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Tech Savvy in a Perilous Age

I’ve been reading up on some tech issues involving security, website issues, and a host of other things. I’ve found some great things.

While its always been a nagging feeling that I should do more for security, famed whistleblower Edward Snowden recently said that professionals, and he mentioned priests, should do more for the security of their Parishioners.

The NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, has urged lawyers, journalists, doctors, accountants, priests and others with a duty to protect confidentiality to upgrade security in the wake of the spy surveillance revelations.

Snowden said professionals were failing in their obligations to their clients, sources, patients and parishioners in what he described as a new and challenging world.

“What last year’s revelations showed us was irrefutable evidence that unencrypted communications on the internet are no longer safe. Any communications should be encrypted by default,” he said.

And:

He added: “If we confess something to our priest inside a church that would be private, but is it any different if we send our pastor a private email confessing a crisis that we have in our life?”

This led me to consider our Parish resources. I’ve learned a lot from The Lawyerist, regarding paperless offices, redundant backups, cloud storage, and encryption at rest. That led to a simple investment in Crashplan.

We’ll keep you posted on the progress here. Stay tuned.

UPDATE – After my hours of research, I asked a Parishioner this weekend what he did for a living… IT director working with security for NASA. If only I’d’a known!

A Culture of Life

March for Life

(A number of people commented and asked for reprints of this bulletin column, so I share it here for future reference.)

“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.”

These immortal words of Sacred Scripture help to define us as Christians, and should also help to articulate our spirituality amidst a world given over, ever more, to new spiritualities based on the rebirth of ancient pagan ways. Even a few decades ago a ‘new paganism’ was noted. The original paganism awaited the revelation from God, which came in the fullness of time; the new rejects the entirety of Revelation, and almost rabidly rejects Jesus Christ.

Hence, we often find ourselves today amidst those who reject Jesus Christ and his Church. “I don’t have to go to Mass.” “I don’t have to go to Confession, I can go directly to God.” “God loves me, He knows I don’t need to do all of that.” “I don’t believe that the Church is right regarding birth control.” And the famous lines from the 80’s which were always leveled against Pope John Paul II, “Keep that man out of my bedroom!”

Such statements highlight the ignorance which many people have of the Faith, and bring pain to the hearts of those who live it valiantly, witnessing that a light has shown on those who dwelt in the darkness. Many people learn their Faith as children, but then never again engage their intellect as they age, considering that what they learned as 8 year olds is as intelligent as the Faith gets. And as we know that’s entirely wrong; the most brilliant minds in history have been Catholic, have grappled with the Faith at every level, and have come out victoriously witnessing to the Light of Jesus Christ. Many more people of great mind have entered the Faith after setting out to disprove it entirely.

lights in st. matthew

As I write up this bulletin note I’m sitting in my room in Washington D.C., ready to head outside for the March for Life. It’s 11 degrees at the moment outside, and yesterday we had 8 inches of snow. But nothing is deterring the witness of Faith which is happening all over the world in regard to life itself. We live in an era which values the right to death more and more. We’re seeing euthanasia being touted as the new norm for people tired of living, even for adolescents. We’re seeing a growing trend towards sex changes being done at any age, even being ‘recognized’ in children. Abortion has become so commonplace, that many of a liberal mindset consider that the ‘battle is over’, and tell pro-lifers to quiet it down (to put it lightly.)

But, given the great treasure of knowledge and reason which we have in our Faith, we can never pipe down, and we can never quiet down. We may all well end up being martyrs for life at some point, but God calls us to witness to the Truth, and not to witness to a comfortable, unchallenged life.

“And the light shines in darkness, a darkness which was not able to master it.” We read this in the Gospel of John, and it used to be read at the end of every Mass. It’s a reminder that we have a great light in our spirituality, which is the person of Jesus Christ, who will guide us onwards to eternity. Many in our generation are, literally, hell bent. Be courageous and be a witness to the light of Jesus Christ. Learn your Faith more, and drag as many people to Heaven with you as you can.

Fr. Kenneth Allen

Peter Pumpkinhead

One of my Priest friends told me the other day that this song reminded him of Pope Francis. I don’t exactly agree with him, but it’s an interesting thought. (I don’t agree with the notion that most Catholics should be seen as jealous, small minded, controlling, etc., simply for being faithful Catholics.)

