What does the Church really say?

Pope Benedict celebrating Mass in the Pauline Chapel in Rome.

At St. John's, the 5pm Mass is celebrated "ad Deum" ("towards the Lord" - also called "ad orientem", "towards the east"). In other words, in many parts of the Mass we join together with the priest in facing the risen Lord in one common direction of prayer. Popular Catholic blogger Father Z looks at what the Church's documents actually say about this style of Mass. Take a look!

Fr. Joe celebrating Mass at St. John's in Oxford.

"St. Michael: Defend us in battle..."

"Yeah, that's what I thought!"

Today is the Feast of St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael, the holy archangels. For those of you not familiar with the three, here's a synopsis: Michael's the one who led the angelic war against Satan and cast him out of heaven; Gabriel's the one who appeared to Mary at the Annunciation; and Raphael heals Tobit's blindness in the OT book of the same name.

Out of the three, St. Michael is doubtlessly the most well-known and he's recognized as the greatest of the archangels and the prince of heaven. This feast day was traditionally known as Michaelmas and was a holy day of obligation for Catholics in past centuries.

In art, St. Michael is often depicted wielding a sword and holding a shield with the Latin motto "Quis ut Deus", or "Who is like God?" (something of a taunt to the devil, who wanted to be God's equal), with a foot firmly crushing the neck of Satan. Yep, pretty awesome! Nothing appeals to that peculiarly Southern sense of manliness, bravery and duty quite like that image.

Today's a great day to add a new prayer to your daily routine. It's the Prayer to St. Michael, and Catholics used to pray it after Mass on most Sundays. Here it is:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

For more reading on angels and their place in our faith (and in our churches), check out this great piece at Father Mark's blog. And have a great Michaelmas!

More Good Cheer!

So, you haven't had a chance to make it to Good Cheer yet? Well, we do it every Wednesday, 7pm at The Library (off the Square). It's about fellowship and staying connected to God and his plans for you. It's a mid-week battery charge for your Catholic faith. The only thing that's missing... is you. All are welcome. 

See ya tonight!

Fr. Joe saw "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" and thinks of Religion

I remember when "Wall Street" came out in the 1980's. I believe I fell asleep during my first viewing of it. Too much talk about money, mergers, takeovers, insider trading and not enough explosions or robots.

"Can you hear me now?"

 Later, I watched it again and saw it for what it was: A morality play for the modern age. The protagonist in the story Bud Fox (played by Charlie Sheen) was under the spell of the malevolent Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas)who promised him riches. Predictably, by the end of the movie, both men's lives were marred due to their actions. However, one man felt the need for restitution and reconciliation. The other did not.

Michael Douglas (l) with Charlie Sheen( r) before Sheen was one of 2 and 1/2 men.

One of the statements made by Gekko in the movie was that "Greed is, for lack of a better term, good." He then related how the desire for possessions and ownership fosters enterprise and growth. His slick backed hair, darting eyes and cool demeanor was reptilian.

Not so much a gecko, which is kinda cute,

But another type of reptile more associated with deception and moral destruction.

Remember in the Creation Story, the serpent tricked Eve and Adam into wanting the thing they need not need. He tricked them into wanting: MORE. 

One of the underlying themes of the original Wall Street was the hypocrisy among the "baby boomer" generation. 

The guys who started out in the 1960's espousing love, peace and equality-

Money can't buy me love...

Would only a few years later be wanting MORE-

BUY! BUY

One of the critiques of the baby-boomer culture (children born between 1945-1964), is that this particular generation was more concerned with their own needs and accumulating wealth for themselves rather than thinking of the next generation. For decades, marketing has been focused on this group as they have grown up through the 50's and into the present day being catered to with anything from music to fashion to healthcare to shopping. The market was and has been determined by the appetites of this particular demographic. They have been conditioned to believe that can have whatever whenever however. And plenty of institutions have curled up to meet the desires of their market niche.

And  this includes religion...

"I am not sure how we can fit 'Purple Haze' into the Eucharistic prayer, but we will find a way!"

In "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", released Friday, Gekko is back and no better for the prison time.

