More photos... St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ft. Worth, TX

Facing the altar...















In the front of the church, to the left of the altar... this was fabulous!


St. Joan of Arc... one of my favorites...

Photos St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ft. Worth, TX

Beautiful baptismal font...























Detail of statue of Mary...


















This Sacred Heart statue is just to the right of the altar...


















More stained glass windows...

Longhorn cattle drive

Any of you who noticed the dearth of postings this past week will be thrilled to know that I haven't given up blogging, but rather was away from access to the world wide web. My laptop gets alarmingly hot with any use at all (still got to get that checked out), so we went computer-less this week.

We were off on a house-hunting trip this week, trying to find out where we'll live next. We had a very good experience, getting somewhat familiar with the areas near where my husband will be working. We found a possible house (still in negotiations with the seller), got a new Suzuki teacher for the boys all lined out, and had time to do some tourist type things as well.

One of the tourist attractions we found quite amazing was the Longhorn cattle drive that occurs every day in downtown Ft. Worth. The city has a small herd of longhorns and hired cowboys to drive them as a tourist attraction. We got there in time to see the 4 pm cattle drive and have the photos to prove it.

Our boys are also big roller-coaster enthusiasts, so we actually ended up staying later than planned so that we could make a couple-hour stop at Six Flags over Texas. I rode the Batman: the Ride roller coaster and also the Titan ride with my oldest son... I remembered having a slight headache the last time after I rode Titan (and it repeated itself again), but I have to give high reviews to the Batwing ride. It looks much scarier from the ground, but is really a very smooth and fun ride... no jarring turns, etc.

Yes, we are a little crazier than most and are doing our level best to lead our boys along the same path... it seems they like this stuff, too. As I recently mentioned to a friend, you have to start them out too young to have any sense about it...

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ft. Worth, TX

While doing a few tourist-type activities on our house-hunting trip, we were able to stop in to see the cathedral in Ft. Worth. St. Patrick's Cathedral is right in downtown Ft. Worth (currently in the middle of a lot of construction going on in the next block).

The cathedral itself was a beautiful old church, with almost none of the changes one can associate with the effects of Vatican II. The only real change I could guess must have occurred was the moving out of the altar toward the front to allow for the priest to say Mass facing the people. It also looked like there may have been a portion of the altar rail removed as well. However, the majority of the altar rail seems to be intact and is quite beautiful.

The ceiling of the church appears to be simple plaster, with a few wooden arches. Unfortunately, the entire church is carpeted. I was imagining how great the music would have sounded in there without the carpeting.

What was truly amazing in the church was the collection of absolutely fabulous stained glass windows and the many beautiful statues of saints all through the church.

The wonderfully carved stations of the cross were also very nice.

Can't say enough about this beautiful church. I am looking forward to attending Mass there sometime after we are living there. I am posting a photo of the St. Cecilia stained glass window. I may add a few other photos later... enjoy.

Monsignor Georg Ganswein does a great job...

I was watching the interreligious gathering at the John Paul II center at Catholic University and the giving of gifts to Pope Benedict when it occurred to me what a good personal secretary Msgr. Georg is. I realize this is a sidenote from the main event, of course. But, think of all the people who are involved in the planning and details of a visit such as this... One small detail in a sea of details jumped out at me...

As they were getting ready for this gift presentation portion of the meeting, a man in a suit came forward carrying a tray with (I assume) papal medals to be presented to the gift bearers. The man came and stood with his tray right next to Pope Benedict. Then, when the first gift was presented, I noticed that Msgr. Georg moved in to assist. The gift looked to be a bit heavy... not a good idea to expect Pope Benedict to stand there holding it ad infinitum. Georg smoothly moved in, carried the gift away and put the medal to be presented close at hand for Pope Benedict. (This seemed to greatly annoy the tray bearer, from my perception).

The point is... Pope Benedict, with Georg's help, was able to focus all his attention on the person who was in front of him. He didn't need to wonder what he was going to do with the gift and "where the heck are those darn coins?" . Georg's quiet assistance allows Pope Benedict to be unconcerned with the details and focus on the bigger things...

My husband and I had a few good-humored musings in German about what type of exchange could (only in our minds, of course) take place should there turn out not to be enough coins...

All right... who took two coins???

Alternate use for large wineglass...

Here is a photo of the beautiful oversized wine glass given to me by our schola used (in this case) as a vase -- perhaps its actual intended use? The roses are the first I have cut from the yard this year.

'

Thank you all very much.

Too busy watching the Pope...

... to make any sort of decent post... currently watching the Vespers service. Seeing the beautiful crypt brings back the remembrance of our Masses there this past summer during the Colloquium. The acoustics in the crypt (with the arched, tiled ceiling) are amazing.

The boys and I did make it to daily Mass today on Pope Benedict's birthday. We had a much better schoolday today than yesterday. It is nice to have a dramatic improvement from one day to the next. The boys are approaching the end of their 1st quarter, so testing is coming soon.

Miscellaneous

It's going to be a busy day... kids' schoolwork, followed by many other things this afternoon. We watched with great interest the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at Andrews AFB yesterday. He was looking very good and had a joyful look about him...

I'm going to try to get the house in order and see if I can get some bread going... it'll be touch and go today.

We're going househunting next week, so it should be exciting. The boys are very excited and are hoping for a place with good access to a pool. That is a goal for the next place -- live close enough to a neighborhood pool to let them swim every day in the summertime. I'd like them to really become strong swimmers. Currently I have to drive at least 20 minutes each way to take them swimming and, frankly, it's just too much to do every day.

We'll have to see what we find. Hope you have a great day!

The Joys of Homeschooling (on a rough day)

There are, indeed, many benefits to home schooling. Today is a day when I find it difficult to remember what they are. While tidying up and trying to get the house in ready-to-show-to-a-prospective-buyer shape this morning, the two boys were supposed to be doing their lessons that they can do on their own. Early on, I had to separate them and put them into different rooms so as not to distract one another. Once I had things looking fairly good... load of laundry in the washer, dishwasher humming, boys quietly doing their lessons... I asked if I could trust them for the few minutes it would take to have a quick shower... "Oh, sure, no problem" was the cheerful reply.

