Lenta e Calma

The things that give comfort and joy can be so strange at times. I was searching for something else when I came across a new CD that was released at the beginning of the year. On of the songs on the CD is a lullaby that I used to sing to my son at night which is a version of a hymn which we used to sing after Benediction at my home parish.

Finding this song made me so happy because it flooded my mind with so many happy memories of when my son was very small as well as the very beginning of my parish ministry, nearly 18 years ago.




Fr. Manzotti's version
Translation by Domini Sumus

Slow and calm over the earth
Night descends and light escapes
Now I want to say goodbye
Good night, my Jesus

O Lord, give us the blessing
against the evil that seduces
Guard my parents and I
Good night, my Jesus

At thy feet, O Virgin pure,
I ask for you motherly blessing
Good night, dear mother,
Good night my Jesus

The traditional version we sang after Benediction:
Translation by Domini Sumus

Slow and calm on the earth
Night descends; the light escapes
Now I want to say goodbye
Good night, my Jesus.

Silent in the tabernacle,
The rosy flame flickers
And gentle angels sing:
Good night, my Jesus.

My heart I wish you were
A sanctuary lamp
Because then I would not say:
Good night, my Jesus.

And you, O Virgin Mary
Give us your blessing too.
Watch over us tonight:
Good night, my mother.

Anticlerical clericalism?

A while ago I read an article that made this astounding claim "A form of 'pious' anticlericalism exists among the people who view the priest as a spiritual leader on the one hand and a man like every other man on the other".

It may be that I am blind to what is directly in front of my face, but I have encountered less anticlericalism, pious or otherwise, in the Portuguese community in which I was raised than in the non-Portuguese community I have encountered. I know that there are towns, particularly in mainland Portugal (Fatima comes to mind) where priests have been treated badly by the townspeople for many many years even to the point where they have had rocks thrown at them by children (and adults too) and at least during certain periods of recent history were afraid to wear clerical attire in public, but this is uncommon in most areas. So, yes, there are pockets of anticlericalism which reach back to the early and mid 1800's, but for the most part these attitudes are not any more prevalent than anywhere else in the world.

So, what support does the author use to explain the anticlericalism which she claims exists: she says that "the people who view the priest as a spiritual leader on the one hand and a man like every other man on the other". That is amazing and groundbreaking information! Of course he is viewed as a spiritual leader as well as man like any other. That IS what he IS! I imagine that if one is accustomed to the stereotype that Catholics see the priest as a perfect man who can do no wrong, then hearing Portuguese Catholics criticize their priests might be jarring, but the reality is that we know they aren't perfect and we don't have any problem letting them know that we know it. Some criticisms will be valid, while others will not be, but in the it leads to a healthy relationship between priest and parishioners. The priest is loved, but not put on a pedestal. He is respected, but seen as a sinner like everyone else. He is revered, but not idolized. At the same time, should he need anything from his people, whether personally or for the parish his parishioners will never fail to come to his aid. The priest also knows that he has a large number of people he can turn to for advice.

While I have seen this go overboard on occasion with parishioners who think they have a right to push the priest out of the way and do whatever they want (Don't we see that in plenty of American parishes), but I have never seen the lunacy in Portuguese parishes that I have seen in American parishes. What I have mostly encountered is a healthy balance between clericalism and anticlericalism which leads to a realistic view of the Church heirarchy.

The Last Secret

I am halfway through reading the Last Secret of Fatima and I hate to have to put it down. I suspect I will finish it today if nothing interrupts me.

It's an easy read and written in a very interesting style. The book is an conversation/interview between Dr. Giuseppe DeCaril and Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State.

I am not a great lover of apparitions, but since I am of Portuguese descent, Fatima gets a special acceptance. Still, I read the writings of most Fatimists with much suspicion. Not so with this book.

The book tells the story of the Revelation of the 3rd secret of Fatima and provides a great deal of credible evidence to the non-existence of a 4th secret. (That is if you aren't a conspiricist). If you are convinced that the Vatican is hiding a 4th secret or has released a falsified 3rd secret, this book will do little to change your mind.

The book contains fascinating anecdotes and personal insights about Sr. Lucia and her personality.

Towards the end of the book. Cardinal Bertone takes on such issues as Medjugorje and Pope Benedict's now infamous Regensburg address. Even personal issues, such as his transfer from the Archdiocese of Genoa to Rome are mentioned. In essence, there is something for everyone in this book.

I have already underlined and taken notes on many pages. So far, my favorite quote is from the Cardinal Albino Luciani's (the future Pope John Paul I) account of his meeting with Sister Lucia.

We should pray the Holy Rosary. Naaman the great Syrian general, disdained the simple bath in the Jordan suggested to him by Elisha. Some people act like Naaman: "I am a great theologian, a mature Christian, who breathes the Bible with both lungs and sweats liturgy from every pore - and the tell me to pray the Rosary?" And yet the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary are biblical; the Pater, the Ave Maria, and the Gloria are Bible passages transformed into prayer, and they are good for the soul. Bible study solely for the sake of scholarship could puff up the soul and leave it in a state of sterile aridity. Bible scholars who have lost their faith are hardly a rare breed.