Shia LeBouf should have brought Optimus Prime to handle this one!

(SPOILER ALERT) Gekko who has lost his wife to madness, his son to suicide and has no relationship with his left-leaning daughter, is out of prison. He meets Jake Moore (Shia Lebouf) who is marrying his estranged daughter. Gekko soon entrances Moore into talking his fiancee, who is pregnant, into signing over $100,000,000.00 to him. He does. Gekko takes off with the money. Double-crossed! Finally, Jake tracks down Gekko in London and says he wants to make a trade. He wants the 100 mil back in the daughter's account and in exchange Gekko gets to have a place in his grandson's life. He shows him the sonogram to make a point. Gekko after some reflection denies the request. He is called "cold and lonely" only to return the cut with a passive smile. (SPOILER END)

Not caring for our progeny, our future, the next generation is one of the greatest sins we can commit. However, in the church, it can be argued that the loss of vocations to the priesthood, the decline of people joining or attending churches, the lack of concern for following church teachings and the closing of many, many churches is because we are led by a generation that has little concern for the future. In the same way, a generation led this generation to debt and social breakdown, also got the best of what was left.

Stupid hippies, they got theirs!

I think it's a bit interesting that there is a concentrated return to the values of the Catholic faith, not only it's liturgy but it's doctrine and social teaching. It's also alarming when the some of our young Shia's (sorry for the analogy) are sitting before the slick Gekkos of the church and begging to have some of the treasures of the church returned to them...

Swank.

And, despite the knowledge that they are lonely and cold, when they are offered a relationship with the future of the church....

Nuns..real..nuns!

They still say "No"...

"Take this Eggo in rembrance of me...."

Major deific facepalm

It's time to realize that the future happens without some of us. One of the greatest laments of Jesus was that when he returned, there would be no faith left on the earth (Luke 18:8). When the church is constantly worried about being relevant, hip, edgy and "with-it" (that's a hippy term), then it probably won't be any of those things.




Our faith is like money (the word "fiduciary" is a word that is associated with both faith and money) and we can certainly invest it in the wrong things and not have enough to pass on to the next generation. If we are counting on the baby boomers (who are closing on their 50's now) to keep investing in the faith with money and time and not asking the next generation to invest, then our bubble will burst.




Wow...that was kinda dark. I should have seen that movie with the owls instead.
Maybe next week.

What was he thinking?

Hat tip to Creative Minority Report for bringing greater attention to what might be the most vile campaign ad I've ever seen. Holy cow. Make sure you watch the Grayson ad first, and then watch just how badly Dan Webster's comments were taken out of context.

This Grayson guy should be absolutely ashamed. I do not even know which party either of these candidates is in and that does not matter. What matters is that, besides being false and misleading, this campaign ad is blatantly anti-Christian, comparing the teachings of Scripture to the Taliban. This will backfire. Big time.

Say Goodbye to "No Offense Catholicism"

A new survey of Americans' religious knowledge was released by the Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life and, quite honestly, the findings are sad. A majority of Americans scored less than 50% on the quiz which covered basic knowledge about the Bible, religions and what the Constitution actually says about religion. Less than 50%. Ouch.

Most Americans can not name the first book of the Bible is and most can not recognize the four Gospels. And Catholics were no exception. Perhaps most disturbing, in terms of Catholicism, is that 45% of Catholics do not know that the bread and wine becomes the actual Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass. Wow. That's almost half.(BTW: You can take the quiz yourself here).

Of course I know that this is simply a survey and is not guaranteed to be completely accurate. You also have to consider the (sad) possibility that many of the self-identified Catholics who answered these questions rarely or never attend Mass. But we must admit that the results are probably not far off the mark, and they reflect a systemic failure in the philosophy that dictated catechesis (teaching of the Faith) in many American parishes over the past 30 years or so.

