text:
Friday, September 2, 2011
Am I obliged to correct my brother who sins?
36 comments:
Though I can see it not being of obligation, I think it is very kind and charitable to give fraternal correction of venial sins or even non-sinful faults, if the individual is at a point in the spiritual life when he can deal with such things. This is especially true if the person is blindly falling into the offense in a habitual way. I certainly would want to be corrected, at least.
It brings up another point, too -- how receptive we think the other person will be to the correction. My priest gave a sermon on fraternal correction once and as I recall he said that we are not bound to give correction unless we think it will make a positive difference. If we have reason to think the person will just become angry and argue and also won't change or re-evaluate his behavior at all, then we don't need to say anything.
Thanks for the post, Father.
Julia - September 2, 2011 at 5:07 AM
- Chatto said...
can you explain what the terms 'precept' and 'counsel' mean in this case? Not being familiar with these technical terms, I think I'm missing some of the meaning.
Thanks - September 2, 2011 at 7:58 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Great question, thanks for drawing my attention to this point!
A counsel will lead to perfection but is not strictly obligatory -- i.e. for most, a counsel does not bind as a matter of sin (unless we make a vow and bind ourselves, as do religious vocations).
A precept is strictly obligatory according to the intention of the lawgiver. We all must follow the precepts.
Consider the "precepts of the Church" -- things like going to Mass every Sunday.
Compared to the "evangelical counsel" -- poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Hope that is more clear now! + - September 2, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Isn't it if we keep silent seeing and knowing that our brother has transgressed seriously(or even not as serviously), we become an accesssory to his transgression. This I believe is found in the nine ways of being an accessory to sin.
Pax - September 2, 2011 at 9:34 AM
"For as S. Jerome says, "If he lose shame and modesty, he will remain in sin.""
That explains the present condition of this country. There is no longer any shame whatsoever and modesty is equated with the Amish. How well do I remember when there was a sense of shame - in women especially. That is long gone and not much interest is there in getting it back as people are not conducive to correction or good example.
Veronica - September 2, 2011 at 9:52 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Pax (Anon 9:34am),
Correct, there are certainly times when we must speak out.
Recall, however, that it is in relation to "our brother" ... hence, we refer principally to our equals or lessers ... in other words, it is not always good (and can even be sinful) for the inferior to publicly correct the superior.
Hence, for example, the many lay persons who are extremely critical of priests and bishops are really on questionable ground. [just as are priests who greatly criticize the bishops or the pope]
Hope that helps! + - September 2, 2011 at 10:42 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Yes, you have a good point for sure!
Recall especially the importance of correcting with prudence and with charity -- I think that what your priest said fits very well in with this notion.
Peace to you! + - September 2, 2011 at 10:43 AM
I am sorry you did not answer my question. I have nothing against the Saint, but I had never heard him referred simply as "The Founder" before, as Aristotle is the Philosopher or Saint Paul is the Apostle. It is not as if there are no other great founders with relevant writings, from St. Francis to St. Ignatius and St. Teresa to so many others... So, unless one is in the Prelature, calling him "the Founder" is pure affectation.
Best regards, Fr. - September 2, 2011 at 10:51 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Anon (10:51am),
You leave an anonymous comment (though I have asked many times and have a clearly stated policy that you must at least use a pseudonym), mocking the fact that I call St. Josemaria Escriva the Founder ... adding nothing at all to this discussion ... simply trying to "one-up" me and look intelligent yourself ... and, after all that, you have the nerve to leave another ANONYMOUS comment to the same effect (after I did not publish the first, since it was anonymous).
If you have any charity at all, leave your name or a pseudonym, claim your previous two comments, and state your question in charity.
When you do this, I will be happy to answer.
[and you should receive this comment as an act of fraternal correction: You have been terribly rude and you owe me and my readers an apology.]
Best regards to you. - September 2, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Hi Father Ryan,
Excellent post! This is the scripture I fear the most will get me sent to hell. And along with the one where it says, If you see your brother sin and don't correct him and he's damned, you are too! Yikes! I see murder and mayhem every day! (Well okay, not every day) But being a volunteer fireman and all, ugh!
What about the baptized non-Catholic friends and associates? Generally these days, they just don't like somebody even charitably and privately advising them of actions that are mortally sinful. Of course I don't open with that line, I try to come from their perspective and talk about the deleterious effects of such and such a sinful act (it's all the rage to be getting a vasectomy...).
So after a while, I get frustrated and don't say anything when I'm the unwilling witness of some awful thing. I'm going to hell, Fadda! Help! How do I confess this sin of ommission, and how do I do better? God bless, Father.
Oh, and for all the anonymouses out there, if you're old like me, and not so computer savvy, the thing I figured out to do is to click on "Name/URL" and type in your moniker. It seems to work pretty well. If there's a better way, let me know. - September 2, 2011 at 12:40 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
It is a difficult question ... remember that prudence and charity are also necessary.
It's not enough to simply speak the truth, we must do it in love (which requires prudence as well).
So, remember that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!"
Still, most of us could be far more bold than we are -- especially, in the modern day when complacency with sin has led to so many falls!
Pray the good Lord to provide opportunities to speak the truth, and remember that your personal witness to holiness can go further than words (but words are also sometimes necessary).
Hopefully, you have a good confessor who can give more practical and specific advise.
I will say a few prayers too! + - September 3, 2011 at 9:42 AM
I would caution you against the incorrect idea of laymen and priests being respectively inferior and superior to each other. This approach is partly to blame for the mess we're in. Too many priests have an air of superiority, and believe that their words carry the weight of divine inspiration. We must never presume that a priest is intellectually or morally superior to a layperson. This presumption led many to look the other way while Father [insert name] behaved inappropriately and sometimes egregiously. It would serve us well to note that saintly priests lived as servants of those who serve GOD [ex. St John Vianey, St. Vincent DePaul, St. Max Kolbe, St. Damien of Molokai, et al]
GOD Bless.
Francis - September 3, 2011 at 10:29 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I understand your point and I am quite sure that we are in agreement.
Still, to be clear, the priest is the "suprerior" of the lay person ... it is a simple fact that God will hold the parish priest accountable for his flock, but lay people will not necessarily be held accountable for their parish priest.
So, yes, there are certainly times when the inferior should correct the superior -- I believe you are hinting at one of the time when this correction is morally (and legally) obligatory.
Still, "fraternal correction" is (by definition) either between equals or from superior to inferior.
Hence, just both lay persons and priests need to be very careful about publicly rebuking bishops (for example).
[btw, all the priests you listed had a very strong sense of the role of the priest as shepherd and guardian over the laity -- hence, a strong sense of superior protecting and serving the inferior ... if we are all equals, then the priest has no greater obligation to service]
Peace and blessings to you. + - September 3, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Let's us remember how this ties into the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Also, prudence and charity have their place and limits do they not? When Jesus made a whip and chased the money changers out of the temple how charitable and prudent was that. Moreover, when Jesus called the scribes and pharisees a brood of vipers was that not factual honesty applied in a higher mode of charity? .... Just food for thought.
RE: correcting our equal brothers ..... For example, a layman correcting a priest .... If we see a priest committing liturgical abuse are we to remain silent or write a letter to a bishop who takes no corrective action in the spirit of being pastoral? Or do we cite the fact that the code of cannon law says we laymen have the right to abuse free liturgy?
Sacrosanctum Concilium says a priest on his own may not change a word of the liturgy .... How many ignore this and create their own liturgy thinking they can improve the liturgy of the Church? And if the Church IS the body of Christ ... Does not liturgical abuse bruise and batter the body of Christ? Is not a priest a servant of the liturgy, not a creator or fabricator?
Where are our champions who obey, defend, and love true Church teaching ... and correct their brothers at ALL levels? I believe we call most of them Saints ... Who had zeal for souls and were not afraid to plainly tell all that sin leads to hell. Jesus Himself was not timid about this.
I am a simple layman who loves Jesus, his Church, and the authority he gave his Church.
Remember, authority given and not used is no authority at
all ... As a former combat Marine I knew this well.
Mac Rojo - September 3, 2011 at 11:07 AM
- Ann said...
This is a "sticky wicket" when it comes to family members who are married out of the Faith, or have not been to Mass in ages, or are living with someone without benefit of marriage, or plainly say they do not believe in God any more. Worse yet, one practices a combination of New Age and Christianity. There are grandchildren who are being raised without any religion or belief. To suggest in any way that they need to give more thought to these matters is to insult (in their view) or to judge. We would have few contacts with most of our children, in-laws, brother and sisters, and cousins if we were to suggest any turning back to the Lord. At this point we can only pray fervently that they will be led back to the Faith in God's "time" and in "His way." I do thank and praise God that my baby brother came back to the Faith through the intercession of Bl. JPII and his discovering the Latin Mass in his diocese-this after nearly 40 years away.
- September 3, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Maybe I am reading it wrong, but doesn't St. Thomas Aquinas say we are bound to correct our superiors in certain circumstances:
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3033.htm#article4 - September 3, 2011 at 1:14 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Yes, agreed, as I said above: There are certainly times when an inferior should correct the superior.
Still, this is only fraternal correction after a certain analogy and not strictly speaking ... excepting insofar as all the baptized share a common brotherhood.
