tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114743082024-03-07T09:00:32.042-05:00R.C. MommyWelcome to my brain dump!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comBlogger613125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-54568244515742601352012-07-23T23:54:00.002-04:002012-07-23T23:54:48.934-04:00Starting a new blogHey everybody. I think I'm ready to start writing again, but I am doing it over here at <a href="http://wipingupthemesses.blogspot.com/">wiping up the messes</a>. Please follow me there!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-77041942164094817122011-10-20T12:28:00.003-04:002011-10-20T12:42:44.524-04:00whatever and everHi!<br /><br />It's been a while. Had a baby. You know, life happened and then before you know it's it's been months and months since you've posted anything. Let me ease back in with some sound bites. In no particular order:<br /><br />1. Sharecare, I do not think you want me for a wellness warrior right now. I am breastfeeding and any decrease in my caloric intake means I do not make enough milk for my little baby to eat. So I must continue to consume many chocolate products every day. I hope you understand.<br /><br />2. I have decided that the baby's blog name will be P-nut. Because she's small. And I like the way that looks. It's kind of what I imagine Beyonce and Jay-Z will call their baby.<br /><br />3. Here is a picture of P-Nut. We also refer to her as The Cuteness. As in, "Hold The Cuteness while I go make dinner."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBraRXFZv9UF63OUoskR6daF9eMIFzcsKHvixgj1zU1AjEUbeMLFbkmmnuXbtERQLovw5q464DpUc15J_9HhoGdiq2pqKUC4EqP0eoj_HtCw_FEQcNO4oiT7TfHtSWUxYdyzxL/s1600/new+baby.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBraRXFZv9UF63OUoskR6daF9eMIFzcsKHvixgj1zU1AjEUbeMLFbkmmnuXbtERQLovw5q464DpUc15J_9HhoGdiq2pqKUC4EqP0eoj_HtCw_FEQcNO4oiT7TfHtSWUxYdyzxL/s320/new+baby.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665613717734429522" /></a><br /><br />4. P-Nut was our smallest baby by 2 pounds. She also was "failing to thrive," which basically meant she slept when she was supposed to be eating. But she's better now and wider awake and getting bigger, but she's still not that big (4 1/2 months old and 12 pounds. My other kids were 12 pounds at 2 months!). The picture above was from July. <br /><br />5. Our pastor has allowed me to work from home while The Cuteness is still little. It's been nice to work from here. Got me a Google voice number for folks to call me on that the RE office can give out. Kind of cool. <br /><br />More another day!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-65112916867757936612011-09-19T18:12:00.002-04:002011-09-19T18:15:31.440-04:00new translation<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px; font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:15px;"><pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 255); "><embed><a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4097298/New_Translation_Nicene_Creed" title="Wordle: New Translation Nicene Creed"><img src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4097298/New_Translation_Nicene_Creed" alt="Wordle: New Translation Nicene Creed" style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd" /></a></pre><pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 255); "></pre></span>Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-30161887033708012102011-04-22T11:20:00.001-04:002011-04-22T11:20:00.252-04:007 Quick Takes Friday: Easter Egg editionWith many thanks to the lovely Jennifer of <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com">Conversion Diary</a>. <br /><br />1. First: my hair because I KNOW you're dying to know how THAT all turned out. Saturday, I got an appointment with my friend who does hair at her house. I walked in and she told me, "I was all ready give you a hard time and to tell you it's not that bad. It really IS that bad." She said that there are some colorists who will never in their whole careers see hair as stained as mine was.<br /><br />2. It took 3 or 4 bleach treatments to get the hair to go from strawberry (the actual color of a berry-not the pretty red-blonde color seen on people) to people-hair-colored-red. We were going to try and get it to the point where we could dye it a light brown color, but it would have meant a 4th or 5th whole-head bleaching. She said, "You know, we could just put some blonde highlights in and it would really be pretty."<br /><br />3. Since it was 11 PM and I had been in her chair for THREE HOURS I told her to go for it.<br /><br />4. Now I look less like <a href="http://kidsbesttoys.net/dolls/strawberry-shortcake-doll">Strawberry Shortcake </a>and more like <a href="http://themusicstories.com/tag/Vitamin-C-pop-singer/">Vitamin C</a> (only my hair is red and blonde, not red and yellow).<br /><br />5. Remember the Graduation Song by Vitamin C? No? Here's the video: <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0HDM3eYp4KQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />6. The hair looks nice. I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. It's definitely bolder than I would have chosen, but I like it. It's very Spring. <br /><br />7. On Sunday, I was wearing a pink shirt. Scott told me I looked so nice with my new hair and my pink shirt. I said thank you. Then, "You know, with the pink shirt, and the vibrant hair, I look like an Easter Egg." And I am OK with that. <br /><br />From this Easter Egg to you, Happy Easter!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-40612892532583879992011-04-15T12:36:00.003-04:002011-04-15T12:45:27.960-04:007 quick takes: Damn, baby, what'd you do to your hair edition1. I tried coloring my hair today. The developing creme didn't mix all the way in with the color. This means my hair is streaky, patchy, and the color of Strawberry Shortcake's <strong><em>IN SOME PLACES</em></strong>. I'm currently waiting for my hairdresser to call me back to see when she can fit me in to fix it. 2. Our Confirmation retreat is tomorrow. It is possible that I will be wearing a baseball cap during the retreat. 3. In confession this week, I confessed that I have been struggling with the same sin for the last month. The priest asked me to think about that the Lord is trying to show me about myself as regards this sin. 4. I have concluded that this sin is directly traceable to my trying to exercise my own will in a certain area of my life, and not God's. 5. It now occurs to me that this hair color faux pas may be one of the many ways God is trying to humble me further so I can more readily accept His will. 6. I really had better get on the stick with the accepting God's Will part. This being humbled part is humbling. 7. The most important lessons are the hardest ones to learn. Please visit the lovely <a href="http://conversiondiary.com/">Jennifer</a> for more 7 Quick Takes.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-21941098151414580752011-04-02T12:37:00.003-04:002011-04-02T12:49:19.262-04:007 quick takes: day late, dollar short version1. I am now 30 weeks pregnant. I have entered that delightful stage of pregnancy I call "beached whale." I am gigantic. <div><br /></div><div>2. But Scott still thinks I'm pretty, so it's all good. <div><br /></div><div>3. As an extra fun part of this pregnancy, I am now considered to be of "advanced maternal age." That means I'm 35 or older. So, I get to go for ultrasounds like all the time. Which is fun, in a way. </div><div><br /></div><div>4. But the hospital is 45 minutes from my house. This whole thing will be less fun in 2 weeks when I have to start going once a week. </div><div><br /></div><div>5. I decided that I am going to make red velvet cake pops today. Have to go to the craft store and get lollipop sticks. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>6. Baseball has started! All 3 of my kids are playing this year. That means heading out to the fields which are on the end of town that is always about 10 degrees colder in the spring than the air outside of my house. We don't put away our winter gear until after Mothers' Day. Especially for a 9 AM T-Ball game. brrr......</div><div><br /></div><div>7. Have had "Slumdog Millionaire" for over a month from the Netflix. Haven't had any time to watch it. This is my life. </div><div><br /></div><div>For more quick takes, please visit Jen Fulwiler at "<a href="http://conversiondiary.com/">Conversion Diary</a>."</div><div><br /></div><div>5. </div>Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-71121555539984167642011-02-26T23:07:00.003-05:002011-02-26T23:19:29.015-05:00Full disclosureI feel a little bit like a hypocrite recommending St. Francis de Sales' "Introduction to the Devout Life" to you in my previous post. The reason for this is that I have never actually finished reading it myself. <div><br /></div><div>Why have I never finished reading this classic of Catholic spirituality? Because, like Gollum, I am not ready to detach myself from the sins I hold onto so dearly. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I began "Introduction," I recognized that in reading it, I was going to have to take action, either to change my sinful ways and enter into a deeper union with Christ or to reject it, to do nothing, and therefore reject Christ. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to pretend that I hadn't read what I had read and to try to resume sleepwalking through my spiritual life. I closed the book less than halfway through. </div><div><br /></div><div>Writing the previous three posts has led me to realize that it's all well for me to encourage you to make a radical commitment to the Lord, but I am a hypocrite because I have not done so myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>This Lent, I am going to go to work on incorporating St. Francis de Sales' advice into my life. It's time for me to sh!t or get off the pot so to speak. I am afraid of hell. That will have to be the beginning motivation for me to turn closer to Christ. Pray for me that I will one day turn to Him out of sheer love for Him, not because I fear the justice I deserve. </div>Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-51026986809099013842011-01-26T11:04:00.004-05:002011-01-30T16:46:53.346-05:00Holding on for a heroTo develop my Catholic identity, or to develop it in my family, requires intentional living. It is not enough to float through my life, to be comfortable in my Catholicism. If I'm comfortable, I'm not doing it right. <br /><br />By intentional living, I mean that my life has to be specifically oriented toward the Lord. Everything I do has to be toward His greater glory. In other words, I have to live the way the saints did, with heroic virtue. (Being human, I will probably stumble. Praise the Lord then for the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)<br /><br />Fr. Z wrote about heroic virtue, the quality that defines a saint, the other day. I'm going to quote him here:<br /><blockquote>"But Father! But Father!”, some of you are about to say. “Heroic virtue? Really?<br />How can any of us aspire to such a thing! That’s sounds terribly difficult!”