Perhaps my chosen quote is not the deepest or most Fatima based passage that I could have chosen, but see! There is something for everyone.

Place your order today. The book will be released on May 6th, just in time for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Back to reading... check back tomorrow for more.

Two Popes, One Cardinal, and a Book

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is just one of the latest Vatican officials to have a book waiting to roll off the presses. The former bishop of Genoa, and current Secretary of State was the undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when the last secret of Fatima was revealed. In his role with the CDF, Bertone assisted in the release of the secret.

For those hoping for a shocking revelation, you will be disappointed. It supports what has been previously revealed: the secret foretold of the May 31, 1981 assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. Don't get disappointed, however, there are supposedly other revelations in this book, including the reasons why the secret was kept a secret.

So, what is different about this book? The introduction is written by Pope Benedict. A rare honor to be sure.


Time magazine also published an article about the book. You can read it here.

Portuguese Kale Soup

I don't post recipes here, and I seldom give my recipes out, but when a blogger like Amy Welborn asks, well, I am more than happy to oblige.

So, here is is my recipe for Portuguese Kale Soup. One thing to keep in mind is that this recipe has been handed down through many generations of large families. If you follow this recipe perfectly, you will get a lot of soup. Enough to feed a family of 10.

Ingredients:
18 cups of water
1 1/2 lbs or more of beef shank center cut meat (with bone)
2 cans of red kidney beans
1 small cabbage
1 large bunch of kale or collard greens (I use collards)
5 large potatoes
1 lb chourico or linguica sausage (2 links of chourico or 1 link of linguica)
3 tsp black pepper
1 tbs salt
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Place water in 8 qt pan
add beef shank
heat to boiling and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours

Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes
chop cabbage and kale into pieces small enough to eat

add kidney beans, salt, kale, cabbage, potatoes, chourico, salt and pepper to the water and beef shank.

Let boil for 1/2 an hour. Longer if potatoes are still hard.

If you want to make traditional Holy Ghost Soup add pieces of portuguese bread (Italian bread also works well for this) to the soup and flavor the soup with a sprig of mint. Don't leave the sprig in the soup because the flavor will become strong quickly.

Note: Portuguese Holy Ghost soup is traditionally served in parish halls following the final (Mordomia) Holy Ghost crowning which I will write about at another time.

Another note: I realize that most of you live in areas where Chourico and Linguica are not easily available. I don't know how you survive, but you don't have do be deprived any longer.

You can purchase this wonderful sausage here:



I know that 5 lbs might seem like a lot, but there are so many uses. Chourico can be boiled with potatoes for a delicious sausage meal, it can also be ground and fried with onions and green peppers for a wonderful sandwich filling. I also bake chourico and cook chourico with my roast beef. Chourico is also my favorite pizza topping. In essence, there are very few recipes that can't be made tasier with a little chourico.

Portuguese Medical Association Supports Life

Sometimes things happen which make me proud of my heritage. This is one of them.

From LifeSiteNews.com

The Portuguese Medical Association, defying threats by the socialist government's health minister to begin criminal proceedings against it, has re-elected its president, Pedro Nunes, who has defied the government's order to change the Association's ethical code to allow abortion.

In his victory speech, Nunes promised to maintain the independence of the Medical Association from the government, signaling his resolve to preserve the association's ethical code.

The Association does not "have to do the work of the government nor the work of the opposition," said Nunes, and added that his organization should not fear to criticize what it believes to be worthy of criticism. "Doctors are on the side of the Portuguese," he said.

The Portuguese code of ethics states that "doctors must maintain respect for human life from its beginning", and "the practice of abortion or euthanasia constitutes a grave ethical failure".

Following the government's decision to decriminalize all first-trimester abortions in 2007, socialist health minister Antonio Correia de Campos ordered the Medical Association to eliminate the prohibition against abortion from its ethical code in October. He was supported by the Portuguese Attorney General, who had issued a legal opinion condemning the passages.

However, Nunes refused, insisting that it was an internal matter, and that the government had no authority to intervene in the affairs of the Association. Although Correia claimed he was filing a criminal complaint in November, no action has yet been taken against the group.

The group's presidential election was seen as a referendum on the abortion issue, because Nunes was the only candidate who promised from the beginning to maintain the ethical code. His main rival, Miguel Leão, wanted to change to code to comply with the government's demands.

The issue of the ethical code made the recent elections the most intense and bitter in memory. Although Nunes' pro-abortion rival garnered the most votes in the first round, the January 17th runoff between Leão and Nunes resulted in Leão's resounding defeat, 56 to 44 percent.

Nunes' current term will last until 2010.