[for this reason, St. Thomas emphasizes that the inferior must correct the superior in a becoming manner, with gentleness and respect]
Peace. + - September 3, 2011 at 1:29 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Mac Rojo,
No, prudence and (especially) charity do not have any limits. They are virtues which should be exercised always and with the greatest zeal.
[again, this especially applies to charity ... the very idea of "limiting" or "moderating" charity is a very serious mistake]
Regarding correcting priests for liturgical abuses ... yes, certainly there are times for this ... but do not forget that prayer does more: "There are no bad priests, only priests for whom there has not been enough prayer" (ascribed to St. John Vianney).
Remember, that even St. John Vianney did not criticize the decadence of the other priests of his diocese, and when they attacked him he bore it in humility and charity.
Yes the liturgical abuses are bad, very very bad ... still, we need to be prudent and charitable as well ... and sometimes we have to bear patiently the sins of others.
Let us pray that all our priests would experience a profound conversion to the Lord! + - September 3, 2011 at 1:39 PM
For almost 20 years I have written what I would consider 'love letters' to my sister that has been making one bad decision after another. We live 500 miles apart. I lovingly tell her that what she is doing is wrong and a serious sin, and why, and I always encourage her to call me and discuss it. Most recently, her 10 yr. old son (born out of wedlock)told me that he and his mom were living with "Bill". She stopped him from speaking any further (so he definitely has a sense of it being wrong). She has been chasing this man for 2 years, son in tow. I'm saddened for my nephew and the roller coaster ride he has to be on because of her choices in life. She didn't respond to my recent love letter. I doubt I will hear from her anymore. It's never been easy sending her those letters, but I did it out of love and with love. To not do anything would have appeared to be condoning her actions.
- September 3, 2011 at 1:45 PM
"Again, from the Founder:"
I really didn't like your tone when you put that reader in his place over 'the founder'. The way you used it did cause confusion because you had only just mentioned Escriva once specifically, while you mentioned Fr Cornelius more often. In fact I was not sure whom you were referring to.
One other point: Are you a member of the Opus Dei Prelature because only then can you refer to Escria as the founder. So who is your founder?
peppin the short - September 4, 2011 at 2:06 AM
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I haven't taken this very seriously in the past. Pray that God will give me the grace to correct in a charitable way that will be well-received.
Matt - September 4, 2011 at 3:56 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I'm sorry you "didn't like [my] tone" ... but that reader had twice refused to leave a pseudonym, and was being very rude.
Regarding, "the Founder" ... why didn't anybody object when I referred to St. Dominic as "our holy father St. Dominic" (a few weeks back, on the post "Let St. Dominic teach you how to pray a holy hour")?
You don't have to be a member of the prelature in order to call Escriva the founder ... just as I can speak of Berlusconi in one breath and then, a second later say "The Prime Minister" ... even though I am not Italian.
It's one thing to ask me to be more clear in naming my sources, it's quite another to accuse me of vain affectation.
Also, I don't need to tell you anything about my spiritual life -- so I don't think I'll answer your question about whether I am in the prelature. - September 4, 2011 at 6:42 AM
I think this is a good sermon on fraternal correction (by an anonymous priest).
http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/20100627-Fraternal-Correction-When-In-Doubt-Do-Not-Give-It.html - September 4, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Excellent article--you take on a very difficult topic which all of us must deal with from time to time. Personally, I believe we simply must take what Jesus tells us in the Gospel at face value (i.e., matters contained within direct quotes, as being the words of Jesus Christ Himself, to be given the highest priotity level). Your building upon the Gospel teaching, using further explications from well-known teachers of the Catholic faith, is likewise to be highly commended.
@ Sue: You are doing the right thing; at this point, just keep praying for your sister and her little boy. Your situation reminds me most painfully of my own sister and her little boy--she went through 3 marriages; dragged him along into all kinds of situations, all the while "flirting" with returning to the Catholic faith, but falling back out every single time. The outcome was, that little boy grew up and rejected her completely, moved to another state and no one has any idea where he is to be found nowadays. Keep praying for her and her son, as you never know when the grace of repentance (or, quite possibly, final repentance) will come into play. All of your prayers for her intention will definitely have some beneficial impact.
Also, Father, it would appear that you have some real "trolls" whose only intent is to lob anonymous insults, stir up discord, all the while lurking in dark corners. I think that out of an over-abundance of charity you take them too seriously. Personally, I think you should not post any of these trolls, and if they do get into a thread, that you should delete them as soon as they are detected.
God bless!
Catharine - September 4, 2011 at 4:03 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Thank you for the very good comment!
It seems to me that you have offered a perfect example of good and charitable "correction"/encouragement ... from now own I will follow your advice and simply avoid posting comments from the "trolls", this will also certainly help me to maintain charity in my own comments!
Peace and blessings to you! + - September 4, 2011 at 9:02 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
While I have not listened to that particular homily on audiosancto, I can certainly attest to the overall quality of the sermons on that website.
Thank you for the link! + - September 4, 2011 at 9:03 PM
Very good article, thank you for writing and explaining it. I teach a small class that has made their Confirmation. Young adults to be--and this year our subject is Morality. Your comments will be discussed in our class if you don't mind.
Mrs. Scott - September 5, 2011 at 8:49 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Mrs. Scott,
Yes do feel free to make use of this article or any others! What a joy it is to instruct young ones in the Faith ... blessings to you! + - September 5, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Hi Father Ryan,
Thank you for your kind response. I second Catharine's wise advice. Sorry you have to read them, even if we don't, but I hope that depriving them of the "air" of "being published" will make them lose interest and go away (or better yet, convert!)
The conversion, of course, is to the realization that it's a rough world out there, and when such a fine, well informed priest, with all the responsibilities he has, would take the time to grace us with his counsel, we need to be at the very least respectful, and at best truly thankful. I certainly am. Happy Labor Day! God bless, Father. - September 5, 2011 at 11:11 AM
... when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong. ... ... I said to Cephas in front of all, "If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"(Galatians 2:11,14)
Father Canu - September 5, 2011 at 12:10 PM
Father Ryan,
Might I also add, and this would be the other side of the argument for admitting the trolls: I admire your manly ability to stand up, toe to toe, to those who happen to be impolite in their discourse. I'm sure you do it face to face when you have to. Maybe it's the cowboy in you, I don't know, but it is something we all need to learn how to do as gentlemen. Just slinking away and complaining about them (ahem, like I do...) is not manly, and you give sophs like me a lesson in just how to conduct oneself as a Catholic man in the various situations one finds oneself in... God bless, Father. - September 5, 2011 at 1:18 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Fr. Canu,
Thanks for the points from St. Thomas!
Also, it is good to remember that we cannot possibly give an accurate presentation of St. Thomas' thought by simply offering a "yes" or "no" answer.
Still, it is helpful to see the basic answer ... then we need to to look at each article more carefully.
Notice, especially, his qualifications to article (4), on how a subject is to correct a superior; also consider article (5) in which he does say that a sinner may offer some correction to another [even though his basic answer was "no"].
Peace to you, and thanks for the links! + - September 5, 2011 at 3:36 PM
Out of curiosity and desiring truth, why did you call him the Founder? And whose Founder at that?
I ak this respectfully too. - September 5, 2011 at 7:29 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Please use a pseudonym in the future.
I call St. Escriva "the Founder" because he founded the prelature "Opus Dei" and is affectionately called "the Founder" by those who follow his spirituality.
Truly, I do not know of any others who are commonly called "the Founder" ... Sts Dominic and Francis are both called "our Father" (though Francis was only a deacon) ... Escriva himself seems to have preferred "the Father" and this is what is written on his tomb.
Still, Escriva is very commonly called "the Founder" (i.e. the Founder of Opus Dei) and I refer to him by this common title, because I love him and his movement very much.
Peace to you! + - September 5, 2011 at 8:17 PM
- Seraphim said...
Whenever I am in a situation like this my gut feeling, which I trust as the arbiter of my conscience, usually tells me that it would in fact be inappropriate to correct your brother if the individual in question is a stranger. It really seems like it's none of your business, and correcting a complete stranger on his personal (sexual) lifestyle is very socially inappropriate and appears judgmental and intrusive.
Part of the problem is that in contemporary America the qualifier as to whether someone is "in the Church" is ambiguous. Not everyone is a practicing Catholic, and even some that are are so secularized that their attachment to the Church may be only sentimental or cultural in character. I would say, a bit more cautiously, that one has this duty of correction only with a friend, closer acquaintance, or family member. - September 5, 2011 at 8:45 PM
- JQP said...
Sometimes it's prudent to hold off correction to a stranger that is a fellow Christian, but I don't think it's prudent to avoid it all together unless you know the person.
Ezekiel didn't know the people he was sent to personally though he might have known some after living with them for a while while proclaiming the Word of God.
Its right to help a brother then to leave them in sin, but to do it with charity and in humility.
In the situation of someone being only culturally Catholic and they are stubbornly in sin and dissident to the Faith. Then I can see times when prudence and charity can say to talk to them. There are plenty of these situations where what you say won't make them go further in sin. They are already there. Mortal is mortal =(. - September 16, 2011 at 3:56 PM
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Well, tough. Whoever puts himself forward to become President is asking to be on call constantly for the next 4 years — every day of the year, around the clock.
"Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made a quick trip to Marine Corps Base Hawaii after a private day exchanging gifts and eating a holiday meal of roast beef at their rented home in Kailua — between briefings on the disrupted plot of suspected terrorism."
Why, exactly, are they in Hawaii — over 5,000 miles* from the White House? I'm not criticizing Obama in particular for going on vacations. I mean to criticize all the Presidents who go far away from Washington. If they need respite, let them go to Camp David. It's close to the White House, and it's set up for security. I can see returning to one's permanent residence, but even that is a luxury the President should eschew. The Christmas Day terror attempt may seem paltry, but it is a reminder of what can happen. And when it does, it would be better if the President were not out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (or even in some schoolhouse in Florida).
* I came up with the 5,000 miles figure the way I normally get the miles between 2 places in the U.S.: I put the names of the 2 places into Google maps to get driving directions. What does Google maps do when there is a big ocean in the middle of the drive? Check it out. It's funny.
ADDED: Instapundit thinks it's okay for the Prez, like anybody else, to take "a tropical island trip," as long as he shuts up about carbon emissions. (I'd take that deal too.)
Tigerhawk thinks we ought to cut the Prez some slack because "for him, it is going home." He got to be President via Chicago. He cultivated deep roots in Chicago as a very conscious political scheme. So I'll accept the "home for Christmas" argument if he goes to Chicago.


text:
by Natalie Hormilla
copyright the chronicle June 20, 2012
CRAFTSBURY — Even if you don't take yoga classes around here, you're probably familiar with Margaret Pitkin. Maybe you grew up with her in Albany, or went to school with her at Lake Region, or maybe you've seen the many posters of her in various asanas — also known as yoga poses — in flyers of her tacked to local bulletin boards.
Those who do know Ms. Pitkin through yoga likely know another fact: that she's Vermont's first and only fully certified Anusara yoga teacher — or she was, until she gave up her license in light of Anusara founder John Friend's very public fall from grace earlier this year.
But to fully understand the significance of such a decision, let's back up to the beginning.
Ms. Pitkin first got into yoga about ten years ago, while attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she was studying geology.
"I was pretty skeptical," she said, of yoga. "Growing up here, I wasn't exposed to it. I thought it was something for people from southern California."
Ms. Pitkin, who has the limbs of someone you just know is disciplined, says she couldn't touch her toes when she first started. "People never believe me when I say that."
She took classes from Deb Neubauer, a well-known yogini who taught in the Anusara style.
"So basically I did Anusara from the beginning," she said.
After graduation in 2004, Ms. Pitkin returned home and began attending a yoga class at the Craftsbury library. It just happened to be an Anusara yoga class.
After about a year of being home, she began traveling back to Northampton to study with an old philosophy teacher, which Ms. Pitkin considers a cornerstone of her approach to yoga.
The following spring, she drove to Los Angeles, California, to visit her sister, Roberta, and to attend a teaching workshop taught by Mr. Friend.
"That was my first time with John Friend," she said. "That made me feel really solid about Anusara, because I really liked him." She said he was very positive and good at making people feel comfortable.
When she got back to Vermont, her yoga teacher was pregnant and needed a substitute teacher. Ms. Pitkin said she didn't want to do it at first, because she didn't feel qualified and was scared of speaking in public.
"But once I started doing it, I really liked it," she said. "It was easier than I thought to articulate my experience."
She began training with Ms. Neubauer in Northampton regularly, and attending many teacher trainings and immersions all over the country.
"I'd fly to Miami, California, Arizona," she said. She said she spent "thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars," to study and train to become an Anusara yoga teacher.
"Since 2006, I've spent about one weekend a month traveling to some sort of training, up until about the end of 2011," she said. "Which was right when some of this stuff started to come out."
The "stuff" are the allegations made by many Anusara yoga teachers and community members against Mr. Friend since the short-lived website jfexposed.com launched earlier this year. (The site has since been shut down.) Some are sexual in nature: that Mr. Friend had affairs with several of his female teachers, some of whom were married; and that he formed a "Wiccan coven" with several female teachers and employees. Some are financial: that he froze employees' benefits plans and gave moneymaking opportunities to members of the "coven" over others. And some are just unprofessional: that he was forcing employees to personally accept deliveries of marijuana at his offices, that he was showing up ranting and unprepared to the teaching workshops that cost students hundreds of dollars a pop, that he was manipulating his better known teachers by withholding opportunities that only he could make possible. The list goes on.
"When it first came out, I had a bad feeling about it, but I wanted to wait and see," Ms. Pitkin said.
She said she had seen him publicly shame people at workshops and that she did feel his teaching had slipped from when she first began studying with him. She said that if anyone spoke up, Mr. Friend would bully them out of the community.
"He had so much clout internationally. If John decided he was going to promote you, you're made," she said. "The way he set up the whole power structure of the whole thing, it was like if anybody had a problem with John, it was their fault. Like, 'you're not really being open-hearted.'"
Ms. Pitkin formally resigned from Anusara in May.
The Anusara yoga school was founded by Mr. Friend in 1997, and has grown to have over 1,000 licensed teachers all over the world, according to anusara.com.
"I gave up my license, which means I can't use the word 'Anusara.' Technically that's all it means. Which, if you think about it, is … ridiculous, because that's the only thing I've ever studied," she said.
Ms. Pitkin can still teach any other style of yoga.
"Anusara yoga was invented by John Friend, or at least, it's credited to him, and then he made it into a corporation," she said. "So it was a business and a style of yoga. He trademarked the name, the idea of the Universal Principles of Alignment."
One of the defining traits of an Anusara class, as opposed to some other styles of yoga, is the touchstone of a philosophical theme woven into the approach to each class.
Ms. Pitkin says the philosophical component is one of the things that really drew her to Anusara. She said the physical component is powerful, and that she's even healed injuries with yoga, but that "it's not the piece I find absolutely indispensable, for myself. If someone said, 'ok, you're going to a desert island and you only get one practice,' that's probably the one I'd get rid of. I'd bring my books."
Asked how her classes have changed since leaving Anusara behind, Ms. Pitkin said, "I think that's still in process. There was a real community of arrogance in Anusara that I bought into. Like, 'I know so much, I've studied so much,' like Anusara was the best style in the world. There was this culture of 'I'm the best' and John really built it that way."
"The main thing that's changed for me is that I've lost my arrogance about what I know and do not know," she said.
She said one student "felt like my presence as a teacher has changed. She felt like I was more humble and more respectful of people's experience."
She said that yoga is about release, and that it helps you see more clearly, including yourself. She said that the changes in her life before and after yoga have been extreme.
"I was really mean," she said, laughing. "I feel like I was pretty shut down. I had a lot of defense mechanism-type walls up. How I engaged with the world was to attack it. The amount I've softened is amazing."
It doesn't sound like the end of Anusara is the end of her yoga practice. "If anything, it's going to get way better. I'm going to get better."
She said she wants to let her whole Anusara experience fall apart, "like compost. In order for something from the past to be nutritious for the future, it has to dissolve."
As part of her yoga studies, Ms. Pitkin has been in a two-year-long meditation course with Paul Muller-Ortega of Santa Barbara. She studies Neelankantha meditation, which involves "listening to a lot of teleseminars on my iPod." She also studies philosophy with both Mr. Muller-Ortega and Douglas Brooks, who is a professor at the University of Rochester. This is another facet of her yoga studies, which requires a lot of time and travel.
"It's pretty much what I do in my free time," she said.
She said the types of philosophy she studies "both could fall under the very broad category of nondual Hindu Tantra. In a very broad sense, it's the basic sort of belief that there is not a separation between matter and spirit. That there's really only one essential thing that's making up everything. That all the structures of the universe are working via that same essential power, or flow of energy, or however you want to put it."
She said nonduality is about "pulling yourself out of the duality of life — pleasure and pain — and to not be at the whims of the roller coaster of life."
Ms. Pitkin currently teaches seven weekly classes in Craftsbury, Burlington, Hardwick, West Glover and Morrisville. She also teaches workshops in those towns as well as Montpelier.
She said that when she first started teaching she didn't think supporting herself from full-time yoga would be possible. "Because I mean, look where we live. Where are the people that would take yoga class?"
She's been able to teach full time since this winter. In the summer, she does still work two days a week for Annerscaping, the landscaping company owned by Anners Johnson of Albany.
She used to work landscaping full-time while still teaching classes. "It's taken a long time to build up, to get my name out there basically."
She says the reality of being a successful yoga teacher is a lot of time spent not teaching, but "working on my website, answering e-mails, trying to come up with descriptions. A lot of the work is on the computer."
"I love teaching," she said. "I get a little burned out on the constant e-mail — Internet thing, but teaching is not like work to me. I get so much out of it."
Ms. Pitkin lives in Craftsbury with her partner, Gabriel Tempesta. She will turn 30 in August.
She plans on doing yoga for the rest of her life.
"I'll definitely be like 90 and still teaching yoga," she said. "That's my plan."