<br /><br />It isn’t easy, but it is possible.<br /><br />We are all called to be saints. God wouldn’t ask something of us that isn’t possible. And when He asks things that are hard, He also provides the means and the occasions. Even in your suffering, for example, or your obscurity, you can serve Him. God knew you before the creation of the material universe. He called you into being now, in this world. Of all the possible worlds God could have created, He created this<br />world, into which you would be born. He has a plan and purpose your you, if you<br />will embrace it. </blockquote>Heroic virtue isn't developed overnight. I can name several places in my own life right now where I can do better to develop that heroic virtue. I can take a set time out of my day for prayer (Divine Mercy Chaplet takes 5 minutes to say!). I can read scripture instead of that new chick lit book before I go to bed. I can read about the faith. <br /><br />I teach a group of kids on Sunday mornings. They range in age from 9-16. Some haven't been baptized, and some are from families who are coming back to the Church after some time away. None of them have made their First Communion nor have they been Confirmed. When we came to the Feast of the Epiphany, our first class back after the Christmas break, I challenged them to make a "New Year's Resolution." It was to be one small thing that they can do in their daily lives to show love for others and love for God. Maybe it was to say a decade of the Rosary every day. Maybe it was to talk to one lonely person at their school every day. Or to help do one extra thing around the house every day. Something that they <em>could</em> do and that they <em>would</em> do. I have made it a point every week to remind them of their resolutions and to encourage them in these things. It takes 6 weeks to change or to start a new pattern of behavior. In a few more weeks, we'll revisit these resolutions and see how we're doing. If we've got the new pattern mastered, we can add something else (like, bumping it up to two decades of the Rosary, etc.).<br /><br />You don't run a marathon without training for it. You start out running short distances and then you gradually work up to that 26.2 miles. I believe that the best way to cultivate that heroic virtue within myself and my family is to start with one small thing and do it faithfully for a while and then to add something else to do. <br /><br />One of the best things I've read on this is "Introduction to the Devout Life," by St. Francis de Sales. I am also seriously afraid right now that I may have co-opted this great work. If I have, I am so sorry. Anyway, you should buy it and read it. Or borrow it from the library. It's written for people who are living in the world, not in a cloister. How to cultivate devotion in your daily life of taking care of your kids and husband. And he just makes sense.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-69631628575059280332011-01-24T21:42:00.006-05:002011-01-26T11:08:40.698-05:00Identity crisisThese three things (confusion, negotiation, and loss of Catholic identity) are some of the things that are causing the Church to bleed people out to the evangelical Christian churches. Poor catechesis is the biggest reason (why on earth would you leave the Church if you know that it's where you can get the Jesus in the Eucharist-and what that means?), but a close second is a loss of our Catholic identity (Pope Benedict is all about this. So is <a href="http://wdtprs.com/blog">Fr. Z</a>.).<br /><br />Why else would a "Good Catholic family" choose to send their kids to a decent public school when they could send their kids to a decent Catholic school? Why else would a good family leave St. Peter's for the Hope Evangel Church of Christ (led by a former Catholic who is now their pastor)? It's not really because they can't afford the tuition (if it's important to your identity, you find a way to sacrifice to make it happen). It's not really because the evangelicals demand less than the Catholics do (I think in many instances, it's the opposite).<br /><br />It's because Christian denominations have become interchangeable to Catholics. On the whole, many adults don't know basic truths (facts) about the Church and what She teaches. A 2008 survey by CARA showed that just 57% of all adult Catholics surveyed believe in the real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.<br /><br /><br />I've seen it myself in the parish where I am. I have seen families who think that going to any church is ok, if they go at all. I've worked with families that have the kids go to CCD and to Sunday school or youth group at another Christian church-and see nothing wrong with it. They don't know there are theological differences between the different approaches to Christianity and they don't seem to be aware of any confusing messages that the children might pick up.<br /><br />We have lost a sense of what makes Catholics, well, Catholic. How many families do you know that gets together for a Rosary every night-or once a week? Gosh, how many of them even get together for dinner every night? How many people do you know who wear a scapular? I can only think of one I know for sure-and he's a 90 year old priest. How many people do you know who wear a Miraculous Medal-and WHY? Wearing a cross around your neck is kind of fashionable. But how many people do you know who do it with real devotion and not just as another piece of jewelry?<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure, the only one of those things to which I can say, "yes, I do that myself" is the one about the Miraculous Medal. I was going to say that our family is doing it's best, but we're really not. We're not doing our best because it's a little work to do all of those things.<br /><br />Yes, to reinforce a Catholic identity, or to develop one, takes work. It takes living intentionally. So many of us (me especially) are content to float through life, going through the basic motions of what it means to be a Catholic Christian. We say grace before meals (most of the time), we go to Sunday Mass, we say goodnight prayers with our kids, and all of these are good things. BUT aren't we all called to do more? Didn't Jesus give His life for us? Doesn't that require a radical commitment from all of us? And a renewal of that commitment every day?<br /><br /><br />(stay tuned for part 3)Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-54077614167776320782011-01-06T21:56:00.007-05:002011-08-13T12:26:43.045-04:00Lower your expectations; get less than you expectI am a firm believer in setting your expectations for others to be reasonably high. Take my children for example. I expect them to put their dirty laundry into the hamper. I remind them, but I expect it from them. I expect them to be polite not only to others, but to each other and above all, to their parents. And they do these things. Not always, and I do sometimes have to remind them, but overall, they do what I expect.
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<br />Why would they live up to my expectations? 1. They know I love them, 2. My expectations are reasonable: things that anyone their ages should be able to do. (I'm not asking the 4 year old help shovel the walk-though she does it readily. She thinks it's FUN!) and 3. They love me and they do not want to disappoint me. Nor do they want the consequences of failing to live up to the expectations.
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<br />Yes, consequences. If you don't eat your dinner, you will not get dessert. If you don't put your dirty socks in the wash, you will have no clean socks to wear. If you are rude to mom, you get to deal with dad.
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<br />I have been trying to drill into my 7th grade CCD kids' heads the holydays of obligation in the USA. And I have been trying to impress upon all of the kids I am in contact with (in my class and the 8th grade Confirmation candidates) the importance of weekly (and Holyday) Mass attendance.
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<br />To review, the Holydays of Obligation in the USA are:
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<br />January 1, feast of Mary, Mother of God
<br />40 days after Easter, Ascension Thursday
<br />August 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
<br />November 1, All Saints' Day
<br />December 8, Immaculate Conception of Mary
<br />December 25, Christmas
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<br />So, after the boys, Scott, and I stayed up to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve, we woke in time to get to 9:00 Mass for the Holyday of Obligation. We thought. Yes, I work at the parish, but I forgot the Holyday schedule is not the same as the Sunday schedule, and we were late for Mass by half an hour. Mass was nearly over by the time we arrived. So, we went home. Then I thought to myself, "Is it even a holyday this year? It's Saturday." So I googled it. And lo, the holyday was abrogated this year. Because it fell on a Saturday. The Holyday is also abrogated when it falls on a Monday, too. So, let's look at that list again for 2010:
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<br />January 1, feast of Mary, Mother of God (<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/January_1_Holy.htm">not abroagted in 2010</a>)
<br />40 days after Easter, Ascension Thursday (<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Ascension_Holy.htm">transferred to the following Sunday in all but 6 dioceses in the US)
<br /></a>August 15, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Assumption_Holy.htm">happened to be a Sunday in 2010</a>)
<br />November 1, All Saints' Day (abrogated)
<br />December 8, Immaculate Conception of Mary (<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Imm_Con_Holy.htm">never abrogated</a>)
<br />December 25, Christmas (<a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Christmas_Holy.htm">never abro</a>gated)
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<br />In 2010, 3 of the 6 Holydays were transferred or abrogated in almost all of our nation's dioceses.
<br />Did you know that according to the code of canon law (canon 1246), there are actually 10 holydays of obligation? Yes, <a href="http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/tp/Holy-Days-Of-Obligation.htm">it's true</a>! In the USA, we have either dropped or transferred to Sunday: Epiphany, Corpus Christi, and the Solemnities of St. Joseph and of Sts. Peter and Paul.
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<br />I can appreciate what I think our Bishops Conference is trying to do. I think that they don't want people who wouldn't go to Mass those days to have mortal sins on their souls for choosing not to go to Mass. I really think they decided to do what they thought was best.
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<br />I am not a bishop. I don't even play one on TV. I don't claim to know more than our shepherds, nor do I claim to be more Catholic than any one of them. I know that the Lord has chosen them to lead us and we should be willing to be led.
