Priest @ MindSay 
catholic
Now I am not sure if I fully mentioned the fact my daughter made the school's 2009 yearly calandar. Why is this such a big deal? This calandar goes out to all the benifactors and donnors to our school and to all of the Omaha Arch dioceses parishes and not to mention all of the parishes to our sister and brother parishes across the US. On top of that it is St Augustine Indian Mission's 100th year celebration in 2009 so this calandar will have MASSIVE exposoure. The lil blonde of course is mine in the pictures. The other pictures has some of the other kids that showed up for the ceromony. The photographer who took the pictures, the daughter of Betty Strong, one of our parish priests, the head teacher/school principal/adminstrator, and also one of the singers of a major Pow Wow NA Indian drum group/band who is from our area and consneted to talk and give us the story of Chicken into Eagle. I'll try and post a few of the videos I took of Mr. Gorman Coons who is in full regalla later.
The pictures in this slideshow are of the Betty Strong/ Lewis & Clark Interpertive Center Opening Ceromony of the Children of St. Augustine's. The showing of these pictures will be up at Sioux City Iowa for a full year if not longer.
Here are the links to my kids' school and to the Betty Strong/L&C Interpertive Center
http://www.siouxcitylcic.com/index.htm
By far as a result of the Jewish protests Pope Benedict XVI has halted beatification of Pius XII. Tensions are heightening between Vatican & Israel. According to Rev. Peter Gumpel, a Jesuit priest who is directing beatification efforts the pope would not visit Israel until a plaque criticizing Pius XII is removed from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust museum.
Halting the beatification of Pius XII doesn't mean that Vatican is abonding the Pope's legacy. Last year, the Vatican passed a decree recognizing Pius’s heroic virtues, a key step toward sainthood, but Pope Benedict XVI has not yet approved the decree. Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI said Pope Pius XII had worked secretly & silently to save Jews & that he hoped the beatification can proceed happily.
Can now some one tell me why the people are making unnecessary controversies when the world needs whichever peace that is needed - whether between Nations or between Religions?
So it is 8 am and my kids aren't at Mass with Grandma. Why? A) The kids don't know how to put their coats and snow pants up on the rack and threw them right next to the cat box. Can you say soaking in oxiclean and soap before being washed! B) Kids are now cleaning said mudporch
I was out side at 10 after 7 this morning. I woke up at 7. I was scopping my small lil piece of sidewalk that leads to my van. After I got that scopped, got a path all around the van scopped; I then threw out salt on the sidewalk.
Called my mom and said I could crawl right on out of the lane with the van and I am goign to have to because Randy and I stupidly forgot the no gel for the diesel tank for the truck. I need to pick some of that up and put in before I start the truck up. But the boy spawn of mine doesn't have a coat till I get it washed. She told me not a problem and don't worry about it, the kids will be at church Wensday twice no less.
In college, friends and I would talk about faith and money all the time. See my b/f at the time, his best friend, and I were non practicing Catholics. I was starting to really study the Celtic Spiritualities at that time and D and Mike just never went to church unless one of their mothers guilted me into making them go. My mom stopped badgering my brother and I after we were confirmed to go to Mass. Anyway, D, Mike, and I rarely put any money in the gift basket. And the few times our Baptist friends would come with us they were shocked and appalled that we never put money in the basket. All three of us, even though raised in totally different areas of the midwest, we raised by women who were very Devout Catholic but ALWAYS put family first. Meaning, if you were broke and struggling to pay your bills, you do NOT give to the church. You only put money in the basket if your bills were paid and you might have a few bucks in your wallet or purse. Well the three of us were broke ass college students. D and Mike's family's out in Shy Town and my family 4 hours to the south. Not like we could call the parental units up and ask for money and have them just hand it over to us. We tried explaining this to our friends. We had one friend T1 (three of our friends names started wtih T so thus 1 and such) gave all his cash to the gift basket even after we told him NOT to! He said that it was going in and staying in. We were boggled. The Priests don't shake us down at Church to give and give and give. Especially knowing that a lot of parishners are broke ass sturggling middleclass folks!