This was a philosophy that I like to call "no offense Catholicism". It often invited Catholics to embrace a very watered-down version of the Faith, one which was sure to take it's place, in the young developing mind, as little more than a glorified social works club. Mystery, transcendence and the majesty of the divine were downplayed in the Mass (often totally suppressed), handled as little more embarrassing curiosities of the past. It's almost as if people were taught to cringe when asked their religious affiliation and answer "I'm Catholic... no offence!" Is it any wonder, then, that many of the now-adult Catholics who were raised under this incomplete view of the Faith do not even know basic tenets of the Church such as Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist? How can we be surprised by that?!?

For decades, we Catholics were so worried about not stepping on any toes that we forgot to fully inform our own adherents about what it means to be Catholic. Anything remotely controversial or potentially exclusive about the Faith was suppressed while we seemed to concentrate, almost solely, on a doctrine of "feel-good lovin'". And we've paid the price by creating a generation of ill-informed and luke-warm Catholics.

The creation of "no offence Catholicism" created a false dichotomy because it is not "either we love and serve the poor, or we celebrate the Mass with dignity and worth." It is not either "social justice" or "beautiful churches." Catholicism is not an "either" "or" faith. Never has been, never will be. Remember, "catholic" means universal and complete.

Our faith is about service, love of neighbor and God's goodness but it is also about the reality of sin, our need for a Savior and Christ's sacrificial gift of his Body and Blood, eternally perpetuated upon the altars of our churches. Thankfully, the silly notion of "no offense Catholicism" is waning. Our Pope has encouraged us to embrace our Catholicism through service and through a visible Catholic identity. We should not only be Catholic, we should be Catholic. Our faith is a religion and a culture - it sets us apart from the world because it should affect all that we do and are.

Remember: the Catholic Faith is timeless and lacking nothing. If we give up part of the Faith, then we lose the whole. Be bold in your faith. Be fervent in your prayers. Be effective in your service. And be Catholic.

It's fall... finally!

I think it's now officially fall: Ole Miss is winning home games, homecoming elections have taken place and even the weather is catching up. For me, few things make me think of fall more than the month of October. Incidentally, October is right around the corner and it is the month that St. John's serves at our local Food Pantry.

If you'd like to help out at the Food Pantry in October, there's lots to be done. On Tuesdays, shelves are stocked and food distribution takes place on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9-11am. If you're interested in volunteering, please contact our parish office at 662-234-6073.

Our Lady of Ransom

Today's feast day on the Church calendar commemorates Mary under the title "Our Lady of Ransom." It's notable because this is one of four feast days of Our Lady which has some direct tie to Islam and the Islamic incursion into traditionally Christian areas of the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Today's Marian feast dates back to 1218 when much of Spain remained under Islamic control. It commemorates Mary's appearance to three men in which she asked them to found a new religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives of the Muslim caliphate. The order, called the Mercedarians, was founded at her request and many Christian prisoners were freed in Islamic Spain and North Africa, either by ransom raised by the order or even by prisoner exchange, where members of the order would voluntarily give themselves up in exchange for other Christian prisoners. Our Lady reminds us to exercise mercy, even to heroic lengths. As you start your weekend, pause for a moment to think about how you can extend Christ's mercy to others in the coming days.

The habit of the Mercedarians is pretty swank. It includes
the coat-of-arms of King James I of Aragon (d. 1276),
one of the founders of the order.

Christian Cheese: Five reasons why Clown Ministry is a terrible idea

In a relentless effort to find a silver lining in the dark cloud that passes (in some aging circles) for "relevance", we here at Southern-fried Catholicism hang our heads low and , once again, highlight some ridiculously low points in Christian art, architecture and culture. We hope you enjoy these forehead smackingly sad examples of Christians trying their darndest to be "with it."

Today, we present to you Five Reasons Why Clown Ministry to Adults is a Terrible Idea.

I have to start this post with a loud groan. Ya see, I'm a little biased because I, like a lot of people, don't really like clowns. That being said, you should probably dismiss all that follows as a very biased and cranky personal diatribe, because that's largely what it is. I'm not scared of clowns, I just have a severe dislike for them. I mean, what's to like? They wear ill-fitting clothes, get a kick out of annoying people and constantly invade personal space. Sorry, but when I see a clown, I don't think about holy things. Instead, my mind is flooded with thoughts of Pennywise, John Wayne Gacy and I.C.P. No thanks. They all give me the creeps. So, while the subject of "Christian clowning" is ripe for many a joke, I'll try to keep this rather short and sweet, assuming most anyone who reads this who wears normal-sized shoes agrees with me on this one.

