TeDeum: USCCB Fall General Assembly is underway

It's been a favorite past-time of many Catholic bloggers: The USCCB Fall General Assembly.

The bishops of the US are meeting in Baltimore right now. Many are watching with interest.

I'm stuck on a netbook while my main computer is in for repair and I can't deal with how slow the clicks are taking online. Therefore, while i have a day off, I will not be tweeting and taking notes throughout.

If you are interested, I would encourage you to turn on EWTN right now if you have it. It is also being streamed online, and the USCCB is live-tweeting and on Facebook. Go here to see the many ways you can follow what the bishops are discussing. You can also see what is being voted on and how those turn out.

details at Te Deum laudamus

You might have also heard that the infamous Nat Cat'terd has been campaigning against Abp. Nienstedt appointment to anything at the USCCB.  I guess being Pro-liturgy, Pro-life and Pro-marriage makes you an enemy to some members of the Body of Christ.  That's like the left arm punching the head, heart, and the .... well, a lower extremity of Christ's Mystical Body. 

Quick Wis. news roundup

Archbishop Jerome Listecki speaks before Pilarz is installed.

Lots of interest by secular media in new Mexican priest of the Diocese of La Crosse.  Chicago Trib picked it up along with, WashingtonExaminer, San Antonio Express, Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

Brewers division champs for the first time since 1982!
Packers are 3-0!
Badgers are 4-0!

Mil JS has more coverage of the new Marquette president Fr. Scott Pilarz.  He said they are going to start regular adoration times at Marquette and work to promote a culture of life. </sarcasm>  Not kidding; the references to Bruce Springsteen were greater than zero, but no references to Marquette as the "Badlands."

Catholic and former governor of Wisconsin Tommy Thompson announced he's running for State Senator.  He can win, but at what cost?  He is neither a social conservative or a fiscal conservative.  Wisconsin can do better than that.  Thompson is former president of La Crosse, WI based Logistics Health Inc, which has since been purchased by OptumHealth.

A nice pro-life op-ed in the Wausau Daily Herald.

Bishop Ricken to Denver?

A list of possible candidates for the Denver metropolitan vacancy(from a friend who's been watching).

Bishop Nickless of Sioux City, IA
Ricken of Green Bay, WI
Vlazny of Portland, formerly of Winona, MN
Campbell of Columbus, formerly Auxiliary in St. Paul - Minneapolis, MN

The Upper Midwest has been on a roll: We have Archbishops in Anchorage, Portland, NYC, Cincinnati, and a Bishop in San Diego.

One blogger thinks the leading candidate is Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND.

Bishop Aquila, currently the Ordinary of the Fargo Diocese, is no stranger to Denver-- in fact, he was first ordained there. He was also the first rector of the Seminary in Denver, after ++Chaput re-opened it.

Naturally, Bishop Aquila has spent a bit of time in Rome. Since his ordination as Bishop, he has absolutely transformed North Dakota during his tenure there. With a specialization in liturgy, and also with great experience in catechesis (he has been on a USCCB committee for both), it is no surprise that Fargo Diocese is doing as well as it is.

In addition, he is a staunch defender of human life, and no stranger to entering into the Public Forum, either.

For all of these reasons, not that my own opinion makes any difference, I think he would be an excellent candidate to fill the void that Archbishop Chaput has left in the Mile High City. Given the raised profile of the Church in Denver, the candidate would have to be someone of the caliber of Bishop Aquila, and also someone of his knowledge of the mid-west and mountain regions.

As for a date for announcing this, just to keep it interesting...I wouldn't be at all surprised if whoever the successor is going to be is announced before Christmas of this year, perhaps even as early as the beginning of October; however, I am sure that the passing of our beloved Nuncio may have slowed down things a bit.

Philadelphia's new archbishop

You know what the headlines are likely to be: "Pope names arch-conservative to Philadelphia," or "Hard-liner to take over Philly church." Are you really an arch-conservative and a hard-liner?

I actually don't see myself as a conservative at all. I try to be faithful to the church's teaching, as the church has handed it on to us. I don't feel that as a Christian or as a bishop I have a right to play with that tradition, which is the apostolic tradition of the church ... As an example, I certainly want to be faithful to the Holy Father and his teaching about the traditional expression of the Roman liturgy in the Tridentine form. I supported that and will continue to support that. It isn't, however, my personal interest or direction.

NCR - Exclusive interview with Archbishop Charles Chaput

Everyone else is covering this pretty close.  If you want more info, you can check out NewAdvent for the latest.

Also Regnum Novum has a great 2008 interview of Archbishop Chaput by Peter Robinson.

HT Man with Black Hat

Iowa priest honored for more than 50 years as a pilot

Msg. Melvin Hemann received the
Wilbur and Orville Wright Award

Family and friends, his flight students, Federal Aviation Administration officials — they all conspired to pull a major surprise on the Rev. Mel Hemann.

The retired Stacyville native, 82, was honored Tuesday with the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his 50-plus years of “professionalism, skill and aviation expertise.”

Hemann was presented the award on the first evening of the 48th annual meeting of the National Association of Priest Pilots (NAPP) being held this week in North Iowa.

He also will be recognized in the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Roll of Honor in Washington, D.C.

“My first vocation is as a priest, but then my second love has been flying,” Hemann said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to do both of them. It’s not only been very beneficial for me personally, but like (Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Diocese of Dubuque) said, we’ve been able to do a lot of good things with a lot of other people in the church.”

Hemann was joined Tuesday by his flying brothers: retired Monsignor John Hemann, 76, of Clear Lake; the Rev. Everett Hemann, pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Falls; and Matt Hemann, 72, a flying farmer.

Read more: http://globegazette.com/news/local/stacyville-priest-honored-for-more-than-years-as-a-pilot/article_8e7756e4-ad11-11e0-959f-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1SYM4S68y

Flying priests will gather in Clear Lake, Iowa July 11-14

Fr. Bernard McCoy, O.Cist. (Sparta, WI)

The 48th annual meeting for the National Association of Priest Pilots will be held July 11-14 in Clear Lake.

The Mason City Municipal Airport is the hub for the “fly-ins.” Accommodations will be at the Best Western Holiday Motor Lodge, Clear Lake. The meeting and other events will be at St. Patrick Catholic Church.

On Tuesday, July 12, the group will gather at the Mason City airport at 6:30 p.m.

A representative of the Federal Aviation Administration will present the “Wilbur and Orville Wright Award” to the Rev. Melvin Hemann, for his 50 years as a pilot and flight instructor.

Hemann is a charter member of the National Association of Priest Pilots.

Following the award ceremony Archbishop Jerome Hanus, Archbishop of Dubuque, will offer a prayer and provide a special “blessing” for the airplanes and pilots, those flown in by members of the NAPP and airplanes belonging to local pilots.

Read more: http://www.globegazette.com/news/local/article_f86923d8-a8e4-11e0-8c0f-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1RtlHxk00

Not sure why the writer put the word "blessing" in quotes...  it is a real blessing.  Is he only pretending to bless him?  If he's quoting someone, wouldn't it be more than one word?  Are journalists clueless on religion by accident or on purpose?