It is quite simple really. Never but never pick a fight with the Catholic Church. You. Will. Lose. We have seen the rise and fall of nations, kingdoms and empires. We have crowned some of the greatest rulers that have ever walked the Earth. We have faced many of history's greatest terrors, Attila, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and countless others. They have all failed to destroy us.

The Tax Assessor of San Francisco has decided to levy a $14.4M tax on the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A bit of background: For the purposes of accounting and administration it is not uncommon for dioceses to have several corporate entities on paper for managing schools, soup kitchens, parishes. Ultimately everything 'belongs' to the Diocese, and that means the Bishop [N.B. the etymology of the name Bishop basically means Overseer, so this makes sense.] Another thing anyone who knows how the Catholic Church is run knows, efficient we are not. In December of 2007, Archbishop Niederauer ordered a restructuring of the diocese. Half a year later, it was completed. A year and a half after that, San Francisco Tax Collector, and Proposition 8 opponent, Phil Ting levies a $14.4M bill on them.

It seems pretty obvious to me what this is. The State of California and most of her major cities are broke. So using the wave of anti-Catholic sentiment in CA, especially San Francisco, Ting is going after a pot'o'gold. But he'll be running after nothing. For one, I don't see this holding up in court. Two, he will cost the state of CA a small fortune just going after this money. Three if he gets it, it will come at the cost of soup kitchens and charities that keep the poor of the San Francisco [N.B. That means St. Francis] afloat. What he will win is popular support from a bunch of ungrateful children of Western Civilization. Really the whole thing is pretty lame.

The power to tax is the power to destroy, or so they say. Ting might learn something from Pius VII when Napoleon captured Rome and threatened to destroy the Catholic Church. The Successor of Peter told him flatly, 'If in all this time we priests haven't destroyed her, you don't stand a chance.'

Incidently my favorit quote from the article is "This includes properties such as Mission Dolores, which have been owned by the Church since before there was a State of California or a taxing authority in San Francisco."

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

First allow me to apologize for my provincial Latin, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. With it being the end of November and the beginning of Advent, I have been reflecting on death. For some people that is a weird and depressing thing to say, but it has been a part of Catholic spirituality for a long time. It helps keep eternity in perspective. So here are two fruits of my contemplation.

Er, em... more like videos I like because it reminds me to contemplate that I am dust and to dust I shall return.

Not buying it? Just watch the Man in Black.





QUOD TU ES, EGO FUI, QUOD EGO SUM, TU ERIS.



--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

I intend to go into greater detail about this later. For now I want to give a congratulatory shout out to the Bishops here in the USA.

• First we have Bishop Tobin giving a Kennedy a much needed public rebuke.
• Second we have have the victory won for Traditional Marriage in Maine, spearheaded by the bishops.
• Third we have the Bishop's Conference pushing for the exclusion of abortion coverage and getting it from Speaker Pelosi.

Granted things still need some work, but I love seeing the Princes of the Church stepping up to Caesar and not backing down. Episcopal Hat Trick FTW!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

At the behest of the Ineffiable Father Z:

I, Baron von Korf, hereby call on all my readers (yes, both of you) to help the Poor Souls of Priests in Purgatory. During the Octave of All Saints it is possible to receive a plenary indulgence, only for a Poor Soul in Purgatory, by visiting a graveyard and praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is with the usual conditions of course. Also on All Soul's (this Monday) by going to a church or public oratory and praying the Credo and a Pater Noster, you can likewise receive a plenary indulgence, again only for a poor soul.

This is the Year of the Priest and so it would only be fitting to offer these indulgences for the Poor Souls of Priests who have no one to pray for them. Priests are easily forgotten, and since they have no worldly children of their own they need us, their spiritual children, to honor their memory and pray for them. The old saying is 'No man is deader than a Priest', precisely for this reason.

The Devil hates Priests more than the rest of us because of the great graces they bring to the world. They are beset by all sorts of temptations as they live and then he strives to make them forgotten, or worse, when they die. So go forth into this spiritual battle!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

One of these days I'll get better a blogging than just once a month. I'm sure there is a joke there, but I'm not going to touch it. That seems to be my problem though, I'm always planning and rarely doing. Well I'm finally beginning to act on one of my plans. I'm going to get back into Fencing.

I took fencing my last semester in college and absolutely loved it. I always said that when stuff settled down a bit for me, I'd look up a new place. Well I think I found one, and I dropped my old coach a line to see where he would recommend. So hopefully within the next few weeks I'll have a new activity to eat up more of my spare time. In the meanwhile enjoy this bit of fencing goodness. The bit at 1:12 is my favorite but 1:52 is a close follow up.



--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

A Beautiful and Timeless Performance

I must admit, when I first heard about three Irish priests putting out a CD of Catholic Classics, I was less than impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love beautiful choral pieces as much as the next guy but I didn't think it would be anything special. I was in for a large, and largely unintended, shock. I was laid up on my couch sick and had EWTN on, and there I see Raymond Arroyo standing at the front of St Malachy's Catholic Church in New York City. He was introducing the Priest's St Patrick's Day concert. In short order, Father Delargy and the Fathers O'Hagen (both of them) took their places in the sanctuary (the Blessed Sacrament being properly reserved elsewhere for the evening). "Alright," I thought "let's see what all the fuss is about." I saw. I saw immediately.

It would probably be more accurate to say "I heard". I later went and bought the CD and it was a true joy. From sublime pieces like Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, and (my favorite) Pie Iesu, to stately pieces like Die Schopfung and Gloria/Domine Fili Unigente, I was hooked. I would be remiss in my duty if I neglected to mention the beautiful and bittersweet rendition of the Irish Blessing.

Quality Choral music is hard to find, especially in today's modern market; however, this CD would be a gem in any collection. The fervent love and conviction for the Faith can be heard reverberating in their tenor and baritone voices. It is this same fervor that drives this Sacerdotal Trio of Gaels outside of their music. Before they signed their contract with Sony Music, the Priests made sure that it was clearly stated that their primary obligation was to their home parishes. In this, the Year of the Priest, their self sacrificing love stands as a reminder to us of why we call priests Father. It is a credit to the priesthood that these men, when offered a chance at fame and fortune, would not only remember their obligation to their parish family but put it before their own worldly gain. Father David Delargy, Father Marten O'Hagen, and Father Eugene O'Hagen are the pastors of Hannahstown, Chushendun, and Ballyclare & Ballygowan respectively.

Its choral merits aside, I would recommend this CD for its variety. 5 languages (English, Spanish, Latin, German, and Irish Gaelic by my count) spanning 14 songs. I knew most of them, but there were a few I had to look up to find out what they were about and I'm grateful for the learning experience. So buy it for the beauty, for the traditions, and for the enrichment of your faith.

"This music is for all people, regardless of their background of faith, or no faith, or maybe a little faith that needs rekindling... we hope that is will bring a lot of joy, lift hearts and give praise to God." --Fr Marten O'Hagen

This review of The Priests is part of the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

I have found another place to voice my unsolicited opinions on the web for all to see! Tiber River Reviews is a media reviewing website maintained by the good people at Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, and the have a little program for bloggers to give books, CDs and DVDs a once over in terms of Orthodoxy, Readability, and Overall Quality. In fact, Friend of the Court The Crescat... Carolina Cannonball is a fellow Tiber River Reviewer. So pop on over and check out what other people have to say, and maybe buy a book or two. You could do far worse than Aquinas and More, they run a top notch shop.