In the last six years, he has brought 12 priests from Africa, Asia and Latin America who are serving in this diocese covering the western third of Kentucky, where a vast majority of residents are white. His experiences offer a close look at the church’s drive to import foreign priests to compensate for a dearth of Americans, and the ways in which this trend is reshaping the Roman Catholic experience in America.
One of six diocesan priests now serving in the United States came from abroad, according to “International Priests in America,” a large study published in 2006. About 300 international priests arrive to work here each year. Even in American seminaries, about a third of those studying for the priesthood are foreign-born.
Father Venters has seen lows. Some foreign priests had to be sent home. One became romantically entangled with a female co-worker. One isolated himself in the rectory. Still, another would not learn to drive. A priest from the Philippines left after two weeks because he could not stand the cold. A Peruvian priest was hostile toward Hispanics who were not from Peru.
The foreign priests in Owensboro earn the same amount as their American counterparts: a base salary of $1,350 a month, plus $60 for each year since ordination. (The pay scale varies among dioceses, and many pay foreign priests significantly less than Americans.) They can also earn as much as $130 a month in Mass intentions, or special requests, plus $50 for weddings and $25 for baptisms. For the African priests, it is a windfall.
(CNN) -- While President-elect Barack Obama will certainly be making history when he takes the oath of office on January 20, he'll also be repeating it -- by placing his hand on the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used during the inauguration of 1861.Barack Obama
The Constitution does not require presidents to be sworn in on a Bible, though almost every chief executive since George Washington has chosen to do so. Presidents have differed greatly, however, on the question of which passage the Bible should be opened to during the swearing-in ceremony.
It brings up the question of what -- if any -- biblical passage Obama will emphasize.
2 Chronicles 7:14
According to Gleaves Whitney, a presidential historian at Michigan's Grand Valley State University, II Chronicles 7:14 was used for three swearing-in ceremonies: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Bill Clinton
If Obama wants to stress that theme again on January 20, he may prefer to follow Bill Clinton's lead from the 1997 inaugural and open the Bible to Isaiah 58:12: "Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach."
Richard Nixon
Shortly after winning the White House on a similar pledge to end another divisive conflict -- this one in Vietnam -- Richard Nixon took the oath with a family Bible opened to Isaiah 2:4: "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Woodrow Wilson
With the polls showing an overwhelming majority of Americans convinced the country is on the wrong track, Obama might hint at a back-to-basics message by doing what Woodrow Wilson did in 1913. During his first inaugural, Wilson opened the Bible to Psalm 119, which concludes "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments."
George Washington
Almost 220 years ago, in 1789, Washington opened the King James version of a Masonic Bible to Genesis 49:13 -- "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon."
“This is the way the kind of king [President] you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of them—chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you'll end up no better than slaves” (1 Samuel 8:11-17).
“I am old and gray. I’ve led you faithfully from my youth until this very day. Look at me! Do you have any complaints to bring before God and his anointed? Have I ever stolen so much as an ox or a donkey? Have I ever taken advantage of you or exploited you? Have I ever taken a bribe or played fast and loose with the law? Bring your complaint and I’ll make it right” (1 Samuel 12:2-3).
Last year, we did this missional conference that is a non-conference kind of thing. We gathered, had very short presentations, nobody paid, some people brought food to share, and we talked all things missional. It was encouraging and informative. I think we can do it even better this year.To see the video, visit David’s blog, Reclaiming the Mission.
So. I am calling for another meeting of the "Seeding Missional Communities Learning Commons." This year we' ll meet in Fort Wayne Indiana on Saturday Jan 3rd. We will meet be at the place Ben Sternke's community gathers in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We'll gather and discuss an array of issues including a.) the merits of missional orders as a community-forming missional/evangelistic discipline, b.) the Sunday gathering as missional, and c.) the need for a missional evangelistic tool to nurture new conversions in our communities (read about that here). Now there is very little organization being done for this. We'll gather, have different presenters and open discussion, and some time for decompression. THERE WILL BE NO CHARGE. No one will be selling books. We're just getting together to encourage and commiserate for the gospel.
The day will look like this:
8 a.m. sitting around introducing ourselves and what brought us here - prayers for the day.
8:45 a.m. First presentation 20 minutes.
9:15 - 10.00 Discussion- questions - prayer.
10:00-10:30 Break - coffee - chat - decompression.
10:30 a.m. Second Presentation 20 minutes.
10:50-11:45 Discussion-questions - prayer.
12 noon - 1:30 p.m. lunch -with friends.
1:30 Third presntation - 20 minutes.
