text:
[Update: I contend that Fr. Zulhsdorf has long ago abandoned a dignified and priestly approach to discussing the Sacred Liturgy - ever since he adopted the pro-abortion battle cry "safe, legal, and rare" to describe his views on concelebration (I'm not sure what is supposed to be funny about the legalized murder of unborn children).]
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
What's wrong with blessing children in the Communion line?
[Update: I contend that Fr. Zulhsdorf has long ago abandoned a dignified and priestly approach to discussing the Sacred Liturgy - ever since he adopted the pro-abortion battle cry "safe, legal, and rare" to describe his views on concelebration (I'm not sure what is supposed to be funny about the legalized murder of unborn children).]
52 comments:
Wow... I didn't even know anyone took issue with that! Interesting. I've always appreciated the gesture of blessing my children when i go up to receive the Eucharist. I guess I am hoping it might help their behavior, hehe ;)
-NFPusingMom - April 11, 2012 at 4:43 PM
- kkollwitz said...
A blessing seems to be a modest acknowledgment of this admonition:
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away. - April 11, 2012 at 7:19 PM
- James Joseph said...
For the sake of being a pain and in good humour, but deadly seriousness:
There are no children that too young to receive Our Lord; an exception perhaps in regards to children living within the womb.
Regarding the distracting blessing practice: I have found it distracting at times, but my being affected by this in a negatively perceived way is more than likely only perceived badly. I could offer a suggestion. Let us make the practice into a rite. Conduct the Sign of the Cross with the Eucharist Himself. I write this only in that it is the ancient and still living practice to bless with a Crucifix and also the Eucharist in hand.
A greater emphasis through widespread edifying homilies on the reality of the Eucharist would be the best solution however. I might not be exact but I wouldn't be suprised if 99% of the Faithful had any idea of what is going on a holy Mass; that is, why they perform the Greater Penance done before kings (to stand, kneel, stand, and then kneel) leading up to and during the Consecration. Abbot Vonier was very good to us to let us know that it is precisely at the second kneeling of the Greater Penance that we are being showered with gifts by submitting ourselves to Him, and that the reception of His Body and Blood by anyone other than the priest staying at the holy spot is a secondary act that does not neccessarily and is not required to follow because they have already been exposed to a pre-eminent grace.
(the mumblings of confused man)
Regarding Confession: What does kind and number mean? I can't seem to find the answer? - April 11, 2012 at 7:33 PM
I used to attend Mass at a parish where immediately prior to Communion, the Preist would invite all up asking that non-Catholics and those who have not received First Communion come with their arms crossed over their chests. And "yes" the "Eucharistic Ministers" we're instructed to give blessings.
- April 12, 2012 at 2:57 AM
- JP said...
Dear Father,
You have stated your case succinctly and with due sensitivity. As a Father who regularly brings his 1 year old to mass I cannot at all understand Father Sticha's reasoning. There are much more important battles to be fought in the Church and this line of attack is bordering on the ridiculous. With the recent controversy surrounding Cardinal Schonborn, yet again, perhaps a few words on apostasy within the highest levels of the Church demand some considered thought rather than wasting precious time on such nonsense. His choice of the word "despise" to describe his attitude is over the top to say the least. I shall say no more to save grace in this easter season.
God bless
JP - April 12, 2012 at 3:52 AM
If we went back to kneeling at communiion rails, this would not be an issue, would it?
Woody - April 12, 2012 at 6:14 AM
I don't really have strong opinions one way or the other (as far as a Priest giving the blessing). I have always felt uncomfortable for a layperson, any layperson, to give a "blessing" in a religious setting. It always seems to me that God is the one who gives blessings (that's why we say "God bless you" when you sneeze), and only the Priest acts as alter Cristus.
a priest does not have the authority to add a blessing to the liturgy for anyone
I don't think Fr. Z is being inconsistent here, at least not completely. There seems to be an express prohibition on adding blessings, but there does not seem to be an express prohibition on using a maniple. I don't know how specific the rubrics are for liturgical vestments, so I am open to correction. - April 12, 2012 at 6:51 AM
FWIW, even is this were considered an "abuse", it would be waaaaaay down on the list.
- April 12, 2012 at 6:53 AM
Would Jesus not bless children if they happened to intrude on the Last Supper? I'd like to envision Him including and inviting all children in His presence to receive His blessing always and everywhere. Isn't the celebrant a representative of Jesus?
- April 12, 2012 at 6:57 AM
Father, I understand where you are stating your observations and opinions. My question would fall that our Holy Father has stated when we add or take anything away from the Liturgy, in essence of movement and actions, we then create a "play" not the Mass. You point that wearing the maniple during the Mass. This would more a GIRM issue, than the Roman Missal. So, I would say that is not a fair apples for apples comparison. Look at Good Friday liturgical action. The Holy Father wears a fiddleback, while in a Novus Ordo liturgical action. My final observation would be reverence of the Blessed Sacrament while blessing children. Offering blessings to children and making the sign of the cross or other movements would cause particles of the Blessed Sacrament to fall onto places where proper handling would not occur, i.e on the floor, on cloths, and so on. This may be splitting hairs but the Rite takes so many precautions to keep this from happening: corporals, purificators, pattens, and so on. I am neutral on this standpoint. I just wanted to add some more thoughts to your observations.
- April 12, 2012 at 7:54 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@c matt,
There is no express prohibition against such blessings in the GIRM or in the Missal.
Fr. Z's contention is simply that they are not mentioned and (he says), if they are not mentioned, then they cannot be added.
However, neither is there any mention of the maniple -- positive or negative.
So, the liturgical law deals with the blessings of children at Communion time in just the same way as it deals with the maniple -- there is no mention made.
One difference is that, while there is much detail about the vestments a priest wears, there is little said about the distribution of Communion -- so there is certainly more rubrical wiggle-room with giving the blessings to children than there is with wearing a maniple. - April 12, 2012 at 8:07 AM
Who wouldn't want their little ones to receive a blessing? The problem is, that when a priest or deacon blesses children in the Communion line, then those in the EMHC lines will want *their* children to receive a blessing, too. And lay people giving blessings in this way is just flat wrong. It's confusing and further blurs the line between the ordained and laity... and IMO, is especially problematic when a woman EMHC is doing the "blessing." So it is a "slippery slope" problem as far as I can see. If the rubrics (which are there for a reason) are followed, then none of these shenanigans would be allowed to "organically" unfold. ~Southern Mom
- April 12, 2012 at 8:15 AM
Dear Father!
Being used to the EF in Europe, I was accustomed and very edified to see the priest blessing young children at the communion rail with the host (over the ciborium). It seemed to me that this is a very quick but beatiful gesture.
In the United States I saw priests in the EF performing a blessing without the host, obviously holding the index finger and thumb together, then proceeding.
I prefered the costum I was used to much over it, but this is maybe just my preference.
As far as I see it, the practice of blessing and touching the children is in vogue in the OF in Europe, too.
Generally speaking, one should not be to scrupulous about a layman blessing. This is a very ancient Christian practice, maybe still more known in the Eastern Churches than in the West. Of course, it should be understood that it is not equal to the blessing of a priest, also I do not think it belongs to the context of a liturgical function.
Thank you, Father, for you article.