Who's bright idea was it to mix clowns with church in the first place? When did we, as a culture reach that precipice? I mean, really?!? As if we don't have a hard enough time convincing the world that Jesus Christ is Lord, you think it helps our case to slap on a big purple wig? (no offense, Jan Crouch). Clowns are meant for circuses, nightmares and Steven King books. I might even buy the argument that there's a place for them in ministry to children. But they're not for big people church. Here are the top five reasons why:


5. Christian clown puppets are creepy: A conflation of last week's Christian Cheese topic (church puppets) and this week's - this video manages to take the worst of both and mix them into a wonderfully horrible mishmash of clown-inspired puppetry. Yay! Sorry, but encouraging kids to approach random clown puppets on city stoops ain't exactly the direction we should be moving. Having these people watched It?!? Sidenote- this puppet sounds suspiciously like Rosie O'Donnell and it's horrible. Coincidence?


4. Catholic clowns ruin things like pilgrimages - annually: Imagine you're a poor and faithful Catholic in Mexico who has scrimped and saved for years to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Finally, the day has come. As you devoutly approach the shrine to pray before the miraculous tilma of Juan Diego, you suddenly find yourself surrounded by... clowns. Irreverent, loud,  obnoxious clowns! Everywhere! This happens each July. and it's horrible. Thanks alot, clowns.


3. Clowns make it impossible to take worship seriously: There's a time and a place for "praise and worship" music. But if your praise band is a bunch of clowns, how do you worship with a straight face? Really?


2. Clowns are annoying: What's the message that Farmer Brown is trying to impart here? That Jesus loves us or that this clown has a high-pitched response to everything? I guess it was the former 'cause I can only remember the clown, darn it.


1. Clowns scare the heck out of senior citizens: I'm pretty sure this counts as nursing home abuse in some states. Watch this video at the 0:31 mark. Again and again. And imagine that was your sweet grandmother sitting in that wheelchair, minding her own business, and suddenly, out of nowhere, clowns begin jumping out from behind the columns. Christian clowns! Scariest... thing.... ever.

Outline from Good Cheer's "GET OVER YOURSELF" talk

Here is the outline from last night's GOOD CHEER.

It was great to see all the folks. Nothing like FREE t-shirts to bring a crowd!

Next week, Prof. Ron Rychlak (he even has a wikki)will lead a short discussion about:

HITLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Be there!

Stigmata: A Spooky Catholic Thing

Translation: "Don't make me holy, you won't like me when I'm holy".

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Pio. One of the fascinating marks of his saintliness is that he had the marks of the "stigmata". "Stigmatists" (those who have stigmatas) bear the marks of Christ's suffering by showing physical wounds on their hands, feet, side and sometimes head and back. All where Christ would have been wounded on his walk to Golgotha and during his agony on the cross.

Stigmata visible on the hand of Padre Pio (now a saint)

Recently there has been some question to the authenticity of Padre Pio's stigmata. There are some claims that he may have actually faked his wounds by using carbolic acid as far back as 1919. There hasn't been much doubt concerning the stigmata from official Catholic sources but seemingly the atheists and ex-Catholics (sic) have accepted the hoax. Anecdotally, someone asked Padre Pio if the wounds hurt and his response supposedly was, "What do you think? Do you think the Lord gave them to me for decoration?"

What are Catholics supposed to believe when it concerns this phenomena?
The Church certainly does not discourage personal devotion to saints and their mystical unions. The Church also doesn't hold that we have to believe such things either. We may be foolish not to but we are not required. It won't be on the test.

Padre Pio's stigmata may be scary to some and the term "stigmata" be more associated with schlocky movies than saintliness.

Stigmata the movie: Later she got married and became a Medium. So it's all good.

