SUBJECT: THE PASSING OF A GIANT!!!!!!!

I'll comment more later when I can.  Ralph was a friend and mentor.  For now, his obituary can speak for itself.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

Ralph Gerald Del Colle October 3, 1954 - July 29, 2012

57, of Milwaukee, passed into eternal life on July 29 preceded in death by his loving parents Flavia and Alfred Del Colle and survived by his beloved wife Lee Coppernoll, children Josh and Zoe Del Colle and dear confidant, twin sister Flavia. He is also survived by in-laws Sue and Dean Coppernoll, brother-in-laws Doug, Jeff and Kelly, sister-in-law Connie and many devoted cousins. 

Ralph was born in New York City on October 3, 1954 and was raised in Mineola, Long Island. He attended Xavier High School in Chelsea and received a B.A. in History and Literature of Religions from New York University, and M.Div, M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from Union Theological Seminary. Ralph taught for 17 years in the Marquette University Theology Department, prior to that he taught at Barry University, Miami Shores, FL and St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH.

 

Ralph’s lively Christian faith and interest in church unity led to his participation in ecumenical dialogues. He served as a representative to the International Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue for the Pontifical Council on Christian Unity for 12 years and also served on the Catholic-Reformed Dialogue and Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue, both for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was invited by the Pontifical Council to serve as a representative to the World Council of Churches Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1998. In 2002-2003, he served as the President of the Society for Pentecostal Studies and in 2003 Ralph received the Archbishop’s Vatican II Award. Ralph’s scholarly work, especially his work on the Holy Spirit, made significant contributions to the field of Systematic Theology. 

Ralph and Lee met in Manhattan in 1978 and after an extended courtship were married in Morningside Heights on August 10, 1985. Ralph deeply loved his family and devoted time to exploring the United States with Lee, Josh and Zoe, often traveling with dear friends Suzi Schriar and Loren Iglarsh and their son Danny. As a New Yorker, Ralph relished life in that city but he quickly became a huge fan of Milwaukee upon moving here.

Ralph was a voracious reader and loved to engage in vigorous discussion and debate on issues ranging from religion to politics to arts and culture to military history. He was a lifelong athlete who ran cross-country and was a black belt training at the Kempo Goju Karate Fudoshin on Vliet. More importantly, Ralph’s gift for friendship was strong and he leaves a trail of friends across the US and beyond. 

The family is grateful to the Mustard Seed Community for their care and feeding of the family over the past weeks, to the Marquette University Jesuit Community and to family, friends and colleagues who have been present in many remarkable ways during this time. 

Visitation Wednesday, August 1, at the Funeral Home from 4 PM to 7 PM with Vigil Service at 7 PM. Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, August 2, at 10:30 AM at THE CATHEDRAL OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST, 812 N Jackson St. A light luncheon will be held immediately following in the Cathedral Atrium. Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, 7301 W. Nash St., please meet at cemetery entrance at 2 PM for a Gravesite Committal Service. Memorials gifts may be given to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs, 3211 N. 4th St., Washington, DC 20017; Our Lady of Grace Catholic Spirituality Center, 2604 N. Swan Blvd., Wauwatosa, WI 53226; or Angiosarcoma Awareness, Inc., P.O. Box 570442, Whitestone, NY 11357.

SUBJECT: FAITH!!!!!!! & SOCIETY!!!!!!!

What follows is a verbatim transcript of the testimony of Bishop William Lori, of Bridgeport, CT.

I believe that the Bishop's words speak for themselves.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

"THE PARABLE OF THE KOSHER DELI"

Written Testimony of The Most Reverend William E. Lori

Roman Catholic Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn.

For my testimony today, I would like to tell a story. Let’s call it, “The Parable of the Kosher Deli.”

Once upon a time, a new law is proposed, so that any business that serves food must serve pork. There is a narrow exception for kosher catering halls attached to synagogues, since they serve mostly members of that synagogue, but kosher delicatessens are still subject to the mandate.

