44 was out today to catch some Catholic Academy League action between Merion Mercy Academy and Gwynedd Mercy Academy. I had promised my buddy, for two years, to see his daughter play and can now cross that off my bucket list. Merion was victorious 59-52 behind the 12 point 5 assist effort of senior Brigid Klarich, who has narrowed her college choices down to Loyola Maryland, St. Joseph's University, and Loyola Illinois.
The rivalry between these two schools operated by the Sisters of Mercy is far more polite than most games I've attended, and you could hear a pin drop when either team was shooting fouls. Best of luck to both teams in the playoffs.
A rarely seen 400-year-old map that identified Florida as "the Land of Flowers" and put China at the center of the world went on display Tuesday at the Library of Congress. A detail of Matteo Ricci's 1602 map nicknamed the "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography" showing Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, is seen on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, on Monday Jan. 11, 2010. The map is the first map in Chinese to show the Americas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(AP)The map created by Matteo Ricci was the first in Chinese to show the Americas. Ricci, a Jesuit missionary from Italy, was among the first Westerners to live in what is now Beijing in the early 1600s. Known for introducing Western science to China, Ricci created the map in 1602 at the request of Emperor Wanli.
Ricci's map includes pictures and annotations describing different regions of the world. Africa was noted to have the world's highest mountain and longest river. The brief description of North America mentions "humped oxen" or bison, wild horses and a region named "Ka-na-ta."
Several Central and South American places are named, including "Wa-ti-ma-la" (Guatemala), "Yu-ho-t'ang" (Yucatan) and "Chih-Li" (Chile).
Ricci gave a brief description of the discovery of the Americas.
"In olden days, nobody had ever known that there were such places as North and South America or Magellanica," he wrote, using a label that early mapmakers gave to Australia and Antarctica. "But a hundred years ago, Europeans came sailing in their ships to parts of the sea coast, and so discovered them."
The Ricci map gained the nickname the "Impossible Black Tulip of Cartography" because it was so hard to find.
This map — one of only two in good condition — was purchased by the James Ford Bell Trust in October for $1 million, making it the second most expensive rare map ever sold. The library bought another of the world's rarest maps, the Waldseemuller world map, which was the first to name "America," for $10 million in 2003. (click title for entire article)
To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jesuit missionary’s death, Catholics should be inspired by his way of life: faith in God; love for Chinese culture; respect for teachers and friends. Education cannot just be a market-oriented business; faithful should work and study hard, instead of spending time on TV or computer. “Arrogance and prejudice” of Church leaders and Chinese authorities have slowed evangelization in China.
Shanghai (AsiaNews) – Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai has called for his faithful to learn from Matteo Ricci’s qualities as a way to commemorate the Jesuit missionary in China, according to the prelate’s Christmas message released Dec. 24.
Bishop Jin’s letter titled “Song of Li Madou” (Song of Matteo Ricci) not only highlights Jesuit Father Ricci (1522-1610)’s contribution to the Chinese Church and society, but includes Bishop Jin’s views on Ricci in relating to Chinese-Western exchanges, and qualities of Ricci whom his faithful can model, followed by a list of books written by Ricci.
Shanghai diocese, as many places in the Universal Church, would celebrate solemnly the 400th anniversary of Ricci’s death on May 11, 2010, the 93-year-old prelate said, stating his letter aims to let Chinese Catholics to know and learn from Ricci’s life.
Calling Father Ricci, Xu Guangqi and all missioners in heaven to pray for Chinese Catholics, the letter describes Ricci’s life and before and after he served in China, citing his early missions in Zhaoqing, Shaozhou, Nanchang and along the way to Beijing. The pastoral letter also discussed his work, friendships with Chinese, including Xu Guangqi, his death and the issue on the Controversy of Rites (1).
He highlighted Ricci had kept his prayer life despite heavy work each day, and his collaboration in translation and friendship with Xu Guangqi, a baptized Catholic from Shanghai, and other scholars.
Bishop Jin listed some of Ricci’s qualities whom he thinks local Catholics can model - Ricci’s faith in God, love for Chinese culture, respect for teachers and friends, a virtue also fostered in Confucian thought, grasping opportunities wisely, and enriching oneself by studying industriously. (click title for entire article)
Out to see Hawk Talk tonight in Havertown and chatted with Joe Lunardi for a few minutes about the possibility of North Catholic High School being saved as a Cristo Rey High School, in a partnership with the National Cristo Rey Network and the Northeast Catholic Alumni Association and under the auspices of the Jesuits and the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. A meeting was held last night with over 800 enthusiastic parents in attendance. Normally it takes years to start a Cristo Rey school -- but don't count this group out just yet. The Falcons are not going down without a fight.