Personally, I have a love/fear relationship with the whole "mystical wounds and blood" thing from our tradition. It can be at once terrifyingly bloody and mind-blowing while at the same time hard to turn away. Sort of like how the Rebels 2010 season is turning out to be. Haha..umm..moving on.

Noooooooooo!

We are told over and over again that God gives those he loves a greater burden. This is not because God wants to test us but rather because he has made us tougher than the darker forces of sin. I think there is something good about knowing that no matter how ugly and fearsome sin can be, God can counter with better and more bold. LIKE THE HULK! YARRRRRRGH! The wounds of the stigmata are not pretty and may appear to be a weakness. God chooses the weak and makes them strong (1 Cor 1:27).

Hulk: Scary and Good. Abomination: Scary and Bad. Guess who wins? Ever hear of a comic called "The Incredible Abomination?" No. You haven't.

Sometimes, I wish it were as easy as having some visible sign of God's presence to encourage people to believe but that rarely brings out true faith. No, we have to do it the hard way and follow the instructions of our saints, like Padre Pio, who just want to be "holy". And I suppose if that doesn't work, there's always Jesus toast.

The "Jesus Toaster" makes a daily apparition on your daily bread!

"Pray, hope, and don't worry!..."

"...Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer. Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God’s heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips but with your heart. In fact, on certain occasions, you should speak to Him only with your heart.
- St. (Padre) Pio

Today is Padre Pio's feast day. May he pray for us all.

Good Cheer Tonight!

Tonight's topic is "Self-Respect and Getting Over Yourself". Have a libation and big helpin' of reality!

T-shirts are here and this is the only place to get them!
7pm at the Library off the Square.

Catholic Lists: The Beatitudes

Through the centuries, catechists (those who teach the Faith) have found much value in relaying important aspects of the Catholic faith in easily-learned groupings and lists. This post is the newest in a series of posts which present some of the better-known teachings and beliefs of our Catholic faith, in list form. These are lists every Catholic should have learned as a child. If you didn't learn them then, it's not too late now... 



Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (d. 1925) was described
by Pope John Paul II as "the Man of the Beatitudes."
He died at the age of 24 after devoting his time and
energy to serving the poor of his hometown.



As found in Matthew 5:3-10:

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.

3. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted

4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill

5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy

6. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God

7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God

8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

Catholicism in the South: Yellow Fever Martyrs

If the Deep South is the Bible Belt and Mississippi is it's buckle, then we have a pretty good vantage point for observances of Southern Catholicism. In this region, we're seeped in the evangelical persuasion of Christianity (something with which I'm very personally familiar), so it's often easy to forget that the very first European settlers and Christian missionaries in the Deep South were Catholics (gasp!). In fact, Catholicism has the longest continuous history of any organized religious tradition in the South (we've been here since 1513!). This is the first of a new series of posts which will highlight Catholicism in the South.

Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum in Holly Springs, Miss.

Holly Springs, Mississippi is a short drive from Oxford. Today, the town is perhaps best known as the birthplace of the Hill Country Blues. Alot of Ole Miss students also know that Holly Springs is home to Graceland Too (Mississippi's second-best-known Elvis attraction after this one) and they've tested the claims that the owner, Mr. McLeod, will give tours of this world-famous Elvis shrine any time of day or night. So Holly Springs has alot of music-related history. And any Civil War buff can tell you about Van Dorn's Raid in Holly Springs in 1862. But the town is also home to a peculiar structure on College Street, just a few blocks from the courthouse square: the "Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum."

The museum is housed in what was once St. Joseph's Catholic Church, a structure which dates to 1841. (Sadly, the local Catholic parish moved out of this uniquely beautiful and historic structure and into a sterile and indistinguishable 1980s building at the start of that decade.) Inside, a remarkable story of heroism and self-sacrifice is preserved. It dates back to a Yellow Fever outbreak in the town in 1878, an all-too-common chastisement suffered in towns throughout the deep south in this period (New Orleans and Memphis, to name only two, also suffered notable Yellow Fever epidemics in the latter 19th century). All who could afford to leave town during the epidemic did and Holly Springs never recovered, economically or population-wise. But among those who stayed were the local Catholic priest and the sisters of the local Catholic convent. They stayed only to nurse the sick and the dying, and they paid with their lives. The priest, Father Oberti, and six Sisters of Charity were all stricken with Yellow Fever themselves and died.