Ten minutes into my shower, the younger boy comes running into the bathroom (trying to escape the wrath of his older brother -- who wisely doesn't follow him in). I tell the younger one to sit down on the rug and wait while I squeegee the shower and get dressed and ready...

Here's the story... not long after I headed off to the bathroom... the older one can't stand not being in trouble, so decides to spit water in the general direction of the younger one -- mind you, he had to go to the other room to do this --

This infuriates the younger one, who proceeds to spit water back at the older while running after him throughout the house... yes, water spit all over my nice clean house.

We've had a rough week... the boys were already doomed to early bedtimes tonight and tomorrow night and no electronic games for the weekend (their only chance to play each week) due to previous transgressions. I was at a loss as to what new punishments I could devise. So... the younger one, who would happily be a couch potato all day long if allowed is getting no TV for the day (many tears over that one). The older boy (who needs physical activity to burn off his orneriness) had the choice of running 50 laps around the backyard or no electronic games for the rest of the month -- meaning an additional weekend (his punishment was more severe because he was the instigator and was supposed to be the good example).

No surprise, (and better for him), he chose the lap running. Do you think this will count toward his physical activity for the President's physical fitness program?

Think of it... the day is only half done!

New First Things arrived today...

Ooh, this is a good one... many great articles in this issue. They include:

"The Freedom of Theology", by Avery Cardinal Dulles
"Shakespeare's Religion", Robert Miola
"The Ethics of Immigration" by William Chip/Michael Scaperlanda

and many other things...

One little poem to pique your interest I found particularly good...

American Crust

We upper-crust must be discussed
In deferential accents.
We want not, waste, exhibit taste,
Possess exquisite tax-sense.
In France's terror we were there,
Our necks outstretched for ax-mince,
But here our dough's so long-ago
We've mostly been relaxed since.

We middle-crust of course are just
(Between two poles) the middle.
We see the pie up in the sky
And want our slice, but it'll
Take more than faith (the Profit saith)
For we to solve the riddle.
In short, a lot of us are not
Content with second fiddle.

Us lower-crust are full of lust
For wrestling, beer, and Nascar.
We live on crumbs but spend big sums
To find where bigger bass are.
If you like books we'll hate your looks
(That's what we'll kick your ass for).
Our necks are red-- must be inbred.
Who says there ain't no class war?

by R.S. Gwynn

Enjoy...

High Cell Phone Usage Linked to Mouth Cancer

In a brief news report in the Baylor Innovations magazine (put out by Baylor University in Dallas), it was reported that:

"People who use cell phones for many hours a day are 50 per cent more
likely to develop mouth cancer than those who do not use a cell phone, according
to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Researchers in Israel compared 500 people with benign and malignant tumors of
the salivary glands and 1,300 healthy people. People who used cell phones for
many hours a day were 50 per cen tmore likely to develop a tumor of the parotid
gland than infrequent users of cell phones. The parotid gland, the largest
salivary gland, is located near the jaw and ear where cell phones are typically
held. Other studies have been conducted that found no link between cell phone
use and increased cancer risk, but the researchers noted that Israelis adopted
cell phones quickly and are typically heavy users of the devices."

It has been a few years, but it seems to me that I heard of another report from a Swedish study that linked brain cancer to heavy cell phone usage. That country is another very high usage country.

I rarely even use my minutes each month... so I don't suppose I have high risk for it... but for you multiple-hour/day cellphone users... perhaps you should get one of those dorky blue-tooth things or go back to the old phone on the wall?

Book Review: A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

I just finished the second of three books my husband and boys bought me for my birthday this weekend -- A Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell.

The book was set in Italy during WWII. The main theme of the book was the experience of Jews and how warm and caring the Italian people were, hiding them, feading them, welcoming Jewish refugees from other countries. Although fictional, the author stated:

"... my intent was to present an accurate portrayal of the 1943-45 German occupation of northwestern Italy. Hundreds of histories, memoirs, and published interviews contributed background, but I must single out the two books that provided impetus for this novel. ... "The Priest, the Rabbi and the Aviator" in Alexander Stille's historical study Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism... (and) Alfred Feldman's memoir One Step Ahead: A Jewish Fugitive in Hitler's Europe."

I was very touched by the tale she wove of the loving and generous nature of the northern Italians and their acceptance of those who needed help. Also touched upon as a thread in the novel was the question of the value of human life. The idea of the 'Uebermensch' and 'Uentermensch' in the Nazi idealogy... the belief that the handicapped and unproductive persons being nothing more than a drain on society's resources held by that regime (and, of course their response to it being forced euthanasia) was contrasted with the attitude of a mother of a child with Down's syndrome and her care and love for the child in a time when the syndrome was not understood...

The author , Mary Doria Russell, attended Catholic schools as a child and is a big supporter of one of them in the Cleveland area, but has recently converted to Judaism.

This book was another winner, in my mind.

Interesting tidbits for a Monday morning

Politics...


Michele Malkin has a funny response to Obama's comments about blue-collar America's bitterness... check out her site here.

In case you missed the comments that led to the hoopla... here is a quote from Obama's speech about those poor jobless folks in PA:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and,
like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25
years and nothing's replaced them...And they fell through the Clinton
Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration
has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have
not.

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion
or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or
anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Obama's 'former' pastor is 'wright-on' again here...





Catholicism...


Georgetown University commissioned a poll among Catholics. It seems that many young Catholics are under the misconception that Sunday and Holy Day Mass attendance is optional. On the bright side, the younger generation tends to take fasting and abstinence requirements during Lent more seriously than would have been expected. One interesting fact. The general attitudes of those born before 1960 and post 1980 are more similar than those in-between...

'
At Mass yesterday, our pastor reminded us that Pope Benedict's visit to the U.S. is an opportunity to really listen to what he has to say to us as part of the Church in America. I intend to have EWTN going full-blast a lot this week. I had the great pleasure to be able to sing with the Centenary Camerata, which was the guest choir at Mass at 5:30 pm.

I think I'll have a glass of wine now...

Yes, it is cause for celebration... the taxes are completed... ready to send out and we have a refund coming back! Not a huge one, mind you, but any year we aren't paying more is a good year!

