Pope Francis and Evangelical Catholicism

George Weigel, has written a book titled Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church, which one reviewer called a "masterpiece of Catholic history and thought" and a "possible guide for the Church’s mission in the centuries ahead" that he would have, if he could have gained access to the conclave, "smuggle[d] in enough copies ... to place one on the chair of each elector".

Weigel's Evangelical Catholicism is held out as a way of moving beyond what he refers to as the "Counter-Reformation Catholicism" that has shaped the Church's practice and devotions for the last 500 years. Weigel starts from this premise:

“In the catechetical-devotional Catholicism of the Counter-Reformation Church, the Catholic learned about Jesus Christ through brief catechism formulas that aptly summed up the Church’s doctrine about the Son of God who became the son of Mary. Evangelical Catholicism begins not with knowing about Jesus, but with knowing Jesus.”

In essence, building the Church of the 21st Century and beyond begins exactly where it began 2000 years ago - with a personal relationship and knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh who continues to dwell among us and continues to offer us salvation:

“Evangelical Catholicism proclaims the great gift of friendship with Jesus Christ, not as one attractive possibility in a supermarket of spiritualities, but as the God-given and unique means of salvation for everyone.”

Now, I know that in many Catholic quarters - among both traditionalists and so-called "progressives", the phrase "personal relationship with Jesus" sets off alarms. It calls to mind those pesky protestant evangelicals that many in both traditional and progressive circles see as having had a pernicious influence on the direction that American Catholicism, in particular, has taken in the last couple of decades, including (in their analysis, but not mine) such ecumenical efforts as Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

But Weigel states that the Catholic Church being influenced by and acting like protestants is not what he is referring to:

"Evangelical Catholicism is not a way of being Catholic that adapts certain catechetical practices and modes of worship from evangelical, fundamentalist and Pentecostalist Protestantism."

Rather, it is an acknowledgment that Catholicism is uniquely qualified to spread the Gospel message that offers each and every individual a friendship with Jesus Christ, or, if you will, a "personal relationship with Jesus". And I don't think Catholics should shy away from using that admittedly protestant terminology to spread what is an essentially Catholic message. Because THAT IS THE GOSPEL. That the Catholic Church is the means by which the human person can have friendship and a personal relationship with his Savior. For that personal relationship is a Eucharistic one in which our Lord continues to come to us and feed us, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. That is what each soul craves - to have that God-shaped hole filled, literally, with the One who loves us so much that he died for us. I can think of no more personal relationship with Jesus than to have him physically enter into us and fill us with Himself through the Eucharist.

So, if the thrust of the Catholic Church's Gospel message in the 21st Century and beyond lies with moving people toward personal knowledge of and friendship with Jesus, I say "Amen!"

And, in a piece yesterday at National Review, Weigel writes that, in Pope Francis, the Church has found just the man to lead the way:

The election of Pope Francis completes the Church’s turn from the Counter-Reformation Catholicism that brought the Gospel to America — and eventually produced Catholicism’s first American pope — to the Evangelical Catholicism that must replant the Gospel in those parts of the world that have grown spiritually bored, while planting it afresh in new fields of mission around the globe. In our May 2012 conversation, the man who would become pope discussed at some length the importance of the Latin American bishops’ 2007 “Aparecida Document,” the fruit of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean. The essential message of that revolutionary statement (in which there was not the least bit of whining about Protestant “sheep-stealing” but rather a clear acknowledgment of Catholicism’s own evangelical deficiencies in Latin America) can be gleaned from this brief passage, which I adopted as one of the epigraphs for my book, Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church:

The Church is called to a deep and profound rethinking of its mission. . . . It cannot retreat in response to those who see only confusion, dangers, and threats. . . . What is required is confirming, renewing, and revitalizing the newness of the Gospel . . . out of a personal and community encounter with Jesus Christ that raises up disciples and missionaries. . . . 