In Christo,
Salmanticenses - April 12, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Fr. Erlenbush,
I'm having a panic attack at how many times we have allowed our children to be blessed by our parish priest who places his hand on their forehead. Here I am receiving on the tongue and not even relating their blessing to profaning the Holy Eucharist. Thank you for bringing this to my attention but now, I'm not sure how to approach our priest regarding their blessings. - April 12, 2012 at 8:39 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Please understand, Fr. Cory Sticha is not a terrible person. He is, in fact, a friend of mine.
We really must not speak about priests as you have.
Still, I can understand that you are upset ... but don't let it disturb your interior peace!
In any case, I do hope that my little article will re-assure you.
Let us pray for one another and for all! + - April 12, 2012 at 12:03 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Somehow two comments were lost ... I will paste them here:
From Kathy
Fr. Ryan - You have the Spirit of our Shepherd in you and I thank you for disagreeing with your friends! They are beyond wrong and truthfully I think they should be ashamed of themselves. I fear both are too like the Pharisees who are more interested in their phylacteries and tassels than the teachings of Christ. I was so angry when I read that truly hate-filled statement of Cory Sticha's that I had to wait 24 hours to respond. Then I realized: he really needn't worry about blessing children for families who learn of his belief will seek parishes and priests who do as Jesus asked.
-------------------------------------- - April 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
And another missed comment...
From Alessandro
Dear Father,
your comparison with the maniple issue isn't at all compatible with the matter of the blessing of children. First of all, because the maniple is genuinely traditional, while the blessing of children at Communion is not. Secondly, because the use of the maniple has been official and approved by the Church for centuries, so abandoning it doesn't mean that it is wrong or harmful, but just that it is no more useful (though the Vatican Website repeats that the maniple has never been abolished). Thirdly, because Communion is a very specific moment within the liturgy which is dedicated exclusively to the reception of Christ's body and blood and any other action would change the function and meaning of that part of the Mass. Finally, as Anonymous (April 12, 2012 7:54 AM) rightly pointed, the hands of the priest have touched the Host, which means that fragments of the Eucharist may be dispersed as he makes the Sign of the Cross.
There's already one blessing common to all baptized people - the one at the end of the Mass, performed by the priest rightly where it is supposed to be. Why double the blessing for children, when children could be blessed on other occasions? I'm not contrary to the practice per se, but to tell the truth I've never seen it here, in Italy, and I've never missed it.
----------------------------- - April 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM
For what it's worth, at all the SSPX chapels I've been to I've never seen a priest not bless small children or infants. That leads me to wonder if it isn't a custom that's been around for awhile?
Quid est Veritas? - April 12, 2012 at 12:33 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
And also, I notice that (from my experience) most of the priests of the FSSP seem to bless infants and toddlers as well. - April 12, 2012 at 1:17 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Fr. Z's point was that the blessings aren't mentioned in the rubrics, therefore they cannot be added.
He didn't say that they are not traditional, nor did he talk about the protection of the Eucharist.
He simply said that the Missal and the GIRM make no mention ... therefore, it is not to be done.
In this single respect, the maniple is in the same boat as these blessings.
And that is the only point I am making. + - April 12, 2012 at 1:19 PM
Dear Father,
Regardless of my opinion on this matter, I think that you have made a logical error. Fr. Zuhlsdorf does not say that maniples are allowed because they are not forbidden, as you contend. (Please correct me if I am over-simplifying.) He contends, rather, that maniples are allowed because they were once prescribed and have never been proscribed; they have simply and largely fallen into disuse. On the other hand, the blessing of children is something that has not (at least since Trent) been prescribed. As such, its addition would be an innovation.
If my summary is correct, then the reason for each action--the use of a maniple or the blessing of a child during the distribution of Most Holy Communion--is different.
Does that seem fair to you?
Kind Regards,
Father S. - April 12, 2012 at 6:03 PM
The big issue, as stated by some here, is the EMOCs giving blessing during Communion. If their "blessings" are efficacious, then one would gather that any baptized person could consecrate bread and wine into the Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. And of course this is erroneous, but that is the slippery slope we have fallen into ever since the laity was allowed to take on the duties of the priest during Mass. - April 13, 2012 at 12:34 AM
Dear Father:
Not being a theologian, I cannot respond to this question at that level. However, I appreciate your efforts to give some of that background. To me, this actually is a serious issue on a more practical level. Offering blessings to anyone in line for Holy Communion is a bad precedent. If children, why not this one or that one? And, why not EMHC to offer the blessing? Where does it end? Of course, a priest can explain his position to the congregation but, in the end, people will still be confused and expect this as right? What's more his explanation becomes his rubrics and not those of the Church. To put it another way, does a practicing lesbian at her mother's funeral desire/require/have a right to a blessing at the time reserved for reception of the Blessed Sacrament? Thank you for listening. - April 13, 2012 at 4:48 AM
- David Meyer said...
The blessing by the priest and the EMHC cannot be separared so easily as you do in your post. I am a father of 5 small children and almost always need to take a baby in my arms when I go up to recieve. In my church I have a 1 in 5 chance of recieving from a priest. 1 in 5! With that in mind, hear this: The EMHCs do say "bless you" to the baby in my arms which I am offended by. I dont think I should feel ashamed of being offended by that. It is an abuse for sure.
When I used to take my older children (who are not ready for cummunion yet) children up with me, I would have to look to see where the priest was. Then I would tell them to either sit or come forward for a blessing. Of course they get disapointed then 4 in 5 times when it is an EMHC in the line.
The whole thing just got to be too much! I now have them stay seated even when it is the priest to avoid problems. At that special time, I dont need the hassle! I want to think about Christ not this issue.
My point is that the liberty that has been taken in this issue is out of line. It causes confusion and trouble. It turns the communion line into something new. A communion and blessing line. And according to you, there should be 2 different types of lines (priest line and EMHC line) for us all to sort out as well, and only for kids not adults. That sure is a lot to sort out for a practice that is not even in the rules.
Your point with the maniple, if true, at best only shows Father Z to be a hypocrite. It still means that something is being added to the mass illegitimately.
Also there is a BIG difference between different them. The maniple is traditionally used in SOME valid rubrics at least (i think?) wher the "blessings" by EMHC and blessings by priests in the communion line are a new addition. This goes right along with the holding hands durring the Our Father. People think they can just do whatever they want in mass. - April 13, 2012 at 5:31 AM
- Marko Ivančičević said...
Dear Father.
As you notice the apparent inconsistency of Fr.Z i wouuld like to mention that we all recieve the blessing at the end of the Mass(someone already said that). Also, i would like to add that there is a practice in the Byzantine Rite that the ones who do not recieve Communion, aproach the priest who is administering Communion, bow their head and recieve blessing with the Chalice(which is of course filled with Christ's Body and Blood), something what i would call, an Eucharistic blessing, blessing by the Eucharist itself --> somoemone already noted that it would be a good practice to bless such people with the Host...
So, in conclusion, i wouldn't do away with the the blessing itself, but i would think about the manner of blessing, i.e. it shouldn't be from the priest alone but from the Eucharistic Lord "handled" by the priest... - April 13, 2012 at 6:10 AM
- Joanne said...
Thank you for this post Fr.
While I really don't have an issue with a priest who doesn't want to bless my children, I've been very bothered by those who think that I shouldn't take my young children in the communion line.