Detail from the memorial to the
Yellow Fever Martyrs in the local
Hillcrest Cemetery.

 The seven became known locally as the Yellow Fever Martyrs and were celebrated as heroes. Buried together in the local cemetery, the townspeople also raised money to construct a handsome monument to the seven, marking their sacrificial service to all in Holly Springs. Thankfully, the museum preserves the church in which they worshiped along with some of their personal effects. Perhaps one day, the church can be re-consecrated for its intended use (maybe as a chapel administered by the local parish) and the statuary and devotional items that fill it can again serve the purpose for which they were created. Hopefully, more will be researched and written about the lives and the service of this remarkable group. They deserve at least this much for they could very well be saints-in-waiting (think of Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos of New Orleans, who died in a very similar manner).

The story of the Yellow Fever Martyrs of Holly Springs should be told and retold. Mississippi Catholics should learn of their heroism. All Mississippians should honor their sacrifice. And Ole Miss students: if you're considering a trip to Holly Springs that's not in the middle of the night, you might take a few minutes to stop by the Yellow Fever Martyrs Museum.

Sometimes...

....you just gotta laugh at how good life can be. Thank God for dogs.

Not my dog nor my pic but I love it. I borrowed it from
Maddison Davis, a talented young Mississippi photographer.
Contact me if you'd like more info on her work.

Wow, the Church really is Catholic...

 As we've talked about before, the word "catholic" comes from a Greek word which means "universal," "complete" or "of the whole." As in "spread throughout the whole entire world" - just as Christ intended. So is the Church truly "catholic"? Well, here's some food for thought: Think for a minute about the Church's calendar for today. Just today. Today is the memorial of St. Andrew Kim and Paul Chong and companions. These were some of the most important leaders and martyrs for the Catholic Faith in Korea.


But that's not all. Today is also for the feast day for over a dozen other lesser-known blesseds and saints, including an aged pope, a monk from Belgium and martyrs from France, Turkey, North Africa and Vietnam. Of course we know that just yesterday, our Holy Father (the German who is the successor to St. Peter, the Jewish fisherman) was in the United Kingdom adding one of their native Englishman to the Church's calendar. So yeah. The Church is pretty darn catholic, I'd say. Wouldn't you?

Though it may be hard to believe,
this now-famous symbol actually
had very holy beginnings.



And, today is also the feast day of St. Eustace. Those of you who are fans of Jagermeister might already be more familiar with him than you realize. Ya know the famous "buck with the cross" logo for the company? It's a symbol of St. Eustace, who is a patron saint of hunters. And although I know it's not quite that time of year yet, hunters, it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and find yourself a St. Eustace holy card. ...Just in case you need some prayers.

Blessed Newman, pray for us!

Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman was beatified today.
His feast day will be on October 9th, which marks
the day that he was received into the Catholic Church.

Earlier today, Pope Benedict beatified John Henry Newman, an English convert to the Catholic Church who rose to the rank of Cardinal before his death in 1890. This day is of particular importance to Catholic college and university students because the Newman name is one that is historically connected to Catholic campus ministries.

In 1888, two years before Newman's death, the Catholic Club at Oxford University in England renamed itself the Newman Society in response to Newman's writings which encouraged the establishment of societies for Catholic students who were attending secular colleges and universities. The idea spread like wildfire throughout the UK and in 1893, the first American Newman Club was founded by four Catholic students at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1937, Ole Miss became home to its own Newman Club when the four-year old Catholic Club at the University became affiliated with the national group. What many do not know is that an organized ministry to Catholic students at Ole Miss actually predated the establishment of the parish of St. John's in Oxford. Before St. John's was established, spiritual care of the Catholic students at Ole Miss was undertaken by a series of pastors from the now-defunct St. Patrick's parish in Water Valley, Mississippi who served the Oxford and University communities from 1869 until 1942. Masses for Ole Miss Catholics were often held monthly or bi-monthly in the old chapel (the building that now houses the Croft Institute) or in the old student union (now Weir Hall). On other Sundays, some Catholic students would ride the train down to Water Valley or try to hitch a ride to attend Mass at St. Patrick's parish there. During his time at Ole Miss, football coach Harry Mehre, a Notre Dame graduate who served as Ole Miss football coach from 1938 until 1945, would drive some of the Catholic students down to Water Valley on Sundays for Mass.

