,

It practically gallops!

Contra-tution

Bacon cheeseburgers are delicious. All restaurants should serve them. In fact, the government should force Indian restaurants and Kosher delicatessens to serve them too. Better still, the government should force Hindu and Jewish business owners to give free bacon cheeseburgers to their employees. Wouldn’t that be great?

Of course that would never happen because the First Amendment protects the religious liberty of Hindus and Jews. They would never be forced to violate their religious beliefs. However the government has ordered all employers to offer types of health insurance that violate Catholic beliefs. Catholic bishops want an exemption for Catholic-owned institutions.

It doesn’t matter whether you believe pork is edible or unclean. You still respect the beliefs of those who disagree. There’s no valid reason for the government to force a Catholic school or hospital provide free contraception to its employees. It could be that the government believes contraception is a good thing that must be forced on those who disagree. Or it could be sinister plot to force Catholics out of the hospital and charity business. Either way, the government is forcing Catholic institutions to disobey the law.

My friend Frank Weathers has created a petition on the White House’s website for those who object to this clear violation of the First Amendment. It’s not about whether or not you believe in contraception. It’s about whether or not you believe in the Constitution.

February 3, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | 1 Comment 

Hip to Be Square

Dinner with the Bone Doctor 4 - Dr. Bill Bass brings a different set of bones to each “Dinner with the Bone Doctor.” The fourth such event at Echo Bistro & Wine Bar was held last night. Guests enjoyed sea bass and veal while staring at various bones from the Body Farm. I have had the good fortune to serve as emcee for each of the dinners.

Dinner with the Bone Doctor 4 - Dinner with the Bone Doctor 4 - The first bone of the evening was a native American skull that was about 400 years old. Dr. Bass could tell that the person’s skull was flattened by a cradleboard during infancy. As he placed the skull on each table in the restaurant, guests grabbed their cameras and cell phones to take a picture. Melissa Treece posted her photo to Twitter right away.

Dinner with the Bone Doctor 4 - One of the bones came from the neck of a bison. It had a huge hump spine. Dr. Bass compared it to the same bone from the neck of a human. Before the dinner, Susan Seals of the Bone Zones team said to me, “when Dr. Bass holds up the buffalo bone, be sure to mention that they serve bison steaks here at Echo.” When the time came, I grabbed a menu and read aloud: “Bison Strip Steak ‘Denmark,’ broiled to perfection then topped with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, country ham and blue cheese crumbles.”

Dinner with the Bone Doctor 4 - In the past, Dr. Bass has  shown what remains of an artificial hip from a person who was cremated. Last night he showed an artificial hip from someone who decomposed at the Body Farm. The number 31-05D is visible on the pelvis. According to the Body Farm numbering system, the bones came from the 31st body donated in 2005.

Dr. Bass gave a few hints about the next Jefferson Bass novel, “The Inquisitor’s Key,” which will be released on May 8. It involves the Avignon Papacy, the Shroud of Turin and a mysterious set of bones.

January 24, 2012 | Filed Under Body Farm | 1 Comment 

Musical Truth

The music chosen as the Mass setting in the Diocese of Knoxville is okay but it’s not my favorite. As I wrote at the start of Advent, I was looking forward to hearing different settings when I traveled.

I was in St. Louis a week ago, at a church that uses the Mass of St. Ann by composer Ed Bolduc. It has a much more joyful sound and is ideal for youth choirs. In the old days, we might have heard that sound at a “folk mass.” You can hear a demo version of it by clicking on the play button to the left.

In conversations with Fr. Gary Braun in St. Louis and Fr. Michael Woods in Knoxville, both priests mentioned the misguided video entitled “Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus.” In it, Jefferson Bethke begins with the erroneous claim that Jesus came to eliminate organized religion. Jesus actually said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” He said to Peter, “upon this rock I will build my church.” He instructed the disciples to carry on without him, forgiving sins (the sacrament of penance) and commemorating the Last Supper (the sacrament of the Eucharist).

This morning, Fr. Michael Woods suggested I read a column by fellow parishioner Bob Hunt in yesterday’s Knoxville News Sentinel. A week earlier, I had told Fr. Gary that Catholic blogger Frank Weathers (another All Saints parishioner) said organized religion is like the military. It may not be perfect, but you need it to fight evil.

A blog called “Bad Catholic” posted a great repudiation of Bethke’s video. Perhaps even better, they shared a link to the following response video by a priest in Evansville, Indiana, named Fr. Claude (Dusty) Burns aka Fr. Pontifex.

