My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

Dear Blog Visitors: If you read various Catholic blogs, it might appear that there is no constructive dialogue between traditionalists and reformers. This is indeed often the case. However, it is wonderful when a middle-of-the-road approach is taken and produces results. One of my better experiences in recent years occurred on January 8, 2003. On that day, the executive board of CORPUS (national association for an inclusive priesthood) and the president of the NFPC (National Federation of Priest Councils) spent a day together in New York City. Highlights of our day included constructive talks on the role married priests could play in various dioceses around the country. This was inclusive of a very nice lunch in an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. I have included a photo taken at the lunch mentioned in the preceding paragraph. From the left are Bob Silva (former president of the NFPC) and the former CORPUS executive board, including Bill Wisniewski, Russ Ditzel and Ray Grosswirth...

Dear Blog Visitors: If you have been followers of my blog, you are aware that I often speak of my Judeo-Christian background. Part of this background was inclusive of distant relatives in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was later to become absorbed as territories of present-day Hungary, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. For Jews around the world, 2010 represents the 65th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps that dotted the landscape of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Having done extensive family research, I discovered that 69 persons with the Grosswirth name perished during that terrible period (original spelling was Groszwirth). Most family victims were from Hungary, with some from Poland and Austria. (As indicated in the previous paragraph, these countries were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.) With a Roman Catholic history on my mother’s side of the family, I have generally been supportive of the canonization process when sainthood is bestowed upo...

Dear Blog Visitors: This is a departure from my routine postings. I want to take this opportunity to recall one of the more outstanding musicians to come out of the Rochester area. His name was Bob Guglielmino. He lived from 1945-1978. Yes, he was only 33 when he died, and I sadly remember how many people were numbed by the news of his passing. Bob Guglielmino was an extremely talented drummer, and many will remember his appearances with The Brass Buttons and The Gap Mangione Band. One of his more memorable appearances was on the Ed Sullivan Show, when he backed up Liza Minelli. I accidentally came across the footage in the video above when I was going through some old boxes. I then recalled that I filmed Bob in 1974 when he and the Gap Mangione Band were playing for a show at the War Memorial in Rochester. The footage is a little grainy, but I touched it up as best I could. I added some narration and I provided a musical backdrop (The Brass Buttons). My thanks to Bob Guglielmi...

Dear Blog Visitors: I have not been doing a lot of blogging in recent weeks due to my hectic schedule (racing around the clock and averaging three hours sleep per night). On Sunday mornings, when I would normally be attending liturgies, I have been spending some quiet time lately in solitude to catch my breath after going 100-miles-an-hour the rest of the week. Needless to say, retirement looks good on the horizon. Many people have asked me how long I can continue to go at my present pace at my secular job. (I never take a lunch hour and I have sacrificed countless weeks of vacation.) On a positive note, I often tell people that I am at least fortunate to have a job in today's tight economy. However, at age 60, I constantly have to remind myself that I am going at a pace that would probably run down the average thirty-year-old. Despite my hectic secular job, I still find some time for ministry and I look forwad to officiating at a few weddings this year. I do want to take a mom...