She's even got a name for her new style of yoga. "I'm calling it Wild Blue Yoga, which is just a blend of what I've learned."
contact Natalie Hormilla at [email protected]


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After numerous requests – and months of resizing, tweaking, testing and writing the most comprehensive instructions you've ever seen – I've finally finished perfecting a multisized digital version of the pattern for you to print and sew at home. The pattern costs is available RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
The pattern comes with not one but TWO versions of the instructions:
1) Simplified paper instructions
If you're an experienced stitcher and just want to crack on with it, you can print out a simplified, text-only summary of the instructions. Complete with handy tickboxes to celebrate your progress!
2) Detailed digital instructions
If you haven't sewn many things before, or if you are a visual learner, or if you would just like some guidance with a particular technique, the digital version of the instructions will hold your hand at each stage with step-by-step photo tutorials. Over the next few weeks, a new post will be added to the How to Make a Mathilde Blouse web page almost daily, building up to form a sewing workshop in everything you need to know to create your own version. We will cover various topics and techniques along the way, from understanding interfacing to fashioning beautiful tucks, from setting in a sleeve to stitching French seams. You can sew along as the posts go live, or you can bookmark the page and revisit any page you need whenever you need it. Check out everything we'll be covering.
Thank you soooo much to everyone who has helped me with this - Mel, Claire, Suzy, Sarah, Lauren, Sarah, Zoe, Marie, Mai, Helene, Jaimie... and last but not least James and Sara R xxx
[Soundtrack: 'Mathilde' by Scott Walker]


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MELBOURNE, Australia – No shirt ripping or bare-chested flexing this time.
Novak Djokovic completed his work before midnight, defeating Andy Murray in four sets for his third consecutive Australian Open title and fourth overall.
It was also the second time in three years Djokovic had beaten his longtime friend in this final. So the celebration was muted: a small victory shuffle, raised arms, a kiss for the trophy. No grand histrionics, although that's not to say the moment was lost on him.
"Winning it three in a row, it's incredible," Djokovic said after his 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory Sunday night. "It's very thrilling. I'm full of joy right now. It's going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, that's for sure."
Nine other men had won consecutive Australian titles in the Open era, but none three straight years. One of them was Andre Agassi, who presented Djokovic with the trophy.
A year ago, Djokovic began his season with an epic 5-hour, 53-minute five-set win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, the longest Grand Slam final. He tore off his shirt to celebrate, the TV replays repeated constantly at this tournament.
He mimicked that celebration after coming back to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in five hours in a surprisingly tough fourth-round victory this time.
Since then, he's looked every bit the No. 1 player. He said he played "perfectly" in his 89-minute win over fourth-seeded David Ferrer in the semifinals Thursday night. Murray struggled to beat 17-time major winner Roger Federer in five sets in the semifinals Friday night, and still had the bad blisters on his feet to show for it in the final.
In a final that had the makings of a classic when two of the best returners in tennis were unable to get a break of serve in the first two sets that lasted 2:13, the difference may have hinged on something as light as a feather.
Preparing for a second serve at 2-2 in the second set tiebreaker, Murray was rocking back about to toss the ball when he stopped, paused and then walked onto the court and tried to grab a small white feather that was floating in his view. He went back to the baseline, bounced the ball another eight times and served too long.
After being called for a double-fault, Murray knocked the ball away in anger and flung his arm down. He didn't get close for the rest of the tiebreaker and was the first to drop serve in the match — in the eighth game of the third set. Djokovic broke him twice in the fourth set, which by then had turned into an easy march to victory.
"It was strange," said Djokovic, adding that it swung the momentum his way. "It obviously did. ... He made a crucial double-fault."
Murray didn't blame his loss on the one distraction.
"I mean, I could have served. It just caught my eye before I served. I thought it was a good idea to move it," he said. "Maybe it wasn't because I obviously double-faulted.
"You know, at this level it can come down to just a few points here or there. My biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set — didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his."
Djokovic had five break-point chances in the opening set, including four after having Murray at 0-40 in the seventh game, but wasn't able to convert any of them.
Then he surrendered the tiebreaker with six unforced errors. Murray appeared to be the stronger of the two at the time. He'd beaten Djokovic in their last Grand Slam encounter, the U.S. Open final, and had the Serb so off balance at times in the first set that he slipped to the court and took skin off his knee.
Murray held serve to open the second set and had three break points at 0-40 in the second game, but Djokovic dug himself out of trouble and held.
"After that I felt just mentally a little bit lighter and more confident on the court than I've done in the first hour or so," Djokovic said. "I was serving better against him today in the first two sets than I've done in any of the match in the last two years."
Djokovic said he loves playing at Rod Laver Arena, where he won his first major title in 2008. He now has six Grand Slam titles altogether. Federer has won four of his 17 majors at Melbourne Park, and Agassi is the only other player to have won that many in Australia since 1968.
Djokovic was just finding his way at the top level when Agassi retired in 2006, but he had watched enough of the eight-time major winner to appreciate his impact.
"He's I think one of the players that changed the game — not just the game itself, but also the way the people see it," Djokovic said. "So it was obviously a big pleasure and honor for me to receive the trophy from him."
Agassi was among the VIPs in the crowd, along with actor Kevin Spacey and Victoria Azarenka, who won the women's final in three sets against Li Na the previous night.
Murray broke the 76-year drought for British men at the majors when he won the U.S. Open last year and said he'll leave Melbourne slightly more upbeat than he has after defeats here in previous years.
"The last few months have been the best tennis of my life. I mean, I made Wimbledon final, won the Olympics, won the U.S. Open. You know, I was close here as well," he said. "No one's ever won a slam (immediately) after winning their first one. It's not the easiest thing to do. And I got extremely close.
"So, you know, I have to try and look at the positives of the last few months, and I think I'm going the right direction."


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For the past two years we've sold most of our lambs in late summer to the friend of a friend who kept them on his farm for a few months and then butchered them himself for an out of state, ethnic niche market he has.
For many years we've been trying to build up a business selling our whole, naturally raised, grass fed, custom butchered lambs directly to customers (for less than the cost of inferior, supermarket lamb), but there is simply no local market for it.
We tried delivering lamb to city buyers 200 miles away, but that didn't work out. And shipping frozen packages of lamb to customers across the country is impractical and cost prohibitive (and goes against the whole local thing).
Last fall, an opportunity came up that looked like it could become a local ethnic niche market for us, and I agreed to specifically breed several purebred Katahdin lambs—which we don't like to do because they're so much smaller than our Katahdin/Suffolk crosses—for someone who was to pick them up here on the farm at the end of this month. She backed out of the deal last week.
Many people have told us that our lamb is the best they've ever tasted.
This is my 17th year raising sheep. We didn't lose a single lamb this year.
21 more farm photos below . . .


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On the weekend of August 26th and 27th I'll be doing a fundraiser where I'll be riding my bicycle 260 kilometers in two days from Toronto to Welland and back. I've set a lofty goal to raise $1000 for my Aunt who runs a foster home in the Philippines for kids without parents. She has been living there for the past 17 years.
I think this is a good cause because when you give money to organizations like United Way, your money doesn't get very far beause there is a large amount of overhead. When you give money to my Aunt's home, you bypass the overhead. My Aunt lives in the home, she eats the same rice, and she only flies back to Canada every couple years, so her expenses are very minimal. You know that when you donate money to her, it goes straight to the kids who need it.
I figure if I can raise $200-300 for United Way to simply climb the CN Tower, I should definitely be able to raise $1000 to ride my bicycle 260KMs. This will also serve as a primer for my Toronto to Montreal bicycle ride which I plan to do in a year or two.
So step up friends and make a pledge. Even if it's just $10 or $20, every little bit counts, and $20 can buy a lot in the Philippines when you consider foreign currency. I will provide tax receipts for donations of $20 or more, so there's another good reason to pledge. I'm going to personally contribute $200 and I'm hoping to raise at least another $800 from all of you to make a total of $1000 or hopefully even more.
To make a pledge, simply post a comment on this website with your name, or if you'd like some privacy, just email me @ jim_schwartz9 at yahoo dot com. Or if you're interested in riding along with me on August 26th and 27th, that works as well.
Thanks in advance!!


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Dear all,
In the Pali canon Bodhisattva appears to refer to the Buddha before his full awakening (the personality of the Jataka Tales, for example). But in the Mahayana all who have taken the Bodhisattva vows are Bodhisattvas.
My question is: if all sentient beings are Buddhas-to-be, does that mean that ALL sentient beings are Bodhisattvas?


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Clay dumped sugar all over the counter.
Brooklyn got into Lexi's "dress-up" lipstick.
She proceeded to wash her hands off in the toilet.
The person who had used the toilet last, neglected to flush.
I did eight loads of laundry.
Clay dumped two of them on the floor by the back door.
My daughter proceeded to come in the house and step on the clean laundry.
Clay climbed up and grabbed his advent calendar off the top of the fridge and proceeded to eat chocolate. A lot of chocolate.
According to his calendar, it's now December 21st.
Clay got into Jackson's medication patches. He cut open the packet, peeled the backing off the patch and stuck it to a chair.
At least the chair won't be hyper today.