For more information -- or how you might be able to help -- please click NCCRinfo.
THE PURPOSE OF THE FEASIBILITY In December 2009, The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the National Cristo Rey Network authorized a Planning Team to conduct a feasibility study and preliminary plans for starting a new Cristo Rey model high school in Philadelphia.
The Planning Team will examine the starting of a new Cristo Rey model school that incorporates the best traditions of Northeast Catholic High School, which will close in June of 2010. The Planning Team will evaluate the feasibility of opening the new school in September of 2010 so as to provide an option for current North Catholic students as well as other interested students in the community.
The purpose of the Feasibility Study and Start-up Plan is to evaluate the economic viability of the new school and to address critical policy and start-up issues. During the course of the work, the Planning Team will conduct informational sessions and interviews with prospective parents and students and with potential business and community supporters in order to describe the Cristo Rey model and to evaluate the extent of community support. Community support will be evaluated based on business support for the Work-Study jobs program, fundraising support for capital, endowment and tuition assistance and the projected enrolment of students in the new school. INITIAL PLANNING SCHEDULE The Planning team expects to complete their initial report by the end of February at which time more detailed planning and start-up activities could begin. THE PLANNING TEAM The Planning Team is comprised of Philadelphia leaders in business and education, graduates of Northeast Catholic High School, representatives of the Northeast Catholic High School Alumni Association, the National Cristo Rey Network, The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and the Society of Jesus. Click here for a list of Planning Team members.
HOW CAN I HELP? Planning for the start-up of a new school requires plenty of work and resources. Making Cristo Rey in Philadelphia a reality will require:
- More than 100 businesses to participate in the Work-Study Program - Fundraising campaigns for capital requirements and an endowment - A fundraising campaign for tuition assistance - Programmatic fundraising for extra-curriculars - Student recruitment programs - Faculty and administration recruiting
On Friday The Prep honored Eddie Burke, SJP '63, who won the Catholic League title as a player in 1962, as a coach in 1971, and won 121 games in his tenure as coach from 1969-71 and 1993-99. Burke also served as the Director of Alumni Relations at the Prep in the 90s. The night was also the annual Coaches VS Cancer fundraiser with proceeds from food and other sales going to help the City 6 College coaches help fund cancer research. This was especially fitting since Burke battled cancer for several years.
Ultimately, St. Joseph's Prep did conquer the visiting Explorers, 52-49, in overtime. Even if you're not a graduate of one of those fully private schools, you're smart enough to know that Brophy indeed regrouped and nailed that second free throw to conlcude regulation. Care to jump ahead? Want to know how the ballgame ended? With nails being bitten by all. The Prep's Joe Nardi converted a double-bonus with 20.7 seconds showing in the OT session, thus providing a 52-49 lead. LaSalle then got off three "last" shots. There was Mike Poncia's trey from the left wing. It was deflected by Steve Vasturia and the ball went over the baseline at 7.3. There was Troy Hockaday's trey from the left corner. It missed and again the ball trickled over the baseline, with possession going to the Explorers at 2.1. The last launch - another trey, of course - was by Joe Brown from the left wing.
The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight pilot project is a nationwide effort to identify basketball games between Jesuit schools during the upcoming 2009-2010 season, and, through those games, bring greater positive awareness to Jesuit education and mission.
For St. Joseph's, it was a therapy session as much as it was a basketball game today at Hagan Arena. After losing nine of their previous 10 games, the Hawks desperately needed to feel good about something. The session had some rough moments. But in the end, the Hawks walked off the court with a cheerier outlook after an 82-69 win over Fordham in an Atlantic Ten Conference matchup between two teams that could be hard-pressed to make it to the conference tourney in Atlantic City in March.
Chang and Laurie / Fr. Bill Byron, SJ hanging with the boys from NE Philly.
The Hawk T Models -- all grown up / New look on 54th Street.
It was sooo good to see my buddy John Prendergast, SJC '67, who is grateful for your prayers and is finally done with his 12 rounds of chemo. Phil Martelli had John as his guest on the bench for the game.
John sits at the end of the bench between assistan coach Rob Sullivan and team chaplain Fr. Bruce Bidinger, SJ.