The Orthodox Jewish community—whose members run kosher delis and many other restaurants and grocers besides—expresses its outrage at the new government mandate. And they are joined by others who have no problem eating pork—not just the many Jews who eat pork, but people of all faiths—because these others recognize the threat to the principle of religious liberty. They recognize as well the practical impact of the damage to that principle. They know that, if the mandate stands, they might be the next ones forced—under threat of severe government sanction—to violate their most deeply held beliefs, especially their unpopular beliefs.

Meanwhile, those who support the mandate respond, “But pork is good for you. It is, after all, the other white meat.” Other supporters add, “So many Jews eat pork, and those who don’t should just get with the times.”

Still others say, “Those Orthodox are just trying to impose their beliefs on everyone else.”

But in our hypothetical, those arguments fail in the public debate, because people widely recognize the following.

First, although people may reasonably debate whether pork is good for you, that’s not the question posed by the nationwide pork mandate. Instead, the mandate generates the question whether people who believe—even if they believe in error—that pork is not good for you, should be forced by government to serve pork within their very own institutions. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Second, the fact that some (or even most) Jews eat pork is simply irrelevant. The fact remains that some Jews do not—and they do not out of their most deeply held religious convictions.

Does the fact that large majorities in society—even large majorities within the protesting religious community—reject a particular religious belief make it permissible for the government to weigh in on one side of that dispute? Does it allow government to punish that minority belief with its coercive power? In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Third, the charge that the Orthodox Jews are imposing their beliefs on others has it exactly backwards. Again, the question generated by a government mandate is whether the government will impose its belief that eating pork is good on objecting Orthodox Jews.

Meanwhile, there is no imposition at all on the freedom of those who want to eat pork. That is, they are subject to no government interference at all in their choice to eat pork, and pork is ubiquitous and cheap, available at the overwhelming majority of restaurants and grocers.

Indeed, some pork producers and retailers, and even the government itself, are so eager to promote the eating of pork, that they sometimes give pork away for free.

In this context, the question is this: can a customer come to a kosher deli, demand to be served a ham sandwich, and if refused, bring down severe government sanction on the deli. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

So in our hypothetical story, because the hypothetical nation is indeed committed to religious liberty and diversity, these arguments carry the day.

In response, those proposing the new law claim to hear and understand the concerns of kosher deli owners, and offer them a new “accommodation.” You are free to call yourself a kosher deli; you are free not to place ham sandwiches on your menu; you are free not to be the person to prepare the sandwich and hand it over the counter to the customer. But we will force your meat supplier to set up a kiosk on your premises, and to offer, prepare, and serve ham sandwiches to all of your customers, free of charge to them. And when you get your monthly bill from your meat supplier, it will include the cost of any of the “free” ham sandwiches that your customers may accept. And you will, of course, be required to pay that bill.

Some who supported the deli owners initially began to celebrate the fact that ham sandwiches didn’t need to be on the menu, and didn’t need to be prepared or served by the deli itself. But on closer examination, they noticed three troubling things. First, all kosher delis will still be forced to pay for the ham sandwiches.

Second, many of the kosher delis’ meat suppliers, themselves, are forbidden in conscience from offering, preparing, or serving pork to anyone. Third, there are many kosher delis that are their own meat supplier, so the mandate to offer, prepare, and serve the ham sandwich still falls on them.

This story has a happy ending. The government recognized that it is absurd for someone to come into a kosher deli and demand a ham sandwich; that it is beyond absurd for that private demand to be backed with the coercive power of the state; that it is downright surreal to apply this coercive power when the customer can get the same sandwich cheaply, or even free, just a few doors down.

The question before the United States government—right now—is whether the story of our own Church institutions that serve the public, and that are threatened by the HHS mandate, will end happily too. Will our nation continue to be one committed to religious liberty and diversity? We urge, in the strongest possible terms, that the answer must be yes. We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to answer the same way.

Thank you for your attention.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!!!!!

Some thoughts on Anglican to Catholic Conversions

I am a frequent reader (and occasionally comment) on the excellent blog "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" by Father John Zuhlsdorf. Fr. Zuhlsdorf is a strong proponent of "Say the Red, Do the Black" with regard to proper, reverent liturgy. I thoroughly enjoy reading his thoughts and commentaries. Over the last year or so, with the continuing disintegration of the Church of England (and the Episcopal Church, here in the United States) Fr. Zuhlsdorf has authored quite a few posts on Anglicanism, and on Pope Benedict XVI, whom he rightly calls "The Pope of Christian Unity". The comment stream by readers of his blog has been quite active with lively participation by both cradle Catholics and Anglican converts to Catholicism.