I got a call from the school nurse. She has my number on speed dial. She said that Lexi had a stomachache. I had my doubts about the validity of said stomachache, but decided to pick her up from school just in case she was really sick.
Before I got there, she threw up all over the nurse's office. At least I know she wasn't faking it.
Like clockwork, the call came in 10 minutes after I'd put Brooklyn down for her nap.
This morning, Clayton and Brooklyn ate an entire pack of Tic Tacs that they'd swiped from my purse.
Their breath is still minty fresh.
Clay and Brooklyn grabbed some graham crackers and ate them while sitting atop Lexi's bed.
I had just changed the sheets on her bed.
Her sheets are now crunchy.
This, my friends, is why no comments were approved until tonight when my husband got home from work. I was too afraid to turn my back on them!
This all happened while I was doing my regular Monday cleaning. I can't imagine what they would've gotten into had I been on the computer.
Remember to stop by Mamaslike for all our latest finds.


text: LICENSE DETAILS RELATED VIDEOS KEYWORDS © Vizualist Portrait of a young female doctor sitting near table with covid 19 sample tube on table in laboratory, Lesce, Upper Carniol, Slovenia, Europe Exclusive Stock Footage ID: D46_31_023 License: Royalty-free license Collection: Dissolve Pose™ Clip length: 00:11 Contributor: Vizualist Frame rate: 25.0 fps Release: Model released Original codec: ProRes Choose a size 1920 x 1080 ProRes and H.264 $299 3840 x 2160 ProRes and H.264 $339 From $299 USD Add to cart Choose a royalty-free license What license do I need? What license do I need? Commercial royalty-free license options Royalty-free clips marked "Released" and "No release required" may be used in an unlimited number of commercial or editorial projects, worldwide, in perpetuity, in accordance with this table. Standard Included Plus $49 Extended $99 Users 1 Unlimited, assign license to client Unlimited, assign license to client Medium Social/web use Business license, social/web use, internal corporate All advertising and film/TV shows Indemnification Up to 10x purchase price Up to 10x purchase price Up to $100K License Add-ons TV/Film Injunctive Relief Add-on This add-on includes the injunctive relief clause which omits Dissolve's right to enjoin production. Learn more Select Select Select View full licensing details on dissolve.com/licensing Standard Included Individual license, social/web use Plus + $49 Business license, social/web use, internal corporate Extended + $99 Everything with Plus, All advertising and TV/Film TV/Film Injunctive Relief Add-on + $99 This add-on includes the injunctive relief clause which omits Dissolve's right to enjoin production. Learn more Save to folder Download comp Buy more and save Qualify for discounts when you purchase $500 or more. See details Market freeze Need this item exclusively? We'll provide a license for as long as you need. Request a quote Market freeze Email First Name Last Name How long do you need exclusivity? When do you need exclusivity by? What is your budget? Tell us more about your project Submit Cancel Thanks, We'll get back to you ASAP If you have any questions, please contact us Return to licensing


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The commandments of Alma to his son Helaman.
Comprising chapters 36 and 37.
Chapter 36
Alma testifies to Helaman of his conversion after seeing an angel—He suffered the pains of a damned soul; he called upon the name of Jesus, and was then born of God—Sweet joy filled his soul—He saw concourses of angels praising God—Many converts have tasted and seen as he has tasted and seen. About 74 B.C.
1 My ason, give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.
2 I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in abondage, and none could bdeliver them except it was the cGod of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.
3 And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their atrust in God shall be supported in their btrials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be clifted up at the last day.
4 And I would not that ye think that I aknow of myself—not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the bcarnal mind but of God.
5 Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been aborn of God I should bnot have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy cangel, made these things known unto me, not of any dworthiness of myself;
6 For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to adestroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.
7 And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did atremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the bfear of the Lord came upon us.
8 But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.
9 And he said unto me: If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
10 And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for the space of athree days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.
11 And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did anot hear them; for when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
12 But I was racked with aeternal btorment, for my soul was charrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.
13 Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was atormented with the bpains of hell; yea, I saw that I had crebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
14 Yea, and I had amurdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.
15 Oh, thought I, that I acould be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my bdeeds.
16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the apains of a bdamned soul.
17 And it came to pass that as I was thus aracked with torment, while I was bharrowed up by the cmemory of my many sins, behold, I dremembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ahave mercy on me, who am bin the cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting dchains of edeath.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my apains bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father aLehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and bpraising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.
23 But behold, my limbs did receive their astrength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been bborn of God.
24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto arepentance; that I might bring them to btaste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be cborn of God, and be dfilled with the Holy Ghost.
25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth agive me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my blabors;
26 For because of the aword which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have btasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.
27 And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has adelivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still bdeliver me.
28 And I know that he will araise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in bglory; yea, and I will cpraise him forever, for he has dbrought our fathers out of Egypt, and he has swallowed up the eEgyptians in the Red Sea; and he led them by his power into the promised land; yea, and he has delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time to time.
29 Yea, and he has also brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power, delivered them out of abondage and captivity, from time to time even down to the present day; and I have always retained in remembrance their captivity; yea, and ye also ought to retain in remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.
30 But behold, my son, this is not all; for ye ought to know as I do know, that ainasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall bprosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is according to his word.


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Mayoral candidate arrested on election day
Paso Robles write-in candidate Jeff Rougeot was arrested on Election Day for investigation of crimes that include felonies for making criminal threats and brandishing a firearm.
The 45-year-old car audio business owner remained in the San Luis Obispo County jail Thursday with bail at $1.1 million.
Besides the felonies, The Tribune of San Luis Obispo says Rougeot was booked for investigation of four misdemeanors for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and four violations of a court order involving domestic violence.
Rougeot doesn't have an attorney of record, and a telephone call Thursday to his car stereo business rang unanswered.
Mayor Duane Picanco got 86 percent of the vote to easily defeat Rougeot and another candidate.
Source: Associated Press


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So, yes. This may be a bit late, and too romantic of a scene for a random Wednesday, but I've had a revelation: Why do we only enjoy these tasty one-bite treats on Valentine's Day anyway? Why not on a random Wednesday? Wednesdays are special, they deserve love. And so do you, especially on random days and not just Valentine's Day. So make yourself, or someone else, some chocolate covered strawberries. Because… well… why the heck not?
The steps to making these scrumptious chocolate covered strawberries are nothing fancy, but the end result sure is! Simply melt together some milk chocolate and shortening, stir it all until velvety smooth, and dip those beautiful red berries in by their leaves.
Now, if you can stand the sight of the gooey, chocolaty strawberry, gently place it on a wax paper lined baking sheet, set in the refrigerator and step away. Or, abandon all self control and just dig in. Patience is for the birds.
If you like yours all fancied up, roll them while they're still wet in various toppings. You can go for chopped nuts, shredded coconut, crushed cookies… whatever tickles you. Get inspired with more topping ideas by clicking below.
To get cutesy with designs, melt a little white chocolate, pour it into a piping bag with a small tip or small squeeze bottle, and go wild. You can also just dip a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle it over the strawberries for a zigzag effect.
However you enjoy these little beauties, they will definitely make you or a lucky recipient feel special any day of the week!
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- 16 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- 1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves
- 8 ounces white chocolate chips, optional *
Other topping ideas
- Chopped nuts, shredded coconut, candy sprinkles, mini chocolate chips or candies, crushed graham crackers, crushed cookies
- Cover a large baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
- Microwave chocolate chips at 30-second increments for about 1 minute and 45 seconds, stirring until chocolate starts to melt. Add the shortening, stir until smooth, and dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture, holding by the stems.
- Roll strawberries in toppings, or place strawberries onto the wax paper lined baking sheet. Set in the refrigerator to harden, at least 20 minutes and up to 1 day. Allow chocolate coating to harden before creating designs with white chocolate, if desired.
- * Tip: To create designs with white chocolate on top of strawberries, melt white chocolate in 30-second increments until beginning to melt. Add 1 teaspoon shortening and stir until smooth (if you want, you can also add food coloring at this point). Pour chocolate into a piping bag or squeeze bottle with small tip; design as desired. Refrigerate to set.
- Enjoy!


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Thursday, December 1, 2011
Easy as Chocolate Pecan Pie
59 comments:
Chef, I noticed you didn't prick your pie crust. What's the rule on that? Does it matter?
- December 1, 2011 at 11:00 AM
- Richard said...
Maybe this is a silly question, but why don´t you mix the chocolate chips into to filling? Its not like the filling is hot and the chips will melt. Anyway, it looks great and I am looking forward trying this recipe.
- December 1, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Maybe this is a silly question, but why don´t you mix the chocolate chips into the filling? Why pour the filling over the chips? Its not like the filling is hot and they will melt. Anyway, great recipe (like always), I am looking forward trying it.
- December 1, 2011 at 11:19 AM
My buddies and I do a "pie night" in December before Christmas so we can all sample some awesome desserts (and to give us another reason to have pie... mmm, pie). Every year someone makes a pecan, but I don't think we've had a chocolate pecan in a very long time. Thanks to you, it will be on the menu this year!
- December 1, 2011 at 11:34 AM
hi chef ur respies always rock am sure gonna give this one a try .i hv tried a lot of ur other respies n they all turn great thanks fo sharein them .
