada for like...a month.  My aunt and her youngest daughter is finally getting married up in Canada so she'll be there for that before moving to the Philippines.  Yes, I have Canada-pino family members.  Nearly all of my mom's siblings live up there. Cool, eh?

I don't know that it's hit me yet that it'll be really difficult having both my grandparents on the other side of the world and not being able to see them on a near-daily basis...but...at the very least...I'm truly grateful for having grown up with them so close to home (so close, hey were actually in my home).  Time for me to figure out how to cook Filipino dishes...

--- 2 ---

One of my Catholic friends invited me to this monthly "night of recollection for men" in the neighboring diocese.  It's hosted by Opus Dei (the real one...not the one where you have to crack Da Vinci codes) at a Syro-Malabar Catholic parish.  The zhwaa?  The parish intrigued me because it looked like a normal, typical Catholic parish but the hymns/books in the pews were totally a different language and some of the words seen throughout the sanctuary weren't even English.  I just looked it up and The Order of Syro-Malabar Qurbana is an Eastern Catholic rite that originated in India and is in full communion with Rome.  Intriguing, indeed.  I also noticed how there were absolutely no kneelers in the pews.  Just knees to carpet.  Good thing I've been practicing for moments like this.

This "night of recollection" involved a meditation led by the priest, who also heard confessions at points throughout the night.  There was an examination of conscience and classroom time to learn more about a topic, which in this case was the virtue of temperance.  It ended with exposition, adoration, and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  Apart from microphone issues at the beginning which made it awkward...it was a good night to reflect and pray even though my schedule is busy enough as it is.  This experience reminded me a lot of that silent retreat I went on a while back...but...in the space of a few hours.  Since it's monthly event, I look forward to going next month.

--- 3 ---

I've mentioned before that we Catholics are spoiled.  We're able to go to other Catholic parishes to partake in the sacraments if necessary.  Yes, I'm known to go to other parishes for confession because sometimes my own parish's times for confession don't work out with my schedule.  I'm beginning to consider to just sticking with my parish or spiritual director for confession because there's a particular parish in my circuit of backup-parishes-for-sacraments that something weird always happens every time I go.

Last weekend I went to this other parish for Confession.  And I was utterly shocked. And disappointed. But...I have a blog post waiting to be posted regarding that.

--- 4 ---

I think a good indicator of answering God's call and will for one's life is this certain, profound joy expressed that is noticeable and unique.  In a previous Quick Takes...I mentioned that my friend was acknowledged at an event of her answering the call to the religious life.  Well, yesterday my friend shared her story and journey on how she arrived to saying "yes!" to the call to serve as a religious sister with the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, a cloistered community of intense prayer yet with missionary outreach.  What really stood out to me was seeing her joy in finally arriving at this decision to enter into the religious life...not that it was easy to make this decision...but...experiencing the peace and joy in knowing this is what God wants her to do.

Smiling is a good habit. Not to be confused with habits.

Yes, so as long as this blog is entitled, "En Fuego"...and so as long as St. Catherine of Siena said "If you are who God calls you to be, you will set the world ablaze"...then yes, I'm interested in just trying to be who God wants me to be.  How do I figure that out? How do I know? ...stuff like that.  Some words of encouragement from a friend.

--- 5 ---

My Aggie Network seems to be increasing as of late.  No, I don't mean that I'm getting more sports coverage because the Aggie Network is not the same as the Longhorn Network (#joke...but it would be more like Texas Exes).  It seems as though my company likes to hire Aggies...and I'm okay with that because it makes it easier to talk to coworkers, haha.  I officially met three Aggies in the past few weeks...and two of them were in the aerospace engineering program as well!

WHOOP!

--- 6 ---

Pope Francis canonized 800+ saints this past Sunday.  I mean...in addition to the individuals canonized, there was a collective group canonized as a whole!  Italian martyrs, because the Ottoman Empire apparently beheaded people who weren't willing to convert to their religion.

I bring this up because there's a lot of Christian persecution in that part of the world still...and subtlety here in the United States.  Is my Catholic faith worth dying for? Yes.  Is the world going to gun for me because I'm Catholic? Absolutely.  Am I ready to die for my faith? Not sure...will I ever be ready? 800+ Italians in the 15th century apparently were ready.  What a witness to their faith!  #inspiration

--- 7 ---
I was somehow invited to like...4 weddings this year and 3 of them are Catholic weddings.  I'm legitimately excited! The first of these weddings is next weekend and I think it'll be the most Catholic wedding I would have ever gone to.  Tune in later for more details!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

- JD

7 Quick Takes (Vol 2.)

--- 1 ---

Last Saturday, I got to hang out with religious brothers and sisters, priests, and other Catholic friends.  I've mentioned The Shepherd's Cafe before, and that's where I went this past Saturday.  They usually host a vocations night on their yearly anniversaries.  This is where those who have chosen a religious vocation have a chance to talk about why they chose such a life.  Not only that, but since The Shepherd's Cafe typically features entertainment following spending a Holy Hour with Jesus, some of the religious/clergy performed as part of the entertainment!

Some seminarians performed a decent cover of the 4 Chord Song, and my consecrated friends in Regnum Christi performed a beautiful song.

