Author Archive

St. Gregory’s Academy Rugby – Pennsylvania State Champions

20
May 2012
By

The boys after winning state.

Congratulations to the boys of St. Gregory’s Academy on their State Championship victory.  

The Highlanders beat St. Joseph Prep 24 to 18 today in order to clinch the title of State Champions.  Their journey to the final is incredible, especially to think that a school of 60 boys from a variety of backgrounds (none were recruited to play Rugby) could become the state champions!  In order to make it to the finals, SGA had to go up against a really tough team, Burrell, from Pittsburg.  They were supposed to play another team, and St. Joseph’s Prep would have had to play Burrell, but the fates did not allow this.  But as one alumni said, beating Burrell (winning just barely: 34-31) has made the victory all the more sweet.  The boys had an amazing season.  They went undefeated, and scored a staggering 319 points while only letting 15 points get scored against them!  They had a total of 47 trys in only 6 games.  The lads have had quite an extraordinary season and State Championship is a fitting close to this our last year as St. Gregory’s Academy.  I hope to see the Rugby program continue at the new school, Gregory the Great Academy, and hopefully it is under Mr. van Beek, who has done such an excellent job with the program this year and in his entire tenure at the school.

Non nobis Domine, Domine,

Non nobis Domine,

Sed nomini, sed nomini,

Tuo da gloriam.

Our Lady, Queen of Victory, pray for us!

Category: EPRU, Highlanders, It Is What It Is, Rugby, St. Gregory's Academy  Leave a Comment  Tags:

Chips

19
May 2012
By

This is dedicated to Silly.

I overheard my students talking about something which caught my ear (like the the eye of the wedding guest is caught by the Ancient Mariner).  They were saying the word “chips” over and over again in a sort of soft voice.  ”Chips, chips, chips…”  As I heard this auspicious sound, almost as if an incantation, I went about inquiring as to why they were saying “chips.”  One spritely seventh grader said that they were talking about Susie Creamcheese’s poem.  She explained how Susie Creamcheese had written a poem called “Chips.”  I ran and begged Susie Creamcheese to donate to me a copy of her poem–you see I was so enthralled by the sound of “chips, chips, chips,” and the very next day she procured it for me.

When I got the poem, written out in hand on a piece of notebook paper, I read it so fast that I nearly missed it.  And so I re-read it, this time getting more out of it. On the third read I began to pick up on various schemes, the use of ghost meter, and even the esoteric stresses and enjambments.  The poem revealed to me its philosophical and existential bent: it lead me through the universal and particular nature of “chips.”  I must share it with you!

Chips: by Susie Creamcheese

Chips

Cruchy and Salty

you can dip them in any dip

chips, chips, chips

O, they are really good

there are many types:

Doritos, Lays, tortilla, corn

chips – Yum!

Notice the use of enjambment in line 7.  It serves to link ‘corn’ (this particular ‘type’) to its larger context of ‘chips.’  In the last line of the poem the simple monosyllabic word “Yum” captures the essence of chips.  The beginning of the poem begins with the invocation of the muse of “Chips.”  We are then brought from universal ‘chips’ to the particular “Doritos, Lays, tortilla, corn.”  The body of the poem seeks to bring the reader to a greater understanding and joy in chips.  It expresses their versatility (they can be dipped in any dip).  The line that uses repetition of “chips, chips, chips” is onomatopoetically mirroring the sound of crunching chips.  Finally the next line offers an existential affirmation of the goodness of chips.

This is truly a remarkable poem written by Susie Creamcheese, a 7th grader.  I hope that you can find some of the nuances and intricacies of the poem (there are many).  If you see anything please share it!