- December 1, 2011 at 11:56 AM
pee can, you said?
- December 1, 2011 at 11:57 AM
hello chef i just made onion rings using ur respie it was great my family loved it thanks to u n this pie looks yummy sure gonna give this one a try :)
- December 1, 2011 at 12:06 PM
- Christie Farrar said...
I have an awesome pie recipe that hardly ever flops. If you can melt caramels and chocolate- boom, instant pie. All you need to really work at is the whipped cream.
This video almost had me leaving the house at 4 am to get stuff to make pie. My husband blames me being 8.5 months pregnant, I blame your delicious videos. Either way, there will be pie today. - December 1, 2011 at 12:13 PM
Hi Chef John, Hey, didn't notice any flour going into the mix, but it's listed as an ingredient. Is the flour needed? Love pecan pie. Looking forward to making this recipe. Thanks for all your great ideas and tips!
- December 1, 2011 at 12:34 PM
- Chef John said...
Richard, the idea is that you'd have layer of chocolate at the bottom instead of all muddled up. Also, and more importantly, you get to watch all those little chocolate chips bouncing on the pie dough as you scatter them around the dish. Don't forget, cooking is a meditation.
- December 1, 2011 at 12:37 PM
Okay, I'm thinking that this is going to replace my go-to pecan pie that I've been making for almost 50 years. I really like the idea of no corn syrup even though I'm definitely not a fanatic about that. Thanks for this rendition!!
BTW, it seems as though this would freeze well. What do you think?
Jackie - December 1, 2011 at 1:32 PM
- Chef John said...
Yes, should freeze no prob.
- December 1, 2011 at 1:39 PM
- Chef John said...
I believe the pricking or "docking" of the crust is for blind baking with a filling first, and not for filled pie crusts.
- December 1, 2011 at 1:40 PM
Watched the video twice. What do you do with the 1 tbsp. flour?? Maybe it's just me?!? Thanks, me.
- December 1, 2011 at 1:49 PM
Recipe calls for a tablespoon of flour but wasn't added during the video. Is it part of the recipe and if so where do I put it in?
- December 1, 2011 at 2:03 PM
- Chef John said...
Oops, yes I didn't add, but was in the original. Add with sugars, but really don't think it makes a big difference. I've done both ways, but would probably suggest people add it to make the filling a little tighter. Thanks!
- December 1, 2011 at 2:38 PM
wow it looks really easy!! I have a question tho. Can I add more flour? I don't want too sugarly pie.
- December 1, 2011 at 4:19 PM
- Chef John said...
a little more flour will not make it any less sweet. This may not be the pie for you!
- December 1, 2011 at 4:25 PM
Is self rising flour ok?
- December 1, 2011 at 4:58 PM
- Chef John said...
Reg is best, but for that small amount should b ok
- December 1, 2011 at 5:08 PM
- Becky said...
Chef John, Chef John!
Why do we beat the egg until it's light and foamy? What does that do, exactly? (Aside from burn calories and look pretty) - December 1, 2011 at 11:18 PM
- Chef John said...
I honestly have no idea! Maybe one of our baking experts can tell us.
- December 2, 2011 at 12:09 AM
- drtabo said...
If egg whites are beaten until they are stiff, they are fully denatured and have no elasticity; they lose their original properties and aren't able to return to their former state. If egg whites are beaten only until they form soft peaks, the proteins are only partially denatured and retain some of their elasticity. The partially denatured protein strands surround the air bubbles and when heated, these proteins fully denature and solidify, creating a protective wall so that the air bubbles don't burst. This is why such dishes as meringues and soufflés are light and fluffy.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/11-03-03.html - December 2, 2011 at 4:45 AM
- Azi said...
Hi Chef John,
My son has tree-nut allergies but can eat peanuts. Can I replace the pecans with peanuts and if so should I use raw or roasted peanuts?
BTW, did two variations on your pomegranate-balsamic idea: used osso-bucco in the first and reduced sauce alone (with beef chunks in) as sauce for tenderloin steaks in the second. both came out sensational.
A.G. - December 2, 2011 at 8:03 AM
But where are the rum balls???
- December 2, 2011 at 9:32 AM
- Chef John said...
Rum balls post sometime on Wednesday.
- December 2, 2011 at 10:36 AM
- Chef John said...
Sorry, I've never tested with apples. Should be close.
- December 2, 2011 at 1:36 PM
- Araxjan said...
I made this last night, and it's one of the few recipes that are truly as easy as stated! I made it w/store purchased pie crust, and it's just beautiful!
This was the first desert I've ever made and it's finger lickin good. Everyone try it, NOW. - December 2, 2011 at 5:10 PM
Chef John, could I use walnuts instead of pecans?
Would it taste about the same? - December 5, 2011 at 9:52 AM
- Chef John said...
Yes you can use walnuts! Of course it will taste different since pecans and walnuts taste differently. I assume you've tasted each, so you'll know what to expect. Enjoy!
- December 5, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Actually I have never tasted pecans.. so wondering how different it will taste. I will try look for them this weekend, in case available somewhere!
Thanks, planning to bake this for a X'mas dinner next week, it would be prefect if it comes out perfectly!!
Let you know how it goes! - December 5, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Also, pecan pie sounds lot cooler than walnut pie.. Could this work well with dates too? Date pie.. haha!
- December 5, 2011 at 1:54 PM
I added a shot of Makers Mark bourbon to the filling and finished the pie with a little sea salt once it was out of the oven. The end result was awesome.
- December 8, 2011 at 3:01 PM
Hi I just wanted to say a million thank yous. you made baking sweets easy and so much fun. I recently did this pie and people loved it. They said it was unique and delicious. I told them about your youtube Chanel.You really deserve your own food channel on tv. Thank you!I love your work
- December 9, 2011 at 1:58 AM
Hi Chef John,
Your pie looks really good and I am thinking of making it over the holidays. Does the amount of butter have to be exact? Can I get away with a bit less or substitute with grapeseed oil?
Kelly - December 23, 2011 at 1:15 AM
- Chef John said...
never tried, but probably be ok.
- December 23, 2011 at 1:53 AM
I made the pie today with your home made crust recipe and modified the filling a bit to use only 1/2 cup of brown sugar and substituted the butter with grapeseed oil and it was a hit at the family gathering. Thanks Chef John!
Happy holidays!
Kelly - December 24, 2011 at 1:14 AM
This pie recipe was really easy to make! but im wondering if we put in an oven with or without the fan on :O does it make any difference? and besides, my pie came out inflated and with cracks =/ thanks! ;)
- January 22, 2012 at 8:17 AM
- Becky Garcia said...
I love it that it doesn't ask for corn syrup, it's kind of difficult to get a hold of it where I live.
- February 14, 2012 at 10:31 PM
I'm wondering why you use flour for thickening instead of corn starch, which is used in fruit pies to result in a clear instead of cloudy filling.
- May 21, 2012 at 5:53 PM
- Justin said...
Hi Chef John,
I want to make this pie sans the chocolate but also adding either bourbon or dark rum. Can do that with the basic recipe without ruining it? How much booze do you think would work.
Justin - November 19, 2012 at 3:22 PM
- Chef John said...
sorry, I don't guess! I'd have to test. Best to just find a recipe that already has those things!
- November 19, 2012 at 10:16 PM
- Justin said...
I'll try it and let you know. Thanks
- November 20, 2012 at 9:50 AM
- Unknown said...
I searched your site for a pecan pie recipe because I figured you would have one without karo syrup. Bingo! There it was!
I made this for Thanksgiving as per your recipe except I substituted mixed unsalted nuts for the pecans. (I had them on hand after your spicy sweet party nut recipe-- which by the way, was... as always... awesome...)
The mixed nuts made the pie really really good and different, and I will never go back to plain pecan pie again! Thanks for the great recipe! - November 25, 2012 at 6:49 PM
- cookinmom said...
Great Pie!!
- November 25, 2012 at 8:52 PM
- cookinmom said...
Don't know if you are aware (F.Y.I.)but we are having trouble pinning anything of yours to Pinterest. You may want to check it out! TKS!
- November 25, 2012 at 9:17 PM
- Unknown said...
OMG!!! I just tried this recipe! Amaaaaaaazing, thank you so much :)
- January 11, 2013 at 10:28 AM
- Judy said...
So, I have done this recipe twice now. First time with the flour, second time without. I think I prefer the texture of the one without, and see no need for adding it at all. If I do more of these (which I probably will, as they are easy and tasty!) I will just not bother with the flour. Just my 2cents there.
I have also tried it with and without the chocolate, and I think plain Pecan Pie without the chocolate wins for me. Maybe if I had used milk chocolate chips instead of bittersweet ones I'd have liked it more? Still good both ways, tho :) Thanks Chef! - February 22, 2013 at 11:16 AM
- Unknown said...
This was my favorite thing when I lived in the US. I'm so happy that I'll be able to make it here in Brazil with a recipe as easy as this! Thanks Chef John, you made my day!
- October 22, 2013 at 12:25 PM
- Unknown said...
Do you recommend prebaking the pie crust?
-Big fans - November 23, 2013 at 7:02 PM
- Unknown said...
I got one of these in the oven right now, 20 minutes in. If this thing tastes half as good as it smells.. Good god.