A Catholic faith reduced to mere baggage, to a collection of rules and prohibitions, to fragmented devotional practices, to selective and partial adherence to the truths of faith, to occasional participation in some sacraments, to the repetition of doctrinal principles, to bland or nervous moralizing, that does not convert the life of the baptized would not withstand the trials of time. . . . We must all start again from Christ, recognizing [with Pope Benedict XVI] that “being Christian is . . . the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

Here, in a statement that then-cardinal Bergoglio had a significant hand in drafting, is what John Paul II and Benedict XVI have called the “New Evangelization” in synthetic microcosm:

• The Church of the 21st century cannot rely on the ambient public culture, or on folk memories of traditional Catholic culture, to transmit the Gospel in a way that transforms individual lives, cultures, and societies. Something more, something deeper, is needed.

• That “something” is radical personal conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ and an embrace of the friendship he offers every human being: a friendship in which we both see the face of the Father of Mercies (who calls us out of our prodigality into the full dignity of our humanity) and learn the deep truth about our humanity (that it is in making our lives into a gift for others, as life itself is to each of us, that we come into human fulfillment).

• This conversion of minds and hearts builds a community that is unlike any other: a “communion” of disciples in mission, who understand that faith is increased as it is offered and given away to others.

• That communion-community best embodies the truth of the human condition if each individual member of it, and the Church itself, fully embraces the entire symphony of Catholic truth, and in doing so, lives the moral life as a life of growth in beatitude, in compassion for others, and in evangelical charity.

• Finally, this communion-community lives “ahead of time,” because it knows, through the Easter faith the Church will celebrate in a few weeks, the truth about how the human adventure will end: God’s purposes in creation and redemption will be vindicated, as history and the cosmos are fulfilled in the New Jerusalem, in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, where death will be no more and every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:2–4).

That is the message that Pope Francis will take to the world: Gospel-centered Catholicism, which challenges the post-mod cynics, the metaphysically bored, and the spiritually dry to discover (or rediscover) the tremendous human adventure of living “inside” the Biblical narrative of history.

[Read the whole thing]

G.T.T.

We wish our old friend the Regular Guy the best as he leaves his home state of Illinois today to embark upon the next segment of his and his family's life down in Texas. Paul has taken a job in my old stomping grounds in the DFW Metroplex, and is driving down there as I type this.

He's picked the wrong time of year to move down there, however. I wouldn't want to be unloading and unpacking moving boxes in the summer heat and humidity of Northeast Texas. In fact, I wouldn't want to be in the summer heat and humidity of Northeast Texas at all (still trying to figure out how we made it through 2-a-day football practices in that stuff back in high school).

At any rate, the Midwest will miss you, Paul. Give my best to all the good folks deep in the heart of the Lone Star State. Take in a Rangers game or two for me. Good luck and Godspeed.

50 Things a Man Should Be Able To Do

At First Thoughts, Joe Carter has compiled a list of 50 things every man should be able to do, including, among other things, "perfectly cook scrambled eggs", "load, shoot, and clean a firearm", and "hug another man".

A Special Pro Ecclesia Thanks ...

... to the Cranky Con himself, Paul Zummo for meeting me for an evening of fine cigars, draught beer, and excellent conversation at Shelley's Back Room in Washington, D.C.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to finally meet you in person, Paul.

Happy New Year!

A couple of versions of "Auld Lang Syne", the 1st sung by Mairi Campbell to the traditional (but less familiar) tune, and the 2nd sung by Scottish folk singer Dougie MacLean to the more familiar tune:





And one more time with the traditional version, sung by several Scottish singers (including both Dougie MacLean and Mairi Campbell) during a televised tribute to Robert Burns:




Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup,
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd.
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak' a right gud-wellie waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

From Our Family to Yours, Have a Blessed and Very Merry Christmas

Back from San Antonio

I'm back in Ohio after a GREAT weekend in San Antonio. Here are a few photos of my trip:

John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes, TX


Inside the John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes, TX


Max Stalling was the opening act.