Peace and Love, Truth and Euclid,

-Peter Hilaire

Category: chips, existentialism, It Is What It Is, Poems About Chips, Susie Creamcheese  Leave a Comment  Tags: ,

The Destruction of Chartres Cathedral

18
May 2012
By

This really upset me.  They have decided recently to “restore” Chartres Cathedral; what this means is that they have been removing the grime from the last 8 centuries, but also painting over the stones and guilding the bosses and the capitals of the columns have been painted a brilliant white (this is not Gothic as we have come to know it).  This has been the deconstruction of the mystery and allure of Chartres Cathedral, which made it the most enthralling and enchanting of Cathedrals in the world.  It is the white-washing of Chartres’ maturity.  Henry Adams would be outraged!

http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/featured/7836868/restoration-tragedy.thtml

Alasdair Palmer questions the ill-conceived makeover of Chartres cathedral which robs us of the sense of passing time that is part of its fascination and mystery

Category: Art, beauty, Catholics, Chartres, It Is What It Is  Leave a Comment  Tags: , , ,

Update: Things of Interest

16
May 2012
By

I’ve been away for a bit, so here’s a quick update on what is going on.

1. I went to graduation over this past weekend at the University of Dallas to see my sister, Mary, graduate.  It was a great weekend, full of joyous times.  I got to see old friends, make new ones, visit with beloved professors, and drink in all of the goodness of that place.  While I was at the Collegium’s ‘Music and Meditation’ service, I happened upon this quote, which comes from the song they sing called Salve Festa Dies.

Hail thee, festival day! Blest day that art hallowed forever; day whereon Christ arose, breaking forth the kingdom of death.  Lo, the fair beauty of earth, from the death of winter arising! Every good gift of the year now with his Master returns: He who was nailed to the cross is Lord and the ruler of all men; all things created on earth sing to the glory of God.

Two parts of this struck me as particularly poignant for the weekend.  ”Hail thee, festival day” (festa dies).  The feast day, according to Joseph Pieper, is a sacred and hallowed thing.  I love that this song unites this idea of feasting to Christ’s cross and resurrection.  The second thing is the line: “all things created on earth sing to the glory of God.”  It must be the case that the feast is connected with singing.  Singing is this natural outpouring of the joy that is germane to a feast.  Singing is also harmonious and lovely.  It can also be somewhat tribal and uncontrolled (or at least, it should be because it is not calculated: it is this thing that simply arises out of the mere fact of being created).  This uncalculated uncontrolled aspect of song and joy is something that I have been thinking a lot about.

2. I have a bunch of news that I can’t share just yet (some of you know about it already).

3. Gregory the great Academy is going along smoothly: all things are good including the numbers, thanks be to God.  Please keep praying and spreading the good news about our work there.

4. I have hidden a small wooden art mannequin on campus named Jerry Junior.  It acts something like the chicken game at St. Gregory’s Academy.  Here’s how it works.  If you find Jerry Jr. your class has the honor, the power, and the glory (kleos).  You must hide Jerry Jr. and present him once a month to show that you indeed have him.  You cannot hide Jerry Jr. off campus and it must be in a public area.  There has been a bit of buzz about Jerry Jr. lately.  Right now, the faculty are in possession of Jerry Jr..

5. I’m hoping to host a Coffee House/Open-Mic Night/Art Show at my house in June.  This is sort of inspired by the coffee houses at the Quincy House in Washington DC.  I always enjoyed going to those so much, so this will be an opportunity to bring a great idea to Phoenix, to bring people together and share the wealth of song, joy, and art.  Plans will be forthcoming.

That’s all for now.

Regards,

Peter Hilaire

Category: Art, beauty, Catholics, Folk Music, Jerry, Music, Poetry, St. Gregory's Academy  One Comment  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Good News for Gregory the Great Academy

09
May 2012
By

Here is a bit of press about Fr. Eric Bergman of Scranton, PA, who will be the acting chaplain of Gregory the Great Academy next year.  From everything that I have heard, he is an excellent priest, and he will be a boon to the Academy as it continues.  St. Gregory the Great, pray for us!

