October 2003 Archives

How big is 87 billion?

This visual explanation of the size of 87 billion is yet another wake up call. Got the link from Mary's blog.

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Community of Sant'Egidio

I had previously visited the church of Sant' Egidio in Rome, Trastevere square. But during a visit last September with colleagues, I was reminded of the lay community that has its roots in that church, since 1968. The community is a prophetic and actual sign of peace.

Programs like Play, Recycle and Play Again are imaginative, practical.

There is a daily prayer, commemmorating a saint in the Catholic calendar and at the end of a prayer rhythm that is very European in design, one can email a prayer. All prayers received on the website are included in the Sunday liturgy at Sant'Egido.
Nice mix of physical/cyber. Great community.

Out of the edite suite

Today I've finished editing the video/dvd production, "Portraits of Faith: The Church in America" so I'll be writing here again regularly.

Happy St. Jude, the saint of the Catholic calendar for today. St. Jude is the name of my home parish in San Antonio. The Franciscans have a nice website for saints, with an audio explanation of the background of the daily saint. They also have greeting cards....for free.......I wonder how they use the names they collect on this website?

By the way, the dvd will be released in February 2004 by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Liturgy Spanish language videos

I've mentioned Diakon�a before. If you are looking for short videos, in Spanish, on a range of topics like human dignity, abandoned children, the eucharist, write to the director, Fr. Hugo Ara, and ask for a a vhs tape containing some of this material that the students have produced. Tell him you read about it here. It is very interesting stuff, much of it already broadcast throughout Bolivia.

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digital and cheap

Alberto Pigola has been working with me here in houston for two weeks. Yesterday he returned to Montevideo, Uruguay. While here, he made me realize more clearly that technologies are moving so fast toward smallness, efficiency and ubiquity. On my little computer, we were able to capture and edit a broadcast quality digital TV program. Using the same little computer (cost is $1,500) we designed and formatted a high-quality, high-resolution DVD using digital video that looks fantastic on television. I'm not going to link to those technologies so as not to promote one maker over another, but would welcome sharing of ideas about what everyone is using.

Parishes can relocate their liturgy or religious education planning and creative dreaming. Don't do it in the parish office or classroom. Instead, go to homes where computers like mine exist. Young Catholics can take charge and create wonderful psalms on video. The exchange between them and the older generations who are not so computer literate can be very healthy in promoting equilibrium.

If church policy toward media and broadcasting can break away from the metaphor of the centralized TV studio, it will discover the many voices of faith that can find expression through this digital technology.

It's Sunday, let's worship in and with digital culture.
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On-line Teaching Assistant

Am at MACC in San Antonio, and we are considering whether to use the on-line teaching resource of nicenet.org.

It's great to see a national pastoral training center taking strong steps to enter the digital age of religion.
Adan

D�a De La Raza

Was so busy yesterday that I realized it was a holiday only after I tried to make business calls and found that offices were closed.
Columbus day throughout Latin America and Latino USA is celebrated as "D�a de La Raza." "Raza" does not translate as race such as the Aryan race of the Nazis. The main idea is cultural, philosophical and religious regarding the indigenous cultures and peoples mixing with others. The term was used in 1918 by Mexican philosopher Antonio Caso to refer to the mestizo, the cultural/physical mix of European and Indigenous.

The day is being reinterpreted in various ways, such as in Costa Rica, as d�a de las culturas, "day of cultures." A hopeful trend I think, to continue the move towards a humanity beyond borders and an encounter without the need for conquest. You could send a postcard with this sentiment by clicking here. It is a "D�a De La Raza" greeting card with a quote from the Dalai Lama: "Under the same sun we will be united, persons from of different languges, backgrounds and creeds. We are all the same human beings."
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Cesar Mart�nez and Chicano/a art

I've been editing a DVD project and that is why I've been absent these many days. Toward the end of the week I'll be finished with it, a 20 minute reflection about Catholics who live Mexico, Peru and the Dominican Republic. More on this later. Now, just to say hi and share this art work by Chicanos/as. The first piece that you will see is by Cesar Mart�nez, who settled in my home town, San Antonio. The interview of him by Jacinto Quirarte is revealing and good background of Chicano philosophy.
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Who owns Our Lady of Guadalupe?

While attending the "Creadores de Im�genes Cristianas" seminar in Chile last month, I heard about this business deal that licensed The Virgin of Guadalupe Image to a US company, Viotran, that handles wire transfers immigrants use to send money home. I wonder if it is true.
It was a discussion of intellectual property rights and patents. This is an area where the World Trade Organization, Institutional Church and indigenous spirituality meet. It is my continued hope that the narrow-minded philosophy of the WTO will soon cease to be the only framework for these strange and sinister maneuverings over who owns what images.

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I've been away from blogging because my meetings in Rome were all day and all night. Was on an educational tour to learn about the services that various Catholic institutions provide worldwide. I came away inspired.
Jesuit Refugee Services braves many political obstacles to help refugees in abominable situations. Accompany, Serve, Defend is their motto.
You can get a copy of their new book, "War Has Changed our Life, Not Our Spirit" about experiences of forcibly displaced women.
Adan

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