Robert Earl Keen and the Robert Earl Keen Band


Robert Earl Keen


REK and me after the show.
He was kind enough to take time to sign autographs
and pose for photos with his fans.
A genuinely nice guy.


"Road Goes On Forever" 20th Anniversary
commemorative T-shirt signed by REK


"Road Goes on Forever" 20th Anniversary
commemorative book signed by REK



Mariachis at Mi Tierra in downtown San Antonio



Floating the Rio Frio near Concan, TX

The Road Goes on Forever and the Party Never Ends

Tomorrow, I am traveling to my home state of Texas to visit my best friend who lives in San Antonio. While I'm there, we'll be going to see one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Robert Earl Keen, in concert.

Substantial cult following notwithstanding, Robert Earl Keen is not nearly as well known as he ought to be. Keen, who once shared a house with alternative country crooner Lyle Lovett while the two were at Texas A&M, has not met with the same mainstream recognition as his more famous college roommate (who, after all, has a failed marriage to an Oscar-winning actress on his resume). Instead, the unheralded but uniquely talented songwriter has had to settle for the status of Texas Music icon (which ain't a bad thing to have to "settle" for, especially when it means that a former Texas Governor and President of the United States is a big fan and it gets you a gig playing at his 2004 Presidential Inauguration).

Keen, who has been referred to as "the godfather of Texas Music" (a title that arguably could be shared with such other singing/songwriting Texans as Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, and Jerry Jeff Walker), is enjoying an auspicious 2009. In addition to this fall's release of his new album, The Rose Hotel, Keen is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of his signature song, The Road Goes on Forever, which tells the story of the ill-fated romantic adventures of a modern-day-Bonnie-and-Clyde duo named Sherry and Sonny. The song strikes a chord with Keen's audience, and its appeal has led to recordings over the years by other artists such as Texas roots rocker Joe Ely and the country supergroup The Highwaymen (featuring Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and the late Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash). It's not surprising, then, that The Road's gala year is being commemorated with an anniversary tour, a new coffee-table-style book titled The Road Goes on Forever and the Music Never Ends, and a tribute album titled Undone: A MusicFest Tribute to Robert Earl Keen, which features some of the Texas music scene's hottest artists paying homage to their pioneering musical forefather.

If you're not aware of Robert Earl Keen, or if you've heard of him but have never taken the opportunity to become more familiar with his amazing storytelling in song, this year may be the time you should take a listen. Although I've been a fan for many years, Friday will be the first time I've seen REK live, and I'm looking forward to it.

More about Robert Earl Keen from the June 2009 issue of Texas Highways:

One of the first things you notice about Robert Earl Keen is that he talks the way he writes. The balladeer—whose iconic song “The Road Goes On Forever” marks its 20th anniversary this year—is sitting under a tree outside The Zone recording studio in Dripping Springs, some 100 miles east of his home near Kerrville. The wind’s whipping, the sun’s shining, and he’s reflecting on life, how good it is, and about the good, big year he’s living. As he talks, he spins yarns in his innately cadenced way, unfurling narrative as he goes.

The 53-year-old Houston native is indeed having a good year. The University of Texas Press recently published his book The Road Goes on Forever and the Music Never Ends. Keen’s creative team is working on a documentary called The Year of the Road, which features fans’ own tales about “The Road Goes On Forever” and the song’s effects on their lives. In January, he saw the release of a two-disc tribute album (Undone: A MusicFest Tribute to Robert Earl Keen), recorded live in Colorado by a slew of new-generation songwriters who revere his music. And the songwriter garnered what you might call a Grammy-by-association in February, when George Strait’s Troubadour—which includes a song written by Keen titled “West Texas Town”—won Best Country Album.

Keen is excited about where the road has led him: the 2009 tour, the ink from major newspapers, the outpouring of love from fans, and the record he’s working on with powerhouse producer and musician Lloyd Maines, due out sometime this year. Despite all that, one of the things Keen enjoys talking about most is Texas.