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<br />It just seems to me that what this abrogation of holydays and what this removal of holydays really is, is a lowering of our bishops' expectations for us. It's kind of like, "We know it's really hard for you to take an extra 10 hours out of your year to go to Mass for special days, especially since most of you don't go to Sunday Mass at all. So, we're going to make it easier for you. You only have to go on these few days. Not so bad, right?"
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<br />There are a few downsides to this line of thinking: 1. It's confusing. I mean, I work at a church and I go to Mass every week and I don't even know when it's really an obligation or not. 2. It leads people to wonder what else is negotiable. This is a very slippery slope. I saw it in people in my parents' generation after Vatican II: "Now it's not a sin to eat meat on Friday (<span style="font-size:78%;">but you have to remember to make a different act of penance</span>)." "Not a sin to eat meat on Friday?! What else isn't a sin?" 3. To take away or abrogate Holydays of Obligation, which are important because of the events and people they celebrate, chips away at our <strong><em>Catholic identity</em></strong>. There is less and less that separates us from Protestant Christians.
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<br />(tune in next time for part 2)Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-65159706847787389892011-01-06T21:34:00.002-05:002011-01-06T21:40:34.787-05:00Hello, blog? It's me, Margaret.No, it's Amy. And things are better. We're all settling in here and getting used to one another. <br /><br />Baby 4 seems to be growing nicely. I have a doctor's appointment tomrrow morning, barring any more snow-related weirdness (we got about 30 inches of snow December 26-27, 2010). We'll see how much weight I've gained and whether or not my doctor will yell at me. <br /><br />Well, that's all for now. I have a church-related rant coming up. And I do have to start getting back to all of the stuff I owe you about going to Europe last summer. <br /><br />Good night!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-52552484962183542912010-12-09T12:05:00.003-05:002010-12-09T13:54:43.286-05:00Suckysuckity sucksucksucksucks suck.<br /><br /><br /><br />My life is complicated and stressful right now. And in it I can see God's hand holding mine. I can see Him providing though the kindness of other people and I am grateful.<br /><br /><br /><br />Just not cheerful.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am beyond frustrated with certain people I am related to.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am depressed.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am angry.<br /><br /><br /><br />I want normal again.<br /><br /><br /><br />I want this sh!t to stop hitting the fan during the winter holidays (This isn't the first time it has all gone to hell right before Thanksgiving). I feel stressed right now because I can't do the things I want to do at this time of year. I don't feel adequately SPIRITUALLY prepared for Christmas.<br /><br /><br /><br />I can't think any further ahead than the next 5 minutes. It's 12:13. I'm just trying to get to 1:00.<br /><br /><br /><br />I feel like I'm in a constant state of prayer because otherwise I would have lost my mind.<br /><br /><br /><br />Went to the OB yesterday. Unbelieveably, my blood pressure was normal: 110/70. That is a <em><strong>miracle</strong></em> because I spent the whole morning trying to wrangle 2 misbehaving children at Mass and listening to them bicker and tattle on each other ALL MORNING. <strong><em>ALL MORNING! </em></strong><br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><br />I feel like I go around the clock and am accomplishing nothing.<br /><br />I know so many of you are praying for me. And I am so grateful for that. And I know that these problems I have, when taken with those of other people, are not a lot. <br /><br />I'm just in the thick of it right now. And trying to get to 1:00.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-11131675170784662502010-11-27T18:49:00.003-05:002010-11-27T19:57:36.498-05:00Random randomness part 785Hello, Internet. I know you missed me. My life has been cuckoo crazy lately. Here's a recap:<br /><ol><li>both boys played flag football in a rec league this fall. This totally kicked my butt. They were in 2 different age groups, so they played on different days and had totally different practices and some of the older boy's games didn't even end until after 9. Monday-Thursday of every week was football in addition to the OT for one of the kids, two different cub scout dens, and CCD for me two nights a week. <br /></li><li>I am leading our younger son's cub scout den, which feels completely overwhelming, but probably because of the flag football experience as outlined above. I do enjoy it, but I feel I have have said yes to too much this year. <br /></li><li>Case in point: I allowed myself to be guilted into serving as a class mom again for my daughter's preschool class. I was told that they asked everyone else. I'm not sure that's the whole truth. It's fun, but this year can be a lot of work. The teacher already let me off the hook with the huge Thanksgiving breakfast they usually do (she's just coming back from maternity leave and I asked her if we can back off on it), but I still get to chair all of the class parties, field day, "beach" party, and graduation. Which all takes place in the beginning of June and should prove interesting because:</li><li>Giglio baby #4 will likely be born that week (I'm emailing all of the parents next week to delegate all of that end-of-year stuff.). We are really excited because we've been trying (or not <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> trying) to get pregnant since January. Reaction was mixed when we announced it to our families at Thanksgiving dinner (Dinner deserves a post of its own that will never be written. Stressful. not unborn-child-related). Feeling queasy and tired all the time, even at the 12 week mark. Pretty sure it's a girl.<br /></li><li>My niece came to stay with last last Sunday. She'll be with us for a while. She needs our prayers. Please pray for us as well. </li></ol>So, there is most of it, I think. Isn't that enough? <br /><br />I have to say I'm super jazzed to be pregnant at the same time once again as my best girl,<a href="http://the-mother-load.blogspot.com"> Aimee</a>. We're both due within a month of each other again. <br /><br />I know I owe you posts. God willing, my life will slow down some. Someday. The way my luck seems to be running, I'll get put on bedrest. The upside would be that I'd have nothing to do but blog. The downside would be that chaos would ensue. <br /><br />Blessed Mother, pray for me!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-26775484068225078812010-11-22T19:38:00.003-05:002010-11-22T19:40:52.240-05:00Prayer requestMy niece has come to stay with us for a time. Would appreciate you throwing a prayer to the Lord on her behalf, on behalf of her parents, and on behalf of our family as we all get used to having each other around!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-57252716298549882742010-11-08T18:39:00.002-05:002010-11-08T19:02:11.935-05:00For Veterans Day<em><span style="font-size:85%;">I read </span></em><a href="http://www.40daysofprayerandfasting.org/Intervention.htm"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">this story</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> about a Marine during WWII and St. Michael the Archangel a few years ago. It's beautiful. Thank a vet this week, won't you?<br /><br /></span></em>True story of a Soldier and the Intervention of St. Michael<br /><br />What follows is a letter written by a young Marine to his mother while he was hospitalized after being wounded on a Korean battlefield in 1950. It came into the hands of a Navy Chaplain who read the letter before 5,000 Marines at a San Diego Naval Base in 1951.<br /><br />The Navy Chaplain had talked to the young man, to his mother, and to the Sergeant in charge of the patrol. This Navy Chaplain, Father Walter Muldy, assured anyone who asked, that this was a true story. This letter was read once a year in the 1960's over a mid-western radio station at Christmas time. We present the letter and let it stand on its own merits.<br /><br />Dear Mom,<br /><br />I wouldn't dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard, but I have to tell somebody.<br /><br />First off, I am in a hospital. Now don't worry, you hear me, don't worry. I was wounded but I'm okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month. But that is not what I want to tell you.<br /><br />Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael every day. You really didn't have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well I have always prayed to St. Michael. When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder. Remember the prayer that you taught me? "Michael, Michael of the morning, fresh corps of Heaven adorning…" You know the rest of it. Well, I said it every day, sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting, but always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.<br /><br />Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting for the commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold; my breath was like cigar smoke. I thought I knew every guy in the patrol, when along side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I'd ever seen. He must have been over 6 feet 4 inches and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near me.<br /><br />Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start a conversation I said, "Cold ain't it." And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute and I am talking about the weather!<br /><br />My companion seemed to understand. I heard him laugh softly.<br /><br />I looked at him, "I've never seen you before. I thought I knew every man in the outfit."<br /><br />"I just joined at the last minute," he replied, "the name is Michael."<br /><br />"Is that so," I said surprised, "that's my name too."<br /><br />"I know," he said, and then went on saying the prayer, "Michael, Michael of the morning..."<br /><br />I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name, and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knew about me. Hadn't I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen? Why now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael.<br /><br />Neither of us spoke for a time, and then he broke the silence.<br /><br />"We're going to have some trouble up ahead." He must have been in fine physical shape for he was breathing so lightly I couldn't see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself; well with the commies all around us, that's no great revelation.