January 2006

Hi folks, just checking in from my retreat at the Mount of Prayer Benedictine monastery. Been getting a lot of rest, and I’ve been taking time to read a lot. But I’ve also been living some of the Benedictine spirituality, particularly the motto ora et labora — “pray and work”!

The parish I serve in is blessed by the presence of several devoted deacons. One of them died yesterday, after an intense period of illness. He came into the hospital where I also work, and had emergency surgery. He looked great for a few days afterwards, but then took a turn for the worse. Several weeks passed in ICU, and then he himself passed. Deacon Jim Thompson (I called him the “archdeacon” of the parish) was a model of service for the entire community. We love you, Jim, and we miss you already.

A new meme popped up around the blogosphere recently, regarding this article (originally in the Toronto Globe and Mail) about the eating of “communion wafers” (actually a local product called retailles d’hosties) by Quebecers. A number of bloggers started to write about it (some quite disparagingly), including Jimmy Akin.