[More]

An early, acoustic performance of "The Road Goes On Forever"
from circa 1990



A more recent performance of "The Road Goes On Forever"
from the 2008 NCAA Final Four


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Robert Earl Keen [UPDATED]

A Fanfare for the Common Man (a.k.a. the Regular Guy)

One of our oldest blogging buddies, Regular Guy Paul, has tossed his hat in the ring for the Illinois General Assembly. Folks in Illinois' 62nd District, Paul is your man if you want a solidly conservative pro-life/pro-marriage candidate.

Best of luck, Paul. And let us know if there is any way in which this blog can help out with your efforts.

"Best Feeling You'll Ever Have in Your Life ... Just Become a Parent and You'll Find Out Why"

(Hat tip: HotAir via Creative Minority Report)

Prayers for Dale

Please pray for Dale Price and his family as he undergoes surgery today. Thanks.

Weigel Remembers Neuhaus

(Hat tip: A Long Island Catholic)

In Newsweek, George Weigel recalls Fr. Richard John Neuhaus as "A True Pastor".

Joseph Bottum on Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

(Hat tip: Rich Leonardi)

At The Weekly Standard, Joseph Bottum has written a touching tribute to his late friend and colleague Fr. Richard John Neuhaus.

President Bush Saddened by Death of Father Richard John Neuhaus

President Bush's statement on the passing of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus:

Laura and I are saddened by the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus. Father Neuhaus was an inspirational leader, admired theologian, and accomplished author who devoted his life to the service of the Almighty and to the betterment of our world. He was also a dear friend, and I have treasured his wise counsel and guidance. Our thoughts and prayers are with Father Neuhaus' family, friends, and fellow clergy during this difficult time.

Teen Girl With Down Syndrome Elected Homecoming Queen

Matthew Archbold has the details at Creative Minority Report:

Never has the selection of a homecoming queen sent so many tears falling so freely. Here it is:

Kristin Pass, an 18-year-old senior with Down syndrome, became Aledo High School's homecoming queen Friday to a joyous standing ovation and the flutter of a thousand tissues on a remarkable night for an amazing young woman...

[More]

Happy 100th Anniversary to The Wind in the Willows

(Modified from a post I originally published on 11 June 2008)




~Celebrating a Century of a Classic Children's Book~
An Anderson family favorite turns 100 today:

The book of eternal youth is 100 years old

... It was a golden age for children’s stories – we’ve just had the centenary of Peter Pan and The Railway Children – but The Wind in the Willows surpasses them all. Actually, I’m not sure I care to be reminded that it’s a century old – it has, I’d say, exactly the same effect on the gentle and inquiring reader now as it would have done at any point. As Kenneth Grahame’s contemporary Richard Middleton remarked defiantly at the time, it is “the best book ever written for children and one of the best books ever written for grown-up people”...

(emphasis added)



Cover of the first edition
Kenneth Grahame's classic work of children's literature, The Wind in the Willows, has stood the test of time mostly because it's not just for children. In fact, Grahame's masterpiece, first published on 8 October 1908, has a lyric beauty about it that appeals to the child in all of us, calling us to days out with friends in idyllic settings of riverbank and meadow:

The Wind in the Willows has had a formative effect on the imagination of generations – millions of us carry inside us the Arcady that is the world of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad, all the more because the real English countryside is so much tamer and smaller than it was then. Indeed, it is hard to see many of the people we meet as anything but Rattys, Moles, Toads and Badgers. They’re a template that you can use to categorise acquaintances; at least, the nicer people.

This is a book to be read, and then read again. It should be read to your children, and when they're old enough to read it for themselves, you should set them to it. And, if you raise your children to have a love of books and good literature, they will return to it and read it again as adults.

But perhaps it’s best to leave the essence of The Wind in the Willows to Grahame himself, a man who never quite left off being a little boy and, on balance, preferred animal friends to humans. He wrote: “It is a book of Youth and so perhaps chiefly for Youth, and those who still keep the spirit of youth alive in them: of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter firesides.” A hundred years on, it’s time to climb on a chair and fetch down The Wind in the Willows from the shelves.