As a woman who is open to life and has children spread across every age group and as a wife of a deacon who isn't sitting in the pew with me, what am I supposed to do with my young ones? Sometimes my older children attend other Masses and there isn't anyone to stay in the pew with little ones (I've leave my five year-old there, but if I left my 3 year old, he just might burn the church down). I really am surprised by those who think that I should refrain from receiving the Eucharist if it means bringing my children with me. - April 13, 2012 at 8:48 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Clinton R.,
There are, in fact, many circumstances in which the Church permits (and even encourages) lay persons to give true sacramental blessings ... and these are efficacious.
Consider, for example, that a parent may bless his child (even according to the official book of blessings).
Also, consider that there has long been a tradition of the Mother Superior blessing her nuns.
Now, this ought not happen in the context of the Liturgy ... but people are able to understand that deacon cannot consecrate the Host even though he is assisting the priest at the altar ... how hard is it to make sure that lay extraordinary ministers do not imitate the priest in the manner of blessing? - April 13, 2012 at 9:52 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@David M, (and others, regarding the maniple),
Fr. Z didn't say that the blessings were bad because they aren't traditional ... he said that they are bad because they are not included in the Rubrics.
And I say that the maniple isn't included in the rubrics either -- and there are far more rubrics about the vestments than about the distribution of communion. - April 13, 2012 at 9:54 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@David M, (and others, regarding adding things that aren't in the rubrics),
Well, the GIRM states that those who are to receive communion come forward in a procession (generally) and that the priest approaches them to distribute communion - GIRM #160.
There is no mention in the GIRM of anyone coming forward who is not going to take communion. (and no provision for this practice)
So, if you want to be real strict and "follow the rules" without adding anything at all ... then infants and toddlers cannot be brought forward in the communion line.
I guess parents should just leave their 4 week old baby lying on his back in the pew? That seems reasonable?!
This is the point I am making ... a point which you utterly fail to recognize ... the whole situation is brought on by the (very laudable) practice of frequent communion -- if both parents come to communion, then they will surely bring forward their little children.
And, since this practice of bringing the kids forward is new (since frequent communion is rather new), we have to figure out how to deal with the situation.
Almost any reasonable person can tell that this isn't a matter of "radical innovations" or "liturgical abuse" ... it is simply responding to a new situation, a situation which is not even envisioned by the current GIRM or the rubrics of the Missal. - April 13, 2012 at 9:59 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Father S,
Please see my response regarding the maniple, above -- 9:54am.
Peace to you! + - April 13, 2012 at 10:01 AM
Dear Father,
you wrote: "And, since this practice of bringing the kids forward is new (since frequent communion is rather new), we have to figure out how to deal with the situation." That's the point I don't really get. There's nothing to deal with: children can accompany their parents and receive nothing at all, neither blessing nor Communion. I don't see the problem in "child inactivity" during the very few minutes before the reception the Body of Christ by their parents. Infants and toddlers don't actually even understand being blessed by the priest. For older children, that could rather be the right time to teach adoration - rather then waiting for a blessing, children may be taught to bow their head in worship to the Host, which is even more fruitful from a catechetical point of view then a simple blessing might be. Also, the comparison with the maniple still fails to persuade me. The use of the maniple has been valid "ab immemorabili", which means it has the force of a consuetudinary law, until it is officially forbidden (and the maniple isn't forbidden, as vatican.va repeats). On the contrary, blessing of children during Communion is an innovation, something on which only the Church at its highest authority has the right to decide. - April 13, 2012 at 11:41 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
To have the children (including infants) come forward at all would already be considered an innovation which is neither forseen nor permitted by the liturgical law.
GIRM 160 says that those to receive communion come forward ... so, if you really wanted to be strict, you would have to insist that parents abandon their infants in the pews rather than bringing them forward.
[obviously, the rubrics need to be adapted to meet the current situation ... because we ought not tell parents to leave infants alone in the pews]
So, you suggest that the kids come forward and bow their head ... that isn't in the GIRM, or the rubrics! That is an INNOVATION! What gives you the authority to suggest such a thing?!
[i hope you can see how silly the whole debate becomes]
Now ... if you suggest that it is ok for individuals to add gestures of worship and for those who are not receiving communion to come forward (i.e. be brought forward by their parents) ... why is it so bad that I suggest a "nihil dicens" blessing?
Regarding the maniple ... as I said above, Fr Z didn't attack the blessings as not being traditional ... he attacked them as not being in the rubrics.
Neither is the maniple in the rubrics (and there are far more rubrics about vestments than about communion).
As to whether the rubrics allow for immemoriable traditions to be retained, hear the decree of Bl John XXIII:
"Likewise, statues, priveleges, indults, and customs of any kind whatsoever, including those that are centenary and immemorial, even if they are worthy of special and individual mention, shall be revoked if they are opposed to these rubrics."
(From the motu proprio giving the new rubrics for the Mass)
And if you say: "But the rubrics don't forbid the maniple!" ... then I say: "Neither do they forbid the blessing". - April 13, 2012 at 2:42 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
This will be my last comment to you.
You said, "Infants and toddlers don't actually even understand being blessed by the priest."
Which suggests to me that you don't really understand what a blessing is all about in the first place ... the thought that an infant ought not be blessed simply because he doesn't understand what is happening! Shall we transfer that logic to other aspects of the Church's pastoral care of children (like baptism)?! - April 13, 2012 at 2:45 PM
If that is the case, that the whole issue of frequent communion has necessitated the bringing of children along with the parents to the rail/communion line, I don't see how it follows that we have to do anything with the children. They are there with the parents for a very brief period, they do not need some sort of special acknoledgement.
As it is the traditional practice to not bless people/things in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament outside the tabernacle, that alone should put a stop to such a practice but I've see every stripe of priest do this (liberal to traditionalist).
While I think they whole thing is silly, I don't think its the end of the world either. Since this practice is also so wide spread (and truly so, all across the spectrum in the Church)it would be terribly difficult to get people to stop expecting it-especially in the Communion line. When I was a seminarian, people would expect this for their kids. Granted, I didn't like acting as an EMHC (I'm actually an acolyte, so maybe Ordinary-Extrordinary minister of Holy Communion...) anyway, but its allowed and I figure it was better to have someone who knew how to properly do it up there. Seeing that this isn't really the time or place for a theological/liturgical lecture, I'd just tap the kid lightly on the forehead (thumb and forefinger firmly closed together...) and say something quick in Latin like, "Sit nomen Domini benedictum" that made it sound special but didn't presume to actually perform a blessing that I couldn't give anyway. They seemed happy with it and I didn't have to feel squeemish about attempting to do something I couldn't do. Seemed like a win/win.
It would be easier to get around this using the rail... - April 13, 2012 at 2:48 PM
- Maria said...
"Man himself cannot simply 'make' worship. Proper worship is received from God in faith."
--Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger - April 13, 2012 at 2:48 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Yes ... and I have seen Pope Benedict XVI bless children many times at various times throughout the Mass.
A real question: Do you think that man is "making" worship when he (contrary to the rubrics and the GIRM - see above comments) brings an infant forward in the communion line? - April 13, 2012 at 3:39 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Someone above mentioned the idea of "blessing" with the Host in a mini-benediction. This, of course, is the traditional action before distributing communion.
I suppose that this would be the best way to do it ... a small sign of the Cross with the Host over the paten before the child.