A picture of the religious and Shepherd's Cafe volunteers

Lastly, this evening was the first time I saw my friend who's been away for the past several months helping out with an urban mission effort called Christ In The City.  She just recently got accepted to join the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate in New Bedford, MA.  And she was recognized at The Shepherd's Cafe for having made that decision.  Please pray for her as she enters into the religious life!

Gettin' recognized!

--- 2 ---

I'm grateful for the truth!  It just seems like nowadays, you can't really expect the media/news to give truthful news especially when they talk about Catholicism or things Catholics like.  I would give the benefit of the doubt and assume that reporters don't usually take the time to learn the truly Catholic viewpoint on things.  I mean, this topic deserves its own blog post, but I'm grateful not only for the truth, but for us taking the time during class to inform our Catholic students that the media sometimes puts forth an agenda with bias and partial truths and that we should not base our understanding of Catholic truth in such un-grounded "Catholic facts."

I had another #realtalk group gathering this week where we talked about truth some more and the dangers of relativism.  As a topic for a good case study, we applied the conversation to abortion in light of recent news (or lack thereof).

--- 3 ---

Sometimes I get so tired that not even two cups of coffee helps me stay awake.  Maybe I built up my tolerance?  Apparently the only thing that I find that helps is taking a nap or using one of those "energy" single-serve drink mix packets to wake me up.  So, confession: I'm cheap and go for the Wal-Mart brand ones.

Unfortunately...as tasty as they taste...they make me sick sometimes.  I must come up with a better solution and perhaps getting more hours of sleep is it. x_x

--- 4 ---

A recent tradition at my parish is to have a men's cold beverage night once a month.  This means going somewhere to grab some food and a cold, adult beverage.  I've gone to a few of them now and they're fun because it's a great way to just kick back and relax and just chill in good company.

Obviously, whenever you get a group of guys together, interesting conversations ensue.  But, not your stereotypical "oh here's a bunch of guys talking about guy stuff" conversations.  Yes, there were intros and "what do you do?"'s.  And yes, the Texas Rangers were playing and dominating according to about 10 TV's that were in the restaurant establishment. But, one of our men was a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal but now discerning to become a diocesan priest...and I'm pretty sure he was teaching some of the older men about Catholic things as well as telling his story about religious life.  I'm pretty sure that I was in a conversation about natural family planning for a good solid 15 minutes.  Apparently there's an NFP app (and others too)! And the guy sitting across from me teaches NFP with his wife!  While I couldn't relate since I'm not married like most of the guys present at the table...It's cool to hear the enthusiasm and success about NFP.  Something to look forward to, should I ever get to that point, haha.

--- 5 ---

I think I need a vacation.  For whatever reason, I haven't had a lot of time this past week to chillax.  And this weekend I seemed to have overbooked myself in things to do...so it's pretty much going to be an action-packed weekend starting Saturday morning.  And then Sunday is always busy because my parish literally becomes my second home.  Needless to say...I think I was stressed this past week in not being able to properly prepare for the busy weekend.

Jesus' words from the end of Matthew 11 come to mind...

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (NAB)

 Ah, maybe the reason I feel stressed is that I haven't devoted a lot of time resting in God this week....

--- 6 ---

I love how it is the beginning of May and we were totally enjoying nice, spring-into-summer weather and then all of a sudden...

BAM

...it gets super-ridiculously windy and cold within a day.  In fact, it'll hit close to freezing where I work and people are Instagramming their snowstorm pictures from other parts of the country.

I mean, I don't mind the cold...but...it's such an outlier in the recent average temperatures, ya know?  Roses in bloom, I was totally rockin' flip-flops last weekend, and I could actually walk from the parking lot to work without a jacket on.  Not so much today.

But while this brief cold spell is upon us...I have to discern which North Face jacket to wear... #firstworldproblems

--- 7 ---

It seemed like only yesterday when my parents and I helped moved my bro into his dorm room.  But now, he's about to wrap up finals and thus completing his freshman year. Wow. Though it doesn't really make me go "whoaaaa where has the time gone" simply because my brother has been home seemingly every weekend for the past several months.  He goes to college like 30 mins away and it's halfway between work and home for me.  I offered to take some of his stuff back home today, and I'm glad that full-sized keyboards fit in my car. Haha. 

And he'll be home for the summer starting next weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

- JD

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

A Pick Up Line Song

Here's the "Catholic Pick Up Line" song by a fellow Aggie Catholic:

David Casper was a familiar face at St. Mary's while I was in college.  We were on retreat staff for Aggie Awakening #85. But, I didn't meet him officially until last December when he did the Mass music for a friend's wedding as well as be the DJ for the reception.

You can check him out at DavidCasperMusic.com, on Twitter @dcaspermusic, and on Facebook.  Apparently he's got a new song about the new pope.

Lastly, he's performing this Saturday at The Shepherd's Cafe, a local monthly Catholic event with a Holy Hour and coffee house entertainment afterwards here in DFW.  Check 'em out here: TheShepherdsCafe.com.

Sadly, I won't be in attendance because I'm gone all weekend for different Catholic reasons.

I'd be a second-class relic if you just give me a kiss ;-)
- JD