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Those Monks knew a lot about business practices! Just check these out

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The following is Courtesy of “The Catholic CEO”

Many think that western business leaders invented business concepts…..This is not correct.

Followers may guess my views on the monastic life.

Monasteries invented data storage and retrieval systems. They were called libraries. They also didn’t need photocopiers – they had their own copiers.

Monasteries invented business governance practices. What is a chapter but a town hall meeting? What is an abbot’s council but an executive committee?

Abbeys invented fund-raising. How do you think they built the great abbeys of Europe? Very little of the money was “borrowed”. Abbots had to work the room long before corporate America thought of it.

Conservation? Green practices? Circular economy? The monks were doing this 1500 years ago. There’s nobody in ag-tech that can build a water recirculation system like the monks. There’s nobody that can get that extra inch of hair on a sheep like monks can.

Crop science? Crop yield? Hah. They still run circles around people who can’t even grow crops on the same land for more than about 50 years. They do centuries of crop yields from the same fields – naturally.

Business management systems. The monks were doing it long before the invention of double entry bookkeeping.

Staying out of bank debt. The monks were doing it long before anyone else realized the debt trap of usury.

Five star hospitality? Well, I don’t mean rooms like in luxury hotels. But for care of the pilgrim traveler, even at great inconvenience to them, they still have short term rental accommodations beat.

Ride sharing? Hah. They had a network of wagons and watercraft to take goods to market before some business guy thought of it.

The long view? Abbeys are built for a thousand years. They are beautiful, unlike the glitzy towers of today’s utilitarian monstrosities.

Radio and electronic communications networks. Okay, maybe not as fast – but they could get a message across Europe before anyone or any current tech, at the time.

The knowledge economy? They didn’t need Chat GPT or AI. They had “real I”.

Corporate structure? CEO. CTO. CFO. CMO. Treasurer. Hah. They had those 1500 years ago!

Investigations into employee theft, missing inventory, and other misdeeds. No need for such things. The monks have a process called “Chapter of Faults”. Check it out.

Company security. Nope. They’ve had 1500 years of knights and templars. Way before the idea of a police force came into being.

Finally, remember that the monks invented the university system, the hospital system, and the welfare system. They kept the culture alive in tough times, and will do so again in our era when it all collapses. Or when the asteroid hits!

I could go on.

You can learn more about “The Catholic CEO” here.

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Are we done with ugly churches?

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Those modern ugly churches:

It is impossible not to notice that many Catholic churches built in the last 50 years lack the beauty and majesty of the churches in the years and centuries of the past.  Many lay the blame on Vatican II, which seemed to want to throw tradition out the window.  We are not here to debate the good and bad of the Second Vatican Council, but certainly no one can deny that many of the changes relating to church architecture were not inspirational.  Suddenly churches were built somewhat resembling bomb shelters, and the interiors were devoid of many of the things that made the church a Catholic church.

Inside, the Eucharist was placed out of sight, or at least not in a prominent place.  Stained glass windows and statues were minimalized.  Altar rails quickly disappeared.  Statues?  Not too many and often not prominent.  Often times, it was the Diocesan building committees that wanted this…not the individual pastors or their congregations.  Want to put the tabernacle front and center?  You were lucky it was (literally, in some cases) in a closet somewhere.

Side Altar is Chartres Cathedra
Side Altar in Chartres Cathedral

For example, when we look at the magnificent Chartres Cathedral in France, built between 1134 and 1260, during the  “Dark Ages” (they weren’t really all that dark if you look at church architecture….some of the most beautiful churches were built during this time.)

Cathedrals and churches were meant to be inspiring….and many of them still are today.  We doubt the same will be said about some of these modern buildings 100 years from now .

To the left is just one of the many side altars in Chartres Cathedral.

 

One of the colors used in the windows is unique…..dubbed “Chartres Blue”. In future centuries, will these new churches be equally inspiring?  We doubt it.

Of course, some of the construction revolves on making the buildings less expensive to build and more efficient so far as heating and cooling costs are concerned.  And while it is true that the Eucharist is the same no matter what the church looks like, we do like to enter a place that evokes a certain feeling that this is no ordinary space.