- January 7, 2014 at 3:11 PM
- Unknown said...
Made the pie last night, then ate it Warm, Room Temp, then cold.. All three ways were delicious and was like eating three different pies.. yum, this one is a keeper.
Lem.. - May 5, 2014 at 6:12 PM
- Unknown said...
Hello Chef, I would like to make a smaller version of this pie and was wondering if I halved the recipe would it be enough to fill a 7" pie pan? And would I use the same cooking time?
- June 20, 2014 at 4:46 PM
- Chef John said...
Sorry, but without testing I don't know! Might be close, but times would be different I think.
- June 20, 2014 at 7:27 PM
- Unknown said...
Hello again Chef, I ended up not halving the recipe and pouring the extra filling into some ramekins I had bought when I first tried you crème caramel and tossing them in the oven with the mini pie, you were right and the cooking times were different but they all came out perfect. This was the first non-fruit pie I had ever attempted and may very well be my overall favourite pie ever and for that I thank you.
- July 7, 2014 at 2:30 PM
- Unknown said...
Pretty close to "Derby" Pie, a Louisville KY recipie. Thanks C.J.
- November 5, 2014 at 10:40 PM
- Unknown said...
Is this a deep dish 9 inch pie crust or a regular 9 inch pie crust?
- December 30, 2015 at 11:33 AM
- Unknown said...
does the butter have to be melted
- November 19, 2017 at 11:36 AM
- Sameera said...
I have a convection oven and put the pie in the top rack, it burnt the crust and the top of the pie pretty badly, even though I put it in for less than 30 mins. So I removed the top layer of burnt pecans and the burnt crust, and the pie was still a hit, especially with the kids who came back for seconds.. I did more choc chips than the recipe called for, so the pie was more 'chocolat-y'...
- November 28, 2017 at 12:45 PM


text:
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Does a parish priest have time to blog?
30 comments:
Father, this was an interesting post. Thank you. I think it's great that priests blog and are active on the internet. Having said that, I think priests must be careful and circumspect in their blogging, particularly in more personal blogs. There is a huge potential for scandal, more so than in normal conversation or preaching (given the much larger audience, the weight of the written word, etc.).
In particular, things like sarcasm, ridicule, "rants," etc. are not uncommon, even among priest bloggers. This happens in normal conversation, too, but it has a greater and more lasting effect when it's blogged. I wonder how much different we would be (on the internet and off) if all of our examples from priests in the Catholic blogosphere taught us always to be charitable, kind, gentle, and patient. Of course there may be slip ups, but I think clerical bloggers especially need to be very careful in this regard.
I also think priests need to be wary and discreet when writing about their personal spiritual lives. I have even seen priests post things that state or directly imply that they have committed mortal sin in the recent past. - August 11, 2011 at 8:41 AM
- Stacy Trasancos said...
Wonderful post! You are a blessing Father Erlenbush. (My husband, by the way, uses old fountain pens that are restored. He leaves the blogging to his wife.)
- August 11, 2011 at 8:50 AM
I'm sorry, Father, I didn't realize I commented anonymously earlier (8:41 AM). I meant to sign it Julia.
-Julia :) - August 11, 2011 at 10:38 AM
- Richard Chonak said...
Fr. Jenkins of the "Blogger Priest" site is in another category, offering short apologetics pieces. I'm glad to see a priest take on this sort of teaching which, on the net, is mostly being done by laymen.
- August 11, 2011 at 10:40 AM
- FatherTF said...
Thank you for your thoughtful post, Father. I occasionally have priests ask me in a rather accusatory tone "How do you find the time to write your blog?" My stock answer is "I don't have a television."
It is always amusing to hear the slightly panicky justifications: "I only watch documentaries", "I have it for the History Channel", "I think it's important to watch the news"...
We all have to prioritise and use our time as best we can. - August 11, 2011 at 11:02 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Fr Finigan,
Great answer! I too find that not watching TV gives me a ton of time for theological study.
What I really love is when some (generally older) priests will say that they don't think a priest has time for theological study (or, I suppose, for a blog), but they faithfully read the New Yorker and other trash!
Set down that garbage and pick up the Summa!
Peace and blessings to you, Father, and keep up all the good work over at The Hermeneutic of Continuity! - August 11, 2011 at 11:20 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Yes, I too have seen priests "rant" on-line ... not very helpful.
But do be patient with us poor priests, we all have so far to go!
I recently heard a homily from Bishop Swain (Sioux Falls) in which he reminded us of a quote from St. John Vianney: "There are no bad priests, only priest for whom there is not enough prayer" (meaning that priests need to pray more themselves, and that we all need to pray for our poor priests).
Blessings and peace to you, and thank you for the comment (it is a good reminder to myself as well). + - August 11, 2011 at 11:23 AM
I agree with Stacy; you are a blessing, Father!
The only drawback with priests/bishops blogging that I can see is that many Catholics in the pews are spiritually starved and starving, and may take up more of your time than you have to give. But that is the reality of being a Catholic in the year of Our Lord 2011.
Veronica - August 11, 2011 at 11:29 AM
"Set down that garbage and pick up the Summa!"
Ha!ha!ha! That's a good one. I agree.
Veronica - August 11, 2011 at 11:30 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Stacy, :-)
@RC, I am not familiar with "Fr. Jenkins" as an apologist blogger ... the only Fr. Jenkins I know of is the priest from Notre Dame University ... could you give a link to the website of the blogger Fr. Jenkins? Thanks! - August 11, 2011 at 11:31 AM
Interesting post Father. Like all catholic bloggers, priest have to be especially careful when it comes to expounding catholic doctrine. A great many lay 'Catholic bloggers' out there sometimes teach outright heresy and actually believe its sound catholic doctrine. Many souls can be lead astray. This can be particularly made worse when priests make doctrinal errors and assert false teachings. No one is immune from doctrinal error, false teachings or even heretical teaching. Anyhow, I would be in favour for some kind of oversight for priests (from their Bishop for example) to teach Catholic doctrine. All the best Father.
Michael. - August 11, 2011 at 3:03 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Very true!
btw, there is oversight for priests who teach Catholic doctrine -- they either have the faculty to preach or they don't. If they don't have that faculty (given by their bishop) then they probably shouldn't be publishing on-line either.
[for example, I have both the faculty to preach and express permission of my Bishop to write for this blog -- I should think that most blogging priests have the same]
[in this respect, I am far more worried about lay-bloggers who claim to be "Catholic Theologians" or "Catholic Apologists"... since many of them have not received any approval from their local bishops -- in this regard it is worth noting that Mark Shea (among others) regularly insists that he is NOT writing as a "Catholic Apologist/Theologian"; he has a great blog and is quite smart to emphasize that he is simply sharing the faith as a layman and not as a quasi-authority figure] - August 11, 2011 at 3:17 PM
@ Father Erlenbush 3:17 pm.
True enough Father, priest have the faculty to preach. But that faculty is given by and large to preach in their own diocese under the authority of the Bishop. With internet, this becomes somewhat of a problem and some oversight is needed for priests.
I agree that lay-bloggers represent a problem when they claim to be this or that. However, their errors don't carry as much wait as the same error (doctrinal) carried by out a priest, precisely because he is a priest and folks will tend to lend credence to whatever a priest may say, even if its doctrinal error or heresy for that matter.
All the best.
Michael. - August 11, 2011 at 3:26 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
A book receives an imprimatur from one bishop and is dispersed throughout the world.
If a blog is published in a particular diocese, with the permission of the local Bishop, then I see no reason why any further oversight is needed. Unless we are going to claim that some bishops are protecting heretics, I don't see why another level of oversight is required ... certainly if there were a serious problem (and, personally, I don't know of any) then the CDF could be alerted.
[this is why there is such danger when lay bloggers claim to be "Theologians" (it is great to have lay-bloggers, but they should be careful about how they present themselves -- I don't even call myself a theologian, and I am licensed by a Pontifical University to teach theology in seminaries!) ... these "theologians" have no level of oversight from the bishops, but the priests are generally fairly well guided by the bishops -- in this respect, we recall that it is a very serious matter for a person to publish "official" theological books or Bible translations or Catechisms, etc without the approval of the local bishop]
Peace. + - August 11, 2011 at 3:37 PM
@ Father Erlenbush 3:37 pm
Father, in terms of blogging for priest, I was thinking something that would ressemble (but updated ) what the Fifth Lateran Council taught a long time ago. This Council dealt with the problem of persons who were preaching heresy, and making false prophecies. Here is a quote:
'We decree and ordain, with the approval of the sacred council, that nobody -whether a secular cleric or a member of any of the mendicant orders or someone with the right to preach by law or custom or privilege or otherwise -- may be admitted to carry out this office unless he has first been examined with due care by his superior, which is a responsibility that we lay on the superior's conscience, and unless he is found to be fit and suitable for the task by his upright behaviour, age, doctrine, honesty, prudence and exemplary life. Wherever he goes to preach, he must provide a guarantee to the bishop and other local ordinaries concerning his examination and competence, by means of the original or other letters from the person who examined and approved him. We command all who undertake this task of preaching, or will later undertake it, to preach and expound the gospel truth and holy scripture in accordance with the exposition, interpretation and commentaries that the church or long use has approved and has accepted for teaching until now, and will accept in the future, without any addition contrary to its true meaning or in conflict with it. They are always to insist on the meanings which are in harmony with the words of sacred scripture and with the interpretations, properly and wisely understood, of the doctors mentioned above. They are in no way to presume to preach or declare a fixed time for future evils, the coming of antichrist or the precise day of judgment; for Truth says, it is not for us to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. Let it be known that those who have hitherto dared to declare such things are liars, and that because of them not a little authority has been taken away from those who preach the truth .''