<br /><br />Snow began to fall in thick great globs. In a brief moment the whole countryside was blotted out, and I was marching in a white fog of wet sticky particles. My companion disappeared.<br /><br />"Michael!" I shouted in sudden alarm. I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, "This will stop shortly."<br /><br />His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a hard shining disc. I looked back for the rest of the patrol. There was no one in sight. We lost them in the heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise. Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them, seven commies in their padded pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn’t anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.<br /><br />"Down Michael!" I screamed, and hit the frozen earth. I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing.<br /><br />Mom, those guys couldn't have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him literally blown to bits, but there he stood, making no effort to fire himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It happens sometimes, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake. At least that's what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down and that was when I got mine. I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit. Now I know.<br /><br />I remember feeling strong arms about me, arms that laid me ever so gently on a pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I thought I was dying. Maybe I was even dead. I remember thinking, “Well, this is not so bad.”<br /><br />Maybe I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock, but it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again, only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor.<br /><br />As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, maybe it was the snow falling again but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an angel. In his hand was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights.<br /><br />Well, that's the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up and found me; I don't know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment's rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.<br /><br />"Where's Michael?" I asked. I saw them look at one another. "Where's who?" asked one.<br /><br />"Michael, that big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us."<br /><br />"Kid," said the sergeant, "you weren't walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was just going to call you in, when you disappeared in the snow."<br /><br />He looked at me, curiously. "How did you do it, kid?"<br /><br />"How did I do what?" I asked half angry, despite my wound. "This Marine named Michael and I were just..." "Son," said the sergeant kindly, "I picked this outfit myself and there just ain't another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it."<br /><br />He paused for a minute. "Just how did you do it, kid? We heard shots, yet there hasn't been a shot fired from your rifle, and there isn't a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there."<br /><br />I didn't say anything; what could I say? I could only look open-mouthed with amazement.<br /><br />It was then, the sergeant spoke again. "Kid," he said gently, "every one of those seven commies was killed by a sword stroke."<br /><br />That is all I can tell you, Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes, it may have been the cold or the pain, but that is what happened.<br /><br />Love, Michael<br /><br />St. MICHAEL PRAYER<br /><br />To St. Michael in Time of Peace Michael, Michael: Michael of the Morning, Michael of the Army of the Lord, Stiffen thou the hand upon the still sword, Michael, Folded and shut upon the sheathed sword, Michael, Under the fullness of the white robes falling, Gird us with the secret of the sword. When the world cracked because of a sneer in heaven, Leaving out for all time a scar upon the sky, Thou didst rise up against the Horror in the highest, Dragging down the highest that looked down on the Most High: Rending from the seventh heaven the hell of exaltation Down the seven heavens till the dark seas burn: Thou that in thunder threwest down the Dragon Knowest in what silence the Serpent can return. Down through the universe the vast night falling(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Morning!) Far down the universe the deep calms calling(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Sword!) Bid us not forget in the baths of all forgetfulness, In the sigh long drawn from the frenzy and the fretfulness In the huge holy sempiternal silence In the beginning was the Word. When from the deeps of dying God astoundedAngels and devils who do all but dieSeeing Him fallen where thou couldst not follow,Seeing Him mounted where thou couldst not fly,Hand on the hilt, thou hast halted all thy legionsWaiting the Tetelestai and the acclaim,Swords that salute Him dead and everlastingGod beyond God and greater than His Name. Round us and over us the cold thoughts creeping(Michael, Michael: Michael of the battle-cry!)Round us and under us the thronged world sleeping(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Charge!)Guard us the Word; the trysting and the trustingEdge upon the honour and the blade unrustingFine as the hair and tauter than the harpstringReady as when it rang upon the targe. He that giveth peace unto us; not as the world giveth:He that giveth law unto us; not as the scribes:Shallhe be softened for the softening of the citiesPatient in usury; delicate in bribes?They that come to quiet us, saying the sword is broken,Break man with famine, fetter them with gold,Sell them as sheep; and He shall know the sellingFor He was more than murdered. He was sold. Michael, Michael: Michael of the Mustering,Michael of the marching on the mountains of the Lord,Marshal the world and purge of rot and riotRule through the world till all the world be quiet:Only establish when the world is brokenWhat is unbroken is the word.<br /><br />A Prayer for Angels<br />Lord, you are the Host of heaven, the King of glory, the head of all the armies<br />and angels. Please send out your angels and chariots of fire to hedge my son and<br />all of our troops in so that no weapon formed against them would prosper. Cover<br />him with the shelter of your wings and keep him as the apple of your eye.<br />Prepare the way before him and cause him and all our soldiers to be so<br />spiritually alert that they will hear a word behind them saying, “This is the<br />way; walk in it” when you guide them.<br /><br />A Prayer from Isaiah 54<br />Lord, let no weapon that is formed against our servicemen and women prosper<br />(Isaiah 54:7). May every terrorist and insurgent be discovered and apprehended<br />before he brings destruction on others. Please protect the innocent Iraqi<br />civilians, especially the women and children, and strengthen the Iraqi people to<br />rise up against the insurgents who are killing their own people. Protect the<br />Iraqi police and soldiers, and strengthen them to defend their own country<br />against terrorists. May Your strong right hand hold and keep our soldiers<br />securely every day. In Christ’s name, amen.<br /><br />A prayer from Ps. 17<br />Almighty Father, show our servicemen and women<br />Your unfailing love in wonderful ways.<br />Save them with Your strength…<br />Guard our troops as the apple of Your eye<br />And hide them in the shadow of Your wings.<br />Amen.<br /><br />www.militaryfamiliespray.comAmy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-30406189227435637322010-10-18T10:09:00.010-04:002010-10-18T20:28:05.144-04:00Went to Ellis IslandThere is an exhibit there right now called "<a href="http://www.womenandspirit.org/webOne/index.php?www=press_detail&id_press=9&navigation_main_id=92">Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America</a>." It was really great and showed how much religious sisters contributed to life in America from its very beginning. Did you know that religious sisters helped to found the Mayo Clinic? Did you know that an American sister died in the Civil War tending the injured soldiers? And at the beginning of the Civil War, sisters ran 30 hospitals to treat battle-wounded people, while the Union and Confederate Armies between them ran just 3?<br /><br /><br />It also had several habits that sisters had worn through their history there and passports, original baggage that the sisters brought to the USA and their naturalization papers. The exhibits profiled St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Katherine Drexel, and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.<br /><br /><br />It was weird to see a wimple that one order of sisters had worn in a display case. It was similar to the one below (worn <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cQ2xhpZfenk/SLrGRw6uMYI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/ILfkAzg_B9A/s400/C.+Laboure.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 227px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 171px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cQ2xhpZfenk/SLrGRw6uMYI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/ILfkAzg_B9A/s400/C.+Laboure.jpg" /></a>by St. Catherine Laboure), but it didn't come down in the back. The sisters wore it as part of their habit from 1684-1964. Imagine, the order wore basically the same habit for nearly 500 years, until 1964.<br /><br /><br />What happened in 1964? Oh yeah, <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm">this </a>was going on. It was the '60's! Time to throw 500 years of tradition out the window and, like, totally engage the world, you know? Because when you wear a habit it's so hard to, like, be <strong><em>in</em></strong> the world, you know? Because people might, like, recognize you for being Catholic and have some expectations for you to <em>totally</em> represent Jesus in every way. Jesus was all about peace and love and social justice. He had long hair just like all the boys in the '60's. And He never, like, brought people down about following the rules and stuff. Oh, but wait. Didn't He say He <em><strong>didn't</strong></em> come to abolish the Old Covenant? And I think He was fairly clear about following the Law. (Mt. 5: 17-20) Jesus isn't a hippie.<br /><br /><br />I can't speak for every woman, but I am proud to be Scott's wife. I rarely leave take off my wedding ring and if it weren't totally tacky to wear a T-shirt all the time that says: "Scott's wife" I would.<br /><br /><br />Which is why, if Jesus selected ME to be His bride, and I said "yes," I would want to scream about it from the rooftops. Because, no offense to any men (especially not to MY man), but Jesus is the PERFECT spouse. I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to wear that habit all the time and show the world just by your clothes that you are honored and privileged to be the Bride of Christ.