Is the pendulum starting to swing back?

Like any idea that is taken to excess, we are starting to see a renewed interest in Catholic churches that look like…..Catholic churches.

We list several of these churches on our site, most recently Saint Mary’s Church in Fennimore, Wisconsin as shown on the left.

The restoration work was done by Conrad Schmitt Studios.  We have no relationship with them, but they appear to do outstanding restoration work for churches.

Another beautiful church…not a restoration, but a brand new construction, is Saint Francis Xavier Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Another source we note is that of FyndersKeepers.  They offer a large range of used and restored altars, altar rails, stations of the cross, candle holders….just about everything you can think of.

Again, we do not have a business relationship with them, but they appear to have an excellent reputation.

Have any suggestions for newly remodeled churches?

Please leave a comment….we would love to know about it.

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Online event: What is Happening to the Christians in Gaza

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Program to help Christians in GazaIf you want to know the truth of what is happening to Christians in Gaza, we invite you to join this presentation by Select International Tours on March 14th at 8:00 PM Eastern time. Jeff Cavins and Fr. Leo Patalinghug will host a live online event Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

If you have traveled with Select International Tours, you may know that in addition to running a pilgrimage company, they also run a charitable foundation called Select to Give, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity founded in 2014.

What you may not know is the purpose and the scope of their foundation. You may not know that their primary focus is to help the suffering Christians who live in Bethlehem and Gaza. Select to Give is a large part of their mission, and they are grateful to each of you who has taken the time to learn about the foundation and support their work in the past.

The online event will be hosted by Jeff Cavins and Fr. Leo Patalinghug, with guests including Gus Lloyd, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Fr. David Michael Moses, as well as Christians from the Holy Land who share their personal experience of the current situation in the Holy Land.

You will hear from a Select to Give American volunteer who has chosen to live in Bethlehem during the last six months to help those in need the most. A very special guest will be the Pastor of Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Parish in Gaza. You can hear a first-hand testimonial from someone we can trust who lives in Gaza.

Click here to view the Live Presentation on March 14

The event will hosted on the Apostle website and will begin promptly at 8:00 PM. Please be sure to click the link above  and create a Free Login with your email beforehand.

Donations: If you would like to support this effort, they will be accepting tax-deductible donations via credit card during the event. If you wish to donate by mail, please make your check payable to Select to Give, Inc. and mail it to:

Select to Give, Inc.
c/o Select International Tours
85 Park Ave.
Flemington, NJ 08822

A tax letter confirming your donation will be sent via email within 10 business days of the event.

Please help us promote this exceptional chance to learn from Christians currently residing in the Holy Land. Utilize the image and links above on your social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or via emails and texts. By broadening this campaign’s reach, they can connect with more Christians concerned about the struggles of our brethren in the Holy Land.

 

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Want to help the Christians in the Holy Land?

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Wondering how you might be able to help Christians living in the Holy Land?

It is strange to realize that the area where Jesus was born, lived and died is now an area Christians are a minority.  Those do live there face discrimination and worse.  And, of course, the ongoing war in Gaza has made things even more difficult.  But there is a way to help these Christians when you book a tour with Select International Tours.

Select to Give is a not-for-profit foundation, founded by Select International Tours.

Select International Tours is an award winning, thirty year old, faith based tour operator specializing in group trips to Europe, the Holy Land, Canada, Mexico, South America and the USA.

The Faith Travel Association awarded the “Impact Award” to Select International Tours for innovation and quality in travel.

Local Catholic residents in the Holy LandSelect to Give Foundation exists to help the Christians of the Holy Land and the Middle East!

Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, they support innovative community efforts to help Christians achieve a safer and more prosperous existence. They work on several projects to assist Christians with education, medical care, financial support, and meeting basic human needs.

Palestinian Christian children in the Holy Land
Palestinian Christian children in the Holy Land The goal is to recognize and maximize human potential in Christian communities by establishing programs that provide opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, social justice and community building.

Select to Give sends Every Dollar to the Holy Land:

Select to Give is 100% volunteer-administered. They have zero overhead, which allows them to spend every dollar to directly support Christian Families living in the Holy Land.