But, a simple nihil dicens sign of the Cross would hardly cause confusion and make the people think that the priest's power of blessing was greater than Christ's power of blessing (which is why we generally don't bless in the presence of the Eucharist in the first place).
And, do recall that the priest (for many years) would make the sign of the Cross over the people in the presence of the Sacrament after their confiteor before communion -- he said the words, "Indulgentiam absolutionem ..."
The sign of the Cross over a child (nihil dicens) is certainly less than this traditional action. - April 13, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Thank you for your article. While I respect much of what Fr. Z writes, I think that his analysis of this subject is very cramped.
- April 13, 2012 at 3:51 PM
Dear Father,
Have you and your pastor preached on this subject in your churches at Sunday Mass? This is one of the many reasons why I decline to be an EMHC. I couldn't give a blessing, and those cute little kids with their arms crossed over their heart would break my heart. If the guv'ner presented himself for Holy Communion, I couldn't distribute the Sacred Host to him, etc. So I'm throwing myself out before I begin to save my dear pastor the trouble ;-) I'm a simple guy... Now, if the GIRM were to be amended to address this matter, how might it read?? God bless you, Father. - April 13, 2012 at 4:56 PM
I think that you are still making the same error. It seems to me that you have reduced the argument so much that you have misrepresented the position. The position is that the maniple, even though it is not in the rubrics, is still permitted by previous rubrics from which there has been no derogation. On the other hand, the blessings (so goes the position) have never been within the rubrics and so are not permitted.
I think that I can put this another way. It seems to me that what you are saying is that the position rests solely on the current (i.e., not 1962) Roman Missal. That is not the position. The position is that the permission to use the maniple rests both on the 1962 and current Roman Missals.
In this way, the two are not equivalent. If we only look at the current Roman Missal (and its accompanying rubrics) then you would be correct. As it stands, the only way to justify the use of the maniple requires a broader view.
Peace to you, too!
Kind Regards,
Father S. - April 13, 2012 at 6:36 PM
Thanks for this balanced article Fr.
Keep up the good work! - April 13, 2012 at 7:15 PM
Dear Father,
I don't know why you got so angry with me. I didn't to offend you. Nevertheless, you must also accept people with different opinions. And my opinion is that the private devotion of bowing the head in front of the Host is a private devotion which is always allowed and even encouraged and not a part of the Mass. On the contrary, a blessing is a true rite (a sacramental) performed by a minister in the Holy Orders. That's something I don't really understand: why is it necessary? What is it for? That blessing for children is something entirely unrelated to the Sacrament being distributed at that specific moment of the Mass. That's out of place. It is risky for the distribution of the Eucharist, as it may mean the dispersal of fragments. It may even confuse people in those countries which are not used to that practice (as in my country, where children are never blessed during Communion).
I didn't mean that children must show consent to be blessed - that's a bad interpretation of my words. The true problem is WHY we should have children blessed during Communion. If the problem - that's what I was saying - are blessed just to keep them calm by active participation (i.e. they are blessed in order to be motivated to get in the Communion line). That's plain and simple to me, but maybe it's not to you.
And if you want my true opinion, children shouldn't come in the Communion line at all. It would be much better if parents didn't come together in the Communion line: one should wait for the other parent for a turnover, as it happens in the Mass EO I attend in Bergamo, Italy.
Nevertheless, you are free to believe whatever you want - I insist in believing that this practice should be discouraged or that different solutions to the matter may be looked for with far better results. That would really be a matter to discuss at a magisterial level.
On the maniple: "The maniple is an article of liturgical dress used in the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Holy Mass of the Roman Rite. It fell into disuse in the years of the post-conciliar reform, even though it was never abrogated." (http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/details/ns_lit_doc_20100216_vestizione_en.html).
I ask your forgiveness for my words, if they offended you. - April 14, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Was any of this an issue prior to the changes in the Mass? - April 14, 2012 at 1:22 AM
Whether one is in favor or against this practice, whether it is allowed or not, I beleive we still need to worry about precedence and the slipper slope. BTW, I remember walking in the line to recevie Holy Communion with my parents and kneeling at the rail next to them and going back to my seat. This seems like blessing enough.
- April 14, 2012 at 6:46 AM
You are right, but then everyone got blessed so then in that case there is no need for individual repetitions or we could just standardize everyone getting the mini-benediction whether they receive or not.
- April 14, 2012 at 11:09 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I apologize, I was trying to write a response quickly and used far too strong of words.
I was not at all offended by your comments and I am sorry for offending you.
When I said "this is my last response" ... I meant to say, "I'm sorry, but I just don't have time to continue the back-and-forth".
Not that there is no room for diversity of opinion (as you rightly point out), but only that I simply cannot keep responding to the various interesting arguments on both sides.
The last point, though, which I am making is that it is an "addition" (which is not envisioned by the rubrics and is even somewhat contrary to them) for parents to bring up their infants in the communion line at all.
However, I say that this shows that the Church is still trying to figure out what to do with infants when both parents come to Communion -- and thus we simply cannot follow the rubrics in a strict manner here (because that would mean leaving the infants in the pews by themselves!) ... so, the practice of a "blessing" is something of a response to this new phenomenon.
... as far as parents coming to communion separately ... I suppose this is one possible solution, but would be extremely difficult in most parishes -- the Traditional Parishes I attended in Italy did not have this practice, but I never was lucky enough to get to Bergamo! :-)
Again, sorry for the harsh/direct language in the previous comments ... it is always good to discuss with you! Please always feel free to comment!
However, as I say, I will not be able to respond further on this topic, on account of all the things going on in the parish this weekend for Divine Mercy Sunday.
Blessings to you always! + - April 14, 2012 at 11:45 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Clinton R,
Given that every FSSP parish I have been to gives blessings to the kids and (as I have heard) this practice is also common to the SSPX ... I would suspect that the practice was common in at least some places even before Vatican II. + - April 14, 2012 at 11:46 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@Father S,
I should put my own cards on the table ... I myself am very much in favor of using the maniple in the celebration of the Novus Ordo ... because I do believe that it is an ancient custom and that the Novus Ordo rubrics do not need to be interpreted in such a strict manner (as compared to the traditional rubrics).
However, Fr Z's argument against the blessing was not that it isn't traditional, or that it is something new ... but simply that it is not in the explicit rubrics of the Novus Ordo Missal.
And that shows a real inconsistency in his thought -- if a practice is called an abuse purely on the basis of it not being explicit in the rubrics, then the maniple would also have to be considered an abuse.
[if, on the other hand, Fr. Z had said that the blessings are a new innovation, or that they weren't in the 1962 Missal, etc. ... then he would have a more consistent argument]
Blessings to you and your flock on Divine Mercy Sunday! + - April 14, 2012 at 11:51 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
I agree that it is a slippery slope ... but simply allow lay persons (and even women) to distribute communion already puts us way down that slope ... but, according to the present wisdom, the Church allows this in the USA at least.
Now, the threats and dangers of priests offering blessings is far less than the dangers involved in having lay persons (and women) distribute the Sacrament ... so I'm not too concerned.
Though, of course, the priest should give instruction to the Extraordinary Ministers ... and, if they really can't be trusted to follow basic instructions about "blessings", how can they possibly be trusted with the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament?