The three Ts, and N explained that you walk into any Baptist Church and the preacher knows you, they will pin point you and basically bagger you to give as much as you can during the service. Even knowning you might be broke ass! Tried explained to the three of us, that their churchs and preachers expect a certain amount of their parishner's income each year. D, Mike, and I were flabbergasted! That isn't how it works for a LOT of people. I do know some of the richer parishners and even D said is Granny and Step Grandpa put massive amounts of money into the gift basket, but usually how Catholics divy out their money to their Church is this:
1. They give what they can while living.
2. They get old, make out a will.
3. And no matter what money they get a 1/3 of that money from their Will goes to their parish.
This is exactly what my grandpa that I didn't get to meet did. Even though he still had one of my uncles home in jr high. Out of the money left in the Will, a 1/3 of it went to the Parish and the rest went to my Grandma and Uncle. When my Granny died last year at Thanksgiving time, 1/3 of her inheritance went to her Parish and then the rest was divied up between my Mom and her brothers. A lot of small town and rural area Christians no matter what faith does this. After they die a 1/3 of their inheritance goes to their church. Even if they only have 100 dollars! A 1/3 goes to their church! My dad is livid because my parents made out their wills after my dad was dignosied with Guillium Barrers Syndrome. To be on the safe side. My dad is a non practicing protstant and will NOT give to his Church because he doesn't go and he doesn't like anyone at the Church. The reason why he is livid is because my mom has specificated a 1/3 of her money that is left after burial expensese and such (which really isn't that much) will go to her Church and if her Church is shut down by the time she dies, it goes to the Mission School were my kids go to. My dad doesn't want her to give any money to the church, he says they don't need it and the family does.
Which brings me to what I really wanted to blog about and got off topic! Do you give to the church when you die or even while alive? Do you buy religious items even knowing that there is a good chance they aren't really religoius? Do you buy items that may be blessed but are kind of shady? A lot of people do! Just last month, my kids and my mom bought a few wood carving items from a gentleman after Mass. The reason why I didn't get to bent out of shape with my kids spending their 5 bucks was because this gentleman was known by the main Mission Priest and it was verified that the wood and the gentleman are from the Middleeast and is raising money for his Parish back home in the "holy land". Plus DeLaney bought a couple of broach type wooden doves (not necessarily a Christian thing) and Coltin choose out a cross and handed it over to Grandma to have. DeLaney is keeping the doves to give to Randy's mom next time we see her.
If I get too lazy and need to bless or cleanse my house and I don't want to bless my own water, I go into the Catholic Church and take a small bottle from their holy water stash that sits in the back of all Catholic Churchs for the parishners or anyone who wants some. My mom keeps a few bottles at all times as does a lot of the older Indian folks. I actually have two bottles of holy water from the Mission. One my mom gave me and one that F. Mike gave me when DeLaney told him we are getting ready for Winter Solstice and Feast of Fionn. I have no problem using holy water blessed by someone outside my faith. Doesn't mean it is straight Christian, just means that it was blessed and has protection in it. I have seen ppl take gallons of holy water to drink even. This really shocked a D and Mike when they came home with me one time! D called his mom and told her and she started laughing and told him that it was and is still common in areas that a lot of old customes survived. And told him to talk to my mom about it. Now mind ya D was already a bit nervous because he had a city boys tude about coming to a rural area and he kept claiming to be a lone black man in the country(which he promptly found out he wasn't and that there were a few black families in the area and the city has a large black population! That was fun rubbing his face in that one!) and now he had to go have a religious talk with his g/f's mom! My mom explained that water is a basic healing, cleansing, and blessing element amoung many tribal and older cultures so it is just natural that people would take the holy water to drink and to bless their homes with. A lot of the peyote ceromonies with older people are done with the peyote in water. It gives it a double blessing and makes it easier for the older people to consume the peyote and ten to one they use either blessed water from one of two churchs in the area. Either the Catholic or the NA Indian Church.
Which now finally brings me to what some companies are doing! Sorry it took me a bit to get to this! Some water bottling companies are selling "Holy Water"! I am not shitting you! They are bringing in Roman Catholic and Epsicpallion Priest and blessing the water, bottling it, and then slapping Christian pictures on the bottle and selling holy drinking water! To me this is going a bit far in the commercialism of our society! some of the advertising is not only is it good for you but it will make you a good person! PLEASE!
At first I was like oh that isn't to bad, but then it got me thinking about how a lot of Chruchs bagder their parishners in giving money they don't have, how everytime you turn around when you go to church they are asking for money to be sent here, money to be sent there, money for their parish, money for that parish and when something terrible does happen people are so tired of handing out money they don't want to give when it is needed! And now a companies not even apart of a Chruch are realizing the money potentional out there by decent Christian people and marketing "holy water". I feel bad for these people. They are buying water that has been blessed by a priest so a company NOT a church can make money! They can easily go into a church and get their on holy water with out paying for it or heck even ask their local preist/preacher to come bless their sink if they wanted! A lot of people around my area have that done on their wells! My mom did! When my folks had to have their well pump redone and put in a different spot, my mom asked her Priest to come out and bless the well! When older Indian folks have their homes recedard and saged they ask their Holy Men to bless their wells or their water lines! Why spend good money that can be given to other causes or used for household goods on "holy water" that your local or national church affilation isn't making any money on!