An added bonus when you sign up to travel with Select International Tours, regardless of destination….. a percentage of your registration fee is donated to Select to Give, with no additional cost to you.

Click here to learn more about the Select to Give Foundation.

And here is a video from 2020 that describes Select to Give and its founder, Edita Krunic.

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You can receive a plenary indulgence by praying in front of a nativity scene located in a Franciscan church from Dec 8, 2023 to Feb 2, 2024

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A Plenary Indulgence for the 800th Anniversary of the Approval of the Rule of St. Francis

This Christmas season, Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence by praying in front of a nativity scene located in a Franciscan church which includes our very own, St. Francis of Assisi. The indulgence will be available from December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, through February 2, 2024, the Feast of the Presentation in the Temple of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those wishing to receive the indulgence must pray in front of a nativity scene at a Franciscan church.

A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church that removes the temporal punishment due to sin. In order to receive this indulgence, one must have a detachment from all sin, including venial; receive the Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of confession within 20 days of praying in front of a nativity scene. In addition, those attempting to receive the indulgence must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.

“We ask you to share this “privilege” in all our locations, which fits in well with the special relationship that was established between Saint Francis and the Church when he asked the Pope for the indulgence of those who visited the Porziuncola, and we hope that it will be an opportunity for communion and spiritual renewal for every brother and sister. in the entire Franciscan family,” said the conference in a statement.

In 1223, St. Francis created the first nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, to marvel at the mystery of the incarnation.

Here is a list of Franciscan churches throughout the world.

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Help Christians Living in the Holy Land

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Although “Giving Tuesday” in the USA has passed, we urge you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to Select to Give, a charity founded by Select International Tours.

Sadly, Christians are a minority in the land where Jesus was born and preached.  They need our help.

Every penny of your donation will go directly to the aid of Christians living in Gaza, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Ukraine.

You can find more information about Select-to-Give here.

 

 

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Want to do your Christmas shopping in Italy?

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How about combining a great pilgrimage to Italy with a chance to do some Christmas shopping?

With all the online shopping available, Christmas shopping does not have the same hustle and bustle and excitement that many of us remember from the past.  No crowded department stores (if you can even find one), no looking at the window displays (remember the movie “Christmas Story” that has been so popular?).

A special advantage of traveling in Italy just before Christmas is that the huge crowds of tourists are gone.  You will find yourself visiting shrines and churches in a much less hurried and crowded environment.  Also, daytime temperatures, averaging in the upper 50’s, are pleasantly brisk, but quite comfortable.

Taking a trip to Italy at this time of year also presents the opportunity to purchase some really unique gifts for Christmas giving, as you visit many of the holy places with their own special charm. They will have an extra special meaning to the recipient, since you brought them back from Italy.

We found one pilgrimage that we think will fit the bill. It is offered by Select International Tours from December 4-15, 2023.  It is a beautiful pilgrimage and there is far more than the opportunity to shop, of course.

They will take you to some of the holiest places in Italy:  Rome (of course) plus Padre Pio’s Shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo, the Holy House of Loreto, Assisi, Saint Michael’s Cave and more.  You will have a priest to accompany you, with daily Mass, and excellent group leaders and guides that Select International is known for.

Although the European-style Christmas markets are not prevalent here in the southern half of Italy, there are two that will be on the route:  Assisi and Rome.  Your daily schedule may allow you to head out to one or both of them during the free time that this pilgrimage offers.

Piazza Navona is one of the most beautiful piazzas in Rome, with famous fountains such as the Fountain of the Four Rivers and the Fountain of Neptune.  A visit to the Christmas market in Piazza Navona (perfect timing, it opens on December 8, when you have a free evening with dinner on your own) or perhaps the one in Assisi (from the itinerary, it looks like you have the afternoon free in Assisi on December 10). You have the chance of mixing with locals and really immersing yourself in their culture.

You can find all the information about this pilgrimage to the Shrines of Italy here.  Time is short, so don’t wait too long!

 

 

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Looking for beautiful churches in the U.S.A.?