No doubt, these are difficult times! Let us persevere in prayer. + - April 14, 2012 at 11:53 AM
Dear Father;
Thank you for your response to my slippery slope comment. You can guess that I am not keen on the overuse of EMHC, so no argument there. My answer: let's preach and practice worthy reception of Holy Communion. I suggest that these issues will disappear with kneeling and reception on the tongue, even if some tradionioalist parishes alo engage in this practice. This would certainly bring a sense of holiness to our reception of the Sacrament. - April 14, 2012 at 2:22 PM
- Mary De Voe said...
Abbot Vonier was very good to us to let us know that it is precisely at the second kneeling of the Greater Penance that we are being showered with gifts by submitting ourselves to Him, and that the reception of His Body and Blood by anyone other than the priest (the lay faithful, my emphasis) staying at the holy spot is a secondary act (the Mass of the Lord's Supper is over. This is the Apostles in the person of Alter Christi coming to the faithful laity) that does not neccessarily and is not required to follow because they have already been exposed to a pre-eminent grace(having Persona Christi consecrate the Sacred Species).
- April 15, 2012 at 11:49 AM
- Stomachosus said...
Father, I certainly agree with you that Fr. Zurhlsdorf is being inconsistent. It seems to me that we often suffer from a positivistic attitude with rubrics and laws. The role of custom is quickly forgotten, despite the fact that custom is very powerful. It not only is the best interpreter of the law, it can even abolish laws and add laws.
In the old liturgy there were numerous examples of this. Not just in filling in the gaps (there were no rubrics for the laity, e.g.) but even in other manners. For instance, the use of a processional cross is reserved to a pontifical Mass and a couple of liturgical days with procession (Holy Saturday, Candlemas, etc), yet contrary custom introduced it (at least in the English speaking world) to parochial Masses. And Rome said this was fine when asked. Fr. O'Connell discusses this in his book when he talks about custom (there are also examples of prescribed practices being abolished through custom).
We see this with the new rite with various postures, such as kneeling and striking the breast at the Agnus Dei, all of which, when asked, Rome said could be retained with custom, even though not in the GIRM...
As far as the issue at hand, I don't know the history of it. I know anecdotal stories from pre-VII, such as a lady I know who forgot her shawl and had an immodest top. She went to the rail communion and the priest made the sign of the cross with the Host (as is done in the old rite), leaned over and told her next time to cover up, and moved along without giving her holy communion. She explained he would give blessings to those not receiving in order not to draw attention to them, since it looks like he is giving communion!
In anycase, if someone does come up, not receiving, you seem to have two options. Ignore them or make some gesture. When it is the case of Catholic children and it is a priest, I don't see why a blessing would be out of order. There was a letter from the CDWDS that spoke against blessings at communion time, but it seems the chief concern there was giving blessings to those who ought not be blessed and lay extraordinary ministers making a priestly gesture.
It does seem to me that we shouldn't tell those not receiving to come up for a blessing, and in general it needs to somehow (with gentleness) be imparted that going up is for communion, not other things, but there will still be the children issue and there will still be some who come up who shouldn't receive. I suppose with kneeling at a rail it is simple enough for the priest to pass over little children (a little more difficult with those who come up but are not receiving). But that is not the norm. So we should have some protocol that even extraordinary ministers may use. Clearly a priestly blessing is the wrong answer for this except when it is a priest doing it and say a Catholic child. Absent some law given explicitly by the lawgiver, we need to exercise common sense and prudence, rather then screaming "innovation, evil!" which would be to ignore the role custom has in law. - April 18, 2012 at 10:42 AM
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Walter, Kasten high on Dodgers
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- It was the morning of the Cactus League opener for the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch, and Mark Walter walked around the back fields of the complex for the first time with team president Stan Kasten as his guide.
Walter is one of the lead partners in the group that purchased the Dodgers in May. The $2.15 billion deal included the club, Dodger Stadium and the Spring Training facility in Arizona known as the Ranch.
In the afternoon after his tour, Walter ducked out of a box while watching his club drop a 9-0 decision to the White Sox, the team that shares the facility.
"I love it. It's a great place, isn't it?" Walter said. "I think it's fantastic."
It was a day made for the movies with a picturesque high, blue sky and temperatures in the mid-60s. To say that Walter and Kasten were in heaven seemed like an understatement.
"What could be better than this?" Kasten said. "I've said this a lot: I've been to the postseason a lot, I've had great fun, I've been with winning teams, but being part of the rebuild for this franchise, in this market and for this fan base is the most fun I've ever had in my life."
No wonder. In other phases of that highly successful career, Kasten has been president of the Braves and Nationals. He's never been involved with something like this, though. Walter promised last summer that his group would spare no expense building the Dodgers into a championship team and Kasten has had an open checkbook.
In short order, the player payroll has risen to $220 million, and an additional $100 million investment to improve venerable Dodger Stadium is just about complete. The group recently sold its media rights to Time Warner for a reported $7 billion to $8 billion over 25 years, and Dodgers fans have bought a club-record 28,500 season tickets.
"And there's still a month to go," said Kasten, adding that the club will soon cut off season-ticket sales at some still-to-be-determined level.
"... I think all this is a statement about the game," Walter said. "Fans are starting to connect even more with baseball. It really is a wonderful game, because there's an intellectual side to it, there's an athletic side to it. But it's not that simple. You just can't go buy three great players and win every year. I love other sports, too, but baseball has that whole, 'Anybody can win thing.' There's great competitive balance."
Certainly, in the first blush of their ownership, the Dodgers are trying. This past season, they brought in stars Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford through trades. And this winter, they signed free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke.
All the moves last year didn't matter much. On Aug. 25, the day of their big mega-trade with the Red Sox, the Dodgers were two games behind the Giants in the National League West. They finished eight games out, two behind the second Wild Card-winning Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Giants won the World Series for the second time in three years.
Expectations are high now for the Dodgers, and criticism would follow if they don't win.
"I suppose people will say we were foolish or something and maybe they'll even be right, if that's the case," Walter said. "I know Stan is going to do everything possible for the long term. We know that you can't be a perennial strong team, strong franchise, without a farm system and player development. Stan is going to build that.
"I feel that especially in L.A., where there's been a down period we'll say, we needed to do something to tell the fans we cared and wanted to be back. Whether that results in a World Series ring right away or not, there's really no guarantee of that. But it does tell people we care a lot."
Los Angeles has become the city of champions. The NHL's Kings are the defending Stanley Cup winners and the Lakers have won 11 NBA titles since moving west from Minneapolis in 1960, 10 of them under the ownership of Jerry Buss, who passed away Monday.
Kasten, a former GM and president of the Atlanta Hawks, knew Buss well and attended his memorial service along with Hall of Fame Lakers star and Dodgers owner Magic Johnson at the Nokia Theater in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Kasten knows that Buss and Johnson -- with the help of Kobe Bryant -- set the gold standard. Kasten is also well aware that through all his years as a baseball and basketball executive he has only one championship to his credit -- with the 1995 World Series champion Braves. During his early years with the Nationals, Kasten kept that fact circled on a chalkboard in his office.
Notwithstanding, the Dodgers have won five of their six titles since moving west from Brooklyn, but none since defeating the A's in the '88 World Series. So there is serious ground to make up. But no one is taking anything for granted. Even now, both men admit that the Giants are still the team to beat.
