Just got back from a couple days away on work. I see there have been some interesting things happening over at the Episcopal Cafe upon which I would have commented had I not been otherwise occupied.

In particular I’m looking at:

• the continued insistence that the Anglican Communion really doesn’t exist. In conjunction we have from completely different sides further agreement and a slam on Anglicanism, partially retracted.
• Further hand-wringing about “excluding” the unbaptized from the Eucharist. I’m convinced, with Christopher, that the use of inclusion/exclusion is really unhelpful because it misses quite a lot of very important elements, both practically and theologically (which are actually the same when you get right down to it…).

More later as time allows…

I just can’t work up the interest to look at many church politics items, recently. I think it may be a periodic numbness from exposure to its unhealthy radition. I won’t say church politics isn’t imporant for church folks—we have a responsibility to keep an eye on what’s going on—but not all the time…

We went on a mini-vaction to Washington DC over the weekened and, looking at the two churches we really wanted to visit, the one closest to a metro stop was St Paul’s K Street. We arrived late due to work on the blue-orange lines, but enjoyed a pleasant Rite I Sung Mass by Fr. Nathan Humphrey; apparently if we’d gone to the Solemn High Mass later, we would have run into Fr. Cramer too. We had to run back to check out of our hotel so ducked out with just a hasty word to Fr. Humphrey and the music director who recognized us from our mutual time at Smokey Mary’s.  On the subway, M asked Lil’ G how she had liked the service. She responded, “It was really nice to go to real church again.” Her favorite part was the chanted Lord’s Prayer.

There’s just something to be said for beauty, especially in the addition of music.

Ah well.

More later, perhaps…

• We’re on our yearly pilgrimage to the Shore.
• It’s more fun hanging at the beach with the family than reading General Convention reports.
• Nevertheless, I have popped over to the Cafe on occasion to see how things are going.
• In other news… A friend of the blog sends a request that we look over the Niagra Rite. I have given it a quick glance and must say that I agree with his assessment: “. . . I believe their new liturgy is the absolute quintessence of everything that is wrong with liberal
  Anglican liturgics. It’s so supernally bad, abysmally written, and theologically horrifying that if I were a gay man in the Diocese of
  Niagara contemplating marriage, I might throw myself over the falls in despair. It’s no wonder that so many anti-inclusion Anglicans see
  inclusivity as the path by which the Anglican Churches will abandon their fidelity to the Creeds and to the theology of the Prayerbook.” In the glance that I gave it, the rite seemed horribly strained to avoid anything that might be considered an orthodox invocation of the Triune God and that just sets us up for all sorts of problems…
• In happier news, I’ve received an email that there’s a group working to bring the Society of Catholic Priests to American shores. Here’s their emerging website. Essentially this looks like the sort of spiritual norms centered on the sacraments, Daily Office and spiritual formation that one finds in the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) but welcomes women (and thus men who support women clergy).
• I was struck in the email, however, how focused it was for clergy. Yes, clergy need their own groups as most laity don’t understand the issues clergy face if you”re not one or don;t live with one. At the same time, I wouldn’t mind seeing a nice fraternity/sodality/fellowship that promotes a catholic sense of the sacraments, Daily Office and spiritual formation for laity…

• Everyone survived
• M and my mom still have issues. In other news, the sun still rises in the east…
• Services went well. Quite a bit of liturgical nit-picking could be done but won’t be. The Gospel was proclaimed, the sacraments celebrated, and the death and resurrection of our Lord was duly commemorated. M preached some kick-ass sermons.
• The kids behaved amazing well given that we had mass every night and a three-hour service on Friday. Unfortunately, they were the only children at all of the services but Good Friday and Easter (And the at Maundy Thursday was twice G’s age…)
• Lil’ G was the boat girl at our Vigil. Yay! She was great.
• From the above you’ll have gathered we had incense. We borrowed a thurible from a friend at a more evangelical-charismatic Episcopal church (don’t ask my why they had one…). Someone seriously needs to teach even evangelical types how to clean out thuribles. It was FILTHY!
• For charcoal, I found us some organic hardwood charcoal. It gave off no smell whatsoever. Between the clean thurible and the “clean” charcoal even M was asurprised how “pure” the incense was.Shun quik-lite varities! Yeah, they light quick but the chemicals to make it do that are noxious!
• However, have a flame burner available. I ended up toasting our charcoal on the electric burbers in the church kitchen which took way longer than I planned for. Next time we use it, I’ll get one of those little table-top propane-feuled burners and use that to ignite them.
• M got Sunday off so we’ll be running a 10K together. Aunt A will be coming along to watch the girls.
• There’s a sprint triathalon on Father’s Day; I’m tempted… I also don’t have a functional bike for racing and my swimming stinks. (I’m still tempted.)
• I did my civic duty today and headed out to H&R Block. It was quick and painless. Who knew filing an extension could be that much fun? God bless America…