St. Lawrence's Jubilee!

This year our parish celebrated it's jubilee! 125 years as a church community. My wife and I have been members of St. Lawrence Church in Rush Lake, Minnesota for 3 years.
The day was filled with fun, food and fellowship. It began with a mass with Bishop John Kinney and Fr. George Michael as celebrants. A summer style picnic and games followed mass. The whole day was a lot of fun. One of the highlights for me was visiting with Fr. Don Wagner. We were classmates at St. Paul Seminary. He shared with me that next year is his 25th year as a priest. I have chosen marriage as my vocation.
 My wife and I have many duties  in our parish. She is lector and eucharistic minister. I play guitar for the
choir, lector, and soon will  be commissioned as eucharistic minister. What roles do you play in your parish life?                                  

The End of the World

Harold Camping predicted the world would come to an end May 21, 2011. He originally predicted it would end  September 6, 1994. Monsignor Robert Laliberte, parochial vicar at St Anthony of Padua Church in Fargo commented by saying :"The teachings of Christ are that we are to expect the end, that we are to be ready at all times. Therefore there are not going to be any imminent signs of the coming. Nowhere does Jesus say that earthquakes and wars are going to be signs that he is coming soon. "He simply says:'There are going to be earthquakes in various places and rumors of war but the end is not yet.'" As a Catholic how are  you living out you days? How would you live if you knew this day was your last? Live each day as if it were your last and one day you will be right! Something to ponder!

Fr. Roderick and Pope John Paul II

Easter Playlist!

What songs would be on your Easter Playlist? I enjoy making music playlists or mixes as I call them. Usually these playlists have around 10 songs. Here's
 Kevin's Easter Mix!
1)Mary Did You Know - Tim Eggebraaten
2)Behold The Wood - Dan Schutte
3)We Remember - Marty Haugen
4)Mansion Builder - Second Chapter Of Acts
5)Easter Song - Second Chapter Of Acts
6)He's Alive - Don Francisco
7) Make My Life A Prayer To You - Keith Green
8)Via Dolarosa - Sandy Patti
                                                      9)Resurrection Day - Matt Maher
                                                    10)Rise Again - Dallas Holm


                                                  What is on your Easter Playlist?
                                                  Have a Blessed Holy week and Easter!

Jesus Portrayed!

As it gets closer to Holy Week and Easter, I have movies that I like to watch to make me truly aware of what this season is all about. "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The Passion of the Christ" are on the top of my list. Which actor has given you the best portrayal of Jesus?
For me it has to be Jim Caviezel in "The Passion of the Christ".
Please check out the National Catholic Register blog for a more complete list: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/who-portrayed-the-best-worst-jesus. May God Bless you during the lenten season.

Lenten Cartoon Jesus in the desert!

Hope your lentern journey is going well! Enjoy!

The Gargoyle Code

I am still reading "The Cloister Walk"  by Kathleen Norris for lent and have added "The Gargoyle Code" by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. It's written in the tradition of "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis and is from a Catholic perspective.
This is specifically written for Lent with a meditation each day beginning with
Shrove Tuesday through Easter Sunday. It could be read anytime but may be more effective if read during Lent.
It can be purchased through Fr. Longenecker's website: www.dwightlongenecker.com. If you can wait, it is much cheaper to order it through his website than Amazon or Ebay. It has helped me in my lenten journey by reminding me that I am in a spiritual battle with the enemy. It seems
that the Lord is probing me to learn more about Satan, not to delve into the religion of Satanism or have a fascination with exorcisms, but to realize the more I grow closer to God and grow in my faith, the harder Satan is going to try and tempt me. Part of a great warrior is studying and learning about your enemy. Be Gone Satan! Long Live God! May God Bless You on your Lenten Journey!

Catholic Media Day! March 15th

Here is a list of my favorite Catholic media: Podcasts, websites, blogs ,etc.
Podcasts: 1) The Break with Fr. Roderick Vonhogen. 2) The Catholic Hack with Joe McClane. 3) The Rosary by the Rosary Army (Greg and Jeniifer Willits). All can be found via Itunes.
Websites: 1)SQPN @ www.sqpn.com. 2) Catholic Media Guild @ www.catholicmediaguild.com.
Catholic TV @ www.catholictv.com.
Blogs: Happy Catholic @ www.happycatholic.blogspot.com. 2) Ecletic Catholic @ www.eclecticcatholic.blogspot.com. 3) Jeff Miller @ www.splendoroftruth.com.
Authors: 1) Fr. Larry Richards. 2) Scott Hahn 3) Kathleen Norris
Musicians/ Artists: 1) John Michael Talbot. 2) Vince Ambrosetti 3. Renee Bondi.
Enjoy!

Lent = 40 days!

Here is a great lenten reflection as we begin this 40 day journey! May God bless you!

Lent

I hope your Catholic journey is going well as you make preparations for lent. In recent years I have taken more of an "active" approach than one of sacrifice or "giving something up". Most of the time it involves reading something "Catholic" and/ or "spiritual". This year I have decided to read "The Cloister Walk" By Kathleen Norris.

A brief history of "lent" with traditions and suggestions can be found at www.osv.com.

On the right hand, under blog posts click "Your guide to a Catholic Lent". What are your lenten practices and traditions? Are they the same every year or do they change?

Hope you grow in your Catholic Faith during this Lent.

Welcome to Eclectic Catholic!

Michael Card sings "There is joy in the journey"! I hope to inspire you in your Catholic faith and share with you my Catholic journey! Enjoy!