I can remember years ago, before the nifty computer programs were available how much more difficult this process was. Yes, I can recall making a trip (on the evening of April 15th) to the local library or city hall where the paper forms were left in metal racks for procrastinators to find after hours. At the eleventh hour, I would discover I needed a form I had failed to obtain earlier. I can even remember one year when the form I needed wasn't to be found and I was busily (frantically) calling friends in the hope that they may have an extra. I was always able to muddle through, but I wouldn't say the living was easy during tax time.

This is a very big relief to me... one less thing hanging over my head. Now, on to more important things like music, books, cleaning my house (wait a minute -- how did house-cleaning make the list?)...

Corpus Christi

As noted on the Shreveport Diocesan website, the Ordination/Installation of our bishop-elect, Msgr. Michael Duca, will be at the Shreveport convention center on May 19th at 12:00 p.m. In discussions about this exciting event for the diocese, there were many who were hoping it could be done at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. It is truly a beautiful church, and it would be nice to do it there... but it only holds a limited number of people. For such a memorable occasion, it is preferable to have it somewhere else rather than have such a limit on who can attend.

I am certain those factors entered heavily into the decision-making process. It is my understanding that Archbishop Hughes, of New Orleans will preside over the ordination and installation. I am looking forward to hearing about the music selections that will be made and how tickets to the Mass will be distributed. I have heard that the reception following will also take place at the convention center, which makes logistics easier as well.

Back to the topic at hand... after the ordination/installation, bishop-elect Duca's first Mass presiding as bishop will be at St. John's on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (according to what I have heard), which falls on May 25th. That date should also mark a very big celebration at the cathedral...

There is a wonderful chant in the propers for Corpus Christi (that I'll probably never get to hear at Mass due to its length, unfortunately). It is the sequence (that follows the alleluia prior to the Gospel reading):

Lauda Sion Salvatorem, Lauda ducem et pastorem, In
hymnis et canticis.
Quantum potes, tantum aude: Quia maior omni laude,
Nec laudare sufficis. Laudis thema specialis, Panis vivus et vitalis Hodie
proponitur.
Quem in sacrae mensa cenae, Turbae fratrum duodenae
Datum non ambigitur.
Sit laus plena, sit sonora, sit iucunda, sit decora
Mentis iubilatio.
Dies enim solemnis agitur, In qua mensae prima
recolitur Huius institutio.
In hac mensa novi Regis, Novum Pascha novae legis,
Phase vetus terminat.
Vetustatem novitas, Umbram fugat veritas, Noctem
lux eliminat.
Quod in cana Christus gessit, Faciendum hoc
expressit In sui memoriam.
Docti sacris institutis, Panem, vinum in salutis
Consecramus hostiam.
Dogma datur christianis, Quod in carnem transit
panis, Et vinum in sanguinem.
Quod non capis, quod non vides, Animosa firmat
fides, Praeter rerum ordinem.
Sub diversis speciebus, Signis tantum, et non
rebus, Latent res eximiae.
Caro cibus, sanguis potus: Manet tamen Christus
totus Sub utraque specie.
A sumente non concisus, Non confractus, non
divisus: Integer accipitur.
Sumit unus, sumunt mille: Quantum isti, tantum
ille: Nec sumptus consumitur.
Sumunt boni, sumunt mali: Sorte tamen inaequali,
Vitae vel interitus.
Mors est malis, vita bonis: Vide paris sumptionis
Quam sit dispar exitus.
Fractor demum sacramento, Ne vacilles, sed memento
Tamtum esse sub fragmento, Quantum toto tegitur.
Nulla rei fit scissura: Signi tantum fit fractura,
Qua nec status, nec statura Signati minuitur.
*Ecce panis angelorum, Factus cibus viatorum: Vere
panis filiorum, Non mittendus canibus.
In figuris praesignatur, Cum Isaac immolatur, Agnus
Paschae deputatur, Datur manna patribus.
Bone pastor, panis vere, Iesu, nostri miserere: Tu
nos pasce, nostuere, tu nos bona fac videre In terra viventium.
Tu qui cuncta scis et vales, Qui nos pascis his
mortales: Tuos ibi commensales, Coheredes et sodales Fac sanctorum
civium.

Translation:
O Zion, praise thy Saviour thy Prince and thy
Shepherd; praise him with hymns and canticles.
Make bold to praise him with all thy strength;
for he surpasseth all praise; thou shalt ne-er be fully equal to the
task.
A special theme of praise, the living and
life-giving bread, is on this day proposed.
Upon the table of the Last Supper, to the group
of the brethren Twelve, this bread was truly given.
Let our praise ring out full and resonant, a
song of the heart, joyful and radiant.
For today is a most solemn festival, recalling
how this sacred banquet first was instituted.
At this banquet of our newly crowned King, the
Paschal mystery of the New Law bringeth to its end the ancient Passover
rite.
Novelty replaceth that which is old, reality
chaseth away the shadows, radiance doth eliminate the night.
That which Christ accomplished at this supper
he ordered to be done again, in memory of him.
Taught by his divine precepts, We consecrate
the bread and wine, a sacrificial victim for salvation.
This sacred doctrine do Christians receive: the
bread into his body and the wine into his blood is changed.
What thou can neither grasp nor perceive is
affirmed by ardent faith, beyond the natural order of things.
Beneath these double appearances - mere signs,
and not the realities themselves - is hidden the most sublime of
mysteries.
His body is food, his blood, a beverage but
Christ remains entirely present under each.
His flesh, when eaten, is not torn apart,
broken asunder or divided; intact he is received.
Though one alone be fed, though thousands be
fed, all receive the same reality, which perisheth not at meal's
end.
The good and the guilty may all have part
therein, but with different results: life or death.
Death for sinners, life everlasting for the
just; mark well the varied effects of this single food.
And when the bread is fragmented, be thou not
troubled, but remember: he is present in each fragment just as much as in the
shole.
The hidden reality is not divided, the sign
only is fragmented; He whose presence is signified, suffereth no diminution in
stature or in strength.
* Behold this bread of Angels which hath become
food for us on our pilgrimage; it is truly the bread of God's children, let it
ne'er be thrown to dogs.
Scripture announced it figuratively by Isaac's
sacrifice, by the paschal lamb and by the manna given to our
forefathers.
O Good Shepherd and most true bread of life,
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us;feed us and protect us, bring us to the vision of
eternal riches in the land of the living.
Thou who knowest and canst accomplish all
things, who dost feed us in this mortal life, make us thy chosen guests, the
co-heirs and companions of thy saints in the heavenly city.