<br /><br /><br /><br />I don't want to give a poor impression of the exhibit, put together by the <a href="http://www.lcwr.org/">Leadership Conference of Women Religious</a> (who haven't been really happy about the apostolic visitation that Pope Benedict has sent to investigate all orders of women religious). I hope that it helps all who see it understand the very real contributions that Catholic sisters brought and still bring to our country. It was a beautiful exhibit. Right up until the end.<br /><br /><br />That's when they got to modern times. It was awesome to see so many clergy and sisters marching on Selma, Alabama in support of Civil Rights. It was less awesome watch a sister advocating for women's ordination to Pope John Paul II when he came to the USA in 1979. I wonder what Mother Cabrini or Mother Seton or Mother Drexel would say to that?<br /><br /><br />The exhibit dead-ended at a wall right there at that video. As I write this I wonder if it wasn't fitting that the exhibit came to a dead end right there. Most of the orders in the LCWR are dying. Young women are not joining those orders the way that they are the orders that belong to the <a href="http://cmswr.org/">Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious</a>. A lot of these orders have a different kind of vocations crisis: not enough places to put all of the women who want to become postulants.<br /><br />To exit the exhibit, I had to walk back through the entire thing, back to the beginnings of the sisters' history in the USA. As I remember this, it occurs to me that the problems facing us in regard to today's religious sisters aren't really that new. It seems that as long as there have been religious orders there have been those who thought the rule was, like, too <em><strong>haaaaard</strong></em>, you know? Look at good old St. Benedict. He comes up with his rule, and at first a whole bunch of guys think it's great. They follow him up Monte Cassino, and then there are so many of them that Benedict goes to found a new house. Except the guys in the new house think the rule is too hard to follow. So they try to kill him.<br /><br />Then there's St. Teresa of Avila. She goes into the Carmelites and is a little surprised to find that instead of being cloistered, a lot of the nuns spend time chatting up rich donors. Teresa liked it for a while, but then she begins to think there should be something more, well, God-focused. So she reforms the Carmelites and gets in all kinds of trouble, not just with her sisters and superiors but with the clergy too.<br /><br />Maybe right now the wheel is turning. This, too, shall pass. Maybe this is just what we have to go through to usher in a new golden age of the Church. Only the Lord knows which saints are in the making right now. Let's pray for them.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-64451834242518168272010-10-15T23:15:00.004-04:002010-10-15T23:54:32.975-04:00First and a half chronologically ordered recap from Giglio's European VacationSo, this is a half post of the European vacation, because I just accidentally made the external hard drive that has all the pictures on it disappear from the desktop of my computer. And I don't know how to put them back. I select the pictures then I tell the story because it helps me remember stuff. <br /><br />Here are some random impressions of England:<br /><br />1. Chillier in July than I thought it would be. And less rainy than I expected. It was overcast a lot, especially at night. But the last night, we had a brilliant clear sky. We were one hour from London and I have never seen so many stars. <br /><br />2. The people were generally wonderful, especially the folks who worked at the college. The people we encountered out and about were not overtly friendly. It seems that starting a conversation with a stranger in public is actually sort of rude. <br /><br />3. Public transport was very quiet. Also, apparently quite rude to talk above a whisper on the tube. <br /><br />4. The milk tastes better there. The skim milk is creamy like whole milk. <br /><br />5. These people eat all the time. Seriously. Breakfast at 8, morning coffee and cookies at 11. Lunch at 1, Afternoon tea (with donuts) at 3, dinner at 7. I gained 5 pounds in 5 days. <br /><br />6. It's probably because we were with a bunch of Americans most of the time, but I didn't really feel like we were in a foreign country, at least not as much as I did when we were in Italy. There were a lot of different accents around, but it was a lot like living in Metro NY. I know people who were born in different countries (the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Colombia, Poland) who live right here in Linden, so when we were in England, it didn't feel different because we all spoke English. <br /><br />7. Even though we were all speaking English, however, some of the folks we met with Home Countries accents were difficult for me to understand. <br /><br />8. Can we talk about the highway signs? Instead of simple, one word directions, like "yield," they use, "give way." And it gets worse when you are on the major highways. We were looking at the signs on the M4 from London to Oxfordshire and they were paragraphs long. Really. By the time you finished reading the sign, you'd missed your exit! <br /><br />9. They measured distance in miles, not kilometers. And they used miles per hour to measure speed. This confused me because everything else is metric. <br /><br />10. It's kind of amazing how you can be in VERY urban London and then, just on the other side of the city limit, it's farmland (When we landed at Heathrow, we literally flew past cows grazing next to the landing strip.). The concept of a suburb doesn't seem to exist there. <br /><br />11. My impression is that as a whole, and certainly there are exceptions, the country seems to be quite anti-religion. This could also be because we were hanging around with highly educated people (who seem to ridicule religion, no matter what side of the Atlantic you live on), but I definitely picked up a general disdain of organized religion while we were there, but particularly anti-Catholic feeling. I don't know if it was more overt than usual since the pope's visit was about a month away. <br /><br />12. However, we had the privilege of attending Mass at a wonderful, tiny, little church right near campus. And the priest, about age 35, was fantastic. <a href="http://www.purepix.co.uk/blog/?attachment_id=209">Here</a> is a link to a picture of Marie and Phil (whoever they are, but they sure look happy) getting married there and the priest I am talking about is in the photo with them. God bless you, Marie and Phil!<br /><br />More later on if I can get the photos off the external hard rive. Hope it's not to hard to find them...Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-13495680190054723812010-09-24T15:40:00.004-04:002010-09-24T15:57:59.210-04:00I'm still not a rocket scientist....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8nMVb0X1Us2hDhY2eNpnmC7U6tNoGbkAuIbvzZ9q0vnHbjo5c_44RnSM-IhX54lXFnTrfoG6EkgR0H5NvMKrHm50JHmYmQLpRQ4Lq9xZgTUNS74TuloeNUWJTSOu5NOdHc6K/s1600/walking+to+school.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8nMVb0X1Us2hDhY2eNpnmC7U6tNoGbkAuIbvzZ9q0vnHbjo5c_44RnSM-IhX54lXFnTrfoG6EkgR0H5NvMKrHm50JHmYmQLpRQ4Lq9xZgTUNS74TuloeNUWJTSOu5NOdHc6K/s320/walking+to+school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520571447357632338" border="0" /></a>So <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/oprah_winfrey_opens_show_with.html"> Newark's about to get $100 mil. from the CEO of Facebook</a>. That's great. Really. I hope it helps more kids learn to read, to do math, and to stay away from the streets.<br /><div class="UIComposer clearfix UIComposer_STATE_PIC_NONE UIComposer_STATE_INPUT_FOCUSED" id="c4c9cfd70a6c0d26d7322e"><div class="pas UIComposer_Box UIContentBox gray_box"><div><div class="UIComposer_Content"><div class="UIComposer_InputArea_Base UIComposer_InputArea"><div class="UIComposer_InputShadow"><div style="width: 491px;" class="Mentions_Input" id="c4c9cfd70a6c0d26d7322e_input"><br />But I'm pretty sure he could give any failing school system a BILLION dollars and it would still do no good at all if those kids don't have stable homes and neighborhoods to return to after school. No amount of money will help if the kids don't have a parent or grandparent at home to take care of them and to make sure they stay on top of them.<br /><br />Extending school hours is NOT the answer. Kids don't need to be brought up by the state. Kids need to be at home with mom or dad. Kids need to get outside and play and run around. Kids need to use their imaginations; to play ball in the street with their friends till the street lights come on. Kids need their dads not to be in prison. Kids need their moms not to have to work 3 jobs to keep food on the table.<br /><br />Kids need the state to give their moms and dads their money back. That way, maybe mom or dad can stay home with them so they stay out of trouble. Kids need strong families so they don't feel like they have to turn to a gang to get the love and acceptance and discipline they crave.<br /><br />Kids from stable homes do better in school. Throwing a billion dollars ($900 mil from NJ + Zuckerberg's $100 mil) into Newark's crappy schools won't fix this. Kids' families need fixing.<br /></div></div></div></div> </div></div></div>Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-71241327058651783762010-09-23T08:54:00.004-04:002010-09-23T09:38:48.320-04:00What I have learned from my clothesline<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://qualityclotheslines.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clothesline-painting.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 526px; height: 412px;" src="http://qualityclotheslines.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/clothesline-painting.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In August, just as I had gotten completely caught up with my laundry (really!), my dryer stopped working. It wouldn't turn on at all.<br /><br />Scott is a can-do kind of guy. Why pay someone else to fix something when you can do it yourself? With the help of the amazing internet, Scott has fixed and installed loads of things around our place and in our cars, saving us untold hundreds of dollars in repair costs.<br /><br />So, Scott took it apart. He cleaned all of the lint out of the inside of the dryer, the whole exhaust line, and any other place you can think of. We had cleaned out the line before, and I always empty the lint trap, but over 10 years lint gets EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! He thought we needed a new thermo-thing-whatever-it-is (a safety part that makes sure your dryer doesn't get too hot and set your house on fire). It's designed to fail as soon as the inside of the dryer by the motor gets too hot. It is not fixable, so it has to be replaced. Presumably, when replacing the thermo-thing, one would also notice all that lint and clean it out. Or, for normal people, your repairman would do that.