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Those of us growing up in the 1950’s and early 1960’s in the U.S. (I know, there are fewer of us each day) remember going to Mass in churches that looked like….well, churches.  Most had statutes of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and various saints.  There were usually stained glass windows depicting various scenes from the Bible. Marble altars, altar rails and other features told you that you had entered somewhere special….and even sacred!  And the sanctuary lamp, always burning over the tabernacle, which was in plain sight, reinforced this feeling.

Then, in the wake of Vatican II (and we are not knocking all of Vatican II…just some of the excesses), we found many members of the building committees wanting to throw out everything that made Catholic churches unique, despite the fact that Vatican II had nothing to say on the subject of church construction.

It was an effort to “keep up with the times“…..and yet, the Church is timeless.  It dies when it tries to keep up with the times….as many protestant denominations are beginning to find out.

So, beauty was cast aside and we ended up with some churches resembling bomb shelters or gymnasiums. Those purposely bland structures certainly did not inspire anyone. You couldn’t show the beautiful stained glass windows to your children to enhance their biblical knowledge…because in many cases the windows were gone!

We know of priests, when designing a new church, had to fight with their Diocese and, often, compromises were made just to get these churches built.  For example, the best the priest might hope for is that the Tabernacle would be placed in an Adoration Chapel…somewhat visible from the main sanctuary, but not necessarily near the altar.  But that is the best outcome..in some churches the tabernacle was practically in the broom closet.  And then people wonder why belief in the Eucharist has fallen amongst Catholics!

We know, the Mass remains sacred regardless where it is said, but there is something about a church designed with beauty in mind that adds a sense of reverence, wonder, and dignity.

There is a hunger for beauty in our world, and that certainly extends to our churches as well.  We are beginning to see a rejection of the modernist trend that led to these buildings and many churches (those being built, and those being re-modeled) are beginning to look like those beautiful churches of the past.

One example of that trend is shown below: the “before” and “after” of the re-design of Saint Dominic Church in Brick, New Jersey.

And “before” was mild compared to some of the other churches we have seen.  Let’s face it, the words “Timeless Beauty” will never be used to describe these utilitarian buildings.

 

And, one the newest shrines in the U.S., the Shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma, has chosen the classical look in their chapel.

 

 

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Movie Review “Sound of Freedom”

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Review of “Sound of Freedom”

Sound of Freedom MovieChild trafficking doesn’t quite fit the bill for most family entertainment; and quite frankly, I prefer movies that tend to be uplifting.  So, I really wasn’t motivated to watch this movie; however, since Jim Caviezel was the star, and Angel Studios produced it,  I was anxious to check it out.  It’s based on a true story, and I discovered this movie had a realistic feel to it, rather than being a documentary…. and to me that made it much more watchable, since I am not a big fan of documentaries (yes, I know..I should be).

Although riveting, it is also sad and yet has an ending that is heartwarming.  Alas, if all reports are even half-true, millions (and we mean many millions) of children are sex slaves to traffickers, and few of them are likely to have happy endings.

Those in the U.S. have watched an estimated 500,000 undocumented aliens stream across the Southern border each year and we have to wonder….how many of these are child traffickers?  The same can be said for some European countries.

Well..back to the review of “Sound of Freedom”:

Casting was great…not just Jim Caviezel, as well as the supporting cast….including the children.  Cinematography was also great.  It was thought-provoking….you can’t help wonder how many children are exploited annually….and what finally becomes of them? Of course the movie doesn’t tell us that.

Note:  the movie was made in 2018.  It is arguably even truer today than then.  The production company initially had a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox. However, after the Walt Disney Company acquired 20th Century Fox, Sound of Freedom was shelved.  The film’s producer, Eduardo Verastegui, spent more than a year getting rights for the movie from Disney. Unfortunately, as soon as Disney released the rights for the film, the COVID pandemic hit and prevented the producer from getting it released.

The real-life Tim Ballard, the DHS agent played by Caviezel, has testified at a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee and shared footage of the sting operation portrayed in Sound of Freedom with the media. CBS applauded Tim Ballard and “Sound of Freedom” in 2014 for their efforts against child trafficking. Yet, today, the same mainstream media is dismissing the film based on Ballard’s work as a “paranoid” QAnon conspiracy. Why the sudden shift?