Dolores wouldn't let me take Dr. Jack Ramsay's book Pressure Basketball out of the library when I attended so I'm pretty sure I don't think I have a chance at this one!
About 70 percent of the worlds population is not able to practice their religion freely and one of out every 5 countries impose severe restrictions to those who practice their faith. The following from Rome Reports:
I was reading a review about a new TV show (America Magazine - TNT's 'Men of a Certain Age') starring one of my favorite actors; Andre Braugher from Homide: Life on the Street (the Jesuit educated Detective Frank Pembleton!). The writer, theology Professor Terrance Klein of Fordham Univerity, hits a home run with the last sentence -- living with what we've become -- ouch ;-) Reflect on that fellas.
By the end of the first episode, Owen has confronted his father; Terry, his bully; and Joe beats up an inflatable green Incredible Hulk. None finds the satisfaction they had sought, but I don’t think any adult viewer will find this show to be a disappointment. The series uses the Beach Boys’ “When I Grow Up to Be a Man” as a cover song. Perfect. No one dreams of growing up to become these three men, but then that’s the challenge of being a man of a certain age. Living with what we’ve become.
One of the treats of having the Dayton Flyers beat is that I get to have some interaction with Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli on the Atlantic 10 teleconference each week during during league play. And while he didn’t crack any jokes Monday as he normally does — when your team is 4-8, there really isn’t too much to joke about — he was as candid and interesting as usual.
I just love listening to people who are highly articulate. Former UD athletic director Ted Kissell is that way. So is former Ohio State AD Andy Geiger.
Martelli was flabbergasted over trailing from start to finish in losing to visiting Princeton recently. That’s Ivy League non-scholarship Princeton.
“Never having a lead in home games … is basically unforgivable in some ways,” he said.
And a lot of coaches would say Amen to this:
“I’ve always leaned on the seniors. In my 15 years, I’ve always said to the seniors, ‘This is your team. It’s my program, but this is your team.’ The way I describe it to the players is, ‘You get a tattoo. You might not want a tattoo, but you get a tattoo. At the end of your senior year, that (won-loss) record is listed. When people talk retrospectively about the program, they’re going to say, ‘Who were the seniors that year?’ They don’t necessarily say, ‘Who were the all-league players? What did the freshmen give us that year.’ You’re remembered for your senior year, and that’s a tattoo that stays with you forever.
“All 15 years, I’ve told our seniors they have the obligation and responsibility to get this going in right direction. This is a long season, and if it’s only the voice of the head coach or the assistant coaches, what will happen is guys will end up hearing you but never listening to you. They’ll watch and emulate your oldest guys.”
The daughter of the late Thomas and Margaret O'Malley Feeney and is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, John J. McGarrity, Sr.; three sons, James T. McGarrity and wife, Jane L. of Middletown, John J. "Jack" McGarrity, Jr. and wife, Mary Ellen R. of Linglestown, and Thomas P. McGarrity and wife, Jennifer A. of Harrisburg; one daughter, Helen M. Fuhrman and her husband, Daniel L. of Linglestown; ten grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Aunt Marguerite was born in Fr. Rader's Parish (Holy Name) on the East Mountain of Scranton and graduated from Scranton Central High School before she moved to the Swampoodle section of North Philadelphia (St. Columba's) with her family. She and Uncle John made West Philadelphia (Transfiguration) their home before the Pennsylvania Railroad (all aboard!) took them to Harrisburg. I'm sure Mom was there, along with the Dolly sisters, when the Lord welcomed her to Heaven. I just hope He was prepared for the Blackfeet Tribe of O'Malleys that threw the party when she arrived. Uncle Buddy Feeney and Aunt Molly Sweeney are probably singing 'Danny Boy' as I write. Good luck getting them to stop ;-)
Wake and Mass of Christian Burial:
St. Catherine Laboure Roman Catholic Church
4000 Derry Street
Harrisburg, PA
May her soul, and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in Peace. Amen.
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side The summer's gone, and all the roses falling' Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow 'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying If I am dead, as dead I well may be You'll come and find the place where I am lying And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be For ye shall bend and tell me that you love me And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.
As an alumnus of Holy Ghost Preparatory School this is very sad news. The Chapel of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is 100 years old and was built in part with funds provided by St. Katherine Drexel herself, as the Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans) and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, at least then, had similar charisms. If not for the archaic rules of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia the Chapel would have held the weddings of nearly every graduate. A beautiful worship space where even the most hard core atheist would hear the word of God.