Note: this can be sung in a shortened version from the asterisk to the end...

New Chants added today...

Two new chants were added to the list today...

Te Deum (short)
Ego Sum

The Te Deum is a shortened version of the solemnis form of Te Deum. I found this version on a recording by the Solesmes monks and have found it to be very useful for our schola on various occasions. It is still not a short piece (about 3 1/2 minutes), but is about 1/3 shorter than the entire piece.

WYD Vestments Need Explicitly Christian Symbols

HT Absolutely No Spin... In an article in an online Australian news site, it was reported that Pope Benedict has rejected the proposed WYD vestment design. The reason for it is the Pope's opinion that all symbology on vestments must be explicitly Christian... not such a very radical requirement, in my opinion. A quote from the article:

The Pope is known to dislike vestment symbols that are not
explicitly Christian. He may, though, wear some variation on the vestment design, a WYD spokeswoman said.

Take a gander at the photo of the proposed design... the front of the vestment features a symbol of the southern cross constellation. The back features something called "Margorie's Bird" (I have no idea what that is).

Another quote from Angelqueen.org gives a little insight as to how the design came about:

"They feature the Southern Cross on the front, signifying
Australia as the Great Southern Land of the Holy Spirit. "This is reinforced by the indigenous image on the back of the chasuble - Marjorie's Bird - also representing the Holy Spirit. "We want to ensure we reflect our unique landscape, history and cultural influences when the international spotlight is on Sydney for this great event," he said. Marjorie's Bird was created by indigenous artist Marjorie Liddy from the Tiwi Islands in Northern Territory.

Both sets of vestments were designed by Melbourne firm Stuart Pettigrew Design and Sr Rosemary Crumlin RSM.

You can see a (not very good) small photo of the vestment back at a pdf here...

Schola Anniversary

Last night our schola celebrated our one year anniversary. Meeting at the home of one of our members, we enjoyed a great evening of chanting (not very much... just enough to sort of call it a rehearsal), eating, drinking and talking. I was very touched by cards and gifts given to me to take with me when we move... a beautiful crystal vase (which was jokingly recommended as a possible wine glass for me -- much better than those dinky glasses usually offered) and a wonderful coffee mug imprinted with the name of Jesus in various languages of the world... I'll drink my coffee from it and think of the wonderful friends I have had the pleasure of getting to know here...

We spoke of music, upcoming events in the parish and diocese, not the least of which is our upcoming Bishop's ordination / installation. We will be anxious to hear how the planning goes (where it will be held, etc.).

It lasted quite a bit later than our normal rehearsals... talking takes much longer than singing! Happy Anniversary, Schola!

Great post on Peggy Noonan...

HT Creative Minority Report... check out their post about Peggy Noonan's insightful analysis of the Democratic political candidates... attitudes, truthfulness...

As stated in the post, Peggy Noonan has an uncanny ability to make you aware of things you maybe knew.

She speaks of Hillary's untruthfulness and Obama's attitude toward middle class America, as exemplified in their recent actions and words. I think, particularly, Obama's attitude toward middle class America is not atypical of most priveleged liberals... that is the problem. They have no real regard for those they hope to rule.

Parish Book of Chant... give a listen!

Listen to Jeffrey Tucker tell what you can expect from the CMAA Parish Book of Chant that is to be available in June 2008. Pre-orders are also available... check it out!

By clicking on this link, you can hear much great information about this great resource!

http://www.musicasacra.com/media/pbc-explanation.mp3

For a list of contents... see the post Scelata has here...

Bishop-elect Anthony Basil Taylor (Little Rock)

Our neighboring diocese to the north in Little Rock, Arkansas has a new bishop. Father Anthony Basil Taylor, (almost) 54, who was born in Ft. Worth, TX will be ordained bishop of Little Rock on June 5, 2008.

Here is an excerpt from an article at Arkansas Catholic:

Father Anthony B. Taylor, a priest in the Archdiocese of
Oklahoma City, was named seventh bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock the
morning of April 10.

The word came at 5 a.m. CDT from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic
nuncio to the United States, that Pope Benedict XVI had made the
appointment.
A press conference will be held at 2 p.m. today in Morris Hall
Chapel on the grounds of St. John Catholic Center at 2500 North Tyler Street.
Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran of Oklahoma City will introduce Bishop-elect
Taylor who succeeds Bishop J. Peter Sartain, the Diocese of Little Rock's sixth
bishop, who was installed as the bishop of Joliet on June 27, 2006.

During the past 21 months while the Diocese of Little Rock has been
without a bishop, Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert has served as the diocesan
administrator. He also will be present for this afternoon's press
conference.

Anthony Basil Taylor was born April 24, 1954, in Fort Worth, Texas. He is
the oldest of seven children born to Basil and Rachel (Roth) Taylor who moved
their family to Ponca City, Okla., in 1960. Bishop-elect Taylor's parents and
two of his siblings and their families still live in Ponca City, which is on the
Arkansas River in northern Oklahoma.

As a seminarian Bishop-elect Taylor studied at St. Meinrad Seminary
College in Indiana and the North American College in Rome where he took classes
at the Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest on Aug. 2, 1980 in his
home parish, St. Mary in Ponca City. Serving among Catholics who are Hispanic
has been an emphasis of Bishop-elect Taylor's ministry since his ordination. His
first assignment was to Sacred Heart Parish in Oklahoma City where he began
Spanish Masses at Clinton and Hinton, Okla. From 1982-1986 he served in Queen of
All Saints mission in Sayre, which included ministering to the Hispanic
population in a five-county area. In 1989 Bishop-elect Taylor earned a doctorate
in biblical theology from Fordham University in New York City.

Bishop-elect Taylor also has served in various archdiocesan positions,
including vicar for ministries; minister to priests; director of the permanent
diaconate Program; chairman of the Presbyteral Council, Clergy Personnel Board
and Clergy Retirement Board; and as a member of the Archdiocesan Finance
Council. He is also a member of the board of trustees for Mount Saint Mary High
School in Oklahoma City, a sister school to Mount Saint Mary Academy in Little
Rock.