From: Susan Gibbs

Date: May 9, 2012
Subject: American Ordinariate Gets Its First Priest – Fr. Bergman of
Scranton, PA

American Ordinariate Gets Its First Priest
Fr. Eric Bergman of Scranton Joins Ordinariate; Church Purchased for New Parish

The new U.S. ordinariate for Anglican groups entering the
Catholic Church achieved a milestone on May 8, 2012 when THE Reverend
Eric Bergman of Scranton, PA became its first priest. The Ordinariate
of the Chair of St. Peter was established by Pope Benedict XVI on
January 1 in response to repeated requests by Anglican groups and
clergy who were seeking to become Catholic. The ordinariate is similar
to a diocese, though national in scope.

Fr. Bergman, 41, is a former Episcopal priest who was
ordained a Catholic priest five years ago for the Diocese of Scranton.
Since that time, he has been chaplain to the 150-member St. Thomas
More Anglican Use Society.

The group will become St. Thomas More Parish at St. Joseph
Church and will be located at the former St. Joseph property in
Scranton’s Providence neighborhood starting in late August. The
ordinariate purchased the property from the Diocese of Scranton for
$254,000, with $200,000 of that amount raised by the St. Thomas More
community during a three-week period this spring.

“This is a significant moment in the young history of the
ordinariate. I am grateful to Bishop Joseph Bambera and to the Diocese
of Scranton for their support,” said Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson,
the Ordinary. “The incardination of Fr. Bergman, and the reception of
several Anglican communities across the United States and Canada over
the past few months, are tangible signs of Christ at work in this new
undertaking.”

Approximately 60 current or former Anglican priests are
preparing to be ordained Catholic priests for the ordinariate, with 30
ordinations expected in the next few months. Ordinariate parishes will
be fully Catholic while retaining elements of their Anglican heritage
and traditions, including liturgical traditions.

Fr. Bergman noted, “I am particularly grateful to Bishop
Bambera, and to Msgr. William Feldcamp, pastor of St. Paul’s Parish
and St. Clare’s Church, who has been instrumental in the maintenance
of our ministry over the years. St. Thomas More has thrived, and we
look forward to our future as an ordinariate parish.”

Underscoring the historic nature of this announcement,
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, commented, “I was
pleased to be able to cooperate with Monsignor Steenson in order to
help facilitate Father Bergman’s incardination process. For the past
five years, Father Bergman has faithfully supported the Diocese of
Scranton. We are grateful for his service and wish him continued
blessings in his ministry.”

           Fr. Bergman, a native of Bethlehem, PA, graduated from James Madison University before obtaining a Master of Divinity degree from Yale. He became an Episcopal clergyman in 1997, and served in Scranton as curate at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and as rector of the
Church of the Good Shepherd. He was received into the Catholic Church in 2005 and was ordained priest in 2007. In addition to serving as chaplain to the Anglican Use Society, he has been chaplain at Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, PA and at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. He and his wife, Kristina, have seven children ages 6 months to 10 years.

St. Joseph was established as a Lithuanian-language parish in 1895 and is a former home of Venerable Maria Kaupas, foundress of
the Sisters of St. Casimir, who was a housekeeper at the parish in the
late 19th century. A miracle attributed to her intercession is before
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that, if approved, will lead
to her beatification. The parish property includes a church, parish
hall, rectory, convent, school, parking lot and four garages.

Online:
Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter: www.usordinariate.org
St. Thomas More: www.stmscranton.org

Media Contacts:
Susan Gibbs, U.S. Ordinariate, 202-525-9554 and media@usordinariate.org
THE Rev. Eric Bergman, St. Thomas More, 570-343-0634
William Genello, Diocese of Scranton, 570-207-2229

Category: Catholics, Gregory the Great Academy, It Is What It Is, poetic knowledge, Restoration of Christian Culture, St. Gregory's Academy  Leave a Comment  Tags: ,

Average length of local cell phone call in 2003 was 3 min; in 2010 it’s 1 min 47 sec

07
May 2012
By

Here’s a read for you; this article presents some data that sort of shocked me.  Thanks to Douglas M. for the recommendation!