Michael. - August 11, 2011 at 3:57 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Yes, the good Council of the Lateran, fifth by that name!
Of course, the priest does receive faculties from his bishop and these are generally respected by all the bishops; unless there is some special circumstance.
The priests generally receive a "card" from their bishop which asserts that they are in good standing and faithful.
[this would seem to fulfill pretty well what the council asks for]
The final part of the quotation is also very good ... I have seen some "catholic theologians" on-line who are obsessed with predicting the future ... very dangerous!
Peace to you. + - August 11, 2011 at 4:18 PM
I am indebted to your kind bishop for giving you the permission to do this. Many thanks to His Excellency! This blog has been a "soul saver" for me more than I can tell you.
Veronica - August 11, 2011 at 4:19 PM
I am not closed to the idea (in fact, I read some priests' blogs) and I'm sure it's important to have a presence on the web. I have been wondering, though, how some have the time, and if sometimes the time could be better spent going into the neighborhoods to try to bring people into the parish--actual people who are right next door who maybe are not getting ministered to. Or at least it shouldn't prevent such work.
Also, it just occurs to me that perhaps blogging should have to be under the supervision of the bishop or legitimate religious superior, because it's basically (at least at times) preaching, and don't priests have to have faculties to preach? But blogs are basically allowing a priest to preach anywhere in the world. So if error or bad attitudes show up, who is in charge of that? Since they are priests, there has to be greater accountability that for your average joe. Is there some oversight? ---Mouse - August 11, 2011 at 4:42 PM
@ Father Erlenbush 4:18 pm
Along those lines from the Council, the more I think about it, the more I would like to see that priest bloggers receive, like you have, an authorization from their Bishop to blog (preferrably published), and that a kind of imprimatur and Nihil Obstat be given by the local Bishop so that:
1- Bloggers who assert to be priests can be proof checked by the faithful at the local ordinariate (this would prevent anonymous bloggers who claim to be priests)
2- With the imprimatur and nihil obstat, the blog, just like the book, is deemed to be catholic and without any doctrinal error and could therefore be published beyond diocesan boundaries.
3- The readers could, potentially, report the blog to the Bishop because some teachings have become contrary to the faith.
4- I like the card idea, perhaps a scan of the card on the priest bloggers website would be useful.
These are some of the safeguards I would put in place to protect the faithful.
Pax. - August 11, 2011 at 5:08 PM
- Father Shane Johnson, LC said...
Thanks for the post, Fr Ryan! All very true.
Spread the word that we need more help on Tumblr... it's exploding among teenagers and college-age folk (traffic has quintupled in the 6 months I've been on it), but you can count the number of us priests microblogging there on one hand.
God bless! - August 11, 2011 at 5:35 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Father Johnson,
Thank you for bringing our attention to this new media! I have to confess that I have been completely unawares of Tumbler.
Peace and many blessings on your work there! + - August 11, 2011 at 8:38 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I have to admit that I don't see the situation to be quite as perilous as you make it out to be.
If a priest is given faculties to preach and to hear confessions, then I should hope that he will write blog posts faithful to the Church. In any case, there are certainly plenty of solid lay people (like Jimmy Akin and Mark Shea, and even Michael Voris) to call him to task.
Thus, based on my limited knowledge of the blogosphere, I have to say that the real problem is with particular lay fanatics who claim to be "theologians", who denounce others and even denounce priests, but have no approval from their bishop -- most priest-bloggers are very solid and are promoting the true faith.
I hope that this makes sense and is clear enough. Peace to you! + - August 11, 2011 at 8:45 PM
@ Father Erlenbush 8:45 pm
You are right, the situation is not perilous, but better safe than sorry!
Who are these lay fanatics you speak of claiming to be theologians ?
J. - August 11, 2011 at 10:16 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I will tell you who they are NOT ... I am not referring to people like Mark Shea, Jimmy Akin, Taylor Marshal, (even Michael Voris), et al.
They are doing great work! + - August 12, 2011 at 6:16 AM
Yes Father, there is one guy that always wants to take you to task for your "heresies".
No one should be able to present themselves as a "Roman Catholic Theologian" just because they have a degree (especially a Bachelor's...) from an at least nominally Catholic institution. It implies they have some sort of "authority" when this is clearly not the case.
-dominic1962 - August 12, 2011 at 7:59 AM
Dear Fr. Ryan,
Great to see you are doing well. Got some visitors from your neck of the woods in Co Springs a few weeks ago.
Regarding this topic, I would like to assert the validity of a regular parish priest also presenting a witness of the simplicity of a more "unplugged" life. IN a world where we have great breadth, there is so often little depth. Even in erudite blogs. As important as it is (and it really is) to have good priests blogging, I argue it is equally important to have men to show it is possible to e-detach and survive.
That being said, since I could not produce anything better than what is already out there (from the net to the Summa), I am happy to direct folks to these resources.
Baron - August 12, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Peace to you as well!
Certainly, I think you are very right ... it would be good for many priests to live an "unpluggled" lifestyle, as a witness to others and also for their own personal holiness.
As I mentioned above, I do not think it would be good for most priests to blog.
I would probably go even further and say that a priest who blogs would benefit from limiting all other forms of e-life ... TV, movies, web-surfing, txting, et cetera.
Thanks for your comment - it is a good reminder! - August 12, 2011 at 2:11 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
ah ... you must be referring to my dear friend Ron, he does not know how much good he does me (I myself can barely grasp the graces given me through his work, though they come in a manner far different than he realizes). - August 12, 2011 at 2:14 PM
Fr. Erlenbush,
Fr. Joseph Jenkins, who runs the blog http://bloggerpriest.wordpress.com/, is, like Msgr. Pope, a priest in good standing of the Archdiocese of Washington. I can personally guarantee that he is not at all like the other Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame notoriety!
Fr. Joe has actually been blogging for a very long time, before blogging became popular. His latest blog, the one I linked to above, is mainly theological reflections and apologetic debates he has gotten into over the years, with occasional updates from his parish life. While he doesn't post as often as more popular bloggers, his posts are very thoughtful, if not a bit long for conventional posts. I definitely recommend the blog.
-Γρηγόριος - August 19, 2011 at 10:22 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Thanks for the great link! Fr. Joe is far more patient than I would be!
For our readers: The blog is basically a back-and-forth with evangelicals and anti-Catholics. Father Joe debates people who apparently write in or comment.
It is a fast-paced debate style, and certainly quite engaging.
Also, there are some posts which are more a matter of simply putting the faith out there in a quick and convincing manner. - August 20, 2011 at 8:22 AM
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text:
NEW DELHI (AP) — A 5-year-old girl was in serious condition Saturday after being raped and tortured by a man who held her in a locked room in India's capital for two days, officials said.
The incident — which came four months after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus caused outrage across India about the treatment of women in the country — sparked protests against the authorities' handling of the case.
The girl went missing Monday and was found Wednesday by neighbors who heard her crying in a room in the same New Delhi building where she lives with her parents, said Delhi police officialDeepak Mishra. The girl was found alone locked in a room and left for dead, he said.
A 24-year-old man who lived in the room where the girl was found was arrested Saturday in Muzaffarpur town in Bihar state, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of New Delhi, Mishra said. The man was flown to New Delhi, where a magistrate ordered that he be held in police custody.
The girl suffered severe internal injuries, as well as cuts and bite marks on her face and torso, said D.K. Sharma, the medical superintendent of the government-run hospital in New Delhi where she was being treated. Sharma described the girl's condition as "serious" and said doctors were trying to stabilize her condition.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people in New Delhi protested Saturday near the home minister's residence and outside police headquarters demanding government action against the police for allegedly failing to immediately investigate after the girl was reported missing.
Rights activists and officials said the girl's parents went to police Monday to report their daughter was missing, but that police refused to register a case. The parents are poor construction workers who had migrated to the city some years ago in search of work.
"The police did nothing. They did not register a complaint, the first step before they can begin investigations," said Ranjana Kumari, a women's rights activist and social scientist. "This heinous crime could have been prevented if police had begun investigations promptly."
Police had no immediate comment on the accusations, but Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Saturday that an inquiry had been ordered into the handling of the case.
The growing outrage against alleged police high-handedness in India led even the country's normally reticent leader to react.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the police behavior "completely unacceptable." He conveyed to Delhi authorities "the need for the strictest possible action to be taken against the erring officials," the prime minister's office said in a statement late Friday.
The fatal beating and gang rape of a young woman aboard a moving New Delhi bus in December sparked outrage and spurred the government to pass tough laws for crimes against women, including the death penalty for repeat offenders or for rape attacks that lead to the victim's death.


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