It is bad enough that Chruchs and Parishes shake down families and individuals for more and more money but now you have Christian based companies doing it to them also! This really irritates me and makes me 100% glad that I am no longer a Christian! A lot of "pagans" may be broke ass individuals but we don't care what faith organizatoin is in charge of something, if it is a good cause we give to them. Only after our families are taken care of! It makes no sense to be selling blessed water when a person can go to their local priest/preacher/holy person and have their own water blessed! But it also does show why Pagan organizations usually don't last the course also! We don't give to our organizations because we have our own families to take care of and if there is already an organization out there doing what we suggest it makes more sense to give to that organization instead! Counting that the Christian Org will take our money! Which is usually our problem, our money isn't good enough to a lot of Christian Orgs! Oh Well.
So if you are one of these people that are thinking about buying the Blessed Drinking Water, Stop! Think about the money you are wasting and could possibly give to your own Chruch and just have your preist/preacher/holy man come out and bless your water lines in stead!
hehe hehe heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh............gasp and a giggle or two more!
Oh my Good Goddess Anu! I hope you enjoyed the specticule that Brigid watched this evening! I am still rolling over my conversation with Sister Frances!
Okay tonight started the religious education classes for the kiddies of the Mission Communities. Regardless if you go to the Mission School or not! First let me say my mother doens't know how to read her Church Bulletin! We were late showing up to class because my mother said it started at 6 and ended at 7. Yay started at 5 and ended at 6!
So I pull up and there are all these White Homer (town) ladies, the new Priest I have yet to meet, and about a half dozen of the Nuns on the school grounds. I find out we are late! Sister Frances says no problem. (she is like the head nun for the Mission) and we go into the School office and she takes down the kids' names, grades, and such. Coltin really doesn't have to go because he is taking his First Communion Classes during school but I am making him go regardless! An hour with both kids at class so mommy can work out! Your dayum straight! Anyway I get the kids signed up and some how walking out of the school with the Sister we get on to the fact I don't go to church.
"Sister, I am Pagan. I am studying to become a Druid!"..........waits for the reaction from the Nun! I don't hide my religion! I have nothing NOTHING to be ashamed of!
*GASP* "Oh NO You don't believe in Jesus!"
Laughing already I am! " Now sister I was raised Catholic and I am totaly for my children in learning about Catholism and other religions. I want them to learn about their Grandmother's religion and I NEVER said I dont' believe in Jesus! I just refuse to worship him as a God. He is the Son of a God."
"OH NO! You don't pray to God! Do you pray at all? What do you teach your children!"
Trying to hold back huge gauffaws I am! "Sister we pray at home. We pray to my Gods. And when the kids are at school and with Grandma and their Aunt they pray with them. My kids know about your God and Jesus. But I am giving them a choice to learn about other religions. My hubby is a non practicing Lutharan who has gone to more Catholic Masses and partaking in more Feasts of Celebration of my religion then his services, I don't force him to believe in my faith and I am not going to force my kids either. When they come of age they want to be full blown Catholics they are more than welcome too. If they want to study to become Druids they are more than welcome to. If they want to become Jehova's Witness they are more than welcome to, just not in my house on that religion! :D I have had issues with the Bible since a child. And when I asked questions NOBODY, the priests, nuns, or my teachers wanted to answer them or they gave me lies. I researched and found out the answers to my questions and realized the Bible is full of lies, fabrications, and is full of hypicritical crap not to mention a lot of the stories were stolen from the Pagan Cultures that surrounded the areas!"
*Near tears* I shit you not! "Well what questions did you have that nobody would answer! I will answer them for you and show you the faith!"
Smiling ear to ear I am " Okay lets start with Genius shall we Sister! If Eve and Adam had two boys and the ONLY humans on earth. Who did they marry and have kids with to start the Tribes of Iserial? Cause according to the Bible they were the only folks on Earth and all and that means they had sex with their mother Eve. And incest is bad for women but okay for men in the Bible, just like rape is okay for men in the Bible and having affairs but if a woman should have done it they were stoned to death and such. Can you explain that too me?"
Gasping for Breath She was! "Well there were other tribes and that is who Cain and Able married!"