“The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead”

Peter Pumpkinhead came to town
Spreading wisdom and cash around
Fed the starving and housed the poor
Showed the vatican what gold’s for
But he made too many enemies
Of the people who would keep us on our knees
Hooray for Peter Pumpkin
Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkinhead?
Oh my!
Peter Pumpkinhead pulled them all
Emptied churches and shopping malls
Where he spoke, it would raise the roof
Peter Pumpkinhead told the truth
But he made too many enemies…
Peter Pumpkinhead put to shame
Governments who would slur his name
Plots and sex scandals failed outright
Peter merely said
Any kind of love is alright
But he made too many enemies…
Peter Pumpkinhead was too good
Had him nailed to a chunk of wood
He died grinning on live TV
Hanging there he looked a lot like you
And an awful lot like me!
But he made too many enemies…
Hooray for Peter Pumpkin
Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkin
Hooray for Peter Pumpkinhead
Oh my oh my oh!
Doesn’t it make you want to cry oh?

Priest’s Online

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I came across this interesting series encouraging Priest’s presence online.

I’ve noticed that I’m actually frightened about blogging for several reasons, one of which was highlighted by a recent Facebook interaction that left me a bit speechless. And, I know who frightens me more than anyone else, but I’m not letting that get to me anymore.

These articles are a few years old, and contain advice most Priests know by now. Still, it’s helpful for me to read through and rediscover the reasons I started keeping a web presence to begin with.

Part 1: Broadcasting and Narrowcasting the Gospel Father Dwight Longenecker
Sometimes “preaching to the choir” is part of our mission too, but the fruits will surprise you.
Part 2: Getting Online? Get Help! Father Leo Patalinghug
The key to a vibrant online ministry isn’t technical savvy, but knowing who to count on for help.
Part 3: Are Priests Afraid of Facebook? Father Jose de Jesus Palacios
Why aren’t more priests active on social networking sites?
Part 4: Social Media Evangelization: 18 Ways Ana Roca Castro
The horizons for new media evangelization are limitless. This should get you started.
Part 5: ‘Get Rid of the Website: Advice to Ignore Father Len Plazewski
Keep the website, but get on Facebook too: vocation recruiting in 2010.
Part 6: ‘Men in Black’ Belong in the Combox Deacon John Burns
Being a part of online conversations is key to priestly presence on the Internet.
Part 7:Turn to the Spiritual Masters to Overcome Internet Superficiality Father Robert Barron
The Gospel cannot be reduced to a sound bite. So how can we get it across?

A Basketful of Struggles

This quote from the comments over at Harvesting the Fruit really sums up some of the struggles I’ve had in the Papacy of Francis.

A decade ago a wave carried me to the shores of the Catholic Church. In March it abruptly halted, and the tide of indifferentism and apathy that pulled and then kept me away for 20 years has returned. If what this pope has been teaching the past 9 months is true, then all the painstaking hours I’ve spent, re-learning the faith and trying to live it out is false. Pope Francis wanted to make mess: well, He has in this Catholic’s life. After 10 years of certainty, I again question whether the Church is the one true faith – or, more correctly, that a ‘one true faith’ even exists. Either Francis is right and the Church is not what I thought it was, or He is wrong and…. the Church is not what I thought it was. I am stuck. Fatherless, Motherless, rudderless, confused… I thought I had rediscovered the pearl of great price… now, I don’t know what it is. This doubt and questioning could not have come personally at a worse time. I am desperately afraid.

I ask for your prayers, please.

There’s this also regarding the Jewish faith, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

And so much more.

The Codgitator brings up this point also:

And lo–! As if right on cue, thanks to Jonathan in this thread at Bones on the same malapapalism, I became privy to another exegetical epiphany from Pope Francis:

‘[T]he first and the greatest of the commandments, and the one that best identifies us as Christ’s disciples [is]: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”’. — Evangelii Gaudium §161

Compare this with:

‘“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ — Matthew 22:36-37

I am aware of John 13:34-35–”A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another”–, but the pope’s written assertion in E.G. manifestly conflates our Lord’s words in Matthew 22.

It’s a struggle for many.

But my ultimate take comes back to a Priest who got up and spoke during our Priest Convocation two years ago. (He actually is the Priest who married my parents.) But he got up and said that if we younger Priests didn’t like what his generation was doing, then we just had to wait for them to die.

God love them, and so do I; but… I’m willing to wait. I’m reminded of Hezekiah smashing the Nehushtan.

There’s a new generation coming down the line. And whatever happens in the meantime, many, many Priests, Religious and Faithful are willing to wait, to watch, to pray.

And to heed the call of Christ in His Church, every day.

Fr. Kenneth Allen