1:50- 2:45 Discussion-questions- prayer.
2:45 Fourth presentation - 20 minutes.
3 :05 - 4:00 Discussion- questions-prayer.
4:00 p.m. Dismissal- benediction- Being Sent Out for Mission.
Again, I'm proposing we gather Saturday, Jan 3rd, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For those who come in Friday nite, we can coordinate hanging out somewhere. For those who don't rush off on Saturday, we can hang out somewhere then too.
We need at least twenty people to commit (who won't back out). So let me know if you can join us by e-mailing me (e-mail me at fitchest@gmail.com). I'll collect these e-mails and I'll e-mail you back with a confirmation and a map as to how to get to the church and any hotels we all might be staying in. If you want to present, tell me who you are, what you want to present, give me an outline and we'll get back to you. For those who have already e-mailed me, I have received your e-mail, no need to e-mail me back. I'll confirm what's going on here by Dec 22nd.
To give you a taste of what an informal presentation looks like, take a look at my 15 minute presentation below at Canada's Cultivate gathering last year. It's rather humble I admit. And it's short and its goal is to get the discussion going. This is the kind of presentations we'll be shooting for. I'll be doing only ONE of the four presentations BTW.
It is not only the “ichthys” fish that is widely recognized as the secret identifying symbol of the early Christians in the Roman Empire. The Greek word for fish is ichthys—ΙΧΘΥΣ—which became an acronym for Iesous Christos Theou Hyios Soter—Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.
As the first church of Jewish believers had their own bishop during the first two centuries—a man who had to be full of the Holy Spirit and also a descendant of the house of David so that he was physically linked to the Messiah—they had their own identifying symbol. However, after the non-Jewish Christians grew throughout the world and began to outnumber the small group of Jewish Christians, it was not only the bishop that disappeared but also the Messianic congregation together with its early Christian symbol.
This symbol, discovered in Jerusalem, shows how the beliefs of the first Christians were distinctly Jewish.
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 ESV).
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:20-23)
The Vatican is recasting the most famous victim of its Inquisition as a man of faith, just in time for the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope and the U.N.-designated International Year of Astronomy next year.So, after almost 400 years, the message of the church to Galileo is: “All is forgiven.” Too bad Galileo is not here to hear these words and discover that the church is not infallible after all.
Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to the Italian astronomer and physicist Sunday, saying he and other scientists had helped the faithful better understand and "contemplate with gratitude the Lord's works."
In May, several Vatican officials will participate in an international conference to re-examine the Galileo affair, and top Vatican officials are now saying Galileo should be named the "patron" of the dialogue between faith and reason.
It's quite a reversal of fortune for Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who made the first complete astronomical telescope and used it to gather evidence that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.
The church denounced Galileo's theory as dangerous to the faith, but Galileo defied its warnings. Tried as a heretic in 1633 and forced to recant, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, later changed to house arrest.
The Church has for years been striving to shed its reputation for being hostile to science, in part by producing top-notch research out of its own telescope.
In 1992, Pope John Paul II declared that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."
But that apparently wasn't enough. In January, Benedict canceled a speech at Rome's La Sapienza University after a group of professors, citing the Galileo episode and depicting Benedict as a religious figure opposed to science, argued that he shouldn't speak at a public university.
The Galileo anniversary appears to be giving the Vatican new impetus to put the matter to rest. In doing so, Vatican officials are stressing Galileo's faith as well as his science, to show the two are not mutually exclusive.
(IsraelNN.com) Archaeological evidence of a Jewish town located on the edge of the Samaria desert during the Second Temple Period (516 BCE to 70 CE) will be made public later this month. The recently-discovered artifacts include the remains of a mikveh (ritual bath), stone tools and hidden chambers.The article does not provide much information about this Jewish town. Let us hope that the presentation during the conference will provide more information about this town.
The town was located in the Akraba district, a frontier region northeast of Jerusalem. The poorly-developed district served as a natural division between the Samarians, who distanced themselves from Jerusalem as the political and spiritual center of Judea, and the Jews. The geographical and ethnic make-up of the region also gave rise to militant rebel sects, such as the Sicarii faction led by Shimon Bar-Giora during the First Jewish-Roman War (1st century CE).
Eitan Klein, a researcher from Bar-Ilan University, explained that “until recently, historical sources, dated from the Second Temple Period until the Bar Kochva Rebellion, testified to Jewish settlement existing in the Akraba district. As opposed to the wealth of relevant historical sources, there were few archaeological findings that supported the presence of such a settlement.” The current findings, Klein said, support historical references to the Jewish presence in the Akraba region in ancient documentation.
