Here & There...

Been busy at work. Substance forthcoming, but probably not until after my vacation later this month. Look for Part 2 of my reversion post after Memorial Day. Until then, some odds and ends.

Gregory IX In the letter 'Cum Sicut Ex' to Sigurd, Archbishop of Nidaros in 1241

"Since as we have learned in your report, it sometimes happens because of the scarcity of water, that infants of your lands are baptized in beer, we reply to you in the tenor of those present that, since according to evangelical doctrine it is necessary 'to be reborn from water and the Holy Spirit' [John 3:5] they are not to be considered rightly baptized who are baptized in beer."

-- Found in a comment box on Catholic Light.

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Hapsburgs! The Soap Opera, by Matthew of the Holy Whapping

One of my favorite bits:

Ysabel's kid, Juan, was killed tragically, and the line of succession passed to Joan the Mad (Spanish, Juana la Loca, literally, Joan the Loca), who was sort of a medieval Morticia Addams as she spent much of her time trucking the body of her dead husband around Spain surrounded by monks, torches and general Goth paraphanalia. Her hubby, when he wasn't being dead, was Philip of Burgundy, who I think was a Hapsburg, or at least knew what bar stool to find them under on Saturday nights in Bruges. Joan was of course crazy as a loon, so when Fernando the King finally died in 1516, it was their son, Charles I and V, a Hapsburg, who ascended the throne.

The whole post is great stuff and can be found here. There is lots of other great stuff at the Shrine of the Holy Whapping.

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Papa Ratzi's homily at St. John Lateran, when he took posession of the Cathedra of Rome, is worth reading in its entirety. As such I'll link to it, rather than try to excerpt it, once I find it permalinked somewhere. Zenit has the translation into English in two parts, but I can't link directly to either. Several Catholic blogs are analyzing it, so just look around if you want commentary and interpretation.

Here is his official document page from the Vatican's web site. You can get most of his homilies from the Interregnum to the present here in all the major languages.

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Fr. Jim Tucker of Dappled Things is beginning a series on Gregorian Chant. Head on over and hazard a gander, if you're interested.

Part 1

Part 2

I'll also provide some good links to Latin and chant stuff when I get around to my site redesign.


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If I find anything else of interest, I'll be sure to toss it out here.