Bishop-elect Taylor was the founding pastor of St. Monica Parish in
Edmond, Okla., in 1993, a total stewardship parish, where he served for 10
years. In 2003 he returned to his first assignment as a priest, Sacred Heart
Parish, where he oversaw the final phase of its transition from being a
predominately Anglo to a predominately Hispanic Catholic community. Seven of its
nine weekend Masses are in Spanish, one is bilingual and one is in English.

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City sponsored and staffed a parish in
Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, from 1963 to 2001. In 1981 Father Stanley Rother,
an Oklahoma priest, was martyred there. After the local diocese of Solola took
over the care of the parish in 2001, Oklahoma Catholics continued to provide
assistance to the parish, its school, a local hospital and a new planned alcohol
abuse treatment center, since 2005 under the direction of Bishop-elect Taylor.
In September 2007 the cause of canonization for Father Rother was formally
opened with Bishop-elect Taylor serving as the episcopal delegate for this
process.

The Diocese of Little Rock was established Nov. 28, 1843. It covers the
entire state of Arkansas whose 75 counties encompass 52,068 square miles.
Registered Catholics comprise 116,605 of the state's total population of
2,810,872.

Here is another tidbit taken from the Little Rock Diocese' biographical page...

Anthony Basil Taylor was born April 24, 1954, in Fort Worth,
Texas. His parents and grandparents on both sides were long-time residents of
Fort Worth. Two of his grandparents are converts (his mother's father from
Judaism and his father's mother from Protestantism) and both of his parents, as
well as the Taylor children themselves, were raised in a solid traditional
Catholic home.
Bishop Taylor is the oldest of the seven children of Basil and
Rachel (Roth) Taylor -- the 5 Taylor boys and 2 Taylor girls were born in a
little over 9 years and are as close personally as they are in age.
The
Taylor family moved to Ponca City, Okla., in 1960, where Bishop Taylor's parents
and two of his siblings and their families still live today -- the other 4 live
in Fort Worth and Dallas. Ponca City is on the Arkansas River in northern
Oklahoma.
Bishop Taylor attended parochial and public schools, graduating
from Ponca City High School in 1972. He attended the University of Oklahoma for
two years, after which he was accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of
Oklahoma City.

From Whispers in the Loggia, here is a little more personal article about the man...

Earlier today, a friend of Bishop-elect Tony Taylor's said he had a hard time
thinking of the Little Rock appointee in a cassock.Well, Taylor started getting
used to it a bit earlier than usual at today's presser -- house garb, zucchetto
and all.And when the Oklahoma priest started flashing his famed social-justice
cred, linking the witness of MLK to his call to priesthood, jaws were seen
dropping in the room.Statement; snips:

The Pope apparently needs a clearer response than: Oh my gosh! so Archbishop Sambi pressed a little further, asking: How do you feel about this? And all I could
think of was: humbled. Humbled by the trust the Lord is placing in me, humbled
by the confidence everyone who has had a hand in choosing me to be the next
bishop of Little Rock, humbled by the scope of this new calling which is far
greater than anything I have ever done before, humbled by my own inner
conviction that when the Lord calls the only answer that a faithful servant can
give is: "Yes Lord, I will do whatever you ask."

Every bishop traditionally comes up with a coat of arms and a motto, and I have taken my motto from Psalm 37:11 which Jesus quotes in Matthew 5:5 as one of the Beatitudes: "The Humble Shall Inherit the Earth." But there is a problem in that the word translated as humble is different from humble as we usually think of it -- a humble or timid attitude.

In Psalm 37:11 the underlying Hebrew word is Anawim, meaning those
of humble circumstances: the poor, the oppressed. Those of humble circumstances
will inherit the earth. Jesus' preferential love of the poor and marginalized
was courageous, not timid, and so also must we be if we are to be his faithful
servants. Not to the exclusion of anyone else but in recognition that those with
the greatest need have the greatest claim on us.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago this month and on the day of his death God gave me an insight that helped me eventually hear his call to the priesthood. I was 14 at the time.

The insight was this: being a faithful Christian requires more
than just saying prayers, obeying the Commandments and trying to get your own
soul into heaven. If you're only interested in your own spiritual welfare in the
next life, you don't really believe in the redemptive power of the cross of
Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther King taught me that being a faithful Christian
required that I do whatever I could to help build the Kingdom of God here and
now, and that to do so would require courage not timidity, fear of God not fear
of man. If you don't align yourself with the Kingdom of God in this life, how do
you expect to be admitted into the Kingdom of God in the next?

And who are the people of humble circumstances of the Diocese of Little Rock?
Probably the same people whom I have served for over 27 years as a priest in Oklahoma, the same people whom my inspiring predecessors have served here in Arkansas in the past....And I pray to God that the Lord will make me as good a shepherd for the Church and people of Arkansas as those on whose shoulders I now stand.

New Bishop Announcements!

More bishop announcements today... see all the news at Catholic Heirarchy News. It looks like our neighbors to the north will also have a new bishop...

Bishop-elect William J. Justice was named an Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco, California, USA and titular bishop of Mathara in Proconsulari.

Bishop-elect Oscar Cantú was named an Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio, Texas, USA and titular bishop of Dardanus.

Bishop-elect James Douglas Conley was named Auxiliary Bishop of Denver, Colorado, USA and titular bishop of Cissa.

Bishop-elect Anthony Basil Taylor was named Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. The Diocese had been vacant since Bishop James Peter Sartain was named Bishop of Joliet in Illinois in May 2006.

Bishop Richard Edmund Pates was named Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The Diocese had been vacant since the resignation of Bishop Joseph Leo Charron, C.Pp.S. one year ago today. Bishop Pates had been serving as an Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Another great Adoremus article by Jeffrey Tucker...

Just read the article in the April 2008 Adoremus Bulletin online... "The Decline and Fall of Catholic Music". In the article, Jeffrey gives a very good analogy about the loss of the musical skills within the Catholic church. Here is a brief excerpt:

Comics are rather popular among young people and have been
for many decades. But let’s imagine a world in which people never really went
beyond them. No novels, no poetry, no non-fiction. Just comics. Maybe not even
words. Just pictures.

Who would be surprised when the generation turned out
to be illiterate? Let this situation run for three or four generations, and you
would suddenly wake up to a world in which no one could really read and, more
shockingly, no one could teach people to read either.

