that's why blog has a disclaimer...

... I am not the Pope, I only play one on the internet. I did not write the Magisterium, I am only faithful to it. If your tender sensibility's are offended by my "elitist" attitude toward ecclesiastical and liturgical art, so much so you feel compelled to send an email stating your disgust for my blog... please allow me to clarify my position on your feelings...

being Catholic is so much fun I can't friggin stand it...

blog what you know...

... they say good writers write about what they know. What I know is that I find myself suddenly single yet again and have decided instead of giving up I want to try my hand in the dating world. Holy hell. I'm not sure if that makes me a hopeful romantic or a glutton for punishment. Either way I decided to blog about this highly personal aspect of my life and tackle the topic of courting as a Catholic. Heaven help us all.

tacky ...

... don't forget to caption the tacky art. Even though I am not taking anymore submissions you can still have fun with it. I added the final submissions...have at it.

stuck in my head...

you've got me for six weeks...

... until fall semester starts. Bask in my updated blog.

facebook...

... is a weird foreign land and I may never understand it's customs.

I have heard some real horror stories about facebook... wives reading inappropriate comments on their husbands facebook page from other women, off the handle status updates airing wild confessions or personal attacks, people hooking with past relations... the list goes on and on.

I was recently friended by a man I went out with a few times years ago. Funny thing is, he is now another relationship and we see each other at church almost every Sunday. He never says a single word to me, I get "the nod" when we pass each other. Yet he felt compelled to make me his facebook friend. Ok.

These online "friends" are mechanical, devoid of personal organic connections. It would seem that social networking stunts our social development.

We can be surrounded by "friends" and remain so lonely. Sad really.

Now take kitteh's advice ...

things I find amusing...

... how I an lose blog followers at the mere mention of [whispers] Harry Potter.

do I wear my Sorting Hat or my Mad Eye Moody fake eye tomorrow...

... hell, maybe I'll just sport both.

Ugliest Church Art...

... submission dead line is quickly approaching; July 15th.


another Vincenzo creation.

best birthday card ev-vah...

Love it. Thanks Digi.

blog takes a few personal days...

... my profuse apologies for the lack of updated posts. Submissions have been pouring in and I will add them after this week. I am in the middle of semester finals. Pray for me, a simple student. emphases on "simple".

Yay! I am the new poster child for Catholic idolatry...

... The very first image in this anti-Catholic you tube video is of my very own home altar, originally seen in this post.



You know what they say... you're not big time till some poor misguided prot misconstrues scripture and uses you as their "visual aid".

Thanks for the anonymous tip.

awol...

... back on July 6th. I'll be unreachable. Play nice!

your submissions make Baby Jesus cry...

Number 1

... and on the third day He arose and was like "Whaaaat?" and the people were like "Whaaaaat?"

Number 2


Number 3


Number 4

Captain Nemo's tabernacle... arrrrgh, matey.

Number 5

Rock Monster will eat your priests.

Number 6

Grrrrr. I haz tiger!

Number 7

The um... erected Jesus.

Number 8

Soooo gay!

Number 9

Nightmares!

Number 10

I haz center cut pleaz.

Number 11


Number 12


Number 13


Number 14


Number 15

Sith Madonna

Number 16


Number 17


Number 18


Number 19

Moth Man Prophecy

Number 20


Number 21

Stairway to Heaven

Number #22


Number #23


Number #24

My obelisk is bigger than yours.

Number #25


Number #26


Number #27


Number #28

Mormon Jesus

Number #29


Number #30


Number #31


Number #32


Number #33


Number #34


Number #35


Number #36


Number #37


Number #38


Number #40


Number #41


Number #42


Number #43


Number #44


Number #45


Number #45

Putrid Pieta

Number #46

"I'm melting..... meeeelting. Oh what a world!"

Number #47


Number #48

Tin Man

Number #49


Number #50


... that's all folks. No more submissions will be taken. Over the next day or two I will tag the photos and voting will begin shortly. I will keep you all posted.

I want to thank all who participated in this contest of visual assault.

ps- used my executive authority and deleted the controversial Trinity submission... only because my Abuelita has a similar statue on her night stand; right in between the Divino Nino and glow in the dark plastic Madonna. :-)

follow the labyrinth to the cross of glory...