Taking the Faith into the Streets

When I was a child, the parish feast was one of the most anticipated events of the year. My home parish is Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit) and the parish feast is help each year on the last weekend in May.

This feast is more than a parish festival. It is a celebration of faith, family, friends, and food. The church parking lot is transformed into a carnival type atmosphere with food booths, games, and live music.

But the big event takes place on Sunday. The feast Mass is the biggest event of the three day period. The principal celebrant is usually either the bishop of the diocese or a bishop from Europe. Since Espirito Santo is a Portuguese parish, a bishop from Portugal usually attends.

After the Mass, there is a procession through the streets of the city. All the parish groups are represented in the procession and the streets are lined with people.

At Espirito Santo, the procession begins with a large red banner which reads, "Vinde Espirito Santo" translated means "Come, Holy Spirit". All the large statues from the church are carried in the procession by men of the parish. The smaller statues are carried by the children from the parish school. Each statue was preceded by children and teenagers who dressed as the saint portrayed by the statue and many other children dressed as angels.

Here is a slideshow of photos from the procession. For photo captions, click on the white square on the lower left corner of the picture.

A Pilgrimage of Faith

The Romeiros are one of the more unique Good Friday traditions here in Fall River. Romeiro is a Portugese word which means pilgrim. The tradition began in the Azores on the island of São Miguel. In 1522, Vila Franca do Campo, the capital at the time, was nearly destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent volcanic eruption. 4,000 of the town's 4,500 residents were killed. 40 years later, the volcano erupted again.

The earliest records of the Good Friday Romeiros date back to those events. The original romeiros were men who travel by foot around the island praying and visiting various churches. They prayed for an end to the disasters and for God to help them and their families deal with the great tragedies.

The tradition still exists as these men spend Holy Week on this pilgrimage. They are offered shelter and food in private homes and churches.

Here in the United States, the pilgrimage has been modified. Rather than lasting 8 days, the pilgrimage takes place early in the morning on Good Friday. Wearing the tratidional attire of blankets and colorful scarves, and carrying long metal tipped walking sticks, they walk through the city praying the rosary and visiting the many Catholic Churches in the city. The pilgrimage is also no long restricted to men. Many women and children take part now. While in the past the women had followed behind the men, women are now also joining the men.

The rosary and all the prayers are chanted with the mestre (leader) leading the litanies and prayers and the rest of the romeiros called irmãos (brothers) responding. Their chant is hauntingly beautiful and has changed little over the last hundred years.

In my city, the romeiros begin their procession at 7 a.m. They walk from church to church and stop at the Cathedral, where they are met by the bishop, around noon. The bishop gives a brief address and blessing to all the pilgrims.

They return to the church where they began their pilgrimage in time for the 7 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy. The Liturgy ends with the procession and burial of Christ. A statue of the dead Christ is placed in an crib-like "casket" and is carried through the streets with everyone from the church following. Two women from the parish are selected to portray the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdelene. Another woman portrays Veronica. At three points along the way, the clacker which was used at the consecration of the Mass on Holy Thursday is sounded. The procession stops as "Veronica" sings from the front porch of one of the homes. She raises the veil with the image of Jesus' face and sings, "Look! Look at the face of Jesus. Look, Look at what they have done to Him!..."

Many women and even men are brought to tears during this procession.

When the procession returns to the church, the statue of Christ is placed in the tomb.

These are the traditions which I was raised with. I was lucky enough to grow up at the parish which is homebase for the romeiros. I have walked with them on their amazing pilgrimage and I was shocked that it wasn't as grueling to complete as I expected. Of course, after it was over I was in pain. I hope these rich traditions are kept alive by the younger generations.

Here is a slideshow with some great pictures from today's pilgrimage.

Pope Benedict Will Not Visit Fatima

Pope Benedict XVI has turned down an invitation to visit the Roman Catholic shrine of Fatima in Portugal later this year, a senior Portuguese church official said in comments published Wednesday.

"The reply was that it would not be possible to schedule the visit in 2007 as the Holy Father, due to his advanced age, limits his travels," Bishop Carlos Azevedo, the spokesman for Portugal's Catholic Episcopal Conference, told daily newspaper Publico.

In November Portuguese church officials invited the 79-year-old pontiff to visit the shrine on October 13, 2007 for the celebrations marking the 90th anniversary the final apparition of the Virgin Mary there to three shepherd children.

The pope will instead send a representative to the celebrations, Bishop Azevedo said.
Pope Benedict XVI's predecessor John Paul II visited the shrine of Fatima, located some 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Lisbon, three times during his papacy.

He claimed the Virgin of Fatima saved his life after he was shot by a Turkish gunman in St. Peter's Square in 1981.

The attack, on May 13, coincided with the anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin to the children in 1917.

The shrine, built on the site where the children said they saw the Virgin in a series of apparitions in 1917, draws millions of visitors from around the world each year. More than 100,000 people from dozens of countries routinely attend the annual commemorations of the sightings.

Source: The Nation