<br /><br />Scott ordered the part, replaced it, put the dryer back together and painted over the rusty spot of the top of the dryer where I had kept the laundry detergent. Wonderful! It worked!<br /><br />For one load. Now the drum won't turn. He took it apart. Maybe the belt wasn't on properly. He re-laid the belt. He reassembled the dryer.<br /><br />Nothing. We need a new motor.<br /><br />The man just this week finished his master's degree. He was doing all of this while trying to get his papers written and go to work and all of the usual Dad stuff he does. As a result, our family of 5 has been without a dryer for a month. No one is wearing less clothes. In fact, there is more laundry now than there was in the summer because I am washing school uniforms as well.<br /><br />I am not going to lie to you and say that I have been patient about all of this. I have tried (sometimes hard, sometimes not) to avoid nagging him about getting this thing done. I have tried to be cheerful in doing my wash even as certain people complain that they have no (name article of clothing here). I have tried.<br /><br />This drying is trying. The weather's not as hot as it had been at the beginning of all of this, so the clothes aren't drying in a hour. And now with the kids in school and me working, I really don't have a lot of time to hang wash out.<br /><br />I did manage to get some things on the line yesterday afternoon. Then we had a thunderstorm while I was at work. No one who was at home brought in the wash.<br /><br />What this trying experience has taught me is that you can't always make things go the way you want them. Sometimes, your son will turn the hose on the dirt near your just-dried jeans and accidentally splash mud on them. You have do things when you have the chance. You have to plan how you will do it. You have to be patient.<br /><br />What this trying experience has taught me is that you have to see how not only you are frustrated by the things out of your control. You have to see that your attitude as woman of the house will impact everyone else under your roof. You have to love them all through whatever life hands your way. You have to see that if the broken dryer and the splattered mud are the worst of it, you're very fortunate indeed.<br /><br />If you can see these things, you will grow to appreciate the feel of the sun on your hair and your newly-acquired mosquito-swatting skills. You will realize that this may just be the Lord's way of getting you to slow down a bit and listen. Listen to Him speaking to you in the three minutes of quiet you'll get as you hang out your laundry.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-23894973509176088922010-09-16T16:40:00.002-04:002010-09-16T16:44:30.679-04:00while the kids were selling lemonade in JulyI took these...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILrylfBUf5Xd4jGXD4uAmquwMC-p41EIKtyYfJAtzD90_LwljZLlq3EfDbSndgWnanYReMSV62l_EPGAoUYnfNm_I8J1QjpkCR0LQC6Mq6ERqlYfTa9cI7C2g0-eCOqRlhKz7/s1600/DSC_1361.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILrylfBUf5Xd4jGXD4uAmquwMC-p41EIKtyYfJAtzD90_LwljZLlq3EfDbSndgWnanYReMSV62l_EPGAoUYnfNm_I8J1QjpkCR0LQC6Mq6ERqlYfTa9cI7C2g0-eCOqRlhKz7/s320/DSC_1361.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517614858651888274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkZfflwIkSnsVYJfnA5gCnb1QR4-G7geNjSKeUHHaYbcdY6v0BP_vYA4MTV6WqfPJHcsO1G0QPLv5-oo44lRSKYD95j2sxFhM5Cc96GdJFZEWjo0eiLWYkQ1rLFJ7HerMDhnF/s1600/DSC_1361.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzVxLswXcoCDEWKtoaC42B1yVSx67ig-mGQEyzyHS95r59RdXBC64M79Qxw4S7QGiBrSu0bZ858ye1xZhNI_ufxWY6GVwYMwe1TN1Xjmo6Q9FHzJRcfNvfm3lD6zqq5ihDe3I/s1600/DSC_1329.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzVxLswXcoCDEWKtoaC42B1yVSx67ig-mGQEyzyHS95r59RdXBC64M79Qxw4S7QGiBrSu0bZ858ye1xZhNI_ufxWY6GVwYMwe1TN1Xjmo6Q9FHzJRcfNvfm3lD6zqq5ihDe3I/s320/DSC_1329.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517614548602371634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxP_BUJrWgGJjx9AQ2ZDbt-RWhUwskqO29ZiZMDN09NrRDm2kLAoSGg3rFA2jrnMOhsF-Si2irWzLyrpm3xYDr9qkxr8exDM0gbwm0kcvsZmPEKCsPe02dM7cbh6o4D0awDx8/s1600/DSC_1325.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxP_BUJrWgGJjx9AQ2ZDbt-RWhUwskqO29ZiZMDN09NrRDm2kLAoSGg3rFA2jrnMOhsF-Si2irWzLyrpm3xYDr9qkxr8exDM0gbwm0kcvsZmPEKCsPe02dM7cbh6o4D0awDx8/s320/DSC_1325.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517614538891999074" border="0" /></a>Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-57784871388221646272010-09-15T08:16:00.001-04:002010-09-15T08:16:00.508-04:00Can this school be saved part 4: Mission Control<em>Below is the last installment of the story I wrote for <a href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/">Creative Minority Report </a>about Seton Hall University. Comments are now open. I link to the newspaper articles I used for sources. Here are parts <a href="http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-this-school-be-saved-part-one.html">one</a>, <a href="http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-this-school-be-saved-part-two.html">two</a>, and three. </em><br /><br /><br />At the beginning of this series, I said that there seems to be a battle going on for the university’s soul: a battle between Catholic thought and values and those of the secular world. It’s human nature to want to draw clear lines and assign parts in this drama: “liberal” faculty forces vs. a “conservative” archbishop, or the money a Division 1 sports program can bring in vs. goodness and integrity. I’m not so sure that accurately depicts what’s going on here.<br /><br />The university has a lot going for it in terms of “orthodoxy cred.” The Office of Mission and Ministry at the University seems to be trying to do a lot of good things, overseeing: The Catholic <a href="http://www.shu.edu/academics/theology/catholic-center-family-spirituality/index.cfm">Center for Family Life and Spirituality</a>, The <a href="http://www.shu.edu/catholic-mission/chesterton-index.cfm">G.K. Chesteron Institute for Faith and Culture</a>, the <a href="http://www.shu.edu/academics/theology/institute-christian-spirituality/index.cfm">Institute for Christian Spirituality,</a> and others.<br /><br />What I think we have at Seton Hall is a split-personality disorder. There seems to be a culture there that doesn’t recognize that to be intellectually honest and rigorous and truly Catholic are not mutually exclusive things. The Seminary and the Mission and Identity haven’t been successful in permeating the entire culture at Seton Hall.<br /><br />What Seton Hall needs to do, and it is not too far gone to do, is to examine itself through the lens of <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_15081990_ex-corde-ecclesiae_en.html">Ex Corde Ecclesiae</a>, Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic higher education (In its <a href="http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/ExcordeEcclesiaePressPacket/tabid/704/Default.aspx">press packet</a>, the Cardinal Newman Society has a good breakdown of the guidelines and analysis of what has happened at Catholic colleges in the United States in the 20 years since Ex Corde was published.). Seton Hall doesn’t seem to have truly embraced the following:<br /><br /><blockquote>“A Catholic university, as Catholic, informs and carries out its research,<br />teaching, and all other activities with Catholic ideals, principles and<br />attitudes. …Catholic teaching and discipline are to influence all university<br />activities, while the freedom of conscience of each person is to be fully<br />respected. Any official action or commitment of the university is to be in<br />accord with its Catholic identity.”<br /></blockquote><br />Catholic ideals, principles, and attitudes are not being reflected across the board at Seton Hall. Catholic attitudes and principles were not on display during the coaching tenure of Bobby Gonzalez. Having a priest sit on your bench during games (like the team chaplain, Msgr. Liddy does) doesn’t mean that your coach and his or her players are living Catholic attitudes and principles, and it doesn’t make up for distinctly un-Christian behavior.<br /><br />Can a course on gay marriage be offered at a Catholic university that is living up to Catholic ideals, principles, and actions? Can such a course be offered in a completely balanced way, showing how the Church teaches that people who self-identify as gay must be treated with dignity and respect and are called, just like every other human being, to live a chaste life within God’s ordered creation and that the Church teaches that gay marriage goes against the natural law? It’s hard to imagine that an openly gay professor who has advocated for the gay lifestyle would be able to accomplish this.<br /><br />This struggle between the secular forces and Catholic mission forces is very evident in the failed search for a replacement for Msgr. Robert Sheeran this past year. Based on Msgr. Swetland’s background and his involvement with EWTN’s “Catholicism on Campus,” one might conclude that Msgr. Swetland might try to guide Seton Hall into a place where it resides more firmly within Ex Corde’s guidelines. Some have seen in Swetland’s candidacy the hand of Archbishop Myers trying to bring Seton Hall closer to Ex Corde.<br /><br />What can the Archbishop do about Seton Hall University? The truth is, Archbishop Myers can do very little in an overt way, so there is no smackdown on the way. The Archdiocese does not own Seton Hall, even though it is a diocesan university. Archbishop Myers does sit on two very important boards, but he doesn’t have absolute control over them. He can advocate and he can preach, but he does not have direct control over the daily happenings at the University. That is the job of the President.<br /><br />What can we, Jane and Joe Catholic sitting in the pews, do to save not just this Catholic university, but all Catholic colleges and universities in danger of losing their souls? First, we must pray. We must ask the intercession of the saints in whose names these schools were founded for the conversion of the campuses. We must pray for the clergy and religious who are running these schools. We must pray for those who are trying to effect positive change at these schools. We must pray for lukewarm souls to be set on fire for Christ once again.<br /><br />If we are alumni of these Catholic colleges in trouble, we must make our feelings known and vote with our wallets. We need to show the people on the boards and the presidents of these colleges that following the guidelines of Ex Corde means something to us and that we will either give or withhold giving based on how well they do that.