I'm sure insurance money will help them to rebuild but the stained glass in the Chapel is irreplacable. From the pictures it would seem that the seven side chapels, where 100 years worth of private masses were celebrated by the Holy Ghost Fathers... were destroyed as well.
So why we're sad for the loss the Chapel will be rebuilt, and the fire was contained and no one was hurt -- due to the quick efforts of the Bensalem Fire Department. It could have been much worse.
The fire was sparked by a roofer's torch. Firefighters had to break more than a dozen stained-glass windows while battling the blaze.
A fire started by a roofer's torch caused an estimated $1 million worth of damage to the chapel at Holy Ghost Preparatory School Monday afternoon.
School was not in session and none of the school's 518 students were on the property.
Volunteer firefighters from seven Lower Bucks companies and the Bensalem Rescue Squad were called to the school off Route 13 about 1:55 p.m., Ruggiero said. The fire was brought under control at 2:31 p.m., according to the Bucks County Radio Room. One volunteer firefighter was slightly hurt, complaining of a thumb injury, said Cornwells Fire Co. Chief Joe Ruggiero.
"When I pulled up, there was smoke coming from the roof and three roofers up there working," Ruggiero said.
Water filled the parking lot, and firefighters had to contend with biting wind while fighting the fire.
Fire police closed a portion of Route 13 in Bensalem to traffic as more than a dozen fire trucks rushed to the scene.
Bensalem Fire Marshal Jay Scanlon said the fire was started by roofers using a torch while spreading asphalt on the flat church roof. Roofing trucks at the scene had the name Russell Roofing on the doors. Russell Roofing is located in Oreland, Montgomery County. The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching the roofing company for comment Monday evening.
Scanlon said the roofers had used a torch about 45 minutes before they called the fire company.
Scanlon said his damage estimate is due, in part, to at least a dozen expensive stained glass windows that were broken while firefighters battled the blaze.
One parent, whose husband and son graduated from Holy Ghost, stood shivering on Route 13 in the strong, biting winds and was visibly upset about the fire.
Advertisement "It's a great school. This fire is unbelievable. I feel so bad for Father Jeff and the staff. My husband and son got a great education here. I hope the building can be repaired," said Beverly Viscusi.
The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009, according to signs hanging in front of the school.
The Rev. Jeff Duaime, who runs the school, is upset about the fire and damage to the 100-year-old stained glass, but praised firefighters and said he has used Russell Roofing for other previous repairs and was pleased with the work.
"I am not sure of what type of material is on the flat roof, but the roofers were using tar at the time of the fire," Duaime said. "The fire departments did a good job. They deserve a lot of credit.
"It's hard to say if there is $1 million in damage, but when I saw the broken stained glass, well, I just can't say for sure. But no one got hurt and we are grateful for that," he said.
Duaime said 518 students attend the school and that the damaged chapel is used for daily Mass for the students.
He added that the damage was mostly confined to the main altar and seven side altars in the chapel, known as Chapel of the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Duaime said the building was used as a seminary dating to 1897, until it became a chapel.
He said the chapel is fully insured, but it was unknown how soon repairs could be made. For now, Mass will be held in a former chapel near the main residence on school property.
The fire does not affect the Jack Schott Holiday Tournament basketball game scheduled for today. The game will be played, said school athletic director Jim Stewart.
I meant to post this earlier but couldn't find it. It is the commencement address at HGP last year from Mary Lou Quinlan, the founder and CEO of Just Ask a Woman, the leading women's marketing company in the U.S. She is an a alumna of Cardinal Dougherty High School and Saint Joseph's University.
Thank you so much for the honor of speaking at this wonderful occasion. And for breaking a nearly 50 year tradition. You let a Dougherty girl in.
It’s an honor for me to be part of your big day.
As Tony mentioned, I’ve got a lot of Holy Ghost connections…and a lot of love and affection for this school, starting with my husband Joe who’s an alum. ..and both of my brothers in law. But the first Joe Quinlan to enter the school was actually back in the fall of 1911 when it was called Holy Ghost Apostolic College. He was "my" Joe Quinlan's great uncle, Father Joe Quinlan. He had a distinguished career as a Spiritan, both at the motherhouse when it was in Paris...as well as in the overseas missions.