Today we worry about the social effects of the Internet. A century ago, it was the telephone that threatened to reinvent society.
In 2009, the United States crossed a digital Rubicon: For the first time, the amount of data sent with mobile devices exceeded the sum of transmitted voice data. The shift was heralded in tech circles with prophetic fury: “The phone call is dead,” pronounced a blogger at the Web site TechCrunch. Writing in Wired, journalist Clive Thompson observed, “This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social network messaging.” And the online news network True/Slant declared a paradox: “We’re well on our way to becoming an incredibly disconnected connected society.”

 

Read the rest here at the Wilson Quarterly.

Category: cell phones are taking over, Neo-Luddism, Nietzsche, obedience, Out of Control, Post-Modernity, rallying round the piano, technology that scares me, texting and driving is the new drinking and driving, texting=monkey thumb speech  One Comment  Tags: ,

Paul Spring Album Review (music available on iTunes)

07
May 2012
By

Paul Spring‘s new eponymous album is available on iTunes.  The music is excellent all around!  It has top notch production quality.  The lyrics walk the line between universal and particular, and the chord progressions with wailing harmonies are the backbone of the sound: they really set the tone of the whole album.  This is most pronounced in the song “The Night.”  But the album offers more; Spring demonstrates his musical ability: “Lake Louise” has a kind of maturity and bitter-sweet sentiment to it, but then he is able to present something with as much levity and ‘spring’ as “Jackson Pollock.”  There are sweet guitar solos, beautiful ballads, spine-tingling coming of age songs, poetic references (Wallace Stevens!), and groovy drum and bass beats.  Paul Spring has sprung.

 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/paul-spring/id521142070 - GET IT!

Paul Spring Song Superlatives

Best to drive to: The Night, Plum Street

Most Beautiful: Stormy Sea, Thin Veil

Most Bone-Chilling: Lake Louise

Most Different (in a good way): Mind of Winter, Into the Water

Enjoy,

-PB

Category: beauty, Folk Music, Hipster Schola, Music, University of Dallas, Wagon Wheel  Leave a Comment  Tags: , ,

Whit Stillman – Still a man of wit!

03
May 2012
By

 

f you haven’t seen Damsels in Distress, you will want to rectify that situation as soon as possible.  The movie is Whit Stillman’s first film in 10 years.  Whit Stillman is notorious for working on a shoe-string budget, which at the very least helps to emphasize the focus on whit and dialogue.  In Damsels the cameras, costumes, setting, were all “upgraded” and generally more elaborate.  I especially enjoyed the cinematography for the film: it had a warm filter to it and made the light values shimmer (especially in the sunny day time shots).

My friend Br. Innocent Smith O.P. wrote an amazing post on Dominicana which somehow managed to include some of my favorite things: kittens, Pope St. Gregory the Great, rainbows (symbol of wonder), and Whit Stillman!  He brings in one of the funnier and quirkier scenes in Damsels to illustrate a point.

Stillman thus playfully captures the harm that can come from unrealistic expectations of future greatness, particularly as Thor’s natural abilities seem more on the level of the kitten than the tiger. By the end of the film, Thor has mastered each of the colors of the rainbow, and takes evident joy in reciting their names; he has learned to flourish in this basic human activity, rather than in the pretensions of his parents. At the very least, he will be able to mix drinks with greater accuracy.

The title of the movie, Damsels in Distress, demonstrates Whit Stillman’s quirky sense of humor.  You would expect this movie to be about a handful of girls in distress and needing to be rescued, however, we find early on in the movie that these damsels are the cool kids, and are actually the ones helping others.  They take a role on the campus as social social workers.  They run a suicide prevention center in hopes of helping depressed students through their tough time.  Speaking of depressed and suicidal students: this seems to me a sort of critique and morbidly hilarious portrayal of student populations in most universities and especially in most graduate programs.  In any case, as the movie progresses we see that these damsels are in fact in quite a bit of distress.

