A gift

I restarted this blog to share the ideas and feelings that I received from Father Rolheiser at our parish mission.  If there is one thing that I wish I could share with each one of you, it is the gift that our community received in having Father Rolheiser speak to us. I tried to record it on my iPhone, but there was too much static (and people noise) to upload it to this blog.  But I was listening to a Latin mass that a friend had sent me to start my morning for some reason I decided to check St. Monica's website for recently uploaded audio.

And I am so excited that my very progressive and hippie church* uploaded all three nights of the parish mission onto our website. I PROMISE you that if you take the time to listen to these recordings (you can download them and listen to them on your iPod). The topic was Faith and Doubt - Rolheiser nails it, and sprinkles in some awesome jokes and stories.

http://www.stmonica.com/mediacenter/audio/other/

Granted, now I can't intellectually steal his ideas and post them here.  But he is truly a gifted man.  I must warn you that if you have any predisposition to weird intonations (as I do) then he tends to extend the last syllable of some words at the end of sentences.  But they also recorded some of the music - I must admit this is one of the reasons I get to church 15 minutes before mass (to find parking) in any Sunday (not just Christmas and Easter).

I am very affected by music. If you listen to Day 1, around minute 46, Helena sings a beautiful song. An on Day 2, at about minute 75, there a hymn that uses the music from from Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah.  The recording does not due either of them and their talent.

* I say this because St. Monica's is known for being progressive.  We have a vibrant Catholic community.  If I wanted to be at St. Monica's every night of the week, there would always be something to do.  Monsignor Torgerson has a facebook page, a twitter account and a hybrid car.  In addition, you will not find some of our ministries at most other Catholic Churches.  Some of my favorite are the clown ministry (they all dress likes clowns and go to visit children in hospitals, etc.),  GLO (gay and lesbian outreach), and the "Spirituality of the Twelve Steps."