Polygamy 101

There was a very interesting story on polygamy that NBC aired the other day on "The Today Show." What did I learn from this story? I didn't know that there are more than 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists practicing polygamy in rural parts of Utah. And many of these closed communities think that they're "above the law" defying both civil authority and the established Mormon church. Sounds like a Taliban-like theocracy whose followers only answer to God Himself.
A great investigative book on this is by:

Jon Krakauer: "Under The Banner Of Heaven. A Story of Violent Faith"

Back To School

The kiddies are back in school. This marks the first day for Wilkes-Barre area schools to return to the classroom. All is quiet at the Kessler compound.

Happy Feast Day Beheading!

Today the Orthodox Church commemorates the beheading of St. John the Baptist. The verses, sung the night before during Great Vespers, reveal that a dancer (Herodias'daughter) performing at one of Herodias' wild parties wanted the head of St. John cut off and served on a charger (platter). Herodias honored her request and had the head of St. John cut off.
It is also customary not to use plates and knives, or serve cabbage, cauliflower, or lettuce on this day.

Cat Under the Car

I've often wondered why cats are lured to hanging out underneath cars. I could see their point if it was the dead of Winter and they had no other shelter to retreat to. The heat from the exhaust pipe would provide an excellent source of warmth and the tires could act as a wind barrier. But why would a cat hang out here in the Summer months? The answer: SHADE! Aha, yes, the automobile provides an excellent amount of shade from the sun. Why wouldn't our feline friend not take advantage of it? By the way, the kitty under Mom and Dad's car is named Ginger.

A Flowing Stream In Church

Divine Liturgy (Mass in the R.C tradition) should flow like a stream. There should not be any pauses, abrupt stops, or restarts on a hymn while Liturgy is taking place. Dialogue between the Priest, Deacon, and Choir is essential to make the Liturgy as prayerful as possible. Every Sunday Liturgy I strive to make all of this happen. Needless to say; after each Sunday Liturgy I come home mentally and physically exhausted. Today was no exception.

Entering a new Phase of Life?

Since the beginning of 2006 I've been trying to transition from working full time as Choir Director to real world employment in the outside world. Don't get me wrong...Choir directing is challenging and it is in a real life setting; as you have to know how to deal with many different types of people. Along with your choir members come their attitudes; some positive, some not so positive. Sometimes you run in to the "want-to-be" choir directors as these are my favorite people in the choral world. Can't really get mad at them because you know they're phony; they talk a good game; but that's about it. "Pseudo choral directors" don't know the proper order of liturgical services, don't know the order of prescribed hymns for each service, and usually need a liturgical "cheat sheet" to get through the service. I guess that's why I went five years to Seminary.
It has been a wonderful 18 years behind the podium but now it's time to move ahead; for change, I believe, is a good thing.