Klein is to present the latest archaeological findings at the fourth annual Frontier and the Desert Conference sponsored by the Susia Center for Exploration and Study, located in Susia in the South Hevron Hills. The conference is scheduled for December 29, the eighth day of the Chanukah holiday, and will feature lectures on a variety of topics related to history and agriculture, both ancient and modern.
Like Klein, Doron Sher Avi of Susia will be looking into the distant past and discussing recent revelations about the daily lives of Jews and Nabateans, based on ancient documents discovered in hillside caves in the Judean desert. These documents, from the end of the first century BCE through the start of the second century CE, include fascinating insights, including a wealth of Jewish and Nabatean names and descriptive appellations.
The reign of Ramses II was marked by major building projects and archeologists say that he is reputed to have built more buildings and statues in Egypt than any other pharaoh.I hope archaeologists will publish a photo of the statue as soon as it is available.
Ramses II ruled for approximately 67 years. In addition to being known as a builder, Ramses II is also believed to have carved his name over the names of other Pharaohs to rededicate their statues to himself.
Most of the preaching that takes place in the United States is thematic preaching, preaching in which a theme or topic or moral lesson is distilled out of the text. The task of the sermon then becomes to prove that some thesis is true, or the task becomes one of convincing and exhorting our people to be good. We use all sorts of authorities to prove the truth of our statements, employing quotes of authorities to prove the truth of our statements, employing quotes from great thinkers or scientists or writers to back up our theses, appealing to reason and experience in all sorts of illustrations to support our theme. Sometimes we even appeal to fear, to greed for reward, or to self righteous Pharisaism to talk our people into trying to live up to some legalistic moral code. Yet all the while it is the sacred history of God’s word and acts that bear with them the gift and power of new life. And our people never know the truth and never become new creatures until they enter into that sacred history (p. 15).This is the reason the Old Testament is neglected in our pulpits today. The proper understanding and proclamation of the Old Testament requires a knowledge of what God has done in the history of his people and an interpretation that is consistent with the historical event and divine relation.
Franciscan archaeologists digging in the biblical town of Magdala in present-day Israel say they have uncovered vials of perfume similar to those used by Mary Magdalene, the woman believed to have washed the feet of Jesus.Father Stefano de Luca, lead archaeologist for the group said: “If chemical analyses confirm it, these could be perfumes and creams similar to those that Mary Magdalene or the sinner cited in the Gospel used to anoint Christ's feet”
The group Studium Biblicum Franciscanum conducted the dig, in which scientists uncovered the perfumed ointments intact at the bottom of a dirt-filled swimming pool. They were found alongside other hair and make-up objects.
One of the most sung pieces at Christmas time is 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. A song that many of us (speaking of myself) has difficulty in remembering all the words. Did you know that there is a greater meaning to the words than what we would think? Allow me to enlighten you and open your eyes to something that could make your Christmas a lot more merrier as you sing this familiar song. Did you know that:
1- The Partridge in the pear tree represents Jesus Christ?
2- Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testament?
3- Three French hens represent Faith, Hope and Love?
4- Four Calling birds represent the 4 gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?
5- Five golden rings represent the Torah or Law- the first 5 books of the Old Testament?
6- Six geese a-laying represent the 6 days of Creation?
7- Seven swans a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit-Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy?
8- Eight maids a-milking represent the 8 Beatitudes?
9- Nine ladies dancing represent the 9 fruit of the Holy Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness & Self-Control?
10- Ten Lords a-leaping represent the 10 Commandments?
11- Eleven pipers piping represent the 11 faithful disciples?
12- Twelve drummers drumming represent the 12 points of the Apostles' Creed?
Wow, isn't amazing how a little insight can create an entirely different attitude about something so familiar? Enjoy the season folks and every time you hear the song remember the reason for the season.
On Monday, January 2nd, 2006, The Daily Press, a morning newspaper in Ashland, Wisconsin, published an article, “The true meaning of the '12 Days of Christmas’: 'Eternal Perspectives,'” written by Sally Bair. The article’s purpose is to tell the true story behind this famous Christmas Carol.In the original post I said that every journalist should learn an important lesson: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” The need to learn that lesson has not changed.
According to the story, the song was written to teach religious truths to Roman Catholic children. Since several items in the interpretation of the song deal with the Old Testament, I was interested in the many lessons the song has to teach. Below is a copy of the article published in The Daily Press.
The familiar, nonsensical-sounding song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," is traditionally sung—and celebrated with gifts—after Christmas, the time when the magi are believed to have visited the baby Jesus.
