I am off to a conference so blogging will be non existent until I return on Thursday.
Food Stamps and the Cost of Food
Listening to my local NPR radio station today there was a report that food stamp usage in Massachusetts has risen 9% in the last year. Half a million people in the state are using food stamps and that is only 40% of those who are eligible to use them. However as with non food stamp users, food prices are rising and food stamps are worth less and less each day. So once again we see the poor suffering. Latter this summer the Feds will change the food stamp calculation to take into consideration inflation and thing might get a little better but food prices continue to rise. Sounds like we need to invade a country that produces a lot of food so we can have it sent here at low prices like oil from the Iraq. Of wait gas prices are going up as well and the gas companies are posting record profits. Hmmmmm
Sunday Round Up
I was up earlier than usual today as there is much to prepare for Liturgy. Well not actually Liturgy but after. Today we have our General Assembly to vote on some spending issues here at the Church. We need to replace all of the windows to make the church more energy efficient. The ones that are there now are original and leak both air and water. It is an expensive proposition but the pay off should be better in the long run. I don’t see a problem of it passing just getting enough people there to have the meeting. We need 25% of the membership to be present, that’s 17.5 people. I know of 5 couples not coming to church today for various reasons but I hope we can still pull in the ones we need.
After church I am off to my parents to celebrate my father’s 75th birthday. Actually it was last week but got transferred to this Sunday because of mother’s day. So I will roll on out to the coast and stay overnight. I will return to the office tomorrow after noon but then head out again for the annual fire chaplains retreat/conference.
This year we have, what I hope is, a good speaker. Rev. Kate Braestrup will be speaking with out group this year. She is chaplain to the Maine State Warden Service. She lost her husband, a Maine State Trooper, a few years back and went to seminary and now serves as chaplain. Her book is listen over on the right hand side of this blog. I hope to review it soon, after I finish reading it that is.
So that lasts until Wednesday then Wednesday night I begin a series of lectures here in the church on American Orthodox History. So busy days here but I am looking forward to all of it. Some where in there need to get out to the lake and check on things there and maybe rest a bit. I do some of my best writing out there and it is a good quiet place to pray and just hang out.
That is all for now.
Edwards rules out possibility of vice presidential run with Obama
This must be a blow to Obama. This would have made things a little easier for him at the convention. Oh well it will be good TV if they fight it out on the floor of the convention.
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When John Edwards and Barack Obama appeared on stage together Wednesday night in Michigan for the former North Carolina senator’s official blessing of the Democratic front-runner, some pundits and Democrats wondered aloud whether they were seeing the Democratic ticket.
But yesterday Edwards seemed to rule out a sequel of his 2004 vice presidential run.
“No, no, no, won’t happen,” he said on NBC’s “Today” show.
Pressed further, he replied, “It is not something I’m interested in.”
Asked about whether he has talked to Obama about a job in his administration, Edwards said “only in the abstract way,” and refused to say whether he was interested in being attorney general.
From www.boston.com
16 May ~ St. Brendan of Clonfert
St. Brendan of Ardfert and Clonfert, known also as Brendan the Voyager, was born in Ciarraighe Luachra, near the present city of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, in 484; he died at Enachduin, now Annaghdown, in 577. He was baptized at Tubrid, near Ardfert, by Bishop Erc. For five years he was educated under St. Ita, “the Brigid of Munster”, and he completed his studies under St. Erc, who ordained him priest in 512. Between the years 512 and 530 St. Brendan built monastic cells at Ardfert, and at Shanakeel or Baalynevinoorach, at the foot of Brandon Hill. It was from here that he set out on his famous voyage for the Land of Delight. The old Irish Calendars assigned a special feast for the “Egressio familiae S. Brendani”, on 22 March; and St Aengus the Culdee, in his Litany, at the close of the eighth century, invokes “the sixty who accompanied St. Brendan in his quest of the Land of Promise”. Naturally, the story of the seven years’ voyage was carried about, and, soon, crowds of pilgrims and students flocked to Ardfert. Thus, in a few years, many religious houses were formed at Gallerus, Kilmalchedor, Brandon Hill, and the Blasquet Islands, in order to meet the wants of those who came for spiritual guidance to St. Brendan.
Having established the See of Ardfert, St. Brendan proceeded to Thomond, and founded a monastery at Inis-da-druim (now Coney Island, County Clare), in the present parish of Killadysert, about the year 550. He then journeyed to Wales, and thence to Iona, and left traces of his apostolic zeal at Kilbrandon (near Oban) and Kilbrennan Sound. After a three years’ mission in Britain he returned to Ireland, and did much good work in various parts of Leinster, especially at Dysart (Co. Kilkenny), Killiney (Tubberboe), and Brandon Hill. He founded the Sees of Ardfert, and of Annaghdown, and established churches at Inchiquin, County Galway, and at Inishglora, County Mayo. His most celebrated foundation was Clonfert, in 557, over which he appointed St. Moinenn as Prior and Head Master. St. Brendan was interred in Clonfert, and his feast is kept on 16 May.