"I was at the Super Bowl and the Giants owner told me, 'Don't sign anybody this weekend,'" Walter recalled with some mirth. "I said, 'Come on! You've got hardware stacked up in your car. Leave me alone!'"
It is the fervent hope of Kasten, Walter and Los Angeles fans everywhere that the Dodgers have possession of that World Series hardware when they all return to open the Cactus League schedule here again next year.


text:
Another Colorado story now. Gun control advocates had hoped that last year's shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado might move more Americans to call for stricter gun laws. Gun control measures ground down in the U.S. Congress but some states did pass legislation, including Colorado. Yet this past week, Colorado voters recalled two lawmakers who had backed the legislation.
The special election drew national attention and lots of donations from gun control advocates including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and, in opposition, the National Rifle Association. Colorado Senate President John Morse and Senator Angela Giron - both Democrats - lost Tuesday's recall vote. Senator Morse, who represents the 11th District in Colorado Springs area, joins us now in our studios. Thanks very much for being with us.
STATE SENATOR JOHN MORSE: Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for having me.
SIMON: And we should explain your district is one of the ones affected by the flooding.
MORSE: It absolutely is. We know it's not good but the city rallies around itself and does what it needs to do.
SIMON: Let me ask you about the recall, senator. What do you think happened?
MORSE: Well, I mean, we had a low voter turnout and a very narrow special interest group. And we didn't get as many votes as they did.
SIMON: What do you think the effect of outside contributions were - and I'll ask you to address your own first. Because the people who were in favor of your recall used the support from Mayor Bloomberg against you, I think it's fair to say.
MORSE: Well, I think they definitely tried to. I mean, I personally knocked on probably 2,000 doors and had well over 400 conversations at the door with voters and it didn't come up a single time. Mayor Bloomberg's money didn't come into that race until there were 35 days to go before the election. So, you know, obviously, we were accused of it right from the get-go, and I was sort of wishing that it had been true from the get-go so that we could spend more money sooner. Because as you well know, campaigns are very expensive and the sooner you get engaged, the better off you're likely to do. But in this case, it was money at the tail end.
SIMON: Do you think your support of greater gun control measures reflects public thinking in your district?
MORSE: I do. You know, I mean, 80 percent of the folks in my district support what we did and 20 percent don't. And, unfortunately, that 80 percent, or even a big enough chunk of it, didn't show up in a special election without mail-in ballots to cast their votes. And so it had a huge impact. I mean, it was the key really to the race.
SIMON: You're a former police chief.
MORSE: I am.
SIMON: How has that affected your feelings about gun registration and gun control?
MORSE: Well, you know, I mean, I'm also a former paramedic, so I have treated lots and lots of gunshot victims and I have investigated lots and lots of gunshot victims, including homicides, obviously. So, it has a profound effect. I mean, I understand what we're really talking about in the literal sense. I've been shot at. I get the trauma of all that. This isn't an academic exercise for me.
SIMON: And that leads you to conclude what about guns?
MORSE: Well, they are extraordinarily dangerous implements, and they have their place and they're effective tools for what they're designed for. But right now we've got very powerful weapons with lots of capacity on our streets that frankly don't belong on our streets or in our forests. You know, defending yourself from somebody breaking into your home is one thing, but you don't need a long rifle with 30 rounds attached to it to do that. So, you know, certainly some other kind of handgun will defend you just fine from somebody breaking into your house, but those other weapons are really meant only to be on the offensive and not just on the defensive. And so, you know, we ought to do everything we can to make sure that we keep guns out of the hands of those that are criminally intent and those that are mentally ill, violently mentally ill.
SIMON: Senator Morse, what implications do you see in what happened to recall you?
MORSE: Well, I think it's important to remember that this is really purely symbolic. The Democrats still maintain control of the Senate in Colorado. Obviously, we still have the House. These laws remain in place. So, really we just have the NRA attempting to send a message here. And I'm personally not listening.
SIMON: Colorado Senate President - for the moment - John Morse joining us in our studios. Thanks very much, senator.
MORSE: You're welcome. Thank you again for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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text:
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Evening public ledger. [volume], May 29, 1919, Night Extra Financial, Image 1
About Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942
Image provided by: Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA


text:
Father's Day is just around the corner on this coming Sunday, June 18th. On this day we celebrate the men in our lives who have filled the role of "father" through their love, kindness and positive role modeling.
Yet for some, Father's Day can be an especially hard day. Some individuals may not have enough resources to get gifts for Father's Day, their father may be absent or the role of their father may have never been filled. How can we celebrate this day while remembering those among us in different situations? Today we're going to talk about how to give Dad the gift of altruism this Father's Day.
1.Respect those whose fathers aren't present.
One of the hardest yet most valuable things you can do to celebrate an altruistic Father's Day is to recognize that many people may not have a paternal presence in their lives. Whether their father has passed away, is serving our country or is not a part of their lives, Father's Day can be a difficult time for many.
While this certainly doesn't mean you're not allowed to celebrate the day yourself, it does give us an opportunity to respect people from different situations. Be careful in how you word phrases, share posts or even treat others on this day. Recognize that this day may create contrasting feelings for people, and respecting these feelings is a way to share compassion.
2. Consider those who have different kinds of fathers.
Along with those whose fathers are not present, there are also different kinds of fathers. Some people consider their grandfather, uncle or even mom a paternal figure in their lives. Some individuals may have an adopted father or multiple father figures. This Father's Day, spread the gift of understanding by recognizing those who celebrate their different kinds of fathers.
3. Give your dad a gift that gives back.
For the father figure in your life, celebrate an altruistic Father's Day by giving a gift that gives back. Check out different programs both locally and nationally that have the option to buy a gift while also donating money or services to a cause.
Oftentimes, both nonprofit organizations and charitable businesses will have gift choices where proceeds support a cause close to your heart. Check online or in your community to see what gift you can get dad that supports a mission he believes in.
4. Spend time doing what he wants.
Of course, one awesome way to celebrate Father's day is by spending time together as a family doing activities dad is interested in. These may not always be the "most interesting" ventures, but having everyone together to celebrate is worth it. Dads provide a loving, stable force in the family, so celebrate his commitment this Father's Day by spending time doing some of his favorite hobbies and pastimes.
5. Get involved in the community.
Finally, have an altruistic Father's Day by getting involved in the community as a family. Find a nonprofit cause your dad cares about and volunteer or donate to celebrate the day. This way, your family gets to enjoy the day and share that enjoyment with others in the community.
This Father's Day, give Dad the best gift: a caring, compassionate life. See how you can support others around you and give back this Sunday. Together, we can create a more altruistic world.


text:
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text:
The liberal news outlet Mother Jones has followed Monday's leaked video of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney saying that 47 percent of Americans will vote for President Obama because they are "dependent upon government" and "believe that they are victims," with another clip in which he says Palestinians have "no interest whatsoever in establishing peace."
He goes on to say Israel, Palestine and the whole Mideast peace process "is going to remain an unsolved problem" and concludes that "there's just no way" the so-called two-state solution will work.
The series of clips, Mother Jones says, come from a May 17 private fundraiser in Boca Raton, Fla. Last night, as It's All Politics reported, Romney stood by his comments about Obama's supporters — but said they were "not elegantly stated."