There is not much action in the movie (seeing it in Scottsdale Arizona was hilarious because this elderly couple walked out on the movie the old man grumbling something like “I can’t take it anymore”).  Stillman has downplayed action and movement in the film in order, it seems, to emphasize and give importance to the dialogue.  The witty interchange between characters drives the film’s plot more than action.

Another key element to this film is its high dose of quirkiness.  It’s like someone distilled the Whit Stillman from his other movies and injected that concoction straight into the script.  Then they turned the Stillman Quirkiness up to 11 (apparently it goes to 11).  It’s very Whit Stillman.  If you like Barcelona or his other films, then you will definitely like this one too.  Dr. Swietek at UD, who has a side-job of movie reviewing, gave the movie a B (should have been a B+ at least).  You can read his review here.

Go see Damsels in Distress whiles it’s still in theaters, or wait until it comes out on DVD to see it, but make sure to check it out!

Category: Art, college, Damsels in Distress, Dr. Swietek, feelings, film, general hilarity, It Is What It Is, Quirkiness, Whit Stillman, Wonder  Leave a Comment  Tags: , ,

Catholic Foodie? Catholic Drinkie!? Awesome!

29
Apr 2012
By

I found a couple blogs that you all might enjoy, especially y’all domestic types.  The first is called Catholic Foodie (“where food meets faith”).  It’s a pretty legit blog with a whole bunch of recipes, such as Pan-Fried Catfish: A Louisiana Lenten Tradition or their Seafood Gumbo.  I will wager that their seafood gumbo is nowhere near as delicious and legit as Klaus’ Gumbo (did we ever decide whether or not babies should be exposed to Gumbo?).

The second blog is called Catholic Drinkie.  The name is a play on the word foodie.  It’s a newer blog that should be updated more often and all that but I really like the idea and the sentiment.  So check back every once and a while there to get some good reviews of beer, or fun facts about wine and its importance in the church, and such.

Cheers,

-PB

Category: It Is What It Is  2 Comments  Tags: ,

Brad Kunkle Show at Arcadia Fine Art

26
Apr 2012
By

Artist Brad Kunkle has a solo show now at Arcadia Fine Art Gallery.

The show is titled “Gilded Wilderness,” and it lasts from April 21st-May 5th

Her Own Field, Oil with Gold and Silver Leaf, 16"x20"

Kunkle uses gold leaf and silver leaf and paints with oils on top of it.  It is incedible his ability to conceal that he is painting on gold and silver leaf.  His use of the leaf is fresh and fascinating; it adds this other-worldly quality to his works, which is suggessted by his show’s title: gilded wilderness (haunting).  His work is figurative, and this article rightly points out the connection between his paintings and medieval icons.  You can view the show on the Arcadia website, the exhibition tab is in the top left corner.

This is Kunkle’s second solo show.  You can read about Kunkle’s first solo show (and look at how he constructs his amazing gold and silver leaf paintings!) here on Underpaintings, Matthew Innis’ blog.

While you are there, I highly recommend checking out some of the other artists that Arcadia sponsers including: Michael Grimaldi, Michael Kline (who produces American Painting Video Magazine), Robert Liberace (I studied with him last summer), Jeremy Lipking, Julio Reyes (excellent draughtsman), and Daniel Sprick (he has some stunning still-lifes).

It is good to hear about these exhibitions, and to keep in mind that there are a number of artists, living today, that are working in traditional and realist styles that are not entirely stagnant or devoted to shock value as an aesthetic.  I have been following many of these artists for a while now, and it is great to be able to look up to them and follow their work.

Category: Aesthetics, Art, Artist, beauty, Brad Kunkle, Painting, Realism, Tradition  Leave a Comment  Tags: ,
« Previous Entries