The Akathist and Office to St Brendan can be found here.
Same Gender Marriage
Yesterday we saw the Supreme Court of California rule or actually overturn a decision of a lower court that denying same gender folks to marry is non-constitutional. The teaching of the church on this issue seems to be clear, or as clear as it can be although I have not seen anything in writing by any Orthodox bishop on the issue so I am actually not sure where the church stands on the marriage of folks of the same gender. (If anyone has a link to a statement on this issue from an Orthodox Bishop in the US please let me know) Sex is a different story.
My issue with the whole thing is this. I was listening to NPR this morning reporting on the issue and the reporter said that the court ignored the will of the people. Now I am no scholar of the California Constitution but I believe the courts are not supposed to up hold the will of the people but rule on cases based on the law and the law alone. If there is nothing in the constitution banning this or that thing then it is ruled as unconstitutional regardless of how the people feel about it. If you want the issue changed, change the constitution.
Now this brings us the whole issue of the Federal Government getting involved in the issue. All I have to say is marriage is a local, state issue and not a Federal issue and the Feds should keep their hands off. I am not sure of the exact quote but I believe the Constitution of the US says that anything not in here the states get to decide. I am not quoting word for word.
Marriage of two people of the same gender is an issue that is not going to go away. If you don’t want it in your state then launch a campaign to amend the constitution of your state. Judges are not supposed to rule based on anything other than the law. Now I am not so naive that I believe this happens all the time, but there has to be some basis to how they rule. I have not read the decision but I am sure it is true to the law in California. This is our system, not great, but it is the only one we have.
Facing East Podcast
Fr. Greg and I put another podcast online today for your enjoyment. Episode 20 is available on iTunes or here:
Round Up
This is the third time I have attempted to try this post let us see how far we can get. Busy weekend has passed. On Saturday graduation at the college where I teach. It was great to see so many embark on the next phase of their lives. I remember my first graduation like it was yesterday and how nervous I was the next day.
Sunday was Mother’s day and my father’s 75th birthday so I went home to my parent’s house after Liturgy and spent a few days there relaxing and reading. Hence no personal posts during that time.
This morning the Fire Department ran their annual pre-prom drill. This has become an annual event and two cars are placed in the parking lot at the high school with some of the kids in them made up to look like an accident has taken place. Two of them are dead and the funeral home comes and picks them up. The fire department responds and cuts the victims out of the car. At the end some one explains what happens and what not to do on prom night. Very positive drill I think. I was looking around at the kids and they were all paying attention and no one was talking and that is a good sign with kids.
Tomorrow I have a podcasting session with Fr. Greg in the morning an then a visit by the iPadre in the afternoon. Fr. Jay and I have been trying to get together for some time and we seem to be able to do it tomorrow. So Fr. Jay is coming here to the village for a church tour and then off to get some food. Maybe we will podcast together, who knows.
Edwards Backs Obama
Well it looks like the long election season might be coming to a close. John Edwards is backing Obama, well the Associated Press says so anyway. I had been waiting to see what he was going to do. I think he is wrangling for the VP slot or maybe a good spot at the convention. We will see.
Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney elected ROCOR head
New York, May 12, Interfax – Archbishop Hilarion (Kapral) of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand has been elected the new hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Nikolay Balashov told Interfax-Religion.
The election took place during a session of ROCOR’s Archbishop Council in New York.
Archbishop Hilarion became acting Chairman of ROCOR’s Synod after the death of ROCOR’s top hierarch Metropolitan Laurus of East America and New York and was seen as his likeliest successor.
Under the new order, his candidacy requires the approval of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II.
Archbishop Hilarion (Igor Kapral) was born on January 6, 1948, in Canada.
In 1972, he graduated from the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville.
On December 1974, he was tonsured as a Ryassofor monk with the name of Hilarion. In December 1975, he was ordained to the deaconate. In 1976, he became a hierodeacon. The following year he graduated from Syracuse University with a master’s degree in Slavic Studies and Russian Literature and was ordained to priesthood.
In December 1984, at the age of 36, Father Hilarion was appointed bishop of Manhattan. In June 1996, he was transferred to the diocese of Australia and New Zealand and raised to the rank of archbishop.
In 2006, he was elected first deputy chairman of ROCOR’s Synod.