The famous song was written with hidden meanings in mind for Roman Catholic children. Between 1558 and 1829, Catholics were prohibited in England to practice their faith. Punishments for being caught with anything in writing that proved one's adherence to the Catholic faith meant imprisonment, hanging from a gallows, or worse. The author of The Twelve Days of Christmas wrote the song to help young Catholics secretly learn—and memorize—the tenets of their faith.
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me" refers to God himself as our True Love and Me as every baptized believer. The Partridge in a Pear Tree is Jesus Christ who symbolizes a mother bird, which feigns injury to protect her helpless nestlings. The symbol comes from Jesus' words written in Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusale,[sic] how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
The other "gifts" in the song hold these meanings:
2 Turtle Doves (the Old and New Testaments, bearing witness to God's redeeming work of salvation to mankind);
3 French Hens (the virtues: faith, hope, and love; and the trinity: God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit);
4 Calling Birds (the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation to himself through his Son Jesus Christ);
5 Gold Rings (the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament which give the historic account of mankind's sinful failure and God's responding grace);
6 Geese A-laying (the six days of creation that confess God as creator and sustainer of the world);
7 Swans A-swimming (the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion);
8 Maids A-milking (the eight beatitudes as listed in Matthew 5:3-10);
9 Ladies Dancing (the nine fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control);
10 Lords A-leaping (the ten commandments);
11 Pipers Piping (the 11 faithful apostles, excluding Judas Iscariot, the 12th apostle who betrayed Jesus with a kiss);
12 Drummers Drumming (the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed).
Lord, we thank you that today in American we can profess our faith in Jesus Christ openly and without fear. We ask for your special blessing on Christians in other lands who are persecuted for your Namesake. Amen. (To read the story as it was published in The Daily Press, click here [Note: The paper has withdrawn the article])
This explanation of the meaning of the words of the song would be of great value if it were true. However, this spiritualization of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas” is one of those urban legends that is circulated through the Internet and passed on from person to person through email (to read the true story about this song, click here).
There are several lessons to be learned from this article. The lesson that every journalist should learn is this: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
Call for Papers: Genesis and Christian Theology
14-18 July 2009
St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews is pleased to announce its third conference on Scripture and Christian Theology. Since the first conference on the Gospel of John in 2003, the St Andrews conferences have been recognized as one of the most important occasions when biblical scholars and systematic theologians are brought together in conversation about a biblical text. The conferences aim to cut through the megaphone diplomacy or the sheer incomprehension that so often marks attempts to communicate across our disciplines. We invite you then to join us and some of the best theological and biblical minds in careful and often lively interaction about one of the most theologically generative of biblical books: the book of Genesis.
We are now calling for papers that integrate close readings of Genesis with Christian theology. While we are particularly interested in explorations of the dynamic relationship between Genesis and Christian doctrine, we also welcome proposals that combine careful reading of the text of Genesis with theological attention to art, creativity, ecology, ethics, the history of interpretation, or Jewish and Christian dialogue.
The call for paper proposals closes on 15 March 2009. Please visit our website for further details or to submit a proposal:
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/divinity/rt/conf/genesis09/.
Keynote SpeakersI would love to attend this conference. If you are interested in presenting a paper at the conference, visit their website and submit a proposal.
Gary Anderson (Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, University of Notre Dame)
David Fergusson (Professor of Divinity, The University of Edinburgh School of Divinity)
Kathryn Tanner (Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology, University of Chicago Divinity School)
Main Papers
1. Knut Backhaus (Chair of New Testament and Biblical Hermeneutics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)
2. Richard J. Bauckham (Professor Emeritus, University of St Andrews)
3. William P. Brown (Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary)
4. Stephen Chapman (Associate Professor of Old Testament, Duke Divinity School)
5. Ellen Charry (Margaret W. Harmon Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary)
6. Trevor Hart (Professor of Divinity, University of St Andrews)
7. Christoph Levin (Chair of Old Testament, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)
8. Nathan MacDonald (Lecturer in Old Testament, University of St Andrews)
9. John Milbank (Professor in Religion, Politics and Ethics, The University of Nottingham)
10. Walter Moberly (Professor of Theology, Durham University)
11. Michael Northcott (Professor of Ethics, The University of Edinburgh).
12. Manfred Oeming (Professor of Old Testament Theology, Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg)
13. Karla F. Pollmann (Professor of Classics, University of St Andrews)
14. Russell Reno (Professor of Theological Ethics, Creighton University)