During his May 17 remarks about the Middle East, Romney said that:
"Some might say, well, let's let the Palestinians have the West Bank, and have security, and set up a separate nation for the Palestinians. And then come a couple of thorny questions. ..."The other side of the West Bank, the other side of what would be this new Palestinian state would either be Syria at one point, or Jordan. And of course the Iranians would want to do through the West Bank exactly what they did through Lebanon, what they did near Gaza. Which is that the Iranians would want to bring missiles and armament into the West Bank and potentially threaten Israel. So Israel of course would have to say, 'That can't happen.' ... Well, that means that-- who? The Israelis are going to patrol the border between Jordan, Syria, and this new Palestinian nation? Well, the Palestinians would say, 'Uh, no way!' ..."And I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel, and these thorny issues, and I say, 'There's just no way.' "Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


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text:
1140: Calendar of Meaningful Dates
The calendar used in the comic is the standard Gregorian calendar of 2012 used by most of Western Civilization. The comic looks at the frequencies of which dates appear in English writings indexed in the Google Books Library Project, by using the Google Ngram Viewer (link).
Some dates are more (or less) frequently mentioned because they have a special significance. Other dates have correlations for which there doesn't appear to be any obvious reasons. September 11th has also been the date of two significant battles in the War of 1812 (long before it gained notoriety from the 2001 terrorist attacks), particularly one where the British landed in George Washington's own plantation, which likely bolstered its search volume. Yet the significance of the globally significant terrorism incident probably accounts for most of the occurances, since that time.
The date mentioned in the sub-heading (October 17th) is Randall's birthday.
The title text mystery is explained here. In summary, many occurrences of "11th" in the writings were actually misread by the Google Books Library Project's optical character recognition software and/or reCAPTCHA users, becoming one of these: IIth
, Ilth
, iith
, lith
, llth
, 1lth
, 1ith
, l1th
, nth
Date Significance[edit]
The first of each month is generally more mentioned than others, perhaps because such dates are markers of a new month and may be used as landmark dates or deadlines. Similarly, the final day of each month is commonly a deadline day. Other dates have a less mundane significance, for example:
- January 1 is New Year's Day.
- February 14 is Valentine's Day.
- February 29 only exists during leap years.
- March 15 is the Ides of March.
- March 21 is considered the first day of spring, by a common convention in the northern hemisphere.
- April 1 is April Fools' Day.
- April 15 is US Individual Income Tax return filing day.
- May 1 is International Workers' Day, or May Day.
- June 4 is the June Fourth Incident of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
- June 30 is the end of the fiscal year for most American states and local governments.
- July 1 is Canada Day.
- July 4 is US Independence Day.
- September 11 is the date of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC. It's the largest number by a big margin, most likely because unlike the other dates it has no special name, it's referred to as "9/11" (or "September 11") almost exclusively.
- December 7 is the date of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
- December 25 is Christmas.
- December 31 is New Year's Eve.
- Calendar of Meaningful Dates
- Each date's size represents how often it is referred to by name (e.g. "October 17th") in English-language books since 2000
- (Source: Google ngrams corpus)
- [A regular Gregorian calendar laid out in a grid, Sunday first, on a leap year, with some numbers larger or smaller than others. Significant outliers are mentioned in the explanation.]
Seeing how the (northern hemisphere) summer months are bolder than the winter ones, I remember that someone said that "historical things" like wars and battles used to occur during the good weather months. Same for e.g. romance novels - people date and love on those dates. -- 188.8.131.52 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- I don't think historical wars happened as much during the summer as during the spring and fall. Winter was obviously out for any place that had snow, but do you really want to be marching around in the heavy uniforms or armor that armies used to wear? Additionally, I don't know where I heard about it (maybe in some Discovery video), but there was a study that showed that winter is better for romance. It makes sense, with "holiday magic" and people more likely to snuggle together. 22.214.171.124 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
If the search included Spanish dates in English texts, May 5th would be larger. -- 188.8.131.52 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
I wonder if he took into account the month/day swap between the US and UK dating system (among other countries). 126.96.36.199 14:22, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
- That's a good question. I entered July 4 and November 5 (Guy Fawkes Day) into Google Ngram, and the difference reflected in the calendar is only apparent when you put the month before the date.--Prooffreader (talk) 01:11, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
- Yes, [there's a lot of difference] in the spelling. --188.8.131.52 17:58, 9 December 2012 (UTC)
Interesting about the 11ths -- perhaps that correlates with low passenger loads on airplanes as well, and thus why the 11th was chosen for the attack (the month of September having been chosen for some other reason).188.8.131.52 15:33, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
- I want to point out that Randall doesn't know either, and I think he would have thought about the plane correlation, so I don't think that's the reason. I'm going to investigate this. --Jimmy C (talk) 02:53, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
- September 11 (1973) is also the date of the coup d'etat in Chile. I suppose that might (partially) explain why this specific 11th has been mentioned more frequently even before 2001...
- I changed the page to show what I thought were the most important events (that I knew without looking up).18.104.22.168 21:53, 6 May 2015 (UTC)
- September 11 (1973) is also the date of the coup d'etat in Chile. I suppose that might (partially) explain why this specific 11th has been mentioned more frequently even before 2001...
- 9/11 is also an important date in both the American Revolutionary War and the War in Europe half of World War 2. 184.108.40.206 21:19, 26 September 2013 (UTC)
- The reason for the low appearance of the 11ths is due to an error in Google's book scanning algorithm as explained by David R. Hagen in his blog post The Missing 11th of the Month. --Phoenix616 (talk) 01:50, 30 December 2015 (UTC)
I second the Spanish language date in English texts. May 5th is routinely routinely called Cinco De Mayo in English. Has Randall weighed in on how this was handled? Donglebaker (talk) 18:16, 28 November 2012 (UTC) JC
I also wonder about the difference between the 4th of July (Big 4) and November the 5th (small 5) as being the two "firework" days in US and UK! 4th of July peaks at 0.00003 July the 4th 0.0000001 November the 5th peaks at 0.0000006 and 5th of November peaks at 0.00001 so there are big differences and also whether you pick anything but English 2009. Reader in Invisible Writings --126.96.36.199 19:42, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
- No one forget that November 5th is also the day the Flux Capacitor was invented by Dr. Emmitt Brown using little more than a toilet seat and a minor concussion. I believe that is worth a mention.--Dangerkeith3000 (talk) 16:08, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
The transcript reads "[A regular Gregorian calendar laid out in a grid, with some numbers larger than others.]" In fact, there is no way to tell if this is a Gregorian or a Julian calendar; they both have the same months and days. The Gregorian calendar only differs from the Julian in its leap year rule (it has 3 fewer every 400 years).--Prooffreader (talk) 01:17, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
- This was surely meant to distinguish it from other calendar systems such as the Islamic and Hindu calendar, not the Julian calendar. Since it is consistent with both, the current phrasing is not inaccurate. - jerodast (talk) 14:45, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
Certain days of the week tend to get their dates mentioned more than others. Since the sample data were from a small number of years, this may be relevant to the results (unless it was controlled for). For example, in the US, elections are always held on a Tuesday, and Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday (and the Friday and Saturday right after it also get mentioned a lot), but these would not be the same numeric dates every year. — |Jonadab the Unsightly One, 2012-Nov-28 9:45pm EST (GMT+0500)
- The title only says that the books were published since 2000. The events in the book may have taken place many years before. --Jasqm (talk) 09:37, 29 November 2012 (UTC)jasqm
The last few US Presidential elections were 11/6/2012, 11/4/2008, 11/2/2004, 11/7/2000, 11/5/1996, 11/3/1992. November 1 is writ large, but that seems typical of the first day of all months. November 4 and 5 seem next largest. They correspond to the elections of 2008 (McCain-Obama) and 1996 (Dole-Clinton-Perot).