<br /><br />We also need to understand what following the guidelines established by Ex Corde means. People tend to focus on the mandatum oath, whose theology professors have taken it and whose haven’t (From Ex Corde: Catholic theologians “are to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church as the authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.” Every professor of Catholic theology must have a “mandate” (mandatum) from the local bishop, as required in the 1983 Code of Canon Law.”). While the mandatum is crucial, it’s only one part of the guidelines and isn’t a guarantee of a holistically Catholic college. The <a href="http://www.catholic.net/index.php?size=mas&id=82&option=dedestaca">National Catholic Register/Faith and Family Magazine College survey </a>is an excellent resource which asks the colleges to self- report on all of the guidelines established by Ex Corde Ecclesiae. <a href="http://www.thenewmanguide.com/">The Newman Guide</a> is indispensable in helping Catholic families choose a Catholic College.<br /><br />Finally, we need to support the bishops who are working to clean these colleges up. We need to encourage them with cards, letters and emails, and we especially need to pray for them. Our bishops need to know that we think that Catholic colleges and universities are important to all the faithful, to our country, and to the world. Our bishops need to know that we believe that the colleges and universities who would call themselves Catholic need to project a strong Catholic identity for the world to see.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-47743082456854685122010-09-14T08:05:00.001-04:002010-09-14T08:05:00.079-04:00Can this school be saved, part 3: failed presidential search<em>Below is the third installment of the story I wrote for </em><a href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/"><em>Creative Minority Report </em></a><em>about Seton Hall University. I will close comments until it has run in its entirety. I link to the newspaper articles I used for sources. Here are parts <a href="http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-this-school-be-saved-part-one.html">one </a>and <a href="http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-this-school-be-saved-part-two.html">two</a>. <br /></em><br />In June 2009, Msgr. Robert Sheeran <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/monsignor_robert_sheeran_of_se.html">announced</a> his intention to resign as the President of Seton Hall University, kicking off a year-long search for a replacement. By the spring of 2010, the committee had chosen <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/seton_hall_names_2_finalists_t.html">two priests as finalists</a>, Msgr. Stuart Swetland and Rev. Kevin Mackin, OFM. <a href="http://www.msmc.edu/About_MSMC/Administration/Presidents_Offfice">Fr. Mackin</a>, currently the president of Mt. St. Mary College in Newburgh, NY, withdrew from consideration shortly after his name was announced, saying that he had decided to stay at Mt. St. Mary’s.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.shu.edu/presidentialsearch/upload/Monsignor_Stuart_Swetland_Biography.pdf">Msgr. Swetland</a>, who was ordained for the diocese of Peoria IL in 1991 by Newark Archbishop John J. Myers (bishop of Peoria Diocese from 1990-2001), came to campus for a series of interviews in May 2010. Swetland is the host of EWTN’s <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/series/shows/catholicismCampus/catholicismCampus.htm">Catholicism on Campus</a> and a professor at Mt. St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD. Some at the university objected to Swetland’s candidacy, citing his lack of administrative experience. They also contended that he was being seriously considered a finalist only because of his friendship with Archbishop Myers.<br /><br />Swetland was offered the job of president of Seton Hall. During the course of confidential contract negotiations, some university officials <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/seton_hall_president_candidate.html">leaked </a>specific details about the contract discussion, including a reported $300,000 annual salary. Sheeran earned about $31,000 per year. At the same time, the faculty senate, which represents each of the university’s colleges, <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/seton_hall_university_faculty.html">circulated a statement </a>urging the Board of Regents to reopen the search to seek candidates with more administrative experience and to laypeople. Citing his discernment that the Lord was calling him to stay at Mt. St. Mary’s (MD) and expressing his disappointment that the confidential contract discussion had been compromised, <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/seton_hall_president_candidate.html">Swetland withdrew his candidacy</a>.<br /><br />While other New Jersey Catholic colleges in the area have gone from having priests and religious serving as president to laypeople, Seton Hall has not. The Board of Regents had limited its search to clergy for two reasons: the by-laws of the university require that the president is a priest and the Board’s feeling that a priest-president best serves the university’s mission.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-57037983783470646772010-09-13T20:58:00.000-04:002010-09-13T20:58:00.288-04:00Can this school be saved part 2: Questionable course offering<em>Below is the second installment of the story I wrote for </em><a href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/"><em>Creative Minority Report</em></a><em> about Seton Hall University. I will close comments until it has run in its entirety. I link to the newspaper articles I used for sources. Part one, Basketball Madness, is <a href="http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-this-school-be-saved-part-one.html">here</a>.<br /><br /></em>On April 15, 2010, The Setonian, the Seton Hall University student newspaper, published a <a href="http://www.thesetonian.com/news/gay-marriage-class-offered-1.1343990">story</a> about a new course to be offered in fall 2010 on the topic of gay marriage. The course will be taught by Dr. W. King Mott, an openly gay professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department. Mott told the Setonian that this course was not about advocacy, but would take an academic approach to the issue. “I hope my students gain an appreciation and respect for disinterested analysis that can be used to formulate an informed opinion,” Mott told The Setonian.<br /><br />Upon learning about the course offering, Archbishop Myers asked the University’s Board of Trustees (of which Myers is Chair) and the Board of Regents (of which Myers is president), to review the course. At this time, no official decision has been made on whether or not the course will go forward. The Mission and Identity Committee was supposed to discuss it in June. However, in <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/controversial_seton_hall_gay_m.html">an article </a>that appeared in the Star-Ledger on August 25, Mott has said that as far as he has been told, the course is still slated to begin in the first week of class and it has about 24 students registered. The University had no official comment to the Star Ledger.<br /><br />This is not the first time Mott has clashed with the administration of the University. In October 2005, <a href="http://www.nj.com/">The Star Ledger </a>printed a letter by Mott that criticized the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Mott signed the letter as the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of Seton Hall University. As a result, Mott was removed from his duties as Associate Dean, but was retained as a tenured member of the faculty.<br /><br />What's interesting about Mott is that his entire professional academic career has been at Catholic Universities. I wonder why that is, especially since he thinks the Church is homophobic:<br />"The bottom line is, you're talking about a homophobic institution," he said last night. "The Roman Catholic Church is prima facie homophobic. The Roman Catholic Church considers me to be inherently disordered. I don't know how much more homophobic one can be" (Star Ledger October 28, 2005). In this 2005 article, Mott had indicated that he would seek a faculty position elsewhere. Clearly, he is still teaching at Seton Hall.<br /><br />When I worked at Seton Hall as an admissions counselor 10 years ago, the nursing students were put on rotations in which they would observe abortion procedures. The nursing school made it clear to us at the time that students could opt out of those rotations without penalty, but the question is: why was this part of the nursing curriculum at a Catholic University in the first place?<br /><br />Catholic Colleges have a right and a grave responsibility to be CATHOLIC. Many parents send their children to, and pay good money for, Catholic universities for a Catholic education. And knowing that, there are many secular colleges and universities which would gladly hire well-qualified professors, like Mott, without caring about what they think about Church teaching.<br /><br />Seton Hall is a diocesan university, meaning that it is not founded or tied to a particular religious order, but it was founded by the Bishop of Newark and is tied to the diocese in its bylaws. Immaculate Conception Seminary, the diocesan seminary, is located on the campus at SHU. The Archbishop of Newark, Most Rev. John J. Myers, is the chair of the Board of Trustees and is also the Chair of the Board of Regents. Other permanent seats on the Board of Regents are the bishops of the four other dioceses in New Jersey, and other clergy.<br /><br />One subcommittee of the Board of Regents is the Mission and Identity Committee. “The Mission and Identity Committee shall consider matters referred to the Board of Regents by the Board of Trustees arising from the University’s Catholic mission and identity, giving due consideration to the identity of Catholic institutions of higher education that is described in Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990). The Committee shall report its recommendations to the Board of Regents” (Seton Hall Univeristy By-laws, Section 2, e, 3).<br /><br />Why did the Mission and Identity Committee fail to issue a judgment or recommendation on this course? A Catholic University ought to be an oasis for Catholic thought and ideas. Parents should not have to be worried about whether or not a particular Catholic university is really Catholic. Parents should expect that their children will not be put off on their faith by the actions of the university. People who are not Catholic should be attracted to a true Catholic University that by its nature would exude Christian love and freedom.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-13952660064646651492010-09-12T23:41:00.005-04:002010-09-12T23:58:03.363-04:00Can this school be saved? Part one: Basketball MadnessBelow is the first installment of the story I wrote for <a href="http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/">Creative Minority Report </a>about Seton Hall University. I will close comments until it has run in its entirety. I link to the newspaper articles I used for sources.