January 22, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | Leave a Comment 

Happy Disposition

The opening scene of last Wednesday’s episode of “The Middle” should be enough to earn award nominations for each of the five main cast members. The actors playing the Heck family displayed great comedic timing while driving home from Aunt Ginny’s funeral. Frances Bay, the actress who played Aunt Ginny, died in September. The characters talked about how Aunt Ginny looked less wrinkled laying down. Embalming will often make an elderly person appear younger.

Like the Hecks, my family’s tradition is to choose embalming and burial. In the old days, the question of whether to be buried or cremated rarely came up. With the rise in popularity of cremation, the question is a valid one, as pointed out in a blog on NPR’s website last Thursday. The writer, Barbara J. King, adds a third choice of donating one’s body to science, specifically the Body Farm. Because I sometimes volunteer as an emcee for Bone Zones events, I am often asked if I want my remains to decay at the Body Farm. I respect those who choose differently but I have repeatedly said that I want my remains to be exhumable. I haven’t purchased a cemetery plot but my inclination is to choose one a Catholic cemetery.

A “NIMBY” controversy has erupted over plans for a new crematory in Fountain City. Eric Botts, the manager of the Gentry-Griffey Funeral Chapel was my guest on the public affairs program that aired this morning. You can listen via the podcast link below. We spoke about the controversy, about changes in the funeral industry and about the increased demand for cremations. The people who have complained about the crematory are uninformed. Newer technology means there will be no smoke or odor. In fact, the neighbors won’t notice anything. After the interview, Eric and I exchanged Facebook messages. He invited me to tour the facility once it’s up and running.

Frank Murphy Interviews Eric Botts of Gentry-Griffey Funeral Chapel [ 30:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

January 15, 2012 | Filed Under Body Farm | Leave a Comment 

By the Old Familiar Name

Because she was out of town at the time, my mother missed the news that her former pastor, Monsignor Tom Cassidy, died in October. She found out at Christmas and then told me. Had she been home, she would have attended his funeral at St. Mark Church in Vienna, Virginia. The following sentence in the November issue of the parish newsletter caught my eye: “Following an Irish tradition of mourning for 30 days in special memory of the deceased, his remains were interred in the Memorial Garden on November 2.” I’m not familiar with that tradition, nor did I know that the parish now has an area for the burial of cremated remains.

Msgr. Cassidy preferred to be known as Father Tom. Before my wife and I were married, we went to Fr. Tom to sign up for preparation classes and to take a compatibility quiz. We appreciated his help and his kindness toward us.

We had my father’s funeral at St. Mark in what is now the “Msgr. Tom Cassidy Activity Center.” Back then it was the sanctuary. After my father died, my mother and my grandmother went on a trip to Europe with a church group led by Fr. Tom. They visited several famous shrines including Fátima and Lourdes.

It may be three months late, but I remembered Fr. Tom when they prayed for the dead at Mass in Knoxville today. I’ll make an effort to visit the St. Mark Memorial Garden this summer when I’m visiting the D.C. area.

January 8, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | Leave a Comment 

Three King Circus

St. Mark Church in Vienna, Virginia, celebrates the Epiphany by having parishioners display their nativity scenes in the Activities Center. The annual Crèche Exhibit is a nice tradition that I would enjoy seeing catch on at more places.

Our Lady of the Snows - Nativity scene elephants in gift shop Before Christmas, my family visited the Way of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois. The gift shop sold nativity figurines, including two animals I hadn’t seen in that context before: horses and elephants. The Bible doesn’t say how many Magi visited Jesus and it certainly doesn’t mention their mode of transportation. It made me wonder, are elephants mentioned anywhere in the Bible? Yes, in the second book of Maccabees, elephants are used by warriors in chapters 11, 13 and 14.

January 6, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | Leave a Comment 

The Second Day of Christmas

Paper-cut silhouette nativity scene by Paul Lodes Paper-cut silhouette nativity scene by Paul Lodes One of the churches we visited in St. Louis last week has a work of art that grabbed my attention. It’s a paper-cut Nativity scene in a reverse silhouette by artist Paul Lodes. The representation of the manger was great, however it was the artist’s signature that caused me to pause.

Lodes signed his name and wrote the date April 19, 2006. I was a little surprised it wasn’t a December date. It made me start wracking my brain to remember the date that Jesus was actually born. An astronomer determined that that Star of Bethlehem would have been visible in the sky on April 17 in the year 6 B.C. The picture I saw was made 2011 years and 2 days after the birth of Christ.

December 26, 2011 | Filed Under Catholic | Leave a Comment 

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