~The Anderson Family's Love Affair with The Wind in the Willows~
A copy of The Wind in the Willows, beautifully illustrated by Michael Hague, is the very first book I ever purchased for my firstborn, Jamie. I read it to him as he lay in his crib in the hospital on the very night he was born. He has asked me to read it to him several times since then. Aidan loves the story, as well (and I'm sure Mary Virginia and Gracie will, too, when they are older - though, the book definitely seems to hold a particular charm for boys).

There are a number of different editions of The Wind in the Willows in our home. If you're interested in buying a copy of the book for your family, in addition to the edition illustrated by Michael Hague that I mention above, I encourage you to buy an edition that is illustrated by E.H. Shepard. The images of The Wind in the Willows with which most people have become familiar over the years are the definitive illustrations by Shepard, who is also famous for his classic illustrations of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. A Shepard-illustrated 100th Anniversary paperback edition was released earlier this year (Egmont Books Ltd, 100th Anniversary Edition, February 4, 2008). And Simon & Schuster has released a hardbound Shepard-illustrated Centennial Anniversary Edition (Simon & Schuster, Inc., The Centennial Anniversary Edition, September 1, 1983 - this appears to be a re-release of the 1983 75th Anniversary Edition). Finally, if you can get your hands on either of them, this is a very nice hardbound edition (Methuen Publishing Ltd, 90th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, September 1, 1998), as is this beautiful edition, which our family owns (Egmont Books Ltd., 95th Anniversary Gift Book Edition, September 4, 2003), both featuring Shepard's illustrations.



Methuen Publishing's 90th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
of The Wind in the Willows, 1998

Egmont Publishing's 95th Anniversary Gift Book Edition
of The Wind in the Willows, 2003

(As an aside, on the subject of Shepard's work on The Wind in the Willows, a permanent exhibition in The Wind in the Willows Gallery at the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, England, brings Shepard's famous illustrations to life via 3-D models that depict the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, Mr. Toad, and their friends: "The Museum has exclusive rights to use the original images by Shepard, who explored the meadows and willow-fringed river around nearby Pangbourne in search of settings for these classic illustrations. The exhibition faithfully follows the original story line, using theatrical lighting and sound techniques to transport visitors on a journey through the whimsical world of The Wind in the Willows." During our visit to England in September 2005, Sarah and I took Jamie and Aidan to the Museum to see this exhibit, and they were absolutely delighted, going through the gallery over and over and over again. Definitely worth a side trip if you're ever across the Pond.)

In addition to owning several copies of the book, the Anderson family also owns the BBC Radio Collection 3-CD audiobook set, which Jamie and Aidan listen to every night as they lie in their beds to go to sleep. We also own a couple of very fine animated movie adaptations on DVD (and I am so NOT including among them the Disney bastardization known as "The Adventures of Mr. Toad", which we do own, by the way): my favorite of the movie adaptations is the 1996 version with the voice talents of Michael Gambon (Badger), Michael Palin (Ratty), Alan Bennett (Mole), and The Young Ones' Rik Mayall (aptly cast as Toad); the other excellent film version is the 1983 adaptation from A&E Home Video. If you are a fan of the book, these adaptations should not disappoint, and I encourage you to purchase them. The Anderson children are also fond of playing their Wind in the Willows board game.



The Wind in the Willows Board Game
based on the 1996 animated movie



~The Wind in the Willows in the Popular Imagination~
The Wind in the Willows continues to enchant new generations of readers. For instance, in commemoration of the book's 100th anniverary, Scholastic Publishing has produced a list of activities to do with children in association with encouraging them to read The Wind in the Willows.