Spoiler Alert:  Watch for it!  Some actual footage of the sting operation plays during the final moments of the movie (or was it during the credits?) …but you’ll have to be looking for it…it flashes by quickly, with some of the faces blurred out in the images. By the time Tim left Colombia, he and the team had rescued over 120 victims and arrested more than a dozen traffickers,” reads text on the screen. I found that part fascinating.

Read more

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Who says they don’t build beautiful churches any more?

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One of the over-reactions (in our opinion) to Vatican II in the 1970’s was a desire to minimize the architectural beauty of many new churches being built.  Liturgical experts were brought in to explain why things needed to change….although Vatican II never said anything to that effect.  Suddenly we had bland, ugly buildings with a plain table and two candles for an altar.  It was simplistic taken to extremes.  The tabernacle may….or may not…have been visible to the congregation.  In other words, tradition was to be despised and we all needed to “get with the times”.  Of course, we know where that led….but that is another story for another time.

Priests and lay people hoping to build more traditional buildings often had to fight their own diocese to accomplish it……making quite a few compromises along the way.  Fighting the architectural commitees of their diocese was often an uphill battle.  Keeping the tabernacle in a prominent position was certainly one of those battles…in some cases it was practically in the broom closet.

St Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in Charleston, SC
Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

But the pendulum has begun to swing back, and there is a growing  appreciation (you might even say a hunger) for greater beauty in the sanctuary.  Utilitarian is beginning to be replaced by Gothic or Baroque styles of buildings.  Many of the churches being built today have a more traditional look….and some older churches are being remodeled to look traditional.

While many parishes in the Northeast and Midwest have found it necessary to close, the “sun belt” states have seen tremendous growth over the last few decades.  The South was formerly called “the Bible Belt” due to its heavy Protestant influence…just don’t tell them that Catholics wrote the Bible!.   Along with that growth came the need to build new churches to accommodate the many Catholics moving into these states.

It is always sad to see some of these beautiful old churches close, especially those with such features as marble altars, old stained glass windows, hand-carved statuary, etc.  But as many cities aged, and people moved out of the area, these churches had such low attendance that they were forced to close and either torn down or turned into something else.  The magnificent features that made them so beautiful were sold off.

Fortunately, in some cases, the contents of these churches were purchased and used in new church construction elsewhere.

One example of this is the new sanctuary building for Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in Charleston, South Carolina.  The building committee had found out that the Sisters of Saint Joseph Convent in Pittsburgh, built in 1897, was designated to be sold and the chapel furnishings auctioned off.

It said that some things are not coincidences, they are God-incidences.  And this is certainly one of them.  The new building here in Charleston was designed so that the windows would be fitted with clear glass until a future time when the parish could afford stained glass windows.  They needed 12 windows.

The chapel in the Sisters of Saint Joseph Chapel had 12 stained-glass windows designed by renowned German window maker Franz Mayer of Munich!  And they fit their architects’ design for the new church by a matter of inches (the 120 year-old windows were 18 feet tall by 8 feet wide).  Not only that, two of them depicted Saint Clare of Assisi!  Coincidence?  We think not.

According to the pastor, Rev. Gregory West of St. Clare of Assisi, the church paid about $450,000 for the windows and their removal.  New ones would have cost many times more than that, he said.

In addition, they have also purchased  the Stations of the Cross, the high altar (reredos), the main altar, statues of Saint Joseph, the Blessed Mother, Saint Clare of Assisi, and a baptismal font.  They will all have a new home here at Saint Clare of Assisi Parish in Charleston.

Here in South Carolina you will find a church that inspires you with its architecture. The address might confuse you, but Daniel Island is a planned community within the city of Charleston.

Address:  990 Etiwan Park Street, Daniel Island.  (by the way, Etiwan, also spelled Ittiwan is the native American tribe that lived here). They were located approximately 30 miles northeast of Charleston, South Carolina.

Click here for the official website of Saint Clare of Assisi Parish in Charleston.  You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Photos courtesy Saint Clare Catholic Church, Charleston, SC