I am bothered, however, by the tenor of some of the comments offered by some of the cradle Catholic participants who seem to feel the need to utterly degrade the entirety of the Anglican tradition, to question the motives of converts, and seem to be happy only when a convert abases himself in the mud on the banks of the Tiber, begging for admittance.

There are those who, regardless of the Pastoral Provision established by Pope John Paul II (the Great) and Anglicanorum Coetibus promulgated by Pope Benedict (the Pope of Christian Unity) wish to have nothing to do with former Anglican clergy who become Catholic priests -- to the point of refusing the Eucharist from such a priest (which more than smacks of the heresy of Donatism to me!)

There are those who wish to reject the notion that the history of Anglican tradition has anything at all to offer the Catholic Church, in spite of the Vatican's actions to the contrary (for example, the promulgation of "The Book of Divine Worship.") There are those who make broad pronouncements about the history and spirituality of Anglicanism, and those who make generalizations out of complete ignorance, forgetting the patrimony of Lancelot Andrewes; of King Charles the Martyr; of the Tractarians; of the beautiful translations of St. Thomas Aquinas' Eucharistic hymns (much better, I might add, than in your typical missalette!) And do we even want to compare the prose of the Book of Common Prayer to what ICEL has given us?

There are those who do not (or will not) understand that conversion is a journey, and that not everyone moves along that journey at the same speed. It took the (soon to be beatified) Venerable Servant of God John Henry, Cardinal Newman years to make his journey. Even GK Chesterton only made his conversion formal 14 years before he died.

There are those who do not (or will not) respect the fact that there have been well-reasoned arguments put forth by Anglo-Catholics which seem to justify separation from Rome, and that even when one realizes that an argument one once thought was valid truly is not, there is real pain and real grieving.

There are those who do not (or will not) respect the fact that many converts literally "leave everything behind" to follow Christ. Homes, salaries, churches, pensions, friends, etc. all become secondary considerations when one realizes that the fullness of Truth is to be found in Rome and not Canterbury.

To coin a phrase, all we ask for is a little respect. Don't try to debate us on nuances of English history or on causes of the English Reformation. We know all that. (Indeed, I can lecture on the subject for hours without notes!) Don't try to tell us that our entire ministries before our conversions were utterly without grace. They weren't. Don't try to lecture us on Apostolicae Curae. We accept it. We're extremely familiar with the document -- and realize (as Pope Leo XIII did at the time) that certain issues are not as "cut-and-dry" as they seem. Rejoice that we have come to embrace the fullness of Truth. And allow us a measure of dignity.

In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15, we read of the Council of Jerusalem. The burning question: did Gentile believers first have to become Jews in order to be saved. Some said yes -- the entirety of the Law of Moses was absolutely necessary for salvation. But the Apostles said no -- it was enough to avoid meat offered to idols, blood, the flesh of strangled animals, and sexual impurity. It seems to me that there is a correlation here. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have spoken in their Apostolic capacity regarding conversions from the Anglican tradition. That should be enough for everyone. Further burdens are not necessary.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

After months of speculation, it has finally been formally announced that Pope Benedict XVI will beatify the Venerable Servant of God, John Henry, Cardinal Newman during his pilgrimage to England and Scotland.

For me personally, this is a momentous occasion. It was the reading of Newman's "Apologia" that really began to turn wheels in my mind and heart, culminating in my own crossing of the Tiber in 2005.

What is even more remarkable is that the Holy Father will be officiating at the Beatification service himself. During the nearly 5 years of his Pontificate, Pope Benedict has delegated Beatification ceremonies, typically to the local Ordinaries. This one he's doing himself.

What is also exciting is the fact that the Holy Father is actually making a pilgrimage -- indeed a Pastoral Visit -- to the UK -- the first Pastoral Visit by a Pope to England's "Green and Pleasant Lands" since that nasty little bit of unpleasantness known as the Protestant Reformation!