It seems like some of the dates in the explanation were of minimal importance to the comic - March 15th doesn't seem as large as the 21st or 31st of the month, and Halloween and Kristallnacht aren't that large, either. Sure, it's nice to know, but then there'd have to be explanations for several dozen more days. Bobidou23 (talk) 21:46, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
It is missing 4/20. 18.104.22.168 23:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
- If you'll notice April, third row, second column from the right. That must be some good stuff you've got if you missed that. lcarsos_a (talk) 01:45, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
I think the language category should include only comics whose joke or topic is about language. Surely, almost all comics and every chart employs language. --St.nerol (talk) 10:59, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
I was curious about August 15th, that is quite larger then its surrounding numbers, so I checked out: only a few noticeable references (to me) in history: - Macbeth's death (1057) - Napoleon's birthday (1769) - WWII Japan Surrender (1945) and, consequently, Korea's Independence Day - India's Independence Day (1947) - and, of course, Woodstock opening (1969) But besides Mary's Assumption (Catholic Feast) I found no significant events since year 2000. Anyone?
Paulo Sedrez 18.104.22.168 18:33, 7 January 2013 (UTC)
- The 15th is also a reasonably common "deadline" day, being treated as the halfway point of the month. 188.8.131.52 01:12, 15 February 2013 (UTC)
- Not sure if it's relevant for this chart because it's restricted to English books, but August 15th is a holiday in many European countries and it marks the peak of summer holidays: it's the day when most people take leave from work. Dargor17 (talk) 19:13, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
Sept. 11th, is also 9/11, which is very similar to 911. Not sure if there's a correlation there. – -- 126.96.36.199 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- How do you mean?–St.nerol (talk) 21:34, 17 February 2013 (UTC)
- Well, there is such a thing as Emergency Number Day, in case you are referring to that, though I doubt that ever got very big in literature... Interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11#Holidays_and_observances --Maplestrip (talk) 20:06, 27 September 2014 (UTC)
I was surprised by April 1st's relatively small size, and Christmas is much smaller than I expected. -- 126.96.36.199 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- About Christmas, it's probably because it's often mentioned by name and not as "the 25th of December" Dargor17 (talk) 19:13, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
I was surprised with the lack of remembrance remembrance for November 5th. Gigahertz (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
Why are some of the last 10 days of January so small compared to the others? 625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8 (talk) 01:20, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
It would have been funny if Randall pulled a "January 6th is huge because of some unknown reason in the future," because it certainly would reflect today and be one of the biggest. ⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu — Tᵃˡᵏ 16:41, 30 June 2022 (UTC)
Pi day should at least be bold (even though nothing particularly interesting happens on that day, other than pie). I think Randall missed this one.
I hate that our (USA's) fucking INDEPENDENCE DAY is "less important" than the day of a terrorist attack. Psychoticpotato (talk) 15:42, 28 May 2024 (UTC)


text:
By Sarah Sekula, published on cnn.com
Orlando (CNN) — When Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland opens Thursday in the Magic Kingdom, guests will be in for a slew of magical moments, and they'll have plenty of room to enjoy them. This portion of the park nearly doubled in size, making it the largest expansion in the park's 41-year history.
"It gives guests another level of immersion," says Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We have technology to play with that Walt DIsney didn't have."
For instance, part of the expansion includes Beast's Castle, which sits atop Be Our Guest restaurant. During lunch hours, guests order at touch-screen kiosks and take radio-frequency devices to their tables. Once the pager is placed on the table, servers know exactly where to deliver the food. And voila, meals arrive within minutes via a glass-enclosed cart.
"Everything is fresh, made to order, and for lunch we are hoping for the bustling kind of energy like the movie scene (from 'Beauty and the Beast') in the dining room," says Lenny DeGeorge, Walt Disney World executive chef.
In the evening, the restaurant transforms into fancy table-service dining, inviting guests to feast upon French onion soup, mussels Provençal and charcuterie while sipping on French wines and beers. This is a first, since alcohol has never been served before in the Magic Kingdom.
In true Disney style, the decor inside and out is over the top. From the chandeliers to the walls to the terrazzo floor to the draperies, it's all true to the movie. Even suits of armor that whisper to passersby line the hallway. Guests then make their way into the grand ballroom, which has an entire wall of arched windows, complete with magical snowflakes falling upon the French countryside.
Faith Lee, from Lake Mary, Florida, appreciates the extreme theming. "I felt like a kid again entering (Be Our Guest restaurant)," she says. "It completely recreates the details of Beast's Castle to the most minute aspect."
Other areas of New Fantasyland involve similar attention to detail, completely immersing guests in the beloved Disney stories. The expansion, which has been in the works for more than three years, introduces two new areas —- the Enchanted Forest, which focuses on Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and Storybook Circus, an area inspired by the Disney animated feature "Dumbo."
Major focus on character time
Outside, to the far left of Beast's Castle is Maurice's Cottage, a provincial abode that houses an enchanted mirror. It spectacularly transforms into a portal whisking guests into the story of Beauty and the Beast. Once in the Beast's library, Enchanted Tales with Belle goes way beyond a typical meet and greet when Belle and friends invite guests to help act out the "tale as old as time."
Next door at Prince Eric's Castle, kids and adults alike will enjoy Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid (almost identical to the Disney California Adventure version). After walking through an interactive queue, guests board giant clamshells as animation and animatronics retell Ariel's story. Afterward in Ariel's Grotto, guests score one-on-one time with the redheaded mermaid herself as she poses for photos and signs autographs.
"For us, the Fantasyland expansion was more than we could have imagined," Lee says. "It was like being immersed in the stories of Belle and Ariel, not just visiting attractions."
Lee and her family were also impressed with Storybook Circus, which opened over the summer. This portion of the park includes a water play area, tame roller coaster and gift shop. The revamped Dumbo ride, with its new indoor queue lounge, is a crowd pleaser for parents who want to sit down for a bit and children who want to enjoy an elaborate playground. Guests receive a pager that virtually holds their place in line; it lights up when it's time to board the ride. Another option is to grab a FastPass and wait in a traditional line outdoors.
Overall, the new additions certainly have Disney fans aflutter, but will this translate to an influx of Orlando visitors?
Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for Visit Orlando, thinks so.
"When any major new attraction opens in Orlando, there's always a positive impact in terms of increased awareness and interest in the destination," she says. "With New Fantasyland being the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history, we are certainly optimistic that it will impact visitation for 2013 and beyond."
Coming soon
Princess Fairytale Hall is scheduled to open in 2013 in the former home of Snow White's Scary Adventures. Located in the Castle Courtyard in the center of Fantasyland, it will be a place for guests to meet Disney princess characters.
Come early 2014, the finishing touch will be a roller coaster, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in the heart of it all. This family thrill ride will be an experience somewhere in between the tame Barnstormer, a re-themed "beginner's coaster," and the classic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. With its patented train of vehicles that swing back and forth, the attraction will be the first of its kind.