Father Joe was buried some 40 years ago just 100 yards from here...and he's been joined in recent years by many of the priests whom he recruited into the order when he served here, first as teacher and then as rector. Like Joe’s mentor and our friend, Father Henry Brown, a wise and wonderful priest who married us 30 years ago.
Just as Mr. Chapman never left Holy Ghost, my husband Joe, in his own way, never left either. He’s loyal to you in every way. Today I want to say thank you, Holy Ghost for helping Joe be the man he is, someone I am so lucky to have in my life, and to his mom and Dad, Virginia and Tom Quinlan who sacrificed to send him here. They’re all here today.
And, thank you, Tony… a great leader, a great friend, as is his wife, Jane… and daughter Katie.
But this day is about you, the graduates of the class of 2009. Right now, I know you’re excited to be moving on but you might also be feeling a little sad. No wonder. You’ve got a lot of leave-taking ahead of you. Your family, your friends, your school. But the good news, like Joe and Mr. Chapman, you can always come home. Because Holy Ghost is now part of you. And it’s a legacy that you’ll carry the rest of your life.
(Where’s Steve Chapman?) Your mom Donna Chapman, told me she remembers dropping you off for Freshman Orientation and you were kind of shy, and when she left, she sat out in the parking lot, praying, “Please let him make a friend…not expecting a bunch, just even one.” (How things have changed!) She told me, “Steve’s an only child but he has many brothers.” For all of you, Holy Ghost is the home where you all found brothers for life. A brotherhood united for good.
Home is the place that gives you roots and wings and with these awards and diplomas you’ve got the foundation and you are set to fly.
There are three thoughts I’d like to share with you today. And Joe Knowles, the Michael Phelps of medal winners over there, when I asked him for guidance for this speech, said “We’re pretty high brow students, so don’t be corny or cliché!” Well, these are clichés I believe in and live by, so bear with me, Joe.
The first relates to your roots. Remember Where You Came From.
This class is headed to dozens of colleges and universities all over this country…big shout out to Ted Grabowski! Some are going far away, some are staying closer to home. I know that seven of you are going to City Avenue to attend my alma mater, Saint Joseph’s University here in Philadelphia…the Hawk will never die!)
But no matter where you go, someday, you may find yourself, with families of your own and nice cars and fancy houses in a big job, with a big paycheck ….and you may look at yourself and say, “Hey, look what I did!”
And you might forget how you got to be who you are. I invite you to think about that now. Holy Ghost has its fingerprints all over you. (for the entire address click here)
The Rev. Rick Curry turned a humiliating rejection into a life of faith and creativity.
By Monica Yant Kinney
At the last Mass at St. Joseph's Prep before students scattered for Christmas break, the Rev. Rick Curry gave the homily.
I'm not sure how to adequately describe this man, so get ready for a wild ride that I guarantee will put you in the mood for Christmas.
Curry's homily began with a story about a mouthwash commercial.
The would-be actor was born without a right forearm, which made him a freak to the receptionist at the 1977 audition. She laughed him right out of the office.
"I was stunned. I was hurt," the visiting priest told the church full of 1,000 antsy young men. "There was no way I could convince her that having one arm wouldn't stop me from gargling mouthwash."
At the time, Curry was a Jesuit brother studying for his doctorate in theater. He trudged off muttering, "God, what was that all about?"
Today, his "workshop" (www.ntwh.org) consists of two campuses (in New York and Maine) and a professional repertory company funded in part with proceeds from a bakery staffed by disabled students. The bakery sells Brother Curry's Miraculous Dog Biscuits along with bread from one of the two cookbooks he's authored.
I told you Curry had some tricks up that sleeve.
In his spare time, he also runs Wounded Warriors, a dramatic-writing program for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And in a triumphant comeuppance, the man once deemed unfit for a mouthwash ad has been profiled on 60 Minutes. He even guest-starred on the cable program Monk.
"Be attentive to surprises, joys, disappointment," Curry told his charges. "It's all part of God's plan."
'They didn't want me' The fact that Curry - a West Philadelphia native who attended the Prep in 1957-58 - could deliver a holiday sermon proves his point.
When he was growing up, church discipline held that a priest needed the use of the thumb and pointer finger on both hands to hold the host to be consecrated.
"I was told when I was 6 I couldn't be a priest," he explained after Mass. "They didn't want me. And I didn't want them."
Curry's first calling was to the stage. He majored in theater at St. Joseph's University, earned a master's at Villanova and a doctorate at NYU, all while serving God the only way he was allowed - as a brother.