May God grant that this visit by Pope Benedict XVI -- the Pope of Christian Unity -- may further the day when all the children of Canterbury are finally home.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: LIFE -- AND DEATH!!!

There is an international disaster going on in Haiti.

Former Southern Baptist minister; former Presidential candidate; and long-time "religious" talk-show host Pat Robertson announces that Haiti has been "cursed" and "swore a pact to the devil".

What an unmitigated ASS!!!

What an INSENSITIVE JERK!!!

What a THEOLOGICAL NINCOMPOOP!!!!!!!

WHAT the HELL kind of Christianity does he propose to promote???????

The Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, among tens, if not hundreds of thousands of others are dead. Millions more are homeless, and potentially dying.

At this point in time -- we pray, and we follow the Corporal Acts of Mercy.

Everything else is up to God.

For Pat Robertson -- or anyone else of his ilk -- to even SUGGEST anything otherwise, is SICK, PERVERTED, and DISGUSTING -- not to say UN-CHRISTIAN in the EXTREME!!!

Readers, pray for Haiti!

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: LIFE -- AND DEATH!!!

Dear readers,

Whatever you are doing when you come upon this post -- STOP.

Say a prayer for Haiti.

I suspect that the devastation will be far beyond the reporting of this morning's headlines.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

I've seen quite a few bloggers and commentators begin to refer to Pope Benedict XVI as "The Pope of Christian Unity", and I plan to begin using the same reference. The Holy Father, building on the foundation of the Servant of God Pope John Paul II (the Great) has done more to effect authentic Christian unity than any Pontiff since the Protestant Revolt.

May the words of Our Lord in the 17th Chapter of St. John's Gospel come quickly to fruition.

Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world."I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee; and these know that thou hast sent me. I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (Revised Standard Version)

Blessings,

Papa Z.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

I told you I'd have more on the subject!

The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus has officially been promulgated, "Providing for Personal Ordinatiates for Anglicans Entering into Full Communion with the Catholic Church."

Read it here:

ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS

I would invite commentary.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

PS: BTW, for ongoing interesting commentary on this subject, please visit -- in addition to this blog -- "Per Christum" (to which I am an occasional contributor), "Whispers in the Loggia", "What Does The Prayer Really Say". I recommend them both.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

There are VERY exciting things happening with regard to the relationship between traditional Anglicans and the Catholic Church.

I'll have extensive comments very shortly, but for the time being, please check out Per Christum and What Does The Prayer Really Say? for information.

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: LIFE -- Lest We Forget . . .

Where were you, September 11th, 2001?

I was on an airplane, headed for the East Coast. I had been sent to Baltimore on a recruiting trip for the Marquette University Graduate School. The flight was routed from Milwaukee to Baltimore via Cincinnati, and it was while we were getting off the plane in Cincinnati that it was announced that there had been a hijacking in New York, and that we would be "temporarily delayed". Needless to say, I stayed in Cincinnati -- and there was no recruiting trip. I saw one of the Towers fall from a lounge in the Cincinnati airport.

I offer the following prayer. It was the prayer given by Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his visit to Ground Zero last year.

Blessings,

Papa Z.

O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.

God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.

Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

On the "Per Christum" blog, where I am an occasional contributor, I have posted some ruminations on Eastern Orthodox apologetics which, for reasons which escape me, I have been unable to properly format here on Blogger!

So I would like to direct my (up to eight 1/2) readers to the following post on the "Per Christum" site.

Comments are accepted both here and on the "Per Christum" site. Please be charitable in discussion, even when in disagreement. No flaming permitted! :-)

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, 1936-2009

Go forth, O Christian soul out of this world.

In the Name of the Father who created you.

In the Name of the Son who redeemed you.

In the Name of the Spirit who sanctified you.

May your rest this day be in peace, and your dwelling be in the presence of God.

The Catholic world has lost a giant of the faith. Please see the following from Whispers in the Loggia

and

First Things

Blessings,

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION AND LITERATURE!!!

The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrosphe of Man's history.

"On Fairy Stories"

JRR Tolkien

Papa Z

SUBJECT: MUSIC!!! (And Ecumenism!!!)

