"Throughout our lives we should only be concerned with one meeting, and that is our Particular Judgment before the throne of God immediately after death."

The Real Presence

Fr. Bill Casey from the Fathers of Mercy:

Professor Myron - The "Thomist of Lourdes"

There are very few people who have had an immediate impact on my life. I first went to Lourdes in 2005 while I was still a lukewarm college student. I didn't go again until 2009 when I was diagnosed with cancer. During that time, I met the current anonymous priest who is tutoring me in my seminary courses while he prays for us as a hermit (By the way, he needs a car if anyone in Western NC has a cheap one to sell). This priest also got me involved in Summer service work at the Lourdes shrine, which has continued over the past 2 Summers.

During my first Summer working in Lourdes, I met a Professor named Myron. It was hard not to meet him - he stood in the street and engaged everyone who passed by. If you stopped, you were invited to the Legion of Mary house for a cup of tea so that he could talk to you about the Faith. Most people just walked by, but I saw his joyful smile as I was out for a walk and we had a great talk. His mission was the conversion of souls, but since I was already applying to the seminary, we formed a friendship instead. I joined him in the streets some days - he would literally stop everyone on the street and talk to them about the Faith. If someone was poor or in need, he would help them.

The Summer ended, and I went off for my first year of seminary. I finished the year, and the next Summer I went back to Lourdes for my second "round." Myron came as well, as he does every year.

In his spare time, he teaches Arabic and Spanish at a local university in Cleveland. But he is also a brilliant philosopher and theologian. He spends a lot of time giving presentations and talks about the Doctors of the Church, and he records them and sells his CDs for $5. He was recently invited to give a talk at Oxford University. He has spoken about St. Benedict, St. Bernard, St. Gertrude, St Louis de Montfort, St. Thomas Aquinas, and many others. Through his insight, each of his presentations have changed the way that I view the world and life in general. Email me if you are interested in getting some of his CDs.

In the meantime, look for him in Lourdes, where he spends every Summer. Ask him out for a cup of coffee, and you'll get your money's worth of wisdom from this "Thomist of Lourdes":

Medical Update

News was good from my most recent doctor appointment. My latest MRI showed that the tumor has not grown over the past 6 weeks - welcome news after the tumor had been growing slowly over the past year. It seems that my excellent doctor, a native German, made the right choice by being patient and leaving me on my current chemotherapy treatment.

I return to the doctor at the end of March for another MRI - please pray for more good news!

Army/Navy 2010

While looking through my camera, I noticed that I never posted photos from the 2010 Army/Navy game. My seminarian friend, Jason, was able to get great tickets for the game in Philadelphia. Here, we are headed up to the box seats:

Chris checks out the catered box:

We got to sit in the box right above the Midshipman seating:

The tickets came with field passes:

Navy SEALs parachute in before the game:

Of course, another Navy victory!

Write to your Congressmen

Write to your Congressmen now to urge them to defund Planned Parenthood. The votes start today. My email: "I am writing to urge that Congressman Miller support all pro-life amendments to H.R. 1 this week, including the Pence Amendment, which would deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood, which is the nation's biggest abortion provider. Please tell me how the congressman intends to vote on the Pence Amendment."

On February 15, 16, and 17, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on multiple abortion-related amendments to a bill (H.R. 1) that will fund all federal programs through September 30, 2011. Of particular importance is an amendment to be offered by Congressman Mike Pence (R-In.), which would deny all federal funds, through September 30, for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., and 102 PPFA affiliates, which are named in the text of the amendment.

Visit to MD

I recently traveled to Maryland for my appointment at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I should have the results of my tests soon, and will be sure to post a medical update.

My friend Fr. Kevin Cusick hosted me, and we saw some of the local Catholic sites. First, we visit the All Saints Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville, MD. These former Episcopalian nuns converted to Catholicism in 2009, with the Episcopalian acceptance of openly homosexual clergy being the "final straw." All but two of the sisters became Catholic, and they work mostly with the poor and sick. Their chaplain also converted. Here is their beautiful convent:

Their schedule:

Reverence for the Real Presence:

Their chapel:

The high altar - all Masses are ad orientem:

One of the side altars:

Next we visited Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, run by the great Nashville Dominicans. Here is their beautiful altar:

Their academy:

Next, to downtown Baltimore:

Fr. Cusick and I on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes at his rectory. He has still not taken down his Christmas tree!

Today: a visit to Saint Francis de Sales Church in Benedict, Maryland

Tonight I will take part in Eucharistic Adoration at the church of Saint Francis de Sales in Benedict, Maryland. I have been invited to give a short talk during the service about the blessings I have received since learning I had cancer two years ago.

The Holy Hour will begin at approximately 7:45 pm and will immediately follow a 7 pm Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form. If you are unable to attend, please join us in the Holy Spirit through the communion of prayer.

The Church of Saint Francis de Sales is located at 7185 Benedict Avenue in Benedict, Maryland 20612.

Lesser-Known Saints: St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre

Missionary and martyr, born at Puech, Diocese of Cahors, France, 6 January 1802; martyred at Ou-Tchang-Fou, China, 11 September 1840.

Jean-Gabriel was one of eight children born to Pierre Perboyre and Marie Rigal. By reason of his piety, he was the model of his companions during his childhood. While acting as companion to his younger brother, in the preparatory seminary of Moutauban, he felt the Divine call to the priesthood, and after obtaining the consent of his father to take the step, he entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Mission, in the seminary of Montauban, December 1818. On the feast of the Holy Innocents, 1820, he made the four vows of the Vincentians. He was ordained to the priesthood, 23 September 1825, in the chapel of the Sisters of Charity, by Bishop Dubourg, of New Orleans, and on the following day he said his first Mass.

Shortly after his ordination, he was sent to the seminary of Saint-Flour to teach dogmatic theology, and two years later, he was appointed superior of the preparatory seminary of Saint-Flour. His great sanctity and marvelous success induced his superiors, in 1832, to appoint him sub-director of the novitiate in Paris. He continued in this office until 1835, when he begged for permission to go to China, there to preach, to suffer, and to die. He left Havre on 21 March, and on 29 August 1835, arrived at Macao, where he spent some time studying the Chinese language.

On 21 December 1835, he began his journey to Ho-Nan, the mission assigned to him. In January 1838, he was transferred to the mission of Hou-Pe, in which he laboured zealously and with great success. In September 1839, the persecutions against Christians broke out in Hou-Pe, and Jean-Gabriel was one of the first victims. The events leading to his death bear a striking resemblance to the Passion and Death of Christ. A neophyte, like another Judas, betrayed Jean-Gabriel for thirty ounces of silver. He was stripped of his garments and clothed with rags, bound, and dragged from tribunal to tribunal. At each trial, he was treated inhumanly, tortured both in body and in soul. Finally, he was taken to Ou-Tchang-Fou, and after unparalleled tortures, was condemned to death. The sentence was ratified by an imperial edict, and on 11 September 1840, Jean-Gabriel was led to death with seven criminals. The holy priest was strangled to death on a cross.

Jean-Gabriel was declared Venerable by Gregory XVI in July 1843, beatified by Leo XIII on 9 November 1889, and canonized by John Paul II on 2 June 1996. His feast is celebrated on 11 September.