1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

Prayer to St. Joseph

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers. Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departed souls, pray for me.

This prayer was found in the 50th year of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In 1505 it was sent from the Pope to Emperor Charles, when he was going into battle. Whoever shall read this prayer or hear it, or keep it about themselves, shall never die a sudden death or be drowned, nor shall poison take effect on them; neither shall they fall into the hands of the enemy, or shall be burned in any fire or shall be overpowered in battle.

Say for 9 mornings for anything you may desire. It has never been known to fail.

Imprimatur
Sept. 25, 1950
Hugh C. Boyle
Bishop of Pittsburgh

Ballroom Dancing and How Life Should Be

• The man should always initiate the dance
• It doesn't matter if you know the man, accept his offer to dance
• Allow the man to lead, just follow his every move
• You will be floating on clouds; spinning, twirling, and smiling
• When the man says thank you for dancing with him, smile and say the same
• Allow the man to walk you back over to your friends to wait for someone else to ask you to dance

When leaving, do not walk past a bar and sarcastically say, "we should go there." A drunk, who claims to be a man, will make a snide comment and offer to buy you a shot. At that point, you'll sink back into reality and dream that life really was like ballroom dancing.

Chorale

It's interesting how many times something happens where the Catholic faith needs to be defended. This is especially true here at USM. Everyday I realize just how liberal and anti-Catholic it really is. It's frustrating, but thankfully there are several of us around campus to constantly defend the faith.

This semester in chorale, we are singing a piece called "African Sanctus." Basically, the composer took the text from the mass and put them in what he calls an "unorthodox setting." With this, he then has the chorus singing over a pre-recorded tape of Muslim prayer music. When I first learned of this, I was a little taken aback but was willing to trust our conductor on his decision. I later discovered how much I would dislike it. There is a beautiful version of the Kyrie that the chorus is singing, but then we added the taped music; the Muslim Call to Prayer. I couldn't believe that someone would actually take such sacred music from both religions and combine them. I understand that the composer was trying to encourage peace between the religions, but doing it with music, which is a very sacred eliminate to any religion, is unbelievable.

With this in mind, our conductor (who I have and will always greatly respect) decided to have a discussion about how people felt about the music. I was amazed to learn how many people thought it was a wonderful concept and saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. Eventually, I decided to stand up for what I believe. I talked about how I have been a Catholic my entire life and that this piece made me extremely uncomfortable, to the point where I cannot wait for the semester to be over.

Although I was glad that I spoke up, it was really interesting to hear how other people embraced their spiritual life. One person talked about how she is a Catholic with Buddhist tendencies while others said that they were spiritual but didn't claim a specific religion. I felt bad for them. They are so lost that they feel as though they need to create their own religion that suits them. In thinking about it from my own perspective, I find it amazing what the Catholic Church offers. We have anything from extreme traditionalist to charismatics. Every person can really find somewhere between these that fits them spiritually so that they can best love and serve the Lord.