This is a different sort of post -- and I'm hoping for some good feedback.

Looking back over the recently concluded Christmas season, I was struck once again that, despite the differences which grieve the Body of Christ, the Christmas music we all enjoy is a beautiful example of ecumenism in the best sense of the word. Note, if you will, the background behind some of our most beloved carols.

Joy To The World -- text by the English Nonconformist Isaac Watts; music by the German (presumably Lutheran) GF Handel (who spent much of his life living and working in England).

Silent Night -- text by the German Catholic priest Josef Mohr; music by German Catholic Franz Gruber.

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing -- text by the Anglican Methodist Charles Wesley; music by the Jewish convert to Protestant Christianity Felix Mendelssoln.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem -- text by Episcopalian Bishop Phillips Brooks

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear -- text by Unitarian! clergyman Edmund Sears

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen -- traditional Church of England

Perhaps we are sometimes more united in song than in prayer!

Please feel free to add your favorite Christmas music (and its history/background) to this list.

Papa Z

SUBJECT: EVERYTHING!!! FAITH, SOCIETY, ETC., EVERYTHING!!!

The news is reporting that Ruth Graham, wife of the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, is near death.

All Christians alive today -- whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant -- and all men and women of good will owe a tremendous debt of gratitude toward Dr. Graham and his family.

I pray that Mrs. Graham know the love, peace, and strength of our Lord Jesus Christ at this time; that her family and friends be strengthened at her approaching Homecoming; and that all persons be able to look at her life as a life to be cherished -- and emulated.

May the angels surround you, Mrs. Graham, and lead you to Glory!

Papa Z

SUBJECT: PRAYERS!!!

I have just received a report that John Holloway, the CEC bishop for Georgia, has suffered an extremely severe stroke. Frankly, from the report I have received, things look bad.

I would ask all readers of this blog to keep him and his family in your prayers.

Yes, there are many, many issues surrounding current and former CEC people, especially over the last 18 months or so. These issues may continue to exist -- and, in many cases, probably need to continue to exist.

BUT -- in an emergency situation, ALL involved -- regardless of denominational affiliation (or issues of violation and hurt -- as real as they may be) are called to come together and remember that we are all part of the Body of Christ.

My prayers are with John Holloway and with his family. I pray for his complete healing -- body, mind, soul, and spirit. I encourage all persons of good will to do likewise.

Papa Z

SUBJECT: RELIGION!!!

My papers!

Greetings, and thanks to all who have written asking for copies of the papers mentioned in my previous posts.

Just a few quick notes:

Both papers were presented at an annual meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies -- an academic -- and deeply spiritual -- body which meets yearly in various cities across the USA. During my participation in that body, I have come to know and to love many brothers and sisters in Christ from very different perspectives than my own -- and I truly believe that many of them have come to know and to love me.

The reason why I continue to participate in the Society? Because the members present are willing to recognize that the Body of Christ operates outside of their own particular denominational background. Catholics, Assemblies of God, Church of God (Cleveland), Pentecostal Holiness, Church of God in Christ -- and many, many more that cannot be named, have decided that talking is better than fighting -- even if and when we don't always agree.

The first paper I presented was in 2001 at the Society meeting at Oral Roberts University (from which I hold my Bachelor's Degree). It was early in my academic career -- and I will freely admit that I have done better research and scholarship! (I will ask my readers to pardon the fact that I had just undergone major surgery -- and that the final editing of the paper was not up to my own personal standards!)

The second paper I presented was last March -- and the paper (which I agonized for months over) was extremely well received. In my own personal opinion, the fact that the CEC has not chosen to actively participate in the Society for Pentecostal Studies has been a major mistake -- as the "movers and shakers" in the ecumencial movements between classical Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement, the Convergence Movement, and the mainline churches all tend to participate in this annual conference. (I might add that I have made this same statement for years -- and was actually mocked by my former bishop -- who felt that I wasn't Pentecostal enough -- for attending these Pentecostal meetings!!!)

I would be very interested in comments and criticisms -- and if enough interest is generated, would consider posting the entire papers on-line.

Comments are welcome.

Papa Z