The Wind in the Willows has also inspired popular culture over the years. One example of where the lyric quality of the book has inspired modern-day lyricists is the song by my favorite singer Van Morrison, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (not to be confused with Pink Floyd's first album by the same name):

PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN
Van Morrison

The coolness of the riverbank, and the whispering of the reeds
Daybreak is not so very far away

Enchanted and spellbound, in the silence they lingered
And rowed the boat as the light grew steadily strong
And the birds were silent, as they listened for the heavenly music
And the river played the song

The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

The song dream happened and the cloven hoofed piper
Played in that holy ground where they felt the awe and wonder
And they all were unafraid of the great God pan

And the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

When the vision vanished they heard a choir of birds singing
In the heavenly silence between the trance and the reeds
And they stood upon the lawn and listened to the silence

Of the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

It's the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

And Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne wrote my favorite bit of commentary on this timeless classic, which I inscribed inside the edition I bought for Jamie when he was born:

One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgment on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy: I don't know, But it is you who are on trial.

There's not much more that can be said beyond that. [UPDATE: For some reason, that quote puts me in mind of Jeffrey Smith at The Roving Medievalist. It reads like something he would write. And I know he's as big a fan of The Wind in the Willows as I am.] If you've never read The Wind in the Willows, take the opportunity of this 100th anniversary year to acquaint yourself with Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and the irrepressible Mr. Toad. If you have read the book before, do yourself a favor and read it again. And again. And again.



UPDATE
Take the time to read a couple of thoughtful reflections on The Wind in the Willows posted a few months ago on the blog Fallen Sparrow (here and here - hat tip: Dawn Eden)


Links:The Wind in the Willows - Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia
The Wind in the Willows - Wikipedia
The Wind in the Willows Study Guide

The Wind In The Willows: A Bibliography of Illustrated Editions, arranged alphabetically by IllustratorThe Wind in the Willows Turns 100 - Britannica Blog
The Wind in the Willows - Parent's Choice, Reviewing Children's Media
"Variable Winds in the Willows" - Parent's Choice, Reviewing Children's Media
"Abridged too far" - Salon.com

Simply Messing About In Boats - Shirts, Tote Bags, Gifts

Kenneth Grahame - Biography and Works

Willows' author rarities on show
The tragedy of Mr Toad: Wind in the Willows author's own son inspired obnoxious Toady


Further Reading:
My Dearest Mouse "The Wind in the Willows" letters, 1988The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

A Breeze in the Willows: A Celebration of the Wit and Wisdom of the Wind in the Willows by Allen Johnson and Roger Michell

The Willows in Winter by William Horwood

Toad Triumphant by William Horwood

The Willows at Christmas (Tales of the Willows) by William Horwood

The Willows and Beyond by William Horwood

Tour of Catholic Churches in Seneca County, Ohio

Photo by Jeffrey Smith, Catholic Toledo
Today, I participated in a tour of Catholic churches in Seneca County, Ohio. In addition to seeing some beautiful churches, I had the pleasure of spending some delightful hours with some equally delightful people.

Today's event provided me with the opportunity to meet, among others, Fr. Eric Schild (who I was actually meeting for the 2nd time), Fr. Adam Hertzfeld (the director of vocations for the Toledo Diocese), and 3 gentlemen from one of my favorites, the Catholic Toledo blog - Kyle Gase, Kevin Hammer, and Jeffrey Smith (also of The Roving Medievalist).

Jeffrey has posted some photos from today's tour at Catholic Toledo, and I'm sure there will be more to come (I hope to upload some photos of my own and post them here in the days ahead).

I had a wonderful time today, and hope to participate in any future church tours of this sort (I believe Jeffrey mentioned the possibility of a tour of Catholic churches in the city of Toledo in the future). I'd encourage others in this area to participate in future events of this sort as well.

Lessons in Manliness: Sacrifice

(Hat tip: Feddie)

The Art of Manliness on "Lessons In Manliness: Private Ross A. McGinnis & Petty Officer Michael Monsoor".