<br /><br /><br />It seems there is a quiet battle going on behind the iron gates of <a href="http://www.shu.edu/">Seton Hall University</a>: a battle for the university’s soul. The Division 1 men’s basketball program has endured a very dark off-the-court stretch, a new class is being offered by a member of the faculty who operates clearly and loudly at odds with Church teaching, and a year-long search for a new president has turned out fruitless. All of these things are circling in the air over these 58 acres of South Orange, NJ. Is Seton Hall’s soul dead, or merely on life support?<br /><br />Seton Hall University is the oldest and largest diocesan university in the United States. Founded in 1856, just three years after the founding of the Diocese of Newark, NJ, Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, established Seton Hall University to fill the need for a Catholic university within the diocese. He named the university for his aunt, Elizabeth Ann Seton, a Catholic convert who established the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in Emmitsburg, MD to care for and educate poor children. Mother Seton would be the first American-born saint, canonized in 1975.<br /><br />What’s been going on at The Hall lately?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nj.com/college-basketball/index.ssf/2010/03/bobby_gonzalezs_seton_hall_tenure_was_fraught_with_controversy_on_and_off_the_court.html">Basketball madness</a><br /><br />In April, 2006, Seton Hall Univeristy announced that Bobby Gonzalez, a coach known for his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08seton.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bobby%20gonzalez%20march%202010&st=cse">passion and explosive temper</a>, would lead its Divison I, Big East men’s basketball program. In the four years he was there, Gonzalez did bring the better connections with local high school coaches that the university was looking for (National High School basketball powerhouses St. Anthony’s and St. Patrick’s are within 12 miles of campus.), but he alienated those same coaches and he also brought in some <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08seton.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bobby%20gonzalez%20march%202010&st=cse">questionable transfer students </a>who had run-ins with the law while enrolled at SHU. One was arrested for drunk driving the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway. Another punched a player on the opposing team below the belt during a game. A third, after having been kicked off the team, duct taped 8 people, some of whom were former teammates, and robbed them. On March 17, 2010, Gonzalez was <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/sports/college_sports/seton_hall/031710_Seton_Hall_fires_basketball_coach_Bobby_Gonzalez.html">fired by SHU President Robert Sheeran</a>, six months after having been granted a contract extension through 2014. Sheeran cited Gonzalez’s conduct and that of his players as cause for termination. Gonzalez sued Seton Hall for wrongful termination shortly after he was fired, and Seton Hall countersued. The cases were settled out of court on August 25, 2010. No details of the settlement were released.<br /><br />Seton Hall’s men’s basketball team has been the big team at the University. When any college’s or university’s basketball team does well in the NCAA tournament, its national profile is higher and it typically sees a sizable jump in admissions applications, which can translate into more qualified students and more money for the university. But at what cost? Bobby Gonzalez was a questionable choice for Seton Hall from the start. He’s intense, but was his brand of intensity a good fit for a Catholic university? Don’t Catholic colleges and universities have to hold themselves and their employees and students to a higher standard of behavior, modeling themselves on Jesus Christ?<br /><br />It seems that Seton Hall has learned a lesson from the Gonzalez experience. On March 28, 2010, Seton Hall hired Kevin Willard, a family man who turned around the basketball program at Iona College and who served as Rick Pitino’s assistant with the Boston Celtics and at the University of Louisville. In an <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=5492382">interview published on August 24</a>, Willard told ESPN’s Dana O’Neil “When I met with Seton Hall, we talked a lot about behavior, but we also talked about winning and losing. I think you can have both. You can have a program you can be proud of and also have success. That’s what our goal is.”<br /><br />Is it possible for a Catholic college or university today to have it both ways: to be a national sports powerhouse that is also fully committed to its Catholic identity? Of the colleges and universities who answered <a href="http://www.catholic.net/index.php?size=mas&id=82&option=dedestaca">the National Catholic Register/Faith and Family Magazine’s 2009 College survey </a>(only 26 schools completed the survey out of about 240 Catholic colleges and universities across the country), none of them have Division I athletic programs.<br /><br />To look at Division I powerhouse Notre Dame’s decisions over the last 15 years or so, one might be left to wonder if Catholic colleges and can their sports and be faithful, too. Certainly there are some members of the <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/education/ed0198.html">theology faculty</a> who are solidly committed to the teaching authority of the Church, but there are others who are not. <a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/university_of_notre_dame_president_approves_vmonologue_performances/">Notre Dame hosted the play The Vagina Monologues in 2008.</a> And the fact that <a href="http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/11293-president-obama-to-deliver-notre-dames-commencement-address/">Notre Dame gave an honorary degree to President Obama in 2009</a>, one of the most vocal proponents of abortion in our nation, and still <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2332422/posts">refuses to drop charges against peaceful protesters</a> might leave some to wonder if a Catholic college can really “have it all.” And if it’s worth having in the first place.Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11474308.post-42240831068484332082010-09-01T15:09:00.005-04:002010-09-01T15:35:38.099-04:00First chronologically ordered recap from Giglio's European Vacation<span style="font-style: italic;">Wherein Amy tries to set herself to the timeline and we learn about a British man and doughnuts. </span><br /><br />Hello, friends! I figured I'd try to hook you up with some pictures from your vacation. This time, I'll start from the beginning.<br /><br />We left for England on a Friday evening, after the last day of Vacation Bible School, where I try and channel my inner Christian pop star and lead kiddies in song. Hilarity ensues. Most of it scripted.<br />What happened this day was, VBS ended at noon, the children and I met Scott and my in-laws at the house, My FIL took the kids for lunch and then to his house where they would spend the next 2 weeks and my MIL took me and Scott to JFK to catch our flight to Heathrow. Now, while JFK is not the closest international airport to our house, it did have the cheapest flight. This meant my MIL VOLUNTEERED to drive us across Staten Island, Brooklyn, and into Queens and then she drove herself home which is half an hour west of our house. Yes, I do have the best MIL in the world. Why do you ask? We got to the airport in record time (Half an hour. No traffic. This never happens. My poor MIL was not so lucky on the way home. It took her 4 hours to get back). She dropped us off and we were on our grand adventure!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7veZVyEHfNrtO2D3xqM5WXJESRY-VQ15J3YVwX5anviMmo4s5HsXuWbCPQ3r7524ouo8oQ0brkD4XLprf3SFr5ChJ9OKG6UEqlQNYjv7t1YHj3uXnmeSk6lx9LufWGoOS0CL/s1600/DSC_3544.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7veZVyEHfNrtO2D3xqM5WXJESRY-VQ15J3YVwX5anviMmo4s5HsXuWbCPQ3r7524ouo8oQ0brkD4XLprf3SFr5ChJ9OKG6UEqlQNYjv7t1YHj3uXnmeSk6lx9LufWGoOS0CL/s200/DSC_3544.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512026603929053682" border="0" /></a><br />Here is me on my new iP0d T0uch, reading a book. Funny story about this terminal at JFK: It is about 14 miles long. We get through security near gate 30. We have to go to gate 8. We have a lot of time to kill, so we're chillin near gate 30 because, they, the plane doesn't leave for 3 hours. Then we start looking around and we're like, "It seems like the gates end here at gate 10. Where is gate 8?<br />So with 2 hours to go, we start looking for gate 8. It is literally half a mile away from the security checkpoint. It took us 20 minutes to walk there.<br /><br />So then we get on the plane and we fly overnight for a really really long time till at 8:00 the next morning we wake up and we are in England! Yay!<br /><br />I slept a little on the plane, but not a lot. And I have seemed to develop some sort of hip thing which has begun to plague me and I really need some ibuprofen. But I can't find any at the airport. So I have to buy Anadin, which I think is like Anacin. But I don't recognize the drug name. It says it's good for headaches and body aches so I take it and I can walk again.<br /><br />We are met at the airport by an awesome guy who works for the university. His name is Trevor. Trevor, Scott, and I are waiting for the rest of the people from the university group to arrive because they are all coming in on a different flight. Trevor tells us he was to the USA once. While in the airport, he got hungry. Somehow, he got this idea in his head that our doughnuts are awesome and he wants to try one. So, he's looking around and he can't figure out where to go to get a doughnut. So he does what anyone would do if they were in a new place and he needed help. He asked a cop where could find a good doughnut. The cop glared at him and walked away. Trevor's like, "I don't understand why." Meanwhile, me and Scott and trying to pick our jaws up off the floor. Then we explain to him the thing in the US about cops and doughnuts and how very lucky he is that he didn't get arrested or punched.<br /><br />So the rest of the group arrives and we shuttle off to our home for the next several days: Wroxton College. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcSXMMCGD90ZErP-8NabgCpQEYNPnaE3TsJa5fW39lKnpS4L2epLxeZtFh8WWqNgv-tUOGLEQpN39PDQuGZkscnnFms2BEVMpeMYMMuLNRNIw32k7BPOaNAx8FjaYR4qC61Xm/s1600/DSC_3583.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcSXMMCGD90ZErP-8NabgCpQEYNPnaE3TsJa5fW39lKnpS4L2epLxeZtFh8WWqNgv-tUOGLEQpN39PDQuGZkscnnFms2BEVMpeMYMMuLNRNIw32k7BPOaNAx8FjaYR4qC61Xm/s200/DSC_3583.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512030729233178418" border="0" /></a><br />Stay tuned for the next installment of our adventure!Amy Gigliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02645173524517798088noreply@blogger.com1