At this point, you might expect people to suddenly
realize what they have done. A major part of the foundation of civilization had
been inadvertently smashed. If we could easily do a before/after analysis, we
would be shocked more so than if we live in the midst of
transition.

While it is happening, each generation knows
less than the previous generation and increasingly there are fewer and fewer
people around to even notice that there is a problem. People do not even know
what they do not know, nor even that the problem needs to be
corrected.

This, I fear, is pretty much what has happened in the
area of Catholic music — not entirely, but we have approached that fate and
perhaps might be saved from it with massive efforts today.

Check out the article... he made many very good points about why it is important to all of us to try to preserve the musical heritage of the Church...

Chant: for the Few? or the Many?

I read a wonderful article in the October 2007 Adoremus Bulletin (which is now online) by Lucy Carroll... it is a wonderful discussion about the history and the now of Chant.

HT Adam's Ale

The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber -- Book Review

On my birthday, my husband and boys gave me three books they selected for me from the local bookstore... knowing how much I love to read, it is always a sure bet. The first one I have read was The Book of Air and Shadows, by Michael Gruber. It was originally published in 2007; I have the paperback edition.

This was a very enjoyable read... interesting from the standpoint of being able to learn things about literature, bookbinding, reading old script, perhaps some idea of the attitudes prevalent at the time when Shakespeare lived... At the same time, I liked the style of the writing... it jumped back and forth, intertwining the historical parts with the modern parts...

The author did a nice job of developing some very interesting characters in the book... touching on many different issues... monogamy, abuse of women, dishonesty, greed, lust...at the center of the story was a intellectual property lawyer ( whose sister is a madam and whose brother is a Jesuit priest) who was unwittingly drawn into the mystery of the possible existence of an unpublished work of William Shakespeare's.

At many different points in the book, I happened to notice that Catholicism was a part of either the character or the subplot -- was William Shakespeare a Catholic in secret? While the author didn't gloss over certain problems with the Church, neither did he demonize it. In fact, I would say, overall, Catholic beliefs and characters in the book came off pretty well. This was quite refreshing to me.

I recommend reading this book... it was a lot of fun and quite interesting.

Step by Step... Recorded Music links

To sum up...

Last year when I first began working with the schola, I soon found that I needed a way to make recordings of myself singing the chants for our group to use for practice CD's. Even though we found recordings online, it was often difficult to hear the fine nuances of pronunciation, interpretation of neumes, etc. A simple, one-voice recording seemed the way to go.

1. I bought a simple recorder at one of the local computer stores... an Olympus DS-30. I love it for the fact that it is extremely simple to use and very compact -- about the size of a cellphone. With it and the uploading cable that came with it, I have been happily recording practice CD's for our schola ever since. It does record in a format denoted .wmv. This is, apparently, a proprietary thing and is not compatible with .mp3 or .wav, which are more common and easily edited. Although the recorder came with a simple editing package, it is very limited and doesn't even actually work on the new computer we now have with an XP operating system.

So... although it was still working wonderfully well for its original intended purpose, I was beginning to see the limitations in terms of sharing the music online (no good in .wmv format) and editing.

2. Next I bought a simple online program (available for $19.95) called Smart Audio Converter. It allows me to convert my files from the DS-30 to .mp3 format or .wav format.

3. In order to be able to do editing on the files, I downloaded a simple free program called Audacity. With it, I am able to do simple editing to remove the loud 'click' from the button pushing. I am sure there is much more capability than I am currently using, but I'll investigate that as time goes on.

4. Once the files are recorded, converted, edited, they are ready for uploading, sharing in emails, etc. I found that, if you want to be able to link to these files in a blog, you have to have a place on the internet to store them. I found a free web-hosting site -- fileave.com where I opened up a free account for the music file storage. There are many others out there... I didn't really spend a great deal of time comparing... I found uploading the files to this site was extremely easy -- idiot-proof even. Once they were uploaded to the site, I have unique addresses for each recording that I can link to my blog, or in emails, etc. The site even offers the codes for imbedding the files onto a blog (so I was able to place one of the files on my blog so that it plays when the blog site is opened up -- it doesn't play continuously... just once through).

So... maybe there was a simpler way to do all this... but it works! I'll continue recording my chants in the church foyer to leave behind (perhaps several) CD's for the schola to use after my departure... with the promise that I'll make more when they need them. Maybe I'll find another place to record with equally good acoustics in the new place... but will I have a key that allows me to go there when no one is using it? That is the question... the future awaits!

Babies and New Technology...

There is a wonderful story at Apprentice of St. Joseph about the ultrasound and accompanying photo of their yet-unborn child.

It reminded me again of the wonderful surprise we got concerning our eldest son...

Although my husband and I have been married over 25 years and always wanted a large family, it was not to be. After trying the various methods of increasing fertility (within acceptable practices, of course) to no avail, we had long decided it just wasn't in God's plan for us to have children. We accepted our lot and, while we considered adoption, found it was a difficult road for two such transient individuals such as ourselves to undertake. At one point we were actually qualified to be foster parents, but were strongly discouraged from thinking that it might lead to an adoption at some point...

At the time of my pregnancy with our eldest son (when we had already been married over 15 years) I was working full-time for a transit bus manufacturing company in the southwest. I was a program manager in the research and development department at the time, working long hours and traveling to Los Angeles every two weeks to check on the progress of a prototype bus build we had in progress. I can recall having some pains in my lower abdomen (which we later deduced to be the stretching of ligaments)... I discussed this fact with my mother, who was concerned that I could end up by myself, in L.A., trying to get to a hospital for an appendectomy or some such thing.

At her urging, I decided to go see a doctor before my next trip (which happened to be only one day away from my appointment). While there, the doctor talked with me about my symptoms and finally asked about the possibility of pregnancy. I laughed and said that I was quite sure it couldn't be, as we had tried to have children for years with no success, despite all the help modern medicine could give us. He asked that I humor him, so I (thinking we could at least eliminate that possibility) said, "Sure, go ahead and test me for it".

Not much later, he came back and said, "Well, let me be the first to congratulate you... you are pregnant."