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
~ Gospel of St. John, ch. 15, v. 13

Centennial Celebration of a Children's Classic

~Celebrating a Century of a Classic Children's Book~
An Anderson family favorite turns 100 this year:

The book of eternal youth is 100 years old

... It was a golden age for children’s stories – we’ve just had the centenary of Peter Pan and The Railway Children – but The Wind in the Willows surpasses them all. Actually, I’m not sure I care to be reminded that it’s a century old – it has, I’d say, exactly the same effect on the gentle and inquiring reader now as it would have done at any point. As Kenneth Grahame’s contemporary Richard Middleton remarked defiantly at the time, it is “the best book ever written for children and one of the best books ever written for grown-up people”...

(emphasis added)

Cover of the first edition
Kenneth Grahame's classic work of children's literature, The Wind in the Willows, has stood the test of time mostly because it's not just for children. In fact, Grahame's masterpiece, first published on October 8, 1908, has a lyric beauty about it that appeals to the child in all of us, calling us to days out with friends in idyllic settings of riverbank and meadow:

The Wind in the Willows has had a formative effect on the imagination of generations – millions of us carry inside us the Arcady that is the world of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad, all the more because the real English countryside is so much tamer and smaller than it was then. Indeed, it is hard to see many of the people we meet as anything but Rattys, Moles, Toads and Badgers. They’re a template that you can use to categorise acquaintances; at least, the nicer people.

This is a book to be read, and then read again. It should be read to your children, and when they're old enough to read it for themselves, you should set them to it. And, if you raise your children to have a love of books and good literature, they will return to it and read it again as adults.

But perhaps it’s best to leave the essence of The Wind in the Willows to Grahame himself, a man who never quite left off being a little boy and, on balance, preferred animal friends to humans. He wrote: “It is a book of Youth and so perhaps chiefly for Youth, and those who still keep the spirit of youth alive in them: of life, sunshine, running water, woodlands, dusty roads, winter firesides.” A hundred years on, it’s time to climb on a chair and fetch down The Wind in the Willows from the shelves.

~The Anderson Family's Love Affair with The Wind in the Willows~
A copy of The Wind in the Willows, beautifully illustrated by Michael Hague, is the very first book I ever purchased for my firstborn, Jamie. I read it to him as he lay in his crib in the hospital on the very night he was born. He has asked me to read it to him several times since then. Aidan loves the story, as well (and I'm sure Mary Virginia and Gracie will, too, when they are older - though, the book definitely seems to hold a particular charm for boys).

There are a number of different editions of The Wind in the Willows in our home. If you're interested in buying a copy of the book for your family, in addition to the edition illustrated by Michael Hague that I mention above, I encourage you to buy an edition that is illustrated by E.H. Shepard. The images of The Wind in the Willows with which most people have become familiar over the years are the definitive illustrations by Shepard, who is also famous for his classic illustrations of the Winnie-the-Pooh books. A Shepard-illustrated 100th Anniversary paperback edition was released earlier this year (Egmont Books Ltd, 100th Anniversary Edition, February 4, 2008). In addition, if you can get your hands on it, this is a very nice hardbound edition (Methuen Publishing Ltd, 90th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, September 1, 1998) featuring Shepard's illustrations.

Methuen Publishing's 90th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
of The Wind in the Willows, 1998
(As an aside on the subject of Shepard's work on The Wind in the Willows, a permanent exhibition in The Wind in the Willows Gallery at the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, England, brings Shepard's famous illustrations to life via 3-D models that depict the adventures of Ratty, Mole, Badger, Mr. Toad, and their friends: "The Museum has exclusive rights to use the original images by Shepard, who explored the meadows and willow-fringed river around nearby Pangbourne in search of settings for these classic illustrations. The exhibition faithfully follows the original story line, using theatrical lighting and sound techniques to transport visitors on a journey through the whimsical world of The Wind in the Willows." During our visit to England in September 2005, Sarah and I took Jamie and Aidan to the Museum to see this exhibit, and they were absolutely delighted, going through the gallery over and over and over again. Definitely worth a side trip if you're ever across the Pond.)