... and other bat shit crazy none sense from Catholic "communities".



Source: Mr. Flavius.

St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington DC...

Source.

... if I didn't know better I would think The Prof was trying to convert me.

A submission into The Ugliest Church Art Contest... and damn funny too.Source.

All recent submissions will be posted later... time permitting.

Ugliest Church Art Contest...

... inquiring minds wanted to know.

Beginning today, right now, this very second I am taking your submissions for the Ugliest Church Art Contest. Bring me your felt banners, abstract art statues and Stations, your tie-dyed altar linens, and Klingon sanctuary lights...



Now for the boring stuff; rules and guidelines.

1) "Art" must be from a CATHOLIC Church
2) No photo-shopped pictures [Shhhh... you can almost hear Vincenzo's heart breaking]
3) Please provide a link or source for each submission
4) You may submit multiple entries
5) Submissions can be made here in this post or via email.
6) Deadline for submissions will be July 15th.


Alright... have at it!

a common ground between different political affiliations...

... yes, it is possible.

I know a liberal *gasp* and actually enjoy talking with him *faint*. While we don't agree on everything, OK almost nothing, we do agree one poignant issue. We are both completely annoyed and baffled by people who chose to vote for Obama and now have no clue or care very little for staying politically informed.

He was telling me about a relationship he just ended with a young woman he met while working on the campaign committee for DNC. At the time his now estranged girlfriend was politically active and seemed passionate about her convictions and support of Obama. She appeared informed and intelligent; I suppose that's possible even for a liberal.

After the election his ex-girlfriend, and many of his friends as well, stopped watching the news. Stopped caring. Stopped being informed. They went back to swilling trendy micro brews while quoting The Daily Show. He doesn't get it. The same friends who donated hundreds of hours campaigning for a man they never heard of before Oprah and coughing up thousands of dollars for his campaign could not even properly explain to him the Cap and Trade bill... not that anyone can considering no one, not even Congress, has read the damn thing. So much for a "transparent administrations". I digress.

"Their Man" was elected and now they blissfully frolic through life confident Obama will fulfill all his campaign promises to Hopenchange the world into Utopia.

Now my friend is finding himself disenchanted with his party affiliation... with his once like minded peers.

So today I found common ground with a liberal.

We both agreed that the only consistency in Mr. Obama's presidency has been his repeated inconsistencies and the only campaign promise he has fulfilled thus far was his promise to make policies that reflect the climate and mood of the moment.

He was also baffled by Obama's delayed, and unwilling, condemnation of Iran's treatment of the protesters and found it striking that "his man" can only muster harsh words for two nations, ours and Israel... but that's another post.

fostering vocations...

... one blog at a time.

Photo source. Philip Johnson writes; On April 17, 2009, Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh, NC visited Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dunn to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on twenty-one candidates in the Extraordinary Form. Follow the source link for more great photos.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the fountain of all holiness. Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

That these gifts may be to those who partake for the purification of soul, for remission of sins, for the communion of the Holy Spirit, for the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven; for boldness towards Thee, and not for judgment or condemnation.

things I won't be doing today...

... posting about the passing of Michael Jackson.

Of course when any one passes away we should pray for the repose of their soul but we could do with tout the full blown media circus. I mean the media made him the object of their ridicule for decades... now they suddenly care.

whatever.

karate chop...

... I pulled a neck muscle yesterday and my sweet little son offered to give me a massage. I accepted his gesture and told him he could just give me the little shoulder chops if that was easier. "Are you sure?" he asks...

When I said yes there wasn't even a moment to react from the time I heard the scream "HI-YAH!" followed by one swift strong karate chop whack in the neck.

Oy!

"What then will this child be?"

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:57-66, 80
Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John." And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name." And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John."

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:5-17
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

benedictus...

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because He hath visited and wrought the redemption of His people:And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David His servant: As He spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us: To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy testament, The oath, which He swore to Abraham our father, that He would grant to us, That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve Him without fear, In holiness and justice before Him, all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways: To give knowledge of salvation to His people, unto the remission of their sins: Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us: To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.