At the same appointment, they got me in to have an ultrasound... being very cavalier about such things as my monthly cycles (and also having not a bit of morning sickness or any other symptom) I had no earthly idea how pregnant I was. From the ultrasound, we determined that I was already about 10 weeks' pregnant... I came home from the appointment with the ultrasound pictures to prove it. I went to see my parents, who lived in the same city where we were at the time, when they asked how the appointment went... I couldn't even speak for crying with happiness... I just finally handed them the ultrasound pictures of my little boy...

My husband was commuting to his unit in N. at the time and was in transit at that particular time... but when he called me later that day, he asked what the doctor had said... I told him I did not have appendicitis, but that I would have to start taking prenatal vitamins.

Dead silence on the other end of the phone... then the reality came through... great joy and excitement in our little family. I have a hard time understanding the dichotomy in our society... when a pregnancy is a much-awaited thing, there is no doubt (however early on the pregnancy) that it is another little human being there... yet, when it was not a desired thing, that same little person is considered a blob of cells? Especially with the advent of the ultrasound technology, and the visual evidence that there is a living - heart-beating - person, how can anyone justify abortion? That little person did nothing to cause his/her little life to be snuffed out for someone else's convenience, regardless as to how his/her existence came to be... OK enough soap-boxing for one evening!

Amateur Recordings...

Thought I would put a link to a few of the recordings... in case anyone is interested in the music our schola will be working on in the near future...

Kyrie cum Jubilo IX

Sanctus cum Jubilo IX

Agnus dei cum Jubilo IX

I love this cum Jubilo (especially appropriate for Marian feastdays) Mass setting and would love for it to be ready to do during the month of May...

Here are a couple of others I like particularly well...

Jesu Dulcis

Regina Caeli

If you tell me a particular favorite of yours from this list... it will be the next selection heard from the sidebar upon visiting the blog... You can also make requests for future recordings...

A Quiet Weekend...

It has been a fairly quiet weekend... we were all in the mode of trying to let my husband recuperate. The boys were on good behavior, offering to fetch and carry whenever needed. The eldest also did dishes (by himself and without breaking anything) twice! I got some bread baked and made granola for the coming week. We splurged this morning and I made Blueberry Buckle coffee cake (leaving one end plain for my picky eater).

I have stayed up way too late, but I have finally gotten all the pieces figured out on this recording/uploading thing. Although Audacity won't export in .mp3 format without another program, it works fine in .wav format. So... I just do my editing (to my limited capability, which primarily extends to removing the loud 'click' at the end of each recording), export the files in .wav format and then use my newly purchased file converter to put them back in .mp3 format. Whew!

It doesn't seem so hard now that I have it figured out... I'm inspired to do more before we leave here. With my discovery of the wonderful sound in the church foyer, I want to do a few more soon. This week, I recorded Veni Sancte Spiritus, Veni Creator Spiritus, Regina Caeli, Salve Regina, Kyrie cum Jubilo IX, Sanctus IX, Agnus Dei IX, Kyrie Orbis Factor XI, Sanctus XI, Agnus Dei XI, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Ave Maria (antiphona), Jesu Dulcis and O Salutaris. I had also recorded both versions of the Ave Maris Stella, but think I'll re-do them.

Next week, my recording plan is: Asperges me, Te Deum (solemnis), Gloria XV, Sanctus VIII, Agnus Dei VIII, Requiem Introit, Kyrie for Funerals, In Paradisum/Chorus Angelorum, Ego Sum, and Ecce Panis. That should give us plenty to work on for the coming weeks and perhaps even beyond my departure.

Still can't seem to use audacity...

Well... I figured out several pieces of the puzzle... I bought software to convert the .wmv files from my Olympus recorder to mp3. Then I found a free hosting site (instead of trying to make the other one work -- too hard) and uploaded several music recordings...

Now you hear the fruits of my labor when you open up the site. I am hoping to be able to figure out how to use the editing software to clean up the recordings... get rid of the street noise and the "click" at the end... but in the meantime, I have made much progress. I imagine I'll change the chants daily... makes it more interesting, don't you think?

The problem I am having with Audacity is that, after I've done my editing, I can't seem to get the dumb file to export back as an mp3 file. The software keeps telling me that I need another program to reconvert it to mp3... there must be something simple I could do to make this work... but I'm learning it all the hard way.

The recording on there today is O Salutaris, a chant from the Liber Cantualis. I may take that element off the side at some point... it could become annoying... but for now... it is there!

Tax Preparation avoidance...

Yes... I am, once again, waiting until the absolute last minute to complete our tax return. I have it started and it shouldn't really take me all that long this year... after all, we didn't move in 2007 (heh). However, I have found a good way to distract myself from that looming responsibility today.

I'm trying to figure out the way things work with web hosting, etc. With the help of Brian Michael Page from Christus Vincit I think I now know how to use my simple Olympus recorder to post a few recordings from time to time... I purchased a Smart Audio converter to convert my Olympus files (that are in .wmv format) to mp3 format. Then, I had to figure out how to use the website I purchased last year and never have used to upload files... I've still got learning how to use the mp3 editing software Audacity on my 'to do' list.

I'm still testing the accessibility with (probably unwilling) family members and friends to see if it works... if it all goes well... I'll be able to post a few of my recordings. I am hopeful that when I record something we sing at Mass that is particularly good, or when I visit somewhere and want to share the sounds... I can do it -- I do realize that any recordings will have to be non-copyrighted materials... so if you do hear things... they will be really OLD music (just sung recently). I may also post practice music here from time to time that is representative of what we are singing in the schola...

Calling all Hoosiers...

Any midwesterners out there? I so wish I could join in this Gregorian Workshop that is to be held April 11-12 in Lafayette, IN. Check out Scelata's post about this event... I had received word about this upcoming event from a friend I met at last year's Colloquium from Kokomo, IN (where we used to live several years ago).

Weekend update...

Well... as soon as the grass dries up a bit more, I am out to mow... with the lovely rain we have had the past few days, it has greened-up nicely. We do have a "For Sale" sign posted out front and I have the house within 15 minutes of ready to show status... so all is right with the world.

Thursday our family spent the day at the hospital... my husband had an outpatient surgery scheduled... so the boys (schoolbooks in their backpacks) and I took him there at around 5:15 am. The surgery went well and he is recuperating nicely at home. It was a very long day, though, for all of us. We didn't end up actually getting home until about 4 pm.