"Any time you raise the human spirit, you're working in an atmosphere of faith," he told me. "When you are giving tools to persons of disabilities to communicate with one another, you're dealing with something very sacred."
An unexpected calling Six years ago, Curry was counseling wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when he met an angry young man who would upend his life.
"He was very anxious to get things off his chest," Curry recalled. As the soldier raged on, "I had no idea it was his idea we were in confession. At the end, he said, 'Padre, how about absolution?' "
Embarrassed, Curry explained that he wasn't a priest.
"Why not?" the soldier probed.
"I've never been called."
"Well," the young man barked, "I'm calling you." (click title to read the entie article)
I like Christmas as much as the next Christian. And by that I mean the Feast of the Nativity—the one with Jesus being born in a manger. The one Linus talks about every year on "A Charlie Brown Christmas." That Christmas I like.
The Christmas I don't like is the one most people don't: the commercial one. And this year what's been irking me are the slogans that companies are deploying in their December ad campaigns that hope to have it both ways: They're using religious themes without actually being religious. Call it faith-based advertising.
Some aren't bad. This year J.C. Penney's ads featured the slogan "The Joy of Giving." (Giving is, needless to say, laudable.) But many advertisers couldn't seem to decide how religious their ads could be. Most are eager to glom onto the highly profitable Christmas angle without being Christian, which would be a challenge even for Don Draper and his "Mad Men" copywriters. The cover of the Land's End catalog, which is bursting with preppy families who apparently divide their time between laughing dementedly, drinking steaming mugs of hot chocolate and petting horses, says: "Make it Merry!" Make what merry? Celebrating the birth of Christ or petting a horse?
Likewise, the Container Store, a packaging company, wanted to remind shoppers to mail in time for Christmas but couldn't quite bring itself to say the word. "Only 15 Days Left!" said one of its ads on Dec. 10. Fifteen days till what? Arbor Day?
"Magic" is another popular word on Madison Avenue: Pier One's catalog says, "Make Christmas Magic!" Sadly, all I can think of is Mary and Joseph standing around Harry Potter in a manger.
And this year the Gap's ads are just plain weird. Their TV commercials feature perky models rapping out the following ditty: "Go Christmas! Go Hannukah! Go Kwanzaa! Go Solstice! You 86 the rules, you do what just feels right. Happy Whatever-you-wannukah, and to all a cheery night!" But the models are clearly wearing sweaters and scarves in bright red, the traditional Christmas color. In other words, the Gap is selective about what gets 86ed. Actual religious beliefs? Those go. Holiday trappings that can move a few sweaters? Those stay.
The winner of this year's worst catch phrase is a tie: between Macy's and Eddie Bauer. Macy's shopping bags say, "A million reasons to believe!" In what? What does Macy's want us to believe in? That Jesus is the Son of God? (Imagine that on a bag.)
Nearly as maddening was the cover of this year's Eddie Bauer catalog, which proclaims "We believe." As with Macy's, I was eager to find out just what Eddie Bauer believed in. The Council of Chalcedon's fifth-century declaration that Jesus was fully human and fully divine? Not exactly. Page three professed the retailer's creed: "We believe in the world's best down."
Of course I know that this is the way marketing works. Retailers use anything to hawk a product. And I'm sorry to be a stickler, but it's strange seeing the Christian faith being used and denied at the same time.
Nonetheless, I try not to get too upset about it, because I don't want to let commercialism distract me from the reason to celebrate Christmas Day. Because I really do have a million reasons to believe.
Ole 44 doesn't follow hockey that much anymore, but as a kid growing up in NE Philly we loved our Broad Street Bullies and played alot of street hockey. Halcion days for us with two Stanley Cups followed by being the only NHL team to kick the crap out of the Red Army team from the Soviet Union -- the only time everyone was cheering for the usually hated Flyboys. The Red Army was undefeated against the NHL and only the Flyers stood in the way of a perfect record. The Flyers roughed up the commies a bit too much and they refused to take the ice in the 2nd period, until Ed Snyder informed the head comrade that if they didn't complete the game they wouldn't be paid for entire series against the NHL. Ahhh... how money talks. They retook the ice and lost 4-1.