Bl. Newman's coat-of-arms, chosen
after he became a cardinal (note the
red hat at the top) bears his personal
motto "Cor ad cor loquitur" which
means "Heart speaks to heart."

Coach Mehre and members of the Ole Miss Newman Club were instrumental in convincing then-Bishop Richard Gerow that a parish should be established in Oxford to serve the Catholic students and faculty members of Ole Miss. Their pleas were answered when St. John the Evangelist parish was established in 1942. Catholic students were so invested in their new parish that they even contributed to the construction costs of the original parish church building. Parish records tell us that one of the side altars of the original church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was paid for totally by donations from the Ole Miss Newman Club. Bl. Newman's coat-of-arms referenced Christ's Heart as well. This is actually the reason that CCM has the Sacred Heart in our logo.

Years ago, campus ministries at the colleges and universities in Mississippi began to change their group names, but their connection to now-Blessed Newman remains strong. His life and his writings inspired many and do well to remind us to live out our Catholic faith in our college years.

Christian Cheese: Top Five Worst Christian Puppet Ideas. Ever.

In a relentless effort to find a silver lining in the dark cloud that passes (in some aging circles) for "relevance", we here at Southern-fried Catholicism hang our heads low and , once again, highlight some ridiculously low points in Christian art, architecture and culture. We hope you enjoy these forehead smackingly sad  examples of Christians trying their darndest to be "with it."

Today, we present to you the Top Five Worst Christian Puppet Ideas. Ever.

5. Noah's Ark Hand Puppets. Sure, they seem innocent enough, but aren't they just generic animal puppets? I mean, come on "Christian Dollar Store": is it really right to advertise these generic animal puppets as "Noah's Ark" hand puppets? Because Oriental Trading company doesn't say they're from Noah's Ark. Yeah. Busted.

4. Ten Plagues Finger Puppets. Aside from the most obvious problem (I mean are God-ordered death and destruction really appropriate puppet material?), these cute little representations of human misery just aren't kosher. I mean, if I'm a little kid, I'm going to think that there were plagues of lions and clowns. Clowns?!? And what about their representation for "darkness".... iiiiiinnnnappropriate.

3. Bible Character Puppets. The point is to instill in children the reality of God and his plan for us. Is puppetry really the best way to do this? I mean, one day, they grow up and leave behind Sesame Street and Dora. Do we really want their religion to be on the same level in their minds? Let's take the devil, for example. The philosophical/theolgical concept of Satan is a being who is totally at odds with God; completely and utterly devoid of light, love or truth and hell-bent on the destruction of all that is good and holy. What better way to teach this lesson than to make a cuddly, approachable puppet out of the guy? Right? Heck, he's even a snazzy dresser. Of course he's not alone in Bible character puppets (which, are somehow less creepy than these Bible puppets) Of course, Jesus is there, too. But he looks suspiciously like St. Paul. Hmmmm, methinks somebody in the puppet workshop got lazy.

2. "Liturgical puppets". Really not much to say about this - it's simply obvious what a horrid idea these are. I mean.... really? Really?!? Put down your coffee before watching the eye-burning video below. You've been warned. And, it should be noted, this is not a parish Mass (thank God) - it is some type of hotel "liturgy" put on by a group of retirement-aged people who have a problem with almost every aspect of the Catholic Church but, mysteriously, still insist on calling themselves Catholic. Yeah. I know. Makes me think of a certain banner...  

1. Ron and Marty from TBN's Joy Junction. Don't really have a good reason for putting this duo at the top of the list. I've just come across this a couple of times while channel surfing and that little guy just totally creeps me out. And the puppet is weird, too. Not good vibes.