Later that evening, when I could see that the boys were well-situated and with orders to fetch anything their Dad might need... I headed out to chant practice. We are a bit uncertain of when our next Latin Mass will be with the announcement of our new Bishop. As such, the Latin Masses we had scheduled have been cancelled for now because of all the intense effort in the planning for his Ordination/Installation.

We worked on the beautiful sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus that is called for on Pentecost. It has to be one of my all-time favorite chants. We sang it antiphonally men/women. Also, we tried something a little different this week. In the foyer to the cathedral the accoustics are very live... perhaps how the cathedral itself was before they added all the sound-deadening acoustic panels to the ceiling whenever they did the last major renovation. We moved our group out to the foyer and sang... it was such a good sound!

I went back yesterday afternoon to record the chants we'll be working on for the coming weeks - general Marian hymns, two more Mass settings and a few other pieces we haven't yet done from the Liber Cantualis. I must say the recordings sound much better there (in the church foyer) than from my home bathroom recording studio! Even with my simple recorder, the sound was good... wish I could figure out how to upload some of the recordings I have made to the blog... but I am guessing I am really just going to have to learn how to use my mp3 recorder!

Cistercian Abbey Gregorian Chant - Stift-Heiligenkreuz

For chant lovers... a wonderful recording from the Cistercian Abbey in Wienerwald... apparently they have an abundance of vocations there...

http://www.stift-heiligenkreuz.org/

HT: Curt Jester

Msgr. Michael Duca update...

Yesterday at about 10:00 am, Monsignor Michael Duca was officially introduced at a press conference at the chancery... here is an excerpt from the news story:

Applause greeted the new bishop-elect of Shreveport before he was officially introduced at a press conference this morning.Pope Benedict XVI named Msgr. Michael Gerard Duca, of the Diocese of Dallas, as the second bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport today.

“I should thank Pope Benedict XVI for this awesome and exciting blessing,” he said to a group of media, priests and diocesan staff. “It’s a great joy to come to this diocese.”

Duca will fill the seat left vacant when Bishop William Friend retired in December 2006.Since he is a priest, he will be ordained bishop and installed as the head of the Shreveport diocese in a joint ceremony. It is tentatively set for May 19.

Duca, 55, is a Dallas native and attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas, where he is now the rector. Ordained in 1978, he has also served as vocations director for the diocese, campus minister at Southern Methodist University and associate pastor at several Dallas churches.

“This is a great day for the diocese,” said the Rev. Peter Mangum, pastor of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. “I believe the holy father has matched the right person with his background in priestly ministry, vocations and law.”

Some data about the Shreveport diocese:

Diocese of Shreveport by the numbers

11,133 square miles

40,000 Catholics

27 parishes

14 quasi-parishes

7 schools

2 early childhood centers

38 active priests

21 permanent deacons

3 active seminarians

'

Bishop-elect Duca will be the second bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport, which is located in northwestern Louisiana.

This information courtesy of the Shreveport Times.

A video of the announcement can be seen here...

'

One more bit of information from Zenit:

Established in 1986, The Diocese of Shreveport covers 11,124 square miles in 16 civil parishes and has a current total population of 788,793, of whom approximately 39,425 are Catholic.

'

Also check out James' (Opinionated Catholic) blog entry on the subject here...

Shreveport has a new bishop!!!

As we had rumored a few weeks ago, Shreveport will have a new bishop very soon... Monsignor Michael Duca, the longtime rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, will be wearing the bishop's miter. The tentative date for ordination/installation is set for May 19th, so mark your calendars... I think the schola had better start working on a few ordination-type chants... just in case our services are needed!
'
Here is the web posting from the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport...

See the article at Whispers in the Loggia...
'
Dallas News release:

Pope Appoints Duca to Lead Diocese of Shreveport
Dallas Seminary Rector Named New Bishop
(Dallas) A Dallas native will be the new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana. The Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, announced this morning that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed Reverend Monsignor Michael Duca of the Diocese of Dallas to serve as only the second bishop of Shreveport.
'
Bishop-elect Duca’s appointment comes just one month away from his 30th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood in Dallas on April 29, 1978. He has served as the Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas since 1996. He has also served on numerous boards and commissions in the Diocese of Dallas including: the College of Consultors, Presbyteral Council, Personnel Board, the Commission for Orders and on the Diocesan Tribunal, presently as a Judge and as Associate Judicial Vicar. He is currently the Director of the Office for the On-going Formation of Priests. He is also a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher.
Early in his priesthood, Bishop-elect Duca served as Associate Pastor at several parishes in the Diocese of Dallas including: All Saints, St Patrick and St. Luke. He also served as Campus Minister at Southern Methodist University from 1985-1992 and as Vocations Director for the diocese from 1985-1992.
'
In 1994 he was chosen for further studies in Canon Law. He attended the University of Saint Thomas in Rome (The Angelicum) where he graduated with a License in Canon Law in 1996. Upon his return from Rome, he was appointed to serve as Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary. Bishop-elect Duca has served as rector until the present.
'
At the announcement of the news, Bishop-elect Duca said “I am humbled and honored by the Pope’s decision to appoint me as Bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport. It is an incredible blessing that I look forward to, but not without some mixed emotions. My 30 years as a priest in the Diocese of Dallas have been a very enriching experience. The opportunity to serve in parishes and to work with the future priests of our diocese as rector of Holy Trinity Seminary has helped me to grow as a minister and person.”
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The Most Reverend Kevin Farrell, Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, issued words of support stating “I am delighted and thrilled for Bishop-elect Duca. The diocese has benefited from his ministry, his leadership and his many other talents. I will miss his support here but I am pleased the Diocese of Shreveport is getting such a strong and capable spiritual leader. We will pray for his success and happiness.”
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The new bishop-elect, son of Lewis and Aline Duca of Dallas, was born June 5, 1952. He was baptized at Sacred Heart Cathedral now the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School through eighth grade and is a 1970 graduate of Bishop Lynch High School. Since Holy Trinity was a collaborative seminary with the University of Dallas at the time of his studies, Duca received both a B.A in Psychology and a M.Div. in Theology from UD.
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Bishop –elect Duca will be ordained a bishop and installed as the Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Shreveport in a ceremonial Mass tentatively set for May 19th in Shreveport.