In addition to owning several copies of the book, the Anderson family also owns the BBC Radio Collection 3-CD audiobook set, which Jamie and Aidan listen to every night as they lie in their beds to go to sleep. We also own a couple of very fine animated movie adaptations on DVD (and I am so NOT including among them the Disney bastardization known as "The Adventures of Mr. Toad", which we do own, by the way): my favorite of the movie adaptations is the 1996 version with the voice talents of Michael Gambon (Badger), Michael Palin (Ratty), Alan Bennett (Mole), and The Young Ones' Rik Mayall (aptly cast as Toad); the other excellent film version is the 1983 adaptation from A&E Home Video. If you are a fan of the book, these adaptations should not disappoint, and I encourage you to purchase them. The Anderson children are also fond of playing their Wind in the Willows board game.

The Wind in the Willows Board Game
based on the 1996 animated movie

~The Wind in the Willows in the Popular Imagination~
The Wind in the Willows continues to enchant new generations of readers. For instance, in commemoration of the book's 100th anniverary, Scholastic Publishing has produced a list of activities to do with children in association with encouraging them to read The Wind in the Willows.

The Wind in the Willows has also inspired popular culture over the years. One example of where the lyric quality of the book has inspired modern-day lyricists is the song by my favorite singer Van Morrison, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (not to be confused with Pink Floyd's first album by the same name):

PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN
Van Morrison

( Play Audio Sample )
The coolness of the riverbank, and the whispering of the reeds
Daybreak is not so very far away

Enchanted and spellbound, in the silence they lingered
And rowed the boat as the light grew steadily strong
And the birds were silent, as they listened for the heavenly music
And the river played the song

The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

The song dream happened and the cloven hoofed piper
Played in that holy ground where they felt the awe and wonder
And they all were unafraid of the great God pan

And the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

When the vision vanished they heard a choir of birds singing
In the heavenly silence between the trance and the reeds
And they stood upon the lawn and listened to the silence

Of the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

It's the wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn
The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn

And Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne wrote my favorite bit of commentary on this timeless classic, which I inscribed inside the edition I bought for Jamie when he was born:

One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and, if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don't be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgment on my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgment on yourself. You may be worthy: I don't know, But it is you who are on trial.

There's not much more that can be said beyond that. [UPDATE: For some reason, that quote puts me in mind of Jeffrey Smith at The Roving Medievalist. It reads like something he would write. And I know he's as big a fan of The Wind in the Willows as I am.] If you've never read The Wind in the Willows, take the opportunity of this 100th anniversary year to acquaint yourself with Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and the irrepressible Mr. Toad. If you have read the book before, do yourself a favor and read it again. And again. And again.



Links:
The Wind in the Willows - Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia

The Wind in the Willows - Wikipedia

The Wind in the Willows Study Guide

The Wind In The Willows: A Bibliography of Illustrated Editions, arranged alphabetically by Illustrator

The Wind in the Willows Turns 100 - Britannica Blog

The Wind in the Willows - Parent's Choice, Reviewing Children's Media

"Variable Winds in the Willows" - Parent's Choice, Reviewing Children's Media

"Abridged too far" - Salon.com

Simply Messing About In Boats - Shirts, Tote Bags, Gifts

Kenneth Grahame - Biography and Works


Further Reading:
My Dearest Mouse "The Wind in the Willows" letters, 1988

The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

A Breeze in the Willows: A Celebration of the Wit and Wisdom of the Wind in the Willows by Allen Johnson and Roger Michell

The Willows in Winter by William Horwood

Toad Triumphant by William Horwood

The Willows at Christmas (Tales of the Willows) by William Horwood

The Willows and Beyond by William Horwood

News of a Blessed Event

An old friend of this blog, Will Bloomfield, sends along some great news:

Dominic Richard Bloomfield was born at 1108 on 3 June 2008. Dominic weighed in at 6 lbs, 10 oz. He measured at 19.5 inches long. Anna and Dominic are both doing well. We all came home from the hospital yesterday and are enjoying one another's company.

Congratulations to the growing family! God bless you all!