"But sister! Adam and Eve were the first two humans and Eve only had two sons! So what is correct? God only made two folks or he made Adam and Eve and allowed Cain and Able to marry NON HUMANS?"
Sister promptly changed the subject! To one that rightly pist me off and allowed me to piss the hell out of a nun right back!
"We have a problem! How are the kids going to be First Communioned and taught the proper church ways if they don't believe in the Trinity! How are they going to be full members of the Church when they get older if your confusing them!"
Wrong mofoing things to say to me it was it was: "Sister I don't see the problem? First who says my children don't believe in the Trinity? I have NEVER told them they couldn't pray to your God or Jesus! I refuse to pray to a God that I don't worship and to a man I have said I respect but don't follow his ways! As far as the Trinity you all teach the Trinity one way and I teach it another. It is all about faith and they represent similar things, my kids understand the Trinity in both aspects and there is no problem. As far as confusing them, it is no different then raising my children to be Catholic and Jewish! Their home is a duel religion household and if you can't accept that then explain to me how this Church and Mission has Baptised, First Communied, Confirmed, Married, and Buried all these Indians? They claim to be Catholic but they also go to the NA Indian Church were they promptly partake in what the Church considered "Pagan" rituals! And lets not mention even if they are Christian or claim to be, what you all call the Great Spirit is not necesarily God that you believe in to them! So your choice ol lady is to take my kids as is and teach them what I am willing to let them be taught or I write a LOVELY tell all letter not only to the Omaha Diocese on how you all allow Pagans to be members of your church, but take some of their ways and incorporate them into Mass but won't take my baptised Catholic children because I am NOT catholic. And that letter will then go on to the Vatician! Not to mention that both Farther Dave who is still here danced in a pagan ritual at Pow Wow! Do you think that Thanksgiving Songs they do to honor the homecoming of their Warriors is very Christian like when it is breaking one of YOUR commandments, let alone they are paying honor to the Spirits, the Ancestors, and the Land? Or how about Father Steve who sat there and told my mother that I am to partake in communion if I so choose becaues their is NO DIFFERENCE in what I follow compared to what the NA Indians do! Simply because it is a culture thing and I have NEVER denied that your God exsists or Jesus exsists I just don't worship him!"
Sister was pist and this was her final come back after that!
"Well what are you going to say on Judgement Day!"
"I don't believe in your Judgement Day! You can go right on into Heaven Sister, if you make it in there for being judgemental that is and kick back and continue to be the Bride of your God! When Death comes for me, MY GODS along with MY SOUL will deem what world and afterlife I should be awarded. If it is to continue on with this World I will be reborn. If it is to go on to Paradise I will be in Emania Macha, if it is yet another world so be it. If I am to be with the Spirits of this or the other world so be it! It all depends on well of a life I have lived because life isn't white and black or in your case the Devil vs God, it is full of greys and I do what is best for me and mine and refuse to let a hypicritical book and a bunch of people who interprute one way tell me or my kids how to live."
Father Mike decieded to come over and see what got the Nun's habit up her panties and good Sister Frances stopped yapping at me. And said well pray for us. And I said I will as long as you pray for me also. Just don't pray for my soul cause I am not going to your hell or heaven!
Who are the forefathers of metal as we know it today? To answer this question one must ponder what true metal really is? VH1 wants you to believe that bands such as Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith paved the way for today's metal gods with their "oooh" and "ahhh" lyrics and undistorted sound. If a band is inpired by the likes of Aerosmith, should they really be considered part of the metal genre, no matter how far it continues to expand? Do metal bands really play at the MTV music awards? Do true metal bands really wrap scarves around their mic-stand? To me metal is defined by bone-chilling, heart-wrenching, pulse intensifying guitar riffs in standard or drop tuning combined with throaty, screaming lyrics and growls about death, dishonor, payback, retribution, war, religion, and the like, not about girls and love - unless of course we are referring to certain songs by Cannibal Corpse and Pantera. To the first-time and experienced listener alike, true metal (including underground, black metal, pagan metal, dark metal, death metal, extreme metal, gothic metal, grindcore, hardcore, heavy metal, metalcore, sludge metal, speed/thrash metal, viking metal, and the like) should conjure "a new level of confidence and power", not something that I have experienced while listening to Stone Sour. Metal should make you want to reach out and decapitate someone.
In my mind, the forefathers of Metal (bands formed pre-1990) are:
BLACK SABBATH
SLAYER
CANNIBAL CORPSE
IRON MAIDEN
JUDAS PRIEST
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