Yesterday I sat in bed and energetically used my Direct TV remote to switch between the Mummers Parade and the NHL Winter Classic between the Bruins and Flyers at Fenway Park. "Old time hockey"-- with the Flyers losing but winning the only fight. The final picture reminded me of my buddy Lammers, who played hockey for Villanova -- and still has in his office a tattered poster of an aerial Bobby Orr scoring a goal, way back when.
Though they were clearly outnumbered, Flyers fans did their best to turn the site of yesterday's Winter Classic into Phenway Park.
Philly-area fans invaded Boston the last few days. They were in bars. In restaurants. In hotels. And, of course, at historic Fenway Park, which hosted yesterday's Winter Classic between the Flyers and Boston Bruins. The fans turned Boston into Philly North with their orange jerseys, their Flyers chants, their "Yo, Happy New Year's" greetings.
The Flyers were given 5,000 tickets to sell to season-ticket holders. All went quickly. A few thousand additional fans bought tickets from other outlets. Erin Dodds and Jessica Baver, both from Marlton, N.J., said they bought "nosebleed" tickets for $300 each from StubHub.
"It was a lot of money, but it was worth it," said Dodds, 24, a waitress who wore a Rick Tocchet jersey. The two young women were part of a huge group of Flyers fans who arrived in Boston on Amtrak, about 10 minutes after midnight yesterday. "We had our own little Flyers car," said Baver, 22. "We drank in the New Year together. Philly loves their teams, and we do it right." (click title for the entire article)
“It’s the perfect day for hockey in Boston,’’ said Bobby Orr as he watched from an upstairs box. “It’s a thrill to see all these pros turn into kids again for one day. This is how we all started playing hockey - outdoors. And this day, here at Fenway Park, truly is a classic.’’
Classic.
The crowd made the day. Ken Burns’s well-worn PBS series on baseball spoke lovingly about the good old days of ballpark crowds when “everybody wore a hat.’’ Grainy photos of packed Fenway in the days of Ruth feature endless rows of gentlemen smoking cigarettes, wearing boaters, no doubt placing bets on the unfolding action.
You can’t smoke at Fenway anymore, but it seemed that everybody at the park yesterday wore a hat. Owed to comfort more than fashion, most of the 38,112 kept their heads warm with one of the Winter Classic tuques sold at the concession stands. Those hats forever will be souvenirs of one of the most magical afternoons in the history of the 97-year-old yard.
It was 39 degrees at game time (some Sox games have been colder) and many sight lines were terrible, but few complained. Twenty-three-year-old Lindsey Maher made the trip from Allentown, Pa., and scored a front-row ticket behind the backstop, only to learn she was sitting below ice level, 150 feet from the penalty box.
“At least we’ll be able to hear the game,’’ said Maher, a Flyers fan.
Most of the fans had the same attitude. This was a day to be there. That was enough. (click title for the entire article)
Staff Sergeant Ryan R. LaFrance (center) dropped the ceremonial first puck for with
Flyers great Bobby Clarke and Bruins great Bobby Orr before the Winter Classic began Friday at Fenway Park.
Snow again today in the City of Brotherly Love but it makes for a nice photo of Independence Hall, the birthplace of the United States where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed. Should you be interested in touring Philadelphia please check out the website of Centipede Tours -- the best in the industry.
One of my favorite sites to visit is the Philadelphia Church Project, which, in their own words, "charts the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Philly's Religious Architecture" -- mainly in area Catholic churches. Having lived in suburban New Jersey and suffered with what can only be called intentionally uninspiring church architecture -- it's a joy to see how we used to do things. When our immigrant ancestors sacrificed to build these beautiful neighborhood cathedrals.
I came across this picture on their blog and of course it reminded me of the mantra of every CYO team back in the day just before you broke the huddle. I know Bob Hurley's teams at St. Anthony pray for her intercession before every game, and given our record this year it might be time for St. Joe's to bring back the practice ;-)
Philadelphia -- born and bred.
Educated by the good Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Holy Ghost Fathers, and the Jesuit Fathers at Scranton and Saint Joseph's.
Two things I know to be true:
1) AMDG... that we should do all things for the greater glory of God.
2) THE HAWK WILL NEVER DIE!
Get your very own St. Joseph's University Snuggie while supplies last!
"In olden days, nobody had ever known that there were such places as North and South America or Magellanica," he wrote, using a label that early mapmakers gave to Australia and Antarctica. "But a hundred years ago, Europeans came sailing in their ships to parts of the sea coast, and so discovered them."
Shanghai Catholics should walk on the footsteps of Matteo Ricci - Asia News
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